In French, the verbs "être" (to be) and "avoir" (to have) are used as auxiliary verbs to form the compound tenses of most verbs.
Role of Auxiliaries
The auxiliary verbs "être" and "avoir" are used to form:
- The «passé composé»: J'ai mangé (I have eaten), Elle est partie (She has left).
- The «plus-que-parfait»: Il avait fini (He had finished), Nous étions arrivés (We had arrived).
- The «futur antérieur»: Tu auras compris (You will have understood), Ils seront sortis (They will have left).
- The «conditionnel passé»: Vous auriez dû (You should have), Elles seraient venues (They would have come).
Choice of Auxiliary for the Passé Composé
The choice between "être" and "avoir" as the auxiliary for the passé composé depends on the main verb:
- Être is used with verbs of movement and change of state, as well as with all reflexive verbs.
- Avoir is used with the majority of other verbs.
Examples:
- J'ai mangé (I ate).
- Elle est allée (She went) (movement).
- Il est devenu vieux (He became old) (change of state).
- Je me suis promenée (I took a walk) (reflexive verb).