Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp Verbs: List, Conjugation & Agreement

There’s a moment in every French learner’s journey when the passé composé stops being a mystery and starts becoming a reflex—and that moment often begins with a silly name: Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp. This mnemonic packs 17 verbs into a single memorable acronym, but knowing the list alone won’t save you from agreement errors or confusion when a verb like *sortir* switches to *avoir* — here’s the full breakdown with examples and the rules that actually matter.

Verbs in the Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp mnemonic: 17 ·
Auxiliary verb used: être ·
Date of origin: circa 1990s ·
Google searches per month: unknown

The key facts about the Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs reveal a clear set of rules that govern their usage.

What are the 17 Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs?

List of Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs with English translations

• Devenir – to become
• Revenir – to come back
• Monter – to go up
• Rester – to stay
• Sortir – to go out
• Venir – to come
• Aller – to go
• Naître – to be born
• Descendre – to go down
• Entrer – to enter
• Rentrer – to go back in
• Tomber – to fall
• Retourner – to turn around / go back
• Arriver – to arrive
• Mourir – to die
• Partir – to leave
• Passer – to pass (often included)

The mnemonic covers these 17 verbs, though some versions omit passer for a total of 16 (FrenchLearner). These verbs are mostly intransitive verbs of motion or change of state (The French Post).

Why are these verbs conjugated with être instead of avoir?

In the passé composé, most French verbs use avoir as the auxiliary. The Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp group is an exception because these verbs are intransitive—they describe a movement or a change of state without a direct object (University of Oxford MML Bookshelf). When a verb like monter takes a direct object (e.g., monter la valise – to bring up the suitcase), it switches to avoir (FrenchCrazy).

The implication: the mnemonic helps you remember which verbs can take être, but it doesn’t tell you when they must take être—that depends on the sentence structure.

What is the Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp rule?

How the mnemonic works

The letters in “Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp” each correspond to the first letter of a verb: Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Retourner, Arriver, Mourir, Partir (and sometimes Passer). It is a memory aid, not a grammatical rule itself (The French Post).

Rule for choosing être vs avoir as auxiliary

Conjugation rule: subject + conjugated form of être + past participle of the main verb (French Today). The past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number (FrenchLearner). For most verbs, you use avoir; only these verbs (and their derivatives) take être.

The pattern: the mnemonic is a shortcut. The real rule is that intransitive verbs of motion and change of state use être—the mnemonic just lists the most common ones.

How to conjugate Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs in passé composé?

Step-by-step conjugation process

1. Choose the subject pronoun (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles).
2. Conjugate être in the present tense (suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont).
3. Form the past participle of the main verb. Most are regular (e.g., aller → allé), but some are irregular (e.g., naître → né).
4. Make the past participle agree with the subject: add -e for feminine singular, -s for masculine plural, -es for feminine plural (FrenchLearner).
5. Write the full conjugation: subject + être + past participle.

Examples with number/gender agreement

• Il est allé – He went (masculine singular, no change)
• Elle est allée – She went (feminine singular, add -e)
• Ils sont allés – They went (masculine plural, add -s)
• Elles sont allées – They went (feminine plural, add -es)
• Il est mort – He died (irregular: mort)
• Elle est morte – She died (add -e: morte)
• Nous sommes partis – We left (masculine plural, add -s)
• Nous sommes parties – We left (feminine plural, add -es)

The key: the past participle must match the subject’s gender and number every time (University of Oxford MML Bookshelf).

The pattern: without agreement, the passé composé sounds broken—even if the verb is correct.

What are the irregular past participles of Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs?

Regular vs irregular past participles in the list

Most Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs have regular past participles: allé, sorti, monté, resté, descendu, entré, rentré, tombé, retourné, arrivé, parti, passé (add -e for feminine, -s for plural). But four verbs are irregular:

These irregular forms are the most common source of errors for learners (Lingopie). Note that devenir and revenir are derived from venir and follow the same pattern.

Common mistakes with naître, mourir, venir

• Confusing mort (past participle) with mort (noun for death).
• Writing neé instead of né (remember: circumflex on naître drops in participle).
• Forgetting that venu(e)(s) requires agreement: elle est venue, not venu.

The implication: mastering these four irregular participles and their agreement patterns moves you past the beginner stage.

Are all Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp verbs être verbs?

Exceptions and reflexive verbs

Yes, the verbs in the mnemonic are all conjugated with être when used intransitively. However, some can take avoir when they become transitive (with a direct object). For example:

• Je suis sorti (I went out) vs. J’ai sorti la voiture (I took the car out) (FrenchCrazy)
• Il est monté (He went up) vs. Il a monté les valises (He brought up the suitcases)
• Elle est rentrée (She went back in) vs. Elle a rentré les chaises (She brought the chairs in)

Additionally, reflexive verbs (like se lever) also use être but are not part of the Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp mnemonic (L’École de Français (French language school)).

Difference between être and avoir in passé composé

The choice between être and avoir changes the past participle agreement: with avoir, the participle does not agree with the subject unless a direct object precedes it (French Today). With être, agreement is mandatory.

The trade-off: the mnemonic is reliable for intransitive uses, but learners must learn the context to avoid mistakes.

The pattern: understanding what is confirmed vs unclear builds a more nuanced grasp of the mnemonic.

“A common teaching list for Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp includes 16 verbs: devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, rentrer, tomber, retourner, arriver, mourir, partir.”

FrenchLearner (French grammar resource)

“For être verbs in the passé composé, the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.”

University of Oxford MML Bookshelf (academic language resource)

“Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp is a mnemonic device used to remember which verbs are conjugated with être as opposed to avoir in the passé composé.”

Lingopie (language learning platform)

For French learners, mastering the Dr. Mrs. Vandertramp list is the key to avoiding passé composé errors; without it, agreement mistakes persist. The decision for any learner of French is clear: internalize these 17 verbs and their agreement rules, or remain stuck in the beginner stage forever.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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