Most Common French Words
1)le, la, l', les
definite article
the
French Definite Articles
Les Articles définis
Definite articles | Indefinite articles | Partitive articles | Test on articles The French definite article corresponds to the in English. There are four forms of the French definite article: Singular Masculine Feminine le le garçon le père la la fille la mère Before vowel or mute h l' Plural
les
l'ami, l'amie les garçons l'homme, l'histoire les filles
Which definite article to use depends on three things: the noun's gender, number, and first letter. If the noun is plural, use les. If it's singular starting with a vowel or mute h, use l'. If it's singular and starts with a consonant, use le if it's masculine and la if it's feminine.
Meaning and usage of the French definite article The definite article indicates a specific noun. Je vais à la banque - I'm going to the bank. Voici le livre que j'ai lu - Here is the book I read. The definite article is also used in French to indicate the general sense of a noun. The article is not used in this sense in English. J'aime la glace - I like ice cream C'est la vie ! - That's life! More uses of the definite article Definite article contractions 1
The definite article changes when preceded by the preposition à or de - the preposition and article contract into a single word. Learn more
French Indefinite Articles
Les Articles indéfinis
Definite articles | Indefinite articles | Partitive articles | Test on articles The singular indefinite articles in French correspond to a, an, or one in English. The plural corresponds to some. There are three forms of the French indefinite article. Singular Masculine Feminine un une des
Plural
un garçon une fille des garçons un ami une amie des filles Note that the plural indefinite article is the same for masculine and feminine nouns, whereas the singular has a different form for masculine and feminine.
Meaning and usage of the French indefinite article The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing. J'ai trouvé un livre - I found a book. Il veut une pomme - He wants an apple. The indefinite article can also refer to just one of something: Il y a un étudiant dans la salle - There is one student in the room. J'ai une soeur - I have one sister. The plural indefinite article means some: J'ai acheté des pommes - I bought some apples. Veux-tu des livres ? - Do you want some books? When referring to a person's profession or religion, the indefinite is not used in French, although it is used in English. I know, I know, the exceptions never end. :-( Je suis professeur - I am a teacher. Il va être médecin - He's going to be a doctor. In a negative construction, the indefinite article changes to de, meaning any: 2
J'ai une pomme ==> Je n'ai pas de pommes. I have an apple ==> I don't have any apples.
French Partitive Articles
Les Articles partitifs Definite articles | Indefinite articles | Partitive articles | Test on articles The partitive articles in French correspond to some or any in English. There are four forms of the French partitive article. Masculine Feminine du du pain du thé de la Before vowel Plural or mute h de l' des des épinards des grafitis
de la glace de l'eau de la bière de l'huile
Note that the partitive article has four forms, and the one to use depends on three things: the noun's number, gender, and first letter. If it's plural, use des. If it's singular and starts with a vowel or mute h, use de l'. If it's singular and starts with a consonant, use du if it's masculine and de la if it's feminine.
Meaning and Usage of the French Partitive Article The partitive article indicates an unknown quantity of something, usually food or drink. It is often omitted in English. Avez-vous bu du thé ? - Did you drink some tea? J'ai mangé de la salade hier - I ate salad yesterday. Nous allons prendre de la glace - We're going to have some ice cream. After adverbs of quantity, de is used instead of the partitive article. Il y a beaucoup de thé - There is a lot of tea. J'ai moins de glace que Thierry - I have less ice cream than Thierry. Learn more In a negative construction, the partitive article changes to de, meaning any: J'ai mangé de la soupe ==> Je n'ai pas mangé de soupe. I ate some soup ==> I didn't eat any soup. More about de vs du, de la, des 3
Partitive article vs Definite article The partitive is usually used when discussing eating or drinking, because one normally only eats some butter, cheese, etc., not all of it. If you want to say that you eat all of something, use the definite article: J'ai mangé du gâteau - I ate some cake (one piece). J'ai mangé le gâteau - I ate the cake (the whole thing). Partitive article vs Indefinite article The partitive indicates that the quantity is unknown or uncountable. When the quantity is known/countable, use the indefinite article (or a number): Il a mangé de la tarte - He ate some pie. Il a préparé une tarte - He made a pie.
2) être
to be être
Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb
Être is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to be." Être is also used in some idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses and the passive voice. To Be Être means "to be" in many senses that this verb is used in English. 1) It is used with adjectives, nouns, and adverbs to describe a temporary or permanent state of being: Il est beau - He is handsome Je suis à Paris - I'm in Paris Nous sommes français - We're French Il est là-bas - He's over there 2) Être is used to describe someone's profession; however, note that the indefinite article is not used in this construction in French: Mon père est avocat - My father is a lawyer Je suis étudiant - I'm a student 3) Expressions with être
Notes
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There are a number of English "to be" expressions which are translated in French by avoir (to have): avoir froid - to be cold avoir raison - to be right avoir xx ans - to be xx years old more expressions When talking about the weather, French uses the verb faire (to do/make) rather than être: Il fait beau - It's nice out Il fait du vent - It's windy Quel temps fait-il ? - How's the weather? Être as an Auxiliary Verb 1) Être is the auxiliary for some verbs in the compound tenses: Je suis allé en France - I went to France Nous étions déjà sortis - We had already left Il serait venu si...
3) avoir
to have
all about avoir
Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb avoir Avoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to have." In addition, it is used in numerous idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb. To Have Avoir means "to have" in most senses, including having in one's possession and currently experiencing. J'ai deux stylos I have two pens J'ai trois frères I have three brothers J'ai mal à la tête I have a headache J'ai une idée I have an idea J'ai été eu I've been had (tricked) Note: Avoir à can mean "to have to," but that expression is more commonly translated by devoir. Expressions with Avoir 5
Avoir is used in a number of idiomatic expressions, many of which are translated by the English verb "to be": J'ai 30 ans I am 30 years old J'ai soif I am thirsty J'ai froid I am cold Il y a… There is/are… Auxiliary Verb Avoir is the auxiliary for most French verbs in the compound tenses (exceptions): J'ai déjà étudié I have already studied. J'aurai mangé avant ton arrivée I will have eaten before you arrive Si j'avais su, je t'aurais téléphoné If I had known, I would have called you Conjugations Present tense j'ai tu as il a nous avons vous avez ils ont
4) de
of, from
preposition
De
French preposition
De is a very important and versatile preposition with many different meanings and uses in French. As a preposition, it can express or indicate all of the following: I. Possession or belonging (learn more)
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le livre de Paul Paul's book la bibliothèque de l'université the university library
II.
Starting point or origin (learn more) partir de Nice Je suis de Bruxelles to leave from (out of) Nice I'm from Brussels
III. Contents / description of something une tasse de thé un roman d'amour cup of tea love story (story of/about love)
IV. Defining feature le marché de gros une salle de classe le jus d'orange wholesale market classroom orange juice
V.
Cause mourir de faim fatigué du voyage to die of / from hunger tired from the trip
VI. Means / manner of doing something écrire de la main gauche répéter de mémoire to write with one's left hand to recite from memory
When followed by the definite articles le and les, de contracts with them into a single word: For example de + le = du du salon
de + les = des des villes But... de + la de + l' de la de l' de la femme de l'homme
De does not contract with le and les when they are direct objects.
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5) un, une, des
a, an, some
Singular Masculine un Feminine une des Plural
The singular indefinite articles in French correspond to a, an, or one in English. The plural corresponds to some. There are three forms of the French indefinite article.
un garçon une fille des garçons un ami une amie des filles
Note that the plural indefinite article is the same for masculine and feminine nouns, whereas the singular has a different form for masculine and feminine.
Meaning and usage of the French indefinite article The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing. J'ai trouvé un livre - I found a book. Il veut une pomme - He wants an apple. The indefinite article can also refer to just one of something: Il y a un étudiant dans la salle - There is one student in the room. J'ai une soeur - I have one sister. The plural indefinite article means some: J'ai acheté des pommes - I bought some apples. Veux-tu des livres ? - Do you want some books? When referring to a person's profession or religion, the indefinite is not used in French, although it is used in English. I know, I know, the exceptions never end. :-( Je suis professeur - I am a teacher. Il va être médecin - He's going to be a doctor. In a negative construction, the indefinite article changes to de, meaning any: J'ai une pomme ==> Je n'ai pas de pommes. I have an apple ==> I don't have any apples.
6) je
I
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Pronoms sujets - French Subject Pronouns
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing which performs the action. Subject pronouns replace this person or thing. You must understand subject pronouns before you begin conjugating verbs, as the forms of verbs change for each one. Les Pronoms sujets Singular 1st person 2nd person 3rd person je 1 tu 2 il elle on 4 I you he, it 3 she, it one Plural nous vous 2 ils 5 elles we you they they
Notes: 1. Je is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, unlike its English counterpart I. Je becomes j' when followed by a vowel or mute h. 2. There are two words for you in French - learn more. 3. Since all nouns are either masculine or feminine, they use the 3rd person subject pronouns which correspond to their gender. Thus il can refer to a male (he) or a masculine noun (it) and elle can refer to a female (she) or a feminine noun (it). 4. On is the indefinite pronoun. Its English equivalents can be the passive voice or indefinite subjects like people, we, one, they, or you: You don't hear that. - On n'entend pas ça. People are crazy! - On est fou ! We're going out tonight. - On va sortir ce soir Learn more about on 5. Elles means they when all of the nouns (both people and things) referred to are feminine. If there are any masculine nouns, the subject pronoun defaults to the masculine ils. Ils and elles are pronounced exactly like il and elle.
7) il / ils*
he, it / they
subject pronouns Pronoms sujets - French Subject Pronouns
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing which performs the action. Subject pronouns replace this person or thing. You must understand subject pronouns before you begin conjugating verbs, as the forms of verbs change for each one. Les Pronoms sujets Singular 1st person je 1 I 9 Plural nous we
2nd person 3rd person
tu 2 il elle on 4
you he, it 3 she, it one
vous 2 ils 5 elles
you they they
Notes: 1. Je is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, unlike its English counterpart I. Je becomes j' when followed by a vowel or mute h. 2. There are two words for you in French - learn more. 3. Since all nouns are either masculine or feminine, they use the 3rd person subject pronouns which correspond to their gender. Thus il can refer to a male (he) or a masculine noun (it) and elle can refer to a female (she) or a feminine noun (it). 4. On is the indefinite pronoun. Its English equivalents can be the passive voice or indefinite subjects like people, we, one, they, or you: You don't hear that. - On n'entend pas ça. People are crazy! - On est fou ! We're going out tonight. - On va sortir ce soir Learn more about on 5. Elles means they when all of the nouns (both people and things) referred to are feminine. If there are any masculine nouns, the subject pronoun defaults to the masculine ils. Ils and elles are pronounced exactly like il and elle.
8) ce
this
indefinite demonstrative pronoun
French Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns - Ce, Ceci, Cela, Ça
Pronoms démonstratifs indéfinis Demonstrative pronouns refer to a previously-mentioned noun in a sentence. There are two kinds of demonstrative pronouns: 1. Variable demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) which agree with their antecedent. 2. Indefinite (aka neuter or invariable) demonstrative pronouns which do not have a specific antecedent and thus do not have different forms for gender and number. Indefinite demonstrative pronouns can refer to something abstract, like an idea or a situation, or to something indicated but unnamed. There are four indefinite demonstrative pronouns: Simple pronoun ce this, it
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Compound pronouns ceci (ce + ici) this (this + here) cela (ce + là) that (this + there)
Informal pronoun ça informal contraction of cela
Using indefinite demonstrative pronouns I. Ce A. Ce is used mainly with the verb être, either in the basic expression c'est or in various impersonal expressions. Ce may also be followed by pouvoir or devoir + être. C'est une bonne idée ! C'est difficile à faire. C'est triste de perdre un ami. Étudier, c'est important. That's a good idea! It's hard to do. It's sad to lose a friend. Studying is important.
Ce doit être un bon restaurant. This must be a good restaurant. B. In a less common and more formal usage (especially in written French), ce can be used without a verb: J'ai travaillé en Espagne, et ce en tant que bénévole. Elle l'a tué, et pour ce elle est condamnée. II. Ceci, Cela With all other verbs as well as with être preceded by an object pronoun, ceci or cela replaces ce. However, ceci is rare in spoken French. Just as là commonly replaces ici in spoken French (Je suis là - I'm here), speakers tend to use cela to mean either this or that. Ceci only really comes into play when one wants to really distinguish between this and that. Donnez-lui cela de ma part. Qui a fait cela ? Cela me fait plaisir. 11 Give him this from me Who did this? That makes me happy. I worked in Spain (and this) as a volunteer. She killed him, and therefore/for this she is condemned.
Qu'est-ce que c'est que cela ?
What is that?
Je ne veux pas ceci, je veux cela. I don't want this, I want that. III. Ça In informal French, the informal pronoun ça replaces cela (and ceci). Donne-lui ça de ma part. Qui a fait ça ? Ça me fait plaisir. Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? Give him this from me Who did this? That makes me happy. What is that?
Je ne veux pas ceci (or ça), je veux ça. I don't want this, I want that.
9) pas
not
French Negative Adverbs Adverbes négatifs Making sentences negative in French is a bit different than in English, due to the two-part negative adverb and the sometimes difficult issue of placement. Normally, ne...pas is the first negative adverb that we learn. But there are actually many negative adverbs used just like it, so once you understand ne...pas, you can make just about any sentence negative. To make a sentence or question negative, place ne in front of the conjugated verb and pas after it. Ne...pas translates roughly as not. Je suis riche - Je ne suis pas riche. I'm rich - I'm not rich.
Êtes-vous fatigué ? - N'êtes-vous pas fatigué ? Are you tired? - Aren't you tired? With compound verbs and dual-verb constructions, the negative adverbs surround the conjugated verb.* Je n'ai pas étudié. I didn't study.
Nous n'aurions pas su. We wouldn't have known. Il ne sera pas arrivé. He won't have arrived.
Tu n'avais pas parlé ? You hadn't talked? Il ne veut pas skier. He doesn't want to ski.
Je ne peux pas y aller. I can't go. *Except for nulle part, which follows the main verb. 12
When there is an indefinite article or partitive article in a negative construction, it changes to de, meaning any. J'ai une pomme ==> Je n'ai pas de pomme. I have an apple ==> I don't have any apples. Learn more In informal and familiar spoken French, ne is often dropped. Je ne sais pas > Je sais pas. I don't know. Related negative adverbs: ne...pas encore - not yet Il n'est pas encore arrivé - He has not arrived yet. ne...pas toujours - not always Je ne mange pas toujours ici - I don't always eat here. ne...pas du tout - not at all Je n'aime pas du tout les épinards - I don't like spinach at all. ne...nullement - not at all Il ne veut nullement venir - He doesn't want to come at all. ne...nulle part - nowhere Je ne l'ai trouvé nulle part - I couldn't find it anywhere. ne...aucunement - not at all Je ne te manque aucunement ? - You don't miss me at all? ne...plus - no more, not anymore Vous n'y travaillez plus - You don't work there anymore. ne...jamais - never Nous ne voyageons jamais - We never travel. ne...guère - hardly, barely, scarcely Il n'y a guère de monde - There's hardly anyone there. ne...que - only Il n'y a que deux chiens - There are only two dogs. Learn more about ne... que ne...point - literary equivalent of ne...pas Je ne te hais point - I don't hate you.
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10) à
to, in
preposition
À
French preposition
À is a very important French preposition, despite its tiny size. Its many different meanings and uses in French include all of the following. I. Location or destination (learn more) J'habite à Paris Je vais à Rome Je suis à la banque I live in Paris I'm going to Rome I'm at the bank
II.
Distance in time or space J'habite à 10 mètres de lui Il est à 5 minutes de moi I live 10 meters from him He is 5 minutes from me
III.
Point in time Nous arrivons à 5h00 Il est mort à 92 ans We arrive at 5:00 He died at the age of 92
IV.
Manner, style, or characteristic Il habite à la française un enfant aux yeux bleus fait à la main aller à pied He lives in the French style blue-eyed child / child with blue eyes made by hand to go on / by foot
V.
Possession (learn more) un ami à moi Ce livre est à Jean a friend of mine This is Jean's book
VI.
Measurement acheter au kilo payer à la semaine to buy by the kilogram to pay by the week
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VII.
Purpose or use une tasse à thé un sac à dos teacup / cup for tea backpack / pack for the back
VIII. In the passive infinitive À louer Je n'ai rien à lire for rent I have nothing to read
When followed by the definite articles le and les, à contracts with them into a single word: For example à + le = au au magasin
à + les = aux aux maisons But... à + la à + l' à la à l' à la banque à l'hôpital
À does not contract with le and les when they are direct objects. Notes *I would have listed il and ils separately, but they were combined in the source document. Words with different forms but the same essential meaning (such as le and la: masculine and feminine definite articles) are combined into a single listing. Words with different grammatical functions (such as le: definite article and le: direct object pronoun) are usually listed separately.
12) on
ON
one, you, we
indefinite subject pronoun
French Indefinite Subject Pronoun
On is the French indefinite subject pronoun, used mainly in informal French. It literally means "one," as in "One says that..." But it is usually used as an informal replacement for we, you, they, someone, everyone, or people in general.
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On y va ! On est allé au cinéma hier.
Let's go! We went to the movies yesterday.
Alors les enfants, que veut-on faire ? OK, kids, what do you want to do? On dit que ce resto est bon. On a trouvé mon portefeuille hier. On n'aime plus cette ville. They say that this restaurant is good. Someone found my wallet yesterday. People don't like this city any more.
On can also replace the passive voice. On parle français ici. French is spoken here. On lui a dit de venir. He was told to come. On ne dit pas ça. That isn't said.
There is a grammatical debate surrounding the usage of on; namely, on whether agreement of adjectives and past participles is required. Some say that in a sentence like On est content, the adjective should agree with the subject that is implied by on. That is, if the implied subject is... feminine (elle) plural (nous or ils) the adjective should be feminine => contente plural => contents
fem. plural (nous fem. or elles) fem. plural => contentes Likewise, some say that you should make the past participles of être verbs agree with the implied subject, such as Les filles sont tombées => On est tombées. My opinion is that on is a neuter singular pronoun and its verb conjugation and adjectives should agree with that, but it's pretty much up to you - or at least your French teacher. ;-)
13) vous you personal pronoun
French Pronouns Les Pronoms Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.
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Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs... qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont...
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific
14) ça
this, that
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indefinite demonstrative pronoun
French Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns - Ce, Ceci, Cela, Ça
Pronoms démonstratifs indéfinis
Demonstrative pronouns refer to a previously-mentioned noun in a sentence. There are two kinds of demonstrative pronouns: 1. Variable demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) which agree with their antecedent. 2. Indefinite (aka neuter or invariable) demonstrative pronouns which do not have a specific antecedent and thus do not have different forms for gender and number. Indefinite demonstrative pronouns can refer to something abstract, like an idea or a situation, or to something indicated but unnamed. There are four indefinite demonstrative pronouns: Simple pronoun ce this, it
Compound pronouns ceci (ce + ici) this (this + here) cela (ce + là) that (this + there)
Informal pronoun ça informal contraction of cela
Using indefinite demonstrative pronouns I. Ce A. Ce is used mainly with the verb être, either in the basic expression c'est or in various impersonal expressions. Ce may also be followed by pouvoir or devoir + être. C'est une bonne idée ! C'est difficile à faire. C'est triste de perdre un ami. That's a good idea! It's hard to do. It's sad to lose a friend.
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Étudier, c'est important.
Studying is important.
Ce doit être un bon restaurant. This must be a good restaurant. B. In a less common and more formal usage (especially in written French), ce can be used without a verb: J'ai travaillé en Espagne, et ce en tant que bénévole. Elle l'a tué, et pour ce elle est condamnée. II. Ceci, Cela With all other verbs as well as with être preceded by an object pronoun, ceci or cela replaces ce. However, ceci is rare in spoken French. Just as là commonly replaces ici in spoken French (Je suis là - I'm here), speakers tend to use cela to mean either this or that. Ceci only really comes into play when one wants to really distinguish between this and that. Donnez-lui cela de ma part. Qui a fait cela ? Cela me fait plaisir. Qu'est-ce que c'est que cela ? Give him this from me Who did this? That makes me happy. What is that? I worked in Spain (and this) as a volunteer. She killed him, and therefore/for this she is condemned.
Je ne veux pas ceci, je veux cela. I don't want this, I want that. III. Ça In informal French, the informal pronoun ça replaces cela (and ceci). Donne-lui ça de ma part. Qui a fait ça ? Ça me fait plaisir. Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? Give him this from me Who did this? That makes me happy. What is that?
Je ne veux pas ceci (or ça), je veux ça. I don't want this, I want that.
15) que that conjunction
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Learn how to use the French conjunction que
When the French word que is used as a conjunction, it is equivalent to "that": Je pense qu'il a raison I think (that) he is right Nous espérons que tu seras là We hope (that) you'll be there C'est dommage qu'il ne soit pas prêt It's too bad (that) he's not ready Note that "that" is optional in English, but que cannot be omitted.
