📚 French Subject-Verb Agreement – Complete Grammar Guide

📌 Subject Pronouns and Agreement

Below is an overview of subject-verb agreement in the present tense using one verb from each group: parler (to speak – 1st group), finir (to finish – 2nd group), and prendre (to take – 3rd group).

💡 Key Points to Remember

• The verb ending changes depending on who is the subject.
• Even if the subject is a noun instead of a pronoun, the agreement rule stays the same.
  Example: Marie parle (Marie speaks) → same ending as elle parle.
• French never drops the subject pronoun (except in very informal speech), unlike in Spanish or Italian.
• In writing, agreement mistakes are considered serious grammar errors.

🔍 Examples in Context

Here are some simple sentences showing correct subject-verb agreement:

• Le chat dort. – The cat sleeps.
• Les chats dorment. – The cats sleep.
• Mon ami et moi parlons français. – My friend and I speak French.
• Tu écris une lettre. – You are writing a letter.

⚠ Common Pitfalls

• Forgetting to change the ending in the plural form. Example mistake: ils mange ❌ → Correct: ils mangent ✅
• Confusing the -ent ending in the plural with a pronunciation change. Remember: in most tenses, -ent in plural forms is silent.
• Using the wrong person when the subject is a group including “I”. Example: Marie et moi → nous → nous allons ✅

📎 Related Resource

To see a complete list of French past participles and how they are formed, visit our dedicated page: French Present and Past Participles.

📦 1. Collective Nouns (noms collectifs)

A collective noun is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things. In French, the verb usually agrees with the singular form of the noun, not the idea of plurality.

• Le groupe chante bien. – The group sings well.
• La foule applaudit bruyamment. – The crowd applauds loudly.

⚠ In informal speech, some people use plural agreement when the focus is on the individuals, but in formal writing, stick to the singular agreement.

🧍‍♂️ 2. Proper Nouns (noms propres)

When the subject is a proper noun (a person’s name, a place, etc.), the verb agrees just as it would with the corresponding pronoun.

• Marie parle anglais. – Marie speaks English.
• Paris accueille des millions de touristes chaque année. – Paris welcomes millions of tourists each year.

🔄 3. Inverted Subjects (sujets inversés)

In questions and certain literary styles, the subject can be placed after the verb. The verb still agrees with the subject in number and person.

• Parle-t-il français ? – Does he speak French?
• Viennent-ils ce soir ? – Are they coming tonight?

⚠ Don’t confuse the inverted subject with a plural just because of word order – the agreement rules remain the same.

❓ 4. Indefinite Subjects (sujets indéfinis)

Some subjects do not refer to a specific person or thing, such as quelqu’un (someone), chacun (each one), rien (nothing), tout le monde (everybody). These are grammatically singular, so the verb must also be singular.

• Quelqu’un frappe à la porte. – Someone is knocking at the door.
• Tout le monde était content. – Everybody was happy.
• Rien n’arrive par hasard. – Nothing happens by chance.

📎 Related Resource

For more details on subject pronouns and how they influence verb conjugation, check our lesson: French Subject Pronouns.

➕ 1. Subjects Joined by et (and)

When subjects are joined by et, the verb is generally plural, since more than one entity is performing the action.

• Marie et Paul arrivent demain. – Marie and Paul arrive tomorrow.
• Le chat et le chien dorment. – The cat and the dog are sleeping.

🔀 2. Subjects Joined by ou (or)

When subjects are joined by ou, the agreement depends on meaning:

• If ou is exclusive (only one subject can be true at a time) → verb agrees with the closest subject.
  Paul ou Marie viendra. – Paul or Marie will come.
• If ou is inclusive (both are possible) → verb is plural.
  Paul ou Marie viendront. – Paul or Marie will come (possibly both).

➕ 3. Subjects Joined by ainsi que (as well as)

With ainsi que, the second subject is usually seen as an addition, not changing the number of the main subject. The verb generally agrees with the first subject.

