Nouns

les noms

introduction

professions
les professions

Determiners
les déterminants

introduction

articles
les articles

definite articles
les articles indéfinis

indefinite articles
les articles indéfinis

possessive adjectives
les adjectifs possessifs

demonstrative adjectives
les adjectifs démonstratifs

interrogative adjectives
les adjectifs interrogatifs

Adjectives
les adjectifs

introduction

gender of the adjectives

le genre des adjectifs

number of the adjectives

le nombre des adjectifs

adjectives of nationality
les adjectifs de nationalité

Verbs
les verbes

introduction

common irregular verbs

être
avoir
s’appeler
 aller
faire

common regular verbs

-er verbs

-er verbs (regular)

-re verbs

-re verbs (regular)

-re verbs (irregular) like ―prendre‖

modal verbs

vouloir
pouvoir
devoir

Negation
la négation

introduction

ne ... pas

Prepositions
les prépositions

introduction

contracted articles
les articles contractés

prepositions of place
les prépositions de lieu

localization, to localize
localisation, localiser

prepositions of place + contracted articles

les prépositions de lieu + articles contractés

Pronouns
les pronoms

introduction

subject pronouns
les pronoms sujets

pronoun ―on‖
le pronom “on”
 disjunctive pronouns
les pronoms toniques

Tense/Aspect/Mood/Voice

introduction

imperative mood
l‟impératif

Interrogative constructions

introduction

closed questions
les questions fermées

est-ce que questions

___________________________________________________________

Nouns
les noms

introduction

A noun is one of the eight parts of speech which is commonly defines as “a person, place
or thing”. Like English, nouns in French may be categorized as common or proper, count
or mass, singular or plural.

 Nouns are words in front of which you can put “a”/”the”/”some”/”this”.

 Nouns need an article in front of them.
 Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. It‟s their gender.
 Nouns can be singular or plural. It‟s their number.
 There also are proper nouns. They always start with a capital letter and are names
of specific people, places, etc. They often don‟t have an article.

Professions
les noms de profession

masculine/feminine of professions
masculin/féminin des professions

Masculine English Feminine English

-ien > -ienne
chirurgien surgeon chirurgienne surgeon
comédien comedian comédienne comedian
électricien electrician électricienne electrician
gardien guardian gardienne guardian
 computer computer
informaticien informaticienne
scientist scientist
magicien magician magicienne magician
mécanicien mechanic mécanicienne mechanic
musicien musician musicienne musician
opticien optician opticienne optician
pharmacist pharmacist
pharmacien pharmacienne
chemist (UK) chemist (UK)
physicien physicist physicienne physicist
-er > -ère
boucher butcher bouchère butcher
boulanger baker boulangère baker
conseiller councillor conseillère councillor
cheese cheese
fromager fromagère
merchant merchant
-ier > -ière
banquier banker banquière banker
jeweller (UK) jeweller (UK)
bijoutier bijoutière
jeweler (US) jeweler (US)
caissier cashier caissière cashier
charcutier pork butcher charcutière pork butcher
charpentier carpenter charpentière carpenter
shoe repairer shoe repairer
cordonnier cordonnière
cobbler cobbler
couturier fashion designer couturière fashion designer
cuisinier cook cuisinière cook
épicier grocer épicière grocer
fermier farmer fermière farmer
nurse [female]
infirmier nurse [male] infirmière
sister
jardinier gardener jardinière gardener
ouvrier laborer ouvrière laborer
confectioner confectioner
pâtissier pâtissière
pastry cook pastry cook
plombier plumber plombière plumber
policier policeman policière policewoman
fireman firewoman
pompier pompière
firefighter firefighter
 romancier novelist romancière novelist
-eur > -euse
balayeur roadsweeper balayeuse roadsweeper
brasseur brewer brasseuse brewer
chanteur singer chanteuse singer
chauffeur driver chauffeuse driver
chercheur researcher chercheuse researcher
coiffeur hairdresser coiffeuse hairdresser
danseur dancer danseuse dancer
contractor contractor
entrepreneur entrepreneuse
entrepreneur entrepreneur
pêcheur fisherman pêcheuse fisherman
recruteur recruiter recruteuse recruiter
serveur waiter serveuse waitress
tailleur tailor tailleuse tailor
travailleur worker travailleuse worker
vendeur salesman vendeuse saleswoman
exceptions
auteur author auteure author
ingénieur engineer ingénieur engineer
professeur
professor
professeur professeure professor, teacher
teacher
[non-standard]
-teur > -trice
acteur actor actrice actress
agriculteur farmer agricultrice farmer
composer
compositeur compositrice composer [music]
[music]
conducteur driver conductrice driver
farmer farmer
cultivateur grower cultivatrice grower
cultivator cultivator
dessinateur designer dessinatrice designer
manager manageress
directeur directrice
director director
publisher publisher
éditeur éditrice
editor editor
explorateur explorer exploratrice explorer
 facteur postman factrice postwoman
trainer trainer
formateur formatrice
tutor tutor
illustrateur illustrator illustratrice illustrator
primary
primary school (UK)
school (UK) teacher teacher
instituteur institutrice
elementary elementary
school (US) teacher school (US)
teacher
navigateur navigator navigatrice navigator
réalisateur film director réalisatrice film director
rédacteur editor rédactrice editor
exceptions
auteur author auteure author
chanteur singer chanteuse singer
docteur
doctor
docteure (slang)
female doctor
docteur doctor docteuse
lady doctor
(slang)
woman doctor
doctoresse (dated)
recruteur recruiter recruteuse recruiter
-iste = -iste

masculine = feminine
artiste artist artiste artist
chimiste chemist chimiste chemist
dentiste dentist dentiste dentist
documentaliste documentalist documentaliste documentalist
fleuriste florist fleuriste florist
graphiste graphic designer graphiste graphic designer
journaliste journalist journaliste journalist
lawyer lawyer
juriste juriste
jurist jurist
nutritionniste nutritionist nutritionniste nutritionist
pianist pianist
pianiste pianiste
piano player piano player
réceptionniste receptionist réceptionniste receptionist
-e = -e

masculine = feminine
 architecte architect architecte architect
astronaute astronaut astronaute astronaut
manager manager
cadre cadre
executive executive
comptable accountant comptable accountant
dramatist dramatist
dramaturge dramaturge
playwright playwright
fonctionnaire civil servant fonctionnaire civil servant
interprète interpreter interprète interpreter
juge judge juge judge
peintre painter peintre painter
photographe photographer photographe photographer
pilote pilot pilote pilot
psychiatre psychiatrist psychiatre psychiatrist
psychologue psychologist psychologue psychologist
scientifique scientist scientifique scientist
secrétaire secretary secrétaire secretary
stagiaire trainee stagiaire trainee
vet
vet
veterinary surgeon
vétérinaire veterinary surgeon (UK) vétérinaire
(UK)
veterinarian (US)
veterinarian (US)
exceptions
poète poet poétesse poetess
no changes
docteur
docteur doctor docteure [non- doctor
standard]
écrivain writer écrivain writer
ingénieur engineer ingénieur engineer
médecin doctor médecin doctor
reporter reporter reporter reporter
add -e
auteur author auteure author
avocat lawyer avocate lawyer
employé employee employée employee
enseignant teacher enseignante teacher
gérant manager gérante manageress
 laboratory
laborantin laboratory assistant laborantine
assistant
marchand shopkeeper marchande shopkeeper
président president présidente president
tisserand weaver tisserande weaver
exceptions
paysan farmer paysanne farmer

______________________________________________________________________

Determiners
les déterminants

introduction

Determiner is a word, either an article, a number or non-qualifying adjective. Determiners

serve two functions: they simultaneously introduce & modify nouns. Determiners, also
known as non-qualifying adjectives, are much more common in French than in English;
some sort of determiner is nearly always required in front of each noun used and has to
agree with it in gender and number. There is never more than one determiner per noun
and it is always placed before the noun.

The main difference between a qualifying (descriptive) adjective and a non-qualifying

adjective (determiner) has to do with usage.

Qualifying adjectives qualify or describe a noun, while non-qualifying adjectives introduce

a noun and may determine or specify it at the same time.

In addition, qualifying adjectives may be:

 Placed before or after the noun they modify

 Separated from the noun they modify by other words
 Modified by a comparative or superlative adverb
 Used in conjunction with one or more other qualifying adjectives to modify a single
noun

Determiners, on the other hand,

 Introduce & modify nouns

 Always directly precede the noun they modify
 Must agree in gender & number with nouns
 Cannot themselves be modified
 Cannot be used with other determiners (i.e., only one determiner is allowed per
noun)
 Can be used with qualifying (descriptive) adjectives (ma belle maison = "my
beautiful house.")

Types of French Determiners

Articles
les articles

There are three categories of articles: definite, indefinite, and partitive. All three types of
articles are determiners.

Definite articles
les articles définis

Definite articles refer to a specific noun, or a noun in general.

They are all translated as 'the' in English.

le, la, l‟, les = the

le lait = (the) milk

les enfants = (the) children

J'ai mangé la pomme.

I ate the apple.

Elle donne le livre à Paul.

She gives the book to Paul.

Indefinite articles
les articles indéfinis

Indefinite articles refer to an unspecific noun.

They are translated as 'a' or 'an' in English.

un, une = a/an

des = some

une bouteille = a bottle

des enfants = some children

J'ai mangé une pomme.

I ate an apple.

Paul choisit un vin.

Paul chooses a wine.

Partitive articles
les articles partitifs

Partitive articles indicate an unknown quantity, usually of food or drink. They are used to
introduce mass nouns, that is nouns that are conceived of as a mass of indeterminate
quantity.

They are usually translated as 'some' in English.

du, de la, de l', des = some

du lait = some milk

des épinards = some spinach

J‟ai de l'argent.
I have money.

J'ai mangé des épinards.

I ate some spinach.

Paul boit du vin.

Paul drinks some wine.

Adjectives
les adjectifs

All the different types of non-descriptive adjectives are also determiners.

Demonstrative adjectives/determiners
les adjectifs démonstratifs

Demonstrative adjectives indicate a specific noun. They point out something, typically
something within sight. In French, they must agree in gender and number with the noun
they modify.

They may be translated in English as 'this', 'that', 'these', 'those' depending on the number
(singular or plural) and proximity (near or far)

ce, cet, cette = this/that

ces = these/those

Ce prof parle = This/That teacher

Cet homme = This/That man
Cette femme = This/That woman
Ces enfants = These/Those children
Ces livres = These/Those books

J'ai mangé cette pomme.

I ate this/that apple.

Exclamative adjectives

Exclamative adjectives are placed in front of nouns to express admiration, astonishment,

indignation, or another strong sentiment.

French exclamative adjectives take the exact same form as interrogative adjectives:

quel, quelle / quels, quelles = what a/an / what

Quel dommage !
What a shame/pity!
Quel aventure !
What an adventure!

Quelle bonne idée !

What a good idea!

Quel film !
What a movie!

Quelle gentillesse !
What kindness!

Quel homme intelligent !

What a smart man!

Note: An exclamative adjective expresses a strong emotion about the noun which follows,
while an interrogative adjective asks a question about the noun.

The exclamative adjective exclaims:

Quel livre !
What a book!

The interrogative adjective interrogates:

Quel livre ?
Which book?

Indefinite adjectives
les adjectifs indéfinis

Affirmative indefinite adjectives modify nouns in a unspecific sense.

autre, certain, chaque, plusieurs... = other, certain, each, several...

chaque enfant = each child

certaines idées = certain ideas

J'ai mangé plusieurs pommes.

I ate several apples.

Interrogative adjectives
les adjectifs interrogatifs

Interrogative adjectives clarify "which" of something one is referring to.

quel, quelle, quels, quelles = which

Quel train ?
Which train?

Quelle chaise ?
Which chair?

Quels hommes ?
Which men?

Quel enfant ?
Which child?

Quelle pomme ?
Which apple?

Quelles idées ?
Which ideas?

Negative adjectives

Negative indefinite adjectives negate or cast doubt on a quality of the noun.

ne... aucun, nul, pas un... = no, not a single, not one...

Je ne vois aucun enfant.

I don‟t see any child.

Je n'a mangé aucune pomme.

I didn't eat a single apple.

Numerical adjectives

Numerical adjectives include all numbers; however, only cardinal numbers are
determiners, because fractions and ordinal numbers can be used with articles.

un, deux, trois... = one, two, three...

trois enfants = three kids

dix bouteilles = ten bottles

J'ai mangé trois pommes.

I ate three apples.

Possessive adjectives/determiners
les adjectifs possessifs

Possessive adjectives modify a noun with its possessor. They indicate ownership or
possession like 'my', 'your' 'his', 'her', 'our', 'their'.

Mon, ta, ses... = My, your, his...

Mon frère = My brother

Ma mère = My mother
Mes enfants = My children

J'ai mangé ta pomme.

I ate your apple.

Relative adjectives

Relative adjectives, which are very formal, indicate a link between a noun and an
antecedent.

lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles = which, said

J‟ai vu l‟enfant, lequel enfant pleurait.

I saw the child, said child was crying.

Il a mangé la pomme, laquelle pomme était pourrie.

He ate the apple, said apple was rotten.

Note: Descriptive adjectives are what we typically think of when someone says
“adjective”. They have a single function: to describe nouns, such as blue, hot, small, or
lovely.

Articles
les articles

Articles are the main group of determiners in French. There are three categories of
articles:

1. definite
2. indefinite
3. partitive

• Definite articles (le, la,les) are used when the noun is specific. They are all translated as
“the” in English.

• Indefinite articles (un, une,des) introduce nouns that are not specific. They are
translated as “a”/“an” or “some” in English.

• Partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des) are used to introduce mass nouns, that is nouns
that are conceived of as a mass of indeterminate quantity. They are usually translated as
'some' in English.

Definite articles
les articles définis

forms

In French, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or determined by an
article. As in English, an article is characterized as either definite (“the”) or indefinite (“a”,
“an”). In addition, French articles are also masculine or feminine, singular or plural,
according to the gender and number of the noun they determine. The definite article is
used to identify a specific noun or to refer to a noun that has already been specified.

