French › Level one lessons › Travel · Les voyages

Grammar review · From · De

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The preposition de /də/ means from:

Il est de Paris.He is from Paris.

De becomes d' before a vowel, due to elision:

Nous sommes d'Orléans.We are from Orléans.

The definite article is included with countries:

Vous êtes de la Suisse ?Are you from Switzerland?

The contraction du /dy/ is used in place of de le:

Elles sont du Luxembourg.They are from Luxembourg.

Likewise, the contraction des /dɛ/ is used in place of de les:

Nous sommes des Pays-Bas.We are from the Netherlands.

De also has other translations, which depend on context. For example, it is used to indicate an amount:

5 kilos de pommes5 kilograms of apples

Grammar review · Possessive adjectives · Les adjectifs possessifs

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Formation

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First person Second person Third person
Singular mon (m)
ma (f)
mes
  /mɔ̃/
  /ma/
  /me/
my ton (m)
ta (f)
tes
  /tɔ̃/
  /ta/
  /te/
your (tu form) son (m)
sa (f)
ses
  /sɔ̃/
  /sa/
  /sɛ/
his
her
its
Plural notre
nos
  /nɔtʁ/
  /no/
our votre
vos
  /vɔtʁ/
  /vo/
your (vous form) leur
leurs
  /lœʁ/
  /lœʁ/
their

Usage

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Possessive adjectives are used to express possession of an object:

C'est mon passeport.It's my passport.

In English the possessive adjective agrees with the subject (his sister, her brother). But in French, possessive adjectives act like all other adjectives: they must agree with the noun they modify.

Masculine noun
le frère
Feminine noun
la sœur
le frère de Marc
Marc's brother
son frère
his brother
la sœur de Marc
Marc's sister
sa sœur
his sister
les frères de Marc
Marc's brothers
ses frères
his brothers
les sœurs de Marc
Marc's sisters
ses sœurs
his sisters
le frère de Marie
Marie's brother
son frère
her brother
la sœur de Marie
Marie's sister
sa sœur
her sister
les frères de Marie
Marie's brothers
ses frères
her brothers
les sœurs de Marie
Marie's sisters
ses sœurs
her sisters

Whether son, sa and ses translate to his or her is indicated by context:

Oui, elle a son billet.Yes, she has her ticket.

Notre, votre, and leur modify singular nouns, regardless of gender; nos, vos, and leurs modify plural nouns:

le chalet (m) : C'est notre chalet.It's our chalet.
la caravane: C'est notre caravane.It's our caravan.

Examples

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Ton auberge de jeunesse est bruyante. Your youth hostel is noisy. auberge is feminine, but begins with a vowel
J’ai son billet. I have his/her ticket. le billet is masculine
Elle est la femme de mon ami. She's my friend's wife. l'ami is maculine

Dialogue · vacations · vacances

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Monuments, visited, travelled, eated...

Grammar · Regular -ir verbs · Les verbes en -ir

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The second category of regular French verbs is -ir verbs.

Formation

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To conjugate, drop the -ir to find the stem or root. Add endings to the root based on the subject and tense.

finirto finish /finiʁ/
Pronoun Ending Verb Pronunciation
je -is finis   /fi.ni/
tu -is finis   /fi.ni/
il/elle -it finit   /fi.ni/
nous -issons finissons   /fi.ni.sɔ̃/
vous -issez finissez   /fi.ni.se/
ils/elles -issent finissent   /fi.nis/

Supplementary vocabulary · Example -ir verbs

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abolir   /a.bɔ.liʁ/ to abolish Il faut abolir l'esclavage. Slavery needs to be abolished.
approfondir   /a.pʁɔ.fɔ̃.diʁ/ to deepen, to consider more thoroughly Je vais approfondir ce sujet. I 'm going to consider more thoroughly this subject.
choisir   /ʃwaziʀ/ to choose Je vais choisir pour toi. I'll choose for you.
convertir   /kɔ̃.vɛʁ.tiʁ/ to convert Comment tu convertis les mètres en pieds? How do you convert meters to feets?
investir   /ɛ̃.vɛs.tiʁ/ to invest Je vais investir dans cette entreprise. I'll invest in this enterprise.
obéir   /ɔ.be.iʁ/ to obey Tout corps matériel obéit à la loi de gravitation universelle. Any material body obeys the law of universal gravitation.
polir   /pɔ.liʁ/ to polish, to refine J'ai poli cette pière. I polished this stone.
établir   /e.ta.bliʁ/ to establish, to prove J'ai établit ce fait. I established this fact.
refroidir   /fʁwa.diʁ/ to cool, to cool off Le congélateur est en train de refroidir la viande. The freezer is cooling off the meat.
affaiblir   /a.fe.bliʁ/ to weaken L’âge affaiblit la mémoire.
Les débauches affaiblissent le corps.
Age weakens the memory.
Debauchery weaken the body.