With verbs of wanting followed by que, the French structure is the same as the above, but the English translation uses an infinitive: Il veut qu'elle aide - He wants her to help J'aimerais que tu sois là - I would like (for) you to be there Que can be used to repeat a previously-stated conjunction (like comme, quand, or si) or conjunctive phrase: Comme tu es là et que ton frère ne l'est pas… Since you're here and (since) your brother isn't… Je lui ai téléphoné quand j'étais rentré et que j'avais fait mes devoirs I called him when I got home and (when) I'd done my homework Si j'ai de l'argent et que mes parents sont d'accord, j'irai en France l'année prochaine If I have money and (if) my parents agree, I will go to France next year Pour que tu comprennes la situation et que tu sois à l'aise… So that you understand the situation and (so that) you feel comfortable… Que can begin a clause and be followed by the subjunctive, with various meanings: Que = whether Tu le feras, que tu le veuilles ou non You'll do it whether you want to or not Que tu viennes ou que tu ne viennes pas, ça m'est égal Whether you come or or not, I don't care Que = so that Fais tes devoirs, qu'on puisse sortir Do your homework so that we can go out Téléphone-lui, qu'il sache où nous rejoindre Call him, so that he knows where to meet us Que = when 20
Nous venions de manger qu'il a téléphoné We had just eaten when he called Je travaillais depuis seulement une heure qu'il y a eu un exercice d'évacuation I had been working for only an hour when there was a fire drill Que = third person order Qu'il pleuve ! Let / May it rain! Qu'elle me laisse tranquille ! I wish she would leave me alone! Que can be used to emphasize oui or non: Que oui ! - Yes indeed! Certainly! You bet! Que non ! - No way! Certainly not! Not at all! Que can represent something that was just said: Que tu crois ! (informal) That's what you think! Que je le fais tout seul ? C'est absurde ! (You think) I should do it all alone? That's absurd! Que can be used instead of inversion with direct speech and certain adverbs: « Donne-le-moi ! » qu'il me dit (me dit-il) "Give it to me!" he said Peut-être qu'il sera là (Peut-être sera-t-il là) Perhaps he will be there
6) ne
not
negative adverb French Negative Adverbs
Adverbes négatifs
Making sentences negative in French is a bit different than in English, due to the two-part negative adverb and the sometimes difficult issue of placement. Normally, ne...pas is the first negative adverb that we learn. But there are actually many negative adverbs used just like it, so once you understand ne...pas, you can make just about any sentence negative. To make a sentence or question negative, place ne in front of the conjugated verb and pas after it. Ne...pas translates roughly as not. 21
Je suis riche - Je ne suis pas riche.
I'm rich - I'm not rich.
Êtes-vous fatigué ? - N'êtes-vous pas fatigué ? Are you tired? - Aren't you tired? With compound verbs and dual-verb constructions, the negative adverbs surround the conjugated verb.* Je n'ai pas étudié. I didn't study.
Nous n'aurions pas su. We wouldn't have known. Il ne sera pas arrivé. He won't have arrived.
Tu n'avais pas parlé ? You hadn't talked? Il ne veut pas skier. He doesn't want to ski.
Je ne peux pas y aller. I can't go. *Except for nulle part, which follows the main verb. When there is an indefinite article or partitive article in a negative construction, it changes to de, meaning any. J'ai une pomme ==> Je n'ai pas de pomme. I have an apple ==> I don't have any apples. Learn more In informal and familiar spoken French, ne is often dropped. Je ne sais pas > Je sais pas. I don't know. Learn more
Related negative adverbs: ne...pas encore - not yet Il n'est pas encore arrivé - He has not arrived yet. ne...pas toujours - not always Je ne mange pas toujours ici - I don't always eat here. ne...pas du tout - not at all Je n'aime pas du tout les épinards - I don't like spinach at all. ne...nullement - not at all Il ne veut nullement venir - He doesn't want to come at all. ne...nulle part - nowhere Je ne l'ai trouvé nulle part - I couldn't find it anywhere. 22
ne...aucunement - not at all Je ne te manque aucunement ? - You don't miss me at all? ne...plus - no more, not anymore Vous n'y travaillez plus - You don't work there anymore. ne...jamais - never Nous ne voyageons jamais - We never travel. ne...guère - hardly, barely, scarcely Il n'y a guère de monde - There's hardly anyone there. ne...que - only Il n'y a que deux chiens - There are only two dogs. Learn more about ne... que ne...point - literary equivalent of ne...pas Je ne te hais point - I don't hate you.
17) faire to do, make all about faire Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb faire
Faire is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to do" or "to make." Faire is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions and in the causative construction.
To Do / To Make Faire means "to do" and "to make" in most senses that these verbs are used in English: Je fais la lessive - I'm doing the laundry Je fais mes devoirs - I'm doing my homework Je fais du bricolage - I do odd jobs / DIY Je fais un gâteau - I'm making a cake Je fais des projets - I'm making plans Je fais des progrès - I'm making progress Notes
•
When "to make" is followed by an adjective, it is translated by rendre: That makes me happy - Ça me rend heureux
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•
"To make a decision" is translated by prendre une décision: I made a decision - J'ai pris une décision Lesson on translating "to make"
•
Expressions with Faire Faire is used in a number of idiomatic expressions, including some related to weather, sports, and math. Il fait du soleil - It's sunny Il fait froid - It's cold out. Je fais du ski - I ski. Je fais du golf - I golf. Deux et deux font quatre - Two plus two equals (makes) four. Je fais de l'autostop - I'm hitchhiking. Il fait à sa tête - He acts impulsively. Ça fait parti de notre projet - That's part of our plan. Causative The causative construction faire + infinitive is used to describe when someone/something has something done, makes someone do something, or causes something to happen. Je fais laver la voiture - I'm having the car washed. Il m'a fait laver la voiture - He made me wash the car. Le froid fait geler l'eau - Cold makes water freeze. Conjugations Present tense je fais tu fais il fait nous faisons vous faites ils font All tenses
18) qui
who/what
24
interrogative pronoun, relative pronoun
French Interrogative Pronouns: Qui / Que
Qui and que are small but infinitely important words in French. In this lesson we will learn how to use them as interrogative pronouns. (The third interrogative pronoun, lequel, is in a separate lesson due to its uniqueness.) Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions; note that qui and que are also used as relative pronouns. Qui means who or whom; it is used when asking about people. When whom is the object of the question, qui can be followed by either est-ce que or inversion.
} Whom do you love? Qui aimez-vous ? When who is the subject of the question, you can use either qui or qui est-ce qui. The word order cannot be inverted and the verb is always third person singular. Qui veut étudier le français ? } Who wants to study French? Qui est-ce qui veut étudier le français Qui can also follow a preposition. À qui est-ce que tu parles ? } To whom are you speaking? À qui parles-tu ? Que means what and is used to refer to ideas or things. When what is the object of the question, it can be followed by inversion or est-ce que. Qu'est-ce qu'il veut ? } What does he want? Que veut-il ?
Qu'est-ce que tu penses de mon idée ? Que penses-tu de mon idée ?
Qui est-ce que vous aimez ?
}
What do you think of my idea?
Qu'est-ce que c'est (que cela) ? What is that? When what is the subject of the question, you must use qu'est-ce qui followed by a verb in the third person singular, with no inversion. Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? - What's happening? Qu'est-ce qui est tombé sur la terre ? - What fell on the ground? After a preposition, que changes to quoi. De quoi est-ce que vous parlez ? } What are you talking about? De quoi parlez-vous ?
Summary
Subject of question Object of question After preposition People qui qui est-ce qui qui qui est-ce que que qu'est-ce que 25 qui quoi
Things qu'est-ce qui
French Relative Pronouns Pronoms relatifs
Lesson | Test Just as in English, a French relative pronoun links a dependent/relative clause (i.e., a clause that cannot stand alone) to a main clause. Que, qui, lequel, dont, and où are the French relative pronouns. There are no standard translations for these words; depending on context, the English equivalents are who, whom, that, which, whose, where, or when. Note that in French, relative pronouns are required, whereas in English, they are sometimes optional.
Que replaces the direct object (person or thing) in the dependent clause. J'ai acheté le livre. Ma soeur l'a écrit. J'ai acheté le livre que ma soeur a écrit. - I bought the book (that) my sister wrote. Qui est le peintre ? Je l'ai vu aujourd'hui. Qui est le peintre que j'ai vu aujourd'hui ? Who is the painter (that) I saw today?
Qui replaces the subject (person or thing) in the dependent clause. Note that qui does not always translate as "who." Je cherche l'artiste. Il étudie à Paris. Je cherche l'artiste qui étudie à Paris. I'm looking for the artist (who is) studying in Paris. Trouvez le chat. Il habite dans la cave. Trouvez le chat qui habite dans la cave. Find the cat that lives in the basement. Qui also replaces an indirect object (person only) after a preposition (except de - see dont), including prepositions which are required after a given verb or expression. C'est la femme avec qui je travaille. - That's the woman with whom I work. (That's the woman I work with.) La fille à qui j'ai parlé est très sympathique. - The girl to whom I spoke is very nice. (The girl [that] I spoke to...) L'étudiant contre qui je me suis assis... - The student next to whom I sat... (The student [that] I sat next to...)
Lequel or one of its variations replaces an object of a preposition (thing only; except de - see dont). 26
Le livre dans lequel j'ai écrit mon nom... - The book in which I wrote my name... Les idées auxquelles j'ai pensé... - The ideas that I thought about... More about lequel
Dont replaces the person or thing after de Où est le reçu ? J'ai besoin du reçu. Où est le reçu dont j'ai besoin ? - Where is the receipt (that) I need? C'est la femme. J'ai parlé de la femme. C'est la femme dont j'ai parlé. - That's the woman (that) I talked about. Dont also indicates possession Voici l'homme. Sa valise est dans la voiture. Voici l'homme dont la valise est dans la voiture. - That's the man whose suitcase is in the car.
Où is used for both place and time La boulangerie où j'ai travaillé est à côté de la banque. - The bakery where I worked is next to the bank. (The bakery [that] I worked at...) Lundi, c'est le jour où nous faisons les achats. - Monday is the day that we do our shopping.
19) oui
yes
synonyms for oui
Oui, ouais, ouah, and more synonyms for yes in French
Saying yes is pretty simple, but there are quite a few synonyms and precisions to be aware of. Check out this lesson to learn how to say yes, yeah, sure, and more.
oui - yes Oui is the basic, standard French word for "yes," and it's also the best translation of "I do": Oui, j'aime les fraises Yes, I like strawberries - Veux-tu épouser cet homme… ? - Oui - Do you take this man…? - I do 27
ouais - yeah Ouais is an informal equivalent for yes, equivalent to "yeah" or "yep": - T'es prêt ? - Ouais - You ready? - Yeah ouah - yes! Ouah is an informal word used to express joy or admiration, like "yes!" or "wow!" Ouah ! J'y ai réussi ! Yes! I passed! si - yes Si is one of my favorite French words, because it is extremely useful and does not have an English equivalent. It is used to contradict a negation - to say yes when someone else says no, asks a negative question, or makes a negative statement: - Il n'a pas de soeur - Si - He doesn't have a sister - Yes (he does) - N'as-tu pas faim ? - Si - Aren't you hungry? - Yes (I am hungry) Here are some synonyms for and expressions with oui: absolument - absolutely ah oui - oh yes, yes indeed ah oui? - really? assurément - sure, certainly bien sûr - of course certainement - certainly certes oui - most definitely, absolutely effectivement - indeed, quite en effet - indeed, quite 28
je crois que oui - I think so je ne dis pas non - I wouldn't say no, I don't disagree (an unemphatic yes) mais oui - of course oui oui - uh huh que oui ! - of course!, you bet!
French Synonyms
BonTrès
20) alors
adverb
then, so
French Adverbs ~ Les Adverbes
Introduction to French Adverbs
Lesson | Quiz An adverb is an invariable word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs can provide additional information about time, manner, place, frequency, or quantity. They explain when, how, where, how often, or to what degree something is done. Common French Adverbs FREQUENCY parfois souvent toujours rarement sometimes often always rarely bien mal vite -ment* MANNER well poorly quickly -ly TIME aujourd'hui demain hier maintenant tard tôt PLACE ici là là-bas here there over there assez beaucoup peu QUANTITY quite, fairly a lot few, little 29 déjà enfin actuellement bientôt today tomorrow yesterday now late early already finally currently soon
partout
everywhere
trop très
too much very
ensuite longtemps
next, then for a long time
quelque part somewhere
*Nearly every French word that ends in -ment is an adverb, usually of manner. Its English equivalent ends in -ly: généralement = generally. For more information, please see the advanced lesson. The placement of French adverbs can be difficult. Whereas in English their placement is sometimes arbitrary (they can be found in front of or after the verb, or even at the beginning or end of the sentence), the placement rules for French adverbs are much stricter. 1. When the adverb is modifying a verb, it is placed after the conjugated verb. Nous avons bien mangé. Je regarde souvent la télé le soir. We ate well. I watch TV often in the evening. I often watch TV in the evening. Often, I watch TV in the evening.
2. When the adverb is modifying an adjective or another adverb, it is placed in front of the word it is modifying. Nous avons très bien mangé. Je suis profondément ému. We ate very well. I am deeply moved.
There are more rules, but these two apply to the majority of situations. For detailed information, take a look at my advanced adverb lesson.
21) mais
conjunction
but
Coordinating conjunctions join words and groups of words of equal value. By equal value, I mean that the two (groups of) words have the same nature or the same function in the sentence. Examples 1. J'aime les pommes et les oranges. - I like apples and oranges. Apples and oranges are both fruits, and I like them both. 2. Il ne mange ni la viande ni les légumes. - He eats neither meat nor vegetables. Meat and vegetables are both foods, and he doesn't eat either of them. 3. Veux-tu aller en France ou en Italie ? - Do you want to go to France or Italy?
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France and Italy are both places, and you can go to one of them. 4. Je veux le faire, mais je n'ai pas d'argent. - I want to do it, but I don't have any money. I want to do it. I don't have any money. Each of these statements is a complete idea.
French coordinating conjunctions French Coordinating Conjunctions - Les Conjonctions de coordination
Learn about French coordinating conjunctions
car donc ensuite et et... et mais for, because so next and both... and but
ne... ni... ni neither... nor or ou ou bien puis soit... soit now, yet or or else then either... or
Note: To remember the coordinating conjunctions car, donc, et, mais, ni, or, ou, generations of French schoolchildren memorized Mais où est donc Ornicar ?
22) elle / elles*
subject pronouns
she / they
Pronoms sujets - French Subject Pronouns
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing which performs the action. Subject pronouns replace this person or thing. You must understand subject pronouns before you begin conjugating verbs, as the forms of verbs change for each one. Les Pronoms sujets Singular 1st person je 1 I 31 Plural nous we
2nd person 3rd person
tu 2 il elle on 4
you he, it 3 she, it one
vous 2 ils 5 elles
you they they
Notes: 1. Je is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, unlike its English counterpart I. Je becomes j' when followed by a vowel or mute h. 2. There are two words for you in French - learn more. 3. Since all nouns are either masculine or feminine, they use the 3rd person subject pronouns which correspond to their gender. Thus il can refer to a male (he) or a masculine noun (it) and elle can refer to a female (she) or a feminine noun (it). 4. On is the indefinite pronoun. Its English equivalents can be the passive voice or indefinite subjects like people, we, one, they, or you: You don't hear that. - On n'entend pas ça. People are crazy! - On est fou ! We're going out tonight. - On va sortir ce soir Learn more about on 5. Elles means they when all of the nouns (both people and things) referred to are feminine. If there are any masculine nouns, the subject pronoun defaults to the masculine ils. Ils and elles are pronounced exactly like il and elle.
23) en
in, to
En
French Preposition
En is nearly always used directly in front of a noun, with no article. It can indicate all of the following: I. Location il est en prison j'habite en banlieue he is in jail I live in the suburbs
II.
Time (en vs dans) en août en trois jours en semaine in August in three days during the week
III.
To do something like or as 32
Je te parle en ami Il agit en enfant
I'm speaking to you as a friend He's acting like a kid
IV.
Means voyager en train rentrer en taxi to travel by train to return by taxi
V.
Condition or appearance être en bonne santé être en guerre être en pyjama to be in good health to be at war to be in pajamas
VI.
Transformation traduire en français se déguiser en... transformer une salle en bureau to translate into French to disguise oneself as... to change a room into an office
VII. Material un pull en laine une maison en bois wool sweater wooden house
Don't forget that en is also an adverbial pronoun.
24) le, la, l' / les
it / them
direct object pronouns
French Object Pronouns - Pronoms compléments Direct Objects
Lesson | Test Just as in English, the French language has direct object pronouns, words that replace the direct object. This is so that we don't say things like "Marie was at the bank today. When I saw Marie I smiled." It's much more natural to say "Marie was at the bank today. When I saw her I smiled."
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The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb in a sentence. To find the direct object in a sentence, ask the question Who? or What? I'm eating bread - Je mange du pain. What am I eating? Bread. He sees Marie - Il voit Marie. Who does he see? Marie. The French direct object pronouns are as follows: me / m' te / t' le / l' la / l' nous vous les me you him, it (masc) her, it (fem) us you them
Me, te, and le / la change to m', t', and l' in front of a vowel or mute h. The most difficult thing to remember about direct object pronouns is this: they go in front of the verb in French. I'm eating it. - Je le mange. He sees her. - Il la voit. I love you. - Je t'aime. You love me. - Tu m'aimes. Note: When deciding between direct and indirect objects, the general rule is that if the person or thing is preceded by a preposition, that person/thing is an indirect object. If it is not preceded by a preposition, it is a direct object. For more information, please see the advanced lesson.
25) dire
to say, tell
all about dire Learn about the irregular French verb dire Dire is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation, means "to say" or "to tell," and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.
Using dire 34
Dire means "to say" or "to tell": Je n'ai rien dit I didn't say anything Dis-moi la vérité Tell me the truth Comment dit-on "furthermore" en français ? How do you say "furthermore" in French? Dire que means "to say that": J'ai dit que j'avais froid I said that I was cold Je vais lui dire qu'il doit nous aider I'm going to tell him that he has to help us Dire de can either mean "to think" in the sense of having an opinion on or "to feel like": Qu'est-ce que tu dis de mon idée ? What do you think of my idea? Que dites-vous de la maison ? What do you think about the house? Ça te dit de sortir ? Do you feel like going out? Ça ne me dit rien I don't feel like it at all, That doesn't do anything for me Se dire Se dire can be a pronominal or passive voice construction. 1. Pronominal Reflexive - to say to oneself Je me suis dit de ne pas pleurer I told myself not to cry Il s'est dit, bon, il faut essayer encore une fois He said to himself, well, I have to try again (figurative) - to claim (to be) Il se dit avocat He claims to be a lawyer Elle se dit prête She claims she's ready 35
Reciprocal - to say to each other Nous devons nous dire au revoir We have to say good-bye (to each other) Ils se sont enfin dit qu'ils s'aiment They finally told each other that they love each other 2. Passive to be said Ça ne se dit pas That isn't said Ça ne se dit plus That isn't said anymore Comment ça se dit en espagnol ? How is that said in Spanish? Expressions with dire ceci/cela dit - (with) that said cela va sans dire - that goes without saying c'est-à-dire - that is (to say) comme on dit - so to speak, as they say entendre dire - to hear (it said that) J'ai entendu dire qu'il va... - I heard that he's going to... on se dirait - you would think, you can almost imagine vouloir dire - to mean More expressions with dire Conjugations Present tense je dis tu dis il dit nous disons vous dites ils disent All tenses
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26) y
there
adverbial pronoun
Y and En
French Adverbial Pronouns - Pronoms adverbiaux
The French adverbial pronouns y and en are so tiny that one might think their role in a sentence is not very important, but in fact quite the opposite is true. They are both extremely important in French. Y refers to a place that has already been mentioned; it is normally translated by there in English. Y usually replaces a prepositional phrase beginning with à, chez, dans, etc. Tu vas à la banque aujourd'hui ? Non, j'y vais demain. Nous allons au magasin. Tu veux y aller ? Il était chez Jean. Il y était. Are you going to the bank today? No, I'm going (there) tomorrow. We're going to the store. Do you want to go (there)? He was at Jean's house. He was there.
Note that there can often be omitted in English, but y can never be omitted in French. « Je vais » is not a complete sentence; if you don't follow aller with a place, you have to say « J'y vais. » Y can also replace à + noun. Je réponds à une lettre. J'y réponds. Il pense à notre voyage. Il y pense. Tu dois obéir à la loi. Tu dois y obéir. Note: Y usually cannot replace à + verb. J'hésite à dire la vérité. XX J'y hésite XX J'hésite à la dire. I hesitate to tell the truth. --I hesitate to tell it. I'm responding to a letter. I'm responding to it. He's thinking about our trip. He's thinking about it. You have to obey the law. You have to obey it.
Je continue à lire Balzac. I continue to read Balzac. --XX J'y continue XX 37
Je continue à le lire. Y is also found in the expression il y a
I continue to read him.
En replaces the partitive article (du, de la, etc.) or de + the indefinite article (un, une, des) + a noun. It is equivalent to some, any, or a number in English. As-tu du pain ? Oui, j'en ai. Il a envie d'une pomme. Il en a envie. Do you have any bread? Yes, I have some. He wants an apple. He wants one.
Je n'ai pas besoin d'un aide. I don't need an assistant. Je n'en ai pas besoin. I don't need one. If there is a modifier like beaucoup de or a number in the sentence, en replaces the noun and the modifier or number is placed at the end of the sentence. Il y a beaucoup de chambres. Il y en a beaucoup. Je voudrais deux livres. J'en voudrais deux. Nous avons envie de 10 cahiers. Nous en avons envie de 10. Note: En usually cannot replace de + verb. J'ai décidé d'accepter son offre. I decided to accept his offer. --XX J'en ai décidé XX I decided to accept it. J'ai décidé de l'accepter. J'ai oublié de laver la voiture. XX J'en ai oublié XX J'ai oublié de la laver. Don't forget that en is also a preposition: lesson I forgot to wash the car. --I forgot to wash it. There are a lot of rooms. There are a lot (of them). I'd like two books. I'd like two (of them). We want 10 notebooks. We want 10 (of them).
For more help on usage and placement of y and en, see my lesson on object pronouns.
