1. Some Basic Phrases [ mp3 - 2.

94 MB ] [ Multiple Choice Exercise ]

Bonjour /b u/ Hello / Good day Salut /saly/ Hi / Bye Merci (beaucoup) /msi boku/ Thank you (very much) A tout l'heure / A plus tard /a tu ta l/ /a ply ta/ See you later Dsol(e)! /dezle/ Sorry! Comment allez-vous ? /km tale vu/ How are you? (formal) Je vais bien / ve bj / I'm fine. Comment vous appelezvous ? /km vu zaple vu/ What's your name? (formal) Enchant(e) / te/ Nice to meet you. Vous tes d'o ? /vu zt du/ Where are you from? (formal) O habitez-vous ? /u abite vu/ Where do you live? (formal) Bonsoir /b swa / Good evening Au revoir /()vwa/ Goodbye De rien. / Je vous en prie. /d j / / vu z pri/ You're welcome. A bientt /a bj to/ See you soon Pardon ! /pad / Excuse me! a va ? /sa va/ How are you? (informal) a va. /sa va/ I'm fine. (informal) Tu t'appelles comment ? /ty tapl km / What's your name? (informal) Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle /msj/ /madam/ /madwazl/ Mister, Misses, Miss Tu es d'o ? /ty du/ Where are you from? (informal) Tu habites o ? /ty abit u/ Where do you live? (informal) Bonne nuit /bn ni/ Good night S'il vous plat /sil vu pl/ Please Bienvenu(e) /bj vny/ Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec) A demain /a dm / See you tomorrow Allons-y! /al zi/ Let's go! Trs bien / mal / pas mal /t bj / /mal/ /pa mal/ Very good / bad / not bad Oui / non /wi/ /n / Yes / no Je m'appelle... / mapl/ My name is... Mesdames et Messieurs /medam/ /mesj/ Ladies and gentlemen Je suis de... / si d/ I am from... J'habite ... /abit a/ I live in...

Quel ge avez-vous ? /kl ave vu/ How old are you? (formal) Parlez-vous franais ? /pale vu fr s / Do you speak French? (formal) Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends? /k p ne vu/ /ty k p / Do you understand? (formal / informal) Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu peux m'aider ? /puve vu mede/ /ty p mede/ Can you help me? (formal / informal) O est ... / O sont ... ? /u / /u s / Where is ... / Where are ... ? Comment dit-on ____ en franais ? /km di t __ f s / How do you say ____ in French? a ne fait rien. /sa n f j / It doesn't matter. Je suis fatigu(e) / malade. / si fatie/ I'm tired / sick. Je m'ennuie. / m n i/ I'm bored. Ce n'est pas grave. /s n pa gav/ It's no problem. / It's alright.

Tu as quel ge ? /ty kl / How old are you? (informal) Tu parles anglais ? /ty pal gl / Do you speak English? (informal) Je (ne) comprends (pas) / n k p (pa)/ I (don't) understand

J'ai ____ ans. /e __ / I am ____ years old. Je (ne) parle (pas)... / (n) pal pa/ I (don't) speak...

Je (ne) sais (pas) /(n) s (pa)/ I (don't) know

Bien sr. /bj sy / Of course.

Comment? /km / What? Pardon? Il y a ... / Il y avait... /il i a/ /il i av/ There is / are... / There was / were... Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? /ks kil i a/ What's the matter? Je n'ai aucune ide. / ne okyn ide/ I have no idea. J'ai chaud / J'ai froid. /e o/ /e fw/ I'm hot / I'm cold. Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t'en fais pas. /n vu f t pa/ /n t f pa/ Don't worry (formal / informal) Je dois y aller. / dwa i ale/ I must go.

Voici / Voil /vwasi/ /vwala/ Here is... / Here it is. Qu'est-ce que c'est que a ? /ks k s k sa/ What is that? Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? /ks ki s pas/ What's happening? J'ai faim / J'ai soif. /e f / / e swaf/ I'm hungry / I'm thirsty. a m'est gal. / Je m'en fiche. /sa m teal/ / m fi / I don't care. J'ai oubli. /e ublije/ I forgot.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes souhaits ! /a vo sw/ /a te sw/ Bless you! (formal / informal) C'est vous ! / C'est toi ! /s ta vu/ /s ta tw/ It's your turn! (formal / informal) Tenez / Tiens /tne/ /tj / Hey / Here (formal / informal)

Flicitations ! /felisitasj / Congratulations! Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! /tze vu/ /t tw/ Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal) Quoi de neuf ? / a boume ? /kw d nf/ /sa bum/ What's new? / What's up?

Bonne chance ! /bn s/ Good luck! Je vous aime / Je t'aime / vu zm/ / tm/ I love you (formal & plural / informal) Pas grand chose. /pa g oz/ Not a whole lot.

Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in French (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more than one person. Also notice that some words take an extra e, shown in parentheses. If the word refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the e is added in spelling; but in most cases, it does not change the pronunciation. To make verbs negative, French adds ne before the verb and pas after it. However, the ne is frequently dropped in spoken French, although it must appear in written French.

2. Pronunciation [ mp3 - 4.22 MB ] *Re-recorded mp3 January 2009! For a

more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try to the new French Phonetics tutorial.
French Vowels Phonetic spelling [i] ee ee [y] rounded IPA [e] ay [] ay rounded Sample words vie, midi, lit, riz rue, jus, tissu, usine bl, nez, cahier, pied jeu, yeux, queue, bleu General spellings i, y u , et, final er and ez eu

[] eh [] eh rounded

[a] ah [] ah longer [u] oo [o] oh [] aw [] uh

lait, aile, balai, reine sur, uf, fleur, beurre chat, ami, papa, salade bas, ne, grce, chteau loup, cou, caillou, outil eau, dos, escargot, htel sol, pomme, cloche, horloge fentre, genou, cheval, cerise

e, , , ai, ei, ais u, eu a, , a, ou o, o e

[] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in English are marked in blue. French semi-vowels Phonetic Sample General spelling words spelling fois, oui, w oi, ou Louis ew-ee lui, suisse ui oreille, yuh ill, y Mireille French nasal vowels General spelling en, em, an, am, aon, aen in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um, en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, en Un on, om

IPA [w] [] [j] Phonetic spelling awn ahn uhn Ohn

Sample words gant, banc, dent pain, vin, linge brun, lundi, parfum rond, ongle, front

[] is being replaced with [] in modern French In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant. Otherwise, the in- prefix is pronounce een before a vowel. ex + vowel ex + consonant ch (Latin origin) ch (Greek origin) French Consonants egz examen, exercice eks exceptionnel, expression sh architecte, archives k orchestre, archologie

ti + vowel (except ) c + e, i, y; or c + a, o, u g + e, i, y g + a, o, u Th J qu, final q H vowel + s + vowel x + vowel final x

see s k zh g t zh k silent z z s

dmocratie, nation cent, ceinture, maon caillou, car, cube genou, gingembre gomme, ganglion maths, thme, thym jambe, jus, jeune que, quoi, grecque haricot, herbe, hasard rose, falaise, casino six ans, beaux arts six, dix, soixante (these 3 only!)

There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final consonant, unless that final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r). Liaison: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant that is not pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two together as if it were one word. S and x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these liaisons. Liaison is always made in the following cases: after a determiner: un ami, des amis before or after a pronoun: vous avez, je les ai after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un livre after some one-syllable adverbs (trs, plus, bien) after est

It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of tre, but it is never made after et. Silent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and slurring more words. rapid(e)ment, lent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage /apidm / / tm / /sovta / sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byo/ /el dkto/ il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/ je n(e), de n(e) /n/ /dn/ j(e) te, c(e) que /t/ /sk/ (note the change of the pronunciation of the j as well)

Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it generally falls on the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no questions, and all other times, it goes down at the end of the sentence.

3. Alphabet [ mp3 - 538 KB ]

a b
/a/ /be/

j k

/i/ /ka/

s t

/s/ /te/

c d e f g h i

/se/ /de/ // /f/ // /a/ /i/

l n o p q r

/l/

u v x y z

/y/ /ve/

m /m/
/n/ /o/ /pe/ /ky/ //

w /dublve/
/iks/ /igrk/ /zd/

4. Nouns, Articles and Demonstrative Adjectives [ mp3 - 373 KB ]

All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you must memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which gender a noun is. Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -t, and -ette are usually feminine. Articles and adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. And articles have to be expressed even though they aren't always in English; and you may have to repeat the article in some cases. Demonstratives are like strong definite articles. Definite Articles (The) Masculine le lit /l li/ the bed Feminine la pomme /la pm/ the apple Before Vowel l'oiseau /lwazo/ the bird Plural les gants /le / the gloves

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some) Masculine un lit /o li/ a bed Feminine une pomme / yn pm/ an apple Plural des gants /de / some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)

Masc. ce lit /s li/ this/that bed

Masc, Before Vowel cet oiseau /s twazo/ this/that bird

Fem. cette pomme /st pm/ this/that apple

Plural ces gants /se / these/those gloves

If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of the noun for this and these, and -l to the end of the noun for that and those. For example, ce lit-ci is this bed, while ce lit-l is that bed.

5. Useful Words & General Vocabulary [ mp3 - 1.11 MB ] [

English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] It's / That's There is/are and but now especially except of course so so not bad book pencil pen paper dog cat money c'est voil et mais maintenant surtout sauf bien sr comme ci, comme a pas mal le livre le crayon le stylo le papier le chien le chat l'argent (m) /s/ /vwala/ /e/ /m/ /m tn / /sytu/ /sof/ /bj sy / There is/are Here is/are always often sometimes usually also, too again il y a voici toujours souvent quelquefois d'habitude aussi encore en retard presque une amie un ami une femme un homme une fille un garon le travail /il i a/ /vwasi/ /tuu/ /suv / /klkfwa/ /dabityd/ /osi/ / k / / ta/ /psk/ /y nami/ /o nami/ /yn fam/ /o nm/ /yn fij/ /o gas / /l tavaj/

/km si, km sa/ late /pa mal/ /l liv/ /l kj / /l stilo/ /l papje/ /l j / /l a/ /la / almost friend (fem) friend (masc) woman man girl boy job / work

Note: The expression il y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed by a number, it means ago. Il y a cinq minutes means five minutes ago. Some common slang words for money include: le fric, le pze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le boulot.

6. Subject Pronouns [ mp3 - 204 KB ]

Subject Pronouns je tu // I /ty/ You (informal) He She One nous /nu/ We You (formal and plural) They (masc.) They (fem.)

vous /vu/ ils /il/ elles /l/

il /il/ elle /l/ on / /

Note: Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name. Ils and elles can replace plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice there are two ways to say you. Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives. Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older. On can be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you. Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone.

7. To Be and To Have [ mp3 - 1.83 MB ] [ Conjugation Exercises ] [ Avoir &

Etre Expressions Exercise ]
Present tense of tre /t/ - to be I am You are He is She is One is je suis tu es il est elle est on est / si/ /ty / /il / /l / / n / We are You are They are They are nous sommes /nu sm/ vous tes ils sont elles sont /vu zt/ /il s / /l s /

Past tense of tre - to be I was You were He was She was One was j'tais /et/ We were You were nous tions vous tiez /nu zetj / /vu zetje/

tu tais /tu et/

il tait /il et/ elle They were /l et/ tait They were / net / on tait

ils taient /il zet/ elles /l zet/ taient

Note: Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of pronunciation. Future Tense of tre - to be I will be You will be je serai / se/ We will be You will be nous serons vous serez /nu s /

tu seras /ty sa/

/vu se/

He will be She will il sera /il sa/ be elle sera /l sa/ One will on sera / sa/ be

They will be ils seront /il s / They will elles seront /l s / be

Present tense of avoir /avwa/ - to have

I have You have He has She has One has

j'ai tu as il a elle a on a

/e/ /ty / /il / /l / / n/

We have You have They have They have

nous avons /nu zav / vous avez ils ont elles ont /vu zave/ /il z / /l z /

Past tense of avoir - to have I had You had He had She had One had j'avais /av/ We had You had They had nous avions /nu zavj /

tu avais /ty av/ il avait /il av/ elle /l av/ avait / nav/ on avait

vous aviez /vu zavje/ ils avaient /il zav/ elles /l zav/ avaient

Future tense of avoir - to have I will have j'aurai /oe/ We will have nous aurons /nu zo / /vu zoe/ /il zo /l zo / /

You will have tu auras /ty o/

You will have vous aurez

They He will have il aura /il oa/ will have She will have elle aura /l oa/ They will One will have on aura / noa/ have

ils auront elles auront

In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t'es /t/, tu as = t'as /t/, etc. In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean we instead of nous. Common Expressions with avoir and tre [ mp3 - 1.33 MB ] Avoir and tre are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized: avoir chaud avoir froid avoir peur avoir raison avoir tort avoir faim avoir soif /avwa o/ /avwa fwa/ /avwa po/ to be hot to be cold to be afraid /t d tu/ /t tre en retard ta/ /t tre en avance nav s/ tre de retour tre d'accord tre sur le point de /t dak/ to be back to be late to be early to be in agreement to be about to to be in the act of to have a cold

/avwa z / to be right /avwa t/ /avwa f / /avwa swaf/ to be wrong to be hungry to be thirsty

/t sy l pw d/ /t tre en train de t d/ tre enrhume /t

 yme/ avoir sommeil /avwa smj/ to be sleepy avoir honte avoir besoin de /avwa t/ to be ashamed nous + tre (un /t o u/ jour) to be (a day)

/avwa bzw to need d/ to look like, avoir l'air de /avwa d/ seem avoir /avwa to intend to l'intention de t sj / /avwa vi avoir envie de to feel like d/ avoir de la /avwa d la to be lucky chance s/ roid. I'm cold. Je suis en retard! I'm late! vais raison. You were right. Tu tais en avance. You were early. a sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight. Elle sera d'accord. She will agree. a de la chance ! She's lucky! Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday. s aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later. Vous tiez enrhum. You had a cold. aviez tort. You were wrong. Ils seront en train d'tudier. They will be (in the act of) studying. nt chaud. They are hot. Elles taient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave. avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday. On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.

8. Question Words [ mp3 - 183 KB ] [ Matching Exercise ]

Who What Why When Where How How much / many Which / what Qui Quoi Pourquoi Quand O Comment Combien Quel(le) /ki/ /kwa/ /pukwa/ /k / /u/ /km / /k bj / /kl/

9. Numbers / Les numros [ mp3 - 1.06 MB ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to

English Flashcards ] [ Translaton Exercise ] Zero One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Zro Un Deux Trois Quatre Cinq Six Sept Huit /zeo/ /o/ /d/ /tw/ /kat/ /s k/ /sis/ /st/ /it/

Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-one Twenty-two Twenty-three Thirty Thirty-one Thirty-two Forty Fifty Sixty Seventy (Belgium & Switzerland)

/nof/ /dis/ / z/ /duz/ /tz/ /katz/ /k z/ /sz/ /dist/ /dizit/ /diznof/ /v / /v t e o/ /v d/ /v t w/ /t t/ /t t e o/ /t t d/ /ka t/ /s k t/ /swas t/ /swas tdis/ /spt t/ /swas t e Seventy-one Soixante et onze z/ /swas t Seventy-two Soixante-douze duz/ Eighty Quatre-vingts /katv / (Belgium & Switzerland) Octante /kt t/ Eighty-one Quatre-vingt-un /katv to/ Eighty-two Quatre-vingt-deux /katv d/ /katv Ninety Quatre-vingt-dix dis/ (Belgium & Switzerland) Nonante /nn t/ /katv Ninety-one Quatre-vingt-onze z/ /katv Ninety-two Quatre-vingt-douze duz/ One Hundred Cent /s / One Hundred One Cent un /s o/ Two Hundred Deux cents /d s / Two Hundred One Deux cent un /d s o/

Neuf Dix Onze Douze Treize Quatorze Quinze Seize Dix-sept Dix-huit Dix-neuf Vingt Vingt et un Vingt-deux Vingt-trois Trente Trente et un Trente-deux Quarante Cinquante Soixante Soixante-dix Septante

Thousand Two Thousand Million Billion

Mille Deux mille Un million Un milliard

/mil/ /d mil/ /o milj / /o milja/

Note: French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French use septante, octante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70, 80, and 90 (though some parts of Switzerland use huitante instead of octante). Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.

Ordinal Numbers [ mp3 - 356 KB ] first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth eleventh twelfth twentieth twenty-first thirtieth premier / premire deuxime / second troisime quatrime cinquime sixime septime huitime neuvime dixime onzime douzime vingtime vingt et unime trentime

Note: The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ime. But if a number ends in an e, you must drop it before adding the -ime. After a q, you must add a u before the -ime. And an f becomes a v before the -ime.

10. Days of the Week / Les jours de la semaine [ mp3 - 481 KB ] [ English
to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ]

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday day week today yesterday tomorrow next last day before yesterday day after tomorrow the following day the day before

lundi mardi mercredi jeudi vendredi samedi dimanche le jour la semaine aujourd'hui hier demain prochain / prochaine dernier / dernire avant-hier aprs-demain le lendemain la veille

/lodi/ /madi/ /mkdi/ /di/ /v d di/ /samdi/ /dim / /l u/ /la s()mn/ /oudi/ /j/ /dm / /p / /p n/ /dnje/ /dnj/ /av tj / /apdm / /l l dm / /la vj/

Note: Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a certain day, such as le lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing.

11. Months of the Year / Les mois de l'anne [ mp3 - 383 KB ] [ English to
French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] + Seasons & Directions
January February March janvier fvrier mars / vje/ /fevije/ /mas/

April May June July August September October November December month year decade century millennium

avril mai juin juillet aot septembre octobre novembre dcembre le mois l'an / l'anne la dcennie le sicle le millnaire

/avil/ /m/ / / /ij/ /u(t)/ /spt b / /ktb/ /nv b / /des b / /l mwa/ /l / /lane/ /deseni/ /l sjkl/ /milen/

Note: To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai." With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: le premier mai but le deux juin. Also note that months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days of the week).

12. Seasons / Les saisons [ mp3 - 157 KB ]

Summer l't Fall Winter Spring l'automne l'hiver /lete/ /lotn/ /liv/ in the summer en t in the fall in the winter in the spring / nete/ / en automne notn/ / en hiver niv/ au printemps /o pr t /

/l le printemps p t /

13. Directions / Les directions [ mp3 - 254 KB ]

on the left gauche /a o/ on the right droite /a dwt/ straight tout droit /tu dw/ ahead North le nord /l n/ Northeast le nord-est /l n(d)st/

South East West

le sud l'est l'ouest

/l syd/ /lst/ /lwst/

Northwest le nord-ouest Southeast le sud-est Southwest le sud-ouest

/l n(d)wst/ /sydst/ /sydwst/

14. Colors & Shapes / Les couleurs et les formes [ mp3 - 814
KB ] [ Translation Exercise ] Red Yellow Green Blue Purple White Brown Black Pink Gold Silver Gray rouge jaune vert / verte bleu / bleue violet / violette blanc / blanche brun / brune marron noir / noire rose dor / dore argent / argente gris / grise /u/ / / /on/ /v/ /vt/ /bl/ /vjl/ /vjlt/ /bl / /bl / /bo/ /byn/ /ma / /nwa/ /oz/ /de/ /a te/ square circle triangle rectangle oval cube sphere cylinder cone octagon box light dark le carr le cercle le triangle le rectangle l'ovale le cube la sphre le cylindre le cne l'octogone la bote clair / claire fonc / fonce /kae/ /skl/ /tij gl/ /kt gl/ /val/ /kyb/ /sf/ /sil d / /kon/ /ktogn/ /bwat/ /kl/ /f se/ Orange orange

/i/ /iz/

Note: Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bleu clair, noir fonc remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun. Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.

15. Weather / Le temps qu'il fait [ mp3 - 757 KB ] [ Matching

Exercise ] What's the weather like? It's nice bad cool cold warm, hot cloudy beautiful mild stormy sunny humid Quel temps fait-il ? Il fait bon Il fait mauvais Il fait frais Il fait froid Il fait chaud Il fait nuageux Il fait beau Il fait doux Il fait orageux Il fait soleil Il fait humide /kl t f til/ /il f b / /il f mve/ /il f f/ /il f fw/ /il f o/ /il f nya/ /il f bo/ /il f du/ /il f a/ /il f slj/ /il f ymid/

muggy windy foggy snowing raining freezing hailing It is ____ degrees.

Il fait lourd Il fait du vent Il fait du brouillard Il neige Il pleut Il gle Il grle Il fait ____ degrs.

/il f lu/ /il f dy v / /il f dy buja/ /il n/ /il pl/ /il l/ /il gl/ /il f __ dge/

Note: Il pleut des cordes /il pl de kod/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille /il kaj/ or a caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius degrees.

16. Time / Le temps qui passe [ mp3 - 529 KB ] [ Matching Exercise ]

What time is it? It is... one o'clock two o'clock noon midnight a quarter after three one o'clock sharp four o'clock sharp twelve thirty six thirty a quarter to seven five twenty ten fifty in the morning/AM in the afternoon/PM in the evening/PM Quelle heure est-il ? Il est... une heure deux heures midi minuit trois heures et quart une heure prcise quatre heures prcises midi (minuit) et demi six heures et demie sept heures moins le quart cinq heures vingt onze heures moins dix du matin de l'aprs-midi du soir /kl o til/ /il / /yn o/ /d zo/ /midi/ /mini/ /tw zo e ka/ /yn o pesiz/ /kato pesiz/ /midi (mini) e dmi/ /si zo e dmi/ /st o mw l ka / /s k ov / / z o mw dis/ /dy mat / /d lapmidi/ /dy swa/

Note: Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular numbers, and not demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if it is 18h30, you must say dix-huit heures trente. The word pile /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying prcise (exactly, sharp).

17. Family and Animals / La famille et les animaux [ mp3 - 2.01 MB ] [

English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] [ Translation Exercise ]
Family Relatives la famille /famij/ des parents /pa / Girl Boy la fille le garon /fij/ /gas /

Parents

les parents les grandsGrandparents parents la mre / Mom maman Stepmother/Mother-inla belleLaw mre le pre / Dad papa le beauStepfather/Father-in-Law pre Daughter la fille Son le fils Sister la sur la demiHalf/Step Sister sur la belleSister-in-Law sur Stepdaughter/Daughterla belle-fille in-Law Brother Half/Step Brother Brother-in-Law Stepson/Son-in-Law Twins (m) Twins (f) Uncle Aunt Grandmother Grandfather Cousin (f) Cousin (m) Wife Husband Woman Man Note: Le gendre / le frre le demifrre le beaufrre le beau-fils les jumeaux les jumelles l'oncle la tante la grandmre le grandpre la cousine le cousin la femme le mari la femme l'homme

/pa / /g p a / /m/ /mm / /blm/ /p/ /papa/ /bop/ /fij/ /fis/ /so/

Niece Nephew Grandchildren

la nice le neveu les petitsenfants

/njs/ /n()v/ /p()tiz f /

Granddaughter la petite-fille /p()tit fij/ Grandson Distant Relatives Single Married Separated le petit-fils des parents loigns clibataire mari(e) spar(e) divorc(e) veuf / veuve /p()tifis/ /pa elwae/ /selibat/ /maje/ /sepae/ /divse/ /vof/ /vov/

/dmi so/ Divorced /blso/ /bl fij/ /f/ /dmi f/ /bo f/ /bo fis/ /ymo/ /yml/ Dog Cat Puppy Kitten Pig Rooster Widower / Widow

le chien / la chienne le chat / la chatte le chiot le chaton le cochon le coq le lapin la vache le cheval le canard la chvre l'oie le mouton l'agneau l'ne la souris

/j / / jn/ /a/ /at/ /jo/ /at / /k /kk/ /lap / /va/ /()val/ /kana/ /v/ /wa/ /mut / /ao/ /n/ /sui/ /

/ kl/ Rabbit /t t/ Cow /g m Horse / /g p Duck / /kuzin/ Goat /kuz / Goose /fam/ Sheep /mai/ Lamb /fam/ Donkey /m/ Mouse

d / is another word for son-in-law.

Slang words for people and pets: The entire family Grandma Grandpa Children Kid Woman Man toute la smala mm / mamie pp / papi des gosses un gamin / une gamine une nana un mec / type / gars /tut la smala/ /meme/ /mami/ /pepe/ /papi/ /gs/ /gam / /gamin/ /nana/ /mk/ /tip/ /ga/ Sister la frangine /f /f in/ /

Brother le frangin Son Aunt le fiston tata / tatie

/fist / /tata/ /tati/ /t t / /kabo/ /kleba/ /minu/

Uncle tonton Dog Cat le cabot / clbard le minou

18. To Know People and Places [ mp3 - 843 KB ] [ Conjugation Exercise ]

connatre-to know people (koh-net-truh) connais koh-neh connaissez connat koh-neh connaissent koh-nezz-ay koh-ness savoir-to know facts (sahv-wahr) sah-vohn sav-ay sahv sais say savez sait say savent connais koh-neh connaissons koh-nezz-ohn sais say savons

Note: Connatre is used when you know (are familiar with) people, places, food, movies, books, etc. and savoir is used when you know facts. When savoir is followed by an infinitive it means to know how. There is another form of savoir commonly used in the expressions que je sache that I know (of) and pas que je sache not that I know (of). Je connais ton frre. I know your brother. Je sais que ton frre s'appelle Jean. I know that your brother is named John. Connaissez-vous Grenoble ? Do you know (Are you familiar with) Grenoble? / Have you ever been to Grenoble? Oui, nous connaissons Grenoble. Yes, we know (are familiar with) Grenoble. / Yes, we've been to Grenoble. Tu sais o Grenoble se trouve. You know where Grenoble is located. Ils savent nager. They know how to swim. Connatre can be translated several ways into English: Tu connais le film, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the film, Les Enfants? Tu connais Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon? Tu connais la tartiflette ? Have you ever eaten tartiflette?

19. Formation of Plural Nouns [ mp3 - 637 KB ]

To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not pronounced). But there are some exceptions: If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing. If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. bus(es) boat(s) Sing. le bus le bateau Plural les bus les bateaux

If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to -aux. Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s.

horse(s) knee(s)

le cheval le genou

les chevaux les genoux

Exceptions: festival, carnaval, bal, pneu, bleu, landau, dtail, chandail all add -s. There are only seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou. There are, of course, some irregular exceptions: un il (eye) - des yeux (eyes); le ciel (sky) - les cieux (skies); and un jeune homme (a young man) - des jeunes gens (young men).

