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1. BASIC PHRASES / LES EXPRESSIONS DE BASE Bonjour /b u / Hello / Good day / Good morning

Bonsoir /b swa / Good evening

Bonne nuit /b n n i/ Good night (only said when going to bed)

Salut /saly/ Hi / Bye

Au revoir / )vwa / Goodbye

S'il vous plaît / S'il te plaît /sil vu pl / Please (formal / informal)

Merci (beaucoup) /m si boku/ Thank you (very much)

De rien. /d j / You're welcome.

Je vous en prie. / vu z pri/ You're welcome. (formal) / Go ahead.

Bienvenu(e) /bj ny/ Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec)

Allons-y! /al zi/ Let's go!

A tout à l'heure /a tu ta lœ / See you in a little while

A plus tard /a ply ta / See you later

A bientôt /a bj to/ See you soon

A demain /a d m / See you tomorrow

Je suis désolé(e) /dez le/ I'm sorry

Pardon ! /pa d / Excuse me! (pushing through a crowd) / Sorry! (stepped on someone's foot)

Excusez-moi ! /ekskyze mwa/ Excuse me! (getting someone's attention) / I'm sorry! (more formal apology)

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Comment allez-vous ? /k m tale vu/ How are you? (formal)

Je vais bien / ve bj / I'm fine.

Très bien / mal / pas mal /t bj / /mal/ /pa mal/ Very good / bad / not bad

Ça va ? /sa va/ How are you? (informal)

Ça va. /sa va/ I'm fine. (informal response to Ça va ?)

Oui / non /wi/ /n / Yes / no

Comment vous appelez-vous ? /k m vu zaple vu/ What's your name? (formal)

Tu t'appelles comment ? /ty tap l k m / What's your name? (informal)

Je m'appelle... / map l/ My name is...

Enchanté(e) / te/ Nice to meet you.

Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle /m sjø/ /madam/ /madwaz l/ Mister, Misses, Miss

Mesdames et Messieurs /medam/ /mesjø/ Ladies and gentlemen

Vous êtes d'où ? / Vous venez d'où ? /vu z t du/ /vu v ne du/ Where are you from? (formal)

Tu es d'où ? / Tu viens d'où ? /ty du/ /ty vj du/ Where are you from? (informal)

Je suis de... / Je viens de... / s i d / / vj d / I am from...

Où habitez-vous ? /u abite vu/ Where do you live? (formal)

Tu habites où ? /ty abit u/ Where do you live? (informal)

J'habite à... / abit a/ I live in...

Quel âge avez-vous ? /k l ave vu/ How old are you? (formal)

Tu as quel âge ? /ty k l / How old are you? (informal)

J'ai ____ ans. / e __ / I am ____ years old.

Parlez-vous français ? / Tu parles anglais ? /pa le vu fr s / /ty pa l gl / Do you speak French? (formal) / Do you speak English? (informal)

Je parle allemand. / pa l alm I speak German.

Je ne parle pas espagnol. / n pa l pa spa l/ I don't speak Spanish.

Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends? /k p ne vu/ /ty k p / Do you understand? (formal / informal)

Je comprends / k p / I understand

Je ne comprends pas / n k p pa/ I don't understand

Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu peux m'aider ? /puve vu mede/ /ty pø mede/ Can you help me? (formal / informal)

Bien sûr. /bj sy / Of course.

Comment ? /k m / What? Pardon?

Tenez / Tiens /t ne/ /tj / Hey / Here (formal / informal)

Je sais / s / I know

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

Où est ... / Où sont ... ? /u / /u s /

Voici / Voilà /vwasi/ /vwala/

Il y a ... / Il y avait... /il i a/ /il i av /

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Where is ... / Where are ... ?

Here is/are... / There it is.

There is / are... / There was / were...

Comment dit-on ____ en français ? /k m di t __ f s / How do you say ____ in French?

Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? /k s k s k sa/ What is that?

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? /k s kil i a/ What's the matter?

Ça ne fait rien. /sa n f j / It doesn't matter.