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Test on y and en
Il y a
En as a preposition
Grammar Lessons
More French Pronouns
27) du / des
of, from the
contraction of de + definite article le / les
French Contractions ~ Les Contractions
Although contractions in English are optional, in French they are required, so it is important to learn when and how to make contractions. Fortunately, the rules for French contractions are quite simple. I. Words that are followed by a vowel, h muet, or the pronoun y drop the vowel and contract with the second word: A. Singular definite article: le, la le + abricot la + électricité le + intérieur le + orage la + usine le + homme B. l'abricot l'électricité l'intérieur l'orage l'usine l'homme Pronunciation Single-consonant words that end in E muet: ce, de, je, le, me, ne, que, se, te ce + est de + histoire je + habite je le + aime je + y vais je me + appelle il ne + est pas que + il il se + appelle je te + enverrai c'est d'histoire j'habite je l'aime j'y vais je m'appelle il n'est pas qu'il il s'appelle je t'enverrai Related lessons Pronunciation E muet H muet Vowels
Exception: When the first person singular subject pronoun je is inverted, it does not contract. 39
Puis-je + avoir Dois-je + être C.
Puis-je avoir Dois-je être
The conjunctions puisque and lorsque Puisque + on Lorsque + il Puisqu'on Lorsqu'il
II.
The prepositions à and de contract with the definite articles le and les and those forms of lequel. Note that la and l' do not contract.* À à + le à + les à + lequel à + lesquels à + lesquelles DE de + le de + les de + lequel de + lesquels de + lesquelles * à + la de + la à + l' de + l' à + laquelle de + laquelle au aux auquel auxquels auxquelles du des duquel desquels desquelles à la de la à l' de l' à laquelle de laquelle Conjunctions Definite article Lequel Object pronouns Prepositions Subject pronouns Related lessons Grammar
Attention ! When le and les are object pronouns, rather than definite articles, they do not contract with à or de. Je lui ai dit de le faire Il m'a aidé à les laver. III. Contractions figées - Set contractions aujourd'hui is a contraction of au + jour + de + hui that dates back to the 12th century. d'abord d'accord (d'ac) d'ailleurs d'après d'habitude presqu'île 40 in the first place, first of all okay (OK) besides, moreover according to usually, as a rule pensinsula I told him to do it. He helped me wash them.
jusque is nearly always contracted: jusqu'à, jusqu'alors, jusqu'en, jusqu'ici, etc.
quelqu'un s'il s'ils IV. No contraction h aspiré onze oui presque (exception: presqu'île) un(e) (as a noun) foreign words that begin with Y si + elle(s)
someone si + il (if he/it) si + ils (if they)
Je haïs, le héros, du homard Un groupe de onze membres Quand on vote, le oui indique... presque ici, presque impossible la une (the front page) le yaourt, le yacht si elle, si elles
28) pour
preposition
for
Pour with nouns and pronouns French preposition
Pour can be followed by a noun, pronoun, or infinitive. When it is followed by a noun or pronoun, it usually means for. It can indicate all of the following: I. Purpose/Intention J'ai acheté un cadeau pour toi. Il l'a fait pour moi. I bought you a gift. He did it for me.
II.
Duration of future event (temporal preposition) Je vais y habiter pour un an. Il parlera pour une heure. I'm going to live there for a year. He will speak for an hour.
III.
In favor of Il est pour la peine de la mort. He is in favor of the death penalty. 41
J'ai voté pour Chirac.
I voted for Chirac.
IV.
Direction Il est parti pour Ottawa. Voici le train pour Rouen. He left for Ottawa. Here's the train to Rouen.
V.
Point of view Pour nous, c'est une bonne idée. Il est tout pour moi. For us, it's a good idea. He is everything to me.
VI.
Cause Je suis condamné pour vol. I was convicted of theft.
Ce magasin est fermé pour réparations. This store is closed for repairs.
VII.
In place of / In exchange for J'ai payé pour nous. Il doit signer pour moi. I paid for us. He has to sign for me.
VIII. Comparison/Relationship Un pour cent Il fait chaud pour l'automne. One per hundred It's hot for the fall.
29) dans Dans
in
preposition
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French Preposition
The French preposition dans must be followed by an article or some other determiner - it cannot be followed directly by a noun. It usually means in, but can indicate all of the following: I. Physical location dans la boîte dans la rue boire dans une tasse prendre qqchose dans une boîte copier qqchose dans un livre dans l'avion mettre qqchose dans le tiroir monter dans le train voir qqun dans l'escalier in the box in the street to drink from a cup to take something from a box to copy something from a book on the plane to put something in the drawer to get on the train to see someone on the stairs
II.
Figurative location dans la situation actuelle dans ces conditions in the current situation in / under these conditions
III. Time (en vs dans) dans la semaine dans la journée dans une semaine during the week during the day in one week
Expressions with dans: dans les coulisses dans le doute être dans le pétrin dans mes projets dans le sens de la longueur behind the scenes when in doubt to be in a jam in my plans lengthwise
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30) me
me, myself
personal pronoun
French Pronouns Les Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.
Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific 44 ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs...
Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives
ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses
qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont..
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific Notes
*I would have listed elle and elles separately, but they were combined in the source document. Words with different forms but the same essential meaning (such as le and la: masculine and feminine direct object pronouns) are combined into a single listing. Words with different grammatical functions (such as le: definite article and le: direct object pronoun) are usually listed separately.
31) se
himself, herself, oneself
reflexive pronoun Se - French Pronoun
Se is one of the most often misused French pronouns. It is the third person singular and plural reflexive pronoun, and can only be used in two kinds of constructions: 1. With a pronominal verb Elle se lave. Ils se sont habillés. Elles se parlent. She's washing up (washing herself). They got dressed (dressed themselves). They're talking to each other.
2. In a passive impersonal construction Cela ne se dit pas. L'alcool ne se vend pas ici. That isn't said. Alcohol isn't sold here.
For some reason, many French learners get confused between se and the direct object le. They are not interchangeable: Il se lave. Il le lave. He's washing (himself). He's washing it (the dog, the knife, 45 Se is the reflexive pronoun Le is the direct object
etc.) S'est-il lavé le Il se le lave maintenant. - He's visage ? washing it now. Se and le work together
Note that se may be the direct or indirect object of a French sentence. Ils se voient. Il se lave le visage. They see each other. He's washing his face. (Literally: He's washing the face of himself). Se means each other = direct object. Se means of himself = indirect object. Visage is the direct object.
32) aller
all about aller
to go
Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb aller
Aller is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to go." It is also used in some idiomatic expressions and to conjugate the near future. To Go Aller means "to go" in most senses that verb is used in English. Je vais à la banque I'm going to the bank. Il va avec vous He's going with you. Nous allons au cinéma We're going to the movies. Où vas-tu ? Where are you going? Ça va bien It's going well. Expressions with Aller Aller is used in several idiomatic expressions: Je vais à pied I am going on foot. Ça va sans dire That goes without saying. 46
On y va ? Shall we go? Futur proche Aller is commonly used to express the near future - the idea that one is going to do something. This construction is formed by conjugating aller and adding the infinitive of the action that is about to occur. Je vais étudier I am going to study. Vas-tu nous aider ? Are you going to help us? Nous allons partir dans cinq minutes We're going to leave in five minutes. Conjugations Present tense je vais tu vas il va nous allons vous allez ils vont
33) au / aux
to, at, in the
contraction of à + definite article le / les
French Contractions ~ Les Contractions
Although contractions in English are optional, in French they are required, so it is important to learn when and how to make contractions. Fortunately, the rules for French contractions are quite simple. I. Words that are followed by a vowel, h muet, or the pronoun y drop the vowel and contract with the second word: A. Singular definite article: le, la le + abricot la + électricité le + intérieur le + orage la + usine 47 l'abricot l'électricité l'intérieur l'orage l'usine Related lessons Pronunciation E muet H muet
le + homme
l'homme
Vowels Pronunciation
B.
Single-consonant words that end in E muet: ce, de, je, le, me, ne, que, se, te ce + est de + histoire je + habite je le + aime je + y vais je me + appelle il ne + est pas que + il il se + appelle je te + enverrai c'est d'histoire j'habite je l'aime j'y vais je m'appelle il n'est pas qu'il il s'appelle je t'enverrai
Exception: When the first person singular subject pronoun je is inverted, it does not contract. Puis-je + avoir Dois-je + être C. Puis-je avoir Dois-je être
The conjunctions puisque and lorsque Puisque + on Lorsque + il Puisqu'on Lorsqu'il
II.
The prepositions à and de contract with the definite articles le and les and those forms of lequel. Note that la and l' do not contract.* À à + le à + les à + lequel à + lesquels à + lesquelles DE de + le de + les de + lequel de + lesquels de + lesquelles * à + la de + la à + l' de + l' 48 au aux auquel auxquels auxquelles du des duquel desquels desquelles à la de la à l' de l' Conjunctions Definite article Lequel Object pronouns Prepositions Subject pronouns Related lessons Grammar
à + laquelle de + laquelle
à laquelle de laquelle
Attention ! When le and les are object pronouns, rather than definite articles, they do not contract with à or de. Je lui ai dit de le faire Il m'a aidé à les laver. III. Contractions figées - Set contractions aujourd'hui is a contraction of au + jour + de + hui that dates back to the 12th century. d'abord d'accord (d'ac) d'ailleurs d'après d'habitude presqu'île quelqu'un s'il s'ils IV. No contraction h aspiré onze oui presque (exception: presqu'île) un(e) (as a noun) foreign words that begin with Y si + elle(s) Je haïs, le héros, du homard Un groupe de onze membres Quand on vote, le oui indique... presque ici, presque impossible la une (the front page) le yaourt, le yacht si elle, si elles in the first place, first of all okay (OK) besides, moreover according to usually, as a rule pensinsula someone si + il (if he/it) si + ils (if they) I told him to do it. He helped me wash them.
jusque is nearly always contracted: jusqu'à, jusqu'alors, jusqu'en, jusqu'ici, etc.
34) bien
bien vs bon
well, good
Bon vs Bien, Mauvais vs Mal
The French words bon and bien, mauvais and mal are often mixed up. This is because the two pairs have similar meanings: bon and bien are positive while mauvais and mal are negative. In addition all four of these words can be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. Bon and mauvais are usually adjectives, while bien and mal are usually adverbs. 49
The following table summarizes the differences between each pair; click the links below for more information. Bon adjective adverb noun good nice form Bien well well good(s) Mauvais bad bad bad part Mal wrong badly evil
35) ce, cet, cette / ces
demonstrative adjectives
this, that / these, those
French Demonstrative Adjectives
Adjectifs démonstratifs
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) are words which indicate a specific noun. In French, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify: singular plural masculine ce ces ces ces
masc before vowel cet feminine
•
cette
Ce becomes cet in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or mute h (learn more): c' is not a demonstrative adjective. Ces is the only plural demonstrative adjective: cettes does not exist. Ce prof parle trop. Cet homme est sympa. Cet étudiant comprend. Cette fille est perdue. Ces livres sont stupides. This (That) teacher talks too much. This (That) man is nice. This (That) student understands. This (That) girl is lost. These (Those) books are stupid.
•
The singular demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, and cette can all mean this or that, depending on the context; the plural ces can mean these or those. In order to distinguish between this and that, these and those, you can use the suffixes -ci (here) and -là (there). 50
Ce prof-ci parle trop. Ce prof-là est sympa. Cet étudiant-ci comprend. Cette fille-là est perdue.
This teacher talks too much. That teacher is nice. This student understands. That girl is lost.
Ces fleurs-ci sont plus jolies que ces fleurs-là. These flowers are prettier than those flowers.
36) tu
you
subject pronoun
Tu vs Vous French Subject Pronouns
There are two different words for you in French: tu and vous. There are even verbs for them: tutoyer means to call someone tu and vouvoyer means to call someone vous. They are not interchangeable, so it is very important to understand when and why to use each of them. Otherwise, you may inadvertantly insult someone by using the wrong you. Tu is the familiar you. It demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use tu when speaking to a
o o o o o
friend peer / colleague relative child pet
Vous is the formal and plural you. It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance / formality with any person. In addition, vous is always used when you are talking to more than one person (or thing). Use vous when speaking to
o o o o o
someone you don't know well an older person an authority figure anyone to whom you wish to show respect two or more people, animals, etc.
Some people follow the guideline of using whatever the other person uses with them. This can be misleading: someone in authority may use tu with you, but that certainly doesn't mean that you can respond in kind. When in doubt, I tend to use vous. I'd rather show someone too much respect than not enough!
37) en
Y and En
some
adverbial pronoun
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French Adverbial Pronouns - Pronoms adverbiaux
The French adverbial pronouns y and en are so tiny that one might think their role in a sentence is not very important, but in fact quite the opposite is true. They are both extremely important in French. Y refers to a place that has already been mentioned; it is normally translated by there in English. Y usually replaces a prepositional phrase beginning with à, chez, dans, etc. Tu vas à la banque aujourd'hui ? Non, j'y vais demain. Nous allons au magasin. Tu veux y aller ? Il était chez Jean. Il y était. Are you going to the bank today? No, I'm going (there) tomorrow. We're going to the store. Do you want to go (there)? He was at Jean's house. He was there.
Note that there can often be omitted in English, but y can never be omitted in French. « Je vais » is not a complete sentence; if you don't follow aller with a place, you have to say « J'y vais. » Y can also replace à + noun. Je réponds à une lettre. J'y réponds. Il pense à notre voyage. Il y pense. Tu dois obéir à la loi. Tu dois y obéir. Note: Y usually cannot replace à + verb. J'hésite à dire la vérité. XX J'y hésite XX J'hésite à la dire. I hesitate to tell the truth. --I hesitate to tell it. I'm responding to a letter. I'm responding to it. He's thinking about our trip. He's thinking about it. You have to obey the law. You have to obey it.
Je continue à lire Balzac. I continue to read Balzac. --XX J'y continue XX I continue to read him. Je continue à le lire. Y is also found in the expression il y a En replaces the partitive article (du, de la, etc.) or de + the indefinite article (un, une, des) + a noun. It is equivalent to some, any, or a number in English. As-tu du pain ? 52 Do you have any bread?
Oui, j'en ai. Il a envie d'une pomme. Il en a envie.
Yes, I have some. He wants an apple. He wants one.
Je n'ai pas besoin d'un aide. I don't need an assistant. Je n'en ai pas besoin. I don't need one. If there is a modifier like beaucoup de or a number in the sentence, en replaces the noun and the modifier or number is placed at the end of the sentence. Il y a beaucoup de chambres. Il y en a beaucoup. Je voudrais deux livres. J'en voudrais deux. Nous avons envie de 10 cahiers. Nous en avons envie de 10. Note: En usually cannot replace de + verb. J'ai décidé d'accepter son offre. I decided to accept his offer. --XX J'en ai décidé XX I decided to accept it. J'ai décidé de l'accepter. J'ai oublié de laver la voiture. XX J'en ai oublié XX J'ai oublié de la laver. Don't forget that en is also a preposition: lesson I forgot to wash the car. --I forgot to wash it. There are a lot of rooms. There are a lot (of them). I'd like two books. I'd like two (of them). We want 10 notebooks. We want 10 (of them).
For more help on usage and placement of y and en, see my lesson on object pronouns.
38) là
adverb
there
French Adverbs of Place
Adverbes de lieu
French adverbs of place explain where something occurs. ailleurs autour d'ailleurs elsewhere around besides
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dedans dehors derrière dessous dessus devant en bas en haut ici là là-bas loin n'importe où nulle part partout près quelque part
inside outside behind below above in front down(stairs) up(stairs) here there over there far away anywhere nowhere everywhere near somewhere
39) comme
conjunction
like, as
Learn about the common French word comme
The French word comme can be a conjunction, adverb, or part of an adverbial phrase and is one of the most common French words.
Comme as a conjunction Comme is a French subordinating conjunction meaning "as" or "since": Il est arrivé comme je commençais à manger He arrived as I was starting to eat Comme il n'est pas là, je vais le faire Since he's not here, I'm going to do it Comme is commonly used in comparisons to mean "like" or "as": Pensent-ils comme nous ? Do they think like/as we do? 54
C'est une excuse comme une autre It's as good an excuse as any Comme as an exclamative adverb As an exclamative adverb, comme means "how" or "so": Comme tu es grand ! You're so tall! Comme il fait beau ! How beautiful the weather is! Comme + adjective Comme plus an adjective means that something/someone seems to be that adjective: Il était comme fou He was acting crazy Elle est comme désorientée She seems bewildered Comme tout An adjective followed by comme tout means "so (adjective)" or "as (adjective) as can be": C'est facile comme tout It's as easy as can be Il est sympa comme tout He's so nice Comme si Comme si means "as if/though": Il m'a parlé comme si rien ne s'était passé He talked to me as if nothing had happened Ce n'est pas comme si je suis riche ! It's not as though I'm rich! Expressions with Comme Comme is found in a number of common French expressions: comme cela/ça - (just) like that, that way; (informal) great, terrific comme ci, comme ça - so-so, fair comme il faut - properly comme il vous plaira - as you wish 55
comme les autres - ordinary, everyday comme on dit - as they say comme par hasard - coincidentally comme qui dirait - (informal) as you might say, what you might think is/was comme quoi - to the effect that, which goes to show that comme tout le monde - normally, like everyone else juste comme - just/right as
40) voir
to see
all about voir Learn all about the irregular French verb voir
Voir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation, means "to see" in most senses of the word, and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.
Using voir Voir means "to see" Je vois Lise le samedi I see Lise on Saturdays Je vois deux chiens I see two dogs As-tu vu ce film ? Have you seen this movie? Voir can mean "to see" figuratively, in the sense of "to witness" or "to experience": Je n'ai jamais vu un tel enthousiasme I've never seen such enthusiasm Il a vu la mort de tous ses amis He has seen (lived through) the deaths of all of his friends Voir is also commonly used to mean "to see" in the sense of "to understand" Ah, je vois ! Oh, I see! (I get it, I understand) Je ne vois pas la différence I don't see (understand) the difference 56
Je ne vois pas comment vous avez décidé I don't see (understand) how you decided Voir with verbs Voir can be followed by an infinitive to mean "to see" literally or figuratively: As-tu vu sauter la petite fille ? Did you see the little girl jump? J'ai vu grandir ses enfants I saw (witnessed) his children growing up Aller voir means "to go (and) see": Tu devrais aller voir un film You should go see a movie Va voir si elle est prête Go and see if she's ready Faire voir means "to show": Fais-moi voir tes devoirs Let me see / Show me your homework Fais voir ! Let me see! Show me! Voir venir (informal, figurative) means "to see something/someone coming": Je te vois venir I see where you're going (with this), what you're leading up to Mais c'est trop cher ! On t'a vu venir ! But that's too expensive! They saw you coming! Se voir Se voir can be a pronominal or passive voice construction. 1. Pronominal Reflexive - to see oneself Te vois-tu dans la glace ? Do you see yourself in the mirror? Je me vois habiter en Suisse I see (can imagine) myself living in Switzerland (figurative) - to find oneself, be in the position of Je me vois obliger de partir I find myself obliged to leave
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Il s'est vu contraint d'en parler He found himself forced to talk about it Reciprocal - to see each other Nous nous voyons tous les jours We see each other every day Quand se sont-ils vus ? When did they see each other? 2. Passive a) to happen; to show, be visible Ça se voit That happens Ça ne se voit pas tous les jours You don't see that / That doesn't happen every day Le trou ne se voit pas You can't see the hole / The hole isn't visible b) se voir plus infinitive - to be + past participle Il s'est vu dire de se taire He was told to be quiet Je me suis vu interdire de répondre I was forbidden to respond Expressions with voir avoir quelque chose à voir avec/dans - to have something to do with ne pas avoir grand-chose à voir avec/dans - to not have much to do with ne rien avoir à voir avec/dans - to have nothing to do with Cela n'a rien à voir avec... - That has nothing to do with... Je voudrais t'y voir ! - I'd like to see you try! I'd like to see how you would handle it! On verra - We'll see More expressions with voir Conjugations Present tense je vois tu vois 58
il voit nous voyons vous voyez ils voient All tenses Notes Words with different forms but the same essential meaning (such as ce and cette: masculine and feminine demonstrative adjectives) are combined into a single listing. Words with different grammatical functions (such as en: preposition and en: adverbial pronoun) are usually listed separately.
41) non
no
synonyms for [/]non
Non, pas, aucun, niet, and more synonyms for no in French
Saying no is pretty simple, but there are quite a few synonyms and precisions to be aware of. Check out this lesson to learn how to say no, not a chance, I don't think so, and more.
non - no Non is the basic, standard French word for "no": Non, je n'aime pas skier No, I don't like to ski ah non, oh non - oh no Ah non and oh non express disappointment, like "oh no!" or "darn it!" Ah non ! Ça ne marche pas ! Oh no! It doesn't work! non à… - no to… Non à is followed by a noun to mean "(say) no to" or "down with," especially in protests and demonstrations: Non au CPE ! Down with the First Job Contract! Here are some other synonyms for and expressions with non: absolument pas - absolutely not aucun (problème, argent, etc) - no (problem, money, etc) bien sûr que non - of course not 59
certainement pas - certainly not des clous ! (familiar) - no way! je crois que non - I don't think so je ne dis pas non - I wouldn't say no mais non - of course not moi non - not me, I don't n'est-ce pas ? - no? right? isn't it? niet ! (familiar) - no way! non merci - no thank you non et non ! - absolutely not! non que + subjunctive - not that … … ou non ? - … (are/will/do you + verb) or not? pas de (problème, temps, pain, etc) - no (problem, time, bread, etc) pas du tout - not at all pas question ! (familiar) - no way! not a chance! que non ! - absolutely not!
42) savoir
to know
all about savoir Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb savoir
Savoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to know." Savoir has different meanings in certain tenses as well as some other tricky aspects to it.
To Know In general, savoir means "to know" in many senses that this verb is used in English, including
60
•
to know a fact Anne sait la date - Anne knows the date to know by heart Sais-tu ce poème ? - Do you know this poem by heart? to know how (to do something) Je ne sais pas nager - I don't know how to swim to realize Il ne sait pas ce qu'il dit - He doesn't know (realize) what he's saying.
