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French I Tutorial

French Index | French II | French III | French IV | French V | French VI | French VII | Informal French & Slang | French mp3s
Romance Languages | French & Italian | French & German

Champs-Elysées is a great French audio magazine for improving listening comprehension and cultural understanding of the French-speaking world.
If you're interested in buying books to supplement your French studies, I've recommended some books from Amazon.

For fastest downloading, as well as the DownThemAll add-on. This will allow you to download all of the mp3s on this page at once and increase the download speed up to 400%. Recordings of mp3s were done by a native speaker of French from Haute-Savoie.


[ French I Zip file of mp3s - 20.95 MB ]

1. Some Basic Phrases [ mp3 - 2.94 MB ]

Bonjour
bohn-zhoor
Hello / Good day
Bonsoir
bohn-swahr
Good evening
Bonne nuit
bun nwee
Good night
Salut
sah-lew
Hi / Bye
Au revoir
ohr-vwah
Goodbye
S'il vous plaît
seel voo pleh
Please
Merci (beaucoup)
mair-see boh-koo
Thank you (very much)
De rien. / Je vous en prie.
duh ree-ahn / zhuh voo zawn pree
You're welcome.
Bienvenu(e)
bee-ahn-vuh-new
Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec)
A tout à l'heure / A plus tard
ah too tah luhr / ah plew tahr
See you later
A bientôt
ah bee-ahn-toh
See you soon
A demain
ah duh-mahn
See you tomorrow
Désolé(e)!
day-zoh-lay
Sorry!
Pardonnez-moi!
pahr-dohn-nay-mwah
Excuse me!
Allons-y!
ah-lohn-zee
Let's go!
Comment allez-vous ?
koh-mawn tahl-ay voo
How are you? (formal)
Ça va ?
sah vah
How are you? (informal)
Très bien / mal / pas mal
treh bee-ahn / mahl / pah mahl
Very good / bad / not bad
Je vais bien
zhuh vay bee-ahn
I'm fine.
Ça va.
sah vah
I'm fine. (informal)
Oui / non
wee/nohn
Yes / no
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
koh-mawn voo zah-play voo
What's your name? (formal)
Tu t'appelles comment ?
tew tah-pell koh-mawn
What's your name? (informal)
Je m'appelle...
zhuh mah-pell
My name is...
Enchanté(e)
awn-shawn-tay
Nice to meet you.
Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle
muh-syuh, mah-dahm, mahd-mwah-zell
Mister, Misses, Miss
Mesdames et Messieurs
meh-dahm zeh meh-syuh
Ladies and gentlemen
Vous êtes d'où ?
voo zet doo
Where are you from? (formal)
Tu es d'où ?
tew ay doo
Where are you from? (informal)
Je suis de...
zhuh swee duh
I am from...
Où habitez-vous ?
ooh ah-bee-tay voo
Where do you live? (formal)
Tu habites où ?
tew ah-beet ooh
Where do you live? (informal)
J'habite à...
zhah-beet ah
I live in...
Quel âge avez-vous ?
kell ahzh ah-vay voo
How old are you? (formal)
Tu as quel âge ?
tew ah kell ahzh
How old are you? (informal)
J'ai ____ ans.
zhay ____ awn
I am ____ years old.
Parlez-vous français ?
par-lay voo frahn-say
Do you speak French? (formal)
Tu parles anglais ?
tew parl on-glay
Do you speak English? (informal)
Je (ne) parle (pas)...
zhuh nuh parl pah
I (don't) speak...
Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends?
kohm-pren-ay-voo / tew kohm-prawn
Do you understand? (formal / informal)
Je (ne) comprends (pas)
zhuh nuh kohm-prawn pah
I (don't) understand
Je (ne) sais (pas)
zhuhn say pah
I (don't) know
Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu peux m'aider ?
poo-vay voo meh-day / tew puh meh-day
Can you help me? (formal / informal)
Bien sûr.
bee-ahn sewr
Of course.
Comment?
kohm-mawn
What? Pardon?
Où est ... / Où sont ... ?
ooh eh / ooh sohn
Where is ... / Where are ... ?
Voici / Voilà
vwah-see / vwah-lah
Here is... / Here it is.
Il y a ... / Il y avait...
eel-ee-ah / eel-ee-ah-veh
There is / are... / There was / were...
Comment dit-on ____ en français ?
kohm-mawn dee-tohn ___ on frahn-say
How do you say ____ in French?
Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ?
kess kuh seh kuh sah
What is that?

