A group of movement and reflexive verbs use être — and the past participle agrees with the subject
Most verbs use avoir in the passé composé, but a specific group uses être. Two categories: (1) the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP movement verbs; (2) all reflexive verbs.
| DR MRS VANDERTRAMP | |
|---|---|
| Devenir (to become) | Descendre (to go down) |
| Revenir (to come back) | Rentrer (to go back home) |
| Mourir (to die) | Monter (to go up) |
| Rester (to stay) | Sortir (to go out) |
| Sortir (to go out) | Venir (to come) |
| Venir (to come) | Aller (to go) |
| Arriver (to arrive) | Naître (to be born) |
| Naître (to be born) | Décéder (to pass away) |
| Décéder (to pass away) | Entrer (to enter) |
| Entrer (to enter) | Retourner (to return) |
| Retourner (to return) | Tomber (to fall) |
| Tomber (to fall) | Rester (to stay) |
| Rester (to stay) | Arriver (to arrive) |
| Arriver (to arrive) | Mourir (to die) |
| Partir (to leave) | Partir (to leave) |
Tip: These are mostly verbs of motion or change of state — entering, leaving, arriving, going, coming, being born, dying.
With être verbs, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject — just like an adjective.
| Subject | Participle of aller | English |
|---|---|---|
| il | allé | he went |
| elle | allée | she went |
| ils | allés | they (m.) went |
| elles | allées | they (f.) went |
| je (m.) | allé | I went |
| je (f.) | allée | I went |
| nous (m./mixed) | allés | we went |
| nous (f.) | allées | we went |
Here is how to conjugate a typical être verb in the passé composé:
| Pronoun | Être (present) | Allé(e/s/es) |
|---|---|---|
| je (m.) | suis | allé |
| je (f.) | suis | allée |
| tu (m.) | es | allé |
| tu (f.) | es | allée |
| il | est | allé |
| elle | est | allée |
| nous (m.) | sommes | allés |
| nous (f.) | sommes | allées |
| vous (m.) | êtes | allés |
| vous (f.) | êtes | allées |
| ils | sont | allés |
| elles | sont | allées |
All reflexive verbs (verbs with se/s') use être in the passé composé. The past participle agrees with the subject:
The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) comes before the être auxiliary.
Not sure which auxiliary to use? Ask yourself: Is this a DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verb? Is it reflexive? If yes to either → être. If no → avoir.
| Verb | Auxiliary | Example |
|---|---|---|
| manger | avoir | J'ai mangé. |
| aller | être | Je suis allé(e). |
| partir | être | Elle est partie. |
| voir | avoir | Nous avons vu. |
| se lever | être (reflexive) | Il s'est levé. |
| tomber | être | Il est tombé. |
| descendre* | avoir (transitive) | Il a descendu les valises. (He carried the bags down.) |
*A few DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs take avoir when they have a direct object.