A2 Past Tense 14 min read Easy

Past Participle Agreement with Être (Agreement Rule)

When using être in the past, treat the verb like an adjective that must match the subject's identity.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

When using 'être' as an auxiliary verb, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

  • Add -e for feminine subjects: Elle est allée.
  • Add -s for plural subjects: Ils sont allés.
  • Add -es for feminine plural subjects: Elles sont allées.
Subject + Être + Past Participle (+ e/s/es)

Overview

In French, the vast majority of verbs form their past tense, the passé composé, using the auxiliary verb avoir (to have). These verbs are straightforward; the past participle—the '-ed' part of the verb—typically remains unchanged. However, a specific set of verbs uses être (to be) as the auxiliary.

When this happens, a fundamental rule of French grammar is triggered: the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the verb.

Think of the past participle in this context not as part of an action, but as an adjective describing the state of the subject after the action is complete. Just as you would say La voiture est verte (The car is green), making the adjective vert agree with the feminine noun voiture, you must also say Elle est arrivée (She has arrived). The participle arrivée takes an extra -e to 'agree' with the feminine subject elle.

This principle is a cornerstone of French sentence structure, reflecting a deeper logic where being is intrinsically linked to description.

This rule applies to two main groups of verbs you'll encounter constantly: a list of approximately 17 common verbs of motion and state change (often called 'The House of Être' verbs) and all pronominal verbs (reflexive and reciprocal verbs like se laver, to wash oneself). Mastering this agreement is essential for accurate writing and for sounding natural in spoken French, as it affects some of the most frequently used verbs in the language.

Conjugation Table

Subject Pronoun Auxiliary être Past Participle aller Full Passé Composé Explanation
:--- :--- :--- :--- :---
je (masculine) suis allé Je suis allé. A male speaker. No ending added.
je (feminine) suis allée Je suis allée. A female speaker. Add -e.
tu (masculine) es allé Tu es allé. Speaking to a male. No ending.
tu (feminine) es allée Tu es allée. Speaking to a female. Add -e.
il est allé Il est allé. Subject is masculine singular. No ending.
elle est allée Elle est allée. Subject is feminine singular. Add -e.
on (singular/neutral) est allé On est allé. 'One went.' Default masculine singular.
nous (masculine/mixed) sommes allés Nous sommes allés. 'We' are all male or a mixed group. Add -s.
nous (feminine) sommes allées Nous sommes allées. 'We' are all female. Add -es.
vous (singular, male, polite) êtes allé Vous êtes allé. Speaking formally to one man. No ending.
vous (singular, female, polite) êtes allée Vous êtes allée. Speaking formally to one woman. Add -e.
vous (plural, male/mixed) êtes allés Vous êtes allés. Speaking to a group of men or a mixed group. Add -s.
vous (plural, female) êtes allées Vous êtes allées. Speaking to a group of women. Add -es.
ils sont allés Ils sont allés. Subject is masculine plural. Add -s.
elles sont allées Elles sont allées. Subject is feminine plural. Add -es.

How This Grammar Works

The linguistic reason for this agreement lies in the function of the verb être. When used as an auxiliary, être doesn't just link a subject to a past action; it links the subject to a resulting state. The sentence Elle est partie doesn't just mean "She left"; a more literal translation is "She is in a state of having left." The past participle partie functions as a participe passé adjectival—an adjective derived from a verb.
Because the participle is behaving like an adjective, it must follow the fundamental rule of adjective agreement in French: it must match the gender and number of the noun it describes. In this case, the noun it describes is the subject of the sentence. This is the same logic that governs simple descriptive sentences:
  • Adjective: Le garçon est petit. (The boy is small.)
  • Past Participle: Le garçon est né en France. (The boy was born in France.)
  • Adjective: Les filles sont petites. (The girls are small.)
  • Past Participle: Les filles sont nées en France. (The girls were born in France.)
Viewing the past participle as a temporary adjective that describes the subject's condition makes the rule intuitive. The action has finished, and now you are describing the subject's new reality. Marie est tombée means Marie is now in a 'fallen' state.
Ils sont morts means they are in a 'dead' state. This grammatical feature creates a more descriptive and integrated sentence structure than in English, tightly weaving the subject's identity into the verb itself.

