In French, we use several expressions with avoir. Here are a few examples:
| avoir l’air to look, to seem |
Tu as l’air malade. You look sick. Elle a l’air en forme. She looks good. |
|---|---|
| avoir envie de to want, to be in the mood for |
J’ai envie de regarder la télé. I want to watch TV. Il a envie de manger de la glace. He wants to eat ice cream. |
| avoir honte de to be ashamed of |
Il a honte de son ami. He is ashamed of his friend. Tu as honte de tes notes. You are ashamed of your grades. |
When you make a question like this with il or elle, you’ll say a‑t‑il or a‑t‑elle instead of a‑elle or a‑il. The ‑t‑ gets added in for easier pronunciation.
A‑t‑elle un parapluie ?
Does she have an umbrella?
A‑t‑il une question ?
Does he have a question?
To politely suggest that someone should do something, use the verb devoir followed by another verb. This second verb is always in the infinitive form.
| je | devrais |
|---|---|
| tu | devrais |
| il / elle | devrait |
| nous | devrions |
| vous | devriez |
| ils / elles | devraient |
Au lieu de rester, elles devraient partir.
Instead of staying, they should leave.
Au lieu de fleurs, vous devriez offrir des chocolats.
Instead of flowers, you should give chocolates.
Au lieu d’un chien, tu devrais acheter un chat.
Instead of a dog, you should buy a cat.
To say that you are starting to do something, use commencer à, followed by the infinitive.
Elles commencent à manger.
They start to eat.
Il commence à pleuvoir.
It’s starting to rain.
Vous devriez commencer à travailler.
You should start working.