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French

This is the print version of French You won't see this message or any elements not part of the book's content when you print or preview this page.

Main Contents

• Lessons
• Grammar
• Appendices
• Texts
• Q&A
• About the Book
• GFDL

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LESSONS

Contents

• Introductory Lessons
• Level One Lessons
• Level Two Lessons
• Level Three Lessons
• GNU Free Documentation License

Information

Lessons Information

A printable version of French lessons is available. (edit it)

Lesson Planning Concept Lessons Downloadable and Print Versions

• Updating:
  • If a lesson is added or the name of an existing lesson is changed, please update:
    • The print version
    • The level one main page, the level two main page, or the level three main page
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(edit template) (discussion) Lessons Information • Introductory • Level One • Level Two • Level Three • Level Four • Q&A • Planning

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INTRODUCTORY

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Introductory Lessons Contents

• Lesson 0.01 - Introduction
• Lesson 0.02 - Learning French
• Lesson 0.03 - The Alphabet
• Lesson 0.04 - Accents
• Lesson 0.05 - Greetings
• Lesson 0.06 - Formal Speech
• Lesson 0.07 - How are you?
• Lesson 0.08 - Numbers
• Lesson 0.09 - The Date
• Lesson 0.10 - Telling Time
• Lesson 0 Review
• Lesson 0 Test

Information

Bonjour! - Introductory French

01	Leçon 01 : Introduction	History of the French Language Extent of the French Language
	Lesson 01 : Introduction
02	Leçon 02 : Apprendre le français	Reasons To Learn French, Book Organization Advice on Studying French
	Lesson 02 : Learning French
03	Leçon 03 : L'alphabet	Letters Punctuation
	Lesson 03 : The Alphabet
04	Leçon 04 : Les accents	Acute Accent, Grave Accent Tonic Accent, Stress
	Lesson 04 : Accent Marks
05	Leçon 05 : Les salutations	Greetings Good-byes, Names
	Lesson 05 : Greetings
06	Leçon 06 : Le discours formel	Vous vs. tu, Courtesy Titles, Asking For One's Name
	Lesson 06 : Formal Speech
07	Leçon 07 : Ça va?	Asking How One Is Doing
	Lesson 07 : How are you?
08	Leçon 08 : Les nombres	Cardinal Numbers Ordinal Numbers
	Lesson 08 : Numbers
09	Leçon 09 : Les dates	Numbers 01-31, Seasons Days of the week, Months of the Year
	Lesson 09 : Dates
10	Leçon 10 : L'heure	Numbers 30-60, Times of Day Asking for the time
	Lesson 10 : Telling Time
Rv	Revue	Introductory review Revue de l'introduction
	Review
Ex	L'examen	Chapter test Chapitre l'examen
	Test

Lesson 0.01 - Introduction

Introduction

French is a Romance language descended from Latin which developed as a result of Celtic and Frankish influences in Gaul (now France). Being a Romance language, it is closely related to Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian, as well as many other languages. There are over 87 million native French speakers and an additional 68 million non-native speakers in the world.

History

Further information: w:History of the French language

During the Roman occupation of Gaul, the Latin language was imposed on the natives. This Latin language eventually developed into what is known as Vulgar Latin, which was still very similar to Latin. Over the centuries, due to Celtic and Germanic influences (particularly the Franks), la langue d'oïl was developed. A dialect of la langue d'oïl known as le francien was the language of the court, and thus became the official language of what was to become the Kingdom of France, and later the Nation-State of France.

From medieval times until the 19th century, French was the dominant language of diplomacy, culture, administration, trade and royal courts across Europe. Due to these factors, French was the lingua franca of this time period.

French has influenced many languages world wide, including English. It is through French (or more precisely Norman, a dialect of la langue d'oïl) that English gets about one third of its vocabulary.

Extent of the Language

Main article: w:La Francophonie

Main article: w:French colonial empires

In modern times, French is still a significant diplomatic language: it is an official language of the United Nations, the Olympic Games, and the European Union. It is also the official language of 29 countries and is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Haiti, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, the Congo, Algeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Gabon, the Seychelles, Burundi, Chad, Rwanda, Djibouti, Cameroon, Mauritius, and Canada (mostly in the province of Québec, where it is the primary language, but it is also used in other parts of the country. All consumer product packages in Canada are required by law to have both English and French labels).

Allons-y! Bonne chance!

Lesson 0.02 - Learning French

Reasons to learn French

As mentioned earlier, French is a major diplomatic language. You are bound to find speakers almost anywhere in the world. In addition to these societal reasons, there are hundreds of famous French novels and nonfiction works in a wide variety of subjects. Because much can be lost in translation, the best way to read these works is in the original language.

Advice on studying French

Main article: How to learn a language

French tends to have a reputation among English speakers as hard to learn. While it is true that it poses certain difficulties to native English-speakers, it may be noted that English is also considered 'difficult' to learn, and yet we learned it without the benefit of already knowing a language. In fact, the French language can be learned in only 10 months, if only for the specific purpose of passing a standardized test, such as the Test d'Evaluation de Français. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, in order to reach the level of 'Independent User' (after completing Level B2), you must complete 400 hours of effective learning (so if you study 4 hours a week, every single week of the year, you would need two years to achieve it). Any way you look at it, learning any new language requires a long-term commitment. Remember, that like any skill, it requires a certain amount of effort. And it is likely that if you do not practice your French regularly, you will begin to forget it. Try to make French practice a part of your routine; even if it's not daily, at least make it regular.

Also remember that you are learning a new skill. Try to master the simple stuff before moving on to the more complex concepts. We all have to add and subtract before we can do calculus. French is a complete language. While this course can teach you to read and write in French, these are only half of the skills that make up fluency. A written document cannot teach much about listening to and speaking French. You must train all of these skills, and they will reinforce one another. For listening and speaking, find a native speaker to help you.

The very best way to learn French is to visit France or another French-speaking country. This allows you to start with a clean slate, as babies do. However, since most of us are unwilling or unable to take that step, the next best option is immersion. If you are serious about learning French, a period of immersion (during which you live in a Francophone culture) is a good idea once you have some basic familiarity with the language. If you can't travel to a French-speaking country, then try listening to French-language programs on the radio, TV, or the Internet. Rent or buy French-language movies (many American and U.K. movies have a French language option). Pay attention to pronunciation. Grab a French speaker you meet and talk to him or her in French. Listen, speak, and practice. Read French newspapers and magazines. Google's news page, which links to French-language news stories, is an excellent source that will enrich your vocabulary.

Book organization

This book is divided into one set of preliminary lessons, the page you are reading now, and four increasingly complex lesson levels. The introductory lessons will teach you pronunciation and phrases. In the first level, you will learn basic grammar, including pronouns, the present indicative, most common present tense, and several irregularly-conjugated verbs. In the second level, the passé composé, the most common past tense, is given, along with many other irregular verbs. In the third level, you will learn several more tenses and complex grammar rules. The fourth level (still in development), will be conducted in French and will focus on French literature and prose writing. For more on course structure, and information on how you can help improve this book, see the lessons planning page.

Lesson 0.03 - The Alphabet

A Wikibookian suggests that this book or chapter be merged with v:Learning the Basics of French/Lesson:Introducing Yourself/1. Please discuss whether or not this merger should happen on the discussion page.

Introduction

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •101 kb • help) The French Alphabet L'alphabet français
Characters	Aa	Bb	Cc	Dd	Ee	Ff	Gg	Hh	Ii
Pronunciation	ah	bay	say	day	euh	eff	jhay	ash	ee
Characters	Jj	Kk	Ll	Mm	Nn	Oo	Pp	Qq	Rr
Pronunciation	ghee	kah	el	emm	enn	oh	pay	ku	air
Characters	Ss	Tt	Uu	Vv	Ww	Xx	Yy	Zz
Pronunciation	ess	tay	oo	vay	dubla-vay	eeks	ee-grehk	zed

In addition, French uses several accents which are worth understanding. These are: à, è, ù, (grave accents) and é (acute accent). A circumflex applies to all vowels: â, ê, î, ô, û. A tréma (French for dieresis) is also applied: ë, ï, ü, ÿ. Two combined letters are used: æ and œ, and a cedilla is used on the c to make it sound like an English s: ç. More information on accents will be found in the next section.

Letters and examples

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •101 kb • help) The French Alphabet L'alphabet français
letter	pronunciation	name in French (in IPA transcription)
Aa	like a in father	/a/
Bb	like b in may"be	/be/
Cc	before e and i: like c in center before a, o, or u: like c in cat	/se/
Dd	like d in dog	/de/
Ee	approx. like u in burp**	/ə/
Ff	like f in fog	/ɛf/
Gg	before e and i: like s in measure before a, o, or u: like g in get	/ʒe/
Hh	aspirated h: see note below* non-aspirated h: not pronounced***	/aʃ/
Ii	like ea in team	/i/
Jj	like s in measure	/ʒi/
Kk	like k in kite	/ka/
Ll	like l in lemon	/ɛl/
Mm	like m in minute	/ɛm/
Nn	like n in note	/ɛn/
Oo	closed: approx. like u in nut open: like o in nose	/o/
Pp	like p in pen*	/pe/
Qq	like k in kite	/ky/ see 'u' for details
Rr	force air through the back of your throat near the position of gargling, but sounding soft	/ɛʀ/
Ss	like s in sister at beginning of word or with two s's or like z in amazing if only one s	/ɛs/
Tt	like t in top	/te/
Uu	Say the English letter e, but make your lips say "oo".	/y/
Vv	like v in violin	/ve/
Ww	Depending on the derivation of the word, like v as in violin, or w in water	/dubləve/
Xx	either /ks/ in socks, or /gz/ in exit	/iks/
Yy	like ea in leak	/igrək/
Zz	like z in zebra	/zɛd/

Final consonants

In French, certain consonants are silent when they are the final letter of a word. The letters p (as in 'coup'), s (as in 'héros'), t (as in 'chat'), d (as in 'marchand'), and x (as in 'paresseux'), are generally not pronounced at the end of a word. They are pronounced if there is an e letter after ('coupe', 'chatte', 'marchande', etc.)

Dental consonants

The letters d, l, n,s, t, and z are pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the lower teeth and the middle of the tongue against the roof of the mouth. In English, one would pronounce these letters with the tip of the tongue at the roof of one's mouth. It is very difficult to pronounce a word like 'voudrais' properly with the d formed in the English manner.

b and p

Unlike English, when you pronounce the letters 'b' and 'p' in French, little to no air should come out of your mouth. In terms of phonetics, the difference in the French 'b' and 'p' and their English counterparts is one of aspiration. (This is not the same as the similarly-named concept of 'h' aspiré discussed below). Fortunately, in English both aspirated and unaspirated variants (allophones) exist, but only in specific environments. If you're a native speaker, say the word 'pit' and then the word 'spit' out loud. Did you notice the extra puff of air in the first word that doesn't come with the second? The 'p' in 'pit' is aspirated [pʰ]; the 'p' in 'spit' is not (like the 'p' in any position in French).

Exercise

1. Get a loose piece of printer paper or notebook paper.
2. Hold the piece of paper about one inch (or a couple of centimeters) in front of your face.
3. Say the words baby, and puppy like you normally would in English. Notice how the paper moved when you said the 'b' and the 'p' respectively.
4. Now, without making the piece of paper move, say the words belle (the feminine form of beautiful in French, pronounced like the English 'bell.'), and papa (the French equivalent of "Dad").

• If the paper moved, your pronunciation is slightly off. Concentrate, and try it again.
• If the paper didn't move, congratulations! You pronounced the words correctly!

Aspirated vs. non-aspirated h

In French, the letter h can be aspirated (h aspiré), or not aspirated (h non aspiré), depending on which language the word was borrowed from. What do these terms mean?

• Ex.: the word héros, (hero) has an aspirated h, because when the definite article le is placed before it, the result is le héros, and both words must be pronounced separately. However, the feminine form of héros, héroïne is a non-aspirated h. Therefore, when you put the definite article in front of it, it becomes l'héroïne, and is pronounced as one word.

Remember that in French, an h is NEVER pronounced, whether it is aspirated or not aspirated!

The only way to tell if the h at the beginning of a word is aspirated is to look it up in the dictionary. Some dictionaries will place an asterisk (*) in front of the entry word in the French-English H section if the h is aspirated. Other dictionaries will include it in the pronunciation guide after the key word by placing a (') before the pronunciation. In short, the words must be memorized.

Here is a table of some basic h words that are aspirated and not aspirated:

aspirated	non-aspirated
héros, hero (le héros)	héroïne, heroine (l'héroïne)
haïr, to hate (je hais or j'haïs...)	habiter, to live (j'habite...)
huit, eight (le huit novembre)	harmonie, harmony (l'harmonie)

Exercise

1. Grab a French-English dictionary and find at least ten aspirated h words, and ten non-aspirated h words
2. On a piece of paper, write down the words you find in two columns
3. Look at it every day and memorize the columns

Punctuation

From Wiktionary:

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •608 kb • help) Punctuation La ponctuation
&	esperluette, et commercial		,	virgule		{   }	accolades		~	tilde
'	apostrophe		=	égal		%	pourcent		@	arobase, a commercial, arobe
*	astérisque		$	dollar		.	point
« »	guillemets		!	point d'exclamation		+	plus
\	barre oblique inverse		>	supérieur à		#	dièse
[   ]	crochets		<	inférieur à		?	point d'interrogation
:	deux points		-	moins, tiret, trait d'union		_	soulignement
;	point virgule		(   )	parenthèses		/	barre oblique

The punctuation symbols in French operates very similarly to English with the same meaning. The only punctuation symbol not present in French would be the quotation marks; these are replaced by the guillemets shown in the table above.

The two stroke punctuation marks (such as ;, :, ?, !) may require a non-breaking space before or after the mark in question. For purposes of this textbook, this style will be used to maintain consistency with other projects on WikiMedia - however, the location and context at which you will use French may have different spacing rules. The following resources are an example of available materials for further reading:

• Lexique des règles typographiques en usage à l'Imprimerie nationale, ISBN 9782743304829, Imprimerie nationale
• Wikipédia:Conventions typographiques
• French Style Guide, Nova Scotia Department of Education (for Canadian French)

Lesson 0.04 - Accents

Introduction

Five different kinds of accent marks are used in written French. In many cases, an accent changes the sound of the letter to which it is added. In others, the accent has no effect on pronunciation. Accents in French never indicate stress (which always falls on the last syllable). The following table lists every French accent mark and the letters with which it can be combined:

accent	letters used	examples
acute accent (accent aigu)	é only	éléphant: elephant
grave accent (accent grave)	è, à, ù	fièvre: fever, là: there, où: where
circumflex (accent circonflexe)	â, ê, î, ô, û	gâteau: cake, être: to be, île: island, chômage: unemployment, dû: past participle of devoir
diaeresis (tréma)	ë, ï, ü, ÿ[1]	Noël: Christmas, maïs: corn, aigüe: acute(fem)[2]
cedilla (cédille)	ç only	français: French

1. ↑ Note: The letter ÿ is only used in very rare words, mostly old town names like L'Haÿ-Les-Roses, a Paris surburb. This letter is pronounced like ï.
2. ↑ Note: As of the spelling reform of 1990, the diaresis indicating gu is not a digraph on words finishing in guë is now placed on the u in standard (AKA "académie française" French) : aigüe and not aiguë, cigüe and not ciguë, ambigüe and not ambiguë (acute(fem), conium, ambiguous). Since this reform is relatively recent and mostly unknown to laypeople, the two spellings can be used interchangeably.

Acute accent - Accent aigu

The acute accent (French, accent aigu) is the most common accent used in written French. It is only used with the letter e and is always pronounced /e/.

One use of the accent aigu is to form the past participle of regular -er verbs.

infinitive	past participle
aimer, to love	aimé, loved
regarder, to watch	regardé, watched

Another thing to note is if you are unsure of how to translate certain words into English from French, and the word begins with é, replace that with the letter s and you will occasionally get the English word, or an approximation thereof:

• étable --> stable (for horses)
• école --> scole --> school
• il étudie --> il studie --> he studies
• And to combine what you already know about the accent aigu, here is one last example:
  • étranglé (from étrangler) --> stranglé --> strangled

NB: This will not work with every word that begins with é.

Grave accent - Accent grave

à and ù

In the case of the letters à and ù, the grave accent (Fr. accent grave), is used to graphically distinguish one word from another.

without accent grave	with accent grave
a (3rd pers. sing of avoir, to have)	à (preposition, to, at, etc.)
la (definite article for feminine nouns)	là (there)
ou (conjunction, or)	où (where)

è

Unlike à and ù, è is not used to distinguish words from one another. The è is used for pronunciation. In careful speech, an unaccented e is pronounced like the article a in english (a schwa), and in rapid speech is sometimes not pronounced at all. The è is pronounced like the letter e in pet.

Cedilla - Cédille

The cedilla is used only with the letter "c", and is said to make the "c" soft, making it equivalent to the English and French S.

• le garçon --> (boy)

French Accents on computers

While French keyboards are available, some French students may need to enter accented characters on an English keyboard. There are two methods of doing so - some modern word processing software allow entering accents using a key combination, while other applications may require using an Alt code.

In supporing word processing software, you can initiate an accent by entering an appropriate key combination.

accent	key combination
acute accent (accent aigu)	CTRL-'
grave accent (accent grave)	CTRL-`
circumflex (accent circonflexe)	CTRL-SHIFT-6
diaeresis (tréma)	CTRL-;
cedilla (cédille)	CTRL-,

On applications that do not support the key combinations, the alternate method available to students is to hold down the ALT key, and enter the code number on the keypad. In some applications, you may also need to have the numlock turned on to avoid undesirable effects.

Character	code	Character	code
à	133	À	0192
â	131	Â	0194
ä	132	Ä	142
æ {ae}	145	Æ {ae}	146
œ {oe}	0156	Œ {oe}	0140
ç	135	Ç	128
é	130	É	144
ê	136	Ê	0202
è	138	È	0200
ë	137	Ë	0203
î	140	Î	0206
ï	139	Ï	0207
ô	147	Ô	0212
ù	151	Ù	0217
û	150	Û	0219
ü	129	Ü	154 or 0220
«	174	»	175

Lesson 0.05 - Greetings

A Wikibookian suggests that this book or chapter be merged with v:Learning the Basics of French/Lesson:Introducing Yourself/1. Please discuss whether or not this merger should happen on the discussion page.

D: Greetings

French Dialogue • Print version • audio (upload) Greetings Les salutations
Jacques et Marie
Jacques	Bonsoir, Marie.
Marie	Euh ? Tu t'appelles comment ?
Jacques	Moi[1], je m'appelle Jacques.
Marie	Ah, oui. Quoi de neuf, Jacques ?
Jacques	Pas grand-chose. Alors[2], au revoir, à demain, Marie.
Marie	À la prochaine, Jacques.
Olivier et Luc
Olivier	Salut.
Luc	Bonjour.
Olivier	Tu t'appelles comment ?
Luc	Luc. Et toi ?[3]
Olivier	Je suis Olivier.
Luc	Ah, oui. Alors, à bientôt, Olivier.
Olivier	Salut, Luc !

^ me

^ so, then

^ And you ? (informal)

V: Greetings

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •111 kb • help) Greetings Les salutations
Salut	Hi./Bye.	(informal)
Bonjour	Hello	(more formal than salut) (all day)
Bonsoir	Hello	(after 19h00)
Bonne soirée	Good evening
Bonne nuit	Good night	bun nwee
Quoi de neuf ?	What's up (about you)? (lit. what's new)
Pas grand-chose.	Not much. (lit. no big-thing)

Formal Lesson - Greetings

When talking to one's peers or to children, Salut is used as a greeting. Its English equivalents would be hi and hey. Bonjour, literally meaning good day, should be used for anyone else. Bonsoir is used to say Good evening. Bonne nuit is used to say Good night before going to bed.

V: Good-bye

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •202 kb • help) Good-bye Au revoir
Salut.	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)

Formal lesson - Good-byes

In addition to being used as an informal greeting, Salut also means bye. Again, it should only be used among friends. Another informal greeting is ciao, an Italian word commonly used in France. Au revoir is the only formal way to say Good-bye. If you will be meeting someone again soon, use À bientôt or À tout à l'heure. À demain is used if you will be seeing the person the following day.

V: Names

Tu t'appelles comment ? is used to informally ask someone for his or her name. It is normal to just reply by stating your name, however you may also respond Je m'appelle [name] (I am called...). In the next lesson, you will learn more formal ways of asking someone for their name.

Check for understanding One of your good friends is introducing you to his younger cousin who is visiting on a trip from France, and doesn't speak a word of English. You want to introduce yourself to him, tell him your name, and ask "What's up?"

Lesson 0.06 - Formal Speech

D: A formal conversation

French Dialogue • Print version • audio (info •65 kb • help) A Formal Conversation Une conversation formelle
Two people—Monsieur Bernard and Monsieur Lambert—are meeting for the first time:
Monsieur Bernard	Bonjour. Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Monsieur Lambert	Je m'appelle Jean-Paul Lambert. Et vous ?
Monsieur Bernard	Moi, je[4] suis Marc Bernard. Enchanté.
Monsieur Lambert	Enchanté[5].

^ I (I is not capitalized in French (unless, of course, beginning a sentence))
^ Nice to meet you (lit. enchanted)

G: Vous vs. tu

This is an important difference between French and English. English no longer distinguishes between the singular and the plural, formal version of "you", although "thou" used to be the informal singular version in the days of Shakespeare.

In French, it is important to know when to use "vous" and when to use "tu".

"Vous" is the plural form of "you". This is somewhat equivalent to "you all", "you guys", "all of you", except that it does not carry any familiarity when used with the plural. You'd use it to address your friends as well as when talking to the whole government at a press conference.

"Vous" is also used to refer to single individuals to show respect, to be polite or to be neutral. It is used when talking to someone who is important, someone who is older than you are, or someone with whom you are unfamiliar. This is known as Vouvoiement. Note the conversation between M. Bernard and M. Lambert above as an example of this use.

Conversely, "tu" is the singular and informal form of "vous" (you) in French. It is commonly used when referring to a friend or a family member, and is also used between children or when addressing a child. If it is used when speaking to a stranger, it signals disrespect. This is known as Tutoiement. As a rule of thumb, use "tu" only when you would call that person by his first name, otherwise use "vous". French people will make it known when they would like you to refer to them by "tu". The use of "vous" is less common in Quebequois than in French from France.

V: Courtesy

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •160 kb • help) Courtesy La politesse
Please	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)

V: Titles

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •99 kb • help) Titles Les titres
	French	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

Formal lesson - Titles

The titles monsieur, madame, and mademoiselle are almost always used alone, without the last name of the person. When beginning to speak to a professor, employer, or generally someone older than you, it is polite to say monsieur, madame, or mademoiselle.

V: Asking for one's name

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •110 kb • help) Asking For One's Name Demander le nom de quelqu'un
Comment vous appelez-vous ? Quel est votre nom ?	How do you call yourself? (formal) What is your name?
Tu t'appelles comment ?	What is your name? (informal) (lit: How do you call yourself?)
Je m'appelle... Je suis...	My name is... (lit. I call myself...) I am...

Lesson 0.07 - How are you?

D: A simple conversation

Two good friends—Marie and Jean—are meeting:

• Marie: Salut Jean. Ça va ?
• Jean: Ça va bien, merci. Et toi, ça va ?
• Marie: Pas mal.
• Jean: Quoi de neuf ?
• Marie: Pas grand-chose.
• Marie: Au revoir Jean.
• Jean: Au revoir, à demain.

V: How are you?

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •105 kb • help) How are you? Ça va?
Comment 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).	Sorry.
Et toi ? Et vous ?	And you? (informal) And you? (formal)

Check for understanding Write down as many ways to respond to Ça va? as you can think of off the top off your head. Then go back to the vocabulary and learn other ways.

E: Basic phrases - Dialogue

French Exercise • Print version • audio (info •60 kb • help) Basic Phrases Expressions de base
Exercise Put the following conversation in order:
	First	Second	Third	Fourth
1. Michel	Je ne vais pas très bien.	Bonjour, Jacques	Au revoir	Comment ça va?
2. Jacques	Désolé.	Ça va très bien! Et vous? Allez-vous bien?	À demain.	Salut, Michel!
Solution:
	First	Second	Third	Fourth
1. Michel	Bonjour, Jacques.	Comment ça va?	Je ne vais pas très bien.	Au revoir.
2. Jacques	Salut, Michel!	Ça va très bien! Et vous? Allez-vous bien?	Désolé.	À demain.

Formal lesson - Asking how one is doing

Ça va? is used to ask someone how they are doing. The phrase literally means It goes?, referring to the body and life. A more formal way to say this is Comment allez-vous?. You can respond by using ça va as a statement; Ça va. roughly means I'm fine. The adverb bien is used to say well, and is often said both alone and as Ça va bien. Bien is preceded by certain adverbs to specify the degree to which you are well. Common phrases are assez bien, meaning rather well, très bien, meaning very well, and vraiment bien, meaning really well. The adverb mal is used to say badly. Pas is commonly added to mal to form Pas mal., meaning Not bad. Comme ci, comme ça., literally translating to Like this, like that., is used to say So, so. To be polite, add merci, meaning thank you to responses to questions.

Check for understanding Pretend to have (or actually have) a verbal conversation with various people that you know, such as siblings, friends, children, teachers, coworkers, or heads of state. Address them in different ways, depending on their relation to you. Ask them how they are doing, and finally say goodbye.

Lesson 0.08 - Numbers

V: Cardinal numbers

Main article: French/Appendices/Dates, time, and numbers#Les numéros

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •337 kb • help) Numbers Les nombres
un	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 and 61, but not 71 nor 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".

V: Mathematics

In french, the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are as follows: Calculez:
a) un plus (plus) un = (égal) deux (the final 's' must be prononced)
b) dix moins (moén) sept = trois
c) quatre fois (foá) trois = douze
d) vingt divisé par (divisê par) dix = deux

Note: You may sometimes use "un plus un font deux".

Exercises

• huit plus cinq égal : (treize)
  
• cinq et un égal : (six)
  
• neuf plus huit égal (dix-sept)
  
• trente-deux plus quarante-neuf égal (quatre-vingt-un)
  
• soixante plus vingt égal (quatre-vingts)
  
• cinquante-trois plus douze égal (soixante-cinq)
  
• dix-neuf plus cinquante égal (soixante-neuf)
  
• quarante-sept plus vingt-sept égal (soixante-quatorze)
  
• Soixante-trois plus trente-deux égal (quatre-vingt-quinze)
  
• soixante plus trente-deux égal (quatre-vingt-douze)

D: In school

Toto est un personnage imaginaire qui est un cancre à l'école. Il y a beaucoup d'histoires drôles sur Toto, un jour je vous en raconterai une!

Toto is an imaginary person that is a dunce at school. There are a lot of funny stories about Toto, one day I will tell you one of them!

- L'instituteur : Bonjour, les enfants! Aujourd'hui c'est mardi, nous allons réviser la table d'addition. Combien font huit plus six ?
- Toto : Treize, monsieur !
- L'instituteur : Non Toto tu t'es trompé! Huit plus six égal quatorze. Et combien font cinq plus neuf ?
- Clément : Quatorze !
- L'instituteur : Très bien Clément.

Lesson 0.09 - The Date

V: The days of the week.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •127 kb • help) The Days of the Week. Les jours de la semaine.
#	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	Dies Domini

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.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •67 kb • help) Asking For The Day Demander le jour
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 say kell jzoor
2b	Demain c'est [jour].	Tomorrow is [day].

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •164 kb • help) Relative Days Les jours relatifs
avant-hier	the day before yesterday
hier	yesterday
aujourd'hui	today
ce soir	tonight
demain	tomorrow
après-demain	the day after tomorrow

V: The months of the year

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •163 kb • help) The Months of the Year Les mois de l'année
#	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

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •99 kb • help) Asking For The Date Demander la date
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...

V: Seasons

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •142 kb • help) Seasons Les Saisons
la saison	season
le printemps	Spring
l'été (m)	Summer
l'automne (m)	Autumn
l'hiver (m)	Winter

Lesson 0.10 - Telling Time

V: Asking for the time

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •164 kb • help) Asking For The Day, Date, Time Demander le jour/la date/le temps
Asking 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

V: Time

In 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.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •145 kb • help) Time Le temps
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.

V: Times of day

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •183 kb • help) Times of Day L'heure relatif
le 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

D: The Principal

French Dialogue • Print version • audio (info •505 kb • help) The Principal Le directeur
Daniel	(frappe à la porte : toc toc toc) (knocks on the door: knock knock knock)
Le directeur	Entrez ! Enter!
Daniel	Bonjour, monsieur le directeur. Est-ce que vous allez bien ? Hello, Mr. Director. Are you well?
Le directeur	Je vais bien merci. Et vous, comment allez-vous ? I am well, thank you. And you, how are you?
Daniel	Je vais bien. Je veux vous demander s'il est possible d'organiser une fête pour mon anniversaire. Je l'organiserais le 3 mars vers 14 h. I'm well. I want to ask you if it is possible to organize a party for my birthday. I would organize it the third of March around 02:00 PM.
Le directeur	Et vous voulez l'organiser où ? And you want to organize it where?
Daniel	Dans la grande salle de réunion au deuxième étage. On en aurait besoin jusqu'à 16 h, le temps de tout nettoyer. In the large conference room on the second floor. We would need it until 04:00 PM, the time of cleaning everything.
Le directeur	Entendu! J' espère que je serais invité ? Agreed! I hope that I would be invited?
Daniel	Bien sûr ! Merci Beaucoup ! Of course! Thanks a lot!
Le directeur	Au revoir ! Good-bye!
Daniel	Au revoir et encore merci ! Good-bye and thanks again.

Lesson 0 - Review

G: The French alphabet

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •101 kb • help) The French Alphabet L'alphabet français
Characters	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	Qq	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). A circumflex applies to all vowels: â, ê, î, ô, û. A tréma (French for dieresis) is also applied: ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ. Two combined letters are used: æ and œ, and a cedilla is used on the c to make it sound like an English s: ç.

V: Basic phrases

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •353 kb • help) Basic Phrases Les expressions de base
bonjour, salut	hello (formal), hi (informal)
Comment 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)
merci	thank you
et toi ? et vous ?	and you? (informal) and you? (formal)
pas mal	not bad
bien	well
pas si bien/pas très bien	not so well
comme ci, comme ça	so-so
Désolé(e)	I'm sorry.
quoi de neuf ?	what's up (about you)? (lit. what's new)
pas grand-chose	not much (lit. no big-thing)
au revoir	bye (lit. with reseeing, akin to German auf Wiedersehen)
à demain	see you tomorrow (lit. at tomorrow)
Au revoir, à demain.	Bye, see you tomorrow

V: Numbers

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •337 kb • help) Numbers Les nombres
un	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
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
(un) billion	1.000.000.000.000

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.

V: Asking for the day/date/time

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •612 kb • help) Asking For The Day, Date, Time Demander le jour, la date, le temps
Asking for the day.
1a	Quel jour c'est Aujourd'hui ?	What day is today ?	kell jzoor say ojzoordwee
1b	c'est [jour].	Today is [day].
2a	Quel jour c'est demain ?	What day is tomorrow ?	kell jzoor say duhman
2b	Demain c'est [jour].	Tomorrow is [day].
Asking for the date.
3a	Quelle est la date (aujourd'hui) ?	What is the date (today) ?	kell ay lah daht
3b	C'est le [#] [month].	It's [month] [#].
Asking for the time.
4a	Quelle heure est-il ?	What hour/time is it ?	kell er ayteel
4b	Il est quelle heure ?		eel ay kell er
5	Il est [nombre] heure(s).	It is [number] hours.	eelay [nombre] er

V: Time

In 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” (unpersonal "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. The French time system traditionally uses a 24 hour scale. Shorthand for writing times in French follows the format "17h30", which would represent 5:30PM in English.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •145 kb • help) Time Le temps
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 quinze.	It is four fifteen.
Il est quatre heures et demie.	It is half past four.
Il est dix-neuf heures moins le quart.	It is a quarter to seven, or six forty-five.
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.

V: The days of the week.

Les jours de la semaine [lay jzoor duh lah suhmen]

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •420 kb • help) The Days of the Week. Les jours de la semaine.
#	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

• The days of the week are not capitalized in French.
• For phrases relating to the day of the week, see the phrasebook.

Notes:

• What day is it today? is equivalent to Quel jour sommes-nous ?.
• Quel jour sommes-nous ? can be answered with Nous sommes..., C'est... or On est... (last two are less formal).
• Nous sommes... is not used with hier, aujourd’hui, or demain. C'était (past) or C'est (present/future) must be used accordingly.

