4.2.7
Être IR Verbs
After reading these notes, test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
Regular IR and RE Verbs
In French there are 14 verbs that use 'être' to form the perfect tense. It is important to note that verbs that use 'être' agree with the person who is speaking and gender. Here are the regular IR verbs that use 'être':

Sortir - to go out
- Je suis sorti(e) - I went out.
- Tu es sorti(e) - you (singular) went out.
- Il/elle/on est sorti(e) - he/she went out.
- Nous sommes sorti(e)s - we went out.
- Vous êtes sorti(e)(s) - you (plural/formal) went out.
- Ils/elles sont sorti(e)s - they went out.

Partir - to leave
- Je suis parti(e) - I left.
- Tu es parti(e) - you (singular) left.
- Il/elle/on est parti(e) - he/she left.
- Nous sommes parti(e)s - we left.
- Vous êtes parti(e)(s) - you (plural/formal) left.
- Ils/elles sont parti(e)s - they left.
1Identity & Culture
1.1Me, my family and friends
1.1.1Describing Yourself1.1.2Physical Appearance1.1.3Personality1.1.4Friends1.1.5Opinions on Friends1.1.6Relationships1.1.7Family1.1.8Other Family Members1.1.9Me, My Friends & My Family - Listening1.1.10Pets1.1.11Style & Fashion1.1.12Shopping for Clothes1.1.13Materials1.1.14Exam-Style Questions - Pets
1.2Time
1.3Technology in Everyday Life
1.4Free-Time Activities
1.4.1In Your Free-Time1.4.2Music1.4.3Music - Listening1.4.4Cinema1.4.5TV1.4.6Cinema & TV - Listening1.4.7Food1.4.8Eating Out1.4.9Opinions on Food1.4.10Fruits1.4.11Vegetables1.4.12Other Food1.4.13Meat1.4.14Fish1.4.15Food - Listening1.4.16Sport1.4.17Why Do You Play Sport?1.4.18Different Sports1.4.19Exam-Style Questions - Sport1.4.20Exam-Style Questions - Thierry Henry
1.5Festivals in French-Speaking Countries
2Areas of Interest
2.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
2.2Social Issues
3Study & Employment
4Common Tenses
4.1Present Tense
4.1.1Regular ER Verbs4.1.25 Common ER Verbs4.1.3Regular IR Verbs4.1.45 Common IR Verbs4.1.5Regular RE Verbs4.1.65 Common RE Verbs4.1.7Reflexive Verbs4.1.8Irregular ER Verbs - Aller4.1.9Stem-Changing Verbs4.1.10Irregular IR Verbs Like 'Partir'4.1.11Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'vrir'4.1.12Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'enir'4.1.13Irregular IR Verbs With No Pattern4.1.14Modal Irregular IR Verbs4.1.15Irregular RE Verbs4.1.16Irregular RE Verbs With No Pattern4.1.17ER Present Participles4.1.18IR Present Participle4.1.19RE Present Participle4.1.20Irregular Present Participles4.1.21Avoir4.1.22Être
4.2Perfect Tense
4.2.1Perfect Tense - Regular ER Verbs4.2.2Perfect Tense - Regular IR Verbs4.2.3Perfect Tense - Regular RE Verbs4.2.4Irregular Past Participles4.2.5Irregular Past Participles 24.2.6Être ER Verbs4.2.7Être IR Verbs4.2.8Être RE Verbs4.2.9Irregular Être - 'Venir'4.2.10Irregular Être - 'Naître' & 'Mourir'4.2.11Perfect Infinitive - Using Avoir4.2.12Perfect Infinitive - Using Être
4.3Imperfect Tense
4.3.1Imperfect Tense - Regular ER Verbs4.3.2Imperfect Tense - 5 Common ER Verbs4.3.3Imperfect Tense - Regular IR Verbs4.3.4Imperfect Tense - 5 Common IR Verbs4.3.5Imperfect Tense - Regular RE Verbs4.3.6Imperfect Tense - 5 Common RE Verbs4.3.7Imperfect Tense - Irregular ER Verbs4.3.8Imperfect Tense - Irregular IR Verbs4.3.9Imperfect Tense - Irregular RE Verbs4.3.10Imperfect Tense - Être
4.4Imperfect vs Perfect
5Advanced Tenses
5.1Conditional Tense
5.2Pluperfect Tense
5.3Present Subjunctive
5.3.1Present Subjunctive - Regular ER Verbs5.3.2Present Subjunctive - Regular IR Verbs5.3.3Present Subjunctive - Regular RE Verbs5.3.4Present Subjunctive - Two-Stem Irregulars5.3.5Present Subjunctive - Complete Irregulars5.3.6Present Subjunctive - Using the Subjunctive5.3.7Present Subjunctive - Imperative
6Extra Grammar
6.1The Passive Voice
6.2Pronouns
6.3Asking Questions
6.4Nouns
6.5Prepositions
6.7Quantifiers & Intensifiers
6.8Adjectives
