avoir
/a.vwaʁ/
To have in French is avoir.
The most common and versatile translation of "have" in French is the verb avoir. You can express "having" by using the phrase être en possession de. French uses the verb avoir (to have) instead of 'to be' for expressing hunger (avoir faim), thirst (avoir soif), feeling hot (avoir chaud) or feeling cold (avoir froid). French uses the verb avoir (to have) instead of 'to be' for expressing being correct (avoir raison) or being incorrect (avoir tort), and when stating one's age (avoir ___ ans).
Meaning: to possess (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The first person singular present tense form of avoir is ai. The second person singular present tense form of avoir is as. The third person singular present tense form of avoir is a.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.vwaʁ/
Did you know?
- The English word 'aver', meaning to state something as a fact, actually comes from the same French root as avoir.
- If you are experiencing a certain amount of luck, you do not 'are' lucky, but rather you avoir de la chance, meaning you 'have luck'.
- While avoir is the standard verb for 'to have', many regional French dialects use different versions, such as the Norman avaer or the Picard avoèr.
Examples in context
- Il doit l'avoir !He shall have it.Tatoeba #4901125 by sacredceltic, translation #284593 by CM
- Puis-je en avoir ?Can I have some?Tatoeba #8631269 by sacredceltic, translation #3327432 by CK
- Il peut l'avoir vu.He may have seen it.Tatoeba #131127 by Aiji, translation #291491 by CK
- J'ai un chien.I have a dog.
- Elle a beaucoup d'argent.She has a lot of money.
- Nous avons un rendez-vous.We have an appointment.
- Il possède une grande fortune.He has a large fortune.
- J'ai faim.I'm hungry.
- Tu as froid.You're cold.
- Il a raison.He's right.
- Elle est en possession d'un vieil ouvrage.She has an old book (implying she possesses it).
- 952 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking about a new book.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu veux avoir ce livre ?Do you want to have this book?
- HugoOui, je voudrais bien l'avoir.Yes, I would really like to have it.
- ChloéTu peux l'avoir pour demain.You can have it by tomorrow.
- HugoMerci, c'est très gentil, Chloé !Thank you, that is very kind, Chloé!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “have” translations and entries avoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
