French For Football/Notes/Introductory Material
Material for New Lessons
editThis is NOT a lesson page - it contains NOTES for lesson material for the Introductory Modules. It is being produced by adapting the text from the Introductory and Level One sections of the French Wikibook. As the new material is generated, the corresponding old material is deleted.
Vocabulary: Numbers
edit1 | un | 1st = 1er | premier(ère) |
2 | deux | 2nd = 2ième | deuxième |
3 | trois | 3rd = 3ième | troisième |
4 | quatre | 4th = 4ième | quatrième |
5 | cinq | 5th = 5ième | cinquième |
6 | six | 6th = 6ième | sixième |
7 | sept | 7th = 7ième | septième |
8 | huit | 8th = 8ième | huitième |
9 | neuf | 9th = 9ième | neuvième |
10 | dix | 10th = 10ième | dixième |
11 | onze | 11th = 11ième | onzième |
12 | douze | 12th = 12ième | douzième |
13 | treize | 13th = 13ième | treizième |
14 | quatorze | 14th = 14ième | quatorzième |
15 | quinze | 15th = 15ième | quinzième |
16 | seize | 16th = 16ième | seizième |
17 | dix-sept | 17th = 17ième | dix-septième |
18 | dix-huit | 18th = 18ième | dix-huitième |
19 | dix-neuf | 19th = 19ième | dix-neuvième |
20 | vingt | 20th = 20ième | vingtième |
un | 1 | une unité (a unity) |
dix | 10 | une dizaine (one ten) |
douze | 12 | une douzaine (one dozen) |
Original Material from the French Wikibook
editGrammar: The French alphabet
editCharacters | Aa | Bb | Cc | Dd | Ee | Ff | Gg | Hh | Ii | Jj | Kk | Ll | Mm |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pronunciation | ah | bay | say | day | euh | eff | jhay | ash | ee | zhee | kah | el | em |
Characters | Nn | Oo | Pp | Rr | Ss | Tt | Uu | Vv | Ww | Xx | Yy | Zz | |
Pronunciation | enn | oh | pay | ku | air | ess | tay | ue | vay | dubl-vay | eeks | ee-grehk | zedh |
In addition, French uses several accents which are worth understanding. These are: à, è, ù, (grave accents) and é (acute accent) which only applies to e. A circumflex applies to all vowels as well: â, ê, î, ô, û. And also a tréma (French for diaerasis) for vowels: ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ and combined letters: æ and œ
Vocabulary: Greetings
editSalut | Hi./Bye. | (informal) |
Bonjour | Hello | (more formal than salut) (all day) |
Bonsoir | Hello | (after 19h00) |
Bonne soirée | Good evening | |
Bonne nuit | Good night | |
Quoi de neuf ? | What's up (about you)? (lit. what's new) | |
Pas grand-chose. | Not much. (lit. no big-thing) |
Vocabulary: Goodbyes
editSalut. | Hi./Bye. | (informal) |
Au revoir. | Good-bye. | ohrvwahr (ev not pronounced) |
À demain. | See you tomorrow. | ah duhman (Lit: To/Until Tomorrow) |
Au revoir, à demain. | Bye, see you tomorrow. | |
À tout à l'heure. | See you (later today)! | ah tootah luhr |
À la prochaine. | See you (tomorrow)! | ah lah proh shayn |
À bientôt. | See you soon. | ah byantoe |
Ciao | Bye. | chow (Italian) |
Vocabulary: Courtesy
editPlease | S'il te plaît. | (Lit: If it pleases you.) |
S'il vous plaît. | (formal). | |
Thanks (a lot) | Merci (beaucoup). | |
You're welcome. | De rien. | (Lit: It's nothing.) |
Pas de quoi. | (Lit: Not of what.) (No problem.) | |
Je t'en prie. | I pray you (informal) | |
Je vous en prie | (formal) |
Vocabulary: Titles
editFrench | Abbr. | Pronunciation | English, Usage | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular Plural |
Monsieur Messieurs. |
M. | muhsyeu mehsyeu |
Mr., Sir. Gentlemen. |
Singular Plural |
Madame Mesdames |
Mme | mahdamn maydahm |
Mrs., Ma'am. Ladies |
Singular Plural |
Mademoiselle Mesdemoiselles |
Mlle | mahdmwahzell mehdmwahzell |
Miss, Young lady Young ladies |
Vocabulary: How are you?
