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Expressions with avoir

FoundationHigherAQA

Learn Expressions with avoir for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). French uses avoir where English uses to be, as in avoir faim, avoir froid and avoir dix ans.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

French uses avoir in many expressions where English uses to be, and translating word for word produces errors every time.

The most common are about age and physical states. J'ai quinze ans means I am fifteen — literally I have fifteen years. J'ai faim means I am hungry, j'ai soif means I am thirsty, j'ai froid means I am cold, j'ai chaud means I am hot.

Others include j'ai peur for I am afraid, j'ai raison for I am right, j'ai tort for I am wrong, and j'ai sommeil for I am sleepy. In every case French says I have the thing rather than I am the adjective. Using être here — je suis quinze ans — is one of the most recognisable errors a student can make.

Revision notes

Age and physical states

J'ai quinze ans — I am fifteen. J'ai faim — I am hungry.

J'ai soif, j'ai froid, j'ai chaud. In each case French uses avoir plus a noun where English uses to be plus an adjective.

Other common expressions

J'ai peur — I am afraid. J'ai raison — I am right. J'ai tort — I am wrong.

J'ai sommeil — I am sleepy. J'ai besoin de — I need. J'ai envie de — I want or feel like. All follow the same avoir pattern.

Why être is wrong

Je suis quinze ans is a recognisable and heavily penalised error.

The French words are nouns, not adjectives — faim is hunger, not hungry. You cannot be hunger, so avoir is the only possible verb.

Key points

  • French uses avoir where English uses to be.
  • J'ai quinze ans means I am fifteen.
  • J'ai faim means I am hungry.
  • J'ai froid means I am cold.
  • J'ai peur means I am afraid.
  • The French words are nouns, not adjectives.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I am sixteen. [2 marks]

Working

J'ai seize ansuse avoir with the number and ans
French says I have sixteen years, so avoir is used rather than êtreexplain the structure

Example 2

Translate: she is hungry. [2 marks]

Working

Elle a faimuse avoir with faim
Faim is a noun meaning hunger, so avoir is requiredexplain why être is wrong

Example 3

Explain why je suis quinze ans is wrong. [2 marks]

Working

Ans is a noun meaning years, not an adjectivestate the grammar
so the verb must be avoir, giving j'ai quinze ansgive the correction

Common mistakes

  • Using être for age.

    Je suis quinze ans is wrong; it is j'ai quinze ans.

  • Omitting ans.

    J'ai quinze on its own is incomplete.

  • Using être for hunger or cold.

    J'ai faim and j'ai froid both take avoir.

  • Treating faim as an adjective.

    It is a noun meaning hunger.

Exam tips

  • Use avoir for age, hunger, thirst and temperature.
  • Always include ans when giving an age.
  • Remember the French words are nouns.
  • Learn the expressions as complete phrases.

Key terms

Avoir expression
A phrase using avoir where English uses to be.
Ans
Years, required when giving an age.
Faim
Hunger, a noun taking avoir.
Noun
A naming word, which is why avoir is used.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.