"Être" (To be) for Past Tense:
* Use "être" for verbs of movement or change of state:
* Aller (to go) - J'ai été à Paris. (I went to Paris)
* Venir (to come) - Elle est venue à la fête. (She came to the party)
* Arriver (to arrive) - Ils sont arrivés en retard. (They arrived late)
* Monter (to go up) - Nous sommes montés à l'étage. (We went upstairs)
* Descendre (to go down) - Je suis descendu du train. (I got off the train)
* Naître (to be born) - Le bébé est né à l'hôpital. (The baby was born in the hospital)
* Mourir (to die) - Mon grand-père est mort l'année dernière. (My grandfather died last year)
* Devenir (to become) - Elle est devenue médecin. (She became a doctor)
* Tomber (to fall) - Il est tombé de l'échelle. (He fell off the ladder)
* Rester (to stay) - Nous sommes restés à la maison. (We stayed at home)
* Use "être" with reflexive verbs:
* Se lever (to get up) - Je me suis levé à 7 heures. (I got up at 7 o'clock)
* Se coucher (to go to bed) - Elle s'est couchée tôt. (She went to bed early)
* S'habiller (to get dressed) - Nous nous sommes habillés pour le mariage. (We got dressed for the wedding)
* Se laver (to wash oneself) - Il s'est lavé les mains. (He washed his hands)
"Avoir" (To have) for Past Tense:
* Use "avoir" for the vast majority of verbs:
* Manger (to eat) - J'ai mangé un sandwich. (I ate a sandwich)
* Parler (to speak) - Elle a parlé à son ami. (She spoke to her friend)
* Écrire (to write) - Ils ont écrit une lettre. (They wrote a letter)
* Lire (to read) - Nous avons lu un livre. (We read a book)
* Jouer (to play) - Je ai joué au football. (I played football)
* Travailler (to work) - Elle a travaillé toute la journée. (She worked all day)
Important Notes:
* Agreement: With "être," the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject. Example: "Les enfants sont partis." (The children left)
* "Être" with "avoir" for compound tenses: For certain tenses, such as the "passé composé" (present perfect), you need to use "avoir" as the helping verb along with the past participle of "être". Example: "J'ai été à Paris." (I have been to Paris)
* Regular verbs: Most verbs in French follow the standard conjugations for "avoir".
If you are unsure whether to use "être" or "avoir" with a particular verb, look it up in a dictionary or online resource. It's helpful to learn these patterns to ensure you are using the correct form of past tense in French.