English describes many physical states and feelings with be: I am hungry, I am cold, I am fifteen. French describes them as things you have: j'ai faim (literally 'I have hunger'), j'ai froid ('I have cold'), j'ai quinze ans ('I have fifteen years'). Translating word for word from English is the most common way anglophones go wrong here, and the result is sometimes not just incorrect but means something else entirely. The same is true of the small prepositions à and de: French verbs choose them differently from English verbs, and they merge with the articles le and les into new words. This lesson collects the expressions and verb patterns you will use every day.
Feelings and states with avoir
| Expression | Literally | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir faim / soif | to have hunger / thirst | to be hungry / thirsty | J'ai faim. (I'm hungry.) |
| avoir chaud / froid | to have heat / cold | to feel hot / cold | Tu as froid? (Are you cold?) |
| avoir sommeil | to have sleep | to be sleepy | Le bébé a sommeil. (The baby is sleepy.) |
| avoir peur (de) | to have fear (of) | to be afraid (of) | Elle a peur des araignées. (She's afraid of spiders.) |
| avoir raison / tort | to have reason / wrong | to be right / wrong | Tu as raison! (You're right!) |
| avoir … ans | to have … years | to be … years old | J'ai quinze ans. (I'm fifteen.) |
| avoir besoin de | to have need of | to need | J'ai besoin d'un crayon. (I need a pencil.) |
| avoir envie de | to have desire for | to feel like, to want | J'ai envie de dormir. (I feel like sleeping.) |
| avoir mal à | to have pain at | to hurt, to have a … ache | J'ai mal à la tête. (I have a headache.) |
| avoir de la chance | to have luck | to be lucky | Tu as de la chance! (You're lucky!) |
| avoir hâte de | to have haste to | to look forward to, can't wait to | J'ai hâte de te voir. (I can't wait to see you.) |
Little words that merge: au, aux, du, des
| Preposition + article | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| à + le | au | Je vais au parc. (I'm going to the park.) |
| à + la | à la (no change) | Je vais à la plage. (to the beach) |
| à + l' | à l' (no change) | Je vais à l'école. (to school) |
| à + les | aux | Je parle aux élèves. (I'm talking to the students.) |
| de + le | du | Je reviens du centre-ville. (I'm coming back from downtown.) |
| de + la | de la (no change) | Je sors de la bibliothèque. (I'm leaving the library.) |
| de + l' | de l' (no change) | Je viens de l'aréna. (I'm coming from the arena.) |
| de + les | des | Elle parle des vacances. (She's talking about the holidays.) |
Sports, music and activities
- jouer au hockey (to play hockey)
- jouer au soccer, au basketball
- jouer à la balle molle (to play softball)
- jouer aux cartes (to play cards)
- jouer aux jeux vidéo (to play video games)
- jouer du piano (to play the piano)
- jouer de la guitare
- jouer du violon
- jouer de la batterie (to play the drums)
- jouer de la flûte
For activities you do rather than play, French uses faire de, with the same merging: faire du sport (to play sports), faire du vélo (to cycle), faire du ski, faire de la natation (to swim, as a sport), faire de la planche à neige (to snowboard), faire de l'escalade (to go climbing). After a negative, the de rule from Lesson 2 applies: Je fais du ski → Je ne fais pas de ski.
Verbs that need à or de — and verbs that need nothing
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| assister à | to attend (not 'to assist') | J'assiste à un concert. (I'm attending a concert.) |
| répondre à | to answer | Je réponds à la question. |
| ressembler à | to look like | Il ressemble à son père. (He looks like his father.) |
| penser à | to think about | Je pense aux vacances. (I'm thinking about the holidays.) |
| parler à / parler de | to talk to / to talk about | Je parle à Léo du film. (I'm talking to Léo about the movie.) |
| essayer de + infinitive | to try to | J'essaie de comprendre. (I'm trying to understand.) |
| décider de / oublier de + infinitive | to decide to / to forget to | J'oublie souvent de manger. (I often forget to eat.) |
| écouter, regarder, chercher, attendre, payer | to listen to, look at, look for, wait for, pay for | No preposition: Je cherche mes clés. (I'm looking for my keys.) |
Translation: My name is Amara and I'm fifteen. I live in Moncton. On Saturday mornings I play basketball with my team, and in the evening I play the piano. In winter, my family goes cross-country skiing. I look like my mother, but I'm always thinking about music, like my father! Tonight we're attending a concert downtown. I can't wait! But right now I'm hungry… I feel like a poutine. What to notice: age, hunger and eagerness all use avoir; jouer au for the sport but jouer du for the instrument; faire du ski; and assister à for 'attend'.