Être is
one of the most common French verbs and one of the most important French verbs.
It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to be." Être is also used in some idiomatic
expressions and as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses and the passive voice.
Even though être is the French equivalent of "to
be," there are certain expressions in which you have to use avoir or faire to
translate "to be."
French common verbs :"être" and its uses
Être means "to be" in many senses that this verb is used in English.
1. It is used with adjectives, nouns, and adverbs to describe a temporary or permanent state of being:
Il est vieux - He is old
Je suis à Chicago - I'm in Chicago
Nous sommes anglais - We're English
Il est là-bas - He's over there
2. Être is used to describe someone's profession:
Mon père est medecin - My father is a doctor
Je suis avocat - I'm a lawyer
3. Être can be used with the preposition à plus a stressed pronoun to indicate possession:
Cette voiture est à moi This is my car.
- À qui est ce livre ? - C'est à François.
- Whose book is this? - It's François's.
4. Expressions with être
n'est-ce pas? right?
isn't that so?
soit... soit... either...
or ...
c'est ça that's it, that's right
ça y est that's it, it's done
Être as an Auxiliary Verb
The following is
a list of verbs that require être:
1. Être is the auxiliary for some verbs in the compound tenses:
Je suis allé en Allemagne - I went to Germany
Nous étions déjà sortis - We had already left
Il serait venu si... - He would have come if...
2. Être is used to form the passive voice:
Les voitures sont lavées - The cars are washed
Il est respecté de tout le monde - He is respected by everyone
Conjugations
1. Être is the auxiliary for some verbs in the compound tenses:
Je suis allé en Allemagne - I went to Germany
Nous étions déjà sortis - We had already left
Il serait venu si... - He would have come if...
2. Être is used to form the passive voice:
Les voitures sont lavées - The cars are washed
Il est respecté de tout le monde - He is respected by everyone
Conjugations
je
(j')
|
suis
|
serai
|
étais
|
étant
|
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tu
|
es
|
seras
|
étais
|
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il
|
est
|
sera
|
était
|
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nous
|
sommes
|
serons
|
étions
|
|||||
vous
|
êtes
|
serez
|
étiez
|
été
|
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ils
|
sont
|
seront
|
étaient
|
|||||
je
|
sois
|
serais
|
fus
|
fusse
|
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tu
|
sois
|
serais
|
fus
|
fusses
|
||||
il
|
soit
|
serait
|
fut
|
fût
|
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nous
|
soyons
|
serions
|
fûmes
|
fussions
|
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vous
|
soyez
|
seriez
|
fûtes
|
fussiez
|
||||
ils
|
soient
|
seraient
|
furent
|
fussent
|
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(tu)
|
sois
|
|||||||
(nous)
|
soyons
|
|||||||
(vous)
|
soyez
|
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A bientôt les amis !