V: The months of the year

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •561 kb • help) The Months of the Year Les mois de l'année
#	French	Pron.	English
01	janvier	jzahnveeyay	January
02	février	fayvreeyay	February
03	mars	mahrse	March
04	avril	ahvrill	April
05	mai	maye	May
06	juin	jzwan	June
07	juillet	jzooeeyay	July
08	août	oot/oo	August
09	septembre	septahmbruh	September
10	octobre	oktuhbruh	October
11	novembre	novahmbruh	November
12	decembre	daysahmbruh	December

V: Relative date and time

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •883 kb • help) Relative Date and Time Date et heure relatives
Times of Day
le 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 mornng
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
le coucher du soleil	sunset
la nuit	night
Relative Days
avant-hier	the day before yesterday
hier	yesterday
aujourd'hui	today
ce soir	tonight
demain	tomorrow
après-demain	the day after tomorrow

V: Seasons

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •142 kb • help) Seasons Les Saisons
la saison	season
le printemps	Spring
l'été (m)	Summer
l'automne (m)	Autumn
l'hiver (m)	Winter

D: A conversation between friends

French Dialogue • Print version • audio (upload) A Coversation Between Friends Une conversation entre amis
Daniel	Bonjour Hervé. Comment vas-tu ? Hello, Hervé. How are you? [lit: How go you?]
Hervé	Je vais bien, merci. Et toi ça va ? I'm good,1 thank you. And you, it goes (fine)?
Daniel	Ça va bien. Est-ce que2 tu viens à mon anniversaire ? J'organise une petite fête. It goes well. You're coming to my party? I'm organizing a little party.
Hervé	C'est quand ? When is it? [lit: It is when?]
Daniel	Le 3 mars à 20h. March 3rd at 08:00 PM.
Hervé	Le 3 mars, entendu. Tu fais ça chez toi3 ? March 3rd, agreed. You're having it at your place?
Daniel	Oui c'est chez moi. J'ai invité une vingtaine d'amis. On va danser toute la nuit. Yes, it's at my place. I have invited (a set of) twenty friends. We4 are going to dance all night.
Hervé	C'est très gentil de m'inviter, merci. A bientôt. It's very nice to invite me, thank you. So long.
Daniel	A demain, bonne journée. Until tomorrow, good day.

¹ Bien is an adverb meaning well. Its adjective equivalent is bon(ne), which means good. Since je vais, meaning I go, uses an action verb, the adverb bien is used. In English, I'm good, which uses the linking verb am, is followed by an adjective rather than an adverb.
² Est-ce que... literally means Is is that... and is often used to start questions. This is used in a similar manner to do in English. Instead of You want it?, one can say Do you want it? Est-ce que... has no real meaning, other than signifying that a question follows.
³ chez... is a preposition meaning at the house of.... Chez moi is used to say at my place. Chez [name] is used to say at [name's] place.
⁴ on can mean we or one.

Lesson 0 - Test

The following test will confirm your progress in the French introduction. Try to answer the questions to the best of your ability without turning to the previous chapters or consulting the test answers.

Grammar

Verb forms

Name the verb forms for the subject and infinitive specified. (1 point each)

Translating

English to French

Translate the following phrases and sentences into French. (2 points each)

1. What day is today?
2. How are you?
3. What is your name?

French to English

Translate this dialogue between Henri and Jacques into English. Each phrase is worth 1 points. (11 points total)

1. Bonjour! Quel est ton nom?
2. Je m'appelle Jacques. Comment vous-appelez vous?
3. Je m'appelle Henri. Comment ça va?
4. Pas mal. Et toi, comment ça va?
5. Trés bien, merci. À demain Jacques!
6. À demain Henri.

Reading comprehension

Fill in the blank

Fill in the blanks in these conversations. Note: Every blank is one word. (1 point each)

Vocabulary

Matching

Match the French words with their English definitions. (1 point each)

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LEVEL ONE

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Level One Lessons Contents

• Lesson 1.01 - Basic Grammar
• Lesson 1.02 - To Be
• Lesson 1.03 - Description
• Lesson 1.04 - Family
• Lesson 1.05 - Recreation
• Lesson 1.06 - The House
• Lesson 1.07 - Weather
• Lesson 1.08 - Travel
• Lesson 1.09 - Art
• Lesson 1.10 - Science

Information

If you haven't done so already, spend a few minutes to first read the course's introductory lessons. Once that's done, you're ready to begin your very first traditional French lesson! After you have completed this level, you can move on to the next level. Finally, go to the lessons planning page if you would like to help improve this course.

Allons! - Basic French

01	Leçon 01 : Grammaire de base	G: Gender, Articles, Subject Pronouns V: People
	Lesson 01 : Basic Grammar
02	Leçon 02 : Être	G: Conjugation, Être V:
	Lesson 02 : To be
03	Leçon 03 : La description	G: Conjugation, Être, Adjectives V: Colors, Numbers
	Lesson 03 : Description
04	Leçon 04 : La famille	G: Avoir, le, la, and les V: Family
	Lesson 04 : Family
05	Leçon 05 : Récréation	G: -er Verbs, lui and leur V: Games, Sports, Places, Playing
	Lesson 05 : Recreation
06	Leçon 06 : La maison	G: Faire, me, te, nous, and vous V: Household, Housework, Furniture
	Lesson 06 : The House
07	Leçon 07 : Le temps	G: Negation, Contractions, Aller V: Weather
	Lesson 07 : Weather
08	Leçon 08 : Les voyages	G: -ir Verbs, Possessive Adjectives V: Hotels, Directions
	Lesson 08 : Travel
09	Leçon 09 : L'art	G: -re Verbs, Beau, Nouveau, and Vieux V: Museums, Music, Plays
	Lesson 09 : Art
10	Leçon 10 : La science	G: Prendre V: Elements, Astronomy
	Lesson 10 : Science
Ex	L'examen	Chapter test Chapitre l'examen
	Test

Lesson 1.01 - Basic Grammar

G: Gender of nouns

In French, all nouns have a grammatical gender; that is, they are either masculin (m) or feminin (f).

Most nouns that express people or animals have both a masculine and a feminine form. For example, the two words for "the actor" in French are l'acteur (m) and l'actrice (f). The two words for "the cat" are le chat (m) and la chatte (f).

However, there are some nouns that talk about people or animals whose gender are fixed, regardless of the actual gender of the person or animal. For example, la personne (f) (the person) is always feminine, even when it's talking about your uncle! Le professeur (m) (the professor) is always masculine, even when it's talking about your female professor/teacher!

The nouns that express things without an obvious gender (e.g., objects and abstract concepts) have only one form. This form can be masculine or feminine. For example, la voiture (the car) can only be feminine; le stylo (the pen) can only be masculine.

Unfortunately, there are many exceptions in French which can only be learned. There are even words that are spelled the same, but have a different meaning when masculine or feminine; for example, le livre (m) means the book, but la livre (f) means the pound! Some words that appear to be masculine (like le photo, which is actually short for la photographie) are in fact feminine, and vice versa. Then there are some that just don't make sense; la foi is feminine and means a belief, whereas le foie means liver. To help overcome this hurdle which many beginners find very difficult, be sure to learn the genders along with the words. When you think of a noun in French, think of the noun with its article (le or la). While this may seem difficult now, it is absolutely essential in la langue française (the French language), as you will see later on!

Here is a chart which depicts some tendencies of French nouns. Eventually, you will be able to guess the gender of a noun based on tricks like this:

Examples

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •113 kb • help) Gender of Nouns Genre des Noms
Masculine		Common Endings Used With Masculine Nouns:
le cheval[6]	the horse	-age	le fromage the cheese
le chien	the dog	-r	le professeur[7] the teacher
le livre	the book	-t	le chat the cat
le bruit	the noise	-isme	le capitalisme capitalism
Feminine		Common Endings Used With Feminine Nouns:
la colombe	the dove	-ie	la boulangerie the bakery
la chemise	the shirt	-ion	la nation the nation
la maison	the house	-ite/-ité	la fraternité brotherhood
la liberté	liberty	-nce	la balance the scales
		-nne -mme -lle	la fille the girl
			l’indienne the Indian

^  Professeur can be shortened to prof (in a familiar context). While the long form, professeur, is always masculine, even when referring to female teachers, prof can be either masculine or feminine. (le prof - the (male) teacher) (la prof - the (female) teacher)

'^  In this book, the definite article will come before a noun in vocabulary charts. If the definite article is l due to elision, (m) will follow a noun to denote a masculine gender and (f) will follow a noun to denote a feminine gender.

G: Definite and indefinite articles

The definite article

In English, the definite article is always “the”.

Unlike English, the definite article is used to talk about something in a general sense, a general statement or feeling about an idea or thing.

In French, the definite article is changed depending on the noun's:

1. Gender
2. Plurality
3. First letter of the word

There are three definite articles and an abbreviation. "Le" is used for masculine nouns, "La" is used for feminine nouns, "Les" is used for plural nouns (both masculine or feminine), and "L' " is used when the noun begins with a vowel or silent "h" (both masculine or feminine). It is similar to English, where "a" changes to "an" before a vowel.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •78 kb • help) The Definite Article L'article défini
singular	feminine	la	la fille	the daughter
	masculine	le	le fils[8]	the son
singular, starting with a vowel sound		l’	l’enfant	the child
plural		les	les filles	the daughters
			les fils	the sons
			les enfants	the children

Plurality, pronunciation, and exceptions

The plural of most nouns is formed by adding an -s. However, the -s ending is not pronounced. It is the article that tells the listener whether the noun is singular or plural.

^  Fils: Most singular nouns do not end in -s. The -s is added for the plural form of the noun. Fils is one exception. Whenever the singular form of a noun ends in -s, there is no change in the plural form.

le fils the son	les fils the sons	un fils a son	des fils (some) sons
le cours the course	les cours the courses	un cours a course	des cours (some) courses

Secondly, the final consonant is almost always not pronounced unless followed by an -e (or another vowel). Fils (pronounced feece) is also an exception to this rule.

Elision

Elision refers to the suppression of a final unstressed vowel immediately before another word beginning with a vowel. The definite articles le and la are shortened to l’ when they come before a noun that begins with a vowel or silent h. When pronounced, the vowel sound is dropped.

• (le) ami - l'ami - lahmee - the (male) friend
• (la) amie - l'amie - lahmee the (female) friend
• (le) élève - l'élève - lay lev - the student
• (la) heure - l'heure - leur - the hour/the time

Elision does not occur on an aspired h:

• (le) héros - le héros - a legendary hero

In addition to the definite article, elision will also occur with other words, such as que, je, le, ce, ne, and de. The details on these words will be covered in later sections of the book.

The indefinite article

In English, the indefinite articles are "a" and "an". "Some" is used as a plural article in English.

Again, indefinite articles in French take different forms depending on gender and plurality. The articles "Un" and "une" literally mean "one" in French.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •55 kb • help) The Indefinite Article L'article indéfini
singular	feminine	une	oon	une fille	a daughter
	masculine	un	uh	un fils	a son
plural		des	day	des filles	some daughters
				des fils1	some sons

¹"des fils" does mean "some sons" but is a homograph: it can also mean "some threads" (when pronounced like "fill")

Liaison

Remember that the last consonant of a word is typically not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. When a word ending in a consonant is followed by a word beginning with a vowel sound (or silent h), the consonant often becomes pronounced. This is a process called liaison. When a vowel goes directly after un, the normally unpronounced n sound becomes pronounced.

• (un) ami - un_nami (uhnahmee) - a (male) friend
• (un) élève - un_nélève (uhnay lev) - a student

Compare the pronunciation to words without liaison:

• un garçon (uh gehrsoh)

Une is unaffected by liaison.

Liaison also occurs with les and des.

• (les) amis - les_zamis (layzahmee) - (some) (male) friends
• (des) amis - des_zamis (dayzahmee) - (some) (male) friends
• (des) amies - des_zamies (dayzahmee) - (some) (female) friends

In this book, you will see liaison denoted with _n or _z between two words.

As with elision, an aspired h isn't liaised.

• (les) hangars - les hangars

"Some"

Note that des, like les, is used in French before plural nouns when no article is used in English. For example, you are looking at photographs in an album. The English statement "I am looking at photographs." cannot be translated to French as "Je regarde photographies" because an article is required to tell which photographs are being looked at. If it is a set of specific pictures, the French statement should be "Je regarde les photographies." ("I am looking at the photographs.") . On the other hand, if the person is just randomly browsing the album, the French translation is "Je regarde des photographies." ("I am looking at some photographs.")

V: People

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •679 kb • help) People Les personnes
la personne	person	pehr son
Gender and Age
l'homme (m)	man	ohm
la femme	woman	fehm
le garçon	boy	gehrsoh
la fille	girl	fee
la fillette	little girl	fee yet
Friends
l'ami (m) le copain	male friend	ahmee co pahn
l'amie (f) la copine	female friend	ahmee co peen

V: Expressions

Qu’est-ce que c’est?

To say What is it? or What is that? in French, Qu’est-ce que c’est? (pronounced kehss keuh say) is used.

• Qu’est-ce que c’est ? - What is it?

Literally, Qu’est-ce que c’est? translates to What is it that it is? You will be using Qu'est-ce que...? often to say What...? at the beginning of sentences.

To respond to this question, you say C’est un(e) [nom]., meaning It is a [noun].

• C'est un livre. - It's a book.
• C'est un chien. - It's a dog.

Remember that the indefinite article (un or une) must agree with the noun it modifies.

• C'est une chemise. - It's a shirt.

Check for understanding - Qu’est-ce que c’est? Respond according to the pictures. une pomme une poire un chaton (un chat) un chien

Il y a and voici/voilà

Il y a (pronounced eel ee ah) is used to say there is or there are. Il y a expresses the existence of the noun it introduces.

• Il y a une pomme. - There is an apple.

The phrase is used for both singular and plural nouns. Unlike in English (is => are), il y a does not change form.

• Il y a des pommes. - There are (some) apples.

The -s at the end of the most pluralised nouns tells you that the phrase is there are instead of there is. In spoken French, when both the singular and plural forms almost always sound the same, the article (and perhaps other adjectives modifying the noun) is used to distinguish between singular and plural versions.

You will soon learn that a is the present third person singular form of avoir, the verb meaing to have, and that y is a pronoun meaning there. The phrase il y a, then, literally translates to he has there. You will see this phrase used in all French tenses. It is important to remember that verb stays as a form of have and not be.

Like in English, il y a... is not often used to point out an object. To point out an object to the listener, use voici ("over here is/are" or "right here is/are") and voilà ("over there is/are").

Lesson 1.02 - To Be

D: Where are you from?

French Dialogue • Print version • audio (info •226 kb • help) Where are you from? Tu es d’où?
Quentin	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.

G: Subject pronouns

French has six different types of pronouns: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •61 kb • help) Subject Pronouns Les pronoms soumis
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 nous rencontrons au cinéma à sept heures.” (formal) (there are two words "nous"). For more, see the Wikipedia entry.

G: Introduction to Verbs

A verb is a word that describes an action or mental or physical state.

Tenses and Moods

French 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. The conjugations in the present tense of the indicative mood, the present indicative, is discussed in the next section. There is one conjugation for each of the six subject pronouns.

Infinitives

The 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

French 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

Être translates as to be in English. As in most languages, it is an irregular verb, and is not conjugated like any other verb.

Formation

French Verb • Print version • audio (info •103 kb • help) être to be
	Singular			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

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •87 kb • help) To Be Examples Exemples d'Être
Je suis avocat.	I am (a) lawyer.	jzeuh sweez 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

• Ça y est! - I've done it! Finished!
• J'y suis! - I get it!
• Vous y êtes? - Are you ready?

Expressing Agreement

Tu 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.

G: Cities and Nationalities

To 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.

Lesson 1.03 - Description

G: Adjectives - Les adjectifs

Main article: French/Grammar/Adjectives

Just like articles, French adjectives also have to match the nouns that they modify in gender and plurality.

Regular Formation

Most 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

Generally, 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

Adjectives 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.

V: Describing People

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •1636 kb • help) Describing People Décrire des personnes
Masculine 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.

V: Common Adjectives

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •1018 kb • help) Common Adjectives Les adjectifs communs
Attitude 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)	tall,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

V: Colors

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •160 kb • help) Colors Les couleurs
Masculine	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

G: Adverbs Expressing Degree

• assez - rather, enough
  • Il est assez intelligent. - He is rather intelligent.
• très - very
  • Il est très_zintelligent.^[9] - He is very intelligent.
• vraiment - truly, really
  • Il est vraiment intelligent. - He is really intelligent.

^ In this book, liaison is shown that the sound is connected using _z or some letter. See also French/Lessons/Basic_grammar#Liaison.

Lesson 1.04 - Family

G: The verb avoir

"Avoir" can be translated as "to have".

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (100 kb • help) avoir to have
	Singular			Plural
first person	j'ai	jay	I have	nouszavons	noozahvohn	we have
second person	tu as	too ah	you have	vouszavez	voozahvay	you have
third person	il a	eel ah	he has	ilszont	eelzohnt	they have (masc. or mixed)
	elle a	ell ah	she has
	onna	ohnah	one has	elleszont	ellzohnt	they have (fem.)

Examples

J'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

Avoir 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

The 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.

V: The Family

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •1245 kb • help) The Family La Famille
Immediate Family		Extended Family
ma famille	my family	ma famille éloignée	my extended family
les parents	parents	les grand-parents	grandparents
la mère	mother	la grand-mère	grandmother
le père	father	le grand-père	grandfather
la femme	wife	les petits-enfants	grandchildren
le mari	husband	le petit-fils	grandson
la soeur	sister	la petite-fille	granddaughter
le frère	brother	l'oncle, tonton	uncle
l'enfant	child (m or f)	la tante, tati	aunt
les enfants	children	le neveu	nephew
la fille	daughter	la nièce	niece
le fils	son	le/la cousin(e)	cousin (m or f)
Step Family
la belle-mère	stepmother	la demi-soeur	half sister
le beau-père	stepfather	le demi-frère	half brother

To speak about more complex family relations, such as "my grandmother's cousin", you must use the de mon/ma/mes form - "le cousin de ma grandmère".

G: Direct Object Pronouns le, la, and les

le, 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 or nominative pronouns "I, you, he..." (je, tu, il...). Similary, direct objects, such as "la balle", can be replaced by pronouns. These are a different set of pronouns (accusative). As in English, you would say "She gave him," and not "Her gave he." He/she are subjects used in the nominative case, while him/her are direct objects used in the accusative case.

• 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.

Lesson 1.05 - Recreation

A Wikibookian suggests that this book or chapter be merged with v:Learning the Basics of French/Lesson:Au restaurant!. Please discuss whether or not this merger should happen on the discussion page.

G: Regular -er Verbs

Formation

Most 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.

jouer - to play

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •184 kb • help) -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

In all conjugations, je changes to j ' when followed by a vowel or silent h. Example: J'attends, 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

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) 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

Main article: French/Grammar/Verbs/Pronominal

The 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

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) 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

Like 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 talk.
• 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

Here 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 amie.
• Pierre : Je vais au parc.
• Christophe : Je viens du stade.

V: Recreation

Qu'est-ce que vous faites?	What are you doing?
jouer	to play
finir[10]	to finish
attendre[11]	to wait (for)
aimer	to like
détester	to hate
(mon) ami(e)[12]	(my) friend

^  Finir and attendre are not -er verbs. You will learn their conjugation in a later lesson.

^  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

la bibliothèque	library1
le parc	park
la piscine	swimming pool
la plage	beach
le restaurant	restaurant
salle de concert	concert hall
le stade	stadium
le théâtre	theater

¹Caution: a librairie is a bookshop.

G: Indirect Object Pronouns lui and leur

Indirect 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

The 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.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) 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
aux cartes	cards
aux dames	checkers/ draughts
aux échecs	chess

Lesson 1.06 - The House

V: The House

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) The House La maison
General		Actions
la rue[13]	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)[14] 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)	(apartment) 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 Neigbhorhoods
le quartier	neighborhood	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 mur	wall
la cuisine	kitchen	le toit	roof
la salle à manger	dining room	Entering and Exiting
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 terrasse	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)	neighbor	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

The verb faire is translated to to do or to make. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -re verb).

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (432 kb • help) faire to do, to make
	Singular			Plural
first person	je fais	jeuh fay	I do	nous faisons	noo fezohn	we do
second person	tu fais	too fay	you do	vous faites	voo feht	you do
third person	il fait	eel fay	he does	ils font	eel fohnt	they do (masc. or mixed)
	elle fait	ell fay	she does
	on fait	oh fay	one does	elles font	ell fohnt	they do (fem.)

Uses For Faire

• 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

• défaire - to demolish
• malfaire - to do badly
• refaire - to remake

Expressions with Faire

• 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

V: Housework

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •524 kb • help) Housework Le ménage
faire la cuisine	to do the cooking
faire la lessive/le linge	to do the laundry
faire le jardin	to do the gardening
faire le lit	to make the bed
faire le ménage	to do the housework
faire la vaisselle	to do the dishes
faire les carreaux	to do the windows
faire les courses	to do the shopping/errands
faire le repassage	to do the ironing

G: me, te, nous, and vous

• Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

Meanings

• me - me, to me
• te - you, to you (singular, informal)
• nous - us, to us
• vous - you, to you (plural, formal)

Place in sentences

• 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

• 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

• Il me l'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.

Exercises

Try to describe your house or bedrooom using the vocabulary. Don't forget prepositions.

You may also wish to talk about what housework you do.

Chez moi

J'habite une villa à Mornant, à côté de^[15] Lyon en France. Ma maison a deux chambres : la première pour moi et ma femme avec un grand lit. La deuxième est plus petite : c'est la chambre de mon fils. Nous avons aussi un bureau avec trois ordinateurs^[16] : un par personne ! La salle de séjour est très grande et à coté, il y a un petit salon. Nous aimons regarder^[17] la télévision allongés dans le fauteuil. La cuisine est toute petite et nous y^[18] mangeons^[19] le soir. Il y a une petite table et quatre chaises. La maison est de plein pied et ne comporte pas d'étage. Le jardin est assez grand et nous y faisons pousser des fleurs.

^  à côté de - at the side of, next to	^  l'ordinateur (m) - computer	^  aimer regarder - to like to watch
^  y (ee) - there	^  manger - to eat

Lesson 1.07 - Weather

G: Standard Negation

In 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

• 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 not to steal.
• ne goes before any pronoun relating to the verb it affects.
  • Je ne le vole pas. - I am not stealing it.

Examples

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •262 kb • help) 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

The 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

Il 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

Contractions have been discussed previously in the form of elision. They are a combination of two or more consecutive words that have been integrated into the language, for example, aujourd'hui.

A common contraction occurs with the words à (at) and de (from), when combined with the definite pronouns le and les. The definate pronoun la remains in full form.

• à + le = au
• à + les = aux
• de + le = du
• de + les = des

The contractions do not occur with the la, or with any contracted pronoun:

• à + la = à la
• à + l' = à l'
• de + la = de la
• de + l' = de l'

V: Weather - Le temps

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Weather Le temps[20]
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

The verb aller is translated to to go. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -er verb).

Formation

In the present indicative, aller is conjugated as follows:

French Verb • Print version • audio (info •327 kb • help) 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 mixed)
	elle va	ell vah	she goes
	on va	ohn vah	one goes	elles vont	ell vohn	they go (fem.)

Usage

There 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 à 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 stadium.

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.

The negative form of aller with the y pronoun has both the verb and pronoun enclosed between ne and pas.

• Il n'y va pas. - He's not going there.

Futur Proche

The 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

• 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

Usually, 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 consecutively. 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.

Lesson 1.08 - Travel

G: Regular -ir Verbs

The 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.

finir - to finish

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) -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

Formation

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) 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

As 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.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) 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

Liaison occurs when mon, ton, and son are followed by a vowel.

• Il est mon_nami. - He is my friend.
• Il est ton_nami. - He is your friend.
• Il est son_nami. - He is his/her friend.

Liaison also occurs with all plural forms, since they all end in s.

• Ils sont mes_zamis. - They are my friends.
• Ils sont nos_zamis. - They are our friends.

Mon, ton, and son are used before a feminine singular noun that starts with a vowel or silent h. Elision (to m', t', or s') does not occur.

• Elle est mon_namie. - She is my friend.

V: Travel

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Travel Voyage
General		Vehicles
l'aéroport (m)	Airport	l'auto (f)	car
le billet	ticket (for train, airplane)	l'avion (m)	Airplane
la poste	post office	l'autobus (m)	bus
la station	station	le bateau	Boat
le métro	subway, underground	le train	train
les bagages	baggage	le taxi	taxi
le ticket	ticket (for bus, métro)	la voiture	car
la valise	suitcase
Hotels
la chambre	room
chambre de libre	free room

Lesson 1.09 - Art

G: Regular -re Verbs

The 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

attendre – to wait

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) -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

The verb vendre is a regular -re verb:

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) vendre to sell
	Singular			Plural
first person	je vends	jeuh vahn	I sell	nous vendons	noo vahn dohn	we sell
second person	tu vends	too vahn	you sell	vous vendez	voo vahn day'	you sell
third person	il vend	eel vahn	he sells	ils vendent	eel vahnde	they sell (masc. or mixed)
	elle vend	ell vahn	she sells
	on vend	oh vahn	one sells	elles vendent	ell vahnde	they sell (fem.)

Common -re Verbs

Compared to -er verbs, -re verbs are not very common. You will however see the following verbs fairly often:

• prendre - to get, to take
  • Irregular conjugation: je prends, tu prends, il/elle/on prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils/elles prennent
• mettre - to put, to place
  • Irregular conjugation: je mets, tu mets, il/elle/on met, nous mettons, vous mettez, ils/elles mettent
• connaître - to know (Note: "savoir" may also mean to know)
  • Irregular conjugation: je connais, tu connais, il/elle/on connaît, nous connaissons, vous connaissez, ils/elles connaissent

V: Music

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •287 kb • help) Music La musique
écouter de la musique	to listen to music
des paroles	lyrics (la parole = word)
Composing
le musicien	musician
le compositeur	composer
l’auteur (des paroles)	(lyrics) writer
Instruments
l'instrument (m)	instrument
la clarinette	clarinet
le violon	violin
la harpe	harp
la guitare	guitar
le piano	piano
la flûte	flute

V: French Museums

This section is a stub. You can help Wikibooks by expanding it.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Museums Les musées
la portraitiste	portraitist

The Louvre

G: Beau, Nouveau, and Vieux

Formation

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) 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

As 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 is very often used in place of de.

V: Plays

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Plays Les pièces
At the Theater		Play Genres
le théâtre	theater	le ballet	ballet
la pièce (de théâtre)	(theatrical) play lit: (theatrical) piece	la comédie	comedy
l'acte (f) la scène l'entracte (m)	act scene intermission	la comédie musicale	musical comedy
chanter le (la) chanteur (-euse)	to sing singer	le drame	drama
danser le (la) danseur (-euse)	to dance dancer	la tragédie	tragedy

V: French Artists and Entertainers

• Charles Aznavour
• Gilbert Becaud
• Jacques Brel
• Robert Charlebois
• Joe Dassin
• Raymond Devos
• Celine Dion
• Garou
• Juliette Greco
• Edith Piaf

Lesson 1.10 - Science

G: Prendre

Prendre is an irregular -re verb, and is conjugated differently.

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) prendre to take
	Singular			Plural
first person	je prends	jeuh prahn	I take	nous prenons	noo prenn ohn	we take
second person	tu prends	too prahn	you take	vous prenez	voo prennay	you take
third person	il prend	eel prahnn	he takes	ils prennent	eel prehn	they take (masc. or mixed)
	elle prend	ell prahnn	she takes
	on prend	oh prahnn	one takes	elles prennent	ell prehn	they take (fem.)

Related Words

• prendre - to take
• apprendre - to learn
• comprendre - to comprehend/understand
• se méprendre - to be mistaken
• surprendre - to surprise

Idioms and Related Expressions

• 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
• prendre le métro - to get the subway
• prendre un café - to have a coffee

V: The Sciences - Les Sciences

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) The Sciences and Scientists Les sciences et les savants
General		Biology - La biologie
le savant scientist	une personne qui expérimente a person who experiments	la bio(logie) biology	l’étude des organismes vivants the study of living organisms
observer analyser	to observe to analyse	la botanique botany	l’étude des plantes the study of plants
Physics - La physique		l’anatomie (f) anatomy	l’étude du corps humain the study of the human body
la physique physics	l’étude de la matière et de l’énergie the study of matter and energy	la zoologie zoology	l’étude des animaux the study of animals
le physicien	physicist	le biologiste	biologist
Chemistry - La chimie		la cellule	a cell
la chimie chemistry	l’étude des éléments the study of elements	des microbes des bactéries des virus	germs bacteria virus
le chimiste	chemist	le microscope	microscope

V: Elements - Les éléments

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Elements Les éléments
l'argent (m)	silver	Also: money
l'azote (m)	nitrogen
le chrome	chromium	/krom/
le cuivre	copper	Also a conjugation of cuivrer
le fer	iron
l'hydrogène (m)	hydrogen	Also a conjugation of hydrogéner.
le manganèse	manganese
l'or (m)	gold	Also a conjunction meaning yet, however.
l'oxygène (m)	oxygen
le soufre	sulphur	/sufr/ (audio)
le xénon	xenon
le zinc	zinc	/zɛ̃ɡ/, /zE~g/ Also: (informal) counter Also: (in a bar, café, etc), bar

For a complete listing of the elements, see Tableau périodique des éléments.

V: Astronomy

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Astronomy L'astronomie
The Planets
Mercure	Mercury
Vénus	Venus
La (planete) terre	Earth
Mars	Mars
Jupiter	Jupiter
Saturne	Saturn
Uranus	Uranus
Neptune	Neptune
Pluton	Pluto
Other Obejcts
Le soleil	sun
La lune	moon
L'étoile	star

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LEVEL TWO

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Level Two Lessons Contents

• Lesson 2.01 - School
• Lesson 2.02 - Culture
• Lesson 2.03 - Shopping
• Lesson 2.04 - Going Out
• Lesson 2.05 - Transportation
• Lesson 2.06 - Everyday Life
• Lesson 2.07 - Rural Life
• Lesson 2.08 - Food and Drink
• Lesson 2.09 - Dining
• Lesson 2.10 - Communication

Information

Now that you know how to compose French sentences in the present indicative, you can continue on to Wikibook's second French course. Inside, you will learn the passé composé, the most common French past tense, and review the grammar you have already learned. The grammar now becomes a lot more advanced, and each lesson now gives much more information. After you have completed this level, you can move on to the next level. Also remember to go to the lessons planning page if you would like to help improve this course.

Toujours Là? - Slightly More Advanced French

01	Leçon 01 : L'école	G: Passé Composé of Regular Verbs, Lire, Écrire V: School, School Subjects
	Lesson 01 : School
02	Leçon 02 : La culture	G: Regular Verbs Review, Croire & Voir V: Life, Religions, Holidays, Celebrations (Birthdays, Christmas, Bastille Day)
	Lesson 02 : Culture
03	Leçon 03 : Faire des courses	G: exer Verbs (Acheter), -yer Verbs (Payer), Object Pronoun Review, Irregular Past Participles (so far) V: Shopping, Clothing, Shoes
	Lesson 03 : Shopping
04	Leçon 04 : Sortir	G: Sortir & Partir, -enir Verbs (Venir), -éxer Verbs V: Leisure Activities, Directions, How to Get to Places, Places to go, Movies
	Lesson 04 : Going Out
05	Leçon 05 : Le transport	G: -uire Verbs (Conduire), -rir Verbs (Ouvrir), Y, Passé Composé with Être V: Local Travelling, Methods of transportation
	Lesson 05 : Transportation
06	Leçon 06 : Le quotidien	G: Devoir, Falloir, Reflexive Verbs V: Employment, Waking up, Preparing for work, Driving to Work, Sleep
	Lesson 06 : Everyday Life
07	Leçon 07 : La vie rurale	G: Suivre, Vivre, Naître, Passé Composé with Reflexive Verbs V: Pets, Farm Animals
	Lesson 07 : Rural Life
08	Leçon 08 : La nourriture	G: Manger, Boire, Partitive Article, En, Mettre V: Meat, Dairy Products, Drinks, Desserts
	Lesson 08 : Food and Drink
09	Leçon 09 : Dîner	G: -cer Verbs, Servir, Vouloir & Pouvoir V: Meals, Silverware, Dining at a Restaurant
	Lesson 09 : Dining
10	Leçon 10 : La communication	G: Dire, -aître Verbs, Connaître & Savoir, Envoyer, Recevoir V: Mail, Calling Others, Computers
	Lesson 10 : Communication

• Level Two Test and the Answers

Lesson 2.01 - School

G: Introduction to Perfect Tenses

The next section is optional. You will eventually learn everything that is covered in it, but if you would like a preview, read it, and if not, continue on to the school section.

G: Introduction to Moods and Tenses

Like the above section, this is also optional. You will eventually learn everything in here.