Qu'est-ce qui se e ? /k s ki s pas/ What's happening?

Je n'ai aucune idée. / ne okyn ide/ I have no idea.

Je suis fatigué(e) / Je suis malade. / s i fati e/ / s i malad/ I'm tired / I'm sick.

J'ai faim / J'ai soif. / e f / / e swaf/ I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.

J'ai chaud / J'ai froid. / e o/ / e f w / I'm hot / I'm cold.

Je m'ennuie. / m n i/ I'm bored.

Ça m'est égal. / Je m'en fiche. /sa m te al/ / m fi / It's the same to me / I don't care. (informal)

Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t'en fais pas. /n vu f t pa/ /n t f pa/ Don't worry (formal / informal)

Ce n'est pas grave. /s n pa g av/ It's no problem. / It's alright.

J'ai oublié. / e ublije/ I forgot.

Je dois y aller. / dwa i ale/ I must go.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes souhaits ! /a vo sw / /a te sw / Bless you! (formal / informal)

Félicitations ! /felisitasj / Congratulations!

Bonne chance ! /b n s/ Good luck!

C'est à vous ! / C'est à toi ! /s ta vu/ /s ta tw / It's your turn! (formal / informal)

Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! /t ze vu/ /t tw / Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal)

Je vous aime / Je t'aime / vu z m/ / t m/ I love you (formal & plural / informal)

Tu me manques. /ty m m k/ I miss you. (informal)

Quoi de neuf ? /kw d nœf/ What's new?

Pas grand-chose. /pa g oz/ Not a whole lot.

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

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2. PRONUNCIATION / LA PRONONCIATION to the French Phonetics tutorial.

http://www.ielanguages.com/french1.html#pronunciation

For a more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try French Vowels

IPA

Phonetic spelling

Sample words

General spellings

[i]

ee

vie, midi, lit, riz

i, y

[y] ee rounded

rue, jus, tissu, usine

u

[e] ay

blé, nez, cahier, pied

é, et, final er and ez

[ø] ay rounded

jeu, yeux, queue, bleu eu lait, aile, balai, reine

e, è, ê, ai, ei, ais

[œ] eh rounded

sœur, œuf, fleur, beurre

œu, eu

[a] ah

chat, ami, papa, salade

a, à, â

[ ] ah longer

bas, âne, grâce, château

a, â

[u] oo

loup, cou, caillou, outil

ou

[o] oh

eau, dos, escargot, hôtel

o, ô

[ ] aw

sol, pomme, cloche, horloge

o

[ ] uh

fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise

e

] eh

[ ] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in English are marked in blue.

French semi-vowels IPA

Phonetic spelling

Sample words

[w]

w

fois, oui, Louis oi, ou

ew-ee

lui, suisse

yuh

oreille, Mireille ill, y

] [j]

General spelling

ui

French nasal vowels IPA

Phonetic spelling

Sample words

General spelling

[ã]

awn

gant, banc, dent

en, em, an, am, aon, aen

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]

ahn

pain, vin, linge

in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um, en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, éen

[œ]

uhn

brun, lundi, parfum

un

[õ]

ohn

rond, ongle, front

on, om

[œ] is being replaced with

] in modern French

In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant. Otherwise, the in- prefix is pronounce een before a vowel. French Consonants ex + vowel

egz

examen, exercice

ex + consonant

eks

exceptionnel, expression

ch (Latin origin)

sh

architecte, archives

ch (Greek origin)

k

orchestre, archéologie

ti + vowel (except é)

see

démocratie, nation

c + e, i, y; or ç

s

cent, ceinture, maçon

c + a, o, u

k

caillou, car, cube

g + e, i, y

zh

genou, gingembre

g + a, o, u

g

gomme, ganglion

th

t

maths, thème, thym

j

zh

jambe, jus, jeune

qu, final q

k

que, quoi, grecque

h

silent

haricot, herbe, hasard

vowel + s + vowel

z

rose, falaise, casino

x + vowel

z

six ans, beaux arts

final x

s

six, dix, soixante (these 3 only!)

