A1 · Verbs
Être, avoir, aller, faire
If regular verbs are the furniture, these four are the walls. Être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), faire (to do / to make). They are irregular, they are everywhere, and they build other tenses later. Learn them as sounds, not as a crossword.
Être — to be
| Person | être |
|---|---|
| je | suis |
| tu | es |
| il / elle / on | est |
| nous | sommes |
| vous | êtes |
| ils / elles | sont |
Je suis prêt. / Je suis prête.
I’m ready. — agree prêt with who is speaking C’est compliqué.
It’s complicated. — c’est + adjective is a daily chunk On est là.
We’re here.
Avoir — to have (and “to be” in disguise)
| Person | avoir |
|---|---|
| j’ | ai |
| tu | as |
| il / elle / on | a |
| nous | avons |
| vous | avez |
| ils / elles | ont |
j’ai before a vowel. You will also use avoir to build the passé composé: j’ai parlé.
J’ai une question.
I have a question. J’ai 38 ans.
I am 38. — French has years, it does not “be” them Tu as faim ? / J’ai froid.
Are you hungry? / I’m cold. Hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fear: avoir, not être.
Aller — to go (and the near future)
| Person | aller |
|---|---|
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il / elle / on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils / elles | vont |
Je vais au travail.
I’m going to work. On y va ?
Shall we go? Je vais t’appeler.
I’m going to call you. — aller + infinitive is the near future
Faire — to do, to make, and a dozen set phrases
| Person | faire |
|---|---|
| je | fais |
| tu | fais |
| il / elle / on | fait |
| nous | faisons |
| vous | faites |
| ils / elles | font |
Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?
What are you doing? Il fait beau. / Il fait froid.
The weather is nice. / It’s cold. Weather is faire, not être.
Je fais du français.
I’m studying French. / I do French.
Try this out loud
Answer with a full verb, not a shrug.
Je suis…
I am… (your job, or how you feel)
J’ai…
I have… (a question, time, 40 ans)
Je vais…
I’m going… (a place, or a verb: je vais manger)
Il fait…
The weather is…
Questions this page usually raises
Keep going
Next grammar pages — same English, next rule.
A1 · Verbs
The French present tense
How the French present tense works for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs, and when it covers English “I am doing”.
Read this resourceA1–A2 · Future
The near future: je vais + infinitive
How to talk about the future in French with aller + infinitive — the form you actually hear — and when the futur simple can wait.
Read this resourceA2 · Past
The passé composé: talking about what happened
How the passé composé works: avoir or être + past participle, agreement, and the sentences you actually need.
Read this resource
If you want a lesson around this
On the call
A page is a map. Speaking is the walk.
Use this in a real sentence on the free intro. We will correct it once, then you say it again.
Book a free intro