Avoir Conjugation: Every Tense You Need
Avoir conjugated across présent, passé composé, imparfait and futur - plus why French says avoir faim (to have hunger) where English says "to be hungry."
Avoir (to have) present tense: j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont. Avoir is also the default auxiliary for forming the passé composé of most French verbs (j’ai mangé), and it appears in idioms where English uses “to be”: avoir faim (to be hungry), avoir raison (to be right).
Quick answer
Avoir (to have) present tense: j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont. Avoir is also the default auxiliary for forming the passé composé of most French verbs (j’ai mangé), and it appears in idioms where English uses “to be”: avoir faim (to be hungry), avoir raison (to be right).
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Avoir in the present
| Person | Form | Pronunciation note |
|---|---|---|
| je | ai | /ay/ |
| tu | as | /ah/ |
| il/elle/on | a | /ah/ |
| nous | avons | /noo-zah-VOH(N)/ liaison |
| vous | avez | /voo-zah-VAY/ liaison |
| ils/elles | ont | /ohn/ |
Avoir in the passé composé
J’ai eu (I had/have had) - avoir’s own past form.
Avoir in the imparfait and futur simple
J’avais (I had, imparfait) / j’aurai (I will have, futur simple).
Avoir as the default auxiliary
MOST French verbs use avoir (not être) for passé composé - j’ai mangé, j’ai fini, j’ai vu. This is the majority case, contrasted with the smaller être exception group covered in être conjugation and its auxiliary role.
Avoir idioms: where French says “have” and English says “be”
| French | Literal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| avoir faim | to have hunger | to be hungry |
| avoir soif | to have thirst | to be thirsty |
| avoir raison/tort | to have right/wrong | to be right/wrong |
| avoir X ans | to have X years | to be X years old |
| avoir peur | to have fear | to be afraid |
| avoir chaud/froid | to have hot/cold | to be hot/cold |
For the full set of these idioms, see French avoir expressions.
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Questions about this note
What is j'ai in English?
"I have."
Is avoir or être more common as an auxiliary?
Avoir - most verbs use it; être is reserved for about 17 movement verbs and reflexives.
How do you say "I am hungry" in French?
J'ai faim - literally "I have hunger."
How do you say age in French?
avoir + number + ans: j'ai trente ans (I am thirty).
What's j'ai eu?
The passé composé of avoir itself - "I had/I have had."