In French, nouns are either masculine (m.) or feminine (f.). Each gender has its own
article. Here are the definite articles in French:
 singular
plural
before consonant before vowel or mute h
masculine le
l’ les
feminine la

le, la, l’, les the

le livre the book

le garçon the boy
la voiture the car
la fille the girl
la femme the woman

“Les” is the plural article for both masculine and feminine nouns.

les livres the books

les garçons the boys
les voitures the cars
les filles the girls
les femmes the women

When the noun begins with a vowel or a silent 'h', the “le” or “la” simply becomes “l'”.

l'ombre m. the shade

l‟animal m. the animal
l'abeille f. the bee
l‟arbre m. the tree
l'hôtel m. the hotel
l‟université f. the university

les animaux [le‿zanimo] m.p. the animals

les arbres [le‿zaʀbʀ] m.p. the trees
les universités [le‿zynivɛʀsite] f.p. the universities
élision and liaison

In the examples above, note that le and la both become l' when they precede a noun
beginning with a vowel or a silent h: l'animal, l'université. This is called elision.

Unlike le and la, les does not have a contracted, reduced form. When les is followed by a
word starting with a vowel, the normally silent final s of les is pronounced, making a /z/
sound. This additional sound linking two words is called liaison.

Compulsory liaison No liaison

IPA
with a vowel or silent h with a consonant
les insectes [le‿zɛsɛkt] les chiens
les animaux [le‿zanimo] les livres
les hommes [le‿zɔm] les voitures

Note that elision and liaison occur with most words starting with h: l'homme, les hommes,
l'hiver, les hivers. Exceptions to this rule are words beginning with an aspirate 'h'.

Indefinite articles
les articles indéfinis

forms

In French, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or 'determined' by an
article. As in English, an article is characterized as either definite ('the') or indefinite ('a',
'an'). In French, articles are also masculine or feminine, and singular or plural, according
to the gender and number of the noun they determine. Here are the indefinite articles in
French:

singular plural
masculine un
des
feminine une

un, une a / an
des some

un livre a book
un garçon a boy
une fille a girl
une femme a woman
une voiture a car

“Des” is the plural article for both masculine and feminine nouns.

des livres some books

des voitures some cars

un homme ‿nɔm] a man

une femme [yn fam] a woman

des hommes [de‿zɔm] some men

des femmes [de fam] some women

Possessive adjectives/determiners
les adjectifs possessifs

forms and uses

The possessive determiners serve to express ownership or possession (hence the name).
They are also often called possessive adjectives because they agree in gender and number
with the noun they introduce.

Masculine Feminine Masculine / Feminine

English
Singular Singular Plural
my mon ma mes
your
ton ta tes
(familiar)
his/her/its son sa ses
our notre notre nos
your
votre votre vos
(formal or plural)
their leur leur leurs

Note: Do not forget to make the liaison between the plural forms of the possessive
determiners and words that begin with a vowel sound.

mes amis my friends

mes imperméables my raincoats
tes enfants your kids/children
ses agents his/her agents
ses albums his/her albums
nos écoles our schools
vos élèves your pupils/students
leurs emplois their jobs
livre (m) les livres mon livre mes livres
book books my book my books
voiture (f) les voitures ma voiture mes voitures
car cars my car my cars
ami (m) les amis mon ami mes amis
friend (male) friends my friend my friends
amie (f) les amies mon amie mes amies
friend (female) friends my friend my friends

Note :

mon/ton/son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel/h

i.e., ma, ta, sa become mon, ton, son in front of feminine nouns beginning with a vowel
sound.

mon/ton/son école (f) my/your/his/her school

mon adresse (f) my address
mon enfance (f) my childhood
mon équipe (f) my team
mon experience (f) my experience
mon heure (f) my time
mon idée (f) my idea
___________________________________________________________

Demonstrative adjectives/determiners
les adjectifs démonstratifs

Demonstrative adjectives are used to emphasize or highlight something, or to distinguish

one thing from another. Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) are words used
in place of articles to indicate a specific noun. They are are used to point out things or
people. In French, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

singular
plural
before consonant before vowel or mute h
masculine ce cet
ces
feminine cette

Note: ―Ces” is the only plural demonstrative adjective: "cettes" does not exist.

Note that liaison is compulsory between ces and words starting with a vowel or a silent h.

ce
Ce jardin est magnifique. This/That garden is magnificent.
Ce cercle est rouge. This/That circle is red.
Ce prof parle trop. This/That teacher talks too much.
J'aime ce livre. I like this/that book.
cet
Cet homme est sympa. This/That man is nice.
Je connais cet endroit. I know this/that place.
Cet oiseau chante toute la journée. This/That bird sings all day long.
Cet arbre est grand. This/That tree is tall.
cette
Cette idée est intéressante. This/That idea is interesting.
Cette fille est belle. This/That girl is beautiful.
Cette fleur est rouge. This/That flower is red.
ces
Ces cercles sont jaunes. These/Those circles are red.
Je cherche ces femmes. I'm looking for these/those women.
Ces enfants sont les siens. These/Those children are hers.

-ci and -là

The singular demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, and cette can all mean "this" or "that." Your
listener can usually tell by the context which you mean, but if you want to stress one or
the other, you can use the suffixes -ci (here) and -là (there). Demonstrative determiners
can designate something close or far away: in order to distinguish between two or more
elements, you can add the suffixes -ci or -là to the demonstrative determiner. The suffix -
ci indicates that the item is relatively near to the speaker; -là suggests that something is
farther away. In English, they are generally translated by 'this' and 'that':

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
ce (cet) cette ces
Simple
this/that this/that these/those
cette ces [noun]-ci
ce [noun]-ci [noun]-ci

Near objects cet [noun]-ci

Compound
this
this these
Remote objects ce [noun]-là cette ces [noun]-là
 [noun]-là
cet [noun]-là

that

that those

Ce prof-ci parle trop.

This teacher (here) talks too much.

Ce prof-là est sympa.

That teacher (there) is nice.

Cet étudiant-ci comprend.

This student (here) understands.

Cette fille-là est perdue.

That girl (there) is lost.

Likewise, ces can mean "these" or "those," and again you can use the suffixes to be more
explicit:

Je veux regarder ces livres-là.

I want to look at those books (there).

Je préfère ces pommes-ci.

I prefer these apples (here).

Ces fleurs-ci sont plus jolies que ces fleurs-là.

These flowers (here) are prettier than those flowers (there).

The demonstrative adjective ce does not contract. In front of a vowel it changes to cet. So
c' in the expression c'est is not a demonstrative adjective: it is an indefinite demonstrative
pronoun.
___________________________________________________________

Interrogative adjectives
les adjectifs interrogatifs

Sometimes French grammar is much stricter than English grammar. A simple question like
"What book do you want?" is technically incorrect, because in proper English, the question
should be "Which book do you want?" In reality, the former is much more common than
the latter.

In French, however, one does not have this option: the French equivalent of which, quel,
must be used whenever there is more than one noun that you are choosing between. Like
all French adjectives, quel has to agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

What is your mother tongue?

Ans: any

Which is your mother tongue?

a) Hindi
b) Malayalam
c) English
d) français

Quel is an adjective. Like any other adjective, it agrees in number and gender with the
noun it modifies. Remember to make the liaison between quels / quelles and a following
word beginning with a vowel (quels animaux).

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
quel quelle quels quelles

The uses of quel are fairly straightforward - you need it whenever you want to ask for
specific information about a noun:

Pierre m'a prêté un livre. Quel livre ?

Pierre loaned me a book. Which book?

Nous devons partir avant midi. Quelle heure est-il ?

We have to leave before noon. What time is it?

interrogative quel

Quel is generally translated into English by 'what' or 'which'. It is always followed by a

noun or by the verb 'être' + noun.

Questions with quel may be asked with est-ce que or inversion:

Quel est le nom de ce chien ? What's the name of this dog?

Quel âge a Paul ? How old is Paul?
Quelles sont les qualités de Paul ? What are Paul's good points?
Quel livre veux-tu ?
What book do you want?
Quel livre est-ce que tu veux ?
Quelles pommes aime-t-il ?
Which apples does he like?
Quelles pommes est-ce qu'il aime ?
Quels livres voulez-vous ? Which books do you want?
What day is it?
Quel jour sommes-nous ? What's the date?
What's today's date?
Quel genre de musique aimez-vous ? What kind of music do you like?
Quels livres aimez-vous ? Which books do you like?
Quelles langues parlez-vous ? Which languages do you speak?
Quel + noun may be preceded by a preposition:

À quelle heure veux-tu partir ? / À quelle heure est-ce que tu veux partir ?
What time do you want to leave?

À quelle heure est-ce que vous déjeunez ?

What time do you have your lunch?

De quels livres parle-t-il ? / De quels livres est-ce qu'il parle ?

What books is he talking about?

De quelle ville vient-il?

From which city does he come?

Dans quelle ville est-ce que vous habitez ?

In which city do you live?

To ask "what is ...?" or "what are ...?" use quel plus the appropriate conjugation of être:

Quel est le problème ?

What's the problem?

Quel est votre prénom ?

What is your first name?

Quel est votre film préféré ?

What is your favourite film?

Quel est le nom de cette plante?

What is the name of this plant?

Quelle est votre profession ?

What is your profession?

Quelle est votre nationalité ?

What is your nationality?

Quelle est votre adresse ?

What is your address?

Quelles sont les différences ?

What are the differences?

Quelles sont vos dates de vacances ?

What are your holiday dates?

Quels sont vos loisirs ?

What are your leisure activities?
___________________________________________________________
Adjectives
les adjectifs

introduction

An adjective is a word that describes/modifies a noun or pronoun by describing it in some

way: shape, color, size, nationality, etc. As in English, French adjectives are words used to
qualify other words.

French adjectives are very different from English adjectives in two ways: The major
differences between adjectives in French and English concern agreement and placement.
In French, an adjective is usually placed after the noun it modifies and must agree in
gender and number with the noun. In English, an adjective usually comes before the noun
it modifies and is invariable, that is, it does not agree.

1. French adjectives change to agree in gender and number with the nouns that they
modify, which means there can be up to four forms of each adjective:

masculine feminine masculine feminine

singular singular plural plural
joli (pretty)
joli jolie jolis jolies
petit (little, small)
petit petite petits petites

2. In English, adjectives are always found in front of the noun, but most French adjectives
follow the noun they modify:

un livre vert a green book

un professeur intelligent a smart teacher

But there are some French adjectives that precede the noun:

un beau garçon a handsome boy

un petit verre a small glass
___________________________________________________________

gender of the adjectives

le genre des adjectifs

In French, adjectives MUST match the noun they are describing in GENDER
(masculine/feminine).

masculine/feminine of adjectives
masculin/féminin des adjectifs

formation of the feminine of adjectives

la formation du féminin des adjectifs

The following adjectives have irregular feminine forms:

masculine feminine English

aigu aiguë sharp
bénin bénigne minor
caduc caduque null and void
doux douce soft
exprès expresse express
faux fausse false
favori favorite favorite
frais fraîche fresh
jumeau jumelle twin
long longue long
smart
malin maligne
clever
roux rousse red
sec sèche dry
tiers tierce third
treacherous
traître traîtresse traitor
unfaithful

Other adjectives can be grouped in categories:

Adjectives ending in vowel + l, n, s, or t generally double the consonant and add a mute
-e:

masculine feminine English

-el > -elle
current
actuel actuelle
present
cruel cruelle cruel
formel formelle formal
intellectuel intellectuelle intellectual
 mortel mortelle deadly
réel réelle real
-eil > -eille
pareil pareille similar
-il > -ille
kind
gentil gentille
nice
-ul > -ulle
nul nulle null
-ien > -ienne
old
ancien ancienne former
ancient
chrétien chrétienne Christian
européen européenne European
moyen moyenne average, medium
-an > -anne
paysan paysanne rural
-on > -onne
good
bon bonne
right
mignon mignonne cute
-s > -sse
bas basse low
épais épaisse thick
greasy
gras grasse
fatty
big
gros grosse thick
fat
las lasse weary, tired
-t > -tte

(-at > -atte)

(-et > -ette)
(-ot > -otte)
cadet cadette younger
coquet coquette clothes-conscious
muet muette dumb
 net nette clean, tidy, clear
silly
sot sotte
foolish
chubby
boulot boulotte plump
tubby
pale
pâlot pâlotte
peaky
antiquated
vieillot vieillotte
quaint

Exceptions! Not all words that end in -n necessarily have feminine forms that end in -
nne:

Adjectives that end in “-ain”, ”-ein”, “-in”, “-un”, and most adjectives in
“-an”, usually form their feminine in “-ne.“

masculine feminine English

-ain > -aine
certain certaine certain
humain humaine human
prochain prochaine next
sain saine healthy
suburbain suburbaine suburban
urbain urbaine urban
vain vaine vain
vilain vilaine ugly
-ein > -eine
plein pleine full
serein sereine serene
-in > -ine
fin fine thin, fine
-un > -une
aucun aucune no, not any
brun brune brown
commun commune common
-an > -ane
médian médiane median
 plan plane flat
texan texane Texan

masculine feminine English

-et > -ète
complet complète complete
concrete
concret concrète real
existing
old-fashioned
out of fashion
désuet désuète
out of style
outmoded
discreet
discret discrète
discrete
incomplet incomplète incomplete
indiscret indiscrète indiscreet, indiscrete
worried
inquiet inquiète
anxious
replet replète plump, chubby
secret
secret secrète
secretive
-er > -ère
amer amère bitter
dear
cher chère
expensive
dernier dernière last
entier entière entire
étranger étrangère foreign
léger légère light
premier première first, prime
régulier régulière regular
-eux > -euse
affreux affreuse horrible, awful, dreadful
ambitieux ambitieuse ambitious
amoureux amoureuse in love
avantageux avantageuse advantageous
baveux baveuse wet; drooling; dripping
calamiteux calamiteuse calamitous
capricieux capricieuse capricious, freakish
courageux courageuse courageous, brave, daring
curieux curieuse curious
dangereux dangereuse dangerous
douloureux douloureuse painful
douteux douteuse doubtful, uncertain
ennuyeux ennuyeuse boring
fâcheux fâcheuse annoying; irritating
furieux furieuse furious
généreux généreuse generous
goûteux goûteuse (of food) tasty
heureux heureuse happy
joyeux joyeuse joyful, happy
laiteux laiteuse milky
luxueux luxueuse luxurious
merveilleux merveilleuse marvelous, brilliant
miraculeux miraculeuse miraculous
neigeux neigeuse snowy, snow-covered
paresseux paresseuse lazy
peureux peureuse fearful
sérieux sérieuse serious
studieux studieuse studious
venteux venteuse windy
-eur > -euse
menteur menteuse liar
rêveur rêveuse dreamy
trompeur trompeuse deceptive
exceptions
previous
antérieur antérieure
earlier
extérieur extérieure external
intérieur intérieure internal
supérieur supérieure superior
inférieur inférieure inferior
majeur majeure major
 mineur mineure minor
later
ultérieur ultérieure subsequent
ulterior
meilleur meilleure better
-teur > -trice
calculateur calculatrice calculating
créateur créatrice creative
dévastatateur dévastatatrice devastating
-f > -ve
actif active active
agressif agressive aggressive
bref brève brief
créatif créative creative
destructif destructive destructive
inventive
inventif inventive
creative
naïf naïve naïve, artless, innocent
négatif négative negative
new
neuf neuve brand new
very new
positif positive positive
sporty
sportif sportive sportive
athletic
vif vive lively
-c > -che
blanc blanche white
franc franche frank
-ic > -ique
public publique public
-s > -se
gris grise grey, gray
mis mise set, laid
pris prise taken, busy
exceptions
bas basse low
 épais épaisse thick
fatty
gras grasse
greasy
gros grosse big
las lasse tired
-oux > -ouse
jaloux jalouse jealous
exceptions
doux douce soft
roux rousse red

