The verb "to have" translates to "avoir" in French. Just like the verb "to be," it's an irregular verb that is absolutely essential for daily communication and is one of the first verbs people typically learn. It is used to express possession or ownership in various contexts. Additionally, "avoir" functions as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses, which we'll explore further in upcoming articles.
As a quick reminder, French has six "persons", three are singular (je - I, tu - you, il/elle/on - he/she/it) and three plural (nous- we, vous - you and they - ils and elles).
Below you will find how to conjugate the verb Avoir in the present tense:
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
J'ai (I have) |
Nous avons (We have) |
|
Tu as (You have) |
Vous avez (You have) |
|
Il/elle/on a (He/she/it has) |
Ils/elles ont (They have) |
Negative sentences with avoir
In negative sentences, when using the verb "avoir" (to have), the indefinite articles "un, une, des" change to "de" regardless of whether the noun following them is singular or plural. Additionally, the article "de" becomes "d'" before a word that begins with a vowel sound.
Here are some examples to illustrate this:
- "J'ai des chiens" (I have some dogs) becomes "je n'ai pas de chiens" (I don't have any dogs) in the negative form. Here, "des" changes to "de."
- "J'ai un ordinateur" (I have a computer) becomes "je n'ai pas d'ordinateur" (I don't have a computer) in the negative form. Here, "un" changes to "de" and is contracted to "d'" because "ordinateur" begins with a vowel sound.
Must-Know Expressions with Avoir:
avoir … ans - to be … years old
avoir besoin de - to need
avoir chaud ≠ froid - to be hot ≠ to be cold
avoir faim - to be hungry
avoir soif - to be thirsty
avoir peur de - to be afraid of
avoir sommeil - to be sleepy
avoir de la chance - to be lucky
avoir envie de - to want
avoir de la chance - to be lucky
avoir raison ≠ avoir tort - to be right ≠ to be wrong
avoir mal à la tête, au ventre - to have a headache, stomachache
avoir lieu - to take place
avoir l'air de - to seem
avoir le temps de - to have the time to
Expressing your age with "Avoir"
When it comes to telling your age in French, you need to use the verb "avoir" (to have) instead of être ("to be") like you do in English. So instead of saying je suis… ans (I am… years old) you would say j'ai… ans (I have …. years old).
The Useful Expression "Il y a"
"Il y a" is another very handy expression to know in French as it means both "there is" and "there are", so it is used for both singular and French. "Il y a" can also mean "it's been" depending on the context. To express "there isn't" or "there aren't" in the negative form, simply say "il n'y a pas".
