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avoir
/a.vwaʁ/
to have
J'ai un chat.
I have a cat.
formal
to possess, own, or hold something
Elle a une voiture.
She has a car.
Used for expressing possession, age, and certain states (e.g., hunger, thirst).
formal
to experience or undergo something
Il a chaud.
He is hot (feeling warm).
Often used with emotions or physical states.
formal
to have done something (auxiliary verb in compound tenses)
J'ai mangé une pomme.
I ate an apple.
Used with past participles to form passé composé.
Collocations
avoir faimto be hungryavoir soifto be thirstyavoir peurto be afraidavoir raisonto be rightavoir tortto be wrong
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Mastering 'avoir' in compound tenses
In compound tenses like 'passé composé', 'avoir' is used as an auxiliary verb. The past participle agrees with the direct object only if it precedes the verb. Example: 'Les pommes que j'ai mangées' (The apples that I ate).
Gold Rule
Common expressions with 'avoir'
'Avoir' is used in many fixed expressions for states (e.g., 'avoir faim' = to be hungry, 'avoir sommeil' = to be sleepy). These are idiomatic and must be memorized.
Word Origin
From Old French 'avoir', from Latin 'habēre', meaning 'to have' or 'to hold'. The verb is highly irregular in French due to its frequent use in everyday speech.
Usage Notes
The verb 'avoir' is one of the most important verbs in French. It is irregular and must be memorized. It is used as an auxiliary verb in compound tenses (e.g., passé composé) and to express possession or states.
Word Breakdown
a-
from Latin 'habēre'
root-voir
variant of 'avoir'
suffixDictionnaire Français-Anglais