Language/French/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

French Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi French learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on how to use "have" in French. This is an intermediate-level lesson suitable for those who already have some knowledge of French and want to learn more. Understanding how to use "have" can greatly enhance your ability to speak and write in French.

What is the verb "avoir" and its various uses?

"Avoir" is the French word for "to have". It is one of the most frequently used verbs in the French language. "Avoir" is an irregular verb and is conjugated in different ways depending on the tense and the subject pronoun.

Here are some examples of "avoir" conjugated in different tenses:

Tense	Conjugation
Present	j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont
Imperfect	j'avais, tu avais, il avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils avaient
Future	j'aurai, tu auras, il aura, nous aurons, vous aurez, ils auront
Conditional	j'aurais, tu aurais, il aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils auraient

In addition to its use as a verb, "avoir" has several other uses in the French language. It can be used as an auxiliary verb to form compound tenses (such as the passé composé) and it can also be used to express age, possession, sensation, and obligation.

Using "avoir" as an auxiliary verb

In French, the verb "avoir" is used as an auxiliary verb to form compound tenses, such as the passé composé. In this case, "avoir" is conjugated and the main verb is in the past participle form.

For example:

• J'ai mangé une pizza. (I have eaten a pizza.)

Here, "ai" is the conjugated form of "avoir" and "mangé" is the past participle form of the verb "manger". Together, they form the passé composé tense of the sentence.

Here are some more examples:

French	Pronunciation	English
J'ai fini.	zhay fini	I have finished.
Tu as travaillé.	too ah trav-ah-lay	You have worked.
Il a joué au tennis.	eel ah joo-ay oh ten-nee	He has played tennis.
Nous avons rencontré nos amis hier soir.	noo-zah-voh mettr-ohn-nay noh-zah-mee-yehr ee-yehr swahr	We met our friends last night.
Vous avez regardé ce film deux fois.	voo-zah-veh ray-gahr-day suh feelm duh fwah	You watched this movie twice.
Ils ont déjà voyagé en France plusieurs fois.	eelz ohn-day zhah vwa-yah-zhay ohn Frahnce ploo-zee-yehr fwah	They have already traveled to France several times.

Using "avoir" to express age and sensation

"Avoir" is also used to express age and sensation in French. When used to express age, "avoir" is followed by the word for "years old".

For example:

• J'ai 20 ans. (I am 20 years old.)

Here are some more examples:

French	Pronunciation	English
J'ai froid.	zhay fwah	I am cold.
Tu as faim.	too ah fah-yem	You are hungry.
Il a soif.	eel ah swaf	He is thirsty.
Nous avons peur du noir.	noo-zah-voh puh-r dew nwahr	We are afraid of the dark.
Vous avez chaud.	voo-zah-veh sho	You are hot.
Ils ont sommeil.	eelz ohn sohm-may	They are sleepy.

Using "avoir" to express possession

In French, "avoir" is used to express possession. It is followed by the thing that is possessed or the thing that is being described.

For example:

• J'ai un chat. (I have a cat.)

Here, "ai" is the conjugated form of "avoir" and "un chat" is the thing being possessed.

Here are some more examples:

French	Pronunciation	English
J'ai une sœur.	zhay uh-nuh suhr	I have a sister.
Tu as un vélo rouge.	too ah uh vay-loh roozh	You have a red bike.
Il a un chapeau noir.	eel ah uh shah-poh nwahr	He has a black hat.
Nous avons une grande maison.	noo-zah-voh-nuh grahnd may-zohn	We have a big house.
Vous avez un sac à dos.	voo-zah-veh uh sahk ah doh	You have a backpack.
Ils ont une belle voiture.	eelz ohn uh bell vwah-tohr	They have a beautiful car.

Dialogue: Using "avoir" in context

To help you understand how to use "avoir" in context, here is a dialogue between two people:

• Person 1: Qu'est-ce que tu as fait hier? (What did you do yesterday?)
• Person 2: J'ai regardé un film. (I watched a movie.)
• Person 1: Quel film? (Which movie?)
• Person 2: J'ai regardé "Le Roi Lion". (I watched "The Lion King".)

In this dialogue, "j'ai" is the conjugated form of "avoir" and "regardé" is the past participle form of the verb "regarder". Together, they form the passé composé tense of the sentence.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Now you know how to use "avoir" in French [1]. Make sure to practice using "avoir" in context so that you can become more comfortable using this important French verb.

Remember, to improve your French [2] find native speakers and ask them any questions!

If you want to learn more about French [3], check out our other lessons on the subject.

Thank you for learning with us at Polyglot Club! 😊

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Common quantifiers & Plural indefinite article des VS preposition de and definite article les.

Other Lessons

• Location of adverbs modifying adjectives, prepositions, noun phrases and other adverbs
• Nouns with irregular plurals
• tard versus en retard
• Omission of the article in set phrases and verbal constructions
• Form of the article with adjectives and nouns beginning with a vowel or an h
• Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms
• Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms ne
• Types of noun
• Number differences between French and English nouns
• Indefinite and negative noun phrases with adjective complements

Sources

• French Grammar and Usage, 3rd Edition (English and ... - Amazon.com
• A Beginner's Guide to Basic French Grammar
• Your Ultimate Guide to French Grammar | OptiLingo