Demeurer can be used with avoir or être in compound tenses depending on its meaning in French (Le Passé Composé)

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-01-04

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Most verbs use either avoir or être as the auxiliary verb in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) (or other compound tense), but demeurer uses both, depending on its grammatical usage* and what it means in the sentence.

Using avoir or être with the verb DEMEURER in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) in French

être + demeuré + [adjectif]
= to remain + [adjective]

Je suis demeuré impassible pendant toute cette conversation.I remained expressionless during all this conversation.

Elle est demeurée silencieuse pendant tout le trajet.She remained silent the whole trip.

When demeurer means to remain in a state of being it takes être.

ATTENTION:

Do not confuse demeurer with être in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif), and the very rude expression être demeuré/e which means to be stupid (and like I said, very offensive). The main distinction is that in the second case, demeuré is the adjective, therefore there won't be another adjective afterwards.

avoir + demeuré [quelque part]
= to live [somewhere]
= to stay [somewhere]

J'ai demeuré chez lui pendant une semaine.I stayed at his house for a week.

Il a demeuré à Paris pendant quelques mois.He lived in Paris for a few months.

When demeurer means to remain or live somewhere, it takes avoir.

See Verbes aux deux auxiliaires

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Examples and resources

J'ai demeuré à Paris toute ma vie.I lived in Paris all my life.