indigoadc | French - Learn French in a friendly community! | Page 1

mild lilyBOT Oct 14, 2025, 4:49 PM

#

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

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.

dusty tangle Oct 14, 2025, 4:51 PM

#

This is currently the bane of my learning existence 😂

smoky storm Oct 14, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

most verbs use "avoir"
only a handful use "être". There is no trick, you have to know them. Most of them basically convey an action through your entire being like moving, being born or dying

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/auxiliary-verbs/

Lawless French

lkl

Avoir vs Être - French Auxiliary Verbs - Lawless French Grammar

Avoir and être are French auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, because they help form compound conjugations.

#

additionally, all pronominal verbs use "être" (verbs like __s'__appeler with a reflexive pronoun)

tropic mango Oct 14, 2025, 5:00 PM

#

Mais ceux qui utilisent avoir ils sont pas tous transitifs ?

dusty tangle Oct 14, 2025, 5:03 PM

#

So it seems to me that être is used when the verb relates to some kind of movement

stable creek Oct 14, 2025, 5:04 PM

#

DR MRS VAN DER TRAMP!!

#

#

and anything that is JE ME/TU TE etc

#

so reflexive

#

je me reveille

#

je me SUIS(ÊTRE+Je) reveillé (M)

#

and the past tense part follows the gender

#

je suis arrivé - M
je suis arrivée - F
ils sont arrivés - M Plural
elles sont arrivées - F PLiural

dusty tangle Oct 14, 2025, 5:06 PM

#

Yeah so the dr & Mrs verbs all involve movement - that’s actually a decent way to look at it, thanks all

stable creek Oct 14, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

we love a bit of good ol' dr mrs van der tramp

#

someone decided to tear apart os its dr and mrs (dr as in husband) van der tramp

dusty tangle Oct 14, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

This has been bugging the hell out of me

stable creek Oct 14, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

hmph shes her own independent woman shes a doctor and a wife

#

a single mom who works two jobs

#

ok im kdding

dusty tangle Oct 14, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

I think my learning was purposefully throwing être auxiliaries in to throw me off

stable creek Oct 14, 2025, 5:07 PM

#

dusty tangle I think my learning was purposefully throwing être auxiliaries in to throw me of...

not throw you off

#

but to show u what use être

candid linden Oct 14, 2025, 5:29 PM

#

dusty tangle Yeah so the dr & Mrs verbs all involve movement - that’s actually a decent way t...

I should add that while all être verbs outside of pronominals do involve some sort of movement, this doesn't work the other way around. All être verbs involve movement but not all verbs that involve movement use être

crude light Oct 18, 2025, 10:44 AM

#

I personally just remember it as reflexive verbs, to be born (naître), to die (mourir), and verbs of movement in space/time (aller, venir, sortir, arriver, etc) or verbs containing them (devenir)

tropic mango Oct 18, 2025, 11:00 AM

#

Vous êtes surs que c'est pas juste que ceux qui prennent avoir peuvent avoir un objet direct ou avec à ?

#

Ah non avec glisser ça marche pas

candid linden Oct 18, 2025, 11:03 AM

#

Les verbes avec avoir peuvent être transitifs ou intransitifs

#

glisser comme tu l'as dit, mais aussi bouger, marcher

#

alors que les verbes avec être sans les pronominaux sont généralement intransitifs
certains d'entre eux peuvent prendre un objet direct et donc utilisent avoir comme « sortir » : « Je suis sorti de chez moi à 14h / J'ai sorti la poubelle »

tropic mango Oct 18, 2025, 11:15 AM

#

candid linden glisser comme tu l'as dit, mais aussi bouger, marcher

Bouger et marcher peuvent avoir un objet direct

#

I guess ça aide pas parce que sortir change en fonction de ça et pas bouger

candid linden Oct 18, 2025, 11:20 AM

#

bavarder, évoluer

#indigoadc