editComment allez-vous? (formal), Comment vas-tu? (informal), Comment ça va?/Ça va ? (informal) |
How are you? |
Ça va (très) bien | I'm doing (very) well (lit. It's going (very) well) |
Oui, ça va. | Yes, it goes. |
Très bien, merci. | Very well, thanks. |
Pas mal. | Not Bad |
pas si bien/pas très bien | not so well |
(très) mal | (very) bad |
Comme ci, comme ça. | So-So. |
Désolé(e). | I'm sorry. |
Et toi? Et vous? |
And you? (informal) And you? (formal) |
Vocabulary: Cardinal numbers
editun | 1 | une unité (a unity) |
deux | 2 | |
trois | 3 | |
quatre | 4 | |
cinq | 5 | |
six | 6 | |
sept | 7 | |
huit | 8 | |
neuf | 9 | |
dix | 10 | une dizaine (one ten) |
onze | 11 | |
douze | 12 | une douzaine (one dozen) |
treize | 13 | |
quatorze | 14 | |
quinze | 15 | |
seize | 16 | |
dix-sept | 17 | |
dix-huit | 18 | |
dix-neuf | 19 | |
vingt | 20 | une vingtaine (around twenty) |
vingt et un | 21 | |
vingt [deux - neuf] | 22-29 | |
trente | 30 | |
trente et un | 31 | |
trente [deux - neuf] | 32-39 | |
quarante | 40 | |
cinquante | 50 | |
soixante | 60 | |
soixante-dix | 70 | |
soixante et onze | 71 | |
soixante-[douze - dix-neuf] | 72-79 | |
quatre-vingts | 80 | |
quatre-vingt-un | 81 | |
quatre-vingt-[deux - neuf] | 82-89 | |
quatre-vingt-dix | 90 | |
quatre-vingt-[onze - dix-neuf] | 91-99 | |
cent | 100 | une centaine (one hundred) |
[deux - neuf] cents | 200-900 | |
deux cent un | 201 | |
neuf cent un | 901 | |
mille | 1.000 | un millier (one thousand) |
(un) million | 1.000.000 | |
(un) milliard | 1.000.000.000 |
Things of note about numbers:
- For 70-79, it builds upon "soixante" but past that it builds upon a combination of terms for 80-99
- Only the first (21,31,41,51,61 and 71, but not 81 nor 91) have "et un" without a hyphen; but past this it is simply both words consecutively (vingt-six, trente-trois, etc) with a hyphen in between.
- For 100-199, it looks much like this list already save that "cent" is added before the rest of the number; this continues up to 1000 and onward.
- Many speakers of French outside of France refer to the numbers 70 to 99 in the same pattern as the other numbers. For instance, in Switzerland and Belgium, seventy is "septante," 71 is "septante et un," 72 "septante deux," and so on. Ninety is "nonante". In Switzerland, Eighty is "huitante" or "octante".
Vocabulary: The days of the week.
edit# | French | Pronunciation | English | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | lundi | luhndee | Monday | Moon |
2 | mardi | mahrdee | Tuesday | Mars |
3 | mercredi | maircruhdee | Wednesday | Mercury |
4 | jeudi | juhdee | Thursday | Jupiter |
5 | vendredi | vahndruhdee | Friday | Venus |
6 | samedi | sahmdee | Saturday | Saturn |
7 | dimanche | deemahnsh | Sunday | Sun |
Notes:
- What day is it today? is equivalent to Quel jour sommes nous aujourd'hui?, Quel jour est on aujourd'hui? or On est quel jour aujourd'hui? (last one is less formal but more common)
- Quel jour sommes nous aujourd'hui? can be answered with Aujourd'hui c'est..., C'est... or Nous sommes ... / On est...
- Nous sommes... is not used with hier, aujourd’hui, or demain. C'était (past) or C'est (present/future) must be used accordingly.
- The days of the week are not capitalized in French.
1a | Aujourd'hui on est quel jour ? | Today is what day? | ojzoordwee on ay kell jzoor |
1b | Aujourd'hui on est [jour]. | Today is [day]. | |
2a | Demain c'est quel jour ? | Tomorrow is what day? | Duhman on ay kell jzoor |
2b | Demain c'est [jour]. | Tomorrow is [day]. |
avant-hier | the day before yesterday |
hier | yesterday |
aujourd'hui | today |
ce soir | tonight |
demain | tomorrow |
après-demain | the day after tomorrow |
Vocabulary: The months of the year
edit# | French | Pronounced | English |
---|---|---|---|
01 | janvier | jzahnvyay | January |
02 | février | fayvryay | February |
03 | mars | mahrse | March |
04 | avril | ahvrill | April |
05 | mai | maye | May |
06 | juin | jzwan | June |
07 | juillet | jzuyay | July |
08 | août | oot/oo | August |
09 | septembre | septahmbruh | September |
10 | octobre | oktuhbr | October |
11 | novembre | novahmbr | November |
12 | décembre | daysahmbr | December |
- The months of the year are not capitalized in French.
- For phrases relating to the months of the year, see the phrasebook
Quelle est la date (d'aujourd'hui) ? |
What is the date (today)? |
kell ay lah daht |
C'est le [#] [month]. | It's [month] [#]. | say leuh... |
Vocabulary: Seasons
editla saison | season |
au printemps | Spring |
l'été (m) | Summer |
l'automne (m) | Autumn |
l'hiver (m) | Winter |
Vocabulary: Asking for the time
editAsking for the time. | |||
---|---|---|---|
4a | Quelle heure est-il ? | What hour/time is it? | kell er ayteel |
4b | Quelle heure il est ? | kell er eel ay | |
5 | Il est [nombre] heure(s). | It is [number] hours. | eelay [nombre] er |
Vocabulary: Time
editIn French, “il est” is used to express the time; though it would literally translate as “he is”, it is actually, in this case, equivalent to “it is” (impersonal "il"). Unlike in English, it is always important to use “heures” (“hours”) when referring to the time. In English, it is OK to say, “It’s nine,” but this wouldn’t make sense in French.
Quelle heure est-il ? | What time is it? |
Il est une heure. | It is one o’clock. |
Il est trois heures. | It is three o’clock. |
Il est dix heures. | It is ten o’clock. |
Il est midi. | It is noon. |
Il est minuit. | It is midnight. |
Il est quatre heures cinq. | It is five past four. |
Il est quatre heures et quart. | It is a quarter past four. |
Il est quatre heures moins le quart | It is a quarter till 4. |
Il est quatre heures quinze. | It is four fifteen. |
Il est quatre heures et demie. | It is half past four. |
Il est quatre heures trente. | It is four thirty. |
Il est cinq heures moins vingt. | It is twenty to five. |
Il est quatre heures quarante. | It is four forty. |
Vocabulary: Times of day
editle lever du jour | daybreak lit:the rise of the day |
le lever du soleil | sunrise lit: the rise of the sun |
le soleil levant | rising sun. |
le matin | morning |
...du matin | A.M., lit: of the morning |
hier matin | yesterday morning |
le midi | noon, midday |
l'après-midi (m) | afternoon |
le soir | evening, in the evening |
...du soir | P.M. lit: of the evening |
la nuit | night |
le coucher du soleil | sunset |
G: The verb avoir
edit"Avoir" can be translated as "to have".
