French Tutorial Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and

Grammar

1. Basic Phrases / les expressions de base

Bonjour Bonne nuit

Bonsoir
/bu/ /bn ni/
/bswa/
Hello / Good day / Good Good night (only said
Good evening
morning when going to bed)

S'il vous plat / S'il te

Salut Au revoir
plat
/saly/ /()vwa/
/sil vu pl/
Hi / Bye Goodbye
Please (formal / informal)

Je vous en prie.
Merci (beaucoup) De rien.
/vu z pri/
/msi boku/ /d j/
You're welcome. (formal)
Thank you (very much) You're welcome.
/ Go ahead.

Bienvenu(e)
Allons-y! A tout l'heure
/bjvny/
/al zi/ /a tu ta l/
Welcome (also You're
Let's go! See you in a little while
welcome in Quebec)

A plus tard A bientt A demain

/a ply ta/ /a bjto/ /a dm/
See you later See you soon See you tomorrow

Pardon ! Excusez-moi !
/pad/ /ekskyze mwa/
Je suis dsol(e)
Excuse me! (pushing Excuse me! (getting
/dezle/
through a crowd) / Sorry! someone's attention) / I'm
I'm sorry
(stepped on someone's sorry! (more formal
foot) apology)

Comment allez-vous ? Je vais bien Trs bien / mal / pas mal

/km tale vu/ / ve bj/ /t bj/ /mal/ /pa mal/
How are you? (formal) I'm fine. Very good / bad / not bad

a va ? a va. Oui / non

/sa va/ /sa va/ /wi/ /n/
How are you? (informal) I'm fine. (informal Yes / no
response to a va ?)

Comment vous appelez- Tu t'appelles comment ?

Je m'appelle...
vous ? /ty tapl km/
/ mapl/
/km vu zaple vu/ What's your name?
My name is...
What's your name? (formal) (informal)

Monsieur, Madame,
Enchant(e) Mademoiselle Mesdames et Messieurs
/te/ /msj/ /madam/ /medam/ /mesj/
Nice to meet you. /madwazl/ Ladies and gentlemen
Mister, Misses, Miss

Vous tes d'o ? / Vous Tu es d'o ? / Tu viens

Je suis de... / Je viens
venez d'o ? d'o ?
de...
/vu zt du/ /vu vne du/ /ty du/ /ty vj du/
/ si d/ / vj d/
Where are you from? Where are you from?
I am from...
(formal) (informal)

O habitez-vous ? Tu habites o ?
J'habite ...
/u abite vu/ /ty abit u/
/abit a/
Where do you live? Where do you live?
I live in...
(formal) (informal)

Tu as quel ge ?
Quel ge avez-vous ? J'ai ____ ans.
/ty kl /
/kl ave vu/ /e __ /
How old are you?
How old are you? (formal) I am ____ years old.
(informal)

Parlez-vous franais ? /
Tu parles anglais ?
/pale vu frs/ /ty pal Je parle allemand. Je ne parle pas espagnol.
/ pal alm/
gl/ / n pal pa spal/
I speak German.
Do you speak French? I don't speak Spanish.
(formal) / Do you speak
English? (informal)

Comprenez-vous? / Tu
Je comprends Je ne comprends pas
comprends?
/ kp/ / n kp pa/
/kp ne vu/ /ty kp /
I understand I don't understand
Do you understand? (formal
/ informal)

Pouvez-vous m'aider ? /
Tu peux m'aider ?
Bien sr. Comment ?
/puve vu mede/ /ty p
/bj sy/ /km/
mede/
Of course. What? Pardon?
Can you help me? (formal /
informal)

Tenez / Tiens
Je sais Je ne sais pas
/tne/ /tj/
/ s/ /n s pa/
Hey / Here (formal /
I know I don't know
informal)

Il y a ... / Il y avait...
O est ... / O sont ... ? Voici / Voil
/il i a/ /il i av/
/u / /u s/ /vwasi/ /vwala/
There is / are... / There
Where is ... / Where are ... ? Here is/are... / There it is.
was / were...

Comment dit-on ____ en

Qu'est-ce que c'est que
franais ? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?
a ?
/km di t __ fs/ /ks kil i a/
/ks k s k sa/
How do you say ____ in What's the matter?
What is that?
French?

a ne fait rien. Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? Je n'ai aucune ide.

/sa n f j/ /ks ki s pas/ / ne okyn ide/
It doesn't matter. What's happening? I have no idea.

Je suis fatigu(e) / Je suis

J'ai faim / J'ai soif. J'ai chaud / J'ai froid.
malade.
/e f/ /e swaf/ /e o/ /e fw/
/ si fatie/ / si malad/
I'm hungry / I'm thirsty. I'm hot / I'm cold.
I'm tired / I'm sick.

Ne vous en faites pas. /

a m'est gal. / Je m'en
Ne t'en fais pas.
Je m'ennuie. fiche.
/n vu ft pa/ /n t f
/ mni/ /sa m teal/ / m fi/
pa/
I'm bored. It's the same to me / I don't
Don't worry (formal /
care. (informal)
informal)
Ce n'est pas grave. J'ai oubli. Je dois y aller.
/s n pa gav/ /e ublije/ / dwa i ale/
It's no problem. / It's alright. I forgot. I must go.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes

souhaits ! Flicitations ! Bonne chance !
/a vo sw/ /a te sw/ /felisitasj/ /bn s/
Bless you! (formal / Congratulations! Good luck!
informal)

C'est vous ! / C'est toi ! Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! Je vous aime / Je t'aime

/s ta vu/ /s ta tw/ /tze vu/ /t tw/ / vu zm/ / tm/
It's your turn! (formal / Shut up! / Be quiet! I love you (formal &
informal) (formal / informal) plural / informal)

Tu me manques. Quoi de neuf ? Pas grand-chose.

/ty m mk/ /kw d nf/ /pa g oz/
I miss you. (informal) What's new? 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.

Don't forget to check out my video series on informal French expressions:

2. Pronunciation / la prononciation

French Vowels
Phonetic General
IPA Sample words
spelling spellings
[i] ee vie, midi, lit, riz i, y
[y] ee rue, jus, tissu, u
 rounded usine
bl, nez, cahier, , et, final
[e] ay
pied er and ez
ay jeu, yeux, queue,
[] eu
rounded bleu
lait, aile, balai, e, , , ai,
[] eh reine ei, ais
eh sur, uf, fleur,
[] u, eu
rounded beurre
chat, ami, papa,
[a] ah a, ,
salade
bas, ne, grce,
[] ah longer chteau a,

loup, cou,
[u] oo ou
caillou, outil
eau, dos,
[o] oh o,
escargot, htel
sol, pomme,
[] aw cloche, horloge
o

fentre, genou,
[] uh cheval, cerise
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
IPA
spelling words spelling
fois, oui,
[w] w oi, ou
Louis
[] ew-ee lui, suisse ui
oreille,
[j] yuh ill, y
Mireille
French nasal vowels
IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling
[] awn gant, banc, dent en, em, an, am, aon, aen
 in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,
[] ahn pain, vin, linge
en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, en
[] uhn brun, lundi, parfum un

[] ohn rond, ongle, front on, om

[] 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.

French Consonants
ex + vowel egz examen, exercice
ex + consonant eks exceptionnel, expression
ch (Latin origin) sh architecte, archives
ch (Greek origin) k orchestre, archologie
ti + vowel (except ) see dmocratie, nation
c + e, i, y; or s cent, ceinture, maon
c + a, o, u k caillou, car, cube
g + e, i, y zh genou, gingembre
g + a, o, u g gomme, ganglion
th t maths, thme, thym
j zh jambe, jus, jeune
qu, final q k que, quoi, grecque
h silent haricot, herbe, hasard
vowel + s + vowel z rose, falaise, casino
x + vowel z six ans, beaux arts
final x s 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 / l'alphabet

a /a/ j /i/ s /s/

b /be/ k /ka/ t /te/

c /se/ l /l/ u /y/

d /de/ m /m/ v /ve/

e // n /n/ w /dublve/
f /f/ o /o/ x /iks/

g // p /pe/ y /igrk/

h /a/ q /ky/ z /zd/

i /i/ r //

4. Nouns, Articles & Demonstratives / les noms, les articles & les demonstratifs

All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you
must memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide
which gender a noun is. Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are
nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -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 Feminine Before Vowel Plural
le lit la pomme l'oiseau les gants
/l li/ /la pm/ /lwazo/ /le /
the bed the apple the bird the gloves

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some)

Masculine Feminine Plural
un lit une pomme des gants
/ li/ / yn pm/ /de /
a bed an apple some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)

Masc. Masc, Before Vowel Fem. Plural
ce lit cet oiseau cette pomme ces gants
/s li/ /s twazo/ /st pm/ /se /
this/that bed this/that bird this/that apple 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 / les mots utiles

It's / That's c'est /s/ There is/are il y a /il i a/

There is/are voil /vwala/ Here is/are voici /vwasi/
and et /e/ always toujours /tuu/
but mais /m/ often souvent /suv/
now maintenant /mtn/ sometimes quelquefois /klkfwa/
especially surtout /sytu/ usually d'habitude /dabityd/
except sauf /sof/ also, too aussi /osi/
of course bien sr /bj sy/ again encore /k/
comme /km si, km
so so late en retard /ta/
ci, comme a sa/
not bad pas mal /pa mal/ almost presque /psk/
book le livre /l liv/ friend (fem) une amie /y nami/
friend
pencil le crayon /l kj/ un ami / nami/
(masc)
pen le stylo /l stilo/ woman une femme /yn fam/
paper le papier /l papje/ man un homme / nm/
dog le chien /l j/ girl une fille /yn fij/
cat le chat /l a/ boy un garon / gas/
money l'argent (m) /la/ job / work le travail /l tavaj/

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 / les pronoms sujets

Subject Pronouns
je // I nous /nu/ We
tu /ty/ You (informal) vous /vu/ You (formal and plural)
il /il/ He
ils /il/ They (masc.)
elle /l/ She
elles /l/ They (fem.)
on // One

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 & To Have / Etre & avoir

Present tense of tre /t/ - to be

nous
I am je suis / si/ We are /nu sm/
sommes

You
tu es /ty / You are vous tes /vu zt/
are

He is il est /il /
They are ils sont /il s/
She is elle est /l /
They are elles sont /l s/
One is on est / n/

Past tense of tre - to be

nous /nu
I was j'tais /et/ We were
tions zetj/
vous /vu
You were tu tais /tu et/ You were
tiez zetje/
il tait
ils /il
He was elle /il et/
They were taient zet/
She was tait /l et/
They were elles /l
One was on / net/
taient zet/
tait

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

We nous
I will be je serai / se/ /nu s/
will be serons
You tu You will
/ty sa/ vous serez /vu se/
will be seras be
He will il sera They
/il sa/
be elle will be ils seront /il s/
/l sa/
She will sera They will elles seront /l s/
/ sa/
be on sera be
 One
will be

Present tense of avoir /avwa/ - to have

nous
I have j'ai /e/ We have /nu zav/
avons

You have tu as /ty / You have vous avez /vu zave/

He has il a /il /
They have ils ont /il z/
She has elle a /l /
They have elles ont /l z/
One has on a / n/

Past tense of avoir - to have

nous
I had j'avais /av/ We had /nu zavj/
avions
tu vous
You had /ty av/ You had /vu zavje/
avais aviez
il avait
ils
He had elle /il av/
avaient /il zav/
She had avait /l av/ They had
elles /l zav/
One had on / nav/
avaient
avait
Future tense of avoir - to have
We nous /nu
I will have j'aurai /oe/
will have aurons zo/
You will You will vous /vu
tu auras /ty o/
have have aurez zoe/
He will have
il aura /il oa/ They /il
She will ils auront
elle /l oa/ will have zo/
have elles
aura / They will /l
One will auront
on aura noa/ have zo/
have

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 Etre

Avoir and tre are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be
memorized:
 /t d
avoir chaud /avwa o/ to be hot tre de retour to be back
tu/
/t
avoir froid /avwa fwa/ to be cold tre en retard to be late
ta/
/t
avoir peur /avwa p/ to be afraid tre en avance to be early
navs/
to be in
avoir raison /avwa z/ to be right tre d'accord /t dak/
agreement
tre sur le /t sy l
avoir tort /avwa t/ to be wrong to be about to
point de pw d/
tre en train /t t to be in the act
avoir faim /avwa f/ to be hungry
de d/ of
tre
avoir soif /avwa swaf/ to be thirsty /t yme/ to have a cold
enrhume
avoir nous + tre
/avwa smj/ to be sleepy /t u/ to be (a day)
sommeil (un jour)
to be
avoir honte /avwa t/
ashamed
avoir besoin /avwa bzw
to need
de d/
to look like,
avoir l'air de /avwa d/
seem
avoir
/avwa tsj/ to intend to
l'intention de
avoir envie /avwa vi
to feel like
de d/
avoir de la /avwa d la
to be lucky
chance s/
froid. I'm cold. Je suis en retard! I'm late!
vais raison. You were right. Tu tais en avance. You were early.
ra 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.
s 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 / les interrogatifs

Who Qui /ki/

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

9. cardinal Numbers / Les nombres cardinaux

Zero Zro /zeo/

One Un / /
Two Deux /d/
Three Trois /tw/
Four Quatre /kat/
Five Cinq /sk /
Six Six /sis/
Seven Sept /st/
Eight Huit /it/
Nine Neuf /nf/
Ten Dix /dis/
Eleven Onze /z/
Twelve Douze /duz/
Thirteen Treize /tz/
Fourteen Quatorze /katz/
Fifteen Quinze /kz /
Sixteen Seize /sz/
Seventeen Dix-sept /dist/
Eighteen Dix-huit /dizit/
Nineteen Dix-neuf /diznf/
Twenty Vingt /v/
Twenty-one Vingt et un /vt e /
Twenty-two Vingt-deux /v d/
Twenty-three Vingt-trois /v tw/
Thirty Trente /tt/
 Thirty-one Trente et un /tt e //
Thirty-two Trente-deux /tt d/
Forty Quarante /kat/
Fifty Cinquante /sk t/
Sixty Soixante /swast/
Seventy Soixante-dix /swastdis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Septante /sptt/
Seventy-one Soixante et onze /swast e z/
Seventy-two Soixante-douze /swast duz/
Eighty Quatre-vingts /katv/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Octante /ktt/
Eighty-one Quatre-vingt-un /katv t /
Eighty-two Quatre-vingt-deux /katv d/
Ninety Quatre-vingt-dix /katv dis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Nonante /nnt/
Ninety-one Quatre-vingt-onze /katv z /
Ninety-two Quatre-vingt-douze /katv duz/
One Hundred Cent /s/
One Hundred One Cent un /s t /
Two Hundred Deux cents /d s/
Two Hundred One Deux cent un /d s t /
Thousand Mille /mil/
Two Thousand Deux mille /d mil/
Million Un million / milj/
Billion Un milliard / 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 / Les nombres ordinaux

first premier / premire

 second deuxime / second
third troisime
fourth quatrime
fifth cinquime
sixth sixime
seventh septime
eighth huitime
ninth neuvime
tenth dixime
eleventh onzime
twelfth douzime
twentieth vingtime
twenty-first vingt et unime
thirtieth 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

Monday lundi /ldi/

Tuesday mardi /madi/
Wednesday mercredi /mkdi/
Thursday jeudi /di/
Friday vendredi /vddi/
Saturday samedi /samdi/
Sunday dimanche /dim/
day le jour /l u/
week la semaine /la s()mn/
today aujourd'hui /oudi/
yesterday hier /j/
tomorrow demain /dm/
next prochain / prochaine /p/ /pn/
last dernier / dernire /dnje/ /dnj/
 day before yesterday avant-hier /avt j/
day after tomorrow aprs-demain /apdm/
the following day le lendemain /l ldm/
the day before la veille /la vj/

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'annEe

January janvier /vje/

February fvrier /fevije/
March mars /mas/
April avril /avil/
May mai /m/
June juin //
July juillet /ij/
August aot /u(t)/
September septembre /sptb/
October octobre /ktb/
November novembre /nvb/
December dcembre /desb/
month le mois /l mwa/
year l'an / l'anne /l/ /lane/
decade la dcennie /deseni/
century le sicle /l sjkl/
millennium le millnaire /milen/

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

12. Seasons / Les saisons

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

13. Directions / Les directions

on the left gauche /a go/

on the
droite /a dwt/
right
straight tout
/tu dw/
ahead droit

North le nord /l n/ Northeast le nord-est /l n(d)st/

South le sud /l syd/ Northwest le nord-ouest /l n(d)wst/
East l'est /lst/ Southeast le sud-est /sydst/
West l'ouest /lwst/ Southwest le sud-ouest /sydwst/

14. Colors & Shapes / Les couleurs & les formes

Red rouge /u/ square le carr /kae/

Orange orange // circle le cercle /skl/
Yellow jaune /on/ triangle le triangle /tijgl/
Green vert / verte /v/ /vt/ rectangle le rectangle /ktgl/
Blue bleu / bleue /bl/ oval l'ovale /val/
Purple violet / violette /vjl/ /vjlt/ cube le cube /kyb/
blanc /
White /bl/ /bl/ sphere la sphre /sf/
blanche
brun / brune /b/ /byn/
Brown cylinder le cylindre /sild/
marron /ma/
Black noir / noire /nwa/ cone le cne /kon/
Pink rose /oz/ octagon l'octogone /ktogn/
Gold dor / dore /de/ box la bote /bwat/
argent /
Silver /ate/ light clair / claire /kl/
argente
fonc /
Gray gris / grise /gi/ /giz/ dark /fs e/
fonce

