Generally, the verbs descendre, monter, passer, rentrer, retourner, and sortir use être as their helping verb. They may, however, take avoir as their helping verb when they are used with a direct object. The meaning of these verbs differs according to the helping verb that is used:
descendre: with être, got off, went down; with avoir, took down
- Tu es descendu(e) du train. (You got off the train.)
- J'ai descendu l'escalier. (I went downstairs.)
- Il a descendu sa valise. (He took down his suitcase.)
monter: with être, went down; with avoir, took up
- Elles sont montées. (They went upstairs.)
- Nous avons monté nos affaires. (We took [brought] up our things.)
passer: with être, passed by; with avoir, spent
- Je suis passé(e) par la pâtisserie. (I passed by the pastry shop.)
- Il a passé un mois au Canada. (He spent a month in Canada.)
rentrer: with être, came in; with avoir, brought in
- Vous êtes rentré(e)(s) tôt. (You came home early.)
- Elle a rentré le chat. (She brought in the cat.)
retourner: with être, returned; with avoir, turned over
- Il est retourné à Paris. (He returned to Paris.)
- Ils ont retourné la chaise. (They turned over the table.)
sortir: with être, went out; with avoir, took out
- Elles sont sorties. (They went out.)
- Il a sorti son portefeuille. (He took out his wallet.)