I am struggling with this too

patty s.C1Kwiziq community member

I am struggling with this too

I always learnt that: " I went up the ladder was" took the verb "être"

Je suis allée jusqu'a l'echelle

Why is it in your example with "avoir". "I went up the stairs"

"J'ai monté les escaliers"??

This question relates to:French lesson "Monter can be used with avoir or être in Le Passé Composé depending on its meaning in French"

Asked 5 years ago

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CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Patty,

Indeed with ‘échelle’ you will use ‘être’ as in -

Je suis monté à l’échelle/ Je suis monté sur une échelle

But in the case on ‘monter les escaliers’ , ‘les escaliers’ is the direct object of ‘monter’ which makes the verb transitive requiring it to take ‘avoir’.

Very confusing I know....

Like15 years ago

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