1. BASIC PHRASES / LES EXPRESSIONS DE BASE Bonjour /bɔ̃ʒuʀ/ Hello / Good day / Good morning Bonsoir /bɔ̃swaʀ/ Good evening Bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ Good night (only said when going to bed) Salut /saly/ Hi / Bye Au revoir /ɔʀ(ə)vwaʀ/ Goodbye S'il vous plaît / S'il te plaît /sil vu plɛ/ Please (formal / informal) Merci (beaucoup) /mɛʀsi boku/ Thank you (very much) De rien. /də ʀjɛ̃/ You're welcome. Je vous en prie. /ʒəvu zɑ̃ pri/ You're welcome. (formal) / Go ahead. Bienvenu(e) /bjɛ̃vəny/ Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec) Allons-y! /alɔ̃ zi/ Let's go! A tout à l'heure /a tu ta lœʀ/ See you in a little while A plus tard /a ply taʀ/ See you later A bientôt /a bjɛ̃to/ See you soon A demain /a dəmɛ̃/ See you tomorrow Je suis désolé(e) /dezɔle/ I'm sorry Pardon ! /paʀdɔ̃/ Excuse me! (pushing through a crowd) / Sorry! (stepped on someone's foot) Excusez-moi ! /ekskyze mwa/ Excuse me! (getting someone's attention) / I'm sorry! (more formal apology) Comment allez-vous ? /kɔmɑ̃ tale vu/ How are you? (formal) Je vais bien /ʒə ve bjɛ̃/ I'm fine. Très bien / mal / pas mal /tʀɛ bjɛ̃/ /mal/ /pa mal/ Very good / bad / not bad Ça va ? /sa va/ How are you? (informal) Ça va. /sa va/ I'm fine. (informal response to Ça va ?) Oui / non /wi/ /nɔ̃/ Yes / no Comment vous appelez- vous ? /kɔmɑ̃ vu zaple vu/ What's your name? (formal) Tu t'appelles comment ? /ty tapɛl kɔmɑ̃/ What's your name? (informal) Je m'appelle... /ʒə mapɛl/ My name is... Enchanté(e) /ɑ̃ʃɑ̃te/ Nice to meet you. Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle /məsjø/ /madam/ /madwazɛl/ Mister, Misses, Miss Mesdames et Messieurs /medam/ /mesjø/ Ladies and gentlemen Vous êtes d'où ? / Vous Tu es d'où ? / Tu viens Je suis de... / Je viens
Transcript
1. BASIC PHRASES / LES EXPRESSIONS DE BASE
Bonjour/bɔ�ʒuʀ/Hello / Good day / Good morning
Bonsoir/bɔ�swaʀ/Good evening
Bonne nuit/bɔn nɥi/Good night (only said when going to bed)
Salut/saly/Hi / Bye
Au revoir/ɔʀ(ə)vwaʀ/Goodbye
S'il vous plaît / S'il te plaît /sil vu plɛ/Please (formal / informal)
Merci (beaucoup)/mɛʀsi boku/Thank you (very much)
De rien./də ʀjɛ�/You're welcome.
Je vous en prie./ʒəvu zɑ� pri/You're welcome. (formal) / Go ahead.
Bienvenu(e)/bjɛ�vəny/Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec)
Allons-y!/alɔ� zi/Let's go!
A tout à l'heure/a tu ta lœʀ/See you in a little while
A plus tard/a ply taʀ/See you later
A bientôt/a bjɛ�to/See you soon
A demain/a dəmɛ�/See you tomorrow
Je suis désolé(e)/dezɔle/I'm sorry
Pardon !/paʀdɔ�/Excuse me! (pushing through a crowd) / Sorry! (stepped on someone's foot)
Je vous aime / Je t'aime/ʒə vu zɛm/ /ʒə tɛm/I love you (formal & plural / informal)
Tu me manques./ty mə mɑ�k/ I miss you. (informal)
Quoi de neuf ? /kwɑ də nœf/What's new?
Pas grand-chose./pa gʀɑ� ʃoz/Not a whole lot.
Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in French (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more than one person. Also notice that some words take an extra e, shown in parentheses. If the word refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the e is added in spelling; but in most cases, it does not change the pronunciation. To make verbs negative, French adds ne before the verb and pas after it. However, the ne is frequently dropped in spoken French, although it must appear in written French.
. PRONUNCIATION / LA PRONONCIATION For a more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try to the French Phonetics tutorial.
French Vowels
IPAPhonetic spelling
Sample wordsGeneral spellings
[i] ee vie, midi, lit, riz i, y
[y] ee rounded rue, jus, tissu, usine u
[e] ay blé, nez, cahier, piedé, et, final er and ez
[ø] ay rounded jeu, yeux, queue, bleu eu
[ɛ] eh lait, aile, balai, reine e, è, ê, ai, ei, ais
[œ] eh roundedsœur, œuf, fleur, beurre
œu, eu
[a] ah chat, ami, papa, salade a, à, â
[ɑ] ah longerbas, âne, grâce, château
a, â
[u] oo loup, cou, caillou, outil ou
[o] oheau, dos, escargot, hôtel
o, ô
[ɔ] awsol, pomme, cloche, horloge
o
[ə] uhfenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise
e
[ɑ] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in English are marked in blue.
French semi-vowels
IPAPhonetic spelling
Sample words General spelling
[w] w fois, oui, Louis oi, ou
[ɥ] ew-ee lui, suisse ui
[j] yuh oreille, Mireille ill, y
French nasal vowels
IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling
There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final consonant, unless that final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r).
Liaison: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant that is not pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two together as if it were one word. S and x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these liaisons. Liaison is always made in the following cases:
after a determiner: un ami, des amis before or after a pronoun: vous avez, je les ai after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un livre after some one-syllable adverbs (très, plus, bien) after est
It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of être, but it is never made after et.
Silent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and slurring more words.
rapid(e)ment, lent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage /ʀapidmɑ5 / /ɑ5 tmɑ5 / /sovtaʒ/ sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byʀo/ /ʃel dɔktoʀ/ il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/ je n(e), de n(e) /ʒən/ /dən/ j(e) te, c(e) que /ʃt/ /skə/ (note the change of the pronunciation of the
j as well)
Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it generally falls on the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no questions, and all other times, it goes down at the end of the sentence.
4. NOUNS, ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES / LES NOMS, LES ARTICLES & LES
DEMONSTRATIFS
All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you must memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which gender a noun is. Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette are usually feminine.
Articles and adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. And articles have to be expressed even though they aren't always in English; and you may have to repeat the article in some cases. Demonstratives are like strong definite articles.
If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of the noun for this and these, and -là to the end of the noun for that and those. For example, ce lit-ci is this bed, while ce lit-là is that bed.
5. USEFUL WORDS / LES MOTS UTILES
It's / That's c'est /sɛ/ There is/are il y a /il i a/
There is/are voilà /vwala/ Here is/are voici /vwasi/
and et /e/ always toujours /tuʒuʀ/
but mais /mɛ/ often souvent /suvɑ�/
now maintenant /mɛ�tnɑ�/ sometimes quelquefois /kɛlkəfwa/
especially surtout /syʀtu/ usually d'habitude /dabityd/
except sauf /sof/ also, too aussi /osi/
of course bien sûr /bjɛ� syʀ/ again encore /ɑ�kɔʀ/
so so comme ci, comme ça /kɔm si, kɔm sa/ late en retard /ɑ�ʀətaʀ/
not bad pas mal /pa mal/ almost presque /pʀɛsk/
book le livre /lə livʀ/ friend (fem) une amie /y nami/
pencil le crayon /lə kʀɛjɔ�/ friend (masc) un ami /œ� nami/
pen le stylo /lə stilo/ woman une femme /yn fam/
paper le papier /lə papje/ man un homme /œ� nɔm/
dog le chien /lə ʃjɛ�/ girl une fille /yn fij/
cat le chat /lə ʃa/ boy un garçon /œ�� gaʀsɔ�/
money l'argent (m) /laʀʒɑ�/ job / work le travail /lə tʀavaj/
The expression il y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed by a number, it meansago. Il y a cinq minutes means five minutes ago. Some common slang words for money include: le fric, le pèze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le boulot.
6. SUBJECT PRONOUNS / LES PRONOMS SUJETS
Subject Pronouns
je /ʒə/ I nous /nu/ We
tu /ty/ You (informal) vous /vu/ You (formal and plural)
ilelleon
/il//ɛl//ɔ�/
HeSheOne
ilselles
/il//ɛl/
They (masc.)They (fem.)
Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name. Ils and elles can replace plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice there are two ways to say you. Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives. Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older. On can be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you.
Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tuor be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone.
7. TO BE & TO HAVE / ETRE & AVOIR
Present tense of être /ɛtʀ/ - to be
I am je suis /ʒə sɥi/ We are nous sommes /nu sɔm/
You are tu es /ty ɛ/ You are vous êtes /vu zɛt/
He isShe isOne is
il estelle eston est
/il ɛ//ɛl ɛ//ɔ� nɛ/
They areThey are
ils sontelles sont
/il sɔ�//ɛl sɔ�/
Past tense of être - to be
I was j'étais /ʒetɛ/ We were nous étions /nu zetjɔ�/
You were tu étais /tu etɛ/ You were vous étiez /vu zetje/
He wasShe wasOne was
il étaitelle étaiton était
/il etɛ//ɛl etɛ//ɔ� netɛ/
They wereThey were
ils étaientelles étaient
/il zetɛ//ɛl zetɛ/
Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of pronunciation.
Future Tense of être - to be
I will be je serai /ʒə səʀe/ We will be nous serons /nu səʀɔ�/
You will be tu seras /ty səʀa/ You will be vous serez /vu səʀe/
He will beShe will beOne will be
il seraelle seraon sera
/il səʀa/ /ɛl səʀa//ɔ� səʀa/
They will beThey will be
ils serontelles seront
/il səʀɔ�/ /ɛl səʀɔ�/
Present tense of avoir /avwaʀ/ - to have
I have j'ai /ʒe/ We have nous avons /nu zavɔ�/
You have tu as /ty ɑ/ You have vous avez /vu zave/
He hasShe hasOne has
il aelle aon a
/il ɑ/ /ɛl ɑ//ɔ� nɑ/
They haveThey have
ils ontelles ont
/il zɔ�/ /ɛl zɔ�/
Past tense of avoir - to have
I had j'avais /ʒavɛ/ We had nous avions /nu zavjɔ�/
You had tu avais /ty avɛ/ You had vous aviez /vu zavje/
He hadShe hadOne had
il avaitelle avaiton avait
/il avɛ/ /ɛl avɛ//ɔ� navɛ/
They hadils avaientelles avaient
/il zavɛ/ /ɛl zavɛ/
Future tense of avoir - to have
I will have j'aurai /ʒoʀe/ We will have nous aurons /nu zoʀɔ�/
You will have tu auras /ty oʀɑ/ You will have vous aurez /vu zoʀe/
He will haveShe will haveOne will have
il auraelle auraon aura
/il oʀa/ /ɛl oʀa//ɔ� noʀa/
They will haveThey will have
ils aurontelles auront
/il zoʀɔ�/ /ɛl zoʀɔ�/
In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t'es /tɛ/, tu as = t'as /tɑ/, etc. In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean we instead of nous.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS WITH AVOIR AND ETRE
Avoir and être are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:
avoir chaud /avwaʀ ʃo/ to be hot être de retour /ɛtʀ də ʀətuʀ/ to be back
avoir froid /avwaʀ fʀwa/ to be cold être en retard /ɛtʀ ɑ� ʀətaʀ/ to be late
avoir peur /avwaʀ pœʀ/ to be afraid être en avance /ɛtʀ ɑ� navɑ�s/ to be early
avoir raison /avwaʀ ʀɛzɔ�/ to be right être d'accord /ɛtʀ dakɔʀ/ to be in agreement
avoir tort /avwaʀ tɔʀ/ to be wrong être sur le point de/ɛtʀ syʀ lə pwɛ� də/
to be about to
avoir faim /avwaʀ fɛ�/ to be hungry être en train de /ɛtʀ ɑ� tʀɛ� də/ to be in the act of
avoir soif /avwaʀ swaf/ to be thirsty être enrhumée /ɛtʀ ɑ�ʀyme/ to have a cold
avoir sommeil /avwaʀ sɔmɛj/ to be sleepynous + être (un jour)
/ɛtʀ œ��� ʒuʀ/ to be (a day)
avoir honte /avwaʀ ʽɔ�t/ to be ashamed
avoir besoin de /avwaʀ bəzwɛ� də/ to need
avoir l'air de /avwaʀ ɛʀ də/ to look like, seem
avoir l'intention de
/avwaʀ ɛ�tɑ�sjɔ�/ to intend to
avoir envie de /avwaʀ ɑ�vi də/ to feel like
avoir de la chance /avwaʀ də la ʃɑ�s/ to be lucky
J'ai froid. I'm cold.Tu avais raison. You were right.Il aura sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight.Elle a de la chance ! She's lucky!Nous aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later.Vous aviez tort. You were wrong.Ils ont chaud. They are hot.Elles avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday.
Je suis en retard! I'm late!Tu étais en avance. You were early.Elle sera d'accord. She will agree.Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday.Vous étiez enrhumé. You had a cold.Ils seront en train d'étudier. They will be (in the act of) studying.Elles étaient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave.On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.
French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French use septante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70 and 90 (though some parts of Switzerland use huitante for 80 and octante is barely used anymore). Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 and 07 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zéro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.
ORDINAL NUMBERS / LES NOMBRES ORDINAUX
first premier / première
second deuxième / second
third troisième
fourth quatrième
fifth cinquième
sixth sixième
seventh septième
eighth huitième
ninth neuvième
tenth dixième
eleventh onzième
twelfth douzième
twentieth vingtième
twenty-first vingt et unième
thirtieth trentième
The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ième. But if a number ends in an e, you must drop it before adding the -ième. After a q, you must add a u before the -ième. And an f becomes a v before the -ième.
Listen to the la téléphone : un message mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a certain day, such as le lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing.
Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
11. MONTHS OF THE YEAR / LES MOIS DE L'ANNEE
January janvier /ʒɑ�vje/
February février /fevʀije/
March mars /maʀs/
April avril /avʀil/
May mai /mɛ/
June juin /ʒɥɛ�/
July juillet /ʒɥijɛ/
August août /u(t)/
September septembre /sɛptɑ�bʀ/
October octobre /ɔktɔbʀ/
November novembre /nɔvɑ�bʀ/
December décembre /desɑ�bʀ/
month le mois /lə mwa/
year l'an / l'année /lɑ�/ /lane/
decade la décennie /deseni/
century le siècle /lə sjɛkl/
millennium le millénaire /milenɛʀ/
To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai." With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: le premier mai but le deux juin. Also note that months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days of the week).
12. SEASONS / LES SAISONS
Summer l'été /lete/ in the summer en été /ɑ� nete/
Fall l'automne /lotɔn/ in the fall en automne /ɑ� notɔn/
Winter l'hiver /livɛʀ/ in the winter en hiver /ɑ� nivɛʀ/
Spring le printemps /lə pʀɛ�tɑ�/ in the spring au printemps /o prɛ�tɑ�/
13. DIRECTIONS / LES DIRECTIONS
on the left à gauche /a goʃ/
on the right à droite /a dʀwɑt/
straight ahead tout droit /tu dʀwɑ/
North le nord /lə nɔʀ/ Northeast le nord-est /lə nɔʀ(d)ɛst/
South le sud /lə syd/ Northwest le nord-ouest /lə nɔʀ(d)wɛst/
Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bleu clair, noir foncé remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun. Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.
15. WEATHER / LE TEMPS QU'IL FAIT
What's the weather like? Quel temps fait-il ? /kɛl tɑ� fɛ til/
It's nice Il fait bon /il fɛ bɔ�/
bad Il fait mauvais /il fɛ mɔve/
cool Il fait frais /il fɛ fʀɛ/
cold Il fait froid /il fɛ fʀwɑ/
warm, hot Il fait chaud /il fɛ ʃo/
cloudy Il fait nuageux /il fɛ nyaʒ/
beautiful Il fait beau /il fɛ bo/
mild Il fait doux /il fɛ du/
stormy Il fait orageux /il fɛ ɔʀaʒ/
sunny Il fait soleil /il fɛ sɔlɛj/
humid Il fait humide /il fɛ ymid/
muggy Il fait lourd /il fɛ luʀ/
windy Il fait du vent /il fɛ dy vɑ�/
foggy Il fait du brouillard /il fɛ dy bʀujaʀ/
snowing Il neige /il nɛʒ/
raining Il pleut /il plø/
freezing Il gèle /il ʒɛl/
hailing Il grêle /il gʀɛl/
It is ____ degrees. Il fait ____ degrés. /il fɛ __ dəgʀe/
Il pleut des cordes /il plø de koʀd/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille /il kaj/ or ça caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius degrees.
Listen to the le climat: le temps dans les Alpes mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
What time is it? Quelle heure est-il ? /kɛl œʀ ɛ til/
It is... Il est... /il ɛ/
one o'clock une heure /yn œʀ/
two o'clock deux heures /dø zœʀ/
noon midi /midi/
midnight minuit /minɥi/
a quarter after three trois heures et quart /tʀwɑ zœʀ e kaʀ/
one o'clock sharp une heure précise /yn œʀ pʀesiz/
four o'clock sharp quatre heures précises /katʀœʀ pʀesiz/
twelve thirty midi (minuit) et demi /midi (minɥi) e dəmi/
six thirty six heures et demie /si zœʀ e dəmi/
a quarter to seven sept heures moins le quart /sɛt œʀ mwɛ� lə kaʀ/
five twenty cinq heures vingt /sɛ�k œʀ vɛ�/
ten fifty onze heures moins dix /ɔ�z œʀ mwɛ� dis/
in the morning/AM du matin /dy matɛ�/
in the afternoon/PM de l'après-midi /də lapʀɛmidi/
in the evening/PM du soir /dy swaʀ/
Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular numbers, and not demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if it is 18h30, you must saydix-huit heures trente. The word pile /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying précise (exactly, sharp).
Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
17. FAMILY & ANIMALS / LA FAMILLE & LES ANIMAUX
Family la famille /famij/ Niece la nièce /njɛs/
Relatives des parents /paʀɑ�/ Nephew le neveu /n(ə)vœ/
Parents les parents /paʀɑ�/ Grandchildren les petits-enfants /p(ə)tizɑ�fɑ�/
Grandparentsles grands-parents
/gʀɑ�paʀɑ�/ Granddaughter la petite-fille /p(ə)tit fij/
Mom la mère / maman/mɛʀ/ /mɑmɑ�/
Grandson le petit-fils /p(ə)tifis/
Stepmother/Mother-in-Law la belle-mère /bɛlmɛʀ/ Godfather le parrain /paʀɛ�/
Dad le père / papa /pɛʀ/ /papa/ Godmother la marraine /maʀɛn/
Stepfather/Father-in-Law le beau-père /bopɛʀ/ Godson le filleul /fijœl/
Daughter la fille /fij/ Goddaughter la filleule /fijœl/
Son le fils /fis/Distant Relatives
des parents éloignés/paʀɑ� elwaɲe/
Sister la sœur /sœʀ/ Single célibataire /selibatɛʀ/
Half/Step Sister la demi-sœur /dəmi sœʀ/ Married marié(e) /maʀje/
Sister-in-Law la belle-sœur /bɛlsœʀ/ Separated séparé(e) /sepaʀe/
Stepdaughter/Daughter-in-Law
la belle-fille /bɛl fij/ Divorced divorcé(e) /divɔʀse/
Brother le frère /fʀɛʀ/ Widower veuf /vœf/
Half/Step Brother le demi-frère /dəmi fʀɛʀ/ Widow veuve /vœv/
Brother-in-Law le beau-frère /bo fʀɛʀ/
Stepson/Son-in-Law le beau-fils /bo fis/ Dogle chien / la chienne(m) / (f)
/ʃjɛ�/ /ʃjɛn/
Twins (m) les jumeaux /ʒymo/ Cat le chat / la /ʃa/ /ʃat/
Twins (f) les jumelles /ʒymɛl/ Puppy le chiot /ʃjo/
Uncle l'oncle /ɔ�kl/ Kitten le chaton /ʃatɔ�/
Aunt la tante /tɑ�t/ Pig le cochon /kɔʃɔ�/
Grandmother la grand-mère /gʀɑ�mɛʀ/ Rooster le coq /kɔk/
Grandfather le grand-père /gʀɑ�pɛʀ/ Rabbit le lapin /lapɛ�/
Cousin (f) la cousine /kuzin/ Cow la vache /vaʃ/
Cousin (m) le cousin /kuzɛ�/ Horse le cheval /ʃ(ə)val/
Wife la femme /fam/ Duck le canard /kanaʀ/
Husband le mari /maʀi/ Goat la chèvre /ʃɛvʀ/
Woman la femme /fam/ Goose l'oie /wa/
Man l'homme /ɔm/ Sheep le mouton /mutɔ�/
Child (m) / (f)un enfant / une enfant
/ɑ�fɑ�/ Lamb l'agneau /aɲo/
Girl la fille /fij/ Donkey l'âne /ɑn/
Boy le garçon /gaʀsɔ�/ Mouse la souris /suʀi/
Le gendre /ʒɑ5 dʀ/ is another word for son-in-law.
Listen to the la famille : ma famille mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
Slang words for people and pets:
The entire family toute la smala /tut la smala/ Sister la frangine /fʀɑ�ʒin/Grandma mémé / mamie /meme/ /mami/ Brother le frangin /fʀɑ�ʒɛ�/Grandpa pépé / papi /pepe/ /papi/ Son le fiston /fistɔ�/Children des gosses /gɔs/ Aunt tata / tatie /tata/ /tati/Kid un gamin / une gamine /gamɛ�/ /gamin/ Uncle tonton /tɔ�tɔ�/Woman une nana /nana/ Dog le cabot / clébard /kabo/ /klebaʀ/Man un mec / type / gars /mɛk/ /tip/ /gaʀ/ Cat le minou /minu/
Listen to the animaux : chien ou chat ? mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
18. TO KNOW PEOPLE & PLACES / CONNAITRE & SAVOIR
connaître-to know people /kɔnɛtʀ/ savoir-to know facts /savwaʀ/
Connaître is used when you know (are familiar with) people, places, food, movies, books, etc. and savoir is used when you know facts. When savoir is followed by an infinitive it means to know how. There is another form of savoir commonly used in the expressions que je sache that I know (of) and pas que je sache not that I know (of).
Je connais ton frère. I know your brother.Je sais que ton frère s'appelle Jean. I know that your brother is named John.Connaissez-vous Grenoble ? Do you know (Are you familiar with) Grenoble? / Have you ever been to Grenoble?Oui, nous connaissons Grenoble. Yes, we know (are familiar with) Grenoble. / Yes, we've been to Grenoble.Tu sais où Grenoble se trouve. You know where Grenoble is located.Ils savent nager. They know how to swim.
Connaître can be translated several ways into English:Tu connais le film, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the film, Les Enfants?Tu connais Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon?Tu connais la tartiflette ? Have you ever eaten tartiflette?
19. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS / LA FORMATION DES NOMS PLURIELS
To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not pronounced).But there are some exceptions:
Sing. Plural
If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing. bus(es) le bus les bus
If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. boat(s) le bateau les bateaux
If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to -aux. horse(s) le cheval les chevaux
Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s. knee(s) le genou les genoux
Exceptions: festival, carnaval, bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s. There are only seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou.There are, of course, some irregular exceptions: un œil (eye) - des yeux (eyes); le ciel (sky) - les cieux(skies); and un jeune homme (a young man) - des jeunes gens (young men).
Notice that the only time the pronunciation will change in the plural form is for masculine nouns that change -al or -ail to -aux and for the irregular forms. All other nouns are pronounced the same in the singular and the plural - it is only the article that changes pronunciation (le, la, l' to les).
20. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES / LES ADJECTIFS POSSESSIFS
Masc. Fem. Plural
My mon /mɔ�/ ma /ma/ mes /mɛ/
Your ton /tɔ�/ ta /ta/ tes /tɛ/
His/Her/Its son /sɔ�/ sa /sa/ ses /sɛ/
Our notre /nɔtʀ/ notre /nɔtʀ/ nos /no/
Your votre /vɔtʀ/ votre /vɔtʀ/ vos /vo/
Their leur /lœʀ/ leur /lœʀ/ leurs /lœʀ/
Possessive pronouns go before the noun. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, you must use the masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation. Ma amie is incorrect and must be mon amie, even though amie is feminine. Remember that adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, not the possessor! Sa mère can mean his mother or her mother even though sa is the feminine form, because it agrees with mère and not the possessor (his or her).
C'est ma mère et mon père. This is my mother and my father.Ce sont vos petits-enfants ? These are your grandchildren?Mes parents sont divorcés. My parents are divorced.Sa grand-mère est veuve. His grandmother is a widow.Notre frère est marié, mais notre sœur est célibataire. Our brother is married, but our sister is single.Ton oncle est architecte, n'est-ce pas ? Your uncle is an architect, isn't he?Leurs cousines sont néerlandaises. Their cousins are Dutch.
Another past tense (passé composé) uses the present tense forms of avoir plus the past participle of faire: fait. J'ai faittranslates as I did/made whereas je faisais translates as I was doing/making, I used to do/make (continuous action in the past).
Faire is used in expressions of weather (il fait beau) and many other idiomatic expressions:faire de (a sport) - to play (a sport)faire le sourd / l'innocent - to act deaf / innocentfaire le (subject in school) - to do / study (subject)faire le ménage - to do the houseworkfaire la cuisine - to do the cookingfaire la lessive - to do laundryfaire la vaisselle - to do the dishesfaire une promenade - to take a walkfaire un voyage - to take a tripfaire les courses - to go (grocery) shoppingfaire des achats - to go shopping faire de l'exercice - to exercisefaire attention - to pay attentionfaire la queue - to stand in line
22. WORK & SCHOOL / LE TRAVAIL & L'ECOLE
Masculine Feminine
actor / actress l'acteur /aktœʀ/ l'actrice /aktʀis/
intern le stagiaire /staʒjɛʀ/ la stagiaire /staʒjɛʀ/
retired person le retraité /ʀətʀete/ la retraitée /ʀətʀete/
Notice that some professions are always masculine, even if the person is a woman. There are also words that are always feminine (such as la victime) even if the person is a man.
