Être – Conjugation in present, past, futur, passé composé, etc.

Être is a very important auxiliary verb in French. Below you can see the different conjugations of être and at the bottom of the page you can read about the correct use and pronunciation of the verb.

 

Conjugation of être

Indicatif (indicative)

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Conditionnel (the future of the past)

 

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Subjonctif (subjunctive)

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Impératif (imperativ)

 

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Infinitif (infinitive)

 

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Participe

 

About the word être

Être is an irregular French verb and also one of the two French auxiliary verbs (the other is avoir).

hen learning French, être is one of the most important verbs to know, as it is used in many different contexts – partly because of its central role in the language and partly because of its function as an auxiliary verb.

It is worth noting that être can be used both as a verb and as a noun. It is especially in philosophical contexts that être is used as a noun, where it is used, for example, to describe existence (e.g. le fait d'être), substance (e.g. ce qui est réellement), mental being (e.g. être de raison) and the like.

 

Practical advice

For many people, it is easier to learn and use certain forms of être than others. Specifically, it is typically easiest to learn the following forms in the indicative:

• Présent (present tense)
• Passé composé (past tense)
• Futur proche (near future)

If you learn the above grammatical tenses, you will be able to express yourself in all the main tenses (although the passé composé is a past tense, in practice you can use it as a past tense – the same applies to the futur proche, which is actually a past tense, but in reality can be used as a future tense).

The tenses présent and passé composé are shown in the tables above, while futur proche is shown here:

 

Futur proche

• je vais être
• tu vas être
• il va être
• nous allons être
• vous allez être
• ils vont être

For the sake of good order, it should also be mentioned that in conditionnel there is an alternative form of passé, as seen here:

 

Passé – forme alternative

• j'eusse été
• tu eusses été
• il eût été
• nous eussions été
• vous eussiez été
• ils eussent été

 

Pronunciation of être

The word être itself is pronounced as “ay-tr”, with a soft ‘r' at the end. In addition, it should be noted that there are two types of contractions that affect some inflections of être:

 

Unofficial contractions

Although the term ‘unofficial contractions' is not the correct term for this language phenomenon, we use it for the sake of understanding. Unofficial contractions are found in almost all languages and occur when we contract words out of ‘laziness' – i.e. when it is easier to pronounce two words in one.

In French and in the context of être, this is particularly true of the words:

• Je suis
• Tu es

The words je suis are often contracted in everyday speech and are therefore pronounced chyi. In practice, you therefore say chyi danois and not je suis danois.

Similarly, tu es is usually not pronounced as separate words, but instead as one word: t'es (it can also be written like this).

Note that, in principle, these rules do not apply when negations are used, such as in the sentence: je ne suis pas danois (here je, ne and suis are pronounced as separate words). In practice, however, many people will omit the word ne and instead simply say: je suis pas danois (pronounced: chyi pas danois), even though this is not grammatically correct.

It is important to pay attention to these contractions, as they make it easier for beginners to understand what is being said in French. Once you have mastered these contractions, some of the “beginner's accent” that we all have when we learn French will disappear.

 

Official contractions

The following type of contractions are not officially called ‘official contractions', but we have – as above – chosen to use this term for the sake of clarity. Official contractions occur when consonants and vowels clash between certain words. In relation to être, this is the case, for example, in the following instances:

• Je suis allemand = here the s between suis and allemand should be pronounced with a lightly voiced z sound (je suis-allemand)
• Ils sont allemandes = here the t between sont and allemandes should be pronounced (il sont-allemandes)

Note that the s in the sentence ils sont la should not be voiced, as there is no contraction. Also note that, as mentioned, contractions are not always contracted; in the sentence nous sommes à l'école, for example, the s between sommes and à should not be contracted.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Which words are conjugated with être?

In French, the majority of verbs use “avoir” (to have) as their auxiliary verb in compound tenses, such as the passé composé. However, there is a specific group of verbs that use “être” (to be) instead of “avoir” as their auxiliary. These verbs often describe motion, change, or state of being. They are often remembered with the acronym “DR MRS VANDERTRAMP”, which stands for:

1. Devenir (to become)
2. Revenir (to come back)
3. Monter (to go up)
4. Rester (to stay)
5. Sortir (to go out)
6. Venir (to come)
7. Aller (to go)
8. Naître (to be born)
9. Descendre (to descend)
10. Entrer (to enter)
11. Rentrer (to return home)
12. Tomber (to fall)
13. Retourner (to return)
14. Arriver (to arrive)
15. Mourir (to die)
16. Partir (to leave)

These verbs, when used in compound tenses such as the passé composé, agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, “Je suis allé(e)” (I went), where the past participle “allé” agrees with the subject in gender and number.

 

When do you use être?

In French, the verb “être” is used in several contexts:

1. Describing Identity and Characteristics:
– Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
– Elle est intelligente. (She is intelligent.)

2. Expressing Location:
– Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.)
– Nous sommes à la plage. (We are at the beach.)

3. Talking about Profession or Occupation:
– Il est médecin. (He is a doctor.)
– Elle est professeure. (She is a teacher.)

4. Expressing Time and Dates:
– Il est huit heures. (It is eight o'clock.)
– Aujourd'hui, c'est le sept février. (Today is February seventh.)

5. Forming the Passive Voice:
– La porte est fermée. (The door is closed.)
– Les décisions sont prises par le conseil. (Decisions are made by the council.)

6. In Certain Verb Constructions:
– Je suis en train de manger. (I am in the process of eating.)
– Il est en train de lire un livre. (He is in the process of reading a book.)

7. Compound Tenses with Certain Verbs:
– Elle est partie. (She has left.)
– Nous sommes arrivés. (We have arrived.)

8. In Certain Idiomatic Expressions and Proverbs:
– Être à l'aise (to be comfortable)
– Être en train de (to be in the process of)
– Être malade comme un chien (to be very sick)

Remember that “être” is an irregular verb and its conjugations must be memorized as they do not follow regular patterns.