As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the verbs essere and avere in French have the important function of being auxiliary verbs , that is, they are added to another verb in the formulation of compound tenses . Without these two verbs, it would be impossible to create sentences with more complex verb forms, such as translating "avrà pensiero" or "sono scappati!".
In Italian, too, they are auxiliaries, but the verbs avere and essere in French have a slightly different role as auxiliaries than we're used to; in some ways, the rules that determine the use of one or the other are more similar to those of Spanish grammar.
In fact, the verb avoir is used as an auxiliary verb in a very "strange" way for us: it supports the verb être in the creation of compound tenses. In practice, what happens is what to us sounds a bit like "I have been." Let's look at some examples:
- J' ai été clair? = Was I clear?
- The aura is wonderful to meet you. = He will have been happy to meet you.
- Mon ordinateur n' a pas été livré. = My computer has not been shipped.
The verb avoir as an auxiliary verb is also used with:
- Neuter and impersonal verbs such as geler, suffire, neiger, falloir, and pleuvoir .
Il a plu tout le mois. = It rained all month.
Quelques secondes ont suffi pour le comprendre. = It took just a few seconds to understand it. - Verbs that indicate a change , such as changer, augmenter, grossir, maigrir, rougir, diminuer, vieillir.
Il a rougi dès qu'il t'a vu. = He blushed as soon as he saw you.
Le chiffre d'affaires a augmenté de 30%. = The turnover increased by 30%.
On ne peut plus courir, on a trop vieilli . = We can't run anymore, we've aged too much. - Other verbs where in some cases we would expect the verb to be, such as plaire, éclater, durer, sembler, réussir, vivre, triompher, survivre, exister, fluir, glisser, coutre, disparaître, déplaire, sauter and succéder.
We now have a well-replenished life. = We have lived a full life.
The dinosaurs did not exist. = Dinosaurs existed.
It lasted 8 years as a couple. = You lasted eight years as a couple.
You should watch for an aviation accident. = She survived a plane crash.
Furthermore, the verb avoir is basically the auxiliary verb to be used for transitive verbs, that is, those that take the object complement:
- J' ai écouté ta chanson. = I listened to your song.
- Nous acheté des bananas, que sont-elles ? = We bought bananas, where are they?
Speaking instead of the verb être , used as an auxiliary verb, it takes on a role very similar to the Italian verb essere. In fact, we use it together with:
- Intransitive verbs indicating movement such as aller, venir, partir, arriver, entrer, sortir, descendre, monter, passer, rester, tomber, retourner . (Not all verbs of movement, however, as we saw a little while ago.)
Tu es venu quand je n'étais pas dalle. = You came when I wasn't there.
I have returned to this end again. = They're back in that boring place.
Lorsque Joe est arrivé , il n'y avait personne. = When Joe arrived , no one was there. - To form the compound tense of pronominal verbs , that is, verbs that exist only in their reflexive form, therefore accompanied by a reflexive pronoun.
Quand il s'est levé ce matin, il faisait encore nuit. = When he got up this morning, it was still dark.
On se sera débarrassé de ce canapé. = We 'll get rid of that sofa. - To create the passive form of verbs.
Le monument est construit par de nombreux ouvriers. = The monument is built by many workers.
La carte est maintenant perdue . = The map is now lost.
