answersLogoWhite

0

What are 'etre' verbs?

Updated: 9/15/2023
User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

Best Answer

The French past tense that's called 'passe compose' is composed of an auxiliary verb and the main verb in past participle form. In the passe compose tense, the auxiliary verb is the conjugation of either 'etre' ['to be'] or 'avoir' ['to have']. Those verbs that have 'avoir' as their auxiliary choice are called 'avoir' verbs. Those verbs that have 'etre' as their auxiliary choice are called 'etre' verbs. For example, 'venir' ['to come'] is an 'etre' verb. So 'I did come, have come, came' is translated as 'Je suis venue', with 'je' meaning 'I'. The choice of 'etre' or 'avoir' carries through to all of the other combined tenses, such as the conditional perfect, future perfect, pluperfect, etc.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What are 'etre' verbs?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Linguistics

What has to happen when you use être instead of avoir for the formation of the passé composé?

You use etre for "Dr and Mrs Vandertramp" or "house" verbs. You also use etre for reflexive verbs like se lever, se coucher, se sentir. Don't forget to conjugate etre and use the passe compose end form of the verb (er=e(with accent), re=u, ir=i). The most common etre passe compose is "Je suis ne(e)." = I was born.


What do the verbs etre a la triosieme personne du singulier mean?

from what it sounds like, you are being asked to conjugate the verb etre in the third person singular (troisieme personne du singulier). The third person singular for french verbs is "il/elle" so the conjugation would be "est" Hope this helps!


How do you tell which form of the past participle should be used in passe compose?

"Etre" is used for any motion verb (use the "Dr./Mrs. P. Vandertramp" trick to remember motion verbs) and any reflexive verbs. All other verbs use "avoir" as the past participle.


What does etre in french?

to be


When to use etre and avoir for past tense in french?

In French, the choice between "être" and "avoir" for forming the past tense depends on the verb being used. Generally, "être" is used with verbs that indicate a change of state or movement, such as aller (to go), venir (to come), or naître (to be born). On the other hand, "avoir" is used with most other verbs. It is important to memorize which verbs require "être" and which require "avoir" in the past tense.

Related questions

Does etre in french take avoir or etre?

Etre takes avoir as the helping verb. An easy way to remember is that etre is always the helping verb with verbs of coming or going.


How many etre french verbs are there?

i think there's about 8? maybe?


What has to happen when you use être instead of avoir for the formation of the passé composé?

You use etre for "Dr and Mrs Vandertramp" or "house" verbs. You also use etre for reflexive verbs like se lever, se coucher, se sentir. Don't forget to conjugate etre and use the passe compose end form of the verb (er=e(with accent), re=u, ir=i). The most common etre passe compose is "Je suis ne(e)." = I was born.


What are some ir re and etre words in french?

verbs ending with -ir, -re and être is also a verb


What is the Verb origin of suis and sont?

Suis and sont come from one of the most famous French verbs; Etre.


Who is Dr Sam Tarvern MP?

He helps you learn the french verbs in the past tense that use Etre instead of Avoir


What do the verbs etre a la triosieme personne du singulier mean?

from what it sounds like, you are being asked to conjugate the verb etre in the third person singular (troisieme personne du singulier). The third person singular for french verbs is "il/elle" so the conjugation would be "est" Hope this helps!


How do you tell which form of the past participle should be used in passe compose?

"Etre" is used for any motion verb (use the "Dr./Mrs. P. Vandertramp" trick to remember motion verbs) and any reflexive verbs. All other verbs use "avoir" as the past participle.


What is etre in English?

"Etre" is the French verb "to be"


What french verbs are conjugated with etre?

verbs always conjugated with être: naître - venir (devenir, revenir, intervenir) - monter - rester - arriver - entrer - rentrer - retourner - partir - sortir - descendre - tomber - aller - mourir + verbs in the reflexive form (se lever, se laver, s'amuser, se promener, se coucher, se raser...)


How do you know when to use avior and etre in a present tense sentence?

Avoir and Etre can be used for many sentences, avoir is to have and Etre is to be. Example: J'ai vingt ans, I am twenty. (avoir) Example: Tu es petite, you are small. (etre)


What does etre in french?

to be