Passé composé with “être” Exercises in French language

The passé composé is one of the most commonly used past tenses in the French language, used to describe actions that have been completed in the past. While many verbs in French use "avoir" as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé, a specific group of verbs, primarily those indicating movement or change of state, require "être" instead. This group of verbs is often remembered using the acronym "DR MRS VANDERTRAMP," which stands for descendre, revenir, mourir, retourner, sortir, venir, aller, naître, devenir, entrer, rentrer, tomber, rester, arriver, monter, and partir. Additionally, all reflexive verbs also use "être" in the passé composé, adding another layer to mastering this essential grammatical structure. Using "être" as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé introduces the need for agreement between the past participle and the subject of the sentence. This means the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, "Elle est allée" (She went) and "Ils sont partis" (They left) demonstrate how the past participle changes to match feminine and plural subjects, respectively. This page provides a variety of grammar exercises to help you practice and reinforce your understanding of using "être" in the passé composé, ensuring you can accurately and confidently describe past events in French.