Adjectives of one form

Generally, if an adjective already ends in silent -e in the masculine, the feminine forms will
be identical (foreign adjective).

masculine feminine English

agréable agréable agreeable
stupid
bête bête
silly
bizarre bizarre bizarre; odd
calme calme calm
célèbre célèbre famous
classique classique classical
désagréable désagréable disagreeable
difficile difficile difficult
facile facile easy; simple
faible faible weak
fantastique fantastique fantastic
fidèle fidèle loyal; faithful
formidable formidable formidable
gauche gauche left
honnête honnête honest
imaginaire imaginaire imaginary
ironique ironique ironic
jaune jaune yellow
jeune jeune young
large large large
 libre libre free
magnifique magnifique magnificient
maigre maigre meagre; lean; thin
malade malade ill; unwell; sick
mince mince slim; slender
minuscule minuscule tiny
moderne moderne modern
nécessaire nécessaire necessary
pauvre pauvre poor
pratique pratique practical
propre propre clean
rapide rapide fast; rapid
riche riche rich
ridicule ridicule ridiculous
sale sale dirty
semblable semblable similar
sensible sensible sensitive
sévère sévère severe
simple simple simple
sincère sincère sincere
stupide stupide stupid
nice
sympathique sympathique kind
friendly
shy
timide timide
timid
triste triste sad
utile utile useful
vide vide empty; blank; vacant

Adjectives of two forms

Most French adjectives form the feminine by adding -e to the end of the masculine form
of the adjective.

If an adjective in the masculine ends in any other vowel, or in -ent, -ant, a mute -e is
added to form the feminine.

Normally masculine adjectives end in a non-pronounced consonant (“t”, “s”, “t”) and
feminine adjectives end in an e however there are a wide variety of feminine forms.
masculine feminine English
masculine – consonant ―d‖
bavard bavarde talkative
blond blonde blond
chaud chaude warm; hot
froid froide cold
grand grande tall
great
laid laide ugly
lourd lourde heavy
sourd sourde deaf
masculine – consonant ―s‖
gris grise gray
mauvais mauvaise bad
masculine – consonant ―t‖
court courte short
droit droite right
strong
fort forte
good
high
haut haute
tall
idiot idiote stupid
intelligent intelligente intelligent
parfait parfaite perfect
petit petite small
prêt prête ready
vert verte green
masculine – consonant ―l‖
final finale final
international internationale international
original originale original
regional
régional régionale
local
masculine – consonant ―n‖
thin
fin fine
fine
 plein pleine full
prochain prochaine next
sain saine healthy
masculine – consonant ―r‖
hard
dur dure
tough
sure
sûr sûre
certain
masculine – any other vowel
joli jolie pretty; cute
poli polie polite
bronzé bronzée tanned
fatigué fatiguée tired
frisé frisée curly
marié mariée married
mouillé mouillée wet; moist
obstiné obstinée obstinate
stubborn
masculine -ent
compétent compétente competent
content contente content, satisfied, pleased
intelligent intelligente intelligent
lent lente slow
masculine -ant
amusant amusante amusing
attachant attachante lovable
intéressant intéressante interesting
méchant méchante evil; wicked
puissant puissante powerful
souriant souriante smiling

The following masculine and feminine adjectives are pronounced the same despite
different spellings.

masculine feminine English

bleu bleue blue
cher chère dear, expensive
clair claire clear
compliqué compliquée complicated
désolé désolée desolate
dur dure hard
égal égale equal
fatigué fatiguée tired
gai gaie cheerful
général générale general
joli jolie pretty
noir noire black
poli polie polite
sûr sûre sure

Adjectives of three forms

A few adjectives have two forms for masculine: one used in front of nouns beginning with
consonant, and another used in front of nouns beginning with vowel or mute h.

masculine masculine
singular singular feminine masculine feminine
English
before before singular plural plural
consonant vowel
-eau > -elle
beau bel belle beaux belles handsome
fine
un beau un bel été une belle attractive
garçon a lovely femme nice
a good- summer a beautiful lovely
looking boy woman beautiful
un bel homme good-
un beau jour a handsome une belle looking
one day, one man journée
fine day a beautiful
day, a lovely
un beau day
matin
one morning,
one fine
morning

un beau
geste
a fine
gesture
un beau
parleur
a smooth
talker
nouveau nouvel nouvelle nouveaux nouvelles new,
another,
un nouveau un nouvel une nouvelle fresh
bandage accident voiture
a fresh another a new car
bandage accident
une nouvelle
un nouveau un nouvel intéressante
bracelet élève interesting
a new strap a new news
boy/pupil
-ou > -olle
mad,
fou fol folle fous folles
crazy
soft,
mou mol molle mous molles
pliable
others
vieux vieil vieille vieux vieilles old
___________________________________________________________

Number of the adjectives

le nombre des adjectifs

Plural of the adjectives

le pluriel des adjectifs

If a noun is plural then the adjective is also plural. An s is added to the end. This s never
changes the pronouncation.

des chemises vertes green shirts

des petits garçons little boys
des petites filles little girls

Most French adjectives are made plural by adding -s to the singular form of the adjective
(either masculine or feminine):

masculine masculine feminine feminine

English
singular plural singular plural
actif actifs active actives active
bizarre bizarres bizarre bizarres bizarre; odd
bleu bleus bleue bleues blue
good
bon bons bonne bonnes
right
brun bruns brune brunes brown
célèbre célèbres célèbre célèbres famous
chaud chauds chaude chaudes warm; hot
content,
content contents contente contentes satisfied,
pleased
court courts courte courtes short
cruel cruels cruelle cruelles cruel
difficile difficiles difficile difficiles difficult
dur durs dure dures hard; tough
easy;
facile faciles facile faciles
simple
faible faibles faible faibles weak
fatigué fatigués fatiguée fatiguées tired
loyal;
fidèle fidèles fidèle fidèles
faithful
fin fins fine fines thin; fine
strong;
fort forts forte fortes
good
froid froids froide froides cold
tall
grand grands grande grandes
big
haut hauts haute hautes high; tall
honnête honnêtes honnête honnêtes honest
intelligent intelligents intelligente intelligentes intelligent
intéressant intéressants intéressante intéressantes interesting
jaune jaunes jaune jaunes yellow
jeune jeunes jeune jeunes young
joli jolis jolie jolies pretty; cute
laid laids laide laides ugly
lent lents lente lentes slow
lourd lourds lourde lourdes heavy
meagre;
maigre maigres maigre maigres
lean; thin
 ill; unwell;
malade malades malade malades
sick
méchant méchants méchante méchantes evil; wicked
slim;
mince minces mince minces
slender
mouillé mouillés mouillée mouillées wet; moist
mûr mûrs mûre mûres ripe
noir noirs noire noires black
pauvre pauvres pauvre pauvres poor
plein pleins pleine pleines full
poli polis polie polies polite
prêt prêts prête prêtes ready
propre propres propre propres clean
rapide rapides rapide rapides fast; rapid
riche riches riche riches rich
rouge rouges rouge rouges red
sain sains saine saines healthy
sale sales sale sales dirty
simple simples simple simples simple
stupide stupides stupide stupides stupid
sure;
sûr sûrs sûre sûres
certain
nice
sympathique sympathiques sympathique sympathiques kind
friendly
triste tristes triste tristes sad
vert verts verte vertes green

Adjectives ending in -s, or -x in the singular generally do not change in the plural

masculine masculine
English
singular plural
-s = -s

no change
bas bas low
épais épais thick
gras gras fat
 gris gris grey, gray
gros gros big, thick, fat
las las weary, tired
mauvais mauvais bad
précis précis precise
-x = -x

no change
sweet
soft
doux doux
mild
gentle
false
faux faux
untrue
happy
heureux heureux
glad
jaloux jaloux jealous
peureux peureux fearful
roux roux red
sérieux sérieux serious
vieux vieux old

Note: Feminine plural is regular.

Adjectives ending in -al generally take -aux in the plural:

masculine masculine
English
singular plural
amical amicaux friendly
matinal matinaux morning
national nationaux national
normal normaux normal
original originaux original
radical radicaux radical
régional régionaux regional
sentimental sentimentaux sentimental
vertical verticaux vertical
exceptions
banal banals banal
 wobbly
bancal bancals
shaky
fatal fatals fatal
festival festivals festival
final finals final
fractal fractals fractal
natal natals native
naval navals naval

Note: Feminine plural is regular.

The adjectives ending in -eau are followed by -x in plural:

masculine masculine
English
singular plural
beau beaux beautiful
nouveau nouveaux new

Note: Feminine plural is regular.

Note: Certains adjectives of colour are invariable.

un pull marron
des pulls marron
des chaussures marron

un pull orange
une veste orange
des vestes orange

___________________________________________________________

Adjectives of nationality
les adjectifs de nationalité (masculin/féminin)

Gender of the nationalities

le genre des nationalités

As with majority of the French adjectives, there is a masculine and feminine form for most
of the names of nationalities. All you need to do is to add an “-e” to the masculine form.

Eg. français / française

Most of the time it will change the pronunciation français / française (z) but there are
some exceptions where it stays the same:
Eg. espagnol / espagnole

If the name of the adjective of nationality ends with “-e”, the word stays the same.

Eg. Paul est suisse. / Marie est suisse.

Agreement of adjectives of nationality

l‟accord des adjectifs de nationalité

Adjectives of nationality in French agree in number and gender with the noun they qualify.

Note: In French, nationalities are capitalized when they are used as nouns, but not when
they serve as adjectives. i.e. The names of nationalities in French are written in small
letters, unlike in the English language !

Masculine Feminine English

-and > -ande
pronunciation = different
allemand allemande German
feminine = +-e
pronunciation = same
azéri azérie Azeri
burkinabé burkinabée Burkinabe
kazakh kazakhe Kazakh
kirghiz kirghize Kyrgyz
ouzbek ouzbeke Uzbek
qatari qatarie Qatari
tadjik tadjike Tajik
-l > -le
pronunciation = same
espagnol espagnole Spanish
mongol mongole Mongolian
-ain > -aine
pronunciation = different
américain américaine American
centrafricain centrafricaine Central African
costaricain costaricaine Costa Rican
cubain cubaine Cuban
dominicain dominicaine Dominican
jamaïcain jamaïcaine Jamaican
 marocain marocaine Moroccan
mexicain mexicaine Mexican
mozambicain mozambicaine Mozambican
portoricain portoricaine Puerto Rican
roumain roumaine Romanian
sud-africain sud-africaine South African
-ais > -aise
pronunciation = different
albanais albanaise Albanian
anglais anglaise English
angolais angolaise Angolan
bangladais bangladaise Bangladeshi
of or relating to Botswana
botswanais botswanaise Batswana (plural)
Motswana (singular)
burundais burundaise Burundian
camerounais camerounaise Cameroonian
congolais congolaise Congolese
Finnish
finlandais finlandaise
Finn
français française French
gabonais gabonaise Gabonese
guyanais guyanaise Guianese
hollandais hollandaise Dutch
irlandais irlandaise Irish
islandais islandaise Icelandic
japonais japonaise Japanese
libanais libanaise Lebanese
malais malaise Malay
maltais maltaise Maltese
Martinican
martiniquais martiniquaise
Martiniquais
néerlandais néerlandaise Dutch
New Zealander
néo-zélandais néo-zélandaise
Kiwi
Nepalese
népalais népalaise
Nepali
omanais omanaise Omani
 ougandais ougandaise Ugandan
pakistanais pakistanaise Pakistani
polonais polonaise Polish
portugais portugaise Portuguese
of or relating to la Réunion
réunionnais réunionnaise
Réunionese
rwandais rwandaise Rwandan
sénégalais sénégalaise Senegalese
sierra-léonais sierra-léonaise Sierra Leonean
soudanais soudanaise Sudanese
sri-lankais sri-lankaise Sri Lankan
taïwanais taïwanaise Taiwanese
thaïlandais thaïlandaise Thai
togolais togolaise Togolese
-an > -ane
pronunciation = different
afghan afghane Afghan
kényan kényane Kenyan
nigérian nigériane Nigerian
-c = -(c)que
pronunciation = same
grec grecque Greek
turc turque Turkish
-e = -e
masculine = feminine
pronunciation = same
belge belge Belgian
britannique britannique British
bulgare bulgare Bulgarian
croate croate Croatian
russe russe Russian
serbe serbe Serbian
Slovak
slovaque slovaque
Slovakian
slovène slovène Slovenian
suisse suisse Swiss
tchèque tchèque Czech
-éen > -éenne
 pronunciation = different
bissau-guinéen bissau-guinéenne Bissau-Guinean
coréen coréenne Korean
équato-guinéen équato-guinéenne Equatorial Guinean
érythréen érythréenne Eritrean
ghanéen ghanéenne Ghanaian
guinéen guinéenne Guinean
nord-coréen nord-coréenne North Korean
panaméen panaméenne Panamanian
sud-coréen sud-coréenne South Korean
-en > -enne
pronunciation = different
algérien algérienne Algerian
arménien arménienne Armenian
australien australienne Australian
autrichien autrichienne Austrian
bahamien bahamienne
Bahamian
bahaméen bahaméenne
bolivien bolivienne Bolivian
brésilien brésilienne Brazilian
cambodgien cambodgienne Cambodian
canadien canadienne Canadian
cap-verdien cap-verdienne Cape Verdean
chilien chilienne Chilean
colombien colombienne Colombian
comorien comorienne Comorian
djiboutien djiboutienne Djiboutian
égyptien égyptienne Egyptian
équatorien équatorienne Ecuadorian
estonien estonienne Estonian
American citizen
États-Unien États-Unienne
U.S. citizen
éthiopien éthiopienne Ethiopian
gambien gambienne Gambian
géorgien géorgienne Georgian
guadeloupéen guadeloupéenne Guadeloupean
haïtien haïtienne Haitian
 hondurien hondurienne Honduran
indien indienne Indian
indonésien indonésienne Indonesian
irakien irakienne Iraqi
iranien iranienne Iranian
israélien israélienne Israeli
italien italienne Italian
ivoirien ivoirienne Ivorian
jordanien jordanienne Jordanian
koweïtien koweïtienne Kuwaiti
laotien laotienne Laotian
libérien libérienne Liberian
libyen libyenne Libyan
lituanien lituanienne Lithuanian
macédonien macédonienne Macedonian
maldivien maldivienne Maldivian
malien malienne Malian
mauritanien mauritanienne Mauritanian
namibien namibienne Namibian
néo-calédonien néo-calédonienne New Caledonian
nicaraguayen nicaraguayenne Nicaraguan
nigérien nigérienne Nigerien
norvégien norvégienne Norwegian
paraguayen paraguayenne Paraguayan
péruvien péruvienne Peruvian
salvadorien salvadorienne Salvadoran
Saudi
saoudien saoudienne
Saudi Arabian
singapourien singapourienne Singaporean
somalien somalienne Somalian
syrien syrienne Syrian
tanzanien tanzanienne Tanzanian
tchadien tchadienne Chadian
tunisien tunisienne Tunisian
ukrainien ukrainienne Ukrainian
uruguayen uruguayenne Uruguayan
 vénézuélien vénézuélienne Venezuelan
vietnamien vietnamienne Vietnamese
zambien zambienne Zambian
zimbabwéen zimbabwéenne Zimbabwean
-in > -ine
pronunciation = different
Argentine
argentin argentine Argentinean
Argentinian
grenadin grenadine Grenadan
philippin philippine Filipino
-ois > -oise
pronunciation = different
béninois béninoise Beninese
chinois chinoise Chinese
Danish
danois danoise
Dane
hongrois hongroise Hungarian
luxembourgeois luxembourgeoise Luxembourgish
Of or pertaining to Quebec
québécois québécoise Quebecer
Quebecker
seychellois seychelloise Seychellois
suédois suédoise Swedish
-on > -onne
pronunciation = different
letton lettonne Latvian

