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French I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar with Pronunciation

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1. Basic Phrases / les expressions de base

(mp3s/basicphrases.mp3)

(exercises/frbasic.htm)

(exercises/frphrases.htm)

If you'd like to study these phrases (and their pronunciations) individually, please go to Basic French Phrases (frenchphrases.html).
Bonjour

Bonsoir

Bonne nuit

/b u/

/b swa/

/bn ni/

Hello / Good day / Good morning

Good evening

Good night (only said when going to bed)

Salut

Au revoir

S'il vous plat / S'il te plat

/saly/

/()vwa/

/sil vu pl/

Hi / Bye

Goodbye

Please (formal / informal)

Merci (beaucoup)

De rien.

Je vous en prie.

/msi boku/

/d j /

/vu z pri/

Thank you (very much)

You're welcome.

You're welcome. (formal) / Go ahead.

Bienvenu(e)

Allons-y!

A tout l'heure

/bj vny/

/al zi/

/a tu ta l/

Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec)

Let's go!

See you in a little while

A plus tard

A bientt

A demain

/a ply ta/

/a bj to/

/a dm /

See you later

See you soon

See you tomorrow

Je suis dsol(e)

Pardon !

Excusez-moi !

/dezle/

/pad /

/ekskyze mwa/

I'm sorry

Excuse me! (pushing through a crowd) / Sorry!

Excuse me! (getting someone's attention) / I'm sorry! (more

(stepped on someone's foot)

formal apology)

Comment allez-vous ?

Je vais bien

Trs bien / mal / pas mal

/km tale vu/

/ ve bj /

/t bj / /mal/ /pa mal/

How are you? (formal)

I'm Xne.

Very good / bad / not bad

a va ?

a va.

Oui / non

/sa va/

/sa va/

/wi/ /n /

How are you? (informal)

I'm Xne. (informal response to a va ?)

Yes / no

Comment vous appelez-vous ?

Tu t'appelles comment ?

Je m'appelle...

/km vu zaple vu/

/ty tapl km /

/ mapl/

What's your name? (formal)

What's your name? (informal)

My name is...

Enchant(e)

Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle

Mesdames et Messieurs

/ te/

/msj/ /madam/ /madwazl/

/medam/ /mesj/

Nice to meet you.

Mister, Misses, Miss

Ladies and gentlemen

Vous tes d'o ? / Vous venez d'o ?

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

Je suis de... / Je viens de...

/vu zt du/ /vu vne du/

/ty du/ /ty vj du/

/ si d/ / vj d/

Where are you from? (formal)

Where are you from? (informal)

I am from...

O habitez-vous ?

Tu habites o ?

J'habite ...

/u abite vu/

/ty abit u/

/abit a/

Where do you live? (formal)

Where do you live? (informal)

I live in...

Quel ge avez-vous ?

Tu as quel ge ?

J'ai ____ ans.

/kl ave vu/

/ty kl /

/e __ /

How old are you? (formal)

How old are you? (informal)

I am ____ years old.

Parlez-vous franais ? / Tu parles anglais ?

Je parle allemand.

Je ne parle pas espagnol.

/pale vu fr s/ /ty pal gl/

/ pal alm/

/ n pal pa spal/

Do you speak French? (formal) / Do you speak English?

I speak German.

I don't speak Spanish.

Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends?

Je comprends

Je ne comprends pas

/k pne vu/ /ty k p /

/ k p /

/ n k p pa/

Do you understand? (formal / informal)

I understand

I don't understand

Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu peux m'aider ?

Bien sr.

Comment ?

/puve vu mede/ /ty p mede/

/bj sy/

/km /

Can you help me? (formal / informal)

Of course.

What? Pardon?

Tenez / Tiens

Je sais

Je ne sais pas

/tne/ /tj /

/ s/

/n s pa/

Hey / Here (formal / informal)

I know

I don't know

O est ... / O sont ... ?

Voici / Voil

Il y a ... / Il y avait...

/u / /u s /

/vwasi/ /vwala/

/il i a/ /il i av/

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

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

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

Comment dit-on ____ en franais ?

Qu'est-ce que c'est que a ?

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?