V: School

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) School L'école
General		Classes / Grades[21]
le professeur[22]	teacher	12th Grade	Classe Terminale
la bourse	scholarship	11th Grade	1ère (la première classe)
le diplôme (professionnel)	diploma	10th Grade	2ème (la deuxième classe)
le bac(calauréat)	high school exit exam	9th Grade	3ème (la troisième classe)
la bibliothèque	library	8th Grade	4ème (la quatrième classe)
les notes	grades (as on a test)	7th Grade	5ème (la cinquième classe)
les cours	classes or courses	6th Grade	6ème (la sixième classe)
la classe	grade (e.g. 6th Grade)	5th Grade	CM2 (CM = cours moyen)
en cours de [...]	in [...] class	4th Grade	CM1
Pendant les cours - During Classes		3rd Grade	CE2 (CE=cours élémentaire)
le tableau	chalkboard	2nd Grade	CE1
la craie	chalk	1st Grade	CP1 (CP = cours préparatoire)
le pupitre	desk	Verbs
l'examen (m)	test	passer un examen	to take a test
les devoirs	homework	étudier	to study
la classe	class	écrire[23]	to write
la cantine déjeuner	cafeteria to (eat) lunch	lever (la main)[24]	to raise (your hand)
la récré(ation) la cour	recess courtyard	poser (une question)	to ask (a question)
Schools and Students		parler	to speak
l'école (f)	school	écouter	to listen (to)[25]
l'étudiant l'étudiante	student (m) student (f)	entendre	to hear (of)[26]
le collège (classes 6-4)	jr. high school (grades 6-9)	regarder	to watch
le collégien	jr. high school student	déjeuner	to (have) lunch
le lycée (classes 3-terminale)	high school (grades 10-12)
le lycéen	high school student	Describing Teachers and Students
l'université (f) la fac(ulté)	university	intelligent(e)	intelligent
		nul(le)	not good, not bright
l'enseignement supérieur	higher education graduate school	strict(e)	strict
Des fournitures scolaires - School Supllies
la craie chalk cray le tableau the board tahbloh le stylo(-bille) pen steeloh (bee) le crayon pencil krayoh la calculatrice calculator le livre le bouquin book leevr le cahier notebook kie ay		le papier la feuille de papier paper sheet of paper pahpeeyay le bloc-notes (small) notepad block nut le classeur three-ring binder le sac à dos backpack sack ah doe la gomme eraser gum la règle ruler rehgluh le feutre marker feuhtr

^  The word professeur is considered masculine at all times, even if the teacher is female. The only case when "professeur" can be preceded by feminine determinant is either when contracting it in colloquial language "la prof", or when adding a few words before : "madame/mademoiselle la/le professeur".

^  The way that grades are numbered in France is opposite the way they are in the US. Whereas American grade numbers go up as you approach your senior year, they descend in France.

^  Écrire is an irregular verb. You will learn to conjugate it in the next section.

^  In French, you do not "own" body parts. While in English, you would say my hand or your hand, the definite article is almost always used in French.

• la main - my hand
• la jambe - my leg
• le bras - my arm

For example, you would say Je me suis cassé la main (I have broken my hand) and never Je me suis cassé ma main. But you must say "Ma main est cassée" (My hand is broken) and not "La main est cassée" (lit. The hand is broken) if you speak about your own hand.

^  To and of are built into the verbs écouter and entendre respectively. It is not necessary to add a preposition to the verb. Other verbs, such as répondre {à), meaning to respond (to), are almost always followed by a preposition.

G: Écrire & Lire

Écrire is an irregular french verb, meaning to write. It varies from other '-re' verbs in the plural conjugation, by adding a 'v'.

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) écrire to write
past participle: écrit
	Singular			Plural
first person	j' écris	jay cree	I write	nous écrivons	noozay creevohn	we write
second person	tu écris	tue aycree	you write	vous écrivez	voozay creevay	you write
third person	il écrit	eel aycree	he writes	ils écrivent	eel zaycreeve	they write (masc. or mixed)
	elle écrit	ell aycree	she writes
	on écrit	ohn aycree	one writes	elles écrivent	ell zaycreeve	they write (fem.)

Lire is an irregular french verb, meaning to read. It's plural conjugation adds an additional 's'.

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) lire to read
past participle: lu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je lis	jeuh lee	I read	nous lisons	noo leezonn	we read
second person	tu lis	tue lee	you read	vous lisez	voo leezay	you read
third person	il lit	eel lee	he reads	ils lisent	eel leez	they read (masc. or mixed)
	elle lit	ell lee	she reads
	on lit	ohn lee	one reads	elles lisent	ell leez	they read (fem.)

V: School Subjects

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) School Subjects Les matières d'enseignement
les langues	languages	les mathématiques les maths	mathematics
l'anglais	English	l'algèbre (f)	algebra
le français	French	le calcul	calculus
l'espagnol	Spanish	la géométrie	geometry
l'allemand	German	les sciences sociales	social sciences
le russe	Russian	l'économie	economics
l'italien	Italian	la géo(graphie)	geography
		l'histoire (f)	history
les sciences naturelles	natural sciences	d'autres matières	other subjects
la biologie la bio	biology	le dessin	drawing
la chimie	chemistry	l'informatique (f)	computer science
la technologie	engineering	la littérature	literature
la physique	physics	la musique	music

G: Passé Composé with Regular Verbs

Main article: French/Grammar/Tenses/Present perfect

The passé composé is a perfect tense, and is therefore composed of an auxiliary verb and a past participle. With most verbs, that auxiliary verb is avoir.

Meaning

In English, verbs conjugated in the passé composé literally mean have/has ____ed. While there is a simple past tense in French, it is almost only used in formal writing, so verbs conjugated in the passé composé can also be used to mean the English simple tense.

• For example, the passé composé form of parler (to speak), [avoir] parlé, literally mean has/have spoken, but also means spoke.

Basic Formation

To conjugate a verb in the passé composé, the helping verb, usually avoir, is conjugated in the present indicative and the past participle is then added.

Auxiliary Verb - Avoir

Conjugate avoir in the present indicative.

j'ai	I have	nous avons	we have
tu as	you have	vous avez	you have
il a	he has	ils ont	they have

Past Participle

• -er verbs - replace -er with é
• -ir verbs - replace -ir with i
• -re verbs - replace -re with u
• irregular verbs - varies, must be memorized.

Formation of the Past Participle
Verb Group	Infinitive	Stem	Past Participle
-er verbs	jouer	jou	joué
-ir verbs	finir	fin	fini
-re verbs	répondre	répond	répondu

Avoir + Past Participle

J'ai joué.	I have played	Nous avons joué.	We have played.
Tu as joué.	You have played.	Vous avez joué.	You have played.
Il a joué.	He has played.	Ils ont joué.	They have played.

Lesson 2.02 - Culture

This lesson is on the culture of France. The culture of France is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the influence of recent immigration. Also, try and reflect on how your culture is similar and different to French culture.

Wikipedia has related information at Culture of France

G: General Verbs Review

Most verbs in French are regular -er verbs. Others are regular -ir or -re verbs or are simply irregular.

Formation

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) Regular Verbs Les verbes réguliers
	-er Verbs		-ir Verbs		-re Verbs
Stem:	parl...		fin...		vend...
Subject	Ending	Example	Ending	Verb	Ending	Example
Je	-e	parle	-is	finis	-s	vends
Tu	-es	parles	-is	finis	-s	vends
Il	-e	parle	-it	finit	-	vend
Nous	-ons	parlons	-issons	finissons	-ons	vendons
Vous	-ez	parlez	-issez	finissez	-ez	vendez
Ils	-e	parlent	-issent	finissent	-ent	vendent

Irregular Verbs Ending in -er

• aller

Common -ir Verbs

• Finir

Irregular Verbs Ending in -ir

acquérir | avoir | s'asseoir | devoir | dormir | falloir | ouvrir | partir | pleuvoir | pouvoir | recevoir | savoir | servir | venir | voir | vouloir

Common -re Verbs

• attendre - to wait (for)
• répondre - to answer

Irregular Verbs Ending in -re

boire | conduire | connaître | croire | dire | écrire | être | faire | lire | mettre | prendre | rire | suivre | vivre

G: Croire & Voir

Croire is an irregularly conjugated -re verb.

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) croire to believe (past participle - cru)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je crois	jeuh crah	I believe	nous croyons	noo croy oh	we believe
second person	tu crois	too crah	you believe	vous croyez	voo croy ay	you believe
third person	il croit	eel crah	he believes	ils croient	eel crah	they believe (masc. or mixed)
	elle croit	ell crah	she believes
	on croit	oh crah	one believes	elles croient	ell crah	they believe (fem.)

Voir is an irregularly conjugated -re verb.

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) voir to see (past participle - vu)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je vois	jeuh vwah	I see	nous voyons	noo vwahyoh	we see
second person	tu vois	too vwah	you see	vous voyez	voo vwah ay	you see
third person	il voit	eel vwah	he sees	ils voient	eel vwah	they see (masc. or mixed)
	elle voit	ell vwah	she sees
	on voit	oh vwah	one sees	elles voient	ell vwah	they see (fem.)

V: Religion

la religion	religion
le Christianisme	Christianity
l'Islam	Islam
le Judaïsme	Judaism
le Chrétien/la Chrétienne	Christian
le Musulman/la Musulmane	Muslim
le Juif/la Juive	Jew
l'athée (m.)	atheist
Le Père noël	Santa Claus
le 14 juillet	Bastille Day

V: Birthday

Birthdays
l'anniversaire (m)	birthday
Tu as quel âge?	How old are you?
J'ai ____ ans.	I am ____ years old. [lit: I have ___ years.]
le gâteau	cake
le cadeau	gift
la bougie	candle
la fête	party
inviter	to invite
donner une fête	to throw a party

V: Marriage

Marriage
Le mari	Husband
La femme	Wife

V: Holidays

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Holidays Les jours fériés
New Year's Day	le Nouvel An	1 janvier
Labor Day	La Fête du Travail
Memorial Day ; Armistice Day	jour de l'Armistice
Independance Day	la Fête Nationale	4 juillet
Christmas Eve	le Réveillon	24 décembre
Christmas ; Yule	Noël	25 décembre

V: Bastille Day and Parades

V: Islamic Holidays

Lesson 2.03 - Shopping

V: Shopping

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Shopping Les achats
To Go Shopping		Buying Goods
faire des courses faire du shopping	to go shopping	le(la) vendeur(euse) le(la) cassier(-ière)	salesperson cashier
faire le marché	to go grocery shopping	(plus/moins) cher(ère)	(more/less) expensive
faire du lèche-vitrine	to go window shopping	la vitrine	display window
porter	to wear, to carry	en solde	on sale
demander	to ask (for)	le prix	price
demander le prix - to ask for the price
payer payer à la caisse	to pay to pay at the counter	la caisse	cash register checkout counter
vendre	to sell	coûter	to cost
acheter	to buy	C’est combien? Ça coûte combien?	How much is it? [lit: It's how much?] [lit:It costs how much?]
		Combien coûte [nom]?	How much does [noun] cost? [lit: How much costs [noun]?]
General Goods Stores		Foods Stores
le magasin	shop; store	le supermarché	supermarket
le centre commercial	mall; shopping centre	l'hypermarché (m)	hypermarket; big supermarket
le grand magasin	department store	la boucherie	butcher shop 1
le rayon	department	la boulangerie	bakery 2
la boutique	small store	le dépôt de pain	a place that sells bread 2
la pharmacie	pharmacy; chemist	la charcuterie	delicatessen 3
le marché	outdoor market	la crémerie	dairy store
		la pâtisserie	pastry shop; pâtisserie
		la poissonnerie	seafood store; fishmonger
		l'épicerie (f)	grocery 4

1. French butchers do not sell pork, pork products, nor horsemeat. For these products, go to a charcuterie. However, a lot of boucheries are also charcuteries, and are called boucherie-charcuterie
2. In France, bakeries only sell fresh bread; e.g. the bread is baked on site. Places where they sell bread that is not fresh are called dépôt de pain.
3. 'Charcuteries' sell things besides pork products, including pâté, salami, cold meats, salads, quiches and pizzas.
4. An alternative to an 'épicerie' is an alimentation générale (a general foodstore).

G: Object Pronouns Review

Direct Objects

While the subject of a sentence initiates an action (the verb), the direct object is the one that is affected by the action. A direct object pronoun is used to refer to the direct object of a previous sentence:

Pierre voit le cambrioleur.	Pierre sees the burglar.
Pierre le voit.	Pierre sees him.

The following table shows the various types of direct object pronouns:

French	me, m'	te, t'	le, l'	la, l'	nous	vous	les
English	me1	you1	him, it	her, it	us1	you1	them

Notes:

• ¹ me, te, nous, and vous are also used as indirect objects to mean to me, to you, to us, and to you respectively.
• The pronoun form with an apostrophe is used before a vowel.
• The direct object pronoun for nous and vous is the same as the subject.
• When the direct object comes before a verb in a perfect tense, a tense that uses a past participle, the direct object must agree in gender and plurality with the past participle. For example, in the phrase Je les ai eus, or I had them, the past participle would be spelled eus if the direct object, les, was referring to a masculine object, and eues if les is referring to a feminine object.

Indirect Objects

An indirect object is an object that would be asked for with To whom...? or From whom...?. It is called indirect because it occurs usually together with a direct object which is affected directly by the action:

Il donne du pain à Pierre.	He gives some bread to Pierre.
Il lui donne du pain.	He gives bread to him.

The following table shows the various types of indirect object pronouns:

French	me, m'	te, t'	lui	nous	vous	leur
English	to me1	to you1	to him, to her	to us1	to you1	to them

Notes:

• ¹ me, te, nous, and vous are also used as direct objects to mean me, you, us, and you respectively.
• The pronoun form with an apostrophe is used before a vowel.
• The indirect object pronoun for nous and vous is the same as the subject.
• The indirect object pronouns do not agree with the past participle like the direct object pronouns do. When me, te, nous, and vous are used in a perfect tense, the writer must decide whether they are used as direct or indirect object pronouns. This is done by looking at the verb and seeing what type of action is being performed.

The bread is given by the man (direct). Pierre gets the given bread (indirect).

G: -exer Verbs

-exer are regular -er verbs, but also are stem changing. The stem change applies to all forms except nous and vous. The stem change involves adding a grave accent ( ` ) over the e in the stem.

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) acheter to buy (past participle - acheté)
	Singular			Plural
first person	j'achète	jzah shet	I buy	nouszachetons	noozashtoh	we buy
second person	tu achètes	too ahshet	you buy	vouszachetez	voozahshtay	you buy
third person	il achète	eel ahshet	he buys	ilszachètent	eelzahshet	they buy (masc. or mixed)
	elle achète	ell ahshet	she buys
	onnachète	ohnahshet	one buys	elleszachètent	ellzahshet	they buy (fem.)

Other -exer Verbs

• peser - to weigh
• mener - to carry out
• emmener - to take along
• amener - to bring
• surmener - to overwork
• lever - to raise
• soulever - to raise

V: Clothing

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Clothing Habillement
les vêtements habillés - dress clothes		les vêtements sport - casual clothes		les chaussures - shoes
la chemise	button down shirt	la casquette	cap	les chaussures	shoes
la cravate	tie	le tee-shirt	t-shirt	la paire de chaussures	pair of shoes
le pantalon	pants	le polo	polo shirt	les baskets	basketball shoes trainers
le complet le costume	suit	le pull(over)	a sweater	les tennis	tennis shoes
le manteau	coat	le sweat-shirt	sweatshirt	les sandales	sandals
le tailleur	women's suit	le blouson la veste	jacket
la robe	dress	le jean	jeans
le chemisier	blouse	les chaussettes / les bas	socks
la jupe	skirt

G: -yer verbs

-yer verbs are irregular -er verbs. When y is part of the last syllable, it changes to i in order to keep the ay sound. In the present indicative of -yer verbs, this affects all forms except nous and vous.

Payer

The verb payer translates to to pay.

Formation

In the present indicative, payer (and all other -yer verbs) is conjuagted as follows:

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) payer to pay (past participle - payé)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je paie	jeuh pay	I pay	nous payons	noo pay oh	we pay
second person	tu paies	too pay	you pay	vous payez	voo pay yay	you pay
third person	il paie	eel pay	he pays	ils paient ou payent	eel	they pay (masc. or mixed)
	elle paie	ell pay	she pays
	on paie	oh pay	one pays	elles paient ou payent	ell	they pay (fem.)

Other -yer Verbs

• appuyer - to support
• employer - to employ
• essayer - to try
• essuyer - to wipe
• nettoyer - to clean
• tutoyer - to address as tu, to call someone informally

G: Irregular Past Participles

Many of the verbs you have learned so far have irregular past participles.

• avoir - eu
• croire - cru
• être - été
• faire - fait
• voir - vu

V: Practise Conversations

Let's practise some of these words and verbs in some everyday shopping talk:

1. À la boulangerie (At the bakery)

Bernard (le boulanger) : Bonjour madame

Camille (la cliente) : Bonjour monsieur

Bernard : Que voulez-vous ?

Camille : Je voudrais acheter une baguette, s'il vous plaît

Bernard : Ce sera tout ?

Camille : Non, je voudrais deux croissants aussi

Bernard : Très bien - ça fait deux euros, s'il vous plaît

Camille : Merci beaucoup

Useful vocabulary:

"Que voulez-vous ?" or "Que désirez-vous ?" - What would you like?

"Je voudrais..." - I would like...

"Ce sera tout ?" - Is that all?

"Ça fait deux euros" - That will be two euros

acheter (to buy).

2. Au marché (At the market)

Marie (la marchande) : Bonjour monsieur

Clément (le client) : Bonjour madame

Clément : Qu'est-ce que vous avez à vendre ?

Marie : J'ai un grand choix de fruits et légumes

Clément : Très bien. Est-ce que vous avez des cerises ?

Marie : Oui... elles coûtent deux euros le kilo

Clément : Bon, je voudrais trois kilos, s'il vous plaît

Marie : Très bien, monsieur. Alors, pour trois kilos il faut payer six euros, s'il vous plaît.

Useful vocabulary:

"Qu'est-ce que vous avez... ?" - What do you have?

"Un grand choix" - A large range

"Des cerises" - Some cherries

"Elles coûtent deux euros le kilo" - They (feminine) cost two euros per kilo

"Il faut" - One must/You need to

vendre (to sell) and payer (to pay).

Lesson 2.04 - Going Out

G: À and De

The preposition à can indicate a destination, a location, a characteristic, measurement, a point in time, purpose, and several other things which will be covered later.

When le follows à, the à and le combine into au. Similarly, à and les combine into aux.

The preposition de can indicate an origin, contents, possession, cause, manner, and several other things which will be covered later.

When le follows de, the de and le combine into du. Similarly, de and les combine into des.

V: Leisure Activites

Les loisirs refers to leisure activities.

le cinéma	cinema
la musique	music
le baladeur	walkman
une sortie	going out
un spectacle	a show
le théâtre	the theater
le repos	rest
le vacancier	a vacationer
la danse	dance
allumer/éteindre	to turn on/turn off
la télévision	television
le(la) téléspectateur(trice)	television viewer
le sport	sport

G: Partir & Sortir

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) partir to leave (past participle - parti(e)(s))
	Singular			Plural
first person	je pars	jeuh pahr	I leave	nous partons	noo partoh	we leave
second person	tu pars	too pahr	you leave	vous partez	voo pahrtay	you leave
third person	il part	eel pahr	he leaves	ils partent	eel part	they leave (masc. or mixed)
	elle part	ell pahr	she leaves
	on part	oh pahr	one leaves	elles partent	ell part	they leave (fem.)

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) sortir to go out, to take out (past participle - sorti(e)(s))
	Singular			Plural
first person	je sors	jeuh sore	I go out	nous sortons	noo sortoh	we go out
second person	tu sors	too sore	you go out	vous sortez	voo sortay	you go out
third person	il sort	eel sore	he goes out	ils sortent	eel sort	they go out (masc. or mixed)
	elle sort	ell sore	she goes out
	on sort	oh sore	one goes out	elles sortent	ell sort	they go out (fem.)

Some other verbs use sortir and partir as stems.

• repartir - to set out again
• répartir - to distribute

V: Movies

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Movies Les films
General
le film (domestique) (en vidéo) le film (étranger) (en DVD)	(domestic) movie (on video) (foreign) movie (on DVD)	V.O. (Version originale) les sous-titres	unaltered sub-titles
l'acteur (m) l'actrice (f)	actor actress	la vidéo le DVD	video DVD
louer	to rent
The Movie Theater		Film Genres
le cinéma	the (movie) theater	le dessin animé	cartoon
la salle du cinéma	theater showing room lit: room of the the theater	le documentaire	documentary
la séance	showing	le film d’amour	love story
le guichet	ticket window	le film d’aventures	adventure movie
la place le fauteuil	seat/place to sit chair1	le film d’horreur	horror film
coûter	to cost	le film policier	police film
jouer	to play	le film de science-fiction	sci-fi film

• ¹Un fauteuil is the physical chair that one sits on. One would normally use "une place" whenever "a seat" is used in English.
  • Prenez place ! - Take a seat! (very common expression. No article before place, you should not say Prenez la place)

Les films sont fascinants! Allez-vous au cinéma? Pourquoi? Vous aimez les films? Pour demander quels films jouent au cinéma, on dit Qu’est-ce qui joue au cinéma? . On achète les places au guichet, où l'employé(e) les vend. On entre dans la salle du cinéma pour regarder un film. Quel est votre genre de film préféré? Louez-vous des vidéos? des DVDs?.

G: -enir verbs

• -enir verbs are irregularly conjugated (they do not count as regular -ir verbs).

Venir

• The most common -enir verb is venir.
• The verb venir is translated to to come.
• When it means to come from, venir is used with the preposition de.
  • Nous venons du stade.
• You can also use venir with a verb to state that you have recently accomplished an action. **Je viens de finir mes devoirs (I've just finished my homework).

Formation

In the present indicative, venir (and all other -enir verbs) are conjuagted as follows:

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) venir to come (past participle - venu(e)(s))
	Singular			Plural
first person	je viens	jeuh vee ehn	I come	nous venons	noo venn oh	we come
second person	tu viens	too vee ehn	you come	vous venez	voo vennay	you come
third person	il vient	eel vee ehn	he comes	ils viennent	eel vee ehn	they come (masc. or mixed)
	elle vient	ell vee ehn	she comes
	on vient	oh vee ehn	one comes	elles viennent	ell vee ehn	they come (fem.)

Other -enir Verbs

• revenir - to come back, to return
• devenir - to become

• appartenir - to belong
• contenir - to contain
• détenir - to keep, to detain
• retenir - to retain
• se souvenir - to remember
• soutenir - to support
• tenir - to hold

-éxer Verbs

-éxer verbs are regular -er verbs, but are also stem changing.

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) suggérer to suggest (past participle - suggéré)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je suggère	jeuh soo zjair	I suggest	nous suggérons	noo soo zjairoh	we suggest
second person	tu suggères	too soo zjair	you suggest	vous suggérez	voo soo zjairay	you suggest
third person	il suggère	eel soo zjair	he suggests	ils suggèrent	eel soo zjair	they suggest (masc. or mixed)
	elle suggère	ell soo zjair	she suggests
	on suggère	oh soo zjair	one suggests	elles suggèrent	ell soo zjair	they suggest (fem.)

Other -éxer Verbs

• accélérer - to accelerate
• célébrer - to celebrate
• espérer - to hope
• oblitérer - to obliterate
• préférer - to prefer
• sécher - to dry

Directions

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 - the post office
  • La gare - the train station
  • Le supermarché - the supermarket
  • Le stade - the football stadium
  • Le camping - the camping grounds
  • La plage - the beach
  • Le parc - the park

• Vous prenez... - You take...
  • la première rue - the first street
  • à gauche - to the left
  • à droite - to the right
  • tout droit - straight ahead

• Merci beaucoup! - Thanks so much!
• De rien. - It was nothing/No worries.

Lesson 2.05 - Transportation

G: -uire Verbs

-uire verbs are conjugated irregularly.

Formation

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) conduire to drive (past participle - conduit)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je conduis	jeuh cohndwee	I drive	nous conduisons	noo cohndweezoh	we drive
second person	tu conduis	too cohndwee	you drive	vous conduisez	voo cohndweezay	you drive
third person	il conduit	eel cohndwee	he drives	ils conduisent	eel cohndweez	they drive (masc. or mixed)
	elle conduit	ell cohndwee	she drives
	on conduit	oh cohndwee	one drives	elles conduisent	ell cohndweez	they drive (fem.)

Other -uire Verbs

• produire - to produce
• traduire - to translate
• reduire - to reduce

V: Driving

ouvrir	to open
fermer	to close

G: -rir Verbs

These verbs are conjugated irregularly, and normally follow the -er conjugation scheme. A common -rir verb is ouvrir.

Formation

• j'ouvre
• tu ouvres
• il ouvre
• nous ouvrons
• vous ouvrez
• ils ouvrent
• past participle: ouvert

Other Standard -rir verbs

In past participle form, -ir is replaced with -ert for these verbs.

• couvrir - to cover
• découvrir - to discover
• offrir - to offer
• souffrir - to suffer

-rir Verb Exceptions

Courir - To Run

• je cours
• tu cours
• il court
• nous courons
• vous courez
• ils courent
• past participle: couru

Mourir - To Die

• je meurs
• tu meurs
• il meurt
• nous mourons
• vous mourez
• ils meurent
• past participle: mort(e)(s)¹

¹Mourir is the only -ir verb that takes être as its helping verb in perfect tenses (and therefore agrees with the subject as a past participle in a perfect tense).

Acquérir - To Acquire

• j'acquiers
• tu acquiers
• il acquiert
• nous acquérons
• vous acquérez
• ils acquièrent
• past participle: acquis

V: Traffic Signs and Laws

G: Passé Composé with Être

Most verbs form the passé composé with avoir, however there are a small number of verbs that are always conjugated with être. In a general case, these verbs indicate a change in state or position.

List of Verbs

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) Perfect Past with Être Passé composé avec être
Verb	Example
aller	Je suis allé au cinéma.	I went to the cinema.
venir	Je suis venu en France.	I came to France.
arriver	Le train est arrivé.	The train has arrived.
partir	Elle est partie travailler.	She left to go to work.
rester	Je suis resté à la maison.	I stayed home.
retourner	Il est retourné au restaurant.	He returned to the restaurant.
tomber	Je suis tombé dans la piscine.	I fell into the pool.
naître	Je suis né en octobre.	I was born in october.
mourir	Il est mort en 1917.	He died in 1917.
passer	Il est passé devant la maison.	It happened in front of the house.
monter	Je suis monté au sommet.	I climbed to the top.
descendre	Il est descendu du train.	He got out of the train.
sortir	Je suis sorti avec mes amies.	I went out with my friends.
entrer	Je suis entré dans ma chambre.	I entered my room.
rentrer	Il est rentré tôt de l'école.	He came back early from school.

The verbs that take être can be easily remebered by the acronym MRS. DR VANDERTRAMP:
M	R	S		D	R
monté	resté	sorti		devenu	revenu
V	A	N	D	E	R	T	R	A	M	P
venu	arrivé	né	descendu	entré	rentré	tombé	retourné	allé	mort	parti

Moreover, all the pronominal verbs (with se), like se cacher (to hide oneself) or se demander (to wonder), are ALWAYS conjugated with être.

Direct Objects

One must know that these verbs take their conjugated avoir when they are immediately followed by a direct object

• For Example:
  • Je suis descendu with the direct object "mes bagages"
    • becomes:
  • J'ai descendu mes bagages.

• Another example:
  • Je suis monté with the direct object "mes bagages"
    • becomes:
  • J'ai monté mes bagages.

• Yet another example but with ils instead of Je:
  • Ils sont sortis with direct object "leur passeport"
    • becomes:
  • Ils ont sorti leur passeport.

Subject-Past Participle Agreement

When conjugating with être, the past participles of the above verbs must agree with the the subject of a sentence in gender and plurality. Note that there is no agreement if these verbs are conjugated with avoir.

• If the subject is masculine singular, there is no change in the past participle.
• If the subject is feminine singular, an -e is added to the past participle.
• If the subject is masculine plural, an -s is added to the past participle.
• If the subject is feminine plural, an -es is added to the past participle.

J suis allé(e).	Nous sommes allé(e)s.
Tu es allé(e).	Vous êtes allé(e)(s).
Il est allé.	Ils sont allés.
Elle est allée.	Elles sont allées.

V: Trains and Stations

Taking the Train

G: The Pronoun Y

Indirect Object Pronoun - to it, to them

The French pronoun y is used to replace an object of a prepositional phrase introduced by à.

• Je réponds aux (à les) questions. - J'y réponds.
• I respond to the questions. - I respond to them.

Note that lui and leur, and not y, are used when the object refers to a person or persons.

Replacement of Places - there

The French pronoun y replaces a prepositional phrase referring to a place that begins with any preposition except de (for which en is used).

• Les hommes vont en France. - Les hommes y vont.
• The men go to France - The men go there.

Note that en, and not y is used when the preposition of the object is de.

Idioms

• Ça y est! - It's Done!
• J'y suis! - I get it!

V: Taking a Taxi

Taking a Taxi

Lesson 2.06 - Everyday Life

G: Dormir

Dormir, to sleep, is an irregular French verb.

French Verb • Present Indicative • audio (upload) dormir to sleep (past participle - dormi)
	Singular			Plural
first person	je dors	jeuh door	I sleep	nous dormons	noo doormoh	we sleep
second person	tu dors	too door	you sleep	vous dormez	voo doormay	you sleep
third person	il dort	eel door	he sleeps	ils dorment	eel dorm	they sleep (masc. or mixed)
	elle dort	ell door	she sleeps
	on dort	oh door	one sleeps	elles dorment	ell dorm	they sleep (fem.)

V: Waking up and Getting Yourself Ready

• se lever: to get up
• se laver: to wash (oneself)
• se raser : to shave
• se doucher: to shower
• se baigner: to bathe (oneself)
• se brosser les cheveux/les dents: to brush one's hair/teeth
• se peigner les cheveux: to comb one's hair
• s'habiller: to dress (oneself)

If the subject is performing the action on him or herself, the verbs are reflexive. However, if the subject were to act on someone else, the verb is no longer reflexive; instead the reflexive pronoun becomes a direct object.

• Je m'habille: I get (myself) dressed.
• Je t'habille: I get you dressed.

In the passé composé, the participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

• Pierre s'est habillé.
• Alice s'est habillée.
• Georges et Martin se sont habillés.
• Lisette et Rose se sont habillées.
• Marc et Claire se sont habillés.
• Je m'appelle Lucie, et je me suis levée à six heures.
• Jean et Paul, vous vous êtes levés assez tard.

G: Pronominal Verbs

Pronominal verbs are verbs that, put simply, include pronouns. These pronouns are me, te, se, nous, and vous and are used as either direct objects or indirect objects, depending on the verb that they modify. There are three types of pronominal verbs: reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs, and naturally pronominal verbs.

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs reflect the action on the subject.

• Je me lave. - I wash myself.
• Nous nous lavons. - We wash ourselves.
• Ils se lavent. - They wash themselves.

Reflexive verbs can also be used as infinitives.

• Je vais me laver. - I'm going to wash myself.
• Je ne vais pas me laver. - I'm not going to wash myself.

Reciprocal Verbs

With reciprocal verbs, people perform actions to each other.

• Nous nous aimons. - We like each other.

Naturally Pronominal Verbs

Some verbs are pronominal without performing a reflexive or reciprocal action. Tu te souviens? - You remember?

V: Going to Work

V: At Work

travailler: to work

travailler pour: to work for (somebody)

G: Devoir

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) devoir to have to, to owe
past participle: dû
	Singular			Plural
first person	je dois	jeuh dwah	I have to	nous devons	noo dehvohn	we have to
second person	tu dois	too dwah	you have to	vous devez	voo dehvay	you have to
third person	il doit	eel dwah	he has to	ils doivent	eel dwahve	they have to (masc. or mixed)
	elle doit	ell dwah	she has to
	on doit	ohn dwah	one has to	elles doivent	ell dwahve	they have to (fem.)

G: Falloir

• falloir - to be necessary
• il faut - it is necessary
• il a fallu - it was necessary (passé composé)
• il fallait - it was necessary (imparfait)
• il faudra - it will be necessary
• il faudrait - it would be necessary

The verb falloir differs from similar verbs such as avoir besoin de [faire quelque chose] (to need [to do something]) and devoir (must, duty, owe). Falloir is always used with the impersonal il only in the 3rd person singular, whereas devoir can be used with all subject pronouns in all tenses.

Falloir expresses general necessities, such as "To live, one must eat" or "To speak French well, one must conjugate verbs correctly."

Devoir expresses more personally what someone must do; "I want to pass my French test, so I must study verb conjugations."

Avoir besoin de [faire quelque chose] expresses need; "I need to study for my test, it's tomorrow" - "J'ai besoin d'etudier pour mon examen, il est demain."

Lesson 2.07 - Rural Life

G: Suivre

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) suivre to follow
past participle: suivi
	Singular			Plural
first person	je suis	jeuh swee	I follow	nous suivons	noo sweevohn	we follow
second person	tu suis	too swee	you follow	vous suivez	voo sweevay	you follow
third person	il suit	eel swee	he follows	ils suivent	eel sweeve	they follow (masc. or mized)
	elle suit	ell swee	she follows
	on suit	ohn swee	one follows	elles suivent	ell sweeve	they follow (fem.)

G: Vivre

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) vivre to live
past participle: vécu [vaycoo]
	Singular			Plural
first person	je vis	jeuh vee	I live	nous vivons	noo veevohn	we live
second person	tu vis	too vee	you live	vous vivez	voo veevay	you live
third person	il vit	eel vee	he lives	ils vivent	eel veeve	they live (masc. or mized)
	elle vit	ell vee	she lives
	on vit	ohn vee	one lives	elles vivent	ell veeve	they live (fem.)

