A2BeginnerVerbs · Point 11 / 40
avoir, être, être + accord
To talk about something finished, French uses “avoir” or “être” in the present plus the past participle.
| Auxiliary | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | — | “avoir” is used with most ordinary verbs. |
| avoir | — | “avoir” works for describing your own situation. |
| être | — | “être” goes with verbs of movement. |
| être | — | “être” also applies to “rester”, a change of state. |
| être | + accord | with “être” the past participle agrees in gender and number. |
With “être” the past participle agrees with the person: “je suis allé”, “je suis allée”, “on est allés”. With “avoir” it stays unchanged, unless the object comes before the verb.
In context
Examples from our dialogues
Lines taken from our dialogues. Listen to them, then open the full dialogue to hear them in a real situation.
- Listen
J'ai déménagé à Laval le mois dernier.
I moved to Laval last month.
Check The Full DialogueRunning into an old friend on the streetCroiser une vieille amie dans la rue
A2 - Listen
J'ai vu qu'il y a un marché public samedi matin.
I saw there's a public market Saturday morning.
Check The Full DialoguePlanning the weekend with friendsPlanifier la fin de semaine entre amis
A2 - Listen
Je viens du Maroc. Je suis arrivé à Montréal il y a deux semaines.
I'm from Morocco. I arrived in Montreal two weeks ago.
Check The Full DialogueGetting to know a new neighbourFaire connaissance avec un nouveau voisin
A2 - Listen
On est allés au parc, et j'ai joué au soccer.
We went to the park, and I played soccer.
Check The Full DialogueCalling the grandparentsAppeler les grands-parents
A2 Elle est arrivée hier et elle a reçu sa carte ce matin.
She arrived yesterday and she received her card this morning.
Watch out
Common mistakes
Mistakes you will often hear, and the right way to say it.
J'ai allé à la banque.Je suis allé à la banque.
“Aller” takes “être”, not “avoir”. Same for arriver, venir, partir, rester.
Je suis arrivé (dit par une femme).Je suis arrivée.
With “être” the participle agrees: a woman writes “arrivée”. You cannot hear it, but you can see it in writing.
Read
Related readings
Short texts where this point comes up. Read them to see it inside a story.