French/Grammar/Verbs/Auxiliary

Usage[edit | edit source]

For the verbs aller, arriver, descendre, entrer, monter, mourir, naître, passer, partir, rentrer, rester, retourner, sortir, tomber, décéder, and venir, the auxiliary verb is être (eg: je suis allé à Paris).
For pronominal verbs (verbs indicating that the subject performs the action upon itself) être is the auxiliary verb (eg: je me suis mis à écrire).
For all other verbs, avoir is the auxiliary verb (eg: j'ai mis de l'encre dans l'imprimante).
When some verbs that are normally conjugated with être are used transitively (along with a direct object), avoir is the auxiliary verb (eg: j'ai monté un meuble en kit).
When the subject of a pronominal verb becomes an object, avoir becomes the auxiliary verb (eg: les deux chefs se sont rencontrés -> un chef a rencontré un autre chef).

Concepts :	Present participle · Past participle · Gérondif · Infinitive · Past infinitive · Auxiliary verb · Perfect tenses
Indicative mood :	Simple tenses (Present · Imperfect · Past historic · Future) · Perfect tenses (Present perfect · Pluperfect · Past anterior · Future anterior) · Other tenses (Recent past · Near future)
Subjunctive mood :	Present · Imperfect · Past · Pluperfect
Imperative mood :	Present · Past
Conditional mood :	Present · Past · Second form of the past

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