/km di t __ f s/

/ks k s k sa/

/ks kil i a/

How do you say ____ in French?

What is that?

What's the matter?

a ne fait rien.

Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?

Je n'ai aucune ide.

/sa n f j /

/ks ki s pas/

/ ne okyn ide/

It doesn't matter.

What's happening?

I have no idea.

Je suis fatigu(e) / Je suis malade.

J'ai faim / J'ai soif.

J'ai chaud / J'ai froid.

/ si fatie/ / si malad/

/e f / /e swaf/

/e o/ /e fw/

I'm tired / I'm sick.

I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.

I'm hot / I'm cold.

Je m'ennuie.

a m'est gal. / Je m'en `che.

Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t'en fais pas.

/ m ni/

/sa m teal/ / m X/

/n vu ft pa/ /n t f pa/

I'm bored.

It's the same to me / I don't care. (informal)

Don't worry (formal / informal)

Ce n'est pas grave.

J'ai oubli.

Je dois y aller.

/s n pa gav/

/e ublije/

/ dwa i ale/

It's no problem. / It's alright.

I forgot.

I must go.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes souhaits !

Flicitations !

Bonne chance !

/a vo sw/ /a te sw/

/felisitasj /

/bn s/

(informal)

Bless you! (formal / informal)

Congratulations!

Good luck!

C'est vous ! / C'est toi !

Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi !

Je vous aime / Je t'aime

/s ta vu/ /s ta tw/

/tze vu/ /t tw/

/ vu zm/ / tm/

It's your turn! (formal / informal)

Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal)

I love you (formal & plural / informal)

Tu me manques.

Quoi de neuf ?

Pas grand-chose.

/ty m m k/

/kw d nf/

/pa g oz/

I miss you. (informal)

What's new?

Not a whole lot.

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

(mp3s/pronunciation.mp3) For a more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try to the French Phonetics (frenchphonetics.html) tutorial.

2. Pronunciation / la prononciation

French Vowels

IPA

Phonetic spelling

Sample words

General spellings

[i]

ee

vie, midi, lit, riz

i, y

[y]

ee rounded

rue, jus, tissu, usine

[e]

ay

bl, nez, cahier, pied

, et, Xnal er and ez

[]

ay rounded

jeu, yeux, queue, bleu

eu

[]

eh

lait, aile, balai, reine

e, , , ai, ei, ais

[]

eh rounded

sur, uf, geur, beurre

u, eu

[a]

ah

chat, ami, papa, salade

a, ,

[
]

ah longer

bas, ne, grce, chteau

a,

[u]

oo

loup, cou, caillou, outil

ou

[o]

oh

eau, dos, escargot, htel

o,

[]

aw

sol, pomme, cloche, horloge

[]

uh

fentre, genou, cheval, cerise

[
] 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

General spelling

[w]

fois, oui, Louis

oi, ou

[]

ew-ee

lui, suisse

ui

[j]

yuh

oreille, Mireille

ill, y

French nasal vowels

IPA

Phonetic spelling

Sample words

General spelling

[]

awn

gant, banc, dent

en, em, an, am, aon, aen

[ ]

ahn

pain, vin, linge

in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,

en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, en

[ ]

uhn

brun, lundi, parfum

un

[]

ohn

rond, ongle, front

on, om

[ ] is being replaced with [ ] in modern French

In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant. Otherwise, the in- preXx 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)

orchestre, archologie

ti + vowel (except )

see

dmocratie, nation

c + e, i, y; or

cent, ceinture, maon

c + a, o, u

caillou, car, cube

g + e, i, y

zh

genou, gingembre

g + a, o, u

gomme, ganglion

th

maths, thme, thym

zh

jambe, jus, jeune

qu, Xnal q

que, quoi, grecque

silent

haricot, herbe, hasard

vowel + s + vowel

rose, falaise, casino

x + vowel

six ans, beaux arts

Xnal x

six, dix, soixante (these 3 only!)