G: Naître

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) naître to be born
past participle: né(e)(s)1
	Singular			Plural
first person	je nais	jeuh nay	I am born	nous naissons	noo nehssohn	we are born
second person	tu nais	too nay	you are born	vous naissez	voo nehssay	you are born
third person	il naît	eel nay	he is born	ils naissent	eel nesse	they are born (masc. or mized)
	elle naît	ell nay	she is born
	on naît	ohn nay	one is born	elles naissent	ell nesse	they are born (fem.)

¹ Naître is the only -aître verb that takes être as its helping verb (and therefore agrees with the subject as a past participle in perfect tenses).

G: Reflexive Verbs with Perfect Tenses

When proniminal verbs are conjugated in perfect tenses, être is used as the auxiliary verb.

Reflexive Verbs

In perfect tenses, the past participles agree with the direct object pronoun, but not the indirect object pronoun, in gender and plurality. Therefore it would only agree when the reflexive pronoun is the direct object. Also remember that the past participle does not agree with the direct object if it goes after the verb.

• Elle s'est lavée. - She washed herself.
• Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s. - We washed ourselves.
• Elle s'est lavé les mains. - She washed her hands.
• Nous nous sommes lavé les mains. - We washed our hands.

Reciprocal Verbs

• Like reflexive verbs, the past participle of reciprocal verbs agrees in number and gender with the direct object if it goes before the verb. It therefore agrees with all reciprocal pronouns that function as direct objects.
• Nous nous sommes aimé(e)s. - We liked each other.

The reciprocal pronoun can also function as an indirect object without a direct object pronoun.

• Nous nous sommes parlé. - We spoke to each other.
• Elles se sont téléphoné. - They called one another.
• Vous vous êtes écrit souvent? - You wrote to each other often?

Naturally Pronominal Verbs

• In perfect tenses, these verbs agree with the direct object if it goes before the verb. Otherwise, the past participle agrees with the subject.
• Elle s'est souvenue. - She remembered.
• Le chien se couche. - The dog lies down.

Note that assis(e)(es), the past participle of s'asseoir (to sit), does not change in the masculine plural form.

Lesson 2.08 - Food and Drink

G: -ger Verbs

-ger verbs are regular -er verbs that are also stem changing. The most common -ger verb is manger. For manger and all other regular -ger verbs, the stem change is adding an e after the g. This only applies in the nous form. In this case, the change is made to preserve the soft g pronunciation rather than the hard g that would be present if the e were not included.

Formation

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) manger to eat
past participle - mangé
	Singular			Plural
first person	je mange	jeuh mahnge	I eat	nous mangeons	noo vmahnge ohn	we eat
second person	tu manges	too mahnge	you eat	vous mangez	voo mahngay	we eat
third person	il mange	eel mahnge	he eats	ils mangent	eel mahnge	they eat (masc. or mized)
	elle mange	ell mahnge	she eats
	on mange	ohn mahnge	one eats	elles mangent	ell mahnge	they eat (fem.)

Other -ger Verbs

• changer - to change
• exiger - to require
• nager - to swim
• soulager - to relieve
• voyager - to travel

V: Food

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Food La nourriture
les fruits - fruits		les légumes - vegetables
la banane	banana	la carotte	carrot
la cerise	cherry	les épinards (m pl)	spinach
le citron	lemon	l'oignon (m)	onion
la fraise	strawberry	les petits pois (m pl)	peas
l'orange (f)	orange	la pomme de terre	potato
la pomme	apple	la tomate	tomato
le raisin	grape	les asperges (f pl)	asparagus
le pamplemousse	grapefruit	les haricots (m pl)	beans
la viande - meat		les fruits de mer (m pl) - shellfish, seafood
l'agneau (m)	lamb	La coquille Saint-Jacques (f)	scallop
la dinde	turkey	le crabe	crab
le jambon		le poisson - fish
le porc	pork	les anchois (m pl)	anchovies
le poulet	chicken	le saumon	salmon
le boeuf	beef	l'anguille (f)	eel
la saucisse		Other Foods
les produits laitiers - dairy products		le croissant	crescent roll
le beurre	butter	les frites (f pl)	"French fries"
le fromage	cheese	la crêpe	pancakes
le lait	milk	la mayonnaise	mayonnaise
le yaourt/le yoghurt	yogurt	la moutarde	mustard
le dessert - dessert		le pain	bread
le bonbon	candy	la pâitsserie	pastry
le chocolat	chocolate	le beurre	butter
le gâteau	cake	la tartine de pain beurré	slice of buttered bread
la glace	ice cream	le poivre	pepper
la mousse	mousse	le riz	rice
la tarte (aux pommes)	(apple) pie	le sel	salt
la glace (au chocolat)	(chocolate) ice cream	le sucre	sugar
la glace (à la vanille)	(vanilla) ice cream	la confiture	jam

G: Boire

The verb boire is translated to to drink. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -re verb) as follows:

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) boire to drink
past participle - bu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je bois	jeuh bwah	I drink	nous buvons	noo boovohn	we drink
second person	tu bois	too bwah	you drink	vous buvez	voo boovay	you drink
third person	il boit	eel bwah	he drinks	ils boivent	eel bwahve	they drink (masc. or mized)
	elle boit	ell bwah	she drinks
	on boit	ohn bwah	one drinks	elles boivent	ell bwahve	they drink (fem.)

V: Drinks

les boissons - drinks

la bière	beer
le café	coffee
le chocolat chaud	hot chocolate
le coca	soda
la limonade	lemon soda
le citron pressé	lemonade
l'eau (f)	water
le jus	juice
le jus d'orange	orange juice
le jus de pomme	apple juice
le jus de raisin	grape juice
le jus de tomate	tomato juice
le thé	tea
le vin	wine

G: Partitive Article

The partitive article de indicates, among other things, the word some. As learned earlier, de and le contract (combine) into du, as de and les contract into des. Also, instead of du or de la, de l' is used in front of vowels.

When speaking about food, the partitive article is used at some times while the definite article (le, la, les) is used at other times, and the indefinite article (un, une) in yet another set of situations. In general "de" refers to a part of food (a piece of pie) whereas the definite article (le) refers to a food in general (I like pie (in general)). The indefinite article refers to an entire unit of a food (I would like a (whole) pie).

When speaking about preferences, use the definite article:

J'aime la glace.	I like ice cream.
Nous préférons le steak.	We prefer steak.
Vous aimez les frites	You like French fries.

When speaking about eating or drinking an item, there are specific situations for the use of each article.

Def. art.	specific/whole items
J'ai mangé la tarte.	I ate the (whole) pie.
Ind. art.	known quantity
J'ai mangé une tarte.	I ate a pie.
Part. art.	unknown quantity
J'ai mangé de la tarte.	I ate some pie.

In the negative construction, certain rules apply. As one has learned in a previous lesson, un or une changes to de (meaning, in this context, any) in a negative construction. Similarly, du, de la, or des change to de in negative constructions.

Nous avons mangé une tarte.	We ate a pie.
Nous n'avons pas mangé de tarte.	We did not eat a pie/ We did not eat any pie.
Nous avons mangé de la tarte.	We ate some pie.
Nous n'avons pas mangé de tarte.	We did not eat some pie/ We did not eat any pie.

Note : Now you should understand better how that "Quoi de neuf?"(what's new?) encountered in the very first lesson was constructed... "Quoi de plus beau?!" (what is there prettier?)

G: En

To say 'some of it' without specifying the exact object, the pronoun 'en' can be used. Additionally, 'en' can mean 'of it' when 'it' is not specified. For instance, instead of saying J'ai besoin d'argent, if the idea of money has already been raised, it can be stated as 'J'en ai besoin'. This is because en replaces du, de la or des when there the noun is not specifically mentioned in that sentence.

Like with 'me', 'te' and other pronouns, en (meaning 'some') comes before the verb.

Tu joues du piano? Non, je n'en joue pas	Do you play piano? No, I don't play it.
Vous prenez du poisson? Oui, j'en prends.	Are you having fish? Yes, I'm having some.
Vous avez commandé de l'eau? Oui, nous en avons commandé.	Did you order some water? Yes, we ordered some.

For more detailed information, see French Pronouns

G: Mettre

Formation

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) mettre to put
past participle - mis
	Singular			Plural
first person	je mets	jeuh may	I put	nous mettons	noo mettohn	we put
second person	tu mets	too may	you put	vous mettez	voo mettay	you put
third person	il met	eel may	he puts	ils mettent	eel met	they put (masc. or mized)
	elle met	ell may	she puts
	on met	ohn may	one puts	elles mettent	ell met	they put (fem.)

Related Words

• mettre - to put on, to turn on, to place
• permettre - to allow
• remettre - to put back
• remettre en place - to set back into place
• soumettre - to submit
• se remettre - to recover from an illness
• se remettre en route - to get back on the road

Idioms and Related Expressions

• mettre au jour - to bring to light
• mettre de l'argent de coté - to put money aside
• mettre fin à - to put an end to
• mettre la main à la pâte - to pitch in
• mettre le contact - to start the car
• mettre le couvert - to set the table
• se mettre à table - to sit down to eat
• se mettre d'accord - to agree
• se mettre en forme - to get in shape

Lesson 2.09 - Dining

V: General Dining

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Dining Diner
Places		Actions and Feelings
la cuisine	kitchen	avoir faim	to be hungry
la salle à manger	dining room	avoir soif	to be thirsty
le restaurant	restaurant	manger	to eat
Meals		boire	to drink
le repas	the meal	prendre	to take
le petit-déjeuner	breakfast	vouloir	to want
le déjeuner	lunch	mettre le couvert	to set the table
le dîner	dinner	préparer un repas	to prepare a meal
le goûter	snack
Food Stores		Quantity
la boucherie	butcher shop 1	le gramme	gram
la boulangerie	bakery 2	le kilo(gramme)	kilogran
le dépôt de pain	a place that sells bread 2	le litre	liter
la charcuterie	delicatessen 3	la bouteille	bottle 5
l'épicerie (f)	grocery 4	la boîte	can
la crémerie	dairy store	la livre	pack, pound 6
la poissonnerie	seafood store	le paquet	packet
le marché	outdoor market	le pot	pot
la pâtisserie	pastry shop

Canadian and Belgian French has an off-by-one behaviour with meals : breakfast is called déjeuner, lunch is called dîner and dinner is souper.

1. French butchers do not sell pork, pork products, nor horsemeat. For these products, go to a charcuterie.
2. In France, bakeries only sell fresh bread. Places where they sell bread that is not fresh are called dépôt de pain.
3. 'Charcuteries' sell things besides pork products, including pâte, salami, cold meats, salads, quiches and pizzas.
4. An alternative to an 'épicerie' is an alimentation générale (a general foodstore).
5. -eille is pronounced ay
6. Do not confuse with le livre (book).

G: Vouloir & Pouvoir

The verb vouloir is translated to to want. It is irregularly conjugated (it does not count as a regular -ir verb) as follows:

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) vouloir to want
past participle - voulu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je veux	jeuh veuh	I want	nous voulons	noo voolohn	we want
second person	tu veux	too veuh	you want	vous voulez	voo voolay	you want
third person	il veut	eel veuh	he wants	ils veulent	eel veuhl	they want (masc. or mized)
	elle veut	ell veuh	she wants
	on veut	ohn veuh	one wants	elles veulent	ell veuhl	they want (fem.)

Pouvoir is conjugated in a similar manner:

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) pouvoir to be able to
past participle - pu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je peux	jeuh peuh	I can/am able to	nous pouvons	noo poovohn	we can/are able to
second person	tu peux	too peuh	you can/are able to	vous pouvez	voo poovay	you can/are able to
third person	il peut	eel peuh	he can/is able to	ils peuvent	eel peuhve	they can/are able to (masc. or mized)
	elle peut	ell peuh	she can/is able to
	on peut	ohn peuh	one can/is able to	elles peuvent	ell peuhve	they can/are able to (fem.)

V: Dining at a Restaurant

arriver	to arrive
la table occupée la table libre	an occupied table a free table
trouver	to find
commander	to order
déjeuner	lunch to eat lunch
peiti déjeuner	breakfast
dîner	to dine to eat dinner
désirer	to desire
le serveur la serveuse	waiter waitresse
la carte	menu
l'addition	check
le pourboire	tip
laisser	to leave
je voudrais..	I would like...

G: Servir

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) servir to serve
past participle: servi
	Singular			Plural
first person	je sers	jeuh sair	I serve	nous servons	noo sairvohn	we serve
second person	tu sers	too sair	you serve	vous servez	voo sairvay	you serve
third person	il sert	eel sair	he serves	ils servent	eel sairve	they serve (masc. or mized)
	elle sert	ell sair	she serves
	on sert	ohn sair	one serves	elles servent	ell sairve	they serve (fem.)

V: Ordering

G: -cer Verbs

-cer verbs are regular -er verbs, but are also stem changing. The most common -cer verb is commencer.

Formation

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) commencer to begin
past participle - commencé
	Singular			Plural
first person	je commence	jeuh coe mahnce	I begin	nous commençons	noo coe mahnsohn	we begin
second person	tu commences	too coe mahnce	you begin	vous commencez	voo coe mahnsay	you begin
third person	il commence	eel coe mahnce	he begins	ils commencent	eel coe mahnce	they begin (masc. or mized)
	elle commence	ell coe mahnce	she begins
	on commence	ohn coe mahnce	one begins	elles commencent	ell coe mahnce	they begin (fem.)

Other -cer Verbs

• effacer - to erase

V: Silverware, Etc.

le couvert	cover
l'assiette (f)	plate
le bol	bowl
la soucoupe	saucer
le couteau	knife
la cuillère	spoon
la fourchette	fork
la serviette	napkin
la nappe	tablecloth
la tasse	cup
le verre	glass

Lesson 2.10 - Communication

G: -aître Verbs

Formation

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) connaître to know (personally)
past participle: connu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je connais	jeuh cohnay	I know	nous connaissons	noo cohnehssohn	we know
second person	tu connais	too cohnay	you know	vous connaissez	voo cohnehssay	you know
third person	il connaît	eel cohnay	he knows	ils connaissent	eel cohnesse	they know (masc. or mixed)
	elle connaît	ell cohnay	she knows
	on connaît	ohn cohnay	one knows	elles connaissent	ell cohnesse	they know (fem.)

Other -aître verbs

• apparaître - to appear
• connaître - to know
• disparaître - to disappear
• naître - to be born¹

¹Naître has an irregular past participle (né) and takes être as its helping verb in perfect tenses.

G: Connaître & Savoir

Connaître is used to say that you know someone. Savoir is used to say that you know a fact or piece of information.

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) savoir to know (as a fact)
past participle: su
	Singular			Plural
first person	je sais	jeuh say	I know	nous savons	noo sahvohn	we know
second person	tu sais	too say	you know	vous savez	voo sahvay	you know
third person	il sait	eel say	he knows	ils savent	eel sahve	they know (masc. or mized)
	elle sait	ell say	she knows
	on sait	ohn say	one knows	elles savent	ell sahve	they know (fem.)

V: Calling Others

Téléphoner (à) is used to say that you are calling (to) someone. In French, you call to someone, so the verb is used with indirect, and not direct, objects.

• Je téléphone à Jacques. - I'm calling Jacques.

G: Appeler

Appeler is used to say what your name is. Je m'appelle... literally means I call myself.., but in English you would say My name is... Appeler is a regular -er verb, but, as you may have noticed, is also stem changing. In the present indicative, it is conjuagted as follows:

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) appeler to call
past participle: appelé
	Singular			Plural
first person	j' appelle	jahhpell	I call	nous appelons	newzahh pell ohn	we call
second person	tu appelles	too ahhpell	you call	vous appelez	voozahh pellay	you call
third person	il appelle	eel ahhpell	he calls	ils appellent	eel ahhpell	they call (masc. or mized)
	elle appelle	ell ahhpell	she calls
	on appelle	ohn ahhpell	one calls	elles appellent	ell ahhpell	they call (fem.)

G: Dire

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) dire to say
past participle: dit
	Singular			Plural
first person	je dis	jeuh dee	I say	nous disons	noo deezohn	we say
second person	tu dis	too dee	you say	vous dites	voo deet	you say
third person	il dit	eel dee	he says	ils disent	eel deez	they say (masc. or mized)
	elle dit	ell dee	she says
	on dit	ohn dee	one says	elles disent	ell deez	they say (fem.)

V: Mail

• le poste
• le courier
• le lettre
• la boîte aux lettres
• envoyer
• recevoir

G: Envoyer & Recevoir

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) envoyer to send
past participle: envoyé
	Singular			Plural
first person	j' envoie	jahnvwah	I send	nous envoyons	newzahnvwahyohn	we send
second person	tu envoies	too ahnvwah	you send	vous envoyez	voozahnvwahyay	you send
third person	il envoie	eel ahnvwah	he sends	ils envoient	eelzahnvwah	they send (masc. or mized)
	elle envoie	ell ahnvwah	she sends
	on envoie	ohn ahnvwah	one sends	elles envoient	ellzahnvwah	they send (fem.)

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) recevoir to receive
past participle: reçu
	Singular			Plural
first person	je reçois	jeuh rehswah	I receive	nous recevons	newzay rehsevohn	we receive
second person	tu reçois	too rehswah	you receive	vous recevez	voo resehvay	you receive
third person	il reçoit	eel rehswah	he receives	ils reçoivent	eel rehswahve	they receive (masc. or mized)
	elle reçoit	ell rehswah	she receives
	on reçoit	ohn rehswah	one receives	elles reçoivent	ell rehswahve	they receive (fem.)

V: Computers & the Internet

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) Technology La technologie
Computer Hardware		Computer Software
le hardware	hardware	le software	software
l'ordinateur (m)	computer	l’information	information
l'écran (m)	monitor	le logiciel	software (program)
le clavier	keyboard	le programme la programmation	program programming (adj)
la souris	mouse	le document	document
l'imprimante (f)	printer	le fichier	file
le CD-ROM	CD-ROM	The Internet
la disquette	floppy disk	aller sur Internet	to go on the Internet
Computer Use		le modem	modem
utiliser	to use	la connexion	connection
taper (un texte)	to type (a text)	connecter être connecté	to connect to be connected
sauvegarder (un fichier)	to save (a file)	le site	site
exécuter	to run, carry out	l'e-mail (m)	e-mail
stocker (des données)	to store (data)	naviguer (sur Internet)	to navigate (the Internet)
cliquer	to click	télécharger	to download
allumer	to turn on	transmettre	to transmit
éteindre	to turn off (to extinguish)

French fact: the name of the company Logitech comes from the French term logiciel technolgie.

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LEVEL THREE

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Level Three Lessons Contents

• Lesson 3.01 - Vacations
• Lesson 3.02 - Work
• Lesson 3.03 - Health
• Lesson 3.04 - Money
• Lesson 3.05 - Youth
• Lesson 3.06 - Adolescence
• Lesson 3.07 - Ancient History
• Lesson 3.08 - Revolution!
• Lesson 3.09 - Modern France
• Lesson 3.10 - Current Events

Information

After having completed the second level of the Wikibooks French language course, you can graduate to the third level. This is a much more rigorous presentation of the French language. Several verb tenses will be introduced in this level, and there will now be more vocabulary sections in each lesson. But we didn't decide to stop there! This level will include longer lectures about a lesson's subject and will introduce you to real French literary works and news articles, such as Jean de La Fontaine's Fables. After you have completed this level, you can move on to the next level. Also remember that if you would like to help develop this course, go to the lessons planning page.

Formidable! - Intermediate French

01	Leçon 01 : Les vacances	G: Geography Prepositions, Perfect Tenses Introduction, Simple Future of Regular Verbs V: General Travelling, International Travelling, Nationalities
	Lesson 01 : Vacations
02	Leçon 02 : Le travail	G: Irregular Past Participles Review, Conjugated Verb + Infinitive Review (Futur Proche, Faire Causitif) V: Companies, Blue-collar, White-collar, Service, Government, The Office, Office Supplies
	Lesson 02 : Work
03	Leçon 03 : La santé	G: Simple Future of Irregular Verbs, Adverbs, Commands V: Visiting the Doctor, Emergencies, Medecine, the Dentist, Healthcare
	Lesson 03 : Health
04	Leçon 04 : L'argent	G: Personal Pronouns Review, Present Conditional, Pronouns with Commands V: Forms of Money, Payment, Handling Money, Going to a Bank
	Lesson 04 : Money
05	Leçon 05 : Jeunesse	G: Imparfait, Possesive Pronouns, Stem Changing Verbs Review V: Children's Games and Toys, French Children's Poems, Songs, and Stories
	Lesson 05 : Life as a Child
06	Leçon 06 : L'adolescence	G: Imparfait vs. Passé Composé, Pronominal Verbs Review, Plus-Que-Parfait V: Pop Culture, Mass Media, Part-Time Jobs
	Lesson 06 : Adolescence
07	Leçon 07 : L'histoire Antique	G: Passé Simple of Regular Verbs, Interrogative Pronouns V: Farming and Peasant Life, Noble Life, The King, The Rennaissance, The Reformation
	Lesson 07 : Ancient History
08	Leçon 08 : Révolution!	G: Passé Simple of Irregular Verbs, Relative Pronouns (Qui, Que, Dont) V: Enlightenment, French Rev., Democracy, Napoleonic Era, Post-Napoleon France, Industrial Rev.
	Lesson 08 : Revolution!
09	Leçon 09 : La France moderne	G: Past Conditional, Comparative & Superlative, Asking Questions Review V: The 20th Century, 20th Century Advancements and Changes, Modern War
	Lesson 09 : Modern France
10	Leçon 10 : L'actualité	G: Future Perfect, Demonstrative Pronouns, Stating If... V: News, France's Role in Global Politics, European Union, Social Problems, Government, Politics
	Lesson 10 : Current Events

• Level Three Test and the answers.

Lesson 3.01 - Vacations

V: General Traveling

Audio: Ogg French native speaker (Kb)

General
il y a	there is, there are
l’aéroport (m.)	airport
l’autobus (m.)	bus
l’avion (m.)	aircraft, airplane
les bagages	baggage
le billet	ticket (for train, airplane)
le métro	subway, underground
la poste	post office
le taxi	taxi
le ticket	ticket (for bus, métro)
le train	train
la valise	suitcase
la voiture	car

Audio : French native speaker

Visiting Other Cities
1a	Tu es d'où? (informal)	Where are you from?
1b	D'où êtes-vous? (formal)
1c	Je suis de... (d')	I am from...

V: Geography

Geography the world le monde Political Geography a city une ville a village un village a country un pays a state un état Natural Geography river le fleuve mountain la montagne lake le lac ocean l'océan (m) Cardinal Directions north le nord south le sud east l'est west l'ouest Audio : French native speaker

Continents l'Afrique (f) l'Amérique du nord (f) l'Amérique du sud (f) l'Antarctique (f) l'Asie (f) l'Australie (f) l'Europe (f) Oceans l'Océan atlantique (m) l'Océan glacial arctique (m) l'Océan indien (m) l'Océan pacifique (m) Audio : French native speaker

G: Geography Prepositions

Cities

French native speaker

• à is used to say in, at, to
  • Je vais à Paris. - I'm going to Paris
• de is used to say from.
  • Je reviens de Paris. - I return from Paris.
• cities that have articles as part of their names contract with the preposition if the city is masculine.
  • le Caire - Je vais au Caire. - Je reviens du Caire.
  • le Havre - Je vais au Havre. - Je reviens du Havre.
  • la Nouvelle-Orléans - Je vais à la Nouvelle-Orléans. - Je reviens de la Nouvelle-Orléans.

Feminine Regions, Countries, and Continents

• Most geographical areas are feminine
• Every French geographical area that ends in -e is feminine, with one or two exceptions.
• Every continent is feminine.

• en is used to say in, at, to for all feminine geographical areas except cities
  • Je vais en France. - I go to France.
• de is used to say from for all feminine geographical areas except cities
  • Je reviens de France. - I return from France.
• de is contracted to d' when followed by a vowel.
  • Je vais en Espagne. - Je reviens d' Espagne

Masculine Regions

• all regions that do not end in a slient e are mascuiline

Audio : French native speaker

• dans le is used to say in, at, to for most masculine regions, provinces, and states
  • Je vais dans le Limousin. - I'm going to Limousin.
• du, a contraction of de + le, is used to say from for most regions, provinces, and states
  • Je reviens du Limousin. - I return from Limousin.
• If a region is thought of or considered as its own sovereign state, au is used instead of dans le
  • Je vais au Québec. - Je reviens du Québec. (Note: This is for the province of Québec. For the city of Québec, Je vais à Québec should be used. - Je reviens de Québec.)
  • Je vais au Texas. - Je reviens du Texas.

Masculine Countries Starting With a Consonant

• all countries that do not end in a silent e are masculine
• le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Zimbabwe, and le Mozambique are masculine

• au is used to say in, at, to for masculine countries beginning with a consonant
  • Je vais au Portugal. - I'm going to Portugal.
  • du is used to say from for masculine countries beginning with a consonant
  • Je reviens du Portugal. - I return from Portugal.

Plural Countries

Audio : French native speaker

• aux, a contraction of à + les, is used to say in, to, as if a plural article is part of the name of a country
  • Je vais aux États-Unis. - I'm going to the United States. (pronounced aytahzoohnee)
• des, a contraction of de + les, is used to say from if a plural article is part of the name of a country
  • Je reviens des États-Unis. - I return from the United States.

Masculine Countries Starting With a Vowel

• en is used to say in, at, to for all masculine countries beginning with a vowel
  • Je vais en Israël. - I'm going to Israel.
• d' is used to say from for all masculine countries beginning with a vowel
  • Je reviens d' Israël. - I return from Israel.

Check For Understanding

• Are all French countries ending in e feminine?
• What geographical areas use the preposition dans le?
• What prepositions do countries beginning with vowels use?
• What prepositions does the city of Quebec use? ...the province of Quebec?

V: Airports and Airplanes

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio: One • Two (258 + 205 kb • help) Airports and Airplanes Les aéroports et les avions
The Airport		Baggage
l'aéroport (m)	airport (pronounced ahehrohpor)	les bagages (f pl)	baggage
le passeport	passport	les bagages à main	carry-on baggage
un chariot	a (shopping/baggage) cart	la livraison des bagages	baggage claim
les arrivées (f pl)	arrivals	enregistrer (ses bagages)	to check in (one's baggage)
les départs (m pl)	departures
arriver (en avance/en retard)	to arrive (early/late)
The Terminal		The Airplane
l'aérogare	terminal	l'avion (m)	plane
la compagnie (aérienne)	a(n airline) company	l'appareil (m)	plane, machine, (body) system
le billet (d'avion/simple/aller-retour)	(plane/one-way/round trip) ticket	décoller le décollage	to take off take-off
la classe tourisme la première classe	coach first class	le vol	flight (also theft)
passer à la douane	to go through customs	le pilote	pilot
le contrôleur le contrôle de sécurité	security officer security check	l'hôtesse (de l'air) (f)	flight attendant
la porte	gate (also door)	le passager	passenger
embarquer	to board	atterrir l'atterrissage (m)	to land landing

V: Places

Audio : French native speaker

French Regions
Île-de-France - Paris
Basse-Normandie - Caen
Bourgogne - Dijon
Bretagne - Rennes

Audio : French native speaker

European Countries
la France * Paris	France * Paris
la Belgique * Bruxelles	Belgium * Bruxelles
le Portugal * Lisbonne	Portugal * Lisbon
l'Espagne * Madrid	Spain * Madrid
l'Italie * Rome	Italy * Rome
la Grande-Bretagne * Londres	Great Britain * London
l'Irlande * Dublin	Ireland * Dublin
le (grand-duché du) Luxembourg * Luxembourg	Luxembourg * Luxembourg
les Pays-Bas * Amsterdam	Netherlands * Amsterdam
l'Allemagne * Berlin	Germany * Berlin
l'Autriche * Vienne	Austria * Vienna
la Suisse * Berne	Switzerland * Bern
La principauté de Monaco * Monaco	Monaco * Monaco
la Pologne * Varsovie	Poland * Warsaw
la République Tchèque * Prague	Czech Republic * Prague
la Slovaquie * Bratislava	Slovakia * Bratislava
la Hongrie * Budapest	Hungary * Budapest
la Bulgarie * Sofia	Bulgaria * Sofia
la Roumanie * Bucarest	Romania * Bucharest
la Grèce * Athènes	Greece * Athens
La principauté d'Andorre * Andorre-la-Vieille	Andorra * Andorra la Vella
la Moldavie * Chisinau	Moldova * Chişinău
la Biélorussie * Minsk	Belarus * Minsk
la Lituanie * Vilnius	Lithuania * Vilnius
la Lettonie * Riga	Latvia * Riga
l'Estonie * Tallinn	Estonia * Tallinn
la Finlande * Helsinki	Finland * Helsinki
la Suède * Stockholm	Sweden * Stockholm
la Norvège * Oslo	Norway * Oslo
la Russie * Moscou	Russia * Moscow
l'Ukraine * Kiev	Ukraine * Kiev

• Nations of the World
• More audio pronunciation: here.

V: Nationalities

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio: One • Two • (v2 300kb) (250 + 234 +186 kb • help) Nationalities Les nationalités
Masculine	Feminine	English
allemand	allemande	German
américain	américaine	American
anglais	anglaise	English
australien	australienne	Australian
belge	belge	Belgian
birman	birmane	Burmese
britannique	britannique	British
cambodgien	cambodgienne	Cambodian
canadien	canadienne	Canadian
chinois	chinoise	Chinese
coréen	coréenne	Korean
écossais	écossaise	Scottish
espagnol	espagnole	Spanish
français	française	French
indien	indienne	Indian
indonésien	indonésienne	Indonesian
israëlien	israëlienne	Israeli
italien	italienne	Italian
japonais	japonaise	Japanese
malaisien	malaisienne	Malaysian
mauricien	mauricienne	Mauritian
néerlandais	néerlandaise	Dutch
philippin	philippine	Filipino
portugais	portugaise	Portuguese
singapourien	singapourienne	Singaporean
suédois	suédoise	Swedish
suisse	suisse	Swiss
thaïlandais	thaïlandaise	Thai
vénézuélien	vénézuéliene	Venezuelan
vietnamien	vietnamienne	Vietnamese

Nationalities are not capitalized as often in French as they are in English. If you are referring to a person, as in an Arab person or a Chinese person, the French equivalent is un Arabe or un Chinois. However, if you are referring to the Arabic language or Chinese language, the French would not capitalize: l'arabe; le chinois. If the nationality is used as an adjective, it is normally left uncapitalized; un livre chinois, un tapis arabe.+Ŀ

G: Perfect Tenses

You will be learning several new perfect tenses in this level. Review the grammar behind them. This time, make sure you know all the rules.

• The perfect tenses are also called the compound or composed tenses.
• The perfect tenses are all composed of a conjugated auxillary verb and a fixed past participle.

Auxillary Verb Formation

• The auxillary verb is always either avoir or être.
• The tense of the verb depends upon the tense that avoir or être is conjugated in.
  • When the auxillary verb is conjugated in the passé composé, for example, the auxillary verb is conjugated in the present indicative.
    • J'ai fini. - I have finished.

Past Participle Formation

• -er verbs - replace -er with é
• -ir verbs - replace -ir with i
• -re verbs - replace -re with u
• irregular verbs - must be memorized

Past Participle Agreement

Audio: French native speaker

• The past participle must agree with the direct object of a clause in gender and plurality if the direct object goes before the verb.
  • the direct object is masculine singular - no change
    • J'ai fini le jeu. - I have finished the game.
    • Je l'ai fini. - I have finished it.
  • the direct object is feminine singular - add an e to the past participle
    • J'ai fini la tâche. - I have finished the task.
    • Je l'ai finie. - I have finished it.
  • the direct object is masculine plural - add an s to the past participle.
    • J'ai fini les jeux. - I have finished the games.
    • Je les ai finis. - I have finished them.
  • the direct object is feminine plural - add an es to the past participle.
    • J'ai fini les tâches. - I have finished the tasks.
    • Je les ai finies. - I have finished them.

Avoir ou Être?

• In most circumstances, the auxillary verb is avoir.
• However, under certain situations, the auxillary verb is être.
• This occurs when:
  • The verb is one of 16 special verbs that take être.
    • Note that when a direct object is used with these verbs, the auxillary verb becomes avoir.
  • The verb is reflexive.
    • That is, the subject of the verb is also its object.

