This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within The perfect tense with être and reflexive verbs for GCSE French. Revise The perfect tense with être and reflexive verbs in Time Markers and the Three Time Frames for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- If in doubt about être vs avoir: check if the verb is on the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP list, or if it has a reflexive se — if yes, use être.
- In writing tasks, show gender awareness by writing allé(e) when you are writing as yourself.
- Agreement only adds one or two letters — but examiners notice it and reward it at Higher.
- After an être verb in a sentence with multiple verbs, the next verb may switch back to avoir: je suis allé au marché et j'ai acheté des légumes.
❌ Common error: Je suis allé au magasin et j'ai acheté une veste, et après je suis rentré chez moi et j'ai mangé — then students forget the switch: "et je suis mangé".
✓ Correct: …et j'ai mangé (not je suis mangé). Manger uses avoir.
Why it costs marks: After correctly using être for rentrer, students sometimes carry the pattern forward incorrectly to the next verb. Always ask: is the next verb on the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP list or reflexive? If not, return to avoir.
Practice questions for The perfect tense with être and reflexive verbs
What is the correct formula for forming the perfect tense with être?
The mnemonic MRS VAN DER TRAMP helps students remember verbs that use être. Which of the following verbs is NOT part of this group?