avoir
to have
In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.
1.Présent
Présent
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| je | ai |
| tu | as |
| il/elle | a |
| nous | avons |
| vous | avez |
| ils/elles | ont |
J'ai un chien.
I have a dog.
Nous avons beaucoup de travail.
We have a lot of work.
2.Passé Composé
Passé Composé
Completed past actions with present relevance.
| je | ai eu |
| tu | as eu |
| il/elle | a eu |
| nous | avons eu |
| vous | avez eu |
| ils/elles | ont eu |
Elle a eu une belle surprise.
She had a nice surprise.
Ils ont eu des problèmes hier.
They had problems yesterday.
3.Imparfait
Imparfait
Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.
| je | avais |
| tu | avais |
| il/elle | avait |
| nous | avions |
| vous | aviez |
| ils/elles | avaient |
Quand j'étais jeune, j'avais un vélo.
When I was young, I had a bike.
Nous avions une grande maison.
We had a big house.
4.Futur Simple
Futur Simple
Future events, promises, and formal predictions.
| je | aurai |
| tu | auras |
| il/elle | aura |
| nous | aurons |
| vous | aurez |
| ils/elles | auront |
Demain, j'aurai un rendez-vous.
Tomorrow, I will have an appointment.
Ils auront des nouvelles bientôt.
They will have news soon.
5.Conditionnel Présent
Conditionnel Présent
Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.
| je | aurais |
| tu | aurais |
| il/elle | aurait |
| nous | aurions |
| vous | auriez |
| ils/elles | auraient |
Si j'avais de l'argent, j'aurais une voiture.
If I had money, I would have a car.
Nous aurions besoin d'aide.
We would need help.
6.Subjonctif Présent
Subjonctif Présent
Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.
| je | aie |
| tu | aies |
| il/elle | ait |
| nous | ayons |
| vous | ayez |
| ils/elles | aient |
Il faut que j'aie confiance en moi.
I need to have confidence in myself.
Bien que nous ayons des doutes, nous continuerons.
Although we have doubts, we will continue.
7.Plus-que-parfait
Plus-que-parfait
Actions completed before another past action.
| je | avais eu |
| tu | avais eu |
| il/elle | avait eu |
| nous | avions eu |
| vous | aviez eu |
| ils/elles | avaient eu |
J'avais déjà eu ce livre avant.
I had already had this book before.
Ils avaient eu une belle expérience.
They had had a great experience.
"avoir" in other languages
Related verbs
Common questions
- Is "avoir" regular or irregular in French?
- "avoir" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
- How do you conjugate "avoir" in the present tense?
- In the Présent, "avoir" conjugates as: ai, as, avons, and more. See the full table above.
- What is the past tense of "avoir" in French?
- In the Passé Composé, "avoir" conjugates as: ai eu, as eu, avons eu, and more. See the full table above.
- How common is "avoir" in French?
- "avoir" (to have) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.