Auxiliary Verb - Verbe auxiliaire - French Grammar + Pronunciation Glossary

Definition: An auxiliary verb is the first verb in a compound tense, either avoir or être, whose conjugation determines the subject, tense, and mood of the action in the main verb.

Examples:

J'ai vu Luc.
I saw Luc.

Il était venu à Paris.
He had come to Paris.

Auras-tu mangé avant d'arriver ?
Will you have eaten before arriving?

Also known as: Helping verb

Misspellings: auxilary verb, verbe auxilaire, verbe auxiliare

Related lessons: Auxiliary verbs - Semi-auxiliary verbs - Compound tenses

Related terms: verb - mood - tense - subject - conjugation - compound tense