#iampwr
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Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.
Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.
What's your doubt?
The answer should be je suis retourné right?
But
Answer key says j’ai retourné
Ok, so you recognized it's an être verb, good
The thing is, an être verb cannot keep "être" if it has a direct object
The technical way to word this is that verbs used with être are intransitive & must use avoir if they're transitive (have an object)
oh
Object can be anywhere right?
You can look at this like the person doing the action being the object when it's être, but if there's already an object, it can't be the person doing the object, so it has to be avoir
Pretty much
oh ic
Is it the same for avoir?
Avoir is used whenever être is not
no like if there is a direct object and the word given is avoir
Will it turn into etre?
Être verbs can't have a direct object
Because the "object" is the person doing the action
Je suis tombé
The thing that fell is me
tombe is etre
Je suis passé à côté de l'école
I'm the thing that "passed" the school
J'ai passé le sel
The thing being "passed" is the salt, not me
Je suis retourné à l'école
I'm the thing that went back
J'ai retourné mon tshirt
The shirt is the thing that was "retourné"
Np
Oh so basically je suis is used when preposition is there?
like à
No
It's used when there's no direct object
A lot of them just straight up cam never have direct objects, but the ones that can will use avoir when they too
oh okk
Note that another class of "être" verbs, pronominal/reflexive verbs do use être, even if they have a direct object
je me suis pris un café
oh like se promener , se lever ?
Pris is pronominal?
eh