This French 2 lesson explains passé composé with être step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on passé composé with être and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: Sixteen verbs, mostly verbs of motion and change such as aller, venir, arriver and partir, form the passé composé with être instead of avoir. The past participle then agrees with the subject: elle est allée, ils sont partis. In the negative, ne and pas wrap around être: je ne suis pas rentré.
Level: French 2 (high school, ACTFL Novice High) · Standards: ACTFL Novice High, WL 1.1 Interpersonal, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational
Passé composé with être: the lesson
Which verbs use être in the passé composé?
Most French verbs form the passé composé with avoir, but a short list of verbs uses être instead. These verbs describe going somewhere, coming back, or changing state. English speakers remember them with the mnemonic DR MRS VANDERTRAMP, where each letter stands for one verb.
Definition
For these sixteen verbs, passé composé = present tense of être + past participle. The participle behaves like an adjective and agrees with the subject.
| Verb | Participle | Verb | Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| devenir | devenu | descendre | descendu |
| revenir | revenu | entrer | entré |
| monter | monté | retourner | retourné |
| rester | resté | tomber | tombé |
| sortir | sorti | rentrer | rentré |
| venir | venu | arriver | arrivé |
| aller | allé | mourir | mort |
| naître | né | partir | parti |
How does the past participle agree?
Rule: agreement with être
The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: add -e for a feminine subject, -s for a plural subject, -es for feminine plural. A mixed group takes the masculine plural.
Examples
- Malik est arrivé à 8 h. — Malik arrived at 8:00.
- Sonia est restée chez sa tante. — Sonia stayed at her aunt’s.
- Léa et Tom sont partis en Belgique. — Léa and Tom left for Belgium.
How do you make it negative or ask a question?
Wrap ne … pas around être: Elle n’est pas rentrée. — She did not come home. For questions, use est-ce que (Est-ce que tu es sorti ?) or invert the helper and the subject (Es-tu sorti ?, Sont-ils rentrés ?).
Common mistake
English says “I have gone”, so learners write j’ai allé. French needs je suis allé(e). Careful: when monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer or retourner have a direct object, they switch to avoir: J’ai sorti le chien. — I took the dog out.
Culture note
Official French forms ask for your birth date with né(e) le, a participle of naître with the optional -e. Birth announcements read Inès est née le 3 mars.
Zoé’s tip
Picture a suitcase: if the verb means going, coming, arriving, leaving or staying put, grab être. Then draw an arrow from the participle back to the subject and ask who is moving.
Key points to remember
- About 16 verbs use être; the mnemonic DR MRS VANDERTRAMP lists them.
- Formula: present of être + past participle (elle est partie).
- The participle agrees with the subject: add -e for feminine, -s for plural.
- Negation: ne + être + pas + participle (nous ne sommes pas restés).
- Never say j’ai allé: aller always takes être.
Coming, Going and Staying with Être: frequently asked questions
What does DR MRS VANDERTRAMP stand for?
It is an English mnemonic for the sixteen verbs that use être: devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, retourner, tomber, rentrer, arriver, mourir, partir. Each letter starts one verb.
Why does the past participle agree with être?
With être, the participle works like an adjective describing the subject. So Camille est allée has an extra -e because Camille is feminine, and les garçons sont partis has -s because the subject is plural.
How do you make a negative sentence with être in the passé composé?
Put ne before être and pas after it: Nous ne sommes pas allés au match. The participle stays at the end and still agrees with the subject.
How do you ask a question with these verbs?
Add est-ce que before the statement (Est-ce que vous êtes arrivés ?) or use inversion (Êtes-vous arrivés ?). In both cases the participle still agrees with the subject.
Do all verbs of motion use être?
No. Only the sixteen verbs on the list do. Marcher, courir and voyager use avoir, for example: j’ai couru. Also, five of the sixteen use avoir when they have a direct object, like J’ai sorti le chien.