•
•
•
Meaning Changes In the passé composé, savoir means "to learn" or "to find out": J'ai su qu'il avait menti - I found out that he'd lied. Il n'a jamais su la vérité - He never found out the truth. In the conditional, savoir is a very formal equivalent of "to be able to": Sauriez-vous me diriger vers... - Could you possibly direct me toward... Je ne saurais pas vous aider - I'm afraid I can't help you. Notes Savoir is commonly confused with connaître, which also means "to know" but is used in different circumstances. Learn more with this lesson on savoir vs connaître. Savoir is one of a handful of French verbs that can be made negative with just ne, rather than ne... pas. Je ne sais si je devrais le faire - I don't know if I should do it. Je ne saurais le faire - I wouldn't know how to do it. Learn more about this phenomenon, known as the ne littéraire.
Conjugations Present tense je sais tu sais il sait nous savons vous savez ils savent
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43) nous
we, us
personal pronoun French Pronouns Les Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.
Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific 62 ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs...
Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives
ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses
qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont...
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific
44) puis
next, then
adverb French terms related to cause/effect and the sequence of events
The English word "then" has two distinct meanings: one related to consequence and the other to time. These two meanings translate differently into French, and the various synonyms further complicate matters:
• •
Ainsi, alors, and donc are commonly used to explain the consequences or effect of an action Après, ensuite, and puis are used to indicate the order of events
This lesson should help you to understand the difference between all of these terms and thus use them correctly.
Ainsi - Alors - Donc | Après - Ensuite - Puis
Ainsi 1) (adverb) so, thus, therefore Ainsi, j'ai décidé de partir So I decided to leave J'ai perdu mon emploi, ainsi je ne peux pas acheter la voiture I lost my job, so I can't buy the car This use of ainsi is interchangeable with donc - see below. 2) this way, like that Si tu vas agir ainsi, je ne peux pas t'aider If you're going to act like that, I can't help you C'est ainsi ; tu dois l'accepter That's the way it is; you have to accept it Ainsi va la vie Such is life 63
Ainsi soit-il So be it 3) ainsi que (conjunction) - just as, like, as well as Ainsi que j'avais pensé… Just as I thought… Je suis impressioné par son intelligence ainsi que son honnêteté I am impressed by his intelligence as well as his honesty Alors 1) (adverb) then, so, in that case Tu ne vas pas à la fête ? Alors, moi non plus You're not going to the party? Then I won't either Elle ne comprend pas, alors il faut l'aider She doesn't understand, so we need to help her Je n'ai pas mangé, alors il est difficile de me concentrer I didn't eat, so it's difficult to concentrate When used in this way, alors is more or less interchangeable with the first meanings of ainsi and donc; however, alors is not as strong in its cause/effect - it means "so" or "then" rather than "therefore." In other words, ainsi and donc indicate that something happened, and specifically because of that something else happened. Alors, on the other hand, is more of a "well then I guess this will/did happen." 2) (filler) so, then, well Alors, qu'est-ce qu'on va faire ? So what are we going to do? Alors là, je n'en sais rien Well, I don't know anything about that Et alors ? And then? So what? 3) at that time Il était alors étudiant At that time, he was a student, He was a student at the time Le président d'alors Bill Clinton… The president at that time, Then-president Bill Clinton… 4) alors que (conjunction) - at that time, while; even though Il est allé à la banque alors que je faisais les achats He went to the bank while I did the shopping Il est sorti alors que je ne voulais pas He went out even though I didn't want to
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Donc 1) (conjunction) therefore, so, thus Il n'est pas arrivé, donc j'ai dû manger seul He didn't arrive, so I had to eat alone Je pense, donc je suis (René Descartes) I think, therefore I am This usage of donc is interchangeable with the first meaning of ainsi - the only difference is that donc is a conjunction and, in theory, must join two clauses, whereas ainsi can be used with one or two clauses. In reality, donc is often used with just one clause as well: Donc je suis allé… - So I went…When used in this sense, both ainsi and donc indicate a cause/effect relationship. 2) then, it must be, in that case Si ce n'est pas Philippe c'est donc Robert If it's not Philippe then it is (it must be) Robert J'ai perdu mon stylo donc celui-ci est à toi I lost my pen so this one must be yours 3) (intensifier or filler) then, so Donc, elle était enceinte ? Was she pregnant, then? So was she pregnant? Voilà donc notre conclusion So here is our conclusion Qui donc êtes-vous ? So who are you? Allons donc ! Come on (already)! This usage is similar to the way "so" is used in English. Technically, "so" indicates a cause/effect relationship, but it is often used colloquially as a filler. For example, you might greet someone and say "So I bought a car" or "So, are you going out tonight?" even though nothing was said previously that the "so" is linking back to.
Page 2: Après - Ensuite - Puis Also see my lesson on conjunctions of conclusion - parce que, puisque, car, comme The English word "then" has two distinct meanings: one related to consequence and the other to time. These two meanings translate differently into French, and the various synonyms further complicate matters:
• •
Ainsi, alors, and donc are commonly used to explain the consequences or effect of an action Après, ensuite, and puis are used to indicate the order of events 65
This lesson should help you to understand the difference between all of these terms and thus use them correctly.
Après - Ensuite - Puis | Ainsi - Alors - Donc
Après 1) (preposition) after Il a téléphoné après toi He called after you (did) Après avoir tout lu… (past infinitive) After having read everything… 2) (adverb) afterwards, later Viens me voir après Come see me afterwards Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé après ? What happened later/afterwards? Après is not interchangeable with ensuite and puis - those adverbs indicate a sequence of events, whereas après simply modifies a verb to say what will/did happen at a later time. There is no sense of progression from one action to the next when using après. 3) après que (conjunction) - after Après qu'il est mort, j'ai déménagé en Belgique After he died, I moved to Belgium Je vais le faire après qu'il arrivera I'm going to do it after he arrives Après que is followed by the indicative, not the subjunctive. However, when describing something that has not happened yet, the verb after après que is in the future, rather than in the present the way it is in English.
Ensuite (adverb) then, next, later J'ai mangé et ensuite je me suis habillé I ate and then I got dressed Je suis allé à la banque et ensuite au musée I went to the bank and then (to) the museum Il m'a dit ensuite que… And then he told me…, He told me later that…
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Puis 1) (adverb) then, next J'ai mangé, puis je me suis habillé I ate and then I got dressed Je suis allé à la banque et puis au musée I went to the bank and then (to) the museum Puis il m'a dit que… Then he told me… This meaning of puis is interchangeable with ensuite, except for the sense of "later" which only ensuite has. They do not indicate a cause/effect relationship; they simply relate a sequence of events. 2) et puis - and besides, moreover Je n'ai pas envie de sortir, et puis je n'ai pas d'argent I don't feel like going out, and besides, I don't have any money Nous devons étudier, et puis toi aussi We have to study, and so do you
45) mon, ma, mes
Adjectifs possessifs
my
French Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives are the words used in place of articles to indicate to whom or to what something belongs. Their usage is similar to English, but there are some differences in form. The following table shows the forms of French possessives. Don't worry - I'll explain them all below. English my your (sing., fam.) his, her, its our your (plur., form) their Masculine Feminine Before vowel Plural mon ton son notre votre leur ma ta sa notre votre leur mon ton son notre votre leur mes tes ses nos vos leurs
As you can see, French has many more possessives than English. For singular subjects (I, you, he/she/it), there are three forms of the possessive. The gender, number, and first letter of the noun possessed determine which form to use. 67
MY masc: pen fem: watch vowel: friend mon stylo ma montre mon amie
YOUR ton stylo
HIS, HER, ITS son stylo
ta montre sa montre ton amie son amie
plural: brothers mes frères
tes frères ses frères
When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, the masculine possessive is used in order to keep from saying something like ma amie, where the flow of the sentence would be broken (learn more). NOTE: An important difference between French and English is that in French it is the gender of the noun that determines which form to use, not the gender of the subject. This is particularly difficult when talking about him/her/it. Son, sa, and ses can each mean his, her, or its depending on the context. son lit can mean his bed, her bed, or its bed (e.g., the dog's) When describing two or more nouns, a possessive adjective must be used in front of each one his brother and sister = son frère et sa soeur Plural subjects (we, you, they) have only two forms: singular and plural. OUR masc: pen fem: watch notre stylo notre montre YOUR votre stylo votre montre vos amis THEIR leur stylo leur montre leurs amis
plural: friends nos amis
Note: the possessive adjective is almost never used with body parts in French. You can't say 'my hand' or 'my hair.' Instead, the French use pronominal verbs to show possession with body parts: Je me suis cassé la jambe - I broke my leg (literally, I broke the leg of myself). Il se lave les cheveux - He's washing his hair (literally, He washes the hair of himself).
46) moi me French Pronouns
Les Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons 68
and quizzes.
Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs... qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont...
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific
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47) tout
adjective
every, all
Tout as an adjective Tout, Toute, Tous, Toutes Introduction | Adjective | Adverb | Noun | Pronoun | Test Tout as an adjective has four forms: tout, toute, tous, toutes. As an adjective, tout means all, any, every, etc. and can be used with
Nouns à tout âge avoir toute liberté en tout cas tout enfant at any age to be completely free in any case every child
Definite articles tous les enfants toute la journée tous les jours tous les deux jours tout le temps all the children all day every day [jour vs journée] every other day all the time
Possessive adjectives prendre tout son temps tous mes amis toute ma famille to take one's time all my friends my whole family
Demonstrative adjectives tous ces gens toute cette tristesse toutes ces idées all these people all this sadness all of these ideas
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Pronunciation notes Tout - [tu] Tous - [tu] Toute - [tut] Toutes - [tut]
48) très very synonyms for très verything you need to know about the regular -ER French verb aimer
Aimer is one of the most common French verbs. It is a regular -ER verb, requires avoir in the compound tenses, and can mean "to like" or "to love." There is a little bit of a trick to using aimer correctly with people and direct object pronouns which you will learn about in this lesson.
Using aimer Aimer means "to like" or "to love" when followed by a noun or infinitive. J'aime Paris - I love Paris Il aime les chats - He likes cats Aimes-tu voyager ? - Do you like to travel? I love you When aimer is followed by a person, it means "to love" or "to be in love with." You can use aimer to mean simply "love" with your family, but with other people, it means "in love," so if that's not what you mean, you will need to qualify it (see below). J'aime Luc (mon frère) I love Luc (my brother) Il aime Chantal He's in love with Chantal Je t'aime ! I love you! I like you To say that you "like" or are "fond of" someone, qualify aimer with an adverb, such as assez, bien, or beaucoup. 71
These adverbs make aimer less strong, so that they can be used with friends rather than family and lovers. J'aime assez Paul I kind of like Paul J'aime bien Ana I like Ana J'aime beaucoup Étienne I really like Étienne Je t'aime bien I like you Aimer with direct objects The direct object pronouns le, la, and les can only be used with aimer when they refer to people. The meaning of aimer with a direct object pronoun is the same as explained above. Je l'aime ! I love him/her! Je l'aime bien I like him/her When the direct object means "it" (because you are replacing a non-human noun or a verb), you cannot use a direct object pronoun; instead, you must use the indefinite demonstrative pronoun ça. Aimes-tu le tennis ? Oui, j'aime ça Do you like tennis? Yes, I like it Nous voyageons beaucoup, nous aimons ça We travel a lot, we like it Je t'ai écrit un poème - tu aimes ça ? I wrote you a poem - do you like it? Aimer in the conditional In the conditional, aimer is a polite way to make a request or state a desire J'aimerais partir à midi I would like to leave at noon Aimeriez-vous manger avec nous? Would you like to eat with us? S'aimer The pronominal verb s'aimer can be reflexive or reciprocal. 1. Reflexive: to like oneself 72
Je m'aime en bleu I like myself (how I look) in blue Il ne s'aime pas He doesn't like himself (has low self-esteem) 2. Reciprocal: to be in love, to love one another Nous nous aimons We are in love Penses-tu qu'ils s'aiment ? Do you think they are in love? Expressions with aimer aimer à la folie - to be madly in love aimer autant - to be just as happy (with, that), to prefer aimer mieux - to prefer Qui aime bien châtie bien (proverb) - Spare the rod and spoil the child Qui m'aime aime mon chien (proverb) - Love me, love my dog Conjugations Present tense j'aime tu aimes il aime nous aimons vous aimez
French colors may be invariable adjectives
In French, adjectives normally have to agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number. However, there are numerous adjectives which don't agree - they have a single form that does not change to reflect the gender or number of the noun. These are called invariable adjectives. French color adjectives derived from nouns, such as animals, flowers, fruits, gems, and metals, are usually invariable:
amarante amaranthine (dark purple-red) ardoise slate-grey argent silver aubergine eggplant auburn auburn brique brick-red canari canary yellow
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caramel caramel-colored carmin carmine cerise cherry red chair flesh-colored champagne champagne chocolat chocolate-brown citron lemon-yellow crème cream-colored emeraude emerald green grenat garnet indigo indigo kaki khaki lavande lavender lilas lilac marine navy blue marron brown noisette hazel ocre ochre olive olive-green or gold orange orange pastel pastel pervenche periwinkle pie (magpie) - piebald, black and white pistache pistachio-green platine platinum prune plum puce (flea) - puce rouille rust-colored rubis ruby red sable sandy, sand-colored safran saffron-colored saphir sapphire-blue saumon salmon-pink tabac tobacco brown turquoise turquoise vermillon vermilion
Exceptions: 1) alezan (chestnut), fauve (tawny/fawn), incarnat (rosy), mauve, pourpre (crimson), rose (pink), and violet are variable according to the normal rules of agreement 2) châtain (chestnut brown) is semi-invariable - it usually agrees in number, but rarely in 74
gender
Multiple Colors When two or more colors describe a noun, they may or may not agree: 1) If there are items of each individual color, the adjectives agree des drapeaux bleus, blancs, rouges - red, white, and blue flags (some are red, some are white, and some are blue) des chapeaux rouges et noirs - red and black hats (some are red and some are black) 2) If each item has all of the colors, the adjectives are invariable des drapeaux bleu, blanc, rouge - red, white, and blue flags (e.g., French flags) des chapeaux rouge et noir - red and black hats This is one instance where agreement is useful, because it gives you more detail than what is available in the English translation.
Compound Colors When adjectives of color are modified by another adjective or a noun, the adjectives are invariable: une jupe gris clair light gray skirt des gants violet foncé dark purple gloves reddish-orange color
une couleur rouge-orange des yeux bleu-vert
blue-green eyes apple-green car tomato-red flowers
une voiture vert pomme des fleurs rouge tomate
French words not usually used as adjectives are invariable
In French, there are a number of words which are not actually adjectives but may be used as adjectives. These "faux adjectives" or "occasional adjectives" are always invariable - they do not agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. There are three different types of words that may be used as adjectives.
Adverbs used as adjectives When adverbs are used as adjectives, they are invariable. C'est une femme bien - She's a nice woman 75
Ils sont mal ce matin - They are sick this morning La porte avant est ouverte - The front door is open There are only a few French adverbs that can be used as adjectives. If you know of any other adverbs used as adjectives, please let me know on the forum and I will add them here. allegro allegro (quick, lively tempo) arrière back, rear avant front bien nice, decent debout standing, up incognito incognito mal wrong, bad, sick, uncomfortable
Nouns used as adjectives When a French noun is used as an adjective, it is invariable. des mamans gâteau - soft/indulgent mothers les ID utilisateur - user IDs les services Web - internet services les câbles vidéo - video cables la porte sud - south door In addition, noun clauses used as adjectives do not agree with the subject. However, any adjectives in the noun clause will follow the normal rules of agreement within the clause - they will agree with the noun. Ces livres sont bon marché - These books are cheap Cette table est meilleur marché - This table is cheaper Elle est très collet monté - She is very straight-laced Nous avons une porte à va-et-vient - We have a swing door Il est de bonne humeur - He's in a good mood
Prefixes used as adjectives When used as adjectives, French prefixes do not agree with the nouns they modify. 76
La fête va être extra ! - The party is going to be great! J'ai besoin d'une jupe maxi - I need a long skirt Tes frères sont super - Your brothers are great There are five prefixes commonly used as adjectives, and they are usually informal: extra hyper maxi mini super great, first-rate, top-quality excessive, to very high degree maximum, long small great, terrific
Adjectives + Agreement
Introduction to adjectivesFrench agreement
49) que
that, which, who
relative pronoun
French Relative Pronouns
Pronoms relatifs
Lesson | Test Just as in English, a French relative pronoun links a dependent/relative clause (i.e., a clause that cannot stand alone) to a main clause. Que, qui, lequel, dont, and où are the French relative pronouns. There are no standard translations for these words; depending on context, the English equivalents are who, whom, that, which, whose, where, or when. Note that in French, relative pronouns are required, whereas in English, they are sometimes optional.
Que replaces the direct object (person or thing) in the dependent clause. J'ai acheté le livre. Ma soeur l'a écrit. J'ai acheté le livre que ma soeur a écrit. - I bought the book (that) my sister wrote. Qui est le peintre ? Je l'ai vu aujourd'hui. Qui est le peintre que j'ai vu aujourd'hui ? Who is the painter (that) I saw today?
Qui replaces the subject (person or thing) in the dependent clause. Note that qui does not always translate as "who." 77
Je cherche l'artiste. Il étudie à Paris. Je cherche l'artiste qui étudie à Paris. I'm looking for the artist (who is) studying in Paris. Trouvez le chat. Il habite dans la cave. Trouvez le chat qui habite dans la cave. Find the cat that lives in the basement. Qui also replaces an indirect object (person only) after a preposition (except de - see dont), including prepositions which are required after a given verb or expression. C'est la femme avec qui je travaille. - That's the woman with whom I work. (That's the woman I work with.) La fille à qui j'ai parlé est très sympathique. - The girl to whom I spoke is very nice. (The girl [that] I spoke to...) L'étudiant contre qui je me suis assis... - The student next to whom I sat... (The student [that] I sat next to...)
Lequel or one of its variations replaces an object of a preposition (thing only; except de - see dont). Le livre dans lequel j'ai écrit mon nom... - The book in which I wrote my name... Les idées auxquelles j'ai pensé... - The ideas that I thought about... More about lequel
Dont replaces the person or thing after de Où est le reçu ? J'ai besoin du reçu. Où est le reçu dont j'ai besoin ? - Where is the receipt (that) I need? C'est la femme. J'ai parlé de la femme. C'est la femme dont j'ai parlé. - That's the woman (that) I talked about. Dont also indicates possession Voici l'homme. Sa valise est dans la voiture. Voici l'homme dont la valise est dans la voiture. - That's the man whose suitcase is in the car.
Où is used for both place and time La boulangerie où j'ai travaillé est à côté de la banque. - The bakery where I worked is next to the bank. (The bakery [that] I worked at...)
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Lundi, c'est le jour où nous faisons les achats. - Monday is the day that we do our shopping.
50) pouvoir
all about pouvoir
can, to be able
Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb pouvoir
Pouvoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "can" or "to be able to." Pouvoir has different meanings in certain tenses and is found in numerous expressions.
Ability In general, pouvoir means "to be be able to," usually translated by "can" or "may": Il peut le faire He can do it. Nous pouvons essayer We can try. Puis-je m'asseoir ici ? May I sit here? Puis is an alternative to peux, the most common first person singular conjugation. Puis is usually used for questions: Puis-je vous poser une question ? May I ask you a question? Puis-je vous aider ? May I help you? Possibility Pouvoir can also express possibility or conjecture: Il peut être malade He might/may be sick. Tu peux le perdre You might lose it. Meaning Changes In the past tenses, pouvoir can have different nuances. In the passé composé, pouvoir means "could" in the sense of "was able to, managed to, succeeded in." In the imperfect, pouvoir also means "could" but only in terms of ability/possibility; it does not indicate whether or not the action actually took place. 79
Il a pu le faire - He could (and did) do it. vs Il pouvait le faire - He could do it (he was capable). Je n'ai pas pu sortir - I couldn't (and didn't) go out. vs Je ne pouvais pas sortir - I couldn't go out (it was difficult). In the past conditional, pouvoir means "could/might have done" (both ability and possibility): Auriez-vous pu le faire ? Could you have done it? Il aurait pu le perdre He might have lost it. In the conditional, pouvoir is used to express a polite request: Pourriez-vous m'aider ? Could you help me? Je pourrais vous poser une question ? May I ask you a question? In the subjunctive, pouvoir is a high-register (formal) way to express a wish: Puisse Dieu vous aider ! May God help you! Puisse-t-il y réussir ! May he succeed! Il se peut Il se peut is an impersonal verb that means "it is possible" and is followed by the subjunctive: Il se peut qu'elle vienne It is possible that she will come, She may come. Il se peut que nous soyons en retard It's possible that we're late, We might be late. Peut-être The adverb peut-être means "perhaps" or "maybe": Tu vas venir ? Peut-être Are you going to come? Maybe. Nous allons peut-être voir un film We might see a movie, Perhaps we'll see a movie. Notes
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Pouvoir is one of a handful of French verbs that can be made negative with just ne, rather than ne... pas. Notes Words with different forms but the same essential meaning (such as mon, ma and mes: masculine, feminine, and plural possessive adjectives) are combined into a single listing. Words with different grammatical functions (such as que: relative pronoun and que: conjunction) are usually listed separately. The words ah and oh were numbers 45 and 47, respectively, but since they are just interjections with no real meaning, I left them out of my list.
51) parce que
conjunction
because
French Conjunctions - Les Conjonctions Learn about French conjunctions A conjunction links words or groups of words. There are two types of French conjunctions. I. Coordinating conjunctions join words and groups of words with an equal value. J'aime les pommes et les oranges. Il ne mange ni la viande ni les légumes. Veux-tu aller en France ou en Italie ? Je veux le faire, mais je n'ai pas d'argent. I like apples and oranges. He eats neither meat nor vegetables. Do you want to go to France or Italy? I want to do it, but I don't have any money.