I am Indian.
Je suis indien. (masculine)
Je suis indienne. (feminine)

You are French.

Tu es français. (masculine)
Tu es française. (feminine)

He is German.
Il est allemand.

She is Spanish.
Elle espagnole.

We are American.
Nous sommes américains. (masculine, masculine+feminine)
Nous sommes américaines. (feminine)

They are Chinese.

Ils sont chinois. (masculine, masculine+feminine)
Elles sont chinoises. (feminine).
___________________________________________________________

Verbs
les verbes

introduction

A verb may be defined as the 'action word of the sentence'. To determine whether a word
is a verb or not, consider its role in the sentence. How is the word 'access' used in the
following sentences?

Never give strangers access to your bank account.

If you can't access the web pages during peak hours, try again.

In the first sentence, 'access' is a thing (a noun) that you can give to somebody. In the
second sentence, 'access' is something you do (a verb) with your computer. The point is
that whether a word is considered a noun or a verb depends on how it is used in the
sentence.

infinitives and conjugations

When you study verbs, you will need to know the difference between the infinitive form of
the verb and the finite forms, or conjugated forms. English infinitives are preceded by the
word 'to'.

to eat, to drink, to sleep

These verbs are called infinitives because, like the concept of infinity, they are not bound
by time. From the infinitive, we derive the conjugated forms of the verb, also known as
the finite forms of the verb. They are called finite because they refer to events anchored in
time, that is, to events that have a particular tense: past, present, future. Note the
conjugated forms of the infinitive 'to study'.

I studied French
past tense conjugation
in high school.
I am studying French
present tense conjugation
in college this semester.
I will study French
future tense conjugation
next year overseas.

Verb conjugations are traditionally presented in textbooks according to paradigms, a

grammatical term for pattern. A paradigm always includes the infinitive followed by the
conjugations according to person which is divided into first, second and third, as well as
number, which is the distinction between singular and plural.
common irregular verbs

être [ɛtʀ]
to be

The verb être is an irregular verb in the present tense. There is a liaison or linking in the
pronunciation of the -s in the vous form. It is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel ê
in êtes.

the verb ―être‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “être” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je suis I am
Tu es You are
Il est He is
Elle est She is
On est One is
Nous sommes We are
Vous êtes You are
Ils sont
They are
Elles sont

I am Vajresh.
Je suis Vajresh.

I am Indian.
Je suis indien. (masculine)
Je suis indienne. (feminine)

I am happy.
Je suis heureux. (masculine)
Je suis heureuse. (feminine)

You are beautiful.

Tu es belle. (feminine)

He is a teacher.
Il est professeur.

He is ill.
Il est malade.

She is tall.
Elle est grande.

We are on holiday.
Nous sommes en vacances.
You are tired.
Vous êtes fatigué. (masculine)
Vous êtes fatiguée. (feminine)

They are Italian.

Ils sont italiens. (masculine, masculine+feminine)
Elles sont italiennes. (feminine)

Être is also used as an auxiliary in compound tenses (passé composé with être, passé
composé of pronominal verbs, plus-que-parfait, etc.)

avoir [avwaʀ]
to have

The verb avoir is irregular in the present tense. There is a liaison or linking in the
pronunciation of the -s in the plural pronouns nous, vous and ils/elles forms. This -s is
pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in the plural forms of avoir. This liaison,
or linking, is especially important in distinguishing ils ont (they have) from the third person
plural of “être” ils sont (they are).

the verb ―avoir‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “avoir” à l‟indicatif présent :

J‟ ai I have
Tu as You have
Il a He has
Elle a She has
On a One has
Nous avons We have
Vous avez You have
Ils ont
They have
Elles ont

I have a lovely house., I have got a lovely house.

J‟ai une belle maison.

Do you have brothers and sisters?

Tu as des frères et des soeurs?

He has blue eyes., He has got blue eyes.

Il a les yeux bleus.

She has 2 children., she has got 2 children.

Elle a 2 enfants.

We have a lot of friends., We have got a lot of friends.

Nous avons beaucoup d'amis.

You have beautiful hair., You have got beautiful hair.

Vous avez de beaux cheveux.

They have a dog., They have got a dog.

Ils ont un chien. (masculine, masculine+feminine)
Elles ont un chien. (feminine)

Avoir is also used as an auxiliary in compound tenses (passé composé with avoir, plus-
que-parfait, futur antérieur, etc.)

s’appeler [sap(ə)le]
to be called

the verb ―s’appeler‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “s‟appeler” à l‟indicatif présent :

I am called
J‟ m‟appelle
My name is ...
You are called
Tu t‟appelles
You name is ...
He is called
Il s‟appelle His name is ...
Elle s‟appelle She is called
On s‟appelle Her name is ...
One is called
We are called
Nous nous appelons
Our names are ...
You are called
Vous vous appelez
Your names are ...
Ils s‟appellent They are called
Elles s‟appellent Their names are ...

My name is Vajresh.
Je m‟appelle Vajresh.

His name is Tom. He‟s called Tom.

Il s‟appelle Tom.

Her name is Gabrielle., She's called Gabrielle.

Elle s‟appelle Gabrielle.

Their names are Arthur and Adam. They are called Arthur and Adam. (masculine)
Ils s‟appellent Arthur et Adam.

Their names are Paul and Clara. They are called Paul and Clara. (masculine+feminine)
Ils s‟appellent Paul et Clara.

Their names are Anna and Elisa. They are called Anna and Elisa. (feminine)
Elles s‟appellent Anna et Elisa.
aller [a.le]
to go

The verb aller is irregular in the present tense. The -s in the plural forms nous and vous
forms is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in the plural forms allons and
allez.

the verb ―aller‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “aller” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je vais I go
Tu vas You go
Il va He goes
Elle va She goes
On va One goes
Nous allons We go
Vous allez You go
Ils vont
They go
Elles vont

aller + contracted articles

aller + les articles contractés

I go home.
Je vais à la maison.

I go to Canada.
Je vais au Canada.

I go to Maldives.
Je vais aux Maldives.

I go to the cinema.
Je vais au cinéma.

I go to the hotel.
Je vais à l'hôtel.

I go to the post office.

Je vais à la poste.

I go to the restroom.
Je vais aux toilettes.

I go to the store.
Je vais au magasin.
I go to the toilet.
Je vais aux WC.

I go to the town hall.

Je vais à la mairie.

I go to the United States.

Je vais aux États-Unis.

He goes to the hospital.

Il va à l’hôpital.

He goes to the office.

Il va au bureau.

She goes to the restaurant.

Elle va au restaurant.

She goes to the theater.

Elle va au théâtre.

We are going to the bakery.

Nous allons à la boulangerie.

We go to school.
Nous allons à l’école.

They go to the supermarket.

Ils vont au supermarché.

faire [fɛʁ]
to do; to make

The verb faire is irregular in the present tense.

the verb ―faire‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “faire” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je fais I do
Tu fais You do
Il fait He does
Elle fait She does
On fait One does
Nous faisons We do
Vous faites You do
Ils font
They do
Elles font
Note the vous form faites. It is unusual because it does not end in -ez. Faire is one of
only three verbs where this is the case (The others are être: vous êtes, and dire: vous
dites ). You may notice, too, the similarity in the third person plural forms of aller, être,
and faire:

ils vont (they go),

ils sont (they are), and
ils font (they do/make).

What are you doing?

Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?

What are you doing?

Que faites-vous?

What do you do?

Que faites-vous dans la vie?

They are making too much noise.

Ils font trop de bruit.

faire + contracted articles

faire + les articles contractés

Faire is also used to talk about sports and leisure activities. Here is a list of common
expressions.

faire + preposition de + activity

faire + préposition de + activité

faire de l'athlétisme = to do athletics

faire de l'équitation = to ride, to go horse-riding

faire de l'escalade = to go (rock) climbing

J'aime faire de l'escalade.

I like to go climbing.

faire de la bicyclette = to go bicycle riding

faire de la course à pied = to go running

faire de la gymnastique = to do gymnastics

Je fais de la gymnastique tous les mercredi.

I do gymnastics every Wednesday.

faire de la lecture = to read

faire de la natation = to go swimming

faire de la peinture = to paint, to make a painting

Elle adore faire de la peinture.
She loves to paint.

faire de la photo = to take photos, to do photography

faire de la planche à voile = to go windsurfing

L'été, les touristes font de la planche à voile sur le lac.

In summer, tourists go windsurfing on the lake.

faire de la randonnée = to go hiking

faire de la trottinette = to go scootering, to ride a scooter

faire de la voile = to go sailing, to sail

faire des randonnées = to go hiking

faire du bateau = to go boating

faire du cheval = to go riding

faire du foot = to play football, to play soccer

Je fais du foot.
I play football/soccer.

faire du karaté = to do karate

faire du piano = to play the piano

Il fait du piano.
He plays the piano.

faire du rugby = to play rugby

faire du ski = to go skiing

faire du vélo = to go bicycle riding, to go cycling, to go for a bike ride

Le petit garcon fait souvent du vélo avec son grand-père.

The little boy often goes cycling with his grandfather.

faire du yoga = to do yoga

___________________________________________________________

regular verbs

-er verbs

-er verbs (regular)

There are three major groups of regular verbs in French: verbs with infinitives ending in -
er, verbs with infinitives ending in -ir, and verbs with infinitives ending in -re. Since -er
verbs are the most numerous, they are considered the first conjugation. To conjugate
these verbs, drop the -er from the infinitive to form the stem. Next, add the -er endings
to the stem. Different tenses have different endings.

The endings given below (-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent) are for forming the present tense.
The endings (-e, -es, -e, and -ent) are all silent. The only endings that are pronounced
are the nous (-ons) and the vous (-ez) endings. The four silent endings form a boot shape
in the verb conjugation.

parler [paʁ.le]
to speak/talk

the verb ―parler‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “parler” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je parle I speak/talk
Tu parles You speak/talk
Il parle He speaks/talks
Elle parle She speaks/talks
On parle One speaks/talks
Nous parlons We speak/talk
Vous parlez You speak/talk
Ils parlent
They speak/talk
Elles parlent

I speak English.
Je parle anglais.

He speaks ten languages.

Il parle dix langues.

She speaks French fluently.

Elle parle couramment français.

Do you speak French?

Vous parlez français ?

aimer [eme]
to love; to like (often with bien)

the verb ―aimer‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “aimer” à l‟indicatif présent :
 J’ aime I love/like
Tu aimes You love/like
Il aime He loves/likes
Elle aime She loves/likes
On aime One loves/likes
Nous aimons We love/like
Vous aimez You love/like
Ils aiment
They love/like
Elles aiment

I really like Paul.

J'aime bien Paul.

I love my parents.
J'aime mes parents.

She loves her children.

Elle aime ses enfants.

We love our country.

Nous aimons notre pays.

aimer + noun
aimer + nom

I like mint tea.

J'aime le thé à la menthe.

Do you like chocolate?

Tu aimes le chocolat?

aimer + verb
aimer + verbe

I like playing tennis.

J'aime bien jouer au tennis.

I quite like going to the cinema.

J'aime assez aller au cinéma.

He likes dancing.
Il aime bien danser.

adorer [a.dɔ.ʁe]
to love; to adore

the verb ―adorer‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “adorer” à l‟indicatif présent :

J’ adore I love
Tu adores You love
Il adore He loves
Elle adore She loves
On adore One loves
Nous adorons We love
Vous adorez You love
Ils adorent
They love
Elles adorent

He adores his wife, his child.

Il adore sa femme, son enfant.

She adores her grandfather.

Elle adore son grand-père.

adorer + noun
adorer + nom

I love animals.
J‟adore les animaux.

He loves music.
Il adore la musique.

She loves chocolate.

Elle adore le chocolat.

We love sports.
Nous adorons le sport.

adorer + verb
adorer + verbe

I love playing tennis.

J'adore jouer au tennis.

She loves to swim.

Elle adore nager.

détester [de.tɛs.te]
to hate

the verb ―détester‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “détester” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je déteste I hate
Tu détestes You hate
Il déteste He hates
Elle déteste She hates
On déteste One hates
Nous détestons We hate
Vous détestez You hate
Ils détestent
They hate
Elles détestent

I hate this place.