SCHOOL SUBJECTS / LES MATIERES
Math les mathématiques /matematik/ Geography la géographie /ʒeɔgʀafi/
Algebra l'algèbre /alʒɛbʀ/ Physics la physique /fizik/
Calculus le calcul /kalkyl/ Biology la biologie /bjɔlɔʒi/
Geometry la géométrie /ʒeɔmetʀi/ Chemistry la chimie /ʃimi/
Business/Trade le commerce /kɔmɛʀs/ Zoology la zoologie /zɔɔlɔʒi/
Accounting la comptabilité /kɔ�tabilite/ Botany la botanique /bɔtanik/
Economicsles sciences économiques
/sjɑ� zekɔnɔmik/
Art les arts-plastiques /aʀ plastik/
ForeignLanguages les langues vivantes /lɑ�g vivɑ�t/ Music la musique /myzik/
Linguistics la linguistique /lɛ�gɥistik/ Dance la danse /dɑ�s/
Literature la littérature /liteʀatyʀ/ Drawing le dessin /desɛ�/
Philosophy la philosophie /filɔzɔfi/ Painting la peinture /pɛ�tyʀ/
Psychology la psychologie /psikɔlɔʒi/Computer Science
l'informatique /ɛ�fɔʀmatik/
Political Science les sciences politiques /sjɑ�s pɔlitik/ Technology la technologie /tɛknɔlɔʒi/
History l'histoire (f) /istwaʀ/Physical Education
l'éducation physique(f)
/edykasjɔ� fizik/
Notice that you do not use an indefinite article before professions, unless they are preceded by an adjective.
Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? What do you do for a living?Je suis avocate. I am a lawyer. (fem.)Je suis professeur. I am a professor.Je suis étudiant. I am a student (masc.)Où est-ce que vous faites vos études ? Where do you study?Je vais à l'université de Michigan. I go to the university of Michigan.Je fais mes études à l'université de Toronto. I study at the University of Toronto.Qu'est-ce que vous étudiez ? What do you study?Quelles matières étudiez-vous ? What subjects do you study?J'étudie les langues étrangères et la linguistique. I study foreign languages and linguistics.Je fais des mathématiques. I study/do math.Ma spécialisation est la biologie. My major is biology.
Slang words/abbreviations for school:
dictionary un dico /diko/ student un potache /potaʃ/paper / essay une disserte /disɛʀt/ book un bouquin /bukɛ�/college / faculty la fac /fak/ to work bosser /bɔse/quiz une interro /ɛ�tɛʀɔ/ to understand piger /piʒe/
Listen to the le travail : carrossier / vendeur mp3s and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercises from FrenchListening Resources.
23. PREPOSITIONS & CONTRACTIONS
at / to / in à /a/ during pendant /pɑ�dɑ�/
from / of / about
de /də/ since / for depuis /dəpɥi/
at the house of chez /ʃe/ among parmi /paʀmi/
in dans / en /dɑ�/ /ɑ�/ between entre /ɑ�tʀ/
for pour /puʀ/ around autour de /otuʀdə/
by / through par /paʀ/ against contre /kɔ�tʀ/
in front of devant /dəvɑ�/ toward vers / envers /vɛʀ/ /ɑ�nvɛʀ/
behind derrière /dɛʀjɛʀ/ through / across à travers /atʀavɛʀ/
before avant /avɑ�/ with avec /avɛk/
after après /apʀɛ/ without sans /sɑ�/
up en haut /ɑ�no/ inside dedans / à l'intérieur /dədɑ�/ /alɛ�teʀjœʀ/
down en bas /ɑ�ba/ outside dehors / à l'extérieur /dəɔʀ//alɛksteʀjœʀ/
on sur /syʀ/ outside ofhors de / en dehors de
/ɔʀdə/ /ɑ�ndəɔʀdə/
over / above au-dessus de /odəsydə/ because of à cause de /akozdə/
under / belowsous / au-dessous de
/su/ /odəsudə/
according to selon / d'après /səlɔ�/ /dapʀɛ/
across from en face de /ɑ�fasdə/ approximately environ /ɑ�viʀɔ�/
near près de /pʀɛdə/ in spite of malgré /malgʀe/
far from loin de /lwɛ�də/ as for quant à /kɑ�ta/
You can also use dessus and dessous as adverbs to mean over it / on top of it and beneath it / underneath it,respectively. They are not followed by nouns or pronouns, unlike prepositions.
Prepositional Contractions
à + le = au /o/ at / to / in the
à + les = aux /o/ at / to / in the (pl.)
de + le = du /dy/ of / from / about the
de + les = des /de/ of / from / about the (pl.)
In: Dans vs. EnDans is used to show the time when an action will begin, while en shows the length of time an action takes.
Je pars dans quinze minutes. I'm leaving in 15 minutes.Il peut lire ce livre en une demi-heure. He can read this book in a half hour.
With: Avec vs. De vs. A vs. ChezAvec implies doing something or going along with someone; de is used in phrases of manner and in many idiomaticexpressions; à is used when referring to someone's attributes; and chez is used to mean "as far as (person) is concerned." To describe the way a person carries him/herself, no extra word is used.
Je vais en France avec ma sœur. I'm going to France with my sister.Elle me remercie d'un sourire. She thanks me with a smile.L'homme aux cheveux roux est très grand. The man with the red hair is very tall.Chez cet enfant, tout est simple. With this child, everything is simple.Il marche, les mains dans les poches. He walks with his hands in his pockets.
24. COUNTRIES AND NATIONALITIES / LES PAYS ET LES NATIONALITES
Africa l'Afrique (f) /afʀik/ Hebrew (lang.) hébreu /ebʀø/
The masculine forms of the nationalities are also used for the language. Adjectives of nationalities and languages are not capitalized in written French. The definite article is not used before a language when it follows the verb parler (to speak):Je parle anglais. Notice that French also uses hollandais when referring to Dutch people and sometimes the Dutch language, but this is not exactly correct (just as it is not correct to use Holland when referring to the Netherlands in English). Also notice that you do not use the definite article with Malte.
25. NEGATIVE SENTENCES
To make sentences negative, simply put ne and pas around the verb. In spoken French, however, the ne is frequently omitted, but it cannot be omitted in written French. And when you are replying "yes" to a negative question, you use siand not oui (though in Quebec, it is perfectly fine to just use oui).
Je suis du Canada. I am from Canada.Je ne suis pas du Mexique. I am not from Mexico.Je suis française. I am French (feminine.) Je ne suis pas suisse. I am not Swiss. (masculine or feminine)Il est australien. He is Australian.Elle n'est pas danoise. She is not Danish.Elles sont des Etats-Unis. They are from the United States.Ils ne sont pas du Portugal. They are not from Portugal. Je parle chinois et japonais. I speak Chinese and Japanese.Je ne parle pas suédois. I don't speak Swedish.Vous n'êtes pas du Brésil ? You aren't from Brazil?Si, nous sommes du Brésil. Yes, we are from Brazil.
26. TO / IN AND FROM PLACES, CITIES, AND COUNTRIES
Places Cities Countries
Masc. au du à de au du
Fem. à la de la à de en de
Vowel à l' de l' à d' en d'
Plural aux des aux des aux des
If the name of a country ends in-e, the gender is feminine. If it ends in anything else, it is masculine. All continents are feminine. The country exceptions are le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Zaïre, le Zimbabwe, and le Mozambique. Some cities have an article as well, such as La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans).
Je vais à la boulangerie. I'm going to the bakery.Il vient de Londres. He comes from London.On va en France demain. We're going to France tomorrow.Tu viens du Mexique ? You come from Mexico?
In general, if a region, province or state ends in -e, it is feminine. Californie, Caroline du Nord / Sud, Floride, Géorgie, Louisiane, Pennsylvanie, and Virginie are the feminine American states; while Maine is masculine. For French régions or départements that begin with Haut(e), the h is an aspirate h, and therefore, there is no elision with preceding words, i.e. de Haut-Rhin, la Haute-Normandie, etc.
Elles habitent en Californie. They live in California.Il est de Haute-Savoie. He is from Haute-Savoie.Ce fromage vient du Nord. This cheese comes from Nord.Je veux voyager dans le Texas. I want to travel in Texas.
va /va/ vont /vɔ�/ allait /alɛ/ allaient /alɛ/ ira /iʀa/ iront /iʀɔ�/
Other verbs that are conjugated like venir: tenir - to hold, devenir - to become, obtenir - to get, revenir - to come back.
Je viens des Etats-Unis. I come from the United States.Il tient un crayon. He's holding a pencil.Nous allons en Espagne. We're going to Spain.Tu ne vas pas au Brésil cet été. You're not going to Brazil this summer.
► Aller + an infinitive means "going to do something."Ils vont aller en Angleterre. They are going to go to England.Elle va parler russe. She's going to speak Russian.Je vais devenir professeur. I'm going to become a professor.
► Aller is also used idiomatically when talking about health.Comment vas-tu ? How are you?Je vais bien. I'm fine.
► Venir de + an infinitive means "to have just done something."Il vient d'aller en Finlande. He just went to Finland.Vous venez de manger une pomme. You just ate an apple.
28. CONJUGATING REGULAR VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE
Verbs in French end in -er, -re, or -ir. The verb before it is conjugated is called the infinitive. Removing the last two letters leaves you with the stem (aimer is the infinitive, aim- is the stem.) The present indicative tense indicates an ongoing action, general state, or habitual activity. Besides the simple present tense (I write, I run, I see); there are two other forms of the present tense in English: the progressive (I am writing, I am running, etc.) and the emphatic (I do write, I do run, etc.) However, these three English present tenses are all translated by the present indicative tense in French.
To conjugate verbs in the present tense, use the stem and add the following endings.
finis /fini/ finissons /finisɔ�/ pars /paʀ/ partons /paʀtɔ�/
finis /fini/ finissez /finise/ pars /paʀ/ partez /paʀte/
finit /fini/ finissent /finis/ part /paʀ/ partent /paʀt/
Notice how several conjugations are pronounced the same. This is why you must use the subject pronouns in French.
Regular verbs
-er -re
aimer /eme/ to like, love vendre /vɑ�dʀ/ to sell
chanter /ʃɑ�te/ to sing attendre /atɑ�dʀ/ to wait for
chercher /ʃɛʀʃe/ to look for entendre /ɑ�tɑ�dʀ/ to hear
commencer /kɔmɑ�se/ to begin perdre /pɛʀdʀ/ to lose
donner /dɔne/ to give répondre (à) /ʀepɔ�dʀ/ to answer
étudier /etydje/ to study descendre /dɛsɑ�dʀ/ to go down
fermer /fɛʀme/ to close 1st -ir
habiter /abite/ to live bâtir /bɑtiʀ/ to build
jouer /ʒwe/ to play finir /finiʀ/ to finish
manger /mɑ�ʒe/ to eat choisir /ʃwaziʀ/ to choose
montrer /mɔ�tʀe/ to show punir /pyniʀ/ to punish
parler /paʀle/ to speak remplir /ʀɑ�pliʀ/ to fill
penser /pɑ�se/ to think obéir (à) /ɔbeiʀ/ to obey
travailler /tʀavaje/ to work réussir /ʀeysiʀ/ to succeed
trouver /tʀuve/ to find guérir /geʀiʀ/ to cure, heal
If a verb is followed by à (like répondre) you have to use the à and any contractions after the conjugated verb. Ex: Je réponds au téléphone. I answer the phone.
* The 2nd -ir verbs are considered irregular sometimes because there are only a few verbs which follow that pattern. Other verbs like partir are sortir /sɔʀtiʀ/ (to go out), dormir /dɔʀmiʀ/ (to sleep), mentir /mɑ5 tiʀ/ (to lie), sentir /sɑ5 tiʀ/ (to smell, feel) and servir /sɛʀviʀ/ (to serve.)
You can also download a list of the 681 most common verbs in French (available in PDF format.)
These verbs are conjugated like normal verbs, but they require an extra pronoun before the verb. Most indicate a reflexive action but some are idiomatic and can't be translated literally. The pronouns are:
me /mə/ nous /nu/
te /tə/ vous /vu/
se /sə/ se /sə/
Some Pronominal Verbs
s'amuser /samyze/ to have fun se brosser /səbʀɔse/ to brush
se lever /sələve/ to get up se maquiller /səmakije/ to put on makeup
se laver /səlave/ to wash (oneself) se casser /səkase/ to break (arm, leg, etc.)
se dépêcher /sədepeʃe/ to hurry se réveiller /səʀeveje/ to wake up
se peigner /səpeɲe/ to comb se raser /səʀɑze/ to shave
s'habiller /sabije/ to get dressed s'ennuyer /sɑ�nɥije/ to get bored
se marier /səmaʀje/ to get married se promener /səpʀɔmne/ to take a walk
se reposer /səʀəpoze/ to rest s'intéresser à /sɛ�teʀese a/ to be interested in
se souvenir de /səsuvniʀ də/ to remember s'entraîner /sɑ�tʀene/ to train/practice
s'entendre bien /sɑ�tɑ�dʀbjɛ�/ to get along well se détendre /sədetɑ�dʀ/ to relax
se coucher /səkuʃe/ to go to bed
When used in the infinitive, such as after another verb, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the sentence.
Je vais me coucher maintenant. I'm going to go to bed.Tu veux t'asseoir ? Do you want to sit down?
Sample Irregular Pronominal Verb
s'asseoir - to sit down /saswaʀ/
je m'assieds /ʒəmasjɛ/ nous nous asseyons /nunuzasejɔ�/
tu t'assieds /tytasjɛ/ vous vous asseyez /vuvusaseje/
il s'assied /ilsasjɛ/ ils s'asseyent /ilsasej/
Listen to the la routine quotidienne: ma journée mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
30. IRREGULARITIES IN REGULAR VERBS
1. Verbs that end in -ger and -cer : The nous form of manger isn't mangons, but mangeons. The e has to stay so the g can retain the soft sound. The nous form of commencer isn't commencons, but commençons. The c must have the accent (called a cedilla) under it to make the c sound soft.
manger-to eat /mɑVʒe/ commencer-to begin /kɔmɑVse/
mange /mɑ�ʒ/ mangeons /mɑ�ʒɔ�/ commence /kɔmɑ�s/ commençons /kɔmɑ�sɔ�/
3. Verbs that are conjugated as -er verbs: Some -ir verbs are conjugated with -er endings. Examples: ouvrir-to open /uvʀiʀ/, couvrir-to cover /kuvʀiʀ/, découvrir-to discover /dekuvʀiʀ/ and souffrir-to suffer /sufʀiʀ/
offrir-to offer /ɔfʀiʀ/
j'offre /ɔfʀ/ offrons /ɔfʀɔ�/
offres /ɔfʀ/ offrez /ɔfʀe/
offre /ɔfʀ/ offrent /ɔfʀ/
4. Verbs that end in -yer : Change the y to an i in all forms except the nous and vous. Examples: nettoyer-to clean /netwaje/, payer-to pay /peje/, and essayer-to try /eseje/
envoyer-to send /ɑ�vwaje/
j'envoie /ɑ�vwa/ envoyons /ɑ�vwajɔ�/
envoies /ɑ�vwa/ envoyez /ɑ�vwaje/
envoie /ɑ�vwa/ envoient /ɑ�vwa/
5. Verbs that double the consonant: Some verbs, including jeter-to throw /ʒəte/, double the consonant in all forms except the nous and vous.
appeler-to call /aple/
j'appelle /apɛl/ appelons /aplɔ�/
appelles /apɛl/ appelez /aple/
appelle /apɛl/ appellent /apɛl/
31. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE OR PASSE COMPOSE
You have learned the present indicative so far, which expresses what happens, is happening, or does happen now; but if you want to say something happened, or has happened, you use the passé composé. The passé composé is used for actions that happened only once, a specified number of times or during a specified period of time, and as a result or consequence of another action. All you need to learn are the past participles of the verbs.
Regular Verbs: Formation of the Past Participle
-er -é
-re -u
-ir -i
Then conjugate avoir and add the past participle:
J'ai aimé le concert. I liked the concert.
Tu as habité ici ? You lived here?
Il a répondu au téléphone. He answered (or has answered) the telephone.
Nous avons fini le projet. We finished (or have finished) the project.
Elles ont rempli les tasses. They filled (or have filled) the cups.
To make it negative, put the ne and pas around the conjugated form of avoir.
Je n'ai pas aimé le concert. I didn't like the concert.
Il n'a pas répondu. He didn't answer (or hasn't answered).
comprendre to understand compris /kɔ�pʀi/ understood
surprendre to surprise surpris /syʀpʀi/ surprised
recevoir to receive reçu /ʀəsy/ received
rire to laugh ri /ʀi/ laughed
savoir to know su /sy/ known
voir to see vu /vy/ seen
vouloir to want voulu /vuly/ wanted
33. ETRE VERBS
Seventeen so-called "house" verbs and all pronominal verbs are conjugated with être, and they must agree in gender and number with the subject. Irregular past participles are highlighted.
to go aller allé / allée to go by / pass passer passé / passée
to arrive arriver arrivé / arrivée to return home rentrer rentré / rentrée
to go down descendre descendu / descendue to stay rester resté / restée
to become devenir devenu / devenue to return retourner retourné / retournée
to enter entrer entré / entrée to come back revenir revenu / revenue
to go up monter monté / montée to go out sortir sorti / sortie
to die mourir mort / morte to fall tomber tombé / tombée
to be born naître né / née to come venir venu / venue
to leave partir parti / partie
A mnemonic device to remember these 17 verbs is DR & MRS P VANDERTRAMP. Each letter in the name corresponds to the first letter of the verbs. Five of these verbs (monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer, and passer) are conjugated with avoir if they are used with a direct object.
Je suis sortie. I went out.J'ai sorti la poubelle. I took the trash out.
Conjugation of an être verb
Je suis resté(e) Nous sommes resté(e)s
Tu es resté(e) Vous êtes resté(e)(s)
Il est resté Ils sont restés
Elle est restée Elles sont restées
Add e for feminine and s for plural. Sometimes adding an -e causes the pronunciation to change, i.e. the preceding consonant that is silent in the masculine form is pronounced in the feminine form: Il
est mort /mɔʀ/ vs. Elle est morte/mɔʀt/ To form the negative, place ne...pas around the auxiliary verb: Je ne suis pas resté.
Conjugation of a Pronominal Verb
Je me suis amusé(e) Nous nous sommes amusé(e)s
Tu t'es amusé(e) Vous vous êtes amusé(e)(s)
Il s'est amusé Ils se sont amusés
Elle s'est amusée Elles se sont amusées
To form the negative of pronominal verbs, place ne before the reflexive pronoun, and pas after the auxiliary verb: Je neme suis pas amusé.
There are only two cases with pronominal verbs where the past participle does not agree with the subject:
1. When the pronominal verb is followed by a direct object. Compare: Elles se sont lavées, but: elles se sont lavé les mains.
2. With verbs where the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object, such as se parler, se demander, se dire, s'écrire, se sourire, and se téléphoner.Ils se sont téléphoné.
34. FOOD AND MEALS / LA NOURRITURE ET LES REPAS
Breakfast le petit déjeuner /pti deʒœne/ Egg l'œuf (m) /œf/
Lunch le déjeuner /deʒœne/ Cake le gâteau /gɑto/
Dinner le dîner /dine/ Pie la tarte /taʀt/
Cup la tasse /tɑs/ Milk le lait /lɛ/
Slice la tranche /tʀɑ�ʃ/ Coffee le café /kafe/
Bowl le bol /bɔl/ Butter le beurre /bœʀ/
Glass le verre /vɛʀ/ Water l'eau (f) /o/
Salt and Pepper le sel et le poivre /sɛl/ /pwavʀ/ Ham le jambon /ʒɑ�bɔ�/
Fork la fourchette /fuʀʃɛt/ Fish le poisson /pwasɔ�/
Spoon la cuillère /kɥijɛʀ/ Tea le thé /te/
Knife le couteau /kuto/ Salad la salade /salad/
Plate l'assiette (f) /asjɛt/ Jam la confiture /kɔ�fityʀ/
Napkin la serviette /sɛʀvjɛt/ Meat la viande /vjɑ�d/
Ice cream la glace /glas/ French fries les frites (f) /fʀit/
Juice le jus /ʒy/ Beer la bière /bjɛʀ/
Fruit le fruit /fʀɥi/ Wine le vin /vɛ�/
Cheese le fromage /fʀɔmaʒ/ Sugar le sucre /sykʀ/
Chicken le poulet /pulɛ/ Soup le potage /pɔtaʒ/
Cereal des céréales /seʀeal/ Ketchup le ketchup /kɛtʃœp/
Oil l'huile (f) /ɥil/ Mustard la moutarde /mutaʀd/
Vinegar le vinaigre /vinɛgʀ/ Mayonnaise la mayonnaise /majɔnɛz/
Yogurt le yaourt /jauʀt/ Pasta des pâtes /pɑt/
In France, it is common to use déjeuner to mean to have breakfast as well as to have lunch. In Canada, Belgium, and Switzerland, the meals are le déjeuner, le dîner, and le souper. The plural of un œuf is des œufs, but fs is not pronounced: /œf/ vs. /ø/. Food is generally divided into two categories: sucré (sweet/sugary) and salé (savoury/salty).Le pain /pɛ5 / is the general word for bread; if you want to specify white bread, use le pain de mie /pɛ5 də mi/ . Because the French eat dinner so late in the evening (8 pm), young children have l'heure de goûter (snack time) after school. Le yaourt refers to fruit yogurts and sweet puddings and they are eaten as desserts in France. La glace is also a common dessert, and you can find several parfums /paʀfœ5 / (flavors). The word for scoops (of ice cream) is boules /bul/. Many restaurants now offer take out food options, which is called à emporter (to take away). The opposite is sur place.
Other verbs that are conjugated like prendre: apprendre /apʀɑ5 dʀ/ - to learn, comprendre /kɔ5 pʀɑ5 dʀ/ - to understand and surprendre /syʀpʀɑ5 dʀ/ - to surprise
When you want to say "I am having wine," the French translation is "Je prends du vin." You must use de and le, la, l', orles and the proper contractions (called partitives) because in French you must always express some. So "je prends de la bière" literally means "I am having some beer" even though in English we would usually only say I am having beer.
Manger is a regular verb meaning "to eat," but manger is used in a general sense, such as Je mange du poulet tous les samedis. I eat chicken every Saturday. Boire is literally the verb to drink and is also used in a general sense only.Je bois du vin tout le temps. I drink wine all the time.
37. QUANTITIES
assez de enough (of) un morceau de a piece of une douzaine de a dozen of
une assiette de a plate of un peu de a little (bit) of un paquet de a packet of
beaucoup de a lot of une tasse de a cup of un panier de a basket of
une boîte de a box of une tranche de a slice of une poignée de a handful of
une bouteille de a bottle of trop de too much, many plus de more
un kilo de a kilo of un verre de a glass of un bouquet de a bunch of
With quantities and negatives, you never use partitives. The construction is always de or d' + noun.
Je voudrais prendre du fromage, mais pas de fruit. I would like to have some cheese, but no fruit.Il prend de la viande. He is eating some meat.Nous prenons du riz et des brocolis. We are having some rice and broccoli.Il y a trop de lait dans la tasse. There is too much milk in the cup.Je voudrais un morceau de tarte. I would like one piece of pie.Est-ce que je peux prendre un verre de vin ? May I have a glass of wine?Je prends du vin. I'm drinking some wine.Je ne prends pas de vin. I am not drinking any wine.
38. COMMANDS
Use the vous, tu and nous forms for commands.
Vous form Polite and Plural Same as verb form Restez ! Stay!
Tu form FamiliarSame as verb form, but drop -s for -er verbs
Regarde ! Look/Watch!
Nous form Let's... Same as verb form Allons-y ! Let's go!
When using pronominal verbs as commands, the pronoun is placed after the verb connected by a hyphen. Tu te dépêches becomes Dépêche-toi ! And in negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb, as in Ne nous reposons pas.
Irregular Command Forms
être (be) avoir (have) savoir (know)
tu sois /swa/ tu aie /ɛ/ tu sache /saʃ/
nous soyons /swajɔ�/ nous ayons /ajɔ�/ nous sachons /saʃɔ�/
Ne sois pas méchant avec ta sœur ! Don't be mean to your sister!N'ayez pas peur ! Don't be afraid!Sachez que j'apprécie votre aide. Know that I appreciate your help.
The que in ne...que is placed directly before the noun it limits. Rien and personne may be used as subjects: Personne n'est ici. Aucun(e) by definition is singular, so the verb and nouns must also be changed to the singular. With ni...ni, all articles are dropped except definite articles. Je n'ai ni caméra ni caméscope, but Je n'aime ni les chats ni les chiens.
Il n'aime plus travailler. He no longer likes to work. (Or: He doesn't like to work anymore)Nous ne voulons faire des achats que lundi. We want to go shopping only on Monday.Elle ne déteste personne. She hates no one. (Or: She doesn't hate anyone.)
Negatives with Passé Composé1. Ne...pas, ne...plus, ne...jamais, and ne...rienNe comes before auxiliary verb, and the other part is between auxiliary and past participle.Nous n'avons rien fait. We did nothing. Vous ne vous êtes pas ennuyés. You were not bored.
2. Ne...personne, ne...aucun, ne...ni...ni, ne...nulle part, and ne... queNe comes before the auxiliary verb, but the other part is after the past participle.Il n'a écouté personne. He listened to no one. Il n'a fait aucune faute. He made not a single mistake.
* Use of ne ... pas de: In negative sentences, the partitives and indefinite articles become de before the noun (unless the verb is être, then nothing changes.)
Partitive: Je prends du pain et du beurre. I'm having some bread and butter.Negative: Je ne prends pas de pain ou de beurre. I am not having any bread or butter.
Indefinite: J'ai un chien. I have a dog.Negative: Je n'ai pas de chien. I don't have a dog.
Verb is être: C'est une chatte brune. It's a brown cat.Negative: Ce n'est pas une chatte brune. It's not a brown cat.
40. HOLIDAY PHRASES
Merry Christmas Joyeux Noël
Happy New Year Bonne Année
Happy Thanksgiving Joyeux Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving (Canada) Bonne Action de grâces
If someone is named after a saint, you can wish them bonne fête on that saint's feast day. In Quebec, bonne fête is used for Happy Birthday.
Listen to the les fêtes : Noël en France mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercises from French Listening Resources.
The French National Anthem: La Marseillaise
by Claude-Joseph Rouget de L'Isle
Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé.Contre nous, de la tyrannie, L'étendard sanglant est levé, l'étendard sanglant est levé.Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces farouches soldats.Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras égorger vos fils, vos compagnes.Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons !Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons.