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

What's the weather like? Quel temps fait-il ? /kl t f til/

It's nice Il fait bon /il f b/
bad Il fait mauvais /il f mve/
cool Il fait frais /il f f/
cold Il fait froid /il f fw/
warm, hot Il fait chaud /il f o/
cloudy Il fait nuageux /il f nya/
beautiful Il fait beau /il f bo/
mild Il fait doux /il f du/
stormy Il fait orageux /il f a/
sunny Il fait soleil /il f slj/
humid Il fait humide /il f ymid/
muggy Il fait lourd /il f lu/
windy Il fait du vent /il f dy v/
foggy Il fait du brouillard /il f dy buja/
snowing Il neige /il n/
raining Il pleut /il pl/
freezing Il gle /il l/
hailing Il grle /il gl/
It is ____ degrees. Il fait ____ degrs. /il f __ dge/
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

What time is it? Quelle heure est-il ? /kl til/

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

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 & Animals / La famille & les animaux

Family la famille /famij/ Niece la nice /njs/

des
Relatives /pa/ Nephew le neveu /n()v/
parents
les les petits-
Parents /pa/ Grandchildren /p()tizf/
parents enfants
 les
la petite-
Grandparents grands- /gpa/ Granddaughter /p()tit fij/
fille
parents
la mre / /m/
Mom Grandson le petit-fils /p()tifis/
maman /mm/
Stepmother/Mother-in- la belle-
/blm/ Godfather le parrain /pa/
Law mre
le pre / /p/
Dad Godmother la marraine /man/
papa /papa/
Stepfather/Father-in- le beau-
/bop/ Godson le filleul /fijl/
Law pre
Daughter la fille /fij/ Goddaughter la filleule /fijl/
Distant des parents /pa
Son le fils /fis/
Relatives loigns elwae/
Sister la sur /s/ Single clibataire /selibat/
la demi- /dmi
Half/Step Sister Married mari(e) /maje/
sur s/
la belle-
Sister-in-Law /bls/ Separated spar(e) /sepae/
sur
Stepdaughter/Daughter- la belle-
/bl fij/ Divorced divorc(e) /divse/
in-Law fille
Brother le frre /f/ Widower veuf /vf/
le demi- /dmi
Half/Step Brother Widow veuve /vv/
frre f/
le beau-
Brother-in-Law /bo f/
frre
le chien / la
le beau-
Stepson/Son-in-Law /bo fis/ Dog chienne (m) /j/ /jn/
fils
/ (f)
le chat / la
les
Twins (m) /ymo/ Cat chatte (m) / /a/ /at/
jumeaux
(f)
les
Twins (f) /yml/ Puppy le chiot /jo/
jumelles
Uncle l'oncle /k l/ Kitten le chaton /at/
Aunt la tante /tt/ Pig le cochon /k/
la grand-
Grandmother /gm/ Rooster le coq /kk/
mre
le grand-
Grandfather /gp/ Rabbit le lapin /lap/
pre
Cousin (f) la cousine /kuzin/ Cow la vache /va/
Cousin (m) le cousin /kuz/ Horse le cheval /()val/
Wife la femme /fam/ Duck le canard /kana/
Husband le mari /mai/ Goat la chvre /v/
Woman la femme /fam/ Goose l'oie /wa/
Man l'homme /m/ Sheep le mouton /mut/
un enfant
Child (m) / (f) / une /f/ Lamb l'agneau /ao/
enfant
Girl la fille /fij/ Donkey l'ne /n/
Boy le garon /gas/ Mouse la souris /sui/

Note: Le gendre /d/ is another word for son-in-law.

Slang words for people and pets:

The entire
toute la smala /tut la smala/ Sister la frangine /fin/
family
/meme/
Grandma mm / mamie Brother le frangin /f/
/mami/
Grandpa pp / papi /pepe/ /papi/ Son le fiston /fist/
Children des gosses /gs/ Aunt tata / tatie /tata/ /tati/
un gamin / une /gam/
Kid Uncle tonton /tt /
gamine /gamin/
le cabot / /kabo/
Woman une nana /nana/ Dog
clbard /kleba/
un mec / type / /mk/ /tip/
Man Cat le minou /minu/
gars /ga/

18. To Know People & Places / connaitre & savoir

connatre-to know people /knt/ savoir-to know facts /savwa/

connais /kn/ connaissons /kns/ sais /s/ savons /sav/
connais /kn/ connaissez /knse/ sais /s/ savez /save/
connat /kn/ connaissent /kns/ sait /s/ savent /sav/

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 / la formation des noms pluriels

To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not

pronounced). Sing. Plural
But there are some exceptions:
If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing. bus(es) le bus les bus
If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. boat(s) le bateau les bateaux
If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it
horse(s) le cheval les chevaux
to -aux.
Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -
knee(s) le genou les genoux
s.

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).

Notice that the only time the pronunciation will change in the plural form is for
masculine nouns that change -al or -ail to -aux and for the irregular forms. All other
nouns are pronounced the same in the singular and the plural - it is only the article
that changes pronunciation (le, la, l' to les).
20. Possessive Adjectives / les adjectifs possessifs

Masc. Fem. Plural

My mon /m/ ma /ma/ mes /m/
Your ton /t/ ta /ta/ tes /t/
His/Her/Its son /s/ sa /sa/ ses /s/
Our notre /nt/ notre /nt/ nos /no/
Your votre /vt/ votre /vt/ vos /vo/
Their leur /l/ leur /l/ leurs /l/

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 / Faire

Faire - to do, make /f/

Present tense Past tense (imperfect) Future tense
fais /f/ faisons /fz/ faisais /fz/ faisions /fzj/ ferai /f/ ferons /f/
fais /f/ faites /ft/ faisais /fz/ faisiez /fzje/ feras /fa/ ferez /fe/
fait /f/ font /f/ faisait /fz/ faisaient /fz/ fera /fa/ feront /f/

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 & School / Le Travail & L'Ecole

Masculine Feminine
actor / actress l'acteur /akt/ l'actrice /aktis/
singer le chanteur /t/ la chanteuse /tz/
architect l'architecte /aitkt/ l'architecte /aitkt/
accountant le comptable /kt abl/ la comptable /kt abl/
judge le juge /y/ la juge /y/
 l'homme la femme
business person /m daf/ /fam daf/
d'affaires d'affaires
baker le boulanger /bule/ la boulangre /bul/
hair dresser le coiffeur /kwaf/ la coiffeuse /kwafz/
computer la
le programmeur /pgam/ /pgamz/
programmer programmeuse
secretary le secrtaire /sket/ la secrtaire /sket/
electrician l'lectricien /elktisj/ l'lectricienne /elktisjn/
mechanic le mcanicien /mekanisj/ la mcanicienne /mekanisjn/
cook le cuisinier /kizinje/ la cuisinire /kizinj/
salesperson le vendeur /vd/ la vendeuse /vdz/
fire fighter le pompier /pp je/ la pompier /pp je/
plumber le plombier /plbje/ la plombier /plbje/
librarian le bibliothcaire /biblijtek/ la bibliothcaire /biblijtek/
police officer l'agent de police /a d plis/ l'agent de police /a d plis/
reporter le journaliste /unalist/ la journaliste /unalist/
blue-collar worker l'ouvrier /uvije/ l'ouvrire /uvij/
banker le banquier /bkje/ la banquire /bkj/
lawyer l'avocat /avka/ l'avocate /avkat/
postal worker le facteur /fakt/ la factrice /faktis/
carpenter le charpentier /aptje/ la charpentire /aptj/
engineer l'ingnieur / enj/ l'ingnieure / enj/
doctor le mdecin /mds/ la mdecin /mds/
nurse l'infirmier /fimje/ l'infirmire /fimj/
pharmacist le pharmacien /famasj/ la pharmacienne /famasjn/
psychologist le psychologue /psiklg/ la psychologue /psiklg/
dentist le dentiste /dtist/ la dentiste /dtist/
veterinarian le vtrinaire /vetein/ la vtrinaire /vetein/
le chauffeur de /of d la chauffeur de /of d
taxi driver
taxi taksi/ taxi taksi/
writer l'crivain /ekiv/ l'crivaine /ekivn/
teacher (primary l'instituteur /stityt/ l'institutrice /stitytis/
school)
teacher / professor le professeur /pfes/ la professeur /pfes/
student l'tudiant /etydj/ l'tudiante /etydjt/
intern le stagiaire /staj/ la stagiaire /staj/
retired person le retrait /tete/ la retraite /tete/

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

School Subjects / Les Matieres

les
Math /matematik/ Geography la gographie /egafi/
mathmatiques
Algebra l'algbre /alb/ Physics la physique /fizik/
Calculus le calcul /kalkyl/ Biology la biologie /bjli/
Geometry la gomtrie /emeti/ Chemistry la chimie /imi/
Business/Trade le commerce /kms/ Zoology la zoologie /zli/
Accounting la comptabilit /ktabilite/ Botany la botanique /btanik/
les sciences /sj les arts-
Economics Art /a plastik/
conomiques zeknmik/ plastiques
Foreign les langues
/lg vivt/ Music la musique /myzik/
Languages vivantes
Linguistics la linguistique /lgistik/ Dance la danse /ds/
Literature la littrature /liteaty/ Drawing le dessin /des/
Philosophy la philosophie /filzfi/ Painting la peinture /pt y/
Computer
Psychology la psychologie /psikli/ l'informatique /fmatik/
Science
Political les sciences /sjs
Technology la technologie /tknli/
Science politiques plitik/
Physical l'ducation /edykasj
History l'histoire (f) /istwa/
Education physique (f) fizik/

Notice that you do not use an indefinite article before professions, unless they are
preceded by an adjective.
Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? What do you do for a living?
Je suis avocate. I am a lawyer. (fem.)
Je suis professeur. I am a professor.
Je suis 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 un dico /diko/ student un potache /pota/

paper / essay une disserte /dist/ book un bouquin /buk/
college / faculty la fac /fak/ to work bosser /bse/
quiz une interro /t/ to understand piger /pie/
tre coll(e) /kle/
to have detention to skip (a class) scher (un cours) /see/
avoir une colle /kol/

23. Prepositions & Contractions

at / to / in /a/ during pendant /pd/

from / of /
de /d/ since / for depuis /dpi/
about
at the
chez /e/ among parmi /pami/
house of
in dans / en /d/ // between entre /t/
for pour /pu/ around autour de /otud/
by /
par /pa/ against contre /kt /
through
in front of devant /dv/ toward vers / envers /v/ /nv/
through /
behind derrire /dj/ travers /atav/
across
before avant /av/ with avec /avk/
after aprs /ap/ without sans /s/
dedans / /dd/
up en haut /no/ inside
l'intrieur /altej/
 dehors / /d/
down en bas /ba/ outside
l'extrieur /alkstej/
hors de / en /d/
on sur /sy/ outside of
dehors de /ndd/
over /
au-dessus de /odsyd/ because of cause de /akozd/
above
under / sous / au- /su/
according to selon / d'aprs /sl/ /dap/
below dessous de /odsud/
across
en face de /fasd/ approximately environ /vi/
from
near prs de /pd/ in spite of malgr /malge/
far from loin de /lwd / as for quant /kta/

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 /o/ at / to / in the
+ les = aux /o/ at / to / in the (pl.)
de + le = du /dy/ of / from / about the
de + les = des /de/ of / from / about the (pl.)

In: Dans vs. 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 nationalitEs

Hebrew
Africa l'Afrique (f) /afik/ hbreu /eb/
(lang.)
African africain/e /afik/ /n/ Italy l'Italie (f) /itali/
Albania l'Albanie (f) /albani/ Italian italien/ne /italj/ /n/
Albanian albanais/e /alban/ /z/ Japan le Japon /ap/
Algeria l'Algrie (f) /alei/ Japanese japonais/e /apn/ /z/
Algerian algrien/ne /alej/ /n/ Korea la Core /ke/
America l'Amrique (f) /ameik/ Korean coren/ne /ke/ /n/
/ameik/
American amricain/e Latvia la Lettonie /letni/
/n/
Argentina l'Argentine (f) /at in/ Latvian letton/ne /let/ /n/
Argentine argentin/e /at/ /in/ Lithuania la Lituanie /litani/
Asia l'Asie (f) /azi/ Lithuanian lituanien/ne /litanj/ /n/
Asian asiatique /azjatik/ Luxembourg le Luxembourg /lyksbu/
/lyksbuwa/
Australia l'Australie (f) /ostali/ Luxembourger luxembourgeois/e
/az/
/ostalj/
Australian australien/ne Macedonia la Macdoine /masedwan/
/n/
/masednj/
Austria l'Autriche (f) /oti/ Macedonian macdonien/ne
/n/
/otij/ ,
Austrian autrichien/ne Malta Malte (f) /malt/
/n/
Belgium la Belgique /blik/ Maltese maltais/e /malt/ /z/
Belgian belge /bl/ Morocco le Maroc /mak/
Bosnia la Bosnie /bsni/ Moroccan marocain/e /mak/ /n/
Bosnian bosniaque /bsniak/ Netherlands les Pays-Bas /peib/
Brazil le Brsil /bezil/ Dutch nerlandais/e /neld/ /z/
/bezilj/ Dutch
Brazilian brsilien/ne hollandais/e /'l d/ /z/
/n/ (person)
la Nouvelle-
Bulgaria la Bulgarie /bylgai/ New Zealand /nuvlzeld/
Zlande
New /neozeld/
Bulgarian bulgare /bylga/ no-zlandais/e
Zealander /z/
Cambodia le Cambodge /kbd/ Norway la Norvge /nv/
 /kbdj/
Cambodian cambodgien/ne Norwegian norvgien/ne /nvej/ /n/
/n/
Canada le Canada /kanada/ Poland la Pologne /pl/
/kanadj/
Canadian canadien/ne Polish polonais/e /pln/ /z/
/n/
China la Chine /in/ Portugal le Portugal /ptygal/
Chinese chinois/e /inwa/ /az/ Portuguese portugais/e /ptyg/ /z/
Croatia la Croatie /kasi/ Quebec le Qubc /kebk/
Croatian croate /kat/ Quebecker qubcois/e /kebekwa/ /az/
Czech la Rpublique /epyblik
Romania la Roumanie /umani/
Republic Tchque tk/
Czech tchque /tk/ Romanian roumain/e /um/ /n/
Denmark le Danemark /danmak/ Russia la Russie /ysi/
Danish danois/e /danwa/ /az/ Russian russe /ys/
Egypt l'Egypte (f) /eipt/ Scotland l'Ecosse /eks/
Egyptian gyptien/e /eipsj/ /n/ Scottish cossais/e /eks/ /z/
England l'Angleterre (f) /glt/ Senegal le Sngal /senegal/
English anglais/e /gl/ /z/ Senegalese sngalais/e /senegal/ /z/
Estonia l'Estonie /stni/ Serbia la Serbie /sbi/
Estonian estonien/ne /stonj/ /n/ Serbian serbe /sb/
Europe l'Europe (f) /p/ Slovakia la Slovaquie /slvaki/
European europen/ne /pe/ /n/ Slovak slovaque /slvak/
Finland la Finlande /fld/ Slovenia la Slovnie /slveni/
Finnish finnois/e /finwa/ /az/ Slovene slovne /slvn/
France la France /fs/ Spain l'Espagne (f) /spa/
French franais/e /fs/ /z/ Spanish espagnol/e /spal/
Germany l'Allemagne (f) /alma/ Sweden la Sude /sd/
German allemand/e /alm/ /d/ Swedish sudois/e /sedwa/ /az/
Great la Grande-
/gdbta/ Switzerland la Suisse /sis/
Britain Bretagne
British britannique /bitanik/ Swiss suisse /sis/
Greece la Grce /gs/ Taiwan le Tawan /tajwan/
Greek grec / grecque /gk/ Taiwanese tawanais/e /tajwan/ /z/
Hungary la Hongrie /'g i/ Tunisia la Tunisie /tynizi/
Hungarian hongrois/e /'gwa/ /az/ Tunisian tunisien/ne /tynizj/ /n/
Iceland l'Islande /isld/ Turkey la Turquie /tyki/
Icelandic islandais/e /isld/ /z/ Turk turc / turcque /tyk/
India l'Inde /d / Ukraine l'Ukraine /ykn/
Indian indien/ne /dj/ /n/ Ukrainian ukrainien/ne /yknj/ /n/
United
Indonesia l'Indonsie (f) /d nezi/ la Royaume-Uni /wajomyni/
Kingdom
/dnezj/
Indonesian indonsien/ne United States les Etats-Unis /etazyni/
/n/
Ireland l'Irlande (f) /ild/ Vietnam le Vietnam /vitnam/
/vjtnamj/
Irishman irlandais/e /ild/ /z/ Vietnamese vietnamien/ne
/n/
Israel l'Isral /isael/ Wales le Pays-de-Galles /peidgal/
/isaelj/
Israeli isralien/ne Welsh gallois/e /galw/ /z/
/n/

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

25. Negative Sentences

To make sentences negative, simply put ne and pas around the verb. In spoken French,
however, the ne is frequently omitted, but it cannot be omitted in written French. And
when you are replying "yes" to a negative question, you use si and not oui (though in
Quebec, it is perfectly fine to just use oui).

Je suis du Canada. I am from Canada.