• Le professeur, ainsi que ses étudiants, participe au projet. – The teacher, as well as his students, participates in the project.
• Les enfants, ainsi que leur professeur, chantent bien. – The children, as well as their teacher, sing well.

📊 Comparative Table

⚠ Common Mistakes

• Forgetting plural agreement when using et.
• Not checking the meaning of ou before deciding agreement.
• Changing agreement with ainsi que when the first subject is singular.

📌 5.1 Past Participle Used Alone

When the past participle is used as an adjective (without an auxiliary verb), it agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.

• Une porte fermée. – A closed door.
• Des fenêtres fermées. – Closed windows.
• Un livre écrit par Victor Hugo. – A book written by Victor Hugo.

📜 5.2 Past Participle with an Auxiliary – General Rules

Most verbs use either avoir or être as their auxiliary in compound tenses (e.g., passé composé). The agreement rules differ depending on the auxiliary:

• With être → the past participle agrees with the subject.
• With avoir → the past participle agrees with the direct object if it comes before the verb.

🚶 5.3 Past Participle with Auxiliary Être

With être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb. This is the case for all pronominal verbs and most verbs of movement.

• Elle est allée au marché. – She went to the market.
• Ils sont partis tôt. – They left early.
• Marie et Julie sont arrivées ensemble. – Marie and Julie arrived together.

⚠ Trap: For impersonal uses (e.g., il est arrivé un problème – a problem occurred), the past participle stays in the masculine singular.

👜 5.4 Past Participle with Auxiliary Avoir

With avoir, the past participle never agrees with the subject. It agrees only with the direct object if that object comes before the verb.

• J’ai mangé des pommes. – I ate apples. (no agreement, des pommes comes after)
• Les pommes que j’ai mangées étaient délicieuses. – The apples I ate were delicious. (agreement because les pommes comes before)
• Quelle robe as-tu choisie ? – Which dress did you choose?

⚠ Trap: The past participle does not agree with an indirect object. Example: J’ai parlé à Marie → parlé remains invariable.

🪞 5.5 Past Participle with Pronominal Verbs

Pronominal verbs (with se) use être as the auxiliary, but the agreement rules can be tricky:

• If the reflexive pronoun is a direct object → agreement with the subject.
  Elle s’est lavée. – She washed (herself).
• If the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object → no agreement.
  Elle s’est lavé les mains. – She washed her hands.

⚠ Trap: Many learners overuse agreement in pronominal verbs. Always check if se is direct or indirect.

🎯 5.6 Past Participle Followed by an Infinitive

When the past participle is followed by an infinitive, the agreement depends on whether the direct object performs the action of the infinitive.

• If the direct object performs the action of the infinitive → agreement.
  Les chansons que j’ai entendues chanter. – The songs that I heard sung.
• If the direct object does not perform the action of the infinitive → no agreement.
  Les chansons que j’ai entendu chanter par Paul. – The songs that I heard Paul sing.

⚠ Trap: This is one of the most error-prone areas for native speakers too. Always identify the logical subject of the infinitive.

🚫 Common Pitfalls Summary

• Forgetting agreement with être.
• Making agreement with avoir when the direct object is after the verb.
• Overusing agreement in pronominal verbs when se is indirect.
• Not checking the logical subject in “past participle + infinitive” constructions.

📍 6.1 Invariable Past Participles

Some past participles are considered invariable in certain idiomatic expressions. They do not change for gender or number.

• Elle a eu peur. – She was afraid. (no agreement)
• Ils ont fait semblant. – They pretended. (no agreement)
• Elles se sont laissé convaincre. – They let themselves be convinced. (no agreement on laissé)

⚠ Trap: Past participles like laisser in “se laisser + infinitive” remain invariable.

🔒 6.2 Fixed Expressions

In certain fixed expressions, the past participle is always used in the masculine singular form, regardless of the subject.