Formation Pattern

1
To correctly form the passé composé with être and apply the agreement, follow this four-step process systematically. Do not skip any steps.
2
Identify the Subject's Gender and Number: First, look at your subject. Is it masculine or feminine? Singular or plural? For pronouns like nous and vous, you must know who they refer to in the context of the conversation.
3
Marc -> Masculine, Singular
4
Sophie et Claire -> Feminine, Plural
5
Le train -> Masculine, Singular
6
Conjugate être: Choose the correct present-tense form of être that matches your subject (suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont).
7
Marc -> il -> est
8
Sophie et Claire -> elles -> sont
9
Find the Past Participle: Determine the standard past participle of your main verb. For regular -er verbs, it's -é (arriver -> arrivé). For -ir verbs, it's often -i (partir -> parti). Irregular verbs must be memorized (venir -> venu).
10
Apply the Agreement Ending: Based on the subject's gender and number from Step 1, add the correct ending to the past participle from Step 3.
11
| Subject Identity | Agreement Ending | Example (verb venir) |
12
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
13
| Masculine Singular | (none) | Il est venu |
14
| Feminine Singular | -e | Elle est venue |
15
| Masculine Plural | -s | Ils sont venus |
16
| Feminine Plural | -es | Elles sont venues |
17
A critical sub-rule is that masculine takes precedence in mixed-gender groups. If you have a group of ten women (elles) and one man (il), the group becomes masculine plural (ils).
18
Marie et Paul sont arrivés. (Not arrivées)

When To Use It

This agreement rule is not universal; it is exclusively for verbs that use être in the passé composé. These fall into two distinct categories.
1. The 'DR MRS VANDERTRAMP' Verbs
This acronym is a popular mnemonic for a list of intransitive verbs (verbs that don't take a direct object) that primarily describe motion or a change in state. While memorizing the list is helpful, understanding the concept is better. These verbs describe the subject moving from one point to another or changing their state of being.
  • Devenir (to become): Elle est devenue médecin. (She became a doctor.)
  • Revenir (to come back): Tu es revenu tard. (You came back late.)
  • Monter (to go up): Nous sommes montés au sommet. (We went up to the summit.)
  • Rester (to stay): Elle est restée à la maison. (She stayed at home.)
  • Sortir (to go out): Mes sœurs sont sorties. (My sisters went out.)
  • Venir (to come)
  • Aller (to go)
  • Naître (to be born): Mon grand-père est né en 1950. (My grandfather was born in 1950.)
  • Descendre (to go down)
  • Entrer (to enter)
  • Rentrer (to return home)
  • Tomber (to fall): La clé est tombée par terre. (The key fell on the ground.)
  • Retourner (to return)
  • Arriver (to arrive)
  • Mourir (to die)
  • Partir (to leave)
  • Passer (to pass by) (This verb can also use avoir with a different meaning).
2. All Pronominal Verbs
A pronominal verb is one that is accompanied by a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se). This includes reflexive verbs (action done to oneself) and reciprocal verbs (action done to each other). All pronominal verbs without exception use être in the passé composé. The agreement, therefore, always applies.
  • Reflexive: Je me suis réveillé(e) à 7h. (I woke myself up at 7.) The reflexive pronoun me refers to je, so the participle agrees with je.
  • Reflexive: Elle s'est lavée. (She washed herself.) The participle lavée agrees with the feminine subject elle.
  • Reciprocal: Ils se sont téléphoné. (They called each other.) Note: an advanced rule applies here, but for A2, focus on the basic structure.
  • Idiomatic Pronominal: Nous nous sommes souvenus de son nom. (We remembered his name.) The verb se souvenir is inherently pronominal.

