être and avoir in the present: to be and to have

A1 — Verbes

Present tense of être (to be) and avoir (to have) — the two essential verbs

Can conjugate être and avoir and use them for identity, age, possession, and sensations

Examples

Je suis étudiant et j'ai vingt ans. — I'm a student and I'm twenty years old.
Nous sommes à Paris et nous avons un appartement. — We are in Paris and we have an apartment.
Tu as faim ? — Oui, j'ai très faim ! — Are you hungry? — Yes, I'm very hungry!

VerbsA1

être and avoir in the present: to be and to have

Present tense of être (to be) and avoir (to have) — the two essential verbs

Learning Goal

Can conjugate être and avoir and use them for identity, age, possession, and sensations

Exam Skills:WritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Je suis étudiant et j'ai vingt ans.

I'm a student and I'm twenty years old.

Nous sommes à Paris et nous avons un appartement.

We are in Paris and we have an apartment.

Tu as faim ? — Oui, j'ai très faim !

Are you hungry? — Yes, I'm very hungry!

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Être (to be) and avoir (to have) are the two most important verbs in French. Both are irregular, and both also serve as helpers in the past tense, so it pays to know them by heart.

	être - to be	avoir - to have
je / j'	suis	ai
tu	es	as
il / elle / on	est	a
nous	sommes	avons
vous	êtes	avez
ils / elles	sont	ont

Watch the pronunciation of two pairs that look close on paper: ils sont [sɔ̃] (they are) and ils ont [ilzɔ̃] (they have, with a linking z). Tu es and il est sound the same, [ɛ].

Uses of être

Identity (Je suis Pierre.), nationality (Elle est française.), profession (Il est médecin. - with no article), description (Tu es grand.) and location (Nous sommes à Paris.).

Uses of avoir where English uses "to be"

This is the main trap. French says you have an age and physical states that English says you are:

French	English
J'ai vingt ans.	I'm twenty.
J'ai faim. J'ai soif.	I'm hungry. I'm thirsty.
J'ai froid. J'ai chaud.	I'm cold. I'm hot.
Tu as raison. Il a tort.	You're right. He's wrong.
J'ai peur.	I'm afraid.

*Je suis vingt and *Je suis faim are typical English-speaker errors. And Je suis chaud does not mean "I feel hot" - it is slang for being fired up, or worse, so stick to J'ai chaud.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using être for age (English: I am 20); confusing est/es/et; forgetting avoir for sensations. 🇬🇧 English speakers: 'I am 20 years old' → *Je suis 20 ans (wrong!). Use avoir: J'ai 20 ans. Also 'I am hungry' → J'ai faim (not *je suis faim).

Common Error Patterns

Used être when avoir was needed or vice versa

Age = avoir (j'ai 20 ans). Sensations = avoir (j'ai faim). Identity/location = être.

Wrong form of être

je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont — memorize all forms.

Je suis étudiant et j'ai vingt ans.

I'm a student and I'm twenty years old.

Suis (être) for identity. Ai (avoir) for age — French says 'I have 20 years', not 'I am 20'.

Nous sommes à Paris et nous avons un appartement.

We are in Paris and we have an apartment.

Sommes (être) for location. Avons (avoir) for possession.

Tu as faim ? — Oui, j'ai très faim !

Are you hungry? — Yes, I'm very hungry!

French uses avoir (to have) for sensations: avoir faim (hungry), avoir soif (thirsty), avoir froid (cold), avoir chaud (hot).

The check for this topic is still being prepared

Ask Sofi

Ready-made hints are free

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

← Back to topics

Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

1. Greetings and introductions

Frequently asked questions

When do you use être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?: Être (to be) and avoir (to have) are the two most important verbs in French. Both are irregular, and both also serve as helpers in the past tense, so it pays to know them by heart.
How do you form être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?: Watch the pronunciation of two pairs that look close on paper: ils sont [sɔ̃] (they are) and ils ont [ilzɔ̃] (they have, with a linking z). Tu es and il est sound the same, [ɛ]. Identity ( Je suis Pierre. ), nationality ( Elle est française. ), profession ( Il est médecin. - with no article), description ( Tu es grand. ) and location ( Nous sommes à Paris. ). This is the main trap. French says you have an age and physical states that English says you are : *Je suis vingt and *Je suis faim are typical English-speaker errors. And Je suis chaud does not mean "I feel hot" - it is slang for being fired up, or worse, so stick to J'ai chaud .
What are common mistakes with être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?: Using être for age (English: I am 20); confusing est/es/et; forgetting avoir for sensations. 🇬🇧 English speakers: 'I am 20 years old' → *Je suis 20 ans (wrong!). Use avoir: J'ai 20 ans. Also 'I am hungry' → J'ai faim (not *je suis faim).

être - to be

avoir - to have

je / j'

suis

il / elle / on

est

nous

sommes

avons

vous

êtes

avez

ils / elles

sont

ont

French

English

J'ai vingt ans.

I'm twenty.

J'ai faim. J'ai soif.

I'm hungry. I'm thirsty.

J'ai froid. J'ai chaud.

I'm cold. I'm hot.

Tu as raison. Il a tort.

You're right. He's wrong.

J'ai peur.

I'm afraid.

Frequently asked questions

When do you use être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?

Être (to be) and avoir (to have) are the two most important verbs in French. Both are irregular, and both also serve as helpers in the past tense, so it pays to know them by heart.

How do you form être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?

Watch the pronunciation of two pairs that look close on paper: ils sont [sɔ̃] (they are) and ils ont [ilzɔ̃] (they have, with a linking z). Tu es and il est sound the same, [ɛ]. Identity ( Je suis Pierre. ), nationality ( Elle est française. ), profession ( Il est médecin. - with no article), description ( Tu es grand. ) and location ( Nous sommes à Paris. ). This is the main trap. French says you have an age and physical states that English says you are : *Je suis vingt and *Je suis faim are typical English-speaker errors. And Je suis chaud does not mean "I feel hot" - it is slang for being fired up, or worse, so stick to J'ai chaud .

What are common mistakes with être and avoir in the present: to be and to have?

Using être for age (English: I am 20); confusing est/es/et; forgetting avoir for sensations. 🇬🇧 English speakers: 'I am 20 years old' → *Je suis 20 ans (wrong!). Use avoir: J'ai 20 ans. Also 'I am hungry' → J'ai faim (not *je suis faim).