There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final consonant, unless that final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r). Liaison: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant that is not pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two together as if it were one word. S and x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these liaisons. Liaison is always made in the following cases: after a determiner: un ami, des amis before or after a pronoun: vous avez, je les ai after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un livre after some one-syllable adverbs (très, plus, bien) after est It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of être, but it is never made after et. Silent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and slurring more words. rapid(e)ment, lent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage / apidm / / tm / /sovta / sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul by o/ / el d kto / il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/ je n(e), de n(e) / n/ /d n/ j(e) te, c(e) que / t/ /sk / (note the change of the pronunciation of the j as well) Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it generally falls on the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no questions, and all other times, it goes down at the end of the sentence.

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3. ALPHABET / L'ALPHABET

a /a/

j

/ i/

s

/ s/

b /be/

k

/ka/

t

/te/

c /se/

l

/ l/

u /y/

d /de/

m / m/

v

e

/

n

/ n/

w /dubl ve/

f

/ f/

o

/o/

x

/iks/

g / /

p

/pe/

y

/igr k/

h /a /

q

/ky/

z

/z d/

i

r

/

/i/

/ve/

/

4. NOUNS, ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES / LES NOMS, LES ARTICLES & LES DEMONSTRATIFS All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you must memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which gender a noun is. Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette are usually feminine. Articles and adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. And articles have to be expressed even though they aren't always in English; and you may have to repeat the article in some cases. Demonstratives are like strong definite articles. Definite Articles (The) Masculine

Feminine

Before Vowel

Plural

le lit /l li/ the bed

la pomme /la p m/ the apple

l'oiseau /lwazo/ the bird

les gants /le / the gloves

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some) Masculine

Feminine

Plural

un lit /œ li/ a bed

une pomme / yn p m/ an apple

des gants /de / some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those) Masc.

Masc, Before Vowel

Fem.

Plural

ce lit /s li/ this/that bed

cet oiseau /s twazo/ this/that bird

cette pomme /s t p m/ this/that apple

ces gants /se / these/those gloves

If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of the noun for this and these, and -là to the end of the noun for that and those. For example, ce lit-ci is this bed, while ce lit-là is that bed. 5. USEFUL WORDS / LES MOTS UTILES It's / That's

c'est

There is/are

voilà

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/s / /vwala/

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There is/are

il y a

Here is/are

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and

et

/e/

always

toujours

/tu u /

but

mais

/m /

often

souvent

/suv /

now

maintenant

/m tn /

sometimes

quelquefois

/k lk fwa/

especially

surtout

/sy tu/

usually

d'habitude

/dabityd/

except

sauf

/sof/

also, too

aussi

/osi/

of course

bien sûr

/bj sy /

again

encore

/ k

so so

comme ci, comme ça

/k m si, k m sa/

late

en retard

/

ta /

not bad

pas mal

/pa mal/

almost

presque

/p

sk/

book

le livre

/l liv /

friend (fem)

une amie

/y nami/

pencil

le crayon

/l k j /

friend (masc)

un ami

/œ nami/

pen

le stylo

/l stilo/

woman

une femme

/yn fam/

paper

le papier

/l papje/

man

un homme

/œ n m/

dog

le chien

/l

j /

girl

une fille

/yn fij/

cat

le chat

/l

a/

boy

un garçon

/œ ga s /

money

l'argent (m)

/la

job / work

le travail

/l t avaj/

/

/

The expression il y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed by a number, it means ago. Il y a cinq minutes means five minutes ago. Some common slang words for money include: le fric, le pèze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le boulot. 6. SUBJECT PRONOUNS / LES PRONOMS SUJETS Subject Pronouns I

nous

/ty/

You (informal)

vous

/vu/

You (formal and plural)

/il/ / l/ / /

He She One

ils elles

/il/ / l/

They (masc.) They (fem.)

