Everything you need to know about the
Irregular French verb avoir
Avoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally
means "to have." However, it is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions and as an
auxiliary verb.
To Have
Avoir means "to have" in most senses, including having in one's possession and currently
experiencing.
J'ai deux stylos
I have two pens.
J'ai trois frères
I have three brothers
Note: Avoir à can mean "to have to," but that expression is more commonly translated by
devoir.
Expressions with Avoir
Avoir is used in a number of idiomatic expressions, many of which are translated by the
English verb "to be":
J'ai 30 ans
I am 30 years old.
J'ai soif
I am thirsty.
J'ai froid
I am cold.
Everything you need to know about the
Irregular French verb être
Être is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally
means "to be." Être is also used in some idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb for
compound tenses and the passive voice.
To Be
Être means "to be" in many senses that this verb is used in English.
1) It is used with adjectives, nouns, and adverbs to describe a temporary or permanent state
of being:
Il est beau - He is handsome
Je suis à Paris - I'm in Paris
Nous sommes français - We're French
Il est là-bas - He's over there
2) Être is used to describe someone's profession; however, note that the indefinite article is
not used in this construction in French:
Mon père est avocat - My father is a lawyer
Je suis étudiant - I'm a student
Notes
There are a number of English "to be" expressions which are translated in French by avoir (to
have):
avoir froid - to be cold
avoir raison - to be right
avoir xx ans - to be xx years old
When talking about the weather, French uses the verb faire (to do/make) rather than être:
Il fait beau - It's nice out
Il fait du vent - It's windy
Quel temps fait-il ? - How's the weather?
Être as an Auxiliary Verb
1) Être is the auxiliary for some verbs in the compound tenses:
Je suis allé en France - I went to France
Nous étions déjà sortis - We had already left
Everything you need to know about the
Irregular French verb faire
Faire is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally
means "to do" or "to make." Faire is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions and in
the causative construction.
To Do / To Make
Faire means "to do" and "to make" in most senses that these verbs are used in English:
Je fais la lessive - I'm doing the laundry
Je fais mes devoirs - I'm doing my homework
Je fais un gâteau - I'm making a cake
Notes

When "to make" is followed by an adjective, it is translated by rendre:
That makes me happy - Ça me rend heureux

"To make a decision" is translated by prendre une décision:
I made a decision - J'ai pris une décision
Learn how to translate "to make" into French
To make is a very general, very useful verb in English. Its French translations vary wildly,
so take a look at this lesson to learn how to translate various meanings of "make" into
French.
The general sense of "to make" is translated by faire.
Je fais un gâteau
I'm making a cake
Fais ton lit
Make your bed
Il a fait une erreur
He made a mistake
*"To make" in the sense of producing is fabriquer, while in the sense of building it's
construire. To talk about forcing someone to do something (e.g., Make me!), use obliger or
forcer.