Repeating Auxiliary Verbs

When using more than one verb in the passé composé or another compound tense, you can - but do not always have to - repeat the auxiliary verb in front of each past participle. Whether you have to repeat the auxiliary depends on whether the main verbs take the same auxiliary verb. If they are all avoir verbs, all être verbs, or all pronominal verbs, you don't need to include the auxiliary in front of each one.
 

Verbs with the same auxiliary

When you want to say "I ate and drank," you need to consider the auxiliary verb that manger and boire require. Since they both take avoir, you can leave off the auxiliary from the second verb:

   J'ai mangé et bu

Or you can repeat the auxiliary, with or without the subject pronoun:

   J'ai mangé et ai bu
     or
   J'ai mangé et j'ai bu

To say "I left at noon and got home at midnight," you need être for both verbs, so you don't need to repeat the auxiliary:

   Je suis parti à midi et rentré à minuit

But you can also say

   Je suis parti à midi et suis rentré à minuit
     or
   Je suis parti à midi et je suis rentré à minuit

The same basic rule applies when you're using only pronominal verbs, as in "I got up and got dressed":

   Je me suis levé et habillé.

However, if you want to repeat the auxiliary of pronominal verbs, you must also repeat the reflexive pronoun:

   Je me suis levé et me suis habillé
   Je me suis levé et je me suis habillé
   xxx "Je me suis levé et suis habillé" xxx
 

Verbs with different auxiliaries

When you have a sentence with verbs that need different auxiliaries, or with a mix of pronominal and non-pronominal verbs, you are required use the various auxiliaries in front of each verb. You may also repeat the subject pronoun:

   J'ai travaillé et suis allé à la banque
   J'ai travaillé et je suis allé à la banque
   I worked and went to the bank

   Je me suis levé et suis descendu
   Je me suis levé et je suis descendu
   I got up and went downstairs

   Il a mangé, est parti et s'est couché tôt
   Il a mangé, il est parti et il s'est couché tôt
   He ate, left, and went to bed early
 

Verbs with some of the same auxiliaries

If you have some verbs with one auxiliary and some verbs with another, you can still drop the shared auxiliaries when they are alone in the clause (that is, when the clause has only avoir verbs, être verbs, or pronominal verbs):

   On a dansé et chanté, et puis (on) est allé à une autre boîte
   We danced and sang, and then went to another club

   As-tu fait ton lit et nettoyé ta chambre, ou t'es-tu douché et habillé ?
   Did you make your bed and clean your room, or did you take a shower and get dressed?
 

When in doubt...

Remember that it's never wrong to repeat the auxiliary verb (though overdoing it can make your French sound a bit stilted). But it is wrong not to use the different auxiliaries if you have different types of verbs.
 

Related lessons

   Être verbs
   Le passé

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