6.8.1Adjectives Must Agree6.8.2Irregular Agreements6.8.3No Pattern Irregulars6.8.4Position of Adjectives: After the Noun6.8.5Position of Adjectives: Before the Noun6.8.6Position of Adjectives: Changing Meanings6.8.7Comparative Adjectives6.8.8Superlative Adjectives6.8.9Good, Better, Best6.8.10Demonstrative Adjectives6.8.11Indefinite Adjectives
Jump to other topics
1Identity & Culture
1.1Me, my family and friends
1.1.1Describing Yourself1.1.2Physical Appearance1.1.3Personality1.1.4Friends1.1.5Opinions on Friends1.1.6Relationships1.1.7Family1.1.8Other Family Members1.1.9Me, My Friends & My Family - Listening1.1.10Pets1.1.11Style & Fashion1.1.12Shopping for Clothes1.1.13Materials1.1.14Exam-Style Questions - Pets
1.2Time
1.3Technology in Everyday Life
1.4Free-Time Activities
1.4.1In Your Free-Time1.4.2Music1.4.3Music - Listening1.4.4Cinema1.4.5TV1.4.6Cinema & TV - Listening1.4.7Food1.4.8Eating Out1.4.9Opinions on Food1.4.10Fruits1.4.11Vegetables1.4.12Other Food1.4.13Meat1.4.14Fish1.4.15Food - Listening1.4.16Sport1.4.17Why Do You Play Sport?1.4.18Different Sports1.4.19Exam-Style Questions - Sport1.4.20Exam-Style Questions - Thierry Henry
1.5Festivals in French-Speaking Countries
2Areas of Interest
2.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
2.2Social Issues
3Study & Employment
4Common Tenses
4.1Present Tense
4.1.1Regular ER Verbs4.1.25 Common ER Verbs4.1.3Regular IR Verbs4.1.45 Common IR Verbs4.1.5Regular RE Verbs4.1.65 Common RE Verbs4.1.7Reflexive Verbs4.1.8Irregular ER Verbs - Aller4.1.9Stem-Changing Verbs4.1.10Irregular IR Verbs Like 'Partir'4.1.11Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'vrir'4.1.12Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'enir'4.1.13Irregular IR Verbs With No Pattern4.1.14Modal Irregular IR Verbs4.1.15Irregular RE Verbs4.1.16Irregular RE Verbs With No Pattern4.1.17ER Present Participles4.1.18IR Present Participle4.1.19RE Present Participle4.1.20Irregular Present Participles4.1.21Avoir4.1.22Être
4.2Perfect Tense
4.2.1Perfect Tense - Regular ER Verbs4.2.2Perfect Tense - Regular IR Verbs4.2.3Perfect Tense - Regular RE Verbs4.2.4Irregular Past Participles4.2.5Irregular Past Participles 24.2.6Être ER Verbs4.2.7Être IR Verbs4.2.8Être RE Verbs4.2.9Irregular Être - 'Venir'4.2.10Irregular Être - 'Naître' & 'Mourir'4.2.11Perfect Infinitive - Using Avoir4.2.12Perfect Infinitive - Using Être
4.3Imperfect Tense
4.3.1Imperfect Tense - Regular ER Verbs4.3.2Imperfect Tense - 5 Common ER Verbs4.3.3Imperfect Tense - Regular IR Verbs4.3.4Imperfect Tense - 5 Common IR Verbs4.3.5Imperfect Tense - Regular RE Verbs4.3.6Imperfect Tense - 5 Common RE Verbs4.3.7Imperfect Tense - Irregular ER Verbs4.3.8Imperfect Tense - Irregular IR Verbs4.3.9Imperfect Tense - Irregular RE Verbs4.3.10Imperfect Tense - Être
4.4Imperfect vs Perfect
5Advanced Tenses
5.1Conditional Tense
5.2Pluperfect Tense
5.3Present Subjunctive
5.3.1Present Subjunctive - Regular ER Verbs5.3.2Present Subjunctive - Regular IR Verbs5.3.3Present Subjunctive - Regular RE Verbs5.3.4Present Subjunctive - Two-Stem Irregulars5.3.5Present Subjunctive - Complete Irregulars5.3.6Present Subjunctive - Using the Subjunctive5.3.7Present Subjunctive - Imperative
6Extra Grammar
6.1The Passive Voice
6.2Pronouns
6.3Asking Questions
6.4Nouns
6.5Prepositions
6.7Quantifiers & Intensifiers
6.8Adjectives
6.8.1Adjectives Must Agree6.8.2Irregular Agreements6.8.3No Pattern Irregulars6.8.4Position of Adjectives: After the Noun6.8.5Position of Adjectives: Before the Noun6.8.6Position of Adjectives: Changing Meanings6.8.7Comparative Adjectives6.8.8Superlative Adjectives6.8.9Good, Better, Best6.8.10Demonstrative Adjectives6.8.11Indefinite Adjectives
Practice questions on Être IR Verbs
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1How do you say 'we left' in French?Multiple choice
- 2Which of these is NOT the correct form of the perfect tense?Multiple choice
- 3Select the correct forms of the perfect tense:True / false
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books