20. Possessive Adjectives [ mp3 - 654 KB ] [ Translation Exercise ]

Masc. My Your Our Your Their mon (mohn) ton Fem. Ta Sa votre leur Plural Tes Ses nos (noh) Vos leurs (luhr) ma (mah) mes (may)

His/Her/Its son votre leur (luhr)

notre (noh-truh) notre

Note: Possessive pronouns go before the noun. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, you must use the masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation. Ma amie is incorrect and must be mon amie, even though amie is feminine. Remember that adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, not the possessor! Sa mre can mean his mother or her mother even though sa is the feminine form, because it agrees with mre and not the possessor (his or her). C'est ma mre et mon pre. This is my mother and my father. Ce sont vos petits-enfants ? These are your grandchildren? Mes parents sont divorcs. My parents are divorced. Sa grand-mre est veuve. His grandmother is a widow. Notre frre est mari, mais notre sur est clibataire. Our brother is married, but our sister is single. Ton oncle est architecte, n'est-ce pas ? Your uncle is an architect, isn't he? Leurs cousines sont nerlandaises. Their cousins are Dutch

21. To Do or Make [ mp3 - 1.27 MB ]

Faire - to do, make (fair) Present tense fais fay faisons fuzzohn Past tense (imperfect) faisais fuzzay faisions fuzzeeohn ferai Future tense fuhreh ferons fuhrohn

fais fait

fay faites fay font

fett fohnt

faisais faisait

fuzzay fuzzay

faisiez faisaient

fuzzee-ay fuzzay

feras fera

fuhrah fuhrah

ferez feront

fuh-ray fuhrohn

Another past tense (pass compos) uses the present tense forms of avoir plus the past participle of faire: fait. J'ai fait translates as I did/made whereas je faisais translates as I was doing/making, I used to do/make (continuous action in the past). Faire is used in expressions of weather (il fait beau) and many other idiomatic expressions: faire de (a sport) - to play (a sport) faire le sourd / l'innocent - to act deaf / innocent faire le (subject in school) - to do / study (subject) faire le mnage - to do the housework faire la cuisine - to do the cooking faire la lessive - to do laundry faire la vaisselle - to do the dishes faire une promenade - to take a walk faire un voyage - to take a trip faire les courses - to go (grocery) shopping faire des achats - to go shopping faire de l'exercice - to exercise faire attention - to pay attention faire la queue - to stand in line

22. Work and School [ mp3 - 1.75 MB ]

Masculine actor / actress singer architect accountant judge business person baker hair dresser computer programmer secretary electrician mechanic cook l'acteur le chanteur l'architecte le comptable le juge l'homme d'affaires le boulanger le coiffeur le programmeur le secrtaire l'lectricien le mcanicien le cuisinier lahk-tur shahn-tur lar-shee-tekt kohn-tahbl zhoozh lohn dah-fehr boo-lawn-zhay kwah-fur proh-grah-mur suk-ray-tehr Feminine l'actrice la chanteuse l'architecte la comptable la juge la femme d'affaires la boulangre la coiffeuse lahk-trees shahn-tuz lar-shee-tekt kohn-tahbl zhoozh fahn dah-fehr boo-lawn-zhehr kwah-fuz

la programmeuse proh-grah-muz la secrtaire suk-ray-tehr ay-lehk-tree-seeenn may-kah-neesyenn kwee-zee-nyehr

ay-lehk-tree-seel'lectricienne ahn may-kah-neesyahn kwee-zee-nyay la mcanicienne la cuisinire

salesperson fire fighter plumber librarian police officer reporter factory worker banker lawyer postal worker carpenter engineer doctor nurse pharmacist psychologist dentist veterinarian taxi driver writer teacher professor student intern retired

le vendeur le pompier le plombier le bibliothcaire l'agent de police le journaliste l'ouvrier le banquier l'avocat le facteur le charpentier l'ingnieur le mdecin l'infirmier le pharmacien le psychologue le dentiste le vtrinaire le chauffeur de taxi l'crivain l'instituteur le professeur l'tudiant le stagiaire le retrait

vawn-dur pohn-pyay plohn-byay

la vendeuse la pompier la plombier

vawn-duz pohn-pyay plohn-byay bee-blee-oh-tehkehr lah-zhawnd pohleess zhoor-nah-leest loov-ree-ehr bahn-kee-ehr lah-voh-kaht fahk-trees shar-pawn-tyay lahn-zhay-nyur mayd-sawn lahn-feer-myehr fahr-mah-seeenn psee-koh-lohg dawn-teest vay-tay-ree-nehr shoh-furd tahksee lay-kree-venn lahn-stee-tewtrees proh-fuh-sur lay-tew-dee-awnt stah-zhee-air ruh-treh-teh

bee-blee-oh-tehla bibliothcaire kehr lah-zhawnd pohl'agent de police leess zhoor-nah-leest loov-ree-ay bahn-kee-ay lah-voh-kah fahk-tur shar-pawn-tyay lahn-zhay-nyur mayd-sawn lahn-feer-myay fahr-mah-seeahn psee-koh-lohg dawn-teest shoh-furd tahksee lay-kree-vahn la journaliste l'ouvrire la banquire l'avocate la factrice la charpentier l'ingnieure la mdecin l'infirmire la pharmacienne la psychologue la dentiste la chauffeur de taxi l'crivaine

vay-tay-ree-nehr la vtrinaire

lahn-stee-tew-tur l'institutrice proh-fuh-sur stah-zhee-air ruh-treh-teh la professeur la stagiaire la retraite

lay-tew-dee-awn l'tudiante

Note: Notice that some professions are always masculine, even if the person is a woman. There are also words that are always feminine (such as la victime) even if the person is a man.

School Subjects [ mp3 - 1.67 MB ]

Math Algebra Calculus les mathmatiques l'algbre le calcul maht-eemah-teek lal-zheb kahl-kewl Geography Physics Biology la gographie la physique la biologie zhay-ohgrahf-ee fees-eek bee-ol-oh-

zhee Geometry Business Accounting Economics Foreign Languages Linguistics Literature Philosophy Psychology Political Science History la gomtrie le commerce la comptabilit les sciences conomiques les langues vivantes la linguistique la littrature la philosophie la psychologie les sciences politiques l'histoire (f) zhay-ohmay-tree koh-mairs Chemistry Zoology la chimie la zoologie la botanique les artsplastiques la musique la danse le dessin la peinture l'informatique la technologie l'ducation physique (f) shee-mee zoh-ol-ohzhee boh-tahneek zahr-plahsteek mew-zeek dahns duh-sahn pahn-tur lahn-formah-teek teck-no-lohzhee lay-dew-kahsee-ohn feezeek

kohn-tahBotany bee-lee-teh see-awns ay-koh-noh- Art meek lawn veevahnt Music

lahn-gweeDance steek lee-tay-rahDrawing tur fee-loh-sohPainting fee p-see-koloh-zhee see-awns poh-leeteek lees-twahr Computer Science Technology Physical Education

Notice that you do not use an indefinite article before professions, unless they are preceded by an adjective. Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? What do you do for a living? Je suis avocate. I am a lawyer. (fem.) Je suis professeur. I am a professor. Je suis tudiant. I am a student (masc.) O est-ce que vous faites vos tudes ? Where do you study? Je vais l'universit de Michigan. I go to the university of Michigan. Je fais mes tudes l'universit de Toronto. I study at the University of Toronto. Qu'est-ce que vous tudiez ? What do you study? Quelles matires tudiez-vous ? What subjects do you study? J'tudie les langues trangres et la linguistique. I study foreign languages and linguistics. Je fais des mathmatiques. I study/do math. Ma spcialisation est la biologie. My major is biology. Slang words/abbreviations for school: dictionary paper / essay un dico une disserte dee-koh dee-sehrt student book un potache un bouquin poh-tash boo-

college / faculty la fac quiz une interro tre coll(e) to have avoir une detention colle at / to / in from / of / de about at the house chez of in dans / en ah

fahk ahn-teh-roh eh-truh kawl-leh ah-vwahr ewn kawl during since / for among between around against toward through / across with without inside outside outside of

to work bosser to understand piger to skip (a class) pendant depuis parmi entre autour de contre vers / envers travers avec sans dedans / l'intrieur dehors / l'extrieur hors de / en dehors de cause de selon / d'aprs scher (un cours)

kahn baw-say pee-zhay seh-shay

23. Prepositions and Contractions [ mp3 - 1.50 MB ]

pawn-dawn duh-pwee par-mee awn-truh oh-toor duh kohn-truh vair / awn-vair ah trah-vair ah-veck Sawn duh-dawn / ah lahn-tay-ree-uhr duh-ohr / ah lekstay-ree-uhr ohr duh / awn duhohr duh ah kohz duh suh-lohn / dah-preh awn-vee-rohn mahl-greh kawn tah duh sheh dawn / awn poohr pahr duh-vawn dair-eeair ah-vawn ah-preh awn oh awn bah sewr oh-duhsew oh-duhsoo awn fahs duh preh duh lwahn duh

for pour by / through Par in front of devant behind before after up down on derrire Avant Aprs en haut en bas sur

over / above au-dessus de under / below sous / audessous de

because of according to

across from en face de near far from prs de loin de

approximately environ in spite of as for malgr quant

You can also use dessus and dessous as adverbs to mean over it / on top of it and beneath it / underneath it, respectively. They are not followed by nouns or pronouns, unlike prepositions. Prepositional Contractions + le = au oh at / to / in the + les = aux oh at / to / in the (pl.) de + le = du dew of / from / about the de + les = des day of / from / about the (pl.)

In: Dans vs. En Dans is used to show the time when an action will begin, while en shows the length of time an action takes. Je pars dans quinze minutes. I'm leaving in 15 minutes. Il peut lire ce livre en une demi-heure. He can read this book in a half hour. With: Avec vs. De vs. A vs. Chez Avec implies doing something or going along with someone; de is used in phrases of manner and in many idiomatic expressions; is used when referring to someone's attributes; and chez is used to mean "as far as (person) is concerned." To describe the way a person carries him/herself, no extra word is used. Je vais en France avec ma sur. I'm going to France with my sister. Elle me remercie d'un sourire. She thanks me with a smile. L'homme aux cheveux roux est trs grand. The man with the red hair is very tall. Chez cet enfant, tout est simple. With this child, everything is simple. Il marche, les mains dans les poches. He walks with his hands in his pockets.

24. Countries and Nationalities / Les pays et les nationalits

Africa African Albania Albanian Algeria Algerian America American Argentina Argentine Asia Asian Australia Australian Austria Austrian Belgium Belgian Bosnia Bosnian Brazil Brazilian Bulgaria Bulgarian l'Afrique (f) africain/e l'Albanie albanais/e l'Algrie algrien/ne l'Amrique (f) amricain/e l'Argentine (f) argentin/e l'Asie (f) asiatique l'Australie (f) australien/ne l'Autriche (f) autrichien/ne la Belgique belge la Bosnie bosniaque le Brsil brsilien/ne la Bulgarie bulgare Finland Finnish France French Germany German la Finlande finnois/e la France franais/e l'Allemagne (f) allemand/e la GrandeGreat Britain Bretagne British brittanique Greece la Grce Greek grec / grecque Hungary la Hongrie Hungarian hongrois/e Iceland l'Islande Icelandic islandais/e India l'Inde Indian indien/ne Indonesia l'Indonsie (f) Indonesian indonsien/ne Ireland l'Irlande (f) Irishman irlandais/e Israel l'Isral Israeli isralien/ne Hebrew (lang.) hbreu Italy l'Italie (f) Norway Norwegian Macedonia Macedonian Poland Polish Portugal Portuguese Quebec Quebecker Romania Romanian Russia Russian Scotland Scottish Senegal Senegalese Serbia Serbian Slovakia Slovak Slovenia Slovene la Norvge norvgien/ne la Macdoine macdonien/ne la Pologne polonais/e le Portugal portugais/e le Qubc qubcois/e la Roumanie roumain/e la Russie russe l'Ecosse cossais/e le Sngal sngalais/e la Serbie serbe la Slovaquie slovaque la Slovnie slovne

Cambodia Cambodian Canada Canadian China Chinese Croatia Croatian Czech Republic Czech Denmark Danish Egypt Egyptian England English Estonia Estonian Europe European

le Cambodge cambodgien/ne le Canada canadien/ne la Chine chinois/e la Croatie croate la Rpublique Tchque tchque le Danemark danois/e l'Egypte (f) gyptien/e

Italian Japan Japanese Korea Korean Latvia Latvian Lithuania Lithuanian Luxembourg Luxembourger Malta Maltese Morocco

italien/ne le Japon japonais/e la Core coren/ne la Lettonie letton/ne la Lituanie lituanien/ne le Luxembourg luxembourgeois/e Malte maltais/e le Maroc marocain/e les Pays-Bas nerlandais/e hollandais/e la NouvelleZlande no-zlandais/e

Spain Spanish Sweden Swedish Switzerland Swiss Taiwan Taiwanese Tunisia Tunisian Turkey Turk Ukraine Ukrainian United Kingdom United States Vietnam

l'Espagne (f) espagnol/e la Sude sudois/e la Suisse suisse le Tawan tawanais/e la Tunisie tunisien/ne la Turquie turc / turcque l'Ukraine ukrainien/ne la RoyaumeUni les Etats-Unis le Vietnam

l'Angleterre (f) Moroccan anglais/e l'Estonie estonien/ne l'Europe (f) europen/ne Netherlands Dutch Dutch (person) New Zealand New Zealander

Vietnamese vietnamien/ne Wales Welsh le Pays-deGalles gallois/e

Note: The masculine forms of the nationalities are also used for the language. Adjectives of nationalities and languages are not capitalized in written French. The definite article is not used before a language when it follows the verb parler (to speak): Je parle anglais. Notice that French also uses hollandais when referring to Dutch people and sometimes the Dutch language, but this is not exactly correct (just as it is not correct to use Holland when referring to the Netherlands in English).

25. Negative Sentences [ mp3 - 479 KB ]

To make sentences negative, simply put ne and pas around the verb. In spoken French, however, the ne is frequently omitted, but it cannot be omitted in written French. And when you are replying "yes" to a negative question, you use si and not oui. Je suis du Canada. I am from Canada. Je ne suis pas du Mexique. I am not from Mexico. Je suis franaise. I am French (feminine.) Je ne suis pas suisse. I am not Swiss. (masculine or feminine) Il est australien. He is Australian. Elle n'est pas danoise. She is not Danish. Elles sont des Etats-Unis. They are from the United States.

Ils ne sont pas du Portugal. They are not from Portugal. Je parle chinois et japonais. I speak Chinese and Japanese. Je ne parle pas sudois. I don't speak Swedish. Vous n'tes pas du Brsil ? You aren't from Brazil? Si, nous sommes du Brsil. Yes, we are from Brazil.

26. To / In and From places, cities, and countries [ mp3 - 407 KB ]

Masc. Fem. Vowel Plural Places au du la de la l' de l' aux des Cities de de d' aux des Countries au du en de en d' aux des

If the name of a country ends in-e, the gender is feminine. If it ends in anything else, it is masculine. All continents are feminine. The country exceptions are le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Zare, le Zimbabwe, and le Mozambique. Some cities have an article as well, such as La Nouvelle-Orlans (New Orleans). Je vais la boulangerie. I'm going to the bakery. Il vient de Londres. He comes from London. On va en France demain. We're going to France tomorrow. Tu viens du Mexique ? You come from Mexico? Prepositions with Regions, Provinces & States To / In From Feminine Islands Masc. w/ Vowel Masc. w/ Consonant en en / dans l' au / dans le de de / d' d' / de l' du

In general, if a region, province or state ends in -e, it is feminine. Californie, Caroline du Nord / Sud, Floride, Gorgie, Louisiane, Pennsylvanie, and Virginie are the feminine American states; while Maine is masculine. For French rgions or dpartements that begin with Haut(e), the h is an aspirate h, and therefore, there is no elision with preceding words, i.e. de Haut-Rhin, la Haute-Normandie, etc. Elles habitent en Californie. They live in California. Il est de Haute-Savoie. He is from Haute-Savoie. Ce fromage vient du Nord. This cheese comes from Nord. Je veux voyager dans le Texas. I want to travel in Texas.

27. To Come and to Go [ mp3 - 1.16 MB ]

Venir-to come (vuh-neer) viens vee-ahn venons viens vee-ahn venez Aller-to go (ah-lay) vuh-nohn vais vay allons ah-lohn vuh-nay vas vah allez ah-lay

vient

vee-ahn viennent vee-enn

va

vah vont

Vohn

Other verbs that are conjugated like venir: tenir - to hold, devenir - to become, obtenir - to get, revenir - to come back. Je viens des Etats-Unis. I come from the United States. Il tient un crayon. He's holding a pencil. Nous allons en Espagne. We're going to Spain. Tu ne vas pas au Brsil cet t. You're not going to Brazil this summer. Aller + an infinitive means "going to do something." Ils vont aller en Angleterre. They are going to go to England. Elle va parler russe. She's going to speak Russian. Je vais devenir professeur. I'm going to become a professor. Aller is also used idiomatically when talking about health. Comment vas-tu ? How are you? Je vais bien. I'm fine. Venir de + an infinitive means "to have just done something." Il vient d'aller en Finlande. He just went to Finland. Vous venez de manger une pomme. You just ate an apple.

28. Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense [ mp3 1.54 MB ]
Verbs in French end in -er, -re, or -ir. The verb before it is conjugated is called the infinitive. Removing the last two letters leaves you with the stem (aimer is the infinitive, aim- is the stem.) The present indicative tense indicates an ongoing action, general state, or habitual activity. Besides the simple present tense (I write, I run, I see); there are two other forms of the present tense in English: the progressive (I am writing, I am running, etc.) and the emphatic (I do write, I do run, etc.) However, these three English present tenses are all translated by the present indicative tense in French. To conjugate verbs in the present tense, use the stem and add the following endings. -er -e -es -e -ons -ez -ent -s -s -re -ons -ez -ent -is -is -it 1st -ir -issons -issez -issent 2nd -ir* -s -s -t -ons -ez -ent

Sample Regular Verbs in the Present tense aimer - to like, love j'aime zhem aimes em aime em aimons aimez aiment em-ohn em-ay em vendre - to sell vends vawn vendons vawn-dohn vends vawn vendez vend vawn-day vawn vendent vawnd partir - to leave pars pars pahr partons pahr partez pahr-tohn pahr-tay

finir - to finish finis finis fee-nee finissons fee-nee-sohn fee-nee finissez fee-nee-say

finit

fee-nee finissent fee-neess -er

part

pahr partent -re

pahrt

Regular verbs aimer chanter chercher donner tudier fermer habiter jouer manger montrer parler penser travailler trouver em-ay shahn-tay share-shay dohn-nay fehr-may ah-bee-tay zhoo-ay mawn-zhay mohn-tray par-lay pawn-say trah-vy-yay troo-vay to like, love to sing to look for to give to close to live to play to eat to show to speak to think to work to find btir finir choisir punir remplir obir () russir gurir vendre attendre entendre perdre descendre vawn-druh ah-tawn-druh awn-tawn-druh pair-druh deh-sawn-druh 1st -ir bah-teer fee-neer shwa-zeer poo-neer rawn-pleer oh-bay-eer (ah) ray-oo-seer gay-reer to build to finish to choose to punish to fill to obey to succeed to cure, heal to sell to wait for to hear to lose to go down

commencer koh-mawn-say to begin ay-too-dee-ay to study

rpondre () ray-pohn-druh (ah) to answer

Note: If a verb is followed by (like rpondre) you have to use the and any contractions after the conjugated verb. Ex: Je rponds au tlphone. I answer the phone. * The 2nd -ir verbs are considered irregular sometimes because there are only a few verbs which follow that pattern. Other verbs like partir are sortir (to go out), dormir (to sleep), mentir (to lie), sentir (to smell, feel) and servir (to serve.) You can also download a list of the 681 most common verbs in French (available in PDF format.)

29. Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs [ mp3 - 861 KB ]

These verbs are conjugated like normal verbs, but they require an extra pronoun before the verb. Most indicate a reflexive action but some are idiomatic and can't be translated literally. The pronouns are: me nous te vous se se

Some Pronominal Verbs

s'amuser se lever se laver se dpcher to have fun to get up to wash (oneself) to hurry se reposer se souvenir de s'entendre bien se coucher to rest to remember se rveiller se raser to wake up to shave to get bored

to get along well s'ennuyer to go to bed

se promener to take a walk

se peigner to comb to get s'habiller dressed to get se marier married

se brosser se maquiller se casser

to brush to put on makeup to break (arm, leg, etc.)

s'intresser to be interested in s'entraner se dtendre to train/practice to relax

Note: When used in the infinitive, such as after another verb, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the sentence. Je vais me coucher maintenant. I'm going to go to bed. Sample Irregular Pronominal Verb s'asseoir - to sit down je m'assieds mah-see-ay nous nous asseyons noo-zah-say-ohn tu t'assieds tah-see-ay vous vous asseyez vous-zah-say-yay il s'assied sah-see-ay ils s'asseyent sah-say-ee

30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs [ mp3 - 1.43 MB ]

1. Verbs that end in -ger and -cer: The nous form of manger isn't mangons, but mangeons. The e has to stay so the g can retain the soft sound. The nous form of commencer isn't commencons, but commenons. The c must have the accent (called a cedilla) under it to make the c sound soft. manger-to eat mange mawnzh mangeons mawnzhohn mawnzhay mawnzh commence commences commence commencer-to begin kohmawnz kohmawnz kohmawnz kohcommenons mawnsohn commencez commencent kohmawn-say kohmawnz

manges mawnzh mangez mange mawnzh mangent

2. Verbs that add or change to an accent grave: Some verbs add or change to an accent grave () in all the forms except the nous and vous. acheter-to buy esprer-to hope j'achte zhah-shet achetons ah-shuh-tohn j'espre zhess-pehr esprons ess-pay-rohn achtes ah-shet achetez ah-shuh-tay espres ess-pehr esprez ess-pay-ray achte ah-shet achtent ah-shet espre ess-pehr esprent ess-pehr 3. Verbs that are conjugated as -er verbs: Some -ir verbs are conjugated with -er endings. For example: offrir-to offer, give, ouvrir-to open, couvrir-to cover, dcouvrir-to discover and souffrir-to suffer. offrir-to offer j'offre zhaw-fruh offrons aw-frohn offres aw-fruh offre aw-fruh offrez aw-fray offrent aw-fruh

4. Verbs that end in -yer: Change the y to an i in all forms except the nous and vous. Examples: envoyer-to send (awn-vwah-yay), nettoyer-to clean (nuh-twah-yay), essayer-to try (ess-ah-yay) envoyer-to send j'envoie zhawn-vwah envoyons awn-vwah-yohn envoies awn-vwah envoyez awn-vwah-yay Envoie awn-vwah envoient awn-vwah 5. Verbs that double the consonant: Some verbs, such as appeler-to call (ahp-lay), and jeter-to throw (zheh-tay) double the consonant in all forms except the nous and vous. j'appelle appelles appelle appeler-to call zhah-pell appelons ah-pell appelez ah-pell appellent ah-puh-lohn ah-puh-lay ah-pell

31. Present Perfect Tense or Pass Compos [ mp3 - 452 KB ]

You have learned the present indicative so far, which expresses what happens, is happening, or does happen now; but if you want to say something happened, or has happened, you use the pass compos. The pass compos is used for actions that happened only once, a specified number of times or during a specified period of time, and as a result or consequence of another action. All you need to learn are the past participles of the verbs. Regular Verbs: Formation of the Past Participle -er - -re -u -ir -i Then conjugate avoir and add the past participle: J'ai aim le concert. Tu as habit ici ? Il a rpondu au tlphone. Nous avons fini le projet. Elles ont rempli les tasses. I liked the concert. You lived here? He answered (or has answered) the telephone. We finished (or have finished) the project. They filled (or have filled) the cups.

To make it negative, put the ne and pas around the conjugated form of avoir. Je n'ai pas aim le concert. I didn't like the concert. Il n'a pas rpondu. He didn't answer (or hasn't answered) . Elles n'ont pas rempli les tasses. They didn't fill (or haven't filled) the glasses.

32. Irregular Past Participles [ mp3 - 973 KB ]

avoir croire to have to believe eu (ew) connu cru had known believed ouvrir offrir pouvoir to open to offer to be able to ouvert (oo-vehr) opened offert pu offered was able to connatre to know

devoir

to have to to tell to write to be to read to put to permit to promise

d dit crit t lu permis promis

had to said written been made read permitted promised

prendre apprendre surprendre recevoir rire savoir voir vouloir

to take to learn to surprise to receive to laugh to know to see to want

pris (pree) appris surpris reu (reh-sew) ri su vu voulu (voo-lew)

taken learned understood surprised received laughed known seen wanted

re

crire

comprendre to understand compris

re

ire

to do, make fait

ettre

mis (mee) put

ermettre

omettre

33. Etre Verbs [ mp3 - 730 KB ]

Sixteen "house" verbs and all pronominal verbs are conjugated with tre, and they must agree in gender and number with the subject. The house verbs are: aller-to go arriver-to arrive entrer-to enter rentrer-to return home sortir-to go out partir-to leave tomber-to fall natre-to be born venir-to come devenir-to become revenir-to come back passer-to go by (pass) mourir-to die monter-to go up rester-to stay descendre-to go down

Most have regular past participles, except venir-venu, devenirdevenu, revenir-revenu, mourir-mort, and natre-n. And five of these verbs, monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer, and passer can sometimes be conjugated with avoir if they are used with a direct object. Je suis sortie. I went out. J'ai sorti la poubelle. I took the trash out. Conjugation of an tre verb Je suis rest(e) Nous sommes rest(e)s Tu es rest(e) Vous tes rest(e)(s) Il est rest Ils sont rests Elle est reste Elles sont restes You add the e for feminine and s for plural. Vous can have any of the endings. To form the negative, place ne...pas around the auxiliary verb. Conjugation of a Pronominal Verb Je me suis amus(e) Nous nous sommes amus(e)s Tu t'es amus(e) Vous vous tes amus(e)(s) Il s'est amus Ils se sont amuss Elle s'est amuse Elles se sont amuses To form the negative, place ne before the reflexive pronoun, and pas after the auxiliary verb.

There are only two cases with pronominal verbs where the past participle does not agree: 1. When the pronominal verb is followed by a direct object. Compare: Elles se sont laves, but: elles se sont lav les mains. 2. With verbs where the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object, such as se parler, se demander, se dire, s'crire, se sourire, and se tlphoner. Ils se sont tlphon.

34. Food and Meals / La Nourriture et Les Repas [ mp3 1.65 MB ] Breakfast Lunch Dinner Cup Slice Bowl Glass Salt and Pepper Fork Spoon Knife Plate Napkin Ice cream Juice Fruit Cheese Chicken Cereal Oil Vinegar Yogurt le petit djeuner le djeuner le dner la tasse la tranche le bol le verre le sel et le poivre la fourchette la cuillre le couteau l'assiette (f) la serviette la glace le jus le fruit le fromage le poulet des crales l'huile le vinaigre le yaourt puh-tee day-zhewnay day-zhew-nay dee-nay tahss trawnsh bohl verr luh sell ay luh pwahv-ruh foor-shett kwee-yehr koo-toh ah-syett ser-vyett glahss zhew fwee froh-mawzh poo-lay say-ray-all lweel vee-neh-gruh yah-oort Egg Cake Pie Milk Coffee Butter Water Ham Fish Tea Salad Jam Meat French fries Beer Wine Sugar Soup Ketchup Mustard l'uf (m) le gteau la tarte le lait le caf le beurre l'eau (f) le jambon luff gah-toh tart leh kah-fay burr loh zham-bohn pwah-sohn tay sah-lahd kon-fee-tewr vee-awnd freet bee-ehr vahn soo-kruh poh-tawzh keh-chup moo-tahrd may-oh-nez paht

le poisson le th la salade la confiture la viande les frites (f) la bire le vin le sucre le potage le ketchup la moutarde la Mayonnaise mayonnaise Pasta des ptes

In France, it is common to use djeuner to mean to have breakfast as well as to have lunch. In Quebec, the meals are le djeuner, le dner, and le souper. The plural of un uf is des ufs, but fs is not pronounced: uhn-uff / day-zuh. Food is generally divided into two categories: sucr (sweet/sugary) and sal (savoury/salty). Le pain is the general word for bread; if you want to specify white bread, use le pain de mie. Because the

French eat dinner so late in the evening (8 pm), young children have l'heure de goter (snack time) after school. Le yaourt refers to fruit yogurts and sweet puddings and they are eaten as desserts in France. La glace is also a common dessert, and you can find several parfums (flavors). The word for scoops (of ice cream) is boules. Many restaurants now offer take out food options, which is called emporter (to take away).

