French Verbs That Take Être as Auxiliary Verb

French Verbs That Take Être as Auxiliary Verb An auxiliary verb, or helping verb, is a conjugated verb used in front of another verb in compound tenses in order to indicate the mood and tense of the verb. In French, the auxiliary verb is either avoir or à ªtre. All French verbs are classified by which auxiliary verb they take, and they use the same auxiliary verb in all compound tenses. Most French verbs use avoir, fewer use  Ãƒ ªtre.  The following is a list of verbs (and their derivatives) that require à ªtre: aller  Ã‚  to goarriver  Ã‚  to arrivedescendre  Ã‚  to descend / go downstairsredescendre  Ã‚  to descend againentrer  Ã‚  to enterrentrer  Ã‚  to re-entermonter  Ã‚  to climbremonter  Ã‚  to climb againmourir  Ã‚  to dienaà ®tre  Ã‚  to be bornrenaà ®tre  Ã‚  to be reborn, born again)partir  Ã‚  to leaverepartir  Ã‚  to leave againpasser  Ã‚  to passrester  Ã‚  to stayretourner  Ã‚  to returnsortir  Ã‚  to go outressortir  Ã‚  to go out againtomber  Ã‚  to fallretomber  Ã‚  to fall againvenir  Ã‚  to comedevenir  Ã‚  to becomeparvenir  Ã‚  to reach, achieverevenir  Ã‚  to come again, come back These are all intransitive verbs that communicate a certain kind of movement. You do get used to these verbs over time and one day youll be able to sense whether to use à ªtre or avoir without even having to think about it.  1. In addition to the above, all pronominal verbs use à ªtre as the auxiliary verb:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Je me suis levà ©.  Ã‚  I got up.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Il sest rasà ©.  Ã‚  He shaved.2. For all verbs conjugated with à ªtre, the past participle has to agree with the subject in gender and number in all of the compound tenses ( learn more):  Ã‚  Ã‚   Il est allà ©.  Ã‚  He went.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Elle est allà ©e.  Ã‚  She went.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ils sont allà ©s.  Ã‚  They went.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Elles sont allà ©es.  Ã‚  They went.3. Verbs are conjugated with à ªtre because they are intransitive (have no direct object). However, six of these verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object), and when this happens, they need avoir as the auxiliary verb. Mnemonic Devices for Learning tre Verbs: Dr and Mrs Vandertramp There are  certain French verbs  which require  Ãƒ ªtre  as the auxiliary verb in the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  and other compound tenses, and students sometimes have a hard time remembering them. There are 14 common verbs plus numerous derivatives which take  Ãƒ ªtre, and their derivatives usually do too. For example,  entrer  is an  Ãƒ ªtre  verb, as is its derivative  rentrer. Generally speaking, all of the verbs indicate a particular kind of movement, either literal or figurative - lesson on à ªtre verbs.   Intransitive verbs One very important thing to remember is that verbs only use  Ãƒ ªtre  when they are intransitive (do not have a direct object): Je suis passà © huit heures  vs  Jai passà © la maison.Je suis montà © avant lui  vs  Jai montà © la valise. I can promise you that eventually you will instinctively know which verbs take  Ãƒ ªtre, but in the meantime, you might want to try one of these mnemonic devices.   La Maison dtre The French teach  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs with a visual:  La Maison dà ªtre. Draw a house with a door, stairs, windows, etc. and then label it with the  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs. For example, put someone on the stairs going up (  monter) and another going down (  descendre).There are three acronyms that are commonly used to remember  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs. Strangely, none of them includes  passer, which is an  Ãƒ ªtre  verb when used intransively.   DR MRS VANDERTRAMP This is perhaps the most popular mnemonic device for  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs in the United States. Personally, I find DR MRS VANDERTRAMP redundant since it includes some derivatives, but if it works for you, go for it. DevenirRevenirMonterResterSortir VenirAllerNaà ®treDescendreEntrerRentrerTomberRetournerArriverMourirPartir ADVENT Each letter in ADVENT stands for one of the verbs and its opposite, plus one extra verb, for a total of thirteen. Arriver - PartirDescendre - MonterVenir - AllerEntrer - SortirNaà ®tre - MourirTomber - ResterRetourner DRAPERS VAN MMT13 Each letter in DRAPERS VAN MMT stands for one of the 13 verbs. DescendreResterAllerPartirEntrerRetournerSortir VenirArriverNaà ®tre MourirMonterTomber -13  total verbs Tips From Teachers On the  Profs de franà §ais forum, some teachers stated that acronyms dont work - their students remember the letters, but not the verb each one signifies. So they use music or poetry to help students learn and remember à ªtre verbs: 1.  I have the students sing the  past participles  of the verbs to the tune of Ten Little Indians. Its a good way to remember which verbs take  Ãƒ ªtre, plus it helps them remember the irregular past participles: allà ©, arrivà ©, venu, revenu,entrà ©, rentrà ©, descendu, devenu,sorti, parti, restà ©, retournà ©,montà ©, tombà ©, nà © et mort. 2.  I have my students memorize the verbs in a specific order: the 8 -er verbs, which they can learn in about 2 minutes in class. Next is  descendre, because its the opposite of  monter. Then the -ir verbs, the  venir  family, and the beginning and end of life.  