Amour sacré de la Patrie,Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs.Liberté, liberté chérie,Combats avec tes défenseurs;Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoireAccoure à tes mâles accents;Que tes ennemis expirantsVoient ton triomphe et notre gloire !Aux armes citoyens ! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons !Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons.
Ye sons of France, awake to glory, Hark, hark, whatmyriads bid you rise: Your children, wives and grandsireshoary, Behold their tears and hear their cries, see theirtears and hear their cries! Shall hateful tyrants mischief breeding with hireling hosts, a ruffian bandAffright and desolate the land, while peace and liberty lie bleeding?To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe! March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death.
O sacred love of france, undying,Th'avenging arm uphold and guideThy defenders, death defying,Fight with Freedom on their side.Soon thy sons shall be victoriousWhen the banner high is raised;And thy dying enemies, amazed,Shall behold thy triumph, great and glorious.To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe! March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death.
Translation by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1st verse) and Mary Elizabeth Shaw (2nd verse) (This is not a literal translation.)
The Canadian National Anthem: O Canada
O Canada, terre de nos aïeux,Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopéeDes plus brillants exploits.Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
O Canada! Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!From far and wide, O Canada,We stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
The Belgian National Anthem: La Brabannçone
Noble Belgique, à jamais terre chérie,À toi nos cœurs, à toi nos bras,Par le sang pur répandu pour toi, Patrie!Nous le jurons d'un seul cri: tu vivras!Tu vivras toujours grande et belleEt ton invincible unitéAura pour devise immortelleLe Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!La Liberté!
Noble Belgium, forever beloved land,Thine our hearts, thine our arms,By the pure blood shed for you Fatherland!We swear it in a single shout: thou shalt live!Thou shalt live, ever great and beautifulAnd thy invincible unityShall have for everlasting motto:The King, the Law, Liberty!The King, the Law, Liberty! Liberty!
The Swiss National Anthem: Cantique suisse
by Charles Chatelanat
Sur nos monts, quand le soleilAnnonce un brillant réveil,Et prédit d'un plus beau jour le retour,Les beautés de la patrieParlent à l'âme attendrie;Au ciel montent plus joyeuxLes accents d'un cœur pieux,Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.
Lorsqu'un doux rayon du soirJoue encore dans le bois noir,Le cœur se sent plus heureux près de Dieu.Loin des vains bruits de la plaine,L'âme en paix est plus sereine,Au ciel montent plus joyeuxLes accents d'un cœur pieux,Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.
Lorsque dans la sombre nuitLa foudre éclate avec bruit,Notre cœur pressent encore le Dieu fort;Dans l'orage et la détresse
Il est notre forteresse;Offrons-lui des coeurs pieux:Dieu nous bénira des cieux,Dieu nous bénira du haut des cieux.
Des grands monts vient le secours;Suisse, espère en Dieu toujours!Garde la foi des aïeux, Vis comme eux!Sur l'autel de la patrieMets tes biens, ton cœur, ta vie!C'est le trésor précieuxQue Dieu bénira des cieux,Que Dieu bénira du haut des cieux.
Go on to French III →
41. IMPERFECT TENSE
This past tense corresponds to "was, were or used to." This tense is used for repeated, continuous, or ongoing actions; as well as for verbs that describe background and circumstances, such as weather, time, and physical, mental, and emotional states. (Use the passé composé for actions that happened once and are done.) Verbs that express mental and emotional states that are descriptive in nature are generally used in the imperfect more than the passé composé. These verbs are: aimer, avoir, croire, détester, espérer, être, penser, and préférer.
To form the stem, use the nous form of the present tense and drop the -ons. Then add these endings:
-ais /ɛ/ -ions /jɔ�/
-ais /ɛ/ -iez /je/
-ait /ɛ/ -aient /ɛ/
The only exception is être for which you must use the stem ét-, but still the same endings. Verb stems that end in -c must use a cedilla (ç) under the c to make it soft. Verb stems ending in -g keep the e before all forms except nous and vous.
être en train de + infinitive = to be in the middle of doing something
J'étais en train d'étudier quand vous êtes arrivés. I was (in the process of ) studying when you arrived.
être sur le point de + infinitive = to be just about to do something
J'étais sur le point de vous rappeler. I was just about to call you back.
aller + infinitive = going to do something
J'allais sortir quand le téléphone a sonné. I was going to leave when the phone rang.
venir de + infinitive = to have just done something
Je venais de manger, alors je n'avais plus faim. I had just eaten, so I wasn't hungry anymore.
42. PLACES / LES ENDROITS
school l'école (f) /ekɔl/ university l'université (f) /ynivɛʀsite/
bathroom les toilettes (f) /twalɛt/ bank la banque /bɑ�k/
locker le casier /kɑzje/ train station la gare /gaʀ/
drinking fountain la fontaine /fɔ�tɛn/ airport l'aéroport (m) /aeʀɔpɔʀ/
store le magasin /magazɛ�/ telephone le téléphone /telefɔn/
library la biblio(thèque) /biblijɔtɛk/ apartment l'appartement (m) /apaʀtəmɑ�/
office le bureau /byʀo/ hotel l'hôtel (m) /otɛl/
stadium le stade /stad/ village le village /vilaʒ/
cafe le café /kafe/ factory l'usine (f) /yzin/
cafeteria la cafétéria /kafeteʀja/ garden le jardin /ʒaʀdɛ�/
movie theater le cinéma /sinema/ castle le château /ʃato/
church l'église (f) /egliz/ cathedral la cathédrale /katedʀal/
museum le musée /myze/ zoo le zoo /zo/
pool la piscine /pisin/ bakery la boulangerie /bulɑ�ʒʀi/
countryside la campagne /kɑ�paɲ/ monument le monument /mɔnymɑ�/
beach la plage /plaʒ/ pharmacy la pharmacie /faʀmasi/
theater le théâtre /teɑtʀ/ butcher shop la boucherie /buʃʀi/
park le parc /paʀk/ candy store la confiserie /kɔ�fizʀi/
restaurant le restaurant /ʀɛstɔʀɑ�/ police station la gendarmerie /ʒɑ�daʀm(ə)ʀi/
hospital l'hôpital (m) /ɔpital/ town hall la mairie /mɛʀi/
post office la poste /pɔst/ square la place /plas/
home la maison /mɛzɔ�/ bookstore la librairie /libʀɛʀi/
city la ville /vil/ grocery store l'épicerie (f) /episʀi/
supermarket le supermarché /sypɛʀmaʀʃe/ pastry shop la pâtisserie /pɑtisʀi/
delicatessen la charcuterie /ʃaʀkytʀi/ fish market la poissonnerie /pwasɔnʀi/
Nowadays, la médiathèque /medjatɛk/ is replacing bibliothèque because most libraries also have DVDs and CDs to lend, not just books. You may also hear la cantine /kɑ5 tin/ to refer to the cafeteria in a school.
Listen to the les magasins : à la boulangerie mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
Instead of using a specific verb of movement (drive, fly, walk) before a location, French actually uses a more general verb + the location + the manner of movement.
I walk to school. = Je vais à l'école à pied. (I go to school on foot.)I'm flying to New York. = Je vais à New York en avion. (I go to New York by plane.)
Common slang words for car/automobile are une bagnole /baɲɔl/ or une caisse /kɛs/. In Quebec, it's un char /ʃaʀ/.
44. TO WANT & TO BE ABLE TO
vouloir /vulwaʀ/ -to want and pouvoir /puvwaʀ/ - to be able to, can
peut /pø/ peuvent /pœv/ pouvait /puvɛ/ pouvaient /puvɛ/ pourra /puʀa/ pourront /puʀɔ�/
Voulez-vous? can mean Do you want? or Will you? The past participles are voulu and pu and both are conjugated with avoir. The conditional forms of vouloir are used in the expression "would like" i.e. I'd like = je voudrais, you'd like = tu voudrais, he'd/she'd like = il/elle voudrait, we'd like = nous voudrions, you'd like = vous voudriez, they'd like =ils/elles voudraient.
► You do not need to use pouvoir after verbs that involve the senses, such as voir (to see) and entendre (to hear). Je ne vois pas / Je n'entends pas can mean I don't see or I can't see / I don't hear or I can't hear depending on the context.
Chimney la cheminée /ʃ(ə)mine/ Hinges la charnière /ʃaʀnjɛʀ/
Roof le toit /twɑ/ Key la clé /kle/
Garage le garage /gaʀaʒ/ Keychain le porte-clé /pɔʀtkle/
Driveway l'allée (f) /ale/ Keyhole le trou de la serrure seʀyʀ/
Sidewalk le trottoir /tʀɔtwaʀ/ Doorknob la poignée de porte /pwaɲedəpɔʀt/
Porch le porche /pɔʀʃ/ Tile roofing les tuiles (f) /tɥil/
Basement le sous-sol /susɔl/ Clapboard/Shingle les bardeaux (m) /baʀdo/
Cellar la cave /kav/ Slate roofing l'ardoise (f) /aʀdwaz/
You may also see the words la loggia /lɔdʒja/ (small room off a large room - sometimes like a pantry) and la veranda/veʀɑ5 da/ (enclosed porch/balcony), as well as les toilettes /twalɛt/ (a separate room just for the toilet), for parts of a house or apartment.
Listen to the le logement : décrire son appartement mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
46. FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES / LES MEUBLES ET L'ELECTROMENAGER
Furniture les meubles /mœbl/ Appliances l'électroménager /elɛktʀomenaʒe/
Shelf l'étagère (f) /etaʒɛʀ/ Thermostat le thermostat /tɛʀmɔsta/
Desk le bureau /byʀo/ Air Conditioner le climatiseur /klimatizœʀ/
Chair la chaise /ʃɛz/ Fan le ventilateur /vɑ�tilatœʀ/
Dresser la commode /kɔmɔd/ Rocking chair le fauteuil à bascule /fotœjabaskyl/
Curtain le rideau /ʀido/ Stool le tabouret /tabuʀɛ/
Curtain rod la tringle /tʀɛ�gl/ Cushion le coussin /kusɛ�/
Shutters les volets (m) /vɔlɛ/ Carpet la moquette /mɔkɛt/
Blinds les stores (m) /stɔʀ/ Mixer / Beater le batteur électrique /batœʀelɛktʀik/
Window la fenêtre /fənɛtʀ/ Blender le mixeur /miksœʀ/
Bed le lit / le plumard /li/ /plymaʀ/ Can opener l'ouvre-boîtes (m) /uvʀəbwat/
Door la porte /pɔʀt/ Toaster le grille-pain /gʀijpɛ�/
Closet le placard /plakaʀ/ Coffee maker la cafétière /kaftjɛʀ/
Rug le tapis /tapi/ Coffee press le moulin à café /mulɛ� na kafe/
Lamp la lampe /lɑ�p/ Kettle la bouilloire /bujwaʀ/
Nightstand la table de nuit /tabldənɥi/ Sheet le drap /dʀa/
Answering machine
le répondeur /ʀepɔ�dœʀ/ Blanket la couverture /kuvɛʀtyʀ/
Stereo la chaîne hi fi /ʃɛn i fi/ Mattress le matelas /matla/
Television la télé(vision) /televizjɔ�/ Bunkbeds les lits superposés (m) /lisypɛʀpoze/
VCR le magnétoscope /maɲetɔskɔp/ Lightswitch l'interrupteur (m) /ɛ�teʀyptœʀ/
Remote Control la télécommande /telekɔmɑ�d/ Lampshade l'abat-jour (m) /abaʒuʀ/
Computer l'ordinateur (m) /ɔʀdinatœʀ/ Faucet le robinet /ʀɔbinɛ/
Radio la radio /ʀadjo/ Drain/Piping la canalisation /kanalizasjɔ�/
Fridge le frigo /fʀigo/ Towel bar le porte-serviettes /pɔʀtsɛʀvjɛt/
Refrigerator le réfrigérateur /ʀefʀiʒeʀatœʀ/ Laundry room la buanderie /bɥɑ�dʀi/
Freezer le congélateur /kɔ�ʒelatœʀ/ Bleach la javel /ʒavɛl/
(Coffee) Table la table (basse) /tabl bas/ Laundry basket le panier à linge /panje a lɛ�ʒ/
Sink l'évier (m) /evje/ Clothespin la pince à linge /pɛ�s a lɛ�ʒ/
Bathtub la baignoire /bɛɲwaʀ/Washing Machine
la machine à laver / le lave-linge
/maʃinalave/ /lavlɛ�ʒ/
Stove la cuisinière /kɥizinjɛʀ/ Clothes Dryer le sèche-linge /sɛʃlɛ�ʒ/
Oven le four /fuʀ/ Iron le fer à repasser /fɛʀaʀəpase/
Dishwasher le lave-vaisselle /lavvɛsɛl/ Ironing board la planche à repasser /plɑ�ʃaʀəpase/
Microwave le four à micro- /fuʀamikʀoɔ�d/ Hanger le cintre /sɛ�tʀ/
Shower la douche /duʃ/ Vacuum l'aspirateur (m) /aspiʀatœʀ/
Pillow l'oreiller /ɔʀɛje/ Broom le balai /balɛ/
Mirror le miroir /miʀwaʀ/ Dustpan la pelle /pɛl/
Ceiling le plafond /plafɔ�/ Mop la serpillière /sɛʀpijɛʀ/
Floor le plancher /plɑ�ʃe/ Garbage les ordures (f) /ɔʀdyʀ/
Armchair le fauteuil /fotœj/ Garbage bag le sac poubelle /sakpubɛl/
Clock la pendule /pɑ�dyl/ Garbage can la poubelle /pubɛl/
Bedspread le couvre-lit /kuvʀəli/ Flyswatter la tapette à mouche /tapɛtamuʃ/
Vase le vase /vɑz/ Clothes Dryer le séchoir /seʃwaʀ/
Bathroom sink le lavabo /lavabo/ Hair Dryer le sèche-cheveux /seʃaʃəvø/
Futon couch le clic-clac /klik klak/ Couch/Sofa le canapé / le sofa /kanape/ /sɔfa/
DVD Player le lecteur de DVD /lɛktœʀdədevede/
Monte le son. / Baisse le son. Turn up the volume. / Turn down the volume.Allume la lumière. / Eteinds la télé. Turn on the light. / Turn off the television.
47. COMPARATIVES & SUPERLATIVES
Comparatives
aussi (adj or adv) que as (adj or adv) as
moins (adj or adv) que less (adj or adv) than
plus (adj or adv) que more (adj or adv) than
plus de (noun) que more (noun) than
autant de (noun) que as many (noun) as
moins de (noun) que less (noun) than
Sample Sentences
She is taller than Colette. Elle est plus grande que Colette.
I am smarter than you. Je suis plus intelligente que toi.
Peter runs less quickly than me.Pierre court moins rapidement quemoi.
The kitchen is as big as the living room.
La cuisine est aussi grande que le salon.
I have more books than she. J'ai plus de livres qu'elle.
We have as many cars as he.Nous avons autant de voitures que lui.
Verbs can also be compared with plus/aussi/moins (+ que):
Il travaille moins qu'elle. He works less than she.Ils dorment plus. They sleep more.
SuperlativesSimply add le, la or les before the comparative if you are using an adjective. With adverbs, always use le. After a superlative, de is used to mean in. If the adjective follows the noun, the superlative follows the noun also, surrounding the adjective.
Sample Sentences
It's the biggest city in the world. C'est la plus grande ville du monde.
She is the most beautiful woman in this room.
Elle est la plus belle femme de cette salle.
This neighborhood is the least expensive in Paris.
Ce quartier est le moins cher de Paris.
It's the most dreaded punishment in C'est la punition la plus
hooded jacket l'anorak slipper shoes des chaussons
sneakers des baskets high heels des escarpins
track suit le jogging long shorts le bermuda
size (clothes) la taille size (shoes) la pointure
Les bas (stockings) and les collants (tights) are popular in France. Chaussures à talons hauts are high-heeled shoes, while chaussures à talons plats are flat shoes. Chaussures de ville are dress shoes. A slang word forclothes is les fringues.
Other verbs that are conjugated like mettre: promettre - to promise and permettre - to permit. The past participle of mettre is mis and it is conjugated with avoir.
Porter is actually the verb to wear, but the French use mettre also.
Il / Elle te va bien. It looks good on you. (informal)
Il / Elle vous va bien. It looks good on you. (formal)
Ils / Elles te vont bien. They look good on you. (informal)
Ils / Elles vous vont bien. They look good on you. (formal)
51. FUTURE TENSES: SIMPLE AND ANTERIOR
The futur simple expresses an action that will take place [will + infinitive]. The futur antérieur expresses an action that will have taken place before another future action [will have + past participle]. The future tense is used just like it is in English, however, in French, the future is always used after quand or lorsque (when), dès que or aussitôt que (as soon as) and tant que (as long as.)
To form the future tense, use the infinitive and add these endings that resemble those of avoir. However, you drop the -e from -re verbs.
Other exceptions: For appeler and jeter, double the consonant. For nettoyer and payer, change the y to i. For acheter, add an accent grave. For préférer, the accents all remain the same.
To form the futur antérieur (will have + past participle), use the future of either avoir or être (whichever the main verb takes) and the past participle of the main verb.
Quand ils reviendront, ils auront changé. When they come back, they will have changed.Dès qu'ils seront revenus, ils voudront repartir. As soon as they have returned, they will want to leave again.
52. PRECEDING & PLURAL ADJECTIVES
Masculine Feminine
Adjective Singular Plural Singular Plural
beautiful beau (bel) beaux belle belles
good bon bons bonne bonnes
dear cher chers chère chères
crazy fou (fol) foux folle folles
nice gentil gentils gentille gentilles
big grand grands grande grandes
large gros gros grosse grosses
young jeune jeunes jeune jeunes
pretty joli jolis jolie jolies
long long longs longue longues
bad mauvais mauvais mauvaise mauvaises
better, best meilleur meilleurs meilleure meilleures
soft mou (mol) moux molle molles
new nouveau (nouvel) nouveaux nouvelle nouvelles
little petit petits petite petites
old vieux (vieil) vieux vieille vieilles
The masculine singular and plural are pronounced the same, as are the feminine singular and plural. These are the most common adjectives that go before the noun. An acronym to remember which ones go before the noun is BRAGS: Beauty, Resemblance (même and autre), Age/Order (premier and dernier), Goodness, and Size. All other adjectives, except numbers, go after the noun. The five words in
parentheses (bel, fol, mol, nouvel, and vieil) are used before masculine singular words beginning with a vowel or a silent h.
A few adjectives can be used before or after the noun, and the meaning changes accordingly. When used before the noun, they take a figurative meaning; and when used after, they take a literal meaning.
Before plural adjectives preceding plural nouns, you use de instead of des to mean some. Ex: Some old monuments. De vieux monuments.
53. ADJECTIVES: FORMATION OF FEMININE
Almost all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify. Most adjectives are given in the masculine form, so to change to the feminine forms, follow these rules:
Masculine Feminine Adjective
Add -e brun brune brown
fatigué fatiguée tired
If it already ends in -e, add nothing jeune jeune young
-x changes to -se généreux généreuse generous
Exceptions: faux fausse false
roux rousse red (hair)
doux douce sweet, soft
-il, -el, and -eil change to -ille, -elle, and -eille
naturel naturelle natural
-et changes to -ète inquiet inquiète worried
Exceptions: muet muette silent
coquet coquette stylish
-en and -on change to -enne and -onne
Italien Italienne Italian
-er changes to -ère cher chère dear, expensive
-f changes to -ve actif active active
-c changes to -che blanc blanche white
Exceptions: public publique public
grec grecque Greek
-g changes to -gue long longue long
-eur changes to -euse if adjective is derived from verb
menteur menteuse liar
-eur changes to -rice if adjective is not same as verb
créateur créatrice creator
-eur changes to -eure with adjectives of comparison
inférieur inférieure inferior
And a few completely irregular ones:
épais épaisse thick
favori favorite favorite
frais fraîche fresh, cool
54. FORMING PLURALS: ADJECTIVES
To form the feminine plural, just add an -s, unless it already ends in an s, then add nothing. To form the masculine plural, just add an -s, except in these cases: -al becomes -aux (exceptions: banal - banals; final - finals); and if it ends in an x or s already, add nothing.
And of course there are more exceptions... some adjectives are invariable and do not have feminine or plural forms. Compound adjectives, such as bleu clair (light blue) and vert foncé (dark green), adjectives that are also nouns, such as or (gold), argent (silver), marron (chestnut), and the words chic (stylish), bon marché or meilleur marché(inexpensive) never change.
55. MORE ADJECTIVES
short (length) court/e different différent/e boring ennuyeux/euse
generous généreux/euse angry fâché/e pleasant agréable
famous célèbre annoyed irrité/e enthusiastic enthousiaste
decorated décoré/e old âgé/e honest honnête
Remember the first word is the masculine and the second is the feminine. The addition of an e for the feminine form allows the last consonant to be voiced. These adjectives go after the noun.
Normally, the verb rendre means to give something that you owe to someone, such as On rend ses devoirs au professeur. It can also be used in the sense of to represent. But rendre + adjective means to make someone or something + adjective.
Tu me rends si heureuse ! You make me so happy!Le fait qu'il ne possède pas de voiture le rend triste. The fact that he doesn't have a car makes him sad.
Some common slang adjectives that are used constantly in everyday speech:
chouette great, good minable mediocrecon / conne stupid, dumb moche ugly, unpleasantdébile idiotic sensass sensationaldégueu(lasse) disgusting, bad super marvellousextra extraordinary sympa nice, pleasantgénial very interesting tarte inaneimpec perfect tocard ridiculous, deplorable
The intensifiers vachement and drôlement are also used often, meaning very or really.
Il est vachement sympa. = He is really nice.Elle est drôlement triste. = She is very sad.
Listen to the le caractère : une jeune fille très heureuse mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
56. PROBLEM VERBS
Some verbs in French present problems because they have several translations in English. Other verbs can have several translations in French, but fewer meanings in English.
visiter - to visit placesrendre visite à - to visit people
apporter - to bring things to some placeemporter - to take things from some placeamener - to bring someone to some placeemmener - to take someone from some place
apprendre quelque chose - to learn somethingapprendre quelque chose à quelqu'un - to teach someone something
rencontrer - to meetfaire la connaissance de - to meet someone for the first timeretrouver - to meet (for an appointment)
partir - to leave (from or for a place)quitter - to leave (a person or place)sortir - to go outs'en aller - to go awaylaisser - to leave something behind
retourner - to go back (to where speaker is not)revenir - to come back (to where speaker currently is)rentrer - to come or go home rendre - to return or give something back
faire - to makefabriquer - to produceobliger - to make someone do somethingrendre - to make someone + adjective
► After some verbs, the word ne is required, but this does not imply negation: craindre, redoûter, empêcherJe crains qu'il ne fasse trop froid. I'm afraid that it's too cold.
► And a few verbs only require ne and not pas in the negative, but this is elevated or literary language: cesser, oser, pouvoir, savoirJe ne peux vivre sans toi. I cannot live without you.
57. C'EST / IL EST + ADJECTIVE + A / DE + INFINITIVE
C'est + adjective + à + infinitive is used when the idea has already been mentioned; while il est + adjective + de + infinitive is used when the idea has not yet been mentioned. Also, the c'est construction is used when you do not use a direct object after the infinitive of the transitive verb, and the il est construction is used when you do.
Est-ce qu'on peut apprendre le chinois en un an ? Can you learn Chinese in one year?Non, c'est impossible à apprendre en un an ! No, it's impossible to learn in one year! (The idea, Chinese, has already been mentioned, and there is no direct object.)OR:Non, il est impossible d'apprendre le chinois en un an ! (This sentence contains the direct object after the infinitive.)
Il est facile d'apprendre l'italien. It is easy to learn Italian. (The idea has not already been mentioned, and the direct object is used.)
► Adjectives that express a certain emotion require de before the infinitive: content, désolé, furieux, heureux, tristeJe suis contente de vous voir. I am happy to see you.
► Other adjectives require à before the infinitive: agréable, pénible, terrible, amusant, intéressant, ennuyeux, léger, lourd, lent, rapide, premier, dernier, prêt, seulIl est prêt à partir. He is ready to leave.
A longer list of adjectives that require à or de before an infinitive can be found at 91. on French V.
► In addition, when quelque chose is followed by an adjective, de is inserted between the two. quelque chose d'intéressant = something interesting
58. SPORTS & INSTRUMENTS
Soccer le football Softball le softball
Hockey le hockey Golf le golf
Football le football américain Bicycling le vélo
Basketball le basket Surfing le surf
Baseball le base-ball Dirt/Motor biking le bicross
Horse-back riding l'équitation; du cheval French horn le cor d'harmonie
Tennis le tennis violin le violon
Skiing le ski guitar la guitare
Volleyball le volley drum le tambour
Wrestling la lutte / le catch tuba le tuba
Jogging le jogging flute la flûte
Ice-skating le patin à glace trombone le trombone
Swimming la natation clarinet la clarinette
Track and Field l'athlétisme cello le violoncelle
Bowling le bowling harp la harpe
La lutte is regular wrestling (the real Greco-Roman sport), while le catch is professional/fake wrestling.
Faire de + a sport means to play. Jouer à + a sport also means to play, as does jouer de + an instrument.
Tu fais du foot. You play soccer.J'aime jouer au tennis. I like to play tennis.Je peux jouer de la guitare. I can play the guitar.Nous jouons de la clarinette. We play the clarinet.Il veut jouer du tuba. He wants to play the tuba.