Formation
editavoir /a.vwaʁ/ (ah-vwahr) | to have |
---|---|
j'ai /e/ (ay) | I have |
tu as /a/ (ah) | you have |
il a /a/ (ah) | he has |
nous avons /a.vɔ̃/ (ah-voh(n)) | we have |
vous avez /a.ve/ (ah-vay) | you have |
ils ont /ɔ̃/ (oh(n)) | they have |
eu /y/ | had |
Examples
editJ'ai deux stylos. | I have two pens. |
Tu as trois frères. | You have three brothers. |
Il a une idée. | He has an idea. |
Expressing Age
editAvoir is used to express age.
- Tu as quel âge? - How old are you? [lit: You have what age?]
- J'ai trente ans. - I'm thirty (years old). [lit: I have thirty years]
There is/are - Il y a
editThe expression il y a means there is or there are.
- Il y a un livre. - There is a book.
- Il y a des livres. - There are books.
Vocabulary: The Family
editImmediate Family | |
---|---|
ma famille | my family |
les parents | parents |
la mère | mother |
le père | father |
la femme | wife |
le mari | husband |
la soeur | sister |
le frère | brother |
l'enfant | child (m or f) |
les enfants | children |
la fille | daughter |
le fils | son |
Grammar: Direct Object Pronouns le, la, and les
editle, la, and les are called direct object pronouns, because they are pronouns that are, you guessed it, used as direct objects. A direct object is a noun that is acted upon by a verb.
- Il lance la balle. - He throws the ball.
In the above sentence la balle is the direct object.
You have learned earlier that names and regular nouns can be replaced by the subject pronouns (je, tu...). Similary, direct objects, such as "la balle", can be replaced by pronouns.
- le - replaces a masculine singular direct object
- la - replaces a feminine singular direct object
- l' - replaces le and la if they come before a vowel
- les - replaces plural direct objects, both masculine and feminine
The direct object pronouns come before the verb they are linked to.
- Il la lance. - He throws it.
- Il les lance. - He throws them.
Le, la, and les can replace either people or inanimate objects.
D: Where are you from?
editQuentin | Bonjour, Léon. Dis donc, Tu es d’où? |
---|---|
Léon | Je suis de Paris, Quentin. |
Quentin | Alors, tu es français? |
Léon | Oui, exactement. |
Quentin | Et Marie, elle est d’où? |
Léon | Elle est de Marseille. Elle est française, aussi. |
Quentin | Merci, Léon. Au revoir. |
Grammar: Subject pronouns
editFrench has six different types of pronouns: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural.
1st person | singular | je | I |
---|---|---|---|
plural | nous | we | |
2nd person | singular | tu | you |
plural | vous | you | |
3rd person | singular | il, elle, on | he, she, one |
plural | ils, elles | they (masculine) they (feminine) |
When referring to more than one person in the 2nd person, “vous” must be used. When referring to a single person, “vous” or “tu” may be used depending on the situation; see notes in the introductory lessons.
The pronoun it does not exist in French. Il replaces all masculine nouns, even those that are not human. The same is true with elle and feminine nouns.
In addition to the nuances between vous and tu, as discussed earlier, French pronouns carry meanings that do not exist in English pronouns. The French third person "on" has several meanings, but most closely matches the now archaic English "one". While in English, "One must be very careful in French grammar" sounds old-fashioned, the French equivalent "On doit faire très attention à la grammaire française" is quite acceptable. Also, while the third person plural "they" has no gender in English, the French equivalents "ils" and "elles" do. However, when pronounced, they normally sound the same as "il" and "elle", so distinguishing the difference requires understanding of the various conjugations of the verbs following the pronoun. Also, if a group of people consists of both males and females, the male form is used, even with a majority of females — however, this sensibly yields to overwhelming majority: given a group of only one male to thousands of females, the female form would be used.
In everyday language, “on” is used, instead of “nous”, to express “we”; the verb is always used in the 3rd person singular. For example, to say "We (are) meeting at 7 o'clock", you could say either “On se rencontre au cinéma à sept heures.” (colloquial) or “Nous rencontrons au cinéma à sept heures.” (formal). For more, see the Wikipedia entry.
G: Introduction to Verbs
editA verb is a word that describes an action or mental or physical state.
Tenses and Moods
editFrench verbs can be formed in four moods, each of which express a unique feeling. Each mood has a varying number of tenses, which indicate the time when an action takes place. In the next section, we will look at the conjugations in the present tense of the indicative mood, more commonly called the present indicative. There is one conjugation for each of the six subject pronouns.
Infinitives
editThe infinitive form is the basic form of a verb. It does not refer to a particular tense, person or subject. In this book, the infinitive form of the verb is used to identify it. In English, the infinitive form is to ___. In French, the infinitive is one word. For example, parler translates to to speak, finir translates to to finish, and aller translates to to go.
Conjugation
editFrench verbs conjugate, which means they take different shapes depending on the subject. English verbs only have one conjugation; that is the third person singular (I see, you see, he/she sees, we see, they see). The only exception is the verb "to be" (I am; (thou art); you are; he/she is; we are; they are;). Most French verbs will conjugate into many different forms. Most verbs are regular, which means that they conjugate in the same way. The most common verbs, however, are irregular.
