Top answers

Which verbs take être in the passé composé?

(1) ‘Mrs Vandertramp’ verbs. These can be remembered as sets of opposites:Naître/ mourir. (To be born and to die),aller/ venir (to go and to come), monter/ descendre (to go up and to come down)Arriver/ parti...
SH
Answered by Sarah H. • French tutor
5399 Views

How do I know when to use "être" or "avoir" to conjugate in the perfect tense?

In English, the perfect tense always requires the auxiliary verb "to have", but in French, you will need to use either avoir (= "to have") or "être" (= to be). Most verbs will r...
MP
Answered by Marie P. • French tutor
2701 Views

How do I know whether to use 'depuis' or 'pendant'?

The words 'depuis' and 'pendant' are both used to express the duration of an event, meaning that it is easy for English speakers to mix them up and use them incorrectly. However, there is an important distin...
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Answered by Olivia B. • French tutor
10870 Views

How do you know what to do with the past participle when you have multiple pronouns in a sentence?

A direct object changes the past participle, an indirect one does not. A simple sentence which you can remember to help with this is 'I gave it to you'. 'It' is the direct object as it is the thing being han...
CR
Answered by Catherine R. • French tutor
2006 Views

At A-level, students will be expected to be able to confidently use the subjunctive mood.

With a student, I would first discuss with them what the already know about the subjunctive, or any phrases they already feel happy to use in their written or oral work. We would then discuss the fact that i...
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Answered by Laura S. • French tutor
2017 Views