• Ils ont vécu heureux. – They lived happily ever after.
• Elles ont dormi debout. – They were sleepwalking / They acted foolishly.

🌦️ 6.3 Impersonal Verbs

With impersonal verbs like falloir, pleuvoir, s’agir, there is no agreement because the subject is always il (impersonal).

• Il a fallu partir tôt. – It was necessary to leave early.
• Il a plu toute la journée. – It rained all day.

⚠ Trap: In literary style, plu can agree with a direct object that comes before, but this is rare and optional.

📚 6.4 Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the past participle agrees with the subject of the verb (just like with être).

• Les lettres ont été envoyées hier. – The letters were sent yesterday.
• La porte a été fermée par le gardien. – The door was closed by the guard.

⚠ Even though the rule is the same as with être, learners often forget it in long sentences.

🪶 6.5 Past Participle with En

When the direct object is replaced by the pronoun en, the past participle remains invariable.

• Des pommes ? J’en ai mangé. – Apples? I ate some.
• De ces livres, elle en a lu beaucoup. – She has read many of those books.

⚠ Trap: Never make agreement with en, even if it replaces a feminine or plural noun.

📖 6.6 Literary Style Exceptions

In older or very formal French, some agreements follow different conventions, especially in inversion and participial phrases. These are not required in modern usage but can be encountered in literature.

• Les lettres qu’écrivit Marie furent nombreuses. – The letters that Marie wrote were numerous.
• Partie tôt, elle arriva avant midi. – Having left early, she arrived before noon.

🚫 Common Pitfalls Summary

• Making agreement with en (never agree).
• Forgetting fixed expressions are invariable.
• Overlooking agreement in passive voice.
• Applying modern rules incorrectly to literary style sentences.

✍️ Exercise 1 – Fill in the blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct verb form.

1. Marie et Paul (arriver) demain.
   Marie and Paul will arrive tomorrow.
2. Les pommes que j’ (manger) étaient délicieuses.
   The apples that I ate were delicious.
3. Elle s’ (laver) les mains.
   She washed her hands.
4. Le professeur, ainsi que ses étudiants, (participer) au projet.
   The teacher, as well as his students, participates in the project.

✅ Exercise 2 – Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. Which sentence is correct?
   Les enfants est partis. – The children has left. ❌
   Les enfants sont partis. – The children have left. ✅
2. In which case does the past participle agree with the direct object before the verb?
   With être only
   With avoir, if the direct object comes before

🛠 Exercise 3 – Correct the Mistakes

Each sentence below contains an agreement mistake. Correct it.

• Les pommes que j’ai mangé étaient délicieuses.
  The apples that I ate were delicious.
• Marie et Paul est arrivés hier soir.
  Marie and Paul arrived last night.
• Elles se sont lavés les mains.
  They washed their hands.

📚 Additional Resources

• French Present and Past Participles
• French Subject Pronouns
• French Verb Conjugation Guide

📝 Why do we add -e, -ée, -ées, or -es?

The past participle functions like an adjective in many cases. French adjectives and participles must agree with the noun in:

• Gender: masculine (no extra -e) vs. feminine (add -e)
• Number: singular (no -s) vs. plural (add -s)

When both feminine and plural apply, add -es.

To master this, you must first be able to identify the gender and number of a French noun. See our next lesson: Gender and Number of Nouns in French.

🚫 Common Mistakes

• Forgetting feminine agreement: Une porte fermé ❌ should be fermée ✅
• Forgetting plural agreement: Les livres fermé ❌ should be fermés ✅
• Over-agreeing when not needed: With avoir, do not add endings if the direct object comes after the verb.

💡 Tips

• Think of the past participle like an adjective: match it to the noun it describes.
• Always ask: “Is the noun feminine? Is it plural?” before adding endings.
• Remember: No agreement when used with avoir unless the direct object comes before the verb.