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

3. Alphabet / l'alphabet

/a/

(mp3s/alphabet.mp3)

/i/

/s/

/be/

/ka/

/te/

/se/

/l/

/y/

/de/

/m/

/ve/

//

/n/

/dublve/

/f/

/o/

/iks/

//

/pe/

/igrk/

/a/

/ky/

/zd/

/i/

//

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

(mp3s/articles.mp3)

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

Feminine

Before Vowel

Plural

le lit

la pomme

l'oiseau

les gants

/l li/

/la pm/

/lwazo/

/le /

the bed

the apple

the bird

the gloves

Inde`nite Articles (A, An, Some)

Masculine

Feminine

Plural

un lit

une pomme

des gants

/ li/

/ yn pm/

/de /

a bed

an apple

some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)

Masc.

Masc, Before Vowel

Fem.

Plural

ce lit

cet oiseau

cette pomme

ces gants

/s li/

/s twazo/

/st pm/

/se /

this/that bed

this/that bird

this/that apple

these/those gloves

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

5. Useful Words / les mots utiles

(mp3s/usefulwords.mp3)

(exercises/fruseful.htm)

It's / That's

c'est

/s/

There is/are

il y a

/il i a/

There is/are

voil

/vwala/

Here is/are

voici

/vwasi/

and

et

/e/

always

toujours

/tuu/

but

mais

/m/

often

souvent

/suv /

now

maintenant

/m tn /

sometimes

quelquefois

/klkfwa/

especially

surtout

/sytu/

usually

d'habitude

/dabityd/

except

sauf

/sof/

also, too

aussi

/osi/

of course

bien sr

/bj sy/

again

encore

/ k/

so so

comme ci, comme a

/km si, km sa/

late

en retard

/ ta/

not bad

pas mal

/pa mal/

almost

presque

/psk/

book

le livre

/l liv/

friend (fem)

une amie

/y nami/

pencil

le crayon

/l kj /

friend (masc)

un ami

/ nami/

pen

le stylo

/l stilo/

woman

une femme

/yn fam/

paper

le papier

/l papje/

man

un homme

/ nm/

dog

le chien

/l j /

girl

une `lle

/yn Xj/

cat

le chat

/l a/

boy

un garon

/ gas /

money

l'argent (m)

/la /

job / work

le travail

/l tavaj/

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 Xve minutes ago. Some common slang words for
money include: le fric, le pze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le boulot.

6. Subject Pronouns / les pronoms sujets

(mp3s/subjectpronouns.mp3)

Subject Pronouns
je

//

nous

/nu/

We

tu

/ty/

You (informal)

vous

/vu/

You (formal and plural)

il

/il/

He

ils

/il/

They (masc.)

elle

/l/

She

elles

/l/

They (fem.)

on

/ /

One

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

(mp3s/etreavoir.mp3)

(exercises/frbe_have.htm)

(exercises/frbehave.htm)

Present tense of tre /t/ - to be

I am

je suis

/ si/

We are

nous sommes

/nu sm/

You are

tu es

/ty /

You are

vous tes

/vu zt/

He is

il est

/il /

They are

ils sont

/il s /

She is

elle est

/l /

They are

elles sont

/l s /

One is

on est

/ n/

Past tense of tre - to be

I was

j'tais

/et/

We were

nous tions

/nu zetj /

You were

tu tais

/tu et/

You were

vous tiez

/vu zetje/

He was

il tait

/il et/

They were

ils taient

/il zet/

She was

elle tait

/l et/

They were

elles taient

/l zet/

One was

on tait

/ net/

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

je serai

/ se/

We will be

nous serons

/nu s /

You will be

tu seras

/ty sa/

You will be

vous serez

/vu se/

He will be

il sera

/il sa/

They will be

ils seront

/il s /

She will be

elle sera

/l sa/

They will be

elles seront

/l s /

One will be

on sera

/ sa/

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

il a

/il /

They have

ils ont

/il z /

She has

elle a

/l /

They have

elles ont

/l z /

One has

on a

/ n/

Past tense of avoir - to have

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

il avait

/il av/

They had

ils avaient

/il zav/

She had

elle avait

/l av/

elles avaient

/l zav/

One had

on avait

/ nav/

Future tense of avoir - to have

I will have

j'aurai

/oe/

We will have

nous aurons

/nu zo /

You will have

tu auras

/ty o/

You will have

vous aurez

/vu zoe/

He will have

il aura

/il oa/

They will have

ils auront

/il zo /

She will have

elle aura

/l oa/

They will have

elles auront

/l zo /

One will have

on aura

/ noa/

In informal 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

(mp3s/expressions.mp3)

