avoir: Conjugation
The avoir conjugation tables below show how to form the French verb avoir according to tense and person. To listen to the pronunciation of a given tense of avoir, click on the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the table. See the notes on the conjugation of avoir at the end of this page.
Present | Perfect |
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Imperfect | Pluperfect |
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Future | Future-perfect |
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Conditional | Conditional perfect |
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Present subjunctive | Perfect subjunctive |
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Past historic | Past anterior |
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Various forms of the verb avoir are among the most
commonly occurring French verb forms.
The verb avoir is also one of a few common but
highly irregular French verbs:
- It has more present tense forms than other verbs;
- It is one of only four in the language to have a 3rd person plural form ending in -ont;
- It is one of few to have irregular subjunctive forms;
- It is practically the only verb to have an irregular present participle that does not share the
stem of the nous present tense form;
- It has an irregular future stem caused by
the vocalisation of v (avr- > aur-).
As well as its meaning of to have as in possession, this verb also means to have
as an auxiliary: il a fait = he has done. For more information,
see the grammar pages on the perfect tense.