When it is used
In oral or written speech when you talk about something finished, something that only happened once, something limited and precise
English equivalent - Past Simple and Present Perfect
Tense determiners: hier, autrefois, auparavant, il y a, etc.
How it is formed
The construction of the past tense is the following
avoir/être + verb in past participle
Group 3 - irregular
connaître - connu
lire - lu
voir - vu
devoir - du
pouvoir - pu
venir - venu
courir - couru
vouloir - voulu
recevoir - reçu
attendre - attendu
dormir - dormi