Updated December 27, 2025 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The verb avoir (to have) is one of the two most essential verbs in the French language. It is critical to master its forms and conjugations for two main reasons:
- Core Irregular Verb: It is a foundational A1 irregular verb that must be fully memorized by every beginner, as its forms do not follow standard patterns.
- Primary Auxiliary Verb: It is one of the two auxiliary (helping) verbs used to form the majority of compound tenses (like the passé composé and plus-que-parfait).
This comprehensive lesson includes clear charts by French teacher David Issokson and professional native audio by voice artist Marie Assel Cambier. Use this page to practice the six main tenses and access the full conjugation table below.
✅ Avoir in Six Main Tenses (with Audio)
✅ Avoir Conjugation Chart
✅ Complete Conjugation of Avoir (All Tenses)
Avoir Conjugation & Pronunciation in 6 Main Tenses (with audio)
Present (présent)
j’ai – I have
tu as – you have
il, elle a – he, she has
nous avons – we have
vous avez – you have
ils, elles ont – they have
Passé composé
j’ai eu – I had
tu as eu – you had
il, elle a eu – he, she had
nous avons eu – we had
vous avez eu – you had
ils, elles ont eu – they had
Imperfect (imparfait)
j’avais – I had / used to have
tu avais – you had
il, elle avait – he, she had
nous avions – we had
vous aviez – you had
ils, elles avaient – they had
Simple future (futur simple)
j’aurai – I will have
tu auras – you will have
il, elle aura – he, she will have
nous aurons – we will have
vous aurez – you will have
ils, elles auront – they will have
Conditional (conditionnel)
j’aurais – I would have
tu aurais – you would have
il, elle aurait – he, she would have
nous aurions – we would have
vous auriez – you would have
ils, elles auraient – they would have
Subjunctive (subjonctif)
que j’aie – that I have
que tu aies – that you have
qu’il, elle ait – that he, she has
que nous ayons – that we have
que vous ayez – that you have
qu’ils, elles aient – that they have
Avoir conjugation chart
These are the six most important tenses you can start using for French conversations today!
Complete Conjugation of Avoir (All Tenses)
If you need a full reference, here’s a detailed conjugation of avoir in every major tense and mood.
This is a great tool for teachers, advanced learners, or anyone who wants to see the whole picture.
| Present j’ai tu as il, elle a nous avons vous avez ils, elles ont | Passé simple j’eus tu eus il, elle eut nous eûmes vous eûtes ils, elles eurent | Imperfect j’avais tu avais il, elle avait nous avions vous aviez ils, elles avaient | Simple future j’aurai tu auras il, elle aura nous aurons vous aurez ils, elles auront |
| Passé composé j’ai eu tu as eu il, elle a eu nous avons eu vous avez eu ils, elles ont eu | Past anterior j’eus eu tu eus eu il, elle eut eu nous eûmes eu vous eûtes eu ils, elles eurent eu | Pluperfect j’avais eu tu avais eu il, elle avait eu nous avions eu vous aviez eu ils, elles avaient eu | Future perfect j’aurai eu tu auras eu il, elle aura eu nous aurons eu vous aurez eu ils, elles auront eu |
| Present subjunctive que j’aie que tu aies qu’il, qu’elle ait que nous ayons que vous ayez qu’ils, qu’elles aient | Past subjunctive que j’aie eu que tu aies eu qu’il, qu’elle ait eu que nous ayons eu que vous ayez eu qu’ils, qu’elles aient eu | Imperfect subjunctive que j’eusse que tu eusses qu’il, qu’elle eût que nous eussions que vous eussiez qu’ils, qu’elles eussent | Pluperfect subjunctive que j’eusse eu que tu eusses eu qu’il, qu’elle eût eu que nous eussions eu que vous eussiez eu qu’ils, qu’elles eussent eu |
| Present conditional j’aurais tu aurais il, elle aurait nous aurions vous auriez ils, elles auraient | Past conditional I j’aurais eu tu aurais eu il, elle aurait eu nous aurions eu vous auriez eu ils, elles auraient eu | Past conditional II j’eusse eu tu eusses eu il, elle eût eu nous eussions eu vous eussiez eu ils, qu’elles eussent eu | |
| Present imperative aie ayons ayez | Present infinitive avoir | Present participle ayant | |
| Past imperative aie eu ayons eu ayez eu | Past infinitive avoir eu | Past participle eu |
Master More Core French Verbs
Take your conjugation skills further by mastering these essential verbs next, each featuring native French audio by Marie Assel Cambier.
✅ Ready to use Avoir in real sentences?
Now that you’ve mastered all the conjugations, explore some example sentences, expressions, and common mistakes on my Avoir Word of the Day lesson.
👉 Avoir examples, usage and common mistakes) »
👉 Avoir besoin — to need »
👉 Avoir expressions »
✨ Need extra help with verbs?
🎯 French Verb Drills — Camille Chevalier’s course from French Today gives you clear, step-by-step audio drills to lock in conjugation patterns.
👉 See Verb Drills »
📖 À Moi Paris — Prefer a complete self-study program? Camille’s flagship course teaches French through stories and includes verb work in real conversations.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
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📊 Explore the Top-10 French verbs!
👉 être – to be
👉 avoir – to have
👉 aller – to go
👉 faire – to do / make
👉 dire – to say / tell
👉 pouvoir – can, to be able to
👉 vouloir – to want
👉 savoir – to know (a fact / how)
👉 voir – to see
👉 venir – to come
Avoir — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you conjugate avoir in the present tense?
The present tense is: j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.
How do you conjugate avoir in the passé composé?
The passé composé is: j’ai eu, tu as eu, il/elle a eu, nous avons eu, vous avez eu, ils/elles ont eu.
How do you conjugate avoir in the future tense?
The simple future tense is: j’aurai, tu auras, il/elle aura, nous aurons, vous aurez, ils/elles auront.
How do you conjugate avoir in the imperfect tense?
The imperfect tense (imparfait) is: j’avais, tu avais, il/elle avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils/elles avaient.
How do you conjugate avoir in the subjunctive?
The present subjunctive is: que j’aie, que tu aies, qu’il/elle ait, que nous ayons, que vous ayez, qu’ils/elles aient.