Je déteste cet endroit.

détester + noun
détester + nom

I hate green beans.

Je déteste les haricots verts.

He hates modern music.

Il déteste la musique moderne.

détester + verb
détester + verbe

I hate to drink alone.

Je déteste boire seule.

Here is a list of common -er verbs:

chanter, to sing
chercher, to look for
danser, to dance
demander, to ask
donner, to give
écouter, to listen to
habiter, to live
jouer, to play
montrer, to show
présenter, to introduce
regarder, to watch
rencontrer, to meet (by chance)
rester, to stay,remain
téléphoner, to telephone
travailler, to work
trouver, to find

Je changes to j' before a verb starting with a vowel or a silent h (ex.j'adore, j'habite). This
phenomenon is known as élision.

J'adore la musique rap et j'écoute souvent de la musique dans les clubs.

I love rap music and I often listen to music in clubs.

Note also that the s in plural pronouns (nous, vous, and ils/elles) is usually silent except
when it is followed by a verb that begins with a vowel sound. In such a case the silent s is
pronounced as a /z/ and links the pronoun to the verb. This phenomenon is called liaison
('linking') and is very characteristic of French.

Paul et Marie, ils écoutent de la musique française avec Kevin!

Paul and Marie, they listen to French music with Kevin!

Nous adorons danser.

We love to dance.

-re verbs

-re verbs (regular)

Verbs with infinitives ending in -re form a third group of regular verbs, often called 'third
conjugation' verbs. To form the present tense conjugations of these verbs, drop the -re
from the infinitive and add the third conjugation endings (-s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent) to the
resulting stem. Note especially that the final -d and -ds in the singular forms are silent. In
the third person plural the 'd' consonant sound of the stem is pronounced because of the -
ent ending.

descendre [desɑdʀ]
to go down; to come down; to get out; to get off

the verb ―descendre‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “descendre” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je descends I go down
Tu descends You go down
Il descend He goes down
Elle descend She goes down
On descend One goes down
Nous descendons We go down
Vous descendez You go down
Ils descendent
They go down
Elles descendent
Wait downstairs, I'm coming down!
Attends en bas, je descends!

We're getting off at the next station.

Nous descendons à la prochaine station.

Are you getting off at the next stop?

Vous descendez à la prochaine ?

Here is a list of common regular -re verbs:

attendre, to wait for

dépendre de, to depend (on)
entendre, to hear
pendre, to hang vendre, to sell
perdre, to lose
rendre visite à quelqu'un, to visit someone
rendre, to hand in, give back
répondre, to answer, respond

Not all verbs ending in -re follow this pattern, however. Irregular -re verbs include
prendre, mettre, suivre and vivre.

-re verbs (irregular) like ―prendre‖

prendre [pʁɑdʁ]
1. to take
2. to eat; to drink

Conjugation

This verb is quite irregular, with the following patterns:

Verbs like prendre are conjugated like regular -re verbs in the singular, but not in the
plural. Note the difference in the stem in the plural forms.

 In the infinitive, in the singular forms of the present indicative, and in the future and
the conditional, it is conjugated like rendre, perdre, etc. (sometimes called the
regular -re verbs).
 In the plural forms of the present indicative and imperative, in the imperfect
indicative, in the present subjunctive, and in the present participle, it is conjugated
like appeler or jeter, using the stem prenn- before mute „e‟ and the stem pren-
elsewhere.
 In the past participle, and in the past historic and the imperfect subjunctive, its
conjugation resembles that of mettre.

the verb ―prendre‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “prendre” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je prends I take
Tu prends You take
 Il prend He takes
Elle prend She takes
On prend One takes
Nous prenons We take
Vous prenez You take
Ils prennent
They take
Elles prennent

I am drinking a coffee.
Je prends un café.

Why are you taking a taxi?

Pourquoi tu prends un taxi?

He always goes to Paris by train., He always takes the train when he goes to Paris.
Il prend toujours le train pour aller à Paris.

We're taking the plane to Brazil.

Nous prenons l'avion pour aller au Brésil.

They always take the stairs, rather than the lift.

Ils prennent toujours l'escalier plutôt que l'ascenseur.

Verbs conjugated like prendre include:

apprendre, to learn
comprendre, to understand
surprendre, to surprise
___________________________________________________________

Modal verbs

Vouloir, pouvoir and devoir are called modal verbs. When used with infinitives, they act
as auxiliary verbs or semi-auxiliaries.

vouloir [vu.lwaʁ]
to want, to wish, to desire

Vouloir expresses a strong will or desire; in the present tense it has the same feeling as a
command. It is an irregular verb in the present tense. Note how the present tense forms a
"boot"; the stems (in this case the vowels) change only in the nous and vous forms.

the verb ―vouloir‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “vouloir” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je veux I want
Tu veux You want
Il veut He wants
 Elle veut She wants
On veut One wants
Nous voulons We want
Vous voulez You want
Ils veulent
They want
Elles veulent

Vouloir may be followed by an infinitive or a noun:

vouloir + noun
vouloir + nom

Je veux du calme.
I want some quiet.

Elle veut un vélo pour Noël.

She wants a bike for Christmas.

Voulez-vous du thé ?
Would you like some tea?, Do you want some tea?

vouloir + infinitive
vouloir + infinitif

Je veux dormir.
I want to sleep.

Il veut venir.
He wants to come.

This verb is also often paired with the adverb bien to express the meaning

vouloir bien
to be very happy, would really like, would very much like

Je veux bien ...

I'll be happy to ...; I would love to ...

Je veux bien le faire à ta place si ça t'arrange.

I don't mind doing it for you if you prefer.

Voulez-vous une tasse de thé? - Je veux bien.

Would you like a cup of tea? - Yes please.

pouvoir [pu.vwaʁ]
can, to be able to

Pouvoir expresses the physical ability or permission to do something i.e. possibility. It is

also an irregular verb with formation similar to vouloir. The "boot" formation is also
evident.

the verb ―pouvoir‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “pouvoir” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je peux I can
Tu peux You can
Il peut He can
Elle peut She can
On peut One can
Nous pouvons We can
Vous pouvez You can
Ils peuvent
They can
Elles peuvent

Pouvoir may be followed by an infinitive construction or may stand alone.

Je peux venir ce soir.

I can come this evening.

Je peux le réparer.
I can repair it.

Il peut venir samedi.

He can come on Saturday.

Mon mari peut déplacer le frigo tout seul.

My husband can move the fridge all on his own.

Cette salle peut contenir deux cent personnes.

This room can hold two hundred people.

Vous pouvez le faire si vous essayez.

You can do it if you try.

As in English, pouvoir is used to give or to ask permission translated by the English "may"

Est-ce que je peux m'asseoir ?

May I sit down?

Puis-je venir vous voir samedi ?

May I come and see you on Saturday?

Pouvons-nous sortir ce soir ?

May we go out tonight?

Usage notes

 Pouvoir is not used with verbs relating to the five senses:

The Five Senses — Les Cinq Sens

Sight - la vue, la vision
To look (at) - regarder
To see - voir
Visual (adj) - visuel
Eye - un il, eyes - les yeux

Hearing - l'ouïe (fem)

To listen (to) - écouter
To hear - entendre
Aural (adj) - oral
Ear - une oreille

Taste - le goût
To taste (actively) - goûter
To taste (passively) - sentir (le goût de)
Gustatory (adj) - gustatif
Tongue - la langue

Smell - l'odorat (masc)

To smell (actively: to sniff) - renifler
To smell (passively) - sentir
Olfactory (adj) - olfactif
Nose - le nez

Touch - le toucher
To touch - toucher
To feel - sentir
Tactile (adj) - tactile
Hand - la main, skin - la peau

Je te vois.
I (can) see you.

(not “Je peux te voir”, which is “I can see (i.e. meet) you”)

Je t'entends.
I (can) hear you.

 It is also not used to mean can (“to know how to”), savoir is used instead.

Je sais nager.
I can swim.

(not “Je peux nager”)

Je sais jouer au tennis.

I can play tennis.

Il ne sait pas conduire.

He can't drive.
Elle sait jouer du piano.
She can play the piano.

 In Belgian French, pouvoir is not used to say someone is capable of something,

savoir is used instead.

Je ne sais pas dormir.

I am not able to sleep.

("I do not know how to sleep" in France)

Je ne peux pas dormir.

I am not allowed to sleep.

("I am not able to sleep" in France)

 Puis (/pɥi/) is an archaic form of the first person present indicative peux. It is still
used in inversion or with the conjunction si:

Puis-je vous aider ?

May I help you?

Puis-je venir vous voir samedi ?

May I come and see you on Saturday?

Puis-je emprunter votre voiture ce soir ?

Can I borrow your car tonight?

Si je puis me permettre…
If you don't mind…

devoir [də.vwaʁ]
must, to have to, should

Devoir expresses obligation, probability and supposition but if followed by a noun,

expresses the idea "to owe". This verb is irregular in its present form. Once again, the
"boot" formation is seen with this verb; the stem changes in the 1st and 2nd person plural
conjugations.

the verb ―devoir‖ in the present indicative:

le verbe “devoir” à l‟indicatif présent :

Je dois I must
Tu dois You must
Il doit He must
Elle doit She must
On doit One must
Nous devons We must
 Vous devez You must
Ils doivent
They must
Elles doivent

Je dois partir.
I've got to go., I must go.

Je dois aller chercher mon petit frère à l'école.

I have to collect my little brother from school.

Il doit le faire tout de suite.

He has to do it immediately., He must do it immediately.

Usage notes

The past participle drops the circumflex accent in its other forms: feminine singular due;
masculine plural dus; feminine plural dues.

___________________________________________________________

Negation
la négation

introduction

Negation is a grammatical term for the contradiction of some or all of the meaning of an
affirmative (positive) sentence. In English, a sentence is commonly negated by inserting a
single negative word (not, don't, didn't, won't , etc.) into the appropriate place in the
sentence. In French, a sentence is commonly negated by inserting two words.

basic negation:

Negative adverbs

ne ... pas
don't, not, no

Ne ... pas is placed around the conjugated verb to negate an affirmative sentence in
French. Note that the ne changes to n' before a verb beginning with a vowel.

le présent
Je travaille Je ne travaille pas
I work I don‟t work
Je parle Je ne parle pas
I speak/talk I don‟t speak/talk
Je mange Je ne mange pas
I eat I don‟t eat
Je vais Je ne vais pas
I go I don‟t go
Je suis Je ne suis pas
I am I am not
J‟ai Je n’ai pas
I have I don‟t have
J‟aime Je n’aime pas
I like I don‟t like
___________________________________________________________

Prepositions

introduction

A preposition is a word used to establish relationships between nouns, between nouns and
verbs and between different parts of a sentence. Prepositions usually have spatial
(pertaining to (the dimension of) space) or temporal (of or relating to time) meanings
(e.g. beneath, between, in front of, before, after, during, etc). Prepositions are invariable,
that is, they have one form with the exception of à and de which contract with the definite
articles (le, la, les).

Translating prepositions is notoriously tricky. Never assume that French will use the same
preposition as English to express a particular meaning. In fact, there are many cases
where one language requires a preposition where the other does not. This is particularly
problematic with infinitives followed by prepositions. In general, it is best to treat
prepositions as vocabulary items requiring memorization.

In the following sentences, these problems are demonstrated by translating the French
prepositions literally. Note how awkward the English translation is as a result.

Marie est fâchée contre Lucie.

Marie is angry against Lucie.
Marie is angry at Lucie.

Paul téléphone à Kevin.

Paul telephones to Kevin.
Paul telephones Kevin.

Literal translations are also awkward in situations where a preposition is not used in
French but is required in English.

Fiona attend le bus.

Fiona waits the bus.
Fiona waits for the bus.

Thomas écoute la radio.

Thomas listens the radio.
Thomas listens to the radio.

Contractions of à and de with definite article

Contracted articles
les articles contractés

The definite article le and les contracts with the prepositions de and à.
la and l' on the other hand do not contract after à and de.

de + le = du
de + la = de la
de + l' = de l'
de + les = des

à + le = au
à + la = à la
à + l' = à l'
à + les = aux

Elle va au marché.
She goes to the market.

Je vais au cinéma.
I go to the cinema.

Je vais au théâtre.
I go to the theatre.

Il va à la gare.
He goes to the station.

Je vais à la campagne.
I go to the countryside.

Je vais à la maison.
I go home.

Je vais à la mer.
I go to the sea (seaside).

Je vais à la plage.
I am going to the beach.

Je vais à l‟école.
I go to school.

Je vais à l‟étage.
I go upstairs.

Je vais à l‟hôtel.
I go to the hotel.

Je vais à l‟université.
I go to the university.

Je vais aux toilettes. (toilettes is always plural in French from France)

I go to the toilet.
Je viens de la plage.
I come from the beach.

Je viens de l‟école.
I come from the school.

Olivier revient de l'aéroport.

Olivier is returning from the aeroport.

Je viens de l‟hôtel.
I come from the hotel.

Je viens du cinéma.
I come from the cinema.

Christine revient demain du Mexique.

Christine returns tomorrow from Mexico.

Je viens des toilettes.

I come from the toilet.

prepositions of place
les prépositions de lieu + noms de pays

Prepositions are used in expressions which relate where you are, where you are going and
where you are coming from. The preposition used in such expressions depends on the
geographic location discussed.

Country names / places

to/in from
Cities
à de (d')
Austin à Austin d‟Austin
à Bangalore
Bangalore de Bangalore
Je vais à Bangalore.
I go to Bangalore.
Berlin à Berlin de Berlin
Détroit à Détroit de Détroit
Hyderâbâd à Hyderâbâd d‟Hyderâbâd
Londres à Londres de Londres
à Mysore

Mysore Je vais à Mysore.

de Mysore
Maïssour I go to Mysore.

Je suis né à Mysore.
 I was born in
Mysore.

J‟habite à Mysore.
I live in Mysore.