Common Mistakes

Learners frequently make a few predictable errors with this rule. Awareness is the first step to avoiding them.
  • Forgetting Written Agreement: The agreement endings -e, -s, and -es are usually silent. Parti, partie, partis, and parties all sound identical. This means your ear will not help you during written exercises. You must consciously check the subject and apply the rule. This is the single most common mistake.
  • The avoir Trap: After learning the être agreement, some students over-apply it and start making avoir verbs agree with the subject. This is incorrect. Never make a past participle agree with the subject when the auxiliary is avoir.
  • Incorrect: Elle a mangée une pomme.
  • Correct: Elle a mangé une pomme.
  • The on Puzzle: In modern spoken French, on has largely replaced nous to mean "we." While on always takes a singular verb conjugation (on est), the past participle must agree with the real people it represents. If on refers to a group of women, the participle must be feminine plural.
  • Two women speaking: Hier, on est allées au cinéma. (Yesterday, we went to the cinema.)
  • The vous Ambiguity: The pronoun vous can be singular polite or plural. The agreement must reflect the reality. When writing an email to a female client, you must add the -e.
  • To one woman: Madame, vous êtes arrivée en avance.
  • To a group of men: Messieurs, vous êtes venus ensemble ?
  • To a group of women: Mesdames, vous êtes entrées.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

To solidify your understanding, it is useful to contrast the être agreement pattern with other similar-looking structures in French. The key difference always comes back to the auxiliary verb (avoir vs. être) or the grammatical function (verb vs. pure adjective).
| Pattern | Example | Analysis |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. Être + Past Participle | Elle est partie. | The auxiliary is être. The participle partie acts like an adjective describing the subject elle. Agreement with the subject is mandatory. |
| 2. Avoir + Past Participle | Elle a vu un film. | The auxiliary is avoir. The participle vu does not agree with the subject elle. (An exception exists for preceding direct objects, a B1-level topic). |
| 3. Être + Adjective | Elle est contente.| The verb is être used as a main verb, not an auxiliary. The adjective contente describes the subject elle. Agreement is mandatory. This is the model for Pattern 1. |
This comparison shows that the passé composé with être (Pattern 1) behaves grammatically just like a simple description with an adjective (Pattern 3). The passé composé with avoir (Pattern 2) follows a different logic, focusing purely on the action without describing the subject's resulting state.

Real Conversations

This grammar is not just for textbooks. You'll see and hear it constantly in everyday interactions. Here's how it appears in modern, authentic contexts.

- Texting a friend:

- Salut! Bien rentrée hier soir ? (Hey! Did you get home okay last night? - rentrée agrees with the female recipient tu).

- Making plans in a group chat:

- Person 1 (female): Je suis arrivée. (I've arrived.)

- Person 2 (male): Ok, nous on est partis de la maison, on arrive. (Ok, we've left the house, we're on our way. partis agrees with plural on (nous)).

- Social media post caption (from a group of women):

- Enfin arrivées à la plage ! ☀️ #vacances (Finally arrived at the beach! #vacation. arrivées agrees with the plural female nous implied by the context.)

- Casual conversation:

- Alors, tes parents sont venus pour Noël ? (So, did your parents come for Christmas? venus agrees with tes parents, a masculine plural subject).

- Formal work email:

- Bonjour M. Leclerc, veuillez noter que Mme. Girard est passée à l'agence ce matin. Elle a laissé un dossier pour vous. (Hello Mr. Leclerc, please note that Ms. Girard stopped by the agency this morning. passée agrees with Mme. Girard.)

Progressive Practice

1

Work through these exercises to build your confidence. The answers are at the bottom.

2

Level 1: Basic Agreement

3

Fill in the blank by adding the correct ending to the past participle in parentheses, if necessary.

4

Ma mère est parti___ très tôt ce matin. (partir)

5

Le train est arrivé___ en retard. (arriver)

6

Mes cousines sont né___ en Italie. (naître)

Level 2: Choosing the Correct Form

Select the correct past participle from the options.

7

On (a group of boys and girls) est (allé / allée / allés / allées) au parc.

8

Sarah, tu es (sorti / sortie / sortis / sorties) hier soir ?

9

Les lettres sont (tombé / tombée / tombés / tombées) de la table.

Level 3: Sentence Building

Construct a full sentence in the passé composé using the elements provided.

10

(je, f.) / se réveiller / à 8h.

11

(ils) / rester / à l'hôtel.

12

(vous, plural, f.) / descendre / du bus.

Level 4: Contextual Application

Complete the short paragraph with the correct forms of the verbs in parentheses.

