{"id":118783,"date":"2023-07-19T19:20:52","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T23:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/etre-vs-avoir\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T11:17:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:17:06","slug":"etre-vs-avoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/etre-vs-avoir\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00catre vs. Avoir: How to Use These French Auxiliary Verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00catre <\/em>and avoir <\/em>are perhaps the most commonly used French verbs<\/a>\u2013and they’re also infinitely useful in creating French’s compound verb tenses.\u00a0It’s easy to confuse the two, though, as a French learner.<\/p>\n

The battle is knowing when one is used over the other, and what specific rules govern their actions, and that’s what we’re going to cover in this post.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00catre <\/em>and Avoir\u00a0<\/em>Overview<\/h2>\n

The verb \u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>means “to be,” and it’s used for expressing identity and state. On the other hand, the verb avoir<\/em> means “to have” and talks about possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are some examples:<\/p>\n

Je suis<\/strong> fatigu\u00e9.<\/em> (I am tired.)
\nIl est<\/strong> m\u00e9decin.<\/em> (He is a doctor).<\/p>\n

J’ai<\/strong> un chat.<\/em> (I have a cat.)
\nNous avons<\/strong> une r\u00e9union.<\/em> (We have a meeting.)<\/p>\n

Both \u00eatre <\/em>and avoir<\/em> can also be combined with other “main” verbs to become auxiliary verbs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Nous avons regard\u00e9<\/strong> un film.<\/em> (We have watched a movie.)<\/p>\n

Elle est all\u00e9e<\/strong> au march\u00e9.<\/em> (She went to the market.)<\/p>\n

They create many of French’s compound tenses, like the perfect and future perfect tenses.<\/p>\n

For this post, we’ll be focusing on\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> and\u00a0avoir<\/em> as auxiliaries. But before we get into that, let’s confront conjugation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conjugating\u00a0\u00catre <\/em>and Avoir<\/em><\/h2>\n

These two verbs are pretty irregular, so you’ll have to memorize their basic conjugations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to Conjugate\u00a0\u00catre <\/em><\/h3>\n

Let’s start with\u00a0\u00eatre:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Present Tense<\/strong> <\/th>Imperfect Tense<\/strong> <\/th>Simple Future Tense<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Je suis <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I am)<\/td>		 J'\u00e9tais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I was)<\/td>		 Je serai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu es <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you are)<\/td>		 Tu \u00e9tais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you were)<\/td>		 Tu seras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il\/elle\/on est <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one is)<\/td>		 Il\/elle\/on \u00e9tait <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one was)<\/td>		 Il\/elle\/on sera <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nous sommes <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we are)<\/td>		 Nous \u00e9tions <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we were)<\/td>		 Nous serons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vous \u00eates <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you [plural\/formal] are)<\/td>		 Vous \u00e9tiez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you were)<\/td>		 Vous serez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ils\/elles sont <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they are)<\/td>		 Ils\/elles \u00e9taient <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they were)<\/td>		 Ils\/elles seront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

How to Conjugate Avoir<\/em><\/h3>\n

Now let’s check out the conjugations of\u00a0avoir:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Present Tense<\/strong> <\/th>Imperfect Tense<\/strong> <\/th>Simple Future Tense<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
J'ai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I have)<\/td>		 J'avais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I had)<\/td>		 J'aurai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>
\n(I will have)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu as <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you have)<\/td>		 Tu avais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you had)<\/td>		 Tu auras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you will have)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il\/elle\/on a <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one has)<\/td>		 Il\/elle\/on avait <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one had)<\/td>		 Il\/elle\/on aura <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(he\/she\/one will have)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nous avons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we have)<\/td>		 Nous avions <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we had)<\/td>		 Nous aurons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(we will be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vous avez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you have)<\/td>		 Vous aviez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you had)<\/td>		 Vous aurez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(you will have)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ils\/elles ont <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they have)<\/td>		 Ils\/elles avaient <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they had)<\/td>		 Ils\/elles auront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0
\n(they will have)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

While these aren’t all the verb tenses, these are pretty common ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The irregular past participles <\/a>\u00e9t\u00e9 (\u00eatre)<\/em> and eu (avoir)<\/em> are used in the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9\u00a0<\/em>(past perfect), and both verbs take\u00a0avoir<\/em> as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses.<\/p>\n

\u00catre <\/em>vs. Avoir\u00a0<\/em>as Auxiliary Verbs<\/h2>\n

Now, take a look below at how to create the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/em>\u00a0for all the other French verbs using these two verbs as auxiliaries.<\/p>\n

