In French, être and avoir are two of the most important and frequently used verbs. They serve as building blocks for many other verb forms and express fundamental concepts: being and having. Understanding when and how to use each one will help you create more complex and accurate sentences.
- Être = to be: talks about identity, state, condition, or existence.
- Avoir = to have: talks about possession, age, feelings, or is used as an auxiliary in many compound tenses.
French verbs are divided into three groups according to their endings and conjugation patterns:
- st group: verbs ending in -er (e.g., parler)
- nd group: verbs ending in -ir with -issons in the present (e.g., finir)
- rd group: irregular verbs (e.g., prendre, voir, être, avoir)
Both être and avoir are irregular 3rd group verbs, so they don’t follow standard patterns.
Être
The verb être means to be. It is used to describe identity, characteristics, states, locations, professions, and more.
Rules
- Use être to describe what someone or something is.
- Use être for locations with certain prepositions (e.g., Je suis à la maison).
- Use être as the auxiliary verb for reflexive verbs and for some verbs of movement in the passé composé.
- Use être in expressions about states or conditions.
How do you express age in French?
Using 'avoir' followed by a number and 'ans' (e.g., J'ai 20 ans).
Age in French is expressed with avoir + number + ans, such as J'ai 20 ans.
Examples
- Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
- Elle est heureuse. (She is happy.)
- Nous sommes à Paris. (We are in Paris.)
- Ils sont partis. (They have left.)
Translate: We are sleepy.
Nous avons sommeil.
Use avons (avoir) to express the physical state: Nous avons sommeil.
Avoir
The verb avoir means to have. It expresses possession, but also age, certain physical sensations, and is the main auxiliary verb for forming the passé composé.
Rules
- Use avoir to talk about possession.
- Use avoir to express age: J’ai 20 ans.
- Use avoir to describe feelings or physical states: J’ai faim.
- Use avoir as the auxiliary verb for most verbs in the passé composé.
How do you express age in French?
Using 'avoir' followed by a number and 'ans' (e.g., J'ai 20 ans).
Age in French is expressed with avoir + number + ans, such as J'ai 20 ans.
Examples
- J’ai un livre. (I have a book.)
- Elle a 30 ans. (She is 30 years old.)
- Nous avons sommeil. (We are sleepy.)
- Ils ont fini leurs devoirs. (They finished their homework.)
Translate: We are sleepy.
Nous avons sommeil.
Use avons (avoir) to express the physical state: Nous avons sommeil.
Conjugation Patterns
Here are the present tense conjugations for être and avoir:
| Person | Être (to be) | Avoir (to have) |
|---|---|---|
| Je | suis (I am) | ai (I have) |
| Tu | es (You are) | as (You have) |
| Il/Elle/On | est (He/She/One is) | a (He/She/One has) |
| Nous | sommes (We are) | avons (We have) |
| Vous | êtes (You are) | avez (You have) |
| Ils/Elles | sont (They are) | ont (They have) |
Reflexive Verbs and Passé Composé
- Être is the auxiliary for all reflexive verbs in the passé composé.
- Être is used with certain verbs of motion or change of state (e.g., aller, venir, naître, mourir) in the passé composé.
- Avoir is the auxiliary for most other verbs in the passé composé.
Examples
- Je me suis levé. (I got up.) — être is used because the verb is reflexive.
- Il est allé au marché. (He went to the market.) — être is used for the verb aller.
- J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.) — avoir is used for manger.
Translate: We are sleepy.
Nous avons sommeil.
Use avons (avoir) to express the physical state: Nous avons sommeil.
Tips for Remembering
- Être = to be = describe, state, identity, location, condition.
- Avoir = to have = possess, express age/feelings, form most past tenses.
- Use avoir by default for passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of the “être” verbs of movement/change.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
