3.3 The Verb Avoir
Like être, the verb avoir (to have) is an irregular verb in the present tense. That means that its conjugation does not follow a regular pattern and all its forms must be memorized.
| Person | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | J’ai | I have |
| 2nd person | Tu as | You have |
| 3rd person | Il a Elle a On a |
He/it has She/it has One has/we have |
| Person | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | Nous avons | We have |
| 2nd person | Vous avez | You have (formal or plural) |
| 3rd person | Ils ont Elles ont |
They (masc.) have They (fem.) have |
Important Notes
- When the conjugated verb begins with a vowel, je changes to j’. This elision always occurs when je precedes a vowel or silent h. When elision is made between two words, they are pronounced as one word.
- In the plural forms liaison occurs; the s of the pronoun is linked to the following vowel sound and pronounced like a z.
Uses
To show possession:
Il a deux livres. / He has two books.
To talk about age (avoir + number + ans):
J’ai vingt ans. / I’m twenty years old.
To express “there is/there are”:
Il y a vingt-six étudiants dans la salle de classe. / There are twenty-six students in the classroom.
Il y a une bonne cafétéria à l’université. / There is a good cafeteria at the University.
Il y a une bonne cafétéria à l’université. / There is a good cafeteria at the University.
Select the play button to hear an example.
Exercise 4: Conjugating Avoir
Fill in the Blanks
This section includes content derived from Avoir Liberté, originally released under CC BY-NC-SA.