G: Être - To Be
editÊtre translates as to be in English. It is an irregular verb, and is not conjugated like any other verb.
Formation
editSingular | Plural | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first person | je suis | jeuh swee | I am | nous sommes | noo sum | we are |
second person | tu es | too ay | you are | vous êtes | voozett | you are |
third person | il est | eel ay | he is | ils sont | eelsohn | they are (masc. or mixed) |
elle est | ell ay | she is | ||||
on est | ohn ay | one is | elles sont | ellsohn | they are (fem.) |
Examples
editJe suis avocat. | I am (a) lawyer. | jzeuh swee ah voh cah |
Tu es à la banque. | You are at the bank. | too ay ah lah bahnk |
Il est beau. | He is handsome. | eel ay boh |
Try to learn all these conjugations. They will become very useful in forming tenses.
Idioms
edit- Ça y est! - I've done it! Finished!
- J'y suis! - I get it!
- Vous y êtes? - Are you ready?
Expressing Agreement
editTu es d’accord ou pas?, Tu es d’accord? (lit: You are of agreement?), or simply D'accord? is used informally to ask whether someone agrees with you.
To respond positively, you say Oui, je suis d'accord. or simply D'accord. D'accord corresponds to the English okay.
Grammar: Cities and Nationalities
editTo say what city you are from, you use the preposition de.
- Il est de Paris.
When stating your nationality or job, it is not necessary to include the article. This is an exception to the normal rule.
- Je suis Australien(ne). - I am [an] Australian.
There is both a masculine and feminine form of saying your nationality - for males and females respectively.
- Il est Australien. - He is [an] Australian.
- Elle est Australienne. - She is [an] Australian.
In the next lesson, you will learn how to say the nationality of more than one person.
Check for understanding Please use the the nationalities list to find out what your nationality is in French. Then say what city you are from and what nationality you are. Then say what nationality some of your friends are, and what city they are from. For example, Marie est italienne. Elle est de Rome. |
Grammar: Adjectives - Les adjectifs
editJust like articles, French adjectives also have to match the nouns that they modify in gender and plurality.
Regular Formation
editMost adjective changes occur in the following manner:
- Feminine: add an -e to the masculine form
- un garçon intéressant --> une fille intéressante
- un ami amusant --> une amie amusante
- un camion lent --> une voiture lente
- Plural: add an -s to the singular form
- un garçon intéressant --> des garçons intéressants
- une fille intéressante --> des filles intéressantes
Pronunciation
editGenerally, the final consonant is pronounced only when it comes before an -e. Most adjectives, such as those above, are affected by this rule.
- Masculine Pronunciation: intéressan, amusan, len
- Feminine Pronunciation: intéressant, amusant, lent
With plural adjectives, the -s ending is not pronounced, so the adjective will sound exactly the same as the singular form.
Exceptions and Irregularities
editAdjectives that end in e in the masculine form do not change in gender. When an adjective, such as gros, ends in -s, it does not change in the masculine plural form. Sometimes the final consonant is doubled in the feminine form. See French/Grammar/Adjectives for more.
Vocabulary: Describing People
editMasculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Plural |
---|---|---|---|
size and weight | |||
Il est petit. | Elle est petite. | Ils sont petits. | Elles sont petites. |
Il est moyen. | Elle est moyenne. | Ils sont moyens. | Elles sont moyennes. |
Il est grand. | Elle est grande. | Ils sont grands. | Elles sont grandes. |
Il est gros. | Elle est grosse. | Ils sont gros. | Elles sont grosses. |
hair color | |||
Il est blond. | Elle est blonde. | Ils sont blonds. | Elles sont blondes. |
Il est brun. | Elle est brune. | Ils sont bruns. | Elles sont brunes. |
attitude and personality | |||
Il est intelligent. | Elle est intelligente. | Ils sont intelligents. | Elles sont intelligentes. |
Il est intéressant. | Elle est intéressante. | Ils sont intéressants. | Elles sont intéressantes. |
Il est amusant. | Elle est amusante. | Ils sont amusants. | Elles sont amusantes. |
Vocabulary: Common Adjectives
editAttitude and Personality | Size and Weight | ||
---|---|---|---|
sympa(thique)(s) | nice | gros(se)(ses) | fat |
amusant(e)(s) | funny | petit(e)(s) | small |
intelligent(e)(s) | intelligent | moyen(ne)(s) | average |
intéressant(e)(s) | interesting | grand(e)(s) | big |
patient(e)(s) | patient | ||
sociable(s) | sociable | Actions | |
timide(s) | timid | bon(ne(s) | good |
dynamique(s) | outgoing | mauvais(e)(s) | bad |
gentil(le)(s) | nice, gentle | Difficulty | |
strict(e)(s) | strict | facile(s) | easy |
fort(e)(s) | strong | difficile(s) | difficult |
Vocaabulary: Colors
editMasculine | Feminine | English |
---|---|---|
blanc | blanche | white |
gris | grise | gray |
noir | noire | black |
rouge | rouge | red |
orange | orange | orange |
jaune | jaune | yellow |
vert | verte | green |
bleu | bleue | blue |
violet | violette | violet |
marron | marron | brown (everything but hair) |
brun | brune | brown (hair - dark haired) |
rose | rose | pink |
safran | safranne | saffron |
Grammar: Adverbs Expressing Degree
edit- assez - rather, enough
- Il est assez intelligent. - He is rather intelligent.
