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AQA GCSE French: The Perfect Tense (Passé Composé) with Être

Learn how to form the perfect tense (passé composé) with the auxiliary verb 'être'. This deck covers the specific verbs of motion that use 'être' (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP), reflexive verbs, and the crucial rule of past participle agreement with the subject.

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Deck Contents

28 Cards
Lesson#1
Welcome to this deck on the French perfect tense, or 'passé composé', with the auxiliary verb 'être'. While most verbs form the perfect tense with 'avoir', a specific set of verbs, mostly related to motion, uses 'être'. We will also learn about the crucial rule of past participle agreement that applies when using 'être'.
Lesson#2
To remember the main verbs that use 'être', you can use the mnemonic DR MRS VANDERTRAMP. These verbs are: Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Retourner, Arriver, Mourir, and Partir. Notice that many of these describe coming and going.
Quiz#3
In the French perfect tense, which auxiliary verb is used with 'aller', meaning 'to go'?

être

Quiz#4
In the French perfect tense, which auxiliary verb is used with 'arriver', meaning 'to arrive'?

être

Quiz#5
For contrast, in the French perfect tense, which auxiliary verb is used with 'manger', meaning 'to eat'?

avoir

Lesson#6
To form the perfect tense with 'être', the structure is simple: subject, followed by the present tense of 'être', and then the past participle of the main verb. For example, for the subject 'je', you would use 'je suis', followed by the past participle.

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