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Avoir le monde dans sa poche … | |
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Having French Phrases
The French verb avoir, “to have,” is found in many essential and idiomatic expressions, including to want, to loathe, and to take place. Learn these and dozens of other French expressions featuring avoir.
Avoir translations
Avoir proverbs
avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre | to have one’s cake and eat it too | |
Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras. | A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. | |
vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué | to count one’s chickens before they’re hatched |
Avoir expressions
avoir à  + infinitive | to have to do something | ||
avoir beau + infinitive | despite doing, however much (one) does | ||
avoir besoin de | to need | ||
avoir confiance en | to trust | ||
avoir d’autres chats à fouetter | (informal) | to have other fish to fry | |
avoir du charme | to have charm | ||
avoir du chien | (informal) | to have a certain something, be attractive | |
avoir du mal à + infinitive | to have trouble, struggle doing | ||
avoir du mal avec + noun | to have trouble, struggle with | ||
avoir du pain sur la planche | (informal) | to have a lot to do, have a lot on one’s plate | |
avoir envie de | to want, feel like | ||
avoir horreur de | to detest/loathe | ||
avoir l’air (de) | to look (like) | ||
avoir l’air fin | (informal) | to look like an idiot / a fool | |
avoir la flemme de + infinitive | to not feel like doing | ||
avoir la frite | (informal) | to feel great | |
avoir la gueule de bois | to have a hangover, to be hungover | ||
avoir la patate | (informal) | to feel great | |
avoir la pêche | (informal) | to feel peachy | |
avoir le bac | to pass the bac | ||
avoir le cafard | (informal) | to feel low/blue/down in the dumps | |
avoir le fou rire | to have the giggles | ||
avoir le monde à portée de main | to have the world at your fingertips | ||
avoir le trac | to have stage fright | ||
avoir les chevilles qui enflent | (informal) | to have a swelled head | |
avoir l’heure | to have (know) the time | ||
avoir lieu | to take place | ||
avoir l’impression que | to have / be under the impression that | ||
avoir l’intention de | to intend/plan to | ||
avoir mal à la tête, aux yeux, à l’estomac | to have a headache, eye ache, stomachache | ||
avoir quelqu’un dans sa poche | (informal) | to have someone in the palm of one’s hand | |
avoir un bébé | to have a baby | ||
avoir un chat dans la gorge | to have a frog in one’s throat | ||
avoir un cheveu (sur la langue) | (informal) | to lisp | |
avoir un examen | to pass a test | ||
avoir un je-ne-sais-quoi | to have a certain something | ||
avoir un trou (de mémoire) | to have a memory loss, to have one’s mind go blank | ||
avoir une dent contre quelqu’un | (informal) | to hold a grudge against someone | |
chacun a son goût | to each his own | ||
en avoir | (familiar) | to have guts | |
il y a + period of time | ___ ago | ||
n’avoir qu’Ã + infinitive | to just/only have to do something | ||
Quand les poules auront des dents ! | When pigs fly! |
* Expressions with avoir = "to be"
There are a number of French expressions in which avoir is equivalent to "to be":
avoir ___ ans | to be ___ (years old) | ||
avoir chaud | to be hot | ||
avoir de la chance | to be lucky | ||
avoir du chien | (informal) | to be attractive, have a certain something | |
avoir du pot | (informal) | to be lucky | |
avoir faim | to be hungry | ||
avoir froid | to be cold | ||
avoir honte de | to be ashamed of/about | ||
avoir l’esprit de l’escalier | to be unable to think of witty comebacks in time | ||
avoir l’habitude de | to be used to, in the habit of | ||
avoir le mal de mer | to be seasick | ||
avoir les chevilles qui enflent | (informal) | to be full of oneself | |
avoir mal au cÅ“ur | to be sick to one’s stomach | ||
avoir __ mètres (de haut, de long) | to be __ meters (high, long) | ||
avoir peur de | to be afraid of | ||
avoir raison | to be right | ||
avoir soif | to be thirsty | ||
avoir sommeil | to be sleepy | ||
avoir tort | to be wrong | ||
avoir la trouille | to be scared to death | ||
avoir un petit creux | (informal) | to be a little hungry/peckish | |
avoir un poil dans la main | (informal) | to be lazy | |
avoir une faim de loup | (informal) | to be ravenous, famished | |
en avoir ras le bol | (informal) | to be fed up | |
il y a + noun | there is, there are ___ | ||
Il y a quelque chose qui cloche. | Something is amiss. |
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