Listen to the les sports: la pétanque mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
59. NATURE
air l'air (m) frost la gelée rose la rose
archipelago l'archipel (m) grass l'herbe (f) sand le sable
bank la rive gulf le golfe sea la mer
bay la baie hail la grêle shadow l'ombre (f)
barn la grange hay le foin sky le ciel
beach la plage high tide la marée haute snow la neige
branch la branche hill la colline soil la terre
bridge le pont ice la glace south le sud
bud le bouton island I'île (f) spring (water) la source
bush le buisson isthmus l'isthme star l'étoile (f)
cape le cap jungle la jungle stem la tige
cave la caverne lake le lac storm l'orage (f) / la tempête
climate le climat light la lumière stream le ruisseau
cloud le nuage lightning l'éclair (m) street la rue
coast la côte lily le lis sun le soleil
comet la comète low tide la marée basse sunflower le tournesol
constellation la constellation meadow le pré thaw la fonte
country le pays moon la lune thunder le tonnerre
country(side) la campagne mountain la montagne tornado la tornade
current le courant mountain range la chaîne de montagnes tree l'arbre (m)
daffodil la jonquille mouth (river) l'embouchure (f) trunk le tronc
daisy la marguerite mud la vase tulip la tulipe
darkness l'obscurité (f) nature la nature valley la vallée
desert le désert north le nord view la vue
dew la rosée peninsula la péninsule water l'eau (f)
dust la poussière plain la plaine fresh water l'eau douce
earth la terre planet la planète salt water l'eau salée
east l'est (m) plant la plante watering can l'arrosoir (m)
farm la ferme pond l'étang (m) waterfall la cascade
field le champ pot (for plants) le pot de fleurs wave la vague / l'onde (f)
flower la fleur rain la pluie weather le temps
foam l'écume (f) rainbow l'arc-en-ciel (m) west l'ouest (m)
fog le brouillard river le fleuve wind le vent
foliage le feuillage rock le rocher world le monde
forest la forêt root la racine
60. TO LIVE
vivre - to live, be alive (vee-vruh)
Present Imperfect Futurevis vivons vivais vivions vivrai vivrons vis vivez vivais viviez vivras vivrez vit vivent vivait vivaient vivra vivront
The past participle of vivre is vécu and it is conjugated with avoir. Habiter is another verb that means to live, but it means to live in a place. Vivre is used to mean the state of being alive. A subjunctive form of vivre, vive, is often used in exclamations.
Vive la France ! Long live France!
Go on to French IV →
61. PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Disjunctives
You have already learned the subject pronouns. They go before the conjugated verb forms. The Direct and Indirect Object pronouns go before the verb even though in English they go after it. They also go after the ne in a negative sentence and right before the verb. The disjunctive always go after prepositions, or can be used alone for emphasis.
Sample Sentences:
J'achète des pantalons. I buy some pants.
Je les achète. I buy them.
Je vous donne la boîte. I give the box to you.
Je vous la donne. I give it to you.
Après toi. After you. (familiar)
Nous allons avec elle. We go with her.
Il ne la quitte pas. He doesn't leave her.
Il la quitte. He leaves her.
Je t'aime. or Je vous aime. I love you.
Elle ne l'aime pas. She doesn't love him.
When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or les, then lui or leur. Me, te, le,and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a vowel, the same way je does. In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected with a hyphen. And the pronoun order changes a little too: Le, la, or les come first; then moi, toi,(Me and te become moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur.
If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after the ne and before the form ofavoir in negative sentences.
Nous lui avons parlé. We spoke to him/her.
Vous en avez écouté trois. You've listened to three of them.
Je t'ai demandé du pain. I asked you for some bread.
Il ne l'a pas aimé. He didn't like it/her/him.
Tu n'y as pas habité. You didn't live there.
Je ne vous ai pas parlé. I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.
Nous ne l'avons pas fini. We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.
In the passé composé with avoir, direct object pronouns only must agree in gender and number with the past participle.
Je les ai aimés. I liked them.
Il l'a regardée. He watched her.
Elles nous ont écouté(e)s. They listened to us.
Add an e if the pronoun is feminine, and an s if it is plural. The l' could mean him or her, so you might not need to put the extra e on the past participle. The same for nous and vous. They must have an s because they are plural, but it is unclear as to whether they are masculine or feminine.
stomach / belly l'estomac / le ventre le buffet / le bide
butt les fesses les miches
body le corps
hip la hanche
leg la jambe
knee le genou
foot le pied le penard / les arpions
toes les orteils
ankle la cheville
thigh la cuisse
shin le tibia
calf le mollet
thumb le pouce
nails les ongles
tattoo le tatouage
piercing le piercing
blond blond/e
brunette brun/e
red-head roux/rousse
light brown châtain
► To say something hurts or that you have an ache, you can use avoir mal à (body part):
J'ai mal à la tête. I have a headache.J'ai mal à l'estomac. I have a stomach ache.Elle a mal au bras. Her arm hurts.Tu as mal au genou? Your knee hurts?Il a mal aux orteils. His toes hurt.
However, if someone is causing you pain, use faire mal (to hurt) plus the indirect pronoun.
Tu me fais mal. You're hurting me.Ne lui faites pas mal. Don't hurt him / her.
► When describing hair color or eye color, you use blonds, châtain, bruns, roux for hair; and bleus, verts, marron, noirs for eyes. Notice that châtain and marron do not agree in gender or number.
Elle a les cheveux roux. Elle est rousse. She has red hair. She is a red-head.Il a les yeux marron. He has brown eyes.
Combien mésures-tu ? / Combien fais-tu ? How tall are you?Combien pèses-tu ? How much do you weigh?Je fais 1m60. I am 1 m 60 cm.Je pèse 50 kilos. I weigh 50 kilos.
Listen to the l'apparence physique : un copain à moi mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
63. ASKING QUESTIONS 1) Invert the subject and verb form and add a hyphen. Instead of Vous parlez anglais? use Parlez-vous anglais? But if you invert il, elle, or on, you must put a t between the verb form (if it ends in a vowel) and the subject for ease of pronunciation. Parle-il anglais? is incorrect and must become Parle-t-il anglais? And je is usually only inverted with pouvoir or devoir. However, if je is inverted with pouvoir, you don't use peux, but puis. Puis-je ? (pweezh) is Can I?
2) Add n'est-ce pas ? (ness pah) to the end of the sentence. It is equivalent to isn't it, don't you, aren't we, won't you, etc.
3) If the question requires a yes or no answer, put Est-ce que (ess kuh) at the beginning. It contracts to Est-ce qu'before a word beginning with a vowel, such as elle, il or on. You can also use interrogative words (quand, comment, où, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence and then add est-ce que.
4) With interrogative words, you can also use inversion: Quand tes parents partent-ils en vacances ? Or you can use an interrogative with est-ce que and normal word order: Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes ici ?
5) Quel / Quelle / Quels / Quelles (which, what) agrees with the noun it modifies. It precedes the noun or the verb être, it may follow a preposition, and it can be used with inversion or with est-ce que. Quelle est la date ? A quelle heure partez-vous ? Quels bagages est-ce que vous prenez ? Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in exclamatory sentences. Quel beau jour ! / Quelle belle journée ! What a beautiful day!
6) With negative questions, negative expressions remain in their usual place (i.e. around the verb, or verb and subject if inverted). Tu ne travailles pas ? Est-ce que te ne travailles pas ? Ne travailles-tu pas ? Pourquoi n'as-tu pastravaillé ?
► Asking Questions with the Passé ComposéOnly the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the subject pronoun are inverted. The past participle follows.A-t-il été surpris ? Was he surprised? T'es-tu amusé ? Did you have fun?
Direct ObjectQui est-ce queQui est-ce que tu as vu?
QuiQui as-tu vu?
Whom did you see?
Object of PrepositionPreposition + qui est-ce queA qui est-ce que tu as parlé?
Preposition + quiA qui as-tu parlé?
Whom did you speak to?
To ask about things:
Long Form Short Form Translation
SubjectQu'est-ce quiQu'est-ce qui est arrivé?
No short form What happened?
Direct ObjectQu'est-ce queQu'est-ce que tu as fait?
QueQu'as-tu fait?
What did you do?
Object of PrepositionPreposition + quoi est-ce queDe quoi est-ce que tu as parlé?
Preposition + quoiDe quoi as-tu parlé?
What did you talk about?
► Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:a. With qui and quoi, inversion pattern is regular.Qui Marie a-t-elle vu? Whom did Marie see?De quoi Marc a-t-il besoin? What does Marc need?
b. With que, the noun subject must be inverted directly.Que veut Jean? What does Jean want?Que font les autres? What are the others doing?
c. However, if the sentence contains more than a subject and verb, or if the verb is in a compound tense (such as the passé composé), the short form is not used.Qu'est-ce que Luc veut faire aujourd'hui? What does Luc want to do today?Qu'est-ce que les autres ont fait? What did the others do?
► Verb Agreement:a. Interrogative pronouns are usually masculine singular.Les voitures font du bruit. Qu'est-ce qui fait du bruit? Cars make noise. What makes noise?Les enfants sont arrivés. Qui est arrivé? The children arrived. Who arrived?
b. Exception: when qui is followed by a conjugated form of être, the verbs agrees with the noun that follows.Qui étaient Les Trois Mousquetaires? Who were the three Musketeers?
► Qu'est-ce que (or qui) vs. Quel:a. Qu'est-ce que c'est que is used to ask for a definition, and quel asks for specific information.Qu'est-ce que c'est que le camembert? What is "camembert"?Quel est le problème? What is the problem?
b. When followed by a conjugated form of être, quel is used if être is followed by a noun and qu'est-ce qui is used if être is followed by anything other than a noun.Quelle est la date? What is the date?Qu'est-ce qui est bon? What is good?
► Written vs. Spoken French with Questions
In spoken French, inversion and the use of est-ce que are usually dropped, but they must be used in written French. Additionally, some forms are contracted or the word order may differ. It's also very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui.
Written forms Spoken forms TranslationParlez-vous français ?Est-ce que vous parlez français ?
Vous parlez français ? Do you speak French?
Comment l'avez-vous appris ?Comment est-ce que vous l'avez appris ?
Vous l'avez appris comment ? How did you learn it?
Quand es-tu arrivé ? Quand t'es arrivé ? When did you arrive?
Quand est-ce que tu es arrivé ? T 'es arrivé quand ?De quoi parlent-ils ?De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent ?
De quoi ils parlent ?Ils parlent de quoi ?
What are they talking about?
Pourquoi me regardes-tu ?Pourquoi est-ce que tu me regardes ?
Pourquoi tu me regardes ?Why are you looking at me?
Qui t'a dit ça ?Qui est-ce qui t'a dit ça ?
Qui c'est qui t'a dit ça? Who told you that?
65. FORMS OF LEQUEL
Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies. It expresses Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition).
Adjective Pronoun
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Masculine Quel livre lis-tu? Quels livres lis-tu? Lequel lis-tu? Lesquels lis-tu?
Feminine Quelle page lis-tu? Quelles pages lis-tu? Laquelle lis-tu? Lesquelles lis-tu?
Lequel contracts with à and de in the plural and masculine singular forms:
Singular Plural
Masculineà + lequel = auquel à + lesquels = auxquels
de + lequel = duquel de + lesquels = desquels
Feminineà + laquelle = à laquelle à + lesquelles = auxquelles
de + laquelle = de laquelle de + lesquelles = desquelles
Voilà le portrait sans retouche de l'homme auquel j'appartiens. - That's the unaltered portrait of the man to which I belong. [Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose] Et des amours desquelles nous parlons. - And the loves about which we talk. [by Jean-Denis Bredin]
► You can also use another preposition + form of lequel to translate preposition + which: on which, to which, in which, etc.
La table sur laquelle j'ai mis la bouteille est là-bas. - The table on which I put the bottle is over there.Le bâtiment dans lequel j'habite est très vieux. - The building in which I live is very old.
66. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Relative pronouns join sentences together. These words signal a relative clause which explains the noun, called the antecedent. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause (a verb immediately follows), use qui. If the relative pronoun is the direct object of the clause (subject + verb follows), use que. If the verb of the dependent clause requires the preposition de, use dont to replace it. Also use dont to mean whose. Qui, que, and dont can all mean that or who, depending on the sentence. If the antecedent is a place or time, use où to mean where or when. When there is no specific antecedent, ce is added as an artificial one before que, qui or dont; but it can refer to only things, not people. Ce qui, ce que and ce dont generally mean what.
Je mange des choses qui sont bonnes. I eat things that are good. qui is subject
Je mange des choses que j'aime. I eat things that I like. que is object
C'est ce que je disais. That's what I said. no antecedent
La femme dont le mari est mort...The woman whose husband is dead...
whose
Voici ce dont j'ai besoin. Here is what I need. avoir besoin is followed by de
C'est un restaurant où on sert du poisson. It's a restaurant where they serve restaurant is a place
Dont can also be translated as including or of which. Sept morts, dont 6 civils, dans l'attentat. Seven dead, including six civilians, in the attack.
► After verbs of declaration or opinion (dire, affirmer, prétendre, jurer, déclarer, reconnaître, avouer, penser, croire), you do not need to use a relative pronoun or to repeat the subject. As long as the subject is the same in both clauses, you can replace que + subject + conjugated verb with the infinitive.
Je pense que je peux le faire. = Je pense pouvoir le faire. I think that I can do it.Elle dit qu'elle le connais. = Elle dit le connaître. She says that she knows him.Vous avouez que vous avez menti. = Vous avouez avoir menti. You admit that you lied.
67. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
Demonstrative pronouns translate to the one(s), or that/those when replacing a noun. There are four forms, but they are not often used alone. De, qui, que, dont and -ci or -là usually follow them.
Masc. Fem.
Singular celui celle
Plural ceux celles
Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume. Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the one of William)Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa sœur. He is carrying his own books and his sister's. (or: those of his sister)Quelles fleurs aimes-tu, celles-ci ou celles-là? Which flowers do you like, these (ones) or those (ones)?Ceux qui travaillent dur réussissent. Those who work hard succeed.C'est celui dont je parle. That's the one I'm talking about.
The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that) and ça (this/that) refer to indefinite things or ideas.
J'aime ça. I like that.Prenez ceci. Take this.
68. TO READ, TO SAY / TELL, & TO LAUGH
lire-to read dire-to say/tell rire-to laugh
lis lisons dis disons ris rions
lis lisez dis dites ris riez
lit lisent dit disent rit rient
The past participles are: lu, dit and ri, and all three are conjugated with avoir.
69. DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS
1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only replace people, not things. However, if the preposition is à, there are two possible rules:
à + person = indirect pronoun
à + person + à = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases:
2. They can also be used alone, to emphasize a subject, with être à (to belong to) or in compound subjects.
Moi, j'ai faim. Me, I am hungry.Ses amis et lui, ils aiment manger. His friends and he, they like to eat.Ce livre est à moi ! That book is mine!
3. They can be added to -même to mean -self.
elle-même = herself
4. They are also used with ne...que.
Ce n'est que lui. It's only him.
70. Y & EN
Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb. Y (ee) means it or there. En (awn) means some or some (of them),or of it. They replace prepositional phrases. In French, the phrases will begin with à (or any contraction of it), en, sur, sous, chez, devant, derrière, dans, etc. for y; and de (or any contraction of it) or a number for en. They cannot replace people unless the person is introduced with an indefinite article, partitive, number or quantity. Sometimes y anden have no direct translation in English. Remember that they go before the verb, except in a command, in which they follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen. The -er verbs also add the -s they lost when forming the you (familiar) command.
Sample Sentences
Do you want some apples? Voulez-vous des pommes?
Do you want some? En voulez-vous?
I have three sisters. J'ai trois sœurs.
I have three (of them). J'en ai trois.
It is in the drawer Il est dans le tiroir.
It is there. Il y est.
I am going to Detroit. Je vais à Détroit.
I am going there. J'y vais.
I am going to go to Atlanta. Je vais aller à Atlanta.
I am going to go there. Je vais y aller.
Answer the telephone! Répondez au téléphone !
Answer it! (formal) Répondez-y !
Stay there! (familiar) Restes-y !
Don't stay there! (familiar) N'y reste pas.
Y and en can also replace a phrase or clause, especially with verbs that require à or de after them:
I think a lot about these stories. Je réfléchis beaucoup à ces histoires.
I think about them a lot. J'y réfléchis beaucoup.
He obeyed the rules. Il a obéi aux règles.
He obeyed them. Il y a obéi.
We don't need this book. On n'a pas besoin de ce livre.
We don't need it. On n'en a pas besoin.
She's using the computer. Elle se sert de l'ordinateur.
She's using it. Elle s'en sert.
Notice y and en don't go after the verb in negative commands. Treat them like pronouns. Ne or Je plus y or en all contract to N'y, J'y, N'en, and J'en. When you have a conjugated verb plus an infinitive (vais and aller), the y or en go in between the two verbs.
Verbs take a direct object if they do not need a preposition to connect it to the noun. Verbs that take indirect objects use prepositions after the verb. Voir-to see (vwahr) and croire-to believe (krwahr) take a direct and écrire-to write (ay-kreer) takes an indirect.
voit voient (vwah) croit croient (krwah) écrit écrivent (ay-kreev)
The past participles are: vu, cru, and écrit.
You can sometimes tell if a verb takes a direct or indirect object by using the verbs in English. We say "I see her" or "She believes him" or "He writes to them." In French, it would be "Je la vois" (direct), "Elle le croit" (direct) and "Il leur écrit." (indirect) But don't always count on English to help you out. Téléphoner (à) and obéir (à) both take indirect objects in French but you can't tell that in English. In this case, you can tell by the à that follows the infinitive.
Writing Vocabulary
writing l'écriture (f) question markle point d'interrogation
"at" sign (@)
l'arobase (f)
punctuation la ponctuation exclamation pointle point d'exclamation
asterisk l'astérisque (m)
period le point quotation marks les guillemets (m) brackets le crochetcomma la virgule parentheses la parenthèse slash la barrecolon les deux points (m) apostrophe l'apostrophe (f) uppercase majusculesemi-colon le point-virgule hyphen le trait d'union lowercase minuscule
When typing in French, you must leave an extra space before a punctuation mark that has two components, such as a colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.
72. ANIMALS
ant la fourmi giraffe la girafe pig le cochon
antelope l'antilope goat la chèvre pigeon le pigeon
antenna l'antenne goose l'oie (f) pike le brochet
bat la chauve-souris gorilla le gorille pony le poney
beak le bec grasshopper la sauterelle puppy le chiot
bear l'ours (m) hamster le hamster rabbit le lapin
bee l'abeille (f) hare le lièvre raccoon le raton laveur
bird l'oiseau (m) hen la poule rat le rat
blackbird le merle herring la hareng rooster le coq
bull le taureau hoof le sabot salmon le saumon
butterfly le papillon horn la corne scale l'écaille (f)
calf le veau horse le cheval scorpion le scorpion
cat le chat hummingbird le colibri sea gull la mouette
caterpillar la chenille iguana l'iguane seal le phoque
cheetah le guépard insect l'insecte (m) shark le requin
chicken le poulet jellyfish la méduse sheep le mouton
chimpanzee le chimpanzé kitten le chaton shrimp la crevette
claw la griffe ladybug la coccinelle slug la limace
cockroach la cafard lamb l'agneau (m) snail l'escargot (m)
cod la morue lark l'alouette (f) snake le serpent
cocoon le cocon lion le lion sparrow le moineau
cow la vache lizard le lézard spider l'araignée (f)
crab le crabe lobster (spiny) la langouste squid le calamar
crayfish l'écrevisse (f) louse le pou squirrel l'écureuil (m)
crocodile le crocodile mackerel le maquereau starfish l'étoile de mer
crow le corbeau mole la taupe swallow l'hirondelle (f)
deer le cerf monkey le singe swan le cygne
dog le chien mosquito le moustique tadpole le têtard
donkey l'âne (m) moth le papillon de nuit tail la queue
dragonfly la libellule mouse la souris tiger le tigre
duck le canard mule le mulet toad le crapaud
eagle l'aigle (m) mussel la moule trout la truite
eel l'anguille (f) nest le nid tuna le thon
elephant l'éléphant (m) nightingale le rossignol turkey le dindon
feather la plume octopus la pieuvre turtle la tortue
fin la nageoire ostrich l'autruche wasp la guêpe
fish le poisson owl le hibou weasel la belette
flea la puce ox le bœuf whale la baleine
fly la mouche oyster l'huître (f) wing l'aile (f)
fox le renard parrot le perroquet wolf le loup
frog la grenouille partridge la perdrix worm le ver
gill la branchie penguin le pingouin zebra le zèbre
sit assis to bark aboyer
lie down couche-toi to growl grogner
shake donne la patte to pant haleter
dog/cat food les croquettes to whine/whimper gémir
leash la laisse to drool baver
collar le collier to meow miauler
to take/let dog out sortir le chien to scratch griffer
to climb on grimper sur to pounce on se jeter sur
73. PLAIRE & MANQUER
plaire-to please, enjoy manquer-to miss, be lacking
plais plaisons manque manquons
plais plaisez manques manquez
plaît plaisent manque manquent
The past participle of plaire is plu. To say that someone likes something, you have to switch the subject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or someone pleases." As a reflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere. Faire plaisir à can also be used to mean "to delight or to like."
Cette chienne plaît à Dominique. Dominique likes this dog. (Literally: This dog is pleasing to Dominique.)Ça t'a plu? Did you like it?Ils se plaisent à Londres. They enjoy being in London.Cela me fait plaisir de vous revoir. I am happy to see you again.
Manquer has several meanings: to miss, to lack, or to regret the absence (miss). The last meaning uses inverted word order just like plaire. Manquer à means "to fail to do."
Elle a manqué le train. She missed the train.Vous manquez de courage. You lack courage.Tu me manques. I miss you. (Literally: You are missing to me)Ils ont manqué aux devoirs. They failed to do the homework.
This compound tense is used for flashbacks or anything that had happened before the time of the narration. It's formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or être and the past participle of the main verb. This tense is comparable to the passé composé.
Imperfect of avoir or être
avais avions étais étions
avais aviez étais étiez + past participle
avait avaient était étaient
Je n'avais pas fini mon travail quand il est arrivé. I had not finished my work when he arrived.Vous aviez faim parce que vous n'aviez pas du tout mangé. You were hungry because you hadn't eaten at all.Nous avions manqué le rendez-vous parce que le bus était en retard. We had missed the meeting because the bus was late.
75. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or something.
someone/body quelqu'un each chacun(e)
somethingquelque chose (de + adjective)
not one, none
aucun(e)
some quelques-uns / quelques-unes anything n'importe quoi
somewhere quelque part anyone n'importe qui
several plusieurs anywhere n'importe où
some...others certains...d'autres any time n'importe quand
another un(e) autre nowhere nulle part
Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every). Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a noun, while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun.
76. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used rather than the indicative. The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the word que. The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a different subject from the dependent clause. If the two subjects are the same, the infinitive is used.
Je doute que Marc soit là. I doubt that Marc is here. (shows judgment and opinion)Je veux venir. NOT: Je veux que je vienne. (use infinitive, same subject)
To form the subjunctive, use the ils/elles form of the present indicative tense. This is also the form for the ils/elles form of the subjunctive. For je, tu, il/elle, drop the -ent and add -e, -es, and -e. Nous and vous use the imperfect forms.
These verbs and conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive:
Verbs Verbal Expressions Conjunctions
douter il faut que avant que
suggérer il vaut mieux que pour / afin que
vouloir il est important que jusqu'à ce que
proposer il se peut que à moins que
avoir peur il est possible que bien que / quoique
regretter il est temps que sans que
craindre c'est dommage que en attendant que
être content(e)/triste/désolé(e)/surpris(e), etc.
penser/croire/trouver (negative and interrogative forms only)
Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.Il est content que nous soyons là. He's happy that we are here.Est-ce que vous pensez qu'elle puisse le faire ? Do you think that she can do it?Il faut que je fasse la vaisselle. I have to do the dishes.Elle sera là jusqu'à ce que vous partiez. She will be there until you leave.
► However, douter, jusqu'à ce que, à moins que, and bien que / quoique use the subjunctive whether there is a change in subject or not. And when using avant before an infinitive, the construction is avant de + infinitive. Note, also, that the subjunctive is not used with espérer or il est probable, although the subjunctive may be used with these words in other Romance languages.
► The word ne is used after certain conjunctions (most notably avant que and à moins que) that take the subjunctive, but this does not make the phrase negative:Finissez le travail avant que la classe ne se termine. Finish the work before class ends.
77. FALLOIR & VALOIR
Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs used in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are:
imperfect il fallait il valaitpresent perfect il a fallu il a valupresent il faut il vautfuture il faudra il vaudraconditional il faudrait il vaudrait
Falloir can be translated as must, have to, be required to, etc. It can be followed directly by an infinitive, or a subject and the subjunctive mood.Il faut rester à la maison aujourd'hui. You must stay at home today.Il faut pas le faire ! You must not do it!Il faut qu'il parte à 8h. He must leave at 8.
In addition to worth, valoir mieux is used in translating "it's better."Ça ne vaut pas la peine. It's not worth it.Il vaut mieux en rire qu’en pleurer. It's better to laugh about it than cry.
To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end. If the masculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that. Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant take the endings -emment and -amment.
Masculine Feminine Adverb
naturel naturelle naturellement
heureux heureuse heureusement
lent lente lentement
facile facile facilement
probable probable probablement
intelligent intelligente intelligemment
brillant brillante brillamment
récent récente récemment
Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and éventuellement (possibly, perhaps) can be deceiving.
A Few Irregular Adverbs
vrai vraiment
gentil gentiment
profond profondément
bref brièvement
précis précisément
Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense. Adverbs of opinion and time usually go at the beginning or end of the sentence. When peut-être and sans doute begin a sentence or clause, they are usually followed by que. With the passé composé, most adverbs are placed between the auxiliary verb and past participle. In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb, except with peut-être, sans doute, sûrement, and probablement. Adverbs of time and place generally follow the past participle.
79. TOOLS & HOBBIES
tools les outils chisel le ciseau
toolbox la boîte à outils measuring tape le mètre
hammer le marteau chainsaw la tronçonneuse
screwdriver le tournevis file la lime
nail le clou do-it-yourself le bricolage
screw la vis handicrafts l'artisanat
wrench la clé embroidery la broderie
adjustable wrench la clé à molette cross-stitch le point de croix
clamp / vise l'étau (m) photography la photographie
shovel la pelle woodworking la menuiserie
pick axe la pioche pottery la poterie
drill la perceuse drawing le dessin
drill bit la mèche cooking la cuisine
Other expressions related to hobbies/leisure time:
bavarder - to chatbronzer - to tanfaire la grasse matinée - to sleep in latefaire la sieste - to take a napfaire une pause - to take a breakfaire une promenade - to take a walkfaire un tour - to go out for a whileprendre un bain de soleil - to sunbatheprendre un verre - to go out for a drinkse détendre - to relaxse reposer - to rest
80. FALSE COGNATES
Les faux-amis or false cognates are a common pitfall among language students. The following are some common words that you may be deceived by:
Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse.Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of.Une injure is an insult, not an injury.Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently.Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement.Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt.Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture.Original means new or innovative.Humeur means mood, not humor.Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.
