Mastering ‘Avoir’: Essential French Verb Conjugation for English Speakers
‘Avoir’ (to have) is one of the most important verbs in the French language, not only for its meanings and uses as a main verb but also as an auxiliary verb used in many tenses. This guide aims to provide English-speaking learners with a comprehensive overview of the conjugation of ‘avoir’ across all tenses and moods, complete with English translations. Understanding ‘avoir’ is crucial for forming past tenses and expressing possession, making it a vital component of French grammar.
Présent de l’Indicatif (Present Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’ai
I have
Tu as
You have
Il/Elle a
He/She has
Nous avons
We have
Vous avez
You have
Ils/Elles ont
They have
Imparfait de l’Indicatif (Imperfect Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’avais
I had
Tu avais
You had
Il/Elle avait
He/She had
Nous avions
We had
Vous aviez
You had
Ils/Elles avaient
They had
Futur Simple de l’Indicatif (Future Simple Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’aurai
I will have
Tu auras
You will have
Il/Elle aura
He/She will have
Nous aurons
We will have
Vous aurez
You will have
Ils/Elles auront
They will have
Passé Simple de l’Indicatif (Simple Past Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’eus
I had
Tu eus
You had
Il/Elle eut
He/She had
Nous eûmes
We had
Vous eûtes
You had
Ils/Elles eurent
They had
Plus-que-parfait de l’Indicatif (Pluperfect Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’avais eu
I had had
Tu avais eu
You had had
Il/Elle avait eu
He/She had had
Nous avions eu
We had had
Vous aviez eu
You had had
Ils/Elles avaient eu
They had had
Futur Antérieur de l’Indicatif (Future Perfect Tense)
Français
Anglais
J’aurai eu
I will have had
Tu auras eu
You will have had
Il/Elle aura eu
He/She will have had
Nous aurons eu
We will have had
Vous aurez eu
You will have had
Ils/Elles auront eu
They will have had
Conditionnel Présent (Present Conditional)
Français
Anglais
J’aurais
I would have
Tu aurais
You would have
Il/Elle aurait
He/She would have
Nous aurions
We would have
Vous auriez
You would have
Ils/Elles auraient
They would have
Conditionnel Passé (Past Conditional)
Français
Anglais
J’aurais eu
I would have had
Tu aurais eu
You would have had
Il/Elle aurait eu
He/She would have had
Nous aurions eu
We would have had
Vous auriez eu
You would have had
Ils/Elles auraient eu
They would have had
Subjonctif Présent (Present Subjunctive)
Français
Anglais
Que j’aie
That I have
Que tu aies
That you have
Qu’il/elle ait
That he/she has
Que nous ayons
That we have
Que vous ayez
That you have
Qu’ils/elles aient
That they have
Subjonctif Imparfait (Imperfect Subjunctive)
Français
Anglais
Que j’eusse
That I had
Que tu eusses
That you had
Qu’il/elle eût
That he/she had
Que nous eussions
That we had
Que vous eussiez
That you had
In summary, mastering the verb ‘avoir’ is indispensable for anyone learning French. Not only does it serve as a fundamental verb for expressing possession and existence, but it is also essential as an auxiliary verb used in all compound tenses. This dual role underscores its importance in French grammar and daily language use. Familiarity with ‘avoir’ and its conjugations will significantly enhance your proficiency and understanding of French, allowing you to form correct and complex sentences.