Grammar / A1 : Beginner / The verb avoir (to have) in the present
The verb avoir (to have) in the present
Full conjugation and basic uses.
More than possession
The dictionary says avoir means "to have". That is true, but it covers about a third of what this verb actually does. Avoir also carries hunger, thirst, cold, heat, fear, sleep, pain and age: states that English expresses with "to be" and that French assigns, somewhat stubbornly, to "to have". Getting comfortable with avoir means getting comfortable with all of that.
The conjugation itself is one of the easier ones at this level. The expressions take a bit longer, but they are fixed and learnable as a set.
1. Conjugation
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation note | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai | /ʒe/ (elision before the vowel of ai) | J'ai un frère. (I have a brother.) |
| tu | tu as | /ty a/ | Tu as une voiture ? (Do you have a car?) |
| il / elle / on | il a | /il a/ (short and simple) | Elle a un chien. (She has a dog.) |
| nous | nous avons | /nu zavɔ̃/ (mandatory liaison: nouszavons) | Nous avons une grande maison. (We have a large house.) |
| vous | vous avez | /vu zave/ (mandatory liaison: vouszavez) | Vous avez des enfants ? (Do you have children?) |
| ils / elles | ils ont | /il zɔ̃/ (mandatory liaison: ilszont) | Ils ont beaucoup de travail. (They have a lot of work.) |
💡 The liaisons in nous avons, vous avez, ils ont are not optional; they are required every time. Dropping them is an audible mistake. The s of nous/vous/ils is normally silent, but it is always pronounced before a vowel.
2. Possession
The most straightforward use: saying what you own, who you are related to, or what is available.
J'ai un appartement à Lyon. (I have a flat in Lyon.)
Elle a deux sœurs et un frère. (She has two sisters and a brother.)
Nous avons une réunion à neuf heures. (We have a meeting at nine.)
Le restaurant a une terrasse. (The restaurant has a terrace.)
Tu as le temps ? (Do you have time?)
3. Physical states and sensations
In French, most physical and emotional states are expressed with avoir followed by a noun (not with être followed by an adjective). These are fixed expressions. Each one should be learnt as a single unit.
| Expression | Literal meaning | English equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir faim | to have hunger | to be hungry | J'ai très faim. (I am very hungry.) |
| avoir soif | to have thirst | to be thirsty | Tu as soif ? (Are you thirsty?) |
| avoir froid | to have cold | to be cold | Elle a froid. (She is cold.) |
| avoir chaud | to have heat | to be hot | On a très chaud ici. (We are very hot here.) |
| avoir peur (de) | to have fear | to be afraid (of) | Il a peur des chiens. (He is afraid of dogs.) |
| avoir honte (de) | to have shame | to be ashamed (of) | Elle a honte de sa réponse. (She is ashamed of her answer.) |
| avoir sommeil | to have sleepiness | to be sleepy | J'ai sommeil ce matin. (I am sleepy this morning.) |
| avoir mal à | to have pain at | to have a pain in | J'ai mal au dos. (My back hurts.) |
| avoir raison | to have reason | to be right | Tu as raison. (You are right.) |
| avoir tort | to have wrong | to be wrong | Il a tort. (He is wrong.) |
| avoir de la chance | to have luck | to be lucky | Vous avez de la chance. (You are lucky.) |
⚠ These expressions never use être, even when English uses "to be".
❌ Je suis faim. · ✓ J'ai faim.
❌ Il est froid. (as a sensation) · ✓ Il a froid.
Note: il est froid is correct but means the person is cold-natured or emotionally cold, not physically cold.
4. Age
Age is expressed with avoir in French. The construction is: avoir + number + an(s). This is one of the most frequently tested points at this level: it appears in written comprehension tasks involving identity documents and forms.
J'ai vingt-cinq ans. (I am twenty-five years old.)
Elle a huit ans. (She is eight years old.)
Vous avez quel âge ? (How old are you?) or: Tu as quel âge ?
Mon grand-père a quatre-vingts ans. (My grandfather is eighty years old.)
⚠ ❌ Je suis 25 ans. · ✓ J'ai 25 ans. Always avoir for age.
5. avoir + besoin / envie / l'air
Three expressions that use avoir followed by a preposition are particularly useful at A1 level.
| Expression | Meaning | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir besoin de | to need | avoir besoin de + noun or infinitive | J'ai besoin d'aide. (I need help.) · Elle a besoin de dormir. (She needs to sleep.) |
| avoir envie de | to feel like, to want | avoir envie de + noun or infinitive | J'ai envie d'un café. (I feel like a coffee.) · Tu as envie de sortir ? (Do you feel like going out?) |
| avoir l'air | to look, to seem | avoir l'air + adjective | Tu as l'air fatigué. (You look tired.) · Elle a l'air contente. (She looks happy.) |
6. Negation
Place ne before avoir and pas after it. Before ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont, ne shortens to n'. Remember: after negation, un, une, des become de / d'.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| J'ai un chien. (I have a dog.) | Je n'ai pas de chien. (I don't have a dog.) un becomes de |
| Elle a des amis ici. (She has friends here.) | Elle n'a pas d'amis ici. (She has no friends here.) des becomes de |
| Nous avons le temps. (We have time.) | Nous n'avons pas le temps. (We don't have time.) le stays |
| Il a faim. (He is hungry.) | Il n'a pas faim. (He is not hungry.) no article to change |
7. Coming up: avoir as an auxiliary
avoir has one more important role that will be covered in a later lesson: it is the auxiliary verb used to form the passé composé (past tense) for most French verbs.
💡 A preview: J'ai mangé. (I ate / I have eaten.) · Elle a travaillé. (She worked.) The ai and a here are avoir in the present tense, combined with a past participle. This will make more sense once you have the verb conjugations well in hand.
8. Key points
✓ Conjugation: ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont. Always j'ai (elision).
✓ Mandatory liaisons: nous avons, vous avez, ils ont (the s is always pronounced).
✓ Possession: straightforward. J'ai un appartement, deux sœurs, beaucoup de travail.
✓ Physical and emotional states use avoir, not être: faim, soif, froid, chaud, peur, sommeil, raison, tort...
✓ Age always uses avoir: J'ai 25 ans. Never être.
✓ Three useful constructions: avoir besoin de, avoir envie de, avoir l'air.
✓ After negation: un/une/des become de/d'. Definite articles stay unchanged.