Welcome to Lesson 5 of our DELF A2 preparation course. In this module, we focus on one of the most critical pillars of the A2 level: talking about the past. To succeed in the speaking and writing components of the exam, you must be able to describe past events, recount a personal experience, and narrate a simple story. The primary tool for this is the Passé Composé, but we will also touch upon the Imparfait to provide a complete narrative picture.
The Passé Composé is used for actions that were completed at a specific point in time. It is a compound tense, meaning it requires two parts: an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) and the past participle of the main verb. Most French verbs use avoir, but a small group of verbs—specifically those describing motion or change of state (often remembered by the acronym DR MRS VANDERTRAMP)—use être.
Let's start with some essential vocabulary you will need to anchor your stories in time. These time markers tell the examiner exactly when the action took place.
| French Word | Phonetic | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Hier | (ee-air) | Yesterday |
| L'année dernière | (la-nay der-nee-air) | Last year |
| La semaine passée | (la su-men pa-say) | Last week |
| Il y a deux jours | (eel ee ah duh joor) | Two days ago |
| Autrefois | (oh-truh-fwah) | In the past / Formerly |
To form the Passé Composé with avoir, you conjugate the auxiliary verb and add the past participle. For regular -er verbs, the ending changes to -é. For example, look at the verb manger (to eat).
[[pronounce:J'ai mangé une pomme.:fr]]
In this sentence, ai is the present tense of avoir and mangé is the past participle.
However, when using être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. If the subject is feminine, you add an 'e'; if it is plural, you add an 's'. This is a common area where DELF A2 candidates lose points, so pay close attention to the agreement.
| Subject | Auxiliary (être) | Past Participle (Aller - To go) | Agreement Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je (masc) | suis | allé | Base form |
| Je (fem) | suis | allée | Added 'e' |
| Nous (masc/mixed) | sommes | allés | Added 's' |
| Nous (fem) | sommes | allées | Added 'es' |
Now, let's examine a few key verbs that are frequently used in DELF A2 speaking prompts, such as describing your last vacation.
To make your speech sound more natural, you should contrast the Passé Composé with the Imparfait. While the Passé Composé is for "what happened," the Imparfait is for "how things were." Use the Imparfait for descriptions, habits, and weather in the past. For example, if you say "I went to the beach," use Passé Composé. If you say "The sun was shining," use Imparfait.
Consider this natural usage in a short dialogue between two friends discussing their weekend.
Person A: [[pronounce:Qu'est-ce que tu as fait ce week-end ?:fr]] Person B: [[pronounce:Je suis allé à la montagne. Il faisait très froid, mais c'était magnifique.:fr]] Person A: [[pronounce:As-tu fait du ski ?:fr]] Person B: [[pronounce:Oui, j'ai skié pendant trois heures!:fr]]
Notice in the dialogue above how "Il faisait" (it was) and "c'était" (it was) are in the Imparfait because they describe the setting and the atmosphere. Meanwhile, "Je suis allé" and "j'ai skié" are in the Passé Composé because they are specific actions that occurred. Mastering this distinction is the key to moving from a basic A1 level to a confident A2 level.
A cultural note for the DELF exam: When French speakers describe their past experiences, especially in formal or semi-formal oral exams, they value chronological clarity. Use connectors like d'abord (first), ensuite (then), and enfin (finally) to structure your narrative. This shows the examiner that you have a logical grip on the language.
When writing your A2 production, avoid over-using simple verbs like faire. Try to use more precise verbs to describe your activities. Instead of saying "I did a walk," say "I strolled" or "I hiked." This elevates your vocabulary score. Always double-check your auxiliary verb choice; remember that if the verb involves a change of location or a transition (like arriver or descendre), it almost always takes être.
Finally, practice the negation of the Passé Composé. The "ne... pas" wraps around the auxiliary verb, not the past participle. For example: [[pronounce:Je n'ai pas visité le Louvre.:fr]]. The ne comes before the auxiliary and the pas comes after it. If you can consistently apply this rule along with the agreement of être verbs, you will be well-prepared for the past-tense requirements of the DELF A2.
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