Essential verbs

Avoir expressions: when French says have, not be.

Bonjour ! One of the most fascinating differences between English and French is how we express our physical states. As a teacher, I often see students try to translate "I am" word-for-word using être. But in French, we often use avoir (to have) where English uses "to be." These expressions are the core of everyday French, not weird exceptions to ignore!

Feelings and physical states

Instead of "being" a certain state, French speakers "possess" a physical sensation. You literally say "I have hunger" or "I have cold."

Age uses avoir

This is a classic beginner mistake that I correct in almost every introductory class! In French, you do not be your age; you have years of life. Never say « je suis trente ans ».

Need and desire

Two of the most powerful and frequently used expressions in French use avoir followed by de. Avoir besoin de translates to "to need" (literally, to have need of), and avoir envie de means "to want" or "to feel like" (literally, to have desire for).

Practice in context

Let's combine what we have learned into a natural, authentic sentence you might actually use in a café during a Parisian winter:

My best advice: learn these as whole phrases. Translating them word-by-word in your head will make them feel strange, but using them often as complete chunks of vocabulary will quickly make them feel completely natural. Allez-y ! (Go for it!)