Déjeuner du matinJacques Prévert
Il a mis le caféDans la tasse Il a mis le lait Dans la tasse de caféIl a mis le sucre Dans le café au lait Avec la petite cuiller Il a tournéIl a bu le café au lait Et il a reposé la tasse Sans me parler Il a alluméUne cigarette Il a fait des ronds Avec la fumée Il a mis les cendres
BreakfastJacques Prévert
He put the coffeeIn the cupHe put the milkIn the cup of coffeeHe put the sugarIn the café au laitWith the coffee spoonHe stirredHe drank the café au laitAnd he set down the cupWithout a word to meHe litA cigaretteHe made smoke-ringsWith the smokeHe put the ashes
Dans le cendrier Sans me parler Sans me regarder Il s'est levéIl a mis Son chapeau sur sa têteIl a mis Son manteau de pluieParce qu'il pleuvaitEt il est partiSous la pluie Sans une parole Et moi j'ai pris Ma tête dans ma main Et j'ai pleuré.
In the ashtrayWithout a word to meWithout a look at meHe got upHe putHis hat upon his headHe put his raincoat onBecause it was rainingAnd he leftIn the rainWithout a wordAnd I, I tookMy head in my handAnd I cried.
Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from Paroles by Prévert
Le Corbeau et le RenardJean de la Fontaine
Maître corbeau, sur un arbre perché,Tenait en son bec un fromage,Maître renard, par l'odeur alléché,Lui tint à peu près ce langage:<<Eh bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.Que vous êtes joli ! que vous me semblez beau !Sans mentir, si votre ramageSe 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 flatteurVit 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.
The Crow and the FoxJean de la Fontaine
Master Crow perched on a tree,Was holding a cheese in his beak.Master Fox attracted by the smellSaid something like this:"Well, Hello Mister Crow!How beautiful you are! how nice you seem to me!Really, if your voiceIs like your plumage,You are the phoenix of all the inhabitants of these woods."At these words, the Crow is overjoyed.And in order to show off his beautiful voice,He opens his beak wide, lets his prey fallThe Fox grabs it, and says: "My good man,Learn that every flattererLives at the expense of the one who listens to him.This lesson, without doubt, is well worth a cheese."The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed,Swore, but a little late, that he would not be taken again.
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81. COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSIONS
Il faut + infinitive (it is necessary, one must)Il faut tourner à gauche. It is necessary to turn left.Il faut faire les devoirs. One must do homework.Il lui faut aller à l'école. He must go to school.
Il faut + noun (need)Il faut du fromage. You need some cheese.Il faut un jeton. You need a token. Il me faut un stylo. I need a pen.
Il reste (there remains)Il reste une chambre. There is one room left.Il n'en reste plus. There are no more left.Il me reste trois jours. I have three days left.
Notice that il faut and il reste can both take an object pronoun to indicate a person.
Il vaut mieux + infinitive (it is better)Il vaut mieux prendre le bus. It is better to take the bus.Il vaut mieux apprendre les langues que la politique. It's better to learn languages than politics.
Il s'agit de (it's a question of, it's a matter of, it's about)De quoi s'agit-il ? What's is about?Il ne s'agit pas de ça ! That's not the point!Il s'agit de ton avenir. It's a matter of your future.
Avoir beau (although, despite the fact, however much)J'ai beau étudier cette langue, je ne la parle pas. Although I study this language, I don't speak it.Il a beau faire froid, nous sortirons. Although is it cold, we will go out.
Avoir l'air + adjective (to seem/look)Ça a l'air délicieux. That looks delicious.Vous avez l'air fatigué. You seem tired.Ça n'a pas l'air d'aller. Things don't look so good.
Ça vous dit ? / Ça vous dirait de... ? (Would you like to? / How would you feel about...? / Does that interest you? / Does that ring a bell?) Ça vous dirait de regarder un film ce soir ? Are you interested in watching a movie tonight? / Would you like to watch a movie tonight?Non, ça me dit rien. No, that doesn't interest me. / No, I don't want to.Ça te dit quelque chose ? Does that ring a bell? / Does that remind you of anything?Non, ça me dit rien. No, that doesn't ring a bell. / That doesn't remind me of anything.Ça ne me dit pas grande chose. That does nothing for me.
Ça parle de quoi / qui ? (What / Who is it about?) Ça parle de quoi, le livre que tu écris ? What's the book about that you're writing?
Ça y est ! ( There! That's it ! It's done!)
Ça a été (How did it go? / It went well.)Ton examen, ça a été ? How did your exam go?Oui, ça a été. It went well.
On dirait... [ça ressemble à] (It seems / it looks like / it tastes like / it smells like / it feels like / it sounds like) On dirait un chat. It looks like a cat.
pas terrible (terrible actually means terrific in this phrase)C'est pas terrible, ce film. This movie is not very good.
pas mal de (a lot of, lots of, tons of - synonym of beaucoup)J'ai pas mal de trucs à faire aujourd'hui. I have lots of things to do today.
82. CONJUNCTIONS & CONNECTING WORDS
auparavant before de même similarly par exemple for example
d'abord first en/de plusmoreover / furthermore
pour / afin de in order to
ensuite / puis then d'ailleurs besidespar contre / en revanche
on the contrary
plus tard later plutôt rather d'autre parton the other hand
après after surtout especially au moins at leastalors so quand même anyway malgré / en dépit de in spite ofainsi thus au fait by the way sauf exceptdonc therefore en fait actually cependant / pourtant however / yetfinalement / enfin finally c'est-à-dire that is to say même si even if
quand / lorsque whenen d'autres termes
in other words par conséquent consequently
aussitôt / dès que as soon as c'est pour ça que that's why comme si as thoughtant que as long as parce que because néanmoins neverthelessdepuis since car for / because soit... soit either... orbien que although puisque / comme since en conclusion in conclusion
alors / tandis que while / whereas à cause de because of en brefin brief / in short
The word soit has several meanings. It is also the third person singular form of être in the present subjunctive. Je veux qu'il soit là. I want him to be here. It can also be used to mean i.e. or that is when introducing a clause. Le contenu du CD est bilingue, soit français et anglais. The contents of the CD are bilingual, i.e. French and English.
83. FORMS OF TOUT
As an adjective, tout precedes and agrees with the noun.
masc. sing. tout le train the whole train
fem. sing. toute la journée the whole day
masc. pl. tous les enfants all the kids
fem. pl. toutes les mères all the moms
► As a pronoun, tout can be used alone; it then means everything and is invariable.Tout va bien. Everything's fine.Je ne peux pas tout faire. I can't do everything.
► It can also reinforce the subject. (The s of tous is pronounced when tous is a pronoun.) Ils sont tous là. They are all here.
► Tout can also be used with direct object pronouns. The forms of tout follow the verb in a simple tense and go between the auxiliary and past participle in a compound tense.Je les ai toutes. I have them all.Je ne les ai pas tous eu. I didn't have them all.
Idiomatic Expressions with Tout
en tout cas in any case
tout le monde everyone
tout de suite right away
de toute façon anyway
tout à fait completely
toutes sortes de all kinds of
pas du tout not at all
malgré tout in spite of it all
tout à l'heure in a little while
84. BABIES & CHILDREN
baby le bébé carousel le manège
fetus le fœtus toys les jouets (m)
diaper la couche ball le ballon
safety pin l'épingle à nourrice (f) marbles les billes (f)
rattle le hochet doll la poupée
pacifier la tétine stuffed animals les peluches (f)
kids les gosses (m) rollerskates le patin à roulettes
slide le toboggan wagon le petit chariot
seesaw la balançoire à bascule maze le labyrinthe
swing la balançoire hopscotch la marelle
A doudou refers to anything that babies like to hold to feel safe, such as a security blanket or a favorite stuffed animal.
85. PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL
school l'école (f) pencil le crayon
teacher (m) l'enseignant mechanical pencil le porte-mine
teacher (f) l'enseignante pen le stylo
elem. teacher (m) l'instituteur eraser la gomme
elem. teacher (f) l'institutrice ink l'encre (f)
secondary teacher le professeur ink jar l'encrier (f)
chalkboard le tableau pencil sharpener le taille-crayons
chalk la craie glue la colle
desk le pupitre scissors les ciseaux (m)
student l'élève ruler la règle
university student l'étudiant(e) highlighter le surligneur
book le livre crayons les crayons de couleur (m)
backpack le sac à dos marker le marqueur
schoolbag le cartable piece of paper la feuille
locker le casier spiral notebook le carnet de notes à spirale
globe le globe terrestre folder la chemise
diploma le diplôme notebook le cahier
school supplies les fournitures scolaires binder le classeur
pencil case la trousse notepad le bloc-notes
Students of all ages use a trousse in France. They're not just for elementary students!
86. PASSIVE VOICE
As in English, the passive voice in French is composed of a tense of the verb to be and a past participle. However, only a direct object in French can become the subject of the passive form. The active form, le chat mange la souris is made passive thus: La souris est mangée par le chat. The cat eats the mouse becomes the mouse is eaten by the cat. The subject in the active sentence (le chat) becomes the object of the passive. The direct object of the active sentence (la souris) becomes the subject of the passive sentence preceded by "par." The verb of the active sentence is changed into a past participle (mange becomes mangée, notice the agreement!) preceded by a form of être.
Elle est portée par Jean. She is carried by John.Elles ont été inspirées par Van Gogh. They were inspired by Van Gogh.Il avait été tué par les soldats français. He had been killed by French soldiers.
► Notice how pronominal verbs change from active to passive: Active: Je me suis réveillée. I woke up.Passive: J'ai été réveillée par quelque chose. I was awakened by something.
Passive is Not Possible
► If a verb takes an indirect object, it cannot be transformed into the passive voice in French. In this case, on is used in the active construction, as long as the agent is not specified and the action is performed by a human being (i.e. no natural forces, such as weather).
On a donné un cadeau à ma mère. My mother was given a present. [Someone gave a present to my mother.]On lui a dit de retrouver le conservateur au musée. He was told to meet the curator at the museum. [Someone told him to meet the curator at the museum.]
Alternatives to the Passive
► In addition to using on as the subject of an active construction to replace the passive, you can also use the pronominal constructions: se voir [to see oneself], s'entendre [to hear oneself], se faire [to get oneself] and se laisser [to let oneself] + infinitive. These verbs can be used when the agent is specified, unlike the active construction with on.
Je me suis vu promettre une augmentation. I have been promised a raise.Elle s'est entendu dire qu'il allait mourir. She was told that he was going to die.Jean s'est fait arrêter. John got arrested.Ils se sont laissé tomber malade. They let themselves get sick.
► You can also use a pronominal verb to translate the passive, as long as the agent is not specified. However, this does not work for all verbs.
Ça s'écrit comment? How is that written?Ça ne se dit plus. That is not said anymore.
► Use être à + infinitive to translate must + English passive:
Ce monument est à voir ! This monument must be seen!Ce rapport est à refaire. This report must be redone.
87. DEPUIS, IL Y A, & PENDANT IN PAST CONTEXTS
1. To express an action that has been going on, depuis (or il y a ... que) is used with the present tense.
Depuis quand avez-vous votre ordinateur ?Depuis combien de temps avez-vous votre ordinateur ?How long have you had your computer ?
Je l'ai depuis deux ans.Ça fait deux ans que je l'ai.Il y a deux ans que je l'ai.I've had it for two years.
Je conduis depuis longtemps. I have been driving for a long time.
2. But to express an action that had been going on for some time when something else happened, depuis is used with the imperfect.
Nous conduisions depuis deux heures, quand j'ai proposé de prendre le volant.
We had been driving for two hours when I volunteered to drive.
3. To express an action that you have not done for some time, use depuis with the passé composé.
Je n'ai pas conduit depuis mon mariage. I haven't driven since I've been married.
4. To express an action that was done for a period of time, pendant is used, usually with the passé composé. But for an action that was completed some time ago, use il y a, also with the passé composé.
J'ai loué une voiture pendant deux semaines. I rented a car for two weeks.
J'ai appris à conduire il y a deux ans. I learned to drive two years ago.
letter la lettre teller le caissier / la caissière
postcard la carte postale bill le billet
stamp le timbre check le chèque
phone booth la cabine téléphonique checkbook le chéquier
mailbox la boîte à lettres ATM le guichet automatique
mail slot la fente key la clé
address l'adresse lock la serrure
return address l'expéditeur filing cabinet le classeur
label l'étiquette safety deposit box le coffre
packing tape le ruban adhésif notepad le bloc-notes
package le paquet credit card la carte de crédit
postmark le cachet de la poste security camera la caméra de surveillance
rubber band l'élastique security guard le gardien
ink pad le tampon encre drive-thru window le drive-in
string la ficelle safe le coffre-fort
89. TO RECEIVE
Recevoir-to receive
reçois recevons
reçois recevez
reçoit reçoivent
The past participle of recevoir is reçu.
90. VERBS + A OR DE + INFINITIVES OR NOUNS
Some verbs require à or de before an infinitive:
Verb + à + infinitive Verb + de + infinitiveaider à to help accepter de to accept conseiller de to advises'amuser à to have fun arrêter de to stop convenir de to agree uponapprendre à to learn avoir envie de to feel like craindre de to feararriver à to manage avoir honte de to be ashamed désespérer de to despairchercher à to look for avoir peur de to be afraid dissuader de to dissuadecommencer à to begin avoir raison de to be right entreprendre de to undertakeconsister à to consist avoir tort de to be wrong envisager de to contemplatecontinuer à to continue choisir de to choose s'étonner de to astonishdonner à to give décider de to decide se garder de to keep oneselfencourager à to encourage défendre de to forbid négliger de to neglectenseigner à to teach demander de to ask persuader de to persuades'exercer à to practice/learn se dépêcher de to hurry up prier de to begs'habituer à to get used to dire de to say recommander de to recommendhésiter à to hesitate empêcher de to prevent reprocher de to reproachinsister à to insist essayer de to tryinviter à to invite être heureux de to be happyrenoncer à to give up être obligé de to be requiredréussir à to succeed éviter de to avoidsonger à to consider s'excuser de to apologizes'appliquer à to apply to finir de to finishs'attacher à to become attached interdire de to forbidse décider à to decide menacer de to threatens'employer à to use oublier de to forgetinciter à to incite permettre de to permits'obstiner à to insist promettre de to promise
parvenir à to succeed refuser de to refusepersister à to persist in regretter de to regretpousser à to push remercier de to thankprovoquer à to provoke rêver de to dreamse risquer à to risk risquer de to riskveiller à to look after venir de to have justviser à to aim cesser de to stop
► Venir de + infinitive means "to have just" + past participle in English. Je viens de manger. I just ate.
Some verbs require à or de before nouns:
Verb + à + noun Verb + de + noun
aller à to suit s'apercevoir de to notice
assister à to attend s'approcher de to approach
demander à to ask (someone) avoir besoin de to need
dire à to tell (someone) changer de to change
convenir à to suit dépendre de to depend on
jouer à to play (sport/game) douter de to doubt
nuire à to harm hériter de to inherit
obéir à to obey jouer de to play (instrument)
penser à to think of jouir de to enjoy
plaire à to please manquer de to lack
renoncer à to give up se méfier de to distrust
répondre à to answer penser de to think/have an opinion about
resister à to resist remercier de to thank for
ressembler à to resemble rire de to laugh at
songer à to consider se servir de to use
survivre à to survive se souvenir de to remember
téléphoner à to phone vivre de to live on
And some verbs require no prepositions in French, while others use different prepositions from English:
No prepositions in French Different prepositions from English
approuver to approve of entrer dans to enter
attendre to wait for consister en to consist of
chercher to look for se fâcher contre to get angry with
demander to ask for
écouter to listen to
espérer to hope for
payer to pay for
rappeler to remind of
regarder to look at
sentir to smell of/like
viser to aim at
Tu me rappelle mon père. You remind me of my father.Ça sent la pluie. It smells like rain.
91. ADJECTIVES + A OR DE + INFINITIVES
Adjective + à + infinitive Adjective + de + infinitive
The past participle of suivre is suivi. Suivre can also be used with school subjects to mean "to take a course."
Suivez le guide ! Follow the guide!Suivez les instructions. Follow the instructions.Je suis un cours de maths. I'm taking a math class.
93. FAIRE CAUSATIVE
Faire + an infinitive is called the faire causative. It translates to "have something done by someone or cause something to be done by someone," or "to cause someone to do something."
Je répare la voiture. I'm fixing the car.Je fais réparer la voiture. I'm having the car fixed.Il peint son appartement. He's painting his apartment.Il fait peindre son appartement. He's having his apartment painted.Le bébé mange. The baby is eating.Elle fait manger le bébé. She's feeding the baby.
► When replacing the object with a pronoun, the pronoun precedes faire. And in past tenses, the past participle remains invariable.
Je la fais réparer. I'm having it fixed.Il leur a fait apprendre les verbes. He had them learn the verbs.Il les leur a fait apprendre. He had them learn them.
► Se faire + infinitive is usually translated as "to get" + (oneself) + verb.
Tu vas te faire tuer. You're going to get yourself killed.Il va se faire casser la gueule. He's going to break his neck.Se faire soigner sans se faire arrêter. Get treated/looked after without getting arrested.Évitez de vous faire piquer. Avoid getting stung.
94. DIRECT & INDIRECT DISCOURSE
Direct discourse relates exactly what someone has said or written, using quotation marks and the original wording. Indirect discourse relates indirectly, without quotation marks, what someone has said or written. It works the same way in French as it does in English.
Direct Discourse Indirect Discourse
Main verb is presentIl me dit: <<Je pars en vacances et ma famille a loué une villa.>>
Il me dit qu'il part en vacances et que sa famille a loué une villa.
Main verb in pastIl m'a dit: <<Je pars en vacances et ma famille a loué une villa.>>
Il m'a dit qu'il partait en vacances etque sa famille avait loué une villa.
Note that if the main verb is in the present tense, no tense changes occur when using indirect discourse. However, if the main verb is in a past tense, the following tense changes occur:
Present → ImperfectPassé Composé → Pluperfect
The Imperfect and Pluperfect do not change. Remember to use que to introduce each dependent clause, and adjust personal pronouns and possessive adjectives.
In questions, the following (rather uncomplicated) changes occur:
1. Yes/no questions = si + declarative sentenceJe t'ai demandé si tu avais faim.
2. Où, quand, comment, etc. = interrogative word + declarative sentenceIl m'a demandé à quelle heure j'allais revenir.
3. Interrogative pronouns are a little trickier:
qui est-ce quiqui est-ce que
quiIl m'a demandé qui était resté.Elle m'a demandé qui j'avais vu.
qu'est-ce qui ce qui Ils m'ont demandé ce qui s'était passé.
qu'est-ce que ce que Elles m'ont demandé ce que j'avais dit.
95. COMPUTERS & INTERNET
computer l'ordinateur scanner le scanner
disk la disquette laptop le portable
document le document internet l'internet
CD-ROM le cédérom internet user l'internaute
monitor l'écran online en-ligne
keyboard le clavier link le lien
mouse la souris bookmark le signet
printer l'imprimante e-mail le courriel / le mail
memo la note de service password le mot de passe
fax machine le télécopieur search engine le moteur de recherche
photocopier la photocopieuse chat room la salle de tchatche
typewriter la machine à écrire bulletin board le forum
external HD le disque dur externe to sign on / off se connecter / déconnecter
attachment la pièce jointe to scroll up / down dérouler le texte
to attach joindre to download télécharger
French uses portable to refer to a laptop computer and a cell phone.
96. NE EXPLETIF
Sometimes ne must be inserted in a phrase even when it is not expressing the negative. (However, do not confuse the use of ne explétif with the verbs that can exist in the negative with only using ne and not pas in formal, written language: cesser, daigner, oser, pouvoir, savoir).
It is used 1) after certain conunctions: avant que, à moins que; 2) after expressions and verbs of fear: de crainte que, de peur que, craindre que, avoir peur que, redouter que, trembler que, empêcher que, éviter que; 3) before a verb that follows a comparison of inequality: plus, moins, autre; and 4) after adverbs of doubt and negation used in the negative to express a positive idea.
Je sors ce soir à moins qu'il ne pleuve. I'll go out this evening unless it rains.Il craint que tu ne sois fatigué après le voyage. He's afraid that you'll be tired after the trip.Nous sommes plus forts qu'elle ne pense. We are stronger than she thinks.Je ne doute pas que vous ne fassiez des progrès. I don't doubt that you are making progress.
97. CONDITIONAL TENSES: PRESENT & PAST
The present conditional tense corresponds to "would." It is used after the imperfect in a conditional sentence. Most conditionals sentences begin with si (if). However, do not confuse the conditional would with the would that expresses a repeated action in the past. If would means used to, then the imperfect tense is used. Another use of the conditional is in news reports to indicate that the information is not confirmed.
Si j'étais (imperfect) dans une autre famille, est-ce que je serais (conditional) plus heureuse ? If I were in another family, would I be happier?Quand nous étions (imperfect) en vacances, nous dormions (imperfect) jusqu'à midi. When we were on vacation, we would (used to) sleep until noon.Un otage étranger serait mort en route pour l'hôpital. A foreign hostage (probably) died on the way to the hospital.
To form the conditional, use the infinitive and add the imperfect endings (but remember to drop the -e on -re verbs). You use the same irregular stems and exceptions for the conditional that are used for the future tense.
-ais -ions
-ais -iez
-ait -aient
The past conditional is formed by using the conditional of avoir or être and a past participle. It corresponds to "would have" and is used in hypothetical sentences.
Il n'aurait jamais dit ça ! He would have never said that!
► If... sentences: When si (if) is used in sentences of condition, the verb tenses change. These pretty much correspond to English usage.
1. Si + present tense + present, imperative, or futureSi je suis fatiguée, je me repose. If I'm tired, I rest.Repose-toi si tu es fatigué. Rest if you're tired.Si je suis fatigué demain, je me reposerai. If I am tired tomorrow, I will rest.
2. Si + imperfect + present conditionalSi j'étais riche, je pourrais acheter un château. If I were rich, I would buy a castle.Il deviendrait roi s'il avait plus de courage. He would become king if he had more courage.
3. Si + pluperfect + past conditionalSi j'avais su, j'aurais compris. If I had known, I would have understood.
It is possible to have past conditional with the imperfect, and it is also possible to have present conditional with pluperfect. However, you can never have the future or conditional tenses directly following si. They must be in the other clause.
► Translating Would, Could, Should
In general, you use the conditional tense of a verb to express would + infinitive, such as je dirais - I would say. Again, make sure to use the imperfect of the verb if you're referring to repeated actions in the past (i.e. used to). You can also use the conditional of pouvoir to mean could, as long as the meaning is something that is yet to happen. Il pourrait m'aider. He could help me. Otherwise, you use the imperfect or passé composé to mean could if you're referring to the past of can (i.e. was/were not able to). Elle ne pouvait pas s'arrêter de rire. She couldn't stop laughing. Should is usually translated by using the conditional of devoir. Tu ne devrais pas dire ça. You shouldn't say that. For would have, could have and should have, you use the past conditional of the verb, past conditional of pouvoir + infinitive, and past conditional of devoir + infinitive, respectively. Just remember that would and would have are not followed by infinitives in French.
would conditional of verb il dirait he would say
could conditional of pouvoir + infinitive il pourrait dire he could say
should conditional of devoir + infinitive il devrait dire he should say
would have past conditional of verb il aurait dit he would have said
could have past conditional of pouvoir + infinitive il aurait pu dire he could have said
should have past conditional of devoir + infinitive il aurait dû dire he should have said
"You shouldn't have" or "that wasn't necessary" when someone gives you a gift is il ne fallait pas.
Listen to the le conditionnel : si tu gagnais au loto mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
98. PARTS OF A CAR & AT THE GAS STATION
horn le klaxon directional signal le clignotant
hood le capot license plate la plaque d'immatriculation
brake le frein brake light (on car) le stop
steering wheel le volant car la voiture
windshield wipers les essuie-glaces window la vitre
dashboard le tableau de bord door la portière
accelerator l'accélérateur gas tank le réservoir
headlights les phares wheel la roue
windshield le pare-brise tire le pneu
motor le moteur bumper le pare-chocs
trunk le coffre fender l'aile
body (of car) la carrosserie door handle la poignée de portière
driver's license le permis de conduire air conditioning la climatisation
gasoline l'essence heater le chauffage
traffic lights les feux battery la batterie
oil l'huile gas cap le bouchon de réservoir d'essence
The most common types of cars in France are Peugeot, Clio, Renault, and Fiat, and the majority are manual drive. Automatic cars in Europe are generally reserved for handicapped people. The driving age in France is 18, and young drivers who have just gotten their licenses have a red A sticker on their car.
99. TO DRIVE
Conduire-to drive
conduis conduisons
conduis conduisez
conduit conduisent
The past participle of conduire is conduit. Other verbs conjugated like conduire are: traduire - to translate, produire - to produce, and construire - to construct.
100. TRAVELLING & AT THE AIRPORT
suitcase la valise
clothes les vêtements
passport le passeport
diary le journal
traveler's checks les chèques de voyage
dictionary le dictionnaire
flight le vol
baggage les bagages
Euro l'euro
bill le billet
coin la pièce
change la monnaie
cent le centime
arrival l'arrivée
departure le départ
Where is/are... Où est / Où sont...
currency exchange le bureau de change
passport check le contrôle des passeports
customs la douane
entrance l'entrée
lost and found les objets trouvés
information les renseignements
exit la sortie
taxi stand les taxis
restroom les toilettes
When asking Where is/are..., Où est is the singular form and Où sont is the plural form, even if it's singular in English. Where is the entrance? would be Où est l'entrée ? and Where is the lost and found? would be Où sont les objets trouvés ?
Directional Words
right there juste là zhoost lah across from en face de awn fawz duh
here ici ee-see between entre awn-truh
over there là-bas lah bah next to à côté de ah koh-tay duh
to the right of à droite de ah dwaht duh near près de preh duh
to the left of à gauche de ah gohsh duh far (from) loin de lwahn duh
straight ahead tout droit too dwah at the end of au fond de oh fohn duh
in front of devant duh-vawn at the top of en haut de awn oh duh
behind derrière dare-ee-air
Go on to French VI →
101. CAMPING
camping le camping axe la hache
shelter l'abri (m) stump la souche
tent la tente canteen le bidon
spike la sardine hammock le hamac
sleeping bag le sac de couchage backpack le sac à dos
flashlight la lampe torche path le chemin / le sentier
lantern la lanterne bench le banc
torch le flambeau rock le rocher
compass la boussole stone la pierre
map la carte pebble le caillou
binoculars les jumelles (f) canoe le canoë
campfire le feu de camp oar la pagaie
102. SPECIAL USES OF DEVOIR
Devoir is one of the trickiest verbs to translate and use in French. The following is a list of the different meanings of devoir used in various tenses.
Present Tensemust, have toprobably
Je dois étudier.Il doit être malade.
I must (have to) study.He's probably sick.
