Avoir vs Être in French: Which Auxiliary Verb to Use
9 min read
One of the first big hurdles in French grammar is the passé composé—and right in the middle of it sits a question every learner dreads: should I use *avoir* or *être*?
The good news is that this question has clear, learnable rules. The vast majority of French verbs use *avoir* as their auxiliary. A specific set of around 17 verbs—plus all reflexive/pronominal verbs—use *être* instead. Once you know which verbs belong to which group, and understand the agreement rule that comes with *être*, you will stop second-guessing yourself.
This guide covers everything: the default rule for *avoir*, the full *être* verb list with the MRS VANDERTRAMP mnemonic, past participle agreement, reflexive verbs, and the small set of tricky verbs that can go either way.
- Why French has two auxiliary verbs and which one to use by default.
- The complete list of 17 verbs that take être in the passé composé (MRS VANDERTRAMP).
- How to make the past participle agree in gender and number when using être.
- Why all reflexive (pronominal) verbs always take être.
- The tricky verbs that switch between avoir and être depending on meaning.
- A simple decision tree to choose the right auxiliary every time.
What Are Auxiliary Verbs in French?
The passé composé—the most common French past tense—is a compound tense: it is built from two parts: an auxiliary verb (either *avoir* or *être*) conjugated in the present tense, plus the past participle of the main verb.
Examples: - *J'ai mangé* — I ate (auxiliary: *avoir*) - *Je suis allé* — I went (auxiliary: *être*)
The auxiliary carries the tense information; the past participle carries the meaning. Your job as a learner is to memorise which auxiliary each verb takes—and to apply the agreement rule that comes with *être*.
Avoir: The Default Auxiliary (Most Verbs)
The rule is simple: if you are not sure, use *avoir*. The overwhelming majority of French verbs—thousands of them—form their passé composé with *avoir*. This includes all transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) and most intransitive verbs.
Past participle agreement with avoir
With *avoir*, the past participle does not agree with the subject. It stays in its base form regardless of gender or number.
- *Elle a mangé une pomme.* (no agreement — subject is feminine but participle unchanged) - *Ils ont regardé le film.* (no agreement — subject is plural but participle unchanged)
The only exception: the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object — but this rule is rarely applied in everyday spoken French and applies mainly in formal writing.
| Person | Avoir | Example (manger) |
|---|---|---|
| je | ai | j'ai mangé |
| tu | as | tu as mangé |
| il / elle | a | il a mangé |
| nous | avons | nous avons mangé |
| vous | avez | vous avez mangé |
| ils / elles | ont | ils ont mangé |
Être: The 17 Core Verbs (MRS VANDERTRAMP)
A closed set of verbs—mostly expressing movement, transition, or change of state—use *être* instead of *avoir*. The most widely taught mnemonic is MRS VANDERTRAMP (or DR MRS VANDERTRAMP), where each letter stands for one verb.
How to use the MRS VANDERTRAMP mnemonic
The mnemonic gives you the initial letter of each être verb. When you see "DR MRS VANDERTRAMP," the DR stands for *Devenir* and *Revenir*, which are sometimes omitted from the base list. The core list is enough to cover the vast majority of être verbs you will encounter.
A helpful pattern to notice: most of these verbs describe physical movement (going, coming, arriving, leaving, falling) or life events (being born, dying, becoming). This is not a perfect rule, but it is a useful conceptual anchor.
| Letter | Infinitive | Meaning | Passé composé example |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | Monter | to go up | il est monté |
| R | Rester | to stay | elle est restée |
| S | Sortir | to go out | ils sont sortis |
| V | Venir | to come | je suis venu(e) |
| A | Aller | to go | tu es allé(e) |
| N | Naître | to be born | il est né |
| D | Descendre | to go down | nous sommes descendu(e)s |
| E | Entrer | to enter | vous êtes entré(e)s |
| R | Rentrer | to return home | elle est rentrée |
| T | Tomber | to fall | il est tombé |
| R | Retourner | to go back | je suis retourné(e) |
| A | Arriver | to arrive | tu es arrivé(e) |
| M | Mourir | to die | elle est morte |
| P | Partir | to leave | nous sommes parti(e)s |
| D (DR) | Devenir | to become | il est devenu |
| R (DR) | Revenir | to come back | elle est revenue |
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Past Participle Agreement with Être
When a verb uses *être* as its auxiliary, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. This is one of the most important grammar rules in French and one of the most common sources of written errors.