List of Tenses

There are seven perfect tenses in French. These are:

1. Le passé composé (The Present Perfect)
2. Le plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif (The Pluperfect of the Indicative)
3. Le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (The Pluperfect Subjunctive)
4. Le passé antérieur (The Past Anterior)
5. Le futur antérieur (The Future Anterior)
6. Le conditionnel passé (The Past Conditional)
7. Le passé du subjonctif (The Past Subjunctive)

G: Simple Future of Regular Verbs

There are three versions of the future tense in French, the futur simple the futur composé, and the futur antérieur(future perfect). The futur composé is formed by inserting the present form of aller before the infinitive, e.g. elle va réussir (she will pass, or she is going to pass) is the futur composé of elle réussit

To conjugate a verb in the futur simple, one takes the infinitive and appends the right form of avoir except for nous and vous which takes -ons or -ez, as according to the table:
Audio: French native speaker

Subject	Add Ending	Conjugated Verb
Je	-ai	réussirai
Tu	-as	réussiras
Il / Elle / On	-a	réussira
Nous	-ons	réussirons
Vous	-ez	réussirez
Ils / Elles	-ont	réussiront

Les vacances

Audio: French native speaker
Cet été, nous partirons en vacances au bord de la mer. Nous allons passer une semaine à Nice sur la côte d'Azur. Nous partirons en voiture et il y aura certainement beaucoup de bouchons sur l'autoroute. Nous nous baignerons le matin et je ferai des châteaux de sable avec mon fils. A midi nous mangerons puis nous ferons une bonne sieste car il fera certainement très chaud. L'après-midi, nous irons visiter des expositions de peintures ou alors nous irons dans des parc d'attractions. Vivement les vacances !

Lesson 3.02 - Work

G: Irregular Past Participles Review

Audio : french native speaker
Audio : french native speaker

• avoir - eu (to have)
• boire - bu (to drink)
• conduire - conduit (to drive) (and all other -uire verbs)
• connaître - connu (to know (personally))
• courir - couru (to run)
• croire - cru (to believe)
• dire - dit (to say)
• devoir - dû (to have to, to owe)
• être - été (to be)
• faire - fait (to do, to make)
• falloir - fallu (to be necessary)
• lire - lu (to read)
• mettre - mis (to put (on)) (and all words adding prefixes to mettre)
• ouvrir - ouvert (to open) (and most other -rir verbs)
• pouvoir - pu (to be able to)
• pleuvoir - plu (to rain)
• prendre - pris (to take)
• recevoir - reçu (to receive)
• rire - ri (to laugh)
• savoir - su (to know (as a fact))
• sourire - souri (to smile)
• suivre - suivi (to follow)
• vivre - vécu (to live)
• voir - vu (to see)
• vouloir - voulu (to want)

G: Conjugated Verb + Infinitive Review

Formation

The formation of a conjugated verb+infinitive is the same in French as it is in English. You simply conjugate the first verb, then put the infinitive. Examples follow.

j'aime tu aimes il/elle aime Nous aimons Vous aimez ils/elles aiement

Aimer

J'aime jouer au tennis (I like to play tennis).

J'aime lire le journal au lit (I like to read the newspaper in bed).

Vouloir

Je veux aller au centre commercial (I want to go to the mall).

However, when one uses vouloir to request something of someone else, one must use the subjunctive.

Je veux que tu fasses la vaisselle (I want you to do the dishes).

Pouvoir

Faire Causitif

Audio : french native speaker
The faire causitif is formed by conjugating faire and adding an infinitive.

• Je le fais réparer. - I have it fixed.

Futur Proche

The future proche tense is formed by conjugating aller in the present indicative and adding an infinitive

• Je vais aller. - I'm going to go.

Pronouns

Pronouns come before the verb they modify, which is not necessarily the first verb in a sentence

• Je vais le voir. - I'm going to see it.

Negation

Either the conjugated verb or the infinitive can be negated, each meaning slightly different things.

• Je n'aime pas marcher. - I don't like to run.
• J'aime ne pas marcher. - I like to not run.

V: Private Employment

V: Government Occupations

V: The Office

V: Office Supplies

Le chômage

Audio : french native speaker
Avant j'avais un travail : je travaillais dans une banque. Mais la banque a fermé et je me suis retrouvé au chômage. Je n'ai plus de travail et j'en cherche tous les jours. Je lis les petites annonces et j'envoie des lettres de candidature. Je n'ai pas souvent de réponses. Mais aujourd'hui, j'ai obtenu un entretien d'embauche. Avec un peu de chance, j'obtiendrai le travail...

Lesson 3.03 - Health

V: Illness

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (115 kb • help) Illness La maladie
To ache
avoir mal au/à la/à l'/aux...	to have a ...ache, to hurt	avoir mal au ventre	to have a bellyache
avoir mal à la tête	to have a headache	avoir mal partout	to ache all over
avoir mal à l'oreille	to have an earache	avoir des maux de cœur	to feel sick, nauseaus
avoir mal aux dents	to have a toothache	Actions
Sickness and Pain		éternuer	to sneeze
être malade	to be sick	s'évanouir	to faint
avoir la grippe	to have the flu	saigner	to bleed
avoir de la fièvre	to have a fever	tousser	to cough
être enrhumé	to have a cold	vomir	to throw up

G: Simple Future of Irregular Verbs

The simple future of irregular verbs, like the passé composé of many irregular verbs, must be memorized. What makes this somewhat easy is that verbs with similar endings normally have similar future stems.

For example, the future stem of the verb venir is viendr-. Verbs like venir (devenir, revenir) have a very similar stem (deviendr-, reviendr-).

G: Issuing Commands in French - l'impératif

• The nous form commands are used to say "Let's...".
• The subject is not used when giving a command.

Formation

Take away the ending and add on the following shown in the table.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •104 kb • help) The Imperative L'impératif
	-er Verbs		-ir Verbs		-re Verbs
Subject	Ending	Verb	Ending	Verb	Ending	Verb
Tu	-e	Parle!	-is	Finis!	-s	Vends!
Nous	-ons	Parlons!	-issons	Finissons!	-ons	Vendons!
Vous	-ez	Parlez!	-issez	Finissez!	-ez	Vendez!

Affirmative

Negative

The negative imperative is formed by placing the imperative between "ne" and "pas/jamais/rien/etcetera."

Ne parle pas! (Don't speak!)

Ne regarde jamais le soleil! (Never look at the sun!)

G: Adverbs

French adverbs, like their English counterparts, are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, and verbs or clauses. They do not display any inflection; that is, their form does not change to reflect their precise role, nor any characteristics of what they modify.

Formation

In French, as in English, most adverbs are derived from adjectives. In most cases, this is done by adding the suffix -ment ("-ly") to the adjective's feminine singular form. For example, the feminine singular form of lent ("slow") is lente, so the corresponding adverb is lentement ("slowly"); similarly, heureux → heureusement ("happy" → "happily").

As in English, however, the adjective stem is sometimes modified to accommodate the suffix: Audio : Native French Speaker

• If the adjective ends in an i, then -ment is added to the masculine singular (default) form, rather than to the feminine singular form:
  • vrai → vraiment ("real" → "really")
  • poli → poliment ("polite" → "politely")
• If the adjective ends in -ant or -ent, then the corresponding adverb ends in -amment or -emment, respectively:
  • constant → constamment ("constant" → "constantly")
  • récent → récemment ("recent" → "recently")
• Some adjectives make other changes:
  • précis → précisément ("precise" → "precisely")
  • gentil → gentiment ("nice" → "nicely")

Some adverbs are derived from adjectives in completely irregular fashions, not even using the suffix -ment:

• bon → bien ("good" → "well")
• mauvais → mal ("bad" → "badly")
• meilleur → mieux ("better"-adjective → "better"-adverb)
• pire → pis ("worse"-adjective → "worse"-adverb)

And, as in English, many common adverbs are not derived from adjectives at all:

• ainsi ("thus" or "thusly")

Placement

The placement of French adverbs is almost the same as the placement of English adverbs. Audio : Native French Speaker
An adverb that modifies an adjective or adverb comes before that adjective or adverb:

• complètement vrai ("completely true")
• pas possible ("not possible")
• tellement discrètement ("so discreetly")

An adverb that modifies an Infinitive (verbal noun) generally comes after the infinitive:

• marcher lentement ("to walk slowly")

But negative adverbs, such as pas ("not"), plus ("not any more"), and jamais come before the infinitive:

• ne pas marcher ("not to walk")

An adverb that modifies a main verb or clause comes either after the verb, or before the clause:

• Lentement il commença à marcher or Il commença lentement à marcher ("Slowly, he began to walk" or "He began slowly to walk").

Note that, unlike in English, this is true even of negative adverbs:

• Jamais je n'ai fait cela or Je n'ai jamais fait cela ("Never have I done that" or "I've never done that")

V: Visiting the Doctor

Audio : Native French Speaker
Le patient :

• Je suis malade. (I am ill).
• J'ai mal à la tête. (I have a headache).
• J'ai de la fièvre. (I am fevrish)
• J'ai mal au ventre.
• Je vomis.
• Je tousse. (I cough)

Le docteur

• Comment allez-vous ?
• Prenez de l'aspirine.
• Je vais vous prescrire un médicament.
• Prenez une cuillère de sirop matin, midi et soir
• Il faut passer un "scanner"
• Il faut passer des radios.
• Il faut vous opérer.

V: Visiting the Dentist

Audio : Native French Speaker

• J'ai mal aux dents.
• Vous avez une carie.
• Je dois procéder à une extraction. (Il va enlever la dent)
• J'ai un appareil dentaire.
• Je vais utiliser la roulette.
• Ahhhhhhhhhh !

V: Healthcare

V: Emergencies

Audio : Native French Speaker

• Je vais à l'hôpital.
• C'est grave !
• Je vais aux urgences.
• J'ai eu un accident de voiture.
• SAMU=Service Ambulancier Médical d'Urgence
• En cas d'accident grave, il faut téléphoner au SAMU (15) ou aux pompiers (18) ou au 112.

V: Medicine

V: Body parts

Here is the vocabulary to speak about body parts :
Audio : Native French Speaker
Audio : Native French Speaker

French	English
La tête	Head
Le corps	Body
Le bras	Arm
La jambe	Leg
La poitrine	Chest
Le ventre	Belly
L'épaule (f)	Shoulder
Le coude	Elbow
Le poignet	Wrist
La main	Hand
Le doigt	Finger
Le genou	Knee
Le pied	Foot
L'orteil (m)	Toe
L'œil (m) (pl. les yeux)	Eye
La bouche	Mouth
La dent	Tooth
Le nez	Nose
L'oreille (f)	Ear
Le cou	Neck
La langue	Tongue
Les cheveux	Hair
L'ongle (m)	Nail
Le poumon	Lung
L'estomac (m)	Stomach
Le cœur	Heart
Le foie	Liver
L'intestin (m)	Intestine
L'os (m)	Bone
Le crâne	Skull
Le muscle	Muscle
Le cerveau	Brain
La rate	Spleen
L'utérus (m)	Womb
Le nombril	Navel, belly button

V: Body position

And here is the vocabulary for body positions :

French	English
Debout	Standing
Assis	Seating
Couché	Laying down
À genoux	Kneeling
Accroupi	Squatted

V: Common sentences

When you 'catch a cold' you 'attrapes un rhume'. When you're sick, tu es malade. When you wish to say that parts of your body are sore, you say "J'ai mal au/à la/à l'/aux [body part] ...". Example: J'ai mal à la tete. (I have a headache); J'ai mal aux dents (My teeth hurt).

E: 3.03 1 - Body Parts - Visual Memorization

• Point to different parts of the body and recite its name in French par cœur.

Lesson 3.04 - Money

G: Personal Pronouns Review

Main article: w:French personal pronouns

Direct Objects

While the subject of a sentence initiates an action (the verb), the direct object is the one that is affected by the action. A direct object pronoun is used to refer to the direct object of a previous sentence:

Pierre voit le cambrioleur.	Pierre sees the burglar.
Pierre le voit.	Pierre sees him.

The following table shows the various types of direct object pronouns:

French	me, m'	te, t'	le, l'	la, l'	nous	vous	les
English	me1	you1	him, it	her, it	us1	you1	them

Notes:

• ¹ me, te, nous, and vous are also used as indirect objects to mean to me, to you, to us, and to you respectively.
• The pronoun form with an apostrophe is used before a vowel.
• The direct object pronoun for nous and vous is the same as the subject.
• When the direct object comes before a verb in a perfect tense, a tense that uses a past participle, the direct object must agree in gender and plurality with the past participle. For example, in te phrase Je les ai eus, or I had them, the past participle would be spelled eus if the direct object, les, was referring to a masculine object, and eues if les is referring to a feminine object.

Indirect Objects

An indirect object is an object that would be asked for with To whom...? or From whom...?. It is called indirect because it occurs usually together with a direct object which is affected directly by the action:

Il donne du pain à Pierre.	The man gives some bread to Pierre.
Il lui donne du pain.	He gives bread to him.

The following table shows the various types of direct object pronouns:

French	me, m'	te, t'	lui	nous	vous	leur
English	to me1	to you1	to him, to her	to us1	to you1	to them

Notes:

• ¹ me, te, nous, and vous are also used as direct objects to mean me, you, us, and you respectively.
• The pronoun form with an apostrophe is used before a vowel.
• The indirect object pronoun for nous and vous is the same as the subject.
• The indirect object pronouns do not agree with the past participle like the direct object pronouns do. When me, te, nous, and vous are used in a perfect tense, the writer must decide whether they are used as direct or indirect object pronouns. This is done by looking at the verb and seeing what type of action is being performed.

The bread is given by the man (direct). Pierre gets the given apple (indirect).

The Pronoun Y

Indirect Object Pronoun - to it, to them

The French pronoun y is used to replace an object of a prepositional phrase introduced by à.

• Je réponds aux questions. - J' y réponds.
• I respond to the questions. - I respond to them.

Note that lui and leur, and not y, are used when the the object refers to a person or persons.

Replacement of Places - there

The French pronoun y replaces a prepositional phrase referring to a place that begins with any preoposition except de (for which en is used).

• Les hommes vont en France. - Les hommes y vont.
• The men go to France - The men go there.

Note that en, and not y is used when the object is of the preposition de.

Idioms

• Ça y est! - It's Done!
• J'y suis! - I get it!

En

Note how we say Je veux du pain to say 'I want some bread' ? But what happens when we want to say 'I want some' without specifying what we want? In these cases, we use the pronoun 'en'. As well, 'en' can mean 'of it' when 'it' is not specified. For instance, instead of saying J'ai besoin de l'argent, if the idea of money has already been raised, we can just say 'J'en ai besoin'. This is because what en does is replace du, de la or des when there is nothing after it.

Like with 'me', 'te' and other pronouns, en (meaning 'some') comes before the verb.

Tu joues du piano? Non, je n'en joue pas	Do you play piano? No, I don't play it.
Vous prenez du poisson? Oui, j'en prends.	Are you having fish? Yes, I'm having some.
Vous avez commandé de l'eau? Oui, nous en avons commandé.	Did you order some water? Yes, we ordered some.

G: Commands with Pronouns - L'impératif

When expressing positive commands, there are several rules one must remember when using object pronouns. These are:

• The pronouns are attached the the verb with a hyphen.
  • Retrouve-la. - Find it.
• Me and Te become moi and toi.
  • Donnez-moi les vidéos. - Give me the videos.
• Le, la, and les precede all other object pronouns.
  • Donnez-le-moi. - Give it to me.

G: Present Conditional

To conjugate a verb in the Conditional, one takes the infinitive and appends the same endings as when using the imparfait, as according to the table:

Subject	Add Ending	Conjugated Verb
Je	-ais	réussirais
Tu	-ais	réussirais
Il / Elle / On	-ait	réussirait
Nous	-ions	réussirions
Vous	-iez	réussiriez
Ils / Elles	-aient	réussiraient

V: Forms of Payment

V: Economics

V: Handling Money

saving, investing, etc

V: Going to a Bank

Lesson 3.05 - Youth

G: Imperfect - Imparfait

The imparfait is used to "set the tone" of a past situation. An example in English being: "We were singing when Dad came home." It tells what was going on when a particular action or event occurred. In French, the above example would be: "Nous chantions quand papa est rentré."

In order to conjugate the imperfect,

• take the 1st person plural of the verb you want to conjugate:

French Verb • Print version • audio (upload) jouer to play
	singular	plural
first person	je joue	nous jouons
second person	tu joues	vous jouez
third person	il joue	ils jouent

• Remove the -ons ending to find the stem, and add these endings:

subject	ending	jouer (nous jouons)	finir (nous finissons)	attendre (nous attendons)
je	-ais	jouais	finissais	attendais
tu	-ais	jouais	finissais	attendais
il/elle/on	-ait	jouait	finissait	attendait
nous	-ions	jouions	finissions	attendions
vous	-iez	jouiez	finissiez	attendiez
ils/elles	-aient	jouaient	finissaient	attendaient

• Note: The only verb that has an irregular stem (one not derived from the nous form of the present idicative) is être. The imperfect endings are added to ét___. Every other verb uses the nous form of the present indicative as its root.

G: Possesive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace possessive article + noun sets.

French Grammar • Print version • audio: One • Two (238 + 232 kb • help) Possesive Pronouns Les pronoms possesifs
mon copain my friend	ton copain your friend	son copain his/her friend	notre copain our friend	votre copain your friend	leur copain their friend
le mien mine	le tien yours	le sien his/hers	le nôtre ours	le vôtre yours	le leur theirs
mes copains my friends	tes copains your friends	ses copains his/her friends	nos copains our friends	vos copains your friends	leurs copains their friends
les miens mine	les tiens yours	les siens his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs
ma copine my friend	ta copine your friend	sa copine his/her friend	notre copine our friend	votre copine your friend	leurs copine their friend
la mienne mine	la tienne yours	la sienne his/hers	la nôtre ours	la vôtre yours	la leur theirs
mes copines my friends	tes copines your friends	ses copines his/her friends	nos copines our friends	vos copines your friends	leurs copines their friends
les miennes mine	les tiennes yours	les siennes his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs

• Vous avez votre voiture? - You have your car?
• Oui, nous avons la nôtre. - Yes, we have ours.

À + a stress pronoun is used when the noun replaced is also the subject of the sentence. This usually occurs in sentences with être.

• Elle est ta voiture? - Is that your car?
• Oui, elle est à moi. - Yes, it is mine.

G: Stem Changing Verbs Review

-exer Verbs

-exer are regular -er verbs, but also are stem changing. The stem change applies to all forms except nous and vous. The stem change involves adding a grave accent ( ` ) over the e in the stem.

• Tenses affected by this rule:

-éxer Verbs

Like -exer verbs, the accent aigu above the e ( é ) changes to an accent grave ( è ).

• Tenses affected by this rule:

-yer Verbs

-yer verbs are regular -er verbs. However, when y is part of the last syllable, it changes to i in order to keep the ay sound. In the present indicative of -yer verbs, this affects all forms except nous and vous.

• Tenses affected by this rule:

appuyer
payer

Appeler

All forms except nous and vous have the l doubled.

• Tenses affected by this rule:

-cer Verbs

The last c in the verb changes to ç in the nous form.

• Tenses affected by this rule:

commencer

-ger Verbs

An e is added after the g in the nous form.

• Tenses affected by this rule:

changer
manger

V: Children's Games and Toys

• un hochet
• un cheval de bois
• une poupée
• une dinette
• un train électrique
• des légos
• un ours en peluche
• une console de jeu (une nintendo, une gameboy, une ps2)
• des jeux de société : le monopoly, le cluedo, la bonne paye
• des "transformers"

V: The Carnival

See List of Party Words

V: French Children's Poems, Songs, and Stories

Petit Papa Noël

Petit Papa Noël
Quand tu descendras du ciel
Avec des jouets par milliers
N'oublies pas mes petits souliers
Mais avant de partir
Il faudra bien te couvrir
Dehors tu vas avoir si froid
C'est un peu à cause de moi
...

Lesson 3.06 - Adolescence

V: Pop Culture

General
un adolescent(m.)	teenager
un pré-adolescent(m.)	preteen
la paresse(f.)	lazyness
Faire l'école buissonnière	Skip classes
Flâner avec les copains	Hang out with friends
Flics	cops
policiers, gendarmes	police officers
(petit) copain(m.), (petite) copine(f.)	boyfriend, girlfriend
petit ami(m.), petite amie(f.)	boyfriend, girlfriend
faire du shopping (France), magasiner (Canada)	do some shopping
centre commercial(m.) (France), centre d'achats(m.)(Canada)	shopping mall
puberté(f.)	puberty

G: Pronominal Verbs Review

Pronominal verbs are verbs that, put simply, include pronouns. These pronouns are me, te, se, nous, and vous and are used as either direct objects or indirect objects, depending on the verb that they modify. When proniminal verbs are conjugated in perfect tenses, être is used as the auxiliary verb. There are three types of pronominal verbs: reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs, and naturally pronominal verbs.

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs reflect the action on the subject.

• Je me lave. - I wash myself.
• Nous nous lavons. - We wash ourselves.
• Ils se lavent. - They wash themselves.

Reflexive verbs can also be used as infinitives.

• Je vais me laver. - I'm going to wash myself.

Either the conjugated verb or the infinitive can be negated each with slightly different meanings.

• Je ne vais pas me laver. - I'm not going to wash myself.

In perfect tenses, the past participles agree with the direct object pronoun, but not the indirect object pronoun, in gender and plurality. Therefore it would only agree when the reflexive pronoun is the direct object. Also remember that the past participle does not agree with the direct object if it goes after the verb.

• Elle s'est lavée. - She washes herself.
• Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s. - We wash ourselves.
• Elle s'est lavé les mains. - She washed her hands.
• Nous nous sommes lavé les mains. - We washed our hands.

Reciprocal Verbs

With reciprocal verbs, people perform actions to each other.

• Nous nous aimons. - We like each other.

Like reflexive verbs, the past participle of reciprocal verbs agrees in number and gender with the direct object if it goes before the verb. It therefore agrees with all reciprocal pronouns that function as direct objects.

• Nous nous sommes aimé(e)s. - We liked each other.

The reciprocal pronoun can also function as an indirect object without a direct object pronoun.

• Nous nous sommes parlé. - We spoke to each other.
• Elles se sont téléphoné. - They called to one another.
• Vous vous êtes écrit souvent? - You write to each other often?

Naturally Pronominal Verbs

Some verbs are pronominal without performing a reflexive or reciprocal action. Tu te souviens? - You remember?

• In perfect tenses, these verbs agree with the direct object if it goes before the verb. Otherwise, the past participle agrees with the subject.
• Elle s'est souvenue. - She remembered.

Some verbs have different meanings as pronominal verbs.

• rendre - to return, to give back
• se rendre (à) - to go (to)

G: Imparfait vs. Passé Composé

The difference between the passe compose and l'imparfait can be difficult to master. The imperfect is used for past habitual actions (Quand j'etais petite, je jouais au foot.), to set the scene (C'etait samedi. La lune brillait.). The passé composé, as well as the passé simple, are used to express punctual actions. (Hier, j'ai joué à Colin Maillard. La lune a brillé pendant trois nuits). This does not mean that the action had to happen over a very short time, but that it is understood as a single punctual event, now finished. The imparfait will express a more general statement while the passé composé will express a more precise action.

Examples:

Les singes criaient violemment lors de ma visite du zoo	When I visited the zoo, the monkeys were loud.
Lorsque je suis passé devant leur cage, les singes ont crié violemment	When I walked by their cage, the monkeys shouted violently

G: Plus-Que-Parfait

The plus-que-parfait is used when there are two occurrences in the past and one wants to symbolise that one occurrence happened before the other. In English, this is used in a phrase like "I had given him the toy before he went to sleep." In this example, there are two past tenses, but they occur at different times. The plus-que-parfait can be used to indicate the occurrence of one before the other. Essentially, the past before the past.

In French, the plus-que-parfait is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb in the imparfait and adding the past participle. So to conjugate je mange (I eat) in the plus-que-parfait, one finds the appropriate auxiliary verb (avoir), conjugates it (avais) and finds the past participle of manger (mangé). So, the conjugation of Je mange in the plus-que-parfait becomes j'avais mangé or, in English, I had eaten.

Examples:

À ce moment, j'ai mangé le pain que tu m'avais donné.	At that moment, I ate the bread that you had given me
Tu m'avais déjà appelé, lorsque je suis parti.	When I left, you had already called me

General Examples

J'ai parlé français.	I spoke French (on one particular occasion).
Je parlais français.	I spoke French (during a period of time, and I don't speak French any more).
Nous avons réussi à l'examen.	We passed the test.
Il a été mon ami.	He was my friend (and he is not my friend any more)
Il était mon ami lorsque...	He was my friend when . . .
Ils ont fait leurs devoirs.	They did their homework.
Il est venu.	He came (and I don't need to say when)
Il vint le lendemain.	He came the day after. (this is the passé simple)
Il venait tous les jours.	He came/used to come every day.
Il était déjà venu.	He had already come.

It should be noted that these examples are making use of all the possible past tenses; not just the plus-que-parfait.

V: Mass Media

V: Part-Time Jobs

Lesson 3.07 - Ancient History

L'histoire de la France jusqu'en 1700.

G: Interrogative Pronouns

G: Passé Simple of Regular Verbs

Unlike English, there is a literary past tense, used when writing formally. This past tense is the passé simple. It is relatively simple to predict when to use this tense: for every occurrence of the passé composé in conversational French, one simply uses the passé simple in literary French. Note that the passé simple is not a composed tense, and therefore does not have an auxiliary verb like the passé composé does.

Formation

To conjugate in this tense, one finds the stem and appends the following, as according to the table:

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) The Simple Past Le passé simple
Subject	Ending	Conjugated Verb	English
Je	-ai	Je dansai.	I danced.
Tu	-as	Tu dansas.	You danced.
Il	-a	Il dansa.	He danced.
Nous	-âmes	Nous dansâmes.	We danced
Vous	-âtes	Vous dansâtes.	You danced.
Ils	-èrent	Ils dansèrent.	They danced.

Regular Normally-Irregular Verbs

The following verbs are irregular in the present indicative, but are regular in their passé simple stems.

Infinitive	Stem	Je...
-ir verbs
dormir	dorm	dormis
partir	part	partis
sentir	sent	sentis
servir	serv	servis
sortir	sort	sortis
-rir Verbs
couvrir	couvr	couvris
découvrir	découvr	découvris
offrir	offr	offris
ouvrir	ouvr	ouvris
souffrir	souffr	souffris
-re Verbs
combattre	combatt	combattis
rompre	romp	rompis
suivre	suiv	suivis

Exercises
Complétez les phrases suivantes en conjuguant les verbes au passé simple:
1. J'_____ (entrer) dans le tour.
2. Tout d'un coup, mon ami ____ (tomber).
3. Nous _________ (monter) l'éscalier.
4. Je _____ (dire) aux professeurs qu'il _______ (regarder) la télé.
5. Ils t'_______ (offrir) le plat, et tu le _______ (laisser) tomber.

V: Farming and Peasant Life

V: Noble Life

V: The King

V: The Renaissance

V: The Reformation

Lesson 3.08 - Revolution!

Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen - Historical Text for this lesson.

G: Passé Simple of Irregular Verbs

Some passé simple stems are based off the past participle. Others must be memorized.

Ending Formation

-i_ Endings	je	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
	-is	-is	-it	-îmes	-îtes	irent
-in_ Endings	je	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
	-ins	-ins	-int	-înmes	-întes	inrent
-u_ Endings	je	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
	-us	-us	-ut	-ûmes	-ûtes	urent

Irregular Verb List

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) Simple Past Irregular Verbs Des verbes irréguliers du passé simple
Infinitive	Past Part.	Stem	Passé simple
			je	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
-i_ Endings
s'asseoir	assis	ass	m'assis	t'assis	s'assit	nous assîmes	vous assîtes	s'assirent
conduire		conduis	conduisis	conduisis	conduisit	conduisîmes	conduisîtes	conduisirent
conquérir	conquis	conqu	conquis	conquis	conquit	conquîmes	conquîtes	conquirent
construire		construis	construisis	construisis	construisit	construisîmes	construisîtes	construisirent
craindre		craign	craignis	craignis	craignit	craignîmes	craignîtes	craignirent
dire	dit	d	dis	dis	dit	dîmes	dîtes	dirent
faire		f	fis	fis	fit	fîmes	fîtes	firent
écrire		écriv	écrivis	écrivis	écrivit	écrivîmes	écrivîtes	écrivirent
mettre	mis	m	mis	mis	mit	mîmes	mîtes	mirent
naître		naqu	naquis	naquis	naquit	naquîmes	naquîtes	naquirent
peindre		peign	peignis	peignis	peignit	peignîmes	peignîtes	peignirent
prendre	pris	pr	pris	pris	prit	prîmes	prîtes	prirent
rejoindre		rejoin	rejoignis	rejoignis	rejoignit	rejoignîmes	rejoignîtes	rejoignirent
rire	ri	r	ris	ris	rit	rîmes	rîtes	rirent
sourire	souri	sour	souris	souris	sourit	sourîmes	sourîtes	sourirent
vaincre		vainqu	vainquis	vainquis	vainquit	vainquîmes	vainquîtes	vainquirent
-in_ Endings
devenir		dev	devins	devins	devin	devînmes	devîntes	devinrent
tenir		t	tins	tins	tint	tînmes	tîntes	tinrent
venir		v	vins	vins	vint	vînmes	vîntes	vinrent
-u_ Endings
avoir	eu	e	eus	eus	eut	eûmes	eûtes	eurent
boire	bu	b	bus	bus	but	bûmes	bûtes	burent
connaître	connus	conn	connus	connus	connut	connûmes	connûtes	connurent
courir	couru	cour	courus	courus	courut	courûmes	courûtes	coururent
croire	cru	cr	crus	crus	crut	crûmes	crûtes	crurent
devoir	dû	d	dus	dus	dut	dûmes	dûtes	durent
être		f	fus	fus	fut	fûmes	fûtes	furent
falloir	fallu	fall	fallus	fallus	fallut	fallûmes	fallûtes	fallurent
lire	lut	l	lus	lus	lut	lûmes	lûtes	lurent
mourir		mour	mourus	mourus	mourut	mourûmes	mourûtes	moururent
plaire	plu	pl	plus	plus	plut	plûmes	plûtes	plurent
pleuvoir	plu	pl	=	=	plut	=	=	=
pouvoir	pu	p	pus	pus	put	pûmes	pûtes	purent
recevoir	reçu	reç	reçus	reçus	reçut	reçûmes	reçûtes	reçurent
savoir	su	s	sus	sus	sut	sûmes	sûtes	surent
valoir	valu	val	valus	valus	valut	valûmes	valûtes	valurent
vivre	vécu	véc	vécus	vécus	vécut	vécûmes	vécûtes	vécurent
vouloir	voulu	voul	voulus	voulus	voulut	voulûmes	voulûtes	voulurent

G: Relative Pronouns Qui and Que

Les pronoms relatifs qui et que

• relative pronouns begin adjective clauses
  • the man that was here
  • the man that I saw
• qui is the subject of the clause it introduces
  • Je vois l'homme qui l'a fait. - I see the man that did it.
  • L'homme qui l'a fait est ici. - The man that did it is here.
• que is the direct object of the clause it introduces
  • Il est l'homme que j'ai vu. - He is the man that I have seen.
• remember that in perfect tenses, the past participle agrees with the direct object in gender and plurality if the direct object comes before the verb
  • Elles sont les femmes que j'ai vues. - They are the women that I have seen.
• If que is followed by a vowel, it is shortened to qu'.
  • Il est l'homme qu'il a vu. - He is the man that he has seen.
• qui is never shortened, even when followed by a vowel
• qui and que can modify both people and things
  • Je vois la voiture qui est cassé. - I see the car that is broken.
• qui and que can modify both masculine and feminine nouns
• qui and que can modify both singular and plural nouns
• in the phrases ce qui and ce que, which literally mean that which, but more naturally mean what, ce is the noun

V: French Revolution

V: Democracy

V: The Napoleonic Era

V: Post-Napoleon France

V: The Industrial Revolution

V: The Enlightenment

Les Lumières

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Voltaire

Denis Diderot

Lesson 3.09 - Modern France

G: Past Conditional

The past conditional is fairly simple to form. It is used to express what you would have done if a certain condition had been met (I would have gone to school).

To form the past conditional, you put the auxiliary verb into the conditional and add the past participle of the verb like so: Je serais allé(e) à l'école, mais j'étais malade.

G: Comparative

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) The Comparative Le Comparatif
Adjectives
Sub. + Verb	Comparative	Adjective	Comparative	Object
Je suis	plus	intelligent	que	toi.
I am	more	intelligent	than	you
Je suis	moins	intelligent	que	toi.
I am	less	intelligent	than	you
Je suis	aussi	intelligent	que	toi.
I am	as	intelligent	as	you.
Adverbs
Sub. + Verb	Comparative	Adverb	Comparative	Object
Je vois	plus/aussi/moins	clairement	que	toi.
I see	more as less	clearly	than as than	you.
Verbs
Sub.	Verb	Comparative	Comparative	Object
Je	joue	plus/autant/moins	que	toi.
I	play	more as much less	than as than	you.
Nouns
Sub. + Verb	Comparative	Noun	Comparative	Object
Je joue à	plus de autant de moins de	jeux	que	toi
I play	more as many less/fewer	games	than as than	you.

G: Superlative

le/la/les + plus/moins + un adjectif

le/la/les + meilleur(e)(s)/mieux/pire

G: Asking Questions

Copy from French/Grammar/Sentences when complete.

V: The 20th Century

V: 20th Century Advancements and Changes

V: Modern War

Lesson 3.10 - Current Events

G: Future Perfect

In French, the future perfect tense is called the futur antérieur.

