j’ai soif (zhay* SWAHF)** = I am thirsty
In English, we use the phrase “I am thirsty” to let someone know we need a drink. In this sentence “am,” the being word, is used. To make the same statement in French, avoir (the having word) is used. The French phrase for “I am thirsty,” j’ai soif, uses the having verb avoir. Even though this phrase literally means “I have thirst,” we would translate it as “I am thirsty,” because that is how we would say it in English.
This is what the different forms of this phrase look like in the
present tense.
| j’ai soif -I am thirsty |
nous avons soif -we are thirsty |
| tu as soif -you are thirsty |
vous avez soif -you are thirsty |
| il a soif -he is thirsty |
ils ont soif -they are thirsty |
| elle a soif -she is thirsty |
elles ont soif -they are thirsty |
For more work with AVOIR, download Nallenart’s Avoir Workpages.