Query about not being able to give two correct answers

Apparaître can form the passé composé with either avoir or être, depending on the context. With avoir you're talking about the process of appearing. With être the focus is on the state of having appeared. The sentence you're quoting seems to be more about the act of appearing and therefore probably gravitates toward avoir.

Many thanks for your response, Chris. Although I do understand the nuance you are suggesting, I'm not sure that the examples given in the lesson would make this apparent. I'm wondering whether Aurelie might advise on this? Perhaps it needs an extra note on the nuance you have given?

Just to add further clarity on my query: the answer states 'Halfway there', with a 'Nearly' awarded. The answer itself lists and ticks both 'Il est apparu devant moi' and 'Il a apparu devant moi'. However, the question did not allow for both answers. I have saved the printscreen and can email to confirm.

Which one did you use Elizabeth ? 

According to both Larousse and the Académie itself, the use of ‘avoir’ is declining and être is the more common conjugation, so it would not surprise if ‘être’ was given precedence for being ‘most correct’ here, even though avoir could still be ‘ok’.

 I note the lesson does cover this, and is quite clear there is no meaningful difference in current usage between conjugation with être as the more current form, or with avoir as the form in declining usage.

https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/apparaître/4622

  http://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9A2169

Hi Maarten

Many thanks for your comment. My query isn't about whether to use 'Il a apparu devant moi' or 'Il est apparu devant moi'. BOTH answers were required in the response, but the question format only allowed for one answer. When I experimented and selected either one or the other, the answer still required both - but both could not be selected! 

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I agree that the auxiliary 'être' is more common than 'avoir'.

I think this would qualify as a technical problem and should be raised through the "Report" button with the technical team.

When you get "nearly", there are often two answers ticked on the answer page, and you get the mark as if you were fully correct -- you're not expected to have ticked both, but the better of the two (as I think 'a' is here [thanks, Chris]) should simply get marked correct, and the slightly less good one ('est' in this case) should generate the 'nearly', as it has. But the lesson only leans towards être (colloquially), and doesn't make Chris' point, so, if he is right, a little more detail is required.

Hi Elizabeth, 

I had the same experience as you. Two correct answers as options, but only one could be ticked off.

As for the different usage of 'etre' vs. 'avoir' the lesson states that there is no difference in the meaning of between the two. The following example in the lesson is a good demonstration of this:

Soudain, le fantôme est apparu au plafond.

Soudain, le fantôme a apparu au plafond.

Bonne continuation !

If the lesson says that être apparu and avoir apparu are interchangeable, yet for the question: " À ce moment-là, les étoiles ________ dans le ciel." the être form is marked as incorrect, the lesson should be expanded to explain the nuances between the two.

If the lesson says that être apparu and avoir apparu are interchangeable, yet for the question: " À ce moment-là, les étoiles ________ dans le ciel." the être form is marked as incorrect, the lesson should be expanded to explain the nuances between the two.