Formation

The future perfect is a perfect tense, and therefore consists of an auxiliary verb and a past participle. The auxiliary verb, avoir or être, is conjugated in the future tense. All rules that apply to the passé composé and other perfect tenses, such as certain verbs using être as an auxiliary verb, apply to the future perfect as well.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) The Future Perfect Le futur antérieur
parler			passer
Subject	Avoir Conj.	Past Part.	Subject	Être Conj.	Past Part.
j'	aurai	parlé	je	serai	passé(e)
tu	auras	parlé	tu	seras	passé(e)
il	aura	parlé	il	sera	passé
elle	aura	parlé	elle	sera	passée
nous	aurons	parlé	nous	serons	passé(e)s
vous	aurez	parlé	vous	serez	passé(e)(s)
ils	auront	parlé	ils	seront	passés
elles	auront	parlé	elles	seront	passées

Use

Phrases constructed in the future perfect tense mean "will have ___ed" in both French and English. This construction is used to say that before an event occurs, something else "will have" occurred by that time.

G: Demonstrative Pronouns

G: Stating If...

V: News

un quotidien	a daily newspaper
un hebdomadaire	a weekly magazine
l'actualité	news, current events
les nouvelles	news
les faits divers	local news items
se tenir informé(e)	to stay informed
la une	the frontpage

V: France's Role in Global Politics

V: French Social Problems

le cambrioleur	burglar
un voleur	a thief
l'incendie (f.)	fire
le vandalisme	vandalism
l'acte de terrorisme (m.) or un attentat	terrorism
la criminalité	crime

V: European Union

V: French Government

• L'élection présidentielle :
  
  • Le président de la république est élu pour 5 ans au suffrage universel direct. L'élection comporte 2 tours : au premier tour la plupart des partis, petits ou grands, proposent un candidat. Il existe aussi de nombreux candidats soutenus par aucun parti. Il y a souvent entre 10 et 15 candidats au premier tour. Les 2 candidats arrivant en tête au premier tour s'affrontent lors du deuxième tour. En général, il y a un candidat du PS et un candidat de l'UMP au deuxième tour.
  • En 2002, à la surprise générale, Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN) est arrivé deuxième au premier tour devant Lionel Jospin (PS). Le second tour a donc opposé Jacques Chirac (UMP) et Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN). Jacques Chirac l'a largement emporté avec 80% des voix.
  • Le Président de la République est le chef des armées et il désigne le Premier Ministre.
• L'Assemblée Nationale :
  
  • Les députés sont élus au suffrage universel direct à 2 tours.
  • Les députés peuvent renversé le gouvernement si la politique qu'il conduit ne leur convient pas. Le Premier Ministre doit alors démissionner. Le Président de la République est donc obligé de choisir un Premier Ministre ayant la majorité des députés à l'Assemblée Nationale.
  • L'Assemblée Nationale vote les lois proposées par le gouvernement.

• Le sénat :
  

Il est élu au suffrage indirect : seul les maires et les autres élus peuvent voter pour les sénateurs. Les sénateurs peuvent modifier certaines lois mais ont assez peu de pouvoir.

Questions
Combien de tours l'élection du président comporte-t-elle ?
Y a-t-il des candidats qui ne sont pas soutenus par un parti ?
Qui a gagné l'élection de 2002 au second tour ? Qui a perdu ?

V: French Politics

Quelques hommes politiques

• Le Parti Socialiste (PS) : Lionel Jospin, François Hollande, Ségolène Royal, Jack Lang,....
• L'UMP : Jacques Chirac (Président de la République), Dominique de Villepin (Premier ministre), Nicolas Sarkozy (ministre de l'Intérieur)
• L'UDF : François Bayrou.
• Le Parti Communiste Français (PCF) : Marie-Georges Buffet
• Les Verts : Dominique Voynet
• Front national (FN) : Jean-Marie Le Pen (extrême droite)
• La ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR) : Olivier Besancenot.
• Lutte Ouvrière(LO) : Arlette Laguiller.

La politique en France

• En France, les partis politiques sont de droite ou de gauche.
  
  • à droite : l'UMP, l'UDF et le Front National (FN).
    
  • à gauche : le PS, les Verts, le PCF, la LCR et LO.
    
• En 2005, le gouvernement est soutenu par l'UMP. L'UDF et l'UMP sont actuellement fachés mais ils ont souvent gouverné ensemble. Le FN est un parti souvent classé à l'extrême-droite et certains l'accusent de racisme. L'UMP et l'UDF refusent tout contact avec le FN.
  

Les gouvernements de gauche sont composés de membres du Parti Socialiste, de quelques membres du PCF et des Verts. La LCR et LO sont souvent classés à l'extrême gauche et refusent de participer à tout gouvernement.

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GRAMMAR

Grammar Contents

• Information

1. Adjectives
2. Adverbs
3. Grammatical Gender
4. Negation
5. Prepositions
6. Sentences
7. Tenses
8. Verbs

Grammar Information

(edit template) (discussion) Grammar Adjectives • Adverbs • Gender • Negation • Prepositions • Pronouns • Sentences • Tenses • Verbs

TODO Pronouns page and the pronoun lessons expanded to include other pronouns, Sentences page expanded, Irregular Verb Conjugations page expanded, Tenses and lessons on tenses expanded and copied to each other

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Updating: If a section is added or the name of an existing section is changed, please update: The print version The grammar header The grammar footer. It is not necessary to update these versions if the sections within these main groups are altered.

Adjectives

Just like articles, French adjectives also have to match the nouns that they modify in gender and plurality.

Regular formation

Spelling

Most 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

Generally, the final consonant is pronounced only when it comes before an -e. Most adjectives, such as those above, are affected by this rule.

• Masculine Pronuciation: intéressan, amusan, len
• Feminine Pronunciation: intéressant, amusant, lent

Irregular formation

Irregular plural formation

				Examples
	M Sing.	-->	M. Pl.	Masc. Singular	-->	Masc. Plural	Notes
No change	-s		-s	un plafond bas un gros porc		des plafonds bas des gros porcs
	-x		-x	un homme généreux un garçon furieux		des hommes généreux des garçons furieux
	-z		-z	un gaz dangereux		des gaz dangereux
__x	-au		-aux	un journal		des journaux	Exceptions:landau (landaus), sarrau (sarraus)
	-eu		-eux	un pieu		des pieux	Exceptions:bleu (bleus), pneu (pneus)
	-eau		-eaux	un château		des châteaux
	-al		-aux	un journal		des journaux	Exceptions:bal, cal, carnaval, chacal, festival, pal, récital et régal take an 's'
	-ou		-oux	un bijou		des bijoux	Notes:While most -ou adjectives have an s added in the plural form, seven are the exception. These are: un bijou (des bijoux, jewel), un caillou (des cailloux, stone)), un pou (des poux, louse), un joujou (des joujoux, toy ), un chou (des choux, cabbage), un hibou (des hiboux, owl), un genou (des genoux, knee)

Irregular feminine formation

				Examples
	Masc.	-->	Fem.	Masculine	-->	Feminine	Notes
No change	-e		-e	égoïste, populaire, sociable, timide, énergique, dynamique, sympathique			* When the masc. form ends in an -e, there is no change. * The final consonant is pronounced on the masc. form.
Final Consonant Doubled	-el		-elle	cruel		cruelle	When an adjective has one of these endings, the ending of the feminine form is doubled. There is no change of pronunciation when changing from -el to -elle. -il is pronounced "ee" (as in keen), while -ille is similar, with a final yod (pronounced like "ee" in keen with a "y" on the end: [ij] ). -on is pronounced ohhn and -onne is pronounced uhhne. -en is pronounced euhn and -enne is pronounced ehne. -os is pronounced oh and -osse is pronounced ohse. -as is pronounced ah and -asse is pronounced ahse.
	-il		-ille	gentil		gentille
	-on		-onne	bon breton		bonne bretonne
	-en		-enne	ancien parisien		ancienne parisienne
	-os		-osse	gros		grosse
	-as		-asse	bas		basse
-eux change	-eux		-euse	furieux généreux		furieuse généreuse	-eux is pronounced euhh and -euse is pronounced euhsse.
-if change	-if		-ive	sportif actif		sportive active
er change	-er		-ère	étranger cher		étrangère chère	-er is pronounced ay and -ère is pronounced air, though exceptions such as "cher" exist in which both forms are pronounced with an ending similar to the word "air".
-et change	-et		-ète	inquiet complet		inquiète complète	-et is pronounced ay and -ète is pronounced ette.

Special rules

Adjectives that precede nouns

List

Adjectives that are used frequently before nouns. These are:

• beau (belle)
• joli(e)
• nouveau (nouvelle)
• vieux (vieille)
• jeune +
• bon(ne) +
• gentil (gentille)
• mauvais(e)
• vilain(e)
• grand(e) +
• petit(e)
• court(e) +
• long(ue)
• gros(se) +
• large
• haut(e)
• affreux (affreuse)
• dernier (dernière) +
• méchant(e) +
• meilleur(e)
• pauvre
• autre

+ sometimes placed after a noun, and may change in meaning

When these adjectives appear before an indefinite plural noun, they will change the article associated with it:

• des garçons courageux / de beaux garçons

Changes in meaning

When grand goes before a noun, it means great. However, when it goes after the noun, it means tall. Likewise, when pauvre goes before a noun, it means unfortunate. When it comes after the noun, it means financially poor. This rule works most of the time, but be careful, "pauvre" can mean "financially poor" even when used before the nouns.

Beau, nouveau, and vieux

These three adjectives behave differently when placed before a singular masculine noun starting with a vowel or silent h:

	Masc. Sing. Cons.	Masc. Sing Vowel	Masc. Plural	Fem. Sing. (all)	Fem. Plural
Beau	un beau garçon	un bel individu	de beaux garçons	une belle fillette	de belles fillettes
Nouveau	un nouveau camion	un nouvel ordre	de nouveaux ordres	une nouvelle idée	de nouvelles idées
Vieux	un vieux camion	un vieil ordre	de vieux camions	une vieille idée	de vieilles idées

Possessive adjectives

In English, we say "her car" when the owner of the car is a woman and "his car" when the owner is a man. In French, they say "sa voiture" even if the owner is a male. It is not the owner who determines the gender of the possessive adjective but the object owned.

First person singular - mon, ma, mes
Second person singular (informal) - ton, ta, tes
Third person singular - son, sa, ses

First person plural - notre, notre, nos
Second person plural (and polite form) - votre, votre, vos
Third person plural - leur, leur, leurs

Note: Exception. When a feminine noun starts with a vowel or silent 'h', you should utilize "Mon" instead of "Ma". Example:

Mon ami = ok 
Ma amie = error! 
Mon amie = ok.

Demonsrative adjectives

There are four adjectives that demonstrate a specific object:

• Ce garçon (masculin)
• Cet ami (masculin before vowel or silent h)
• Cette fille (feminine)
• Ces enfants (plural)

Adverbs

French adverbs, like their English counterparts, are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, and verbs or clauses. They do not display any inflection; that is, their form does not change to reflect their precise role, nor any characteristics of what they modify.

Formation

In French, as in English, most adverbs are derived from adjectives. In most cases, this is done by adding the suffix -ment ("-ly") to the adjective's feminine singular form. For example, the feminine singular form of lent ("slow") is lente, so the corresponding adverb is lentement ("slowly"); similarly, heureux → heureusement ("happy" → "happily").

As in English, however, the adjective stem is sometimes modified to accommodate the suffix:

• If the adjective ends in an i, then -ment is added to the masculine singular (default) form, rather than to the feminine singular form:
  • vrai → vraiment ("real" → "really")
  • poli → poliment ("polite" → "politely")
• If the adjective ends in -ant or -ent, then the corresponding adverb ends in -amment or -emment, respectively:
  • constant → constamment ("constant" → "constantly")
  • récent → récemment ("recent" → "recently")
• Some adjectives make other changes:
  • précis → précisément ("precise" → "precisely")
  • gentil → gentiment ("nice" → "nicely")

Some adverbs are derived from adjectives in completely irregular fashions, not even using the suffix -ment:

• bon → bien ("good" → "well")
• mauvais → mal ("bad" → "badly")
• meilleur → mieux ("better"-adjective → "better"-adverb)
• pire → pire ("worse"-adjective → "worse"-adverb)

And, as in English, many common adverbs are not derived from adjectives at all:

• ainsi ("thus" or "thusly")

Placement

The placement of French adverbs is almost the same as the placement of English adverbs.

An adverb that modifies an adjective or adverb comes before that adjective or adverb:

• complètement vrai ("completely true")
• pas possible ("not possible")
• tellement discrètement ("so discreetly")

An adverb that modifies an Infinitive (verbal noun) generally comes after the infinitive:

• marcher lentement ("to walk slowly")

But negative adverbs, such as pas ("not"), plus ("not any more"), and jamais come before the infinitive:

• ne pas marcher ("not to walk")

An adverb that modifies a main verb or clause comes either after the verb, or before the clause:

• Lentement il commença à marcher or Il commença lentement à marcher ("Slowly, he began to walk" or "He began slowly to walk").

Note that, unlike in English, this is true even of negative adverbs:

• Jamais je n'ai fait cela or Je n'ai jamais fait cela ("Never have I done that" or "I've never done that")

List of common adverbs

• après

1. afterwards

   On va au cinéma après

   We'll go to the cinema afterwards

2. also a preposition

Grammatical Gender

Wikipedia has related information at French articles and determiners

Gender of nouns

In French, all nouns have a grammatical gender, that is, they are masculine or feminine for the purposes of grammar only.

Most nouns that express entities with gender (people and animals) use both a feminine form and a masculine form, for example, the two words for "actor" in French are acteur (m) and actrice (f).

The nouns that express entities without gender (e.g., objects and abstract concepts) have only one form. This form can be masculine or feminine. For example, la voiture (the car) can only be feminine; le stylo (the pen) can only be masculine.

There are some nouns that express entities with gender for which there is only one form, which is used regardless of the actual gender of the entity, for example, the word for person; personne; is always feminine, even if the person is male, and the word for teacher; professeur; is always masculine even if the teacher is female.

With all that being said, there are three nouns in French where gender is altered when put in the plural form:

amour (un bel amour => des belles amours orgue délice

Examples

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •113 kb • help) Gender of Nouns Genre des Noms
Masculine		Common Endings Used With Masculine Nouns:
le cheval	the horse	-age	le fromage the cheese
le chien	the dog	-r	le professeur the teacher
le livre	the book	-t	le chat the cat
le bruit	the noise	-isme	le capitalisme capitalism
Feminine		Common Endings Used With Feminine Nouns:
la colombe	the dove	-ie	la boulangerie the bakery
la chemise	the shirt	-ion	la nation the nation
la maison	the house	-ite/-ité	la fraternité brotherhood
la liberté	liberty	-nce	la balance the scales
		-nne -mme -lle	la fille the girl
			l’indienne the Indian

Unfortunately, there are many exceptions in French which can only be learned. There are even words that are spelled the same, but have a different meaning when masculine or feminine; for example, un livre (m) means a book, but une livre (f) means a pound! Some words that appear to be masculine (like la photo, which is actually short for la photographie) are in fact feminine, and vice versa. Then there are some that just don't make sense; la foi is feminine and means a belief, whereas le foie means liver. To help overcome this hurdle which many beginners find very difficult, be sure to learn the genders along with the words.

Definite and indefinite articles

The definite article

In English, the definite article is always “the”.

In French, the definite article is changed depending on the noun's:

1. Gender
2. Plurality
3. First letter of the word

There are three definite articles and an abbreviation. "Le" is used for masculine nouns, "La" is used for feminine nouns, "Les" is used for plural nouns (both masculine or feminine), and "L' " is used when the noun begins with a vowel or silent "h" (both masculine or feminine). It is similar to english, where "a" changes to "an" before a vowel.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •78 kb • help) The Definite Article L'article défini
singular	feminine	la	la fille	the daughter
	masculine	le	le fils	the son
singular, starting with a vowel sound		l’	l’enfant	the child
plural		les	les filles	the daughters
			les fils	the sons
			les enfants	the children

Note: Unlike English, the definite article is used to talk about something in a general sense, a general statement or feeling about an idea or thing.

The indefinite article

In English, the indefinite articles are "a" and "an". "Some" is used as a plural article in English.

Again, indefinite articles in French take different forms depending on gender and plurality. The articles "Un" and "une" literally mean "one" in French.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •55 kb • help) The Indefinite Article L'article indéfini
singular	feminine	une	une fille	a daughter
	masculine	un	un fils	a son
plural		des	des filles	some daughters
			des fils1	some sons

¹"des fils" does mean "some sons" but is a homograph: it can also mean "some threads"

Also note that des, like les is used in French before plural nouns when no article is used in English. Let's imagine you are looking at photographs in an album. In English, we would say "I am looking at photographs." In French, you cannot say, "Je regarde photographies," you must tell which photographs you are looking at using an article. If you were looking at a set of specific pictures, you would say "Je regarde les photographies." ("I am looking at the photographs.") If you were just flipping through the album, looking at nothing in particular, you would say, "Je regard des photographies." ("I am looking at some photographs.")

Subject pronouns

French has six different types of pronouns: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (info •61 kb • help) Subject Pronouns Les pronoms soumis
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 lesson 1.

In addition to the nuances between vous and tu, as discussed in lesson 1, 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 if there is only one male in a group of thousands of females.

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 nous rencontrons au cinéma à sept heures.” (formal). For more, see the Wikipedia entry.

Negation

ne..pas

• 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 haven't 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 not to steal.
• ne goes before any pronoun relating to the verb it affects.
  • Je ne l'ai pas volé. - I did not steal it.
  • Nous ne nous aimons pas. - We do not love each other.

Other negative expressions

ne...aucun(e)	not any, none, no
ne...jamais	never
ne...ni...ni	neither...nor
ne...pas du tout	not at all
ne...pas encore	not yet
ne...personne	nobody
ne...plus	no longer
ne...guère	hardly
ne...que	only
ne...rien	nothing

• ne...personne wraps around the entire verb set.
  • Je ne l'ai donné à personne. - I did not give it to anyone.
  • Je ne veux le donner à personne. - I do not want to give it to anybody.
• ne...ni...ni requires two objects, either direct or indirect, and comes before them.
  • Je ne l'ai donné ni à mon frère, ni à ma sœur. - I gave it neither to my brother nor my sister.
  • Je ne peux voir ni mon frère ni ma sœur. - I am able to see neither my brother nor my sister.
• In ne...aucun(e), aucun(e) goes before an object.
  • Il n'a aucun ami. Aucun. - He has no friend. None.
  • Il n'a aucune feuille de papier. Aucune. - He has no sheet of paper. None.
• Il n'a qu'une feuille de papier. - He has only one piece of paper.
• Je ne peux guère voir mon frère et ma sœur - I can hardly see my brother and sister.

Spoken French

Now, the 'ne' sometimes disappears when one speaks. However, it is always used in written French and for formal conversations.

• Je ne l'ai donné à personne (I didn't give it to anyone)
• Je ne sais pas (I don't know)

Summary

To say not, never or other negative verbs you have to 'sandwich' the negative words around a verb.

Example:

• Il n'y a pas de cinéma. (meaning: "There is not a cinema")
• On ne peut jamais aller en boite. (meaning: "You can never go partying")
• Il n' y a rien à faire ici. (meaning: "There is nothing to do here")

If " ne " is before a vowel then it changes to " n' ".

Prepositions

Common prepositions

Prepostion	Translation	Example	Notes
à	1. to 2. at 3. of 4. in	Je vais à Paris. -- I am going to Paris. Je pars à cinq heures. -- I am leaving at five C'est un ami à moi. -- This is a friend of mine. C'est la voiture à John. -- This is John's car.	-Expresses a report/ratio of place (to), time (at), possession (of or 's), means, manner, price. - Introduced a complement of indirect object or a complement of attribution, a complement of the name or adjective.
à côté de	next to, besides	Le chien est à côté du (du= de le) chat. The Dog is next to the cat.
à l'intérieur de	inside		Alternative: dedans (rarely used as a preposition)
après	after	On mange après avoir bu We eat after we drink	Also an adverb.
avec	with	Ils sont avec leurs familles. They are with their Families.
chez	at the home of	Il est allé chez lui. He went home.
dans	in	Les livres sont dans la bibliothèque. The books are in the library.	Synonym: en
de	1. of, from 2. about		Also an indefinite artcle. Contractions: du, des IPA: /də/
derrière	behind	Vos clés sont derrière votre lit. Your keys are behind your bed.
devant	in front of
en	in		Used mostly to indicate distance in time or space. Also a pronoun.
ici	here	Il est ici. He Is Here.
là	there	Où est-elle? Elle est là, dans cette maison-là. Where is she? She is in that house over there.
loin de	far	Le lycée est loin de la plage. The School is far from the beach.
par	1. through 2. by, for		Also a noun: le par - (golf) par
près de	near	La bibliothèque est près de la plage. The Library is near the beach
pour	for	Ils l'ont fait pour toi. They made it for you.	IPA: /pur/
sans	without	Elles veulent avoir une fête sans alcool. They want to have a party without alcohol.
sous	under	La terre est sous le ciel. The Earth is under the sky.
sur	1. on 2. upon 3. on top of 4. above 5. out of 6. sept sur dix (seven out of ten)	La maison est sur la terre. The house is on top of the ground	Synonyms: au-dessus de (above) Antonyms: sous (below, under) Antonyms: dessous, au-dessous-de (below) Also an adjective: m sing, meaning sure IPA: /syr/ (audio)

Pronouns

Wikipedia has related information at French Pronouns

Subject pronouns

Singular			Plural
First person (I)	Second person (you)	Third person (he, she, it)	First person (we, us)	Second person (you)	Third person (they)
Je	Tu, (Vous*)	Il, Elle, On**	Nous	Vous	Ils, Elles***

* Tu is informal and used only with well-known acquaintances. In case of unknown persons you have to use the polite form Vous. A good example, to explain that is the following: If two business acquaintances meet another, they say Vous. If they later fall in love, they say Tu. When unsure, it is better to say "vous." Also, grammatically, even the singular form of "vous" behaves as though it were a plural, so even if you are addressing only one person, you would still use verbal grammar consistent with addressing multiple people, similar to English (as in "you are", "you [all] are", "they are.") Nevertheless, the adjectives or past participles are declined according to the true number of the referring pronoun.

Examples, addressing one person:

• Tu chantes - you sing (informal)
• Vous chantez - you sing (polite) - (also, to address many persons)
• Tu es grand - You are tall (informal)
• Vous êtes grand - You are tall (polite, male)
• Vous êtes grande - You are tall (polite, female)

Examples, addressing many persons:

• Vous êtes grands - You are tall (informal or polite, male, many persons)
• Vous êtes grandes - You are tall (informal or polite, female, many persons)

** - Il denotes masculine nouns, elle denotes feminine nouns, and on is for indeterminate subjects (see below).

*** - Ils is used with all-male or mixed groups, elles is only used when all members of the group are female. Examples:

• Jack et Philipp parlent - Jack and Philipp speak
  Ils parlent - They speak (all-male group)
• Jack et Lucy parlent - Jack and Lucy speak
  Ils parlent - They speak (mixed group)
• Lucy et Dina parlent - Lucy and Dina speak
  Elles parlent - They speak (all female group)

The pronoun on

The subject pronoun on is analogous to the English personal pronoun one, except that it is not so formal, and is more common. It has a number of uses:

• It is used in the same ways as the English personal pronoun one:
  • It is used in expressing generalities: « C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeur. » ("It is by blacksmithing that one becomes a blacksmith.")
  • It is the implicit subject for an infinitive that has no other implicit subject: « penser qu'on a raison » ("to think that one is right," i.e. "to think oneself right").
• Because of French's limited passive voice, it is often used as an empty subject when the agent is unknown or unimportant: « On me l'a donné. » ("[On] gave it to me" or "I was given it" or "It was given to me.")
• It is used as a less formal substitute for the subject pronoun nous (we). In this case, note that even though on always takes a third-person singular verb, it takes plural adjectives (« On est américains », "We're American"). Also, note that the other forms of nous (direct object, indirect object, and disjunctive) are not replaced by forms of on unless on is the subject as well. (Hence, « Ils nous l'ont donné », "They gave it to us," but « On se l'est donné », "We gave it to ourselves.")
• It is not the number 1, and therefore is not used to mean "one of them." In French as in English, numbers can be used as pronouns — « Deux sont entrés et un est ressorti »,

"Two went in and one came back out" — but the number 1 is un(e), not on.

On does not have ordinary direct- and indirect-object pronouns, only the reflexive pronoun se. Similarly, its disjunctive-pronoun form, soi, is only used when on is the subject and soi refers to the same entity. The pronoun quelqu'un ("someone") can fill some of the roles of on, in the same way that one and someone are sometimes interchangeable in English.

me, te, nous, and vous

• Direct and indirect object pronouns

Meanings

• me - me, to me
• te - you, to you (singular, informal)
• lui - to him/her
• nous - us, to us
• vous - you, to you (plural, formal)
• leur - to them

Place in sentences

• 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

• 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

• 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.

l', le, la, and les

l', le, la, and les are pronouns which are used as direct objects and hence are called direct object pronouns. A direct object is a noun that receives the action of a verb.

• Il jette la boule. - He throws the ball.

In the above sentence la boule is the direct object.

You have learned earlier that names and regular nouns can be replaced by the subject pronouns (je, tu...). Similarly, direct objects, such as "la boule", 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 jette. - He throws it.
• Il les jettes. - He throws them.

lui and leur

Indirect objects are prepositional phrases with the object of the preposition. An indirect object is a noun that receives the action of a verb.

• Il jette la boule à Jacques. - He throws the ball to Jack.
• Il jette la boule à Marie. - He throws the ball to Mary.
• Il jette la boule 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 boule. - He throws the ball to him.
• Il lui jette la boule. - He throws the ball to her.
• Il leur jette la boule. - 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

y

Indirect object pronoun - to it, to them

The French pronoun y is used to replace an object of a prepositional phrase introduced by a.

• Je réponds aux questions. - J' y réponds.
• I respond to the questions. - I respond to them.

Note that lui and leur, and not y, are used when the object refers to a person or persons.

Replacement of places - there

The French pronoun y replaces a prepositional phrase referring to a place that begins with any preposition except de (for which en is used).

• Les hommes vont en France. - Les hommes y vont.
• The men go to France - The men go there.

Note that en, and not y is used when the object is of the preposition de.

Idioms

• Ça y est! - It's done!
• J'y suis! - I get it!

en

Replacement of a partitive construction

• The pronoun en replaces a noun with a partitive article (l'article partitif: du, de la, de, des) at the front. In this case En goes always with the singular, even if there are many items adressed.

• • Je veux du pain. => J'en veux. - I want some bread. => I want some.

Replacement of quantified nouns

If the quantity of the object is specified, "en" is used for the replacement of the noun.

Example: Il a acheté deux pommes. => Il en a acheté deux.

Note that no agreement is needed between the past participle (le participe passé) and the object (complément d'objet direct).

Replacement of phrases with de

• The pronoun en replaces prepositional phrases beginning with de if the object of the preposition is referring to a thing or place.
  • Je viens de Paris. - I come from Paris.
  • J' en viens. - I come from it.
• Note that stress pronouns, and not en are used if the object refers to a person or persons.

Pronoun order

Order chart

If a sentence uses no infinitive, the pronouns are embedded as follows:

Subject Pronoun (or noun)	Neg	Direct or Indirect	Direct Obj Pronouns	Indirect Objects				Neg
je tu il (elle) nous vous ils (elles)	ne	me te nous vous se (reflexive)	le la l' les	lui leur	y	en	conjugated verb	pas plus etc...	past participle

If a sentence uses an infinitive, the pronouns are embedded as follows:

Subject Pronoun (or noun)	Neg		Neg		Direct or Indirect	Direct Obj Pronouns	Indirect Objects
je tu il (elle) nous vous ils (elles)	ne	conjugated verb	pas plus etc...	past participle	me te nous vous se (reflexive)	le la l' les	lui leur	y	en	infinitive

Order rules

• When a sentence uses the indirect object pronouns me, te, nous, and vous with the direct object pronouns le, la, and les, me, te, nous, and vous go first.
  • Il me le donne. - He gave it to me.
• When a sentence uses the indirect object pronouns lui and leur with the direct object pronouns le, la, and l', le, la, and les go first.
  • Il le lui donne. - He gave it to him/her.
• When y is used in the same sentence as other pronouns, y goes after all of them with the exception of en.
  • Il m'emmène à Paris. - He takes me to Paris.
  • Il m'y emmène. - He takes me there.
• Y in conjunction with en is only used in a few cases.
  • Il y en a. - There exist several ones.
  • Est-ce qu'il y a des pommes? (Oui,) il y en a. (No,) il n'y en a (pas/plus). - Are there any apples (left)? Yes, there are. No, there aren't.
• When there are two pronouns in a sentence, en always go last.

L'impératif

When expressing positive commands, there are several rules one must remember when using object pronouns. Theses are:

• The pronouns are attached to the verb with a hyphen.
  • Retrouve-la. - Find it.
• Me and Te become moi and toi.
  • Donnez-moi les vidéos. - Give me the videos.
• Le, la, and les precede all other object pronouns.
  • Donnez-le-moi. - Give it to me.
• For the second person singular form, an "s" is added if the object (in the pronoun form) begins with a vowel or "y".
  • Va au tableau. - Go to the blackboard. BUT Vas-y. - Go (there).
  • Vas-y. - Come on.

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace possessive article + noun sets.

French Grammar • Print version • audio (upload) Possessive Pronouns Les pronoms possesifs
mon copain my friend	ton copain your friend	son copain his/her friend	notre copain our friend	votre copain your friend	leur copain their friend
le mien mine	le tien yours	le sien his/hers	le nôtre ours	le vôtre yours	le leur theirs
mes copains my friends	tes copains your friends	ses copains his/her friends	nos copains our friends	vos copains your friends	leurs copains their friends
les miens mine	les tiens yours	les siens his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs
ma copine my friend	ta copine your friend	sa copine his/her friend	notre copine our friend	votre copine your friend	leurs copine their friend
la mienne mine	la tienne yours	la sienne his/hers	la nôtre ours	la vôtre yours	la leur theirs
mes copines my friends	tes copines your friends	ses copines his/her friends	nos copines our friends	vos copines your friends	leurs copines their friends
les miennes mine	les tiennes yours	les siennes his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs

• Vous avez votre voiture? - You have your car?
• Oui, nous avons la nôtre. - Yes, we have ours.

À + a stress pronoun is used when the noun replaced is also the subject of the sentence. This usually occurs in sentences with être.

• Elle est ta voiture? - Is that your car?
• Oui, elle est à moi. - Yes, it is mine.

Sentences

Subject - Verb - Direct object - Indirect object

If...

Si...

With present tense (le présent):

(1) Si + (le présent), (le futur simple)
Example: If you finish your homework, I'll give you some candies.
Si tu finis tes devoirs, je te donnerai des bonbons.

(2) Si + (le présent), (l'impératif)
Example: If you are cold, close the window.
Si tu as froid, ferme la fenêtre.

With imperfect (l'imparfait) past tense (to express hypothetical situations):

(3) Si + (l'imparfait), (le conditionnel)
Example: If I had a million dollars, I would buy a house.
Si j'avais un million de dollars, j'achèterais une maison.

With "plus-que-parfait" (also to express hypothetical situations):

(4) Si + (le plus-que-parfait), (le conditionnel passé)
Example: If I had known (or "had I known") computers were so useful, I would have taken a computer course.
Si j'avais su que les ordinateurs étaient si utiles, j'aurais suivi un cours de l'informatique.

Interrogation

Formation

Intonation

As in English, raising the tone at the end of a sentence can turn it into a question.

Example:

Il aime les bonbons. He likes sweets.
Il aime les bonbons? Does he like sweets?

Est-ce que...

"Est-ce que" literally means "Is it that", understood as "Is it true that", and can be used to form questions. To form a question with "Est-ce que...", attach "Est-ce que..." at the beginning of the sentence. Sometimes "que" has to be modified to "qu'" for elision.

Example: Il aime ce film. => Est-ce qu'il aime ce film ?
(He likes this film. => Does he like this film?)

Inversion

This is considered to be the most formal way to ask a question out of the three.
(The indicative form of the following sentences will be placed in parentheses for comparison.)

To ask a question by inversion, simple invert the verb and the subject (the pronoun) and insert a hyphen (un trait d'union) in between.
Example: Do you like apples? (You like apples.)
Aimes-tu les pommes ? (Tu aimes les pommes.)

In the case where the verb ends in a vowel while the subject starts with one, a "t" needs to be inserted to avoid elision.
Example: Did she make the decision already? (She made the decision already.)
A-t-elle déjà pris la décision ? (Elle a déjà pris la décision.)

(Notice that for compound tense [les temps composés], only the avoir or être part is interchanged with the subject.)

For third person plural (verbs ending in "ent"), there is no need to insert the "t".
Example: Are they buying a house? (They are buying a house.)
Achètent-ils une maison ? (Ils achètent une maison.)

