Most verbs expressing motion or change of place, state or condition form the perfect with the present être and the past participle of the verb. Past participles of verbs conjugated with être agree in gender and number with the subject.
Nous nous sommes enfuis avant l'orage. (We ran away before the storm.)
Some of the verbs conjugated with être are:
| Infinitive/Past Participle | Translation |
| aller/allé | (to go) |
| arriver/arrivé | (to arrive) |
| partir/parti | (to leave) |
| entrer/entré | (to enter) |
| sortir/sorti | (to go out) |
| monter/monté | (to go up) |
| descendre/descendu | (to go down) |
| naître/né | (to be born) |
| mourir/mort | (to die) |
| passer/passé | (to go by) |
| rentrer/rentré | (to enter) |
| rester/resté | (to stay/remain) |
| retourner/retourné | (to return) |
| tomber/tombé | (to fall) |
| venir/venu | (to come) |
| revenir/revenu | (to come back) |
| devenir/devenu | (to become) |
| parvenir/parvenu | (to reach) |
| intervenir/intervenu | (to intervene) |
| survenir/survenu | (to occur) |
Note: The verbs descendre, monter, passer, rentrer, retourner are conjugated with avoir when they are used with a direct object.
Compare the difference in meaning when avoir is used:
Il est descendu du train.
(He got off the train.)
Il a descendu ses
bagages.
(He brought down his luggage.)
Je suis retourné en
Italie.
(I went back to Italy.)
J'ai retourné le livre à la
bibliothèque.
(I returned the book to the library.)
Nous sommes
sortis.
(We went out.)
Ils ont sorti la voiture du
garage.
(They took the car out of the garage.)
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