for the french-speaking/writing...?

Question

okay, with the vandertramp verbs...for verbs like parti and descendu, do you add an s for the plural subjects? i've never seen that but i'm clueless...it wouldn't be nous sommes descendus, right? and what if i'm talking about the girls? do i still have to add an extra e for -re and -ir verbs? **confused** :D

Answer 1

For partir ; yes because you use the verb être. So you'll say nous sommes partis or nous sommes parties.

For descendre it depends. It can be used with avoir and être
- nous avons descendu les valises : no "es" because the COD is after the verb.
- nous les avons descendues : you need the "es" because les ( here meaning les valises ) is located before avoir and is female plural.
- nous sommes descendu(e)s à Paris : you need a "s" or "es" because nous is plural.

Remember that with être if the subject is :
- plural you will need a "s"
- plural and female you will need a "es"
- female you will need a "e"

With avoir nothing at the end of the past participle unless the COD is before avoir. Then you have to put either "e", "s" or "es".

Of course if the past participle already has a "s" you don't have to add anothe one : ils sont démis de leur fonction meaning they are fired.

A link to help you http://www.la-conjugaison.fr/du/verbe/partir.php

P.S. to Superman : be careful with what you wrote : nous sommes mangé is wrong it whould be "nous sommes mangé(e)s" and would "we are eaten by" and is a passive form. With avoir it will be "nous avons mangé..." : "we have eaten..."

Answer 2

There are some pairs of verbs which take être in the perfect tense, and with them the past participles have to agree. Here is a link:http://www.happychild.org.uk/freeway/french/grammar/verbs01.htm.
Reflexive verbs also take être in the perfect tense and their participles have to agree.

The rules are: singular feminine -- add an e.
Masculine plural -- add an s.
Mixed gender plural (males and females together) -- add an s. This applies even if you have a hundred females with one solitary male.
Feminine plural -- add -es

Stick to those simple rules and you can't go wrong!

Answer 3

yeah, but you only add the right ending for past participles if you conjugate them with etre(vandertramps) for ones conjugated with avoir you just leave the past participle alone. so, if it were a group of girls, it would be nous sommes descendues, or nous sommes mange(with accent)