Avoir and tre are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:
avoir chaud

/avwa o/

to be hot

tre de retour

/t d tu/

to be back

avoir froid

/avwa fwa/

to be cold

tre en retard

/t ta/

to be late

avoir peur

/avwa p/

to be afraid

tre en avance

/t nav s/

to be early

avoir raison

/avwa z /

to be right

tre d'accord

/t dak/

to be in agreement

avoir tort

/avwa t/

to be wrong

tre sur le point de

/t sy l pw d/

to be about to

avoir faim

/avwa f /

to be hungry

tre en train de

/t t d/

to be in the act of

avoir soif

/avwa swaf/

to be thirsty

tre enrhume

/t yme/

to have a cold

avoir sommeil

/avwa smj/

to be sleepy

nous + tre (un jour)

/t u/

to be (a day)

avoir honte

/avwa t/

to be ashamed

avoir besoin de

/avwa bzw 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 s/

to be lucky

J'ai froid. I'm cold.

Je suis en retard! I'm late!

Tu avais raison. You were right.

Tu tais en avance. You were early.

Il aura sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight.

Elle sera d'accord. She will agree.

Elle a de la chance ! She's lucky!

Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday.

Nous aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later.

Vous tiez enrhum. You had a cold.

Vous aviez tort. You were wrong.

Ils seront en train d'tudier. They will be (in the act of) studying.

Ils ont chaud. They are hot.

Elles taient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave.

Elles avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday.

On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.

8. Question Words / les interrogatifs

(mp3s/questions.mp3)

(exercises/frquest.htm)

(exercises/frquestion.htm)

Who

Qui

/ki/

What

Quoi

/kwa/

Why

Pourquoi

/pukwa/

When

Quand

/k /

Where

/u/

How

Comment

/km /

How much / many

Combien

/k bj /

Which / what

Quel(le)

/kl/

9. cardinal Numbers / Les nombres cardinaux

(mp3s/numbers.mp3)

(exercises/frnumbers.htm)

(exercises/frnumbers3.htm)

Zero

Zro

/zeo/

One

Un

/ /

Two

Deux

/d/

Three

Trois

/tw/

Four

Quatre

/kat/

Five

Cinq

/s k/

Six

Six

/sis/

Seven

Sept

/st/

Eight

Huit

/it/

Nine

Neuf

/nf/

Ten

Dix

/dis/

Eleven

Onze

/ z/

Twelve

Douze

/duz/

Thirteen

Treize

/tz/

Fourteen

Quatorze

/katz/

Fifteen

Quinze

/k z/

Sixteen

Seize

/sz/

Seventeen

Dix-sept

/dist/

Eighteen

Dix-huit

/dizit/

Nineteen

Dix-neuf

/diznf/

Twenty

Vingt

/v /

Twenty-one

Vingt et un

/v t e /

Twenty-two

Vingt-deux

/v d/

Twenty-three

Vingt-trois

/v tw/

Thirty

Trente

/t t/

Thirty-one

Trente et un

/t t e / /

Thirty-two

Trente-deux

/t t d/

Forty

Quarante

/ka t/

Fifty

Cinquante

/s k t/

Sixty

Soixante

/swas t/

Seventy

Soixante-dix

/swas tdis/

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Septante

/spt t/

Seventy-one

Soixante et onze

/swas t e z/

Seventy-two

Soixante-douze

/swas t duz/

Eighty

Quatre-vingts

/katv /

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Octante

/kt t/

Eighty-one

Quatre-vingt-un

/katv t /

Eighty-two

Quatre-vingt-deux

/katv d/

Ninety

Quatre-vingt-dix

/katv dis/

(Belgium & Switzerland)

Nonante

/nn t/

Ninety-one

Quatre-vingt-onze

/katv z/

Ninety-two

Quatre-vingt-douze

/katv duz/

One Hundred

Cent

/s /

One Hundred One

Cent un

/s t /

Two Hundred

Deux cents

/d s /

Two Hundred One

Deux cent un

/d s t /

Thousand

Mille

/mil/

Two Thousand

Deux mille

/d mil/

Million

Un million

/ milj /

Billion

Un milliard

/ milja/

French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French use septante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70 and 90
(though some parts of 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 Xnal consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 and 07 for cell phones.
They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.

