In this French grammar lesson, you will learn about avoir conjugation in the present tense.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how avoir is conjugated in French
- how avoir is used in French
- how avoir is pronounced in French
- how avoir is used in sentences in French,
- how you can quiz yourself on avoir conjugation in the present tense
- how avoir conjugation Anki files can be downloaded
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about avoir conjugation in the present tense!
Table of Contents
Avoir Conjugation in the Present Tense
| j’ | ai |
| tu | as |
| il/elle/on | a |
| nous | avons |
| vous | avez |
| ils/elles | ont |
Usage of Avoir
This section on avoir conjugation in the present tense will show you how avoir is used in French.
Avoir means “to have” and is an irregular verb.
There are 4 general usages for the verb avoir in French:
- The verb avoir is used to say one’s age
J’ai 30 ans
I am 30
Please note that in English you are a certain age wheras in French you have a certain age.
- To talk about one’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Tu as une petite amie française?
Do you have a French girlfriend?
This is the same both in French and English.
- To talk about one’s possesions
Il a un ordinateur
He has a computer
This is the same both French and English.
- To talk about certain sensations/feelings one has.
Nous avons faim
We are hungry
Please note that in English you are a certain sensation whereas in French you have a certain sensation.
Pronunciation of Avoir Conjugations
In this section on avoir conjugation in the present tense we will focus on pronunciation.
There are 3 important rules to take into account when you want to pronounce an avoir conjugation in the present tense.
- You do not pronounce the last -e in the subject pronoun “elle“. It is just the “ell” part that gets pronounced.
Elle a soif
She is thirsty
After the letter “l” you will go straight to the “a“.
You don’t pronounce the letter in red.
- If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then you must perform a liaison. This happens in the nous, vous, and ils/elles form. This means that the final “s” of nous, vous, and ils/elles will have a “z” sound.
Nous avons
Vous avez
Ils ont
Elles ont
Please note how the final “s” in all of the subject pronouns sounds like a “z”.
- In the je form, there’s a special rule. If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then you must remove the “e” of “je” and replace it with an apostrophe.
J‘ai
Because the “e” of “je” disappeared, you then don’t have to pronounce that “e” anymore.
Please note how it is NOT “Je ai“. This would be wrong.
Example Sentences with an Avoir Conjugation in the Present Tense
The final section of this lesson on avoir conjugation in the present tense is about seeing avoir in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of avoir conjugation in the present tense through examples.
J’ai 25 ans.
I am twenty-five.
J’ai peur.
I am afraid.
Tu as quel âge?
How old are you?
Tu as une petite amie française?
Do you have a French girlfriend?
Elle a une soeur.
She has a sister.
Elle a soif.
She is thirsty.
Nous avons un chien.
We have a dog.
Vous avez un téléphone portable.
You have a mobile phone.
Ils ont deux fils.
They have two sons.
Les filles ont froid.
The girls are cold.
Quiz Yourself on Avoir Conjugation in the Present Tense
It’s not enough to just read this lesson.
You should test your knowledge to see if you really understood everything, and to be able to repeat the material.
It is also for this reason that it is recommended to download the Anki Decks and practice them.
At the end of every lesson you can do a small test.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter. It is up to you to give the correct answer.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want!
Anki File for Avoir Conjugation in the Present Tense
It is important to do the Anki excercises for this lesson, so that you can better remember what you just studied.
By downloading the Anki File for French A1, you can practice every French A1 lesson that is on Language Atlas.
You can also choose to just get the Anki File for French A1 Verbs. This only has the verbs for French A1.
If you don’t know why you should use Anki, or if you don’t know what Anki is, then please click here.
Anki can be downloaded from here.
