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An ODERSA resource · Knowledge programmeA book only goes online once it is whole and read by someone else.

Chapter 4 of 17 · Conjugating French Without Hesitating

Chapter 3. The présent of être and avoir

The two most used verbs in the language, the two most irregular ones, and the words that sound so much like them that they take their place by mistake.

Two verbs that look like nothing else

Être and avoir obey none of the sets of endings in this workbook. Their forms change stem from one person to the next to the point where there is nothing to understand: "je suis" and "nous sommes" do not share a single letter. Those two verbs are learnt by heart, the way a telephone number is learnt, and this is the only place in the volume where this house asks for that.

The effort pays off beyond this chapter. Être and avoir also serve to build the passé composé (the perfect tense), and every other compound tense in the language: anyone who hesitates over "ils ont" will later hesitate over "ils ont mangé". The last two sets in this chapter deal with the words that are pronounced like these forms without being verbs, because that is where the most frequent mistakes in written French are lodged.

Reminder · the présent (the present tense) of être and avoir
PersonÊtreAvoir
je, j'je suisj'ai
tutu estu as
il, elle, onil estil a
nousnous sommesnous avons
vousvous êtesvous avez
ils, ellesils sontils ont

Exercise 11. The présent of être

Copy out each sentence, writing the verb être in the présent.

  1. Je (être) prêt dans deux minutes.
  2. Tu (être) sûr de toi.
  3. Le train (être) à l'heure.
  4. Nous (être) au complet.
  5. Vous (être) les bienvenus.
  6. Les rues (être) désertes.
  7. On (être) bien ici.
  8. Ma sœur et moi (être) du même avis.
  9. Ces chaussures (être) trop petites.
  10. Elle (être) contente de son travail.

Exercise 12. The présent of avoir

Copy out each sentence, writing the verb avoir in the présent.

  1. J'(avoir) une idée.
  2. Tu (avoir) de la chance.
  3. Le chat (avoir) faim.
  4. Nous (avoir) le temps.
  5. Vous (avoir) raison.
  6. Les enfants (avoir) sommeil.
  7. On (avoir) encore du pain.
  8. Mon voisin et sa femme (avoir) trois chiens.
  9. Cette maison (avoir) un grand jardin.
  10. Elles (avoir) toutes les deux la même veste.

Two forms merge to the ear and never in writing: ils sont and ils ont. The first says what they are, the second says what they own. One way of deciding: replace with "étaient"; if the sentence holds, it is "sont", if not it is "ont".

Exercise 13. Être or avoir

Copy out each sentence, choosing between être and avoir, and writing the chosen verb in the présent.

  1. Les invités ... déjà là.
  2. Les invités ... tous apporté quelque chose.
  3. Tu ... très en avance.
  4. Tu ... vraiment de la patience.
  5. Nous ... deux places au fond.
  6. Nous ... assis au fond.
  7. Vous ... l'air fatigué.
  8. Vous ... besoin d'aide.
  9. Elle ... peur des orages.
  10. Elle ... courageuse.

Reminder · the words that take their place

Four forms of these two verbs have a look-alike that is not a verb, and confusing them is the most widespread mistake in written French. "Il a" is the verb avoir, "à" is a small invariable word that is never conjugated. "Ils ont" is the verb avoir, "on" is a subject pronoun. "Il est" is the verb être, "et" joins two things. "Ils sont" is the verb être, "son" goes with a noun.

The test that decides is always the same: try changing the tense. A verb follows the change, a look-alike does not move. "Il a faim" becomes "il avait faim", so it is the verb; "il va à Paris" never becomes "il va avait Paris", so it is the small invariable word.

Two remarks in the interest of honesty about this test. The form "avait" belongs to a tense that chapter 6 will install: it is given to you here as a tool, and no exercise in this chapter asks you to write it. And a few sentences in these sets use an auxiliary followed by a participle, such as "ils ont trouvé": there again, only the auxiliary is yours, the rest of the form is supplied, and chapter 10 will explain how it is built.

Exercise 14. The verb or its look-alike

Copy out each sentence, choosing the right spelling. Do the change-of-tense test before deciding.

  1. Mon frère (a / à) treize ans.
  2. Nous allons (a / à) la piscine.
  3. Elle pense (a / à) autre chose.
  4. Le chien (a / à) mangé sa gamelle.
  5. (On / Ont) part dans cinq minutes.
  6. Les voisins (on / ont) repeint leur portail.
  7. (On / Ont) ne sait jamais.
  8. Ils (on / ont) trouvé la solution.
  9. Le pain (est / et) encore chaud.
  10. Il achète du pain (est / et) du lait.
  11. Ce livre (est / et) à moi.
  12. Elle range (son / sont) manteau.
  13. Les manteaux (son / sont) au vestiaire.
  14. Il a perdu (son / sont) écharpe.

Exercise 15. A whole text

Copy out the text, writing the verbs in parentheses in the présent and choosing the right spelling wherever two words are offered.

  1. La salle (être) pleine.
  2. Les musiciens (avoir) déjà accordé leurs instruments.
  3. (On / Ont) éteint les lumières.
  4. Le premier morceau (être) très court.
  5. Nous (avoir) des places au troisième rang.
  6. Ma voisine (avoir) le programme sur les genoux.
  7. Les enfants du rang devant (être) sages.
  8. Tu (être) content d'être venu (est / et) tu me le dis tout bas.
  9. Vous (avoir) raison de rester jusqu'au bout.
  10. Le concert (être) fini à onze heures (est / et) la salle (être) longue à se vider.