Agreement in practice
Agreement affects spelling and formal written French, but in spoken French the difference is usually silent—*allé*, *allée*, *allés*, *allées* all sound identical.
The agreement matters most when: 1. You are writing French (exam, email, essay) 2. The past participle ends in a consonant that becomes audible with agreement: *mort* → *morte* (the T is pronounced in the feminine)
Practice: - *Marie est partie.* — Marie left. (feminine singular → participe + e) - *Les enfants sont nés en France.* — The children were born in France. (masculine plural → participe + s) - *Mes sœurs sont venues.* — My sisters came. (feminine plural → participe + es)
| Subject | Agreement added | Example (aller) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | (no change) | il est allé |
| feminine singular | + e | elle est allée |
| masculine plural | + s | ils sont allés |
| feminine plural | + es | elles sont allées |
| mixed group (m + f) | + s | ils sont allés |
Reflexive (Pronominal) Verbs Always Take Être
All reflexive and pronominal verbs (verbes pronominaux) form their passé composé with *être*, without exception. A reflexive verb is one whose subject and object refer to the same person: *se lever* (to get up), *se laver* (to wash oneself), *s'appeler* (to be called).
Agreement with reflexive verbs
For most reflexive verbs, the past participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun (which refers to the subject). In practice, this means agreement with the subject in gender and number.
- *Elle s'est levée.* — She got up. (feminine → + e) - *Ils se sont réveillés.* — They woke up. (masculine plural → + s)
The exception: when the reflexive verb has a direct object separate from the reflexive pronoun, the participle does not agree with the subject.
- *Elle s'est **lavé les mains*.* — She washed her hands. (*les mains* is the direct object → no agreement with subject)
| Infinitive | Meaning | Passé composé (1st person) |
|---|---|---|
| se lever | to get up | je me suis levé(e) |
| se laver | to wash oneself | je me suis lavé(e) |
| s'habiller | to get dressed | je me suis habillé(e) |
| se coucher | to go to bed | je me suis couché(e) |
| s'appeler | to be called | je me suis appelé(e) |
| se souvenir | to remember | je me suis souvenu(e) |
The Tricky Cases: Verbs That Take Both Avoir and Être
A small group of verbs from the MRS VANDERTRAMP list can be used both transitively (with avoir) and intransitively (with être), depending on whether they have a direct object. When used transitively—with a direct object—they take *avoir*. When used intransitively—describing movement without a direct object—they take *être*.
The key test
Ask yourself: does this verb have a direct object in this sentence? - If YES → use *avoir* - If NO → use *être*
This test works for all the double-behaviour verbs listed above. *Il a sorti le chien* (he took out the dog — *le chien* is the direct object → *avoir*) versus *il est sorti* (he went out — no direct object → *être*).
| Verb | With être (intransitive) | With avoir (transitive) |
|---|---|---|
| monter | il est monté (he went up) | il a monté les valises (he brought the suitcases up) |
| descendre | elle est descendue (she came down) | elle a descendu le chien (she took the dog down) |
| sortir | nous sommes sortis (we went out) | nous avons sorti le vélo (we took the bike out) |
| rentrer | il est rentré (he came home) | il a rentré la voiture (he put the car in) |
| retourner | elle est retournée (she went back) | elle a retourné la crêpe (she flipped the crêpe) |
| passer | il est passé (he passed by) | il a passé l'examen (he took the exam) |
A Simple Decision Tree for Avoir vs Être
When you need to choose the auxiliary verb for a passé composé, run through this checklist in order:
Step 1 — Is the verb reflexive/pronominal? Yes → use *être* (always, no exception)
Step 2 — Is the verb on the être list (MRS VANDERTRAMP)? Yes → check Step 3 No → use *avoir*
Step 3 — Does the verb have a direct object in this sentence? Yes → use *avoir* No → use *être*
Following this three-step process covers every case you will encounter in everyday French.