II. Subordinating conjunctions join dependent clauses to main clauses. J'ai dit que j'aime les pommes. Il travaille pour que vous puissiez manger. J'ai réussi à l'examen bien que je n'aie pas étudié. Il est parti parce qu'il a peur. I said that I like apples. He works so that you can eat. I passed the test even though I didn't study. He left because he is afraid.
Too complicated? Try the introductory lesson
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52) avec
preposition
with
Avec French preposition
Avec is the French equivalent of with. It can express Accompaniment J'irai avec toi Il est d'accord avec nous I'll go with you He agrees with us
Cause On oublie tout avec le temps One forgets everything in time Tu m'énerves avec ce bruit You're bothering me with this noise
Something in addition: avec ça et avec ça ? j'ai froid et avec ça j'ai faim anything else? I'm cold, and besides that I'm hungry
The equivalent of an adverb: avec + noun avec joie avec colère joyfully angrily
Expressions with avec: se fâcher avec qqun se lever avec le jour se mettre en rapport avec prendre des gants avec qqun to get mad at someone to get up at the crack of dawn to get in touch with to handle someone with kid gloves
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53) lui
him/her
personal pronoun
French Pronouns Les Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.
Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific 83 ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs...
Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives
ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses
qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont...
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific
54) son, sa, ses
possessive adjectives
his/her/its
French Possessive Adjectives Adjectifs possessifs Lesson | Test Possessive adjectives are the words used in place of articles to indicate to whom or to what something belongs. Their usage is similar to English, but there are some differences in form. The following table shows the forms of French possessives. Don't worry - I'll explain them all below. English my your (sing., fam.) his, her, its our your (plur., form) their Masculine Feminine Before vowel Plural mon ton son notre votre leur ma ta sa notre votre leur mon ton son notre votre leur mes tes ses nos vos leurs
As you can see, French has many more possessives than English. For singular subjects (I, you, he/she/it), there are three forms of the possessive. The gender, number, and first letter of the noun possessed determine which form to use. MY masc: pen fem: watch vowel: friend mon stylo ma montre mon amie YOUR ton stylo HIS, HER, ITS son stylo
ta montre sa montre ton amie son amie
plural: brothers mes frères
tes frères ses frères
When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, the masculine possessive is used in order to keep from saying something like ma amie, where the flow of the sentence would be broken (learn more). 84
NOTE: An important difference between French and English is that in French it is the gender of the noun that determines which form to use, not the gender of the subject. This is particularly difficult when talking about him/her/it. Son, sa, and ses can each mean his, her, or its depending on the context. son lit can mean his bed, her bed, or its bed (e.g., the dog's) When describing two or more nouns, a possessive adjective must be used in front of each one his brother and sister = son frère et sa soeur Plural subjects (we, you, they) have only two forms: singular and plural. OUR masc: pen fem: watch notre stylo notre montre YOUR votre stylo votre montre vos amis THEIR leur stylo leur montre leurs amis
plural: friends nos amis
Note: the possessive adjective is almost never used with body parts in French. You can't say 'my hand' or 'my hair.' Instead, the French use pronominal verbs to show possession with body parts: Je me suis cassé la jambe - I broke my leg (literally, I broke the leg of myself). Il se lave les cheveux - He's washing his hair (literally, He washes the hair of himself).
55) enfin
then, finally
adverb
French Temporal Adverbs
Adverbes de Temps
French adverbs of time explain when something happens. actuellement alors après après-demain aujourd'hui auparavant aussitôt autrefois currently then after the day after tomorrow today previously, beforehand immediately formerly, in the past 85
avant avant-hier bientôt d'abord de bonne heure déjà demain depuis dernièrement désormais dorénavant enfin ensuite hier il y a immédiatement longtemps maintenant n'importe quand précédemment récemment tard tôt tout à l'heure tout de suite
before the day before yesterday soon first, at first early already, ever tomorrow since lately from now/then on from now/then on at last, finally next yesterday ago immediately for a long time now anytime previously recently late early a little while ago, in a little while immediately
56) falloir
all about falloir
to be necessary
Learn about the French verb falloir
Falloir is an irregular impersonal French verb that is better known in its conjugated form: il faut.
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Falloir means "to be necessary" or "to need." It is impersonal, meaning that it has only one grammatical person: the third person singular. It may be followed by the subjunctive, an infinitive, or a noun: Il faut partir It's necessary to leave Il faut que nous partions We have to leave Il faut de l'argent pour faire ça It's necessary to have / You need money to do that When falloir is followed by an infinitive or noun, it may be used with an indefinite object pronoun to indicate who or what needs whatever comes next: Il faut manger It's necessary to eat Il nous faut manger We have to eat Il faut une voiture It's necessary to have a car Il me faut une voiture I need a car Expressions with Falloir Falloir is used in a number of expressions, including: ce qu'il faut - what is needed Il a bien fallu ! - I/We/They had to! s'il le faut - if (it's) necessary Faudrait voir à voir (informal) - Come on! Come off it! Il faut ce qu'il faut (informal) - You've got to do things right S'en falloir The impersonal pronominal construction s'en falloir means to be missing or short of something, as in "this action did not occur because something was missing": Tu as raté son appel, il s'en est fallu de 10 minutes You missed his call by 10 minutes Je n'ai pas perdu, mais il s'en est fallu de peu I very nearly lost (I didn't lose, but it was close)
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Conjugations Present tense il faut Imperfect il fallait Future il faudra
57) par
preposition
by
Par
French preposition Par means through or by and is often used with the passive voix. Je suis sortie par la porte. I left through/by the door.
Il a jeté les déchets par la fenêtre. He threw the garbage out the window. Ce livre, écrit par Voltaire... This book, written by Voltaire...
La tasse a été cassée par un chien. The cup was broken by a dog. J'ai appris la verité par hasard. Il l'a obtenu par la force. Expressions with par: de par le monde de par le roi par amitié/amour par conséquent par coeur par ici/là par intervalles par les temps qui courent par mégarde par terre par trop 88 the world over by order of the king out of friendship/love consequently by heart this/that way intermittently these days by accident on the ground much too, excessively I learned the truth by accident. He obtained it by force.
une/deux fois par semaine/mois
once/twice a week/month
58) quand
when
interrogative adverb, conjunction* French Interrogative Adverbs Adverbes intérrogatifs Interrogative adverbs are used to ask for new information or facts. The most common French interrogative adverbs are: quand où pourquoi comment combien de when where why how how many/much
All of these can be used with either est-ce que or inversion. Quand manges-tu ? Quand est-ce que tu manges ? Combien de livres veut-il ? Combien de livres est-ce qu'il veut ? Où habite-t-elle ? Où est-ce qu'elle habite ? When do you eat? How many books does he want? Where does she live?
Note that comment can also be used as an exclamation to mean "what"; for example, when you did not hear or understand what another person said. In literature, you might see an additional interrogative adverb: que, meaning why: Qu'avais-tu besoin de lui en parler ? Why did you have to go and talk to him about it?
Olivier et Roland, que n'êtes-vous ici ? Olivier and Roland, why aren't you here? (Hugo)
French Conjunctions - Les Conjonctions
Learn about French conjunctions A conjunction links words or groups of words. There are two types of French conjunctions. 89
I.
Coordinating conjunctions join words and groups of words with an equal value. J'aime les pommes et les oranges. Il ne mange ni la viande ni les légumes. Veux-tu aller en France ou en Italie ? Je veux le faire, mais je n'ai pas d'argent. I like apples and oranges. He eats neither meat nor vegetables. Do you want to go to France or Italy? I want to do it, but I don't have any money.
II. Subordinating conjunctions join dependent clauses to main clauses. J'ai dit que j'aime les pommes. Il travaille pour que vous puissiez manger. J'ai réussi à l'examen bien que je n'aie pas étudié. Il est parti parce qu'il a peur. I said that I like apples. He works so that you can eat. I passed the test even though I didn't study. He left because he is afraid.
59) vouloir
all about vouloir
to want
Vouloir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and has several different meanings, depending on the tense and mood it is conjugated into.
Vouloir indicates a strong will or command - "to want" or "to wish": Je veux danser avec toi. I want to dance with you. Voulez-vous parler ? Do you wish to speak? Je ne veux pas le faire ! I don't want to (I won't) do it! Polite requests and desires Vouloir can be used to express polite requests or desires in three different constructions.
1. In a question Voulez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ? Will you help me, please? Veux-tu t'asseoir, s'il te plaît ? Please sit down. 2. In the conditional 90
Je voudrais du thé. I would like some tea. Voudriez-vous venir avec nous ? Would you like to come with us? 3. In the imperative, usually in the second person plural, to express an extremely polite request. Veuillez m'excuser. Please (be so kind as to) excuse me. Veuillez vous asseoir. Please sit down. Vouloir bien Vouloir bien means to be willing to, to be glad to, to be good/kind enough to. Je veux bien le faire. I'd be glad to do it. Elle veut bien l'acheter, mais il ne le vend pas. She's willing to buy it, but he's not selling it. Aidez-moi, si vous voulez bien. Help me, if you would be so kind. Vouloir dire Vouloir dire means "to mean" (very useful in your French class!) Que veut dire volontiers ? What does volontiers mean? Volontiers veut dire gladly. Volontiers means gladly. En vouloir En vouloir à quelqu'un means to hold something against someone (be upset about something): Il m'en veut de l'avoir fait. He holds it against me for doing that. Ne m'en veux pas ! Don't hold it against me! Notes Vouloir is followed directly by the infinitive, with no preposition. Je veux le faire. I want to do it.
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Nous voulons savoir. We want to know. When vouloir is in a main clause with another verb in a subordinate clause, that verb must be in the subjunctive. Je veux qu'il le fasse. I want him to do it. Nous voulons que tu le saches. We want you to know (it). Conjugations Present tense je veux tu veux il veut nous voulons vous voulez ils veulent All tenses
Using Vouloir
Conjugations of vouloirExpressions with vouloirModal verbs
French Verbs
Verb conjugationsVerb lessonsVerb timeline
60) petit
small, short
synonyms for petit If you want to make your French sound more, well, French, one place to start is with your vocabulary. In French classes, you tend to learn the most common, basic terms. The adjective petit is one example of a very common French word that can be replaced by any number of synonyms. Take a look at this lesson to learn some different ways to say "small" and "short," and be sure to note the different nuances. Click on each word to hear it pronounced. Petit - small, short J'ai besoin d'un petit carton I need a small box Elle est assez petite She is fairly short Petit can also be modified by tout to emphasize the smallness:
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Il y a un tout petit problème There's a tiny problem Synonyms for petit Court short, brief Vous devriez écrire une introduction courte You should write a short introduction Il a la mémoire courte He has a short memory Étriqué narrow, tight C'était une victoire étriquée It was a narrow victory Ton pantalon a l'air d'être assez étriqué Your pants look pretty tight Faible weak, small Nous n'avons qu'une faible quantité de réserves We have only a few supplies (We have only a small quantity of supplies) Fin fine, thin J'aimerais une tranche fine de gâteau I'd like a thin slice of cake Infime tiny, miniscule Il a gagné d'une majorité infime He won by a tiny majority Léger light, slight, minor C'est une blessure légère It's a minor wound Maigre
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meager, slight Son revenu maigre n'est pas suffisant His meager income is insufficient Microscopique microscopic Les microbes sont microscopiques Germs are microsopic Mince thin, meager, slender Nous avons une mince chance de succès We have a slender chance of success Minuscule miniscule, tiny Je déteste ces minuscules fenêtres dans les salles de bains I hate those minuscule windows in bathrooms Modeste small, modest C'est un appartement modeste It's a modest apartment Négligeable negligible, trivial J'ignore les détails négligeables I don't know about the trivial details Peu (adverb) little, not much Elle parle peu She speaks little, She doesn't speak much Réduit small Un nombre réduit de nos étudiants... A small number of our students...
French Synonyms
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Bon (good)Oui (yes)Très (very)
Notes *I would have listed quand as a conjunction and as an adverb separately, but they were combined in the source document. Words with different forms but the same essential meaning (such as son, sa and ses: masculine, feminine, and plural possessive adjectives) are combined into a single listing. 61) si if all about si The French word si can be an adverb or a conjunction. Either way, si has several meanings and is used in numerous French constructions.
Si = if Si is the French word for "if": Je ne sais pas si je veux y aller I don't know if I want to go Dis-moi si ça te conviendra Tell me if that will work for you Et si je ne suis pas fatigué ? And if I'm not tired? Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison If I were rich, I would buy a house (lesson on si clauses) Si = so Si can be used as an intensifier: Je suis si fatigué I'm so tired J'ai si faim I'm so hungry Je ne savais pas qu'il était si mignon I didn't know he was so cute Si = as, so Si can make a comparison:
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Il n'est pas si intelligent qu'il pense He's not as smart as he thinks Ce n'est pas si facile It's not as easy as that, It's not that easy Si = while, whereas Si can put two clauses in opposition: S'il est beau, sa femme est laide Whereas he is handsome, his wife is ugly Si tu es gentil, ton frère est méchant You're kind, while your brother is mean Si = however, no matter how Si can be followed by a subjunctive clause to express a concession: Si beau qu'il fasse, je ne peux pas sortir No matter how nice the weather is, I can't go out Si gentil que tu sois, je ne t'aime pas However kind you are, I don't love you Si = yes Si means "yes" in response to a negative question or statement: Tu ne vas pas venir ? Si (je vais venir) You're not going to come? Yes (I am going to come) N'as-tu pas d'argent ? Si, j'en ai Don't you have any money? Yes, I do Jeanne n'est pas prête. Si, si ! Jeanne isn't ready. Yes (she is / I am)! Si = did I hear correctly, is this what you're asking? If someone asks a question and you're not sure (or can't believe) you heard correctly, you can request confirmation or clarification by repeating what you did hear with the word si: Si j'ai faim ? (Are you asking) if I'm hungry? (You couldn't really hear the question) Si je veux quoi ? You're asking if I want what? (You're not sure you heard correctly; you heard "Do you want a free TV?") Si j'ai combien d'enfants ? 96
You're asking if I have how many kids? (You didn't hear "how many," or you heard "Do you have 7 kids?") Et si = what if, how about In informal French, et si is often tacked on the beginning of a suggestion (with the verb in the imperfect): Et si on allait au ciné ? How about going to the movies? Et si tu amenais ton frère ? Why don't you bring your brother? Et si on parlait d'amour ? What if we talked about love?
62) plus
more
comparative adverb
French Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Adverbes Comparatifs et Superlatifs
French adverbs can be tricky due to the question of their placement, but comparatives and superlatives are fairly straightforward. I. Comparatives come in three varieties: Superiority plus... que Inferiority Equality aussi... que autant que more... than or ____er than as... as as much/many as
moins... que less... than
Exceptions: See bon, bien, and mauvais, below. Laure est plus sportive (qu'Anne). Rouen est moins cher (que Paris). Je travaille autant qu'elle. Laure is more athletic (than Anne). Rouen is less expensive (than Paris). I work as much as she does.
Tu es aussi sympathique que Chantal. You're as nice as Chantal.
Comparisons with plus and moins can be made with adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and nouns. Aussi que is used with adjectives and adverbs, while autant que is used with nouns and verbs. For each part of speech, the comparison can be made with another person/thing (noun or pronoun) or with another of the same part of speech (see note, below). Adjectives Jean est plus grand que Luc. 97 Jean is taller than Luc.
Jean est moins fier que Luc.
Jean is less proud than Luc.
Jean est aussi riche que travailleur. Jean is as rich as (he is) hard-working. Jean est plus sympa qu'intelligent. Jean est moins stricte qu'avant. Adverbs Jean lit plus lentement que Luc. Jean écrit moins souvent que Luc. Jean travaille aussi vite que gentiment. Jean is nicer than (he is) smart. Jean is less strict than before. Jean reads more slowly than Luc. Jean writes less often than Luc. Jean works as quickly as (he does) helpfully.
Jean mange plus poliment qu'avant. Jean eats more politely than before. Nouns Jean a plus de livres que Luc. Jean veut autant d'amis que Luc. Jean has more books than Luc. Jean wants as many friends as Luc.
Jean a moins de livres que de jouets. Jean has fewer books than toys. Jean a autant d'amis que d'ennemis. Jean connaît moins de gens qu'avant. Verbs Jean travaille plus que Luc. Jean a étudié autant que Luc. Jean lit moins qu'avant. Jean rit autant qu'il pleure. Jean has as many friends as enemies. Jean knows fewer people than (he did) before. Jean works more than Luc. Jean studied as much as Luc. Jean reads less than before. Jean laughs as much as he cries.
Note the slightly differing constructions for the various parts of speech, particularly the addition of de in noun comparisons: Adjectives plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + adjective plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + temporal adverb Adverbs Nouns plus/moins/aussi + adverb + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/aussi + adverb + que + adverb plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + de + noun plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + temporal adv. Verbs verb + plus/moins/autant que + noun verb + plus/moins/autant que + temporal adverb verb + plus/moins/autant que + pronoun + verb* *When using plus or moins in this construction, the ne explétif is required. 98
Note: After plus and moins, the que + noun/pronoun... construction is optional.
II. Superlatives are formed with the definite article + plus or moins. Depending on the adjective, the superlative may be placed before or after the noun. Most adjectives follow the noun they modify and thus the superlatives do too. With adjectives that normally precede the noun, you can place the superlative either before or after the noun. Note that when the superlative follows the noun, the sentence will have two definite articles. Alice est la personne la plus intelligente qui travaille ici. Thomas est le garçon le plus gentil de l'école. C'est la ville la plus intéressante du monde. Vous avez acheté la plus jolie maison de la rue OR Vous avez acheté la maison la plus jolie de la rue. Est-elle la plus jeune fille ? OR Est-elle la fille la plus jeune ? Alice is the most intelligent person that works here. Thomas is the kindest boy in school. It's the most interesting city in the world.
You bought the prettiest house on the street.
Is she the youngest girl?
III. Exceptions: Bon, bien, and mauvais are exceptions to the above rules. Bon and bien have irregular forms for the comparative and superlative, while mauvais has both irregular and regular forms. In the superlative, the forms for bon and mauvais can only be placed in front of the noun they modify, while bien's is placed after the verb it modifies. Comparative Bon Bien Mauvais meilleur(e) mieux Superlative le/la meilleur(e) le/la mieux
pire le/la pire plus mauvais(e) le/la plus mauvais(e)
Les pommes sont meilleures que les oranges. Apples are better than oranges. Il est le meilleur prof de l'école. Il s'habille mieux que moi. Elle s'habille le mieux. La grippe est pire que le rhume OR La grippe est plus mauvaise que le rhume. He's the best teacher in the school. He dresses better than I. She dresses the best. The flu is worse than a cold.
C'est le pire livre que j'ai jamais lu OR It's the worst book I've ever read. C'est le plus mauvais livre que j'ai jamais lu. 99
63) même
all about même Même, Mêmes
same, even, (one)self*
Learn about the French adjective, adverb, and pronoun même The French word même can be an indefinite adjective, indefinite pronoun, or adverb, and is also used in a number of expressions, making it an extremely versatile and useful French word. Même has several different meanings depending on where and how it is used: I. Indefinite adjective When used as an indefinite adjective, même expresses one of two things, depending on where it is placed: A. Before the noun, même means same: C'est la même chose ! J'ai lu le même livre. Il aime les mêmes programmes. B. It's the same thing! I read the same book. He likes the same programs
After the noun or pronoun, même emphasizes that thing and means (one)self, exact, personnified: Il a perdu la bague même. Je veux le faire moi-même. (stressed pronoun) Elle est la gentillesse même. He lost the ring itself. I want to do it myself. She is the epitome of kindness (is kindness personnified).
II.
Indefinite pronoun Même as an indefinite pronoun means the same. C'est le même. Elles sont toujours les mêmes. It's the same. They're always the same.
III. Adverb As an adverb, même is invariable, emphasizes the word it modifies, and means even, (to go) so far as to. Même Jacques est venu. Il avait même acheté un billet. Even Jacques came. He even went so far as to buy a ticket. 100
Ils sont tous partis, même le bébé. Je l'ai vu ici même.
They all left, even the baby. I saw it in this very spot.
IV. Related Expressions à même de même quand même tout de même right on, in, from; in position the same (as a description) even so, anyway even so
Ça revient au même. C'est du pareil au même. (inf)
That amounts to the same thing. It's always the same; Six of one half a dozen of the other.
64) sur
preposition
on
Sur
French preposition
Sur usually means on: un livre sur la table sur ma route a book on the table on my way
Sur can also indicate:
Direction tourner sur la gauche revenir sur Paris to turn to the left to return to Paris
Position at the stadium, market sur le stade, le marché sur la chaussée, le boulevard, l'avenue in the road, boulevard, avenue it's snowing all over Canada il neige sur tout le Canada
Approximate time 101
arriver sur les six heures elle va sur ses 50 ans sur une période d'un an
to arrive around 6 o'clock she's going on 50 over a period / the course of a year
Proportion / ratio trois fois sur quatre un enfant sur cinq une semaine sur deux three times out of four one child in five every other week
Subject / topic un article sur les roses une causerie sur l'égalité an article on roses a talk on / about equality
65) ou
or
conjunction French Conjunctions - Les Conjonctions
Learn about French conjunctions
A conjunction links words or groups of words. There are two types of French conjunctions. I. Coordinating conjunctions join words and groups of words with an equal value. J'aime les pommes et les oranges. Il ne mange ni la viande ni les légumes. Veux-tu aller en France ou en Italie ? Je veux le faire, mais je n'ai pas d'argent. I like apples and oranges. He eats neither meat nor vegetables. Do you want to go to France or Italy? I want to do it, but I don't have any money.
II. Subordinating conjunctions join dependent clauses to main clauses. J'ai dit que j'aime les pommes. Il travaille pour que vous puissiez manger. J'ai réussi à l'examen bien que je n'aie pas étudié. Il est parti parce qu'il a peur. I said that I like apples. He works so that you can eat. I passed the test even though I didn't study. He left because he is afraid.
