AUX or VERB? #

It is sometimes not trivial to chose between the part of speech AUX and VERB for être.

AUX #

être is an AUX:

• when it has a predicative complement (it is considered as a copula)

• when it is a tense auxiliary
• when it is a passive auxiliary

VERB #

être is a VERB:

• when it has an existensial meaning (je pense donc je suis -I think therefore I am)
• when it has a locative argument
• when it has another argument, which is not a predicative argument (je suis pour la dépénalisation du cannabis -I am for the decriminalization of cannabis)

Exitensial meaning

Locative argument

See issue #11 about the distinction between AUX and VERB.