Appendix B
When to Use "être" and "avoir" to Create Compound Tenses (Les Temps composés)
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Quick Summary – When to Use être and avoir to Create the 'Temps composés' (Compound Tenses) |
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|
1. |
Use "être" to create compound tenses with the Secret Travel Club verbs shown in the tables below. |
|
2. |
Also use "être" to create compound tenses with any verb you want to use in the Pronominal format. (Full details – Appendix D) |
|
3. |
But use "avoir" to create compound tenses with all other French verbs which are not included in the Secret Travel Club of verbs shown below, or which are not in the pronominal format. (The vast majority of French verbs use "avoir" to create compound tenses.) |
Let's consider each approach in sequence:
|
1. |
Use "être" to create compound tenses with the Secret Travel Club verbs shown in the tables below. |
A small "exclusive club" of verbs use the auxiliary verb “être” to create new time frames with compound tenses.
I call this group of verbs the "Secret Travel Club" because the member-verbs of this club all describe
'movement' through time or space, yet without drawing attention to the limbs of the body or to the mode of transportation.
The following tables present the verbs which use “être” to create compound tenses (temps composés):
- This is a more complete list than usually found in popular verb books -
The Secret Travel Club verbs and their Participes passés (p.p.): (Arranged in groups of related meanings)
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
| naître | to be born | né | born |
| renaître | to be born again / to be reborn | rené | born again / reborn / been born again / been reborn |
| mourir | to die | mort | dead / deceased |
| décéder | to be deceased / to die / to pass away / to pass on | décédé | dead / deceased / passed away / passed on |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
aller |
to go |
allé |
gone |
|
rester |
to remain / to stay |
resté |
remained / stayed |
|
retourner |
to go back / to return |
retourné |
gone back / returned |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
arriver |
to arrive |
arrivé |
arrived |
|
partir |
to leave / to depart |
parti |
left / departed |
|
repartir |
to leave again/ to depart again |
reparti |
left again / departed again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
venir |
to come |
venu |
come |
|
revenir |
to come again / to come back |
revenu |
come back |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
passer |
to drop by / to go by/ to pass by |
passé |
dropped by /gone by / passed by |
|
repasser |
to drop by again / to go by again / to pass by again |
repassé |
dropped by again / gone by again / passed by again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
entrer |
to enter into / to go into |
entré |
entered into / gone into |
|
rentrer |
to re-enter / to go in again / to enter again / (to go home) |
rentré |
re-entered / gone in again / enterd again / (gone home) |
|
sortir |
to exit from / to go out |
sorti |
exited from / gone out |
|
ressortir |
to exit from again / to go out again |
ressorti |
exited from again / gone out again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
monter |
to ascend / to go up |
monté |
ascended / gone up |
|
remonter |
to ascend again / to go up again |
remonté |
ascended again / gone up again |
|
descendre |
to descend / to go down |
descendu |
descended / gone down |
|
redescendre |
to descend again / to go down again |
redescendu |
descended again / gone down again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
tomber |
to fall |
tombé |
fallen |
|
retomber |
to fall again |
retombé |
fallen again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
devenir |
to become |
devenu |
become |
|
redevenir |
to become again |
redevenu |
become again |
|
Infinitif |
Participe passé (p.p.) |
||
|
advenir |
to come about / to happen (impersonal) |
advenu |
come about / happened (impersonal) |
|
intervenir |
to intervene |
intervenu |
intervened |
|
parvenir |
to reach / to reach a destination |
parvenu |
reached / reached a destination |
|
survenir |
to come about / to happen (impersonaI) |
survenu |
come about / happened (impersonal) |
| Exceptions when the meanings change!!
A few of the 'Secret Travel Club' verbs shown in the tables above also have alternate meanings in French to describe actions exerted upon objects. When used in this way, we use the auxiliary verb "avoir" rather than "être" to create our compound tenses. The verbs that can change meanings this way are shown in the table below. |
| Infinitif | Use 'avoir' when your meaning is: | Participe passé (p.p.) | |
|
entrer |
to bring in / to take in |
entré |
brought in / taken in |
|
rentrer |
to bring in again / to take in again |
rentré |
brought in again / taken in again |
|
sortir |
to bring out / to take out |
sorti |
brought out / taken out |
|
ressortir |
to bring out again / to take out again |
ressorti |
brought out again / taken out again |
|
descendre |
to bring down / to take down |
descendu |
brought down / taken down |
|
redescendre |
to bring down again / to take down again |
redescendu |
brought down again / taken down again |
|
monter |
to put up / to bring up / to take up |
monté |
put up / brought up / taken up |
|
remonter |
to put up again / to bring up again / to take up again |
remonté |
put up again / brought up again / taken up again |
|
passer |
to pass / to spend (time) |
passé |
passed / spent (time) |
|
repasser |
to iron / to pass again / to spend (time) again |
repassé |
ironed / passed again / spent (time) again |
|
retourner |
to return (sornething) |
retourné |
returned (sornething) |
|
2. |
Use "être" to create compound tenses with any verb you want to use in the Pronominal format. (Full details – Appendix D) |
Examples:
Je me suis réveillé(e). (Passé composé - using 'être')
Nous nous étions caché(e)s. (Plus-que-parfait - using 'être')
Elles se seront préparées. (Futur antérieur - using 'être')
|
3. |
But use "avoir" to create compound tenses with all other French verbs which are not included in the Secret Travel Club of verbs shown above, or which are not in the pronominal format. (Which covers the vast majority of French verbs!) |
Examples:
J'ai parlé. (Passé composé - using 'avoir')
Nous avions voyagé. (Plus-que-parfait - using 'avoir')
Elles auront participé. (Futur antérieur - using 'avoir')
Quick Summary – When to Use être and avoir to Create the 'Temps composés' (Compound Tenses) |
|
|
1. |
Use "être" to create compound tenses with the Secret Travel Club verbs shown in the tables above. |
|
2. |
Also use "être" to create compound tenses with any verb you want to use in the Pronominal format. (Full details – Appendix D) |
|
3. |
But use "avoir" to create compound tenses with ALL other French verbs which are not included in the Secret Travel Club of verbs shown in the tables above, or which are not in the pronominal format. (The vast majority of French verbs use "avoir" to create compound tenses.) |