Avoir Conjugation in French
avoir means “to have” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 2 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about having an interesting book, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of avoir — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “J'ai un livre intéressant tous les jours.” — “I have an interesting book every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: avoir
- English: to have
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle
- Gerund: ayant
- Past participle: eu
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -ir verbs; pattern ir2 in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for avoir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read avoir in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about avoir
- It is irregular in 15 tense(s): present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle eu. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is ayant and the participle is eu: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for avoir. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai |
| tu | as |
| il/elle | a |
| nous | avons |
| vous | avez |
| ils/elles | ont |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “J'ai vingt ans tous les jours.” — “I have twenty years old every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | eus |
| tu | eus |
| il/elle | eut |
| nous | eûmes |
| vous | eûtes |
| ils/elles | eurent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu eus vingt ans hier.” — “You had twenty years old yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais |
| tu | avais |
| il/elle | avait |
| nous | avions |
| vous | aviez |
| ils/elles | avaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il avait vingt ans autrefois.” — “He used to have twenty years old in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai |
| tu | auras |
| il/elle | aura |
| nous | aurons |
| vous | aurez |
| ils/elles | auront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “J'aurai vingt ans demain.” — “I will have twenty years old tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais |
| tu | aurais |
| il/elle | aurait |
| nous | aurions |
| vous | auriez |
| ils/elles | auraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu aurais vingt ans un jour.” — “You would have twenty years old one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai eu |
| tu | as eu |
| il/elle | a eu |
| nous | avons eu |
| vous | avez eu |
| ils/elles | ont eu |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il a eu vingt ans cette semaine.” — “He has had twenty years old this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais eu |
| tu | avais eu |
| il/elle | avait eu |
| nous | avions eu |
| vous | aviez eu |
| ils/elles | avaient eu |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “J'avais eu vingt ans avant la fête.” — “I had had twenty years old before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai eu |
| tu | auras eu |
| il/elle | aura eu |
| nous | aurons eu |
| vous | aurez eu |
| ils/elles | auront eu |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu auras eu vingt ans pour demain.” — “You will have had twenty years old by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais eu |
| tu | aurais eu |
| il/elle | aurait eu |
| nous | aurions eu |
| vous | auriez eu |
| ils/elles | auraient eu |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il aurait eu vingt ans hier.” — “He would have had twenty years old yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aie |
| tu | aies |
| il/elle | ait |
| nous | ayons |
| vous | ayez |
| ils/elles | aient |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que j'aie vingt ans.” — “It is important that I have twenty years old.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | eusse |
| tu | eusses |
| il/elle | eût |
| nous | eussions |
| vous | eussiez |
| ils/elles | eussent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que tu eusses vingt ans.” — “It is important that you have twenty years old.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | aie |
| nous | ayons |
| vous | ayez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Aie vingt ans !” — “Have twenty years old!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | aie |
| nous | ayons |
| vous | ayez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With avoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne aie pas vingt ans.” — “Do not have twenty years old.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en ayant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En ayant un livre intéressant, je passe un bon moment.” — “While having an interesting book, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | eu |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai eu un livre intéressant cette semaine.” — “I have had an interesting book this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with avoir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “J'ai un livre intéressant tous les jours.” — “I have an interesting book every day.”
- “Tu eus vingt ans hier.” — “You had twenty years old yesterday.”
- “Il avait une grande maison autrefois.” — “He used to have a big house in the past.”
- “J'aurai un livre intéressant demain.” — “I will have an interesting book tomorrow.”
- “Tu aurais vingt ans un jour.” — “You would have twenty years old one day.”
- “Il a eu une grande maison cette semaine.” — “He has had a big house this week.”
- “J'avais eu un livre intéressant avant la fête.” — “I had had an interesting book before the party.”
- “Tu auras eu vingt ans pour demain.” — “You will have had twenty years old by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il ait une grande maison.” — “It is important that he have a big house.”
- “Aie un livre intéressant !” — “Have an interesting book!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je avoir un livre intéressant.”
✓ Right: “Je ai un livre intéressant.”
The infinitive avoir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form ai.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je ont un livre intéressant.”
✓ Right: “Je ai un livre intéressant.”
ont is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with ai.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je eus un livre intéressant tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je ai un livre intéressant tous les jours.”
The passé simple eus describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present ai.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je ai un livre intéressant.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je aie un livre intéressant.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use aie here, not the indicative ai.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis eu un livre intéressant.”
✓ Right: “Je ai eu un livre intéressant.”
The passé composé of avoir is formed with avoir plus the past participle eu: the je form is ai eu. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “ai” written without its accent
✓ Right: “ai”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on avoir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of avoir in the Present indicative?
- A) a
- B) avons
- C) ai
- D) as
What is the il/elle form of avoir in the Passé simple?
- A) eûmes
- B) eûtes
- C) eut
- D) eus
What is the nous form of avoir in the Imperfect?
- A) avions
- B) avais
- C) avait
- D) aviez
What is the tu form of avoir in the Future?
- A) auras
- B) aurai
- C) aura
- D) aurons
What is the je form of avoir in the Conditional?
- A) aurait
- B) aurions
- C) auriez
- D) aurais
What is the il/elle form of avoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avons eu
- B) a eu
- C) ai eu
- D) as eu
What is the il/elle form of avoir in the Present subjunctive?
- A) aies
- B) ayons
- C) ait
- D) aie
What is the je form of avoir in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) eusses
- B) eût
- C) eussions
- D) eusse
What is the gerund of avoir?
- A) en ayant
- B) en allant
- C) en faisant
- D) en disant
What does avoir mean in English?
- A) to say
- B) to have
- C) to go
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- C) ai — the je form of avoir in the Present indicative is ai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) eut — the il/elle form of avoir in the Passé simple is eut. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) avions — the nous form of avoir in the Imperfect is avions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) auras — the tu form of avoir in the Future is auras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) aurais — the je form of avoir in the Conditional is aurais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) a eu — the il/elle form of avoir in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a eu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ait — the il/elle form of avoir in the Present subjunctive is ait. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) eusse — the je form of avoir in the Imperfect subjunctive is eusse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) en ayant — the gerund of avoir is en ayant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to have — avoir means “to have” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does avoir mean in English?
avoir means “to have”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is avoir regular or irregular?
avoir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. The gerund is ayant and the past participle is eu.
What are the gerund and past participle of avoir?
The gerund is ayant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is eu — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai eu.
Which auxiliary does avoir take in the passé composé?
avoir takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai eu. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle eu.
How do I say “I have” in French?
Say “J'ai un livre intéressant tous les jours.” — “I have an interesting book every day.” The je form of the present is ai, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of avoir — every tense of avoir in one place.
- Avoir in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Avoir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Aller conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Faire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Dire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise avoir with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise avoir with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise avoir with the interactive tool.