In compound verb tenses, both verbs come before the main verb (or the participle) and conjugate directly with the subject:<\/p>\n

J’ai<\/strong> parl\u00e9.<\/em> (I spoke.)<\/p>\n

Nous sommes<\/strong> mont\u00e9s. <\/em>(We climbed.)<\/p>\n

There are very rigid rule-based situations where \u00eatre<\/em>\u00a0must be used and others where\u00a0avoir<\/em> must be used, though, and no mixing is allowed.<\/p>\n

When to Use Avoir<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>as an Auxiliary<\/h3>\n

With the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/em>, almost all French\u00a0verbs take\u00a0avoir<\/em> as an auxiliary, but there are a select few that take\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All you need to know about using avoir<\/em> as an auxiliary is that it’s the default.<\/p>\n

When to Use \u00catre\u00a0<\/em>as an Auxiliary<\/h3>\n

Verbs of the House<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Verbs that take\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em>\u00a0are referred to as the\u00a0DR MRS VANDERTRAMP\u00a0<\/em>verbs<\/a>. DR MRS VANDERTRAMP<\/em> is an acronym to help learners remember which verbs take\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> as their auxiliary. These are also sometimes called the “verbs of the house”\u00a0(les verbes de la maison)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Check them out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
D<\/strong>evenir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To become<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R<\/strong>evenir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To come back<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
M<\/strong>onter <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To climb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R<\/strong>ester <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To stay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S<\/strong>ortir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To leave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
V<\/strong>enir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To come<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/strong>ller <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To go<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N<\/strong>a\u00eetre <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To be born<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D<\/strong>escendre <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To descend<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
E<\/strong>ntrer <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To enter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R<\/strong>entrer <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To re-enter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T<\/strong>omber <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To fall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R<\/strong>etourner <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To turn around<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/strong>rriver <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To arrive \/ To come<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
M<\/strong>ourir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To die<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
P<\/strong>artir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To leave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

These verbs use \u00eatre<\/em> when there is no direct object and\u00a0avoir\u00a0<\/em>when there is a direct object.<\/p>\n

Reflexive Verbs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In addition to these verbs, reflexive verbs take\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> as their auxiliary<\/strong> (reflexive verbs<\/a> have a se<\/em>\u00a0in their infinitive<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Here’s an example of a reflexive verb in the present and past tenses:<\/p>\n

Je me r\u00e9veille<\/strong> \u00e0 6 heures.<\/em> (I wake up at 6 o’clock.)<\/p>\n

Je me<\/strong> suis<\/strong> r\u00e9veill\u00e9 \u00e0 6 heures.<\/em> (I woke up at 6 o’clock.)<\/p>\n

You can see that the past tense conjugation uses \u00eatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Usage for Different Tenses<\/h3>\n

Also know that our two verbs can be used as auxiliaries for many other verb tenses<\/a> such as le plus-que-parfait <\/em>(pluperfect<\/a>), le conditionel pass\u00e9 <\/em>(past conditional) and le futur ant\u00e9rieur <\/em>(the future perfect<\/a>). These auxiliaries follow the same general rules as the auxiliary rules for the\u00a0pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a quick look for comparison:<\/p>\n

J’avais<\/strong> parl\u00e9.<\/em> (I had spoken.)
\nJ’aurais<\/strong> parl\u00e9.<\/em> (I would have spoken.)
\nJ’aurai<\/strong> parl\u00e9.<\/em> (I will have spoken.)<\/p>\n

Nous\u00a0\u00e9tions<\/strong>\u00a0mont\u00e9.<\/em> (We had climbed.)
\nNous\u00a0serion<\/strong>s<\/strong> mont\u00e9.<\/em> (We would have climbed.)
\nNous\u00a0serons<\/strong>\u00a0mont\u00e9.<\/em> (We will have climbed.)<\/p>\n

Other Important Rules for French Auxiliary Verbs<\/h2>\n

Agreement with\u00a0\u00catre<\/em><\/h3>\n

When we use\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> as an auxiliary, the past participle must agree with the gender<\/a> and number of the subject<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This means that an -e<\/em> is added to past participles of feminine subjects and an -s<\/em> is added to past participles of plural subjects.\u00a0For subjects that are both feminine and plural, both -e<\/em> and -s<\/em> are added to the past participle:<\/p>\n

Tu es all\u00e9 \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole. <\/em>(You went to school.)<\/p>\n

Elle est all\u00e9e<\/strong> au magasin. <\/em>(She went to the store.)<\/p>\n

Nous sommes all\u00e9s<\/strong> \u00e0 la biblioth\u00e8que. <\/em>(We went to the library.)<\/p>\n