Je suis à Mysore.
I am in Mysore.
Muscate à Muscate de Muscate
Nice à Nice de Nice
à Paris
Paris de Paris
Je vais à Paris.
I go to Paris.
Sao Paulo à Sao Paulo de Sao Paulo
Tokyo à Tokyo de Tokyo
to/in from
Islands
à de (d')
Chypre à Chypre de Chypre
à Cuba
Cuba de Cuba
Je vais à Cuba.
I go to Cuba.
Guam à Guam de Guam
Hawaï à Hawaï d‟Hawaï
Madagascar à Madagascar de Madagascar
Tahiti à Tahiti de Tahiti
to/in from
Principalities
à de (d')
Monaco à Monaco de Monaco
Hong-Kong à Hong-Kong de Hong-Kong
Singapour à Singapour de Singapour
Countries
to/in from
feminine en de (d')
(usually ending in -e)
L‟Afrique du Sud en Afrique du Sud d‟Afrique du Sud
L‟Albanie en Albanie d‟Albanie
L‟Algérie en Algérie d‟Algérie
en Allemagne
L‟Allemagne d‟Allemagne
Je vais en
Allemagne.
 I go to Germany.

J‟habite en
Allemagne.
I live in Germany.
L‟Arabie saoudite en Arabie saoudite d‟Arabie saoudite
en Argentine

L‟Argentine Je vais en d‟Argentine

Argentine.
I go to Argentina.
L‟Australie en Australie d‟Australie
L‟Autriche en Autriche d‟Autriche
La Belgique en Belgique de Belgique
en Chine
La Chine de Chine
Je vais en Chine.
I go to China.
en Écosse

Je rêve d'aller en
L‟Écosse d‟Écosse
Ecosse.
I dream of going to
Scotland.
L‟Égypte en Égypte d‟Égypte
d‟Espagne

Elle vient
L‟Espagne en Espagne
d‟Espagne.
She comes from
Spain.
La Finlande en Finlande de Finlande
en France
de France
Je vais en France.
I go to France. Je viens de France.
I come from France.
La France
Je suis en France.
I am in France. Il vient de France.
He comes from
J‟habite en France. France.
I live in France.
La Grèce en Grèce de Grèce
en Inde d‟Inde
L‟Inde
Je suis en Inde. Je viens d‟Inde.
I am in India. I come from India.
 Je suis né en Inde.
I was born in India.
L‟Indonésie en Indonésie d‟Indonésie
en Irlande

Elle passe ses

L‟Irlande vacances en d‟Irlande
Irlande.
She spends her
holidays in Ireland.
en Italie
L‟Italie d‟Italie
Je vais en Italie.
I go to Italy.
La Jordanie en Jordanie de Jordanie
La Malaisie en Malaisie de Malaisie
La Mongolie en Mongolie de Mongolie
La Namibie en Namibie de Namibie
de Nouvelle-
La Nouvelle-Zélande en Nouvelle-Zélande
Zélande
La Pologne en Pologne de Pologne
La Russie en Russie de Russie
La Suède en Suède de Suède
La Suisse en Suisse de Suisse
La Thaïlande en Thaïlande de Thaïlande
La Turquie en Turquie de Turquie
States
to/in from
feminine en de (d')
(usually ending in -e)
La Californie en Californie de Californie
Caroline du Nord en Caroline du Nord de Caroline du Nord
Caroline du Sud en Caroline du Sud de Caroline du Sud
Floride en Floride de Floride
Géorgie en Géorgie de Géorgie
Louisiane en Louisiane de Louisiane
Pennsylvanie en Pennsylvanie de Pennsylvanie
Virginie en Virginie de Virginie
en Virginie- de Virginie-
Virginie-Occidentale
Occidentale Occidentale
 Provinces
to/in from
feminine en de (d')
(usually ending in -e)
La Bourgogne en Bourgogne de Bourgogne
Continents
to/in from
all continents end in -e and all are
en de (d')
feminine
* = exception
L‟Afrique (f) en Afrique d‟Afrique
en Amérique du
L‟Amérique du Nord (f) d‟Amérique du Nord
Nord
L‟Amérique du Sud (f) en Amérique du Sud d‟Amérique du Sud
L‟Antarctique (m)* en Antarctique d‟Antarctique
L‟Asie (f) en Asie d‟Asie
L‟Australie (f) en Australie d‟Australie
L‟Europe (f) en Europe d‟Europe
Countries

masculine to/in from

(usually ending in consonants, -a, au du
-i)
* = exceptions
Le Bahreïn au Bahreïn du Bahreïn
Le Bangladesh au Bangladesh du Bangladesh
Le Belize* au Belize du Belize
Le Botswana au Botswana du Botswana
Le Brésil au Brésil du Brésil
Le Cambodge* au Cambodge du Cambodge
au Canada
du Canada
Je vais au Canada.
Le Canada I go to Canada. Je viens du Canada.
I come from
Je suis au Canada. Canada.
I am in Canada.
Le Chili au Chili du Chili
Le Danemark au Danemark du Danemark
Le Japon au Japon du Japon
Le Kenya au Kenya du Kenya
Le Koweït au Koweït du Koweït
Le Lesotho au Lesotho du Lesotho
Le Luxembourg au Luxembourg du Luxembourg
Le Madagascar à Madagascar de Madagascar
au Maroc
Le Maroc du Maroc
Je vais au Maroc.
I go to Morocco.
Le Mexique* au Mexique du Mexique
Le Mozambique* au Mozambique du Mozambique
Le Népal au Népal du Népal
Le Pakistan au Pakistan du Pakistan
au Portugal
Le Portugal du Portugal
Je vais au Portugal.
I go to Portugal.
Le Qatar au Qatar du Qatar
Le Royaume-Uni au Royaume-Uni du Royaume-Uni
Le Sri Lanka au Sri Lanka du Sri Lanka
Le Viêt-Nam au Viêt-Nam du Viêt-Nam
Le Yémen au Yémen du Yémen
Le Zaïre* au Zaïre du Zaïre
Le Zimbabwe* au Zimbabwe du Zimbabwe
Provinces/States

masculine to/in from

(usually ending in consonants, -a, au du
-I, -o)
* = exceptions
Le Colorado au Colorado du Colorado
Le Connecticut au Connecticut du Connecticut
Le Dakota du Nord au Dakota du Nord du Dakota du Nord
Le Dakota du Sud au Dakota du Sud du Dakota du Sud
Le Delaware* au Delaware du Delaware
Le Karnataka au Karnataka du Karnataka
Le Kansas au Kansas du Kansas
Le Kentucky au Kentucky du Kentucky
Le Kérala au Kérala du Kérala
Le Maine* au Maine du Maine
Le Tamil Nadu au Tamil Nadu du Tamil Nadu
Le Maryland au Maryland du Maryland
Le Massachusetts au Massachusetts du Massachusetts
Le Michigan au Michigan du Michigan
Le Minnesota au Minnesota du Minnesota
Le Mississippi au Mississippi du Mississippi
Le Missouri au Missouri du Missouri
Le Montana au Montana du Montana
Le Nebraska au Nebraska du Nebraska
Le Nevada au Nevada du Nevada
Le New Hampshire* au New Hampshire du New Hampshire
Le New Jersey au New Jersey du New Jersey
au Nouveau- du Nouveau-
Le Nouveau-Mexique
Mexique Mexique
Le New York au New York du New York
Le Rhode Island au Rhode Island du Rhode Island
Le Tennessee* au Tennessee du Tennessee
au Texas

Paul est né au
Le Texas du Texas
Texas.
Paul was born in
Texas.
Le Vermont au Vermont du Vermont
Le Washington au Washington du Washington
Le Wisconsin au Wisconsin du Wisconsin
Le Wyoming au Wyoming du Wyoming
Countries
to/in from
masculine en de (d’)
(usually beginning with a vowel)
L‟Afghanistan en Afghanistan d‟Afghanistan
en Irak
L‟Irak d‟Irak
Je vais en Irak.
I go to Iraq.
en Iran
L‟Iran d‟Iran
Je vais en Iran.
I go to Iran.
L‟Israël en Israël d‟Israël
L‟Oman en Oman d‟Oman
 en Uruguay
L‟Uruguay d‟Uruguay
Je vais en Uruguay.
I go to Uruguay.
Provinces/States
to/in from
masculine en de (d’)
(usually beginning with a vowel)
L‟Andhra Pradesh en Andhra Pradesh d‟Andhra Pradesh
L‟Ohio en Ohio d‟Ohio
L‟Oklahoma en Oklahoma d‟Oklahoma
L‟Ontario en Ontario d‟Ontario
L‟Oregon en Oregon d‟Oregon
L‟Orissa en Orissa d‟Orissa
L‟Utah en Utah d‟Utah
L'Alabama en Alabama d‟Alabama
L'Alaska en Alaska d‟Alaska
L'Arizona en Arizona d‟Arizona
L'Arkansas en Arkansas d‟Arkansas
L'Idaho en Idaho d‟Idaho
L'Illinois en Illinois d‟Illinois
L'Indiana en Indiana d‟Indiana
L'Iowa en Iowa d‟Iowa
to/in from
Plural countries & regions
aux des
Les Antilles aux Antilles des Antilles
aux Émirats arabes des Émirats arabes
les Émirats arabes unis
unis unis
aux États-Unis

Je vais aux États-

les États-Unis des États-Unis
Unis.
I go to the United
States.
les Fidji aux Fidji des Fidji
aux Îles Andaman- des Îles Andaman-
les Îles Andaman-et-Nicobar
et-Nicobar et-Nicobar
les Îles Cook aux Îles Cook des Îles Cook
les Îles Marshall aux Îles Marshall des Îles Marshall
les Îles Salomon aux Îles Salomon des Îles Salomon
les Maldives aux Maldives des Maldives
les Pays-Bas aux Pays-Bas des Pays-Bas
les Philippines aux Philippines des Philippines
aux Samoa des Samoa
les Samoa occidentales
occidentales occidentales
les Seychelles aux Seychelles des Seychelles
les Tonga aux Tonga des Tonga

Localization, to localize
localisation, localiser

à côté de
next to; beside; next door

Il habite à côté de chez moi.

He lives next door to me.

Le café est à côté de la gare.

The café's next door to the station.

à droite /a dʁwat/
on the right; to the right; right

En France, on conduit à droite.

In France, we drive on the right.

à gauche /a ɡoʃ/
on the left; to the left; left

Tournez à gauche.
Turn left.

Au Japon, on conduit à gauche.

In Japan, they drive on the left.

au-dessous de /o.d(ə).su də /
below; beneath

Les produits ménagers se trouvent au-dessous de l'évier.

The cleaning products are under the sink.

au-dessus de /o.d(ə).sy də/

above

au-dessus du lit
above the bed
J'ai posé le cadre au-dessus de l'étagère.
I put the frame above the shelf.

contre [kɔtʀ]
against

Ne mets pas ton vélo contre le mur.

Don't put your bike against the wall.

La paille est contre la maison.

The straw is against the house.

Elle s'appuie contre le mur.

She's pushing against the wall.

dans
in, inside

C'est dans le tiroir.

It's in the drawer.

C'est dans la boîte.

It's in the box., It's inside the box.

C'est dans le salon.

It's in the lounge.

Il est dans sa chamber.

He's in his bedroom.

Je l'ai lu dans le journal.

I read it in the newspaper.

derrière [dɛʀjɛʀ]
behind ( at the back of)

Va derrière moi.
Go behind me.

devant [d(ə)vɑ
in front of

Il était assis devant moi.

He was sitting in front of me.

On se retrouve devant le restaurant à midi, d'accord ?

Shall we meet in front of the restaurant at noon?

en face de
opposite

en face de la gare
opposite the station

Le bus s'arrête en face de chez moi.

The bus stops opposite my house.

entre [ɑtʀ]
between

Il est assis entre son père et son oncle.

He's sitting between his father and his uncle.

Il habite entre Paris et Lyon.

He lives between Paris and Lyon.

loin de /lwɛ də/

a long way from, far from

C'est loin d'ici.

It's a long way from here.

Paris est loin de Marseille.

Paris is a long way from Marseille.

près de /pʁɛ də/

near; close to

Il habite près de la poste.

He lives near the post office.

L'hôtel est près de la gare.

The hotel is close to the station.

sous [su]
under, below, beneath

Mets-le sous la table.

Put it under the table.

L'araignée a disparu sous la commode.

The spider disappeared under the chest of drawers.

sur [syʀ]
on

Pose-le sur la table.

Put it on the table.
Je pose toujours mes clés sur la commode.
I always put my keys on the chest of drawers.

Prepositions of place + contracted articles

prépositions de lieu + articles contractés

à côté de
next to; beside; next door

Le café est à côté de la gare.

The café's next door to the station.

Le bureau est à côté du canapé.

The desk is next to the sofa.

à droite de [qch/qqn] = (sur la droite de [qch])

to the right of [sth/sb]
to [sb]'s right
on the right-hand side of [sth/sb]

La boulangerie se trouve à droite du café.

The bakery is to the right of the cafe.

La salle de bains et les toilettes sont à droite de la pièce principale.

The bathroom and toilet are to the right of the main room.

à gauche de [qch/qqn] = (sur la gauche de [qch/qqn])

to the left of [sth/sb]
to [sb]'s left
on the left-hand side of [sth/sb]

Le café se trouve à gauche de la boulangerie.

The cafe is to the left of the bakery.

La cuisine est à gauche de la pièce principale.

The kitchen is to the left of the main room.

au-dessous de /o.d(ə).su də /
below; beneath; under

Le lave-linge est au-dessous des étagères.

The washing machine is below the shelves.

Les produits ménagers se trouvent au-dessous de l'évier.

The cleaning products are under the sink.

au-dessus de /o.d(ə).sy də/

above
au-dessus du lit
above the bed

J'ai posé le cadre au-dessus de l'étagère.

I put the frame above the shelf.

Le tableau est au-dessus du bureau.

The painting is above the desk.

au fond de /o fɔ də/
at the bottom of, at the back of, at the end of

Il est assis au fond de la classe.

He sits at the back of the class.

Le balcon est au fond du studio.

The balcony is at the back of the studio.

Les toilettes sont au fond du couloir.

The toilets are at the end of the corridor.

au milieu de /o mi.ljø də/

in the middle of

Pose le vase au milieu de la table.

Put the vase in the middle of the table.

Le canapé est au milieu de la pièce.

The sofa is in the middle of the room.

Le miroir est au milieu du mur.

The mirror is in the middle of the wall.

Le voleur a tenté de se cacher au milieu de la foule.

The thief tried to hide in the middle of the crowd.
___________________________________________________________

Pronouns
les pronoms

introduction

A pronoun is a word used to replace a noun. It is commonly used to avoid repeating a

previously mentioned noun known as the antecedent. In the following example, pronouns
in bold face are used to replace the underlined antecedents.

Paul a écrit un poème érotique, et puis il l'a envoyé à Marie. Elle a été choquée quand
elle l'a lu.
Paul wrote an erotic poem and then he sent it to Marie. She was shocked when she read
it.