- très - very
- Il est trèszintelligent.[1] - He is very intelligent.
- vraiment - truly, really
- Il est vraiment intelligent. - He is really intelligent.
^ Often when a vowel sound comes after a consonant, the usually unpronounced s and z change to a sharp z sound and link to the next syllable. This process is called liaison. In this book, will will show that the sound is connected using z. Trèszin is pronounced trayzahn.
G: Regular -er Verbs
editFormation
editMost French verbs fall into the category of -er verbs. To conjugate, drop the -er to find the "stem" or "root". Add endings to the root based on the subject and tense.
Grammar -er Verb Formation · Formation de verbes en -er | ||
---|---|---|
pronoun | ending | verb |
je | -e | joue |
tu | -es | joues |
il/elle | -e | joue |
nous | -ons | jouons |
vous | -ez | jouez |
ils/elles | -ent | jouent |
Elision and Liaison
editIn all conjugations, je changes to j ' when followed by a vowel. Example: J'attends. Also, as a rule of thumb: h is considered a vowel; as in J'habite.... If a phrase is negative, ne changes to n'.
In all plural forms, the s at the end of each subject pronoun, normally unpronounced, becomes a z sound and the n of on becomes pronounced when followed by a vowel.
Common -er Verbs
editGrammar Formation of Common -er Verbs · Formation des verbes communs en -er | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Infinitive | Stem | Present Indicative Conjugation | |||||
First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |||||
parler | parl | Je parle | Tu parles | Il parle | Singular | ||
to speak | Nous parlons | Vous parlez | Ils parlent | Plural | |||
habiter | habit | J'habite | Tu habites | Il habite | Singular | ||
to live | Nous habitons | Vous habitez | Ils habitent | Plural | |||
écouter | écout | J'écoute | Tu écoutes | Il écoute | Singular | ||
to listen | Nous écoutons | Vous écoutez | Ils écoutent | Plural |
S'amuser
editThe verb s'amuser means to have fun in English. It is a type of pronominal verb (a verb that includes a pronoun as part of it) called a reflexive verb, which means that the action of the verb is reflected back onto the subject. Literally translated, the verb means To amuse oneself.
Formation
editGrammar Formation of Common -er Verbs · Formation des verbes communs en -er | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Infinitive | Stem | Present Indicative Conjugation | |||||
First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |||||
s'amuser | amus | Je m'amuse | Tu t'amuses | Il s'amuse | Singular | ||
to have fun | Nous nous amusons | Vous vous amusez | Ils s'amusent | Plural |
Conjugated Verb + Infinitive
editLike in English, some verbs can be followed by infinitives. The most common -er verbs used in this manner are aimer and détester.
- J'aime parler. - I like to speak.
- Nous détestons travailler. - We hate working.
When negating a sentence, remember that the negative goes around the conjugated verb.
- Je n'aime pas parler. - I don't like to speak.
D: Recreation
editHere is a short dialog about people planning/doing leisure activities. Besides the new vocabulary you should also have a look at how the verbs are conjugated depending on the subject of the sentence.
- Jean-Paul : Qu'est-ce que vous faites ?
- Marc et Paul : Nous jouons au tennis.
- Marie : Je finis mes devoirs.
- Michel : J'attends mon ami.
- Pierre : Je vais au parc.
- Christophe : Je viens du stade.
V: Recreation
editQu'est-ce que vous faites? | What are you doing? |
jouer | to play |
finir[2] | to finish |
attendre[3] | to wait (for) |
aimer | to like |
détester | to hate |
rigoler | to joke around[4] |
(mon) ami(e)[5] | (my) friend |
^ Finir and attendre are not -er verbs. You will learn their conjugation in a later lesson.
^ Tu rigoles! means You’re joking! or You don’t mean it!
^ Mon is often substituted for ma when the following word begins with a vowel. Thus, mon amie is used instead of ma amie, while ma bonne amie would be okay.
V: Places
editle parc | park |
la piscine | swimming pool |
la plage | beach |
le restaurant | restaurant |
le stade | stadium |
G: Indirect Object Pronouns lui and leur
editIndirect objects are prepositional phrases with the object of the preposition, a direct object is a noun that receives the action of a verb.
- Il jette la balle à Jacques. - He throws the ball to Jack.
- Il jette la balle à Marie. - He throws the ball to Mary.
- Il jette la balle à Jacques et Marie. - He throws the ball to Jack and Mary.
Lui and leur are indirect object pronouns. They replace nouns referring to people and mean to him/her and to them respectively.
- lui - replaces a singular masculine or feminine indirect object referring to a human
- leur - replaces a plural masculine or feminine indirect object referring to a human
An example follows:
- Il lui jette la balle. - He throws the ball to him.
- Il lui jette la balle. - He throws the ball to her.
- Il leur jette la balle. - He throws the ball to them.
Whether lui means to him or to her is given by context.
In English, "He throws him the ball" is also said, and means the same thing.
When used with the direct object pronouns le, la, and les, lui and leur come after those pronouns.
- Il la lui jette. - He throws it to him.
Note that while le, la, and les are used to replace people or inanimate objects, lui and leur are not used to replace innanimate objects and things.
Also note that unlike le and la, which are shortened to l' when followed by a vowel, lui is never shortened
V: Jouer
editThe verb jouer is a regular -er verb meaning to play. It can be used to refer to both sports and instruments.
When referring to sports, use jouer à, but when referring to instruments, use jouer de...
As always, jouer must be conjugated rather than left in the infinitive.
