French grammar: Avoir (to have)

How to use the verb 'to have' in French

Avoir means 'to have' in French.

It is important to know how to use avoir as it is the second most common verb in French. It's useful to be able to talk about what you have or don't have.‎

How to form 'avoir'

Avoir is an irregular verb. Regular verbs follow the same pattern, but irregular verbs don’t.

If you want to say 'I have' in French, you say:

• J’ai – I have

• J’ai le ballon – I have the ball

The form of avoir changes as the person doing the verb changes.

Asking questions using 'avoir'

When writing the question in French, you leave a space between the final word and the question mark.

A simple way to ask questions using avoir is to rise your intonation at the end of the statement. This means that your voice goes up at the end of a sentence, turning it into a question.

Can you hear the difference between these questions and statements?

• Tu as le ballon – You have the ball

• Tu as le ballon ? – Have you got the ball?

• Elle a le ballon – She has the ball

• Elle a le ballon ? – Has she got the ball?

When can I use 'avoir'?

You can use the verb avoir in lots of different phrases.

You can say how many things you have:

• J’ai un chien – I have a dog

• J’ai deux chiens – I have two dogs

• J’ai trois chiens – I have three dogs

You can describe yourself:

• J’ai les cheveux longs – I have long hair

• J’ai les cheveux courts – I have short hair

• J’ai les yeux bleus – I have blue eyes

• J’ai les yeux marron – I have brown eyes

You can say if something is hurting:

Did you know?

In English, we use the verb 'to be' to describe how we are, but in French, you sometimes use the verb 'to have':

• J’ai faim – I am hungry

• J’ai soif – I am thirsty

• J’ai chaud – I am hot

• J’ai froid – I am cold

• J’ai peur – I am frightened

In English, you also use the verb 'to be' to say how old you are but in French, you use the verb 'to have':

• J’ai sept ans – I am seven years old

• J’ai huit ans – I am eight years old

• J’ai neuf ans – I am nine years old

• J’ai dix ans – I am ten years old

Key French words