🇫🇷 French Lesson 2: Être, Avoir & Subject Pronouns
👤 Subject Pronouns
French subject pronouns are always required (unlike Spanish, where they can be omitted).
| Singular | Meaning | Plural | Meaning |
|---|
| je (j') | I | nous | we |
| tu | you (familiar, singular) | vous | you (plural/formal) |
| il | he / it | ils | they (masculine/mixed) |
| elle | she / it | elles | they (feminine) |
| on | one, we, people | | |
💡 Important notes:
- Je becomes j' before a vowel or silent h: j'ai, j'habite
- On is very common in spoken French (replaces nous)
- Vous is both formal singular AND plural
📍 Être (to be)
Être is one of the most important and irregular verbs in French.
| Subject | Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|
| je | suis | I am |
| tu | es | you are |
| il/elle/on | est | he/she/one is |
| nous | sommes | we are |
| vous | êtes | you are |
| ils/elles | sont | they are |
📌 Common uses of être:
- Description: Il est grand. (He is tall)
- Profession: Je suis médecin. (I am a doctor)
- Nationality: Elle est française. (She is French)
- Location: Nous sommes à Paris. (We are in Paris)
- Feeling/state: Je suis fatigué. (I am tired)
📚 Avoir (to have)
Avoir is the second most important irregular verb.
| Subject | Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|
| je | ai | I have |
| tu | as | you have |
| il/elle/on | a | he/she/one has |
| nous | avons | we have |
| vous | avez | you have |
| ils/elles | ont | they have |
📌 Common uses of avoir:
- Possession: J'ai un chien. (I have a dog)
- Age: J'ai 25 ans. (I am 25 years old – literally "I have 25 years")
- Expressions (hunger, thirst, etc.): J'ai faim. (I am hungry), J'ai soif. (I am thirsty)
- Feeling: J'ai chaud. (I am hot), J'ai froid. (I am cold)
🚫 Basic Negation (ne...pas)
📌 How to make a sentence negative:
Place ne before the verb and pas after the verb.
- Je ne suis pas fatigué. → I am not tired.
- Elle n' a pas de chien. → She doesn't have a dog. (ne becomes n' before vowel)
- Nous ne sommes pas à la maison. → We are not at home.
📋 Summary Table – Être vs. Avoir
| Subject | Être (to be) | Avoir (to have) |
|---|
| je | suis | ai |
| tu | es | as |
| il/elle/on | est | a |
| nous | sommes | avons |
| vous | êtes | avez |
| ils/elles | sont | ont |
💡 Memory trick:
- Être = describing what or who you are (tall, tired, French, teacher)
- Avoir = talking about what you have (a dog, hunger, 25 years)