Vocabulary Play · Jouer | |||
---|---|---|---|
jouer à... | jouer de... | ||
au baseball | baseball | de la clarinette | clarinet |
au basket | basketball | du piano | piano |
au football | soccer; football | de la guitare | guitar |
au football américain | American football | du violon | violin |
au golf | golf | de la batterie | drums (singular in French) |
au tennis | tennis | ||
au volley | volleyball |
V: The House
editVocabulary The House · La maison | |||
---|---|---|---|
General | Actions | ||
la rue[6] | street | arriver (à la maison) | to arrive (home) |
la (belle) vue | (beautiful) sight, view | rentrer (à la maison) | to go back home |
(tout) près (de) (pas) (tout) loin (de) |
(very) close (to) (not) (very) far (from) |
quitter (la maison)[7] quitter (une salle) |
to leave (home) to leave (a room) |
chez [person] | at the house of [person] at [person]'s house |
donner sur la rue donner sur la cour |
to overlook the street to overlook the courtyard |
Houses | habiter | to live (somewhere) | |
la maison la maisonnette le pavillon |
house, home small house individual house |
habiter en ville habiter en banlieue |
to live downtown to live in the suburb |
l’immeuble (m) | (appartment) building | Floors | |
l'appartement (m) | flat/apartment | l'étage (m) | level |
le studio | studio | le rez-de-chaussée | lobby, ground floor |
H.L.M. (Habitations à Loyer Modéré) |
low income housing | le premier étage le deuxième étage le troisième étage |
second floor third floor fourth floor |
Cities and Neigborhoods | |||
le quartier | neigborhood | le centre ville | downtown |
l'arrondissement (m) | district | la ville | city |
la banlieue | the suburb | le village | town |
Rooms | Parts of a Room | ||
la pièce la chambre |
room | le plafond | ceiling |
la salle de séjour | family room | le sol | ground |
la cave | basement | la fenêtre | window |
le grenier | attic | le toit | roof |
la cuisine | kitchen | Entering and Exiting | |
la salle à manger | dining room | le mur | wall |
la salle de bains | bathroom | l'escalier (m) | stairs |
la chambre à coucher | bedroom | monter à pied | to walk up stairs |
le garage | Garage | l'ascenseur (m) | elevator/lift |
les toilettes (f) (no singular) |
water-closet, restroom (only toliet, no bath) |
monter en ascenseur prendre l'ascenseur |
to go up by elevator to take the elevator |
le bureau | office | monter à pied | to go up by foot |
Outside a House | la porte | door | |
la voiture | car | l'entrée (f) | entry(way) |
la terrase | patio | Furniture | |
le balcon | balcony | le rideau | curtain |
le jardin | garden | la chaise | chair |
la fleur | flower | la table | table |
l'arbre (m) | tree | l'armoire (f) | cupboard |
la cour | courtyard | le lit | bed |
le (la) voisin(e) | neigbor | le tapis | carpet |
le fauteuil | armchair |
^ To express to live on ____ street, you say habiter rue ____
- J'habite Rue Lecourbe. - I live on Lecourbe Street.
- Il habite Rue de Rennes. - He lives on Rennes Street.
^ Quitter must be followed by a direct object, usually a room or building.. Partir is used in other phrases. You will learn how to conjugate these verbs in a future lesson.
G: Faire
editThe verb faire is translated to to do or to make. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -re verb).
Formation
editfaire /fɛʁ/ (fehr) | to do |
---|---|
je fais /fɛ/ (feh) | I do |
tu fais /fɛ/ (feh) | you do |
il fait /fɛ/ (feh) | he does |
nous faisons /fɛ.zɔ̃/ (feh-zhoh(n)) | we do |
vous faites /fɛt/ (feht) | you do |
ils font /fɔ̃/ (foh(n)) | they do |
fait /ly/ | done |
Uses For Faire
edit- sports (in French you do sports rather than play them)
- weather
- tasks
- le faire causatif
- faire (conjugated) + infinitive - to have something done for oneself
- Je fais réparer le fourneau. - I make/have the stove repaired.
Related Words
edit- défaire - to demolish
- malfaire - to do badly
- refaire - to remake
Expressions with Faire
edit- faire attention - to pay attention
- faire connaissance - to get acquainted
- faire la morale - to scold
- faire la queue - to wait in line
- s'en faire - to worry
G: me, te, nous, and vous
edit- Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns
Meanings
edit- me - me, to me
- te - you, to you (singular, informal)
- nous - us, to us
- vous - you, to you (plural, formal)
Place in sentences
edit- These pronouns are placed before the verb that they modify
- Je te vois. - I see you.
- Je veux te voir. - I want to see you.
- If a perfect tense is used, these pronouns go before the auxillary verb.
- Je t'ai vu. - I saw you.
Direct Object Replacement
edit- Il me voit. - He sees me.
- Il te voit. - He sees you.
- Il nous voit. - He sees us.
- Il vous voit. - He sees you.
Indirect Object Replacement
edit- Il m'appelle. - He calls to me.
- Il te le jette. - He throws it to you.
- Il nous le jette. - He throws it to us.
- Il vous le jette. - He throws it to you.
^ à coté de - at the side of, next to | ^ l'ordinateur (m) - computer | ^ aimer regarder - to like to watch |
^ y (ee) - there | ^ manger - to eat |
G: Standard Negation
editIn order to say that one did not do something, the ne ... pas construction must be used. The ne is placed before the verb, while the pas is placed after.
Formation and Rules
edit- Simple negation is done by wrapping ne...pas around the verb.
- Je ne vole pas. - I do not steal.
- In a perfect tense, ne...pas wraps around the auxillary verb, not the participle.
- Je n'ai pas volé. - I have not stolen.
