Breakdown of Ils sont passés par les tuiles pour vérifier l'ensoleillement.
être
to be
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
pour
for
vérifier
to check
par
by, through / out of (motive)
passer
to pass by / go past
la tuile
the roof tile
l'ensoleillement
the sunlight (m)
Questions & Answers about Ils sont passés par les tuiles pour vérifier l'ensoleillement.
Why does passer take être (sont) in this sentence instead of avoir?
In this sentence, passer is an intransitive verb of motion meaning to pass by or to go through. When used this way, it takes être. If they were passing an object or spending time (a transitive action with a direct object), you would use avoir, as in Ils ont passé beaucoup de temps sur le toit (They spent a lot of time on the roof).
Why is there an -s on passés?
Because the passé composé here is formed with the auxiliary verb être. When using être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. Since Ils is masculine plural, passé becomes passés.
Why use the preposition par after passés?
The verbal phrase passer par specifically means to pass by or to go via a place. Here, it indicates the physical route they took: they moved via the roof tiles.
Is ensoleillement just a longer word for sun?
Not exactly. While le soleil is the sun itself, l'ensoleillement refers to the amount of sunlight or the duration of sunshine a place receives. It is an excellent B2-level noun often used in contexts like real estate, weather, or agriculture. Here, they are checking how much direct sun the roof gets.
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