Être IR & RE Verbs
French: Cambridge International GCSE, topic 6.2.6
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.
Regular 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 is the regular RE verb 'descendre' (to go down) that uses 'être':
Je suis descendu(e) - I went down
Tu es descendu(e) - you went down
- 'Tu' means 'you' (singular).
Il/elle/on est descendu(e) - he/she went down
Nous sommes descendu(e)s - we went down
Vous êtes descendu(e)(s) - you went down
- 'Vous' means:
- You (plural).
- You (singular, formal).
Ils/elles sont descendu(e)s - they went down
Test yourself on Être IR & RE Verbs
How do you say 'we left' in French?
Which of these is NOT the correct form of the perfect tense?
How do you say 'we went down' in French?
Which of these is NOT the correct form of the perfect tense?