Past Participle Agreement with Preceding Direct Objects
L'accord du participe passé avec le complément d'objet direct antécédent • B1 • 12 cartes
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Exemples
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La règle générale avec l'auxiliaire avoir
The general rule with the auxiliary verb avoir
📌 Note de grammaire
When using the auxiliary verb avoir, the past participle normally does not agree with the subject. However, it must agree in gender and number with a direct object pronoun (COD) that is placed before the verb.
Exemple
L'accord avec le pronom COD 'que'
Agreement with the direct object relative pronoun 'que'
📌 Note de grammaire
In relative clauses introduced by 'que', the relative pronoun replaces the direct object noun and moves to the front of the clause. Because this COD precedes the compound verb, the past participle agrees with its gender and number.
Exemple
L'accord avec les pronoms COD me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les
Agreement with direct object pronouns me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les
📌 Note de grammaire
When direct object personal pronouns (me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les) are placed before compound verbs conjugated with 'avoir', the past participle agrees with them in gender and number.
Exemple
L'absence d'accord avec le pronom indirect 'lui' et 'leur'
No agreement with the indirect object pronouns 'lui' and 'leur'
📌 Note de grammaire
Indirect object pronouns (COI), such as 'lui' and 'leur' (answering the question à qui), never trigger past participle agreement because they represent indirect objects, not direct objects.
Exemple
L'accord avec le pronom partitif ou adverbial 'en'
No agreement with the partitive or adverbial pronoun 'en'
📌 Note de grammaire
Even though 'en' can sometimes replace a noun that is grammatically direct, the pronoun 'en' itself is considered an indirect or adverbial quantity complement. Therefore, past participles never agree with 'en'.
Exemple
L'accord avec le pronom réfléchi (verbes pronominaux directs)
Agreement with reflexive pronouns (direct reflexive verbs)
📌 Note de grammaire
In pronominal verbs conjugated with 'être', the reflexive pronoun often acts as a direct object. When the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb and is the direct object, the past participle agrees with it.
Exemple
L'absence d'accord avec le pronom réfléchi (verbes pronominaux indirects)
No agreement with reflexive pronouns (indirect reflexive verbs)
📌 Note de grammaire
If the reflexive pronoun functions as an indirect object (meaning the action is done to or for an implicit direct object following the verb), the past participle does not agree with the reflexive pronoun.
Exemple
L'accord avec les pronoms interrogatifs et exclamatifs (combien de, quel)
Agreement with interrogative and exclamatory pronouns (combien de, quel)
📌 Note de grammaire
In direct questions or exclamations introduced by 'quel', 'quelle', 'quelles', or 'combien de' followed by a direct object noun, the past participle agrees with that preceding direct object noun.
Exemple
L'absence d'accord quand le COD suit le participe passé
No agreement when the direct object follows the past participle
📌 Note de grammaire
If the direct object noun or pronoun appears after the past participle, there is never any agreement, even if the sentence uses the auxiliary verb 'avoir'.
Exemple
L'effet d'un infinitif dépendant (la règle des verbes de perception)
The effect of a dependent infinitive (verbs of perception)
📌 Note de grammaire
When a past participle is followed by an infinitive (like voir, entendre, laisser), it agrees only if the preceding direct object performs the action of the infinitive. If the object undergoes the action, there is no agreement.
Exemple
L'invariabilité du participe passé suivi d'un infinitif (laisser, faire)
Invariability of past participles followed by an infinitive (laisser, faire)
📌 Note de grammaire
With the past participles fait and laissé followed by an infinitive, the participle traditionally remains invariable when the infinitive has its own direct object meaning.
Exemple
L'accord avec le pronom neutre 'le'
Agreement with the neuter pronoun 'le'
📌 Note de grammaire
When the pronoun 'le' is used as a neuter direct object (replacing an entire clause, an adjective, or a statement rather than a specific noun), the past participle never agrees and remains masculine singular (le).
Exemple
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