Elles sont all\u00e9es\u00a0<\/strong>aux toilettes. <\/em>(They [feminine] went to the bathroom.)<\/p>\n

Be careful, though! This agreement happens only with\u00a0\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>and never with\u00a0avoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00catre <\/em>and Avoir\u00a0<\/em>Auxiliaries with a Direct Object<\/h3>\n

Remember how we said that verbs take\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> when there is no direct object<\/a> present?\u00a0Well, what happens if a DR\u00a0MRS\u00a0VANDERTRAMP<\/em> verb does have a direct object present?<\/p>\n

In that case, the verb takes\u00a0avoir\u00a0<\/em>as an auxiliary verb:<\/p>\n

Je suis<\/strong> descendu. <\/em>(I went down.)<\/p>\n

J’ai<\/strong> descendu le livre. <\/em>(I took the book downstairs.)<\/p>\n

In this case, the first sentence uses \u00eatre<\/em> because there is no direct object, but in the second case, because le livre<\/em>\u00a0is following the verb, this DR\u00a0MRS\u00a0VANDERTRAMP\u00a0<\/em>has to take avoir<\/em> as an auxiliary.\u00a0Seems simple, right?<\/p>\n

Well, what happens if a reflexive verb has a direct object? In a classic case of French rule exceptions, the auxiliary for these verbs will still be \u00eatre,\u00a0<\/em>but no agreement will be made on the past participle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

La fille s’est<\/strong> bross\u00e9e.<\/strong> <\/em>(The girl brushed herself).<\/p>\n

La fille s’est<\/strong> bross\u00e9 les cheveux. <\/em>(The girl brushed her hair.)<\/p>\n

Non-Auxiliary Uses of\u00a0\u00catre\u00a0<\/em>and Avoir\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

There are specific uses and rules for \u00eatre<\/em><\/strong>. For example, when\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em> is used to talk about one’s profession, no article precedes the following noun:<\/p>\n

Il est<\/strong> avocat. <\/em>(He is a lawyer.)<\/p>\n

Nous sommes<\/strong> \u00e9tudiants.<\/em> (We are students.)<\/p>\n

Further, when\u00a0\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>is used as a linking verb (followed by an adjective), the adjective that follows must agree in gender and in number with the subject. Like with the\u00a0pass\u00e9<\/em>\u00a0compos\u00e9<\/em>, an -e<\/em> is added for feminine, an -s<\/em> added for plural and an -es<\/em> added for feminine, plural.<\/p>\n

Je suis<\/strong> content. <\/em>(I am happy.)<\/p>\n

Elle est<\/strong> contente<\/strong>.<\/em> (She is happy.)<\/p>\n

Nous sommes<\/strong> contents<\/strong>.<\/em> (We are happy.)<\/p>\n

Elles sont<\/strong> contentes<\/strong>.<\/em> (They [feminine] are happy.)<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, however, that these are just simple adjectives. There are loads of other adjectives that don’t follow this rule, but change differently according to the gender and number of the subject<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avoir\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is used in a number of idiomatic expressions. For example, avoir<\/em> can be used to talk about age, hunger and thirst.<\/p>\n

J’ai<\/strong> 16 ans. <\/em>(I’m 16 years old.)<\/p>\n

Il a<\/strong> faim. <\/em>(He is hungry.)<\/p>\n

Vous avez<\/strong> soif ? <\/em>(Are you thirsty?)<\/p>\n

Further, the fixed expression\u00a0il y a<\/em><\/a> means “there is\/there are,” but it uses\u00a0avoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Il y a un livre sur la table.<\/em> (There is a book on the table.)<\/p>\n

Il y a la police \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole. <\/em>(There are police at the school.)<\/p>\n

You can check out more expressions with\u00a0avoir<\/em> here:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

Resources for Practicing \u00catre <\/em>vs. Avoir<\/em><\/h2>\n

Feel like you got a hold on when to use \u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>and when to use\u00a0avoir?<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can use the following resources to practice conjugating \u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0avoir <\/em>in different tenses:<\/p>\n

Start with ToLearnFrench<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0ProProfs<\/a><\/strong> for a simple conjugation quiz.<\/p>\n

Next, try AllTheTests<\/a><\/strong> for an \u00eatre-<\/em>only quiz and\u00a0Lingolia<\/a><\/strong> for a quiz that combines the present tense and the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is all a lot to memorize, so keep in mind that what will really cement these conjugations in your mind is practice and exposure to them in some actual context. FluentU could help with this.\u00a0

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p> \r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

\r\n