je

/

tu il elle on

/

/nu/

We

Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name. Ils and elles can replace plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice there are two ways to say you. Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives. Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older. On can be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you. Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone. 7. TO BE & TO HAVE / ETRE & AVOIR

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Present tense of être / t / - to be I am

je suis

/

You are

tu es

He is She is One is

il est elle est on est Videos

We are

nous sommes

/nu s m/

/ty /

You are

vous êtes

/vu z t/

/il / / l / / n /

They are They are

ils sont elles sont

/il s / / ls /

s i/

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Past tense of être - to be I was

j'étais

/ et /

We were

nous étions

/nu zetj /

You were

tu étais

/tu et /

You were

vous étiez

/vu zetje/

He was She was One was

il était elle était on était

/il et / / l et / / net /

They were They were

ils étaient elles étaient

/il zet / / l zet /

Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of pronunciation. Future Tense of être - to be I will be

je serai

/

s

e/

We will be

nous serons

/nu s

/

You will be

tu seras

/ty s

a/

You will be

vous serez

/vu s

e/

He will be She will be One will be

il sera elle sera on sera

/il s a/ / l s a/ / s a/

They will be They will be

ils seront elles seront

/il s / ls

/ /

Present tense of avoir /avwa / - to have I have

j'ai

/ e/

We have

nous avons

/nu zav /

You have

tu as

/ty /

You have

vous avez

/vu zave/

He has She has One has

il a elle a on a

/il / / l / / n /

They have They have

ils ont elles ont

/il z / / lz /

Past tense of avoir - to have I had

j'avais

/ av /

We had

nous avions

/nu zavj /

You had

tu avais

/ty av /

You had

vous aviez

/vu zavje/

He had She had One had

il avait elle avait on avait

/il av / / l av / / nav /

They had

ils avaient elles avaient

/il zav / / l zav /

Future tense of avoir - to have I will have

j'aurai

/ o e/

You will have

tu auras

/ty o

He will have She will have One will have

il aura elle aura on aura

/il o a/ / l o a/ / no a/

/

We will have

nous aurons

/nu zo

You will have

vous aurez

/vu zo e/

They will have They will have

ils auront elles auront

/il zo / / l zo /

/

In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t'es /t /, tu as = t'as /t /, etc. In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean we instead of nous. COMMON EXPRESSIONS WITH AVOIR AND ETRE Avoir and être are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized: to be hot

être de retour

/ t d

/avwa f wa/

to be cold

être en retard

/ t

ta /

avoir peur

/avwa pœ /

to be afraid

être en avance

/ t

nav s/

avoir raison

/avwa

to be right

être d'accord

/ t dak

avoir chaud

/avwa

avoir froid

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/

to be late to be early to be in agreement Online

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to be wrong

être sur le point de

/ t sy l pw to be about to /

/avwa f /

to be hungry

être en train de

/ t

t

avoir soif

/avwa swaf/

to be thirsty

être enrhumée

/ t

yme/

avoir sommeil

/avwa s m j/

to be sleepy

nous + être (un jour)

/ t œ u /

avoir honte

/avwa

to be ashamed

avoir besoin de

/avwa b zw d / to need

avoir l'air de

/avwa

d /

to look like, seem

avoir l'intention de

/avwa

t sj /

to intend to

avoir envie de

/avwa

vi d /

to feel like

avoir de la chance

/avwa d la

avoir tort

/avwa t

avoir faim

/

t/

d /

to be in the act of to have a cold to be (a day)

s/ to be lucky

J'ai froid. I'm cold. Tu avais raison. You were right. Il aura sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight. Elle a de la chance ! She's lucky! Nous aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later. Vous aviez tort. You were wrong. Ils ont chaud. They are hot. Elles avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday.

Je suis en retard! I'm late! Tu étais en avance. You were early. Elle sera d'accord. She will agree. Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday. Vous étiez enrhumé. You had a cold. Ils seront en train d'étudier. They will be (in the act of) studying. Elles étaient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave. On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.