Hier, mes amies et moi, nous sommes (aller) au musée. Ma meilleure amie, Chloé, est (venir) aussi. Nous sommes (entrer) dans le musée à 14h. À la fin de la journée, nous sommes (rentrer) chez nous très fatiguées.

---

Practice Answers:

Level 1: 1. partie, 2. arrivé, 3. nées

Level 2: 1. allés, 2. sortie, 3. tombées

Level 3: 1. Je me suis réveillée à 8h. 2. Ils sont restés à l'hôtel. 3. Vous êtes descendues du bus.

Level 4: sommes allées, est venue, sommes entrées, sommes rentrées

Quick FAQ

Q: Do the agreement endings -e and -s change the pronunciation?

Usually, no. The past participles allé, allée, allés, and allées are all pronounced identically. However, for participles ending in a consonant like s, t, or d, adding the -e for feminine agreement can make that consonant audible. For example: mis (m.) is pronounced /mi/, but mise (f.) is pronounced /meez/. Mort (m.) is /mor/, but morte (f.) is /mort/.

Q: What do I do if I don't know the gender of the subject?

In French, the masculine form serves as the default or neutral. If the gender is unknown or irrelevant, use the masculine singular agreement. For example, in a general statement: On est allé sur la lune en 1969. (One went to the moon in 1969.)

Q: What happens if a reflexive verb is followed by a direct object, like washing one's hands?

This is a more advanced rule (B1 level). When a pronominal verb is followed by a direct object, the agreement rule is nullified. You would write Elle s'est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands), with no -e on lavé, because the action of washing is applied to les mains, not to Elle. For the A2 level, focus on mastering the primary agreement rule where the action applies back to the subject.

Q: Is it ils sont né or ils sont nés?

It must be Ils sont nés. The subject ils is plural, so the past participle né must have the plural -s ending to match. Forgetting the plural s is as significant an error as forgetting the feminine e.

Q: Can I just avoid these verbs?

Unfortunately, no. The verbs that use être are among the most common in the language (aller, partir, venir, rester). Avoiding them is not a practical strategy. The best approach is to practice the pattern until it becomes second nature, starting with the most frequent verbs.

Agreement Patterns

Subject Verb Participle (Aller)
Je (m)
suis
allé
Je (f)
suis
allée
Il
est
allé
Elle
est
allée
Nous (m)
sommes
allés
Nous (f)
sommes
allées
Ils
sont
allés
Elles
sont
allées

Meanings

This rule dictates that when a verb is conjugated with 'être' in the passé composé, the past participle must reflect the gender and number of the subject.

1

Subject Agreement

The participle changes to match the subject's gender and plurality.

“Il est tombé.”

“Elle est tombée.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Past Participle Agreement with Être (Agreement Rule)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Sub + être + PP
Elle est partie.
Negative
Sub + n' + être + pas + PP
Elle n'est pas partie.
Question
Être + Sub + PP?
Est-elle partie?
Plural
Sub + sont + PP+s
Ils sont partis.
Feminine
Sub + est + PP+e
Elle est partie.
Feminine Plural
Sub + sont + PP+es
Elles sont parties.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Elle est arrivée.

Elle est arrivée. (Standard usage)

Neutral
Elle est arrivée.

Elle est arrivée. (Standard usage)

Informal
Elle est arrivée.

Elle est arrivée. (Standard usage)

Slang
Elle est arrivée.

Elle est arrivée. (Standard usage)

The Être Agreement Map

Être Auxiliary

Gender

  • Feminine Add -e

Number

  • Plural Add -s
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Examples by Level

1

Il est allé.

He went.

2

Elle est allée.

She went.

3

Ils sont allés.

They went.

4

Elles sont allées.

They went (f).

1

Marie est partie.

Marie left.

2

Nous sommes arrivés.

We arrived.

3

Elle est née en France.

She was born in France.

4

Ils sont tombés dans la rue.

They fell in the street.

1

Elle s'est lavée les mains.

She washed her hands.

2

Ils sont devenus célèbres.

They became famous.

3

La porte est restée ouverte.

The door remained open.

4

Elles sont rentrées tard.

They returned late.

1

Elle est revenue de son voyage.

She returned from her trip.