Je ne suis pas du Mexique. I am not from Mexico.
Je suis 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

Places Cities Countries

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

If the name of a country ends in-e, the gender is feminine. If it ends in anything else, it is
masculine. All continents are feminine. The country exceptions are le Cambodge, le
Mexique, le 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 en de
Islands de / d'
Masc. w/ Vowel en / dans l' d' / de l'
Masc. w/ Consonant au / dans le 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 & to Go / Venir & Aller Past & Future conjugations of these verbs are not
yet recorded.
 Venir-to come /vni/
Present Past (Imperfect) Future
viens /vj/ venons /vn/ venais /vn/ venions /vnj/ viendrai /vijnd/ viendrons /vijnd/
viens /vj/ venez /vne/ venait /vn/ veniez /vnje/ viendras /vijnda/ viendrez /vijnde/
vient /vj/ viennent /vijn/ venait /vn/ venaient /vn/ viendra /vijnda/ viendront /vijnd/

Aller-to go /ale/
Present Past (Imperfect) Future
vais /v/ allons /al/ j'allais /al/ allions /alij/ j'irai /i/ irons /i/
vas /va/ allez /ale/ allais /al/ alliez /alije/ iras /ia/ irez /ie/
va /va/ vont /v/ allait /al/ allaient /al/ ira /ia/ iront /i/

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

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 -re 1st -ir 2nd -ir*

-e -ons -s -ons -is -issons -s -ons

-es -ez -s -ez -is -issez -s -ez

-e -ent - -ent -it -issent -t -ent

Sample Regular Verbs in the Present tense

aimer - to like, love vendre - to sell
aime /em/ aimons /em/ vends /v/ vendons /vd/
aimes /em/ aimez /eme/ vends /v/ vendez /vde/
aime /em/ aiment /em/ vend /v/ vendent /vd/

finir - to finish partir - to leave

finis /fini/ finissons /finis/ pars /pa/ partons /pat/
finis /fini/ finissez /finise/ pars /pa/ partez /pate/
finit /fini/ finissent /finis/ part /pa/ partent /pat/

Notice how several conjugations are pronounced the same. This is why you must use the
subject pronouns in French.

Regular verbs
-er -re
aimer /eme/ to like, love vendre /vd/ to sell
chanter /te/ to sing attendre /atd/ to wait for
 chercher /e/ to look for entendre /td/ to hear
commencer /kmse/ to begin perdre /pd/ to lose
donner /dne/ to give rpondre () /epd / to answer
tudier /etydje/ to study descendre /dsd/ to go down
fermer /fme/ to close 1st -ir
habiter /abite/ to live btir /bti/ to build
jouer /we/ to play finir /fini/ to finish
manger /me/ to eat choisir /wazi/ to choose
montrer /mt e/ to show punir /pyni/ to punish
parler /pale/ to speak remplir /pli/ to fill
penser /pse/ to think obir () /bei/ to obey
travailler /tavaje/ to work russir /eysi/ to succeed
trouver /tuve/ to find gurir /gei/ to cure, heal

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 /sti/ (to go out), dormir
/dmi/ (to sleep), mentir /mt i/ (to lie), sentir /sti/ (to smell, feel) and servir
/svi/ (to serve.)

You can also download a list of the 681 most common verbs in French (available in PDF
format.)

29. Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs

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 /m/ nous /nu/

te /t/ vous /vu/

se /s/ se /s/

Some Pronominal Verbs

s'amuser /samyze/ to have fun se brosser /sbse/ to brush
se lever /slve/ to get up se maquiller /smakije/ to put on makeup
to wash to break (arm,
se laver /slave/ se casser /skase/
(oneself) leg, etc.)
se dpcher /sdepee/ to hurry se rveiller /seveje/ to wake up
se peigner /spee/ to comb se raser /sze/ to shave
to get
s'habiller /sabije/ s'ennuyer /snije/ to get bored
dressed
to get
se marier /smaje/ se promener /spmne/ to take a walk
married
s'intresser to be interested
se reposer /spoze/ to rest /steese a/
in
se souvenir
/ssuvni d/ to remember s'entraner /stene/ to train/practice
de
s'entendre to get along
/stdbj/ se dtendre /sdetd/ to relax
bien well
se coucher /skue/ to go to bed

When used in the infinitive, such as after another verb, the reflexive pronoun agrees with
the subject of the sentence.

Je vais me coucher maintenant. I'm going to go to bed.

Tu veux t'asseoir ? Do you want to sit down?

Sample Irregular Pronominal Verb

s'asseoir - to sit down /saswa/
je m'assieds /masj/ nous nous asseyons /nunuzasej/
tu t'assieds /tytasj/ vous vous asseyez /vuvusaseje/
il s'assied /ilsasj/ ils s'asseyent /ilsasej/

30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs

1. Verbs that end in -ger and -cer: The nous form of manger isn't mangons, but
mangeons. The e has to stay so the g can retain the soft sound. The nous form of
commencer isn't commencons, but commenons. The c must have the accent (called a
cedilla) under it to make the c sound soft.
 manger-to eat /me/ commencer-to begin /kmse/
mange /m/ mangeons /m/ commence /kms/ commenons /kms/
manges /m/ mangez /me/ commences /kms/ commencez /kmse/
mange /m/ mangent /m/ commence /kms/ commencent /kms/

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 /ate/ esprer-to hope /spee/

j'achte /at/ achetons /at/ j'espre /sp/ esprons /spe/
achtes /at/ achetez /ate/ espres /sp/ esprez /spee/
achte /at/ achtent /at/ espre /sp/ esprent /sp/

3. Verbs that are conjugated as -er verbs: Some -ir verbs are conjugated with -er endings.
Examples: ouvrir-to open /uvi/, couvrir-to cover /kuvi/, dcouvrir-to discover
/dekuvi/ and souffrir-to suffer /sufi/

offrir-to offer /fi/

j'offre /f/ offrons /f/
offres /f/ offrez /fe/
offre /f/ offrent /f/

4. Verbs that end in -yer: Change the y to an i in all forms except the nous and vous.
Examples: nettoyer-to clean /netwaje/, payer-to pay /peje/, and essayer-to try /eseje/

envoyer-to send /vwaje/

j'envoie /vwa/ envoyons /vwaj/
envoies /vwa/ envoyez /vwaje/
envoie /vwa/ envoient /vwa/

5. Verbs that double the consonant: Some verbs, including jeter-to throw /te/, double
the consonant in all forms except the nous and vous.

appeler-to call /aple/

j'appelle /apl/ appelons /apl/
appelles /apl/ appelez /aple/
appelle /apl/ appellent /apl/
 31. Present Perfect Tense or Passe Compose

You have learned the present indicative so far, which expresses what happens, is
happening, or does happen now; but if you want to say something happened, or has
happened, you use the 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. I liked the concert.

Tu as habit ici ? You lived here?
Il a rpondu au tlphone. He answered (or has answered) the telephone.
Nous avons fini le projet. We finished (or have finished) the project.
Elles ont rempli les tasses. They filled (or have filled) the cups.

To make it negative, put the ne and pas around the conjugated form of avoir.

Je n'ai pas 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

avoir to have eu /y/ had

connatre to know connu /kny/ known
croire to believe cru /ky/ believed
devoir to have to d /dy/ had to
dire to tell dit /di/ said
crire to write crit /eki/ written
tre to be t /ete/ been
faire to do, make fait /f/ made
lire to read lu /ly/ read
mettre to put mis /mi/ put
permettre to permit permis /pmi/ permitted
promettre to promise promis /pmi/ promised
ouvrir to open ouvert /uv/ opened
offrir to offer offert /f/ offered
pouvoir to be able to pu /py/ was able to
prendre to take pris /pi/ taken
apprendre to learn appris /api/ learned
comprendre to understand compris /kp i/ understood
surprendre to surprise surpris /sypi/ surprised
recevoir to receive reu /sy/ received
rire to laugh ri /i/ laughed
savoir to know su /sy/ known
voir to see vu /vy/ seen
vouloir to want voulu /vuly/ wanted

33. Etre Verbs

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 sortir-to go out venir-to come mourir-to die

arriver-to arrive partir-to leave devenir-to become monter-to go up
entrer-to enter tomber-to fall revenir-to come back rester-to stay
rentrer-to return home natre-to be born passer-to go by (pass) descendre-to go down

Most have regular past participles, except venir-venu, devenir-devenu, 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. Sometimes adding an -e causes the
pronunciation to change, i.e. the preceding consonant that is silent in the masculine form
is pronounced in the feminine form: Il est mort /m/ vs. Elle est morte /mt/

Vous can have any of the endings. To form the negative, place ne...pas around the
auxiliary verb: Je ne suis pas rest.

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

le petit
Breakfast /pti dene/ Egg l'uf (m) /f/
djeuner
Lunch le djeuner /dene/ Cake le gteau /gto/
Dinner le dner /dine/ Pie la tarte /tat/
Cup la tasse /ts/ Milk le lait /l/
Slice la tranche /t/ Coffee le caf /kafe/
Bowl le bol /bl/ Butter le beurre /b/
Glass le verre /v/ Water l'eau (f) /o/
Salt and le sel et le
/sl/ /pwav/ Ham le jambon /b/
Pepper poivre
Fork la fourchette /fut/ Fish le poisson /pwas/
Spoon la cuillre /kij/ Tea le th /te/
Knife le couteau /kuto/ Salad la salade /salad/
Plate l'assiette (f) /asjt/ Jam la confiture /kfity/
Napkin la serviette /svjt/ Meat la viande /vjd/
Ice cream la glace /glas/ French fries les frites (f) /fit/
Juice le jus /y/ Beer la bire /bj/
Fruit le fruit /fi/ Wine le vin /v/
Cheese le fromage /fma/ Sugar le sucre /syk/
Chicken le poulet /pul/ Soup le potage /pta/
Cereal des crales /seeal/ Ketchup le ketchup /ktp/
Oil l'huile /il/ Mustard la moutarde /mutad/
la
Vinegar le vinaigre /ving/ Mayonnaise /majnz/
mayonnaise
Yogurt le yaourt /jaut/ Pasta des ptes /pt/

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: /f/ vs. //. Food is generally divided into two
categories: sucr (sweet/sugary) and sal (savoury/salty). Le pain /p/ is the general
word for bread; if you want to specify white bread, use le pain de mie /p d mi/ .
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 /paf/ (flavors). The word for scoops (of ice cream) is boules
/bul/. Many restaurants now offer take out food options, which is called emporter (to
take away). The opposite is sur place.

35. Fruits, Vegetables and Meat

fruit un fruit /fi/ corn le mas /mais/

apple une pomme /pm/ cucumber un concombre /kk b /
apricot un abricot /abiko/ eggplant une aubergine /obin/
banana une banane /banan/ lettuce la laitue /lty/
un
blueberry une myrtille /mitij/ mushroom /pi/
champignon
cherry une cerise /siz/ onion un oignon //
une noix de
coconut /nwadkoko/ peas les pois /pwa/
coco
date une datte /dat/ pepper un piment /pim/
une pomme de
fig une figue /fig/ potato /pmdt/
terre
grape un raisin /z/ pumpkin une citrouille /situj/
un
grapefruit /pplmus/ rice le riz /i/
pamplemousse
lemon un citron /sit/ spinach des pinards /epina/
lime un citron vert /sit v/ squash une courge /ku/
melon un melon /ml/ tomato une tomate /tmat/
olive une olive /liv/ turnip un navet /nav/
orange une orange // zucchini des courgettes /kut/
peach une pche /p/ meat la viande /vjd/
du lard,
pear une poire /pwa/ bacon /la/ /bekn/
du bacon
pineapple un ananas /ananas/ beef le buf /bf/
plum une prune /pyn/ chicken le poulet /pul/
prune un pruneau /pyno/ duck le canard /kana/
raisin un raisin sec /z sk/ goat la chvre /v/
raspberry une framboise /fbwaz/ ham le jambon /b/
strawberry une fraise /fz/ lamb l'agneau /ao/
watermelon une pastque /pastk/ liver le foie /fwa/
des boulettes
vegetable un lgume /legym/ meatballs /bultdvjd/
de viande
une ctelette
artichoke un artichaut /atio/ pork chop /kotltdp/
de porc
asparagus des asperges /asp/ rabbit le lapin /lap/
beet une betterave /btav/ hamburger le steak hach /stkae/
broccoli le brocoli /bkli/ sausage la saucisse /sosis/
dried
cabbage un chou /u/ le saucisson /sosis/
sausage
carrot une carotte /kat/ turkey la dinde /dd/
cauliflower un chou-fleur /ufl/ veal le veau /vo/

celery un cleri /sli/ venison le chevreuil /vj/

 Lettuce can also be referred to as la salade verte.

36. To Take, Eat or Drink

Prendre-to take, eat or drink /pd/ Boire-to drink /bwa/

prends /p/ prenons /prn/ bois /bwa/ buvons /buv/
prends /p/ prenez /prne/ bois /bwa/ buvez /buve/
prend /p/ prennent /pn/ boit /bwa/ boivent /bwav/

Other verbs that are conjugated like prendre: apprendre /apd/ - to learn,
comprendre /kpd/ - to understand and surprendre /sypd/ - to surprise

When you want to say "I am having wine," the French translation is "Je prends du vin."
You must use de and le, la, l', 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

enough un morceau une douzaine

assez de a piece of a dozen of
(of) de de
une assiette
a plate of un peu de a little (bit) of un paquet de a packet of
de
beaucoup de a lot of une tasse de a cup of un panier de a basket of
une tranche une poigne a
une bote de a box of a slice of
de de handful of
une bouteille too much,
a bottle of trop de plus de more
de many
un kilo de a kilo of un verre de a glass of un bouquet a bunch of
 de

With quantities and negatives, you never use partitives. The construction is always de or
d' + noun.

Je voudrais prendre du fromage, mais pas de fruit. I would like to have some cheese,
but no fruit.
Il prend de la viande. He is eating some meat.
Nous prenons du riz et des brocolis. We are having some rice and broccoli.
Il y a trop de lait dans la tasse. There is too much milk in the cup.
Je voudrais un morceau de tarte. I would like one piece of pie.
Est-ce que je peux prendre un verre de vin ? May I have a glass of wine?
Je prends du vin. I'm drinking some wine.
Je ne prends pas de vin. I am not drinking any wine.

38. Commands

Use the vous, tu and nous forms for commands.

Vous form Polite and Plural Same as verb form Restez ! Stay!

Same as verb form, but

Tu form Familiar Regarde ! Watch!
drop -s for -er verbs

Nous form Let's... Same as verb form Allons-y ! Let's go!

When using pronominal verbs as commands, the pronoun is placed after the verb
connected by a hyphen. Tu te dpches becomes Dpche-toi !
And in negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb, as in Ne nous reposons pas.

Irregular Command Forms

tre (be) avoir (have) savoir (know)
tu sois /swa/ tu aie // tu sache /sa/
nous soyons /swaj/ nous ayons /aj/ nous sachons /sa/
vous soyez /swaje/ vous ayez /aje/ vous sachez /sae/

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

ne...plus /n...ply/ no longer

ne...jamais /n...am/ never
ne...rien /n...j/ nothing
ne...aucun(e) /n...ok/ /yn/ not a single one
ne...que /n...k/ only
ne...personne /n...psn/ nobody
ne...ni...ni /n...ni...ni/ neither...nor
ne...nulle part /n...nyl pa/ 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

Merry Christmas Joyeux Nol

Happy New Year Bonne Anne
Happy Thanksgiving Joyeux Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving (Canada) Bonne Action de grces
Happy Easter Joyeuses Pques
Happy Halloween Bonne fte d'Halloween
Happy Valentine's Day Joyeuse Saint-Valentin
Bon Anniversaire
Happy Birthday
Joyeux Anniversaire
Happy Saint Day Bonne Fte
Happy Holidays Joyeuses Ftes
Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve dinner le Rveillon
New Year's Eve la Saint-Sylvestre

If someone is named after a saint, you can wish them bonne fte on that saint's feast day.
In Quebec, bonne fte is used for Happy Birthday.

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

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 /j/

-ais // -iez /je/
-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 /et/ tions /etj/
tais /et/ tiez /etje/
tait /et/ taient /et/
commencer manger
commenais /kms/ commencions /kmsj/ mangeais /m/ mangions /mj/
commenais /kms/ commenciez /kmsje/ mangeais /m/ mangiez /mje/
commenait /kms/ commenaient /kms/ mangeait /m/ mangeaient /m/

Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir

These verbs change meanings, according to whether they are used in the imperfect or the
pass compos.

Imperfect Pass Compos

avoir j'avais I had j'ai eu I got, received
I was supposed
devoir je devais j'ai d I must have, I had to (and did)
to
 I was able to (and did),
je j'ai pu
pouvoir I was capable succeeded
pouvais je n'ai pas pu
I couldn't, failed
savoir je savais I knew j'ai su I found out, discovered
j'ai voulu
I tried, decided, insisted
vouloir je voulais I wanted to je n'ai pas
I refused
voulu

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

42. Places / Les Endroits

school l'cole (f) /ekl/ university l'universit (f) /ynivsite/

bathroom les toilettes (f) /twalt/ bank la banque /bk/
train
locker le casier /kzje/ la gare /ga/
station
drinking
la fontaine /ft n/ airport l'aroport (m) /aep/
fountain
store le magasin /magaz/ telephone le tlphone /telefn/
la l'appartement
library /biblijtk/ apartment /apatm/
biblio(thque) (m)
office le bureau /byo/ hotel l'htel (m) /otl/
stadium le stade /stad/ village le village /vila/
cafe le caf /kafe/ factory l'usine (f) /yzin/
cafeteria la caftria /kafeteja/ garden le jardin /ad/
movie theater le cinma /sinema/ castle le chteau /ato/
church l'glise (f) /egliz/ cathedral la cathdrale /katedal/
museum le muse /myze/ zoo le zoo /zo/
pool la piscine /pisin/ bakery la boulangerie /buli/
countryside la campagne /kpa/ monument le monument /mnym/
beach la plage /pla/ pharmacy la pharmacie /famasi/
butcher
theater le thtre /tet/ la boucherie /bui/
shop
candy
park le parc /pak/ la confiserie /kfizi/
store
police
restaurant le restaurant /st/ la gendarmerie /dam()i/
station
hospital l'hpital (m) /pital/ town hall la mairie /mi/
post office la poste /pst/ square la place /plas/
home la maison /mz/ bookstore la librairie /libi/
grocery
city la ville /vil/ l'picerie (f) /episi/
store
le pastry
supermarket /sypmae/ la ptisserie /ptisi/
supermarch shop
delicatessen la charcuterie /akyti/ fish market la poissonnerie /pwasni/

Nowadays, la mdiathque /medjatk/ is replacing bibliothque because most libraries

also have DVDs and CDs to lend, not just books. You may also hear la cantine /ktin/ to
refer to the cafeteria in a school.

