Image: Pixabay. The Château de Chambord, the world's most recognizable castle.
Verbs that require 'être' instead of 'avoir'
Learn the special French verbs that require être instead of avoir.
The following verbs use the auxiliary verb 'être' instead of 'avoir' when they are in a composé tense.
When a verb can have either 'être' or 'avoir', this means that the verb will require 'être' when it is intransitive (not having a direct object), and that the verb will require 'avoir' when it is transitive (having a direct object).
Verbs which can have either auxiliary verb are called 'variable', and these have different meanings depending on their transitivity.
[être] to ascend; [être] to climb; [être] to get on, to board; [avoir] to take up
MOURIR
In English:
[être] to die
NAITRE
In English:
[être] to be born
NAÎTRE
In English:
[être] to be born
PARTIR
In English:
[être] to leave; [être][sur] to decide on; [Québec] to start up
PARVENIR
In English:
[être] to reach, to achieve
PASSER
In English:
[être] to go somewhere while on the way to elsewhere (e. g., to pass by, to pop in, to go through, etc.); [avoir] to spend (time); [avoir] to take (a test); [avoir] to pass (something to someone)
REDESCENDRE
In English:
[être] to descend again
REMONTER
In English:
[être] to ascend again, to go up again, to go back up; [avoir] to pull up, to hike up; to date back to
RENAITRE
In English:
[être] to be reborn
RENAÎTRE
In English:
[être] to be reborn
RENTRER
In English:
[être] to return home; [avoir] to take back inside
REPARTIR
In English:
[être] to leave again
REPASSER
In English:
[être] to go past again; [avoir] to go through again, to iron, to retake (a test)
[use: être] to go somewhere while on the way to elsewhere (e. g., to pass by, to pop in, to go through, etc.); [use: avoir] to spend (time); [use: avoir] to take (a test); [use: avoir] to pass (something to someone).
English
Español
Français
Italiano
中文 （简体）
to start up.