35. Fruits, Vegetables and Meat [ mp3 - 2.00 MB ]

fruit apple apricot banana blueberry cherry coconut date fig grape grapefruit lemon lime melon olive orange peach pear pineapple plum prune raisin raspberry un fruit une pomme un abricot une banane une myrtille une cerise fwee pohm ah-bree-koh bah-nahn meer-tee corn cucumber eggplant lettuce mushroom onion peas pepper potato pumpkin rice spinach squash tomato turnip zucchini meat bacon beef chicken duck goat ham lamb liver meatballs pork chop le mas un concombre une aubergine la laitue un champignon un oignon les pois un piment une pomme de terre une citrouille le riz des pinards une courge une tomate un navet des courgettes la viande du lard, du bacon le buf le poulet le canard la chvre le jambon l'agneau le foie des boulettes de viande une ctelette de porc mah-eez cohn-cohnbruh oh-behr-zheen leh-tew shahm-peenyohn wawn-yohn pwah pee-mawn pohm duh tehr see-troo-ee ree ay-pee-nar koorzh to-maht nah-vay koor-zhett vee-awnd lar, bah-kohn buhf poo-lay kah-nar shev-ruh zhahm-bohn awn-yoh fwah boo-lett duh vee-awnd kote-lett duh pork

suh-reez nwah duh une noix de coco koh-koh une datte daht une figue un raisin un pamplemousse un citron un citron vert un melon une olive une orange une pche une poire un ananas une prune un pruneau un raisin sec une framboise feeg reh-zahn pahm-pluhmoos see-trohn see-trohn vair mel-ohn oh-leev oh-ranzh pesh pwahr ah-nah-nah prewn proo-noh reh-zahn sek frwahmbwahz frez pah-stek leh-goom ar-tee-sho

strawberry une fraise watermelon une pastque vegetable artichoke un lgume un artichaut

asparagus beet broccoli cabbage carrot cauliflower celery

des asperges une betterave le brocoli un chou une carotte un chou-fleur un cleri

ahs-pehrzh rabbit bett-rahv hamburger broh-coh-lee sausage dried shoo sausage cah-roht turkey shoo-flir say-luh-ree veal venison

le lapin le steak hach la saucisse le saucisson la dinde le veau le chevreuil

lah-pahn stayk ah-shay so-seess so-see-sohn dahnd voh shuv-ruh-ee

Lettuce can also be referred to as la salade verte.

36. To Take, Eat or Drink [ mp3 - 643 KB ]

Prendre-to take, eat or drink (prawn-druh) prends prends prend prawn prawn prawn prenons prenez prennent pruh-nohn pru-nay prenn Boire-to drink (bwahr) bois bwah buvons bew-vohn bois bwah buvez bew-vay boit bwah boivent bwahv

Other verbs that are conjugated like prendre: apprendre - to learn, comprendre - to understand and surprendre - to surprise. Note: When you want to say "I am having wine," the French translation is "Je prends du vin." You must use de and le, la, l', or les and the proper contractions (called partitives) because in French you must always express some. So "je prends de la bire" literally means "I am having some beer" even though in English we would usually only say I am having beer. Manger is a regular verb meaning "to eat," but manger is used in a general sense, such as Je mange du poulet tous les samedis. I eat chicken every Saturday. Boire is literally the verb to drink and is also used in a general sense only. Je bois du vin tout le temps. I drink wine all the time.

37. Quantities [ mp3 - 910 KB ]

assez de une assiette de beaucoup de une bote de enough (of) a plate of a lot of a box of un morceau de un peu de une tasse de une tranche de trop de un verre de a piece of a little (bit) of a cup of a slice of too much, many a glass of une douzaine de un paquet de un panier de a dozen of a packet of a basket of

une poigne de a handful of plus de un bouquet de more a bunch of

une bouteille de a bottle of un kilo de a kilo of

Note: With quantities and negatives, you never use partitives. The construction is always de or d' + noun. Je voudrais prendre du fromage, mais pas de fruit. I would like to have some cheese, but no fruit. Il prend de la viande. He is eating some meat. Nous prenons du riz et des brocolis. We are having some rice and broccoli. Il y a trop de lait dans la tasse. There is too much milk in the cup. Je voudrais un morceau de tarte. I would like one piece of pie. Est-ce que je peux prendre un verre de vin ? May I have a glass of wine? Je prends du vin. I'm drinking some wine. Je ne prends pas de vin. I am not drinking any wine.

38. Commands [ mp3 - 462 KB ]

Use the vous, tu and nous forms for commands. Vous form Tu form Nous form Polite and Plural Familiar Let's... Same as verb form Same as verb form, but drop -s for -er verbs Same as verb form Restez ! Regarde ! Allons-y ! Stay! Watch! Let's go!

Note: When using pronominal verbs as commands, the pronoun is placed after the verb connected by a hyphen. Tu te dpches becomes Dpche-toi ! And in negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb, as in Ne nous reposons pas. Irregular Command Forms tre (be) tu sois swah swah-yay tu avoir (have) aie ay ay-yay tu savoir (know) sache sahsh sah-shay

nous soyons swah-yohn nous ayons ay-yohn nous sachons sah-shohn vous soyez vous ayez vous sachez Ne sois pas mchant avec ta sur ! Don't be mean to your sister! N'ayez pas peur ! Don't be afraid! Sachez que j'apprcie votre aide. Know that I appreciate your help.

39. More Negatives [ mp3 - 805 KB ]

ne...plus ne...jamais ne...rien ne...aucun(e) ne...que ne...personne no longer never nothing not a single one only nobody

ne...ni...ni neither...nor ne...nulle part nowhere The que in ne...que is placed directly before the noun it limits. Rien and personne may be used as subjects: Personne n'est ici. Aucun(e) by definition is singular, so the verb and nouns must also be changed to the singular. With ni...ni, all articles are dropped except definite articles. Je n'ai ni camra ni camscope, but Je n'aime ni les chats ni les chiens. Il n'aime plus travailler. He no longer likes to work. (Or: He doesn't like to work anymore) Nous ne voulons faire des achats que lundi. We want to go shopping only on Monday. Elle ne dteste personne. She hates no one. (Or: She doesn't hate anyone.) Negatives with Pass Compos 1. Ne...pas, ne...plus, ne...jamais, and ne...rien Ne comes before auxiliary verb, and the other part is between auxiliary and past participle. Nous n'avons rien fait. We did nothing. Vous ne vous tes pas ennuys. You were not bored. 2. Ne...personne, ne...aucun, ne...ni...ni, ne...nulle part, and ne... que Ne comes before the auxiliary verb, but the other part is after the past participle. Il n'a cout personne. He listened to no one. Il n'a fait aucune faute. He made not a single mistake. * Use of ne ... pas de: In negative sentences, the partitives and indefinite articles become de before the noun (unless the verb is tre, then nothing changes.) Partitive: Je prends du pain et du beurre. I'm having some bread and butter. Negative: Je ne prends pas de pain ou de beurre. I am not having any bread or butter. Indefinite: J'ai un chien. I have a dog. Negative: Je n'ai pas de chien. I don't have a dog. Verb is tre: C'est une chatte brune. It's a brown cat. Negative: Ce n'est pas une chatte brune. It's not a brown cat.

40. Holiday Phrases [ mp3 - 439 KB ]

Merry Christmas Happy New Year Happy Thanksgiving Happy Thanksgiving (Canada) Happy Easter Joyeux Nol Bonne Anne Joyeux Thanksgiving Bonne Action de grces Joyeuses Pques zhoy-uh no-ell bun ah-nay zhoy-uh zahnks-gee-veeng bun ak-see-ohn de grahss zhoy-uhz pawk

Happy Halloween Happy Valentine's Day Happy Birthday Happy Saint Day Happy Holidays Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve dinner New Year's Eve

Bonne fte d'Halloween Joyeuse Saint-Valentin Bon Anniversaire Joyeux Anniversaire Bonne Fte Joyeuses Ftes le Rveillon la Saint-Sylvestre

bun fett dah-loh-ween zhoy-uhz sahnt-val-awn-tahn bun ahn-nee-vair-sair zhoy-uh zah-nee-vair-sair bun fett zhoy-uhz fett reh-vay-yohn sahn-seel-veh-struh

If someone is named after a saint, you can wish them bonne fte on that saint's feast day.

The French National Anthem: La Marseillaise

by Claude-Joseph Rouget de L'Isle Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arriv. Contre nous, de la tyrannie, L'tendard sanglant est lev, l'tendard sanglant est lev. Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces farouches soldats. Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras gorger vos fils, vos compagnes. Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons ! Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons. Amour sacr de la Patrie, Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs. Libert, libert chrie, Combats avec tes dfenseurs; Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire Accoure tes mles accents; Que tes ennemis expirants Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire ! Aux armes citoyens ! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons ! Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons. Ye sons of France, awake to glory, Hark, hark, what myriads bid you rise: Your children, wives and grandsires hoary, Behold their tears and hear their cries, see their tears and hear their cries! Shall hateful tyrants mischief breeding with hireling hosts, a ruffian band Affright and desolate the land, while peace and liberty lie bleeding? To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe! March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death. O sacred love of france, undying, Th'avenging arm uphold and guide Thy defenders, death defying, Fight with Freedom on their side.

Soon thy sons shall be victorious When the banner high is raised; And thy dying enemies, amazed, Shall behold thy triumph, great and glorious. To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe! March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death.
Translation by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1st verse) and Mary Elizabeth Shaw (2nd verse) (This is not a literal translation.)

The Canadian National Anthem: O Canada

O Canada, terre de nos aeux, Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux. Car ton bras sait porter l'pe, Il sait porter la croix. Ton histoire est une pope Des plus brillants exploits. Et ta valeur, de foi trempe, Protgera nos foyers et nos droits. O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. The Belgian National Anthem: La Brabannone Noble Belgique, jamais terre chrie, toi nos curs, toi nos bras, Par le sang pur rpandu pour toi, Patrie! Nous le jurons d'un seul cri: tu vivras! Tu vivras toujours grande et belle Et ton invincible unit Aura pour devise immortelle Le Roi, la Loi, la Libert! Le Roi, la Loi, la Libert! La Libert! Noble Belgium, forever beloved land, Thine our hearts, thine our arms, By the pure blood shed for you Fatherland! We swear it in a single shout: thou shalt live! Thou shalt live, ever great and beautiful And thy invincible unity Shall have for everlasting motto: The King, the Law, Liberty! The King, the Law, Liberty! Liberty!

The Swiss National Anthem: Cantique suisse by Charles Chatelanat Sur nos monts, quand le soleil Annonce un brillant rveil, Et prdit d'un plus beau jour le retour, Les beauts de la patrie Parlent l'me attendrie; Au ciel montent plus joyeux Les accents d'un cur pieux, Les accents mus d'un cur pieux. Lorsqu'un doux rayon du soir Joue encore dans le bois noir, Le cur se sent plus heureux prs de Dieu. Loin des vains bruits de la plaine, L'me en paix est plus sereine, Au ciel montent plus joyeux Les accents d'un cur pieux, Les accents mus d'un cur pieux. Lorsque dans la sombre nuit La foudre clate avec bruit, Notre cur pressent encore le Dieu fort; Dans l'orage et la dtresse Il est notre forteresse; Offrons-lui des coeurs pieux: Dieu nous bnira des cieux, Dieu nous bnira du haut des cieux. Des grands monts vient le secours; Suisse, espre en Dieu toujours! Garde la foi des aeux, Vis comme eux! Sur l'autel de la patrie Mets tes biens, ton cur, ta vie! C'est le trsor prcieux Que Dieu bnira des cieux, Que Dieu bnira du haut des cieux

41. Imperfect Tense [ mp3 -1.13 MB ]

This past tense corresponds to "was, were or used to." This tense is used for repeated, continuous, or ongoing actions; as well as for verbs that describe background and circumstances, such as weather, time, and physical, mental, and emotional states. (Use the pass compos for actions that happened once and are done.) Verbs that express mental and emotional states that are descriptive in nature are generally used in the imperfect more than the pass compos. These verbs are: aimer, avoir, croire, dtester, esprer, tre, penser, and prfrer. To form the stem, use the nous form of the present tense and drop the -ons. Then add these endings:

-ais -ions -ais -iez -ait -aient The only exception is tre for which you must use the stem t-, but still the same endings. Verb stems that end in -c must use a cedilla () under the c to make it soft. Verb stems ending in -g keep the e before all forms except nous and vous. tre tais ay-teh tions ay-tee-ohn tais ay-teh tiez ay-tee-ay manger
mawnzheh mawnzheh mawnzheh

tait ay-teh taient ay-teh commencer commenais commenais commenait

koh-mawnseh koh-mawnseh koh-mawnseh

commencions commenciez commenaient

koh-mawn-seeohn koh-mawn-seeay koh-mawn-say

mangeais mangeais mangeait

mangions mangiez mangeaient

mawn-zheeohn mawn-zheeay mawn-zhay

Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir

These verbs change meanings, according to whether they are used in the imperfect or the pass compos. Imperfect avoir devoir j'avais je devais I had j'ai eu j'ai pu je n'ai pas pu j'ai su I was supposed to j'ai d Pass Compos I got, received I must have, I had to (and did) I was able to (and did), succeeded I couldn't, failed I found out, discovered

pouvoir je pouvais I was capable savoir je savais I knew I wanted to

vouloir je voulais

j'ai voulu I tried, decided, insisted je n'ai pas voulu I refused

The imperfect tense is also used with these constructions:

tre en train de + infinitive = to be in the middle of doing something J'tais en train d'tudier quand vous tes arrivs. J'tais sur le point de vous rappeler. aller + infinitive = going to do something J'allais sortir quand le tlphone a sonn. venir de + infinitive = to have just done something Je venais de manger, alors je n'avais plus I had just eaten, so I wasn't hungry anymore. I was going to leave when the phone rang. I was (in the process of ) studying when you arrived. I was just about to call you back.

tre sur le point de + infinitive = to be just about to do something

faim.

42. Places / Les Endroits [ mp3 - 1.50 MB ]

school bathroom locker drinking fountain store library office stadium cafe cafeteria movie theater church museum pool countryside beach theater park restaurant hospital post office home city supermarket delicatessen l'cole (f) la toilette le casier la fontaine le magasin la biblio(thque) le bureau le stade le caf la caftria le cinma l'glise (f) le muse la piscine la campagne la plage le thtre le parc le restaurant l'hpital (m) la poste la maison la ville le supermarch la charcuterie lay-kohl twah-lett kah-zee-ay fohn-ten mahg-ahzahn beeb-lee-oh(teck) bur-oh stahd kah-fay kah-fay-tayree-ah see-nay-mah lay-glees mew-zay pee-seen kawn-pawnyuh plahzh tay-ah-truh park res-toh-rawn loh-pee-tahl post may-zohn veel su-per-marshay university l'universit (f) loon-ee-vairsee-tay bahnk gahr air-o-poor tay-lay-fone ah-par-tuhmawn low-tell vee-lazh lew-zeen zhar-dan shah-toe kah-tay-drahl zoh boo-lanzh-ree mon-u-mawn far-mah-see boosh-ree con-feess-ree zhan-darm-ree mair-ee plahs lee-brair-ee lay-peess-ree pah-teess-ree pwah-son-ehree

bank la banque train station la gare airport telephone apartment hotel village factory garden castle cathedral zoo bakery monument pharmacy butcher shop candy store police station town hall square bookstore grocery store l'aroport (m) le tlphone l'appartement (m) l'htel (m) le village l'usine (f) le jardin le chteau la cathdrale le zoo la boulangerie le monument la pharmacie la boucherie la confiserie la gendarmerie la mairie la place la librairie l'picerie (f)

pastry shop la ptisserie la poissonnerie

shar-koot-ree fish market

Nowadays, la mdiathque is replacing bibliothque because most libraries also have DVDs and CDs to lend, not just books. You may also hear la cantine to refer to the cafeteria in a school.

43. Transportation [ mp3 - 423 KB ]

by bike by bus by moped by car by motorcycle by subway on foot by plane by train by boat

en vlo (m) en bus (m) en scooter (m) en voiture (f) en moto (f) en mtro (m) pied (m) en avion (m) en train (m) en bateau (m)

awn vay-low awn boos awn skooh-tehr awn vwah-chur awn moh-toh awn may-troh ah pee-ay awn ah-vee-ohn awn trahn awn bah-toh

Instead of using a specific verb of movement (drive, fly, walk) before a location, French actually uses a more general verb + the location + the manner of movement. I walk to school. = Je vais l'cole pied. (I go to school on foot.) I'm flying to New York. = Je vais New York en avion. (I go to New York by plane.) Note: Common slang words for car/automobile are une bagnole or une caisse. In Quebec, it's un char.

44. To Want and To Be Able To [ mp3 - 1.23 MB ]

vouloir-to want (vool-wahr) and pouvoir-to be able to, can (poov-wahr) Present veux vuh voulons voovoulais lohn voolay voulais Imperfect vooleh Future voovoovoovoulions lee- voudrai voudrons dreh drohn ohn voovoolee- voudras voudrez drah ay voovoudra leh voodray

veux vuh voulez veut vuh veulent

voovouliez leh voovoulaient leh

vuhll voulait

voovoovoudront drah drohn

peux puh pouvons

poopouvais vohn poopouvais vay

poopouvions veh poopouviez veh

poopoopoovee- pourrai pourrons reh rohn ohn poopoovee- pourras pourrez rah ay pooray

peux puh pouvez

peut puh peuvent puhv pouvait

poopoopouvaient pourra veh veh

poopoopourront rah rohn

Note: Voulez-vous? can mean Do you want? or Will you? The past participles are voulu and pu and both are conjugated with avoir. The conditional forms of vouloir are used in the expression

"would like" i.e. I'd like = je voudrais, you'd like = tu voudrais, he'd/she'd like = il/elle voudrait, we'd like = nous voudrions, you'd like = vous voudriez, they'd like = ils/elles voudraient. You do not need to use pouvoir after verbs that involve the senses, such as voir (to see) and entendre (to hear). Je ne vois pas / Je n'entends pas can mean I don't see or I can't see / I don't hear or I can't hear depending on the context.

45. The House and Yard / La maison et le jardin [ mp3 - 1.53

MB ] House Apartment Bedroom Hallway Kitchen Storeroom Stairs Floor Living Room la maison l'appartement (m) la chambre le couloir la cuisine le dbarras l'escalier (m) l'tage (m) meh-zohn ah-part-mawn shawm-bruh kool-wahr kwee-zeen day-bar-ah Yard Shrub Lawn/grass Bush Tree Lawn mower le jardin l'arbuste (m) le gazon / la pelouse le buisson l'arbre (m) la tondeuse gazon le tuyau d'arrosage l'arrosoir (m) le rteau la bche le cisaille la pelle l'arroseur (m) la serrure le verrou le cadenas la charnire la cl le porte-cl le trou de la serrure la poigne de porte les tuiles (f) les bardeaux (m) zhar-dahn lahr-bewst gah-zohn / puh-looz bwee-sohn lar-bruh tohn-duhz ah gah-zohn tew-yoh dahroh-zazh lah-roh-swahr rah-toh besh see-zy pell lah-roh-zur seh-rewr veh-roo kahd-nah shar-nee-ehr kleh port-kleh trood lah sehrewr pwan-yayd port tweel bar-doh

les-cahl-ee-ay Hose lay-tahzh Watering can

le living / le salon Closet la penderie Room la pice le rez-deGround Floor chausse la salle Dining Room manger Bathroom la salle de bains Terrace, patio la terrasse Attic le grenier Chimney la chemine Roof le toit Garage le garage Driveway Sidewalk Porch Basement l'alle (f) le trottoir le porche le sous-sol

lee-veeng/sahRake lohn pawnd-ree Hoe pee-ehss Clippers rayd-show-say Shovel sahl ah mawnzhay sahl duh bahn teh-rahss grun-eeay shu-mee-nay twah gah-rahzh lah-lay troh-twahr porsh soo-sole Sprinkler Lock (door) Lock (bolt) Padlock Hinges Key Keychain Keyhole Doorknob Tile roofing Clapboard

Cellar

la cave

kahv

Slate roofing l'ardoise (f)

lahr-dwahz

You may also see the words la loggia (small room off a large room - sometimes like a pantry) and la veranda (enclosed porch/balcony), as well as les toilettes (a separate room just for the toilet), for parts of a house or apartment.

46. Furniture and Appliances / Les meubles et l'lectromnager [ mp3 - 2.91 MB ]

Furniture Shelf Desk Chair Dresser Curtain Curtain rod Shutters Blinds Window Bed Door Closet Rug Lamp Nightstand Answering machine Stereo Television VCR les meubles l'tagre (f) le bureau la chaise la commode le rideau la tringle les volets (m) les stores (m) la fentre le lit / le plumard la porte le placard le tapis la lampe muh-bluh lay-tahzhehr bewr-oh shehzh koh-mode ree-doh trehng voh-leh stohr fuh-nehtruh lee / plewmahr port plah-car tah-pee Appliances Thermostat Air Conditioner Fan Rocking chair Stool Cushion Carpet Mixer / Beater Blender eh-lehk-trohmeh-nahl'lectromnager zheh tehr-mohle thermostat stah klee-mahle climatiseur tee-zur vawn-tee-lahle ventilateur tur foo-tuhee ah le fauteuil bascule bah-skool le tabouret tah-boo-reh le coussin koo-sahn la moquette le batteur lectrique le mixeur mon-keht bah-tur aylehk-treek meek-sur oovruh-bwaht greey-pahn kah-fay-teeehr moo-lahn ah kah-fay booee-wahr drah koo-vehr-tewr maht-lah lee sew-pehrpoh-zay ahn-tehrewp-tur

Can opener l'ouvre-botes (m) Toaster Coffee maker le grille-pain la caftire

Coffee press le moulin caf Kettle Sheet Blanket Mattress Bunkbeds Lightswitch la bouilloire le drap la couverture le matelas les lits superposs (m) l'interrupteur (m)

lahmp tah-bluh la table de nuit duh nwee reh-pohnle rpondeur dur shen-heela chane hi fi fee tay-lay-veela tl(vision) zee-ohn le mahn-yehtmagntoscope oh-scope

Remote Control Computer Radio Fridge Refrigerator Freezer (Coffee) Table Sink Bathtub Stove Oven Dishwasher Microwave Shower Pillow Mirror Ceiling Floor Armchair Clock Bedspread Vase

la tlcommande

tay-lay-kohLampshade l'abat-jour (m) mahnd lor-dee-nahl'ordinateur (m) Faucet le robinet tur la radio le frigo le rfrigrateur rah-dee-oh Drain free-go Towel bar Utility room Bleach Laundry basket Clothespin Washing Machine la canalisation le porte-serviettes la buanderie la javel le panier linge la pince linge la machine laver / le lave-linge le sche-linge le fer repasser la planche repasser le cintre l'aspirateur (m)

ah-bah-zhoor roh-bee-nay kah-nahl-eezah-see-ohn port-sehrvee-ett bew-awndree zhah-vehl pawn-ee-ay ah lahnzh pahnss ah lahnzh mah-sheen ah lah-vay / lahv-lahnzh sesh-lahnzh fair ah ruhpahs-say plahnsh ah ruh-pahs-say sahn-truh

ray-freezhay-rah-tir kon-zhayle conglateur lah-tur tah-bluh la table (basse) (bahss) l'vier (m) la baignoire la cuisinire le four le lave-vaisselle lay-veeay bahn-wahr

kwee-zeen- Clothes yehr Dryer foor Iron Ironing board Hanger Vacuum Broom Dustpan Mop Garbage Garbage bag Garbage can Flyswatter Hair Dryer

lahv-vehsell foor ah le four micromee-krohondes ohnd la douche l'oreiller le miroir le plafond le plancher le fauteuil la pendule le couvrelit le vase doosh loh-ray-ay mee-rwahr plah-fohn plawn-shay foh-tuhee pawn-dewl koo-vruhlee vahz

Bathroom le lavabo sink Futon couch le clic-clac

lah-vah-boh Couch/Sofa DVD Player

ah-speer-ahtur le balai bah-leh la pelle pell sehr-peela serpillire yehr les ordures (f) ohr-dewr le sac poubelle sahk poo-bell la poubelle poo-bell tah-pett ah la tapette mouche moosh seh-shwahr / le schoir / le schesesh-shuhcheveux vuh kah-nahle canap / le sofa pay/soh-fah le lecteur de DVD

Monte le son. / Baisse le son. Turn up the volume. / Turn down the volume. Allume la lumire. / Eteinds la tl. Turn on the light. / Turn off the television.

47. Comparatives and Superlatives [ mp3 - 1.05 MB ]

Comparatives aussi (adj or adv) que plus (adj or adv) que plus de (noun) que autant de (noun) que moins de (noun) que as (adj or adv) as more (adj or adv) than more (noun) than as many (noun) as less (noun) than moins (adj or adv) que less (adj or adv) than

Sample Sentences She is taller than Colette. Elle est plus grande que Colette. I am smarter than you. Je suis plus intelligente que toi. Peter runs less quickly than me. Pierre court moins rapidement que moi. The kitchen is as big as the living room. La cuisine est aussi grande que le salon. I have more books than she. J'ai plus de livres qu'elle. We have as many cars as he. Nous avons autant de voitures que lui. Verbs can also be compared with plus/aussi/moins (+ que): Il travaille moins qu'elle. He works less than she. Ils dorment plus. They sleep more. Superlatives Simply add le, la or les before the comparative if you are using an adjective. With adverbs, always use le. After a superlative, de is used to mean in. If the adjective follows the noun, the superlative follows the noun also, surrounding the adjective. Sample Sentences It's the biggest city in the world. C'est la plus grande ville du monde. She is the most beautiful woman in this room. Elle est la plus belle femme de cette salle. This neighborhood is the least expensive in Ce quartier est le moins cher de Paris. Paris. C'est la punition la plus redoutable du It's the most dreaded punishment in the world. monde. Elle travaille le plus courageusement de She works the most courageously of everyone. tous. In French, sometimes you don't use any articles, as compared to English: Plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

48. Irregular Forms [ mp3 - 606 KB ]

Adjective bon mauvais petit bad Comparative pire Superlative worst least good meilleur/e better le/la meilleur/e best worse le/la pire less le/la moindre small moindre Adverb bien mal peu well

Comparative mieux more less

Superlative best most worst least le plus le moins

better le mieux worse le pis

beaucoup much plus badly pis little moins

Note: Only use the irregular forms of mauvais in the abstract sense. If the idea is concrete, you may use plus/moins mauvais and le/la mauvais.