43. Transportation

by bike en vlo (m) / velo/

by bus en bus (m) / bus/
by moped en scooter (m) / skut/
by car en voiture (f) / vwaty/
by motorcycle en moto (f) / moto/
 by subway en mtro (m) / meto/
on foot pied (m) /a pje/
by plane en avion (m) / navj/
by train en train (m) / t/
by boat en bateau (m) / bato/

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.)

Common slang words for car/automobile are une bagnole /bal/ or une caisse /ks/. In
Quebec, it's un char /a/.

44. To Want & To Be Able To

vouloir /vulwa/ -to want and pouvoir /puvwa/ - to be able to, can

Present Imperfect Future

veux /v/ voulons /vul/ voulais /vul/ voulions /vulj/ voudrai /vud/ voudrons /vud/
veux /v/ voulez /vule/ voulais /vul/ vouliez /vulje/ voudras /vuda/ voudrez /vude/
veut /v/ veulent /vl/ voulait /vul/ voulaient /vul/ voudra /vuda/ voudront /vud/

peux /p/ pouvons /puv/ pouvais /puv/ pouvions /puvj/ pourrai /pu/ pourrons /pu/
peux /p/ pouvez /puve/ pouvais /puv/ pouviez /puvje/ pourras /pua/ pourrez /pue/
peut /p/ peuvent /pv/ pouvait /puv/ pouvaient /puv/ pourra /pua/ pourront /pu/

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

House la maison /mz/ Yard le jardin /ad/

l'appartement l'arbuste
Apartment /apatm/ Shrub /abyst/
(m) (m)
le gazon / /gaz/
Bedroom la chambre /b/ Lawn/grass
la pelouse /p()luz/
Hallway le couloir /kulwa/ Bush le buisson /bis/
l'arbre
Kitchen la cuisine /kizin/ Tree /ab/
(m)
la
Storeroom le dbarras /debaa/ Lawn mower tondeuse /td zagaz/
gazon
le tuyau
Stairs l'escalier (m) /skalje/ Hose /tijodaoza/
d'arrosage
l'arrosoir
Floor l'tage (m) /eta/ Watering can /aoza/
(m)
le living / le /livi/
Living Room Rake le rteau /to/
salon /sal/
Closet la penderie /pdi/ Hoe la bche /b/
Room la pice /pjs/ Clippers le cisaille /sizj/
le rez-de-
Ground Floor /dose/ Shovel la pelle /pl/
chausse
la salle l'arroseur
Dining Room /salame/ Sprinkler /aoz/
manger (m)
la salle de
Bathroom /saldb/ Lock (door) la serrure /sey/
bains
Terrace, patio la terrasse /tas/ Lock (bolt) le verrou /vu/
Attic le grenier /gnje/ Padlock le cadenas /kadna/
la
Chimney la chemine /()mine/ Hinges /anj/
charnire
Roof le toit /tw/ Key la cl /kle/
le porte-
Garage le garage /gaa/ Keychain /ptkle/
cl
 le trou de
Driveway l'alle (f) /ale/ Keyhole sey/
la serrure
la poigne
Sidewalk le trottoir /ttwa/ Doorknob /pwaedpt/
de porte
les tuiles
Porch le porche /p/ Tile roofing /til/
(f)
les
Basement le sous-sol /susl/ Clapboard/Shingle bardeaux /bado/
(m)
l'ardoise
Cellar la cave /kav/ Slate roofing /adwaz/
(f)

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

46. Furniture and Appliances / Les meubles et l'Electromenager

Furniture les meubles /mbl/ Appliances l'lectromnager /elktomenae/

Shelf l'tagre (f) /eta/ Thermostat le thermostat /tmsta/
Air
Desk le bureau /byo/ le climatiseur /klimatiz/
Conditioner
Chair la chaise /z/ Fan le ventilateur /vt ilat/
Rocking le fauteuil
Dresser la commode /kmd/ /fotjabaskyl/
chair bascule
Curtain le rideau /ido/ Stool le tabouret /tabu/
Curtain rod la tringle /tg l/ Cushion le coussin /kus/
Shutters les volets (m) /vl/ Carpet la moquette /mkt/
Mixer / le batteur
Blinds les stores (m) /st/ /batelktik/
Beater lectrique
Window la fentre /fnt/ Blender le mixeur /miks/
le lit / le l'ouvre-botes
Bed /li/ /plyma/ Can opener /uvbwat/
plumard (m)
Door la porte /pt/ Toaster le grille-pain /gijp/
Coffee
Closet le placard /plaka/ la caftire /kaftj/
maker
Rug le tapis /tapi/ Coffee press le moulin caf /mul na kafe/
Lamp la lampe /lp/ Kettle la bouilloire /bujwa/
la table de
Nightstand /tabldni/ Sheet le drap /da/
nuit
Answering
le rpondeur /epd/ Blanket la couverture /kuvty/
machine
Stereo la chane hi fi /n i fi/ Mattress le matelas /matla/
les lits
Television la tl(vision) /televizj/ Bunkbeds /lisyppoze/
superposs (m)
le l'interrupteur
VCR /maetskp/ Lightswitch /t eypt/
magntoscope (m)
Remote la
/telekmd/ Lampshade l'abat-jour (m) /abau/
Control tlcommande
l'ordinateur
Computer /dinat/ Faucet le robinet /bin/
(m)
Radio la radio /adjo/ Drain/Piping la canalisation /kanalizasj/
le porte-
Fridge le frigo /figo/ Towel bar /ptsvjt/
serviettes
le Laundry
Refrigerator /efieat/ la buanderie /bdi/
rfrigrateur room
Freezer le conglateur /k elat/ Bleach la javel /avl/
(Coffee) la table Laundry
/tabl bas/ le panier linge /panje a l/
Table (basse) basket
Sink l'vier (m) /evje/ Clothespin la pince linge /ps a l/
la machine
Washing /mainalave/
Bathtub la baignoire /bwa/ laver / le lave-
Machine /lavl/
linge
Clothes
Stove la cuisinire /kizinj/ le sche-linge /sl/
Dryer
Oven le four /fu/ Iron le fer repasser /fapase/
le lave- Ironing la planche
Dishwasher /lavvsl/ /plapase/
vaisselle board repasser
le four
Microwave /fuamikod / Hanger le cintre /st /
micro-ondes
Shower la douche /du/ Vacuum l'aspirateur (m) /aspiat/
Pillow l'oreiller /je/ Broom le balai /bal/
Mirror le miroir /miwa/ Dustpan la pelle /pl/
Ceiling le plafond /plaf/ Mop la serpillire /spij/
Floor le plancher /ple/ Garbage les ordures (f) /dy/
Armchair le fauteuil /fotj/ Garbage bag le sac poubelle /sakpubl/
Clock la pendule /pdyl/ Garbage can la poubelle /publ/
la tapette
Bedspread le couvre-lit /kuvli/ Flyswatter /taptamu/
mouche
Clothes
Vase le vase /vz/ le schoir /sewa/
Dryer
Bathroom
le lavabo /lavabo/ Hair Dryer le sche-cheveux /seav/
sink
Futon le canap / le
le clic-clac /klik klak/ Couch/Sofa /kanape/ /sfa/
couch sofa
le lecteur de
DVD Player /lktddevede/
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 & Superlatives

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

Sample Sentences
She is taller than Colette. Elle est plus grande que Colette.
I am smarter than you. Je suis plus intelligente que toi.
Peter runs less quickly than me. Pierre court moins rapidement 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
Elle est la plus belle femme de cette salle.
room.
This neighborhood is the least expensive in
Ce quartier est le moins cher de Paris.
Paris.
It's the most dreaded punishment in the C'est la punition la plus redoutable du
world. monde.
She works the most courageously of Elle travaille le plus courageusement de
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

Adjective Comparative Superlative

bon good meilleur/e better le/la meilleur/e best
mauvais bad pire worse le/la pire worst
petit small moindre less le/la moindre least

Adverb Comparative Superlative

bien well mieux better le mieux best
 beaucoup much plus more le plus most
mal badly pis worse le pis worst
peu little moins less le moins least

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 vetements

pajamas le pyjama boxer shorts le caleon

jewelry le bijou briefs le slip
necklace le collier panties la culotte
jeans le jean tuxedo le smoking
pants le pantalon bowtie le nud papillon
sweater le pull vest/cardigan le gilet
turtleneck le col roul flip flops les tongs
raincoat l'impermable (m) sleeve la manche
blouse le chemisier pocket la poche
bra le soutien-gorge decorative scarf la foulard
slip le jupon man's suit le costume
coat le manteau woman's suit le tailleur
tennis shoes des tennis (m) slippers des pantoufles (f)
swimsuit le maillot de bain jacket le blouson
shorts le short underwear les sous-vtements
bracelet le bracelet gloves les gants (m)
charm le porte-bonheur mittens les moufles (f)
t-shirt le tee-shirt belt la ceinture
hat le chapeau cap la casquette
ring la bague skirt la jupe
chain la chanette dress la robe
earrings les boucles d'oreilles (f) sandal la sandale
pin l'pingle (f) boots des bottes (f)
sock la chaussette blazer/coat la veste
shoe la chaussure scarf l'charpe (f)
 man's shirt la chemise tie la cravate
hooded jacket l'anorak slipper shoes des chaussons
sneakers des baskets high heels des escarpins
track suit le jogging long shorts le bermuda
size (clothes) la taille size (shoes) la pointure

Les bas (stockings) and les collants (tights) are popular in France. Chaussures 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

Mettre /mt/ - to put, to put on, wear

Present Imperfect Future
mets /m/ mettons /mt/ mettais /mt/ mettions /mtj/ mettrai /mt/ mettrons /mt/
mets /m/ mettez /mte/ mettais /mt/ mettiez /mtje/ mettras /mta/ mettrez /mte/
met /m/ mettent /mt/ mettait /mt/ mettaient /mt/ mettra /mta/ mettront /mt/

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.

It looks good on you.

Il / Elle te va bien.
(informal)
It looks good on you.
Il / Elle vous va bien.
(formal)
Ils / Elles te vont They look good on you.
bien. (informal)
Ils / Elles vous vont They look good on you.
bien. (formal)

51. Future Tenses: Simple and Anterior

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 // -ons /
-as /a/ -ez /e/
-a /a/ -ont //

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 ir- pleuvoir pleuvr-
avoir aur- pouvoir pourr-
courir courr- recevoir recevr-
devoir devr- savoir saur-
envoyer enverr- tenir tiendr-
tre ser- valoir vaudr-
faire fer- venir viendr-
falloir faudr- voir verr-
mourir mourr- vouloir voudr-

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 payer acheter prfrer

jetterai jetterons paierai paierons achterai achterons prfrerai prfrerons
jetteras jetterez paieras paierez achteras achterez prfreras prfrerez
jettera jetteront paiera paieront achtera achteront prfrera prfreront

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 & Plural Adjectives

Masculine Feminine
Adjective Singular Plural Singular Plural
beautiful beau (bel) beaux belle belles
good bon bons bonne bonnes
dear cher chers chre chres
crazy fou (fol) foux folle folles
nice gentil gentils gentille gentilles
big grand grands grande grandes
large gros gros grosse grosses
young jeune jeunes jeune jeunes
pretty joli jolis jolie jolies
long long longs longue longues
bad mauvais mauvais mauvaise mauvaises
better, best meilleur meilleurs meilleure meilleures
 soft mou (mol) moux molle molles
new nouveau (nouvel) nouveaux nouvelle nouvelles
little petit petits petite petites
old vieux (vieil) vieux vieille vieilles

The masculine singular and plural are pronounced the same, as are the feminine singular
and plural. These are the most common adjectives that go before the noun. An acronym
to remember which ones go before the noun is BRAGS: Beauty, Resemblance (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

Almost all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify. Most
adjectives are given in the masculine form, so to change to the feminine forms, follow
these rules:

Masculine Feminine Adjective

Add -e brun brune brown
fatigu fatigue tired
If it already ends in -e, add nothing jeune jeune young
-x changes to -se gnreux gnreuse generous
Exceptions: faux fausse false
roux rousse red (hair)
doux douce sweet, soft
-il, -el, and -eil change to
naturel naturelle natural
-ille, -elle, and -eille
-et changes to -te inquiet inquite worried
 Exceptions: muet muette silent
coquet coquette stylish
-en and -on change to
Italien Italienne Italian
-enne and -onne
-er changes to -re cher chre dear, expensive
-f changes to -ve actif active active
-c changes to -che blanc blanche white
Exceptions: public publique public
grec grecque Greek
-g changes to -gue long longue long
-eur changes to -euse if adjective
menteur menteuse liar
is derived from verb
-eur changes to -rice if adjective
crateur cratrice creator
is not same as verb
-eur changes to -eure with
infrieur infrieure inferior
adjectives of comparison
pais paisse thick
And a few completely irregular ones: favori favorite favorite
frais frache fresh, cool

54. Forming Plurals: Adjectives

To form the feminine plural, just add an -s, unless it already ends in an s, then add
nothing. To form the masculine plural, just add an -s, except in these cases: -al becomes
-aux (exceptions: banal - banals; final - finals); and if it ends in an x or s already, add
nothing.

Masculine Masculine
Singular Plural
national national nationaux
general gnral gnraux
Feminine Feminine
Singular Plural
national nationale nationales
general gnrale gnrales
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

short
court/e different diffrent/e boring ennuyeux/euse
(length)
loud,
bruyant/e situated situ/e crazy fou/folle
noisy
elegant lgant/e big gros/se interesting intressant/e
tight,
troit/e curious curieux/euse sensitive sensible
narrow
several plusieurs/plusieures nervous nerveux/euse athletic sportif/sportive
pointed pointu/e only seul/e stubborn ttu/e
bright vif/vive amusing amusant/e shy timide
hard-
cute mignon/ne touching mouvant/e travailleur/euse
working
drle,
perfect parfait/e funny optimistic optimiste
marrant/e
ready prt/e heavy lourd/e pessimistic pessimiste
sad triste careful prudent/e tolerant tolrant/e
clever malin/maligne dirty sale pretentious prtentieux/euse
lazy paresseux/euse tired fatigu/e ambitious ambitieux/se
generous gnreux/euse angry fch/e pleasant agrable
famous clbre annoyed irrit/e enthusiastic enthousiaste
decorated dcor/e old g/e honest honnte

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 great, good 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.

56. Problem Verbs

Some verbs in French present problems because they have several translations in English.
Other verbs can have several translations in French, but fewer meanings in English.

visiter - to visit 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 + A / de + Infinitive

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

Soccer le football Softball le softball

Hockey le hockey Golf le golf
Football le football amricain Bicycling le vlo
Basketball le basket Surfing le surf
Baseball le base-ball Dirt/Motor biking le bicross
Horse-back riding l'quitation; du cheval French horn le cor d'harmonie
Tennis le tennis violin le violon
Skiing le ski guitar la guitare
Volleyball le volley drum le tambour
Wrestling la lutte / le catch tuba le tuba
Jogging le jogging flute la flte
Ice-skating le patin glace trombone le trombone
Swimming la natation clarinet la clarinette
Track and Field l'athltisme cello le violoncelle
Bowling le bowling harp la harpe

La lutte is regular wrestling (the real Greco-Roman sport), while le catch is

professional/fake wrestling.
Faire de + a sport means to play. Jouer + 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

air l'air (m) frost la gele rose la rose

l'archipel
archipelago grass l'herbe (f) sand le sable
(m)
bank la rive gulf le golfe sea la mer
bay la baie hail la grle shadow l'ombre (f)
barn la grange hay le foin sky le ciel
beach la plage high tide la mare haute snow la neige
branch la branche hill la colline soil la terre
bridge le pont ice la glace south le sud
spring
bud le bouton island I'le (f) la source
(water)
bush le buisson isthmus l'isthme star l'toile (f)
cape le cap jungle la jungle stem la tige
l'orage (f) / la
cave la caverne lake le lac storm
tempte
city la ville leaf la feuille strait le dtroit
climate le climat light la lumire stream le ruisseau
cloud le nuage lightning l'clair (m) street la rue
coast la cte lily le lis sun le soleil
comet la comte low tide la mare basse sunflower le tournesol
la
constellation meadow le pr thaw la fonte
constellation
country le pays moon la lune thunder le tonnerre
country(side) la campagne mountain la montagne tornado la tornade
mountain la chane de
current le courant tree l'arbre (m)
range montagnes
 mouth
daffodil la jonquille l'embouchure (f) trunk le tronc
(river)
la
daisy mud la vase tulip la tulipe
marguerite
darkness l'obscurit (f) nature la nature valley la valle
desert le dsert north le nord view la vue
dew la rose peninsula la pninsule water l'eau (f)
dust la poussire plain la plaine fresh water l'eau douce
earth la terre planet la plante salt water l'eau sale
watering
east l'est (m) plant la plante l'arrosoir (m)
can
farm la ferme pond l'tang (m) waterfall la cascade
pot (for la vague /
field le champ le pot de fleurs wave
plants) l'onde (f)
flower la fleur rain la pluie weather le temps
foam l'cume (f) rainbow l'arc-en-ciel (m) west l'ouest (m)
fog le brouillard river le fleuve wind le vent
foliage le feuillage rock le rocher world le monde
forest la fort root la racine

60. To Live

vivre - to live, be alive (vee-vruh)

Present Imperfect Future

vis vivons vivais vivions vivrai vivrons
vis vivez vivais viviez vivras vivrez
vit vivent vivait vivaient vivra 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

Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Disjunctives

je I me me me to me moi me
tu you te you te to you toi you
il he le him lui to him lui him
elle she la her lui to her elle her
nous we nous us nous to us nous us
vous you vous you vous to you vous you
ils they les them leur to them eux them
elles they les them leur to them elles them

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. I buy some pants.