Ordinal Numbers / Les nombres ordinaux

(mp3s/ordinalnumbers.mp3)

Xrst

premier / premire

second

deuxime / second

third

troisime

fourth

quatrime

Xfth

cinquime

sixth

sixime

seventh

septime

eighth

huitime

ninth

neuvime

tenth

dixime

eleventh

onzime

twelfth

douzime

twentieth

vingtime

twenty-Xrst

vingt et unime

thirtieth

trentime

(exercises/frordinals.htm)

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

Listen to the la tlphone : un message (frenchlistening.html#message) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

Recommended Resource:

(http://interlinearbooks.com/french/?c=250x250french&r=6)

10. Days of the Week / Les jours de la semaine

(mp3s/days.mp3)

(exercises/frdays.htm)

Monday

lundi

/l di/

Tuesday

mardi

/madi/

Wednesday

mercredi

/mkdi/

Thursday

jeudi

/di/

Friday

vendredi

/v ddi/

Saturday

samedi

/samdi/

Sunday

dimanche

/dim /

day

le jour

/l u/

week

la semaine

/la s()mn/

today

aujourd'hui

/oudi/

yesterday

hier

/j/

tomorrow

demain

/dm /

next

prochain / prochaine

/p / /pn/

last

dernier / dernire

/dnje/ /dnj/

day before yesterday

avant-hier

/av tj/

day after tomorrow

aprs-demain

/apdm /

the following day

le lendemain

/l l dm /

the day before

la veille

/la vj/

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

Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps (frenchlistening.html#emploidutemps) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

11. Months of the Year / Les mois de l'annEe

(mp3s/months.mp3)

(exercises/frmonths.htm) (exercises/frbehave.htm)

January

janvier

/ vje/

February

fvrier

/fevije/

March

mars

/mas/

April

avril

/avil/

May

mai

/m/

June

juin

/ /

July

juillet

/ij/

August

aot

/u(t)/

September

septembre

/spt b/

October

octobre

/ktb/

November

novembre

/nv b/

December

dcembre

/des b/

month

le mois

/l mwa/

year

l'an / l'anne

/l / /lane/

decade

la dcennie

/deseni/

century

le sicle

/l sjkl/

millennium

le millnaire

/milen/

To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai." With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the Xrst 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

(mp3s/seasons.mp3)

(exercises/frmonths.htm) (exercises/frbehave.htm)

Summer

l't

/lete/

in the summer

en t

/ nete/

Fall

l'automne

/lotn/

in the fall

en automne

/ notn/

Winter

l'hiver

/liv/

in the winter

en hiver

/ niv/

Spring

le printemps

/l p t /

in the spring

au printemps

/o pr t /

13. Directions / Les directions

(mp3s/directions.mp3)

(exercises/frmonths.htm) (exercises/frbehave.htm)

on the left

gauche

/a go/

on the right

droite

/a dwt/

straight ahead

tout droit

/tu dw/

North

le nord

/l n/

Northeast

le nord-est

/l n(d)st/

South

le sud

/l syd/

Northwest

le nord-ouest

/l n(d)wst/

East

l'est

/lst/

Southeast

le sud-est

/sydst/

West

l'ouest

/lwst/

Southwest

le sud-ouest

/sydwst/

14. Colors & Shapes / Les couleurs & les formes

(mp3s/colorsshapes.mp3)

(exercises/frcolor.htm)

(exercises/frcolors.htm)

