Passé Composé: Être or Avoir?

In French, the passé composé (past tense) is formed using an auxiliary verb (either être or avoir) followed by the past participle of the main verb. Choosing the correct auxiliary is essential, as it depends on the type of verb you are using.

1. Most Verbs Use Avoir

• Avoir is the default auxiliary verb in French. It is used with most verbs to form the passé composé.
• Structure:
  Subject + Avoir (present tense) + Past Participle
  • Example:
    J’ai mangé (I ate)
    Nous avons fini (We finished)

2. Être: The Exceptions

• Certain verbs use être as their auxiliary verb. These verbs typically fall into two categories:
  1. Movement/Change of State Verbs (Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp):
     These include verbs that describe movement or a change in state. Examples:
     aller (to go), venir (to come), partir (to leave), rester (to stay), naître (to be born), mourir (to die).
     • Example:
       Elle est allée au marché. (She went to the market.)
       Ils sont partis tôt. (They left early.)
  2. Reflexive Verbs:
     Reflexive verbs also use être as their auxiliary. Examples:
     se lever (to get up), se laver (to wash oneself), se souvenir (to remember).
     • Example:
       Je me suis levé(e) à 7 heures. (I got up at 7 o’clock.)
       Nous nous sommes rencontrés hier. (We met yesterday.)

3. Past Participle Agreement

• When être is the auxiliary, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
  • Examples:
    Il est parti. (He left.)
    Elle est partie. (She left.)
    Ils sont partis. (They left.)
    Elles sont parties. (They left.)
• When avoir is the auxiliary, the past participle does not change unless there is a direct object before the verb.
  • Examples:
    J’ai vu le film. (I saw the movie.)
    Les films que j’ai vus étaient intéressants. (The movies I saw were interesting.)
    (Here, the participle agrees with les films because it comes before the verb.)

4. Common Verbs That Use Être

Here’s a mnemonic to remember some common verbs that take être:
Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp

• Devenir (to become)
• Revenir (to come back)
• Monter (to go up)
• Rentrer (to return)
• Sortir (to go out)
• Venir (to come)
• Arriver (to arrive)
• Naître (to be born)
• Descendre (to go down)
• Entrer (to enter)
• Retourner (to return)
• Tomber (to fall)
• Rester (to stay)
• Aller (to go)
• Mourir (to die)
• Partir (to leave)

5. Examples of Être vs. Avoir

• Avoir Example:
  J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
  (Avoir is used because manger is not a movement or reflexive verb.)
• Être Example:
  Elle est arrivée en retard. (She arrived late.)
  (Être is used because arriver is a movement verb.)
• Reflexive Verb Example:
  Ils se sont lavés avant de partir. (They washed themselves before leaving.)
  (Être is used because se laver is reflexive, and the participle agrees with the subject.)

Key Tips to Remember

1. Use être for movement/change verbs and reflexive verbs.
2. Use avoir for all other verbs.
3. Make sure the past participle agrees with the subject when using être.
4. Check for direct objects with avoir; agreement might be necessary.

You can take the multiple-choice quiz.

Passé composé is a French past tense, and it uses the auxiliary verbs “être” and “avoir” to form compound verbs, depending on the verb and the action it represents.