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?
kess keel-ee-ah
What's the matter?

Ça ne fait rien.
sah nuh feh ree-ahn
It doesn't matter.
Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?
kess kee suh pahs
What's happening?
Je n'ai aucune idée.
zhuh neh oh-kewn ee-day
I have no idea.
Je suis fatigué(e) / malade.
zhuh swee fah-tee-gay / mah-lahd
I'm tired / sick.
J'ai faim / J'ai soif.
zhay fawn / zhay swahf
I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.
J'ai chaud / J'ai froid.
zhay show / zhay fwah
I'm hot / I'm cold.
Je m'ennuie.
zhuh mawn-nwee
I'm bored.
Ça m'est égal. / Je m'en fiche.
sah meh-teh-gahl / zhuh mawn feesh
I don't care.
Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t'en fais pas.
nuh voo zawn fett pah / nuh tawn feh pah
Don't worry (formal / informal)
Ce n'est pas grave.
suh neh pah grahv
It's no problem. / It's alright.
J'ai oublié.
zhay oo-blee-ay
I forgot.
Je dois y aller.
zhuh dwah ee ah-lay
I must go.
A vos souhaits ! / A tes souhaits !
ah voh soo-eh / a teh soo-eh
Bless you! (formal / informal)
Félicitations !
fay-lee-see-tah-see-ohn
Congratulations!
Bonne chance !
bun shahns
Good luck!
C'est à vous ! / C'est à toi !
set ah voo / set a twah
It's your turn! (formal / informal)
Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi !
teh-zay voo / teh twah
Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal)
Je vous aime / Je t'aime
zhuh voo zem / zhuh tem
I love you (formal & plural / informal)
Tenez / Tiens
tuh-nay / tee-ahn
Hey / Here (formal / informal)
Quoi de neuf ? / Ça boume ?
kwah duh nuhf / sah boom
What's new? / What's up?
Pas grand chose.
pah grahn shohz
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.


2. Pronunciation [ mp3 - 4.22 MB ]
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
[ɛ] eh 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
[ɑ] ah longer bas, âne, grâce, château a, â
[u] oo loup, cou, caillou, outil ou
[o] oh eau, dos, escargot, hôtel o, ô
[ɔ] aw sol, pomme, cloche, horloge o
[ə] uh fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise e

[ɑ] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]

 

French semi-vowels
IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling
[w] w fois, oui, Louis oi, ou
[ɥ] 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
[ɛ̃] ahn pain, vin, linge in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um, en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, éen
[œ̃] uhn brun, lundi, parfum un
[õ] ohn rond, ongle, front on, om

[œ̃] is being replaced with [ɛ̃] 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:

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.

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 [ mp3 - 538 KB ]

a ah j zhee s ess
b beh k kah t teh
c seh l ell u ew
d deh m em v veh
e uh n en w doo-bluh-veh
f eff o oh x eeks
g zheh p peh y ee-grek
h ahsh q kew z zed
i ee r air


4. Nouns, Articles and Demonstrative Adjectives [ mp3 - 373 KB ]

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
the bed
la pomme
the apple
l'oiseau
the bird
les gants
the gloves

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some)
Masculine Feminine Plural
un lit
a bed
une pomme
an apple
des gants
some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)
Masc. Masc, Before Vowel Fem. Plural
ce lit
this/that bed
cet oiseau
this/that bird
cette pomme
this/that apple
ces gants
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 and General Vocabulary [ mp3 - 1.11 MB ]

