Reflexive verbs also use être. On est sortis = We went out ... the verb être is a key verb because it has auxiliary uses in forming the passive and and in forming compound tense forms such as the perfect tense of pronominal or "reflexive" verbs and of of some "unergative" verbs (see when to use avoir and when to use être). More Perfect Tense with Être: Use the correct part of the verb être with the following verbs. (see below). Buongiorno!…, Interrogative Pronouns – W-Fragen German Practice. Whichever verb it is, the auxiliary is consistent for all compound conjugations: avoir verbs always take avoir as their auxiliary verb for all compound tenses and moods, while être verbs always take être. To form the past participles of ‘ir’ verbs: Example: finir (to finish) > fini (finished). Avoir is the auxiliary for the vast majority of French verbs, but there are a number of notable exceptions for which être is the auxiliary. This is because it indicates an action that is finished. The Perfect Tense with Être: The verb être is used as the auxiliary verb with certain action verbs and also with reflexive verbs (doing to yourself). French has only two auxiliary verbs. Verbs conjugated with ‘être’ in the perfect tense agree their past participle with the subject pronoun. What is perfect tense? Mnenomic MRS VAN DE TRAMP will help you remember! The past participle must 'agree with' who did the action. Italian Vacation Vocabulary: Basic words and phrases, French Prepositions: Position, Direction and Time, Learning French improve your love life and your job status, French Subject Pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles, French Accents: Circumflex, Aigu accent, Trema, Grave accent, Cedilla, French Numbers: How to Count from 1 to 100, Popular Italian Greetings: Arrivederci! The past participle must 'agree with' who did the action. on est allés - we went. Être is an auxiliary verb which is used with the past participle of several French verbs to form compound tenses such as the perfect or the past perfect. The verb être is used as the auxiliary verb with certain action verbs and also with reflexive verbs (doing to yourself). Note that all these verbs describe a kind of movement. If the person who did the action was one male, then the past participle does not change: e.g. elles sont parties - they left. retourner - to return - retourné(e)(s) = Did you go in? The perfect tense, also called ‘la passé compose’ in French, is used to describe an action in the past that is completely finished. Some verbs use être as an auxiliary verb. Je suis allée (here feminine) = I went. Examples: je suis parti (here masculine) = I left The perfect tense often puts a focus on the present even if the event occurred in the past. It is easy to remember them thanks to the Mrs Vandertramp acronym. e.g. il est parti - he left. The perfect tense with ‘avoir’ and ‘être’ – French, At the Supermarket: Practice French Vocabulary, The perfect tense with ‘être’ (to be) French Activities, At the Restaurant: Practice French Vocabulary, Common Words and phrases to Practice Spanish, Italian Pronouns: io, me, te, ti, tu, voi, esso, essa…. naître - to be born - né(e)(s), tomber - to fall - tombé(e)(s) If two or more males did the action add -s: e.g. All of these verbs have their perfect tense formed with être. To remember them, learn the first letter of each word: The perfect tense with ‘être’ A few verbs use ‘être’ in the perfect tense. Es-tu entré? It is easy to remember them thanks to the Mrs Vandertramp acronym. If 'on' refers to more than one person, the past participle must be plural: e.g. The perfect tense with être Forming the perfect tense with être. To form the past participles of ‘er’ verbs: Example: regarder (to watch) > regardé (watched). Where can I find Spanish books and texts to read? Salve! (see below) Verbs conjugated with ‘être’ in the perfect tense agree their past participle with the subject pronoun. Compound tenses. mourir - to die - mort(e)(s) (I went to France last year.) So if the person was female you must add an extra -e to the end of the past participle: e.g. Remembering that être goes je suis, tu es, ... Then, there are a few other common verbs that form their perfect tense with être. The key elements needed to form the perfect tense with être are: Prefect Tense Example: I have finished my homework. Note that some past participles are irregular: comprendre (to understand) becomes ‘compris’, A few verbs use ‘être’ in the perfect tense. If two or more females did the action you must add -es: The majority of verbs in the perfect tense use ‘avoir’ and their past participle. elle est arrivée = she arrived To form the past participles of ‘re’ verbs: Example: attendre (to wait) > attendu (waited). elle est partie - she left. They are usually verbs that involve movement, such as aller (to go), arriver (to arrive), sortir (to go out) and partir (to leave). What is the Perfect Verb Tense? MRS VAN DE TRAMP, venir - to come - venu(e)(s) Use the correct part of the verb être with the following verbs. To remember them, learn the first letter of each word: MRS VAN DE TRAMP. Example: Je suis allé en France l'année dernière. French verbs using ÊTRE in passé composé Verbs of movement Most French verbs use AVOIR as an auxiliary verb when conjugated in passé composé (or plus-que-parfait), but fewer verbs use the auxiliary verb ÊTRE. arriver - to arrive - arrivé(e)(s) ils sont partis - they left. On this infographic, called “La maison d’être“, you will find French verbs that require the use of ÊTRE. Ils sont retournés = They returned The être conjugation tables below show how to form the French verb être according to tense and person. Passive voice. aller - to go - allé(e)(s) partir - to leave - parti(e)(s). il est allé = he went The perfect tense literally means the “complete” tense. To conjugate verbs in the perfect tense, you need to know the verb ‘avoir’ in the present tense and how to form past participles.