il a
In French, "it has" is translated as il a.
il a is used when referring to a masculine noun.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the pronoun il (he/it) and the conjugated verb a (has).
Which one should you use?
You use il a when referring to a masculine noun, but you must use elle a if the object being referred to is a feminine noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the pronoun il is used for both "he" and "it" when referring to masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use the verb 'to be' for age, French uses il a to treat age as a possession. To say 'it is ten years old', a French speaker says il a dix ans, literally 'it has ten years'.
- The pronoun il evolved from the Late Latin illī, which originally served as a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one'. Over time, it shifted from pointing at something to acting as the third-person singular subject.
Examples in context
- Il a un écart.It has a gap.This sentence demonstrates the use of il a to describe a gap.Tatoeba #13457368 by sacredceltic, translation #2252026 by rul
- Il a une fuite.It has a leak.This sentence demonstrates the use of il a to describe a leak.Tatoeba #7699856 by sacredceltic, translation #2252025 by CK
- Il a un défaut.It has a flaw.This sentence demonstrates the use of il a to describe a flaw.Tatoeba #13457361 by sacredceltic, translation #2252027 by CM
- La bibliothèque a beaucoup de livres.The library has a lot of books.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are looking at a new car.
- ManonRegarde, il a une belle couleur.Look, it has a beautiful color.
- LucasOui, il a aussi un grand moteur.Yes, it also has a large engine.
- ManonEst-ce qu'il a un GPS ?Does it have a GPS?
- LucasNon, il n'a pas de GPS.No, it doesn't have a GPS.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
