Avoir and Avoir Expressions
avoir (to have)
| Subject | Verb Form | Subject | Verb Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| (I) j' | ai (j'ai) | (we) nous | avons |
| (you) tu | as | (you plural or formal) vous | avez |
| (he) il, (she) elle | a | (they) ils, elles | ont |
Sentences with "have" in them:
- J'ai trois chats. (I have three cats.)
- Tu n'as pas le baladeur. (You don't have the iPod.)
- Est-ce que Pierre a un chien? (Does Pierre have a dog?)
- Non, il a un chat. (No, he has a cat.)
- Nous avons des copains à New York. (We have friends in New York.)
- Avez-vous un VTT? (Do you have a mountain bike?)
- Les étudiants ont des livres. (The students have books.
Super-Special Avoir Expressions
These are super-special because they seem like they should have the verb être (to be), but they actually go with the verb avoir (to have).
| avoir faim | to be hungry | Ils ont faim. (They are hungry.) |
|---|---|---|
| avoir soif | to be thirsty | Nous avons soif. (We are thirsty.) |
| avoir raison | to be right | J'ai raison. (I'm right.) |
| avoir tort | to be wrong | Elle a tort. (She's wrong.) |
| avoir chaud | to be hot (body temp) | Est-ce que vous avez chaud? (Are you hot?) |
| avoir froid | to be cold (body temp) | Elles ont froid. (She is cold.) |
| avoir sommeil | to be sleepy (not tired, that's with être) | J'ai sommeil. (I am sleepy.) |
| avoir de la chance | to be lucky | Tu as de la chance! (You are lucky!) |
| avoir peur | to be scared, afraid | Mme Koss a peur des chiens. (Mrs. Koss is afraid of dogs.) |
| avoir besoin de | to need | J'ai besoin d'un crayon. (I need a pencil.) |
| J'ai besoin d'étudier. (I need to study.) | ||
| avoir envie de | to feel like (to want) | We feel like singing. (Nous avons envie de chanter.) |
| We feel like (having) pizza. (Nous avons envie de la pizza.) |
Similar sentences that are NOT super-special avoir expressions: (Don't forget that you have to make sure that your adjective agrees with your subject with these!)
- The cat is tired. (Le chat est fatigué.)
- Are you nice? (Est-ce que vous êtes gentils?)
- We are not athletic. (Nous ne sommes pas sportifs.)
- I am very tall. (Je suis très grand.)