French Conjugation of Etre and Avoir (Present Tense)

It this lesson you will learn or consolidate, if you have gone through the 1st and 2nd part of my French Lessons for Beginners, the conjugation and use of the two most important verbs in the French language: Etre and Avoir.  

1. French Verbs: Etre / Avoir

Here are some of the advantages of learning etre (to be) and avoir (to have) from the beginning. 

  • They are two the most important verbs in almost any language, but they are particularly useful in learning Romance Languages
  • Thanks to them you will be able to express all the basic things concerning yourself
  • Etre and avoir are essential in constructing most of the grammatical structures of the French language (past, future, conditional, perfect, subjunctive)
  • Two irregular verbs, which means they conjugate differently from other verbs
  • In both verbs, the second ( tu ) and the third( il/elle ) person singular are pronounced in the same way (although they are written in a different way)

2. Conjugation of Etre and Avoir:

Without a further ado here is the conjugation with the example sentences to make your learning the most effective:

être = to be avoir = to have
Je suis français. I am French.

Tu es allemand. You are German.

Il est jeune. He is young.

Elle est belle. She is pretty.

Nous sommes ensemble. We are together.

Vous êtes arrivés*. You have arrived.

Ils sont contents*. They are happy.

Elles sont contentes**. They (the women) are happy.

J’ai une voiture rapide. I have a fast car.

Tu as une jolie maison. You have a nice house.

Il a 10 ans. You are 10 years old.

Elle a un frère. She has one brother.

Nous avons terminé. We have finished.

Vous avez une question. You have a question.

Ils ont perdu. They have lost.

Elles ont peur.  They are afraid (lit. They (the women) have fear)

* you need to add “s” to a verb in the plural form. Just to let you know.

** If the verb is in plural and feminine form, you need to add ‘s’ (plural) and ‘e’ (feminine)

3. Famous quotations or proverbs with etre and avoir

To make your lesson more memorable: famous quotations / proverbs with etre and avoir:

être avoir
1. Je pense donc je suis. (René Descartes)

2. Etre, ou ne pas être, c’est là la question.

(Hamlet)

3. “Non ! Je suis ton père !” (Darth Vador)

1. Avoir un chat dans la gorge.

To have a frog in one’s throat.
2. Avoir une faim de loup.

I could eat a horse.

4. Exercises

 

5. Homework: write a poem or a text of a song.

One of the very efficient ways of acquiring any foreign language (if not the most and in the end that’s the goal after all) is to make a creative use of the language.

Your task is to create a short poem or a text of a song (5 to 10 lines, but you are free to create as many as you wish). If you have a very small vocabulary, you may use only the French words from this lesson (look at the examples I used). You don’t need to be the next Flaubert or Molière in order to write poetry ! Very often, the best results are achieved with very simple things, so don’t be afraid to write poetry in French, even if you are only starting to learn it !

Post your poem in the comments. Let’s show so human creativity here !     

6 Replies to “French Conjugation of Etre and Avoir (Present Tense)”

  1. Nous avons une voiture rapide
    nous allons toujours à campagne
    mais une jour ce n’est pas possible
    parce que il peut et il peut
    nous sommes restent la maison
    et jouent avec mon frère et soeur

    1. Nous avons une voiture rapide
      nous allons toujours à la campagne
      mais une jour ce n’est pas possible
      parce qu’il peut pleut et il peut pleut
      nous sommes restentés à la maison
      et jouentons avec mon frère et ma soeur

      Keep up the good work mini : )

  2. Je suis content…je suis content
    Il a beau Soleil exterior…apres long temp….il a beau Soleil exterior..je sortirai en promenade avec ma chien
    Je suis content…je suis content

  3. J’ai un rêve
    Une chanson à chanter
    Je crois dans ange
    Quelque chose bon dans tout je vois
    Je crois dans ange
    Quelque chose bon dans tout je vois

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