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Avoir vs Être in Passé Composé: The Definitive Guide

Aug 22, 2024

Why French Has Two Auxiliaries

In the passé composé, most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary (helper verb). A specific group of around 17 verbs use être instead. Understanding why — not just which ones — makes the rule stick permanently.

The Logic Behind Être Verbs

Être verbs describe movement or a change of state — they involve the subject itself moving or transforming. Think of it as: if the action is about the subject going somewhere or becoming something, être is likely the auxiliary.

The 17 Core Être Verbs (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP)

This mnemonic gives you the initial letters of all 17 verbs and their meanings:

  • Descendre (to go down), Rentrer (to return home)
  • Monter (to go up), Rester (to stay), Sortir (to go out)
  • Venir (to come), Arriver (to arrive), Naître (to be born), Devenir (to become)
  • Entrer (to enter), Retourner (to return)
  • Tomber (to fall), Repartir (to leave again), Aller (to go), Mourir (to die)
  • Partir (to leave), Passer (to pass/spend time)

The Agreement Rule with Être

When you use être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. This is the most common source of written errors.

  • Il est allé. (He went.) — no change
  • Elle est allée. (She went.) — add e
  • Ils sont allés. (They went, masc.) — add s
  • Elles sont allées. (They went, fem.) — add es

Reflexive Verbs Also Use Être

All pronominal (reflexive) verbs use être in the passé composé. The same agreement rules apply when the reflexive pronoun is a direct object.

  • Elle s'est levée. (She got up.) — agreement with elle
  • Ils se sont parlé. (They spoke to each other.) — no agreement because "se" is indirect object here

The No-Agreement Rule with Avoir

With avoir, the past participle only agrees with a preceding direct object — relevant when using object pronouns.

Les pommes que j'ai mangées. (The apples that I ate.) — "que" replaces "les pommes" (fem. pl.), which precedes the verb.

Want a structured path through grammar like this? Explore our French learning parcours for a complete course roadmap.