Participe passé des verbes de mouvement avec "être"

When you use être in the past, something magical happens. The past participle becomes like a mirror. It reflects the person who is doing the action. We call this "agreement." If a woman is speaking, she adds an e. If a group is speaking, they add an s. It is like the verb is dressing up to match the subject. This is different from avoir verbs. With avoir, the verb usually stays the same. With être, the verb cares about who you are. It is very personal! Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells you exactly who is moving and where they are going.

1. 1Building these sentences is a simple three-step process.
2. 2Start with your subject (like Je, Tu, or Marie).
3. 3Add the present tense of être (suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont).
4. 4Add the past participle of your movement verb.
5. 5Check for agreement! Add e for feminine and s for plural.
6. 6For example, to say "She went," you take Elle. Add est. Then add allé. Since it is a girl, add e. You get Elle est allée. It is like building a Lego set. Every piece must fit perfectly to look right. Even native speakers forget the extra e sometimes, so do not worry too much!

You use this pattern for a specific list of verbs. Many teachers use the acronym DR MRS VANDERTRAMP to remember them. These verbs usually involve moving from point A to point B. They include aller (to go), venir (to come), and partir (to leave). They also include life changes like naître (to be born) and mourir (to die). Imagine a house. People enter the house. They stay for a bit. Then they leave. All these actions use être. If you are telling a story about your vacation, you will use these constantly. "I went to Paris." "We arrived at the hotel." "They stayed for three days."

Do not use être for every verb! Most verbs still use avoir. If you are eating, sleeping, or watching TV, use avoir. Even some movement verbs like courir (to run) or sauter (to jump) use avoir. This is because they describe the *way* you move, not the *destination*. Only the specific "House of Être" verbs get the special treatment. If you use être with manger, people will think you *were* eaten! That is a very different story. Keep the VIP list separate from the regular crowd. It keeps your French clear and easy to understand.

The biggest mistake is forgetting the agreement. You might say Elles sont allé instead of Elles sont allées. Always look back at your subject. Is it feminine? Add an e. Is it plural? Add an s. Another mistake is using avoir because it feels safer. You might say J'ai allé because you are used to J'ai mangé. Try to catch yourself! Think of être as the default for travel. Also, watch out for the verb passer. It usually uses être, but it can be tricky later on. For now, focus on the main list. Consistency is your best friend here.

Compare J'ai regardé (I watched) with Je suis allé (I went). In the first one, the verb is fixed. It does not matter if a man or woman says it. In the second one, the verb changes. J'ai is for actions you *do* to things. Je suis (in this context) is for where you *go*. It is a shift in focus. One is about the object, the other is about the subject. Think of avoir as a tool and être as a reflection. This distinction is what makes French grammar feel so organized and elegant.