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être

to be

verb EH-truh Common
Grammar & Structure Particles

Usage Note

Être is the backbone of French, both as the verb 'to be' and as the auxiliary that powers the past tense of movement and reflexive verbs, as in je suis allé for 'I went'. As a noun un être is a living creature, and the same root gives French bien-être, its word for well-being.

Examples

"Je suis fatigué."

Natural Translation

I am tired.

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