Red

rouge

/u/

square

le carr

/kae/

Orange

orange

/ /

circle

le cercle

/skl/

Yellow

jaune

/on/

triangle

le triangle

/tij gl/

Green

vert / verte

/v/ /vt/

rectangle

le rectangle

/kt gl/

Blue

bleu / bleue

/bl/

oval

l'ovale

/val/

Purple

violet / violette

/vjl/ /vjlt/

cube

le cube

/kyb/

White

blanc / blanche

/bl / /bl /

sphere

la sphre

/sf/

Brown

brun / brune

/b/ /byn/

cylinder

le cylindre

/sil d/

marron

/ma /

Black

noir / noire

/nwa/

cone

le cne

/kon/

Pink

rose

/oz/

octagon

l'octogone

/ktogn/

Gold

dor / dore

/de/

box

la bote

/bwat/

Silver

argent / argente

/a te/

light

clair / claire

/kl/

Gray

gris / grise

/gi/ /giz/

dark

fonc / fonce

/f se/

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

15. Weather / Le temps qu'il fait

(mp3s/weather.mp3)

(exercises/frweath.htm)

(exercises/frweather.htm)

What's the weather like?

Quel temps fait-il ?

/kl t f til/

It's nice

Il fait bon

/il f b /

bad

Il fait mauvais

/il f mve/

cool

Il fait frais

/il f f/

cold

Il fait froid

/il f fw/

warm, hot

Il fait chaud

/il f o/

cloudy

Il fait nuageux

/il f nya/

beautiful

Il fait beau

/il f bo/

mild

Il fait doux

/il f du/

stormy

Il fait orageux

/il f a/

sunny

Il fait soleil

/il f slj/

humid

Il fait humide

/il f ymid/

muggy

Il fait lourd

/il f lu/

windy

Il fait du vent

/il f dy v /

foggy

Il fait du brouillard

/il f dy buja/

snowing

Il neige

/il n/

raining

Il pleut

/il pl/

freezing

Il gle

/il l/

hailing

Il grle

/il gl/

It is ____ degrees.

Il fait ____ degrs.

/il f __ dge/

Il pleut des cordes /il pl de kod/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille /il kaj/ or a caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius
degrees.
Listen to the le climat: le temps dans les Alpes (frenchlistening.html#climat) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

16. Time / Le temps qui passe

(mp3s/time.mp3)

(exercises/frtimecards.htm)

(exercises/frtime.htm)

What time is it?

Quelle heure est-il ?

/kl til/

It is...

Il est...

/il /

one o'clock

une heure

/yn /

two o'clock

deux heures

/d z/

noon

midi

/midi/

midnight

minuit

/mini/

a quarter after three

trois heures et quart

/tw z e ka/

one o'clock sharp

une heure prcise

/yn pesiz/

four o'clock sharp

quatre heures prcises

/kat pesiz/

twelve thirty

midi (minuit) et demi

/midi (mini) e dmi/

six thirty

six heures et demie

/si z e dmi/

a quarter to seven

sept heures moins le quart

/st mw l ka/

Xve twenty

cinq heures vingt

/s k v /

ten Xfty

onze heures moins dix

/ z mw dis/

in the morning/AM

du matin

/dy mat /

in the afternoon/PM

de l'aprs-midi

/d lapmidi/

in the evening/PM

du soir

/dy swa/

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

Listen to the l'heure & la date : l'emploi du temps (frenchlistening.html#emploidutemps) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

17. Family & Animals / La famille & les animaux

(mp3s/family.mp3)

(exercises/frfamily.htm)

(exercises/frfamily3.htm)

Family

la famille

/famij/

Relatives

des parents

/pa /

Parents

les parents

/pa /

Grandparents

les grands-parents

/g pa /

Mom

la mre / maman

/m/ /mm /

Stepmother/Mother-in-Law

la belle-mre

/blm/

Dad

le pre / papa

/p/ /papa/

Stepfather/Father-in-Law

le beau-pre

/bop/

Daughter

la `lle

/Xj/

Son

le `ls

/Xs/

Sister

la sur

/s/

Half/Step Sister

la demi-sur

/dmi s/

Sister-in-Law

la belle-sur

/bls/

Stepdaughter/Daughter-in-Law

la belle-`lle

/bl Xj/

Brother

le frre

/f/

Half/Step Brother

le demi-frre

/dmi f/

Brother-in-Law

le beau-frre

/bo f/

Stepson/Son-in-Law

le beau-`ls

/bo Xs/

Twins (m)

