When do you use être?
Most verbs form the passé composé with avoir. A small group takes être instead: verbs of movement and change (to go, to come, to arrive, to stay, to be born). English builds its perfect with have (I have gone), but French uses être for these verbs: je suis allé (I went / I have gone).
How it sounds
Elle est allée au cinéma.
She went to the cinema.
Nous sommes partis tôt.
We left early.
Je suis arrivé à huit heures.
I arrived at eight o'clock.
The most important être verbs
Verbs with être
| Infinitive | Meaning | Participle |
|---|---|---|
| aller | to go | allé |
| venir | to come | venu |
| arriver | to arrive | arrivé |
| partir | to leave | parti |
| entrer | to enter | entré |
| sortir | to go out | sorti |
| monter | to go up / to get on | monté |
| descendre | to go down / to get off | descendu |
| rester | to stay | resté |
| tomber | to fall | tombé |
| naître | to be born | né |
| rentrer | to go home | rentré |
| revenir | to come back | revenu |
Infinitive, meaning and participle
Il est né en France.
He was born in France.
Tu es venu hier ?
Did you come yesterday?
Le vase est tombé.
The vase fell.
monter, descendre, sortir and rentrer take avoir when they have a direct object: elle est sortie (she went out) but elle a sorti le chien (she took the dog out).
