Ch 7 · Lesson 15French · Chapter 7 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
Elle est allée: agreement with être
With the participle agrees with the subject like an adjective: , . With it does not: a .
The short version
With
.
Why?Hide
Once is the auxiliary, the participle agrees with the subject like an adjective: -e for a woman, -s for a plural. , , . With it never agrees with the subject: a .
Agreement with être
With , the past participle agrees with the subject, like an adjective: add -e for a woman, -s for a plural.
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| he went | |
| she went | |
| they went | |
| they went (women) |
.- She arrived..- They left.France.- They were born in France.
and agree with whoever is speaking: a woman writes . A mixed group takes the masculine plural, . The extra letters are silent, so this is a rule for writing.
No agreement with avoir
With , the participle does not agree with the subject:
.- She ate. (nevera).- They finished. (never
The one exception is a direct object placed before the verb, usually a pronoun. Then the participle agrees with that object:
.- I saw her.
You will meet that rule properly with the object pronouns. For now: , no agreement.
Going further: The default is avoir and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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