les jumeaux

/ymo/

Twins (f)

les jumelles

/yml/

Uncle

l'oncle

/ kl/

Aunt

la tante

/t t/

Grandmother

la grand-mre

/g m/

Grandfather

le grand-pre

/g p/

Cousin (f)

la cousine

/kuzin/

Cousin (m)

le cousin

/kuz /

Wife

la femme

/fam/

Husband

le mari

/mai/

Woman

la femme

/fam/

Man

l'homme

/m/

Child (m) / (f)

un enfant / une enfant

/ f /

Girl

la `lle

/Xj/

Boy

le garon

/gas /

Niece

la nice

/njs/

Nephew

le neveu

/n()v/

Grandchildren

les petits-enfants

/p()tiz f /

Granddaughter

la petite-`lle

/p()tit Xj/

Grandson

le petit-`ls

/p()tiXs/

Godfather

le parrain

/pa /

Godmother

la marraine

/man/

Godson

le `lleul

/Xjl/

Goddaughter

la `lleule

/Xjl/

Distant Relatives

des parents loigns

/pa elwae/

Single

clibataire

/selibat/

Married

mari(e)

/maje/

Separated

spar(e)

/sepae/

Divorced

divorc(e)

/divse/

Widower

veuf

/vf/

Widow

veuve

/vv/

Dog

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

/j / /jn/

Cat

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

/a/ /at/

Puppy

le chiot

/jo/

Kitten

le chaton

/at /

Pig

le cochon

/k /

Rooster

le coq

/kk/

Rabbit

le lapin

/lap /

Cow

la vache

/va/

Horse

le cheval

/()val/

Duck

le canard

/kana/

Goat

la chvre

/v/

Goose

l'oie

/wa/

Sheep

le mouton

/mut /

Lamb

l'agneau

/ao/

Donkey

l'ne

/n/

Mouse

la souris

/sui/

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

Listen to the la famille : ma famille (frenchlistening.html#famille) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

Slang words for people and pets:

The entire family

toute la smala

/tut la smala/

Sister

la frangine

/f in/

Grandma

mm / mamie

/meme/ /mami/

Brother

le frangin

/f /

Grandpa

pp / papi

/pepe/ /papi/

Son

le `ston

/Xst /

Children

des gosses

/gs/

Aunt

tata / tatie

/tata/ /tati/

Kid

un gamin / une gamine

/gam / /gamin/

Uncle

tonton

/t t /

Woman

une nana

/nana/

Dog

le cabot / clbard

/kabo/ /kleba/

Man

un mec / type / gars

/mk/ /tip/ /ga/

Cat

le minou

/minu/

Listen to the animaux : chien ou chat ? (frenchlistening.html#animaux) mp3 and try the cloze (Xll-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

18. To Know People & Places / connaitre & savoir

(mp3s/connaitresavoir.mp3) (exercises/frbe_have.htm)

connatre-to know people /knt/

(exercises/frknow.htm)

savoir-to know facts /savwa/

connais

/kn/

connaissons

/kns /

sais

/s/

savons

/sav /

connais

/kn/

connaissez

/knse/

sais

/s/

savez

/save/

connat

/kn/

connaissent

/kns/

sait

/s/

savent

/sav/

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

Connatre can be translated several ways into English:

Tu connais le `lm, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the Xlm, Les Enfants?
Tu connais Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon?
Tu connais la tartigette ? Have you ever eaten tartiOette?

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:

(mp3s/pluralnouns.mp3) (exercises/frbe_have.htm)

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

20. Possessive Adjectives / les adjectifs possessifs

(mp3s/possadjectives.mp3) (exercises/frbe_have.htm)

(exercises/frpossadj.htm)

Masc.

Fem.

Plural

My

mon /m /

ma /ma/

mes /m/

Your

ton /t /

ta /ta/

tes /t/

His/Her/Its

son /s /

sa /sa/

ses /s/

Our

notre /nt/

notre /nt/

nos /no/

Your

votre /vt/

votre /vt/

vos /vo/

Their

leur /l/

leur /l/

leurs /l/

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

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