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Le passé composé avec du verbes de mouvement

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Cifi

Le passé composé avec du verbes de mouvement

Post by Cifi »

(I hope I got the title correct, still being fairly new to French.)

Duolingo teaches to use être with verbs of motion (https://www.duolingo.com/skill/fr/GS-Past-Tense-2/tips), and the grammar skill related to this does teach several examples, but also one which looks like an exception:

  • avoir marché

Are there more verbs of motion that use avoir instead of être?

Native: :de: Intermediate: :uk: Lower intermediate: :es: Beginner: :fr: Absolute beginner: 🇬🇷
(If there are errors in what I'm writing in either language, please do correct me - I'll never take it as offense or something like that.)

Jim606185
Australia

Re: Le passé composé avec du verbes de mouvement

Post by Jim606185 »

Il a sauté, il a couru, il a quitté, il a traversé la rue. There are many more.
All the reflexive verbs use être.

The thing to remember is that when you want to use the transitive version, you use avoir. For example:

Elvis est sorti du bâtiment. (Elvis has exited the building) Elvis a quitté le bâtiment
But: Il a sorti son portefeuille (he got out his wallet)

Native English Speaker. Currently studying French, German (basic), Dutch (Beginner), Italian (Intermediate), Russian (basic), Chinese (beginner), Scottish Gaelic (Intermediate), Norwegian (Basic)
Ic rǣde englisc spræce.

Cifi

Re: Le passé composé avec du verbes de mouvement

Post by Cifi »

Thanks. They probably rather should have said "some verbs of movement ..." in the tips then.

Native: :de: Intermediate: :uk: Lower intermediate: :es: Beginner: :fr: Absolute beginner: 🇬🇷
(If there are errors in what I'm writing in either language, please do correct me - I'll never take it as offense or something like that.)

Cifi

Re: Le passé composé avec du verbes de mouvement

Post by Cifi »

Oh, I didn't see this before: verbs may actually change their auxiliary verb depending on being used transitively or intransitively? In German, this may happen too, but I think it's quite rare, and limited to very few verbs:

Ich bin zum Bahnhof gefahren.

Ich habe dich zum Bahnhof gefahren.

Native: :de: Intermediate: :uk: Lower intermediate: :es: Beginner: :fr: Absolute beginner: 🇬🇷
(If there are errors in what I'm writing in either language, please do correct me - I'll never take it as offense or something like that.)

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