avoir

Avoir is a core French verb meaning to have. It denotes possession, attributes, and is the principal auxiliary for many compound tenses. It derives from Latin habere, and has cognate forms in other Romance languages.

Conjugation: present indicative: j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont. Infinitive: avoir. Past participle: eu. Present participle: ayant. Imperfect: avais, avais, avait, avions, aviez, avaient. Future simple: aurai, auras, aura, aurons, aurez, auront. Conditional present: aurais, aurais, aurait, aurions, auriez, auraient. Subjunctive present: aie, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient. Imperative: aie, ayons, ayez. In literary registers, passé antérieur uses j'eus eu, etc.

Uses: As a lexical verb, it denotes possession: "J'ai une voiture." It also appears in fixed expressions: "avoir besoin de," "avoir faim/soif," "avoir l'air," "avoir lieu," "avoir raison/tort," "avoir envie de." As an auxiliary, it forms most passé composé and other compound tenses: "J'ai mangé," "tu as fini." The auxiliary used for a given verb determines agreement rules; with avoir, the past participle generally does not agree with the subject but may agree with a preceding direct object.

Frequency and status: Avoir is among the most common verbs in French; its irregular conjugation and multifunctionality make it a foundational element for learners; its historical lineage traces to Latin habere.