Introduction

Apercevoir means “to notice, to see”, and this page covers exactly one thing: apercevoir in the passé composé. The passé composé is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about something that happened and is finished — yesterday, this morning, last week. On this page you will find the full passé composé table for apercevoir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about apercevoir in the passé composé. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il a aperçu Marie hier.” — “He has noticed Marie yesterday.” Everything on this page uses the forms of apercevoir exactly as they are conjugated in the passé composé, so you can trust every form you see here.

Apercevoir in the Passé Composé (Present Perfect) — full table

Person Form
je ai aperçu
tu as aperçu
il/elle a aperçu
nous avons aperçu
vous avez aperçu
ils/elles ont aperçu
Gerund: en apercevant · Past participle: aperçu
The gerund is en apercevant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En apercevant, je commence la journée.” — “While noticing, I start the day.” The past participle is aperçu, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai aperçu is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the passé composé is only one part of how apercevoir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apercevoir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passé composé of apercevoir is formed

The passé composé of apercevoir is formed with the present tense of avoir plus the past participle aperçu. The six forms are: j'ai aperçu, tu as aperçu, il a aperçu, nous avons aperçu, vous avez aperçu, ils ont aperçu. The participle never changes in this tense for apercevoir — it is aperçu for every person. apercevoir is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Because apercevoir takes avoir, the auxiliary is avoir in the present tense and the participle stays invariable here: ai aperçu, as aperçu, a aperçu all end in aperçu. Learn the auxiliary forms — ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont — once, and they work for every verb that takes avoir. The passé composé is the workhorse past tense of spoken French. It is the tense you will hear in conversation, in messages and in everyday stories, far more often than the passé simple, which belongs mainly to written and literary French. That is why this page exists on its own: the passé composé of apercevoir deserves a full page, not a footnote.

When to use the passé composé of apercevoir

The passé composé is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use apercevoir in the passé composé most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Completed past actions

The passé composé describes an action that happened and is finished. The action has a clear end, and the sentence looks back at it from now. Example: “J'ai aperçu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “I have noticed Marie last week.”

2. The recent past

Use the passé composé for something that happened recently — this morning, yesterday, just now. It is the tense of news and updates. Example: “Tu as aperçu Marie ce matin.” — “You have noticed Marie this morning.”

3. Life experience

Use the passé composé to talk about what you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience, not of habit. Example: “Il a aperçu Marie avant la fête.” — “He has noticed Marie before the party.”

4. A sequence of past events

When you tell a story as a chain of finished events — first this happened, then that happened — each link in the chain takes the passé composé. Example: “Nous avons aperçu Marie.” — “We have noticed Marie.”

5. With time expressions

Time expressions such as hier, ce matin, la semaine dernière and l’année dernière point to the passé composé. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Example: “Vous avez aperçu Marie hier.” — “You have noticed Marie yesterday.”

Passé Composé vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the passé composé is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the passé composé describes one finished action in the past, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, or the background of a story. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the passé composé sentences use words such as hier or soudain, while the imperfect sentences use tous les jours or avant. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Passé Composé: “Il a aperçu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “He has noticed Marie last week.”
  • Imperfect: “Il apercevait Marie à la maison.” — “He used to notice Marie at home.”
  • The passé composé sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is a habit or a background state. Hier points to the passé composé, tous les jours in the past points to the imperfect.
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai aperçu Marie ce matin.” — “I have noticed Marie this morning.”
  • Imperfect: “J'apercevais Marie ce matin.” — “I used to notice Marie this morning.”
  • The passé composé sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is a habit or a background state. Hier points to the passé composé, tous les jours in the past points to the imperfect.
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as aperçu Marie avant la fête.” — “You have noticed Marie before the party.”
  • Imperfect: “Tu apercevais Marie avec Paul.” — “You used to notice Marie with Paul.”
  • The passé composé sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is a habit or a background state. Hier points to the passé composé, tous les jours in the past points to the imperfect.

Example sentences: apercevoir in the passé composé

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “J'ai aperçu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “I have noticed Marie last week.”
  2. “Tu as aperçu Marie ce matin.” — “You have noticed Marie this morning.”
  3. “Il a aperçu Marie avant la fête.” — “He has noticed Marie before the party.”
  4. “Nous avons aperçu Marie.” — “We have noticed Marie.”
  5. “Vous avez aperçu Marie hier.” — “You have noticed Marie yesterday.”
  6. “Ils ont aperçu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “They have noticed Marie last week.”
  7. “J'ai aperçu Marie hier.” — “I have noticed Marie yesterday.”
  8. “Il a aperçu Marie avant la fête.” — “He has noticed Marie before the party.”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je as aperçu Marie.” Right: “J'ai aperçu Marie hier.” Why: The je form is ai aperçu, not as aperçu. as aperçu is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous ai aperçu Marie.” Right: “Nous avons aperçu Marie hier.” Why: Nous needs the nous form avons aperçu. ai aperçu belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “J'ai aperçu Marie tous les jours.” Right: “J'aperçois Marie tous les jours.” Why: Tous les jours describes a routine, so the passé composé is wrong here. Use the present aperçois for something that happens every day.
  • Wrong: “Je apercevoir Marie.” Right: “J'ai aperçu Marie hier.” Why: The infinitive apercevoir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form ai aperçu.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the je form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avons aperçu
    • B) apercevrais
    • C) ai aperçu
    • D) as aperçu

  2. What is the tu form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avais aperçu
    • B) aperçus
    • C) as aperçu
    • D) aperçoives

  3. What is the il/elle form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) as aperçu
    • B) aperçut
    • C) aperçût
    • D) a aperçu

  4. What is the nous form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avez aperçu
    • B) avons aperçu
    • C) aperçussions
    • D) a aperçu

  5. What is the vous form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avez aperçu
    • B) aperçûtes
    • C) aviez aperçu
    • D) ai aperçu

  6. What is the ils/elles form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) auront aperçu
    • B) ont aperçu
    • C) avez aperçu
    • D) aperçoivent

  7. What is the je form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avais aperçu
    • B) ai aperçu
    • C) avons aperçu
    • D) as aperçu

  8. What is the tu form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) auras aperçu
    • B) avais aperçu
    • C) as aperçu
    • D) apercevras

Answer key

  1. C) ai aperçu — the je form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) as aperçu — the tu form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is as aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) a aperçu — the il/elle form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is a aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) avons aperçu — the nous form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) avez aperçu — the vous form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is avez aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) ont aperçu — the ils/elles form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is ont aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. B) ai aperçu — the je form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) as aperçu — the tu form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is as aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does apercevoir mean in English?

apercevoir means “to notice, to see”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular verb.

How is the passé composé of apercevoir formed?

The passé composé is formed with the present tense of avoir plus the past participle aperçu: j'ai aperçu, tu as aperçu, il a aperçu, nous avons aperçu, vous avez aperçu, ils ont aperçu.

When do I use the passé composé instead of the imperfect?

Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. Hier points to the passé composé; tous les jours in the past points to the imperfect.

What are the gerund and past participle of apercevoir?

The gerund is en apercevant and the past participle is aperçu.

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