All About Avoir, a French Super Verb

Avoir is an irregular French verb that means to have. The multitalented verb avoir is omnipresent in the French written and spoken language and appears in a multitude of idiomatic expressions, thanks to its utility and versatility. It  is one of the  most used  French verbs. In fact, of  the thousands of French verbs, it is among the top 10, which also include:  Ãƒ ªtre, faire, dire, aller, voir, savoir, pouvoir, falloir and pouvoir. The Three Functions of Avoir The many forms of  avoir  are busy binding together the French language in three essential ways: 1) as a frequently used transitive verb with a direct object, 2) as the most common auxiliary verb for the languages compound tenses  and 3) as an impersonal verb in the ubiquitous French expression il y a (there is, there are).   Transitive Verb When used alone, avoir is a transitive verb that  takes a direct object.  Avoir  means to have in most senses, including having something in ones possession and currently experiencing something.  Avoir à  Ã‚  can mean to have to, but that expression is more commonly translated by  devoir. Jai deux stylos.   I have two pens.Jai trois frà ¨res.   I have three brothers.Jai mal à   la tà ªte.   I have a headache.Jai une idà ©e.   I have an idea.Jai à ©tà © eu.   Ive been had (tricked).Ils ont  de largent.  Ã‚  They  have money.On a essayà © de tavoir toute la journà ©e.  Ã‚  We tried to get through to you  all day.Elle a de la famille/des amis à   dà ®ner.  Ã‚  Ã‚  She has  relatives/friends over for dinner.Elle a beaucoup de sa mà ¨re.  Ã‚  Ã‚  She really takes after her mother. Auxiliary Verb Avoir is by far the most frequently used auxiliary, or helping, verb in French compound tenses, which include a conjugated form of avoir with the past participle of the primary verb. As an auxiliary verb, it is used to build compound tenses, such as  passà © composà ©.  Verbs that dont use avoir, use  Ãƒ ªtre  as their auxiliary verb. For example: Jai dà ©jà   à ©tudià ©.   I have already studied.Jaurai mangà © avant ton arrivà ©e.   I will have eaten before you arrive.Si javais su, je taurais tà ©là ©phonà ©.   If I had known, I would have called you.Jaurais voulu vous aider.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Id have liked to help you.Il les a jetà ©s dehors. He threw them out.Jai maigri. Ive lost weight.As-tu bien dormi  ? Did you sleep well ?Jai à ©tà © surpris. I was  surprised.Il aurait à ©tà © enchantà ©. He would have been delighted. Impersonal Verb in Il y a One cannot underestimate how essential this function is to the French language, as the equivalent is to English. As an impersonal verb (verbe impersonnel), avoir is the verb in the utilitarian expression il y a. It translates to there is when followed by a singular, and there are when followed by a plural. A few examples: Il y a du soleil.   Its sunny. / The sun is shining.Il y a juste de quoi faire une salade. Theres just enough to make a salad.Il ny a quà   lui dire. We just have to tell him.Il y a 40 ans de à §a.  Ã‚   40 years ago.Il y a une heure que jattends.   Ive been waiting for an hour.Il doit y avoir une raison. There must be some reason. A Word About Pronunciation: FORMAL VS. MODERN   Careful with the pronunciation of avoir. Consult an audiobook to hear correct pronunciations. 1. In more formal French, there are many sound liaisons involved with the pronunciation of  avoir: Nous avons   Nous Z-avonsVous avez Vous Z-avezIls/Elles ont Ils Z-ont (silent t) Students often confuse the pronunciation of  ils ont  (aller, Z sound) and  ils sont  (à ªtre, S sound), which is a major mistake. 2. In informal modern French, there are a lot of glidings (elisions). For example,  tu  as  is pronounced  ta. 3. Glidings are in everyday pronunciations of the common expression  il y a: il y a yail ny a pas (de) yapadil y en a yan na IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH AVOIR Avoir is used in a number of idiomatic expressions, many of which are translated by the English verb to be.   Jai 30 ans. I am 30 years oldJai soif / faim. I am thirsty / hungry.Jai froid/chaud. Im cold/ hot.avoir ___ ans  Ã‚  to be ___ years oldavoir besoin de   to needavoir envie de   to wantMerci. Il ny a pas de quoi  ! [OR Pas de quoi.]   Thank you. Dont mention it. /  Youre welcome .Quest-ce quil y a  ? Whats the matter ?(rà ©ponse,  familier) Il y a que jen ai marre  !  Ã‚  Im fed up, thats what!  Il y en a  OR  Il  y a des gens, je vous jure  !  (familier)  Ã‚  Some people, honestly / really ! Conjugations of Avoir Below is the useful present-tense conjugation of avoir. For  all the tenses, both simple and compound, see avoir conjugations. Present tense jaitu asil anous avonsvous avezï » ¿ils ont