- When an infinitive and conjugated verb are together, ne...pas usually wraps around the conjugated verb.
- Je ne veux pas voler. - I do not want to steal.
- ne pas can also go directly in front of the infinitive for a different meaning.
- Je veux ne pas voler. - I want to not steal.
- ne goes before any pronoun relating to the verb it affects.
- Je ne le vole pas. - I am not stealing it.
Examples
editGrammar Negation Formation Examples · Exemples de formation de négation | |
---|---|
Il est avocat. Il n'est pas avocat. |
He is [a] lawyer. He is not [a] lawyer. |
Nous faisons nos devoirs. Nous ne faisons pas nos devoirs. |
We are doing our homework. We are not doing our homework. |
Je joue du piano. Je ne joue pas du piano. |
I play the piano. I do not play the piano. |
Vous vendez votre voiture. Vous ne vendez pas votre voiture. |
You sell your car. You do not sell your car. |
Negation of Indefinite Articles
editThe indefinite articles un, une, and des change to de (or d’) when negating a sentence.
- J'ai un livre. - I have a book.
- Je n'ai pas de livre. - I don't have any book.
- J'ai des livres. - I have some books.
- Je n'ai pas de livres. - I don't have any books.
Examples
editIl est belge.. Il n'est pas belge. |
He is Belgian. He is not Belgian. |
Nous lisons un livre. Nous ne lisons pas de livre. |
We read a book. We do not read a book. |
Je mange une cerise. Je ne mange pas de cerise. |
I eat a cherry. I do not eat a cherry. |
G: Contractions
editVocabulary Weather · Le temps | |||
---|---|---|---|
General | Cloudy Weather | ||
le soleil | sun | le nuage Il y a des nuages. . |
cloud It's cloudy. lit: There are some clouds. |
le ciel | sky | nuageux(-euse) | cloudy |
couvert(e)(s) | overcast, lit: covered | ||
Warm Weather | l'éclaircie (f) | clearing, break (in clouds) | |
Il fait beau | It's nice. | Cold and Windy Weather | |
Il fait chaud. | It's warm. | Il fait froid. | It's cold. |
Le ciel est dégagé. Le ciel se dégage. |
The sky is clear. lit: The sky is freed. The sky is clearing up. |
le vent Il fait du vent. Le vent souffle. |
wind It's windy. The wind blows. |
Le soleil brille. | The sun is shining. | la rafale | gust of wind |
Rainy Weather | Snowy Weather | ||
la brume | fog, haze, mist | l'hiver (m) | winter |
le brouillard | fog | la neige Il neige. |
snow It's snowing. |
la bruine | drizzle | la grêle Il tombe de la grêle. . |
hail It's hailing. lit: It falls of the hail. |
une goutte de pluie | a drop of rain | Extreme weather | |
la pluie La pluie tombe. |
rain The rain falls. |
un orage orageux(-euse) Il y a un orage! |
a storm stormy There's a storm! |
Il pleut. il a plu. Il va pleuvoir. |
It's raining. It rained. It's going to rain. |
l'éclair (m) la foudre |
flash (of lightning) lightning |
pluvieux(-euse) Le temps est pluvieux. . |
rainy It's raining. lit: The weather is rainy. |
la tempête | storm, tempest |
de gros nuages noirs. | large black clouds | agité(e)(s) | stormy, agitated |
l'averse (f) | downpour | le tonnerre | thunder |
^ Le temps means both the weather and the time.
G: Aller
editThe verb aller is translated to to go. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -er verb).
Formation
editIn the present indicative, aller is conjugated as follows:
Verb aller · to go | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||||
first person | je vais | jeuh vay | I go | nouszallons | nouzah lohn | we go |
second person | tu vas | too vah | you go | vouszallez | vouzah lay | you go |
third person | il va | eel vah | he goes | ils vont | eel vohn | they go (masc. or mized) |
elle va | ell vah | she goes | ||||
on va | ohn vah | one goes | elles vont | ell vohn | they go (fem.) |
Usage
editThere is no present progressive tense in French, so aller in the present indicative is used to express both I go and I am going.
Aller must be used with a place and cannot stand alone.
The preposition à, meaning in, at, or to, is used, followed by the place.
- Tu vas a l'école? - You're going to school.
Remember that à le contracts to au and à les contracts to aux.
- Je vais au stade. - I'm going to the stage.
Instead of a preposition and place, you can use the pronoun y, meaning there. Y comes before the verb. Remember that aller must be used with a place (there or a name) when indicating that you are going somewhere, even if a place wouldn't normally be given in English.
- J'y vais. - I'm going there.
- Tu y vas. - You're going there.
- Nous y allons. - We're going there.
Futur Proche
editThe structure aller + infinitive is used to say that something is going to happen in the near future.
- Il va pleuvoir demain. - It's going to rain tomorrow.
- Il va faire froid. - It's going to be cold.
Remember that the negative goes around the conjugated verb.
- Il ne va pas pleuvoir demain. - It's not going to rain tomorrow.
Idioms
edit- Allons-y - ahlonzee - Let's go! (impératif)
- Ça va? - How are you? (lit: It goes?)
- On y va! - Let's get going!
- On y va? - Should we go?
Liaison
editUsually, whenever a vowel sound comes after ...ons or ...ez, the usually unpronounced s and z change to a sharp z sound and link to the next syllable. (This process is called liaison.) However, since allons and allez begins with vowels, nous allons is pronounced nyoozahloh and vous allez is pronounced voozahlay. In order to have a pleasing and clean sound, two liaisons should not go connsecultively. There is therefore no liaison in allons à when it comes right after nous and allez à when it comes after vous.
