avoir conjugation
Avoir means "to have". The present is j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont. The passé composé is j'ai eu, the imparfait j'avais, the future j'aurai and the subjunctive que j'aie. It's also the helper verb for the passé composé of almost every other verb: j'ai mangé, I ate.
- Red pencil is what breaks the pattern, graphite is the normal endings.
- Ils ont (they have) and ils sont (they are) differ by one sound: a z for ont, an s for sont.
avoir — to have. J'ai.
Present (présent)
The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.
| Pronoun | avoir | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je (j') | ai | zhay |
| tu | as | tew AH |
| il / elle / on | a | eel AH |
| nous | avons | noo za-VOHN |
| vous | avez | voo za-VAY |
| ils / elles | ont | eel ZOHN |
Je turns into j' before ai. Nous avons and vous avez link with a z sound. And listen for ils ont (eel ZOHN, they have) against ils sont (eel SOHN, they are): one sound apart.
Past (passé composé)
The everyday past, for things that happened: "I was", "I had". It's avoir or être plus the past participle.
| Pronoun | avoir | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je (j') | ai eu | zhay EW |
| tu | as eu | tew ah EW |
| il / elle / on | a eu | eel ah EW |
| nous | avons eu | noo za-vohn ZEW |
| vous | avez eu | voo za-vay ZEW |
| ils / elles | ont eu | eel zohn TEW |
The participle is just eu, said like the French u: lips rounded, tongue forward. J'ai eu de la chance is "I was lucky", literally "I had some luck".
Imperfect (imparfait)
The past for how things were or used to be: "I was tired", "we used to have a dog".
| Pronoun | avoir | Say |
|---|---|---|
| je (j') | avais | zha-VEH |
| tu | avais | tew a-VEH |
| il / elle / on | avait | eel a-VEH |
| nous | avions | noo za-VYOHN |
| vous | aviez | voo za-VYAY |
| ils / elles | avaient | eel za-VEH |
Regular: av- plus the imparfait endings. Il y avait is "there was" or "there used to be", the opening of half the stories you'll read.
Future, conditional and subjunctive
"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form French uses after il faut que, je veux que and other wishes and doubts.
| Pronoun | Futur | Conditionnel | Subjonctif |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (j') | aurai | aurais | aie |
| tu | auras | aurais | aies |
| il / elle / on | aura | aurait | ait |
| nous | aurons | aurions | ayons |
| vous | aurez | auriez | ayez |
| ils / elles | auront | auraient | aient |
The future and conditional are built on aur-: j'aurai le temps demain (I'll have time tomorrow). The subjunctive aie sounds just like ai, so que j'aie and j'ai are only different on paper.
Participles
The "-ing" form (étant, being) and the past participle that makes the passé composé (été, been).
| Form | avoir | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| present participle | ayant | Ayant fini, il est parti (having finished, he left) |
| past participle | eu | J'ai eu peur (I was scared) |
Imperative (impératif)
Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | aie | n'aie pas |
| nous | ayons | n'ayons pas |
| vous | ayez | n'ayez pas |
You'll mostly hear the negative: n'aie pas peur, don't be afraid.
Where French says have and English says be
| French | English |
|---|---|
| j'ai 30 ans | I'm 30 |
| j'ai faim | I'm hungry |
| j'ai soif | I'm thirsty |
| j'ai chaud / froid | I'm hot / cold |
| j'ai peur | I'm scared |
| j'ai raison | I'm right |
| il y a | there is, there are |
Avoir besoin de is "to need" (j'ai besoin d'aide, I need help), and avoir envie de is "to feel like" (j'ai envie d'un café, I feel like a coffee). And careful with je suis chaud: that's not "I'm hot". Why.
- Looking a word up once doesn't mean you'll remember it. The verb you look up today is gone by tomorrow. The one that keeps showing up in stuff you'd read anyway, right when you're about to forget it, is the one that sticks.
- No streaks, no guilt. Kin tracks one number: how many words you've got in reach today. It drops when you take a break and comes back when you do.
Questions
What is the passé composé of avoir?
J'ai eu, tu as eu, il a eu, nous avons eu, vous avez eu, ils ont eu. It's avoir plus its own participle, eu.
What is the future of avoir?
J'aurai, tu auras, il aura, nous aurons, vous aurez, ils auront. The stem is aur-.
What is the subjunctive of avoir?
Que j'aie, que tu aies, qu'il ait, que nous ayons, que vous ayez, qu'ils aient. Aie sounds the same as ai.
What is the imparfait of avoir?
J'avais, tu avais, il avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils avaient. Il y avait means "there was".
What's the difference between ils ont and ils sont?
Ils ont (they have) is said with a z: eel ZOHN. Ils sont (they are) is said with an s: eel SOHN.
Keep going
- être conjugationThe full conjugation of the French verb être: présent, passé composé, imparfait, futur, conditionnel, subjonctif, impératif and participles, with how to say each form. Free, no sign-up.
- French verb conjugationsFrench verb conjugations for the most common verbs: présent, passé composé, imparfait, futur, conditionnel, subjonctif and impératif, with the irregular forms and how to say them. Free, no sign-up.
- French words that will get you laughed atBaiser doesn't mean kiss anymore, préservatif isn't a preservative, and je suis chaud isn't "I'm hot". The French mistakes that make people laugh, and what to say instead.