2

Les enfants sont sortis jouer.

The children went out to play.

3

Elle s'est sentie fatiguée.

She felt tired.

4

Ils sont morts de rire.

They died of laughter.

1

Elle est apparue soudainement.

She appeared suddenly.

2

Ils sont convenus d'un accord.

They agreed on a deal.

3

Elle est décédée hier.

She passed away yesterday.

4

Ils sont intervenus rapidement.

They intervened quickly.

1

Elle est parvenue à ses fins.

She achieved her goals.

2

Ils sont survenus par hasard.

They occurred by chance.

3

Elle est ressortie grandie.

She emerged stronger.

4

Ils sont devenus des parias.

They became outcasts.

Easily Confused

Past Participle Agreement with Être (Agreement Rule) vs Avoir vs Être

Learners mix up which auxiliary to use.

Common Mistakes

✗

Elle est allé.

✓

Elle est allée.

Missing feminine agreement.
✗

Ils sont parti.

✓

Ils sont partis.

Missing plural agreement.
✗

Elle a allée.

✓

Elle est allée.

Wrong auxiliary verb.
✗

Les fleurs sont fané.

✓

Les fleurs sont fanées.

Agreement with plural subject.

Sentence Patterns

Elle est ___.

Real World Usage

Travel very common

Je suis arrivé à l'hôtel.

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💡

Check the subject

Always look at the subject before writing the participle.

Smart Tips

Always double-check the subject gender.

Elle est parti. → Elle est partie.

Pronunciation

allé / allée / allés sound the same.

Silent endings

The 'e' and 's' are usually silent in speech.

Rising

Est-elle arrivée? ↑

Questioning

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'être' as a mirror; the verb reflects the subject's gender and number.

Visual Association

Imagine a person wearing a shirt that changes color (e) or size (s) depending on who they are.

Rhyme

If it's être, don't forget, add an e or s to the set.

Story

Marie (feminine) went (allée) to the store. She met her friends (plural). They all went (allés) home together.

Word Web

AllerPartirVenirArriverNaîtreMourir

Challenge

Write 5 sentences about your day using 'être' verbs and check your agreements.

Cultural Notes

Agreement is strictly enforced in formal writing.

Spoken French often drops the 'e' sound, but agreement is still key.

Standard French grammar is used in education.

Derived from Latin 'esse' (to be) + past participle.

Conversation Starters

“

Où es-tu allé hier ?

Journal Prompts

Describe your morning routine using 'être' verbs.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form.

Elle est ___ (partir).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: partie
Feminine subject requires -e.

Score: /1

Practice Exercises

1 exercises
Fill in the correct form.

Elle est ___ (partir).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: partie
Feminine subject requires -e.

Score: /1

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Translate into French Translation

She was born in Paris.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Elle est née à Paris.
Put the words in order Sentence Reorder

partie / est / Marie / tôt

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Marie est partie tôt
Match the subject with the correct verb form Match Pairs

Match these:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: parties
Fill in the blank Fill in the Blank

Nous (f. plural) sommes ___ (revenir) de voyage.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: revenues
Which is correct? Multiple Choice

Talking to your female boss politely:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vous êtes venue à l'heure.
Fix the mistake Error Correction

Ma sœur s'est réveillé tard.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma sœur s'est réveillée tard.
Translate into French Translation

The boys stayed at home.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Les garçons sont restés à la maison.
Fill in the blank Fill in the Blank

Elle est ___ (tomber) dans l'escalier.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tombée
Which is correct for a mixed group? Multiple Choice

Marc and Sophie went out:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ils sont sortis.
Reorder the words Sentence Reorder

sont / arrivées / les filles / enfin

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Les filles sont enfin arrivées

Score: /10

FAQ (1)

Because the subject is feminine.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

ha ido

No agreement with subject.

German moderate

ist gegangen

No gender agreement on the participle.

Japanese none

itta

No gender or number.

Arabic low

dhahaba

No auxiliary agreement.

Chinese none

qu le

No agreement at all.

Italian high

è andato

Very similar structure.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
French Past Participle Agreement with Être (e/s/es)
Next
Reflexive Verbs in the Past: I washed myself (Passé Composé)

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