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The Perfect Tense with être

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise The Perfect Tense with être for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). A set of verbs of movement and change of state forms the perfect tense with être instead of avoir.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

A small group of verbs forms the perfect tense with être rather than avoir, and their past participles must agree with the subject.

The group is often remembered as MRS VANDERTRAMP, and it covers verbs of movement and change of state: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, rester, tomber, naître, mourir, retourner, and their compounds.

The agreement is what distinguishes them. Il est allé, but elle est allée with an extra -e. Ils sont allés with an -s, and elles sont allées with both. The participle behaves like an adjective, agreeing with the subject in gender and number — something that never happens with avoir.

Revision notes

Which verbs take être

Verbs of movement and change of state: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, rester, tomber, naître, mourir, retourner.

Their compounds follow too: revenir, devenir, rentrer. The mnemonic MRS VANDERTRAMP covers the main set.

The agreement rule

The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Il est allé. Elle est allée. Ils sont allés. Elles sont allées. The endings are exactly those of an adjective: -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for both.

Why it matters

This agreement never happens with avoir.

J'ai mangé stays the same whoever is speaking. Je suis allé or allée changes with the speaker's gender. Forgetting the agreement is one of the most visible errors in written French.

Key points

  • Some verbs form the perfect with être.
  • They are verbs of movement or change of state.
  • MRS VANDERTRAMP is the usual mnemonic.
  • The participle agrees with the subject.
  • Elle est allée takes an extra -e.
  • Agreement never happens with avoir.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the perfect tense of aller for elle. [2 marks]

Working

elle est alléeuse être as the auxiliary
The participle takes an extra -e to agree with the feminine subjectexplain the agreement

Example 2

Give the perfect tense of partir for elles. [2 marks]

Working

elles sont partiesuse être with the plural subject
The participle takes -es to agree with a feminine plural subjectexplain the agreement

Example 3

Explain why j'ai mangé needs no agreement. [2 marks]

Working

The auxiliary is avoir, not êtrestate the auxiliary
Past participles agree with the subject only when the auxiliary is êtreexplain the rule

Common mistakes

  • Using avoir with a MRS VANDERTRAMP verb.

    J'ai allé is wrong; it is je suis allé.

  • Forgetting the agreement.

    Elle est allé is wrong; it needs the extra -e.

  • Adding agreement with avoir.

    J'ai mangée is wrong.

  • Missing the compounds.

    Revenir and devenir also take être.

Exam tips

  • Learn the MRS VANDERTRAMP list thoroughly.
  • Always check the subject's gender and number.
  • Add agreement only when the auxiliary is être.
  • Remember the compounds follow the same rule.

Key terms

Être verb
A verb forming the perfect tense with être.
Agreement
Adding -e or -s to match the subject.
MRS VANDERTRAMP
A mnemonic for the être verbs.
Change of state
A category of verbs taking être, such as naître.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.