a
/a/
In French, 'has' is translated as a.
a is the third person singular present form of the verb avoir, which means 'to have'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form a is used only with third person singular subjects, such as il (he), elle (she) or on (one/we).
How do you pronounce it?
/a/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse the verb a with the preposition à (meaning 'to' or 'at'). Remember that the verb a never takes an accent.
Did you know?
- The verb a is part of the common idiom avoir le cafard, which literally means 'to have the cockroach' but actually means 'to feel depressed'.
- In formal French, a can be used in an inversion like A-t-il ? to ask 'Has he?', where a 't' is added just for the sound.
- Even though a is a verb meaning 'has', it is often used to express age, such as saying il a vingt ans for 'he is twenty years old'.
Examples in context
- Il a du vin.He has wine.Tatoeba #4694614 by sacredceltic, translation #1764488 by CK
- Il a du cran.He has guts.Tatoeba #3114965 by Blabla, translation #327952 by CK
- Il a un fils.He has a son.Tatoeba #3482993 by Lulantis, translation #2870268 by Amastan
- Tu as un chat noir.You have a black cat.
- Il a une voiture rapide.He has a fast car.
- Elle a deux sœurs aînées.She has two older sisters.
- J'ai mon stylo préféré.I have my favorite pen.
- Tu as ton propre vélo.You have your own bike.
- T'as vu le nouveau film?Have you seen the new movie?
- Ils ont un grand jardin, hein?They have a big garden, right?
- 7018 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are discussing a new neighbor.
- ChloéIl a une maison bleue.He has a blue house.
- LucasAh bon ? Il a un grand jardin ?Really? Does he have a big garden?
- ChloéOui, il a un jardin magnifique.Yes, he has a magnificent garden.
- LucasC'est super.That's great.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry a, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