8. QUESTION WORDS / LES INTERROGATIFS Who

Qui

/ki/

What

Quoi

/kwa/

Why

Pourquoi

/pu kwa/

When

Quand

/k /

Where

Où

/u/

How

Comment

/k m /

How much / many

Combien

/k bj /

Which / what

Quel(le)

/k l/

9. CARDINAL NUMBERS / LES NOMBRES CARDINAUX Zero

Zéro

/ze o/

One

Un

/œ/

Two

Deux

/dø/

Three

Trois

/t w /

Four

Quatre

/kat /

Five

Cinq

/s k/

Six

Six

/sis/

Seven

Sept

/s t/

Eight

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/ it/

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Nine

Neuf

/nœf/

Ten

Dix

/dis/

Eleven

Onze

/ z/

Twelve

Douze

/duz/

Thirteen

Treize

/t

Fourteen

Quatorze

/kat

Fifteen

Quinze

/k z/

Sixteen

Seize

/s z/

Seventeen

Dix-sept

/dis t/

Eighteen

Dix-huit

/diz it/

Nineteen

Dix-neuf

/diznœf/

Twenty

Vingt

/v /

Twenty-one

Vingt et un

/v t e œ/

Twenty-two

Vingt-deux

/v dø/

Twenty-three

Vingt-trois

/v t w /

Thirty

Trente

/t

t/

Thirty-one

Trente et un

/t

teœ/

Thirty-two

Trente-deux

/t

t dø/

Forty

Quarante

/ka

Fifty

Cinquante

/s k t/

Sixty

Soixante

/swas t/

Seventy

Soixante-dix

/swas tdis/

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Septante

/s pt t/

Seventy-one

Soixante et onze

/swas t e z/

Seventy-two

Soixante-douze

/swas t duz/

Eighty

Quatre-vingts

/kat

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Octante

/ kt t/

Eighty-one

Quatre-vingt-un

/kat

v tœ/

Eighty-two

Quatre-vingt-deux

/kat

v dø/

Ninety

Quatre-vingt-dix

/kat

v dis/

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Nonante

/n n t/

Ninety-one

Quatre-vingt-onze

/kat

v

Ninety-two

Quatre-vingt-douze

/kat

v duz/

One Hundred

Cent

/s /

One Hundred One

Cent un

/s tœ/

Two Hundred

Deux cents

/dø s /

Two Hundred One

Deux cent un

/dø s tœ/

Thousand

Mille

/mil/

Two Thousand

Deux mille

/dø mil/

Million

Un million

/õ milj /

Billion

Un milliard

/õ milja /

z/ z/

t/

v /

z/

French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French

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Switzerland use huitante for 80 and octante is barely used anymore). Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 and 07 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zéro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit. ORDINAL NUMBERS / LES NOMBRES ORDINAUX first

premier / première

second

deuxième / second

third

troisième

fourth

quatrième

fifth

cinquième

sixth

sixième

seventh

septième

eighth

huitième

ninth

neuvième

tenth

dixième

eleventh

onzième

twelfth

douzième

twentieth

vingtième

twenty-first

vingt et unième

thirtieth

trentième

The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ième. But if a number ends in an e, you must drop it before adding the -ième. After a q, you must add a u before the -ième. And an f becomes a v before the -ième. Listen to the la téléphone : un message mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. 10. DAYS OF THE WEEK / LES JOURS DE LA SEMAINE Monday

lundi

/lœdi/

Tuesday

mardi

/ma di/

Wednesday

mercredi

/m

Thursday

jeudi

/ ødi/

Friday

vendredi

/v d

Saturday

samedi

/samdi/

Sunday

dimanche

/dim

day

le jour

/l

week

la semaine

/la s( )m n/

today

aujourd'hui

/o u d i/

yesterday

hier

/j

tomorrow

demain

/d m /

next

prochain / prochaine

/p

/ /p

last

dernier / dernière

/d

nje/ /d

day before yesterday

avant-hier

/av tj

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day after tomorrow

après-demain

/ap

the following day

le lendemain

/l l

the day before

la veille

/la v j/

dm / m /

Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a certain day, such as le lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing. Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. 11. MONTHS OF THE YEAR / LES MOIS DE L'ANNEE January

