courir Passé composé Tense Conjugation in French

The passé composé of courir — run — is the form you need for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. courir is the verb for talking about sport and running: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a morning run or training for a race. This page gives you the complete passé composé table for courir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “J'ai couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “I have run in the park this week.”

Passé composé conjugation of courir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for courir. courir is irregular (regular in the passé composé), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Passé composé — courir

Person Form
je ai couru
tu as couru
il/elle a couru
nous avons couru
vous avez couru
ils/elles ont couru

The gerund of courir is en courant and the past participle is couru. The participle matters here because the passé composé is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the passé composé of courir is formed

The passé composé of courir is formed with the auxiliary avoir in the present plus the past participle couru. The six forms are ai couru, as couru, a couru, avons couru, avez couru and ont couru. The auxiliary is avoir for this verb — do not swap it for the other auxiliary.

Because courir uses avoir as its auxiliary, the participle couru is the same in the table for every person. In real sentences the participle can agree in gender and number with the subject when the auxiliary is être, or with a preceding direct object — that agreement is a sentence-level rule, and the base form in the table stays couru.

The passé composé is the everyday spoken past tense in French. Learn these six forms as a set: once you can say ai couru without thinking, you can talk about anything you did yesterday.

When to use the passé composé of courir

Completed actions at a specific time

Use the passé composé for an action that started and finished in the past. For example: “J'ai couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “I have run in the park this week.”

A sequence of actions

Use the passé composé to list one finished action after another. For example: “Nous avons couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “We have run every morning this week.”

Recent events and news

Use the passé composé for something that has just happened. For example: “Il a couru vite cette semaine.” — “He has run fast this week.”

Life experience

Use the passé composé to talk about things you have done in your life. For example: “J'ai couru un marathon cette semaine.” — “I have run a marathon this week.”

Passé composé vs imperfect: courir finished, courir in progress

The passé composé and the imperfect are the two tenses learners confuse most with courir. The passé composé is for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé; the imperfect is for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. Compare the pairs below — the passé composé form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Passé composé: “J'ai couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “I have run in the park this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Je courais dans le parc avant.” — “I used to run in the park before.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “He has run every morning this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Il courait tous les matins avant.” — “He used to run every morning before.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons couru vite cette semaine.” — “We have run fast this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous courions vite avant.” — “We used to run fast before.”

Example sentences: courir in the passé composé

Six sentences using only the passé composé of courir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “J'ai couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “I have run in the park this week.”
  • “Tu as couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “You have run every morning this week.”
  • “Il a couru vite cette semaine.” — “He has run fast this week.”
  • “Nous avons couru un marathon cette semaine.” — “We have run a marathon this week.”
  • “Vous avez couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “You have run in the park this week.”
  • “Ils ont couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “They have run every morning this week.”

Common mistakes in the passé composé of courir

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je avons couru dans le parc.”

✓ Right: “Je ai couru dans le parc.”

avons couru is the nous form. With je the passé composé form is ai couru.

2. Using the present for a finished action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je cours tous les matins.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai couru tous les matins.”

The present cours describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai couru.

3. Forgetting the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Je couru vite hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai couru vite hier.”

The passé composé needs its auxiliary: ai couru is avoir + couru. The participle alone is not a finished sentence.

4. Using the passé composé where the imperfect belongs

✗ Wrong: “Avant, je ai couru un marathon tous les jours.” (said of a repeated habit)

✓ Right: “Avant, je courais un marathon tous les jours.”

For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect courais.

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu ai couru dans le parc.”

✓ Right: “Tu as couru dans le parc.”

With tu the passé composé form is as couru, not ai couru. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the passé composé of courir

Ten questions on courir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the je form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) a couru
    • B) avons couru
    • C) ai couru
    • D) avez couru

  2. What is the tu form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ai couru
    • B) a couru
    • C) avons couru
    • D) as couru

  3. What is the il/elle form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) avez couru
    • B) avons couru
    • C) ont couru
    • D) a couru

  4. What is the nous form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ai couru
    • B) avons couru
    • C) as couru
    • D) a couru

  5. What is the vous form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ai couru
    • B) avons couru
    • C) avez couru
    • D) ont couru

  6. What is the ils/elles form of courir in the Present perfect?

    • A) a couru
    • B) avez couru
    • C) avons couru
    • D) ont couru

  7. What is the je form of courir in the Present indicative?

    • A) courons
    • B) courez
    • C) courent
    • D) cours

  8. What is the gerund of courir?

    • A) dormant
    • B) buvant
    • C) courant

  9. What is the past participle of courir?

    • A) dormi
    • B) couru
    • C) bu

  10. What does courir mean in English?

  • A) open
  • B) run
  • C) drink
  • D) sleep

Answer key

  1. C) ai couru — The je form of courir in the present perfect is ai couru.
  2. D) as couru — The tu form of courir in the present perfect is as couru.
  3. D) a couru — The il/elle form of courir in the present perfect is a couru.
  4. B) avons couru — The nous form of courir in the present perfect is avons couru.
  5. C) avez couru — The vous form of courir in the present perfect is avez couru.
  6. D) ont couru — The ils/elles form of courir in the present perfect is ont couru.
  7. D) cours — The je form of courir in the present indicative is cours.
  8. C) courant — The gerund of courir is en courant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. B) couru — The past participle of courir is couru; perfect tenses use avoir + couru.
  10. B) run — courir means “run” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the passé composé of courir?

Use it for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. For courir that covers talking about sport and running, describing a morning run and training for a race.

Is the passé composé of courir regular?

courir is irregular. In the passé composé it is regular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of courir?

The past participle is couru. The passé composé uses it with avoir for the perfect tenses.

How do I say “I run” in the passé composé?

Say “J'ai couru dans le parc cette semaine.” — “I have run in the park this week.” The je form is ai couru.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for courir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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