Understanding Compound Tenses in French with Avoir and Être

What Are Compound Tenses in French?

In French, compound tenses are verb forms that consist of two elements: an auxiliary verb and a past participle. They are used to express various times and aspects.

Auxiliary Verbs: Avoir and Être

The auxiliary verbs used for forming compound tenses in French are avoir (to have) and être (to be). Choosing the correct auxiliary verb is crucial to forming correct compound tenses.

When to Use Avoir

Most French verbs use avoir as the auxiliary verb in compound tenses. This includes all regular verbs, many irregular verbs, and transitive verbs.

When to Use Être

Être is the auxiliary verb for a smaller set of French verbs, including all pronominal verbs and various intransitive verbs, particularly those that indicate movement or change in state.

Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp Verbs

A mnemonic often used to remember verbs that require être is the list of Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp verbs. These verbs generally involve movement or state change.

• Devenir (to become)
• Revenir (to come back)
• Monter (to go up)
• Rentrer (to go back)
• 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)

Examples of Compound Tenses

Let's explore some sentences using compound tenses with both avoir and être.