Être, Avoir, and Expressions
This quick guide covers the essential uses of être and avoir plus common expressions that rely on them. Knowing these will help you describe yourself, talk about time, and express basic needs.
Être
Use être to describe identity, physical or character traits, nationality, profession, and to give time, date, or location with a thing or event. Être also forms the passive voice and sets up adjectives.
| French Sentence | English Sentence |
|---|---|
| Je suis français. | I am French. |
| Il est médecin. | He is a doctor. |
| Nous sommes à Paris. | We are in Paris. |
| L’heure est midi. | The time is noon. |
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Avoir
Use avoir to express possession, age, and to trigger numerous idiomatic expressions for sensations, needs, and experiences. Think of avoir as your go-to verb for concrete things and feel‑type states.
| French Sentence | English Sentence |
|---|---|
| Elle a un chien. | She has a dog. |
| Tu as 20 ans. | You are 20 years old. |
| J’ai faim. | I am hungry. |
| Nous avons envie de partir. | We feel like leaving. |
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Expressions with Être
Expressions with être often describe states, roles, or attitudes, and some are fixed idioms used in everyday speech. They typically pair être with an adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase.
| French Expression | English Expression |
|---|---|
| Être en retard | To be late |
| Être d’accord | To agree |
| Être à l’heure | To be on time |
| Être content de | To be happy about |
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☝️ La porte est fermée. | The door is closed. | State of the door |
| 🪑 La chaise est cassée. | The chair is broken. | Condition of the chair |
| 🛋️ Le canapé est confortable. | The sofa is comfortable. | Quality of the furniture |
| 🕯️ La lumière est tamisée. | The light is dimmed. | Atmosphere description |
| 🧴 Le vase est rempli d’eau. | The vase is filled with water. | Content status |
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Expressions with Avoir
Expressions with avoir cover a wide range of physical sensations, feelings, and necessities; they are very common and usually have to use avoir rather than être. They pair avoir with a noun like faim, soif, peur, or besoin.
| French Expression | English Expression |
|---|---|
| Avoir faim | To be hungry |
| Avoir soif | To be thirsty |
| Avoir peur | To be afraid |
| Avoir besoin de | To need |
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🧹 J’ai beaucoup de travail. | I have a lot of work. | Many tasks, e.g., cleaning |
| 🗝️ Tu as perdu tes clés. | You lost your keys. | Missing item |
| 🧼 Elle a besoin de savon. | She needs soap. | Necessity |
| 📦 Nous avons reçu un colis. | We received a package. | Arrival notice |
| 🐕 Ils ont un chien. | They have a dog. | Ownership |
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Usage
Remember that être describes more lasting or defining states (identity, time, location), while avoir expresses possession and transient sensations through set expressions. Switching one for the other usually sounds wrong.
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Summary
Être marks identity, time, and location, and frames states with adjectives or roles. Avoir shows possession, age, and drives idiomatic expressions for needs and feelings. Learn key expressions for each to sound natural and precise.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025