If the subject is a noun instead of a pronoun, invert the verb and the pronoun that represents the subject.
Example: Did Marie choose this shirt? (Marie chose this shirt.)
'Marie a-t-elle choisi cette chemise ? (Marie a choisi cette chemise.)

For negative such as "ne...pas", the verb should be inserted in between:
Example: Didn't you eat the whole pizza? (You didn't eat the whole pizza.)
N'as-tu pas mangé la pizza entière ? (Tu n'as pas mangé la pizza entière.)

If there is a direct or indirect object (complément d'objet [in]direct), it goes before the verb.
Example: Have you been there? (You have been there.)
Y es-tu allé(e) ? (Tu y es allé(e).)

Question words

• Où ? - Where?
• Quand ? - When?
• Pourquoi ? - Why?
• Comment ? - How?
• Quel/Quels/Quelle/Quelles ? - Which?
• Qui ? - Who?
• Combien ? - How much?
• Quoi ? - What?

Commands

Main article: French/Grammar/Tenses/Imperative

Tenses

Verb tenses sorted by mood

Non-finite forms

• Le participe présent (The Present Participle)
• Le participe passé (The Past Participle)
• Le Verbe Auxiliaire (The Auxiliary Verb)
• L'infinitif (The Infinitive)
• L'infinitif passé (The Past Infinitive)

L'indicatif (The indicative mood)

Simple tenses

• Le présent de l'indicatif (The present indicative)
• L'imparfait de l'indicatif (The imperfect)
• Le passé simple (The past historic)
• Le futur (The future)

Perfect tenses

• Le passé composé (The present perfect)
• Le plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif (The pluperfect of the indicative)
• Le passé antérieur (The past anterior)
• Le futur antérieur (The future anterior)

Other tenses

• Le passé récent (The recent past)
• Le futur proche (The near future)

Le subjonctif (The subjunctive mood)

• Le subjonctif (The subjunctive)
• L'imparfait du subjonctif (The imperfect subjunctive)
• Le subjonctif passé (The past subjunctive)
• Le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (The pluperfect subjunctive)

L'impératif (The imperative mood)

• L'impératif (The imperative)
• L'impératif passé (The past imperative)

Le conditionnel (The conditional mood)

• Le conditionnel (The conditional)
• Le conditionnel passé (The past conditional)
• Le deuxième forme du conditionnel passé (The second form of the past conditional)

Verb tenses sorted by type

Simple tenses

• Le présent de l'indicatif (The present indicative)
• L'imparfait de l'indicatif (The imperfect)
• Le passé simple (The past historic)
• Le futur (The future)
• Le conditionnel (The conditional)
• Le présent du subjonctif (The present subjunctive)
• L'imparfait du subjonctif (The imperfect subjunctive)

Perfect tenses

• Le passé composé (The present perfect)
• Le plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif (The pluperfect of the indicative)
• Le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (The pluperfect of the subjunctive)
• Le passé antérieur (The past anterior)
• Le futur antérieur (The future anterior)
• Le conditionnel passé (The conditional past)
• Le passé du subjonctif (The subjunctive past)

Perfect tense components

• Le participe présent (The present participle)
• Le participe passé (The past participle)
• Le verbe auxiliaire (The auxiliary verb)

Other tenses

• Le passé récent (The near past)
• Le futur proche (The near future)
• L'Impératif (The imperative)
• L'impératif passé (The past imperative)

Verb tenses sorted by time

Past

• L'imparfait de l'indicatif (The imperfect)
• Le passé simple (The past historic)
• L'imparfait du subjonctif (The imperfect subjunctive)
• Le passé composé (The present perfect)
• Le plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif (The pluperfect of the indicative)
• Le passé antérieur (The past anterior)
• Le passé récent (The near past)
• L'imparfait du subjonctif (The imperfect subjunctive)
• Le subjonctif passé (The past subjunctive)
• Le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (The pluperfect subjunctive)
• L'impératif passé (The past imperative)
• Le conditionnel passé (The past conditional)
• Le deuxième forme du conditionnel passé (The second form of the past conditional)

Present

Future

Verbs

Due to their specificity, minor verb pages are only included in French/Grammar/Print version.

Wikipedia has related information at French verbs

• Irregular verb conjugations
• Verb negations
• Pronominal verbs
• Verb tenses

General notes

• The masculine form and feminine form of the third person are conjugated in exactly the same manner. Instead of mentioning both, only the masculine form will be used for the sake of brevity. One may assume that il includes elle and ils includes elles unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
• In tables showing the endings or conjugations of verbs, an accent mark is shown without a letter below it indicates that the accent mark is placed above the last letter of the stem.
• Derivatives of a verb are conjugated in the same manner as that verb. For instance, devenir and revenir follow the same patterns as venir. In this appendix, when the conjugation of the root verb is given, it is assumed that the reader will know that derivative verbs are similarly conjugated.
• The verb tenses here are organized by mood. The general uses of a particular mood will be covered in the page linked to by the section heading.
• Literary tenses, which are only used in formal writing, are in italics.

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APPENDICES

(edit template)	Appendices	(discussion)
Dates, Time, and Numbers • Exercises • E-F dictionary • F-E dictionary • French authors • Hints and Common Errors • French History • Nations of the World • Phrasebook • Pronunciation Index • Slang • Vocabulary Index • Typing Characters • Verb Dictionary • Web Resources

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Dates, Time, and Numbers

Les jours de la semaine

• The days of the week. [lay jzoor duh lah suhmen]

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •420 kb • help) The Days of the Week. Les jours de la semaine.
#	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

• The days of the week are not capitalized in French.
• For phrases relating to the day of the week, see the phrasebook.

Les mois de l'année

• The months of the year. [lay mwah duh lahnay]

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •561 kb • help) The Months of the Year Les mois de l'année
#	French	Pron.	English
01	janvier	jzahnveeyay	January
02	février	fayvreeyay	February
03	mars	mahrse	March
04	avril	ahvrill	April
05	mai	maye	May
06	juin	jzwan	June
07	juillet	jzooeeyay	July
08	août	oot/oo	August
09	septembre	septahmbruh	September
10	octobre	oktuhbruh	October
11	novembre	novahmbruh	November
12	décembre	daysahmbruh	December

• The months of the year are not capitalized in French.
• For phrases relating to the months of the year, see the phrasebook

Les saisons

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •142 kb • help) Seasons Les Saisons
la saison	season
le printemps	Spring
l'été (m)	Summer
l'automne (m)	Autumn
l'hiver (m)	Winter

Les nombres (adjectifs numéraux cardinaux et ordinaux)

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •337 kb • help) Numbers Les nombres
Cardinal Numbers 001-019				Ordinal Numbers 001-010					Cardinal Numbers 020 - 069
#	French	Pron.	English	#	French	Pronunciation	Abbr.	English	#	French	Pronunciation	English
000	zéro	zairo	zero						020	vingt	vahn	twenty
001	un	uhn	one	1st	premier(ère)	prem me ay (air)	1er	first	021	vingt et un	vahntay uhn	twenty-one
002	deux	deuh	two	2nd	deuxième	deuhzee ehm	2ième	second	Numbers twenty-two to twenty-nine are configured in the form of vingt-[02-09]. For example twenty-two is vingt-deux.
003	trois	trwah	three	3rd	troisième	trawhzee ehm	3ième	third
004	quatre	catr	four	4th	quatrième	catree ehm	4ième	fourth	030	trente	trahnt	thirty
005	cinq	sank	five	5th	cinquième	sankee ehm	5ième	fifth	031	trente et un	trahntay uhn	thirty-one
006	six	seese	six	6th	sixième	seesee ehm	6ième	sixth	Numbers thrity-two to thirty-nine are configured in the form of trente-[02-09]. For example thrity-three is trente-trois.
007	sept	set	seven	7th	septième	setee ehm	7ième	seventh
008	huit	weet	eight	8th	huitième	weetee ehm	8ième	eighth	040	quarante	cahrahnt	forty
009	neuf	neuhf	nine	9th	neuvième	neuhvee ehm	9ième	ninth	041	quarante et un	cahrahntay uhn	forty-one
010	dix	deese	ten	10th	dixième	deezee ehm	10ième	tenth	Numbers forty-two to forty-nine are configured in the form of quarante-[02-09]. For example forty-four is quarante-quatre.
011	onze	ohn	eleven
012	douze	dooz	tweleve						050	cinquante	sankaunte	fifty
013	treize	trehz	thirteen						051	cinquante et un	sankauntay uhn	fifty-one
014	quatorze	catorz	fourteen						Numbers fifty-two to fifty-nine are configured in the form of cinquante-[02-09]. For example fifty-five is cinquante-cinq.
015	quinze	canz	fifteen
016	seize	sehz	sixteen						060	soixante	swahsahnt	sixty
017	dix-sept	deeset	seventeen						061	soixante et un	swahsahntay uhn	sixty-one
018	dix-huit	deezweet	eighteen						Numbers sixty-two to sixty-nine are configured in the form of soixante-[02-09]. For example sixty-six is soixante-six.
019	dix-neuf	deeznuf	nineteen

• This pattern changes slightly after the sixties:
  • Numbers seventy to seventy-nine are configured in the form of soixante-[10-19]. For example seventy is soixante-dix (60-10), seventy-three is soixante-treize (60-13), and seventy-seven is soixante-dix-sept (60-10-7).
  • Number eighty is configured in the form of quatre-vingts (4 - 20's) || catr vahn || eighty
  • Numbers eighty-one to ninty-nine are configured in the form of quatre-vingt-[01-19]. For example eighty-one is quatre-vingt-un (4*20-one), ninty is quatre-vingt-dix (4*20-10), and ninty-four is quatre-vingt-quatorze(4*20-14).

• une dizaine (one ten)
• une douzaine (one dozen)

cent	100	une centaine (one hundred)
[deux - neuf] cents	200-900
mille	1.000	un millier (one thousand)
(un) million	1.000.000
(un) milliard	1.000.000.000

• 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,etc) have "et un"; but past this it is simply both words consecutively (vingt-six, trente-trois, etc)
• 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.

L'heure

• Time.

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (upload) The Time L'heure
#	French	Pron.	English
01	l'heure (f)	?	time, (one) hour, o'clock
02	une demi-heure	?	half-hour (half an hour)
03	le matin	?	morning
05	le midi	?	noon
06	l'après-midi (m)	?	afternoon
07	le soir	?	night
08	le minuit	?	midnight
09	la journée	?	daytime

• Use heure in between the hour and the minutes when telling the time, e.g., Il est cinq heures dix
• Note that there is no "a.m." or "p.m." in French. Use du matin, de l'après midi, and du soir to disambiguate a given time. "Il est sept heures du soir" makes it clear that it is 7 o'clock at night, and not in the morning. Alternatively, you could use the 24-hour system: "Il est dix-neuf heures" has no ambiguity; time is often expressed in this fashion, particularly in professional/commercial settings.
• Midi and minuit can be used without an article when telling the time: "Il est midi." (It is noon.)

English - French Dictionary

See:

• Lexilogos : all online French dictionaries
• French dictionary

French - English Dictionary

See:

• The French wiktionary
• Lexilogos : all online French dictionaries
• French dictionary

French Authors

Middle ages

• Chrétien de Troyes (around 1135 - around 1183)

16th century

• Francois Rabelais (around 1483 or 1494 – 1553)
• Pierre de Ronsard (1524 – 1585)
• Louise Labé (a.1526 - a.1565)

17th century

• René Descartes (1596 - 1650)
• Pierre Corneille (1606–1684)
• Jean de La Fontaine (1621–1695)
• Molière (1622–1673)
• Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
• Charles Perrault (1628–1703)
• Jean Racine (1639–1699)

18th century

• Marivaux (1688–1763)
• Montesquieu (1689–1755)
• Voltaire (1694–1778)
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778)
• Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784)
• Beaumarchais (1732 - 1799)

19th century

• François-René de Chateaubriand (1768 - 1848)
• Honoré de Balzac (1799 - 1850)
• Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
• Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870)
• Prosper Mérimée (1803 - 1870)
• George Sand (1804 - 1876)
• Alfred de Musset (1810 - 1857)
• Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867)
• Gustave Flaubert (1821 - 1880)
• Jules Verne (1828 - 1905)
• Alphonse Daudet (1840 - 1897)
• Emile Zola (1840 - 1902)
• Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
• Henri Bergson (1859 - 1941)
• Edmond Rostand (1868 - 1918)

20th century

• Paul Claudel (1868 - 1955)
• Marcel Proust (1871 - 1922)
• Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 - 1918)
• Jean Cocteau (1892 - 1963)
• Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894 - 1961)
• Jean Giono (1895 - 1970)
• Marcel Pagnol (1895 - 1974)
• André Breton (1896 - 1966)
• Jacques Prévert (1900 - 1977)
• André Malraux (1901 - 1976)
• Raymond Queneau (1903 - 1976)
• Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980)
• Robert Merle (1908 - 2004)
• Nicolas Bouvier (1929 - 1998)
• Georges Perec (1936 - 1982)
• Antoine Marie Roger de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)
• Albert Camus (1913 – 1960)
• Colette (1873 - 1954)
• Anaïs Nin (1903-1977)
• Simone de Beauvoir (1908 - 1986)

Links

List of French authors in the French Wikipedia.

French History

Wikipedia has related information at History of France

• See: European History
• For the history of this book, see that page.

History Part 1 History Part 2

[27]

Nations of the World

Les pays du monde (nations of the world)

A

French	English
l'Afghanistan (m)	Afghanistan
l'Afrique du Sud (f)	South Africa
l'Albanie (f)	Albania
l'Algérie (f)	Algeria
l'Allemagne (f)	Germany
Andorre (f)	Andorra
l'Angleterre (f)	England
l'Angola (f)	Angola
Antigua-et-Barbuda (m)	Antigua and Barbuda
l'Arabie saoudite (f)	Saudi Arabia
l'Argentine (f)	Argentina
l'Arménie (f)	Armenia
Aruba	Aruba
l'Australie (f)	Australia
l'Autriche (f)	Austria
l'Azerbaïdjan (f)	Azerbaijan

B

French	English
les Bahamas (f)	The Bahamas
le Bahreïn	Bahrain
le Bangladesh	Bangladesh
la Barbade	Barbados
la Belgique	Belgium
le Belize	Belize
le Bénin	Benin
le Bhoutan	Bhutan
la Biélorussie	Belarus
la Birmanie	Burma
la Bolivie	Bolivia
le Botswana	Botswana
le Brésil	Brazil
le Brunéi	Brunei
la Bulgarie	Bulgaria
le Burkina-Faso	Burkina Faso
le Burundi	Burundi

C

French	English
le Cambodge	Cambodia
le Cameroun	Cameroon
le Canada	Canada
le Cap-Vert	Cape Verde
le Chili	Chile
la Chine	China
Chypre (f)	Cyprus
la Colombie	Columbia
les Comores (f)	Comores
le Congo	Congo
la Corée du Nord	North Korea
la Corée du Sud	South Korea
le Costa Rica	Costa Rica
la Côte d'Ivoire	Cote d'Ivoire
la Croatie	Croatia
Cuba	Cuba

D

French	English
le Danemark	Denmark
Djibouti	Djibouti
la Dominique	Dominica

E

French	English
l'Écosse (f)	Scotland
l'Égypte (f)	Egypt
les Émirats arabes unis (m)	The United Arab Emirates
l'Équateur (m)	Equador
l'Érythrée (f)	Eritrea
l'Espagne (f)	Spain
l'Estonie (f)	Estonia
les États-Unis (m)	The United States
l'Éthiopie (f)	Ethiopia

F

French	English
les Fidji (f)	Fiji
la Finlande	Finland
la France	France

G

French	English
le Gabon	Gabon
la Gambie	Gambia
la Géorgie	Georgia
le Ghana	Ghana
la Grèce	Greece
la Grenade	Grenada
le Guatemala	Guatemala
la Republique de Guinée	Guinea
la Guinée-Bissao	Guinea-Bissau
la Guinée-équatoriale	Equatorial Guinea
la Guyane	Guyana

I

French	English
l'Île Maurice (f)	Mauritius
les Îles Cook (f)	Cook Islands
les Îles Marshall (f)	Marshall Islands
les Îles Salomon (f)	Solomon Islands
l'Inde (f)	India
l'Indonésie (f)	Indonesia
l'Iran (m)	Iran
l'Iraq/l'Irak (m)	Iraq
l'Irlande (f)	Ireland
l'Islande (f)	Iceland
Israël (m)	Israel
l'Italie (f)	Italy

J

French	English
la Jamaïque	Jamaica
le Japon	Japan
la Jordanie	Jordan

K

French	English
le Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan
le Kenya	Kenya
le Kirghizstan	Kyrgyzstan
Kiribati (f)	Kiribati
le Koweït	Kuwait

L

French	English
le Laos	Laos
le Lesotho	Lesotho
la Lettonie	Latvia
le Liban	Lebanon
le Libéria	Liberia
la Libye	Libya
le Lichtenstein	Lichtenstein
la Lituanie	Lithuania
le Luxembourg	Luxembourg

M

French	English
la Macédoine	Macedonia
Madagascar (f)	Madagascar
la Malaisie	Malaysia
le Malawi	Malawi
les Maldives (f)	The Maldives
le Mali	Mali
Malte	Malta
le Maroc	Morocco
la Mauritanie	Mauritania
le Mexique	Mexico
la Micronésie	Micronesia
la Moldavie	Moldavia
Monaco	Monaco
la Mongolie	Mongolia
le Mozambique	Mozambique

N

French	English
la Namibie	Namibia
la Nauru	Nauru
le Népal	Nepal
le Nicaragua	Nicaragua
le Niger	Niger
le Nigéria	Nigeria
la Norvège	Norway
la Nouvelle-Zélande	New Zealand

O

French	English
Oman (m)	Oman
l'Ouganda (m)	Uganda
l'Ouzbékistan	Uzbekistan

P

French	English
le Pakistan	Pakistan
le Panama	Panama
la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée	Papua New Guinea
le Paraguay	Paraguay
les Pays-Bas (m)	The Netherlands
le Pays de Galles (m)	Wales
le Pérou	Peru
les Philippines (f)	The Philippines
la Pologne	Poland
la Polynésie française	French Polynesia
le Portugal	Portugal
Porto Rico	Puerto Rico

Q

French	English
le Qatar	Qatar

R

French	English
la République centrafricaine	Central African Republic
la République dominicaine	Dominican Republic
la République tchèque	Czech Republic
la Roumanie	Romania
le Royaume-Uni	The United Kingdom
la Russie	Russia
le Rwanda	Rwanda

S

French	English
Saint-Christophe-et-Niévès (m)	Saint Kitts and Nevis
Sainte-Lucie (f)	Saint Lucia
Saint-Marin (m)	San Marino
le Saint-Siège (le Vatican)	The Holy See (The Vatican)
Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines (m)	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
le Salvador	El Salvador
les Samoa (f)	Samoa
Sao Tomé et Principe (m)	Sao Tomé and Principe
le Sénégal	Senegal
les Seychelles (f)	Seychelles
la Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone
Singapour	Singapore
la Slovaquie	Slovakia
la Slovénie	Slovenia
la Somalie	Somalia
le Soudan	Sudan
le Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka
la Suède	Sweden
la Suisse	Switzerland
le Surinam	Surinam
le Swaziland	Swaziland
la Syrie	Syria

T

French	English
le Tadjikistan (m)	Tajikistan
la Tanzanie	Tanzania
le Tchad	Chad
la Thaïlande	Thailand
le Togo	Togo
les Tonga (f)	Tonga
Trinité-et-Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago
la Tunisie	Tunisia
le Turkménistan	Turkmenistan
la Turquie	Turkey
Tuvalu	Tuvalu

U

French	English
l'Ukraine (f)	Ukraine
l'Uruguay (m)	Uruguay

V

French	English
Vanuatu	Vanuatu
le Vatican	The Vatican
le Venezuela	Venezuela
le Viêt-Nam	Vietnam

W

[None]

X

[None]

Y

le Yémen	Yemen
la Yougoslavie (m)	Yugoslavia

Z

French	English
la Zambie	Zambia
le Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe

Phrasebook

TravelWiki phrase book

Common Phrases

Translation	Phrase	IPA	Pronunciation	Literal meaning
French	français	/frɑ̃sɛ/	(“fraw(n)-SAY”)
hello	bonjour	/bɔ̃ʒuʁ/	(“boh(n)-ZHURE”)	good day
good-bye	au revoir	/o ʁəvwaʁ/	(“oh-reh-VWAR”)	to the seeing-again
please	s'il vous plaît	/sil vu plɛ/	(“seal voo PLAY” )	if it pleases you
thank you	merci	/mɛʁsi/	(“mare-SEE”)
you're welcome	je vous en prie, de rien	/ʒə vu zɑ̃ pʁi/	(“zhe voo zah(n) pree”, “de ree ah(n)”)	I beg you of it, (It's) nothing
that one	cela	/səla/	(“suh-LAH”)
this one	ceci	/səsi/	(“suh-SEE”)
how much?	combien	/kɔ̃bjɛ̃/	(“ko(n)m-BYEN”)
English	anglais	/ɑ̃glɛ/	(“ah(n)-GLAY”)
yes	oui	/wi/	(“wee”)
no	non	/nɔ̃/	(“noh(n)”)
sorry	pardon excusez-moi	/paʁdɔ̃/ /ɛkskyze mwa/ ||(“pahr-DO(n)”) (“ex-ku-zay-MWA”)
I don’t understand	Je ne comprends pas	/ʒə nə kõpʁɑ̃ pa/	(“zhe ne co(n) m-pro(n) PAH”)
where's the toilet?	Où sont les toilettes ?	/u sɔ̃ le twalɛt/	(“ooh so(n) lay twa-LET”)8	Where are the toilets?
generic toast	Santé ! Tchin ! (familiar)	/sɑ̃te/ /ʧin/ ||(“sah(n)-TAY”) (“cheen”)	Santé ! = Health!
Do you speak English?	Parlez-vous anglais ?	/paʁle vu ɑ̃glɛ/	(“par-lay voo ah(n) -GLAY”)
Excuse me, I don’t speak French very well.	Pardonnez-moi, mais je ne parle pas très bien français	/paʁdɔne mwa mɛ ʒə nə paʁlə pa trɛ bjɛ̃ frɑ̃sɛ/	(par-dohn-ay MWAH may zheu neuh parl pah tray byen frah(n)-SAY)	Pardon me, but I do not speak very well French.

V: Greetings

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •276 kb • help) Greetings Les salutations
Salut	Hi./Bye.	(informal)
Bonjour	Hello	(more formal than salut) (all day)
Bonsoir	Good evening
Bonne nuit	Good night	bun nwee
Quoi de neuf ?	What's up (about you)? (lit. what's new)
Pas grand-chose.	Not much. (lit. no big-thing)

V: How are you?

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •311 kb • help) How are you? Ça va?
Comment 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)

Titles

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •325 kb • help) Titles Les titres
	French	Abbr.	Pronunciation	English, Usage
Singular Plural	Monsieur Messieurs.	M.	muhsyu mehsyu	Mr., Sir. Gentlemen.
Singular Plural	Madame Mesdames	Mme	mahdahmn maydahm	Mrs., Ma'am. Ladies
Singular Plural	Mademoiselle Mesdemoiselles	Mlle	mahdmwoizell maydmwahzell	Miss, Young lady Young ladies

V: Courtesy

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •434 kb • help) Courtesy La politesse
Please	S'il te plaît.	(Lit: If you please.)
	S'il vous plaît.	(formal).
Thanks (a lot)	Merci (beaucoup).
You're welcome.	De rien.	(Lit: Of nothing.)
	Pas de quoi.	(Lit: Not of what.) (No problem.)
	Je t'en prie.	shtahn pree (informal)
	Je vous en prie	jzuh vooz ahn pree (formal)

V: Good-bye

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •202 kb • help) Good-bye Au revoir
Salut.	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)

V: Asking for the day/date/time

French Vocabulary • Print version • audio (info •612 kb • help) Asking For The Day, Date, Time Demander le jour, la date, le temps
Asking for the day.
1a	Aujourd'hui c'est quel jour?	Today is what day?	ojzoordwee say kell jzoor
1b	Aujourd'hui c'est [jour].	Today is [day].
2a	Demain c'est quel jour	Tomorrow is what day?	Duhman say kell jzoor
2b	Demain c'est [jour].	Tomorrow is [day].
Asking for the date.
3a	Quelle est la date (aujourd'hui)?	What is the date (today)?	kell ay lah daht
3b	C'est le [#] [month].	It's [month] [#].
Asking for the time.
4a	Quelle heure est-il?	What hour/time is it?	kell er ayteel
4b	Il est quelle heure?		eel ay kell er
5	Il est [nombre] heure(s).	It is [number] hours.	eelay [nombre] er

Physical and mental health

Reacting to events

Thanking

Complementing

(Dis)agreeing

Invitations

Meetings

Expressing opinions

Pronunciation Index

This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. Please help recruit one, or improve this page yourself if you can. See the talk page for more details.

IPA pronunciation for Standard French

The following pronunciation guide using IPA symbols is for Standard French. Also known as International French and Received Pronunciation (RP) French. Although it is considered snobbish by some, it is generally understood by all French speakers.

IPA chart French vowels

	Front		Central	Back
	NR	R		NR	R
Close	i	y			u
Close-mid	e	ø	ə		o
Open-mid	ɛ ɛ̃	œ (œ̃)			ɔ ɔ̃
Open	a			(ɑ) ɑ̃

These tables based upon Wikipedia:French phonology

IPA chart French consonants

	Bilabial	Labio- dental	Dental1/ Alveolar	Palato- alveolar	Palatal	Labio- palatal	Velar	Labio- velar	Uvular
Plosive	p b		t d				k g
Nasal	m		n		ɲ		ŋ
Fricative		f   v	s   z	ʃ   ʒ					ʁ
Approximant					j	ɥ		w
Lateral				l

Slang

Notes on how to use slang

Foreign speakers

It is important to note that, as a foreigner, your use of slang will often be received as cute or funny, depending greatly upon your overall fluency in spoken French. To understand this, think about how it would sound to you if a foreigner—with a strong accent and odd rhythm of speech—came up to you and said "Dude, what a sketchy-ass hater that bizz-natch was, I totally was just like 'fuck off fo-sheezy'". Therefore, no matter how much slang you use in your native language, limiting your use of slang in French (proportionally to your level of fluency) will also limit how much you are patronised and giggled at by native listeners.

Slang: consistency & style

To use slang efficiently, it is important to maintain a consistency of style. Mixing styles might sound like saying: "Thy face, it is quite finely rawkin'".

• Avoid vous unless a plural is necessary.
• Avoid subject-verb inversion in questions. Use rather question formations where there is no inversion or 'est-ce que', only the raised tone at the end of the sentence. When doing this with interrogatives (qui, quand, comment, etc.), place them at the end of the sentence; i.e. "On va bouffer quand?"

Translating 'fuck'

The English-language term 'fuck' is exceptional as it can serve as noun, verb, adjective, exclamation, and others. There is no such equivalent usage of any word in the French language. Therefore the translation of 'fuck' into French depends on the corresponding part of speech.

Examples

noun 

"He's a great fuck" = "C'est un bon coup"

"He is such a fuck(er)" = "C'est un pauvre type/enfoiré/enculé/connard/salaud" (insert any insult)

"He's such a fuck-up" = "C'est un pauvre con/un raté/un loser"

verb 

sexual: baiser, niquer, coucher avec ; insulting: foutre, enculer

"I fucked up on my French test" = "J'ai foiré/raté mon examen de français"

"I fucked (up) my car" = "J'ai niqué ma bagnole"

"He fucked me over" = "Il m'a planté"

"I fucked your mother/mum/mam/mom" = "J'ai baisé/niqué ta mère"

"Fuck off" = "Va chier!", "Fous le camp" (see the verb 'Foutre')

"Fuck you"/"Go fuck yourself" = "Va te faire foutre/enculer" "VA niquer ta mère"

adjective 

"This is fucking awful" = "Putain, ça craint"/"C'est bordelique"/"C'est de la merde"

"I am so fucked-up" = "J'suis barré/perché" (mental state); "J'suis totalement bourré(e)" (drunk); "J'suis défoncé(e)" (high[marijuana])

adverb 

"I am trying to fucking work here" = "J'essaie de bosser putain"

exclamation 

"Fuck!" = "Merde !" ; "Putain !" ; "Bordel !"

n.b.: these can also be compounded in French, i.e., "Putain de merde !" "Putain de bordel de merde" (for stringing these together, see the scene in the film Matrix Reloaded with the Frenchman in the restaurant)

Glossary

Notes on Pronunciation:
*To feel how R should be pronounced, gargle with water, then try gargling without water.
That is what your throat should be doing when pronouncing the R.
*The U is hardest for English speakers. The back of the throat should be stretched out as if you see
a mouse and are saying "eee!", but the lips should be in a tight circle as if you are saying "ooo".

Audio1 Audio2 Audio3 Audio4

Abruti(e) 

n., A retard, an idiot

ah-BROO-tee

Accro 

n., addict

ack-RO

Ado 

n., teen; short for 'adolescent'

AH-doh

Apéro 

n., Short for apéritif.

ah-PAIR-roh

Appart' 

n., flat or apartment; short for 'appartement'

ah-PARRT

Aprèm' 

n., Short for après-midi.

ah-PRIm

Bagnole 

n., Slang for 'car'

ban-YOLE

Bahut 

n., Slang for 'high school' (formerly for 'factory')

Barj' or Barjot 

adj., crazy

n., a crazy person

BARge

BAHR-joe

Bander 

v., to become erect, to get a hard-on

BAHN-day

Ben 

interj. for 'well'. often used at the beginning of a phrase, and followed by "ouais" or "non"

Baañ ('baa' like the sound a sheep makes with a nasalized sound at the end)

Bite 

n., dick

bEEt

Blaireau 

n., litt. 'badger', Loser

bl-AIR-roh

Le Bled 

n., the boondocks

blED

Boule 

n., litt. 'ball'. Synonym for 'tête', or 'head' in its slang usage; a rough equivalent in English would be 'face' rather than 'head', i.e.:

"Ta boule me manque" = "I miss seeing your sweet face"

Can also mean "balls" (as in testicles) or "arse"/"ass", as in "J'aime Trop Ton Boule" (I Want Your Ass), a song by by French Rapper Fatal Bazooka

bOOL

Bouffer 

v., to eat

n., la bouffe, food

BOOF-fay

Bosser 

v., to work

boss-SAY

Boulot 

n., job

bOOL-oh

Se Branler 

v., to masturbate (lit. to wobble)

suh BRAhn-lay

Ça a été 

exp., it went well; also a question "Ta présentation, ça a été ?" = "How'd your presentation go?" ; Answers to this question: "Ouais, ça a été" (Yes, it went well) / "Pas du tout" (Not at all)

saw ah AY-TAY

Chaud lapin 

n., Sex maniac (lit. hot rabbit)

show lah-PAÑ

Les Chiottes 

n, The loo

SEE-ott

Cinoche 

n., A night at the movies

SEE-noh-sh

La cité 

n., ghetto

see-TAY

Con 

adj., stupid "J'ai été con quand j'ai décidé de sortir" = "I was dumb when I decided to go out"

n., litt. 'cunt' (as used in UK English); "Quel con" = "What an idiot"

exp. "à la con", stupid, in a stupid way. "J'ai cet examen à la con" = "I have this stupid test"

cohÑ

Crever 

v., to burst or explode; to die, 'to kick the bucket'

adj., crevé(e), exhausted. As in "Je suis crevé(e)" = "I'm exhausted"

n., la crève, a cold, the flu. exp.: "J'ai la crève".

creh-vay

lah crehve

Débile 

n. or adj. slang for "stupid"

DAY-beel

Dirlo 

n. Colloquial word meaning 'headmaster'.

dear-loh

Enculer 

v. To fuck, to bugger.

Equivalent to "fuck in the arse" ("cul"="arse"). Widely used under the form "va te faire enculer" (litt. "go to get fucked in the arse", in UK English "go and get fucked in the arse") which stands for "fuck off".

Also, "enculé" is the participle turned into a substantive, and means "bastard" or "arsehole".

exp. : "enculer des mouches" (litt. "to fuck flies in the arse") means "to nit-pick".

eñ-CU-lay

La fac 

n., college or university; short for 'faculté'

fack

Faire la tête 

exp., to pout. Synonyms: 'bouder'(to brood); "faire la gueule".

fer lah tet

Foutre 

n. Sperm.

v. Vulgar equivalent of the verb 'faire'; to do or to make. Commonly employed in vulgar/familiar expressions such as:

"Va te faire foutre" = "Go get fucked/Go fuck yourself"

"J'en ai rien à foutre/battre" = "I don't care"

"J'ai rien à foutre (ici, avec toi)" = "I have nothing to do (here, with you)"

FOO-truh

Hyper 

adj., 'very', 'really' ; "Je suis hyper triste" = "I'm really sad"

EE-pair

Kiffer 

v. Colloquial word meaning 'to like' from arabic noun 'kif' meaning 'cannabis', . Sometimes used under the form faire kiffer, e.g Tu me fais trop kiffer.

keef-ay

Génial 

adj. Colloquial word meaning "genius" (as used in UK English), "great", "brilliant", "sensational" or "awesome"

j-knee-al

Grave 

adj. litt. "severe", roughly means "stupid" e.g "mes parents sont graves" (my parents are stupid)

adv. roughly meaning "a lot" or "really" e.g "je la kiffe grave!" (I really like her). When used with a predicate, it can be placed before or after it. e.g "il est débile grave, lui!" or "il est grave débile, lui!" (he's really stupid)

grah-ve

Gueule 

n., slang for 'mouth' or 'face'. It can be used in "Ta gueule!" which can be translated into 'Shut up!'/'Shut your face!'.

gull

Gueuler 

v., slang. Means 'to shout'. e.g. 'Arrête de me gueuler dessus' could be translated into 'Stop shouting at me'.