49. Clothing / Les vtements [ mp3 - 1.88 MB ]

pajamas jewelry necklace jeans pants sweater turtleneck raincoat blouse bra slip coat tennis shoes swimsuit shorts bracelet charm le pyjama le bijou le collier le jean pee-zhahmah bee-zhoo kohl-eeay zheen boxer shorts briefs panties tuxedo le caleon kahl-sohn sleep kuh-loht smoh-keeng nuh pah-peeyohn zhee-leh tohn mahnsh pohsh foo-lahr kohs-toom ty-er

le slip la culotte le smoking le nud le pantalon pahn-tah-lohn bowtie papillon le pull puhl vest/cardigan le gilet le col roul kol roo-lay flip flops les tongs lahn-pehr-mel'impermable (m) sleeve la manche ah-bluh shu-meezle chemisier pocket la poche eeay soot-ee-ahn- decorative le soutien-gorge la foulard gorzh scarf le jupon zhoo-pohn man's suit le costume le manteau mawn-toe woman's suit le tailleur des tennis (m) le maillot de bain le short le bracelet le porte-bonheur tenn-ees may-oh-duhbahn short brahs-lay port-bohn-ur slippers jacket underwear gloves mittens

des pantoufles pahn-toof-luh le blouson les sousvtements les gants (f) les moufles (f) bloo-sohn soo-vetmawn gawn moof

t-shirt hat ring chain

le tee-shirt le chapeau la bague la chanette les boucles earrings d'oreilles (f) pin l'pingle (f) sock la chaussette shoe la chaussure man's shirt la chemise hooded l'anorak jacket sneakers track suit size (clothes) des baskets le jogging la taille

tee-shirt shah-poh bahg shen-ett book-luh doray ay-pahn-gluh show-zett show-zewr shu-meez lah-noh-rahk bahs-keht jaw-geeng tah-ee

belt cap skirt dress sandal boots blazer/coat scarf tie slipper shoes high heels long shorts size (shoes)

la ceinture la casquette la jupe la robe la sandale des bottes (f) la veste l'charpe (f) la cravate

sahn-tewr kahs-keht zhoop robe sahn-dal bawt vest ay-sharp krah-vaht

des chaussons shoh-sohn des escarpins le bermuda la pointure eh-skahrpahn behr-mewdah pwahn-tewr

Les bas (stockings) and les collants (tights) are popular in France. Chaussures talons hauts are high-heeled shoes, while chaussures talons plats are flat shoes. Chaussures de ville are dress shoes. A slang word for clothes is les fringues.

50. To Wear [ mp3 - 846 KB ]

Mettre - to put, to put on, wear (meh-truh) Present Imperfect Future mehmetmehmehmehmets meh mettons mettais mettions tee- mettrai mettrons tohn teh tray trohn ohn mets meh mettez met metmehmettais mettiez tay teh mehmehtee- mettras mettrez trah ay mehtray

meh mettent mett mettait

mehmehmettaient mettra teh teh

mehmehmettront trah trohn

Other verbs that are conjugated like mettre: promettre - to promise and permettre - to permit. The past participle of mettre is mis and it is conjugated with avoir. Porter is actually the verb to wear, but the French use mettre also. Il / Elle te va bien. Il / Elle vous va bien. Ils / Elles te vont bien. It looks good on you. (informal) It looks good on you. (formal) They look good on you. (informal)

Ils / Elles vous vont bien.

They look good on you. (formal)

51. Future Tenses: Simple and Anterior [ mp3 - 2.08 MB ]

The futur simple expresses an action that will take place [will + infinitive]. The futur antrieur expresses an action that will have taken place before another future action [will have + past participle]. The future tense is used just like it is in English, however, in French, the future is always used after quand or lorsque (when), ds que or aussitt que (as soon as) and tant que (as long as.) To form the future tense, use the infinitive and add these endings that resemble those of avoir. However, you drop the -e from -re verbs. -ai -a -ons -ont -as -ez

parler choisir perdre parlerai parlerons choisirai choisirons perdrai perdrons parleras parlerez choisiras choisirez perdras perdrez parlera parleront choisira choisiront perdra perdront And of course, there are exceptions. Here are the irregular stems for the future tense (these will also be used in the conditional tense): Irregular Stems aller avoir courir devoir tre faire falloir mourir iraurcourrdevrserferfaudrpleuvoir pleuvrpouvoir pourrrecevoir recevrsavoir valoir venir voir saurtiendrvaudrviendrverrvoudr-

envoyer enverr- tenir

mourr- vouloir

tre aller serai serons j'irai irons seras serez iras irez sera seront ira iront

Other exceptions: For appeler and jeter, double the consonant. For nettoyer and payer, change the y to i. For acheter, add an accent grave. For prfrer, the accents all remain the same. jeter jetterai jettera jetterons jetteront payer paierai paierons paieras paierez paiera paieront acheter achterai achterons achteras achterez achtera achteront prfrer prfrerai prfrerons prfreras prfrerez prfrera prfreront

jetteras jetterez

To form the futur antrieur (will have + past participle), use the future of either avoir or tre (whichever the main verb takes) and the past participle of the main verb. Quand ils reviendront, ils auront chang. When they come back, they will have changed. Ds qu'ils seront revenus, ils voudront repartir. As soon as they have returned, they will want to leave again.

52. Preceding and Plural Adjectives [ mp3 - 1.33 MB ]

Adjective beautiful good dear crazy nice big large young pretty long bad better, best soft new little old Singular beau (bel) bon cher fou (fol) gentil grand gros jeune joli long mauvais meilleur mou (mol) nouveau (nouvel) petit vieux (vieil) Masculine Plural Pronunciation beaux boh (bell) bons bon chers share foux foo (fohl) gentils zhawn-tee grands grawn gros groh jeunes zhun jolis zho-lee longs lohn mauvais mo-vay meilleurs may-ur moux moo (mohl) noo-voh (noonouveaux vell) petits puh-tee vieux vyuh (vyay) Singular belle bonne chre folle gentille grande grosse jeune jolie longue mauvaise Feminine Plural Pronunciation belles bell bonnes bun chres share folles fohl gentilles zhawn-tee grandes grawnd grosses grohss jeunes zhun jolies zho-lee longues lohng mauvaises mo-vezz

meilleure meilleures may-ur molle molles mohl

nouvelle nouvelles noo-vell petite vieille petites vieilles puh-teet vyay

Note: The masculine singular and plural are pronounced the same, as are the feminine singular and plural. These are the most common adjectives that go before the noun. An acronym to remember which ones go before the noun is BRAGS: Beauty, Resemblance (mme and autre), Age/Order (premier and dernier), Goodness, and Size. All other adjectives, except

numbers, go after the noun. The five words in parentheses (bel, fol, mol, nouvel, and vieil) are used before masculine singular words beginning with a vowel or a silent h. A few adjectives can be used before or after the noun, and the meaning changes accordingly. When used before the noun, they take a figurative meaning; and when used after, they take a literal meaning. Before plural adjectives preceding plural nouns, you use de instead of des to mean some. Ex: Some old monuments. De vieux monuments.

53. Adjectives: Formation of Feminine [ mp3 - 970 KB ]

Almost all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify. Most adjectives are given in the masculine form, so to change to the feminine forms, follow these rules: Add -e If it already ends in -e, add nothing -x changes to -se Masculine Feminine brun brahn brune brunn fatigu fah-tee-gay fatigue fah-tee-gay jeune gnreux zhun zhay-nayruh foh roo doo naht-ur-ell jeune gnreuse fausse rousse douce naturelle zhun zhay-nayruhz fohss rooss dooss naht-ur-ell ahn-kee-ett mew-ett koh-kett ee-tahl-eeenn share ac-teev blawnsh pooh-bleek grek lawng Adjective brown tired young generous false red (hair) sweet, soft natural worried silent stylish Italian dear, expensive active white public Greek long liar

Exceptions: faux roux doux -il, -el, and -eil change to -ille, -elle, and -eille -et changes to -te naturel inquiet

ahn-kee-ay inquite mew-ay koh-kay ee-tahl-eeahn share ac-teef blawn muette coquette Italienne chre active blanche

Exceptions: muet coquet -en and -on change to -enne and -onne -er changes to -re -f changes to -ve -c changes to -che Italien cher actif blanc

Exceptions: public -g changes to -gue -eur changes to -euse if adjective is derived from verb grec long

pooh-bleek publique grek lawn grecque longue

menteur mawn-tur

menteuse mawn-tuhz

-eur changes to -rice if adjective is not same as verb -eur changes to -eure with adjectives of comparison And a few completely irregular ones:

crateur kray-ah-tur infrieur pais favori frais ahn-fay-reeuhr ay-peh fah-voh-ree freh

cratrice infrieure paisse favorite frache

kray-ahtreess ahn-fay-reeuhr ay-pehz fah-voh-reet frehsh

creator inferior thick favorite fresh, cool

54. Forming Plurals: Adjectives [ mp3 - 411 KB ]

To form the feminine plural, just add an -s, unless it already ends in an s, then add nothing. To form the masculine plural, just add an -s, except in these cases: -al becomes -aux (exceptions: banal - banals; final - finals); ; and if it ends in an x or s already, add nothing. Masculine Singular national gnral Feminine Singular nationale gnrale Masculine Plural nationaux gnraux Feminine Plural nationales gnrales

national general

national general

And of course there are more exceptions... some adjectives are invariable and do not have feminine or plural forms. Compound adjectives, such as bleu clair (light blue) and vert fonc (dark green), adjectives that are also nouns, such as or (gold), argent (silver), marron (chestnut), and the words chic (stylish), bon march or meilleur march (inexpensive) never change.

55. More Adjectives [ mp3 - 2.59 MB ]

short (length) elegant tight, narrow several pointed bright cute perfect court/e different diffrent/e situated big curious situ/e gros/se curieux/euse boring crazy interesting sensitive ennuyeux/euse fou/folle intressant/e sensible sportif/sportive ttu/e timide

loud, noisy bruyant/e lgant/e troit/e

plusieurs/plusieures nervous pointu/e vif/vive mignon/ne parfait/e only

nerveux/euse athletic seul/e stubborn shy

amusing amusant/e touching mouvant/e funny drle, marrant/e

hard-working travailleur/euse optimistic optimiste

ready sad clever lazy generous famous decorated

prt/e triste malin/maligne paresseux/euse gnreux/euse clbre dcor/e

heavy careful dirty tired angry old

lourd/e prudent/e sale fatigu/e fch/e g/e

pessimistic tolerant pretentious ambitious pleasant enthusiastic honest

pessimiste tolrant/e prtentieux/euse ambitieux/se agrable enthousiaste honnte

annoyed irrit/e

Note: Remember the first word is the masculine and the second is the feminine. The addition of an e for the feminine form allows the last consonant to be voiced. These adjectives go after the noun. Normally, the verb rendre means to give something that you owe to someone, such as On rend ses devoirs au professeur. It can also be used in the sense of to represent. But rendre + adjective means to make someone or something + adjective. Tu me rends si heureuse ! You make me so happy! Le fait qu'il ne possde pas de voiture le rend triste. The fact that he doesn't have a car makes him sad. Some common slang adjectives that are used constantly in everyday speech: chouette minable mediocre ugly, con / conne stupid, dumb moche unpleasant dbile idiotic sensass sensational disgusting, dgueu(lasse) super marvellous bad nice, extra extraordinary sympa pleasant very gnial tarte inane interesting ridiculous, impec perfect tocard deplorable The intensifiers vachement and drlement are also used often, meaning very or really. Il est vachement sympa. = He is really nice. Elle est drlement triste. = She is very sad. great, good

56. Problem Verbs [ mp3 - 927 KB ]

Some verbs in French present problems because they have several translations in English. Other verbs can have several translations in French, but fewer meanings in English. visiter - to visit places rendre visite - to visit people apporter - to bring things to some place emporter - to take things from some place

amener - to bring someone to some place emmener - to take someone from some place apprendre quelque chose - to learn something apprendre quelque chose quelqu'un - to teach someone something rencontrer - to meet faire la connaissance de - to meet someone for the first time retrouver - to meet (for an appointment) partir - to leave (from or for a place) quitter - to leave (a person or place) sortir - to go out s'en aller - to go away laisser - to leave something behind retourner - to go back (to where speaker is not) revenir - to come back (to where speaker currently is) rentrer - to come or go home rendre - to return or give something back faire - to make fabriquer - to produce obliger - to make someone do something rendre - to make someone + adjective After some verbs, the word ne is required, but this does not imply negation: craindre, redoter, empcher Je crains qu'il ne fasse trop froid. I'm afraid that it's too cold. And a few verbs only require ne and not pas in the negative, but this is elevated or literary language: cesser, oser, pouvoir, savoir Je ne peux vivre sans toi. I cannot live without you. 57. C'est/Il est + Adjective + /de + Infinitive [ mp3 - 838 KB ] C'est + adjective + + infinitive is used when the idea has already been mentioned; while il est + adjective + de + infinitive is used when the idea has not yet been mentioned. Also, the c'est construction is used when you do not use a direct object after the infinitive of the transitive verb, and the il est construction is used when you do. Est-ce qu'on peut apprendre le chinois en un an ? Can you learn Chinese in one year? Non, c'est impossible apprendre en un an ! No, it's impossible to learn in one year! (The idea, Chinese, has already been mentioned, and there is no direct object.) OR: Non, il est impossible d'apprendre le chinois en un an ! (This sentence contains the direct object after the infinitive.) Il est facile d'apprendre l'italien. It is easy to learn Italian. (The

idea has not already been mentioned, and the direct object is used.) Adjectives that express a certain emotion require de before the infinitive: content, dsol, furieux, heureux, triste Je suis contente de vous voir. I am happy to see you. Other adjectives require before the infinitive: agrable, pnible, terrible, amusant, intressant, ennuyeux, lger, lourd, lent, rapide, premier, dernier, prt, seul Il est prt partir. He is ready to leave. A longer list of adjectives that require or de before an infinitive can be found at 91. on French V. In addition, when quelque chose is followed by an adjective, de is inserted between the two. quelque chose d'intressant = something interesting

58. Sports & Instruments [ mp3 - 1.17 MB ]

Soccer Hockey Football Basketball Baseball Horse-back ri ding Tennis Skiing Volleyball Wrestling Jogging Ice-skating Swimming Track and Field Bowling le football le hockey le football amricain le basket le base-ball l'quitation; du cheval le tennis le ski le volley luh foot-bahl luh ock-ee luh foot-bahl ahmehr-ee-kahn luh bahs-kett luh base-bahl Softball Golf Bicycling Surfing Dirt/Motor biking French horn violin guitar drum tuba flute trombone clarinet cello harp le softball le golf le vlo le surf le bicross le cor d'harmonie le violon la guitare le tambour le tuba la flte le trombone la clarinette luh softbahl luh golf luh vay-low luh serf luh beecross kohr darmoh-nee vee-oh-lohn gee-tahr tawn-boor tew-bah flewt trohn-bohn

leh-kee-tah-seeohn; dew shuh-vahl luh ten-ees luh skee luh voll-ee lah lewt / luh la lutte / le catch kahtch le jogging luh jog-eeng luh pah-tahn ah le patin glace glahs lah nah-tah-seela natation ohn l'athltisme le bowling lat-lay-tees-muh luh booh-ling

klah-reenett vee-ohle violoncelle lohn-sell la harpe arp

La lutte is regular wrestling (the real Greco-Roman sport), while le catch is professional/fake wrestling. Faire de + a sport means to play. Jouer + a sport also means to play, as does jouer de + an instrument.

Tu fais du foot. You play soccer. J'aime jouer au tennis. I like to play tennis. Je peux jouer de la guitare. I can play the guitar. Nous jouons de la clarinette. We play the clarinet. Il veut jouer du tuba. He wants to play the tuba.

59. Nature [ mp3 - 3.11 MB ]

air archipelago bank bay barn beach branch bridge bud bush cape cave city climate cloud coast comet l'air (m) l'archipel (m) la rive la baie la grange la plage la branche le pont le bouton le buisson le cap la caverne frost grass gulf hail hay high tide hill ice island isthmus jungle lake leaf light lightning lily low tide meadow la gele l'herbe (f) le golfe la grle le foin la mare haute la colline la glace I'le (f) l'isthme la jungle le lac la feuille la lumire l'clair (m) le lis la mare basse le pr la lune la montagne la chane de montagnes l'embouchure (f) la vase la nature le nord la pninsule la plaine la plante la plante l'tang (m) le pot de fleurs rose sand sea shadow sky snow soil south spring (water) star stem storm strait stream street sun sunflower thaw thunder tornado tree trunk tulip valley view water fresh water salt water watering can waterfall wave la rose le sable la mer l'ombre (f) le ciel la neige la terre le sud la source l'toile (f) la tige l'orage (f) / la tempte le dtroit le ruisseau la rue le soleil le tournesol la fonte le tonnerre la tornade l'arbre (m) le tronc la tulipe la valle la vue l'eau (f) l'eau douce l'eau sale l'arrosoir (m) la cascade la vague / l'onde

la ville le climat le nuage la cte la comte la constellation constellation country le pays country(side) la campagne current daffodil daisy darkness desert dew dust earth east farm field

moon mountain mountain le courant range la jonquille mouth (river) la marguerite mud l'obscurit (f) nature le dsert north la rose peninsula la poussire plain la terre planet l'est (m) la ferme le champ plant pond pot (for

flower foam fog foliage forest

la fleur l'cume (f) le brouillard le feuillage la fort

plants) rain rainbow river rock root

la pluie l'arc-en-ciel (m) le fleuve le rocher la racine

weather west wind world

(f) le temps l'ouest (m) le vent le monde

60. To Live [ mp3 - 626 KB ]

vivre - to live, be alive (vee-vruh) vis vis vit Present vivons vivez vivent vivais vivais vivait Imperfect vivions viviez vivaient vivrai vivras vivra Future vivrons vivrez vivront

The past participle of vivre is vcu and it is conjugated with avoir. Habiter is another verb that means to live, but it means to live in a place. Vivre is used to mean the state of being alive. A subjunctive form of vivre, vive, is often used in exclamations. Vive la France ! Long live France!

61. Personal Pronouns [ mp3 - 1.34 MB ]

Subject je tu il elle vous ils elles I you he she you Direct Object me (muh) me te (tuh) le la nous vous you him her us you Indirect Object me te lui nous vous to me to you to her to us to you Disjunctives moi (mwah) me toi (twah) lui elle nous vous you him her us you them them

lui (lwee) to him

nous we

they les they les

them leur them leur

to them eux (uh) to them elles

Note: You have already learned the subject pronouns. They go before the conjugated verb forms. The Direct and Indirect Object pronouns go before the verb even though in English they go after it. They also go after the ne in a negative sentence and right before the verb. The disjunctive always go after prepositions, or can be used alone for emphasis. Sample Sentences: J'achte des pantalons. Je les achte. Je vous donne la bote. Je vous la donne. Aprs toi. I buy some pants. I buy them. I give the box to you. I give it to you. After you. (familiar)

Nous allons avec elle. Il ne la quitte pas. Il la quitte. Je t'aime. or Je vous aime. Elle ne l'aime pas.

We go with her. He doesn't leave her. He leaves her. I love you. She doesn't love him.

Note: When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or les, then lui or leur. Me, te, le, and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a vowel, the same way je does. In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected with a hyphen. And the pronoun order changes a little too: Le, la, or les come first; then moi, toi, (Me and te become moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur. If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after the ne and before the form of avoir in negative sentences. Nous lui avons parl. Vous en avez cout trois. Je t'ai demand du pain. Il ne l'a pas aim. Tu n'y as pas habit. Je ne vous ai pas parl. Nous ne l'avons pas fini. We spoke to him/her. You've listened to three of them. I asked you for some bread. He didn't like it/her/him. You didn't live there. I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you. We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.

In the pass compos with avoir, direct object pronouns only must agree in gender and number with the past participle. Je les ai aims. I liked them. Il l'a regarde. He watched her. Elles nous ont cout(e)s. They listened to us. Note: Add an e if the pronoun is feminine, and an s if it is plural. The l' could mean him or her, so you might not need to put the extra e on the past participle. The same for nous and vous. They must have an s because they are plural, but it is unclear as to whether they are masculine or feminine.

62. Parts of the Body / Les parties du corps [ mp3 - 2.85 MB ]

head hair face forehead cheek ear eye/s Standard French la tte les cheveux la figure / le visage / la face le front la joue l'oreille l'il / les yeux tet shuh-vuh fee-ger / vee-sawzh frohn zhoo oh-ray uhee / yuh Slang la caboche / le crne les tifs

les esgourdes les mirettes

beard mustache mouth lip nose tongue tooth neck eyebrows eyelashes chin throat skin blood bone shoulder chest waist belly button back heart lungs brain liver kidney bladder rib arm elbow wrist fist hand fingers

la barbe la moustache la bouche la lvre le nez la langue la dent le cou les sourcils les cils le menton la gorge la peau le sang l'os l'paule la poitrine la taille le nombril le dos le cur les poumons le cerveau le foie le rein la vessie la cte le bras le coude le poignet le poing la main les doigts

stomach / belly l'estomac / le ventre butt body hip leg knee foot les fesses le corps la hanche la jambe le genou le pied

barb moo-stash boosh lev-ruh nay lawn dawn koo soor-seel seel mawn-tohn gorzh poh sawn lohs ay-pohl pwah-treen tahee nohn-breel doh kir poo-mohn sehr-voh fwah rehn veh-see koht brah kood pwahn-yay pwahn mahn dwah less-to-mah / vawntruh fehss kohr ahnsh zhamb zhu-noo pyay

la barbouse la gueule / la bote le blair / le pif les crocs

le buffet / le bide les miches

le penard / les arpions

toes ankle thigh shin calf thumb nails tattoo piercing blond brunette red-head light brown

les orteils la cheville la cuisse le tibia le mollet le pouce les ongles le tatouage le piercing blond/e brun/e roux/rousse chtain

or-tie shu-vee kweess tee-bee-ah moh-leh pooss ohn-gluh tah-too-ahzh peer-seeng blohn/d bruhn/brewn roo/roos shah-tahn To say something hurts or that you have an ache, you can use avoir mal (body part): J'ai mal la tte. I have a headache. J'ai mal l'estomac. I have a stomach ache. Elle a mal au bras. Her arm hurts. Tu as mal au genou? Your knee hurts? Il a mal aux orteils. His toes hurt. However, if someone is causing you pain, use faire mal (to hurt) plus the indirect pronoun. Tu me fais mal. You're hurting me. Ne lui faites pas mal. Don't hurt him / her. When describing hair color or eye color, you use blonds, chtain, bruns, roux for hair; and bleus, verts, marron, noirs for eyes. Notice that chtain and marron do not agree in gender or number. Elle a les cheveux roux. Elle est rousse. She has red hair. She is a red-head. Il a les yeux marron. He has brown eyes. Combien msures-tu ? / Combien fais-tu ? How tall are you? Combien pses-tu ? How much do you weigh? Je fais 1m60. I am 1 m 60 cm. Je pse 50 kilos. I weigh 50 kilos.

63. Asking Questions [ mp3 - 854 KB ]

1) Invert the subject and verb form and add a hyphen. Instead of Vous parlez anglais? use Parlez-vous anglais? But if you invert il, elle, or on, you must put a t between the verb form (if it ends in a vowel) and the subject for ease of pronunciation. Parle-il anglais? is incorrect and must become Parle-t-il anglais? And je is usually only inverted with pouvoir or devoir. However, if je is inverted with pouvoir, you don't use peux, but puis. Puis-je ? (pweezh) is Can I?

2) Add n'est-ce pas ? (ness pah) to the end of the sentence. It is equivalent to isn't it, don't you, aren't we, won't you, etc. 3) If the question requires a yes or no answer, put Est-ce que (ess kuh) at the beginning. It contracts to Est-ce qu' before a word beginning with a vowel, such as elle, il or on. You can also use interrogative words (quand, comment, o, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence and then add est-ce que. 4) With interrogative words, you can also use inversion: Quand tes parents partent-ils en vacances ? Or you can use an interrogative with est-ce que and normal word order: Pourquoi est-ce que vous tes ici ? 5) Quel / Quelle / Quels / Quelles (which, what) agrees with the noun it modifies. It precedes the noun or the verb tre, it may follow a preposition, and it can be used with inversion or with estce que. Quelle est la date ? A quelle heure partez-vous ? Quels bagages est-ce que vous prenez ? Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in exclamatory sentences. Quel beau jour ! / Quelle belle journe ! What a beautiful day! 6) With negative questions, negative expressions remain in their usual place (i.e. around the verb, or verb and subject if inverted). Tu ne travailles pas ? Est-ce que te ne travailles pas ? Ne travailles-tu pas ? Pourquoi n'as-tu pas travaill ? Asking Questions with the Pass Compos Only the auxiliary verb (avoir or tre) and the subject pronoun are inverted. The past participle follows. A-t-il t surpris ? Was he surprised? T'es-tu amus ? Did you have fun?

64. Interrogative Pronouns [ mp3 - 1.73 MB ]

To ask about people: Long Form Subject Direct Object Object of Preposition Qui est-ce qui Qui est-ce qui est venu? Qui est-ce que Qui est-ce que tu as vu? Short Form Qui Qui est venu? Qui Qui as-tu vu? Translation Who came? Whom did you see? Whom did you speak to?

Preposition + qui est-ce Preposition + qui que A qui as-tu parl? A qui est-ce que tu as parl? To ask about things: Long Form Short Form

Translation

Subject Direct Object Object of Preposition

Qu'est-ce qui Qu'est-ce qui est arriv? Qu'est-ce que Qu'est-ce que tu as fait? Preposition + quoi est-ce que De quoi est-ce que tu as parl?

No short form Que Qu'as-tu fait?

What happened? What did you do?

Preposition + quoi What did you talk De quoi as-tu about? parl?

1. Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:

a. With qui and quoi, inversion pattern is regular. Qui Marie a-t-elle vu? Whom did Marie see? De quoi Marc a-t-il besoin? What does Marc need? b. With que, the noun subject must be inverted directly. Que veut Jean? What does Jean want? Que font les autres? What are the others doing? c. However, if the sentence contains more than a subject and verb, or if the verb is in a compound tense (such as the pass compos), the short form is not used. Qu'est-ce que Luc veut faire aujourd'hui? What does Luc want to do today? Qu'est-ce que les autres ont fait? What did the others do?

2. Verb Agreement:
a. Interrogative pronouns are usually masculine singular. Les voitures font du bruit. Qu'est-ce qui fait du bruit? Cars make noise. What makes noise? Les enfants sont arrivs. Qui est arriv? The children arrived. Who arrived? b. Exception: when qui is followed by a conjugated form of tre, the verbs agrees with the noun that follows. Qui taient Les Trois Mousquetaires? Who were the three Musketeers?

3. Qu'est-ce que (or qui) vs. Quel:

a. Qu'est-ce que c'est que is used to ask for a definition, and quel asks for specific information. Qu'est-ce que c'est que le camembert? What is "camembert"? Quel est le problme? What is the problem? b. When followed by a conjugated form of tre, quel is used if tre is followed by a noun and qu'est-ce qui is used if tre is followed by anything other than a noun. Quelle est la date? What is the date? Qu'est-ce qui est bon? What is good? Written vs. Spoken French with Questions

In spoken French, inversion and the use of est-ce que are usually dropped, but they must be used in written French. Additionally, some forms are contracted or the word order may differ. And it's very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui. Written forms Spoken forms Parlez-vous franais ? Est-ce que vous parlez franais Vous parlez franais ? ? Comment l'avez-vous appris ? Vous l'avez appris Comment est-ce que vous comment ? l'avez appris ? Quand es-tu arriv ? Quand t'es arriv ? Quand est-ce que tu es arriv ? T 'es arriv quand ? De quoi parlent-ils ? De quoi ils parlent ? De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent ? Ils parlent de quoi ? Pourquoi me regardes-tu ? Pourquoi est-ce que tu me Pourquoi tu me regardes ? regardes ? Qui t'a dit a ? Qui c'est qui t'a dit a? Qui est-ce qui t'a dit a ? Translation Do you speak French? How did you learn it? When did you arrive? What are they talking about? Why are you looking at me? Who told you that?

