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BASE
BASIC PHRASES / LES EXPRESSIONS DE BASE
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 whenspeaking 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.