Passé Composéhad to (and did),must have
Il a dû partir. He had to leave.
Imperfectwas supposed to,used to have to
Elle devait chanter ce soir. She was supposed to sing tonight.
Future will have to Tu devras payer l'argent. You will have to pay money.
Conditional should Vous devriez manger les fruits. You should eat fruits.
Past Conditional should have Ils auraient dû jouer. They should have played.
In the present tense, you can also express I am supposed to with Je suis censé + infinitive. To express you don't have to instead of you must not, use vous n’êtes pas obligé de instead of vous ne devez pas or il ne faut pas.
103. COSMETICS & TOILETRIES
toothbrush la brosse à dents hair spray la laque blush le blush
toothpaste le dentifrice hair dryer le sèche-cheveux foundation le fond de teint
dental floss le fil dentaire nail polish le vernis à ongles eye liner l'eye liner
hair brush la brosse mascara le mascara eye shadow l'ombre à paupières
first aid kit la trousse de secours wheelchair le fauteuil roulant
flu la grippe X-ray la radio
105. PRESENT PARTICIPLE
Present participles can be used as adjectives, as verbs, or like a qui clause. When an adjective, it agrees with the noun it modifies. When it functions as a verb, it is invariable. Preceded by en, (equivalent to while, by, upon or in), it corresponds to the English -ing gerund form. Used without en, the present participle can act like a qui clause. To form this participle, drops the -ons ending of the nous form in the present tense and add -ant. (There are only three irregular present participles: ayant, étant, sachant - having, being, knowing.)
Je me suis cassé le poignet en tombant. I broke my wrist by falling.C'est en forgeant que l'on devient forgeron. Practice makes perfect.Ce restaurant ne propose pas d'eau pétillante. This restaurant doesn't serve sparkling water.
106. ABBREVIATIONS
In everyday speech, it is common to shorten some words:
The past infinitive is used to express something that has already happened. Verbs such as s'excuser, regretter, and remercier are often used in this tense. It is formed with the infinitive of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the past participle of the main verb. And the past participle can have agreement as well, with either the subject or the object, depending on the sentence. Whenever après is followed by a verb, it is always a past infinitive. And note that negative expressions precede an infinitive.
Je vous remercie d'être venus. I thank you for coming (or having come.)
Excusez-moi d'être arrivé(e) en retard. Excuse me for arriving (or having arrived) late.
Après avoir fini mes études, je veux devenir professeur.
After finishing (or having finished) my studies, I want to become a teacher.
Elle regrette de ne pas avoir posé de questions. She regrets not asking (or having asked) any questions.
108. IN THE OCEAN
barnacle la bernacle crab le crabe
bubble la bulle fish hook le hameçon
wet suit la combinaison de plongée mask le masque
fishing line la ligne de pêche scuba diver le plongeur sous-marin
jellyfish la méduse sand le sable
flipper la palme treasure chest le trésor
clam la palourde snorkel le tuba
wave la vague shipwreck l'épave
anchor l'ancre seaweed les algues
oxygen tank le ballon d'oxygène starfish l'étoile de mer
The past participle is mort / morte and it is conjugated with être. You will most likely use this verb in the past tense, but it is used in some present tense sayings.
Je meurs de faim ! I'm dying of hunger / I'm starving!
110. IN SPACE
alien l'extra-terrestre (m) nebula la nébuleuse
asteroid l'astéroïde (m) planet la planète
astronaut l'astronaute (m) rings les anneaux
beaker le gobelet robot le robot / l'automate
comet la comète rocket la fusée interplanétaire
constellation la constellation satellite le satellite
control panel le tableau de bord solar panel le panneau solaire
crater le cratère solar system le système solaire
Earth la terre space shuttle la navette spatiale
galaxy la galaxie space station la station spatiale
laboratory le laboratoire space suit le scaphandre de cosmonaute
landing capsule la capsule d'atterrissage spaceship la soucoupe volante
lunar rover la jeep lunaire star l'étoile (f)
meteor shower la pluie de météores sun le soleil
moon la lune test tube l'éprouvette (f)
111. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Possessive pronouns replace nouns used with possessive adjectives. They agree in gender and number with noun they replace as well.
Singular Plural
Masc. Fem. Masc. Fem.
mine le mien la mienne les miens les miennes
yours le tien la tienne les tiens les tiennes
his/hers/its le sien la sienne les siens les siennes
ours le nôtre la nôtre les nôtres les nôtres
yours le vôtre la vôtre les vôtres les vôtres
theirs le leur la leur les leurs les leurs
C'est ma pomme. Voilà la tienne. That's my apple. Here's yours.Il a son sac. Elle a le sien. He has his bag. She has hers.C'est le mien, pas le tien ! That's mine, not yours!Ils aiment leur voiture. Nous aimons la nôtre. They like their car. We like ours.
The simple past tense is used in works of literature in place of the passé composé and is very rarely spoken. You most likely will never need to form this tense, but you should be able to recognize it for reading purposes. Add the following endings to the stem:
-er -ir / -re
-ai -âmes -is -îmes
-as -âtes -is -îtes
-a -èrent -it -irent
Irregular verbs that follow a pattern: Some verbs use their past participle as a stem, and then add endings for the simple past. In this case, the six endings are -s, -s, -t, -^mes, -^tes, -rent.
avoir croire lire dire dormir devoir recevoir vivre
eus eûmes crus crûmes lus lûmes dis dîmes dormisdormîmes
dusdûmes
reçusreçûmes
vécus vécûmes
eus eûtes crus crûtes lus lûtes dis dîtes dormis dormîtes dus dûtes reçus reçûtes vécus vécûtes
acquérir - to acquire résoudre - to resolveacquiers acquérons résous résolvonsacquiers acquérez résous résolvezacquiert acquièrent résout résolvent
The past participles are acquis and résolu, and both verbs are conjugated with avoir.
117. IMPERFECT & PAST SUBJUNCTIVE
The subjunctive in past tenses is not used very often in French in everyday speech, but grammatically, it should be used if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense. The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the simple past, while the the past and pluperfect subjunctive forms are composed of two elements: the present subjunctive of avoir or être + past participle for the past subjunctive and the imperfect subjunctive of the avoir or être + past participle for the pluperfect subjunctive.
Use the il/elle form of the simple past to form the imperfect subjunctive endings. Sometimes, the only difference between the il/elle forms of the simple past and the imperfect subjunctive is the circumflex for the imperfect subjunctive.
Most English phrasal verbs translate as one verb without any prepositions or adverbs in French. Make sure to pay attention to the correct meaning of the phrasal verb in English, however, before deciding on the correct French translation.
add up additionner make up inventer / se réconcilier
back up soutenir / sauvegarder make up for compenser / rattraper
beat up tabasser mess around faire l'imbécile / s'amuser / toucher à
bend down se baisser mess up mettre en désordre / gâcher / bâcler
bend over se pencher miss out omettre / sauter
blow out souffler miss out on laisser passer / louper
blow up gonfler / sauter / faire sauter mix up confondre / embrouiller / mélanger
break down tomber en panne / enfoncer mouth off se vanter / parler à tort et à travers
break in entrer par effraction move forward avancer
break up rompre / se terminer move in emménager
breathe in inspirer move off se mettre en route
breathe out expirer move out déménager
brighten up s'éclaircir / se dégager move over se pousser
bring back rapporter / ramener muddle up mélanger / embrouiller
bring up élever / soulever note down noter
bump into rentrer dans / renconter par hasard own up avouer
burst into éclater / fondre (en larmes) part with se séparer de
call back rappeler pass for se faire passer pour
call off annuler pass on transmettre
call on rendre visite à pass out s'évanouir / distribuer
call round passer pay back rembourser
calm down se calmer pay for payer
care about se soucier de peel off détacher
care for s'occuper de / aimer phone back rappeler
carry on continuer pick on s'en prendre à / harceler
catch up rattraper pick up ramasser / chercher / apprendre / draguer
chase after courir après pile up s'entasser / s'empiler / s'accumuler
chase away chasser plug in brancher
check inse présenter à l'enregistrement / la réception
point out montrer / faire remarquer
check out régler sa note / regarder pop in passer
check over vérifier / examiner pull ahead prendre la tête
cheer upremonter le moral à / retrouver le moral
pull down démolir / baisser
chop down abattre pull in s'arrêter
clean up nettoyer pull out arracher / retirer
clear off dégager / filer pull over se ranger / se garer sur la côté
clear out vider pull through s'en sortir
clear up ranger / s'éclaircir pull together faire un effort
climb down descendre pull up remonter / s'arrêter
climb over passer par-dessus pump up gonfler
climb up monter push in resquiller
cloud over se couvrir / s'assombrir put away ranger
come around venir / reprendre connaissance put back remettre
come back revenir put down poser
come down descendre / baisser put offremettre à plus tard / dissuader / dégoûter / déranger / éteindre
come in entrer put onmettre / allumer / prendre / monter / faire marcher
come off se détacher put out éteindre / tendre / sortir / déranger
come out sortir / partir put together monter
come over venir put upériger / monter / mettre / augmenter / héberger
come to reprendre connaissance put up with supporter
come up monter / soulever / être soulevé reach out tendre la main
come up to arriver à / s'approcher de read out lire à haute voix
come up with proposer / suggérer read up on parcourir / lire en entier
cool down refroidir / refraîchir rely on compter sur
cross off rayer ring back rappeler
cross out barrer ring up appeler / téléphoner à
cross over traverser roll up rouler / retrousser
cry out pousser un cri rub out effacer
cut off couper rule out exclure
cut out découper run away s'enfuir
deal with s'occuper de / traiter de run out s'épuiser
dig up déterrer run over renverser / écraser
do away with se débarasser / supprimer save up mettre de l'argent de côté
do upfermer / attacher / boutonner / retaper
scare away faire fuir / effrayer
do without se passer de search for chercher
dress up se déguiser / s'habiller see off dire au revoir à
drop by passer see to s'occuper de
drop off déposer / laisser send back renvoyer
end up finir / se retrouver send for appeler / faire venir
face up to faire face à send off expulser
fall apart s'effondrer set offpartir / se mettre en route / faire partir / faire exploser / déclencher
fall down tomber set out partir / se mettre en route
fall off tomber set up créer / installer / monter
fall out tomber / se brouiller settle down se calmer / s'installer
fall over tomber / trébucher sur show off frimer
fight back se défendre show up arriver
figure out comprendre / calculer shut up se taire
fill in remplir / boucher sit down s'asseoir
fill out remplir slave away trimer
fill up remplir sleep in faire la grasse matinée
find out se renseigner / découvrir sleep over passer la nuit chez quelqu'un
finish off terminer / finir slip off filer / s'éclipser
flick off éteindre slow down ralentir
flick on allumer sort out ranger / régler / s'occuper de
flip through feuilleter speak out parler en faveur / défendre
fly away s'envoler speed up aller plus vite
get away s'échapper / partir / s'en aller spin around tourner / se retourner
get back rentrer / récuperer / reculer split up se séparer
get down descendre spread out se disperser
get in entrer / monter dans stand for vouloir dire / tolérer
get off descendre (de) stand out ressortir
get on monter dans / s'entendre stand up se lever
get out sortir / descendre stand up for défendre
get up se lever start off/out partir
give in céder stay away ne pas s'approcher
give out distribuer stay in rester chez soi
give up abandonner / arrêter stay out ne pas rentrer
go away partir stay up ne pas se coucher
go back retourner / rentrer step forward avancer
go down descendre / baisser stick out dépasser / tirer
go in entrer stretch out tendre / allonger / s'allonger
go off exploser / sonner / partir / tourner sum up résumer
go on continuer / se passer swell up enfler / gonfler
go out sortir / s'éteindre switch off éteindre / arrêter
go under couler switch on allumer / mettre en marche
go up monter / augmenter take after tenir de
go without se passer de take apart démonter
grow up grandir take aside prendre à part
hand in rendre take away enlever / emporter / emmener
hand out distribuer take back rapporter
hand over remettre / céder take down démonter / enlever / noter
hang on attendre take off décoller / enlever
hang out fréquenter / traîner take on embaucher / prendre
hang up accrocher / suspendre / raccrocher take out sortir / retirer
head for se diriger vers take over remplacer / prendre la relève
hear from avoir des nouvelles de take up se mettre à / prendre
hear of entendre parler de talk through expliquer / prévenir
heat up faire réchauffer / (faire) chauffer tear down démolir
help out venir en aide tear out arracher
hold on attendre / s'accrocher tear up déchirer
hold out tendre tell off gronder
hold up lever / retarder / attaquer think about penser à / penser de / réfléchir à
hurry up se dépêcher think of penser de
join in participer (à) throw away jeter
jump in sauter dedans / plonger throw out jeter / mettre à la porte
keep out ne pas entrer dans throw up vomir
keep up suivre / continuer tidy up ranger
knock down renverser tie up ficeler / attacher
knock out assommer / éliminer tip off prévenir / avertir
knock over renverser tip over renverser / se renverser
know about être au courant de / s'y connaître en toss away/out jeter
laugh at se moquer de track down retrouver
lean over se pencher try on/out essayer
leave aside laisser de côté turn aroundse retourner / faire demi-tour / tourner (dans l'autre sens)
leave out oublier turn back faire demi-tour
let down laisser tomber turn down rejeter / baisser
let in faire entrer / laisser entrer turn intochanger en / transformer en / se transformer en
let off ne pas punir / faire partir, tirer turn off éteindre
lie down s'allonger / se coucher turn on allumer
lift off décoller turn over retourner / se retourner
line up faire la queue turn up mettre plus fort / venir / arriver
lock in enfermer wait for attendre
lock out enfermer dehors wake up réveiller / se réveiller
log in/on se connecter walk out partir
look after s'occuper de warm upréchauffer / faire réchauffer / se réchauffer / s'échauffer
look at regarder wash up faire la vaisselle (UK) / se laver (US)
look down baisser les yeux watch out faire attention
look down on regarder de haut wear out user / s'user / épuiser
look for chercher weigh down alourdir
look forward to
attendre avec impatience well up avoir les larmes aux yeux
look out faire attention wind up se retrouver / se terminer / remonter
look out for chercher / s'occuper de wipe up essuyer
look round se retourner / regarder / visiter work outtrouver / résoudre / calculer / comprendre / se passer / faire de l'exercice
look up lever les yeux / chercher wrap upemballer / envelopper / récapituler / se couvrir
look up to admirer write back répondre
make out déchiffrer / comprendre / prétendre write down noter
119. OTHER TRANSLATION DIFFICULTIES: ENGLISH TO FRENCH
be getting / going + adjective
devenir + adjective let somebody know faire savoir
do nothing but ne faire que let's just hope that pourvu que
forgive somebody for [verb]-ing
excuser quelqu'un de + infinitive
let's [verb] / how about we [verb]?
Et si on...?
get oneself + past participle se faire + infinitive may / might il se peut / pourrait que
how come...? comment se fait-il que...? may... puisse...
however / no matter (much) avoir beau no matter peu importe
I can't help [verb]-ingJe ne peux pas m'empêcher de + infinitive
no sooner... n'avoir pas si tôt
I hate/loathe/can't stand [verb]-ing
J'ai horreur de + infinitive see to it that veiller à ce que
I miss + [verb]-ing ça me manque de ne pas so far jusqu'à présent
I was going to / I had planned to
J'avais prévu de The way + subject + verbLa façon dont + subject + verb
I wish (regret) Je regrette de ne pas There is no + [verb]-ing Il n'y a pas de moyen de
I wish + imperfect si seulement + imperfect There/it happens to Il se trouve que
I wish + past perfect J'aurais aimé que + subjunctive to sit, stand, lieêtre assis, debout, allongé
I'd rather thatJ'aimerais mieux que + subjunctive
What / How about + [verb]-ing?
Que dirais tu de + infinitive ?
In order (not) todans le but de (ne pas) + infinitive
What if? et si?
It's about time il serait grand temps whatever quel que soit
it's no use / you needn't il est inutile que whatever quoi que
It's typical of him/her ça lui ressemble whenever chaque fois
It's usual for il est d'usage que wherever où que + subjunctive
just because... doesn't meanle simple fait que... ne veut pas dire
Whether you like it or not Que ça te plaise ou non.
keep on [verb]-ing ne cesser pas de + infinitive whoever quiconque
let (permission) Que + subjunctive You just have to + Tu n'as qu'à + infinitive
infinitive
120. QUEBECOIS FRENCH
Differences in vocabulary:
Quebec France Quebec France
l'arrêt le stop achaler / gosser quelqu'un embêter quelqu'un
un breuvage une boisson asteure à cette heure
une broue une bièreavoir les yeux dans la graisse de binnes
avoir l'air fatigué
des bébelles des jouets bienvenu de rien
un bécyque une bicyclette brailler piquer une crise
des bidoux / du foin
de l'argent ça adonne bein ça tombe bien
un bleuet une myrtille ça pas d'allure ça n'a aucun sens
ma blonde ma petite amie ça pas de tes affaires ça ne te regarde pas
une buanderie une blanchisserie câlisser une volée donner une raclée
une calotte une casquette c'est dispendieux c'est cher
une canneberge une airelle c'est pas fort c'est pas terrible
un char une automobile chauffer conduire un véhicule
une chicane une dispute débarquer (d'un char) descendre (d'une voiture)
le déjeuner le petit déjeuner embarquer (dans un char) monter (dans une voiture)
un dépanneur un petit magasin être tanné en avoir marre
le dîner le déjeuner faire dur avoir mauvaise mine
la fin de semaine le week-end faire la baboune bouder
un frigidaire un réfrigérateur faire son épicerie faire ses courses
la gang la bande d'amis il mouille il pleut
une guénille un chiffon jaser causer / bavarder
la job le boulot magasiner se promener dans les magasins
une joke une blague marquer inscrire / noter
une lampe de poche
une lampe-torche maudit niaiseux ! espèce de crétin !
une laveuse une machine à laver minoucher caresser
un melon d'eau un pastèque pantoute pas du tout
un minou un chat pognerattraper / tripoter / avoir du succès
le nettoyeur le pressing prendre une marche faire une promenade à pied
une patente une chose présentement maintenant
une piastre/piasse un dollar sacrer son camp ficher le camp
un pitou un chien se câler (une pizza / un taxi) commander / appeler
une sécheuseune machine à sécher
tabernacle / tabarnak ! zut !
le souper le dîner tiguidou c'est d'accord
la tabagie le tabac tu es fin tu es gentil
une vadrouille une serpillière y a du monde à la messe il y a foule
Differences in pronunciation:
1. An affrication of the consonants "t" and "d" before the vowels "u" and "i." For example, "tu es parti" is pronounced "tsu es partsi."
2. There is a reduction of the pronoun "il" to"y": Y'est malade, Y'a pas le temps; as well as a reduction of "elle" to "a" ("elle a" becomes "aa"): Aa pas le temps, aa mal au dos.
3. "Chu" is a contraction for "je suis": Chu fatigué, chu en retard.
4. A "t" sound still exists in the expressions: "il fait frette" (froid), "mon litte" (lit), "viens icitte" (ici). And the old pronunciation for the "oi" sound (as oé) is still used sometimes: moi, toi, and verb forms such as bois, boit, vois, voit,reçoit, etc. are pronounced moé, toé, boé, etc.
5. "Tu" is often added after questions: Il en veut-tu ? Tu m'écoutes-tu ? Je l'ai-tu ?
6. Many people end their statements with: T'sais ? (a reduction of: tu sais)
7. The verb pogner is a very popular word with several translations: to catch, to get, to grab, to be successful, to come, to get caught, to take, to be stuck, etc.
Quossé qui't'pogne, toi? What's going on with you?Arrête de pogner les nerfs. Stop getting worked up.
Some examples of Anglicisms used in Quebec:
Bummer, spinner, slaquer, kiquer, faker, domper, frencher, puncher, backer, rusher, spotter, tripper, checker, avoir un good time, être cheap, être opène, faire son show, etc.
Go on to French VII →
CONFUSIONS
The following are sentences that initially confused me because I was translating them literally into English.
C'est pas du français. It's not grammatically correct, formal French. [not the French language in general]
La Norvège n'est pas en Europe. Norway is not in the European Union. [not Europe as a continent]
J'ai laissé un petit mot pour toi. I left a little note for you. [not word]
Tu déjeunes pas ? You aren't eating breakfast? [not lunch]
Normalement, elle arrive à 15h. If everything goes as planned, she will arrive at 3 PM. [not normally or usually]
Tes parents s'ennuient de toi ? Do your parents miss you? [not get bored with]
Tu veux te baigner aujourd'hui ? Do you want to go swimming today? [not take a bath]
J'ai mal aux reins. My lower back hurts. [not kidneys]
On a déjà donné à manger au chat. We've already fed the cat. [not give to eat]
Elle l'a connu en Italie. She met him in Italy. [not known]
FILLING OUT FORMS
contact information les coordonnées passport le passeportlast name nom visa le visafirst name prénom residency card la carte de séjouraddress adresse receipt le récépissébirthdate date de naissance application le formulaire / la candidatureplace of birth lieu de naissance enrollment form la demande d'inscription
Signed [city] ... date Fait à ... le to apply (for a job) postulerbirth certificate l'acte de naissance to apply/enroll (in university) s'inscrire à
Remember the date format in France is day/month/year instead of month/day/year and that you generally capitalize your last name, but not your first name: Jean-Paul BOUCHER.
ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION OR HELP
Excusez-moi de vous déranger, monsieur/madame, mais j'ai un problème. Sorry for bothering you, mister/miss, but I have a problem.Est-ce que je peux vous poser une question ? Can I ask you a question?Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit ? What did you say?Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? Can you repeat that, please?Je n'ai pas entendu ce que vous avez dit. I didn't hear what you said.Comment est-ce qu'on écrit ça ? / Ça s'écrit comment ? How is that written?Comment est-ce qu'on prononce ça ? / Ça se prononce comment ? How is that pronounced?Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire? / Ça veut dire quoi ? What does that mean?
FOOD & EATING
cold cuts la charcuterie beefstew with carrots du bœuf-carottesraw vegetables les crudités (f) beefstew in red wine du bœuf bourguignonsalad (with bacon) une salade (avec des lardons) chicken in red wine du coq au vinonion soup la soupe à l'oignon Steak & French fries un steak-fritesmelted cheese (w/ potatoes & cold cuts)
la raclette potatoes au gratin le gratin dauphinois
cheese, ham & potato casserole la tartiflette ham & cheese quiche la quiche lorraine
melted cheese (with bread) la fonduedumplings (flavored w/ meat or fish)
les quenelles
grilled ham and cheese le croque-monsieur vegetarian végétarien/ne
grilled ham & cheese with egg le croque-madame vegan végétalien/ne
Qu'est-ce que je vous offre ? / Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ? What can I get you?Quelque chose à boire ? Something to drink?J'ai la dalle ! J'ai les crocs ! Je meurs de faim ! I'm starving!J'ai trop mangé. / J'ai trop bouffé. I ate too much.
ON THE PHONE / AU TELEPHONE
Allô, est-ce que je pourrais parler à... ? Hello, may I speak to...?C'est de la part de qui ? Who is calling?Qui est à l'appareil ? Who is on the phone?Un instant, s'il vous plaît. One moment, please.Ne quittez pas. Please hold.Je vous la passe. I'm putting you through to her.Il ne répond pas. He is not answering.Il n'est pas là. He is not here.Est-ce que vous voulez laisser un message ? Do you want to leave a message?Pouvez-vous rappeler plus tard ? Can you call back later? La ligne est occupée. The line is busy.Vous vous êtes trompé(e)(s) de numéro. You have the wrong number. Je me suis trompé(e) de numéro. I got the wrong number.
Cell Phone Vocabulary
pay as you go plan sans engagement text message SMS
credit/minutes le crédit photo message MMS
to recharge your account recharger votre compte call waiting le double appel
contract plan le forfait caller ID la présentation du numro
extra charges hors forfait unlimited calls les appels illimités
payment plan le plan tarifaire PIN code le code PIN / secret
land line la ligne fixe SIM card la carte SIM
voicemail la messagerie vocale locked bloqué
account summary le suivi conso to download télécharger
empty / no credit épuisé ringtone la sonnerie
Le suivi conso is short for le suivi de consommation.
GOING SHOPPING / FAIRE LES MAGASINS
department store la grande surface fitting room la cabine d'essayageoutlet store le magasin d'usine club/loyalty card la carte de fidelitésecond-hand shop la boutique d'articles d'occasion heels des talonsdiscount store (such as Aldi)
le magasin hard discount flip-flops des tongs
flea market le marché aux puces tank/halter top le débardeurdepartment le rayon underwire bra le balconnetto go window-shopping faire du lèche-vitrine thong le stringto go grocery shopping faire les courses spotted à poismini market la supérette flowery à fleurssupermarket (food) le supermarché frilly à frous-froussuper store (everything) l'hypermarché (m) glittery à paillettesshopping center le centre commercial striped à rayures
Est-ce que je peux vous aider ? / Je peux vous renseigner ? / Vous désirez ? Can I help you?Non, je regarde seulement. No, I'm just looking.Je vais réfléchir. I'll think about it.Quelle est votre taille ? Vous faites du combien ? What is your size? What size do you wear?Quelle est votre pointure ? Vous chaussez du combien ? What is your shoe size? What size shoe do you wear?Ça va, la taille ? C’est la bonne taille ? Is the size right?C’est trop grand. / C'est trop serré. It’s too big / too small.Ça coûte combien ? How much does this cost?C'est en solde ? Is it on sale?Quelle escroquerie ! / Quelle arnaque ! What a rip-off!Avez-vous une carte de fidélité ? Do you have a club card?Vous réglez comment ? / Vous payez comment ? How are you paying?En espèces/par carte bleue. Cash/with a bank card.
A good way to increase your vocabulary is to look at ads for stores that are available online, such as Carrefour,Géant, Monoprix, etc.
Listen to the le shopping: les soldes mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
GOING TO THE DOCTOR / CHEZ LE DOCTEUR
allergy l'allergie (f) swollen enflé/eillness la maladie dizziness le vertigecold le rhume drops les gouttes (f)fever la fièvre pills les pilules (f)flu la grippe tablet le cachetmigraine la migraine ointment la pommadebump la bosse bandage le sparadrapitching les démangeaisons (f) prescription l'ordonnance (f)poisoning l'intoxication (f) medicine les médicaments (m)
sting / bite la piqûre vitamins les vitamines (f)scratch l'égratignure (f) lozenge la pastillescar la cicatrice sleeping pills les somnifères (m)scab la croûte to skin s'écorcherblister l'ampoule (f) to sprain se foulersprain la foulure to crush s'écraserear infection l'otite (f) to break se casser
Je voudrais prendre rendez-vous, s'il vous plaît. I'd like to make an appointment, please. Où est-ce que vous avez mal ? Where does it hurt?Est-ce que vous êtes allergique à quelque chose ? Are you allergic to anything? Je me suis écorché la main en tombant. I skinned my hand by falling.Je me suis fait mal. I hurt myself.
