Breakdown of Ils ont monté les tuiles, et ils ont travaillé dur.
et
and
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
avoir
to have
travailler
to work
dur
hard, tough
monter
to take/bring up (something)
la tuile
the roof tile
Questions & Answers about Ils ont monté les tuiles, et ils ont travaillé dur.
Why is it ont monté (with avoir) instead of sont montés (with être)?
The verb monter normally uses être in the passé composé when describing a simple change of location (like "they went up"). However, when it takes a direct object—here, les tuiles—it is being used transitively to mean "took up" or "carried up." When verbs of motion take a direct object, they switch their auxiliary verb to avoir.
Does the past participle monté need to agree with ils here?
No. Because the auxiliary is avoir, the past participle doesn't agree with the subject ils. It would only agree with the direct object (les tuiles) if that object came before the verb (for example: Les tuiles qu'ils ont montées). Since les tuiles comes after the verb here, monté stays in its default form.
Why use dur instead of an adverb ending in -ment like durement?
In the expression travailler dur (to work hard), the adjective dur is used as an adverb. When an adjective acts directly as an adverb to modify a verb, it is always invariable (it never adds an -e or -s). The word durement does exist, but it translates more to "harshly" or "severely," whereas dur means "diligently" or "with great effort."
Could I say ils ont apporté les tuiles en haut instead of using monter?
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