janvier

/

February

février

/fev ije/

March

mars

/ma s/

April

avril

/av il/

May

mai

/m /

June

juin

/

/

July

juillet

/

ij /

August

août

/u(t)/

September

septembre

/s pt b /

October

octobre

/ kt b /

November

novembre

/n v b /

December

décembre

/des b /

month

le mois

/l mwa/

year

l'an / l'année

/l / /lane/

decade

la décennie

/deseni/

century

le siècle

/l sj kl/

millennium

le millénaire

/milen

vje/

/

To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai." With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: le premier mai but le deux juin. Also note that months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days of the week). 12. SEASONS / LES SAISONS Summer

l'été

/lete/

in the summer

en été

/ nete/

Fall

l'automne

/lot n/

in the fall

en automne

/ not n/

Winter

l'hiver

/liv /

in the winter

en hiver

/ niv /

Spring

le printemps

/l p

in the spring

au printemps

/o pr t /

t /

13. DIRECTIONS / LES DIRECTIONS on the left

à gauche

/a go /

on the right

à droite

/a d w t/

straight ahead

tout droit

/tu d w /

North

le nord

/l n

/

Northeast

le nord-est

/l n

(d) st/

South

le sud

/l syd/

Northwest

le nord-ouest

/l n

(d)w st/

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East

l'est

/l st/

Southeast

le sud-est

/syd st/

West

l'ouest

/lw st/

Southwest

le sud-ouest

/sydw st/

14. COLORS & SHAPES / LES COULEURS & LES FORMES Red

rouge

/ u /

square

le carré

/ka e/

circle

le cercle

/s kl/

Orange orange

/

Yellow

jaune

/ on/

triangle

le triangle

/t ij gl/

Green

vert / verte

/v / /v t/

rectangle

le rectangle

/

Blue

bleu / bleue

/blø/

oval

l'ovale

/ val/

Purple violet / violette

/vj l / /vj l t/

cube

le cube

/kyb/

White

blanc / blanche

/bl / /bl

sphere

la sphère

/sf

Brown

brun / brune marron

/b õ/ /b yn/ /ma /

cylinder

le cylindre

/sil d /

Black

noir / noire

/nwa /

cone

le cône

/kon/

Pink

rose

/ oz/

octagon

l'octogone

/ ktog n/

Gold

doré / dorée

/d

box

la boîte

/bwat/

Silver

argenté / argentée /a

light

clair / claire

/kl

Gray

gris / grise

dark

foncé / foncée

/f se/

/

/

e/ te/

/g i/ /g iz/

kt gl/

/

/

Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bleu clair, noir foncé remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun. to place the color adjective after the noun. 15. WEATHER / LE TEMPS QU'IL FAIT What's the weather like?

Quel temps fait-il ?

/k l t f til/

It's nice

Il fait bon

/il f b /

bad

Il fait mauvais

/il f m ve/

cool

Il fait frais

/il f f

cold

Il fait froid

/il f f w /

warm, hot

Il fait chaud

/il f

cloudy

Il fait nuageux

/il f nya /

beautiful

Il fait beau

/il f bo/

mild

Il fait doux

/il f du/

stormy

Il fait orageux

/il f

sunny

Il fait soleil

/il f s l j/

humid

Il fait humide

/il f ymid/

muggy

Il fait lourd

/il f lu /

windy

Il fait du vent

/il f dy v /

foggy

Il fait du brouillard

/il f dy b uja /

snowing

Il neige

/il n /

raining

Il pleut

/il plø/

freezing

Il gèle

/il

hailing

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Il fait ____ degrés.

/il f __ d g e/

Il pleut des cordes /il plø de ko d/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille /il kaj/ or ça caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And that uses Celcius degrees. Listen to the le climat: le temps dans les Alpes mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. 16. TIME / LE TEMPS QUI E What time is it?

Quelle heure est-il ?

