Passé Composé with Être
Identify the 17 verbs of movement and state (DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP) that take être as auxiliary. Learn that all reflexive verbs also use être, and apply correct agreement rules.
A lesson of French A2 — Elementary, in Passé Composé, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will identify the verbs that use être (not avoir) in the passé composé, apply the correct agreement, and handle all reflexive verbs.
Two Auxiliaries, One Tense
Most verbs form the passé composé with avoir. A specific set — mostly verbs of movement and change of state — use être instead. The structure is the same:
Subject + être (present) + past participle
The critical difference: with être, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (like an adjective).
The DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP Verbs
This mnemonic groups the 17 être verbs by their first letters. Learn the pairs — most come in natural opposites:
| Letter | Verb | Meaning | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Devenir | to become | devenu(e) |
| R | Revenir | to come back | revenu(e) |
| M | Monter | to go up | monté(e) |
| R | Rester | to stay | resté(e) |
| S | Sortir | to go out | sorti(e) |
| V | Venir | to come | venu(e) |
| A | Aller | to go | allé(e) |
| N | Naître | to be born | né(e) |
| D | Descendre | to go down | descendu(e) |
| E | Entrer | to enter | entré(e) |
| R | Rentrer | to return home | rentré(e) |
| T | Tomber | to fall | tombé(e) |
| R | Retourner | to go back | retourné(e) |
| A | Arriver | to arrive | arrivé(e) |