Inverted questions in the compound past (Le Passé Composé) in French - with subject pronouns

You've already seen inverted questions in Le Présent. Let's see how to form inverted questions in Le Passé Composé.

Learn how to form inverted questions in Le Passé Composé in French

To form questions by inverting in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) when the subject is a subject pronoun, you follow this order:

(question word) + auxiliary avoir/être + hyphen + je/tu/il/elle/on/nous/vous/ils/elles + past participle

Il est allé au cinéma  -> Est-il allé au cinéma? 
He went to the cinema  ->  Did he go to the cinema? 

Here are more examples:

Est-il allé au cinéma ?Did he go to the cinema?

Ai-je mangé des pâtes ?Did I eat pasta?

Avons-nous dormi toute la nuit ?Did we sleep all night?

Pourquoi êtes-vous partis si tôt ?Why did you leave so early?

Quand as-tu appris la nouvelle ?When did you hear the news?

sont-ils allés ?Where did they go?


ATTENTION:

For pronouns il/elle/on + avoir, you need to add a -t- between avoir (= a) and the pronoun, to ease the pronunciation:
Quand a-t-il revu Angélique ?When did he see Angélique again?

A-t-elle joué avec son frère ?Did she play with her brother?

A-t-on oublié quelque chose ?Did we forget something?

 

See also Inverted questions in the present tense (Le Présent) in French - regular forms (except il/elle/on forms)
Inverted questions in the present tense (Le Présent) in French - il/elle/on forms

but also Inverted questions in the compound past (Le Passé Composé) in French - with nouns
and Inverted questions with reflexive verbs in the compound past (Le Passé Composé) in French

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Avons-nous dormi toute la nuit ?Did we sleep all night?
A-t-elle joué avec son frère ?Did she play with her brother?
Pourquoi êtes-vous partis si tôt ?Why did you leave so early?
Quand as-tu appris la nouvelle ?When did you hear the news?
sont-ils allés ?Where did they go?
A-t-on oublié quelque chose ?Did we forget something?
Quand a-t-il revu Angélique ?When did he see Angélique again?
Est-il allé au cinéma ?Did he go to the cinema?
Ai-je mangé des pâtes ?Did I eat pasta?
I'll be right with you...