avoir été
In French, "have been" is expressed as avoir été.
The phrase is used to describe a state that started in the past. While English uses "have been" for both the present perfect and the present perfect continuous, French uses avoir été specifically to describe a completed state and does not utilize a continuous form for the verb "to be".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the auxiliary verb avoir (to have) and the past participle été (been).
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle été is invariable, meaning it does not change its spelling to match the gender or number of the subject.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Il doit avoir été malade.He must have been ill.Tatoeba #4711308 by sacredceltic, translation #303097 by CK
- Il semble avoir été riche.He seems to have been rich.Tatoeba #131877 by Micsmithel, translation #295494 by CK
- Il semble avoir été malade.He seems to have been ill.Tatoeba #133244 by nimfeo, translation #303104 by CM
- Nous on a été en FranceWe have been to France.
- Il a été maladeHe has been sick.
- Elle a été surprise par le cadeauShe has been surprised by the gift.
- Nous avons été très chanceux pendant notre voyageWe have been very lucky during our trip.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about a friend's previous job.
- LéaMarc a pu avoir été stressé à son travail.Marc might have been stressed at his job.
- HugoOui, il était très fatigué.Yes, he was very tired.
- LéaIl semble avoir été malheureux là-bas.He seems to have been unhappy there.
- HugoC'est vrai, il est content d'être parti.That's true, he is happy to have left.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, été, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
