Introduction

Éteindre means “to turn off”, and this page covers exactly one thing: éteindre 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 éteindre, 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 éteindre in the passé composé. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il a éteint la lampe hier.” — “He has turned off the lamp yesterday.” Everything on this page uses the forms of éteindre exactly as they are conjugated in the passé composé, so you can trust every form you see here.

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

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

How the passé composé of éteindre is formed

The passé composé of éteindre is formed with the present tense of avoir plus the past participle éteint. The six forms are: j'ai éteint, tu as éteint, il a éteint, nous avons éteint, vous avez éteint, ils ont éteint. The participle never changes in this tense for éteindre — it is éteint for every person. éteindre 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 éteindre takes avoir, the auxiliary is avoir in the present tense and the participle stays invariable here: ai éteint, as éteint, a éteint all end in éteint. 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 éteindre deserves a full page, not a footnote.

When to use the passé composé of éteindre

The passé composé is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use éteindre 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 éteint la lampe la semaine dernière.” — “I have turned off the lamp 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 éteint la lampe ce matin.” — “You have turned off the lamp 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 éteint la lampe avant la fête.” — “He has turned off the lamp 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 éteint la lampe.” — “We have turned off the lamp.”

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

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 éteindre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) éteigne
    • B) avons éteint
    • C) avais éteint
    • D) ai éteint

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

    • A) éteignes
    • B) éteignisses
    • C) ont éteint
    • D) as éteint

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

    • A) aurait éteint
    • B) a éteint
    • C) éteignait
    • D) avons éteint

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

    • A) a éteint
    • B) éteignîmes
    • C) aurons éteint
    • D) avons éteint

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

    • A) avez éteint
    • B) aurez éteint
    • C) éteigniez
    • D) ont éteint

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

    • A) ont éteint
    • B) avaient éteint
    • C) éteignaient
    • D) auraient éteint

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

    • A) ai éteint
    • B) a éteint
    • C) avais éteint
    • D) éteindrais

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

    • A) éteignes
    • B) a éteint
    • C) ai éteint
    • D) as éteint

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does éteindre mean in English?

éteindre means “to turn off”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular verb.

How is the passé composé of éteindre formed?

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

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 éteindre?

The gerund is en éteignant and the past participle is éteint.

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