Passer par  brings up the grand finale. Most classes can learn them all in less than 5 minutes. And then I put it all together into a little poem: Aller, arriver, entrer, rentrer, rester, retourner, tomber, monter,descendre,partir, sortir,venir, devenir, revenir,naà ®tre, mourir, et passer par.Ces dix-sept verbes sont conjuguà ©s avec le verbe à ªtre au passà © composà ©. Yà ©Ã‚  ! Sometimes I do it in a sing-song voice or rap it. Ive been known to put on a pair of shades; it seems to make an impression and get them all into it. My students seem to be able to remember this order with no difficulty whatsoever, and I see them scanning their quizzes, silently reciting the order of verbs, marking an asterisk next to the ones that need  Ãƒ ªtre, and being quite successful. When I have had those students in more advanced classes through the years, they have remembered my formula. If they slip, all it takes is a gentle reminder:  Aller, arriver...  and to have them all join in to reinforce the verbs. Ive run into students many years later who could still recall them all and wanted to recite them for me. tre Verbs Used Transitively Verbs that require  Ãƒ ªtre  in the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  and other compound tenses are intransitive - that is, they have no direct object. But some of them can be used transitively (with a  direct object), and when this happens, these verbs need  avoir  as the helping verb. In addition, there is a slight change in meaning. descendre Il est descendu.  - He went down(stairs).Il a descendu lescalier.  - He went down the stairs.Il a descendu la valise.  - He took the suitcase down. monter Il est montà ©.  - He went up(stairs).Il a montà © la cà ´te.  - He went up the hill.Il a montà © les livres.  - He took the books up. passer Je suis passà © devant le parc.  - I went by the park.Jai passà © la porte.  - I went through the door.Jai passà © une heure ici.  - I spent an hour here. rentrer Je suis rentrà ©.  - I came home.Jai rentrà © les chaises.  - I brought the chairs inside. retourner Elle est retournà ©e en France.  - She has returned to France.Elle a retournà © la lettre.  - She returned / sent back the letter. sortir Elle est sortie.  - She went out.Elle a sorti la voiture  - She took the car out. Repeating French Auxiliary Verbs - Avoir and tre When using more than one verb in the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  or another compound tense, you can - but do not always have to - repeat the auxiliary verb in front of each past participle. Whether you have to repeat the auxiliary depends on whether the main verbs take the same auxiliary verb. If they are all  avoir  verbs, all  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs, or all pronominal verbs, you dont need to include the auxiliary in front of each one. Verbs With the Same Auxiliary When you want to say I ate and drank, you need to consider the auxiliary verb that  manger  and  boire  require. Since they both take  avoir, you can leave off the auxiliary from the second verb: Jai mangà © et bu Or you can repeat the auxiliary, with or without the subject pronoun:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jai mangà © et ai bu orJai mangà © et jai bu To say I left at noon and got home at midnight, you need  Ãƒ ªtre  for both verbs, so you dont need to repeat the auxiliary: Je suis parti midi et rentrà © minuit But you can also say: Je suis parti midi et suis rentrà © minuit  or  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je suis parti midi et je suis rentrà © minuit The same basic rule applies when youre using only pronominal verbs, as in I got up and got dressed:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Je me suis levà © et habillà ©. However, if you want to repeat the auxiliary of  pronominal verbs, you must also repeat the  reflexive pronoun: Je me suis levà © et me suis habillà ©Je me suis levà © et je me suis habillà ©xxx  Je me suis levà © et suis habillà ©Ã‚  xxx Verbs With Different Auxiliaries When you have a sentence with verbs that need different auxiliaries, or with a mix of pronominal and non-pronominal verbs, you are required use the various auxiliaries in front of each verb. You may also repeat the  subject pronoun:   I worked and went to the bank. Jai travaillà © et suis allà © la banqueJai travaillà © et je suis allà © la banque I got up and went downstairs. Je me suis levà © et suis descenduJe me suis levà © et je suis descendu He ate, left, and went to bed early. Il a mangà ©, est parti et sest couchà © tà ´tIl a mangà ©, il est parti et il sest couchà © tà ´t​ Verbs With Some of the Same Auxiliaries If you have some  verbs with one auxiliary  and some verbs with another, you can still drop the shared auxiliaries when they are alone in the clause (that is, when the clause has only  avoir  verbs,  Ãƒ ªtre  verbs, or pronominal verbs): On a dansà © et chantà ©, et puis (on) est allà © une autre boà ®te We danced and sang, and then went to another club  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As-tu fait ton lit et nettoyà © ta chambre, ou tes-tu douchà © et habillà ©Ã‚  ? Did you make your bed and clean your room, or did you take a shower and get dressed?   When in doubt... Remember that its never wrong to repeat the auxiliary verb (though overdoing it can make your French sound a bit stilted). But it is wrong not to use the different auxiliaries if you have different types of verbs.