Je les achte. I buy them.
Je vous donne la bote. I give the box to you.
Je vous la donne. I give it to you.
Aprs toi. After you. (familiar)
Nous allons avec elle. We go with her.
Il ne la quitte pas. He doesn't leave her.
Il la quitte. He leaves her.
Je t'aime. or Je vous aime. I love you.
Elle ne l'aime pas. She doesn't love him.

When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or
les, then lui or leur. Me, te, le, and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a
vowel, the same way je does. In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected
with a hyphen. And the pronoun order changes a little too: Le, la, or les come first; then
moi, toi, (Me and te become moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur.
If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after
the ne and before the form of avoir in negative sentences.

Nous lui avons parl. We spoke to him/her.

Vous en avez cout trois. You've listened to three of them.
Je t'ai demand du pain. I asked you for some bread.
Il ne l'a pas aim. He didn't like it/her/him.
Tu n'y as pas habit. You didn't live there.
Je ne vous ai pas parl. I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.
Nous ne l'avons pas fini. We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.

In the 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.

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

Standard French Slang

head la tte la caboche / le crne
hair les cheveux les tifs
la figure / le visage / la
face
face
forehead le front
cheek la joue
ear l'oreille les esgourdes
eye/s l'il / les yeux les mirettes
beard la barbe la barbouse
mustache la moustache
mouth la bouche la gueule / la bote
lip la lvre
nose le nez le blair / le pif
tongue la langue
tooth la dent les crocs
neck le cou
eyebrows les sourcils
eyelashes les cils
chin le menton
throat la gorge
skin la peau
blood le sang
bone l'os
shoulder l'paule
chest la poitrine
waist la taille
belly button le nombril
back le dos
heart le cur
lungs les poumons
brain le cerveau
liver le foie
kidney le rein
bladder la vessie
rib la cte
arm le bras
elbow le coude
wrist le poignet
fist le poing
hand la main
fingers les doigts
stomach /
l'estomac / le ventre le buffet / le bide
belly
butt les fesses les miches
body le corps
hip la hanche
leg la jambe
knee le genou
foot le pied le penard / les arpions
toes les orteils
ankle la cheville
thigh la cuisse
shin le tibia
calf le mollet
thumb le pouce
nails les ongles
tattoo le tatouage
piercing le piercing
blond blond/e
brunette brun/e
red-head roux/rousse
light brown chtain

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

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 est-ce que. Quelle est la date ? A quelle heure partez-vous ? Quels
bagages est-ce que vous prenez ? Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in
exclamatory sentences. Quel beau jour ! / Quelle belle 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

 To ask about people:
Long Form Short Form Translation
Qui est-ce qui Qui
Subject Who came?
Qui est-ce qui est venu? Qui est venu?
Qui est-ce que Qui
Direct Object Whom did you see?
Qui est-ce que tu as vu? Qui as-tu vu?
Preposition + qui est-ce
Object of que Preposition + qui Whom did you speak
Preposition A qui est-ce que tu as A qui as-tu parl? to?
parl?
To ask about things:
Long Form Short Form Translation
Qu'est-ce qui
Subject No short form What happened?
Qu'est-ce qui est arriv?
Qu'est-ce que Que
Direct Object What did you do?
Qu'est-ce que tu as fait? Qu'as-tu fait?
Preposition + quoi est- Preposition +
Object of ce que quoi What did you talk
Preposition De quoi est-ce que tu as De quoi as-tu about?
parl? parl?

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?

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?

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. It's also very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui.

Written forms Spoken forms Translation

Parlez-vous franais ?
Do you speak
Est-ce que vous parlez Vous parlez franais ?
French?
franais ?
Comment l'avez-vous appris
? Vous l'avez appris How did you learn
Comment est-ce que vous comment ? it?
l'avez appris ?
Quand es-tu arriv ?
Quand t'es arriv ? When did you
Quand est-ce que tu es arriv
T 'es arriv quand ? arrive?
?
De quoi parlent-ils ?
De quoi ils parlent ? What are they
De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent
Ils parlent de quoi ? talking about?
?
Pourquoi me regardes-tu ?
Why are you
Pourquoi est-ce que tu me Pourquoi tu me regardes ?
looking at me?
regardes ?
Qui t'a dit a ? Who told you
Qui c'est qui t'a dit a?
Qui est-ce qui t'a dit a ? that?
65. Forms of Lequel

Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies. It expresses
Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition).

Adjective Pronoun
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Masculine Quel livre lis-tu? Quels livres lis-tu? Lequel lis-tu? Lesquels lis-tu?
Quelle page lis- Quelles pages lis- Laquelle lis- Lesquelles lis-
Feminine
tu? tu? tu? tu?

Lequel contracts with and de in the plural and masculine singular forms:

Singular Plural
+ lequel = auquel + lesquels = auxquels
Masculine
de + lequel = duquel de + lesquels = desquels
+ laquelle = laquelle + lesquelles = auxquelles
Feminine
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

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

I eat things that are good. qui is subject
bonnes.
Je mange des choses que j'aime. I eat things that I like. que is object
C'est ce que je disais. That's what I said. no antecedent
La femme dont le mari est The woman whose husband
whose
mort... is dead...
avoir besoin is followed
Voici ce dont j'ai besoin. Here is what I need.
by de
C'est un restaurant o on sert du It's a restaurant where they
restaurant is a place
poisson. serve fish.

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

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 celle
Plural ceux celles

Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume. Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the
one of William)
Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa 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

lire-to read dire-to say/tell rire-to laugh

lis lisons dis disons ris rions
lis lisez dis dites ris riez
lit lisent dit disent rit rient

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

69. Disjunctive Pronouns

1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only
replace people, not things. However, if the preposition is , there are two possible rules:

+ person = indirect pronoun

+ person + = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases:

se fier to trust
s'habituer to get used to
s'intresser to be interested in
penser to think about
rver 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 & En

Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb. Y (ee) means it or there. En (awn)
means some or some (of them), or of it. They replace prepositional phrases. In French,
the phrases will begin with (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 Je rflchis beaucoup

stories. ces histoires.
I think about them a lot. J'y rflchis beaucoup.
He obeyed the rules. Il a obi aux rgles.
He obeyed them. Il y a obi.
On n'a pas besoin de ce
We don't need this book.
livre.
We don't need it. On n'en a pas besoin.
Elle se sert de
She's using the computer.
l'ordinateur.
She's using it. Elle s'en sert.

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

71. To See, To Believe, & To Write

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 croire-to believe crire-to write

vois voyons (vwah- crois croyons (krwah- cris (ay- crivons (ay-kree-
(vwah) yohn) (krwah) yohn) kree) vohn)

vois voyez (vwah- crois croyez (krwah- cris crivez (ay-kree-

yay) yay) vay)

voit voient (vwah) croit croient (krwah) crit crivent (ay-kreev)

 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 le point "at" sign l'arobase

writing l'criture (f)
mark d'interrogation (@) (f)
la exclamationle point l'astrisque
punctuation asterisk
ponctuation point d'exclamation (m)
quotation les guillemets
period le point brackets le crochet
marks (m)
comma la virgule parenthesesla parenthse slash la barre
les deux l'apostrophe
colon apostrophe uppercase majuscule
points (m) (f)
le point-
semi-colon hyphen le trait d'union lowercase minuscule
virgule

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

72. Animals

ant la fourmi giraffe la girafe pig le cochon

antelope l'antilope goat la chvre pigeon le pigeon
antenna l'antenne goose l'oie (f) pike le brochet
la chauve-
bat gorilla le gorille pony le poney
souris
beak le bec grasshopper la sauterelle puppy le chiot
bear l'ours (m) hamster le hamster rabbit le lapin
le raton
bee l'abeille (f) hare le livre raccoon
laveur
bird l'oiseau (m) hen la poule rat le rat
blackbird le merle herring la hareng rooster le coq
bull le taureau hoof le sabot salmon le saumon
butterfly le papillon horn la corne scale l'caille (f)
calf le veau horse le cheval scorpion le scorpion
cat le chat hummingbird le colibri sea gull la mouette
caterpillar la chenille iguana l'iguane seal le phoque
cheetah le gupard insect l'insecte (m) shark le requin
chicken le poulet jellyfish la mduse sheep le mouton
chimpanzee le chimpanz kitten le chaton shrimp la crevette
claw la griffe ladybug la coccinelle slug la limace
cockroach la cafard lamb l'agneau (m) snail l'escargot (m)
cod la morue lark l'alouette (f) snake le serpent
cocoon le cocon lion le lion sparrow le moineau
cow la vache lizard le lzard spider l'araigne (f)
lobster
crab le crabe la langouste squid le calamar
(spiny)
crayfish l'crevisse (f) louse le pou squirrel l'cureuil (m)
crocodile le crocodile mackerel le maquereau starfish l'toile de mer
l'hirondelle
crow le corbeau mole la taupe swallow
(f)
deer le cerf monkey le singe swan le cygne
dog le chien mosquito le moustique tadpole le ttard
le papillon de
donkey l'ne (m) moth tail la queue
nuit
dragonfly la libellule mouse la souris tiger le tigre
duck le canard mule le mulet toad le crapaud
eagle l'aigle (m) mussel la moule trout la truite
eel l'anguille (f) nest le nid tuna le thon
elephant l'lphant (m) nightingale le rossignol turkey le dindon
feather la plume octopus la pieuvre turtle la tortue
fin la nageoire ostrich l'autruche wasp la gupe
fish le poisson owl le hibou weasel la belette
flea la puce ox le buf whale la baleine
fly la mouche oyster l'hutre (f) wing l'aile (f)
fox le renard parrot le perroquet wolf le loup
frog la grenouille partridge la perdrix worm le ver
gill la branchie penguin le pingouin zebra le zbre
sit assis to bark aboyer
 lie down couche-toi to growl grogner
shake donne la patte to pant haleter
dog/cat food les croquettes to whine/whimper gmir
leash la laisse to drool baver
collar le collier to meow miauler
to take/let dog out sortir le chien to scratch griffer
to climb on grimper sur to pounce on se jeter sur

73. Plaire & Manquer

plaire-to please, enjoy manquer-to miss, be lacking

plais plaisons manque manquons
plais plaisez manques manquez
plat plaisent manque manquent

The past participle of plaire is plu. To say that someone likes something, you have to
switch the subject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or
someone pleases." As a reflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere.
Faire plaisir 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)

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 tais tions
avais aviez tais tiez + past participle
avait avaient tait taient

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

Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or

something.

someone/body quelqu'un each chacun(e)

not one,
something quelque chose (de + adjective) aucun(e)
none
some quelques-uns / quelques-unes anything n'importe quoi
somewhere quelque part anyone n'importe qui
several plusieurs anywhere n'importe o
some...others certains...d'autres any time n'importe quand
another un(e) autre nowhere nulle part

Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every). Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a
noun, while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun.

76. Subjunctive Mood

If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used

rather than the indicative. The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the
word que. The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a
different subject from the dependent clause. If the two subjects are the same, the
infinitive is used.

Je doute que Marc soit 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

avoir tre faire aller

aie ayons sois soyons fasse fassions aille allions
aies ayez sois soyez fasses fassiez ailles alliez
ait aient soit soient fasse fassent aille aillent

vouloir pouvoir savoir pleuvoir

veuille voulions puisse 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:

Verbal
Verbs Conjunctions
Expressions

douter il faut que avant que

suggrer il vaut mieux que pour / afin que

il est important
vouloir jusqu' ce que
que

proposer il se peut que moins que

 bien que
avoir peur il est possible que
/ quoique

regretter il est temps que sans que

c'est dommage
craindre en attendant que
que

tre content(e)/triste/dsol(e)/surpris(e),
etc.

penser/croire/trouver
(negative and interrogative forms only)

Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.
Il est content que nous soyons 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 & Valoir

Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs
used in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are:

imperfect il fallait il valait

present
il a fallu il a valu
perfect
present il faut il vaut
future il faudra il vaudra
il
conditional il faudrait
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

bien well quelquefois sometimes

mieux better toujours always
mal badly vite quickly
peu little donc therefore
dj already encore yet
bientt soon quelque part somewhere
ici here maintenant now
l there tt early
dedans inside tard late
dehors outside peut-tre maybe
souvent often jamais (n)ever
d'habitude usually nulle part 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 Feminine Adverb

naturel naturelle naturellement
heureux heureuse heureusement
lent lente lentement
facile facile facilement
probable probable probablement
intelligent intelligente intelligemment
brillant brillante brillamment
 rcent rcente rcemment

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

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

tools les outils chisel le ciseau

toolbox la bote outils measuring tape le mtre
hammer le marteau chainsaw la trononneuse
screwdriver le tournevis file la lime
nail le clou do-it-yourself le bricolage
screw la vis handicrafts l'artisanat
wrench la cl embroidery la broderie
adjustable wrench la cl molette cross-stitch le point de croix
bolt le boulon needlework la couture
nut l'crou (m) needle l'aiguille (f)
pliers les pinces (f) thread le fil
saw la scie painting peindre
blade la lame jewelry making faire des bijoux
handle le manche gardening le jardinage
anvil l'enclume (f) knitting le tricot
clamp / vise l'tau (m) photography la photographie
 shovel la pelle woodworking la menuiserie
pick axe la pioche pottery la poterie
drill la perceuse drawing le dessin
drill bit la mche cooking 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

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 Breakfast

Jacques Prvert Jacques Prvert

Il a mis le caf He put the coffee

Dans la tasse In the cup
Il a mis le lait He put the milk
Dans la tasse de caf In the cup of coffee
Il a mis le sucre He put the sugar
Dans le caf au lait In the caf au lait
Avec la petite cuiller With the coffee spoon
Il a tourn He stirred
Il a bu le caf au lait He drank the caf au lait
Et il a repos la tasse And he set down the cup
Sans me parler Without a word to me
Il a allum He lit
Une cigarette A cigarette
Il a fait des ronds He made smoke-rings
Avec la fume With the smoke
Il a mis les cendres He put the ashes
Dans le cendrier In the ashtray
Sans me parler Without a word to me
Sans me regarder Without a look at me
Il s'est lev He got up
Il a mis He put
Son chapeau sur sa tte His hat upon his head
Il a mis He put
Son manteau de pluie his raincoat on
Parce qu'il pleuvait Because it was raining
Et il est parti And he left
Sous la pluie In the rain
Sans une parole Without a word
Et moi j'ai pris And I, I took
Ma tte dans ma main My head in my hand
Et j'ai pleur. 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

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

auparavant before de mme similarly par exemple for example

moreover /
d'abord first en/de plus pour / afin de in order to
furthermore
ensuite / par contre / en on the
then d'ailleurs besides
puis revanche contrary
on the other
plus tard later plutt rather d'autre part
hand
aprs after surtout especially au moins at least
quand malgr / en
alors so anyway in spite of
mme dpit de
ainsi thus au fait by the way sauf except
cependant / however /
donc therefore en fait actually
pourtant yet
finalement /
finally c'est--dire that is to say mme si even if
enfin
quand / en d'autres par
when in other words consequently
lorsque termes consquent
aussitt / ds as soon as c'est pour that's why comme si as though
 que a que
tant que as long as parce que because nanmoins nevertheless
depuis since car for / because soit... soit either... or
puisque / in
bien que although since en conclusion
comme conclusion
alors / while / in brief / in
cause de because of en bref
tandis que whereas short

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

As an adjective, tout precedes and agrees with the noun.

masc. sing. tout le train the whole train

fem. sing. toute la journe the whole day
masc. pl. tous les enfants all the kids
fem. pl. 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. (The s of tous is pronounced when tous is a pronoun.)
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.
 Idiomatic Expressions with Tout

en tout cas in any case

tout le monde everyone
tout de suite right away
de toute faon anyway
tout fait completely
toutes sortes de all kinds of
pas du tout not at all
malgr tout in spite of it all
tout l'heure in a little while

84. Babies & Children

baby le bb carousel le mange

fetus le ftus toys les jouets (m)
diaper la couche ball le ballon
safety pin l'pingle nourrice (f) marbles les billes (f)
rattle le hochet doll la poupe
pacifier la ttine stuffed animals les peluches (f)
bottle le biberon teddybear le nounours
carriage le landau blocks les cubes (m)
stroller la poussette top la toupie
high chair la chaise haute puppet la marionnette
bib le bavoir kite le cerf-volant
crib le lit de bb balloon le ballon
cradle le berceau rollerblades les rollers (m)
kids les gosses (m) rollerskates le patin roulettes
slide le toboggan wagon le petit chariot
seesaw la balanoire bascule maze le labyrinthe
 swing la balanoire hopscotch la marelle

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

85. Primary & Secondary School

school l'cole (f) pencil le crayon

mechanical
teacher (m) l'enseignant le porte-mine
pencil
teacher (f) l'enseignante pen le stylo
elem. teacher
l'instituteur eraser la gomme
(m)
elem. teacher (f) l'institutrice ink l'encre (f)
secondary
le professeur ink jar l'encrier (f)
teacher
chalkboard le tableau pencil sharpener le taille-crayons
chalk la craie glue la colle
desk le pupitre scissors les ciseaux (m)
student l'lve ruler la rgle
university
l'tudiant(e) highlighter le surligneur
student
les crayons de couleur
book le livre crayons
(m)
backpack le sac dos marker le marqueur
schoolbag le cartable piece of paper la feuille
le carnet de notes
locker le casier spiral notebook
spirale
globe le globe terrestre folder la chemise
diploma le diplme notebook le cahier
les fournitures
school supplies binder le classeur
scolaires
pencil case la trousse notepad le bloc-notes
 Students of all ages use a trousse in France. They're not just for elementary students!

86. Passive Voice

As in English, the passive voice in French is composed of a tense of the verb to be and a
past participle. However, only a direct object in French can become the subject of the
passive form. The active form, le chat mange la souris is made passive thus: La souris
est 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 curator at the museum.]

