Verb Agreements with ‘être’ and ‘avoir’
This week, we practiced French verb agreements - specifically, when and how to make adjectives and past participles agree with their subjects or objects. Understanding these rules is essential for writing fluently and avoiding common mistakes. But before diving into the details, there’s one crucial step: memorizing the conjugations of the two most important auxiliary verbs, être (to be) and avoir (to have).
Why Are “Être” and “Avoir” So Important?
These auxiliary verbs are used to form compound tenses (like the passé composé) and are at the heart of many French grammar rules. Here’s a quick refresher on their present tense conjugations:
• Être (to be): Je suis, tu es, il/elle/on est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont. • Avoir (to have): J’ai, tu as, il/elle/on a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.
Now, let’s break down the agreement rules!
1. The Auxiliary “Avoir”: When Not to Agree (Most of the Time)
With avoir, the past participle generally does not agree with the subject.
Example:
• Elle a mangé une pomme. (She ate an apple.) → No agreement with “elle.” BUT there’s one key exception:
👉 When the direct object (COD) comes before the verb, the past participle agrees with that object. Examples to illustrate:
• Les fleurs que j’ai coupées… (The flowers that I cut…) → “Coupées” agrees with “fleurs” (feminine plural).
• La pomme qu’il a mangée… (The apple that he ate…) → “Mangée” agrees with “pomme” (feminine singular).
Tip: Ask “WHAT?” after the verb to identify the direct object.
2. The Auxiliary “Être”: Agreement Every Time
Unlike avoir, the past participle with être always agrees with the subject in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Examples:
• Elle est partie en voyage. (She left on a trip.) → “Partie” agrees with “elle.” • Les oiseaux sont arrivés. (The birds arrived.) → “Arrivés” agrees with “oiseaux” (masculine plural).
Special Case: Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs
Pronominal verbs like se laver (to wash oneself) or s’habiller (to get dressed) also use être in compound tenses. Their past participles usually agree with the subject—unless the verb is followed by a direct object.
Examples:
• Elle s’est lavée. (She washed herself.) → Agreement with “elle” (since “se” is the direct object). • Elle s’est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands.) → No agreement, because “les mains” (the hands) is the direct object and comes after the verb.
Practice Makes Perfect!
Theory is great, but practice is what really helps. Take a look at this PDF for extra exercises: