Breakdown of Je connais cette région. Elle a été conquise par le roi.
je
I
être
to be
elle
she
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
la région
the region
le roi
the king
par
by, through / out of (motive)
connaître
to know (be familiar with)
conquérir
to conquer
Questions & Answers about Je connais cette région. Elle a été conquise par le roi.
How do we know a été conquise means "was conquered" and not "has conquered"?
This is the passive voice in the passé composé. Instead of using just a plus a past participle (like elle a conquis, meaning "she conquered"), we use the passé composé of the verb être, which is a été (was / has been). We then add the past participle of our main verb. So a été conquise translates to "was conquered".
Why is there an extra "e" at the end of conquise?
In the passive voice, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject. Here, the subject is Elle, which replaces the feminine singular noun cette région. Because it is feminine, we must add an e to the default past participle conquis, making it conquise.
What is the infinitive verb for conquise?
The infinitive is conquérir (to conquer). It is an irregular verb, and its base masculine singular past participle is conquis.
Learn Je connais cette région. Elle a été conquise par le roi and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free