Alternatives to the Passive

In addition to using on as the subject of an active construction to replace the passive,

you can also use the pronominal constructions: se voir [to see oneself], s'entendre [to
hear oneself], se faire [to get oneself] and se laisser [to let oneself] + infinitive. These
verbs can be used when the agent is specified, unlike the active construction with on.

Je me suis vu promettre une augmentation. I have been promised a raise.

Elle s'est entendu dire qu'il allait mourir. She was told that he was going to die.
Jean s'est fait 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, & pendant in past contexts

1. To express an action that has been going on, depuis (or il y a ... que) is used with the
present tense.

Je l'ai depuis deux ans.

Depuis quand avez-vous votre ordinateur ?
a fait deux ans que je l'ai.
Depuis combien de temps avez-vous votre ordinateur ?
Il y a deux ans que je l'ai.
How long have you had your computer ?
I've had it for two years.

Je conduis depuis longtemps. I have been driving for a long time.

2. But to express an action that had been going on for some time when something else
happened, depuis is used with the imperfect.

Nous conduisions depuis deux heures, We had been driving for two hours
quand j'ai propos de prendre le volant. 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. I rented a car for two weeks.
J'ai appris conduire il y a deux ans. I learned to drive two years ago.

88. Post Office & Bank

post office la poste bank la banque

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

89. To Receive

Recevoir-to receive
reois recevons
reois recevez
reoit reoivent

The past participle of recevoir is reu.

90. Verbs + a or de + infinitives or nouns

Some verbs require or de before an infinitive:

 Verb + + infinitive Verb + de + infinitive
aider to help accepter de to accept conseiller de to advise
s'amuser to have fun arrter de to stop convenir de to agree upon
avoir envie
apprendre to learn to feel like craindre de to fear
de
avoir honte to be
arriver to manage dsesprer de to despair
de ashamed
avoir peur
chercher to look for to be afraid dissuader de to dissuade
de
commencer avoir raison entreprendre
to begin to be right to undertake
de de
to be to
consister to consist avoir tort de envisager de
wrong contemplate
continuer to continue choisir de to choose s'tonner de to astonish
to keep
donner to give dcider de to decide se garder de
oneself
encourager to encourage dfendre de to forbid ngliger de to neglect
demander
enseigner to teach to ask persuader de to persuade
de
to se dpcher
s'exercer to hurry up prier de to beg
practice/learn de
recommander to
s'habituer to get used to dire de to say
de 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
tre oblig to be
renoncer to give up
de required
russir to succeed viter de to avoid
to
songer to consider s'excuser de
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
promettre
s'obstiner to insist to promise
de
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:

Verb + + noun Verb + de + noun

aller to suit s'apercevoir de to notice
assister to attend s'approcher de to approach
demander to ask (someone) avoir besoin de to need
dire to tell (someone) changer de to change
convenir to suit dpendre de to depend on
jouer to play (sport/game) douter de to doubt
nuire to harm hriter de to inherit
obir to obey jouer de to play (instrument)
penser to think of jouir de to enjoy
plaire to please manquer de to lack
renoncer to give up se mfier de to distrust
rpondre to answer penser de to think/have an opinion about
resister to resist remercier de to thank for
ressembler to resemble rire de to laugh at
songer to consider se servir de to use
survivre to survive se souvenir de to remember
tlphoner to phone vivre de to live on

And some verbs require no prepositions in French, while others use different prepositions
from English:

No prepositions in Different prepositions

French from English
 to approve
approuver entrer dans to enter
of
attendre to wait for consister en to consist of
se fcher to get angry
chercher to look for
contre with
demander to ask for
couter to listen to
esprer to hope for
payer to pay for
to remind
rappeler
of
regarder to look at
to smell
sentir
of/like
viser to aim at

Tu me rappelle mon pre. You remind me of my father.

a sent la pluie. It smells like rain.

91. Adjectives + a or de + infinitives

Adjective + + infinitive Adjective + de + infinitive

accessible accessible accus de accused
agrable pleasant assur de assure/insured
amusant fun capable de capable
antrieur previous/earlier certain de certain
attach attached charg de charged/loaded
conforme standard connu de known
contraire contrary conscient de conscious
dernier last content de content/satisfied
ennuyeux boring dnud de naked/bare
tranger foreign dsireux de desirous
expos exposed dsol de sorry
favorable favorable diffrent de different
infrieur inferior/lower digne de fit/worthy
intressant interesting exempt de exempt
 lger light furieux de furious
lent slow heureux de happy
lourd heavy honteux de ashamed
oppos opposite impatient de impatient
pnible difficult plein de full
premier first priv de private
prt ready proche de close/near
rapide fast rempli de full
semblable similar soucieux de worried
seul only sr de sure
suprieur superior/higher triste de sad
terrible terrible vide de empty
utile useful

92. To Follow

Suivre-to follow
suis suivons
suis suivez
suit suivent

The past participle of suivre is suivi. Suivre can also be used with school subjects to
mean "to take a course."

Suivez le guide ! Follow the guide!

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

93. Faire Causative

Faire + an infinitive is called the faire causative. It translates to "have something done by
someone or cause something to be done by someone," or "to cause someone to do
something."
Je 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 & Indirect Discourse

Direct discourse relates exactly what someone has said or written, using quotation marks
and the original wording. Indirect discourse relates indirectly, without quotation marks,
what someone has said or written. It works the same way in French as it does in English.

Direct Discourse Indirect Discourse

Il me dit: <<Je pars en
Main verb is vacances Il me dit qu'il part en vacances et
present et ma famille a lou une que sa famille a lou une villa.
villa.>>
Il m'a dit: <<Je pars en
Il m'a dit qu'il partait en vacances
vacances
Main verb in past et
et ma famille a lou une
que sa famille avait lou une villa.
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 Il m'a demand qui tait rest.

qui
qui est-ce que Elle m'a demand qui j'avais vu.
qu'est-ce qui ce qui Ils m'ont demand ce qui s'tait pass.
qu'est-ce que ce que Elles m'ont demand ce que j'avais dit.

95. Computers & Internet

computer l'ordinateur scanner le scanner

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

French uses portable to refer to a laptop computer and a cell phone.

96. Ne Expletif

Sometimes ne must be inserted in a phrase even when it is not expressing the negative.
(However, do not confuse the use of ne 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 & Past

The present conditional tense corresponds to "would." It is used after the imperfect in a
conditional sentence. Most conditionals sentences begin with si (if). However, do not
confuse the conditional would with the would that expresses a repeated action in the past.
If would means used to, then the imperfect tense is used. Another use of the conditional
is in news reports to indicate that the information is not confirmed.

Si j'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). You use the same irregular stems and exceptions for the
conditional that are used for the future tense.

-ais -ions
-ais -iez
-ait -aient

The past conditional is formed by using the conditional of avoir or 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 conditional of verb il dirait he would say

could conditional of pouvoir + infinitive il pourrait dire he could say
should conditional of devoir + infinitive il devrait dire he should say
would have past conditional of verb il aurait dit he would have said
could have past conditional of pouvoir + infinitive il aurait pu dire he could have said
should have past conditional of devoir + infinitive il aurait d dire he should have said

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

98. Parts of a Car & At the Gas Station

horn le klaxon directional signal le clignotant

hood le capot license plate la plaque d'immatriculation
brake light (on
brake le frein le stop
car)
steering wheel le volant car la voiture
windshield
les essuie-glaces window la vitre
wipers
dashboard le tableau de bord door la portire
accelerator l'acclrateur gas tank le rservoir
headlights les phares wheel la roue
windshield le pare-brise tire le pneu
motor le moteur bumper le pare-chocs
trunk le coffre fender l'aile
body (of car) la carrosserie door handle la poigne de portire
 le permis de
driver's license air conditioning la climatisation
conduire
gasoline l'essence heater le chauffage
traffic lights les feux battery la batterie
le bouchon de rservoir
oil l'huile gas cap
d'essence
hubcap l'enjoliveur gas pump la pompe essence
air hose 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.

99. To Drive

Conduire-to drive
conduis conduisons
conduis conduisez
conduit conduisent

The past participle of conduire is conduit. Other verbs conjugated like conduire are:
traduire - to translate, produire - to produce, and construire - to construct.

100. Travelling & At the Airport

suitcase la valise
clothes les vtements
passport le passeport
diary le journal
traveler's checks les chques de voyage
 dictionary le dictionnaire
flight le vol
baggage les bagages
Euro l'euro
bill le billet
coin la pice
change la monnaie
cent le centime
arrival l'arrive
departure le dpart
Where is/are... O est / O sont...
currency exchange le bureau de change
passport check le contrle des passeports
customs la douane
entrance l'entre
lost and found les objets trouvs
information les renseignements
exit la sortie
taxi stand les taxis
restroom les toilettes

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 juste l zhoost lah across from en face de awn fawz duh
here ici ee-see between entre awn-truh
over there l-bas lah bah next to ct de ah koh-tay duh
to the right of droite de ah dwaht duh near prs de preh duh
to the left of gauche de ah gohsh duh far (from) loin de lwahn duh
straight ahead tout droit too dwah at the end of au fond de oh fohn duh
in front of devant duh-vawn at the top of en haut de awn oh duh
behind derrire dare-ee-air
101. Camping

camping le camping axe la hache

shelter l'abri (m) stump la souche
tent la tente canteen le bidon
spike la sardine hammock le hamac
sleeping bag le sac de couchage backpack le sac dos
flashlight la lampe torche path le chemin / le sentier
lantern la lanterne bench le banc
torch le flambeau rock le rocher
compass la boussole stone la pierre
map la carte pebble le caillou
binoculars les jumelles (f) canoe le cano
campfire le feu de camp oar la pagaie

102. Special Uses of Devoir

Devoir is one of the trickiest verbs to translate and use in French. The following is a list
of the different meanings of devoir used in various tenses.

must, have to Je dois tudier. I must (have to) study.

Present Tense
probably Il doit tre malade. He's probably sick.
had to (and
Pass Compos did), Il a d partir. He had to leave.
must have
was supposed
to, Elle devait chanter ce She was supposed to sing
Imperfect
used to have soir. tonight.
to
You will have to pay
Future will have to Tu devras payer l'argent.
money.
Vous devriez manger les
Conditional should You should eat fruits.
fruits.
 Past
should have Ils auraient d jouer. They should have played.
Conditional

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

othbrush la brosse dents hair spray la laque blush le blush

othpaste le dentifrice hair dryer le sche-cheveux foundation le fond de teint
ntal floss le fil dentaire nail polish le vernis ongles eye liner l'eye liner
ir brush la brosse mascara le mascara eye shadow l'ombre paupires
mb le peigne lipstick le rouge lvres bubble bath le bain moussant
ampoo le shampooing powder la poudre shower gel le gel douche
rling iron le fer friser soap le savon deodorant le dodorant
aving cream la crme raser makeup le maquillage lotion la lotion / la crme
zor le rasoir perfume le parfum pads les serviettes hyginiques
ousse la mousse cologne l'eau de Cologne tampons les tampons

104. Medicine & Hospital

AIDS le sida food poisoning l'intoxication alimentaire (f)

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

105. Present Participle

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

In everyday speech, it is common to shorten some words:

advertisement la publicit la pub

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

107. Past Infinitive

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

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

109. To Die

Mourir-to die
meurs mourons
meurs mourez
meurt meurent

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

alien l'extra-terrestre (m) nebula la nbuleuse

asteroid l'astrode (m) planet la plante
astronaut l'astronaute (m) rings les anneaux
beaker le gobelet robot le robot / l'automate
comet la comte rocket la fuse interplantaire
constellation la constellation satellite le satellite
control panel le tableau de bord solar panel le panneau solaire
crater le cratre solar system le systme solaire
Earth la terre space shuttle la navette spatiale
galaxy la galaxie space station la station spatiale
laboratory le laboratoire space suit le scaphandre de cosmonaute
landing capsule la capsule d'atterrissage spaceship la soucoupe volante
lunar rover la jeep lunaire star l'toile (f)
meteor shower la pluie de mtores sun le soleil
moon la lune test tube l'prouvette (f)

111. Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace nouns used with possessive adjectives. They agree in
gender and number with noun they replace as well.

Singular Plural
Masc. Fem. Masc. Fem.
mine le mien la mienne les miens les miennes
yours le tien la tienne les tiens les tiennes
his/hers/its le sien la sienne les siens les siennes
ours le ntre la ntre les ntres les ntres
yours le vtre la vtre les vtres les vtres
theirs le leur la leur les leurs 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

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 -ir / -re

-ai -mes -is -mes
 -as -tes -is -tes
-a -rent -it -irent

Irregular verbs that follow a pattern: Some verbs use their past participle as a stem,
and then add endings for the simple past. In this case, the six endings are -s, -s, -t, -^mes,
-^tes, -rent.

avoir croire lire dire dormir devoir recevoir vivre

eus emes crus crmes lus lmes dis dmes dormis dormmes dus dmes reus remes vcus vcmes
eus etes crus crtes lus ltes dis dtes dormis dormtes dus dtes reus retes vcus vctes
eut eurent crut crurent lut lurent dit dirent dormit dormirent dut durent reut reurent vcut vcurent

prendre sortir vouloir mettre connatre savoir pouvoir

pris prmes sortis sortmes voulus voulmes mis mmes connus connmes sus smes pus pmes
pris prtes sortis sorttes voulus voultes mis mtes connus conntes sus stes pus ptes
prit prirent sortit sortirent voulut voulurent mit mirent connut connurent sut surent put purent

Other verbs do not use their past participles as stems (but they still take the same
endings), so you should memorize these forms.

tre faire crire venir voir conduire

fus fmes fis fmes crivis crivmes vins vnmes vis vmes conduisis conduismes
fus ftes fis ftes crivis crivtes vins vntes vis vtes conduisis conduistes
fut furent fit firent crivit crivirent vint vinrent vit virent conduisit conduisirent

mourir natre ouvrir craindre battre

mourus mourmes naquis naqumes ouvris ouvrmes craignis craignmes battis battmes
mourus mourtes naquis naqutes ouvris ouvrtes craignis craigntes battis batttes
mourut moururent naquit naquirent ouvrit ouvrirent craignit craignirent battit battirent

113. Make-Believe & Fantasy

archer l'archer (m) fairy la fe moat les douves (f)

armor l'armure fantasy la fantasie monster le monstre
arrow la flche fork la fourche mummy la momie
ax la hache genie le gnie pillory le pilori
bow l'arc (m) ghost le fantme pirate le pirate
cackle ricaner giant le gant prince le prince
castle le chteau grave la tombe princess la princesse
haunted la maison
cauldron le chaudron queen la reine
house hante
l'homme des la pierre l'pouvantail
caveman headstone scarecrow
cavernes (m) tombale (m)
cemetery le cimetire hobgoblin le lutin shield le bouclier
coffin le cercueil humpback le bossu spear la lance
crown la couronne jester le fou squire l'cuyer (m)
demon le dmon king le roi sword l'pe (f)
devil le diable knight le chevalier throne le trne
dragon le dragon lamp la lampe tower la tour
drawbridge le pont-levis lance la lance troubadour le troubadour
la baguette
dungeon le donjon magic wand unicorn la licorne
magique
dwarf le nain mermaid la sirne witch la sorcire
elf le lutin minstrel le mnestrel wizard le sorcier
executioner le bourreau moan gmir zombie le mort vivant

114. Religion

altar l'autel (m) Judaism le judasme

angel l'ange (m) mass la messe
baptism le baptme minaret le minaret
bell la cloche monastery le monastre
Bible la Bible mosque la mosque
bishop l'vque (m) munk le moine
bliss la batitude Muslim le musulman
Buddhism le bouddhisme nun la religieuse / bonne sur
candle le cierge organ l'orgue (m)
cathedral la cathdrale pillar le pilier
choir la chorale Pope le pape
Christian le chrtien prayer la prire
Christianity le chrtient priest le prtre
church l'glise prophet le prophte
convent le couvent Protestant le protestant
cross la croix religion la religion
dome la coupole reverend le cur
faith la foi rosary le chapelet
fast le jene saint le saint
God le Dieu sermon le sermon
gold ring l'aurole (f) sin le pch
Gospel l'Evangile (m) suffering la souffrance
heaven le ciel / le paradis temple le temple
hell l'enfer (m) torture le supplice
Islam l'islam (m) vow le vu
Jew le juif / la juive worship/service le culte

115. Music & Art

accordion l'accordon (m) xylophone le xylophone

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

viola - l'alto (m)