The French health care system (called la Sécurité Sociale) generally reimburses 70% of your health costs (including dentist and eye doctor visits). If you want to be reimbursed for the other 30%, you have to join a mutuelle and pay a monthly fee. Everyone covered by la Sécu receives a Carte Vitale to use at the doctor's consultation and when filling prescriptions at any pharmacie. If you are a recent immigrant to France and have not yet received your Carte Vitale, you will receive feuille de soins forms to fill out in order to be reimbursed.
The emergency medical service in France is called SAMU (Service d'aide médicale d'urgence) and the phonenumber is 15. You can dial 17 to reach the police, and 18 to reach the pompiers (firefighters). The general emergency number used throughout the European Union is 112. In Belgium, you can also dial 100 for emergency services; in Switzerland, it's 144, and in Canada, it's 911.
GOING TO THE DENTIST OR EYE DOCTOR / CHEZ LE DENTISTE OU
L'OPHTALMOLOGISTE
cavity la carie glasses les lunettes
wisdom tooth la dent de sagesse frames la monture
baby tooth la dent de lait glasses case l'étui de lunettes (m)
gums la gencive contact lenses les lentilles
jaw la mâchoire cleaning solution la solution de nettoyage
crown la couronne contact case l'étui de lentilles (m)
filling le plombage near-sighted myope
cleaning le détartrage far-sighted hypermétrope
root canal le canal dentaire clear net
to pull out, remove (tooth) arracher blurry flou
Getting your eyes checked and then choosing your frames are two different processes in France. You go to anophtalmologiste to get your eyes checked and you will receive a prescription for your glasses/contacts. Then you must go to an opticien in order to choose your frames and turn in your prescriptions. They are not in the same office like in the US.
AT THE HAIR SALON / CHEZ LE COIFFEUR
bangs la frange braid la natte / les tresseshighlights les mèches / le balayage ponytail la queue-de-chevalhair cut la coupe de cheveux barette la barretteblowdry le brushing head band le serre-têtecurly bouclés hair clips les pinces à cheveuxwavy ondulés hairband l'élastique (m)frizzy frisés / crépus hairpin l'épingle à cheveux (f)straight raides buzz cut la coupe en brossedyed teints completely shaved head la boule à zérolightened décolorés bald chauvelayered dégradé part la raie
There is a slight difference between se couper les cheveux (to cut one's hair - by oneself) and se faire couper les cheveux (to get one's hair cut - by someone else). The same is true of se teindre les cheveux (to dye one's hair - by oneself) and se faire teindre les cheveux (to get one's hair dyed - by someone else).
OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT / OUVRIR UN COMPTE BANCAIRE
savings account le compte d'épargne bank / debit card la carte bancaire / la carte bleuechecking account le compte-chèques ATM le distributeur / le guichet (automatique)deposit le dépôt check le chèquedirect deposit le dépôt direct checkbook le carnet de chèquescash les espèces / du liquide balance le bilancredit card la carte de crédit sum, amount le montantloan l'emprunt (m) / le prêt bank statement le relevé de comptedebt la dette salary le traitementwages le salaire raise l'augmentation de salaire (f)estimate le devis payment le versementautomatic payment le prélèvement transfer/deposit le virementto deposit déposer / remettre to write a check faire un chèqueto withdraw retirer to cash a check encaisser / toucher un chèqueto earn gagner to pay cash payer en espècesto spend dépenser to save money faire des économies
Je voudrais ouvrir un compte. I would like to open an account.Bordereau de remise de chèques. Checks deposited slip.
POST OFFICE / LA POSTE
accusé de réception acknowledgement of receipt imprimés printed matter
avis de réception notice of receipt lettre recommandée registered letter
adresse de l'expéditeur return address mandat cash money order
adresse de réexpédition forwarding address par avion air mail
colis parcel / package port payé postage paid
destinataire addressee retour à l'envoyeur return to sender
expéditeur sender tarifs postaux postage rate
envoi en nombre bulk mail trier to sort
Currently, the price of timbres (stamps) is 58 Euro cents to send mail within France, 75 cents within the EU & Switzerland, and 87 cents to the rest of the world (for a letter or postcard under 20 grams).
RENTING AN APARTMENT / LOUER UN APPARTEMENT
housing le logement lease le bailapartment l'appartement bill (telephone, etc.) la facturerent le loyer insurance l'assurance (f)rent receipt la quittance de loyer conditions / evaluation of apt. l'état des lieux (m)utilities / fees les charges / les frais taxes les impôts (m)expenses les dépenses furnished meublé(rental) charges les charges (locatives) building immeubleagency fees les honoraires / frais d'agence landlord le propriétaireprivate landlord le particulier renting locationsecurity deposit la caution / le dépôt de garantie renter locataire (m) / locatrice (f)guarantor needed le garant exigé renting with roommates colocation
Apartments are generally listed as F1/T1, F2/T2, F3/T3, etc. regarding the number of rooms. This number does not include the kitchen or bathroom, but it does include the living room. If a kitchen is équipée, it will probably have a refrigerator and burners, but may or may not have an oven. If a kitchen is non-équipée, there will be no appliances at all. Some apartments do not have ovens, but they might have plaques électriques / plaquettes (burners, similar to a stove). A cuisinière is also electric burners without an oven.
J'habite en colocation. I live with roommates.Je cherche un colocataire pour un appartement avec 2 chambres. I'm looking for a roommate for a 2 bedroom apartment.Le bail sera signé dès votre arrivée à la résidence. The lease will be signed as soon as you arrive at the dorms.Les charges sont comprises dans le prix (eau, éléctricité, chauffage). Utilities are included in the price (water, electricity, heat).
You can download a sample contrat de location, état des lieux, and quittance de loyer at this site.
COOKING & KITCHEN UTENSILS
to chop / grind hacher cooking pot la marmiteto grate râper lid le couvercleto peel peler / éplucher saucepan la casseroleto pit dénoyauter frying pan la poêleto mix mélanger skillet la sauteuseto stir remuer casserole dish la cocotte / daubièreto beat battre baking sheet la plaque à gâteauxto whip fouetter cooling rack la grille de refroidissementto sift tamiser cake tin le moule à gâteauxto pour verser pie tin la tourtièreto cook cuire mixing bowl le bol à mixer / le saladierto roast rôtir strainer / colander la passoireto fry frire peeling knife l'économe (m)to steam cuire à l'étouffée / faire cuire à la vapeur slotted spoon / skimmer l'écumoire (f)to boil bouillir ladle la loucheto simmer mijoter spatula la spatuleto melt fondre (cheese) grater la râpe (à fromage)to stew cuire en ragoût whisk le fouetto broil / grill griller rolling pin le rouleau à pâtisserieto moisten mouiller can opener l'ouvre-boîte (m)to soften faire revenir aluminum foil le papier d'aluminiumto sprinkle saupoudrer plastic wrap le film transparentto drain égoutter wax paper le papier cuisson
For verbs that involve cooking methods, you add faire before them when they are transitive verbs (when they take a direct object). So to cook something is faire cuire, to fry something is faire frire, to boil something is faire bouillir, etc. If you bake American foods in France, you will most likely need to look for certain ingredients that are not used very often in French cooking: condensed milk - lait concentré sucré; evaporated milk - lait concentré non-sucré; baking soda - bicarbonate alimentaire; baking powder - levure chimique and yeast - levure du boulanger. It is also very common to use le sopalin instead of essui-tout for paper towel.
connection la correspondance subway map le plan de métrotrack le quai book of ten tickets le carnetplatform la voie monthly pass la carte orangerestaurant car le wagon-restaurant subway/bus line la ligneintersection le carrefour bus ticket le ticketsedan (4 door) la berline van la camionnettecoupe (2 door) le coupé minivan le monospacestation wagon le break pick-up truck le pick-upconvertible le cabriolet SUV / large truck le 4x4 (quatre-quatre)
Merci d'oblitérer votre ticket. Thank you for validating your ticket.Où est l'arrêt de bus le plus proche ? Where is the closest bus stop? Pour aller au centre-ville ? How do I get downtown? Vous vous installez ici, madame ? Do you want to sit here, ma'am? Vous descendez ? Are you getting off here?Je descends ici. I'm getting off here.
SCHOOL & EDUCATION
school district l'académie (f) middle school principal principalurban district l'arrondissement (m) high school principal proviseurdepartment / division le département exam after middle school brevetregion / area la région exam after high school baccalauréattown la commune mathematics mathématiquespre-school l'école maternelle economics & sociology sciences économique et sociale (SES)elementary education l'école primaire living/foreign language langue vivante (LV)elementary student écolier/ère physics physiquesecondary education secondaire chemistry chimiemiddle school le collège biology biologiemiddle school student collègien/ne life/earth science sciences de la vie et de la terre (SVT)high school le lycée engineering sciences de l'ingénieur (SI)high school student lycéen/ne history/geography histoire-géographiehigher education supérieur philosophy philosophieuniversity student étudiant/e literature littératureuniversity l'université / la faculté research project/seminar travaux personnels encadrés (TPE)prestigious universities les grandes écoles P.E. / Gym éducation physique et sportive (EPS)library le CDI report card le bulletin scolaire
La rentrée scolaire a lieu début septembre. The return to school takes place at the beginning of September.Les vacances d'été s'appellent les grandes vacances. The summer vacation is called the big vacation.Il a eu de mauvais résultats et il a dû redoubler. He got bad marks and he had to stay in the same grade.Cette année, il passe dans la classe supérieure. This year, he's passing into the next grade.Si je rate / Si j'échoue mon bac, je suis obligé de redoubler ma terminale. If I fail my final exam, I have to do my last year of school over again.Ils ont seché les cours aujourd'hui. They skipped classes today.Tu as eu combien ? What (grade) did you get?J'ai eu 13, pas mal. I got a 13, not bad.
Note: In French schools, the grades/marks range from 1 to 20 (though 10 is considered passing, so it cannot be easily changed into percentages); and the grades/years descend instead of increasing: sixième is the first year of collège, while troisième is the last year. Ecole maternelle is ages 2-6, école élémentaire is ages 6-11 (CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2), collège is ages 11-15 (6e, 5e, 4e, 3e), and lycée is ages 15-18 (2nde, 1ère, T).
LG = Lycée Général Bac = baccalauréatLT= Lycée Technique L = LittéraireLPO= Lycée Polyvalent ES = économique et socialeLGT= Lycée Général et Technique S = scientifiqueCLG= Collège STT = sciences et technologies tertiairesEE= Ecole Elémentaire STI = sciences et technologies industriellesIA= Inspecteur Académique STL = sciences et technologies de laboratoireIEN= Inspecteur d’Education Nationale SMS = sciences médico-socialesIUFM = Instituts Universitaires de Formation des Maîtres CAP = certificat d'aptitudes professionnellesCP = Cours préparatoire BEP = brevet d'études professionnellesCE1 = Cours élémentaire 1ère année BTS = brevet de technicien supérieur
CE2 = Cours élémentaire 2e année CPGE = classes préparatoires aux Grandes EcolesCM1 = Cours moyen 1ère année CDI = centre de documentation et d'information
CM2 = Cours moyen 2e année CPE = conseillers principaux d'éducationT = Terminale COP = conseiller d'orientation psychologuePremier degré = maternelle & élémentaire Second degré = collège & lycée
NEWS
news les informations / le journal poverty la pauvreténews shows le magazine d'actualités homeless les sans-abricurrent events l'actualité (f) murder le crime / le meurtreweather report la météo genocide le génocideprotest la protestation riot l'émeute (m)demonstration la manifestation curfew le couvre-feuearthquake le tremblement de terre harassment le harcèlement (m)hurricane l'ouragan (m) epidemic l'épidémie (f)flood l'inondation (f) plague la pestetsunami le tsunami / le raz-de-marée cloning le clonagedrought la sécheresse drug addiction la toxicomanieburglary le cambriolage drug trafficking le trafic de drogueassault l'agression (f) trial le procèscrime le délit testimony le témoignagerobbery le vol evidence la preuvemilitary les militaires (m) ceasefire le cessez-le-feuarmy l'armée (f) gun le revolvernavy la marine rifle le fusilair force les forces aériennes troops les troupes (f)invasion l'invasion (f) soldier le soldatbattle la bataille hostage l'otage (m)retreat la retraite casualty les pertes (f)treaty le traité winners les vainqueurs (m)truce la trêve losers les vaincus (m)
POLITICS
prime minister le premier ministre citizen le citoyen
president le président senator le sénateur
vice president le vice-président representative le députédictator le dictateur mayor le mairenationality la nationalité law la loi
community la communauté bill le projet de loi
society la société policy la politiquegovernment le gouvernement proposal la propositionelection l'élection (f) grant la subventionreferendum le référendum legislation la législationvote le vote negotiation la négociationenvironment l'environnement (m) regulation la réglementationdemocracy la démocratie democrat démocrateanarchy l'anarchie (f) liberal libéral/ecapitalism le capitalisme conservative conservateur/tricesocialism le socialisme socialist socialistecommunism le communisme communist communiste
The current major political parties in France include: Parti Socialiste (PS) and Parti Communiste Français (PCF) - left-wing, Union pour la Démocratie Française (UDF) - centrist, Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) - right-wing, and Front National (FN) - far right-wing.
tv movie le téléfilm to turn on the TV allumer la télé
documentary le documentaire to turn off the TV éteindre la télé
channel la chaîne push the button appuyer sur le bouton
remote control la télécommande turn up the volume monter le son
subtitles les sous-titrages turn down the volume baisser le son
commercials les publicités (pub) to plug in brancher
actor/actress le/la comédien/ne to unplug débrancher
director le réalisateur what's it about? ça parle de quoi ?
comedian l'humoriste to be continued à suivre
Programs do not start at the hour or half hour in France, and the majority of "prime time" shows begin at 8:50 pm (20h50) with more than one episode each week. The nightly new is always on at 8 pm (20h). Commercials are rarely shown during the programs, but more likely between the shows.
There are a few French channels that you can watch without subscribing to a cable provider: TF1, France 2, France 3, France 5, Arte, M6, and depending on where you live, there are local channels as well as foreign channels of bordering countries. Canal+ is available at some times, but you must subscribe and pay extra if you want to watch it at all times. There are of course several other channels: France 4, France ô, W9, TMC, NRJ, Paris Première, Téva,RTL9, AB 1, NT1, etc.
Most American television shows are eventually broadcast in France, though several months later than in the US and dubbed in French. (You will find that almost every foreign program is dubbed rather than subtitled). Not all programs or channels support subtitling/closed captioning, but if your TV is equipped with télétexte, you should be able to read the subtitles in French as well. And a series does not have to be a hit in the US to be broadcast in France; several shows that were cancelled after one year in the US are still shown here.
A lot of programs have the same names in French (Bones, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, etc.) while others have French words added (Lost, les disparus). Here are a few programs that are different in French: Baywatch - Alerte à Malibu; Seventh Heaven - 7 à la Maison; CSI - Les Experts; Without a Trace - FBI: Portés Disparus; The Young & the Restless - Les Feux de l'Amour; One Tree Hill - Les Frères Scott; Crossing Jordan - Preuve à l'appui.
And because I watch several shows that involve solving crime, here is some specialized vocabulary that you probably won't ever use, but you'll need to recognize if you watch crime dramas:
assault l'agression (f) prosecutor le procureur
blackmail le chantage rape le viol
blackmailer le maître-chanteur sketch le portrait-robot
criminal record le casier judiciaire stabbed poignardé
defendant l'accusé (m) strangled étranglé
evidence la pièce à conviction surveillance la filature
federal case délit fédéral suspect le suspect
gun le flingue to arrest arrêter
handcuffs les menottes (f) to con/cheat escroquer
homicide l'homicide (f) to harass harceler
investigation l'enquête (f) to press charges porter plainte
kidnapping l'enlèvement (m) to report missing porter disparu
date le rendez-vous to get engaged se fiancerrelationship la relation to get married se mariercivil union le PACS (Pacte Civile de Solidarité) to break up / leave rompre / quitterengagement les fiançailles (f) to get divorced divorcerwedding le mariage to cheat on tromperwedding announcement le faire-part de mariage to meet se rencontrerhoneymoon la lune de miel to separate se séparer
Ils sont tombés amoureux l'un de l'autre. They fell in love with each other.Ils vivent en concubinage / en union libre. They live with each other (without being married).C'est mon copain / ma copine. This is my boyfriend / girlfriend.J'ai une grande amitié pour lui. I have a great friendship with him.Il a de l'affection pour elle. He has affection for her.Mais elle n'éprouve aucun sentiment pour lui. But she has no feelings for him.On se disputait sans cesse. We fought all the time.Tu m'en veux ? Are you mad at me?Je t'aime bien. / Je t'aime. I like you. / I love youSi on allait au cinéma ce soir ? How about if we go to the movies tonight?Tu es libre, samedi soir ? Are you free Saturday night?Je n'ai rien de prévu pour ce week-end. I have no plans for this weekend.
When pulling petals off of a daisy, the French have 5 sayings instead of just He/she loves me; He/she loves me not:
1. Il/Elle m'aime. He/She loves me.2. Un peu. A little.3. Beaucoup. A lot.4. A la folie. Like crazy.5. Pas du tout. Not at all.
ENGLISH USED IN FRENCH
There are many, many English words used in French, but some of them have a different meaning than in English. Sometimes the French pronunciation is radically different from the English pronunciation, so you may only be able to understand the word in writing but not in speech. Almost all English nouns borrowed into French are masculine, unless otherwise noted below. I've marked which words are used as adjectives in French, even though the original English word may be a noun.
agenda planner / calendar mail e-mail
baby-foot foosball meeting rally
barman bartender nickel clean / perfect
basket basketball parking parking lot
baskets sneakers people celebrities
bermudes bermuda shorts planning schedule
black (adj. / noun) refers to skin color play-back lip-synching
Each région is divided into départements, except for the overseas regions (they exist as régions as well as départements.) Each département is assigned a two-digit number that begins the zip code (the numbers somewhat correspond to alphabetical order). For example, the département of Ain is 01 and the département of Vosges is 88.
DOM-TOM means départements d'outre-mer and térritoires d'outre-mer. French territories (also called collectivities) include Polynésie française, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Wallis-et-Futuna, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy. Nouvelle Calédonie has a special status (sui generis) and will vote for independence from France in the next ten years.
The 96 departments of mainland France, grouped according to their region, are:
People who live in Metz pronounce the city more like mess, whereas most other French people pronounce it metz.
Geographical Features of France:
la Loire Loire river
la Garonne Garonne river
le Rhône Rhône river
la Seine Seine river
les Alpes (f) the Alps
le Mont-Blanc Mont Blanc (highest mountain in W. Europe)
le Jura the Jura
les Pyrénées (f) the Pyrenees
le Massif Central the Massif Central
les Vosges (f) the Vosges
la mer Méditerranée Mediterranean Sea
l'océan Atlantique (m) Atlantic Ocean
la Mer du Nord North Sea
la Manche English Channel
le Golfe de Gascogne Bay of Biscay
WRITING LETTERS
Your name and address should be placed in the top left corner. The receiver's address is placed below yours, on the right. The city you are in and the date is placed below the addresses, and on the left. (Remember to use French date formats: le 7 octobre 2008).
Your nameYour addressZip Code & City
Receiver's NameReceiver's Address
Zip Code & City
City, le # mois 2009
Madame ou Monsieur,
Common formal endings:
Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments respectueux.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, à l'assurance de mes sentiments distingués.
Notice that you should not use sentiments with Madame because it's considered rude.
In less formal situations, such as in certain e-mails, you can just use cordialement.
Go on to Informal French & Slang →
INFORMAL WAYS OF SPEAKING
Similar to the reduced forms in English (wanna, gonna, doncha, etc.), there are several informal ways of speaking inFrench. You will hear these forms very often, but you do not have to speak this way if you don't want to. However, you must be able to understand reduced forms in order to understand real spoken French. You may see these forms in informal written French (such as on blogs or in chat rooms), but you should still write the formal way.
1. Tu + verb beginning with a vowel
The most common contractions with tu are t'as and t'es, which replace tu as and tu es. You can also contract tu + other verbs that begin with a vowel, such as t'aimes or t'ouvres, which replace tu aimes and tu ouvres.
T'as fini de manger ? Have you finished eating?T'es fatigué ou quoi ? Are you tired or what?T'as beau essayer, t'y arrives pas. No matter how much you try, you won't succeed.T'as rien compris ! Laisse-moi t'expliquer. You didn't understand! Let me explain it to you.
2. Unstressed e
The letter e is often dropped between two consonants (e caduc) if it is unstressed, such as in samedi, and also at the end of short words, such as ce, de, je, le, me, que, se, te. It's also common in future and conditional tenses of verbs: donnerai = donn'rai; aimerais = aim'rais
Il s'lève de bonne heure. He gets up early.C'est c'que je veux. That's what I want.Faut que j'parte maintenant. I have to leave now.Avec ce travail, je ne manqu'rai pas d'argent. With this job, I won't lack money.
3. Reduced forms: il(s), elle(s), puis, parce que, quelque
The pronouns il and ils reduce to y, while elle and elles reduce to è when followed by a consonant. When followed by a vowel, il and elle reduce to l' whereas ils becomes y z' or just z' and elles becomes è'z'. The word puis is more commonly pronounced pis, parce que is pronounced pasque, and quelque is pronounced quèque.
Y pense qu'elle l'aime, mais c'est pas le cas. He thinks that she loves him, but that's not the case.On va aller au restaurant, et pis après on se fera un ciné. We'll go to the restaurant, and then after we'll go to the movies.Pourquoi tu dois m'obéir ? Pasque je suis ton père ! Why must you obey me? Because I'm your father!Y a quèque chose la-dessous ! Regarde voir ! There's something down there! Look!
The pronoun on is used much more often to mean we than nous. It always take the third person singular form of the verb even though it's always plural in English.
On peut y aller ? Tout le monde est là ? Can we go ? Is everybody here ?C'est pasqu'on est frères que je te fais confiance. It's because we are brothers that I trust you.Pourrait-on accélérer ? On va pas assez vite ! Could we speed it up? We're not going fast enough!
5. Drop ne in negatives
Although the ne in negatives should always be written, it is very rarely used in informal speech.
Ça va pas ! C'est nul ! That doesn't work! That's stupid!Si tu veux pas voir ce film, lequel veux-tu voir ? If you don't want to see this movie, which one do you want to see?Je peux pas m'acheter cette voiture. C'est pas possible. I can't buy myself this car. It's not possible.
6. Drop -re at end of words
You usually do not pronounce -re at the end of a word, whether it's a verb (mettre) or adjective (notre).
Allez, à bientôt ! A un de ces quat' ! See you soon one of these days! C'est pas vot' problème, c'est not' problème. It's not your problem, it's our problem.Y faut pas êt' si bête. You shouldn't be so stupid.
7. Word order in questions
Word order in questions is less difficult to master in informal spoken French. Inversion and est-ce que aregenerally not used, and word order is simply subject - verb - question word OR question word - subject - verb.
Tu fais quoi ? What are you doing?On va où ? Where are we going?Il parle de quoi ? What's he talking about?
Pourquoi t'as dit ça ? Why did you say that?Quand elle va arriver ? When is she going to arrive?Quelle heure il est ? What time is it?
In addition, ça frequently follows an interrogative to add emphasis, such as in qui ça ? or c'est quoi, ça ?
8. Forget grammatical rules
Sometimes you can forget the grammar rules that you have learned when speaking informally. An example of this is using à to show possession (in grammatically correct French, you should use de).
On est dans la chambre à Cyril. We are in Cyril's room.
Another example is using (r)amener to mean to bring things (back) to some place. In grammatically correctFrench, you should only use (r)amener with people, and (r)apporter with things.
J'ai ramené les livres à la médiathèque. I brought the books back to the library.
FILLERS IN SPEECH
Fillers in speech are words that don't add any real meaning to the sentence, except for maybe emphasis. Examples in English include uh, um, well, I mean, I guess, you know?, so, ok, etc. You should get used
to just ignoring these words when you hear them, so that you can focus on the key words in the sentence.
1. Quoi is the most common filler that I hear in everyday speech. It can be used to add emphasis to emotions or thoughts or to show impatience. It is usually said at the very end of the sentence.
2. Voilà is often used with quoi at the end of the sentence.3. A la limite is mostly used by young people, and can be translated
as I suppose or I mean.4. Tu vois ? is the closest approximation for you know?5. Bon begins or ends a thought, similar to ok. It also can express
anger or impatience, similar to fine! (Ah, bon ?actually means "really?" and not "good.")
6. Ben (pronounced liked bain) adds emphasis to questions, statements, commands and yes or no.
7. Bon ben is used to wrap up a thought or conversation. Translated as ok or well.
8. Donc emphasizes a question or command.9. Alors emphasizes an interjection and yes or no.10. Moi is commonly added to commands involving the senses.
The closest translation in English is "just." Regarde-moi-ça ! Just look at that!
11. Eh bien means well... at the beginning of a sentence or thought.
12. Hein ? is similar to eh? at the end of a sentence.
INTERJECTIONS
Aïe ! / Ouïe ! / Ouille ! Ouch !Beurk ! Berk ! Yuck!Boum ! Boom! Bang!Chiche ! I dare you! Go ahead!Chut ! Shush! Be quiet!Gla gla! Brrrrrrr! Ho ! / Hé ! Wow! or Hey!Holà ! Hey! Whoa!Hop là ! Got it! There ya go! Whoopsie-daisy! Merde ! Shit! [not as strong as in English] / Break a leg! Miam miam ! Yum yum!Mince ! / Zut ! Darn! Dang it!Ouf ! Phew!Oups ! Oops!Pan ! Bang!Putain ! [the general all-purpose swear word in French] Toc, toc ! Knock knock!Vlan ! Slam!Youpi ! Yay!
RECOGNIZING FRENCH SLANG WORDS
Several suffixes are commonly used to form slang words from regular words. This may help you determine themeaning of the slang word, which you probably cannot find in a dictionary, by identifying
the root word, which you can find in a dictionary. For example, folle is a regular adjective meaning crazy. Follasse is the slang word derived from the adjective that means crazy woman.