65. Forms of Lequel [ mp3 - 829 KB ]

Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies. It expresses Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition). Adjective Singular Masculine Quel livre lis-tu? Feminine Plural Quels livres lis-tu? Singular Lequel lis-tu? Pronoun Plural Lesquels lis-tu?

Quelle page lis-tu? Quelles pages lis-tu? Laquelle lis-tu? Lesquelles lis-tu? Lequel contracts with and de in the plural and masculine singular forms: Singular Masculine Feminine + lequel = auquel de + lequel = duquel + laquelle = laquelle Plural + lesquels = auxquels de + lesquels = desquels + lesquelles = auxquelles

de + laquelle = de laquelle de + lesquelles = desquelles Voil le portrait sans retouche de l'homme auquel j'appartiens. That's the unaltered portrait of the man to which I belong. [Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose] Et des amours desquelles nous parlons. - And the loves about which we talk. [by Jean-Denis Bredin]

You can also use another preposition + form of lequel to translate preposition + which: on which, to which, in which, etc. La table sur laquelle j'ai mis la bouteille est l-bas. - The table on which I put the bottle is over there. Le btiment dans lequel j'habite est trs vieux. - The building in which I live is very old.

66. Relative Pronouns [ mp3 - 569 KB ]

Relative pronouns join sentences together. These words signal a relative clause which explains the noun, called the antecedent. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause (a verb immediately follows), use qui. If the relative pronoun is the direct object of the clause (subject + verb follows), use que. If the verb of the dependent clause requires the preposition de, use dont to replace it. Also use dont to mean whose. Qui, que, and dont can all mean that or who, depending on the sentence. If the antecedent is a place or time, use o to mean where or when. When there is no specific antecedent, ce is added as an artificial one before que, qui or dont; but it can refer to only things, not people. Ce qui, ce que and ce dont generally mean what. Je mange des choses qui sont bonnes. Je mange des choses que j'aime. C'est ce que je disais. La femme dont le mari est mort... Voici ce dont j'ai besoin. C'est un restaurant o on sert du poisson. I eat things that are good. I eat things that I like. That's what I said. The woman whose husband is dead... Here is what I need. It's a restaurant where they serve fish. qui is subject que is object no antecedent whose avoir besoin is followed by de restaurant is a place

Dont can also be translated as including or of which. Sept morts, dont 6 civils, dans l'attentat. Seven dead, including six civilians, in the attack. After verbs of declaration or opinion (dire, affirmer, prtendre, jurer, dclarer, reconnatre, avouer, penser, croire), you do not need to use a relative pronoun or to repeat the subject. As long as the subject is the same in both clauses, you can replace que + subject + conjugated verb with the infinitive. Je pense que je peux le faire. = Je pense pouvoir le faire. I think that I can do it. Elle dit qu'elle le connais. = Elle dit le connatre. She says that she knows him. Vous avouez que vous avez menti. = Vous avouez avoir menti. You admit that you lied.

67. Demonstrative Pronouns [ mp3 - 571 KB ]

Demonstrative pronouns translate to the one(s), or that/those when replacing a noun. There are four forms, but they are not often used alone. De, qui, que, dont and -ci or -l usually follow them. Masc. Fem. Singular celui Plural ceux celle celles

Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume. Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the one of William) Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa sur. He is carrying his own books and his sister's. (or: those of his sister) Quelles fleurs aimes-tu, celles-ci ou celles-l? Which flowers do you like, these (ones) or those (ones)? Ceux qui travaillent dur russissent. Those who work hard succeed. C'est celui dont je parle. That's the one I'm talking about. The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that) and a (this/that) refer to indefinite things or ideas. J'aime a. I like that. Prenez ceci. Take this.

68. To Read, To Say / Tell, To Laugh [ mp3 - 511 KB ]

lire-to read (leer) lis lit lisez (lee-zay) lisent (leez) dire-to say/tell (deer) dis dit dites (deet) disent (deess) rire-to laugh (reer) ris rit riez (ree-ay) rient (ree) lis (lee) lisons (lee-zohn) dis (dee) disons (dee-zohn) ris (ree) rions (ree-ohn)

The past participles are: lu, dit and ri, and all three are conjugated with avoir.

69. Disjunctive Pronouns [ mp3 - 367 KB ]

1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only replace people, not things. However, if the preposition is , there are two possible rules: + person = indirect pronoun + person + = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases: se fier s'habituer s'intresser penser rver to trust to get used to to be interested in to think about to dream about

2. They can also be used alone, to emphasize a subject, with tre (to belong to) or in compound subjects.

Moi, j'ai faim. Me, I am hungry. Ses amis et lui, ils aiment manger. His friends and he, they like to eat. Ce livre est moi ! That book is mine! 3. They can be added to -mme to mean -self. elle-mme = herself 4. They are also used with ne...que. Ce n'est que lui. It's only him.

70. Y et En [ mp3 - 945 KB ]

Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb. Y (ee) means it or there. En (awn) means some or some (of them), or of it. They replace prepositional phrases. In French, the phrases will begin with (or any contraction of it), en, sur, sous, chez, devant, derrire, dans, etc. for y; and de (or any contraction of it) or a number for en. They cannot replace people unless the person is introduced with an indefinite article, partitive, number or quantity. Sometimes y and en have no direct translation in English. Remember that they go before the verb, except in a command, in which they follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen. The -er verbs also add the -s they lost when forming the you (familiar) command. Sample Sentences Do you want some apples? Voulez-vous des pommes? Do you want some? En voulez-vous? I have three sisters. J'ai trois surs. I have three (of them). J'en ai trois. It is in the drawer Il est dans le tiroir. It is there. Il y est. I am going to Detroit. Je vais Dtroit. I am going there. J'y vais. I am going to go to Atlanta. Je vais aller Atlanta. I am going to go there. Je vais y aller. Answer the telephone! Rpondez au tlphone ! Answer it! (formal) Rpondez-y ! Stay there! (familiar) Restes-y ! Don't stay there! (familiar) N'y reste pas. Y and en can also replace a phrase or clause, especially with verbs that require or de after them: I think a lot about these stories. I think about them a lot. Je rflchis beaucoup ces histoires. J'y rflchis beaucoup.

He obeyed the rules. He obeyed them. We don't need this book. We don't need it. She's using the computer. She's using it.

Il a obi aux rgles. Il y a obi. On n'a pas besoin de ce livre. On n'en a pas besoin. Elle se sert de l'ordinateur. Elle s'en sert.

Note: Notice y and en don't go after the verb in negative commands. Treat them like pronouns. Ne or Je plus y or en all contract to N'y (nee), J'y (zhee), N'en (nawn), and J'en (zhawn). When you have a conjugated verb plus an infinitive (vais and aller), the y or en go in between the two verbs.

71. To See, To Believe , To Write [ mp3 - 1.03 MB ]

Verbs take a direct object if they do not need a preposition to connect it to the noun. Verbs that take indirect objects use prepositions after the verb. Voir-to see (vwahr) and croire-to believe (krwahr) take a direct and crire-to write (ay-kreer) takes an indirect. voir-to see vois voit voyez (vwah-yay) voient (vwah) crois croit croire-to believe croyez (krwah-yay) croient (krwah) cris crit crire-to write crivez (ay-kree-vay) crivent (ay-kreev) vois (vwah) voyons (vwah-yohn) crois (krwah) croyons (krwah-yohn) cris (ay-kree) crivons (ay-kree-vohn)

The past participles are: vu, cru, and crit. You can sometimes tell if a verb takes a direct or indirect object by using the verbs in English. We say "I see her" or "She believes him" or "He writes to them." In French, it would be "Je la vois" (direct), "Elle le croit" (direct) and "Il leur crit." (indirect) But don't always count on English to help you out. Tlphoner () and obir () both take indirect objects in French but you can't tell that in English. In this case, you can tell by the that follows the infinitive. Writing Vocabulary question mark exclamation punctuation la ponctuation point quotation period le point marks comma la virgule parentheses les deux points colon apostrophe (m) semi-colon le point-virgule hyphen writing l'criture (f) le point d'interrogation le point d'exclamation les guillemets (m) la parenthse "at" sign (@) asterisk brackets slash l'arobase (f) l'astrisque (m) le crochet la barre

l'apostrophe (f) uppercase majuscule le trait d'union lowercase minuscule

When typing in French, you must leave an extra space before a punctuation mark that has two components, such as a colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.

72. Animals [ mp3 - 4.27 MB ]

ant antelope antenna bat beak bear bee bird blackbird bull butterfly calf cat caterpillar cheetah chicken chimpanzee claw cockroach cod cocoon cow crab crayfish crocodile crow deer dog donkey dragonfly duck eagle eel elephant feather fin fish la fourmi l'antilope l'antenne la chauve-souris le bec l'ours (m) l'abeille (f) l'oiseau (m) le merle le taureau le papillon le veau le chat la chenille le gupard le poulet le chimpanz la griffe la cafard la morue le cocon la vache le crabe l'crevisse (f) le crocodile le corbeau le cerf le chien l'ne (m) la libellule le canard l'aigle (m) l'anguille (f) l'lphant (m) la plume la nageoire le poisson giraffe goat goose gorilla grasshopper hamster hare hen herring hoof horn horse hummingbird iguana insect jellyfish kitten ladybug lamb lark lion lizard lobster (spiny) louse mackerel mole monkey mosquito moth mouse mule mussel nest nightingale octopus ostrich owl la girafe la chvre l'oie (f) le gorille la sauterelle le hamster le livre la poule la hareng le sabot la corne le cheval le colibri l'iguane l'insecte (m) la mduse le chaton la coccinelle l'agneau (m) l'alouette (f) le lion le lzard la langouste le pou le maquereau la taupe le singe le moustique le papillon de nuit la souris le mulet la moule le nid le rossignol la pieuvre l'autruche le hibou pig pigeon pike pony puppy rabbit raccoon rat rooster salmon scale scorpion sea gull seal shark sheep shrimp slug snail snake sparrow spider squid squirrel starfish swallow swan tadpole tail tiger toad trout tuna turkey turtle wasp weasel le cochon le pigeon le brochet le poney le chiot le lapin le raton laveur le rat le coq le saumon l'caille (f) le scorpion la mouette le phoque le requin le mouton la crevette la limace l'escargot (m) le serpent le moineau l'araigne (f) le calamar l'cureuil (m) l'toile de mer l'hirondelle (f) le cygne le ttard la queue le tigre le crapaud la truite le thon le dindon la tortue la gupe la belette

flea fly fox frog gill

la puce la mouche le renard la grenouille la branchie sit lie down shake dog/cat food leash collar to take/let dog out to climb on

ox oyster parrot partridge penguin assis couche-toi donne la patte les croquettes la laisse le collier sortir le chien grimper sur

le buf l'hutre (f) le perroquet la perdrix le pingouin to bark to growl to pant to whine/whimper to drool to meow to scratch to pounce on

whale la baleine wing l'aile (f) wolf le loup worm le ver zebra le zbre aboyer grogner haleter gmir baver miauler griffer se jeter sur

73. Plaire and Manquer [ mp3 - 914 KB ]

plaire-to please, enjoy plais pleh plaisez pleh-zay manquer-to miss, be lacking mawnk manquons mawn-kohn mawn-kay mawnk manquent mawnk manques mawnk manquez manque plais pleh plaisons pleh-zohn manque plat pleh plaisent plehzz

The past participle of plaire is plu. To say that someone likes something, you have to switch the subject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or someone pleases." As a reflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere. Faire plaisir can also be used to mean "to delight or to like." Cette chienne plat Dominique. Dominique likes this dog. (Literally: This dog is pleasing to Dominique.) a t'a plu? Did you like it? Ils se plaisent Londres. They enjoy being in London. Cela me fait plaisir de vous revoir. I am happy to see you again. Manquer has several meanings: to miss, to lack, or to regret the absence (miss). The last meaning uses inverted word order just like plaire. Manquer means "to fail to do." Elle a manqu le train. She missed the train. Vous manquez de courage. You lack courage. Tu me manques. I miss you. (Literally: You are missing to me) Ils ont manqu aux devoirs. They failed to do the homework.

74. Pluperfect (Past Perfect) [ mp3 - 232 KB ]

This compound tense is used for flashbacks or anything that had happened before the time of the narration. It's formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or tre and the past participle of the main verb. This tense is comparable to the pass compos.

Imperfect of avoir or tre avais avions avais aviez avait avaient tais tions tais tiez tait taient + past participle

Je n'avais pas fini mon travail quand il est arriv. I had not finished my work when he arrived. Vous aviez faim parce que vous n'aviez pas du tout mang. You were hungry because you hadn't eaten at all. Nous avions manqu le rendez-vous parce que le bus tait en retard. We had missed the meeting because the bus was late.

75. Indefinite Pronouns [ mp3 - 576 KB ]

Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or something. someone/body something some somewhere several some...others another quelqu'un quelque chose (de + adjective) quelques-uns / quelques-unes quelque part plusieurs certains...d'autres un(e) autre each not one, none anything anyone anywhere any time nowhere chacun(e) aucun(e) n'importe quoi n'importe qui n'importe o n'importe quand nulle part

Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every). Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a noun, while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun. 76. Subjunctive Mood [ mp3 - 2.48 MB ] If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used rather than the indicative. The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the word que. The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a different subject from the dependent clause. If the two subjects are the same, the infinitive is used. Je doute que Marc soit l. I doubt that Marc is here. (shows judgment and opinion) Je veux venir. NOT: Je veux que je vienne. (use infinitive, same subject) To form the subjunctive, use the ils/elles form of the present indicative tense. This is also the form for the ils/elles form of the

subjunctive. For je, tu, il/elle, drop the -ent and add -e, -es, and -e. Nous and vous use the imperfect forms. -e -ions -es -iez -e -ent

Conjugations in the Subjunctive

aie (ay) aies ait avoir ayons ayez aient tre sois (swah) sois soit soyons soyez soient faire aller fasse fassions aille (eye) allions fasses fassiez ailles alliez fasse fassent aille aillent

vouloir pouvoir savoir pleuvoir veuille (vuhee) voulions puisse (pweess) puissions sache sachions veuilles vouliez puisses puissiez saches sachiez veuille veuillent puisse puissent sache sachent pleuve These verbs and conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive: Verbs douter suggrer vouloir proposer avoir peur regretter craindre tre content(e)/triste/dsol(e)/surpris(e), etc. penser/croire/trouver
(negative and interrogative forms only)

Verbal Expressions il faut que il vaut mieux que il est important que il se peut que il est possible que il est temps que c'est dommage que

Conjunctions avant que pour / afin que jusqu' ce que moins que bien que / quoique sans que en attendant que

Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me. Il est content que nous soyons l. He's happy that we are here. Est-ce que vous pensez qu'elle puisse le faire ? Do you think that she can do it? Il faut que je fasse la vaisselle. I have to do the dishes. Elle sera l jusqu' ce que vous partiez. She will be there until you leave. However, douter, jusqu' ce que, moins que, and bien que / quoique use the subjunctive whether there is a change in subject or not. And when using avant before an infinitive, the construction

is avant de + infinitive. Note, also, that the subjunctive is not used with esprer or il est probable, although the subjunctive may be used with these words in other Romance languages. The word ne is used after certain conjunctions (most notably avant que and moins que) that take the subjunctive, but this does not make the phrase negative: Finissez le travail avant que la classe ne se termine. Finish the work before class ends. 77. Falloir and Valoir [ mp3 - 579 KB ] Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs used in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are: imperfect present perfect present future conditional il fallait il a fallu il faut il faudra il faudrait il valait il a valu il vaut il vaudra il vaudrait

Falloir can be translated as must, have to, be required to, etc. It can be followed directly by an infinitive, or a subject and the subjunctive mood. Il faut rester la maison aujourd'hui. You must stay at home today. Il faut pas le faire ! You must not do it! Il faut qu'il parte 8h. He must leave at 8. In addition to worth, valoir mieux is used in translating "it's better." a ne vaut pas la peine. It's not worth it. Il vaut mieux en rire quen pleurer. It's better to laugh about it than cry. 78. Adverbs [ mp3 - 1.02 MB ] bien mieux mal peu dj bientt ici l dedans dehors souvent d'habitude well better badly little already soon here there inside outside often usually quelquefois toujours vite donc encore quelque part maintenant tt tard peut-tre jamais nulle part sometimes always quickly therefore yet somewhere now early late maybe (n)ever nowhere

To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end. If the masculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that. Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant take the endings -emment and -amment. Masculine naturel heureux lent facile probable intelligent brillant rcent Feminine naturelle heureuse lente facile probable intelligente brillante rcente Adverb naturellement heureusement lentement facilement probablement intelligemment brillamment rcemment

Note: Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and ventuellement (possibly, perhaps) can be deceiving. A Few Irregular Adverbs vrai vraiment gentil gentiment profond profondment bref brivement prcis prcisment Note: Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense. Adverbs of opinion and time usually go at the beginning or end of the sentence. When peut-tre and sans doute begin a sentence or clause, they are usually followed by que. With the pass compos, most adverbs are placed between the auxiliary verb and past participle. In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb, except with peut-tre, sans doute, srement, and probablement. Adverbs of time and place generally follow the past participle. 79. Tools & Hobbies [ mp3 - 1.56 MB ] tools toolbox hammer screwdriver nail screw wrench adjustable wrench bolt nut pliers les outils la bote outils le marteau le tournevis le clou la vis la cl la cl molette le boulon l'crou (m) les pinces (f) chisel measuring tape chainsaw file do-it-yourself handicrafts embroidery cross-stitch needlework needle thread le ciseau le mtre la trononneuse la lime le bricolage l'artisanat la broderie le point de croix la couture l'aiguille (f) le fil

saw blade handle anvil clamp / vise shovel pick axe drill drill bit

la scie la lame le manche l'enclume (f) l'tau (m) la pelle la pioche la perceuse la mche

painting jewelry making gardening knitting photography woodworking pottery drawing cooking

peindre faire des bijoux le jardinage le tricot la photographie la menuiserie la poterie le dessin la cuisine

Other expressions related to hobbies/leisure time: bavarder - to chat bronzer - to tan faire la grasse matine - to sleep in late faire la sieste - to take a nap faire une pause - to take a break faire une promenade - to take a walk faire un tour - to go out for a while prendre un bain de soleil - to sunbathe prendre un verre - to go out for a drink se dtendre - to relax se reposer - to rest 80. False Cognates [ mp3 - 313 KB ] Les faux-amis or false cognates are a common pitfall among language students. The following are some common words that you may be deceived by: Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse. Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of. Une injure is an insult, not an injury. Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently. Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement. Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt. Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture. Original means new or innovative. Humeur means mood, not humor. Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.

Djeuner du matin
Jacques Prvert Il a mis le caf Dans la tasse Il a mis le lait Dans la tasse de caf Il a mis le sucre Dans le caf au lait

Breakfast
Jacques Prvert He put the coffee In the cup He put the milk In the cup of coffee He put the sugar In the caf au lait

Avec la petite cuiller Il a tourn Il a bu le caf au lait Et il a repos la tasse Sans me parler Il a allum Une cigarette Il a fait des ronds Avec la fume Il a mis les cendres Dans le cendrier Sans me parler Sans me regarder Il s'est lev Il a mis Son chapeau sur sa tte Il a mis Son manteau de pluie Parce qu'il pleuvait Et il est parti Sous la pluie Sans une parole Et moi j'ai pris Ma tte dans ma main Et j'ai pleur.

With the coffee spoon He stirred He drank the caf au lait And he set down the cup Without a word to me He lit A cigarette He made smoke-rings With the smoke He put the ashes In the ashtray Without a word to me Without a look at me He got up He put His hat upon his head He put his raincoat on Because it was raining And he left In the rain Without a word And I, I took My head in my hand And I cried.

Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from Paroles by Prvert

Le Corbeau et le Renard
Jean de la Fontaine Matre corbeau, sur un arbre perch, Tenait en son bec un fromage, Matre renard, par l'odeur allch, Lui tint peu prs ce langage: <<Eh bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau. Que vous tes joli ! que vous me semblez beau ! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte votre plumage, Vous tes le phnix des htes de ces bois.>> A ces mots, le corbeau ne se sent pas de joie; Et pour montrer sa belle voix, Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie. Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: <<Mon bon monsieur, Apprenez que tout flatteur Vit aux dpens de celui qui l'coute. Cette leon vaut bien un fromage sans doute.>> Le corbeau, honteux et confus, Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.

The Crow and the Fox

Jean de la Fontaine Master Crow perched on a tree, Was holding a cheese in his beak. Master Fox attracted by the smell Said something like this: "Well, Hello Mister Crow! How beautiful you are! how nice you seem to me! Really, if your voice Is like your plumage, You are the phoenix of all the inhabitants of these woods." At these words, the Crow is overjoyed. And in order to show off his beautiful voice, He opens his beak wide, lets his prey fall The Fox grabs it, and says: "My good man, Learn that every flatterer Lives at the expense of the one who listens to him. This lesson, without doubt, is well worth a cheese." The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed, Swore, but a little late, that he would not be taken again.

81. Colloquial Expressions [ mp3 - 1.38 MB ]

Il faut + infinitive (it is necessary, one must) Il faut tourner gauche. It is necessary to turn left. Il faut faire les devoirs. One must do homework. Il lui faut aller l'cole. He must go to school. Il faut + noun (need) Il faut du fromage. You need some cheese. Il faut un jeton. You need a token. Il me faut un stylo. I need a pen. Il reste (there remains) Il reste une chambre. There is one room left. Il n'en reste plus. There are no more left. Il me reste trois jours. I have three days left. Notice that il faut and il reste can both take an object pronoun to indicate a person.

Il vaut mieux + infinitive (it is better) Il vaut mieux prendre le bus. It is better to take the bus. Il vaut mieux apprendre les langues que la politique. It's better to learn languages than politics. Il s'agit de (it's a question of, it's a matter of, it's about) De quoi s'agit-il ? What's is about? Il ne s'agit pas de a ! That's not the point! Il s'agit de ton avenir. It's a matter of your future. Avoir beau (although, despite the fact, however much) J'ai beau tudier cette langue, je ne la parle pas. Although I study this language, I don't speak it. Il a beau faire froid, nous sortirons. Although is it cold, we will go out. Avoir l'air + adjective (to seem/look) a a l'air dlicieux. That looks delicious. Vous avez l'air fatigu. You seem tired. a n'a pas l'air d'aller. Things don't look so good. a vous dit ? / a vous dirait de... ? (Would you like to? / How would you feel about...? / Does that interest you? / Does that ring a bell?) a vous dirait de regarder un film ce soir ? Are you interested in watching a movie tonight? / Would you like to watch a movie tonight? Non, a me dit rien. No, that doesn't interest me. / No, I don't want to. a te dit quelque chose ? Does that ring a bell? / Does that remind you of anything? Non, a me dit rien. No, that doesn't ring a bell. / That doesn't remind me of anything. a ne me dit pas grande chose. That does nothing for me. a parle de quoi / qui ? (What / Who is it about?) a parle de quoi, le livre que tu cris ? What's the book about that you're writing? a y est ! ( There! That's it ! It's done!) a a t (How did it go? / It went well.) Ton examen, a a t ? How did your exam go? Oui, a a t. It went well. On dirait... [a ressemble ] (It seems / it looks like / it tastes like / it smells like / it feels like / it sounds like) On dirait un chat. It looks like a cat. pas terrible (terrible actually means terrific in this phrase) C'est pas terrible, ce film. This movie is not very good. pas mal de (a lot of, lots of, tons of - synonym of beaucoup) J'ai pas mal de trucs faire aujourd'hui. I have lots of things to do today.

82. Conjunctions / Connecting Words [ mp3 - 1.55 MB ]

auparavant d'abord

before first

de mme en/de plus d'ailleurs plutt surtout

similarly moreover / furthermore besides rather especially

par exemple pour / afin de par contre / en revanche d'autre part au moins malgr / en dpit de sauf cependant / pourtant mme si

for example in order to on the contrary on the other hand at least in spite of except however / yet even if

ensuite / puis then plus tard aprs alors ainsi donc finalement / enfin quand / lorsque aussitt / ds que tant que depuis bien que later after so thus therefore finally when as soon as as long as since although

quand mme anyway au fait en fait c'est--dire by the way actually that is to say

en d'autres in other words termes c'est pour a that's why que parce que because car for / because puisque / since comme cause de because of

par consquent consequently comme si nanmoins soit... soit en conclusion en bref as though nevertheless either... or in conclusion in brief / in short

alors / tandis while / que whereas

The word soit has several meanings. It is also the third person singular form of tre in the present subjunctive. Je veux qu'il soit l. I want him to be here. It can also be used to mean i.e. or that is when introducing a clause. Le contenu du CD est bilingue, soit franais et anglais. The contents of the CD are bilingual, i.e. French and English.

83. Forms of Tout [ mp3 - 514 KB ]

As an adjective, tout precedes and agrees with the noun. masc. sing. tout le train fem. sing. masc. pl. fem. pl. toute la journe tous les enfants the whole train the whole day all the kids

toutes les mres all the moms

As a pronoun, tout can be used alone; it then means everything and is invariable. Tout va bien. Everything's fine. Je ne peux pas tout faire. I can't do everything. It can also reinforce the subject as in: Ils sont tous l. They are all here.

Tout can also be used with direct object pronouns. The forms of tout follow the verb in a simple tense and go between the auxiliary and past participle in a compound tense. Je les ai toutes. I have them all. Je ne les ai pas tous eu. I didn't have them all. Note: The s of tous is pronounced when tous is a pronoun. Idiomatic Expressions with Tout en tout cas tout le monde tout de suite de toute faon tout fait pas du tout malgr tout tout l'heure in any case everyone right away anyway completely not at all in spite of it all in a little while

toutes sortes de all kinds of

84. Babies / Children [ mp3 - 1.03 MB ] baby fetus diaper rattle pacifier bottle carriage stroller bib crib cradle kids slide seesaw swing le bb le ftus la couche le hochet la ttine le biberon le landau la poussette le bavoir le lit de bb le berceau les gosses (m) le toboggan la balanoire carousel toys ball marbles doll teddybear blocks top puppet kite balloon rollerblades rollerskates wagon hopscotch le mange les jouets (m) le ballon les billes (f) la poupe le nounours les cubes (m) la toupie la marionnette le cerf-volant le ballon les rollers (m) le patin roulettes le petit chariot le labyrinthe la marelle

safety pin l'pingle nourrice (f)

stuffed animals les peluches (f)

high chair la chaise haute

la balanoire bascule maze

A doudou refers to anything that babies like to hold to feel safe, such as a security blanket or a favorite stuffed animal.