116. Acquerir - to acquire & resoudre - to resolve

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 & Past Subjunctive

The subjunctive in past tenses is not used very often in French in everyday speech, but
grammatically, it should be used if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense. The
imperfect subjunctive is formed from the simple past, while the the past and pluperfect
subjunctive forms are composed of two elements: the present subjunctive of avoir or 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.
 avoir tre couper finir lire tenir
Use the simple past to form the stems
il eut il fut il coupa il finit il lut il tint
Imperfect Subjunctive
eusse fusse coupasse finisse lusse tinsse
eusses fusses coupasses finisses lusses tinsses
et ft coupt fint lt tnt
eussions fussions coupassions finissions lussions tinssions
eussiez fussiez coupassiez finissiez lussiez tinssiez
eussent fussent coupassent finissent lussent 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 additionner make up inventer / se rconcilier

make up
back up soutenir / sauvegarder compenser / rattraper
for
mess faire l'imbcile / s'amuser /
beat up tabasser
around toucher
mettre en dsordre / gcher /
bend down se baisser mess up
bcler
bend over se pencher miss out omettre / sauter
miss out
blow out souffler laisser passer / louper
on
gonfler / sauter / faire confondre / embrouiller /
blow up mix up
sauter mlanger
break se vanter / parler tort et
tomber en panne / enfoncer mouth off
down travers
move
break in entrer par effraction avancer
forward
break up rompre / se terminer move in emmnager
breathe in inspirer move off se mettre en route
breathe
expirer move out dmnager
out
brighten s'claircir / se dgager move over se pousser
up
bring back rapporter / ramener muddle up mlanger / embrouiller
bring up lever / soulever note down noter
rentrer dans / renconter
bump into own up avouer
par hasard
burst into clater / fondre (en larmes) part with se sparer de
call back rappeler pass for se faire passer pour
call off annuler pass on transmettre
call on rendre visite pass out s'vanouir / distribuer
call round passer pay back rembourser
calm down se calmer pay for payer
care about se soucier de peel off dtacher
phone
care for s'occuper de / aimer rappeler
back
carry on continuer pick on s'en prendre / harceler
ramasser / chercher / apprendre
catch up rattraper pick up
/ draguer
s'entasser / s'empiler /
chase after courir aprs pile up
s'accumuler
chase
chasser plug in brancher
away
se prsenter
check in l'enregistrement / la point out montrer / faire remarquer
rception
check out rgler sa note / regarder pop in passer
check over vrifier / examiner pull ahead prendre la tte
remonter le moral /
cheer up pull down dmolir / baisser
retrouver le moral
chop down abattre pull in s'arrter
clean up nettoyer pull out arracher / retirer
clear off dgager / filer pull over se ranger / se garer sur la ct
pull
clear out vider s'en sortir
through
pull
clear up ranger / s'claircir faire un effort
together
climb
descendre pull up remonter / s'arrter
down
climb over passer par-dessus pump up gonfler
climb up monter push in resquiller
cloud over se couvrir / s'assombrir put away ranger
come venir / reprendre
put back remettre
around connaissance
come back revenir put down poser
come remettre plus tard / dissuader /
descendre / baisser put off
down dgoter / dranger / teindre
mettre / allumer / prendre /
come in entrer put on
monter / faire marcher
teindre / tendre / sortir /
come off se dtacher put out
dranger
put
come out sortir / partir monter
together
riger / monter / mettre /
come over venir put up
augmenter / hberger
put up
come to reprendre connaissance supporter
with
monter / soulever / tre
come up reach out tendre la main
soulev
come up
arriver / s'approcher de read out lire haute voix
to
come up
proposer / suggrer read up on parcourir / lire en entier
with
cool down refroidir / refrachir rely on compter sur
cross off rayer ring back rappeler
cross out barrer ring up appeler / tlphoner
cross over traverser roll up rouler / retrousser
cry out pousser un cri rub out effacer
cut off couper rule out exclure
cut out dcouper run away s'enfuir
deal with s'occuper de / traiter de run out s'puiser
dig up dterrer run over renverser / craser
do away
se dbarasser / supprimer save up mettre de l'argent de ct
with
fermer / attacher / scare
do up faire fuir / effrayer
boutonner / retaper away
do without se passer de search for chercher
dress up se dguiser / s'habiller see off dire au revoir
drop by passer see to s'occuper de
drop off dposer / laisser send back renvoyer
end up finir / se retrouver send for appeler / faire venir
face up to faire face send off expulser
partir / se mettre en route / faire
fall apart s'effondrer set off partir / faire exploser /
dclencher
fall down tomber set out partir / se mettre en route
fall off tomber set up crer / installer / monter
settle
fall out tomber / se brouiller se calmer / s'installer
down
fall over tomber / trbucher sur show off frimer
fight back se dfendre show up arriver
figure out comprendre / calculer shut up se taire
fill in remplir / boucher sit down s'asseoir
slave
fill out remplir trimer
away
fill up remplir sleep in faire la grasse matine
find out se renseigner / dcouvrir sleep over passer la nuit chez quelqu'un
finish off terminer / finir slip off filer / s'clipser
flick off teindre slow down ralentir
flick on allumer sort out ranger / rgler / s'occuper de
flip
feuilleter speak out parler en faveur / dfendre
through
fly away s'envoler speed up aller plus vite
s'chapper / partir / s'en spin
get away tourner / se retourner
aller around
get back rentrer / rcuperer / reculer split up se sparer
get down descendre spread out se disperser
get in entrer / monter dans stand for vouloir dire / tolrer
get off descendre (de) stand out ressortir
get on monter dans / s'entendre stand up se lever
stand up
get out sortir / descendre dfendre
for
start
get up se lever partir
off/out
give in cder stay away ne pas s'approcher
give out distribuer stay in rester chez soi
give up abandonner / arrter stay out ne pas rentrer
go away partir stay up ne pas se coucher
step
go back retourner / rentrer avancer
forward
go down descendre / baisser stick out dpasser / tirer
go in entrer stretch out tendre / allonger / s'allonger
exploser / sonner / partir /
go off sum up rsumer
tourner
go on continuer / se passer swell up enfler / gonfler
go out sortir / s'teindre switch off teindre / arrter
go under couler switch on allumer / mettre en marche
go up monter / augmenter take after tenir de
go without se passer de take apart dmonter
grow up grandir take aside prendre part
hand in rendre take away enlever / emporter / emmener
hand out distribuer take back rapporter
hand over remettre / cder take down dmonter / enlever / noter
hang on attendre take off dcoller / enlever
hang out frquenter / traner take on embaucher / prendre
accrocher / suspendre /
hang up take out sortir / retirer
raccrocher
head for se diriger vers take over remplacer / prendre la relve
hear from avoir des nouvelles de take up se mettre / prendre
talk
hear of entendre parler de expliquer / prvenir
through
faire rchauffer / (faire)
heat up tear down dmolir
chauffer
help out venir en aide tear out arracher
hold on attendre / s'accrocher tear up dchirer
hold out tendre tell off gronder
think
hold up lever / retarder / attaquer penser / penser de / rflchir
about
hurry up se dpcher think of penser de
throw
join in participer () jeter
away
jump in sauter dedans / plonger throw out jeter / mettre la porte
keep out ne pas entrer dans throw up vomir
keep up suivre / continuer tidy up ranger
knock
renverser tie up ficeler / attacher
down
knock out assommer / liminer tip off prvenir / avertir
knock
renverser tip over renverser / se renverser
over
know tre au courant de / s'y toss
jeter
about connatre en away/out
track
laugh at se moquer de retrouver
down
lean over se pencher try on/out essayer
turn se retourner / faire demi-tour /
leave aside laisser de ct
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
ne pas punir / faire partir,
let off turn off teindre
tirer
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
weigh
look for chercher alourdir
down
look
attendre avec impatience well up avoir les larmes aux yeux
forward to
look out faire attention wind up se retrouver / se terminer /
 remonter
look out
chercher / s'occuper de wipe up essuyer
for
trouver / rsoudre / calculer /
se retourner / regarder /
look round work out comprendre / se passer / faire de
visiter
l'exercice
emballer / envelopper /
look up lever les yeux / chercher wrap up
rcapituler / se couvrir
look up to admirer write back rpondre
dchiffrer / comprendre / write
make out noter
prtendre down

119. Other Translation Difficulties: English to French

be getting / going + let somebody

devenir + adjective faire savoir
adjective know
do nothing but ne faire que let's just hope that pourvu que
forgive somebody for excuser quelqu'un de + let's [verb] / how
Et si on...?
[verb]-ing infinitive about we [verb]?
get oneself + past il se peut /
se faire + infinitive may / might
participle pourrait que
comment se fait-il
how come...? may... puisse...
que...?
however / no matter
avoir beau no matter peu importe
(much)
Je ne peux pas
I can't help [verb]-ing m'empcher de + no sooner... n'avoir pas si tt
infinitive
I hate/loathe/can't J'ai horreur de +
see to it that veiller ce que
stand [verb]-ing infinitive
a me manque de ne
I miss + [verb]-ing so far jusqu' prsent
pas
I was going to / I had The way + subject La faon dont +
J'avais prvu de
planned to + verb subject + verb
There is no + Il n'y a pas de
I wish (regret) Je regrette de ne pas
[verb]-ing moyen de
si seulement + There/it happens
I wish + imperfect Il se trouve que
imperfect to
I wish + past perfect J'aurais aim que + to sit, stand, lie tre assis, debout,
 subjunctive allong
J'aimerais mieux que + What / How about Que dirais tu de +
I'd rather that
subjunctive + [verb]-ing? infinitive ?
dans le but de (ne pas)
In order (not) to What if? et si?
+ infinitive
It's about time il serait grand temps whatever quel que soit
it's no use / you
il est inutile que whatever quoi que
needn't
It's typical of him/her a lui ressemble whenever chaque fois
o que +
It's usual for il est d'usage que wherever
subjunctive
just because... doesn't le simple fait que... ne Whether you like Que a te plaise
mean veut pas dire it or not ou non.
ne cesser pas de +
keep on [verb]-ing whoever quiconque
infinitive
You just have to + Tu n'as qu' +
let (permission) Que + subjunctive
infinitive infinitive

120. Quebecois French

Differences in vocabulary:

Quebec France Quebec France

l'arrt le stop achaler / gosser quelqu'un embter quelqu'un
un breuvage une boisson asteure cette heure
avoir les yeux dans la
une broue une bire avoir l'air fatigu
graisse de binnes
des bbelles des jouets bienvenu de rien
un bcyque une bicyclette brailler piquer une crise
des bidoux / du
de l'argent a adonne bein a tombe bien
foin
un bleuet une myrtille a pas d'allure a n'a aucun sens
ma blonde ma petite amie a pas de tes affaires a ne te regarde pas
une buanderie une blanchisserie clisser une vole donner une racle
une calotte une casquette c'est dispendieux c'est cher
une canneberge une airelle c'est pas fort c'est pas terrible
un char une automobile chauffer conduire un vhicule
 descendre (d'une
une chicane une dispute dbarquer (d'un char)
voiture)
monter (dans une
le djeuner le petit djeuner embarquer (dans un char)
voiture)
un dpanneur un petit magasin tre tann en avoir marre
le dner le djeuner faire dur avoir mauvaise mine
la fin de semaine le week-end faire la baboune bouder
un frigidaire un rfrigrateur faire son picerie faire ses courses
la gang la bande d'amis il mouille il pleut
une gunille un chiffon jaser causer / bavarder
se promener dans les
la job le boulot magasiner
magasins
une joke une blague marquer inscrire / noter
une lampe de une lampe-
maudit niaiseux ! espce de crtin !
poche torche
une machine
une laveuse minoucher caresser
laver
un melon d'eau un pastque pantoute pas du tout
attraper / tripoter /
un minou un chat pogner
avoir du succs
faire une promenade
le nettoyeur le pressing prendre une marche
pied
une patente une chose prsentement maintenant
une
un dollar sacrer son camp ficher le camp
piastre/piasse
se cler (une pizza / un
un pitou un chien commander / appeler
taxi)
une machine
une scheuse tabernacle / tabarnak ! zut !
scher
le souper le dner tiguidou c'est d'accord
la tabagie le tabac tu es fin tu es gentil
une vadrouille une serpillire y a du monde la messe il y a foule

Differences in pronunciation:

1. An affrication of the consonants "t" and "d" before the vowels "u" and "i." For
example, "tu es parti" is pronounced "tsu es partsi."
2. There is a reduction of the pronoun "il" to"y": Y'est malade, Y'a pas le temps; as well
as a reduction of "elle" to "a" ("elle a" becomes "aa"): Aa pas le temps, aa mal au dos.

3. "Chu" is a contraction for "je suis": Chu 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:
moi, toi, and verb forms such as bois, boit, vois, voit,
reoit, etc. are pronounced mo, to, bo, etc.

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, frencher, puncher, backer, rusher,
spotter, tripper, checker, avoir un good time, tre cheap, tre opne, faire son show, etc.
Confusions

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

contact
les coordonnes passport le passeport
information
last name nom visa le visa
first name prnom residency card la carte de sjour
address adresse receipt le rcpiss
date de le formulaire / la
birthdate application
naissance candidature
place of birth lieu de naissance enrollment form la demande d'inscription
Signed [city] ...
Fait ... le to apply (for a job) postuler
date
birth certificate l'acte de to apply/enroll (in s'inscrire
 naissance 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 or help

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

beefstew with
cold cuts la charcuterie du buf-carottes
carrots
beefstew in red du buf
raw vegetables les crudits (f)
wine bourguignon
une salade (avec des chicken in red
salad (with bacon) du coq au vin
lardons) wine
Steak & French
onion soup la soupe l'oignon un steak-frites
fries
melted cheese (w/ le gratin
la raclette potatoes au gratin
potatoes & cold cuts) dauphinois
cheese, ham & potato ham & cheese la quiche
la tartiflette
casserole quiche lorraine
dumplings
melted cheese (with
la fondue (flavored w/ meat les quenelles
bread)
or fish)
grilled ham and cheese le croque-monsieur vegetarian vgtarien/ne
grilled ham & cheese
le croque-madame vegan vgtalien/ne
with egg
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

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 sans engagement text message SMS

photo
credit/minutes le crdit MMS
message
to recharge your recharger votre
call waiting le double appel
account compte
la prsentation du
contract plan le forfait caller ID
numro
unlimited
extra charges hors forfait les appels illimits
calls
payment plan le plan tarifaire PIN code le code PIN / secret
land line la ligne fixe SIM card la carte SIM
voicemail la messagerie vocale locked bloqu
account summary le suivi conso to download tlcharger
empty / no credit puis ringtone la sonnerie

Le suivi conso is short for le suivi de consommation.

Going shopping / Faire les magasins

la cabine
department store la grande surface fitting room
d'essayage
club/loyalty
outlet store le magasin d'usine la carte de fidelit
card
la boutique d'articles
second-hand shop heels des talons
d'occasion
discount store (such
le magasin hard discount flip-flops des tongs
as Aldi)
flea market le march aux puces tank/halter top le dbardeur
department le rayon underwire bra le balconnet
to go window-
faire du lche-vitrine thong le string
shopping
to go grocery
faire les courses spotted pois
shopping
mini market la suprette flowery fleurs
supermarket (food) le supermarch frilly frous-frous
super store
l'hypermarch (m) glittery paillettes
(everything)
shopping center le centre commercial striped rayures

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

allergy l'allergie (f) swollen enfl/e

illness la maladie dizziness le vertige
cold le rhume drops les gouttes (f)
fever la fivre pills les pilules (f)
flu la grippe tablet le cachet
migraine la migraine ointment la pommade
bump la bosse bandage le sparadrap
itching les dmangeaisons (f) prescription l'ordonnance (f)
poisoning l'intoxication (f) medicine les mdicaments (m)
sting / bite la piqre vitamins les vitamines (f)
scratch l'gratignure (f) lozenge la pastille
scar la cicatrice sleeping pills les somnifres (m)
scab la crote to skin s'corcher
blister l'ampoule (f) to sprain se fouler
sprain la foulure to crush s'craser
ear infection l'otite (f) to break 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

cavity la carie glasses les lunettes

la dent de
wisdom tooth frames la monture
sagesse
baby tooth la dent de lait glasses case l'tui de lunettes (m)
gums la gencive contact lenses les lentilles
cleaning la solution de
jaw la mchoire
solution nettoyage
crown la couronne contact case l'tui de lentilles (m)
filling le plombage near-sighted myope
cleaning le dtartrage far-sighted hypermtrope
root canal le canal dentaire clear net
to pull out, remove
arracher blurry flou
(tooth)

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

bangs la frange braid la natte / les tresses

highlights les mches / le balayage ponytail la queue-de-cheval
hair cut la coupe de cheveux barette la barrette
blowdry le brushing head band le serre-tte
curly boucls hair clips les pinces cheveux
wavy onduls hairband l'lastique (m)
frizzy friss / crpus hairpin l'pingle cheveux (f)
straight raides buzz cut la coupe en brosse
dyed teints completely shaved head la boule zro
lightened dcolors bald chauve
layered dgrad part la raie
There is a slight difference between se couper les cheveux (to cut one's hair - by oneself)
and se faire couper les cheveux (to get one's hair cut - by someone else). The same is
true of se teindre les cheveux (to dye one's hair - by oneself) and se faire teindre les
cheveux (to get one's hair dyed - by someone else).

Opening a bank account / Ouvrir un compte bancaire

le compte bank / debit

savings account la carte bancaire / la carte bleue
d'pargne card
checking le distributeur / le guichet
le compte-chques ATM
account (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
l'emprunt (m) / le
loan bank statement le relev de compte
prt
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

acknowledgement of
accus de rception imprims printed matter
receipt
lettre
avis de rception notice of receipt registered letter
recommande
adresse de
return address mandat cash money order
l'expditeur
adresse de
forwarding address par avion air mail
rexpdition
colis parcel / package port pay postage paid
retour
destinataire addressee return to sender
l'envoyeur
expditeur sender tarifs postaux postage rate
envoi en nombre bulk mail trier to sort

Currently, the price of timbres (stamps) is 56 Euro cents to send mail within France, 70
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

housing le logement lease le bail

apartment l'appartement bill (telephone, etc.) la facture
rent le loyer insurance l'assurance (f)
conditions /
rent receipt la quittance de loyer l'tat des lieux (m)
evaluation of apt.
utilities / fees les charges / les frais taxes les impts (m)
expenses les dpenses furnished meubl
(rental)
les charges (locatives) building immeuble
charges
les honoraires / frais
agency fees landlord le propritaire
d'agence
private
le particulier renting location
landlord
security la caution / le dpt de locataire (m) /
renter
deposit garantie locatrice (f)
guarantor renting with
le garant exig colocation
needed roommates
short-term roommate / flatmate / colocataire (m) /
location courte
rental housemate 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 non-quipe, 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).

