Is passer conjugated with etre or avoir?

Question

One past tense example said "Ma tante est passée par la boulangerie en venant ici", while another said "Nous avons passé une semaine à Madrid l'été dernier." Why is the non reflexive passer being conjugated with etre?

Accepted Answer

Hi Olaedo, 
This is the Kwiziq lesson you are looking for -
Passer can be used with avoir or être in Le Passé Composé... and changes meaning
Bonne Continuation !

Answer

Hi Olaedo,There are eight verbs that can take either avoir or être. Passer is one of the eight.These verbs are able to be used with or without an object and this aspect is known as transitivity.Non-transitive or transitive usage. Transitive usage - avoir. Non-transitive usage - être.In the case that you are querying "Ma tante est passée (state of being) par la boulangerie en venant ici"This means that your aunt took a brief visit to the bakery whilst en route. "Nous avons passé une semaine à Madrid l'été dernier." In this case "Une semaine" the direct object of the verb passer.Hope this helps.Jim