Introduction

Battre means “to beat”, and this page covers exactly one thing: battre 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 battre, 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 battre in the passé composé. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il a battu le tambour hier.” — “He has beaten the drum yesterday.” Everything on this page uses the forms of battre exactly as they are conjugated in the passé composé, so you can trust every form you see here.

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

Person Form
je ai battu
tu as battu
il/elle a battu
nous avons battu
vous avez battu
ils/elles ont battu
Gerund: en battant · Past participle: battu
The gerund is en battant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En battant, je commence la journée.” — “While beating, I start the day.” The past participle is battu, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai battu 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 battre is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for battre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passé composé of battre is formed

The passé composé of battre is formed with the present tense of avoir plus the past participle battu. The six forms are: j'ai battu, tu as battu, il a battu, nous avons battu, vous avez battu, ils ont battu. The participle never changes in this tense for battre — it is battu for every person. battre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -re pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Because battre takes avoir, the auxiliary is avoir in the present tense and the participle stays invariable here: ai battu, as battu, a battu all end in battu. 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 battre deserves a full page, not a footnote.

When to use the passé composé of battre

The passé composé is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use battre 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 battu le tambour la semaine dernière.” — “I have beaten the drum 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 battu le tambour ce matin.” — “You have beaten the drum 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 battu le tambour avant la fête.” — “He has beaten the drum 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 battu le tambour.” — “We have beaten the drum.”

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 battu le tambour hier.” — “You have beaten the drum 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 battu le tambour la semaine dernière.” — “He has beaten the drum last week.”
  • Imperfect: “Il battait le tambour à la maison.” — “He used to beat the drum 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 battu le tambour ce matin.” — “I have beaten the drum this morning.”
  • Imperfect: “Je battais le tambour ce matin.” — “I used to beat the drum 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 battu le tambour avant la fête.” — “You have beaten the drum before the party.”
  • Imperfect: “Tu battais le tambour avec Paul.” — “You used to beat the drum 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: battre 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 battu le tambour la semaine dernière.” — “I have beaten the drum last week.”
  2. “Tu as battu le tambour ce matin.” — “You have beaten the drum this morning.”
  3. “Il a battu le tambour avant la fête.” — “He has beaten the drum before the party.”
  4. “Nous avons battu le tambour.” — “We have beaten the drum.”
  5. “Vous avez battu le tambour hier.” — “You have beaten the drum yesterday.”
  6. “Ils ont battu le tambour la semaine dernière.” — “They have beaten the drum last week.”
  7. “J'ai battu le tambour hier.” — “I have beaten the drum yesterday.”
  8. “Il a battu le tambour avant la fête.” — “He has beaten the drum 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 battu le tambour.” Right: “J'ai battu le tambour hier.” Why: The je form is ai battu, not as battu. as battu is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous ai battu le tambour.” Right: “Nous avons battu le tambour hier.” Why: Nous needs the nous form avons battu. ai battu belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “J'ai battu le tambour tous les jours.” Right: “Je bats le tambour tous les jours.” Why: Tous les jours describes a routine, so the passé composé is wrong here. Use the present bats for something that happens every day.
  • Wrong: “Je battre le tambour.” Right: “J'ai battu le tambour hier.” Why: The infinitive battre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form ai battu.

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 battre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) battis
    • B) ont battu
    • C) ai battu
    • D) avez battu

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

    • A) ont battu
    • B) as battu
    • C) aurais battu
    • D) a battu

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

    • A) batte
    • B) battait
    • C) a battu
    • D) battrait

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

    • A) as battu
    • B) avons battu
    • C) battrons
    • D) avez battu

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

    • A) aurez battu
    • B) avons battu
    • C) battiez
    • D) avez battu

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

    • A) auraient battu
    • B) battent
    • C) avez battu
    • D) ont battu

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

    • A) as battu
    • B) ai battu
    • C) avez battu
    • D) battis

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

    • A) auras battu
    • B) as battu
    • C) avais battu
    • D) battisses

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does battre mean in English?

battre means “to beat”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular verb.

How is the passé composé of battre formed?

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

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 battre?

The gerund is en battant and the past participle is battu.

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