French Verb Avoir

The French verb avoir means to have, and it is one of the most frequently used of all French verbs. It is very important it is to learn the present tense conjugation of this verb by heart. You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.

As you will see in future lessons, avoir is most always used to form the simple past tense. It is also used in many idiomatic expressions and to say when something on your body hurts.

AVOIR PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION

J’ai	I have
Tu as	You have
Il – Elle – On a	He – She – One has
Nous avons	We have
Vous avez	You have
Ils – Elles ont	They have

There are many sound liaisons involved in the pronunciation.

Nous avons	Nous Z-avons
Vous avez	Vous Z-avez
Ils – Elles ont	Ils Z-ont (silent t)

AVOIR PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES

In the following examples, you will see the verb avoir used in present tense sentences with definite articles. Notice how all of the examples also show possession by using the little word de before the person’s name. You can’t use ’s to show possession.

J’ai le sac de Julie.	I have Julie’s handbag.
Tu as les clés d’Amy?	You have Amy’s keys?
Il a la montre de Jillian.	He has Jillian’s watch.
Nous avons le passeport de Linda.	We have Linda’s passport.
Vous avez les documents de Laura?	You have Laura’s documents?
Elles ont le livre de Bennie.	They have Bennie’s book.