The verb avoir in the present tense
Key points
- Another very common irregular verb is avoir which means to have.
- It is mostly used to express the word have in English, but can also be used to express to be.
The verb avoir means to have and is an irregular verb . This means that it does not follow a standard pattern like -er or -ir verbs.
In the present tense avoir conjugates like this:
| avoir to have | ||
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai | |
| tu | as | |
| il / elle | a | |
| nous | avons | |
| vous | avez | |
| ils / elles | ont | |
Note
Be careful, though. There are quite a few instances where French uses avoir and English uses to be:
J’ai faim
I’m hungry
J’ai chaud
I’m hot
Avoir is mostly used to express the word have in English:
Nous avons deux chats
We have two cats
Tu as des frères?
Do you have any brothers?
Ils ont quatre enfants
They have four children
Je n’ai pas le temps d’attendre
I don’t have time to wait