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66) autre
other
indefinite adjective
French Indefinite Adjectives Adjectifs indéfiniss
Affirmative indefinite adjectives are used to modify nouns in a unspecific sense. Tous les livres sont bons. Chaque étudiant doit parler. Il y a certaines lois. Plusieurs hommes sont ici. The French indefinite adjectives are Notes autre(s) certain(e)(s) chaque divers(es) maint(e)(s) plusieurs quelque(s) tel tout(e)(s) Notes: 1 These adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Il y a deux autres problèmes. Certaines personnes ne vont pas le faire. Learn more - Lesson on agreement There are two other problems. Certain people won't do it. 1 1 2 3, 4 1 4 1 1 1, 5 other certain each various many several some, a few some, any all All of the books are good. Each student must speak. There are certain laws. Several men are here.
2 Chaque always takes a singular noun and the third personal singular verb form. Chaque pays a ses propres traditions. 103 Each country has its own traditions.
Je vais regarder chaque voiture.
I'm going to look at each car.
3 Divers agrees in gender with the noun it modifies. J'avais peur à divers moments. Il y a des dépenses diverses. I was scared at various times. There are miscellaneous expenses.
3 These adjectives always take a plural noun and the third personal plural verb form. Plusieurs projets sont possibles. Diverses couleurs peuvent être utilisées. Several projects are possible. Various colors could be used.
5 Tout has irregular forms, as follows tout toute masculine singular feminine singular tous toutes masculine plural feminine plural
Learn more - Lesson on tout
6 An indefinite adjective + noun can be replaced with an indefinite pronoun.
67) deux two number
French Numbers - Les Nombres
Learn how to count in French (French cardinal numbers) Lesson | Numbers quiz (listening) | Numbers quiz (written) Learn how to count in French - click on a link to hear that number pronounced in French. 0 1 2 3 4 5 zéro un deux trois quatre cinq 30 trente 20 vingt 21 vingt et un 22 vingt-deux 23 vingt-trois 90 91 quatre-vingt-dix quatre-vingt-onze 80 81 82 quatre-vingts quatre-vingt-un quatre-vingt-deux
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6 7 8 9
six sept huit neuf
31 trente et un 32 trente-deux 100 cent
40 quarante 41 quarante et un
200 201
deux cents deux cent un
10 dix 11 onze 12 douze 13 treize 14 quatorze 15 quinze 16 seize 17 dix-sept 18 dix-huit 19 dix-neuf
50 cinquante
1,000
mille
60 soixante
2,000
deux mille
70 soixante-dix 71 soixante et onze 72 soixante-douze 73 soixante-treize
1,000,000 un million
2,000,000 deux millions
74 soixante-quatorze a billion
un milliard
Notes: The French numbers 0 through 19 are easy enough, right? For 20 through 69, counting is almost just like in English: the tens word (vingt, trente, quarante, etc.) followed by the ones word (un, deux, trois). The only difference is that for 21, 31, etc., the word et is introduced between the tens word and one: vingt-et-un, trente-et-un, quarante-et-un, etc. 70 to 79 is trickier. In French, 70 is soixante-dix, literally "sixty-ten." 71 is soixante et onze (sixty and eleven), 72 is soixante-douze (sixty-twelve), and so on, up to 79. 80 is quatre-vingts, literally four-twenties (think "four-score"). 81 is quatre-vingt-un (fourtwenty-one), 82 is quatre-vingt-deux (four-twenty-two), and so on, all the way up to ninety. 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten), 91 is quatre-vingt-onze (four-twenty-eleven), etc. 100 to 999 work just like in English, except that when you have cent at the end of the number, it takes an s, but when cent is followed by another number, the s is dropped. Also, note that you cannot pause after the word cent.
• • • •
200 = deux cents 500 = cinq cents 350 = trois cent cinquante 872 = huit cent soixante-douze 105
1,000+ are similar to English, except that the separator is a period or space, rather than a comma (learn more). When reciting a number, you can pause to take a breath at the separator (after mille, million, or milliard). Note that mille never takes an s.
• • • •
5.000 or 5 000 = cinq mille 2.500 or 2 500 = deux mille cinq cents 10.498 or 10 498 = dix mille quatre cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit 2.700.102 or 2 700 102 = deux millions sept cent mille cent deux
Pronunciation note: The numbers cinq, six, huit, and dix drop the final sound when followed by a word beginning with a consonant (such as cent, mille, million, milliard, or francs). For example, 8 is normally pronounced [weet], but 800 is pronounced [wee sa(n)].
68) venir
to come
all about venir All about Venir Everything you need to know about the irregular French verb venir
By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
See More About:
• • •
french verbs ir verbs venir
Venir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to come." It is also used in some idiomatic expressions and to conjugate the recent past.
To Come Venir means "to come" in most senses that verb is used in English. Il vient à midi He's coming at noon. Je viens de Paris I'm from (I come from) Paris. Veux-tu venir avec nous ? Do you want to come with us? Viens vite ! 106
Come (here) quickly! Elle ne vient jamais aux réunions She never comes to meetings. Expressions with Venir Venir is used in several idiomatic expressions: Tu dois faire venir le médecin You have to send for the doctor. Dans les années à venir... In the years to come... De là vient que... The result (of that) is... Recent past Venir is commonly used to express the recent past - the idea that one has just done something. This construction is formed with the conjugated venir + de + the infinitive of the action that has just occurred. Je viens d'arriver I (have) just arrived. Ils viennent de manger They just ate. Nous venons de le faire We just did it. (why doesn't de le contract to du? See contractions lesson) Conjugations Present tense je viens tu viens il vient nous venons vous venez ils viennent
French Verbs
Verb conjugatorVerb lessonsVerb timeline
69) prendre
to take
107
all about prendre
All about Prendre
Learn all about the irregular French verb prendre By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
See More About:
• • •
french verbs prendre re verbs
Prendre, which means "to take," is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.
Using prendre Prendre usually means "to take," both literally and figuratively: Il m'a pris par le bras He took me by the arm Tu peux le prendre dans le tiroir You can take it out of the drawer Je vais prendre une photo I'm going to take a picture Prenez votre temps Take your time Prendre has a number of other meanings as well: 1. to come over, strike La colère m'a pris I was overcome with anger Qu'est-ce qui te prend ? (informal) What's come over you? What's the matter with you? 2. to catch Je l'ai pris à tricher I caught him cheating 3. to take in, dupe, fool On ne m'y prendra plus ! They won't fool me again! 4. to handle, deal with Il y a plusieurs moyens de prendre le problème There are several ways to deal with the problem 5. to set 108
Le ciment n'a pas encore pris The cement hasn't set yet 6. to do well, catch on, be successful Ce livre va prendre This book is going to be a great success 7. to catch, start J'espère que le bois va prendre I hope the wood catches on fire Prendre can also mean "to pick up" or "to fetch," especially when used with another verb: Passe me prendre à midi Come (by and) pick me up at noon Peux-tu me prendre demain ? Can you pick me up tomorrow? Se prendre Se prendre has several possible meanings as well: 1. to consider oneself Il se prend pour un expert He thinks he's an expert 2. to get caught, trapped Ma manche s'est prise dans la porte My sleeve got caught in the door 3. s'en prendre à - to blame, challenge, attack Tu ne peux t'en prendre qu'à toi-même You've only got yourself to blame Il s'en est pris à son chien He took it out on his dog 4. s'y prendre à - to do something about it Il faut s'y prendre We have to do something about it, We have to take care of it Expressions with prendre prendre sa retraite - to retire prendre une décision - to make a decision prendre un pot (informal) - to have a drink Qu'est-ce qui t'a pris ? - What's gotten into you? More expressions with prendre Conjugations
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Present tense je prends tu prends il prend nous prenons vous prenez ils prennent All tenses
70) tout
pronoun
all
Tout as a pronoun Tout, tous, toutes
Introduction | Adjective | Adverb | Noun | Pronoun | Test Tout can be two different kinds of pronouns: neuter and plural
As a neuter pronoun, tout is invariable and means all avant tout malgré tout c'est tout tout va bien tout est en règle above all in spite of everything that's all everything is fine everything is in order
As a plural pronoun, there are two forms - tous and toutes. These mean everyone or all and usually have an antecedent. Où sont mes amis ? Tous sont ici. Ils sont tous ici. Je ne vois pas les filles. Elles sont parties toutes ensemble. Pronunciation notes Tout - [tu] Tous - [tus] Toutes - [tut] 110 Where are my friends? Everyone is here. They're all here. I don't see the girls. They all left together.
Notes *I would have listed même meaning "even," "same," and "self" separately, but they were combined in the source document. Words with different grammatical functions (such as tout: adjective and tout: pronoun) are usually listed separately. The word ben was number 67, but since it's just an interjection with no real meaning, I left it out of my list.
71) arriver
all about arriver
All about Arriver
to arrive, happen
Learn about the French verb arriver By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
Filed In:
1. French Grammar 2. > Intermediate French Grammar
Arriver is one of the most common French verbs. It's a regular -ER verb but takes être in the compound tenses. Arriver literally means "to arrive," but is also used in some idiomatic expressions and as an impersonal verb. Arriver usually means "to arrive": À quelle heure vont-ils arriver ? What time will they arrive? Je suis arrivé à midi I arrived at noon Arriver can also mean "to come, be coming, be en route." J'arrive ! I'm coming! I'll be right there/back! Le voici qui arrive Here he comes now Arriver à Arriver à plus a noun means "to reach, attain, get to," literally and figuratively: 111
Il est vite arrivé à la conclusion évidente He quickly reached the obvious conclusion L'eau m'arrive jusqu'aux chevilles The water reaches/comes up to my ankles Arriver à plus an infinitive means "to manage to do, succeed in doing": Je n'arrive pas à trouver mes clés I can't (manage to) find my keys David est arrivé à le faire tout seul David succeeded in doing by himself To happen Arriver can mean "to happen": Ce sont des choses qui arrivent These things happen Cela ne m'arrivera plus I won't let that happen (to me) again Arriver can also be used impersonally to mean "to happen, occur, be." The difference between this and the preceding examples is that impersonal verbs cannot have any subject other than the impersonal pronoun il: Il est arrivé un accident There's been an accident Quoi qu'il arrive Whatever happens Expressions with Arriver
Conjugations Present tense j'arrive tu arrives il arrive nous arrivons vous arrivez ils arrivent Arriver in all tenses
Using Arriver
Conjugations of arriverExpressions with arriverImpersonal verbs
112
72) beaucoup
adverb of quantity French Adverbs of Quantity Adverbes de quantité
a lot
French adverbs of quantity explain how many or how much. assez (de) autant (de) beaucoup (de) bien de* combien (de) encore de* la majorité de* la minorité de* moins (de) un nombre de pas mal de (un) peu (de) la plupart de* plus (de) une quantité de tant (de) très trop (de) quite, fairly, enough as much, as many a lot, many quite a few how many, much more the majority of the minority of less, fewer a number of quite a few few, little, not very most more a lot of so much, so many very too much, too many
un/e verre/boîte/kilo/morceau de a glass/can/kg/bit of (more quantities) Adverbs of quantity (except très) are often followed by de + noun. When this happens, the noun usually does not have an article in front of it; i.e., de stands alone, with no definite article.* Il y a beaucoup de problèmes - There are a lot of problems. J'ai moins d'étudiants que Thierry - I have fewer students than Thierry.
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*This does not apply to the starred adverbs, which are always followed by the definite article. Exception: When the noun after de refers to specific people or things, the definite article is used and contracts with de just as the partitive article would. Compare the following sentences to the above examples to see what I mean by specific. Beaucoup des problèmes sont graves - A lot of the problems are serious. - We are referring to specific problems, not problems in general. Peu des étudiants de Thierry sont ici - Few of Thierry's students are here. - This is a specific group of students, not students in general. Click here to learn more about this Verb conjugations may be singular or plural, depending on the number of the noun that follows - learn more. Approximate numbers (like une douzaine, une centaine) follow the same rules.
73) croire
to believe all about croire
Croire is one of the most common French verbs. It's irregular in conjugation and literally means "to believe," and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Croire usually means "to believe, think": Il ne me croit pas He doesn't believe me Je crois y avoir réussi I think I've succeeded Croire que Croire que, "to think/believe that," is followed by the indicative when it's affirmative, but the subjunctive when it's negative or interrogative: Je crois qu'elle va venir avec nous I think she's going to come with us Il ne croit pas que je puisse le faire He doesn't believe I can do it Crois-tu que nous ayons assez de temps ? Do you think we have enough time? Croire à / en Croire à and croire en both mean "to believe, have faith in": Les enfants croient toujours au Papa Noël The kids still believe in Santa Claus 114
Je ne sais pas s'il croit en Dieu I don't know if he believes in God Se croire Se croire means "to believe/think oneself, to feel as if": Il se croit très malin He thinks he's really clever On se croirait en vacances You'd think we were on vacation, It feels like we're on vacation Expressions with Croire
Conjugations Present tense je crois tu crois il croit nous croyons vous croyez ils croient Croire in all tenses
74) heure
hour, o'clock
telling time in French Telling Time in French - L'Heure
Telling time in French is just a matter of knowing the numbers and a few formulas. What time is it? Quelle heure est-il ? It's one o'clock It's two o'clock It's 3:30 It's 4:15 It's 4:45 Il est une heure Il est deux heures Il est trois heures et demie Il est trois heures trente Il est quatre heures et quart Il est quatre heures quinze 1h00 2h00 3h30 4h15
Il est cinq heures moins le quart 4h45 Il est cinq heures moins quinze Il est quatre heures quarante-cinq 115
It's 5:10 It's 6:50 It's 7am It's 3pm It's 6pm It's noon It's midnight Notes
Il est cinq heures dix Il est sept heures moins dix Il est six heures cinquante Il est sept heures du matin Il est trois heures de l'après-midi Il est quinze heures Il est six heures du soir Il est dix-huit heures Il est midi Il est minuit
5h10 6h50 7h00 15h00 18h00 12h00 0h00
The French don't have words for "a.m." and "p.m." You can use "du matin" for a.m., "de l'après-midi" from noon until 6p.m., and "du soir" from 6p.m. until midnight, but time is usually expressed on a 24-hour clock. Thus 3pm would be translated as quinze heures or 15h00. In French, you have to say "heure" (except with midi and minuit), even though in English "o'clock" is often left out. In addition, the French hour and minute are separate by h (for heure) where in English we use :
75) rien
nothing
negative pronoun French Negative Pronouns Pronoms négatifs
French negative pronouns, sometimes called indefinite negative pronouns, are very similar to French negative adverbs and negative adjectives. Like them, negative pronouns are made up of two parts which surround the verb. Negative pronouns negate, refuse, or cast doubt on the existence of the noun that they replace. Je n'ai vendu aucun des livres. I haven't sold any of the books. Il n'a rien fait. Je ne connais personne ici. He hasn't done anything, He's done nothing. I don't know anyone here.
The French negative pronouns are: 116
ne... aucun(e) (de)* ne... nul(le) ne... pas un(e) (de)* ne... pas un(e) seul(e) (de)* ne... personne ne... quiconque ne... rien
none (of), not any (of) no one not one (of) not a single one (of) no one no one (learn more) nothing, not...anything
Negative pronouns can be the subject, direct object, or indirect object of a sentence. Personne ne m'a vu. Je ne vois personne. No one saw me. I don't see anyone.
Je ne pense à personne. I'm not thinking about anyone. *These pronouns must always have an antecedent. In addition, because they express a quantity, en must be used when these pronouns are the direct object of the sentence. Aucun de mes amis n'est venu. None of my friends came. Mes amis ? Aucun n'est venu. My friends? None came.
Mes amis ? Je n'en ai vu aucun. My friends? I didn't see any of them. With compound verbs and dual-verb constructions, negative pronouns surround the conjugated verb.* Je n'ai rien fait. I didn't do anything.
Je n'ai pas vu un de mes amis. I didn't see one of my friends. *Except for personne and aucun, which follow the main verb.
The negative conjunction ne... ni... ni (neither... nor) is used in exactly the same way as negative pronouns, with ne preceding the verb and each ni preceding one of the negated qualities, people, etc. Tu n'es ni sympa ni charmant. You are neither nice nor charming.
Ni Pierre ni Marie ne sont venus. Neither Pierre nor Marie came.
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76) jour
day
French days of the week French Calendar - Le Calendrier
Vocabulary | Test Memorize this French calendar vocabulary so that you can talk about the day of the week and the date in French. les jours de la semaine days of the week lundi mardi mercredi jeudi vendredi samedi dimanche Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
les mois de l'année janvier février mars avril mai juin juillet août septembre octobre novembre décembre
months of the year January February March April May June July August September October November December
les saisons
seasons
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printemps été automne hiver Notes:
spring summer autumn/fall winter
1. The French week starts on Monday. 2. Days and months are not capitalized in French.
77) mettre
to put
all about mettre All about Mettre
Learn all about the irregular French verb mettre
By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
See More About:
• • •
french verbs mettre re verbs
Mettre, which means "to put," is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.
Using mettre Mettre means "to put": J'ai mis les livres sur la table I put the books on the table Il faut mettre sa famille avant son travail You have to put your family before your work Mettez les mains en l'air Put your hands in the air Il veut mettre de l'argent dans votre affaire He wants to put money into your business
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Mettre has various other meanings as well. 1. to put on Tu dois mettre un pull You need to put on a sweater 2. to spend time on J'ai mis deux semaines à le faire I spent two weeks doing it 3. to turn on, activate Peux-tu mettre la radio ? Could you turn on the radio? 4. to suppose Mettons qu'il a raison... Supposing / Let's just say that he's right... Mettre + noun + à + infinitive means "to put something up/out/on to do something": J'ai mis de l'eau à bouillir I put some water on to boil Il doit mettre le linge à sècher He has to put (hang) the laundry up to dry Se mettre Se mettre also has many different meanings. 1. to put oneself Mets-toi à côté de ton frère Put yourself next to your brother, Go sit/stand next to your brother Je dois me mettre à l'ombre I have to get into the shade (figurative) Je ne sais pas où me mettre I don't know where to look / what to do with myself se mettre dans une situation délicate to put/get oneself into a delicate situation 2. to become (weather) Il va se mettre au froid demain It's going to get/turn cold tomorrow Il s'est mis au chaud It got hot 3. se mettre à - to start, set to, take up Il s'est enfin mis au travail He finally started working
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Je vais me mettre à la danse I'm going to take up dancing Quand vas-tu te mettre à étudier ? When are you going to start / set about studying? Expressions with mettre mettre à l'essai - to put to the test mettre en relief - to accentuate, bring out, emphasize Il y a mis le temps ! - He took his sweet time about it! se mettre au régime - to go on a diet More expressions with mettre Conjugations Present tense je mets tu mets il met nous mettons vous mettez ils mettent All tenses
Using Mettre
Conjugations of mettreExpressions with mettrePronominal voice
French Verbs
Verb conjugationsVerb lessonsVerb books
78) passer
to pass, spend
all about passer Passer is a very common and useful French verb. It is a regular -ER verb but may be conjugated with avoir or être in the compound tenses, depending on whether it is transitive or intransitive.
Passer has several different meanings and uses. As an intransitive verb (i.e., with no direct object), it means "to pass." When used intransitively, passer requires être in the compound tenses.
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Le train va passer dans cinq minutes The train is going to pass / go past in five minutes Nous sommes passés devant la porte à midi We passed by the door at noon When followed by an infinitive, passer means "to go/come to do something": Je vais passer te voir demain I'll come (by to) see you tomorrow Pouvez-vous passer acheter du pain ? Can you go buy some bread? As a transitive verb (followed by a direct object), passer means "to pass/cross/go through" and requires avoir in the compound tenses. On doit passer la rivière avant le coucher du soleil We need to cross the river before sunset Il a déjà passé la porte He has already gone through the door Se passer Se passer most often means "to take place," "to happen," or, in reference to time, "to go by": Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? What's going on? Tout s'est bien passé Everything went smoothly Deux jours se sont passés Two days went by Expressions with Passer passer à la tradition - to break with tradition ne pas passer à sa parole - to keep / be true to one's word ne pas passer à sa réputation - to live up to one's reputation résister jusqu'au bout sans passer - to resist unflinchingly to the end More expressions with passer Conjugations Present tense je passe tu passes il passe 122
nous passons vous passez ils passent All tenses
Using Passer
Conjugations of passerExpressions with passerAvoir vs être
79) un peu
adverb of quantity
a little
French Adverbs of Quantity
Adverbes de quantité
French adverbs of quantity explain how many or how much. assez (de) autant (de) beaucoup (de) bien de* combien (de) encore de* la majorité de* la minorité de* moins (de) un nombre de pas mal de (un) peu (de) la plupart de* plus (de) une quantité de tant (de) très trop (de) quite, fairly, enough as much, as many a lot, many quite a few how many, much more the majority of the minority of less, fewer a number of quite a few few, little, not very most more a lot of so much, so many very too much, too many
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un/e verre/boîte/kilo/morceau de a glass/can/kg/bit of (more quantities) Adverbs of quantity (except très) are often followed by de + noun. When this happens, the noun usually does not have an article in front of it; i.e., de stands alone, with no definite article.* Il y a beaucoup de problèmes - There are a lot of problems. J'ai moins d'étudiants que Thierry - I have fewer students than Thierry. *This does not apply to the starred adverbs, which are always followed by the definite article. Exception: When the noun after de refers to specific people or things, the definite article is used and contracts with de just as the partitive article would. Compare the following sentences to the above examples to see what I mean by specific. Beaucoup des problèmes sont graves - A lot of the problems are serious. - We are referring to specific problems, not problems in general. Peu des étudiants de Thierry sont ici - Few of Thierry's students are here. - This is a specific group of students, not students in general. Click here to learn more about this Verb conjugations may be singular or plural, depending on the number of the noun that follows - learn more. Approximate numbers (like une douzaine, une centaine) follow the same rules.
80) devoir
must, to have to all about devoir
Devoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and has a number of different meanings related to concepts like obligation and probability.