The different kinds of pronouns are named according to their grammatical function.
subject pronouns

je, tu, il, elle, on, I, you, he, she, one,

nous, vous, ils, elles we, you, they (m), they (f)

direct object pronouns

me, te, le, la me, you, him / it, her / it

nous, vous, les us, you, them (m) / (f)

indirect object pronouns

me, te, lui to me, to you, to him / her

nous, vous, leur to us, to you, to them (m) / (f)

the pronouns y and en

y there (replaces preposition + location)

en some, any, not any (replaces 'de' + noun)

disjunctive pronouns

moi, toi, lui, elle, soi me, you, he, she, one
nous, vous, eux, elles we, you, them (m), them (f)

reflexive pronouns

me, te, se myself, yourself, himself, herself

nous, vous, se ourselves, yourselves, themselves

interrogative pronouns

qui who
que what

demonstrative pronouns

celui, celle this one / that one (m,f)

ceux these, those
relative pronouns

qui, que who, whom, which

lequel, laquelle which

indefinite pronouns

quelqu'un someone
quelque chose something
___________________________________________________________

Personal subject pronouns

les pronoms personnels sujets

A pronoun replaces a noun in order to avoid repetition. Subject pronouns are subjects of
verbs. In French, a subject pronoun is immediately or almost immediately followed by its
verb. The use of subject pronouns is mandatory in French; always use a subject pronoun
to construct sentences in the absence of a noun subject. Here are the French subject
pronouns:

person singular ENGLISH plural ENGLISH

1st person je I nous we
you
2nd person tu vous you/y'all
(informal)
il he/it
ils they (m., mixed)
3rd person elle she/it
elles they (f.)
on one/we (colloquial)

Subject pronouns are labelled by the term 'person', referring to the subject's role in the
conversation. 1st person refers to the person(s) speaking (I, we); 2nd person to the
person(s) spoken to (you); and 3rd person to the person(s) or thing(s) spoken about (he,
she, it, they).

je

 Unlike the English pronoun 'I', je is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.
 je changes to j’ in front of words beginning with a vowel, most words beginning with
h, and the French word y.

J‟arrive!
I‟m just coming!

J‟y vais.
I am going (there).
tu

The pronoun tu is singular and, importantly, informal. Use „tu‟ to address people of your
own age and those you know well.

on

The pronoun on means 'one', or 'they' in a nonspecific sense: 'comme on dit' (as they
say). „On‟ often replaces 'nous' in spoken French: 'On y va?' (Shall we go?).

vous

The pronoun vous is conjugated with a plural verb so it obviously refers to more than one
person. However, it is also the customary form of address when you are talking to only
one person you do not know well, such as an elder, a boss, a shopkeeper, etc.
Inappropriate use of the „tu‟ form is considered a sign of disrespect.

tu or vous?

 In English we have only one way of saying you. In French, there are two words: tu
and vous. The word you use depends on:

1. whether you are talking to one person or more than one person
2. whether you are talking to a friend or family member, or someone else

 If you are talking to one person you know well, such as a friend, a young person or a
relative, use tu.

Tu me prêtes ce CD?
Will you lend me this CD?

 If you are talking to one person you do not know so well, such as your teacher, your
boss or a stranger, use vous.

Vous pouvez entrer.

You may come in.

Tip

If you are in doubt as to which form of you to use, it is safest to use vous and you will not
offend anybody.

 If you are talking to more than one person, you have to use vous, no matter how
well you know them.

Vous comprenez, les enfants?

Do you understand, children?

Note that the adjectives you use with tu and vous have to agree in the feminine and
plural forms.

Vous êtes certain, Monsieur Leclerc? (masculine singular)

Are you sure, Mr Leclerc?

Vous êtes certains, les enfants? (masculine plural)

Are you sure, children?

il/elle and ils/elles

 In English we generally refer to things (such as table, book, car) only as it. In
French, il (meaning he, it) and elle (meaning she, it) are used to talk about a thing,
as well as about a person or an animal. You use il for masculine nouns and elle for
feminine nouns.

Il est déjà parti.

He‟s already left.

Elle est actrice.

She‟s an actress.

Il mord, ton chien?

Does your dog bite?

Prends cette chaise. Elle est plus confortable.

Take this chair. It‟s more comfortable.

 il is also used to talk about the weather, the time and in certain other set phrases,
often in the same way as some phrases with it in English.

Il pleut.
It‟s raining.

Il est deux heures.

It‟s two o‟clock.

Il faut partir.
We/You have to go.

 ils (meaning they) and elles (meaning they) are used in the plural to talk about
things, as well as about people or animals. Use ils for masculine nouns and elles for
feminine nouns.

Ils vont appeler ce soir.

They‟re going to call tonight.

„Où sont Anne et Rachel?‟ – „Elles sont à la piscine.‟

„Where are Anne and Rachel?‟ – „They‟re at the swimming pool.‟

„Est-ce qu‟il reste des billets?‟ – „Non, ils sont tous vendus.‟
„Are there are any tickets left?‟ – „No, they‟re all sold.‟

„Tu aimes ces chaussures?‟ – „Non, elles sont affreuses!‟

„Do you like those shoes?‟ – „No, they‟re horrible!‟

 If you are talking about a masculine and a feminine noun, use ils.

Que font ton père et ta mère quand ils partent en vacances?

What do your father and mother do when they go on holiday?

„Où sont le poivre et la moutarde?‟ – „Ils sont déjà sur la table.‟

„Where are the pepper and the mustard?‟ – „They‟re already on the table.‟

Key points
 The French subject pronouns are: je (j’), tu, il, elle, on in the singular, and nous,
vous, ils, elles in the plural.
 To say you in French, use tu if you are talking to one person you know well or to a
young person. Use vous if you are talking to one person you do not know so well or
to more than one person.
 il/ils (masculine singular/plural) and elle/elles (feminine singular/plural) are used
to refer to things, as well as to people or animals. il is also used in certain set
phrases.
 If there is a mixture of masculine and feminine nouns, use ils.
 on can mean we, someone, you, they, or people in general. It is often used instead
of a passive construction.

Pronoun ―on‖
le pronom “on”

on = nous = we

On is a pronoun which is often used to represent people in a general sense.

In today‟s French “on” mostly means “we”, and it always takes a “il” verb form. It is often
used in French where English would prefer the use of a passive construction.

The good news about “on” however is that you don‟t have to use it. You can stick with
“nous” or the other French subject pronouns if it‟s easier for you.

on = we (nous)

Nowadays, “on” is almost always used instead of “nous”. And you need to master “on” if
you want to understand the French when they speak.

It is used to say 'we' in an indirect way.

Olivier et moi, on est mariés.

Olivier and I, we‟re married.

On est français et on est aussi américains.

We are French and we also are American.

On habite en Bretagne, en France.

We live in Brittany, in France.

On habite ici depuis deux ans.

We have lived here for two years.

On est à côté de la mer, c‟est chouette.

We are close to the sea, it‟s cool.

On fait du tennis, du jogging et de la natation.

We practice tennis, jogging and swimming.
On voyage à Paris souvent.
We travel to Paris often. OR People travel to Paris often.
(interpretation depends on the context)

On a une fille qui s‟appelle Leyla.

We have a daughter named Leyla.

On écrit des livres audio qui enseignent le français moderne.

We write audiobooks teaching modern French.

On voit souvent notre famille.

We often see our family.

On voyage souvent : on a de la chance.

We travel often: we are lucky.

On a une vie simple et on est heureux.

We have a simple life and we are happy.

On mange maintenant ou on regarde le film d'abord ?

Shall we eat now or watch the film first?

On va étudier ce soir ?
Are we going to study this evening?

On est sur le point de partir.

We are about to go.

On est contents de vous voir.

We‟re happy to see you.

On arrive bientôt.
We‟re arriving soon.

___________________________________________________________

Disjunctive/Tonic/Stressed/Emphatic pronouns
les pronoms toniques/disjoints

forms

Disjucntive pronouns are used as subject pronouns when there are multiple subjects which
are separated by commas, et or ou.

Disjunctive pronouns (also known as tonic or stressed pronouns) refer to people whose
names have already been mentioned or whose identity is obvious from context. They are
used in a variety of situations in French, most often in short answers without verbs, for
emphasis, or for contrast with subject pronouns.

moi I, me nous we, us

toi you vous you
lui he, him eux they, them; [masc., masc. + fem.]
 elle she, her elles they, them; [fem.]
soi one

Note:

They always refer to a person.

May be used with or in place of a subject or object.
Must agree with the subject or object in number and gender.

uses (12)

after prepositions pour:

Elle vit pour lui.

She lives for him.

C'est un cadeau pour toi.

It's a present/gift for you.

Achète-le pour moi.

Buy it for me.

J'achète ce livre pour toi.

I am buying this book for you.

C'est pour moi?

Is it for me?

Oui, c'est pour toi.

Yes, it‟s for you.
_______________________________________

avec:

Tu viens avec moi ?

Are you coming with me?

Tu vas au cinéma avec lui ?

Are you going to the cinema with him?

Elle veut se marier avec lui.

She wants to marry him.

Je veux aller avec toi.

I want to go with you.

- Tu sors avec ce garçon ?

- Are you going out with this boy?

- Oui, je sors avec lui.

- Yes, I am going out with him.

- Tu as rendez-vous avec Lucie?

- Do you have a meeting with Lucie?

- Oui, j'ai rendez-vous avec elle.

- Yes, I have a meeting with her.

Viens avec nous.

Come with us.

- Tu viens avec nous ?

- Are you coming with us?

- Oui, je viens avec vous.

- Yes, I am coming with you.

- Il est d'accord avec Fred et toi?

- Does he agree Fred and you?

- Oui, il est d'accord avec nous.

- Yes, he agrees with us.

Il va dîner avec nous.

He is going to have dinner with us.

- Il vient avec ses parents ?

- Is he coming with his parents?

- Oui, il vient avec eux.

- Yes, he is coming with them.
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sans:

Elle ne peut pas vivre sans lui.

She can't live without him.

Je suis parti sans lui.

I left without him.

Tu y vas sans nous?

Are you going there without us?

Oui, j'y vais sans vous.

Yes, I am going there without you.

Vas-tu manger sans moi?

Are you going to eat without me?
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à:

Ce livre n'est pas à moi.

This book isn't mine.

Un ami à moi.
A friend of mine.
C'est à toi de jouer.
It's your turn to play.

Est-ce que ce stylo est à toi?

Is this pen yours?

Cette voiture est à lui.

This car belongs to him.

J'ai pensé à lui toute la journée.

I thought about him all day long.

Je pense souvent à eux.

I often think of them.
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de:

- Tu es fâché à cause de moi ?

- Are you angry because of me?

- Oui, je suis fâché à cause de toi.

- Yes, I am angry because of you.

Je parle de lui.
I speak of him.

Elle est contente de lui.

She is pleased with him.

- Tu as reçu une lettre des filles ?

- Did you receive a letter from the girls?

- Oui, j'ai reçu une lettre d'elles.

- Yes, I received a letter from them.
_______________________________________

en:

Vous pouvez avoir confiance en elle.

You can trust her.

J‟ai confiance en toi.

I trust you.
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chez:

Elle vient chez moi.

She's coming over to my house.

Ils viennent chez toi ce soir ?

Are they coming to your house tonight?
- Vous déjeunez chez nous demain?
- Are you going to have lunch at our house
tomorrow?

- Oui, nous déjeunons chez vous.

- Yes, We are going to have lunch at your house.

Vous allez chez eux ?

Are you going to their house?
_______________________________________

entre:

Assieds-toi entre ton fils et ta fille.

Sit between your son and daughter.

Assieds-toi entre eux.

Sit between them.
_______________________________________

après:

_______________________________________

avant:

Il est arrivé avant mon frère et moi.

He arrived before my brother and me.

Il est arrivé avant nous.

He arrived before us.
_______________________________________

dans:

_______________________________________

à côté de:

_______________________________________

devant:

Attention ! Devant toi, il y a une voiture !

Careful! In front of you there is a car!

Je suis devant eux.

I'm in front of them.
_______________________________________

derrière:

Nous ne regardons jamais derrière nous.

 We never look behind ourselves.
_______________________________________

autour:

_______________________________________

contre:

Elle est fâchée contre moi.

She's angry with me.
_______________________________________

sur:

_______________________________________

in short answers or exclamations - Qui sort avec Tammy?

when no verb is expressed - Who is going out with Tammy?

absence of verb - Moi!

- Me!

- Qui est là ?
- Who is there?

- Moi !
- Me!

- Qui veut jouer au tennis ?

- Who wants to play tennis?

- Moi!
- Me!

- Qui a fait le gâteau?

- Who made the cake?

- Lui.
- He.

with the negative adverb ne… que Je n'aime que toi ma chérie.
and conjunction ne… ni… ni I love only you, my dear.

Je n'ai vu que lui.

I saw only him.

Je ne connais que lui.

I know only him.
 Je ne connais que lui ici.
He's the only one I know here.

Je ne veux que toi !

I want only you!

Je ne cherchais ni toi ni lui.

I was looking for neither you nor him.

Ni toi ni moi ne le comprenons.

Neither you nor I understand it.

in place of any subject or object Comme eux, je suis perplexe.

pronouns connected or preceded by Like them, I‟m puzzled.
a conjunction
Lui et toi avez raison.
before and after ―et‖ You and he are right.

Vous et moi, nous pouvons partir plus tard.

We can leave later, you and I.

in a compound subject or object Paul et moi, nous aimons aller en boîte.

Paul and I like to go clubbing.
when we have a double subject or
object Paul et moi allons au cinéma ce soir.
Paul and I are going to the cinema this evening.

Michel et moi jouons au tennis.

Michael and I are playing tennis.

Toi et lui, vous êtes très gentils.

You and he are very kind.

Toi et moi ferons le nécessaire.

You and I will do what is necessary.

Toi et moi, nous ferons le nécessaire.

You and I, we will do what is necessary.

in simple agreements or Moi aussi!

disagreements when no verb is Me too!
expressed
Moi non plus!
with emphatic words like: Me neither!

aussi J'aime le cricket, et toi ?

non plus I like cricket, and you?
seul
surtout Moi aussi (elle aussi, vous aussi...).
Me too (she too, you too...).

Je déteste le football.
 I hate football.

Moi aussi.
Me too.

Je n'aime pas le rugby.

I don‟t like rugby.

Lui non plus.

He neither.

Eux aussi veulent venir.

They want to come too.

Moi seul sais la bonne réponse.