/k l œ

It is...

Il est...

/il /

one o'clock

une heure

/yn œ /

two o'clock

deux heures

/dø zœ /

noon

midi

/midi/

midnight

minuit

/min i/

a quarter after three

trois heures et quart

/t w zœ e ka /

one o'clock sharp

une heure précise

/yn œ p esiz/

four o'clock sharp

quatre heures précises

/kat œ p esiz/

twelve thirty

midi (minuit) et demi

/midi (min i) e d mi/

six thirty

six heures et demie

/si zœ e d mi/

a quarter to seven

sept heures moins le quart

/s t œ mw l ka /

five twenty

cinq heures vingt

/s k œ v /

ten fifty

onze heures moins dix

/ z œ mw dis/

in the morning/AM

du matin

/dy mat /

in the afternoon/PM

de l'après-midi

/d lap

in the evening/PM

du soir

/dy swa /

til/

midi/

Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular numbers, and not demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if it is 18h30, you must say dix-huit heures trente. The word pile /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying précise (exactly, sharp). Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. 17. FAMILY & ANIMALS / LA FAMILLE & LES ANIMAUX Family

la famille

/famij/

Niece

la nièce

/nj s/

Relatives

des parents

/pa

/

Nephew

le neveu

/n( )vœ/

Parents

les parents

/pa

/

Grandchildren

les petits-enfants

/p( )tiz f /

Grandparents

les grandsparents

/g

pa

Mom

la mère / maman

Granddaughter la petite-fille

/p( )tit fij/

/m / /m m /

Grandson

le petit-fils

/p( )tifis/

Stepmother/Mother-in-Law la belle-mère

/b lm /

Godfather

le parrain

/pa /

Dad

le père / papa

/p

la marraine

/ma n/

Stepfather/Father-in-Law

le beau-père

/bop

Godson

le filleul

/fijœl/

Daughter

la fille

/fij/

Goddaughter

la filleule

/fijœl/

Son

le fils

/fis/

Distant Relatives

des parents éloignés

/pa elwa e/

Single Top Pages

célibataire

Sister

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Half/Step Sister

la demi-sœur

/d mi sœ / Married

Sister-in-Law

la belle-sœur

/b lsœ /

Stepdaughter/Daughterin-Law

la belle-fille

Brother

marié(e)

/ma je/

Separated

séparé(e)

/sepa e/

/b l fij/

Divorced

divorcé(e)

/div

le frère

/f

Widower

veuf

/vœf/

Half/Step Brother

le demi-frère

/d mi f

veuve

/vœv/

Brother-in-Law

le beau-frère

/bo f

Stepson/Son-in-Law

le beau-fils

/bo fis/

Dog

le chien / la chienne (m) / (f)

/ j / / j n/

Twins (m)

les jumeaux

/ ymo/

Cat

le chat / la chatte (m) / (f)

/ a/ / at/

Twins (f)

les jumelles

/ ym l/

Puppy

le chiot

/ jo/

Uncle

l'oncle

/ kl/

Kitten

le chaton

/ at /

Aunt

la tante

/t t/

Pig

le cochon

/k

Grandmother

la grand-mère

/g

m

/

Rooster

le coq

/k k/

Grandfather

le grand-père

/g

p

/

Rabbit

le lapin

/lap /

Cousin (f)

la cousine

/kuzin/

Cow

la vache

/va /

Cousin (m)

le cousin

/kuz /

Horse

le cheval

/

Wife

la femme

/fam/

Duck

le canard

/kana /

Husband

le mari

/ma i/

Goat

la chèvre

/ v /

Woman

la femme

/fam/

Goose

l'oie

/wa/

Man

l'homme

/ m/

Sheep

le mouton

/mut /

Child (m) / (f)

un enfant / une enfant

/ f /

Lamb

l'agneau

/a o/

Girl

la fille

/fij/

Donkey

l'âne

/ n/

Boy

le garçon

/ga s /

Mouse

la souris

/su i/

Le gendre /

/

/ Widow

se/

/

/

)val/

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

Listen to the la famille : ma famille mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. Slang words for people and pets: The entire family

