I thought it would be good to entrust some ground rules for the use of the commonly used verbs avoir en être to the web so that you can practice. After all, the French language is often difficult enough for most of us, but oh so worthwhile to delve deeper into. And these verbs are common in the French sentences, hence.
Game rules
In this article I give five rules for the use of ?? avoir ?? and ?? être ?? , or have and are. Nice and easy for those who want to go on holiday to France. Nice and easy even for your first conversation in French.
Rule 1
Line 1 means that most French verbs with ?? avoir ?? are conjugated, sometimes even when we are the verb ?? ?? would use (see also Rules 3 and 5).
Examples for avoir:
- I danced = j ?? ai dansé;
- He fled = il a fui
So not: ?? il est fui ??.
Rule 2
Rule 2 is simple. With ?? être ?? all reflexive verbs are conjugated. Even if you use the verb ?? have ?? in Dutch, in French there is a conjugation of ?? to be ?? (?? être ??).
Examples:
- I have washed = you me suis lavé (e),
- I hit me = you suis frappé (e),
- I was mistaken = you me suis trompé (e)
Law 3
A fixed list of verbs are combined with ?? être ?? conjugated. I am referring to the verbs:
aller, revenir, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, retourner, rentrer, monter, descendre, tomber, rester, naître, mourir, décédé, accourir.
Law 4
Usually the rule goes that if we are in Dutch ?? to have?? use that in French also ?? avoir ?? is, and when using ?? his ??, in French ?? être ?? is used.
Law 5
This rule (unfortunately) means that there are many exceptions to the rule of the game that are ?? ?? in Dutch usually also with ?? être ?? is being translated. In fact you fall back on Rule 1 that most French words have ?? avoir ?? be conjugated.
Conjugation of avoir
The verb avoir is conjugated as follows:
present | imparfait | futur simple |
---|---|---|
j’ai | j’avais | j’aurai |
tu as | tu avais | tu auras |
il / elle a | il / elle avait | il / elle aura |
nous avons | nous avions | nous aurons |
vous avez | vous aviez | vous aurez |
ils / elles ont | ils / elles avaient | ils / elles auront |
Conjugation of être
The verb être is conjugated as follows:
present | imparfait | futur simple |
---|---|---|
you suis | j ‘étais | your serai |
tu es | tu étais | tu seras |
il / elle est | il / elle était | il / elle sera |
nous sommes | nous étions | nous serons |
vous êtes | vous étiez | vous serez |
ils / elles sont | ils / elles étaient | ils / elles seront |
Some examples and exercises
Have a look at the following sentences on the left and try translating the right part yourself:
- The train has derailed = Le train a déraillé,
- The kettle has burst = La chaudière a éclaté,
- The enemy has fled = L ?? ennemi a fui,
- The general is killed = Le général a péri,
- The first volume has been published = Le premier volume a paru,
- My brother passed = Mon frère a réussi,
- My sister has failed = Ma s ?? ur a échoué,
- He succeeded his father = Il a succédé à son père,
- The bottle has slipped from his hands = La bouteille lui a glissé des mains,
- Our car has overturned = Notre voiture a culbuté,
- He started = Il a commencé,
- When did he disappear? = Quand at-il disparu?
What we conjugate in Dutch does not always happen in French.
Interested?
If your interest in French is now further aroused, you can also view the other articles in this special. A professional translation agency can be useful, but it is not always necessary if you know what to look out for yourself.