Exists also engueuler, slang for 'to reprimand'.

guh-lay ; oñ-guh-lay

MacDo 

Short for MacDonald's.

mack-doh

Merde 

n., excl., translated as 'shit', merde is not seen as vulgar as 'shit'. That is to say, adults use it often, as well as the youth. It can also mean 'rubbish', for example 'Ce repas, c'est de la merde', or 'The meal is crap'

This word has produced the phrase «le mot de cinq lettres», an exact transcribed meaning of the English phase "four-letter word".

maRed / with emphasis or in exclamation: mare-DUH

N'importe quoi 

exp., 'whatever'

n., bullshit as in "C'est du n'importe quoi, ce qu'il dit"

nahm-poRt-UH-kwah

Niquer 

v. Slang for 'to have sexual intercourse'. Often used in insults such as 'Nique ta mère' (Fuck your mother), sometimes reduced to 'Ta mère!'. Metaphorically, slang for 'to break' or 'to be great'.

'Je vais te niquer la gueule (vulgaire)' : je vais me battre contre toi !

e.g. 'Cette porte est niquée.' (This door is out of order.)

'Ce jeu nique tout.' (This game is great.)

NEEK-ay

Ouais 

'yeah' (as opposed to "oui" = "yes")

waay

Putain 

n., excl. Roughly equivalent to 'merde' when used as an exclamation. As a name, old form for 'pute' (whore). 'Putain' is the closest equivalent to the English 'fuck' (see note on 'fuck').

pew-tAÑ

Super 

adj., 'very', 'really' ; "Je suis super content" = "I'm really happy"

soup-air

Taff 

n. work, job, task

taff

Truc 

n. Stuff

trew-uhk

Tronche 

n. Colloquial word meaning 'face'.

TRon-shuh

Vachement 

adj., France, slang. Literally "cowly", vachement is a synonym for "very", and can be translated in some cases for the English adjective 'quite'. For instance - 'Il est vachement idiot' could be translated as 'He is quite stupid'.

Whilst on the subject of 'vache', a popular French phrase is 'la vache!' which, as an exclamation, means 'damn!' or 'darn!'. For example - 'tu as perdu!' could be greeted with 'la vache!' or 'mince!' or other such expressions of discontent.

It can however be used sometimes as an exclamation of surprise or amazement 'la vache! c'est genial ce truc'

vah-shuh; vah-shuh-MAWÑ

Zinzin 

n. Colloquial word meaning 'crazy'.

Verlan

Verlan is roughly similar to English Pig Latin, in that certain words are split in half, and the two componenents switch positions, but do not necessarily retain all letters (due to French pronunciation patterns). For example, if you have word [12], in verlan it will become [2-1]. The word verlan is in itself an example of this; it comes from the word l'envers (meaning 'backwards'). Verlan is, unlike Pig Latin, quite commonly used among young adults and even adults. Common verlan expressions include:

Beur ou rebeu 

n., A person of Arab descent. from arabe. ('Beur' is so commonly used that it now has its own Verlan form, 'reub').

Chelou 

adj., Fishy, shady, suspicious. from louche.

Ienche 

n., Dog. from "chien". "Les ienches, ca me fait flipper." (Pronounced "ee-ansh")

Keuf 

Policeman (not polite) from flic "Il est chelou ce mec ! j'vais le balancer aux keufs."

Kem  

n., man, guy, dude, from mec.

Meuf 

n., Woman, chick, girl. from femme.

Ouf 

adj., Crazy, ridiculous. from fou. Used commonly in the expression "c'est un truc de ouf" ("that is some crazy shit").

Relou 

adj., Not funny, difficult, something that sucks. from lourd, heavy. (the d is dropped in Verlan because the final d does not pronounce in lourd).

Ripou 

adj., Rotten, awful, gross. from pourri

Ripou = un policier qui commet des actes graves illégaux

pl : des ripoux

Teuf 

n., Party. from fête.

Venère 

adj., aggravated, angry, pissed off. from enervé(e).

Common chat abbreviations

There are two general guidelines:

• é can be susbstituted for all homophonic equivalents including "-ais", "-ait", "-es" (such as in the articles les and des), the conjunction "et" (and), and the verb "est" (third person sing. conjugation of être, "to be").
• words that end in a silent -s commonly drop this s: such as pas (pa), and vois (voi).

biz 

n., bisous, "kisses".

c 

subj+verb, c'est, "it is".

ct 

subj+verb, c'était, "it was"; imparfait (past) conjugation of c'est.

dc 

conj., donc, "therefore, so".

dsl 

adj., désolé(e), "sorry".

fok 

exp., il faut que, "it is necessary".

ke 

interr. and relative pronoun, que, "that".

ki 

interr. and rel. pron., qui, "that" or "which".

koi 

interrogative, quoi, "what"; also seen in pourkoi, "why".

mdr 

exp., mort(e) de rire, "laughing myself to death", (equivalent of lol, laughing out loud).

mé 

conj., mais, "but".

pr 

prep., pour, "for".

ptdr 

exp., peté(e) de rire, "bursting with laughter", (equivalent of lol, laughing out loud). stronger than mdr.

tt 

adj., tout(e), "all"; also seen in the expression tout le monde.

nrv 

adj. enervé(e), pissed off, angry, aggravated.

Solutions to Exercises

Creating exercises

When creating new exercises:

• Namescheme: E: [Level].[Lesson] # - [Subject] - [Title]
  • Example: E: 2.01 1 - School Vocabulary - Complétez
  • Example: E: 2.01 2 - Passé Composé - English to French
• Add the following to both the lesson where the exercise goes and the appropriate section on this page. Replace [...] with the specified lesson info.

{{French Exercises|[namescheme]|
[the exercise text]
|
[the exercise solution text]
}}

• Example:

{{French Exercises|E: 2.01 1 - School Vocabulary - Complétez|
* On lève la _____.
|
* On lève la ''main''.
}}

Lesson exercises

• Introductory lessons
• Level One lessons
• Level Two lessons
• Level Three lessons

Vocabulary Index

Common French words by category

Typing Characters

International keyboard configuration

Commonly one memorises the alt-number code for inserting non-English characters (below), but there is a much better method. One can change their keyboard configuration from their previous setting to a US (Qwerty) International setting. See http://www.starr.net/kbh for more information.

In Windows XP:

1. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel
2. Regional and Language Options
3. Languages -> Details ...
4. Click Add.
5. Under Input language, choose your native language.
6. Under Keyboard layout/IME, choose United States-International.

Now to form accents, you prefix the letter with either ` ' " ~ or ^ So, to get è, one types ` and then e. To get Ë, one types " and then E.

These are examples of the alt-number code method:
ù Alt+151 or Alt+0249
û Alt+150 or Alt+0251
ü Alt+129 or Alt+0252
The right Alt key may be required.

JLG extended keyboard layout for US

You can download the JLG Extended Keyboard Layout for US (freeware) on http://www.jlg-utilities.com. This layout does not modify the normal US Layout, but extends it. Thus the punctuation characters (', ", ^, etc.) are not dead keys and does not perturb the common user. Thousand of Unicode characters can be reached, included the French characters, generally with intuitive combinations, for instance:

é = CTRL + ' then e
à = CTRL + ` then a
Î = CTRL + ^ then I
œ = ALTGR + o then e
« = ALTGR + [
» = ALTGR + ]
etc.

In Mac OS X

You could change your keyboard layout in System Preferences->International->Input Menu or with the default qwerty keyboard layout you can use meta keys to create the accents. For instance if you want to create an "`" accent you would press option+` then press the vowel you want to appear under the letter to create à, è, ì, ò, or ù. The keystrokes for the diffent accents are...

option + "`" = `
option + "e" = ´
option + "i" = ˆ
option + "u" = ¨

Copy & paste

This method can be useful if you are just writing a short text (for example an e-mail) and don't have a computer where you can/want change language settings. Just try to pull up a web page or a document that contains the special characters and paste them into your text. For longer texts, however, this can become quite tedious.

Search & replace

If you are working with a text editor you have the option to search for text and replace it with other text. This feature can be used to 'type' special characters. The idea is to mark a character for becoming a special character, for example typing ~a when you mean à. After you have written your text you replace marked characters (the ~a) with special characters (the à). Of course you have to either type in the Alt number code or paste the character, but the point is that you only have to do it once for the whole text and not for every single à that you want to type.

Unix and the Compose key

If you are using Ubuntu Linux with Gnome you select the Compose key from System: Preferences: Keyboard then Layouts: Layout Options: Compose key position. You can select one of Right Alt key, Left Win-key, Right Win-key, Menu key, Right Ctrl key or Caps Lock key (for a USA keyboard layout). The Keyboard preferences dialog has an area you can use to test the settings. See below for how to use the Compose key. Ubuntu with a different window manager, such as KDE should have a similar keyboard preferences utility.

If you are using Unix or a derivative operating system (such as Linux) with XFree86, you can define a compose key by opening a terminal window and typing:

To use the Windows menu key (between the right Windows key and right Ctrl key:
xmodmap -e "keysym Menu = Multi_key"
To use the right Windows key:
xmodmap -e "keysym R_Meta = Multi_key"
To use the right Alt key:
xmodmap -e "keysym Alt_Gr = Multi_key"

To use the Compose key, press and release the Compose key, then type two characters. Combinations useful for typing in French follow:

à Compose + a + `
â Compose + a + ^
ä Compose + a + "

ç Compose + c + ,

è Compose + e + `
é Compose + e + '
ê Compose + e + ^
ë Compose + e + "
É Compose + E + '

î Compose + i + ^
ï Compose + i + "

ô Compose + o + ^
ö Compose + o + "

ù Compose + u + `
û Compose + u + ^
ü Compose + u + "

Web Resources

Link collections

• Wikipedia French language external links - Dozens of valuable links.

Translators

• Google Translator
• Babelfish Translation : A translation website
• Google Toolbar - automatic translate on mouseover of a word (English to French only)

Learning French

• Online French Help
• About.com French Language
• Target Language
• Anne Fox
• BBC
• The Mixxer Find a native French speaker for a language exchange via Skype
• Jump-Gate
• University of Adelaide, Australia
• French Language Learning Software
• Free Online French Tutorial
• BBC Bitesize grammar
• Free resources for language learners - Practice speaking french online with ausio forums.
• TravelWiki Phrasebook
• Orbis Latinus French
• MIT French I Assignments
• MIT French II Assignments
• Useful information on the French language can be found on the site of tv5 (www.tv5.org) - Dictionnaire de langue francaise, Dictionnaire de synonymes, Conjugaisons, Dictionnaire anglais/francais, Dictionnaire francais/anglais, and lots more!
• Informal French & Slang - with sound
• FancyFrench - Established method for learning French, with a free online .pdf textbook to accompany the free podcast lessons.

French grammar

Wikipedia has related information at French language

Wikipedia has related information at French grammar

• Portail lettres
• Verbs : Grammar - Online French Help
• Clo7
• French grammar lessons
• Exercises on French grammar (Dr. Meul Etienne)
• Online verb conjugator

Dictionaries

• Lexilogos : all online French dictionaries
• French dictionary

French culture

• Online A-Z dictionary of modern France
• Le portail de la culture
• Cortland
• Ambassade de France en Nouvelle-Zélande

Travel in France

• Ministère des Affaires Etrangères français
• About-France.com - travel and general interest guide to France
• TravelWiki

French administration

• Le portail de l'administration

v d e  Associated Wikimedia for French language
	Commons Category Images		News		Wikipedia Article Encyclopedia		Wikiquote Article Quotes		Texts		School Schools		Wiktionary Definition Dictionary

v d e  Associated Wikimedia for France
	Commons Category Images		Wikinews Portal Category News		Wikipedia Article Portal Encyclopedia		Quotes		Wikisource Category Texts		Schools		Wiktionary Definition Appendix Dictionary

---

TEXTS

Contents

• Texts Information

1. Fables de La Fontaine
2. National Anthems

Due to the story's length, Le Petit Prince is only included in French/Texts/Print version.

1. Uncategorized Texts
2. Wikinews

Texts Information

Uncategorized Texts

Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen de 1789

Featured Text
La Marseillaise
L'hymne national de France. The national anthem of France.

(edit template) (discussion) Texts Fables de La Fontaine par Jean de La Fontaine • National Anthems • Miscellaneous • Wikinews

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FABLES DE LA FONTAINE

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Information

Featured Fable
La Cigale et la Fourmi The Cicada and the Ant. A tale with the moral of hard work.

La Cigale et la Fourmi

Vocabulary

The Fable

En français La Cigale, ayant chanté Tout l'été, Se trouva fort dépourvue Quand la bise fut venue: Pas un seul petit morceau De mouche ou de vermisseau. Elle alla crier famine Chez la Fourmi sa voisine, La priant de lui prêter Quelque grain pour subsister Jusqu’à la saison nouvelle. « Je vous paierai, lui dit-elle, Avant l’Août, foi d’animal, Intérêt et principal. » La Fourmi n’est pas prêteuse: C’est là son moindre défaut. « Que faisiez-vous au temps chaud ? Dit-elle à cette emprunteuse. — Nuit et jour à tout venant Je chantais, ne vous déplaise. — Vous chantiez ? J’en suis fort aise. Eh bien ! Dansez maintenant. »

[show ▼]In English  The cicada, having sung All summer, Was extremely deprived When the north wind came: Not one small piece Of fly or small worm. She went to plead famine At the house of her neighbor the Ant, Asking him to lend her Some grain to survive Until the new season. “I will pay you,” she says to him, “Before August, faith of animal, Interest and the principal” The Ant is not a lender: That is its least defect. “What did you do in warm weather?” He says to the borrower. “Night and day all came I sang, not displeasing you.” “You sang? I am relieved. Well! Dance now.”

Questions

Le Corbeau et le Renard

Vocabulary

The Fable

En français Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché, Tenait dans son bec un fromage. Maître Renard, par l’odeur alléché, Lui tint à peu près ce langage : « Hé ! bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau. Que vous êtes joli ! que vous me semblez beau ! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte à votre plumage, Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois. » A ces mots le Corbeau ne se sent pas de joie ; Et pour montrer sa belle voix, Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie. Le Renard s’en saisit, et dit : « Mon bon Monsieur, Apprenez que tout flatteur Vit aux dépens de celui qui l’écoute : Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute. » Le Corbeau, honteux et confus, Jura, mais un peu tard, qu’on ne l’y prendrait plus.

[show ▼]In English  Mr. Crow, sitting in a tree, Held a piece of cheese in his beak. Mr. Fox, mouth watering from the scent, Uttered almost precisely this to him: “Hey! Good morning, Mr. Crow. How lovely you are! You look so beautiful! Without lying, if your songs Are in keeping with your feathers, You are the Phoenix of the inhabitants of these woods.” With these words the raven feels nothing but delight. And to show off his beautiful voice, He opens a wide beak and lets his prey fall. The Fox grabs it and said: “My dear sir Learn that every flatterer Lives at the expense of the one who listens to him. This lesson is worth a piece of cheese, no doubt.” The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed, Swore, but a bit late, that he would never be fooled again.

Questions

Les Deux Mulets

Vocabulary

The Fable

Deux mulets cheminaient, l’un d’avoine chargé,
L’autre portant l’argent de la gabelle
Celui-ci, glorieux d’une charge si belle,
N’eût voulu pour beaucoup en être soulagé.
Il marchait d’un pas relevé,
Et faisait sonner sa sonnette :
Quand, l’ennemi se présentant,
Comme il en voulait à l’argent,
Sur le mulet du fisc une troupe se jette,
Le saisit au frein et l’arrête.
Le mulet, en se défendant,
Se sent percé de coups ; il gémit, il soupire.
Est-ce donc là, dit-il, ce qu’on m’avait promis ?
Ce mulet qui me suit du danger se retire ;
Et moi j’y tombe et je péris !
— Ami, lui dit son camarade,
Il n’est pas toujours bon d’avoir un haut emploi :
Si tu n’avais servi qu’un meunier, comme moi,
Tu ne serais pas si malade.

Questions

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NATIONAL ANTHEMS

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Information

Featured National Anthem
La Marseillaise
L'hymne national de France. The national anthem of France.

(edit template) (discussion) National Anthems L'Aube Nouvelle (Benin) • La Brabançonne (Belgium) Le Cantique suisse (Switzerland) La Marseillaise (France) O Canada (Canada)

La Marseillaise

Introduction

Main article: w:La Marseillaise

How To Read The Anthem

You will not get much out of the anthem if you skim through it or only know the meanings of half the words. There are two ways you can read it. The first is to read the French text and English translation below. The second way will lead to a greater understanding of the anthem, but is more time consuming. Read a line, look up words you don't know, then continue on to the next line. When you finish reading a verse, you should reread both in French and English to make sure you understand both the overall picture and each line. It may be necessary to repeat this several times. After reading the entire anthem once, quickly read it a second time. You should be able to reread it in no time at all. If you find yourself having trouble rereading the anthem, read it a third time until you are comfortable reading it.

Vocabulary

la Patrie	fatherland
le citoyen	citizen

The Anthem

French lyrics	English Translation
I. Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! Contre nous de la tyrannie L'étendard sanglant est levé (bis) Entendez-vous dans nos campagnes Mugir ces féroces soldats ? Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras. Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes !	[show ▼]Verse I Arise children of our fatherland, The day of glory has arrived! Against us, tyranny, Has raised its bloodied banner, (1) Do you hear in the fields The howling of these fearsome soldiers? They are coming up into your arms (2) To slit the throats of your sons and consorts!
Refrain : Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchons, marchons Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]Refrain To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
II. Que veut cette horde d'esclaves De traîtres, de rois conjurés ? Pour qui ces ignobles entraves Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ? (bis) Français, pour nous, ah ! quel outrage Quels transports il doit exciter ? C'est nous qu'on ose méditer De rendre à l'antique esclavage !	[show ▼]Verse II What does this horde of slaves, Traitors, and plotting kings want? For whom these vile chains These long-prepared irons? Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage, What fury must it arouse? It is us they dare plan To return to the old slavery!
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
III. Quoi ces cohortes étrangères ! Feraient la loi dans nos foyers ! Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires Terrasseraient nos fils guerriers ! (bis) Grand Dieu ! par des mains enchaînées Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient De vils despotes deviendraient Les maîtres des destinées.	[show ▼]Verse III What! These foreign cohorts! They would make laws in our courts! What! These mercenary phalanxes Would cut down our warrior sons Good Lord! By chained hands Our brow would yield under the yoke The vile despots would have themselves be The masters of destiny
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
IV. Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides L'opprobre de tous les partis Tremblez ! vos projets parricides Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix ! (bis) Tout est soldat pour vous combattre S'ils tombent, nos jeunes héros La France en produit de nouveaux, Contre vous tout prêts à se battre.	[show ▼]Verse IV Tremble, tyrants and traitors The shame of all good men Tremble! Your parricidal schemes Will receive their just reward Against you we are all soldiers If they fall, our young heroes France will bear new ones Ready to join the fight against you
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
V Français, en guerriers magnanimes Portez ou retenez vos coups ! Épargnez ces tristes victimes À regret s'armant contre nous (bis) Mais ces despotes sanguinaires Mais ces complices de Bouillé Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié Déchirent le sein de leur mère !	[show ▼]Verse V Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors Bear or hold back your blows Spare these sad victims That they regret taking up arms against us But not these bloody despots These accomplices of Bouillé All these tigers who mercilessly Ripped out their mothers' wombs
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
VI. Amour sacré de la Patrie Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs Liberté, Liberté chérie Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis) Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire Accoure à tes mâles accents Que tes ennemis expirants Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !	[show ▼]Verse VI Sacred patriotic love Lead [and] support our avenging arms Liberty, cherished liberty Fight back with your defenders Under our flags, let victory Hurry to your manly tone So that your enemies, in their last breath [before death] See your triumph and our glory!
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
VII. Couplet des enfants Nous entrerons dans la carrière Quand nos aînés n'y seront plus Nous y trouverons leur poussière Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis) Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre Que de partager leur cercueil Nous aurons le sublime orgueil De les venger ou de les suivre !	[show ▼]Verse VII We shall enter the career (3) When our elders will no longer be there There we shall find their ashes [lit. dust] And the mark of their virtues [We are] Much less jealous of surviving them Than of sharing their coffins [For] We shall have the sublime pride Of avenging or joining [lit. following] them
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
VIII. Couplet supprimé par Servan, Ministre de la Guerre en 1792
Dieu de clémence et de justice Vois nos tyrans, juge nos coeurs Que ta bonté nous soit propice Défends-nous de ces oppresseurs Tu règnes au ciel et sur terre Et devant Toi, tout doit fléchir De ton bras, viens nous soutenir Toi, grand Dieu, maître du tonnerre.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
Couplets supplémentaires - Additional Verses
IX. Peuple français, connais ta gloire ; Couronné par l'Égalité, Quel triomphe, quelle victoire, D'avoir conquis la Liberté ! (bis) Le Dieu qui lance le tonnerre Et qui commande aux éléments, Pour exterminer les tyrans, Se sert de ton bras sur la terre.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
X. Nous avons de la tyrannie Repoussé les derniers efforts ; De nos climats, elle est bannie ; Chez les Français les rois sont morts. (bis) Vive à jamais la République ! Anathème à la royauté ! Que ce refrain, partout porté, Brave des rois la politique.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
XI. La France que l'Europe admire À reconquis la Liberté Et chaque citoyen respire Sous les lois de l'Égalité ; (bis) Un jour son image chérie S'étendra sur tout l'univers. Peuples, vous briserez vos fers Et vous aurez une Patrie !
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
XII. Foulant aux pieds les droits de l'Homme, Les soldatesques légions Des premiers habitants de Rome Asservirent les nations. (bis) Un projet plus grand et plus sage Nous engage dans les combats Et le Français n'arme son bras Que pour détruire l'esclavage.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
XIII. Oui ! déjà d'insolents despotes Et la bande des émigrés Faisant la guerre aux Sans-Culottes Par nos armes sont altérés ; (bis) Vainement leur espoir se fonde Sur le fanatisme irrité, Le signe de la Liberté Fera bientôt le tour du monde.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
XIV. O vous ! que la gloire environne, Citoyens, illustres guerriers, Craignez, dans les champs de Bellone, Craignez de flétrir vos lauriers ! (bis) Aux noirs soupçons inaccessibles Envers vos chefs, vos généraux, Ne quittez jamais vos drapeaux, Et vous resterez invincibles.
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)
XV. Enfants, que l'Honneur, la Patrie Fassent l'objet de tous nos vœux ! Ayons toujours l'âme nourrie Des feux qu'ils inspirent tous deux. (bis) Soyons unis ! Tout est possible ; Nos vils ennemis tomberont, Alors les Français cesseront De chanter ce refrain terrible :
(refrain)
[show ▼]French Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchez, marchez Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons	[show ▼]English To arms, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march, let us march! Let impure blood (of our enemies) Soak the furrows (of our fields)

(1) The sentence (in French) is inverted, the non-literal translation is : "The bloody banner of tyranny is raised against/before us" but it may be also "Protect us against tyranny, The bloody banner is raised"
(2) Here and in the next line, this is often sung as "nos" ("our") rather than "vos" ("your"); "vos" remains official.
(3) "la carrière" ("the career"), that is, of being in the army.

Questions

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UNCATEGORIZED TEXTS

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Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen

Introduction and context

Main article: w:Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen de 1789

Vocabulary

• un droit - a right

Text introduction

Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen Adoptée par l'Assemblée constituante du 20 au 26 août 1789, acceptée par le roi le 5 octobre 1789

Les représentants du peuple français, constitués en Assemblée nationale, considérant que l'ignorance, l'oubli ou le mépris des droits de l'homme sont les seules causes des malheurs publics et de la corruption des gouvernements, ont résolu d'exposer, dans une Déclaration solennelle, les droits naturels, inaliénables et sacrés de l'homme, afin que cette Déclaration, constamment présente à tous les membres du corps social, leur rappelle sans cesse leurs droits et leurs devoirs; afin que les actes du pouvoir législatif, et ceux du pouvoir exécutif pouvant à chaque instant être comparés avec le but de toute institution politique, en soient plus respectés; afin que les réclamations des citoyens, fondées désormais sur des principes simples et incontestables, tournent toujours au maintien de la Constitution et au bonheur de tous.

Questions

Text Declaration of Rights

En conséquence, l'Assemblée nationale reconnaît et déclare, en présence et sous les auspices de l'Être suprême, les droits suivants de l'homme et du citoyen:

• Article premier - Les hommes naissent et demeurent libres et égaux en droits. Les distinctions sociales ne peuvent être fondées que sur l'utilité commune.

• Article II - Le but de toute association politique est la conservation des droits naturels et imprescriptibles de l'homme. Ces droits sont la liberté, la propriété, la sûreté, et la résistance à l'oppression.

• Article III - Le principe de toute souveraineté réside essentiellement dans la nation. Nul corps, nul individu ne peut exercer d'autorité qui n'en émane expressément.

• Article IV - La liberté consiste à faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui: ainsi l'exercice des droits naturels de chaque homme n'a de bornes que celles qui assurent aux autres membres de la société la jouissance de ces mêmes droits. Ces bornes ne peuvent être déterminées que par la loi.

• Article V - La loi n'a le droit de défendre que les actions nuisibles à la société. Tout ce qui n'est pas défendu par la loi ne peut être empêché, et nul ne peut être contraint à faire ce qu'elle n'ordonne pas.

• Article VI - La loi est l'expression de la volonté générale. Tous les citoyens ont droit de concourir personnellement, ou par leurs représentants, à sa formation. Elle doit être la même pour tous, soit qu'elle protège, soit qu'elle punisse. Tous les citoyens, étant égaux à ses yeux, sont également admissibles à toutes dignités, places et emplois publics, selon leurs capacités et sans autre distinction que celle de leurs vertus et de leurs talents.

• Article VII - Nul homme ne peut être accusé, arrêté ni détenu que dans les cas déterminés par la loi, et selon les formes qu'elle a prescrites. Ceux qui sollicitent, expédient, exécutent ou font exécuter des ordres arbitraires, doivent être punis; mais tout citoyen appelé ou saisi en vertu de la loi doit obéir à l'instant; il se rend coupable par la résistance.

• Article VIII - La loi ne doit établir que des peines strictement et évidemment nécessaires, et nul ne peut être puni qu'en vertu d'une loi établie et promulguée antérieurement au délit et légalement appliquée.

• Article IX - Tout homme étant présumé innocent jusqu'à ce qu'il ait été déclaré coupable, s'il est jugé indispensable de l'arrêter, toute rigueur qui ne sera pas nécessaire pour s'assurer de sa personne doit être sévèrement réprimée par la loi.

• Article X - Nul ne doit être inquiété pour ses opinions, même religieuses, pourvu que leur manifestation ne trouble pas l'ordre public établi par la loi.

• Article XI - La libre communication des pensées et des opinions est un des droits les plus précieux de l'homme: tout citoyen peut donc parler, écrire, imprimer librement, sauf à répondre de l'abus de cette liberté, dans les cas déterminés par la loi.

• Article XII - La garantie des droits de l'homme et du citoyen nécessite une force publique: cette force est donc instituée pour l'avantage de tous et non pour l'utilité particulière de ceux auxquels elle est confiée.

• Article XIII - Pour l'entretien de la force publique et pour les dépenses d'administration, une contribution commune est indispensable. Elle doit être également répartie entre tous les citoyens, en raison de leurs facultés.

• Article XIV - Chaque citoyen a le droit, par lui-même ou par ses représentants, de constater la nécessité de la contribution publique, de la consentir librement, d'en suivre l'emploi et d'en déterminer la quotité, l'assiette, le recouvrement et la durée.

• Article XV - La société a le droit de demander compte à tout agent public de son administration.

• Article XVI - Toute société dans laquelle la garantie des droits n'est pas assurée, ni la séparation des pouvoirs déterminée, n'a pas de Constitution.

• Article XVII - La propriété étant un droit inviolable et sacré, nul ne peut en être privé, si ce n'est lorsque la nécessité publique, légalement constatée, l'exige évidemment, et sous la condition d'une juste et préalable indemnité.

Questions

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WIKINEWS

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Information

Featured News Piece
Fire
(audio)

(edit template)	Wikinews	(discussion)
Fire

Fire

From wikinews:fr:Premier incendie de l'été en région PACA/Brève

Vocabulary

brûler	to burn
l'incendie	fire

The News Story

audio

30 juin 2005. – Une centaine d'hectares de forêt a brûlé jeudi après-midi en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.Le Centre opérationnel départemental d'incendie et de secours du Var a déclaré que le terrain était « très difficile d'accès en raison de la densité de la végétation ».

Toutefois, avec l'aide d'importants moyens (huit avions, et deux hélicoptères), les pompiers espèrent maitriser l'incendie avant la nuit bien que le feu soit attisé par un vent d'ouest. Les raisons de l'incendie restent inconnues, une enquète est ouverte.

Ce premier feu de forêt de l'été fait craindre une situation difficile pour les pompiers : les spécialistes craignent une situation similaire à celle de l'été 2003 lors duquel plusieurs centaines d'hectares du massif des Maures avaient été ravagés.

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Q&A

Translation and Meaning

I need to know what the SLANG word in English for the French term feutre means.

Un Feutre= a felt-tipped pen, ie. a texta colour

As far as I know there is no slang word for felt-tipped pen. You just have to say felt-tipped pen. 71.106.251.220 (talk)

Level

How do I know what level I'm on? Is there any sort of placement test?

You can easily find placement tests online and at various Colleges' and Universities' Websites online. Otherwise, the general rule of thumb is one year in a language course is one level.

--Fruitblender 23:06, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

exercise on le futur anterior

Here is a list of exercises by topic.

--Fruitblender 23:06, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

In French How do I Make a sentence Imperative?

The imperative is used in tu, nous and vous forms; the nous and vous forms are the same as the indicative in both regular and irregular verbs (except the 3 irregulars shown below). The tu form is also the same unless it comes from an infinitive that ends in -er, in which case the tu form would drop the 's' (eg: parles becomes parle).

The infinitive can also be used as the imperative, but only for impersonal commands, eg: mettre la ceinture.

--Fruitblender 23:06, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

gender

what we call turkey or turque as feminine or masculine

hello

explain passe compose tense

In English, verbs conjugated in the passé composé literally mean have/has ____ed. While there is a simple past tense in French, it is only used in formal writing, so verbs conjugated in the passé composé can also be used to mean the English simple tense.

For example, the passé composé form of parler (to speak), [avoir] parlé, literally mean has/have spoken, but also means spoke. In French, the passé composé covers "I ate", "I did eat" and "I have eaten" - J'ai mangé.

Usage

You use the passé composé when you want to express that:

• Something has been completed in the past.
• Something was done a certain amount of times in the past. (if the something was ongoing, the imparfait should be used)
• A series of somethings was completed in the past.

If you want to know how to form it, you'll have to look it up. There are a lot of rules, and they are easily listed elsewhere (like in the Wikibook).

--Fruitblender 22:43, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

Verbs used as adjectives or nouns

How do you tanslate English "verbals" into French? I am confused about both:

• Verbs used as adjectives (in English they would be called "participles")
  • ex: I see the singing girl.
• Verbs used as nouns (in English they would be called "gerunds")
  • ex: Singing is fun.

Thanks for your help, FerralMoonrender (talk) 20:47, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Hi.

• Verbs used as adjectives are generally translated to qui + verb (conjugated). In your example, a French would say "Je vois la fille qui chante".
• Verbs used as nouns would be translated to the infinitive form of the verb. In your example, we would say "Chanter est amusant".

I hope I answered your question. --AurélieM (talk) 00:36, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Merci beaucoup! FerralMoonrender (talk) 06:53, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

Çava

Passé composé - Reflexive Verbs vs. Verbs with Preceding Object Pronouns

Is the auxillary verb "être" used both with reflexive and preceding object pronouns?

  Je me SUIS parlé. 
  Il m'EST parlé. (--> Should it be "Il m'A parlé", since, in this case, it's not a reflexive pronoun?)

Passé composé - Irregular verbs or intransite verbs

Is the auxillary verb "être" used, in the special cases, with irregular or intransite verbs?

Use of Fingers

I need to know what is different about the use of the fingers in France compared to the use of fingers in America. I already know about using the thumb to begin counting, but what makes that so much better than starting with the index finger? This is for a 6th graders report in French, please! Any assistance would be appreciated, links, etc.

what is the translation of good morning im zirenithee basa presenting the country of france in french language?

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ABOUT THE BOOK

TODO todonote

Current development

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