ils ont
The English phrase "they have" is translated into French as ils ont or elles ont.
This phrase is used to indicate that a group of people or things possesses something.
Which one should you use?
Use elles ont instead of ils ont if the group being referred to consists entirely of females or feminine nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
ils ont is the third-person plural present tense of the verb avoir (to have) used with the subject pronoun ils. Similarly, elles ont is the conjugation used with the subject pronoun elles.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse ils ont (they have) with ils sont (they are), as they sound similar but use different verbs.
Did you know?
- French uses the verb avoir (to have) to express physical sensations that English expresses with 'to be', such as ils ont faim for 'they are hungry'.
- In Old French, the word for 'he' and 'they' was actually the same: 'il'. It was only in the 13th century that the 's' was added to the end of 'ils' to distinguish the plural from the singular.
- While ils ont means 'they have', the French also use ils ont as a helper verb to form the past tense for most actions, such as ils ont mangé for 'they ate'.
Examples in context
- Ils ont un rêve.They have a dream.This sentence shows how to use ils ont to express having a dream.Tatoeba #7028855 by Aiji, translation #4498153 by CK
- Ils ont un fils.They have a son.This sentence shows how to use ils ont to express having a son.Tatoeba #10892504 by Amastan, translation #2870285 by Amastan
- Ils ont du sucre.They have sugar.This sentence shows how to use ils ont to express having sugar.Tatoeba #9143669 by Micsmithel, translation #3648970 by Jesse
- Ils ont une grande maison.They have a big house.
- Elles ont beaucoup d'expérience.They have a lot of experience.
- Ils ont des idées intéressantes.They have interesting ideas.
- Ils ont un chat.They have a cat.
- Elles ont une voiture.They have a car.
- Ils ont de belles photos.They have beautiful pictures.
- Ils possèdent une entreprise.They have a company.
- Elles possèdent de l'argent.They have money.
- Ils possèdent de bons souvenirs.They have good memories.
- 161 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about their neighbors.
- ManonEst-ce que tes voisins ont un chien ?Do your neighbors have a dog?
- NathanOui, ils ont un petit chien blanc.Yes, they have a small white dog.
- ManonC'est mignon ! Ils ont aussi un chat ?That's cute! Do they also have a cat?
- NathanNon, ils ont seulement le chien.No, they only have the dog.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ils, ont, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
