Avoir (to have) · Passé Composé
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Avoir in the French passé composé is: j'ai eu, tu as eu, il/elle/on a eu, nous avons eu, vous avez eu, ils/elles ont eu. The passé composé of avoir uses AVOIR as the auxiliary (avoir is its own auxiliary) plus the past participle 'eu'. 'J'ai eu un problème' = 'I had a problem'. The participle 'eu' is invariable (no subject agreement with avoir as auxiliary).
| To Have | Avoir |
|---|---|
| I had | j'ai eu |
| you had | tu as eu |
| he/she had | il/elle/on a eu |
| we had | nous avons eu |
| you had | vous avez eu |
| they had | ils/elles ont eu |
Avoir (to have) in context
Sentences that use avoir in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.
I had a problem this morning.
You were very lucky.
He was scared in the dark.
We had a long conversation.
You were right to leave.
They had a good idea.
Working with the passé composé
The passé composé is French's dominant past tense — used in almost every spoken past reference ("j'ai mangé" = "I ate" or "I have eaten"). It's a COMPOUND tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir for most verbs, être for ~17 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) plus a past participle. Two things to memorise: which verbs take être (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, devenir, retourner, entrer, rentrer, passer, revenir — the so-called "house of être"), and agreement rules (être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs only agree with a preceding direct object).
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passé composé of avoir?
Why is the participle 'eu' so short?
How do I express 'I have had' vs 'I had' in French?
Practice Avoir (To Have) in real conversations
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