Cooking & Kitchen Utensils

to chop /
hacher cooking pot la marmite
grind
to grate rper lid le couvercle
to peel peler / plucher saucepan la casserole
to pit dnoyauter frying pan la pole
to mix mlanger skillet la sauteuse
to stir remuer casserole dish la cocotte / daubire
to beat battre baking sheet la plaque gteaux
la grille de
to whip fouetter cooling rack
refroidissement
to sift tamiser cake tin le moule gteaux
to pour verser pie tin la tourtire
le bol mixer / le
to cook cuire mixing bowl
saladier
to roast rtir strainer / colander la passoire
to fry frire peeling knife l'conome (m)
cuire l'touffe / faire cuire slotted spoon /
to steam l'cumoire (f)
la vapeur skimmer
to boil bouillir ladle la louche
to simmer mijoter spatula la spatule
to melt fondre (cheese) grater la rpe ( fromage)
to stew cuire en ragot whisk le fouet
to broil / griller rolling pin le rouleau ptisserie
grill
to moisten mouiller can opener l'ouvre-bote (m)
to soften faire revenir aluminum foil le papier d'aluminium
to sprinkle saupoudrer plastic wrap le film transparent
to drain goutter wax paper le papier cuisson

For verbs that involve cooking methods, you add faire before them when they are
transitive verbs (when they take a direct object). So to cook something is faire cuire, to
fry something is faire frire, to boil something is faire bouillir, etc. If you bake American
foods in France, you will most likely need to look for certain ingredients that are not used
very often in French cooking: condensed milk - lait concentr sucr; evaporated milk -
lait concentr non-sucr; 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

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Nol !

angel lange (m)
bell la cloche / la clochette
bow le nud
bulb la boule
candle la bougie / la chandelle
candy cane la canne en bonbon
chimney la chemine
Christmas card la carte de Nol
Christmas carols les chansons de Nol
Christmas Eve la veille de Nol
Christmas Eve dinner le rveillon de Nol
Christmas market le march de Nol
Christmas tree le sapin de Nol
decorations les dcorations
egg nog le lait de poule
elf le lutin
fake tree le sapin artificiel
garland la guirlande
holly le houx
lights la guirlande lectrique / lumineuse
mistletoe le gui
nativity scene la crche
North Pole le ple nord
present le cadeau
 present name tags les tiquettes
reindeer le renne
ribbon le bolduc / le ruban
Santa Claus le Pre Nol
Santas hat le bonnet de Nol
Santas sack la hotte du Pre Nol
Santas workshop latelier du Pre Nol
sleigh le traineau
sleigh bell le grelot
snow la neige
snowflake le flocon de neige
snowman le bonhomme de neige
star ltoile (f)
stocking la chaussette de Nol
toy le jouet
wrapping paper le papier demballage
wreath la couronne
Yule log la bche de Nol

Transportation

connection la correspondance subway map le plan de mtro

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

middle school
school district l'acadmie (f) principal
principal
l'arrondissement
urban district high school principal proviseur
(m)
department / exam after middle
le dpartement brevet
division school
exam after high
region / area la rgion baccalaurat
school
town la commune mathematics mathmatiques
economics & sciences conomique et
pre-school l'cole maternelle
sociology sociale (SES)
elementary living/foreign
l'cole primaire langue vivante (LV)
education language
elementary
colier/re physics physique
student
secondary
secondaire chemistry chimie
education
middle school le collge biology biologie
middle school sciences de la vie et de la
collgien/ne life/earth science
student terre (SVT)
sciences de l'ingnieur
high school le lyce engineering
(SI)
high school
lycen/ne history/geography histoire-gographie
student
higher education suprieur philosophy philosophie
university
tudiant/e literature littrature
student
l'universit / la research travaux personnels
university
facult project/seminar encadrs (TPE)
prestigious ducation physique et
les grandes coles P.E. / Gym
universities sportive (EPS)
library le CDI report card le bulletin scolaire

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 (though 10 is considered

passing, so it cannot be easily changed into percentages); 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 Bac = baccalaurat

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
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

les informations / le
news poverty la pauvret
journal
news shows le magazine d'actualits homeless les sans-abri
current events l'actualit (f) murder le crime / le meurtre
weather
la mto genocide le gnocide
report
protest la protestation riot l'meute (m)
demonstration la manifestation curfew le couvre-feu
earthquake le tremblement de terre harassment le harclement (m)
hurricane l'ouragan (m) epidemic l'pidmie (f)
flood l'inondation (f) plague la peste
le tsunami / le raz-de-
tsunami cloning le clonage
mare
drought la scheresse drug addiction la toxicomanie
burglary le cambriolage drug trafficking le trafic de drogue
assault l'agression (f) trial le procs
crime le dlit testimony le tmoignage
robbery le vol evidence la preuve
military les militaires (m) ceasefire le cessez-le-feu
army l'arme (f) gun le revolver
navy la marine rifle le fusil
air force les forces ariennes troops les troupes (f)
invasion l'invasion (f) soldier le soldat
battle la bataille hostage l'otage (m)
retreat la retraite casualty les pertes (f)
treaty le trait winners les vainqueurs (m)
truce la trve losers les vaincus (m)

Politics

prime minister le premier ministre citizen le citoyen

president le prsident senator le snateur
vice president le vice-prsident representative le dput
dictator le dictateur mayor le maire
nationality la nationalit law la loi
community la communaut bill le projet de loi
society la socit policy la politique
government le gouvernement proposal la proposition
election l'lection (f) grant la subvention
referendum le rfrendum legislation la lgislation
vote le vote negotiation la ngociation
environment l'environnement (m) regulation la rglementation
democracy la dmocratie democrat dmocrate
anarchy l'anarchie (f) liberal libral/e
capitalism le capitalisme conservative conservateur/trice
socialism le socialisme socialist socialiste
communism le communisme communist communiste

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

the news les infos to be on (TV) passer

series/program la srie to act (in) jouer
soap opera le feuilleton to channel surf zapper
tv movie le tlfilm to turn on the TV allumer la tl
documentary le documentaire to turn off the TV teindre la tl
channel la chane push the button appuyer sur le bouton
remote control la tlcommande turn up the volume monter le son
subtitles les sous-titrages turn down the volume baisser le son
commercials les publicits (pub) to plug in brancher
actor/actress le/la comdien/ne to unplug dbrancher
director le ralisateur what's it about? 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 l'agression (f) prosecutor le procureur

blackmail le chantage rape le viol
blackmailer le matre-chanteur sketch le portrait-robot
criminal record le casier judiciaire stabbed poignard
defendant l'accus (m) strangled trangl
evidence la pice conviction surveillance la filature
federal case dlit fdral suspect le suspect
gun le flingue to arrest arrter
handcuffs les menottes (f) to con/cheat escroquer
homicide l'homicide (f) to harass harceler
investigation l'enqute (f) to press charges porter plainte
kidnapping l'enlvement (m) to report missing porter disparu
laundering le blanchiment to run away s'enfuir
lead la piste / l'indice to shoot tirer
loaded (gun) charg warrant le mandat
murder le meurtre weapon l'arme (m)
paperwork la paperasse witness le tmoin
Soccer

ball le ballon pass une passe

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

signs of the Zodiac les signes du zodiaque

horoscope l'horoscope (m)
astrology l'astrologie (f)
Aries Blier
Taurus Taureau
Gemini Gmeaux
Cancer Cancer
Leo Lion
Virgo Vierge
Libra Balance
Scorpio Scorpion
Sagittarius Sagittaire
Capricorn Capricorne
Aquarius Verseau
Pisces Poissons

Marriage & Civil Unions

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

There are many, many English words used in French, but some of them have a different
meaning than in English. Sometimes the French pronunciation is radically different from
the English pronunciation, so you may only be able to understand the word in writing but
not in speech. Almost all English nouns borrowed into French are masculine, unless
otherwise noted below. I've marked which words are used as adjectives in French, even
though the original English word may be a noun.

agenda planner / calendar mail e-mail

baby-foot foosball meeting rally
barman bartender nickel clean / perfect
basket basketball parking parking lot
baskets sneakers people celebrities
bermudes bermuda shorts planning schedule
black (adj. / noun) refers to skin color play-back lip-synching
body onesie / body suit pom-pom girl cheerleader
bowling bowling alley pressing dry cleaner's
break station wagon radio (f) X-ray
brushing blowdry recordman record holder
caddie (shopping) cart relax lounge chair
 camping campground relooking makeover
camping-car motorhome / camper rollers rollerblades
catch pro wrestling scotch tape
clean (adj.) sober self (adj.) self service
clip music video shorty boy shorts
cornflakes cereal slip boxers / briefs / underwear
dancing dance hall smoking tuxedo
dressing walk-in closet speed (adj.) hectic, busy
drive drive-thru string thong underwear
entourage group of friends sweat sweatshirt
fashion (adj.) trendy tennisman tennis player
fast-food fast food restaurant tongs flip-flops
flipper pinball le top the best
foot soccer trench trench coat
footing jogging tube hit song
hard discount (adj.) discount tuning tune up
jogging jogging suit type guy
lifting facelift volley volleyball
light (adj.) diet zapping channel surfing
look style zen (adj.) cool / laid-back
lov (adj.) cuddly / snuggly

Acronyms

Those marked in color are pronounced as a word, rather than each letter individually.

Agence Nationale de l'Accueil des

ANAEM PC Parti communiste
Etrangers et des Migrations
ANPE* Agence nationale pour l'emploi PDG prsident-directeur gnral
Association pour l'emploi dans
ASSEDIC* PJ pices joints
l'industrie et le commerce
BCBG bon chic bon genre PS Parti socialiste
Postes, tlgraphes et
BD bande dessine PTT
tlphones
BN Bibliothque nationale QG quartier gnral
BNP Banque nationale de Paris RATP Rgie autonome des transports
 parisiens
BP bote postale RDC rez-de-chausse
CAF Caisse d'allocations familiales RER Rseau express rgional
CDD Contrat dure dtermine RF Rpublique franaise
CDI Contrat dure indtermine RMI Revenu minimum d'insertion
CDS Carte de sjour RV rendez-vous
diplme approfondi de langue
DALF SDF Sans domicile fixe
franaise
syndrome immunodficitaire
DEA diplme d'tudes approfondies SIDA
acquis
diplme d'tudes en langue Salaire minimum
DELF SMIC
franaise interprofessional de croissance
DOM- Dpartements d'outre-mer et Socit nationale de chemin de
SNCF
TOM Territoires d'outre-mer fer
Socit protectrice des
EDF Electricit de France SPA
animaux
ENA Ecole Nationale d'Administration SVP s'il vous plat
FLQ Front de la libration du Qubec TER Transport express rgional
Fdration nationale des achats de
FNAC TGB Trs grande bibliothque
cadres
GDF Gaz de France TGV Train grande vitesse
HLM Habitation loyer modr TTC toutes taxes comprises
Institut National de la Statistique et
INSEE TVA taxe la valeur ajoute
des Etudes Economiques
Mutuelle Gnrale de l'Education
MGEN UE Union europenne
Nationale
Union pour la dmocratie
MJC Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture UDF
franaise
Mouvement pour la libration de la Union pour un Mouvement
MLF UMP
femme Populaire
Mouvement contre le racisme et
MRAP VF version franaise
pour l'amiti entre les peuples
Office des Migrations
OMI VO version originale
Internationales
ONU Organisation des Nations Unies VOST version originale sous-titre
Organisation du trait de l'Atlantique
OTAN VTT vlo tout terrain
du Nord
OVNI Objet volant non identifi X l'cole Polytechnique
PV procs-verbal

* ANPE and ASSEDIC no longer exist. They were merged together in 2009 to form Ple
Emploi.

Regions & Departments of France

Rgions de France mtropolitaine English Translations

Alsace Alsace
Aquitaine Aquitaine
Auvergne Auvergne
Basse-Normandie Lower-Normandy
Bretagne Brittany
Bourgogne Burgundy
Centre Center
Champagne-Ardenne Champagne-Ardenne
Corse Corsica
Franche-Comt Franche-Comte
Haute-Normandie Upper-Normandy
Ille-de-France Paris-Isle-of-France
Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon
Limousin Limousin
Lorraine Lorraine
Midi-Pyrnes Midi-Pyrenees
Nord-Pas-de-Calais North-Calais
Pays-de-la-Loire Pays-de-la-Loire
Picardie Picardy
Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes
Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Azur
Rhne-Alpes Rhone-Alps
Rgions/Dpartements d'outre-mer Overseas Regions/Departments
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
Martinique Martinique
Guyane French Guiana
 La Runion 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 11 Aude
Alsace
68 Haut-Rhin 30 Gard
Languedoc-
34 Hrault
Roussillon
24 Dordogne 48 Lozre
33 Gironde 66 Pyrnes-Orientales
40 Landes
Aquitaine
47 Lot-et-Garonne 19 Corrze
64 Pyrnes-
23 Creuse Limousin
Atlantiques
87 Haute-Vienne
03 Allier
15 Cantal 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle
Auvergne
43 Haute-Loire 55 Meuse
Lorraine
63 Puy-de-Dme 57 Moselle
88 Vosges
14 Calvados
50 Manche Basse-Normandie 09 Arige
61 Orne 12 Aveyron
31 Haute-Garonne
21 Cte-d'Or 32 Gers
Midi-Pyrnes
58 Nivre 46 Lot
Bourgogne
71 Sane-et-Loire 65 Hautes-Pyrnes
89 Yonne 81 Tarn
82 Tarn-et-Garonne
22 Ctes-d'Armor
29 Finistre 59 Nord
Bretagne Nord-Pas-de-Calais
35 Ille-et-Vilaine 62 Pas-de-Calais
56 Morbihan
44 Loire-Atlantique
18 Cher 49 Maine-et-Loire
28 Eure-et-Loir 53 Mayenne Pays de la Loire
36 Indre 72 Sarthe
Centre
37 Indre-et-Loire 85 Vende
41 Loir-et-Cher
45 Loiret 02 Aisne
60 Oise Picardie
08 Ardennes 80 Somme
10 Aube Champagne-
51 Marne Ardenne 16 Charente
52 Haute-Marne 17 Charente-Maritime
Poitou-Charentes
79 Deux-Svres
2A Corse-du-Sud 86 Vienne
Corse
2B Haute-Corse
04 Alpes-de-Haute-
Provence
25 Doubs 05 Hautes-Alpes
39 Jura 06 Alpes-Maritimes Provence-Alpes-
70 Haute-Sane Franche-Comt 13 Bouches-du-Rhne Cte d'Azur
90 Territoire de
83 Var
Belfort
84 Vaucluse
27 Eure
Haute-Normandie
76 Seine-Maritime 01 Ain
07 Ardche
75 Paris 26 Drme
77 Seine-et-Marne 38 Isre
Rhne-Alpes
78 Yvelines 42 Loire
91 Essonne 69 Rhne
le-de-France
92 Hauts-de-Seine 73 Savoie
93 Seine-Saint-Denis 74 Haute-Savoie
94 Val-de-Marne
95 Val-d'Oise
Major Cities & Geographical Features of France

The 50 most populous cities in France (including the DOM-TOMs) are:

City Department Region

Paris Paris le-de-France
Marseille Bouches-du-Rhne Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur
Lyon Rhne Rhne-Alpes
Toulouse Haute-Garonne Midi-Pyrnes
Nice Alpes-Maritimes Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur
Nantes Loire-Atlantique Pays de la Loire
Strasbourg Bas-Rhin Alsace
Montpellier Hrault Languedoc-Roussillon
Bordeaux Gironde Aquitaine
Lille Nord Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine Bretagne
Reims Marne Champagne-Ardenne
Le Havre Seine-Maritime Haute-Normandie
Saint-tienne Loire Rhne-Alpes
Toulon Var Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur
Grenoble Isre Rhne-Alpes
Angers Maine-et-Loire Pays de la Loire
Dijon Cte-d'Or Bourgogne
Brest Finistre Bretagne
Nmes Gard Languedoc-Roussillon
Le Mans Sarthe Pays de la Loire
Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhne Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur
Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dme Auvergne
Saint-Denis La Runion La Runion
Tours Indre-et-Loire Centre
Limoges Haute-Vienne Limousin
Villeurbanne Rhne Rhne-Alpes
Amiens Somme Picardie
Metz * Moselle Lorraine
Besanon Doubs Franche-Comt
Perpignan Pyrnes-Orientales Languedoc-Roussillon
 Orlans Loiret Centre
Mulhouse Haut-Rhin Alsace
Caen Calvados Basse-Normandie
Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine le-de-France
Rouen Seine-Maritime Haute-Normandie
Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle Lorraine
Argenteuil Val-d'Oise le-de-France
Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis le-de-France
Saint-Paul La Runion La Runion
Roubaix Nord Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis le-de-France
Avignon Vaucluse Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur
Tourcoing Nord Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Fort-de-France Martinique Martinique
Crteil Val-de-Marne le-de-France
Poitiers Vienne Poitou-Charentes
Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine le-de-France
Versailles Yvelines le-de-France
Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine le-de-France

People who live in Metz pronounce the city more like mess, whereas most other French
people pronounce it metz.

Geographical Features of France:

la Loire Loire river

la Garonne Garonne river
le Rhne Rhne river
la Seine Seine river
les Alpes (f) the Alps
Mont Blanc (highest mountain in
le Mont-Blanc
W. Europe)
le Jura the Jura
les Pyrnes (f) the Pyrenees
le Massif Central the Massif Central
 les Vosges (f) the Vosges
la mer Mditerrane Mediterranean Sea
l'ocan Atlantique (m) Atlantic Ocean
la Mer du Nord North Sea
la Manche English Channel
le Golfe de Gascogne Bay of Biscay

Writing Letters

Your name and address should be placed in the top left corner. The receiver's address is
placed below yours, on the right. The city you are in and the date is placed below the
addresses, and on the left. (Remember to use French date formats: le 7 octobre 2008).

Your name
Your address
Zip Code & City

Receiver's Name
Receiver's Address
Zip Code & City

City, le # mois 2009

Madame ou Monsieur,

Common formal endings:

Dans lattente de votre rponse, je vous prie dagrer, Monsieur, lexpression de

mes sentiments respectueux.
Veuillez agrer, Madame, Monsieur, lexpression de mes salutations distingues.
 Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, l'assurance de mes sentiments distingus.

Notice that you should not use sentiments with Madame because it's considered rude.

In less formal situations, such as in certain e-mails, you can just use cordialement.