Compound Past With èsser

Level 3

Verbs such as anar, venir and partir take èsser, and the participle agrees with the subject.

How It Works

Verbs of movement and change take èsser in the compound past: anar, venir, partir, arribar, dintrar, tornar, demorar and nàisser. All reflexive verbs do too. Most other verbs take aver.

masculinefeminine
ieusoi anatsoi anada
tuès anatès anada
el, elaes anates anada
nosautressèm anatssèm anadas
vosautressètz anatssètz anadas
eles, elasson anatsson anadas

The participle agrees with the subject, like an adjective: Maria es partida, Los amics son venguts.

When one of these verbs has a direct object, it takes aver instead. Soi sortit means I went out, but Ai sortit lo can means I took the dog out.

Examples (5)

  1. Soi anat a Tolosa.

    I went to Toulouse.

    Soi anat is soi plus the participle of anar.

  2. Maria es partida.

    Maria has left.

    The participle takes -a because Maria is a woman.

  3. Sèm arribats a Carcassona.

    We arrived in Carcassonne.

    The participle takes -s for the plural subject.

  4. Los amics son venguts ièr.

    The friends came yesterday.

    Venguts agrees with the masculine plural amics.

  5. Soi demorada a l'ostal.

    I stayed at home.

    A woman says demorada.

Common Mistakes

  • Using aver for a verb of movement.

    Ai anat a Tolosa.
    Soi anat a Tolosa.

    Anar takes èsser in the compound past, so the auxiliary is soi.

  • Leaving the participle unchanged for a woman.

    Maria es partit.
    Maria es partida.

    With èsser, the participle agrees with the subject.

How It Connects

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Compound Past With èsserLevel 3

Learn This First

The compound past with èsser follows the one with aver and adds agreement, so the aver version and the feminine of adjectives come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

èsseranarvenirpartirarribardintrartornardemorarnàisser