85. Primary / Secondary School [ mp3 - 1.05 MB ] school teacher (m) teacher (f) elem. teacher (m) elem. teacher (f) chalkboard chalk desk student university student book backpack schoolbag locker globe diploma school supplies pencil case l'cole (f) l'enseignant l'enseignante l'instituteur l'institutrice le tableau la craie le pupitre l'lve l'tudiant(e) le livre le sac dos le cartable le casier le globe terrestre le diplme les fournitures scolaires la trousse pencil mechanical pencil pen eraser ink ink jar pencil sharpener glue scissors ruler highlighter crayons marker piece of paper spiral notebook folder notebook binder notepad le crayon le porte-mine le stylo la gomme l'encre (f) l'encrier (f) le taille-crayons la colle les ciseaux (m) la rgle le surligneur les crayons de couleur (m) le marqueur la feuille le carnet de notes spirale la chemise le cahier le classeur le bloc-notes

secondary teacher le professeur

Students of all ages use a trousse in France. They're not just for elementary students!

86. Passive Voice [ mp3 - 782 KB ]

As in English, the passive voice in French is composed of a tense of the verb to be and a past participle. However, only a direct object in French can become the subject of the passive form. The active form, le chat mange la souris is made passive thus: La souris est mange par le chat. The cat eats the mouse becomes the mouse is eaten by the cat. The subject in the active sentence (le chat) becomes the object of the passive. The direct object of the active sentence (la souris) becomes the subject of the passive sentence preceded by "par." The verb of the active sentence is changed into a past participle (mange becomes mange, notice the agreement!) preceded by a form of tre. Elle est porte par Jean. She is carried by John. Elles ont t inspires par Van Gogh. They were inspired by

Van Gogh. Il avait t tu par les soldats franais. He had been killed by French soldiers. Notice how pronominal verbs change from active to passive: Active: Je me suis rveille. I woke up. Passive: J'ai t rveille par quelque chose. I was awakened by something. Passive is Not Possible If a verb takes an indirect object, it cannot be transformed into the passive voice in French. In this case, on is used in the active construction, as long as the agent is not specified and the action is performed by a human being (i.e. no natural forces, such as weather). On a donn un cadeau ma mre. My mother was given a present. [Someone gave a present to my mother.] On lui a dit de retrouver le conservateur au muse. He was told to meet the curator at the museum. [Someone told him to meet the collector at the museum.] Alternatives to the Passive In addition to using on as the subject of an active construction to replace the passive, you can also use the pronominal constructions: se voir [to see oneself], s'entendre [to hear oneself], se faire [to get oneself] and se laisser [to let oneself] + infinitive. These verbs can be used when the agent is specified, unlike the active construction with on. Je me suis vu promettre une augmentation. I have been promised a raise. Elle s'est entendu dire qu'il allait mourir. She was told that he was going to die. Jean s'est fait arrter. John got arrested. Ils se sont laiss tomber malade. They let themselves get sick. You can also use a pronominal verb to translate the passive, as long as the agent is not specified. However, this does not work for all verbs. a s'crit comment? How is that written? a ne se dit plus. That is not said anymore. Use tre + infinitive to translate must + English passive: Ce monument est voir ! This monument must be seen! Ce rapport est refaire. This report must be redone.

87. Depuis, il y a, and pendant in past contexts [ mp3 - 533

KB ] 1. To express an action that has been going on, depuis (or il y a ... que) is used with the present tense. Depuis quand avez-vous votre ordinateur ? Je l'ai depuis deux ans.

Depuis combien de temps avez-vous votre ordinateur ? How long have you had your computer ? Je conduis depuis longtemps.

a fait deux ans que je l'ai. Il y a deux ans que je l'ai. I've had it for two years. I have been driving for a long time.

2. But to express an action that had been going on for some time when something else happened, depuis is used with the imperfect. Nous conduisions depuis deux heures, quand j'ai propos de prendre le volant. We had been driving for two hours when I volunteered to drive.

3. To express an action that you have not done for some time, use depuis with the pass compos. Je n'ai pas conduit depuis mon mariage. I haven't driven since I've been married.

4. To express an action that was done for a period of time, pendant is used, usually with the pass compos. But for an action that was completed some time ago, use il y a, also with the pass compos. J'ai lou une voiture pendant deux semaines. J'ai appris conduire il y a deux ans. I rented a car for two weeks. I learned to drive two years ago.

88. Post Office / Bank [ mp3 - 914 KB ]

post office letter postcard stamp phone booth mailbox mail slot address return address label packing tape package postmark rubber band ink pad string la poste la lettre la carte postale le timbre la cabine tlphonique la bote lettres la fente l'adresse l'expditeur l'tiquette le ruban adhsif le paquet le cachet de la poste l'lastique le tampon encre la ficelle bank teller bill check checkbook ATM key lock filing cabinet safety deposit box notepad credit card security camera security guard drive-thru window safe la banque le caissier / la caissire le billet le chque le chquier le guichet automatique la cl la serrure le classeur le coffre le bloc-notes la carte de crdit la camra de surveillance le gardien le drive-in le coffre-fort

89. To Receive [ mp3 - 267 KB ]

Recevoir-to receive (ruh-suh-vwahr) reois ruh-swah recevons ruh-suh-vohn

reois ruh-swah recevez

ruh-suh-vay

reoit ruh-swah reoivent ruh-swahv The past participle of recevoir is reu.

90. Verbs followed by or de before infinitives or nouns [

mp3 part 1 - 2.55 MB ] [ mp3 part 2 - 1.36 B ] Some verbs require or de before an infinitive: Verb + + infinitive aider to help s'amuser to have fun apprendre to learn Verb + de + infinitive accepter de to accept conseiller de to advise arrter de to stop convenir de to agree upon avoir envie de to feel like craindre de to fear to be arriver to manage avoir honte de dsesprer de to despair ashamed chercher to look for avoir peur de to be afraid dissuader de to dissuade avoir raison commencer to begin to be right entreprendre de to undertake de consister to consist avoir tort de to be wrong envisager de to contemplate continuer to continue choisir de to choose s'tonner de to astonish donner to give dcider de to decide se garder de to keep oneself encourager to encourage dfendre de to forbid ngliger de to neglect enseigner to teach demander de to ask persuader de to persuade se dpcher s'exercer to practice/learn to hurry up prier de to beg de s'habituer to get used to dire de to say recommander de to recommend hsiter to hesitate empcher de to prevent reprocher de to reproach insister to insist essayer de to try tre heureux inviter to invite to be happy de to be renoncer to give up tre oblig de required russir to succeed viter de to avoid songer to consider s'excuser de to apologize s'appliquer to apply to finir de to finish to become s'attacher interdire de to forbid attached se dcider to decide menacer de to threaten s'employer to use oublier de to forget inciter to incite permettre de to permit s'obstiner to insist promettre de to promise parvenir to succeed refuser de to refuse persister to persist in regretter de to regret pousser to push remercier de to thank provoquer to provoke rver de to dream se risquer to risk risquer de to risk veiller to look after venir de to have just

viser

to aim

cesser de

to stop

Venir de + infinitive means "to have just" + past participle in English. Je viens de manger. I just ate. Some verbs require or de before nouns: aller assister demander dire convenir jouer nuire obir penser plaire renoncer rpondre resister ressembler songer survivre tlphoner Verb + + noun to suit to attend to ask (someone) to tell (someone) to suit to play (sport/game) to harm to obey to think of to please to give up to answer to resist to resemble to consider to survive to phone s'apercevoir de s'approcher de avoir besoin de changer de dpendre de douter de hriter de jouer de jouir de manquer de se mfier de penser de remercier de rire de se servir de se souvenir de vivre de Verb + de + noun to notice to approach to need to change to depend on to doubt to inherit to play (instrument) to enjoy to lack to distrust to think/have an opinion about to thank for to laugh at to use to remember to live on

And some verbs require no prepositions in French, while others use different prepositions from English: No prepositions in French to approve approuver of attendre to wait for chercher demander couter esprer payer rappeler regarder sentir viser to look for to ask for to listen to to hope for to pay for to remind of to look at to smell of/like to aim at Different prepositions from English entrer dans consister en se fcher contre to enter to consist of to get angry with

Tu me rappelle mon pre. You remind me of my father. a sent la pluie. It smells like rain. 91. Adjectives followed by or de before infinitives [ mp3 - 1.32 MB ] Adjective + + infinitive accessible accessible agrable pleasant amusant fun antrieur previous/earlier attach attached conforme standard contraire contrary dernier last ennuyeux boring tranger foreign expos exposed favorable favorable infrieur inferior/lower intressant interesting lger light lent slow lourd heavy oppos opposite pnible difficult premier first prt ready rapide fast semblable similar seul only suprieur superior/higher terrible terrible utile useful Adjective + de + infinitive accus de accused assur de assure/insured capable de capable certain de certain charg de charged/loaded connu de known conscient de conscious content de content/satisfied dnud de naked/bare dsireux de desirous dsol de sorry diffrent de different digne de fit/worthy exempt de exempt furieux de furious heureux de happy honteux de ashamed impatient de impatient plein de full priv de private proche de close/near rempli de full soucieux de worried sr de sure triste de sad vide de empty

92. To Follow [ mp3 - 318 KB ]

Suivre-to follow (sweev-ruh) suis swee suivons swee-vohn suis swee suivez swee-vay suit swee suivent sweev The past participle of suivre is suivi. Suivre can also be used with school subjects to mean "to take a course." Suivez le guide ! Follow the guide!

Suivez les instructions. Follow the instructions. Je suis un cours de maths. I'm taking a math class.

93. Faire Causative [ mp3 - 533 KB ]

Faire + an infinitive is called the faire causative. It translates to "have something done by someone or cause something to be done by someone," or "to cause someone to do something." Je rpare la voiture. I'm fixing the car. Je fais rparer la voiture. I'm having the car fixed. Il peint son appartement. He's painting his apartment. Il fait peindre son appartement. He's having his apartment painted. Le bb mange. The baby is eating. Elle fait manger le bb. She's feeding the baby. When replacing the object with a pronoun, the pronoun precedes faire. And in past tenses, the past participle remains invariable. Je la fais rparer. I'm having it fixed. Il leur a fait apprendre les verbes. He had them learn the verbs. Il les leur a fait apprendre. He had them learn them. Se faire + infinitive is usually translated as "to get" + (oneself) + verb. Tu vas te faire tuer. You're going to get yourself killed. Il va se faire casser la gueule. He's going to break his neck. Se faire soigner sans se faire arrter. Get treated/looked after without getting arrested. vitez de vous faire piquer. Avoid getting stung.

94. Direct and Indirect Discourse [ mp3 - 594 KB ]

Direct discourse relates exactly what someone has said or written, using quotation marks and the original wording. Indirect discourse relates indirectly, without quotation marks, what someone has said or written. It works the same way in French as it does in English. Direct Discourse Indirect Discourse Il me dit: <<Je pars en vacances Il me dit qu'il part en vacances et Main verb is present et ma famille a lou une villa.>> que sa famille a lou une villa. Il m'a dit: <<Je pars en vacances Il m'a dit qu'il partait en vacances et Main verb in past que sa famille avait lou une villa. et ma famille a lou une villa.>> Note that if the main verb is in the present tense, no tense changes occur when using indirect discourse. However, if the main verb is in a past tense, the following tense changes occur: Present ---> Imperfect Pass Compos --> Pluperfect The Imperfect and Pluperfect do not change. Remember to use que to introduce each dependent clause, and adjust personal pronouns and possessive adjectives.

In questions, the following (rather uncomplicated) changes occur: 1. Yes/no questions = si + declarative sentence Je t'ai demand si tu avais faim. 2. O, quand, comment, etc. = interrogative word + declarative sentence Il m'a demand quelle heure j'allais revenir. 3. Interrogative pronouns are a little trickier: qui est-ce qui qui est-ce que qu'est-ce qui qu'est-ce que qui Il m'a demand qui tait rest. Elle m'a demand qui j'avais vu.

ce qui Ils m'ont demand ce qui s'tait pass. ce que Elles m'ont demand ce que j'avais dit.

95. Computers and Internet [ mp3 - 700 KB ]

computer disk document CD-ROM monitor keyboard mouse printer memo fax machine photocopier typewriter software file cabinet memory card USB key external HD attachment attach l'ordinateur la disquette le document le cdrom l'cran le clavier la souris l'imprimante la note de service le tlcopieur la photocopieuse la machine crire le logiciel le dossier le placard la carte mmoire la cl USB le disque dur externe la pice jointe joindre scanner laptop internet internet user online link bookmark e-mail password search engine chat room bulletin board homepage website web browswer cable DSL sign on / off scroll up / down download le scanner le portable l'internet l'internaute en-ligne le lien le signet le courriel / le mail le mot de passe le moteur de recherche la salle de tchatche le forum la page d'accueil le site le navigateur le cble l'ADSL se connecter / dconnecter drouler le texte tlcharger

French uses portable to refer to a laptop computer and a cell phone. 96. Ne Expltif [ mp3 - 533 KB ] Sometimes ne must be inserted in a phrase even when it is not expressing the negative. (However, do not confuse the use of ne expltif with the verbs that can exist in the negative with only using ne and not pas in formal, written language: cesser, daigner, oser, pouvoir, savoir).

It is used 1) after certain conunctions: avant que, moins que; 2) after expressions and verbs of fear: de crainte que, de peur que, craindre que, avoir peur que, redouter que, trembler que, empcher que, viter que; 3) before a verb that follows a comparison of inequality: plus, moins, autre; and 4) after adverbs of doubt and negation used in the negative to express a positive idea. Je sors ce soir moins qu'il ne pleuve. I'll go out this evening unless it rains. Il craint que tu ne sois fatigu aprs le voyage. He's afraid that you'll be tired after the trip. Nous sommes plus forts qu'elle ne pense. We are stronger than she thinks. Je ne doute pas que vous ne fassiez des progrs. I don't doubt that you are making progress.

97. Conditional Tenses: Present and Past [ mp3 - 1.21 MB ]

The present conditional tense corresponds to "would." It is used after the imperfect in a conditional sentence. Most conditionals sentences begin with si (if). However, do not confuse the conditional would with the would that expresses a repeated action in the past. If would means used to, then the imperfect tense is used. Another use of the conditional is in news reports to indicate that the information is not confirmed. Si j'tais (imperfect) dans une autre famille, est-ce que je serais (conditional) plus heureuse ? If I were in another family, would I be happier? Quand nous tions (imperfect) en vacances, nous dormions (imperfect) jusqu' midi. When we were on vacation, we would (used to) sleep until noon. Un otage tranger serait mort en route pour l'hpital. A foreign hostage (probably) died on the way to the hospital. To form the conditional, use the infinitive and add the imperfect endings. But remember to drop the -e on -re verbs. -ais -ions -ais -iez -ait -aient Also, you use the same irregular stems and exceptions for the conditional that are used for the future tense. You may have noticed that the future and conditional forms for je seem to be pronounced the same. Actually, the future ending is pronounced ay and the conditional like eh. However, it is difficult to understand the differences in spoken French and most people pronounce them the same anyway. The past conditional is formed by using the conditional of avoir or tre and a past participle. It corresponds to "would have" and is used in hypothetical sentences.

Il n'aurait jamais dit a ! He would have never said that!

If... sentences
When si (if) is used in sentences of condition, the verb tenses change. These pretty much correspond to English usage. 1. Si + present tense + present, imperative, or future Si je suis fatigue, je me repose. If I'm tired, I rest. Repose-toi si tu es fatigu. Rest if you're tired. Si je suis fatigu demain, je me reposerai. If I am tired tomorrow, I will rest. 2. Si + imperfect + present conditional Si j'tais riche, je pourrais acheter un chteau. If I were rich, I would buy a castle. Il deviendrait roi s'il avait plus de courage. He would become king if he had more courage. 3. Si + pluperfect + past conditional Si j'avais su, j'aurais compris. If I had known, I would have understood. It is possible to have past conditional with the imperfect, and it is also possible to have present conditional with pluperfect. However, you can never have the future or conditional tenses directly following si. They must be in the other clause. Translating Would, Could, Should In general, you use the conditional tense of a verb to express would + infinitive, such as je dirais - I would say. Again, make sure to use the imperfect of the verb if you're referring to repeated actions in the past (i.e. used to). You can also use the conditional of pouvoir to mean could, as long as the meaning is something that is yet to happen. Il pourrait m'aider. He could help me. Otherwise, you use the imperfect or pass compos to mean could if you're referring to the past of can (i.e. was/were not able to). Elle ne pouvait pas s'arrter de rire. She couldn't stop laughing. Should is usually translated by using the conditional of devoir. Tu ne devrais pas dire a. You shouldn't say that. For would have, could have and should have, you use the past conditional of the verb, past conditional of pouvoir + infinitive, and past conditional of devoir + infinitive, respectively. Just remember that would and would have are not followed by infinitives in French. would could should would have could have should have conditional of verb conditional of pouvoir + infinitive conditional of devoir + infinitive past conditional of verb past conditional of pouvoir + infinitive past conditional of devoir + infinitive il dirait il pourrait dire il devrait dire il aurait dit il aurait pu dire il aurait d dire he would say he could say he should say he would have said he could have said he should have said

"You shouldn't have" or "that wasn't necessary" when someone gives you a gift is il ne fallait pas.

98. Parts of a Car / At the Gas Station [ mp3 - 1.27 MB ]

horn hood brake steering wheel windshield wipers dashboard accelerator headlights windshield motor trunk body (of car) driver's license gasoline traffic lights oil hubcap air hose le klaxon le capot le frein le volant les essuie-glaces le tableau de bord l'acclrateur les phares le pare-brise le moteur le coffre la carrosserie le permis de conduire l'essence les feux l'huile l'enjoliveur la pompe air The most common types of cars in France are Peugeot, Clio, Renault, and Fiat, and the majority are manual drive. Automatic cars in Europe are generally reserved for handicapped people. The driving age in France is 18, and young drivers who have just gotten their licenses have a red A sticker on their car. directional signal license plate brake light (on car) car window door gas tank wheel tire bumper fender door handle air conditioning heater battery gas cap gas pump le clignotant la plaque d'immatriculation le stop la voiture la vitre la portire le rservoir la roue le pneu le pare-chocs l'aile la poigne de portire la climatisation le chauffage la batterie le bouchon de rservoir d'essence la pompe essence

99. To Drive [ mp3 - 312 KB ]

Conduire-to drive (kohn-dweer) conduis kohn-dwee conduisons kohn-dwee-zohn conduis kohn-dwee conduisez kohn-dwee-zay conduit kohn-dwee conduisent kohn-dweez The past participle of conduire is conduit. Other verbs conjugated like conduire are: traduire - to translate, produire - to produce, and construire - to construct.

100. Travelling / At the Airport [ mp3 - 1.22 MB ]

suitcase clothes passport diary traveler's checks dictionary flight baggage Euro bill coin change cent arrival departure Where is/are... currency exchange passport check customs entrance lost and found information exit taxi stand restroom la valise les vtements le passeport le journal les chques de voyage le dictionnaire le vol les bagages l'euro le billet la pice la monnaie le centime l'arrive le dpart O est / O sont... le bureau de change le contrle des passeports la douane l'entre les objets trouvs les renseignements la sortie les taxis les toilettes vah-leez vet-mawn pahss-por zhoor-nal zheck duh voy-ahzh deek-see-ohn-nair vohl bah-gazh uh-roh bee-yay pee-ess moh-nay sawn-teem lah-ree-vay luh day-pahr oo ay/sohnt bur-oh duh shahnzh con-trol duh pahss-por doo-awn lawn-tray lay zob-zhay troo-vay rawn-sain-yuh-mawn sore-tee tahks-ee twah-lett

Note: When asking Where is/are..., O est is the singular form and O sont is the plural form, even if it's singular in English. Where is the entrance? would be O est l'entre ? and Where is the lost and found? would be O sont les objets trouvs ? Directional Words right there here over there to the right of to the left of in front of behind juste l ici l-bas droite de zhoost lah ee-see lah bah across from between next to en face de awn fawz duh entre ct de prs de loin de awn-truh ah koh-tay duh preh duh lwahn duh

ah dwaht duh near too dwah duh-vawn dare-ee-air

gauche de ah gohsh duh far (from) devant derrire at the top of

straight ahead tout droit

at the end of au fond de oh fohn duh en haut de awn oh duh

101. Camping [ mp3 - 736 KB ] camping shelter tent spike flashlight lantern torch compass map binoculars campfire le camping l'abri (m) la tente la sardine la lampe torche la lanterne le flambeau la boussole la carte les jumelles (f) le feu de camp axe stump canteen la hache la souche le bidon

hammock le hamac backpack le sac dos path bench rock stone pebble canoe oar le chemin / le sentier le banc le rocher la pierre le caillou le cano la pagaie

sleeping bag le sac de couchage

102. Special Uses of Devoir [ mp3 - 430 KB ]

Devoir is one of the trickiest verbs to translate and use in French. The following is a list of the different meanings of devoir used in various tenses. Present Tense Pass Compos Imperfect Future Conditional must, have to probably Je dois tudier. Il doit tre malade. I must (have to) study. He's probably sick. He had to leave. She was supposed to sing tonight. You will have to pay money. You should eat fruits. They should have played.

had to (and did), Il a d partir. must have was supposed to, used to have to will have to should Elle devait chanter ce soir. Tu devras payer l'argent. Vous devriez manger les fruits. Ils auraient d jouer.

Past Conditional should have

In the present tense, you can also express I am supposed to with Je suis cens + infinitive. To express you don't have to instead of you must not, use vous ntes pas oblig de instead of vous ne devez pas or il ne faut pas.

103. Cosmetics / Toiletries [ mp3 - 997 KB ]

thbrush

la brosse dents le dentifrice le fil dentaire la brosse le peigne le shampooing le fer friser la crme raser le rasoir la mousse

hair spray hair dryer nail polish mascara lipstick powder soap makeup perfume cologne

la laque le sche-cheveux le vernis ongles le mascara le rouge lvres la poudre le savon le maquillage le parfum l'eau de Cologne

blush foundation eye liner eye shadow bubble bath shower gel deodorant lotion pads tampons

le blush le fond de teint l'eye liner l'ombre paupires le bain moussant le gel douche le dodorant la lotion / la crme les serviettes hyginiques les tampons

thpaste

ntal floss

r brush

mb

ampoo

ling iron

aving cream

or

usse

104. Medicine and Hospital [ mp3 - 1.18 MB ] AIDS ambulance anesthetic antidote bandage band-aid cancer cane capsule cast chicken pox cold crutches cure diabetes diagnosis disease doctor first aid kit flu le sida l'ambulance (f) l'ansthsie (f) l'antidote le bandage le pansement le cancer la canne la capsule le pltre la varicelle le rhume les bquilles (f) le remde le diabte le diagnostic la maladie le mdecin la trousse de secours la grippe food poisoning hospital infection intensive care medecine medication nurse pills pneumonia poison sling stethoscope stretcher surgeon surgery syringe tablet tumor wheelchair X-ray l'intoxication alimentaire (f) l'hpital (m) l'infection (f) la ranimation la mdecine le mdicament l'infirmier (m) les cachets (m) la pneumonie le poison l'charpe (f) le stthoscope la civire le chirurgien la chirurgie la seringue le comprim la tumeur le fauteuil roulant la radio

105. Present Participle [ mp3 - 163 KB ]

Present participles can be used as adjectives, as verbs, or like a qui clause. When an adjective, it agrees with the noun it modifies. When it functions as a verb, it is invariable. Preceded by en, (equivalent to while, by, upon or in), it corresponds to the English -ing gerund form. Used without en, the present participle can act like a qui clause. To form this participle, drops the -ons ending of the nous form in the present tense and add -ant. (There

are only three irregular present participles: ayant, tant, sachant having, being, knowing.) Je me suis cass le poignet en tombant. I broke my wrist by falling. C'est en forgeant que l'on devient forgeron. Practice makes perfect. Ce restaurant ne propose pas d'eau ptillante. This restaurant doesn't serve sparkling water.

106. Abbreviations [ mp3 - 1.07 MB ]

In everyday speech, it is common to shorten some words: advertisement afternoon apartment car cinema college demonstration dictionary drink before dinner extraordinary friendly have a good meal intellectual laboratory microphone owner photography raincoat slide soccer television terrific usually la publicit l'aprs-midi l'appartement l'automobile le cinma la facult la manifestation le dictionnaire l'apritif extraordinaire sympathique bon apptit intellectuel le laboratoire le microphone le propritaire la photographie l'impermable la diapositive le football la tlvision sensationnel d'habitude la pub l'aprm l'apparte l'auto le cin la fac le manif le dico l'apro extra sympa bon app intello le labo le micro le proprio la photo l'imper la diapo le foot la tl sensas d'hab

107. Past Infinitive [ mp3 - 533 KB ]

The past infinitive is used to express something that has already happened. Verbs such as s'excuser, regretter, and remercier are often used in this tense. It is formed with the infinitive of the auxiliary verb (avoir or tre) and the past participle of the main verb. And the past participle can have agreement as well, with either the subject or the object, depending on the sentence. Whenever aprs is followed by a verb, it is always a past infinitive. And note that negative expressions precede an infinitive.

Je vous remercie d'tre venus. Excusez-moi d'tre arriv(e) en retard. Aprs avoir fini mes tudes, je veux devenir professeur. Elle regrette de ne pas avoir pos de questions.

I thank you for coming (or having come.) Excuse me for arriving (or having arrived) late. After finishing (or having finished) my studies, I want to become a teacher. She regrets not asking (or having asked) any questions.

108. In the Ocean [ mp3 - 845 KB ]

barnacle bubble wet suit fishing line jellyfish flipper clam wave anchor oxygen tank seashell coral la bernacle la bulle la combinaison de plonge la ligne de pche la mduse la palme la palourde la vague l'ancre le ballon d'oxygne le coquillage le corail crab fish hook mask scuba diver sand treasure chest snorkel shipwreck seaweed starfish sea horse sea urchin helm le crabe le hameon le masque le plongeur sous-marin le sable le trsor le tuba l'pave les algues l'toile de mer l'hippocampe l'oursin la barre

109. To Die [ mp3 - 233 KB ]

Mourir-to die (moo-reer) meurs muhr mourons moo-rohn meurs muhr mourez moo-ray meurt muhr meurent muhr The past participle is: mort / morte and it is conjugated with tre. You will most likely use this verb in the past tense, but it is used in some present tense sayings. Je meurs de faim ! I'm dying of hunger / I'm starving!

110. In Space [ mp3 - 1.01 MB ]

alien asteroid astronaut beaker comet constellation control panel crater l'extra-terrestre (m) l'astrode (m) l'astronaute (m) le gobelet la comte la constellation le tableau de bord le cratre nebula planet rings robot rocket satellite solar panel solar system la nbuleuse la plante les anneaux le robot / l'automate la fuse interplantaire le satellite le panneau solaire le systme solaire

Earth galaxy laboratory landing capsule lunar rover meteor shower moon

la terre la galaxie le laboratoire la capsule d'atterrissage la jeep lunaire la pluie de mtores la lune

space shuttle space station space suit spaceship star sun test tube

la navette spatiale la station spatiale le scaphandre de cosmonaute la soucoupe volante l'toile (f) le soleil l'prouvette (f)

111. Possessive Pronouns [ mp3 - 846 KB ]

Possessive pronouns replace nouns used with possessive adjectives. They agree in gender and number with noun they replace as well. Singular Masc. mine le mien yours le tien his/hers/its le sien ours le ntre yours le vtre theirs le leur Fem. la mienne la tienne la sienne la ntre la vtre la leur Plural Masc. les miens les tiens les siens les ntres les vtres les leurs Fem. les miennes les tiennes les siennes les ntres les vtres les leurs

C'est ma pomme. Voil la tienne. That's my apple. Here's yours. Il a son sac. Elle a le sien. He has his bag. She has hers. C'est le mien, pas le tien ! That's mine, not yours! Ils aiment leur voiture. Nous aimons la ntre. They like their car. We like ours.

