French The Verb "to have"

Overview

Avoir means 'to have' in French. It is important to know how to use avoir as it is the second most common verb in French. It's useful to be able to talk about what you have or don't have. It is important to know how to use avoir as it is the second most common verb in French. It's useful to be able to talk about what you have or don't have.‎ Avoir is an irregular verb. Regular verbs follow the same pattern, but irregular verbs don’t.

In order to be successful, you have to keep working
stephen
0

Below is a table that shows how to conjugate the verb to have,or avoir.

J’aiI have
Tu asYou have (informal, singular)
Il/Elle/On aHe/She/One has
Nous avonsWe have
Vous avezYou have (formal and/or plural)
Ils/Elles ontThey have

What to know about avoir:

  • Like être, avoir is an irregular verb and is one of the most common verbs used in French.
  • You’ll notice in the first person singular conjugation of avoir that the « e » in the subject pronoun « Je » is missing. Je is connected to the conjugation ai by an apostrophe. This is because two vowels (two vowel sounds) are placed back to back.

What is a liason?

A liaison is the connection of sounds between a word that ends in a consonant and the following word that begins with a vowel. The connecting sound oftentimes, and with these examples specifically, is a “z” sound.

Nous avons – [newz ah-von]

Vous avez – [vooz ah-vay]

Ils/Elles ont – [il/el zon]

Highlighted Author:

stephen

France, Paris, Smiling woman standing on a bridge with the Eiffel tower in the background

Compass Blog

Sign up to receive communications from CORE Languages.

* indicates required
Interests
Smiling young african american businessman writing in diary and using laptop in creative office

Private Classes

Meet one or more times weekly with a dedicated French instructor online at a pace and schedule that custom fits your busy life.

Click here
Group of cheerful young women studying together

Group Courses

Our group French courses meet twice a week for 1-hour classes. Learn French with other motivated students. Best option for French CEFR certification.
 
Click here
Inspirational International Women's Day Quotes for 2023

Academy Courses

Join an Academy course for course content built on top of leading French curriculum: includes videos, vocabulary, quizzes and certificate.

Click here

Additional Topics

People buying vegetables at the farmers market
French The Pronoun "en"

The adverbial pronoun en can replace a quantity, a place, or the object of the preposition de. This little word has many possible translations: any, one, some, about it / them, of it / them.

Read More
Adult African American father next to daughter plays the synthesizer
The French Pronoun Y

Y replaces or refers back to an adverb phrase of place or of location. In its simplest form, it means just there (in the meaning of in that place) It can also mean in something, on something, under something, beside something, etc.

Read More
Who is it
French Relative Pronouns Qui vs Que

In French, direct object pronouns are used for verbs which aren’t followed by prepositions: Me (me), te (you), nous (us), vous (you), le (him or it), la (her or it), les (them). For example, Je vois le garçon. Je le vois. (I see the boy. I see him).

Read More
Show More
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

The CEFR is an international standard used to describe language ability. Here are specific details of the CEFR for this topic.

General Explanation:
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Specific Capabilities at this Level
Writing:
I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.
Spoken Production:
I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.
Spoken Interaction:
I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I’m trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
Reading:
I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues.
Listening:
I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.