Skip to main content
Back to path

Welcome to a Grasp lesson

Create a free account to keep studying and create your own study path.

Lesson 12

Conjugating Être and Avoir in the Present Tense

Recommended resources

Bonjour ! Welcome to your next lesson.

In our previous session, you mastered French subject pronouns and the crucial difference between tu and vous. Now that you know who is performing an action, it's time to learn the two most fundamental action words (verbs) in the entire French language: être (to be) and avoir (to have).

Today's lesson focuses on the learning outcome: Conjugate 'être' (to be) and 'avoir' (to have) in the present tense. These verbs are irregular, meaning they don't follow a standard pattern, so they must be memorized. Mastering them is non-negotiable for building sentences, and they will be your most-used tools as you progress. They are also essential for forming past tenses, which we will cover in a future module.

Let's begin with the verb for possession, avoir.

1. The Verb 'Avoir' (to have)

Avoir is used to express possession, age, and physical states like hunger or thirst. Because it's so common, it's essential to learn its forms by heart.

To start, let's watch a video that will walk you through the conjugation and pronunciation of avoir. The instructor speaks clearly and provides simple examples.

Être & Avoir (French Essentials Lesson 10)

In the video 'Être & Avoir' by Learn French With Alexa, the presenter first covers the verb 'avoir'. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of each form.

Watch the segment from 01:56 to 07:00. This part covers the full conjugation of 'avoir' with examples. You can skip the small game at the end of the section for now.

As you saw in the video, the forms of avoir change for each subject pronoun. Here is the full conjugation in the present tense, along with examples.

Pronoun Conjugation Example English Translation
j' ai J'ai une question. I have a question.
tu as Tu as un stylo. You have a pen.
il/elle/on a Il a une voiture. He has a car.
nous avons Nous avons un client. We have a client.
vous avez Vous avez un message. You have a message.
ils/elles ont Elles ont une réunion. They have a meeting.

Important Notes:

  • Elision: je becomes j' before ai because ai starts with a vowel sound.
  • Liaison: You must pronounce the 's' at the end of nous, vous, and ils/elles when they come before a word starting with a vowel, like avons, avez, and ont. The 's' sound becomes a 'z' sound:
    • nous-z-avons
    • vous-z-avez
    • ils-z-ont / elles-z-ont
  • Age: In French, you use avoir to state your age, not être. For example: "J'ai 30 ans" (I have 30 years), not "Je suis 30 ans".
Test your understanding!

Fill in the blank with the correct form of avoir.

  1. Nous __________ une idée. (We have an idea.)
  2. Le client __________ une réservation. (The client has a reservation.) (Hint: "Le client" is il)
  3. Tu __________ de la chance. (You are lucky. - lit. You have luck.)
  4. J' __________ un frère. (I have a brother.)
  5. Les managers __________ une réunion. (The managers have a meeting.) (Hint: "Les managers" is ils)
Show answer
  1. Nous **avons** une idée.
  2. Le client **a** une réservation.
  3. Tu **as** de la chance.
  4. J'**ai** un frère.
  5. Les managers **ont** une réunion.

2. The Verb 'Être' (to be)

Now let's move to être. This verb is used to describe identity, professions, characteristics, and location. Just like avoir, it is highly irregular.

Let's return to the same video to learn the conjugation of être.

Être & Avoir (French Essentials Lesson 10)

Now, let's watch the section on 'être' from the same video. Again, focus on how the pronunciation changes with each subject pronoun.

Watch from 08:58 to 11:30. This part introduces the conjugation of 'être' and provides some practice.

Here is the full conjugation of être in a table. Notice how different each form looks from the infinitive être.

Pronoun Conjugation Example English Translation
je suis Je suis de Paris. I am from Paris.
tu es Tu es fatigué. You are tired.
il/elle/on est Elle est médecin. She is a doctor.
nous sommes Nous sommes prêts. We are ready.
vous êtes Vous êtes le client. You are the client.
ils/elles sont Ils sont au bureau. They are at the office.

Important Notes:

  • Pronunciation: The final -s in suis, es, and est is silent. The final -t in est is also silent.
  • Liaison: Just as with avoir, a liaison is necessary for vous, ils, and elles:
    • vous-z-êtes
    • ils sont and elles sont have a liaison where the 's' is pronounced.

For additional reinforcement, the following video explains both avoir and être with commentary in Arabic, which may help you solidify your understanding.

ف Le Verbe être et Avoir و l'auxiliaire être et avoir تعلم الفرنسية--مستحيل تخطىء مرة أخرى

This video, from the channel 'Apprendre Le Français - FrTV', explains the uses and conjugations of 'avoir' and 'être' in Arabic. It can be a helpful review.

You can watch the section on 'avoir' (00:15 - 04:02) and 'être' (04:02 - 07:09) if you would like another perspective with explanations in your native language. This is optional.

3. Summary and Practice

Memorizing these two verbs is a top priority. Below is a summary chart that puts them side-by-side. Consider this your essential reference sheet.

French Verbs: Être and Avoir in the Present Simple
This table clearly shows the present tense conjugations for 'être' (to be) and 'avoir' (to have) next to each other for easy comparison.

To practice telling them apart, read the following material. It provides a clean, text-based version of the conjugation tables.

The Four Core French Verbs: Être, Avoir, Faire, & Aller

The article 'The Four Core French Verbs' provides very clear conjugation charts. Please review the tables for 'Être' and 'Avoir'.

Focus on the two tables under the headings '1) Être (“to be”)' and '2) Avoir (“to have”)'. Pay special attention to the pronunciation notes about liaisons provided below each table.

Now, let's put your knowledge to the test. You need to decide whether the sentence requires être or avoir and then choose the correct form.

Final Challenge!

Choose the correct verb (être or avoir) and conjugate it to complete the sentences.

  1. Je ________ en ligne. (I am online.)
  2. Vous ________ une question. (You have a question.)
  3. Le bureau ________ grand. (The office is big.)
  4. Elles ________ des ordinateurs. (They have computers.)
  5. Nous ________ une équipe. (We are a team.)
  6. Tu ________ mon collègue. (You are my colleague.)
Show answer
  1. Je **suis** en ligne. (Describes a state/location -> être)
  2. Vous **avez** une question. (Expresses possession -> avoir)
  3. Le bureau **est** grand. (Describes a characteristic -> être)
  4. Elles **ont** des ordinateurs. (Expresses possession -> avoir)
  5. Nous **sommes** une équipe. (Describes identity -> être)
  6. Tu **es** mon collègue. (Describes identity -> être)

Conclusion

Excellent work today! You have successfully learned how to conjugate être and avoir, the two pillars of the French language.

Key Takeaways:

  • Avoir (to have) is used for possession, age, and physical feelings. Its forms are: j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.
  • Être (to be) is used for identity, characteristics, and location. Its forms are: je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont.
  • Both verbs are irregular and must be memorized.
  • Liaisons are crucial for correct pronunciation with nous, vous, and ils/elles.

You now have the two essential components for building sentences: subject pronouns and the verbs être and avoir. In our next lesson, we will put them together to construct simple sentences, which will be the first major step towards expressing complete thoughts in French.

À bientôt