Grammaire II – JSS1 French Lesson Note (First Term)

Avoir is the French verb for “to have”, and it is used to say what a person owns or has.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. conjugate the verb avoir in the present tense;
2. give the English meaning of each form of avoir;
3. use the correct form of avoir with each subject pronoun;
4. choose un, une or des correctly before a noun;
5. write simple French sentences with avoir.

What is the verb avoir used for?

Avoir is used to show ownership, and it is one of the most common verbs in French.

• Things we own: a pen, a book, a bag, a house or a car.
• People we have: children, a brother or a friend.
• Age: French says “I have eleven years”, so J’ai onze ans means “I am eleven years old”.

What are the French subject pronouns?

A subject pronoun is a short word that replaces the name of the person or people doing the action.

How do we conjugate the verb avoir?

Avoir is an irregular verb, so each pronoun has its own form that must be learnt by heart.

Points to remember

• Je becomes j’: je drops the e before a vowel, so we write j’ai and not “je ai”.
• Il and elle: both use the same form, a.
• Ils and elles: both use the same form, ont.
• Nous, vous, ils, elles: the s before avons, avez and ont is pronounced like z.
• Vous: it means “you” for one respected person and for many people.

How do we choose un, une or des?

Every French noun is masculine or feminine, and the small word before it must agree.

• Un: “a” or “an” before a masculine singular noun, as in un stylo.
• Une: “a” or “an” before a feminine singular noun, as in une jupe.
• Des: “some” before a plural noun, as in des enfants.
• De l’: “some” before a noun that begins with a vowel and cannot be counted, as in de l’argent.

What are some sentences with the verb avoir?

These sentences use avoir with each pronoun, and the English meaning is beside each one.

How do we ask a question with avoir?

The simplest way to ask a question is to keep the same word order and raise your voice at the end.

1. Start with the statement: Tu as un livre.
2. Raise your voice at the end when speaking.
3. Write a question mark when writing: Tu as un livre?
4. Answer with the matching form: Oui, j’ai un livre.

What mistakes should students avoid?

• Writing “je ai”: the correct form is j’ai.
• Using “ils a”: the correct form is ils ont.
• Mixing up a and as: il a and elle a take a, but tu as takes as.
• Wrong article: write une jupe, not “un jupe”, because jupe is feminine.
• Using tu for an elder: use vous to show respect.

Evaluation

1. Write out the full conjugation of the verb avoir.
2. Give the English meaning of “Nous avons” and “Ils ont”.
3. Complete the sentences: Elle ___ une jupe. Vous ___ une radio. Ils ___ une maison.
4. Write “I have a pen” and “We have a car” in French.

Assignment

Write five sentences in French with the verb avoir. Use a different pronoun in each sentence and choose objects from the examples in this lesson.