Vocabulary

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l'aéroport (m)   /a.e.ʁɔ.pɔʁ/ airport
le billet   /bi.jɛ/ ticket for train, airplane
la poste   /pɔst/ post office
la station   /sta.sjɔ̃/ station
le métro   /met.ʁɔ/ subway, underground
les bagages   /ba.ɡaʒ/ baggage
le ticket   /ti.kɛ/ ticket for bus, métro
la valise   /va.liz/ suitcase
Vehicles
l'auto (f)   /o.to/ car
l'avion (m)   /a.vjɔ̃/ airplane
l'autobus (m)   /o.to.bys/ bus
le bateau   /bato/ boat
le train   /tʁɛ̃/ train
le taxi   /tak.si/ taxi
la voiture   /vwa.tyʁ/ car
Hotels
la chambre   /ʃɑ̃bʁ/ room
la chambre de libre free room

Grammar · To take · Prendre

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Prendre is an irregular -re verb, and is conjugated differently. nous, vous and ils don't have the letter 'd' which you would otherwise expect in a normal -re verb. In ils the n is also doubled up.

Formation

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prendre   /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ (prah(n)dr) to take
je prends /pʁɑ̃/ (prah(n)) I take
tu prends /pʁɑ̃/ (prah(n)) you take
il prend   /pʁɑ̃/ (prah(n)) he takes
nous prenons   /pʁə.nɔ̃/ (pruh-noh(n)) we take
vous prenez   /pʁǝ.ne/ (pruh-nay) you take
ils prennent   /pʁɛn/ (prehn) they take
pris /pʁi/ taken

Examples

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Prends ma main. Take my hand.
Ils ont pris mon chien. They took my dog.
Nous prenons, c'est tout. We take, that's all.
Je prends ce que je veux. I take what I want.
Qu'allez vous prendre? What are you going to take?
Il a pris une bouteille d'eau. He took a bottle of water.
Tu prends quoi? What are you taking?
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prendre   /pʁɑ̃.dʁə/ to have something to eat, to buy
prendre en compte to take into account
prendre fin to come to an end
prendre conscience (de) to become aware (of)
prendre position to make a stand (of)
prendre des mesures to take steps (to initiate a course of action)
prendre des kilos to gain weight
prendre part (à) to take part (in) prendre part au vote take part in the vote
prendre la parole to start talking
prendre le pas sur to surpass
prendre rendez-vous to make an appointment
prendre un verre to have a drink On va prendre un verre en ville. We’re going to have a drink in town.
prendre un café to have a coffee

Vocabulary · Directions

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Sometimes when you go out, you may get lost, or come across someone who is lost. This should help you ask for and give directions.

Pardonnez-moi/Excusez-moi,
mademoiselle/madame/monsieur.
Excuse me, Miss/Mrs/Mr.
Je suis perdu. I am lost.
Je cherche… I'm looking for…
la poste   /pɔst/ the post office
la gare   /ɡaʁ/ the train station
le supermarché   /sy.pɛʁ.maʁ.ʃe/ the supermarket
le stade   /stad/ the football stadium
le camping   /kɑ̃.piɳ/ the camping grounds
la plage   /plaːɡə/ the beach
le parc   /paʁk/ the park
Vous prenez… You take…
la première rue the first street
à gauche   Fr-à gauche.ogg to the left
à droite to the right
tout droit straight ahead
Merci beaucoup! Thanks so much!
De rien.   /də ʁjɛ̃/ You're welcome / No worries.

Dialogue

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Exercises

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