- In the phrase Vous allez à l'école?, vous allez à is pronounced vouzahlay ah.
- In the phrase vous et Marie allez à l'école?, allez à is pronounced ahlayzah.
G: Regular -ir Verbs
editThe second category of regular French verbs is -ir verbs. To conjugate, drop the -ir to find the "stem" or "root". Add endings to the root based on the subject and tense.
Grammar -ir Verb Formation · Formation des verbes en -ir | ||
---|---|---|
pronoun | ending | verb |
je | -is | finis |
tu | -is | finis |
il/elle | -it | finit |
nous | -issons | finissons |
vous | -issez | finissez |
ils/elles | -issent | finissent |
G: Possessive Adjectives
editFormation
editGrammar Possessive Adjectives · Les adjectifs possessifs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Person | Second Person | Third Person | ||||
Singular | mon, ma, mes | my | ton, ta, tes | your | son, sa, ses | his, her |
Plural | notre, notre, nos | our | votre, votre, vos | your | leur, leur, leurs | their |
Usage
editAs you can probably tell from their name, possessive adjective are used to express possession of an object.
- C'est mon livre. - It's my book.
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.
Grammar Possesive Adjective Usage · Utilisation des adjectifs possessifs | |||
---|---|---|---|
Masculine Noun le livre |
Feminine Noun la voiture | ||
le livre de Marc the book of Marc |
son livre his book |
la voiture de Marc the car of Marc |
sa voiture his car |
les livres de Marc the books of Marc |
ses livres his books |
les voitures de Marc the cars of Marc |
ses voitures his cars |
le livre de Marie the book of Marie |
son livre her book |
la voiture de Marie the car of Marie |
sa voiture her car |
les livres de Marie the books of Marie |
ses livres her books |
les voitures de Marie the cars of Marie |
ses voitures her cars |
Whether the third person singular possessive adjectives son, sa and ses are his or her is indicated by context.
- Elle lit son livre. - She reads her book.
Liaison and Adjective Changes
editLiaison occurs when mon, ton, and son are followed by a vowel.
- Il est monnami. - He is my friend.
- Il est tonnami. - He is your friend.
- Il est sonnami. - He is his/her friend.
Liaison also occurs with all plural forms, since they all end in s.
- Ils sont meszamis. - They are my friends.
- Ils sont noszamis. - They are our friends.
Mon, ton, and son are used before a feminine singular noun. Elision (to m', t', or s') does not occur.
- Elle est monnamie. - She is my friend.
G: Regular -re Verbs
editThe third category of regular verbs is made up of -re' verbs. To conjugate, drop the -re to find the "stem" or "root". Add endings to the root based on the subject and tense, as demonstrated below for the present tense.
Formation
editGrammar -re Verb Formation · Formation des verbes en -re | ||
---|---|---|
pronoun | ending | verb |
je (j') | -s | attends |
tu | -s | attends |
il/elle | - | attend |
nous | -ons | attendons |
vous | -ez | attendez |
ils/elles | -ent | attendent |
Vendre
editThe verb vendre is a regular -re verb:
vendre /vɑ̃dʁ/ (vahn(n)dr) | to sell |
---|---|
je vends /vɑ̃/ (vahn) | I sell |
tu vends /vɑ̃/ (vahn) | you sell |
il vend /vɑ̃/ (vahn) | he sells |
nous vendons /vɑ̃.dɔ̃/ (vahn dohn) | we sell |
vous vendez /vɑ̃.de/ (vahn day) | you sell |
ils vendent /vɑ̃d/ (vahnde) | they sell |
vendu /vɑ̃.dy/ | sold |
Common -re Verbs
editCompared to -er verbs, -re verbs are not very common. You will however see the following verbs fairly often.
G: Beau, Nouveau, and Vieux
editFormation
editGrammar The Adjectives Beautiful, New, and Old · Beau, Nouveau, and Vieux | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Masc. Consonant | Masc. Vowel | Fem. Sing. (all) | ||
Beau | Singular | un beau garçon | un bel individu | une belle fillette |
Plural | de beaux garçons | de beauxzindividus | de belles fillettes | |
Nouveau | Singular | un nouveau camion | un nouvel ordre | une nouvelle idée |
Plural | de nouveaux camions | de nouveauxzordres | de nouvelles idées | |
Vieux | Singular | un vieux camion | un vieil ordre | une vieille idée |
Plural | de vieux camions | de vieuxzordres | de vieilles idées |
Sentences Placement
editAs you have already learned, most adjectives come after the noun they modify in French.
- un homme intelligent - an intelligent man
- des hommes intelligents - intelligent men
However, some common French adjectives, including beau, nouveau, and vieux come before the noun.
- une jolie voiture - a pretty car
Des is replaced with de when an adjective comes before the noun.
- de jolies voitures - pretty cars
Note that in informal speech, des in very often used in place of de.
G: Prendre
editPrendre is not a regular -re verb, and is conjugated differently.
Formation
editprendre /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 |
Related Words
edit- prendre - to take
- apprendre - to learn
- comprendre - to comprehend/understand
- se méprendre - to be mistaken
- surprendre - to surprise
Idioms and Related Expressions
edit- prendre - to take, to have something to eat
- prendre conscience (de) - to become aware (of)
- prendre la correspondance - to change trains
- prendre une décision - to make a decision
- prendre des kilos - to gain weight
- prendre part (à) - to take part (in)
- prendre la parole - to start talking
- prendre le pas sur - to surpass
- prendre le petit déjeuner - to eat breakfast
- prendre rendez-vous - to make an appointment