Only I know the right answer.

Lui seul a travaillé hier.

He alone worked yesterday.

Nous aimons skier, mais lui pas du tout.

We like skiing, but he doesn‟t (like it) at all.

for emphasis (of the subject) - Je pense qu'il a raison.

- Moi, je pense qu'il a tort.
nouns or pronouns
- I think he's right.
before a subject pronoun - I think he's wrong.

Moi, je suis indien, toi, tu es français, elle, elle

est espagnole, lui, il est allemande et elles, elles
sont belges.
Me, I am Indian, you, you are French, she, she is
Spanish, he, he is German and they, they are
Belgian.

Moi, je suis resté. Lui, il est parti.

I stayed. He left.

Moi, je pense que tu as tort.

Personally, I think you're wrong.

Toi, tu l'as fait?

Did YOU do it?

Lui, il est à Paris.

Oh him, HE is in Paris.

Lui, il est toujours en retard!

Oh him, HE's always late!

Lui, il est vraiment con !

He is really stupid.
 Elle, elle est toujours en retard!
Oh, SHE's always late!

Lui, il aime manger.

As for him, he likes to eat.

Nous, nous préférons attendre.

As for us, we prefer to wait.

Note that lui and eux can stand alone as

subjects:

Lui n'est pas au courant de cela.

He's not aware of that.

Eux s'intéressent à autre chose.

They are interested in other things.

after c'est or ce sont C'est moi le plus nul.

I'm the biggest loser.

C'est moi qui ...

I'm the one who ...

C'est lui qui l'a fait.

He did it.

C'est elle qui ...

SHE ..., she's the one who ...

C'est elle qui me l'a dit.

SHE told me., She's the one who told me.

C'est vous, Monsieur Lambert ?

Are you Mr. Lambert?

Oui, c'est moi.

Yes, it‟s me.

C'est toi qui étudies l'art.

You're the one who's studying art.

Ce sont elles qui aiment Paris.

They love Paris.

Ce sont eux qui sont venus ici.

They are the ones who came here.

with -même, to mean'-self', oneself Il l‟a fait lui-même.

He did it himself.
 Je peux le faire moi-même !
I can do it myself!

Ils le construisent eux-mêmes.

They‟re building it themselves.

Prépare-t-il le dîner lui-même?

Is he making dinner himself?

Nous le ferons nous-mêmes.

We'll do it ourselves.

Je l'ai envoyé moi-même.

I sent it myself.

Il y va lui-même.
He's going there himself.

in comparisons after ―que‖ Tu es plus grande que moi.

You are taller than me.

Elle conduit plus vite qu’eux.

She drives faster than them.

Je suis plus sportif que lui.

I‟m more athletic than he is.

Tu étudies moins que moi.

You study less than I do.

Elle est plus grande que toi.

She is taller than you (are).

Il travaille plus que moi.

He works more than I (do).

with imperatives Passe-moi le sel s'il te plaît !

Pass me the salt please!

Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi!
Shut up !

Dites-moi! Dis-moi!
Tell me

Calme-toi.
Calm down.

Donne-le-moi.
Give it to me.
after the preposition ―à‖ in many Je pense à toi.
expressions: I'm thinking of you.

être à Ce stylo est à moi !

penser à This/That pen is mine!
faire attention à
Ces livres sont à moi.
as well as after any pronominal These books are mine.
verb followed by
à + person Quel livre est à toi?
Which book is yours?
with certain verbs that don't allow
a preceding indirect object pronoun Cette voiture est à vous, monsieur ?
Is this your car, sir?

Nous pensons à eux.

We‟re thinking about them.

Fais attention à eux.

Pay attention to them.

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Tense/Aspect/Mood/Voice

introduction

tense

Tense is the grammatical term that refers to the time when the action of the verb occurs:
past, present, future. The time frame of an action is usually established by referring to the
present moment; for example, the passé composé and the futur are respectively past
and future in relation to the present.

However, some tenses establish their time frame by referring to other actions in the past
or in the future. For example, the plus-que-parfait tense indicates a past action that
occurred prior to the the completion of another past action. The futur antérieur tense
indicates a future action that will have occured before another future action. Actions that
occur before another action are described as being anterior.

Tenses are also described by their number of parts. For example, a tense with only one
verb form is called a simple tense (ie, le passé simple). In contrast, a tense comprising
two forms, the auxiliary verb and the participle, is referred to as a compound tense (ie,
le passé composé).

aspect

Aspect, unlike tense, is not concerned with placing events on a time line. Rather, aspect is
concerned with making distinctions about the kinds of actions that are described by verbs:
progressive actions, punctual actions, habitual actions, etc.

The most important aspectual distinction in French concerns the difference between the
two most common past tenses: the imparfait and the passé composé. While both
tenses refer to actions in the past, they are used for very different types of actions. The
imparfait indicates an action that is ongoing or habitual. Actions in the imparfait may be
simultaneous or overlapping. The passé composé on the other hand, indicates an action
that is in a strict sequence in relation to another action. In other words, an event in the
passé composé must be completed before another may be used in narration.

These aspectual differences are best understood in a narrative context where the
imparfait is typically used to set the scene of a story by giving background information.

The passé composé is used for the foreground, that is, the plot line events. Note that
plot line events are sequential, that is, an event must be completed before another event
begins.

mood

Mood is a grammatical category distinguishing verb tenses. There are four moods in
French: indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative. All of these moods,
except the imperative, may be conjugated in different tenses. Each of these moods has a
different function.

The indicative mood is the most common and is used to relate facts and objective
statements.

The subjunctive mood is used more commonly in French than in English. It is used to
express opinions and feelings (subjective thoughts).

The conditional mood is used to express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact statements.

The imperative mood is used to give direct orders or commands.

voice

Voice is a grammatical category describing the relationship between a verb and its subject.
Voice is either active or passive. Active voice refers to the situation where the subject of
the sentence performs the action of the verb.

On the other hand, passive voice refers to the situation where the subject receives the
action of the verb.

Imperative mood
l‟impératif

The imperative is a verb mood which is used to:

 give an order / a command

 express a desire/wish
 make a request
 offer/give advice
 recommend something
  prohibit actions

It is one of four moods in the French language. Unlike the other moods, the imperative is
not divided into tenses. Keep in mind that the imperative is a very direct way to give an
order.

formation
(imperative mood conjugations)

There are three forms of the imperative: tu, nous and vous. For all verbs, the imperative
is formed by taking the corresponding forms of the present indicative, but without subject
pronouns (unlike all other French verb tenses and personal moods, the subject pronoun is
not used with the imperative). The lack of a subject pronoun is what identifies the
imperative mood.

-er verbs

-er verbs (regular, stem-changing, spelling change, and irregular): The imperative
conjugations for nous and vous are the same as the present indicative, and the tu form
of the imperative is the indicative minus the final s: including aller, and -ir verbs like
ouvrir and other verbs whose present indicative form of tu ends in -es:

parler 'to speak'

present imperative translation
tu parles parle speak
nous parlons parlons let's speak
vous parlez parlez speak

present imperative translation

tu regardes regarde look
tu ouvres ouvre open
tu vas va go

When these forms are followed by the pronoun y or en, the -s is reattached for
pronunciation purposes.

Marie, va au supermarché! Vas-y! Et achète de l'insecticide pour moi ... Tu m'entends?

Achètes-en pour moi!
Marie, go to the supermarket! Go there! And buy some insecticide for me ... Do you hear
me? Buy some for me!

-ir & -re verbs

The imperative conjugations for all regular and most irregular -ir and -re verbs are the
same as the present indicative conjugations.
 finir 'to finish'
present imperative translation
tu finis finis finish (you, familiar)
nous finissons finissons let's finish
vous finissez finissez finish

attendre 'to wait for'

present imperative translation
tu attends attends wait (you, familiar)
nous attendons attendons let's wait
vous attendez attendez wait

faire 'to do'

present imperative translation
tu fais fais do (you, familiar)
nous faisons faisons let's do
vous faites faites do

The tu form is used to give an order to a child or when the speaker is on familiar terms
with the person addressed. The vous form is used to give an order to a group of people or
to address one person in the vous form. The nous form is used to give an order that
involves oneself as well as others, though it often expresses a suggestion as its translation
(Let's ... ) indicates.

irregular imperatives

There are several verbs that have irregular imperative forms.

avoir être savoir vouloir

aie sois sache veuille
ayons soyons sachons veuillons
ayez soyez sachez veuillez

imperative of pronominal verbs

For pronominal verbs, the subject pronoun is dropped and the object pronoun is placed
after the verb and is attached with a hyphen. Te becomes toi in this situation.

se souvenir 'to remember'

 present imperative translation
tu te souviens souviens-toi remember (you, familiar)
nous nous souvenons souvenons-nous let's remember
vous vous souvenez souvenez-vous remember

negative commands

The order of words in a French sentence can be very confusing due to affirmative and
negative imperative constructions and object and adverbial pronouns. Remember that
there are two kinds of imperatives, affirmative and negative, and the word order is
different for each of them.

the object pronouns come before the verb

Negative imperatives are easier because their word order is the same as that of all other
simple verb conjugations: any object, reflexive, and/or adverbial pronouns precede the
verb and the negative structure surrounds the pronoun(s) + verb:

finir 'to finish'

affirmative negative translation
present translation
commands commands
tu finis finis finish ne finis pas don‟t finish
nous finissons finissons let's finish ne finissons pas let‟s not finish
vous finissez finissez finish ne finissez pas don‟t finish

Finis! Finish!
Ne finis pas! Don't finish!
Ne le finis pas! Don't finish it!

Lisez! Read!
Ne lisez pas! Don't read!
Ne le lisez pas! Don't read it!
Ne me le lisez pas! Don't read it to me!

Ne le regarde pas!
Don‟t look at him!

Ne nous en parlez pas!

Don‟t talk to us about that!

reflexive verbs

In negative commands for reflexive verbs, the object pronoun is placed in front of the
verb.
 se souvenir 'to remember'
positive negative
translation translation
imperative imperative
souviens-toi remember ne te souviens pas don‟t remember
souvenons-nous let's remember ne nous souvenons pas let‟s not remember
souvenez-vous remember ne vous souvenez pas don‟t remember

affirmative commands

Affirmative commands are more complicated, for several reasons.

1. The word order for affirmative commands is different from that of all other verb
tenses/moods: any pronouns follow the verb and are connected to it and to each
other with hyphens

the object pronouns come after the verb

Finis-le! Finish it!

Allons-y! Let's go!
Mangez-les! Eat them!
Parle-lui! Talk to him!
Donne-lui-en! Give him some!
Aide-nous! Help us!

2. There are cases when both direct and indirect object pronouns are present. During
these scenarios, the direct object pronouns always come before the indirect object
pronouns. The order of the pronouns in affirmative commands is slightly different
from all other verb tenses/moods.

Direct object pronouns are: le, la, les

Indirect object pronouns are: moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, leur.

Envoie-le-nous! Send it to us!

Expliquons-la-leur! Let's explain it to them!
Donne-le-moi! Give it to me!
Donnez-la-nous! Give it to us!
Montrez-le-nous! Show it to us!
Prête-les-moi! Lend them to me!
 -moi (m‟)
-le
-lui -toi (t‟)
verb -la y en
-leur -nous
-les
-vous

3. The pronouns me and te change to the stressed pronouns moi and toi...

Lève-toi! Get up!

Parlez-moi! Talk to me!
Dis-moi! Tell me!
Excusez-moi! Excuse me!
Conduisez-moi à la gare! Drive me to the station!

...unless they are followed by y or en, in which case they contract to m' and t'

Va-t'en! Go away!
Parlez-m’en! Talk to me about that!
Faites-m'y penser! Remind me about it!

4. When a tu command is followed by the pronoun y or en, the final 's' is reattached
for pronunciation purposes:

Go away!
Vas-y!
Go there!
Parles-en! Talk about it!
Achètes-en pour moi! Buy some for me!
Donnes-en à ton frère! Give some to your brother!
Manges-en! Eat some!

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Interrogative constructions

Questionning
questionner

introduction

An interrogative construction is a grammatical form used to ask a question.

There are two kinds of questions:

1. yes/no questions and

2. information questions
So-called yes/no questions may be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

Are you a student at the University of Texas?

Have you ever been to France or Spain?

Information questions contain a specific interrogative word (who, what, when, why, how)
and cannot be answered with a yes or no. Their purpose is to elicit a specific piece of
information.

Who is Paul?
When did he come to France?
How did he learn French?

Est-ce que vous parlez français ?

Do you speak French?

Besides using 'est-ce que', questions in French can be formed by inversion of the subject
and verb.

Parlez-vous français ?
Do you speak French?

formulating questions

The word 'do' is used in English question formation. In similar fashion, French yes / no
questions can be formed with the phrase est-ce que.

There are several other ways to ask a question in French. For instance, a tag question is a
question word or phrase 'tagged' on to the end of a statement which requires a
confirmation with a 'yes' or 'no' answer.

Vous parlez français, n'est-ce pas?

You speak French, don't you?

Finally, the most common way to ask a question in French conversation is to use rising
intonation. In this kind of interrogative construction, the word order is the same as a
declarative sentence, but the speaker's voice rises at the end to signal the question.

Vous parlez français?

You speak French?

Closed/Polar questions
les questions fermées

answer: yes/no
réponse: oui/non

questions using 'est-ce que ... ?'

Another way to ask a yes/no question is to place est-ce que before a statement. Note that
que becomes qu' before a vowel. Est-ce que means literally "is it that," and can be placed
at the beginning of any affirmative sentence to turn it into a question.

- Est-ce que tu aimes les films ?

- Do you like films?

- Oui, j'adore les films.

- Yes, I adore films.

- Est-ce que tu connais Paul ?

- Do you know Paul?

- Non. Qui est-ce ?

- No. Who is that?

- Est-ce que vous dansez ?

- Do you dance?

- Non, je ne danse pas.

- No, I don‟t dance.

- Est-ce que tu es anglais ?

- Are you English?

- Non, je suis allemand.

- No, I am German.

- Est-ce que tu as quatorze ans ?

- Are you fourteen years old?

- Oui, j‟ai quatorze ans.

- Yes, I am fourteen years old.

- Est-ce que tu as des frères ou des s urs ?

- Do you have brothers or sisters?

- Oui, j‟ai deux frères.

- Yes, I have two brothers.

- Est-ce que tu t‟appelles Sarah ?

- Is your name Sarah?

- Non, je m‟appelle Marie.

- No, my name is Marie. 490 180
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