In Passé composé or conversational past, most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary.
However, a fixed number of verbs use être as their auxiliary verb instead.
They are almost all verbs to do with movement:
You say: Je suis allé (I went) and not j'ai allé.
ATTENTION:
Note that the past participle following être agrees with the subject of the verb.
To learn about this, see Agreeing past participle with subject's gender and number with (+ être) verbs in Le Passé Composé
To learn about this, see Agreeing past participle with subject's gender and number with (+ être) verbs in Le Passé Composé
The verbs to do with coming and going use être
Aller – to go – allé
Venir – to come – venu
Revenir – to come back – revenu
Arriver – to arrive – arrivé
Entrer – to enter – entré
Rentrer – to re-enter – rentré
Retourner – to return – retourné
Sortir – to exit – sorti
Partir – to leave – parti
Tomber – to fall – tombé
For more verbs + être, see Conjugate mourir, naître, décéder, devenir, rester (+ être) in Le Passé Composé (conversational past)
There is also a "house diagram" showing these verbs in one easy-to-remember picture on Wikipedia:
La maison être
La maison être
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