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noun, masculine

passé composé

/pa.se kɔ̃.po.ze/

noun, masculine/pa.se kɔ̃.po.ze/plural: passés composés

a past tense in French grammar, to express a completed ('perfect') action. In English, it can either be called the perfect tense or referred to by its French name. The name 'passé composé' reflects the fact that it is a compound tense, unlike the passé simple.

Literally, “compound past”, because, unlike the imparfait and passé simple, which use endings and/or root flexion, it uses an auxiliary verb and the past participle.