French Phrase
Les billets se sont vendus vite.
Meaning
The sentence means “The tickets sold quickly.” It is used to comment on how fast a limited‑quantity item was purchased, often after a concert, theater show, or any event with ticket sales.
When to use
Use this phrase right after a ticket‑selling period ends, when you want to emphasize the speed of the sale, or when you’re surprised that tickets disappeared in a flash.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesbilletssesontvendusvite.
Pronominal verb with être
The verb *se vendre* is used reflexively and forms the passé composé with the auxiliary *être*.
Past‑participle agreement
Because the auxiliary is *être*, the past participle *vendu* agrees with the subject *les billets* (masc. plural → *vendus*).
Adverb placement
The adverb *vite* normally follows the verb phrase in French, not before it.
🗨In Conversation
Comment se sont passées les ventes des billets ?
How did the ticket sales go?
Les billets se sont vendus vite.
The tickets sold quickly.
✕Common Mistakes
Les billets se ont vendus vite.
The verb *se vendre* uses *être* as its auxiliary, not *avoir*.
Les billets se sont vendu vite.
The past participle must agree with the plural masculine subject *billets* → *vendus*.
Les billets vite se sont vendus.
Adverbs like *vite* normally follow the verb phrase, not precede it.
↔Alternatives
Les billets ont été vendus rapidement.
The tickets were sold quickly.
Les tickets se sont écoulés rapidement.
The tickets went out quickly.
Les places se sont vendues en un clin d’œil.
The seats sold in the blink of an eye.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, *se vendre* is the idiomatic way to say that something was bought fast. The adverb *vite* is informal; for a more formal tone you can replace it with *rapidement* or *en un temps record*. Also, remember that the past participle must match the gender and number of the subject when the auxiliary is *être*.