Why This Matters

AVOIR (to have) is one of the two most essential French verbs — alongside ÊTRE. You'll use it every single day: to say what you own, how old you are, how you feel, and to build many other tenses later. Getting comfortable with AVOIR now will pay off for years.

🦝 Remy says: "AVOIR is sneaky. In French, you don't be hungry — you have hunger. You don't be 30 years old — you have 30 years. Once you accept that French has feelings and years, it starts to make its own kind of sense!"

Conjugation of AVOIR

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Note: je contracts to j' before ai because ai starts with a vowel. Always: j'ai, never je ai.

Use 1 — Possession

The most direct use: saying what you have.

J'ai un appartement à Lyon. [zhay uN ah-par-tuh-moN] — I have a flat in Lyon.
Tu as un stylo ? [too ah uN stee-lo] — Do you have a pen?
Elle a une voiture rouge. — She has a red car.
Nous avons un chien. — We have a dog.

Use 2 — Age

In French, age is expressed with AVOIR, not ÊTRE. Never use être for age — it simply doesn't work.

J'ai vingt-cinq ans. [zhay vaN-saNk on] — I am 25 years old.
Tu as quel âge ? [too ah kel azh] — How old are you?
Mon père a cinquante ans. — My father is 50 years old.
Elle a l'air jeune, mais elle a 40 ans. — She looks young, but she's 40.

Use 3 — Physical States and Feelings

French uses AVOIR for many states that English expresses with ÊTRE (to be):

Examples:

J'ai très faim ! — I'm very hungry!
Il a peur des araignées. — He is afraid of spiders.
Nous avons froid ici. — We're cold here.

Use 4 — Common Idioms with AVOIR

| Expression | English | |

Tu as raison. — You're right.
J'ai besoin d'aide. — I need help.
Elle a l'air fatiguée. — She looks tired.

🦝 Remy says: "A great study trick: stick a post-it note on your fridge that says 'J'ai faim!' You'll see it every time you're actually hungry. Language sticks best when it connects to real moments!"

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

Conjugate AVOIR correctly for each sentence.

Tu ______ quel âge ? (you, informal)
Mon frère ______ une moto. (he)
Nous ______ trois enfants. (we)
Vous ______ de la chance ! (you, formal)
Ils ______ faim après le sport. (they)

✅ Answers: 1. as | 2. a | 3. avons | 4. avez | 5. ont

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

Say that you are 28 years old. → J'ai vingt-huit ans.
Say that she is hungry and thirsty. → Elle a faim et soif.
Say that we need a taxi. → Nous avons besoin d'un taxi.

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate into French

I have a sister. → J'ai une sœur.
He is 15 years old. → Il a quinze ans.
Are you cold? (tu form) → Tu as froid ?
They are lucky. → Ils ont de la chance.
She needs a doctor. → Elle a besoin d'un médecin.

🎯 Today's Challenge

Introduce yourself to an imaginary French pen pal. Write 5–6 sentences using AVOIR: your age, what you have at home (pets, flat, car, etc.), how you feel right now, and one thing you need today.

⭐ Key Takeaways

AVOIR is irregular — memorise j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont.
Age always uses AVOIR in French: J'ai 30 ans, never Je suis 30 ans.
Many "to be" expressions in English become "to have" in French: avoir faim, avoir peur, avoir raison.