"Avoir" can be translated as "to have".
Formation
French Verb · Present Indicative · audio(100 kb avoir to have | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||||
| first person | j'ai | zjay | I have | nouszavons | noozahvohn | we have |
| second person | tu as | too ah | you have | vouszavez | voozahvay | you have |
| third person | il a | eel ah | he has | ilszont | eelzohnt | they have (masc. or mixed) |
| elle a | ell ah | she has | ||||
| onna | ohnah | one has | elleszont | ellzohnt | they have (fem.) | |
Examples
| J'ai deux stylos. | I have two pens. |
| Tu as trois frères. | You have three brothers. |
| Il a une idée. | He has an idea. |
Expressing Age
Avoir is used to express age.
- Tu as quel âge? - How old are you? [lit: You have what age?]
- J'ai trente ans. - I'm thirty (years old). [lit: I have thirty years]
There is/are - Il y a
The expression il y a means there is or there are.
- Il y a un livre. - There is a book.
- Il y a des livres. - There are books.
The Family
| French Vocabulary · Family · audio1245 kb The Family La Famille | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate Family | Extended Family | ||
| ma famille | my family | ma famille éloignée | my extended family |
| les parents | parents | les grand-parents | grandparents |
| la mère | mother | le grand-père | grandfather |
| le père | father | la grand-mère | grandmother |
| la femme | wife | les petits-enfants | grandchildren |
| le mari | husband | le petit-fils | grandson |
| la soeur | sister | la petite-fille | granddaughter |
| le frère | brother | l'oncle, tonton | uncle |
| l'enfant | child (m or f) | la tante, tati | aunt |
| les enfants | children | le neveu | nephew |
| la fille | daughter | la nièce | niece |
| le fils | son | le/la cousin(e) | cousin (m or f) |
| Step Family | |||
| la belle-mère | stepmother | la demi-soeur | half sister |
| le beau-père | stepfather | le demi-frère | half brother |
To speak about more complex family relations, such as "my grandmother's cousin", you must use the de mon/ma/mes form - "le cousin de ma grandmère".
Direct Object Pronouns le, la, and les
le, la, and les are called direct object pronouns, because they are pronouns that are, you guessed it, used as direct objects. A direct object is a noun that is acted upon by a verb.
- Il jette la boule. - He throws the ball.
In the above sentence la boule is the direct object.
You have learned earlier that names and regular nouns can be replaced by the subject pronouns (je, tu...). Similary, direct objects, such as "la boule", can be replaced by pronouns.
- le - replaces a masculine singular direct object
- la - replaces a feminine singular direct object
- l' - replaces le and la if they come before a vowel
- les - replaces plural direct objects, both masculine and feminine
The direct object pronouns come before the verb they are linked to.
- Il la jette. - He throws it.
- Il les jette. - He throws them.
Le, la, and les can replace either people or inanimate objects.
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