Avoit (en. Had)

/avwa/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Imperfect form of the verb 'to have', indicating past possession.

He had a very loyal dog.

Il avait un chien très fidèle.

Used to express a situation or state in the past.

She had already finished her work before leaving.

Elle avait déjà terminé son travail avant de partir.

Indicates a hypothesis or wish in the past.

I would have liked him to be there.

J'aurais aimé qu'il ait été là.

Comes from the Latin verb 'habere', meaning 'to have'.

had tried in vain

Indicates that someone tried in vain to do something.

avait beau

only had to

Express that the person could have easily done something.

n'avait qu'à

if he had known

Express a regret regarding a past situation.

s'il avait su

to have

Verb meaning to possess or hold.

avoir

to possess

To have something in one's property.

posséder

to hold

To have something under one's control.

détenir

To have a good financial situation.

He has the know-how, you can tell!

Il a de l'avoit, ça se voit!

To have experience or in-depth knowledge.

That guy has expertise on the subject, listen to him!

Ce gars-là a de l'avoit sur le sujet, écoute-le!