1. Obligation and necessity Dois-tu étudier ce soir ? Do you have to study tonight? Elles doivent manger They must / need to eat. 2. Probability and supposition Il doit rentrer avant le dîner He should / will probably be back before dinner Nous devons gagner plus cette année We should earn more this year.
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Elle doit être à l'école She must be at school 3. Expectation and intention Je devais aller avec eux I was supposed to go with them. Il devait le faire, mais il a oublié He was supposed to do it, but he forgot 4. Fatalism and inevitability Il devait perdre un jour He had to / was bound to lose one day Elle ne devait pas l'entendre avant lundi She wasn't to hear it until Monday Translating devoir Devoir can be translated by should, must, ought to, have to, supposed to - the distinction between necessity and probability is not always clear: Je dois faire la lessive I should/must/have to do the laundry Il doit arriver demain He is supposed to / should / has to arrive tomorrow To specify "must" rather than "should," add a word like absolument or vraiment: Je dois absolument partir I really have to go Nous devons vraiment te parler We must speak to you To specify "should" rather than "must," use the conditional: Tu devrais partir You should leave. Ils devraient lui parler They should talk to him. To say that something that "should have" happened, use the conditional perfect of devoir plus the infinitive: Tu aurais dû manger You should have eaten. J'aurais dû étudier I should have studied. Devoir as a transitive verb When used transitively (and thus not followed by a verb), devoir means "to owe": 125
Combien est-ce qu'il te doit ? How much does he owe you? Pierre me doit 10 francs Pierre owes me 10 francs
Using Devoir
Conjugations of devoirDevoir vs falloirExpressions of obligation
French Verbs
Modal verbs in FrenchVerb conjugationsVerb lessons
Notes Words with different grammatical functions (such as devoir: verb and devoir: noun) are usually listed separately.
81) aussi
too, also
comparative adverbs
French Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Adverbes Comparatifs et Superlatifs
French adverbs can be tricky due to the question of their placement, but comparatives and superlatives are fairly straightforward. I. Comparatives come in three varieties: Superiority plus... que Inferiority Equality aussi... que autant que more... than or ____er than as... as as much/many as
moins... que less... than
Exceptions: See bon, bien, and mauvais, below. Laure est plus sportive (qu'Anne). Rouen est moins cher (que Paris). Je travaille autant qu'elle. Laure is more athletic (than Anne). Rouen is less expensive (than Paris). I work as much as she does. 126
Tu es aussi sympathique que Chantal. You're as nice as Chantal.
Comparisons with plus and moins can be made with adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and nouns. Aussi que is used with adjectives and adverbs, while autant que is used with nouns and verbs. For each part of speech, the comparison can be made with another person/thing (noun or pronoun) or with another of the same part of speech (see note, below). Adjectives Jean est plus grand que Luc. Jean est moins fier que Luc. Jean is taller than Luc. Jean is less proud than Luc.
Jean est aussi riche que travailleur. Jean is as rich as (he is) hard-working. Jean est plus sympa qu'intelligent. Jean est moins stricte qu'avant. Adverbs Jean lit plus lentement que Luc. Jean écrit moins souvent que Luc. Jean travaille aussi vite que gentiment. Jean is nicer than (he is) smart. Jean is less strict than before. Jean reads more slowly than Luc. Jean writes less often than Luc. Jean works as quickly as (he does) helpfully.
Jean mange plus poliment qu'avant. Jean eats more politely than before. Nouns Jean a plus de livres que Luc. Jean veut autant d'amis que Luc. Jean has more books than Luc. Jean wants as many friends as Luc.
Jean a moins de livres que de jouets. Jean has fewer books than toys. Jean a autant d'amis que d'ennemis. Jean connaît moins de gens qu'avant. Verbs Jean travaille plus que Luc. Jean a étudié autant que Luc. Jean lit moins qu'avant. Jean rit autant qu'il pleure. Jean has as many friends as enemies. Jean knows fewer people than (he did) before. Jean works more than Luc. Jean studied as much as Luc. Jean reads less than before. Jean laughs as much as he cries.
Note the slightly differing constructions for the various parts of speech, particularly the addition of de in noun comparisons: Adjectives plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + adjective plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + temporal adverb Adverbs Nouns plus/moins/aussi + adverb + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/aussi + adverb + que + adverb plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + noun/pronoun plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + de + noun plus/moins/autant + de + noun + que + temporal adv. 127
Verbs
verb + plus/moins/autant que + noun verb + plus/moins/autant que + temporal adverb verb + plus/moins/autant que + pronoun + verb*
*When using plus or moins in this construction, the ne explétif is required. Note: After plus and moins, the que + noun/pronoun... construction is optional.
II. Superlatives are formed with the definite article + plus or moins. Depending on the adjective, the superlative may be placed before or after the noun. Most adjectives follow the noun they modify and thus the superlatives do too. With adjectives that normally precede the noun, you can place the superlative either before or after the noun. Note that when the superlative follows the noun, the sentence will have two definite articles. Alice est la personne la plus intelligente qui travaille ici. Thomas est le garçon le plus gentil de l'école. C'est la ville la plus intéressante du monde. Vous avez acheté la plus jolie maison de la rue OR Vous avez acheté la maison la plus jolie de la rue. Est-elle la plus jeune fille ? OR Est-elle la fille la plus jeune ? Alice is the most intelligent person that works here. Thomas is the kindest boy in school. It's the most interesting city in the world.
You bought the prettiest house on the street.
Is she the youngest girl?
III. Exceptions: Bon, bien, and mauvais are exceptions to the above rules. Bon and bien have irregular forms for the comparative and superlative, while mauvais has both irregular and regular forms. In the superlative, the forms for bon and mauvais can only be placed in front of the noun they modify, while bien's is placed after the verb it modifies. Comparative Bon Bien Mauvais meilleur(e) mieux Superlative le/la meilleur(e) le/la mieux
pire le/la pire plus mauvais(e) le/la plus mauvais(e)
Les pommes sont meilleures que les oranges. Apples are better than oranges. Il est le meilleur prof de l'école. 128 He's the best teacher in the school.
Il s'habille mieux que moi. Elle s'habille le mieux. La grippe est pire que le rhume OR La grippe est plus mauvaise que le rhume.
He dresses better than I. She dresses the best. The flu is worse than a cold.
C'est le pire livre que j'ai jamais lu OR It's the worst book I've ever read. C'est le plus mauvais livre que j'ai jamais lu.
82) encore
again
adverb of frequency
French Adverbs of Frequency Adverbes de fréquence
French adverbs of frequency explain how often something occurs. encore encore une fois jamais parfois rarement souvent toujours quelquefois tous les jours (mois, etc) une (deux, trois, etc) fois again one more time never sometimes rarely often always sometimes every day (month, etc) once (twice, three times, etc)
83) trois
number
three
84) parler
to talk, speak
expressions with parler
Parler - French Expressions
The French verb parler literally means to talk or to speak, and is used in many idiomatic French expressions. parler to speak to talk
129
parler à parler affaires parler à l'imagination parler à tort et à travers parler au coeur parler aux yeux parler avec les mains parler bien parler boutique parler comme un livre parler crûment parler de parler de choses et d'autres parler de faire qqch parler de la pluie et du beau temps parler distinctement parler du fond du coeur parler du nez parler en l'air parler franc parler le français comme une vache espagnole parler le français couramment parler mal parler mal de quelqu'un parler d'or parler par énigmes parler par gestes parler par paraboles parler pour ne rien dire (informal) (informal)
to talk to to talk about business to appeal to the imagination to talk drivel, babble to speak to the heart to appeal to the eye to speak with one's hands to speak well, be a good speaker to talk shop
(derogatory) to talk like a book to speak bluntly to talk about to talk about this and that, to make small talk to talk about doing something to talk about this and that, to make small talk to speak distinctly to speak from the heart to speak through one's nose to talk without acting, to complain but not do anything to speak frankly to speak French terribly to speak French fluently to speak poorly, not be a good speaker to speak ill of someone to speak words of wisdom to speak in riddles to use sign language to speak in riddles to talk for the sake of talking
130
parler pour quelqu'un parler politique
to speak for someone, on someone's behalf to talk politics
aimer s'écouter parler dire à qqun sa façon de parler faire parler faire parler de soi faire parler la poudre ne jamais en parler trouver à qui parler
to like to hear oneself talk, to like the sound of one's own voice to tell someone what one thinks/feels to make talk, loosen one's tongue, draw out to get oneself talked about to start a gunfight/war to never talk about something to meet one's match
à vous parler franc Ce ... me parle. Ce ... ne me parle pas. C'est à vous de parler. C'est parler à un mur. C'est une façon de parler. Le devoir a parlé. ...et je ne parle pas de... Les faits parlent d'eux-mêmes. Je parle français. Je parle un peu de français. Je ne parle pas français. Mais je parle, je parle... moi qui vous parle Ne m'en parlez pas ! N'en parlons plus ! Nous ne nous parlons pas. On m'a beaucoup parlé de vous. On ne parle que de ça. On parle beaucoup de lui comme... (informal)
to be frank with you This... really speaks to me. This... doesn't do anything for me. (card game) It's your bid. It's like talking to a wall. It's (just) a figure of speech. Duty called. not to mention... The facts speak for themselves. I speak French. I speak a little French. I don't speak French. But enough about me... I myself/personally You're telling me! Let's not talk about that any more. We're not speaking (at the moment). I've heard a lot about you. That's all people are talking about. He's being talked about as a possible/likely... 131
Parle pour toi ! Parlez plus fort. Parlez-vous anglais ? Parlez-vous français ? Parlons-en ! Parlons peu mais parlons bien. (informal)
Speak for yourself! Speak up. Do you speak English? Do you speak French? Fat chance! You must be joking! Let's get straight to the point.
Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue). Speak of the devil (and he appears). sans parler de... Tout le monde en parle. Tout me parle de toi. Toute la ville en parle. Tu parles ! Tu parles d'un... ! Tu parles si... ! Tu peux parler ! Voilà qui est (bien) parlé ! Vous n'avez qu'à parler. (informal) (informal) (informal) not to mention..., let alone... Everyone's talking about it. Everything reminds me of you. It's the talk of the town. You're telling me! or You must be joking! Talk about a ...! You must be joking if...! A fat lot of... ! You can talk! You're a fine one to talk! Hear, hear! Well said! Just say the word.
se parler
to talk to oneself; to talk to one another
le parler le parler de tous les jours le parler vrai le parler vulgaire
speech, dialect everyday language straight talking vulgar/coarse way of speaking
85) toujours still, forever encore vs toujours
Encore and Toujours
French Adverbs
Introduction | Encore | Toujours | Encore vs Toujours | Test The French adverbs encore and toujours can be confusing, because they each have several meanings that partially overlap. 132
This summary table is just to give you an idea of the similarities and differences between these words. The fourth column contains other French terms that can mean the same thing. The links below the table explain all of this in detail. Meaning Encore Toujours Synonym again always another anyhow even still yet encore (encore) toujours encore néanmoins encore toujours encore toujours de nouveau
(toujours) déjà
86) trouver to find expressions with trouver
Trouver - French Expressions
The French verb trouver literally means to find. It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. trouver to find to come across to come up with to imagine
trouver à boire trouver à se distraire trouver à faire trouver à manger trouver à s'occuper trouver à qui parler
to find something to drink to find a way to amuse oneself to find something to do, to manage to do something to find something to eat to find a way to keep busy to meet one's match, get more than one bargained for 133
trouver à redire à qqch trouver bien à faire trouver bon de faire trouver le chemin trouver une consolation dans qqch trouver le courage trouver des difficultés trouver l'énergie trouver grâce auprès de qqun trouver grâce aux yeux de qqun trouver une idée trouver la mort trouver le moyen de faire trouver plaisir à faire qqch trouver plaisir à qqch trouver un plan trouver preneur trouver que trouver qqch à son goût trouver qqch en qqun trouver qqch mauvais trouver qqch trop + adj trouver qqun + adj trouver qqun bonne mine trouver sa voie trouver le sommeil trouver son bonheur trouver son maître trouver le temps trouver le temps long (informal)
to find fault with, criticize, have a complaint about something to be bound to do something to see fit to do something to find one's way to find consolation in something to find the courage to come up against difficulties to find the energy to find favor with someone to find favor with someone to hit on an idea to meet one's death to find some way of doing, to manage to do to take pleasure in doing something to take pleasure in something to hit on a plan to find a buyer, taker to think, believe that to find something to one's liking to find something in someone to not like something at all to find something too + adj to find someone + adj, to think someone looks + adj to think someone looks well to find oneself, find one's life path to get to sleep to find what one is looking for to find one's master to find the time to find that time passes slowly
134
aller trouver qqun ne pas trouver ses mots venir trouver qqun y trouver son compte
to go see someone to be at a loss for words to come and see someone to get something out of it
Comment l'as-tu trouvé(e) ? J'ai trouvé ! Nous avons les moyens de vous faire parler ! Où est-il allé trouver ça ? Qu'est-ce que tu lui trouves ? Tu le (la) trouves sympa ? Tu trouves ? Tu trouves ça normal ?
What do you think of him (her)? I've got it! We have ways of making you talk! Where did he get that idea from? Whatever gave him that idea? What do you seen in him? Do you like him (her)? Do you think (s)he's nice? Do you think so? Do you think that's right?
bien trouvé une formule bien trouvée
well-spoken, clever clever phrase
tout trouvé une excuse toute trouvée une explication toute trouvée une solution toute trouvée un sujet tout trouvé
ready-made, obvious ready-made excuse obvious explanation ready-made solution obvious topic
se trouver
to be to be found to be situated to feel to find oneself to think/consider oneself + adj
135
se trouver avoir se trouver bien se trouver bien d'avoir fait qqch se trouver d'accord se trouver dans l'impossibilité de faire se trouver dans l'obligation de faire se trouver dans une situation délicate se trouver être se trouver mal se trouver mal d'avoir fait qqch se trouver mieux
to happen to have to feel well, comfortable, happy to be glad to have done something to happen to agree to find oneself unable to do, to not be in a position to do to find oneself compelled to do, to have to do to find oneself in a delicate situation to happen to be to pass out, faint to regret having done something to feel better
Ça ne se trouve pas sous le pas/sabot d'un That's not easy to find, not easy to come by. cheval. Ça se trouve facilement. Il s'en est mal trouvé. Je me suis trouvé fin ! Où se trouve ... ? You can find that anywhere. He lived to regret it. I looked like an idiot! Where is ... ?
Il se trouve... Il se trouve que...
(impersonal)
There is/are... It happens to be..., As it happens...
si ça se trouve
(informal)
maybe, it's possible
87) quoi
what (exclamative)
"what" in French French learners often have trouble deciding how to translate "what" into French. Should it be que or quoi, or maybe that pesky quel? Understanding the difference between these terms is critical to knowing how to use them correctly. The problem with translating "what" into French is that it has numerous grammatical functions in English. It can be an interrogative pronoun or adjective, relative pronoun, exclamative adjective, adverb, or object of a preposition, and may be found in any position in a sentence. In contrast, French has different terms for most of these possibilities, including que, qu'est-ce qui, quoi, comment, and quel. In order to know which term to use, you need to 136
understand what function each of them performs. When asking a question with "what" as either the subject or object, the French equivalent is the interrogative pronoun que. 1. As the object of a question, que may be followed by either inversion or est-ce que. Que veux-tu ? Qu'est-ce que tu veux ? What do you want? Que regardent-ils ? Qu'est-ce qu'ils regardent ? What are they watching? Qu'est-ce que c'est (que ça) ? What is it/that? 2. When que is the subject, it must be followed by est-ce qui. (Don't let that qui fool you into thinking this means "who"; in this type of construction, qui is simply acting as a relative pronoun with no actual meaning of its own.) Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? What's happening? Qu'est-ce qui a fait ce bruit ? What made that noise? To ask a question in which "what" comes after the verb, use quoi. Note that this is an informal construction: Tu veux quoi ? You want what? C'est quoi, ça ? Ça c'est quoi ? What's that? (Literally, That's what?) When "what" joins two clauses, it is an indefinite relative pronoun. 1. If "what" is the subject of the relative clause, use ce qui (again, this doesn't mean "who"): Je me demande ce qui va se passer. I wonder what's going to happen. Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or. All that glitters is not gold. 2. When "what" is the object, use ce que: Dis-moi ce que tu veux. Tell me what you want. 137
Je ne sais pas ce qu'elle a dit. I don't know what she said.
When "what" precedes or otherwise modifies a noun, you need to use quel (which literally means "which"), and can be either an interrogative adjective or an exclamative adjective: Quel livre veux-tu ? Quel livre est-ce que tu veux ? What (which) book do you want? À quelle heure vas-tu partir ? (At) What time are you going to leave? Quelles sont les meilleures idées ? What (which) are the best ideas? Quel livre intéressant ! What an interesting book! Quelle bonne idée ! What a good idea! Prepositions: Then What? 1. In a simple question, use quoi followed by either inversion or est-ce que. De quoi parlez-vous ? De quoi est-ce que vous parlez ? What are you talking about? Sur quoi tire-t-il ? Sur quoi est-ce qu'il tire ? What is he shooting at? 2. In a question or statement with a relative clause, use quoi + subject + verb. Sais-tu à quoi il pense ? Do you know what he's thinking about? Je me demande avec quoi c'est écrit. I wonder what it's written with. a) When de is the preposition, use ce dont: C'est ce dont j'ai besoin. That's what I need. Je ne sais pas ce dont elle parle. I don't know what she's talking about.
138
b) When à is the preposition and it is placed either at the beginning of a clause or after c'est, use ce à quoi: Ce à quoi je m'attends, c'est une invitation. What I'm waiting for is an invitation. C'est ce à quoi Chantal rêve. That's what Chantal dreams about. And finally, when you didn't hear or didn't understand what someone just said and you'd like them to repeat it, use the interrogative adverb comment, which is considered nicer than saying quoi (the only reason I've ever heard for this is the latter sounds like a duck quacking.) If any of these uses don't make sense to you, take a look at the lesson for more detail and examples.
French Questions
Introduction to questionsInterrogative pronounsInterrogative adjectives
88) grand
big, tall
French adjectives
French Adjectives - Les Adjectifs
Introduction to adjectives | Test Position of adjectives | Test An adjective is a word that modifies a noun. Adjectives can describe shape, color, size, and many other things about a noun. French adjectives are very different from English adjectives, for two main reasons. 1. In English, adjectives are always found in front of the noun, but most French adjectives follow the noun they modify (although the placement of French adjectives depends on the meaning of that particular adjective - learn more). 2. French adjectives change to agree in gender and number with the nouns that they modify. This means that there can be up to four forms of each adjective: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural. Some very irregular adjectives even have different forms depending on whether the noun that follows them begins with a vowel or a consonant. But not to worry, we'll go over everything right here. If you've studied the noun lesson, some of these rules will look familar to you. I. Most adjectives add an e for feminine and an s for plural:
139
singular plural masc fem vert verte verts vertes
This rule applies to adjectives that end in most consonants as well as those that end with é.
II. When the unmodified adjective ends in e, there is no difference between the masculine and feminine forms: singular plural masc fem rouge rouge rouges rouges
III. When the unmodified adjective ends in s or x, there is no difference between the singular and plural masculine forms: singular plural masc fem gris grise gris grises
IV. Irregular gender patterns: Ending masc -eux -eur -f -er -il -el -ul -en -on -et heureux flatteur naïf cher gentil actuel nul canadien bon complet fem heureuse flatteuse naïve chère gentille actuelle nulle canadienne bonne complète
V. Irregular plural patterns: 140
Ending masc sing masc plural -eau -al beau idéal beaux idéaux
VI. Completely irregular: There are several French adjectives which have irregular feminine and plural forms, as well as a special form when they are placed in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or a mute h (learn more). SINGULAR Adjective masc beautiful new crazy soft old beau vowel bel fem belle PLURAL masc beaux fem belles
nouveau nouvel nouvelle nouveaux nouvelles fou mou vieux fol mol vieil folle molle vieille fous mous vieux folles molles vieilles
89) donner
to give
expressions with donner
Donner - French Expressions
The French word donner literally means to give, and is also used in dozens of idiomatic expressions. donner to give to attack, go into action to award to be on (TV, radio) to deal (cards) to grant (permission) to hand in (homework) to hold (a party, dance) to make a donation to put on (a play, show) 141
to show (a movie) to yield, produce (fruit, juice) (familiar) to grass/squeal/fink on
donner __ ans à qqun donner à fond donner à manger/boire à qqun donner à plein donner à qqun à penser/croire/comprendre que donner à rire donner au nord/sud donner contre donner dans
to give someone __ years, to guess that someone is __ to be on full-blast (radio, TV) to give someone something to eat/drink to be on full-blast (radio, TV) to suggest that, to make someone think/believe/understand that to give cause for laughter to face north/south to run into (people) to tend toward; to enjoy, be into (architecture) to lead into
donner dans le panneau
(informal)
to fall right into the trap
donner dans une embuscade/un piège to fall into an ambush/a trap donner de l'appétit à qqun donner de la tête/du front contre qqch donner des signes de faiblesse donner de soi-même/de sa personne donner de soi-même pour donner du cor donner du fil à retordre à qqun donner faim/froid à qqun donner la chair de poule à qqun donner la charge contre qqun donner la communion à donner l'alarme/l'alerte donner la mal de mer à qqun donner l'assaut à qqun to give someone an appetite to hit one's head against something to show signs of weakness to give of oneself to devote oneself to (hunting) to sound the horn to give someone a lot of work or trouble to make someone feel hungry/cold to give someone goose bumps to charge at someone to give communion to to sound the alarm to make someone seasick to attack someone 142
donner le change donner le change à qqun donner le feu vert à donner le la donner le ton/la note donner le vertige à qqun donner l'exemple donner l'heure à qqun donner l'ordre à qqun de + infinitive donner qqch à (+ a business) donner qqch à faire à qqun donner qqch à qqun par testament donner qqch pour/contre qqch donner raison à qqun donner sa langue au chat donner sa place donner son amitié à qqun donner son coeur à qqun donner son corps à la science donner son sang donner sur
to alleviate suspicion to put someone off the scent/track to give the green light, the go-ahead (music) to set the tone (music) to set the tone to make someone feel dizzy to set an example to tell someone the time to order someone to + verb to take something in (to a business - mechanic, tailor, etc.) to be repaired to give someone something to do to bequeath something to someone to trade, exchange, swap to prove someone right, to side with someone to give up (trying to guess) to give up one's seat to offer one's friendship to someone to give one's heart to someone to donate one's body to science to donate blood, to shed blood to look out over/onto; to open onto; to overlook to run into
donner tort à qqun donner tout son temps à donner un baiser à qqun donner un coup de fil à qqun donner un coup de main (informal) à qqun donner un coup de balai/chiffon donner un coup de pied donner une fessée
to blame someone, to disagree with someone, to prove wrong to devote all one's time to to give someone a kiss to give someone a call to give someone a hand, help someone out to sweep/dust quickly to kick to spank 143
donner une fête donner une gifle donner un fait pour certain en donner à qqun pour son argent ne pas savoir où donner de la tête ne rien donner
to throw a party to slap to present a fact as a certainty to give someone his money's worth to not know which way to turn to have no effect
Avec lui, c'est donnant donnant. Ça donne ! Cela donne chaud/soif Cela donne des maux de tête Cela va te donner des forces C'est à toi de donner C'est ce qu'on m'a donné à entendre donnant donnant donné c'est donné étant donné Il n'est pas donné à tout le monde de... Je donnerais beaucoup pour savoir Je me donnerais des coups ! Je te le donne en cent/mille (informal) (familiar)
He never does anything for nothing. It's cool! Brilliant! It makes you (feel) hot/thirsty. It gives you a headache. It will give you strength. it's your deal That's what I was led to believe, given to understand fair's fair a gift is a gift given that Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to... I'd give a lot to know I could kick myself! You'll never guess (in a million years)! Not everyone is gifted with... He/It is said to be... He looks as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, He looks totally innocent. You can't tell how old he is. The sun is beating down. The polls put him in the lead.