112. Simple Past Tense [ mp3 - 3.71 MB ]

The simple past tense is used in works of literature in place of the pass compos and is very rarely spoken. You most likely will never need to form this tense, but you should be able to recognize it for reading purposes. Add the following endings to the stem: -er -ai -mes -as -tes -a -rent -ir / -re -is -mes -is -tes -it -irent

Irregular verbs that follow a pattern: Some verbs use their past participle as a stem, and then add endings for the simple past. In this case, the six endings are -s, -s, -t, -^mes, -^tes, -rent. avoir croire lire dire dormir devoir recevoir vivre eu e crus crme lus lmes dis dme dormi dormm du d reu rem v vcm s me s s s es s me s es cu es

s eu ete crus crtes lus s s eut eure cruren crut lut nt t sortir ltes lurent vouloir

s v dormi dormte du dte reu rete dis dtes cu s s s s s s s diren dormi dormire du dure reu reure v dit t t nt t nt t nt cut mettre connatre

vcte s vcure nt

savoir pouvoir s p prm sorti sortm voul voulm mi m conn connm su me pus pmes ris es s es us es s mes us es s s p prte sorti sortte voul voulte mi mte conn connte su ste pus ptes ris s s s us s s s us s s s prire sorti sortire voul voulure mi mire conn connur sure prit sut put purent nt t nt ut nt t nt ut ent nt Other verbs do not use their past participles as stems (but they still take the same endings), so you should memorize these forms. tre fus fus fut fmes ftes furent fis fis fit faire fmes ftes firent crire venir crivi crivm vins vnmes s es crivi crivte vins vntes s s crivi crivire vint vinrent t nt ouvrir ouvri ouvrm s es ouvri ouvrtes s ouvri ouvrire t nt craindre craign craignm is es craign craignte is s craign craignire it nt voir vis vis vit conduire conduis conduism vmes is es conduis conduiste vtes is s conduis conduisire virent it nt

prendre

mourir mouru mourm s es mouru mourte s s mouru mourure t nt

natre naqui naqum s es naqui naqute s s naqui naquire t nt

battre batti battm s es batti battte s s batti battire t nt

113. Make-Believe / Fantasy [ mp3 - 1.81 MB ]

archer armor arrow ax bow cackle castle cauldron l'archer (m) l'armure la flche la hache l'arc (m) ricaner le chteau le chaudron fairy fantasy fork genie ghost giant grave haunted la fe la fantasie la fourche le gnie le fantme le gant la tombe la maison moat monster mummy pillory pirate prince princess queen les douves (f) le monstre la momie le pilori le pirate le prince la princesse la reine

house l'homme des cavernes (m) cemetery le cimetire coffin le cercueil crown la couronne demon le dmon devil le diable dragon le dragon drawbridge le pont-levis caveman dungeon le donjon

dwarf le nain elf le lutin executioner le bourreau

hante la pierre headstone tombale hobgoblin le lutin humpback le bossu jester le fou king le roi knight le chevalier lamp la lampe lance la lance la baguette magic wand magique mermaid la sirne minstrel le mnestrel moan gmir

l'pouvantail (m) shield le bouclier spear la lance squire l'cuyer (m) sword l'pe (f) throne le trne tower la tour troubadour le troubadour scarecrow unicorn witch wizard zombie la licorne la sorcire le sorcier le mort vivant

114. Religion [ mp3 - 1.64 MB ] altar angel baptism bell Bible bishop bliss Buddhism candle cathedral choir Christian Christianity church convent cross dome faith fast God gold ring Gospel heaven l'autel (m) l'ange (m) le baptme la cloche la Bible l'vque (m) la batitude le bouddhisme le cierge la cathdrale la chorale le chrtien le chrtient l'glise le couvent la croix la coupole la foi le jene le Dieu l'aurole (f) l'Evangile (m) le ciel / le paradis Judaism mass minaret monastery mosque munk Muslim nun organ pillar Pope prayer priest prophet Protestant religion reverend rosary saint sermon sin suffering temple le judasme la messe le minaret le monastre la mosque le moine le musulman la religieuse / bonne sur l'orgue (m) le pilier le pape la prire le prtre le prophte le protestant la religion le cur le chapelet le saint le sermon le pch la souffrance le temple

hell Islam Jew

l'enfer (m) l'islam (m) le juif / la juive

torture vow worship/service

le supplice le vu le culte

115. Music and Art [ mp3 - 1.93 MB ] accordion bagpipe band bass clef conductor conductor's stick drum drumstick flute French horn guitar guitar strings harp horns keyboard music music stand orchestra piano piano keys saxophone sheet music tambourine treble clef trombone trumpet tuba tuning fork viola violin violin bow l'accordon (m) la cornemuse la bande la clef de fa le chef d'orchestre le bton le tambour la baguette la flte le cor d'harmonie la guitare les cordes (f) la harpe (f) les cors (m) le synthtiseur la musique le pupitre musique l'orchestre (m) le piano les touches (f) le saxophone la partition le tambourin la clef de sol le trombone la trompette le tuba le diapason le violoncelle le violon l'archet (m) xylophone acteur actress applaud art audience boo bust canvas director easel film film bob frame light mask model museum paint paintbrush painter painting pallette pedastel projector screen sculptor stage star statue tickets le xylophone l'acteur l'actrice les applaudissements (m) l'art (m) le public la hue (f) le buste la toile le metteur en scne le chevalet le film la bobine le cadre le projecteur le masque le modle le muse la peinture le pinceau le peintre le tableau la palette le pidestal le projecteur l'cran (m) le sculpteur la scne la vedette, la star la statue les billets (m)

116. Acqurir - to acquire and rsoudre - to resolve [ mp3 - 451 KB ]

acqurir - to acquire rsoudre - to resolve acquiers acqurons rsous rsolvons acquiers acqurez rsous rsolvez acquiert acquirent rsout rsolvent The past participles are acquis and rsolu, and both verbs are conjugated with avoir. 117. Imperfect and Past Subjunctive [ mp3 - 708 KB ] The subjunctive in past tenses is not used very often in French in everyday speech, but grammatically, it should be used if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense. The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the simple past, while the the past and pluperfect subjunctive forms are composed of two elements: the present subjunctive of avoir or tre + past participle for the past subjunctive and the imperfect subjunctive of the avoir or tre + past participle for the pluperfect subjunctive. Use the il/elle form of the simple past to form the imperfect subjunctive endings. Sometimes, the only difference between the il/elle forms of the simple past and the imperfect subjunctive is the circumflex for the imperfect subjunctive. tre couper finir lire Use the simple past to form the stems il eut il fut il coupa il finit il lut Imperfect Subjunctive eusse fusse coupasse finisse lusse eusses fusses coupasses finisses lusses et ft coupt fint lt eussions fussions coupassions finissions lussions eussiez fussiez coupassiez finissiez lussiez eussent fussent coupassent finissent lussent avoir tenir il tint tinsse tinsses tnt tinssions tinssiez tinssent

118. Translating Phrasal Verbs: English to French Most English phrasal verbs translate as one verb without any prepositions or adverbs in French. Make sure to pay attention to the correct meaning of the phrasal verb in English, however, before deciding on the correct French translation. add up back up beat up additionner soutenir / sauvegarder tabasser make up make up for mess around inventer / se rconcilier compenser / rattraper faire l'imbcile / s'amuser / toucher mettre en dsordre / gcher / mess up bcler miss out omettre / sauter miss out on laisser passer / louper

bend down se baisser bend over blow out se pencher souffler

blow up gonfler / sauter / faire sauter break down tomber en panne / enfoncer break in break up breathe in breathe out brighten up bring back bring up entrer par effraction

rompre / se terminer inspirer expirer s'claircir / se dgager rapporter / ramener lever / soulever rentrer dans / renconter par bump into hasard burst into clater / fondre (en larmes) call back rappeler call off annuler call on rendre visite call round passer calm down se calmer care about se soucier de care for s'occuper de / aimer carry on continuer catch up rattraper

mix up mouth off move forward move in move off move out move over muddle up note down own up part with pass for pass on pass out pay back pay for peel off phone back pick on pick up pile up plug in point out pop in pull ahead pull down pull in pull out pull over pull through pull together pull up pump up push in put away put back

confondre / embrouiller / mlanger se vanter / parler tort et travers avancer emmnager se mettre en route dmnager se pousser mlanger / embrouiller noter avouer se sparer de se faire passer pour transmettre s'vanouir / distribuer rembourser payer dtacher rappeler s'en prendre / harceler ramasser / chercher / apprendre / draguer s'entasser / s'empiler / s'accumuler brancher montrer / faire remarquer passer prendre la tte dmolir / baisser s'arrter arracher / retirer se ranger / se garer sur la ct s'en sortir faire un effort remonter / s'arrter gonfler resquiller ranger remettre

chase after courir aprs chase away chasser se prsenter check in l'enregistrement / la rception check out rgler sa note / regarder check over vrifier / examiner remonter le moral / cheer up retrouver le moral chop down abattre clean up nettoyer clear off dgager / filer clear out vider clear up climb down climb over climb up cloud over come ranger / s'claircir descendre passer par-dessus monter se couvrir / s'assombrir venir / reprendre

around connaissance come back revenir come down descendre / baisser come in come off come out come over come to entrer se dtacher sortir / partir venir

put down

reprendre connaissance monter / soulever / tre come up soulev come up to arriver / s'approcher de come up proposer / suggrer with cool down refroidir / refrachir cross off rayer cross out barrer cross over traverser cry out pousser un cri cut off couper cut out dcouper deal with s'occuper de / traiter de dig up dterrer do away se dbarasser / supprimer with fermer / attacher / boutonner / do up retaper do without se passer de dress up se dguiser / s'habiller drop by passer drop off dposer / laisser end up finir / se retrouver face up to faire face fall apart fall down fall off fall out fall over fight back s'effondrer tomber tomber tomber / se brouiller tomber / trbucher sur se dfendre

poser remettre plus tard / dissuader / put off dgoter / dranger / teindre mettre / allumer / prendre / monter / put on faire marcher put out teindre / tendre / sortir / dranger put together monter riger / monter / mettre / augmenter put up / hberger put up with supporter reach out read out tendre la main lire haute voix

read up on parcourir / lire en entier rely on ring back ring up roll up rub out rule out run away run out run over save up compter sur rappeler appeler / tlphoner rouler / retrousser effacer exclure s'enfuir s'puiser renverser / craser mettre de l'argent de ct

scare away faire fuir / effrayer search for see off see to send back send for send off chercher dire au revoir s'occuper de renvoyer appeler / faire venir expulser partir / se mettre en route / faire set off partir / faire exploser / dclencher set out partir / se mettre en route set up crer / installer / monter settle down se calmer / s'installer show off frimer show up arriver

figure out fill in fill out fill up find out finish off flick off flick on flip through fly away get away get back get down get in get off get on get out get up give in give out give up go away go back go down go in go off go on go out go under go up go without grow up hand in hand out hand over hang on hang out hang up

comprendre / calculer remplir / boucher remplir remplir se renseigner / dcouvrir terminer / finir teindre allumer feuilleter s'envoler s'chapper / partir / s'en aller rentrer / rcuperer / reculer descendre entrer / monter dans descendre (de) monter dans / s'entendre sortir / descendre se lever cder distribuer abandonner / arrter partir retourner / rentrer descendre / baisser entrer exploser / sonner / partir / tourner continuer / se passer sortir / s'teindre couler monter / augmenter se passer de grandir rendre distribuer remettre / cder attendre frquenter / traner accrocher / suspendre / raccrocher

shut up sit down slave away sleep in sleep over slip off slow down sort out speak out speed up spin around split up spread out stand for stand out stand up stand up for start off/out stay away stay in stay out stay up step forward stick out stretch out sum up swell up switch off switch on take after take apart take aside take away take back take down take off take on take out

se taire s'asseoir trimer faire la grasse matine passer la nuit chez quelqu'un filer / s'clipser ralentir ranger / rgler / s'occuper de parler en faveur / dfendre aller plus vite tourner / se retourner se sparer se disperser vouloir dire / tolrer ressortir se lever dfendre partir ne pas s'approcher rester chez soi ne pas rentrer ne pas se coucher avancer dpasser / tirer tendre / allonger / s'allonger rsumer enfler / gonfler teindre / arrter allumer / mettre en marche tenir de dmonter prendre part enlever / emporter / emmener rapporter dmonter / enlever / noter dcoller / enlever embaucher / prendre sortir / retirer

head for hear from hear of

se diriger vers avoir des nouvelles de entendre parler de faire rchauffer / (faire) heat up chauffer help out venir en aide hold on attendre / s'accrocher hold out tendre hold up lever / retarder / attaquer hurry up se dpcher join in participer () jump in sauter dedans / plonger keep out ne pas entrer dans keep up suivre / continuer knock down renverser knock out assommer / liminer knock over renverser tre au courant de / s'y know about connatre en laugh at se moquer de lean over se pencher

take over remplacer / prendre la relve take up se mettre / prendre talk through expliquer / prvenir tear down tear out tear up tell off think about think of throw away throw out throw up tidy up tie up tip off tip over toss away/out track down try on/out dmolir arracher dchirer gronder penser / penser de / rflchir penser de jeter jeter / mettre la porte vomir ranger ficeler / attacher prvenir / avertir renverser / se renverser jeter

retrouver essayer se retourner / faire demi-tour / leave aside laisser de ct turn around tourner (dans l'autre sens) leave out oublier turn back faire demi-tour let down laisser tomber turn down rejeter / baisser changer en / transformer en / se let in faire entrer / laisser entrer turn into transformer en let off ne pas punir / faire partir, tirer turn off teindre lie down s'allonger / se coucher turn on allumer lift off dcoller turn over retourner / se retourner line up faire la queue turn up mettre plus fort / venir / arriver lock in enfermer wait for attendre lock out enfermer dehors wake up rveiller / se rveiller log in/on se connecter walk out partir rchauffer / faire rchauffer / se look after s'occuper de warm up rchauffer / s'chauffer faire la vaisselle (UK) / se laver look at regarder wash up (US) look down baisser les yeux watch out faire attention look down regarder de haut wear out user / s'user / puiser on look for chercher weigh down alourdir

look forward to look out

attendre avec impatience faire attention

well up wind up wipe up work out wrap up write back

avoir les larmes aux yeux se retrouver / se terminer / remonter essuyer trouver / rsoudre / calculer / comprendre / se passer / faire de l'exercice emballer / envelopper / rcapituler / se couvrir rpondre

look out for chercher / s'occuper de look round look up look up to make out se retourner / regarder / visiter lever les yeux / chercher admirer dchiffrer / comprendre / prtendre

write down noter

119. Other Translation Difficulties: English to French be getting / going + adjective do nothing but forgive somebody for Ving get oneself + past participle how come...? however / no matter (much) I can't help V-ing devenir + adjective ne faire que excuser quelqu'un de + infinitive se faire + infinitive comment se fait-il que...? avoir beau let somebody faire savoir know let's just hope that pourvu que let's V / how about Et si on...? we V? il se peut / pourrait may / might que may... puisse... no matter peu importe n'avoir pas si tt veiller ce que jusqu' prsent La faon dont + subject + verb Il n'y a pas de moyen de Il se trouve que

Je ne peux pas no sooner... m'empcher de + infinitive see to it that so far The way + subject + verb There is no + Ving There/it happens to to sit, stand, lie

I hate/loathe/can't stand J'ai horreur de + infinitive V-ing I miss + V-ing a me manque de ne pas I was going to / I had J'avais prvu de planned to I wish (regret) I wish + imperfect I wish + past perfect Je regrette de ne pas si seulement + imperfect

J'aurais aim que + subjunctive J'aimerais mieux que + I'd rather that subjunctive dans le but de (ne pas) + In order (not) to infinitive It's about time il serait grand temps it's no use / you needn't il est inutile que It's typical of him/her a lui ressemble

tre assis, debout, allong What / How about Que dirais tu de + + V-ing? infinitive ? What if? whatever whatever whenever et si? quel que soit quoi que chaque fois

It's usual for just because... doesn't mean keep on V-ing let (permission)

il est d'usage que le simple fait que... ne veut pas dire ne cesser pas de + infinitive Que + subjunctive 120. Quebecois French

wherever o que + subjunctive Whether you like it Que a te plaise ou or not non. whoever quiconque

You just have to + Tu n'as qu' + infinitive infinitive

Differences in vocabulary: Quebec l'arrt un breuvage une broue des bbelles un bcyque des bidoux / du foin un bleuet ma blonde une buanderie une calotte une canneberge un char une chicane le djeuner un dpanneur le dner la fin de semaine un frigidaire la gang une guenille la job une joke une lampe de poche une laveuse un melon d'eau un minou France le stop une boisson une bire des jouets une bicyclette de l'argent une myrtille ma petite amie une blanchisserie une casquette une airelle une automobile une dispute le petit djeuner un petit magasin le djeuner le week-end un rfrigrateur la bande d'amis un chiffon le boulot une blague Quebec achaler / gosser quelqu'un asteure avoir les yeux dans la graisse de binnes bienvenu brailler a adonne bein a pas d'allure a pas de tes affaires clisser une vole c'est dispendieux c'est pas fort chauffer dbarquer (d'un char) embarquer (dans un char) tre tann faire dur faire la baboune faire son picerie il mouille jaser magasiner marquer France embter quelqu'un cette heure avoir l'air fatigu de rien piquer une crise a tombe bien a n'a aucun sens a ne te regarde pas donner une racle c'est cher c'est pas terrible conduire un vhicule descendre (d'une voiture) monter (dans une voiture) en avoir marre avoir mauvaise mine bouder faire ses courses il pleut causer / bavarder se promener dans les magasins inscrire / noter espce de crtin ! caresser pas du tout attraper / tripoter / avoir

une lampe-torche maudit niaiseux ! une machine laver un pastque un chat minoucher pantoute pogner

le nettoyeur une patente une piastre un pitou une scheuse le souper la tabagie une vadrouille

le pressing une chose un dollar un chien une machine scher le dner le tabac une serpillire

prendre une marche prsentement sacrer son camp se cler (une pizza / un taxi) tabernacle / tabarnak ! tiguidou tu es fin y a du monde la messe

du succs faire une promenade pied maintenant ficher le camp commander / appeler zut ! c'est d'accord tu es gentil il y a foule

Differences in pronunciation: 1. An affrication of the consonants "t" and "d" before the vowels "u" and "i." For example, "tu es parti" is pronounced "tsu es partsi." 2. There is a reduction of the pronoun "il" to"y": Y'est malade, Y'a pas le temps; as well as a reduction of "elle" to "a" ("elle a" becomes "aa"): Aa pas le temps, aa mal au dos. 3. "Chu" is a contraction for"je suis": Chu fatigu, chu en retard. 4. A "t" sound still exists in the expressions: "il fait frette" (froid), "mon litte" (lit), "viens icitte" (ici). And the old pronunciation for the "oi" sound (as o) is still used sometimes, though w is more common: "moi" and "Qubcois" are pronounced "mo" and "Qubcos" or "mw" and "Qubcw." 5. "Tu" is often added after questions: Il en veut-tu ? Tu m'coutes-tu ? Je l'ai-tu ? 6. Many people end their statements with: T'sais ? (a reduction of: tu sais) 7. The verb pogner is a very popular word with several translations: to catch, to get, to grab, to be successful, to come, to get caught, to take, to be stuck, etc. Quoss qui't'pogne, toi? What's going on with you? Arrte de pogner les nerfs. Stop getting worked up. Some examples of Anglicisms used in Quebec: Bummer, spinner, slaquer, kiquer, faker, domper, puncher, backer, rusher, spotter, tripper, checker, avoir un good time, tre cheap, tre opne, faire son show, etc.

[ French VII Zip file of mp3s - 30.36 MB ] Confusions [ mp3 - 424 KB ]

The following are sentences that initially confused me because I was translating them literally into English. C'est pas du franais. It's not grammatically correct, formal French. [not the French language in general] La Norvge n'est pas en Europe. Norway is not in the European Union. [not Europe as a continent] J'ai laiss un petit mot pour toi. I left a little note for you. [not word] Tu djeunes pas ? You aren't eating breakfast? [not lunch] Normalement, elle arrive 15h. If everything goes as planned, she will arrive at 3 PM. [not normally or usually] Tes parents s'ennuient de toi ? Do your parents miss you? [not get bored with] Tu veux te baigner aujourd'hui ? Do you want to go swimming today? [not take a bath] J'ai mal aux reins. My lower back hurts. [not kidneys] On a dj donn manger au chat. We've already fed the cat. [not give to eat] Elle l'a connu en Italie. She met him in Italy. [not known] Filling out forms [ mp3 - 497 KB ] contact information les coordonnes last name nom first name prnom address adresse birthdate place of birth Signed [city] ... date birth certificate passport visa residency card receipt le passeport le visa la carte de sjour le rcpiss le formulaire / la candidature la demande d'inscription postuler s'inscrire

date de naissance application lieu de naissance enrollment form Fait ... le l'acte de naissance to apply (for a job) to apply/enroll (in university)

Remember the date format in France is day/month/year instead of month/day/year and that you generally capitalize your last name, but not your first name: Jean-Paul BOUCHER. Asking for clarification / help [ mp3 - 492 KB ] Excusez-moi de vous dranger, monsieur/madame, mais j'ai un problme. Sorry for bothering you, mister/miss, but I have a problem. Est-ce que je peux vous poser une question ? Can I ask you a question? Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit ? What did you say? Pourriez-vous rpter, s'il vous plat ? Can you repeat that,

please? Je n'ai pas entendu ce que vous avez dit. I didn't hear what you said. Comment est-ce qu'on crit a ? / a s'crit comment ? How is that written? Comment est-ce qu'on prononce a ? / a se prononce comment ? How is that pronounced? Qu'est-ce que a veut dire? / a veut dire quoi ? What does that mean? Food / Eating [ mp3 - 1.0 MB ] cold cuts raw vegetables salad (with bacon) la charcuterie les crudits (f) une salade (avec des lardons) la soupe l'oignon beefstew with carrots beefstew in red wine du buf-carottes du buf bourguignon

chicken in red wine du coq au vin Steak & French fries un steak-frites le gratin potatoes au gratin dauphinois ham & cheese la quiche lorraine quiche dumplings (flavored les quenelles w/ meat or fish) vegetarian vgtarien/ne vegan vgtalien/ne

onion soup melted cheese (w/ potatoes la raclette & cold cuts) cheese, ham & potato la tartiflette casserole melted cheese (with bread) la fondue grilled ham and cheese grilled ham & cheese with egg

le croque-monsieur le croque-madame

Qu'est-ce que je vous offre ? / Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ? What can I get you? Quelque chose boire ? Something to drink? J'ai la dalle ! J'ai les crocs ! Je meurs de faim ! I'm starving! J'ai trop mang. / J'ai trop bouff. I ate too much. On the phone / Au tlphone [ mp3 - 1.27 MB ] All, est-ce que je pourrais parler ... ? Hello, may I speak to...? C'est de la part de qui ? Who is calling? Qui est l'appareil ? Who is on the phone? Un instant, s'il vous plat. One moment, please. Ne quittez pas. Please hold. Je vous la passe. I'm putting you through to her. Il ne rpond pas. He is not answering. Il n'est pas l. He is not here. Est-ce que vous voulez laisser un message ? Do you want to leave a message? Pouvez-vous rappeler plus tard ? Can you call back later? La ligne est occupe. The line is busy.

Vous vous tes tromp(e)(s) de numro. You have the wrong number. Je me suis tromp(e) de numro. I got the wrong number. Cell Phone Vocabulary pay as you go plan credit/minutes to recharge your account contract plan extra charges payment plan land line voicemail account summary empty / no credit sans engagement le crdit recharger votre compte le forfait hors forfait le plan tarifaire la ligne fixe la messagerie vocale le suivi conso puis text message photo message call waiting caller ID unlimited calls PIN code SIM card locked to download ringtone SMS MMS le double appel la prsentation du numro les appels illimits le code PIN / secret la carte SIM bloqu tlcharger la sonnerie

Le suivi conso is short for le suivi de consommation. Going shopping / Faire les magasins [ mp3 - 1.44 MB ] department store outlet store second-hand shop la grande surface le magasin d'usine la boutique d'articles d'occasion fitting room club/loyalty card heels flip-flops tank/halter top underwire bra thong spotted flowery frilly glittery striped la cabine d'essayage la carte de fidelit des talons des tongs le dbardeur le balconnet le string pois fleurs frous-frous paillettes rayures

discount store (such le magasin hard discount as Aldi) flea market le march aux puces department le rayon to go windowfaire du lche-vitrine shopping to go grocery shopping faire les courses mini market la suprette supermarket (food) le supermarch super store l'hypermarch (m) (everything) shopping center le centre commercial

Est-ce que je peux vous aider ? / Je peux vous renseigner ? / Vous dsirez ? Can I help you? Non, je regarde seulement. No, I'm just looking. Je vais rflchir. I'll think about it. Quelle est votre taille ? Vous faites du combien ? What is your size? What size do you wear? Quelle est votre pointure ? Vous chaussez du combien ? What is your shoe size? What size shoe do you wear? a va, la taille ? Cest la bonne taille ? Is the size right? Cest trop grand. / C'est trop serr. Its too big / too small. a cote combien ? How much does this cost?

