What level is The Irregular Verb Avoir (Present Tense)?

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French Conjugation

The Irregular Verb Avoir (Present Tense)

The verb used for possession, age, and common idiomatic expressions; completely irregular and essential.

Level A1 Category Conjugation

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Lesson Summary

The verb used for possession, age, and common idiomatic expressions; completely irregular and essential.

Conjugation

The Role of Avoir

The verb avoir (to have) is the second most frequent verb in French. It is used to express possession, age, and numerous fixed expressions. Its conjugation is irregular and must be memorised. For age constructions, see personal biographies. For the verb être, see conjugation of être.

Conjugation of Avoir

Subject Pronoun	Avoir Form	Example
j'	ai	J'ai un livre.
tu	as	Tu as un stylo.
il / elle	a	Il a 20 ans.
nous	avons	Nous avons une question.
vous	avez	Vous avez l'heure ?
ils / elles	ont	Ils ont un examen.

Avoir for Age

French expresses age using the construction avoir + number + ans. The verb être is never used for this purpose. Examples: J’ai 25 ans. Tu as 19 ans. Il a 32 ans.

Possession and Definite Articles

When expressing possession, avoir is often followed by a definite article if the object is specific and known to both speakers. For example: J’ai le livre de français. (I have the French book). The choice of article follows the rules covered in definite articles.

Examples

J'ai un frère.
Possession with indefinite article.
Tu as quel âge ?
Informal question about age.
Nous avons faim.
Idiomatic use: avoir faim (to be hungry).

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The Irregular Verb Avoir (Present Tense)The verb used for possession, age, and common idiomatic expressions; completely irregular and essential.Conjugate avoir in the present tense and employ it for age, ownership, and basic physical states.ConjugationA1conjugationLearn French ConjugationFrench ConjugationThe Role of AvoirThe verb avoir (to have) is the second most frequent verb in French. It is used to express possession, age, and numerous fixed expressions. Its conjugation is irregular and must be memorised. For age constructions, see personal biographies. For the verb être, see conjugation of être.