...n'est pas donné à tout le monde. On donne qqun/qqch pour... On lui donnerait le bon Dieu sans confession. On ne lui donne pas d'âge. Le soleil donne en plein. Les sondages le donnent en tête.
un donneur / une donneuse
giver, (card) dealer, donor; (fam) informant, narc 144
90) le temps
weather, time
French weather Weather - Le Temps
Learn to talk about the weather in French. Click on the links to hear that word or phrase pronounced in French. How's the weather? It is... hot cold cool nice out bad weather humid heavy windy sunny foggy cloudy stormy It's... raining pouring snowing freezing Il... pleut pleut à verse neige gèle Quel temps fait-il ? Il fait... chaud froid frais beau mauvais humide lourd du vent du soleil du brouillard nuageux orageux
Note that the French use the impersonal verb faire when talking about the weather. You cannot express the weather using the verb être (to be).
Notes Words with different grammatical functions (such as quoi: exclamative and quoi: interrogative) are usually listed separately.
145
Hein was tied with parler at 84, but since it's just an interjection with no real meaning, I left it out of my list.
91) après
preposition Après vs Derrière
after
French Prepositions
Lesson | Test There is often confusion between the prepositions après and derrière (and their opposites avant and devant). Après expresses something to do with time or sequence and means after. It can be used in front of a temporal expression, noun, pronoun, verb, or clause. après 3h00 après la semaine prochaine après le cours après toi après avoir mangé (past infinitive) après qu'il le fera (why future?) after 3:00 after next week after the class after you after eating after he does it
Derrière expresses position or location (literal or figurative) and means behind. It can be used only in front of a noun or pronoun. derrière la maison derrière la porte chercher derrière les apparences derrière son dos 92) une fois time behind the house behind the door look behind (beyond) appearances behind one's back
expressions with fois
Fois - French Expressions
The French word fois is feminine and is equivalent to one meaning of time. It's also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. la fois the time, the instance 146
une fois deux fois trois fois etc.
once twice three times
une fois, deux fois, trois fois, adjugé ! une / deux fois par semaine / an
(auction)
Going, going, gone! once / twice a week / year once every other day / week two / three times less twice / three times more / as much two / three times out of five two times three equals six
une fois tous les deux jours / semaines deux / trois fois moins de deux / trois fois plus de deux / trois fois sur cinq deux fois trois font six
à la fois autant de fois que bien des fois cent fois annoncé cent fois mieux cent fois pire cent fois répété cent fois trop cette fois-ci cette fois-là des fois des fois que encore une fois l'autre fois la dernière fois la première fois la seule fois la toute première fois
at the same time, all at once as often as, as many times as many times oft-proclaimed a hundred times better a hundred times worse oft-repeated a hundred times too, far too this time that time (informal) sometimes (informal) just in case, there might be once more, once again, one more time the other day the last time the first time the only time the very first time 147
maintes fois peu de fois plusieurs fois si des fois... une nouvelle fois une seule fois
many times rarely, a few times several times (informal) if perhaps... once again only once, only one time
avoir cent / mille fois raison avoir trois fois rien
to be absolutely right to have hardly any money; to have hardly a scratch
être deux / trois fois grand-père / grand-mère to be a grandfather/grandmother two/three times faire deux choses à la fois frapper qqun par deux fois payer en plusieurs fois payer en une seule fois préférer cent fois faire (Je préférerais faire...) s'y prendre à / en deux fois pour faire qqchose s'y prendre à / en plusieurs fois pour faire qqchose y regarder à deux fois avant de y regarder à plusieurs fois avant de to do two things at once to hit someone twice to pay in several installments to pay all in one go, make a single payment to much rather do (I'd much rather do...) to take two attempts/tries to do something to take several attempts/tries to do something to think twice before to think very hard before
Ça va pour cette fois. C'est bon pour cette fois. C'est trois fois rien ! Encore une fois non ! Il était une fois... Il y avait une fois... Je te l'ai dit cent fois. Non mais, des fois !
I'll let you off this time / just this once. I'll let you off this time / just this once. Don't mention it! How many times do I have to tell you - no! Once upon a time... Once upon a time... If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. (informal) Do you mind! How dare you! 148
You must be joking! Revenez une autre fois. Tu me diras une autre fois. Une fois n'est pas coutume. Une fois que (qqchose aura lieu) (proverb) Come back some other time. Tell me some other time. Just the once won't hurt. Once (something has happened)
93) te
you
personal pronoun French Pronouns Les Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.
Personal pronouns Don't take it personally - personal simply means that these pronouns change according to the grammatical person that they represent. Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Reflexive Stressed je tu il elle on nous vous ils elles me* te* le la nous vous les me* te* lui nous vous leur me* te* se nous vous se moi toi lui elle soi nous vous eux elles
*In the imperative, me and te sometimes change to moi and toi - learn more.
Impersonal pronouns These aren't as cold as they sound - impersonal here simply means that these pronouns do not 149
change according to grammatical person; however, some of them change to agree in gender and number with the noun that they replace. Adverbials Demonstratives Indefinite Demonstratives Indefinites Interrogatives Negatives Possessives Relatives replace à + noun or de + noun y, en
refer to a previously mentioned noun celui, celle, ceux, celles have no specific antecedent are unspecific ask who, what, or which one negate the noun that they replace replace possessive adjective + noun link clauses ce, ceci, cela, ça autre, certain, plusieurs... qui, que, lequel ne... personne, ne... rien... mien, tien, sien... qui, que, dont... ce qui, ce que, ce dont...
Indefinite Relatives link clauses but are unspecific
94) une chose
thing
expressions with chose Parler - French Expressions
The French verb parler literally means to talk or to speak, and is used in many idiomatic French expressions. parler to speak to talk
parler à parler affaires parler à l'imagination parler à tort et à travers parler au coeur parler aux yeux parler avec les mains parler bien parler boutique parler comme un livre parler crûment (informal)
to talk to to talk about business to appeal to the imagination to talk drivel, babble to speak to the heart to appeal to the eye to speak with one's hands to speak well, be a good speaker to talk shop
(derogatory) to talk like a book to speak bluntly 150
parler de parler de choses et d'autres parler de faire qqch parler de la pluie et du beau temps parler distinctement parler du fond du coeur parler du nez parler en l'air parler franc parler le français comme une vache espagnole parler le français couramment parler mal parler mal de quelqu'un parler d'or parler par énigmes parler par gestes parler par paraboles parler pour ne rien dire parler pour quelqu'un parler politique (informal)
to talk about to talk about this and that, to make small talk to talk about doing something to talk about this and that, to make small talk to speak distinctly to speak from the heart to speak through one's nose to talk without acting, to complain but not do anything to speak frankly to speak French terribly to speak French fluently to speak poorly, not be a good speaker to speak ill of someone to speak words of wisdom to speak in riddles to use sign language to speak in riddles to talk for the sake of talking to speak for someone, on someone's behalf to talk politics
aimer s'écouter parler dire à qqun sa façon de parler faire parler faire parler de soi faire parler la poudre ne jamais en parler trouver à qui parler
to like to hear oneself talk, to like the sound of one's own voice to tell someone what one thinks/feels to make talk, loosen one's tongue, draw out to get oneself talked about to start a gunfight/war to never talk about something to meet one's match
à vous parler franc
to be frank with you 151
Ce ... me parle. Ce ... ne me parle pas. C'est à vous de parler. C'est parler à un mur. C'est une façon de parler. Le devoir a parlé. ...et je ne parle pas de... Les faits parlent d'eux-mêmes. Je parle français. Je parle un peu de français. Je ne parle pas français. Mais je parle, je parle... moi qui vous parle Ne m'en parlez pas ! N'en parlons plus ! Nous ne nous parlons pas. On m'a beaucoup parlé de vous. On ne parle que de ça. On parle beaucoup de lui comme... Parle pour toi ! Parlez plus fort. Parlez-vous anglais ? Parlez-vous français ? Parlons-en ! Parlons peu mais parlons bien. (informal) (informal)
This... really speaks to me. This... doesn't do anything for me. (card game) It's your bid. It's like talking to a wall. It's (just) a figure of speech. Duty called. not to mention... The facts speak for themselves. I speak French. I speak a little French. I don't speak French. But enough about me... I myself/personally You're telling me! Let's not talk about that any more. We're not speaking (at the moment). I've heard a lot about you. That's all people are talking about. He's being talked about as a possible/likely... Speak for yourself! Speak up. Do you speak English? Do you speak French? Fat chance! You must be joking! Let's get straight to the point.
Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue). Speak of the devil (and he appears). sans parler de... Tout le monde en parle. Tout me parle de toi. Toute la ville en parle. Tu parles ! Tu parles d'un... ! (informal) not to mention..., let alone... Everyone's talking about it. Everything reminds me of you. It's the talk of the town. You're telling me! or You must be joking! Talk about a ...! 152
Tu parles si... ! Tu peux parler ! Voilà qui est (bien) parlé ! Vous n'avez qu'à parler.
(informal) (informal)
You must be joking if...! A fat lot of... ! You can talk! You're a fine one to talk! Hear, hear! Well said! Just say the word.
se parler
to talk to oneself; to talk to one another
le parler le parler de tous les jours le parler vrai le parler vulgaire
speech, dialect everyday language straight talking vulgar/coarse way of speaking
95) an
year
an vs année
An/Année, Jour/Journée, Matin/Matinée, Soir/Soirée Learn the difference between these confusing French pairs The French words an and année both mean "year," but they indicate different ways of looking at the year. There are three other French pairs that work the same way:
• • •
jour - journée = day matin - matinée = morning soir - soirée = evening
An, jour, matin, and soir indicate a simple division of time (for the purposes of this lesson, I'll call these division words). Division words are a simple indication of the amount of time. Je suis en France depuis deux jours. Il est fatigué ce soir. I've been in France for two days. He's tired this evening.
In comparison, année, journée, matinée, and soirée indicate a duration (aka duration words). In other words, the duration words stress the actual length of time. Elle est la première de son année. Nous avons travaillé pendant toute la matinée. She's the first in her year / class. We worked all morning.
General guidelines: There are a lot of exceptions, but if you study them, you'll see that the exceptions follow the basic differences outlined above. 153
I. Use duration words with all adjectives (l'année passée, l'année scolaire, etc), including
• • • •
possessive adjectives (e.g., ma journée) demonstrative adjectives* (cette année) indefinite adjectives** (certaines années) interrogative adjectives*** (when preceded by a preposition - en quelle année)
*Année is the only one that follows this rule. Demonstrative adjectives are used like this (don't ask me why): cette année ce jour ce matin ce soir this year this day this morning this evening
**Except when using the indefinite word tout. There is a different meaning for tout with division vs duration words. Use tout as an indefinite adjective with division words and as an indefinite pronoun with duration words. tous les matins, jours, etc. every morning, every day, etc. vs toute la matinée, journée, etc. all morning, all day
***Except when asking about the date, in which case you use the division word: Quel jour est-il ? What day is it?
II. Use division words with numbers* Un homme de trente ans. Cinq jours de voyage. A 30-year-old man. Five days traveling.
*except when you want to emphasize the duration or when the word is modified by an adjective. J'étais en Afrique pendant 3 années, pas deux. Ils ont passé 7 merveilleuses journées à Paris. I was in Africa for three years, not two. They spent 7 marvelous days in Paris.
III. Use division words with temporal adverbs demain matin tomorrow morning 154
hier soir
last night
96) où where, when relative pronoun
French Relative Pronouns Pronoms relatifs Lesson | Test Just as in English, a French relative pronoun links a dependent/relative clause (i.e., a clause that cannot stand alone) to a main clause. Que, qui, lequel, dont, and où are the French relative pronouns. There are no standard translations for these words; depending on context, the English equivalents are who, whom, that, which, whose, where, or when. Note that in French, relative pronouns are required, whereas in English, they are sometimes optional.
Que replaces the direct object (person or thing) in the dependent clause. J'ai acheté le livre. Ma soeur l'a écrit. J'ai acheté le livre que ma soeur a écrit. - I bought the book (that) my sister wrote. Qui est le peintre ? Je l'ai vu aujourd'hui. Qui est le peintre que j'ai vu aujourd'hui ? Who is the painter (that) I saw today?
Qui replaces the subject (person or thing) in the dependent clause. Note that qui does not always translate as "who." Je cherche l'artiste. Il étudie à Paris. Je cherche l'artiste qui étudie à Paris. I'm looking for the artist (who is) studying in Paris. Trouvez le chat. Il habite dans la cave. Trouvez le chat qui habite dans la cave. Find the cat that lives in the basement. Qui also replaces an indirect object (person only) after a preposition (except de - see dont), including prepositions which are required after a given verb or expression. C'est la femme avec qui je travaille. - That's the woman with whom I work. (That's the woman I work with.) La fille à qui j'ai parlé est très sympathique. - The girl to whom I spoke is very nice. (The girl [that] I spoke to...)
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L'étudiant contre qui je me suis assis... - The student next to whom I sat... (The student [that] I sat next to...)
Lequel or one of its variations replaces an object of a preposition (thing only; except de - see dont). Le livre dans lequel j'ai écrit mon nom... - The book in which I wrote my name... Les idées auxquelles j'ai pensé... - The ideas that I thought about... More about lequel
Dont replaces the person or thing after de Où est le reçu ? J'ai besoin du reçu. Où est le reçu dont j'ai besoin ? - Where is the receipt (that) I need? C'est la femme. J'ai parlé de la femme. C'est la femme dont j'ai parlé. - That's the woman (that) I talked about. Dont also indicates possession Voici l'homme. Sa valise est dans la voiture. Voici l'homme dont la valise est dans la voiture. - That's the man whose suitcase is in the car.
Où is used for both place and time La boulangerie où j'ai travaillé est à côté de la banque. - The bakery where I worked is next to the bank. (The bakery [that] I worked at...) Lundi, c'est le jour où nous faisons les achats. - Monday is the day that we do our shopping.
Relative pronoun test Indefinite relative pronouns Interrogative pronouns All about Que
Relative pronouns and inversion Verbs with Prepositions
Concordance des temps
156
97) cent
hundred
French number French Numbers - Les Nombres
Learn how to count in French (French cardinal numbers)
Lesson | Numbers quiz (listening) | Numbers quiz (written) Learn how to count in French - click on a link to hear that number pronounced in French. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 zéro un deux trois quatre cinq six sept huit neuf 40 quarante 41 quarante et un 200 201 deux cents deux cent un 30 trente 31 trente et un 32 trente-deux 100 cent 20 vingt 21 vingt et un 22 vingt-deux 23 vingt-trois 90 91 quatre-vingt-dix quatre-vingt-onze 80 81 82 quatre-vingts quatre-vingt-un quatre-vingt-deux
10 dix 11 onze 12 douze 13 treize 14 quatorze 15 quinze 16 seize 17 dix-sept 18 dix-huit 19 dix-neuf
50 cinquante
1,000
mille
60 soixante
2,000
deux mille
70 soixante-dix 71 soixante et onze 72 soixante-douze 73 soixante-treize
1,000,000 un million
2,000,000 deux millions
74 soixante-quatorze a billion
un milliard
Notes: 157
The French numbers 0 through 19 are easy enough, right? For 20 through 69, counting is almost just like in English: the tens word (vingt, trente, quarante, etc.) followed by the ones word (un, deux, trois). The only difference is that for 21, 31, etc., the word et is introduced between the tens word and one: vingt-et-un, trente-et-un, quarante-et-un, etc. 70 to 79 is trickier. In French, 70 is soixante-dix, literally "sixty-ten." 71 is soixante et onze (sixty and eleven), 72 is soixante-douze (sixty-twelve), and so on, up to 79. 80 is quatre-vingts, literally four-twenties (think "four-score"). 81 is quatre-vingt-un (fourtwenty-one), 82 is quatre-vingt-deux (four-twenty-two), and so on, all the way up to ninety. 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten), 91 is quatre-vingt-onze (four-twenty-eleven), etc. 100 to 999 work just like in English, except that when you have cent at the end of the number, it takes an s, but when cent is followed by another number, the s is dropped. Also, note that you cannot pause after the word cent.
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200 = deux cents 500 = cinq cents 350 = trois cent cinquante 872 = huit cent soixante-douze
1,000+ are similar to English, except that the separator is a period or space, rather than a comma (learn more). When reciting a number, you can pause to take a breath at the separator (after mille, million, or milliard). Note that mille never takes an s.
• • • •
5.000 or 5 000 = cinq mille 2.500 or 2 500 = deux mille cinq cents 10.498 or 10 498 = dix mille quatre cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit 2.700.102 or 2 700 102 = deux millions sept cent mille cent deux
Pronunciation note: The numbers cinq, six, huit, and dix drop the final sound when followed by a word beginning with a consonant (such as cent, mille, million, milliard, or francs). For example, 8 is normally pronounced [weet], but 800 is pronounced [wee sa(n)].
98) comprendre
to understand
expressions with comprendre Comprendre - French Expressions
The French verb comprendre normally means "to understand," but also has a few other meanings, and is used in some expressions. comprendre to understand
158
(informal) to get to be composed of to consist of to include
comprendre 2/3/4 parties comprendre la gravité de... comprendre le chauffage comprendre les frais comprendre mal comprendre sa douleur comprendre vite
to have, be composed/made up of 2/3/4 parts to understand/realize the seriousness of... to include heat to include fees/expenses to misunderstand, to have a hard time understanding (informal) to realize what you've let yourself in for to catch on quickly
croire comprendre faire comprendre à quelqu'un ne comprendre rien à rien ne pas arriver à comprendre ne pas comprendre la plaisanterie
to believe, think to explain, make it clear to someone to not understand a thing, to not have a clue about anything to not be able to understand to not be able to take a joke
C'est à n'y rien comprendre. C'est comme ça que je comprends... Dois-je comprendre que...? Il faut comprendre que... Si je comprends bien... Tu n'as rien compris au film !
It's beyond me; I can't understand a thing. That's what I think of as..., That's how I see/understand... Am I to understand that...? It must be understood that... As I understand it... (informal) You don't have a clue!
se faire comprendre Ça se comprend. Est-ce que je me fais bien comprendre ?
to make oneself understood That's understandable. Do I make myself understood? 159
J'espère que je me suis bien fait comprendre.
I hope I've made myself clear.
99) maintenant now adverb of time French Temporal Adverbs
Adverbes de Temps
French adverbs of time explain when something happens. actuellement alors après après-demain aujourd'hui auparavant aussitôt autrefois avant avant-hier bientôt d'abord de bonne heure déjà demain depuis dernièrement désormais dorénavant enfin ensuite hier il y a currently then after the day after tomorrow today previously, beforehand immediately formerly, in the past before the day before yesterday soon first, at first early already, ever tomorrow since lately from now/then on from now/then on at last, finally next yesterday ago
160
immédiatement longtemps maintenant n'importe quand précédemment récemment tard tôt tout à l'heure tout de suite
immediately for a long time now anytime previously recently late early a little while ago, in a little while immediately
100) bon
bon vs bien
good
Bon vs Bien, Mauvais vs Mal
The French words bon and bien, mauvais and mal are often mixed up. This is because the two pairs have similar meanings: bon and bien are positive while mauvais and mal are negative. In addition all four of these words can be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. Bon and mauvais are usually adjectives, while bien and mal are usually adverbs. The following table summarizes the differences between each pair; click the links below for more information. Bon adjective adverb noun Detailed information Bon vs Bien Mauvais vs Mal Expressions with Bon and Bien Notes Mauvais and Mal good nice form Bien well well good(s) Mauvais bad bad bad part Mal wrong badly evil
Words with different grammatical functions (such as où: relative and où: interrogative) are 161
usually listed separately. Eh bien was originally number 94, but since it's just an interjection with no real meaning, I left it out of my list.
162