Dr & Mrs Vandertrampp: A Trick for the French Passé Composé
Dr & Mrs Vandertrampp irresistibly reminds me of Grant Wood’s portrait. Doesn’t it do the same for you? And yet, it’s just a mnemonic trick for remembering the verbs that use être (not avoir) as their auxiliary in the passé composé.
What Is It?
Dr & Mrs Vandertrampp isn’t a family—it’s a mnemonic device to remember which French verbs use être (instead of avoir) as their auxiliary verb in the passé composé. This trick is mostly used by French learners, not native speakers.
Why Is It Important?
In the passé composé, most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary:
- J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
But some verbs (often related to movement or change of state) use être:
- On est allé au parc. (We went to the park.)
Dr & Mrs Vandertrampp helps you remember these exceptions.
The List of Verbs
Here are the 17 verbs (and their past participles):
| Verb | Translation | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| D – Devenir | to become | devenu(e) |
| R – Revenir | to come back | revenu(e) |
| M – Monter | to go up | monté(e) |
| R – Rester | to stay | resté(e) |
| S – Sortir | to go out | sorti(e) |
| V – Venir | to come | venu(e) |
| A – Aller | to go | allé(e) |
| N – Naître | to be born | né(e) |
| D – Descendre | to go down | descendu(e) |
| E – Entrer | to go in, to come in | entré(e) |
| R – Rentrer | to go back home | rentré(e) |
| T – Tomber | to fall | tombé(e) |
| R – Retourner | to go back to some place | retourné(e) |
| A – Arriver | to arrive | arrivé(e) |
| M – Mourir | to die | mort(e) |
| P – Partir | to leave | parti(e) |
| P – Passer* | to pass/spend | passé(e) |
*Passer has (fascinating!) special rules. See below.
Examples
- Il est allé au Mexique. (He went to Mexico.)
- Elle est née en 1990. (She was born in 1990.)
- Nous sommes rentrés à 20h. (We came back at 8 PM.)
Note: For verbs ending in -er, add an -e for feminine and -s for plural:
- Elle est allée au parc. (She went to the park.)
- Elles sont rentrées. (They came back.)
Exceptions
Some verbs in the list can use avoir if they are transitive (with a direct object):
- J’ai sorti le chien. (I walked our dog.)
- J’ai monté les valises. (I carried the suitcases up.)
The Special Case of Passer
- With avoir: When passer has a direct object (transitive):
- Mbappé m’a passé le ballon !! (Mbappé passed me the ball.)
- On a passé un bon moment. (We had a good time.)
- With être: When passer is intransitive (no direct object) or followed by a preposition:
- Je suis passé devant la bibliothèque. (I walked by the library.)
Summary
- Dr & Mrs Vandertrampp = 17 verbs that use être in the passé composé.
- Exceptions: Some verbs in the list use avoir if they are transitive.
- Passer changes auxiliary depending on usage.
Tip: To remember the list, imagine a story with a doctor (Dr) and his wife (Mrs) traveling (aller, revenir, partir…), climbing, descending, etc.
A bientôt pendant notre leçon !
