French Grammar Explained /
Past tense - The auxiliary "être" or "avoir"?
Are you ready to use the past tense called "le passé composé"?
Oui ! I mean, I think so... As long as I remember the correct auxiliary to use.
Let's look at this together one last time.
- The auxiliary "avoir" is used with pretty much every verb:
J'ai mangé de la soupe hier.
I ate soup yesterday.
Tu as fini tes devoirs de français.
You finished your French homework.
Nous avons pris notre ordinateur en vacances.
We took our computer with us on vacation.
- The auxiliary "être" is only used with 2 types of verbs:
- A handful (15) of verbs: arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, passer, rester, retourner, monter, descendre, naître, devenir, mourir, aller, venir, tomber.Je suis arrivé·e lundi dernier.I arrived last Monday.Tu es allé·e au supermarché.You went to the supermarket.
- All the reflexive verbs: se lever, se maquiller, se raser, s'endormir, s'appeler, se brosser les dents, se laver...Je me suis levé·e tard.I woke up late.Nous nous sommes endormi·es à 21h.We fell asleep at 9pm.