toute la smala

/tut la smala/

Sister

Grandma

mémé / mamie

/meme/ /mami/

Grandpa Children

pépé / papi

/pepe/ /papi/

des gosses un gamin / une gamine

/g s/

Brother le frangin Son le fiston Aunt tata / tatie

/gam / /gamin/ /nana/

Uncle Dog

/m k/ /tip/ /ga /

Cat

Kid Woman Man

une nana un mec / type / gars

la frangine

tonton le cabot / clébard le minou

/f

in/

/f

/

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

Listen to the animaux : chien ou chat ? mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources. 18. TO KNOW PEOPLE & PLACES / CONNAITRE & SAVOIR

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connais

/k n /

connaissons

/k n s /

sais

/s /

savons

/sav /

connais

/k n /

connaissez

/k n se/

sais

/s /

savez

/save/

connaît

/k n /

connaissent

/k n s/

sait

/s /

savent

/sav/

Connaître is used when you know (are familiar with) people, places, food, movies, books, etc. and savoir is used when you know facts. When savoir is followed by an infinitive it means to know how. There is another form of savoir commonly used in the expressions que je sache that I know (of) and pas que je sache not that I know (of). Je connais ton frère. I know your brother. Je sais que ton frère s'appelle Jean. I know that your brother is named John. Connaissez-vous Grenoble ? Do you know (Are you familiar with) Grenoble? / Have you ever been to Grenoble? Oui, nous connaissons Grenoble. Yes, we know (are familiar with) Grenoble. / Yes, we've been to Grenoble. Tu sais où Grenoble se trouve. You know where Grenoble is located. Ils savent nager. They know how to swim. Connaître can be translated several ways into English: Tu connais le film, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the film, Les Enfants? Tu connais Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon? Tu connais la tartiflette ? Have you ever eaten tartiflette? 19. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS / LA FORMATION DES NOMS PLURIELS To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not pronounced). But there are some exceptions:

Sing.

Plural

If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing.

bus(es)

le bus

les bus

If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x.

boat(s)

le bateau

les bateaux

If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to -aux.

horse(s)

le cheval

les chevaux

Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s.

knee(s)

le genou

les genoux

Exceptions: festival, carnaval, bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s. There are only seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou. There are, of course, some irregular exceptions: un œil (eye) - des yeux (eyes); le ciel (sky) - les cieux (skies); and un jeune homme (a young man) - des jeunes gens (young men). Notice that the only time the pronunciation will change in the plural form is for masculine nouns that change -al or -ail to -aux and for the irregular forms. All other nouns are pronounced the same in the singular and the plural - it is only the article that changes pronunciation (le, la, l' to les). 20. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES / LES ADJECTIFS POSSESSIFS Masc.

Fem.

Plural

My

mon /m /

ma /ma/

mes /m /

Your

ton /t /

ta /ta/

tes /t /

His/Her/Its

son /s /

sa /sa/

ses /s /

Our

notre /n t /

notre /n t /

nos /no/

Your

votre /v t /

votre /v t /

vos /vo/

Their

leur /lœ /

leur /lœ /

leurs /lœ /

Possessive pronouns go before the noun. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, you must use the masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation. Ma amie is incorrect and must be mon amie, even though amie is feminine. that adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, not the possessor! Sa mère can mean his mother or her mother even though sa is the feminine form, because it

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agrees with mère and not the possessor (his or her). C'est ma mère et mon père. This is my mother and my father. Ce sont vos petits-enfants ? These are your grandchildren? Mes parents sont divorcés. My parents are divorced. Sa grand-mère est veuve. His grandmother is a widow. Notre frère est marié, mais notre sœur est célibataire. Our brother is married, but our sister is single. Ton oncle est architecte, n'est-ce pas ? Your uncle is an architect, isn't he? Leurs cousines sont néerlandaises. Their cousins are Dutch. Like

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