Avoir is one of the most important French verbs, and one you'll use constantly. The closest English meaning is "to have," but French also uses avoir in many places where English uses be. You don't need to learn all of its uses at once. Start with the core A1 uses, then build your range with common expressions and the mistakes that can send English be to the wrong French verb.
A1: Core uses
Start with How to use avoir to learn the forms and everyday uses of avoir.
- Forms and grammar
- Full conjugation
- Having or owning something
- There is / there are: il y a
- Saying how old someone is
- Expressing common states
A2: Expressions and common errors
Next, continue with Expressions and common errors with avoir to expand the ways you can use avoir and avoid common mistakes.
- avoir raison / avoir tort
- avoir envie de
- avoir besoin de
- avoir de la chance
- Age: avoir, not être
- Hunger, thirst, and similar states: avoir, not être
Summary of avoir
As you progress, avoir expands from its most basic uses into fixed phrases and contrasts with être:
| Level | Pattern | Meaning or use |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | avoir + something | have or own something |
| A1 | il y a | say that something exists or is present |
| A1 | avoir + age + ans | say how old someone is |
| A1 | avoir + noun | express hunger, thirst, cold, fear, and similar states |
| A1 | avoir + past participle | form the past tense with most verbs |
| A2 | avoir raison / avoir tort | be right or wrong |
| A2 | avoir envie de | want something or feel like doing something |
| A2 | avoir besoin de | need something or need to do something |
| A2 | avoir de la chance | be lucky |
You don't need to learn all of these uses at once. Follow the learning path above and build on the patterns you already know.