Avoir & Etre
French: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 6.1.15
'To have' - Avoir
'Avoir' is completely irregular in the present tense, it doesnt follow a pattern. Here it is
J'ai - I have
Tu as - you (singular) have
Il/elle/on a - he/she/it has
Nous avons - we have
Vous avez - you (plural) have
Ils/elles ont - they have
The perfect infinitive translates as 'to have done something'. It's formed by using the infinitive of 'être' followed by a past participle. Only verbs that use 'être' in the perfect tense use 'être' here.
ER verbs
- Après être allé à Paris, je n'avais pas envie de rentrer à Manchester.
- After having gone to Paris, I didn't want to go back to Manchester.
- Je regrette d'être monté dans ce bus.
- I regret having got on this bus.
IR verbs
- Après être sorti hier soir, je suis très fatigué aujourd'hui.
- After having gone out last night, I am very tired today.
- Je regrette d'être parti tôt hier.
- I regret having left early yesterday.
RE
- Après être descendu sous le pont, il n'est pas revenu.
- After having gone below deck, he hasn't come back.
- Après être descendu derrière les montagnes, l'avion a disparu.
- After having gone down behind the mountains, the plane disappeared.
Test yourself on Avoir & Etre
How do you say 'I have' in French?
Which of the following is NOT a correct form of 'avoir' in the present tense?
How do you say 'having fallen' in French?
How do you say 'having died' in French?