| Situation | Auxiliary | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular verb (no direct object) | avoir | j'ai dormi |
| Transitive verb (with direct object) | avoir | j'ai vu le film |
| MRS VANDERTRAMP verb (no direct object) | être | je suis parti |
| MRS VANDERTRAMP verb (with direct object) | avoir | j'ai sorti le chien |
| Reflexive / pronominal verb | être | je me suis levé(e) |
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Even intermediate learners make systematic errors with avoir and être. Here are the most frequent ones:
Using avoir with aller
*Aller* (to go) is one of the most common être verbs and one of the most common mistakes. Learners who confuse it with transitive verbs write ✗ *j'ai allé* instead of ✓ *je suis allé*. Drill *je suis allé(e)* as a fixed phrase until it is automatic.
Forgetting agreement with être
A very common written error is treating être verbs like avoir verbs and leaving the participle unchanged: ✗ *elle est arrivé* instead of ✓ *elle est arrivée*. Remember: être always triggers agreement with the subject.
Using avoir with reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs always take être—no exception. Writing ✗ *je me suis eu levé* or ✗ *j'ai me levé* is a structural error. The reflexive structure is: subject + reflexive pronoun + être (conjugated) + past participle.
Forgetting to apply the transitive test
For the dual-behaviour verbs (*sortir*, *monter*, *descendre*, etc.), always check for a direct object before choosing. If you see *il a sorti* and wonder if it is correct, ask: is there a direct object? *Il a sorti* alone without a direct object is incorrect → should be *il est sorti*. With a direct object (*il a sorti les poubelles*), *avoir* is correct.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I know if a French verb takes avoir or être in the passé composé?
- Use this three-step test: (1) Is the verb reflexive/pronominal? → *être*. (2) Is it on the MRS VANDERTRAMP list (aller, venir, partir, arriver, naître, mourir, and others)? → *être* (unless it has a direct object). (3) Otherwise → *avoir*. The vast majority of French verbs use *avoir* by default.
- What is the MRS VANDERTRAMP rule in French?
- MRS VANDERTRAMP is a mnemonic that lists the 14–17 verbs that take *être* as their auxiliary in compound tenses. Each letter stands for a verb: Monter, Rester, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Retourner, Arriver, Mourir, Partir — plus Devenir and Revenir (the "DR" in "DR MRS VANDERTRAMP"). These verbs mostly describe movement or a change of state.
- Does the past participle agree with the subject when using avoir?
- No — with *avoir*, the past participle does not agree with the subject. It only agrees with a preceding direct object (a formal rule rarely applied in spoken French). With *être*, however, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject.
- Do all reflexive verbs take être in the passé composé?
- Yes, all reflexive (pronominal) verbs use *être* in the passé composé — no exception. The structure is always: *je me suis levé(e)*, *elle s'est réveillée*, *ils se sont habillés*, etc. The past participle agrees with the subject in most cases (unless a separate direct object is present).
- Why do some verbs like sortir and monter take both avoir and être?
- A small group of verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object) or intransitively (without one). When used intransitively to describe movement, they take *être*: *il est sorti* (he went out). When used transitively with a direct object, they take *avoir*: *il a sorti le chien* (he took the dog out). The same verb, two different auxiliaries — the direct object is the deciding factor.
Choosing between *avoir* and *être* in the passé composé comes down to a short set of memorisable rules. Most verbs use *avoir* by default. The être group is fixed and learnable with MRS VANDERTRAMP. Reflexive verbs always use *être*.
- Use *avoir* for the vast majority of French verbs (default choice).
- Use *être* for the 17 MRS VANDERTRAMP movement/state verbs — unless they have a direct object.
- Use *être* for all reflexive/pronominal verbs, without exception.
- Always agree the past participle in gender and number when using *être*.
- For dual-behaviour verbs, the direct object test decides: direct object → *avoir*, no direct object → *être*.
The most effective way to lock this in: take the five highest-frequency être verbs (*aller*, *venir*, *partir*, *arriver*, *naître*) and drill them across all persons in the passé composé. Once those feel automatic, add the next five. Within two weeks of daily practice, the avoir/être split will stop feeling like a grammar obstacle.