C'est en solde ? Is it on sale? Quelle escroquerie ! / Quelle arnaque ! What a rip-off! Avez-vous une carte de fidlit ? Do you have a club card? Vous rglez comment ? / Vous payez comment ? How are you paying? En espces/par carte bleue. Cash/with a bank card. A good way to increase your vocabulary is to look at ads for stores that are available online, such as Carrefour, Gant, Monoprix, etc. Going to the doctor / Chez le docteur [ mp3 - 1.41 MB ] allergy illness cold fever flu migraine bump itching poisoning sting / bite scratch scar scab blister sprain ear infection l'allergie (f) la maladie le rhume la fivre la grippe la migraine la bosse les dmangeaisons (f) l'intoxication (f) la piqre l'gratignure (f) la cicatrice la crote l'ampoule (f) la foulure l'otite (f) swollen dizziness drops pills tablet ointment bandage prescription medicine vitamins lozenge sleeping pills to skin to sprain to crush to break enfl/e le vertige les gouttes (f) les pilules (f) le cachet la pommade le sparadrap l'ordonnance (f) les mdicaments (m) les vitamines (f) la pastille les somnifres (m) s'corcher se fouler s'craser se casser

Je voudrais prendre rendez-vous, s'il vous plat. I'd like to make an appointment, please. O est-ce que vous avez mal ? Where does it hurt? Est-ce que vous tes allergique quelque chose ? Are you allergic to anything? Je me suis corch la main en tombant. I skinned my hand by falling. Je me suis fait mal. I hurt myself. The French health care system (called la Scurit Sociale) generally reimburses 70% of your health costs (including dentist and eye doctor visits). If you want to be reimbursed for the other 30%, you have to join a mutuelle and pay a monthly fee. Everyone covered by la Scu receives a Carte Vitale to use at the doctor's consultation and when filling prescriptions at any pharmacie. If you are a recent immigrant to France and have not yet received your Carte Vitale, you will receive feuille de soins forms to fill out in order to be reimbursed. The emergency medical service in France is called SAMU (Service d'aide mdicale d'urgence) and the phone number is

15. You can dial 17 to reach the police, and 18 to reach the pompiers (firefighters). The general emergency number used throughout the European Union is 112. In Belgium, you can also dial 100 for emergency services; in Switzerland, it's 144, and in Canada, it's 911. Going to the dentist or eye doctor / Chez le dentiste ou l'ophtalmologiste [ mp3 - 660 KB ] cavity wisdom tooth baby tooth gums jaw crown filling cleaning root canal to pull out, remove (tooth) la carie la dent de sagesse la dent de lait la gencive la mchoire la couronne le plombage le dtartrage le canal dentaire arracher glasses frames glasses case contact lenses cleaning solution contact case near-sighted far-sighted clear blurry les lunettes la monture l'tui de lunettes (m) les lentilles la solution de nettoyage l'tui de lentilles (m) myope hypermtrope net flou

Getting your eyes checked and then choosing your frames are two different processes in France. You go to an ophtalmologiste to get your eyes checked and you will receive a prescription for your glasses/contacts. Then you must go to an opticien in order to choose your frames and turn in your prescriptions. They are not in the same office like in the US. At the hair salon / Chez le coiffeur [ mp3 - 646 KB ] bangs highlights hair cut blowdry curly wavy frizzy straight dyed lightened layered la frange les mches la coupe de cheveux le brushing boucls onduls friss / crpus raides teints dcolors dgrad braid ponytail barette head band hair clips hairband hairpin buzz cut completely shaved head bald part la natte / les tresses la queue-de-cheval la barrette le serre-tte les pinces cheveux l'lastique (m) l'pingle cheveux (f) la coupe en brosse la boule zro chauve la raie

There is a slight difference between se couper les cheveux (to cut one's hair - by oneself) and se faire couper les cheveux (to get one's hair cut - by someone else). The same is true of se teindre les cheveux (to dye one's hair - by oneself) and se faire teindre les cheveux (to get one's hair dyed - by someone else). Opening a bank account / Ouvrir un compte bancaire [ mp3 - 1.01 MB ]

savings account le compte d'pargne bank / debit card la carte bancaire / la carte bleue le distributeur / le guichet checking account le compte-chques ATM (automatique) deposit le dpt check le chque direct deposit le dpt direct checkbook le carnet de chques les espces / du cash balance le bilan liquide credit card la carte de crdit sum, amount le montant loan l'emprunt (m) / le prt bank statement le relev de compte debt la dette salary le traitement wages le salaire raise l'augmentation de salaire (f) estimate le devis payment le versement automatic le prlvement transfer/deposit le virement payment to deposit dposer / remettre to write a check faire un chque to withdraw retirer to cash a check encaisser / toucher un chque to earn gagner to pay cash payer en espces to spend dpenser to save money faire des conomies Je voudrais ouvrir un compte. I would like to open an account. Bordereau de remise de chques. Checks deposited slip. Post Office / La Poste [ mp3 - 479 KB ] accus de rception avis de rception adresse de l'expditeur adresse de rexpdition colis destinataire expditeur envoi en nombre acknowledgement of receipt notice of receipt return address forwarding address parcel / package addressee sender bulk mail imprims lettre recommande mandat cash par avion port pay retour l'envoyeur tarifs postaux trier printed matter registered letter money order air mail postage paid return to sender postage rate to sort

Currently, the price of timbres (stamps) is 55 Euro cents to send mail within France, 60 cents within the EU & Switzerland, and 85 cents to the rest of the world (for a letter or postcard under 20 grams). Renting an apartment / Louer un appartement [ mp3 - 1.10 MB ] housing apartment rent rent receipt le logement l'appartement le loyer la quittance de loyer lease le bail bill (telephone, etc.) la facture insurance l'assurance (f) conditions / evaluation of l'tat des lieux (m)

utilities / fees les charges / les frais expenses les dpenses (rental) charges les charges (locatives) les honoraires / frais agency fees d'agence private landlord le particulier la caution / le dpt de security deposit garantie guarantor le garant exig needed short-term location courte rental

apt. taxes furnished building landlord renting renter

les impts (m) meubl immeuble le propritaire location locataire (m) / locatrice (f)

renting with roommates colocation roommate / flatmate / housemate colocataire (m) / colocatrice (f)

Apartments are generally listed as F1/T1, F2/T2, F3/T3, etc. regarding the number of rooms. This number does not include the kitchen or bathroom, but it does include the living room. If a kitchen is quipe, it will probably have a refrigerator and burners, but may or may not have an oven. If a kitchen is nonquipe, there will be no appliances at all. Some apartments do not have ovens, but they might have plaques lectriques / plaquettes (burners, similar to a stove). A cuisinire is also electric burners without an oven. J'habite en colocation. I live with roommates. Je cherche un colocataire pour un appartement avec 2 chambres. I'm looking for a roommate for a 2 bedroom apartment. Le bail sera sign ds votre arrive la rsidence. The lease will be signed as soon as you arrive at the dorms. Les charges sont comprises dans le prix (eau, lctricit, chauffage). Utilities are included in the price (water, electricity, heat). You can download a sample contrat de location, tat des lieux, and quittance de loyer at this site. Cooking / Kitchen Utensils [ mp3 - 1.43 MB ] to chop / grind to grate to peel to pit to mix to stir to beat to whip to sift hacher rper peler / plucher dnoyauter mlanger remuer battre fouetter tamiser cooking pot lid saucepan frying pan skillet casserole dish baking sheet cooling rack cake tin la marmite le couvercle la casserole la pole la sauteuse la cocotte / daubire la plaque gteaux la grille de refroidissement le moule gteaux

to pour to cook to roast to fry

verser cuire

pie tin mixing bowl strainer / colander peeling knife slotted spoon / skimmer ladle spatula (cheese) grater whisk rolling pin can opener aluminum foil plastic wrap wax paper

rtir frire cuire l'touffe / faire cuire la to steam vapeur to boil bouillir to simmer mijoter to melt fondre to stew cuire en ragot to broil / grill griller to moisten mouiller to soften faire revenir to sprinkle saupoudrer to drain goutter

la tourtire le bol mixer / le saladier la passoire l'conome (m) l'cumoire (f) la louche la spatule la rpe ( fromage) le fouet le rouleau ptisserie l'ouvre-bote (m) le papier d'aluminium le film transparent le papier cuisson

For verbs that involve cooking methods, you add faire before them when they are transitive verbs (when they take a direct object). So to cook something is faire cuire, to fry something is faire frire, to boil something is faire bouillir, etc. If you bake American foods in France, you will most likely need to look for certain ingredients that are not used very often in French cooking: condensed milk lait concentr sucr; evaporated milk - lait concentr nonsucr; baking soda - bicarbonate alimentaire; baking powder levure chimique and yeast - levure du boulanger. It is also very common to use le sopalin instead of essui-tout for paper towel. Christmas Vocabulary [ mp3 - 1.48 MB ] Merry Christmas! angel bell bow bulb candle candy cane chimney Christmas card Christmas carols Christmas Eve Christmas Eve dinner Christmas market Christmas tree decorations egg nog elf fake tree garland Joyeux Nol ! lange (m) la cloche / la clochette le nud la boule la bougie / la chandelle la canne en bonbon la chemine la carte de Nol les chansons de Nol la veille de Nol le rveillon de Nol le march de Nol le sapin de Nol les dcorations le lait de poule le lutin le sapin artificiel la guirlande

holly lights mistletoe nativity scene North Pole present present name tags reindeer ribbon Santa Claus Santas hat Santas sack Santas workshop sleigh sleigh bell snow snowflake snowman star stocking toy wrapping paper wreath Yule log

le houx la guirlande lectrique / lumineuse le gui la crche le ple nord le cadeau les tiquettes le renne le bolduc / le ruban le Pre Nol le bonnet de Nol la hotte du Pre Nol latelier du Pre Nol le traineau le grelot la neige le flocon de neige le bonhomme de neige ltoile (f) la chaussette de Nol le jouet le papier demballage la couronne la bche de Nol

Transportation [ mp3 - 750 KB ] connection track platform restaurant car intersection sedan (4 door) coupe (2 door) station wagon convertible semi-truck la correspondance le quai la voie le wagon-restaurant le carrefour la berline le coup le break le cabriolet le camion subway map book of ten tickets monthly pass subway/bus line bus ticket van minivan pick-up truck SUV / large truck trailer le plan de mtro le carnet la carte orange la ligne le ticket la camionnette le monospace le pick-up le 4x4 (quatre-quatre) le remorque

Merci d'oblitrer votre ticket. Thank you for validating your ticket. O est l'arrt de bus le plus proche ? Where is the closest bus stop? Pour aller au centre-ville ? How do I get downtown? Vous vous installez ici, madame ? Do you want to sit here, ma'am? Vous descendez ? Are you getting off here? Je descends ici. I'm getting off here. School / Education [ mp3 - 1.65 MB ]

school district urban district department / division region / area town pre-school elementary education elementary student secondary education middle school middle school student high school high school student higher education university student university prestigious universities library

l'acadmie (f) l'arrondissement (m) le dpartement la rgion la commune l'cole maternelle l'cole primaire colier/re secondaire le collge collgien/ne le lyce lycen/ne suprieur tudiant/e l'universit / la facult

middle school principal high school principal exam after middle school exam after high school mathematics economics & sociology

principal proviseur brevet baccalaurat mathmatiques sciences conomique et sociale (SES)

living/foreign language langue vivante (LV) physics chemistry biology life/earth science engineering history/geography philosophy literature research project/seminar physique chimie biologie sciences de la vie et de la terre (SVT) sciences de l'ingnieur (SI) histoire-gographie philosophie littrature travaux personnels encadrs (TPE) ducation physique et sportive (EPS) le bulletin scolaire

les grandes coles P.E. / Gym le CDI report card

La rentre scolaire a lieu dbut septembre. The return to school takes place at the beginning of September. Les vacances d't s'appellent les grandes vacances. The summer vacation is called the big vacation. Il a eu de mauvais rsultats et il a d redoubler. He got bad marks and he had to stay in the same grade. Cette anne, il passe dans la classe suprieure. This year, he's passing into the next grade. Si je rate / Si j'choue mon bac, je suis oblig de redoubler ma terminale. If I fail my final exam, I have to do my last year of school over again. Ils ont sech les cours aujourd'hui. They skipped classes today. Tu as eu combien ? What (grade) did you get? J'ai eu 13, pas mal. I got a 13, not bad. Note: In French schools, the grades/marks range from 1 to 20; and the grades/years descend instead of increasing: sixime is the first year of collge, while troisime is the last year. Ecole

maternelle is ages 2-6, cole lmentaire is ages 6-11 (CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2), collge is ages 11-15 (6e, 5e, 4e, 3e), and lyce is ages 15-18 (2nde, 1re, T). LG = Lyce Gnral LT= Lyce Technique LPO= Lyce Polyvalent LGT= Lyce Gnral et Technique CLG= Collge EE= Ecole Elmentaire IA= Inspecteur Acadmique IEN= Inspecteur dEducation Nationale IUFM = Instituts Universitaires de Formation des Matres CP = Cours prparatoire CE1 = Cours lmentaire 1re anne CE2 = Cours lmentaire 2e anne CM1 = Cours moyen 1re anne CM2 = Cours moyen 2e anne T = Terminale Premier degr = maternelle & lmentaire les informations / le journal news shows le magazine d'actualits current events l'actualit (f) weather report la mto protest la protestation demonstration la manifestation earthquake le tremblement de terre hurricane l'ouragan (m) flood l'inondation (f) le tsunami / le raz-detsunami mare drought la scheresse burglary le cambriolage assault l'agression (f) crime le dlit robbery le vol military les militaires (m) army l'arme (f) news Bac = baccalaurat L = Littraire ES = conomique et sociale S = scientifique STT = sciences et technologies tertiaires STI = sciences et technologies industrielles STL = sciences et technologies de laboratoire SMS = sciences mdico-sociales CAP = certificat d'aptitudes professionnelles BEP = brevet d'tudes professionnelles BTS = brevet de technicien suprieur CPGE = classes prparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles CDI = centre de documentation et d'information CPE = conseillers principaux d'ducation COP = conseiller d'orientation psychologue Second degr = collge & lyce

News [ mp3 - 1.45 MB ] poverty homeless murder genocide riot curfew harassment epidemic plague cloning drug addiction drug trafficking trial testimony evidence ceasefire gun la pauvret les sans-abri le crime / le meurtre le gnocide l'meute (m) le couvre-feu le harclement (m) l'pidmie (f) la peste le clonage la toxicomanie le trafic de drogue le procs le tmoignage la preuve le cessez-le-feu le revolver

navy air force invasion battle retreat treaty truce prime minister president vice president dictator nationality community society government election referendum vote environment democracy anarchy capitalism socialism communism

la marine les forces ariennes l'invasion (f) la bataille la retraite le trait la trve le premier ministre le prsident le vice-prsident le dictateur la nationalit la communaut la socit le gouvernement l'lection (f) le rfrendum le vote l'environnement (m) la dmocratie l'anarchie (f) le capitalisme le socialisme le communisme

rifle troops soldier hostage casualty winners losers citizen senator representative mayor law bill policy proposal grant legislation negotiation regulation democrat liberal conservative socialist communist

le fusil les troupes (f) le soldat l'otage (m) les pertes (f) les vainqueurs (m) les vaincus (m) le citoyen le snateur le dput le maire la loi le projet de loi la politique la proposition la subvention la lgislation la ngociation la rglementation dmocrate libral/e conservateur/trice socialiste communiste

Politics [ mp3 - 1.11 MB ]

The current major political parties in France include: Parti Socialiste (PS) and Parti Communiste Franais (PCF) - left-wing, Union pour la Dmocratie Franaise (UDF) - centrist, Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) - right-wing, and Front National (FN) - far right-wing. Television [ mp3 - 1.75 MB ] the news series/program soap opera tv movie documentary channel remote control subtitles commercials actor/actress director les infos la srie le feuilleton le tlfilm le documentaire la chane la tlcommande les sous-titrages les publicits (pub) le/la comdien/ne le ralisateur to be on (TV) to act (in) to channel surf to turn on the TV to turn off the TV push the button turn up the volume turn down the volume to plug in to unplug what's it about? passer jouer zapper allumer la tl teindre la tl appuyer sur le bouton monter le son baisser le son brancher dbrancher a parle de quoi ?

comedian

l'humoriste

to be continued

suivre

Programs do not start at the hour or half hour in France, and the majority of "prime time" shows begin at 8:50 pm (20h50) with more than one episode each week. The nightly new is always on at 8 pm (20h). Commercials are rarely shown during the programs, but more likely between the shows. There are a few French channels that you can watch without subscribing to a cable provider: TF1, France 2, France 3, France 5, Arte, M6, and depending on where you live, there are local channels as well as foreign channels of bordering countries. Canal+ is available at some times, but you must subscribe and pay extra if you want to watch it at all times. There are of course several other channels: France 4, France , W9, TMC, NRJ, Paris Premire, Tva, RTL9, AB 1, NT1, etc. Most American television shows are eventually broadcast in France, though several months later than in the US and dubbed in French. (You will find that almost every foreign program is dubbed rather than subtitled). Not all programs or channels support subtitling/closed captioning, but if your TV is equipped with tltexte, you should be able to read the subtitles in French as well. And a series does not have to be a hit in the US to be broadcast in France; several shows that were cancelled after one year in the US are still shown here. A lot of programs have the same names in French (Bones, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, etc.) while others have French words added (Lost, les disparus). Here are a few programs that are different in French: Baywatch - Alerte Malibu; Seventh Heaven - 7 la Maison; CSI - Les Experts; Without a Trace FBI: Ports Disparus; The Young & the Restless - Les Feux de l'Amour; One Tree Hill - Les Frres Scott; Crossing Jordan Preuve l'appui. And because I watch several shows that involve solving crime, here is some specialized vocabulary that you probably won't ever use, but you'll need to recognize if you watch crime dramas: assault blackmail blackmailer criminal record defendant evidence federal case gun handcuffs homicide investigation l'agression (f) le chantage le matre-chanteur le casier judiciaire l'accus (m) la pice conviction dlit fdral le flingue les menottes (f) l'homicide (f) l'enqute (f) prosecutor rape sketch stabbed strangled surveillance suspect to arrest to con/cheat to harass to press charges le procureur le viol le portrait-robot poignard trangl la filature le suspect arrter escroquer harceler porter plainte

kidnapping laundering lead loaded (gun) murder paperwork

l'enlvement (m) le blanchiment la piste / l'indice charg le meurtre la paperasse

to report missing to run away to shoot warrant weapon witness

porter disparu s'enfuir tirer le mandat l'arme (m) le tmoin

Soccer [ mp3 - 1.73 MB ] ball captain captain armband cleats coach coin toss corner kick defense fans final forward foul/penalty game goal goal post goalie goalie box group (in tournaments) header jersey kickoff midfield net off-sides out of bounds (behind the goals) out of bounds (on the sides) le ballon le capitaine un brassard de capitaine les crampons l'entraneur / le selectionneur un tirage pile ou face un corner un dfenseur les supporters la finale un attaquant une faute un match un but les cages un gardien de but la surface de rparation la poule / le groupe une tte un maillot un coup d'envoi / un engagement un milieu de terrain le filet hors-jeu une sortie de but en touche pass penalty kick player playoffs quarter-finals red card referee replacement semi-finals shinguards shorts shot slide tackle socks standings starter player team tie game to pass to score to shoot to throw in the ball tournament wave What's the score? yellow card une passe un penalty un joueur le tableau final les quarts de finale carton rouge l'arbitre le remplaant les demi-finales les protge-tibias la culotte un tir un tacle les chausettes les classements le titulaire une quipe un match nul passer marquer tirer faire une touche le tournoi la ola Quel est le score? carton jaune

Zodiac Signs [ mp3 - 408 KB ]

signs of the Zodiac horoscope astrology Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

les signes du zodiaque l'horoscope (m) l'astrologie (f) Blier Taureau Gmeaux Cancer Lion Vierge Balance Scorpion Sagittaire Capricorne Verseau Poissons

Marriage / Civil Unions [ mp3 - 1.24 MB ] couple date relationship civil union engagement wedding wedding announcement honeymoon le couple le rendez-vous la relation le PACS (Pacte Civile de Solidarit) les fianailles (f) le mariage le faire-part de mariage la lune de miel to enter a PACS contract to get engaged to get married to break up / leave to get divorced to cheat on to meet to separate se pacser se fiancer se marier rompre / quitter divorcer tromper se rencontrer se sparer

Ils sont tombs amoureux l'un de l'autre. They fell in love with each other. Ils vivent en concubinage / en union libre. They live with each other (without being married). C'est mon copain / ma copine. This is my boyfriend / girlfriend. J'ai une grande amiti pour lui. I have a great friendship with him. Il a de l'affection pour elle. He has affection for her. Mais elle n'prouve aucun sentiment pour lui. But she has no feelings for him. On se disputait sans cesse. We fought all the time. Tu m'en veux ? Are you mad at me? Je t'aime bien. / Je t'aime. I like you. / I love you Si on allait au cinma ce soir ? How about if we go to the movies tonight? Tu es libre, samedi soir ? Are you free Saturday night?

Je n'ai rien de prvu pour ce week-end. I have no plans for this weekend. When pulling petals off of a daisy, the French have 5 sayings instead of just He/she loves me; He/she loves me not: 1. Il/Elle m'aime. He/She loves me. 2. Un peu. A little. 3. Beaucoup. A lot. 4. A la folie. Like crazy. 5. Pas du tout. Not at all. English used in French [ mp3 - 1.67 MB ] There are many, many English words used in French, but some of them have a different meaning than in English. Sometimes the French pronunciation is radically different from the English pronunciation, so you may only be able to understand the word in writing but not in speech. Almost all English nouns borrowed into French are masculine, unless otherwise noted below. I've always marked which words are used as adjectives in French, even though the original English word may be a noun. agenda baby-foot barman basket baskets bermudes black (adj. / noun) body bowling break brushing caddie camping camping-car catch clean (adj.) clip cornflakes dancing dressing drive entourage fashion (adj.) fast-food planner / calendar foosball bartender basketball sneakers bermuda shorts refers to skin color onesie / body suit bowling alley station wagon blowdry (shopping) cart campground motorhome / camper pro wrestling sober music video cereal dance hall walk-in closet drive-thru group of friends trendy fast food restaurant mail meeting nickel parking people planning play-back pom-pom girl pressing radio (f) recordman relax relooking rollers scotch self (adj.) shorty slip smoking speed (adj.) string sweat tennisman tongs e-mail rally clean / perfect parking lot celebrities schedule lip-synching cheerleader dry cleaner's X-ray record holder lounge chair makeover rollerblades tape self service boy shorts boxers / briefs / underwear tuxedo hectic, busy thong underwear sweatshirt tennis player flip-flops

flipper foot footing hard discount (adj.) jogging lifting light (adj.) look lov (adj.)

pinball soccer jogging discount jogging suit facelift diet style cuddly / snuggly Acronyms

le top trench tube tuning type volley zapping zen (adj.)

the best trench coat hit song tune up guy volleyball channel surfing cool / laid-back

Those marked in blue are pronounced as a word, rather than each letter individually. Agence Nationale de l'Accueil des Etrangers et des Migrations ANPE* Agence nationale pour l'emploi Association pour l'emploi dans l'industrie ASSEDIC* et le commerce BCBG bon chic bon genre BD bande dessine BN Bibliothque nationale ANAEM BNP BP CAF CDD CDI CDS DALF DEA DELF DOM-TOM EDF ENA FLQ FNAC GDF HLM INSEE Banque nationale de Paris bote postale Caisse d'allocations familiales Contrat dure dtermine Contrat dure indtermine Carte de sjour diplme approfondi de langue franaise diplme d'tudes approfondies diplme d'tudes en langue franaise Dpartements d'outre-mer et Territoires d'outre-mer Electricit de France Ecole Nationale d'Administration Front de la libration du Qubec Fdration nationale des achats de cadres Gaz de France Habitation loyer modr Institut National de la Statistique et des PC Parti communiste

PDG prsident-directeur gnral PJ PS PTT QG RATP RDC RER RF RMI RV SDF SIDA SMIC pices joints Parti socialiste Postes, tlgraphes et tlphones quartier gnral Rgie autonome des transports parisiens rez-de-chausse Rseau express rgional Rpublique franaise Revenu minimum d'insertion rendez-vous Sans domicile fixe syndrome immunodficitaire acquis Salaire minimum interprofessional de croissance

SNCF Socit nationale de chemin de fer SPA SVP TER TGB TGV TTC TVA Socit protectrice des animaux s'il vous plat Transport express rgional Trs grande bibliothque Train grande vitesse toutes taxes comprises taxe la valeur ajoute

MGEN MJC MLF MRAP OMI ONU OTAN OVNI PV

Etudes Economiques Mutuelle Gnrale de l'Education Nationale Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture Mouvement pour la libration de la femme Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amiti entre les peuples Office des Migrations Internationales Organisation des Nations Unies Organisation du trait de l'Atlantique du Nord Objet volant non identifi procs-verbal

UE UDF

Union europenne

Union pour la dmocratie franaise Union pour un Mouvement UMP Populaire VF version franaise

VO version originale VOST version originale sous-titre VTT X vlo tout terrain l'cole Polytechnique

* ANPE and ASSEDIC no longer exist. They were merged together in 2009 to form Ple Emploi. Regions & Departments of France [ mp3 - 3.87 MB ] Rgions de France mtropolitaine Alsace Aquitaine Auvergne Basse-Normandie Bretagne Bourgogne Centre Champagne-Ardenne Corse Franche-Comt Haute-Normandie Ille-de-France Languedoc-Roussillon Limousin Lorraine Midi-Pyrnes Nord-Pas-de-Calais Pays-de-la-Loire Picardie Poitou-Charentes Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur Alsace Aquitaine Auvergne Lower-Normandy Brittany Burgundy Center Champagne-Ardenne Corsica Franche-Comte Upper-Normandy Paris-Isle-of-France Languedoc-Roussillon Limousin Lorraine Midi-Pyrenees North-Calais Pays-de-la-Loire Picardy Poitou-Charentes Provence-Alpes-Azur English Translations

Rhne-Alpes Rgions/Dpartements d'outre-mer Guadeloupe Martinique Guyane La Runion

Rhone-Alps Overseas Regions/Departments Guadeloupe Martinique French Guiana Reunion Each rgion is divided into dpartements, except for the overseas regions (they exist as rgions as well as dpartements.) Each dpartement is assigned a two-digit number that begins the zip code (the numbers somewhat correspond to alphabetical order). For example, the dpartement of Ain is 01 and the dpartement of Vosges is 88. DOM-TOM means dpartements d'outre-mer and trritoires d'outre-mer. French territories (also called collectivities) include Polynsie franaise, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Wallis-et-Futuna, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthlemy. Nouvelle Caldonie has a special status (sui generis) and will vote for independence from France in the next ten years. The 96 departments of mainland France, grouped according to their region, are:

67 Bas-Rhin 68 Haut-Rhin 24 Dordogne 33 Gironde 40 Landes 47 Lot-et-Garonne 64 PyrnesAtlantiques 03 Allier 15 Cantal 43 Haute-Loire 63 Puy-de-Dme 14 Calvados 50 Manche 61 Orne

Alsace

Aquitaine

11 Aude 30 Gard 34 Hrault 48 Lozre 66 Pyrnes-Orientales 19 Corrze 23 Creuse 87 Haute-Vienne

LanguedocRoussillon

Limousin

Auvergne

54 Meurthe-et-Moselle 55 Meuse 57 Moselle 88 Vosges 09 Arige 12 Aveyron 31 Haute-Garonne

Lorraine

Basse-Normandie

Midi-Pyrnes

21 Cte-d'Or 58 Nivre 71 Sane-et-Loire 89 Yonne 22 Ctes-d'Armor 29 Finistre 35 Ille-et-Vilaine 56 Morbihan 18 Cher 28 Eure-et-Loir 36 Indre 37 Indre-et-Loire 41 Loir-et-Cher 45 Loiret 08 Ardennes 10 Aube 51 Marne 52 Haute-Marne 2A Corse-du-Sud 2B Haute-Corse

32 Gers Bourgogne 46 Lot 65 Hautes-Pyrnes 81 Tarn 82 Tarn-et-Garonne 59 Nord 62 Pas-de-Calais 44 Loire-Atlantique 49 Maine-et-Loire 53 Mayenne 72 Sarthe 85 Vende 02 Aisne 60 Oise ChampagneArdenne 80 Somme Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Bretagne

Centre

Pays de la Loire

Picardie

Corse

16 Charente 17 Charente-Maritime 79 Deux-Svres 86 Vienne 04 Alpes-de-HauteProvence 05 Hautes-Alpes 06 Alpes-Maritimes 13 Bouches-du-Rhne 83 Var 84 Vaucluse 01 Ain 07 Ardche

Poitou-Charentes

25 Doubs 39 Jura Franche-Comt 70 Haute-Sane 90 Territoire de Belfort 27 Eure 76 Seine-Maritime Haute-Normandie

Provence-AlpesCte d'Azur

Rhne-Alpes

75 Paris 77 Seine-et-Marne 78 Yvelines 91 Essonne 92 Hauts-de-Seine 93 Seine-Saint-Denis 94 Val-de-Marne 95 Val-d'Oise

26 Drme 38 Isre 42 Loire le-de-France 69 Rhne 73 Savoie 74 Haute-Savoie