In this section, you will learn how to use the verb avoir.
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On étudie !
The verb avoir (to have) is one of the most frequently used verbs in French.
(a) Because it is not a regular verb that follows a pattern like, for example, -er verbs, you must memorize the conjugation:
Conjugaison du verbe avoir (to have)
Singulier
Pluriel
j'ai
nous avons
tu as
vous avez
il, elle, on a
ils, elles ont
(b) There must be a Liaison between the final consonants of on, nous, vous, ils and elles and the first vowel of the forms of avoir that follow.
On________a un bon prof ce semestre. (We have a good professor this semester.)
Nous________avons un rendez-vous. (We have an appointment.)
Vous________avez un cours d'espagnol. (You have a Spanish class.)
Elles________ont des cafés au lait. (They have some café au laits.)
Note
The liaison in the the phrases nous avons (we have) and ils ont (they have) sounds like a /z/. If you pronounce this liaison like an /s/, then a listener will think you are saying nous savons (we know) or ils sont (they are). Pronunciation matters! More on this later.
(c) When you have something, you usually say j'ai... followed by an article and a noun. There are exceptions (like J'ai cours), but this is generally true. For example: j'ai un crayon (I have a pencil) or il a le livre (He has the book). When you negate it, you say je n'ai pas de without any article. For example: Je n'ai pas de crayon(s) Compare:
Il a un examen aujourd'hui. (He has an exam today.)
Il n'a pas d'examen aujourd'hui. (He doesn't have an exam today.)
J'ai un cours très intéressant. (I have an interesting class.)
Je n'ai pas de cours intéressant. (I don't have an interesting class.)
Notice how this is similar to the negation of il y a (see above): il y a un cours vs. il n'y a pas de cours.
(d) There are numerous idiomatic expressions based on the verbe avoir. For example, to ask someone’s age, you say Quel âge as-tu ? Quel âge avez-vous ? To answer use: avoir + [number] + ans.