Conjugate Avoir
Avoir is the French verb meaning "to have." This irregular verb is one of the most commonly used in the French language, along with être (to be) and faire (to do or to make). When you're just starting out, concentrate on memorizing the verb forms for the three most used tenses: present tense, imperfect or past tense, and future tense.
Contents
Steps
Conjugating Avoir in Present Tense
- Say "j'ai" to mean "I have." In the first person present tense, the verb avoir takes the form "ai" (pronounced ay). Since it starts with a vowel, glide between the pronoun je and the verb – don't say them separately, but treat them as one word.
- In French, the verb avoir is used when telling people your age. The literal translation would be that you "have" a certain number of years. For example, if you say "J'ai 22 ans," it means "I am 22 years old" – even though you literally said "I have 22 years."
- Use "tu as" when you want to say "you have." In any situation where you would use the informal second-person pronoun "tu," conjugate "avoir" as "as." Pronounce as "ah," keeping the "s" silent unless it comes before a word that starts with a vowel.
- Conjugate avoir as "a" (pronounced "ah") in third person. If you want to say someone or something has something, you would say either "il a" (he has) or "elle a" (she has). Remember that objects have a gender in French.
- This conjugation is used in a common French idiom, "il y a," which means "there is" or "there are" (the idiom doesn't change for plural objects). For example, you might say "il y a plein de poisson" or "there are plenty of fish."
- Say "nous avons" to mean "we have." If you're speaking about you and someone else using first-person plural, conjugate avoir as "avons" (AH-vohns). Slur the pronoun and verb together as you say them, with a strong Z sound in between, like "Noo ZAH-vohns."
- Conjugate avoir as avez (pronounced AH-vay) when using the pronoun "vous." The French pronoun "vous" can be thought of as second-person plural, when you are addressing a group of people, and also as a more formal way to address a single person.
- Translate "vous avez" either as "you all have" or "you have," depending on the context.
- When speaking, slur the pronoun and verb together with a pronounced Z sound: "Voo ZAH-vay."
- Use "ils ont" or "elles ont" to say "they have." When you are talking about a group of people or objects, you want the third-person plural conjugation of avoir. When referring to a mixed-gender group, always use the masculine pronoun ils.
- Pronounce these with the same Z sound you used when saying "vous avez." Be careful that your Z sound doesn't sound too much like an S sound here. Otherwise "ils ont" (they have) can sound more like "ils sont" (they are), which will lead to confusion.
- Learn French idioms that use the verb "avoir." There are a number of idioms and verb phrases that you'll find you use fairly frequently in conversational French. For example, if you wanted to tell someone you were hungry, you might say "j'ai faim." This phrase is translated in English to "I am hungry," although a literal translation would be "I have hunger."
- You also could say "j'ai soif" (I'm thirsty/I have thirst) or "j'ai chaud" (I'm hot/I have heat).
- Use avoir to say you need or want something. The words "want" and "need" are not separate verbs in French as they are in English. Rather, you use a verb phrase including the correctly conjugated form of the verb "avoir."
- For example, if you either need or want chocolate, you would either say "j'ai besoin de chocolat" (I need chocolate, or literally "I have a need of chocolate") or "j'ai envie de chocolat" (I want chocolate, literally "I have a want of chocolate").
Conjugating Avoir in Imperfect Tense
- Say "j'avais" (pronounced "zh'AH-vay") to mean "I had." In French, the imperfect tense is closest to what you would think of as basic past tense in English. Use "j'avais" to talk about something you had at some point in the past.
- The verb avoir is conjugated the same for the second-person singular pronoun tu. Don't slur the pronoun and the verb together in speech as you would for the first-person singular.
- Use "il avait" or "elle avait" to say "he had" or "she had." When talking about a third person or an object, use this conjugation of the verb avoir. Pronounce this word "AH-vay," leaving the "t" at the end silent.
- Conjugate the verb avoir as avions to speak in first-person plural. If you want to talk about how you and someone else together had something in the past, you would say "nous avions," or "we had."
- Use "vous aviez" for "you all had." If you're addressing a group of people, you would use the second-person plural pronoun "vous." This pronoun also is appropriate in more formal situations, or if you're addressing an authority figure.
- Pronounce "vous aviez" as "voo ZAH-vee-yay," blending the pronoun and verb together with a strong Z sound between them.
- Choose "ills avaient" or "elles avaient" to say "they had." Conjugate avoir as avaient (pronounced "AH-vay") to talk about how the group had something in the past.
- Blend the pronoun and the verb together with a Z sound when you speak. Make sure it's a hard Z sound that wouldn't be confused with an S.
- Because so many conjugations of avoir are pronounced the same way (AH-vay), pay close attention to spelling when you are writing.
Conjugating Avoir in Future Tense
- Use "j'aurai" to say "I will have." In French, unlike in English, the basic future tense does not use a helping verb. If you want to talk about something you will have at some point in the future, use this conjugation.
- Pronounce "j'aurai" as "ZHOR-ay."
- Say "tu auras" for "you will have." When you're addressing one person and want to talk about how they will have something in the future, conjugate avoir as "aura" (pronounced OHR-ah). Remember that the s at the end is silent.
- Choose "il aura" or "elle aura" for third-person future tense. Since all objects have a gender, if you want to talk about how someone or something will have something in the future, use whichever gender is appropriate.
- For example, suppose you're talking to a friend about a boat you're going to buy. The French word for boat is masculine, "le bateau," so when you talk about the features the boat will have, you would say "il aura," or "it will have." Even though you used the masculine pronoun, you wouldn't translate the word directly as "he" in this context.
- Say "nous aurons" to mean "we will have." When you are speaking about what you and another person will have in the future, conjugate avoir as aurons. Pronounce this conjugation "OHR-ohn," keeping the s silent.
- For example, you might say "nous aurons le poisson," or "we will have the fish."
- Use "vous aurez" when addressing a group. If you are talking to a group of people, and want to tell them about what they will have someday, use the second-person plural vous. This pronoun also is appropriate when you are speaking to someone formally, such as an authority figure.
- Choose "ils auront or "elles auront" to mean "they will have." When speaking about a group of others, choose the pronoun that represents the gender of the entire group. Use ils for mixed-gender groups.
- The conjugation "auront" is pronounced "OHR-ohn," with the t remaining silent.
Tips
- Avoir is so irregular you basically have to memorize the verb forms. Have patience, and use audio resources to study so you can get a handle on the pronunciation.
- Reading French stories is a good way to get used to seeing the conjugation of irregular verbs such as avoir in context. This also helps you get familiar with seeing different spellings for conjugations that are pronounced the same.
