Agreement

Past participles and adjectives can metamorphose into masculine/feminine and singular/plural
forms in order to reflect the gender and number of nouns. This metamorphism is called agreeing.

The past participle agrees selectively- agreeing only with certain nouns in particular situations.

The adjective on the other hand is hopelessly indiscriminate when it comes to agreement-
agreeing with whichever noun it is coupled with.

The adjective guide describes the richly varied masculine/feminine and singular/plural forms that
adjectives can take.

La musique - la seule langue universelle

Music - the only universal language

Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières. -- Proverbe

Small streams make great rivers.

Grand bonheur, grand péril. -- Proverbe 

When an adjective modifies a masculine and a feminine noun at the same time, a masculine
plural adjective is used. 

  Déplacez la chaise et le banc vert dans ce coin.

  Move the green chair and bench to that corner.
Next >>

Home | About | Collaborate/Volunteer | Donations | Contact | Newsletter | Blog | Preferences

Participle Agreement
with a Preceding Direct Object
The past participle of the passé composé, will always reflect the gender and number of a
preceding direct object (see Object Pronouns).

La gloire, je l'ai connue, je l'ai vue. --Honoré de Balzac 

Glory, I knew it, I saw it.

La liberté appartient à ceux qui l'ont conquise.

--  André Malraux
Liberty belongs to those who conquered it.

J'ai vu la chatte traverser la rue.

I saw the female cat cross the street. ( In this case the direct object, the cat, is not
 preceding.)

A preceding direct object need not necessarily appear as a pronoun directly in front of the verbal
clause. If the passé composé is used inside a relative clause, the modified noun could potentially
be a preceding direct object (see Relative Pronouns).

  Il a créé la plus forte administration civile que la France ait connue. 

-- André Malraux à propos de  Napoléon 1,  Antimémoires 
Les vrais paradis sont les paradis qu'on a perdus. 
- Marcel Proust

Also in questions, the interrogative pronoun often counts as a preceding direct object.

Reflexive
If the subject is the direct object of the verb, the past participle of the passé composé will agree
with it (See reflexives).

  Elle s'est assise. 

She sat down.

Nous nous sommes peignés.

We combed our hair.

Cosette s'était toujours crue laide.

-- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 
Cosette always thought herself ugly.

Careful! If the subject is the indirect object of a reflexive sentence, no agreement takes place.

In addition when the reflexive takes an object, the past participle will agree with this object
rather than the subject when it is preceding. 

  Elle s'est brossée les dents.

Elle se les est brossées.
She brushed her teeth.
Next >>

Home | About | Collaborate/Volunteer | Donations | Contact | Newsletter | Blog | Preferences

VPassé Composé & Passive Agreement

When a verb uses être to form the passé composé, the past participle agrees with the subject.
Les femmes sont descendues.
The women descended.

Aujourd'hui maman est morte.   Ou peut-être hier. 

- L'Étranger d'Albert Camus
Today mother died or maybe yesterday.  The Stranger

La liberté est née en Angleterre des querelles de tyrans.

- Voltaire
Liberty was born in England from the quarrels of tyrants.

When the passé composé is formed with avoir, the past participle never agrees with the subject.
It can only agree with the preceding direct object when the conditions described on the previous
page are met.

La femme a retourné l'argent.

The woman returned the money.

Passives
In passive sentences, the past participle always agrees with the subject.

Ces enfants sont aimés par tout le monde.

These children are loved by everyone.

Marie a été enlevée par le monstre. 

Marie was taken away by the monster.

Home | About | Collaborate/Volunteer | Donations | Contact | Newsletter | Blog | Preferences