Je n'en reviens pas - I can't believe itC'est du gâteau ! - It's a piece of cake!Revenons à nos moutons - Let's get back to the subjectÇa saute aux yeux - That's obviousC'est dans la poche - It's a sure thingQuand les poules auront des dents - When pigs flyÇa ne tourne pas rond - Something's wrongC'est pas vrai ! - You're kidding!Ce n'est pas la mer à boire - It's not the end of the worldC'est pas sorcier - It's not rocket scienceJe vais jeter un œil - I'll take a lookÇa n'a rien à voir avec... - That has nothing to do with...Ça vaut le coup - It's worth itOn voit que dalle - You can't see anythingÇa va être chaud ! It's going to be tough!Tu dois me tirer de là ! - You gotta help me out!Ç'est parti ! Here we go / we're off !Ça gaze ? How are things? What's up?Oh purée ! Oh my goodness!Ça fait un bail ! It's been a long time !Ça craint ! / C'est nul ! - That sucks!Fais voir - Show me / Let me seeJe suis prems ! - I'm first!Rien que d’en parler... - Just talking about it...
If you can't remember the name of a thing, you can use ce truc, ce machin, ce bidule or cet engin similarly to the English thingy, thingamajig, whatchamacallit, etc.
What's-his-name is Monsieur Untel and what's-her-name is Madame Unetelle. You can also use Machin but it has a more derogative meaning, as if you are saying the person is merely an object.
COMMON VERBS
balancer - to throw (away)en baver - to have a hard timebosser - to workbouffer - to eatbourrer - to stuff, crambousiller - to break, damagechialer - to crychopper - to get, to catchdébarquer - to arrive without noticedégoter - to find, come up with, dig upencarrer - to enterengueuler - to yellépater / scier - to astonish, surpriseêtre à deux doigts (de faire quelque chose) - to be on the verge (of doing something)être à la bourre - to be in a hurry être à mourir d'ennui - to be very boringfaire gaffe - be careful, pay attentionfarfouiller - to rummagefiler - to give, hand overfiler à l'anglaise - to leave without saying goodbye / to take a French leave
flipper - to go crazy, flip outfourrer - to cram, stick, shovefoutre - to put, throw / to give / to dofoutre le bordel - to make a messgaver - to be sick ofgerber - to pukegober - to believe naively / to fall for gonfler - to annoylouper - to missmater / zieuter - to lookpapoter - to chatter, gossip paumer - to losepiger - to understandpiquer - to stealplanquer - to hidepoireauter - to waitrepêcher - to findrigoler / se marrer - to laughroupiller - to sleep schlinguer - to stink se planter - to make a mistakese pointer / radiner - to show upse tirer / se barrer / se casser - to leavevadrouiller - to rove around
THE VERB FOUTRE
This slang verb has several meanings in French: to put, to give, to do, etc. It is conjugated thus: fous - fous - fout - foutons - foutez - foutent. The pronominal verb s'en foutre means to not care, while the adjective foutu(e) usually means screwed/screwed up. Fiche is a milder verb that is very common too. It is conjugated: fiche - fiches - fiche - fichons - fichez - fichent and the past participle is fichu(e).
Je m'en fous / Je m'en fiche. I don't care.
Qu'est-ce qu'il fout là-bas ? What's he doing over there? / What the hell is he doing over there??
J'en ai rien à foutre. I don't care. [stronger] / I don't give a damn.
Je m'en fous de tes problèmes. I don't care about your problems.Tu t'en fous de ce que les autres pensent. You don't care about what others think.On s'en fout de foot ! We don't care about soccer!Ils s'en foutent des jeunes. They don't care about young people.
Fous-moi la paix ! Leave me alone! / Give me a break!Fous le camp ! F you!Va te faire foutre ! Go to hell!
The adjective foutu does not always have a negative connotation, however:un mec bien foutu a well-built/muscular guy
godiche - silly, awkwardgratos- freeimpec - great, terrifickif-kif - same difference; it's the same mal barré / mal foutu - "in dire straits" / screwedmarrant / rigolo - funnymoche - uglynickel - very cleannunuche - silly, stupid pas terrible - not goodradin - cheaproublard - devious, cunningsalé - expensivesympa - nice, likablevache - meanzinzin - nuts
COMMON INTENSIFIERS / ADVERBS
carrément - completelyrudement - very, terriblypas mal de / un paquet de - a lot of super / mega / hyper - very, ultravachement - very, really foutrement - extremely
Oh la vache ! - Oh wow!
espèce de + adjectif - stupid + adjectiveadjectif + de chez + adjectif - really, completely + adjective→ Ce livre est nul de chez nul. This book majorly sucks. nom + de malheur - darned + nounnom + d'enfer - really good + noun
VERLAN
Verlan is a popular form of slang that involves reversing the syllables in regular words.
→ Ferme ta gueule ! Shut up! jambons / gigots (m) - thighsmirettes (f) - eyesnichons (m) - breastspalpitant / battant (m) - heartpaluche / pince (f) - handpanard / ripaton (m) - footpatte / gambette / guibole / quille (f) - legpif / blair (m) - noseriquiqui (m) - pinkie fingertifs (m) - hairtignasse (f) - mop of hair→ J’ai une tignasse frisée qui m’arrive en bas du dos. I have curly hair that goes all the way down my back. tronche (f) - face, head
se casser la gueule - to break one's neckpasser sur le billard - to have an operation avoir la pêche / la patate - to be on top of the world, to feel goodavoir mal au cœur - to feel nauseated / to feel like vomitinggerber / dégueuler - to pukecrever / clamser - to die (figuratively), to "croak"avoir mauvaise / bonne mine - to look bad / goodêtre maigre comme un clou - to be really skinnyattraper la crève - to catch a terrible cold tomber dans les pommes / les vapes - to pass outrequinquer - to perk upse débarbouiller - to wash your face à l'article de la mort - at death's door bien roulée - good bodymal fichu - sickl'hosto [l'hôpital] - hospital
EMOTIONS & PERSONALITIES
crevé / lessivé / nase / mort / cassé / vanné / HS [hors-service] - really tired, exhaustedavoir le cafard / le blues / le spleen - to be sad, depressedêtre de mauvais poil - to be in a bad mooden avoir marre / en avoir ras-le-bol / en avoir soupé - to be fed up, angry→ J'en ai marre de ces pubs ! I'm so sick of these ads!avoir les boules / les glandes / les nerfs / la haine - to be really angryraffoler de quelque chose - to be crazy about somethingêtre accro à quelque chose - to be addicted to something avoir le mal du pays - to be homesickse barber - to get boredavoir la trouille / la frousse / le trac - to be scaredfiche la trouille / frousse à quelqu'un - to scare somebody→ C'est la première fois qu'une BD me fiche la frousse. That's the first time a comic book scared me.déconner - to joke / mess aroundse planter - to make a mistake / to fallpéter les plombs / péter un cable - to go crazyperdre la boule / les pédales - to lose one's mind
s'engueuler / bagarrer - to fight, yellrififi (m) / bagarre (f) - fight raclée / saucée / trempe (f) - scoldingfiler une baffe / une claque / une beigne à quelqu'un - to slap someonecoller un pain / une mandale / une chataigne / un marron à quelqu'un - to punch someonecoquard (m) - black eye furax - furious, angryblairer quelqu'un - to not be able to stand someonene pas sentir quelqu'un - to not like, not be able to stand someonecasser les pieds à quelqu'un / prendre la tête à quelqu'un - to annoy someone
être casse-bonbons / casse-pieds / casse-couilles - to be a pain in the neck/asscafter quelqu'un - to tell on someone, to snitch faire du pétard - to make a fuss→ Il fait du pétard quand les choses ne vont pas comme il veut. He makes a fuss when things aren't how he wants them to be.rouscailler - to complain gonfler quelqu'un / emmerder quelqu'un - to get on someone's nerves, be a painfaire chier quelqu'un - to really annoy someone, to piss someone off→ Ça me fait chier de refaire une année, puis encore deux années en BTS. That pisses me off to repeat a grade, and then still have two more years of BTS.monter sur ses grands chevaux - to get angryse mettre en pétard - to get crabby, angry se faire de la bile - to get all worked upen faire toute une salade - to make a big deal about ittaper sur les nerfs à quelqu'un - to get on someone's nerveschambrer / taquiner quelqu'un - to tease, bother someoneTu te fous de ma gueule ? - Are you kidding me? / Do you think I'm an idiot?Tu me prends pour qui ? - Who do you think you're dealing with? / Do you think I'm stupid?Lâche-moi les baskets ! - Give me a break! Leave me alone!Ce sont pas tes oignons ! / T'occupe ! - Mind your own business!Laisse béton ! - Nevermind! Forget it!Ta gueule ! / La ferme ! - Shut up!
avoir la cosse / flemme - to be lazyavoir un poil dans la main - to be really lazyavoir la bougeotte - to be fidgetyflemmard / feignant - lazyglander / glandouiller - to waste time, to bum around→ Il glande tous les jours chez lui. He does nothing all day at home.se pavaner - to strut about, show off frimer - to show offfrimeur (m) - showoff→ C'est un mec qui a l'air sympathique ; c'est pas un frimeur à ce que je sache ! He seems like a nice guy; he's not a showoff as far as I know!lèche-bottes (f) - suckup, brown-noserraté (m) - loserdébile / taré - stupid, idiotic con (m) / conne (f) - idiot → "Casse-toi, pauvre con !" Get lost, stupid idiot! - quote from French president, Nicolas Sarkozy quiche (f) - stupid person bourrique (m/f) - a blockheadavoir l'air vaseux - to seem dazed bête noire (f) - pet peevegalère (f) - problem, difficulty
donner un coup de main - to give someone a hand / to help someonedépanner quelqu'un - to do someone a favorretirer une épine du pied à quelqu'un - to do someone a big favor
pot (m) - luck / drinkbol (m) - luck → J'ai vachement de bol, j'ai pas de gosses et j'ai une voiture. I'm really lucky, I don't have kids and I have a car. guigne / déveine / poisse (f) - bad luckguignard(e)(m/f) - unlucky personavoir de la veine - to be luckybranché - with it, hip, cool peinard / pénard - calm, tranquil → Cette année, c'est pénard, mais l'année prochaine, le bac ! This year is calm, but next year is the bac [final exam]!zen - cool, calm, laid-back
bahut (m) - school (also truck, taxi)→ Mon bahut est en grève ! My school is on strike!bizut (m) - freshman / pledge (to a fraternity/sorority)bizutage (m) - hazingbouquin (m) - bookbûcher / potasser - to study hard, to cramcalé en - good/smart incartonner à un examen - to ace an examchouchou (m) - teacher's petcolle (f) - difficult questioncoller un élève - to punish a student / give a student detention→ Mon fils est collé deux heures par son prof de math. My son got two hours of detention from his math teacher.être collé - to have detentionfac (f) - universitypiger - to understand, to get (it)plancher - to be grilled/interrogated by a teacherpotache (m) - studentse faire étendre / coller à un examen - to flunk a testsécher un cours - to skip class
WEATHER & TIME
cailler - to freezecramer - to burnflotter - to rainflotte (f) - waterfroid de canard - really cold weathertemps de chien - lousy weathertomber des cordes - to rain heavily, to pouril pleut comme vache qui pisse - it's pouring / it's really coming downsaucée (f) - shower se peler les miches - to freeze one's ass off → Je suis frileuse et je me pèle les miches été comme hiver. I'm always cold and I freeze my ass off in summer like in winter.
entre chien et loup - at dusk, sunsetil y a des lustres - a long time agopige (f) - yearun de ces quat' - one of these days
TALKING & CHATTING
avoir de la tchatche - to talk a lotavoir un mot sur le bout de la langue - to have a word on the tip of your tonguebaratin (m) - nonsensebaratiner - to sweet talkbavarder / causer - to chat→ Elle aime causer et tout le monde la connaît. She likes to chat and everyone knows her.blaze (m) - namecasser les oreilles à quelqu'un - to talk someone's ear offchanter comme une casserole - to sing really badly charabia (m) - gibberishcharrier - to exaggeratedégoiser - to talk a lot, rattle ondéjanter - to talk nonsense, to go crazydonner un coup de fil - to call, telephoneet patati et patata - blah blah blahjacter - to speak, chatterparler une langue comme une vache espagnole - to speak a language really badlypasser du coq à l'âne - to quickly change the subjectquand on parle du loup - speak of the devilragots - rumors, gossip, the "dirt"
→ Si quelqu'un dit des ragots sur moi, alors je m'en fous. If someone spreads rumors about me, I don't care.rouspéter - to complain, moantchatcher - to chattuyau (m) / astuce (f) - tip, piece of advice
EATING & DRINKING
avoir la dalle - to be starving→ J'ai la dalle et je sais pas quoi faire à manger. I'm starving and I don't know what to make to eat.avoir la gueule de bois - to have a hangover avoir les crocs - to be very hungryavoir un petit creux - to be a little hungryarroser - to drink to celebrate something barbaque / bidoche (f) - bad meatBerk ! - Yuck!blonde (f) - aleboire un verre / un coup / un pot - to have a drinkbouffe / boustifaille (f) - foodbouffer - to eatboui-boui (m) - dive, bad restaurantbourré / pété / rond / saoul / défoncé / plein - drunkça fouette - that stinks (said of cheese)casser la croûte - to have a snack → On a cassé la croûte avec une vue magnifique depuis le nord au sud du Mont-Blanc. We had a snack with a magnificent view from the north to south of Mont Blanc.chaud - tipsy, buzzedchopine (f) - bottle of wine dégueulasse - disgustinggavé - stuffed (ate too much)se goinfrer / s'empiffrer / se taper - to pig out gueuleton (m) - feast, huge spread of foodMiam ! - Yum!péter - to fart (also: to burst, blow up, snap) picole (f) - alcohol, boozepicoler - to drink alcoholpicoleur, picoleuse - drinkerpinard (m) - cheap winepochtron / poivrot (m) - drunkardprendre une cuite - to get wasted/plastered pression (f) - draft beerrégaler - to treat, pay repu - full (of food)roter - to burp tituber - to stumble (drunkenly)→ Il titubait et hurlait dans les couloirs, complètement bourré. He was stumbling and yelling in the hall, completely drunk.tournée (f) - round of drinkstrinquer - to toast, to drink to [this can also mean to be devastated, to suffer: Dans un divorce, ce sont toujours les enfants qui trinquent. In a divorce, it's always the children who suffer.]
gosse (m/f) - kid [be careful: this means testicles in Quebecois French!]loulou / loulotte - boyfriend / girlfriendmec / keum / type (m) - guymeuf [Verlan for femme] - wifemôme (m/f) - kid, bratmoutards / lardons / marmots / morveux (m) - kidsnana / gonzesse (f) - girl, chickpote (m) - buddy, materacaille (f) - scum reum [Verlan for mère] - motherreup [Verlan for père] - fatherricain(e) - American vieux (m) - parentsvoyou / gouape - punk, hooligan
clébard (m) - mutt, houndpiaf (m) - bird
PLACES & TRANSPORTATION
piaule / crèche (f) - bedroompieu / plumard / pageot (m) - bedcrècher - to crash, to livepioncer / roupiller - to sleeptruc / machin (m) - a thing, thingamajigbordel (m) / bazar (m) / galère (f) - mess→ C'est quoi ce bordel ? What is all this mess? bagnole / caisse (f) - carbaraque (f) - shed, stand, housebled perdu (m) - nowheresville, in the boonies → Je viens du fin fond de la Bretagne dans un bled perdu où il n'y a rien à faire. I come from the boonies at the far end of Brittany, where there's nothing to do.coin (m) - place in general
se taper 10 bornes à pied - to walk 10 kilometersborne (f) - kilometer
WORK & MONEY
arnaquer - to rip off, cheatarnaqueur (m) - con artistballe (f) - franc (many French people still think in francs instead of euros)BCBG [bon chic bon genre] - posh, stylish, preppybo-bo [Bourgeois Bohême] - person with good job and Bohemian lifestyleboîte (f) - companybosser / taffer - to workboulot (m) - work, jobbourge (n) - bourgeois, middle classclaquer - to blow moneyclodo / clochard (m) - bum, homeless persondouloureuse (f) - bill (that you know is going to be high)Diplôme de comptabilité - accounting degree être plein aux as - to have a lot of moneyfric / pognon / blé / des sous / pèze / l'oseille (m) - moneyfauché / à sec / raide / dans la dèche - broke faux jeton (m) - two-sided, hypocritical (politician)flic / keuf / poulet (m) - copgrippe-sou (f) - penny pinchergyneco [gynécologue] - gynecologistkiné [kinésithérapeute] - physiotherapistmettre au clou - to hock, pawnprolo (m) - working classproprio [propriétaire] - landlord, landlady
psy [psychologue] - psychologistradin - cheapreuch - expensiverichard (m) - very wealthy manrmiste (m) - someone who earns the jobseeker's allowance (RMI)salé - expensive (a bill)se faire arnaquer - to get ripped offsmicard (m) - someone who earns minimum wage (SMIC)taffe (m) - job, work thune (f) - money / cointoubib (m) - doctorturbin (m) - job, daily grind
Ça coûte la peau des fesses ! / Ça douille ! - That's really expensive!
LOVE & DATING
amourettes (f) - passing love affairs avoir le béguin pour / craquer pour / en pincer pour / flasher sur quelqu'un - to have a crush on someoneavoir le coup de foudre - to be in love at first sightavoir un cœur d'artichaut - to be fickle (in love) brancher quelqu'un - to try to seduce someonebombe (f) - attractive womanboudin / thon / pou (m) - ugly person [these are mean words!]canon (m) - hot, very attractive personcapote (f) / chapeau / gant (m) - condomchoper / emballer / embarquer quelqu'un - to succesfully seduce / pick up someonedraguer / flirter - to flirten cloque - pregnant / "knocked up"se faire jeter / se prendre une veste - to get denied, turned downgars / mec / type / bonhomme / keum - guy, manjules - boyfriend, lover kiffer - to like lové - cuddly, snugglylarguer / plaquer - to leave, dump (a person) mater quelqu'un - to check out (someone)moche - uglynana / nénette / minette / gonzesse / meuf - woman, girl, chickse remettre de quelqu'un - to get over someonerencard (m) - daterouler un patin / une pelle à quelqu'un - to French kiss someoneposer un lapin à quelqu'un - to stand someone up (for a date)tripoter / peloter - to grope, fondle
lifting (m) - face liftrabais - discountrelooking (m) - makeoverringard - old fashioned, out of style
ENTERTAINMENT & TECHNOLOGY
clope / sèche (f) - cigarettecame (f) - drugsdéfoncé - highboîte (f) - nightclub, barcourt-jus (m) - short circuit boum / teuf (f) - party resto (m) - restaurantse faire un resto - to go out to eats'éclater - to have funse marrer - to laughmater la téloche - to watch TV se faire un ciné / se faire une toile - to go to the movies cinoche (m) - movie theather faire un tabac - to be a hit, success (a film, a song, etc.) tube (f) - hit songplay-back (m) - lip-synching zapping (m) - channel surfingbuter - to bump off, killtaule / calèche (f) - jail, slammermaton (m) - prison guard se faire la belle / se carapater - to run away, escapecavale (f) - escape (from prison) pétard (m) - gun / jointpotin (m) - gossippeople / pipol (m) - celebritiescasting (m) - auditionbook (m) - portfolio (for a model, actor, etc.)
BABY TALK
faire dodo - to go beddy-byeavoir un bobo - to have a booboofaire pipi - to go peepeefaire caca - to go poopoo
C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. Practice makes perfect.Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait. If the young knew, if the old could.Tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner. To understand is to forgive.Vouloir, c'est pouvoir. Where there's a will, there's a way.Un de perdu, dix de retrouvés. There's other fish in the sea.L'habit ne fait pas le moine. Clothes doesn't make the man.
Animals
avoir d'autres chats à fouetter - to have better things to do; other fish to fryavoir un chat dans la gorge - to have a frog in your throatdoux comme un agneau - soft/gentle like a lambun froid de canard - very coldappeler un chat un chat - to call a spade a spades'entendre comme chien et chat - to get along like cats and dogsun mal de chien - difficultiesune vie de chien - difficult lifepasser du coq à l'âne - to change subjects quicklyavoir une mémoire d'éléphant - to have a good memoryavoir une faim de loup - to be starvingmarcher à pas de loup - to walk silentlyrevenir à ses moutons - to get back to the subjectavoir la chair de poule - to have goosebumpsquand les poules auront les dents - when pigs flyune peau de vache - a mean personune langue de vipère - a person who often speaks badly of otherschercher la petite bête - to nitpick, split hairsavoir le cafard - to be down, depressedentre chien et loup - at dusk, sundownavaler des couleuvres - to swallow one's pridela brebis galeuse de la famille - black sheep of the familyle bouc émissaire / le dindon de la farce - scapegoatavoir une araignée au plafond - to have bats in the belfryêtre heureux comme un poisson dans l'eau - to be as happy as a clam at high tideil y a anguille sous la roche - I smell a ratil faut ménager la chèvre et le chou - you have to run with the hare and hunt with the houndsjetter quelqu'un dans la fosse aux lions - to throw someone to the wolvesse jetter dans la gueule du loup - to put one's hand in the lion's mouthcourir deux lièvres à la fois - to ride two horses at the same timemettre la charue avant les bœufs - to put the cart before the horsece n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire des grimaces - you can't teach an old dog new tricksêtre hardi comme un coq sur son fumier - to be a showoffavoir une fièvre de cheval - to have a high fever
Body Parts
se creuser la tête - to think really hardse croire sorti de la cuisse de Jupiter - to think oneself is better than everyone elsese mettre le doigt dans l'œil - to make a mistakerester bouche cousue - to not say anything; keep a secretavoir le coeur sur le main - to wear one's heart on one's sleeveavoir un cheveu sur la langue - to lispne pas avoir la langue dans sa poche - to be talkativeavoir la langue bien pendue - to know how to answer/talkfaire la tête - to poutgarder la tête froide - to keep one's calmne pas avoir froid aux yeux - to not be scaredavoir/mettre l'eau à la bouche - to want/drool over somethingrester bouche bée - to be speechless
ne rien faire de ses dix doigts - to be lazyavoir l'estomac dans les talons - to be hungryprendre ses jambes à son cou - to leave quicklyne pas lever le nez - to concentrate on somethingà l'œil - without paying, for freefaire la sourde oreille - to not listen/hearêtre bête comme ses pieds - to be stupidmettre les pieds dans le plat - to say/do something stupidcoûter les yeux de la tête - to cost an arm and a legse payer la tête de quelqu-'un - to pull someone's legdonner sa langue au chat - to give upavoir les dents longues - to be ambitiousavoir le bras long - to have influence, connectionsêtre au bout de la langue - to be at the tip of your tongueavoir un poil dans la main - to be lazy, to avoid workcasser les pieds à quelqu'un - to get on someone's nervesmanger sur le pouce - to grab a bite to eatenlever une épine du pied à quelqu'un - to help someone outdormir sur les deux oreilles - to sleep soundlyprendre la lune avec les dents - to try to do the impossible rebattre les oreilles - to repeat the same story over and over
Numbers
en moins de deux - very quicklychercher midi à quatorze heures - to make things complicatedcomme deux et deux font quatre - sure, certainles deux font la paire - both are the samejamais deux sans trois - something that's happened twice, will happen a third timeni une ni deux - without hesitating, very fastquatre à quatre - quicklydire des quatre vérités à quelqu'un - to say what you think of someonese mettre en quatre - to give oneself a hard taskun de ces quatre - one of these daysêtre tiré à quatre épingles - to be dressed welltourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche - to take time to think before speakingvoir trente-six chandelles - to see starsfaire les cent pas - to pace back and forth, come and gofaire les quatre cents coups - to have a hectic and chaotic life; to sow one's wild oatsse mettre sur son trente et un - to be dressed to kill
Colorsblanc bonnet et bonnet blanc - the same thingêtre blanc comme un linge - to be white from fearpasser une nuit blanche - to spend a sleepless nightdonner carte blanche à quelqu'un - to let someone do what they wantêtre un cordon bleu - to be a good cookêtre fleur bleu - to be sentimentalavoir une peur bleue - to be scared stiffêtre la bete noire - to be the person that no one likesavoir des idées noires - to be sadvoir la vie en rose - to see the good side of things, to be optimisticdonner le feu vert - to give the green light to someonese mettre au vert - to rest in the countrysidedevenir pourpre - to get red with embarassment
Food
appuyer sur le champignon - to go very fast, accelerateêtre haut comme trois pommes - to be smallne pas être dans son assiette - to not feel yourselfsucrer les fraises - to be senile, crazytomber dans les pommes - to faint, pass outcouper la poire en deux - to meet halfway
jeter de l'huile sur le feu - to add fuel to the firetondre des œufs - to be cheap, a skinflintpédaler dans la semoule - to become insane, senilec'est la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder la vase - it's the straw that broke the camel's backmettre du beurre dans les épinards - to help financiallycasser du sucre sur son dos - to spread lies about someone, talk about someone behind his/her backêtre dans le pétrin - to be in a jam
Other être dans ses petits souliers - to not feel comfortableavoir des oursins dans la poche - to be stingy, cheapfaire d'une pierre deux coups - to kill two birds with one stonene pas être de la dernière pluie - to not be born yesterdaypendre la crémaillère - to have a house-warming party vendre la mèche - to let the cat out of the bag, to tell a secretn'y voir que du feu - to be taken in / to be hadne pas y aller avec le dos de la cuillière - to not be subtle about somethingfaire un chèque en bois - to write a bad checkmanger les pissenlits par la racine - to push up daisies, to be dead and buriedtourner autour du pot - to beat around the bushse mettre à table - to confess, come cleanmettre des bâtons dans les roues de quelqu'un - to throw a monkey wrench in someone's businessreprendre ses billes - to renege on a dealun coup d'épée dans l'eau - a wasted effortêtre au four et au moulin - to be in two places at oncefaire le pont - to take a long weekendtirer les plans sur la comète - to count one's chickens before they have hatchedce n'est pas la mer à boire - it's not as bad as all thatc'est au bout du monde - it's halfway around the worldce n'est pas le Pérou - it's nothing to write home about / it's no great fortunetirer le diable par la queue - to barely get by, have a hard time il ne faut pas déshabiller Pierre pour payer Paul - you shouldn't rob Paul to pay Peterparler à quelqu'un à brûle-pourpoint - to ask someone point-blank raconter des histoires à dormir debout - to tell tall talesprendre la poudre d'escampette - to leave quicklytirer son épingle du jeu - to get out of a difficult situationmener en bateau - to lead someone on, to lie