It's / That's c'est seh There is/are il y a eel-ee-yah
There is/are voilà vwah-lah Here is/are voici vwah-see
and et ay always toujours too-zhoor
but mais meh often souvent soo-vawn
now maintenant mahnt-nawn sometimes quelquefois kell-kuh-fwah
especially surtout sewr-too usually d'habitude dah-bee-tewd
except sauf sohf also, too aussi oh-see
of course bien sûr bee-ahn sewr again encore awn-kore
so so comme ci, comme ça kohm see kohm sah late en retard awn-ruh-tar
not bad pas mal pah mal almost presque presk
book le livre luh leevr friend (fem) une amie ew nah-mee
pencil le crayon luh krah-yohn friend (masc) un ami ah-nah-mee
pen le stylo luh stee-loh woman une femme ewn fawn
paper le papier luh pah-pee-yay man un homme ah-nohm
dog le chien luh shee-ahn girl une fille ewn feey
cat le chat luh shah boy un garçon ahn gar-sohn
money l'argent (m) lahr-zhawn job / work le travail luh trah-vy

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


6. Subject Pronouns [ mp3 - 204 KB ]

Subject Pronouns
je

zhuh

I nous

noo

We
tu

tew

You (informal) vous

voo

You (formal and plural)
il
elle
on

eel
ell
ohn

He
She
One
ils
elles

eel
ell

They (masc.)
They (fem.)

Note:  Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name.  Ils and elles can replace plural nouns as well in the same way.  Notice there are two ways to say you.  Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives.  Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older.  On can be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you.

Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone.


7. To Be and To Have [ mp3 - 1.83 MB ]

Present tense of être - to be (eh-truh)
I am je suis zhuh swee We are nous sommes noo sohm
You are tu es tew ay You are vous êtes voo zett
He is
She is
One is
il est
elle est
on est
eel ay
ell ay
ohn ay
They are
They are
ils sont
elles sont
eel sohn
ell sohn

Past tense of être - to be
I was (being) j'étais zhay-teh We were (being) nous étions ay-tee-ohn
You were (being) tu étais ay-teh You were (being) vous étiez ay-tee-ay
He was (being)
She was (being)
One was (being)
il était
elle était
on était
ay-teh
ay-teh
ay-teh
They were (being)
They were (being)
ils étaient
elles étaient
ay-teh
ay-teh

Note: 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 suh-reh We will be nous serons suh-rohn
You will be tu seras suh-rah You will be vous serez suh-ray
He will be
She will be
One will be
il sera
elle sera
on sera
suh-rah
suh-rah
suh-rah
They will be
They will be
ils seront
elles seront
suh-rohn
suh-rohn

Present tense of avoir - to have (ah-vwahr)
I have j'ai zhay We have nous avons ah-vohn
You have tu as ah You have vous avez ah-vay
He has
She has
One has
il a
elle a
on a
ah They have
They have
ils ont
elles ont
ohn

Past tense of avoir - to have
I had j'avais zhah-veh We had avions ah-vee-ohn
You had avais ah-veh You had aviez ah-vee-ay
He/she had avait ah-veh They had avaient ah-veh

Future tense of avoir - to have
I will have j'aurai zhoh-reh We will have nous aurons oh-rohn
You will have tu auras oh-rah You will have vous aurez oh-ray
He will have
She will have
One will have
il aura
elle aura
on aura
oh-rah They will have
They will have
ils auront
elles auront
oh-rohn

In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t'es, tu as = t'as, 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 être [ mp3 - 1.33 MB ]
Avoir and être are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:

avoir chaud - to be hot
avoir froid - to be cold
avoir peur - to be afraid
avoir raison - to be right
avoir tort - to be wrong
avoir faim - to be hungry
avoir soif - to be thirsty
avoir sommeil - to be sleepy
avoir honte - to be ashamed
avoir besoin de - to need
avoir l'air de - to look like, seem
avoir l'intention de - to intend to
avoir envie de - to feel like
avoir de la chance - to be lucky
être de retour - to be back
être en retard - to be late
être en avance - to be early
être d'accord - to be in agreement
être sur le point de - to be about to
être en train de - to be in the act of
être enrhumée - to have a cold
nous + être (un jour) - to be (a day)





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 [ mp3 - 183 KB ]

Who Qui kee
What Quoi kwah
Why Pourquoi poor-kwah
When Quand kawn
Where ooh
How Comment       kohn-mawn
How much / many     Combien kohn-bee-ahn
Which / what Quel(le) kehl


9. Numbers / Les numéros [ mp3 - 1.06 MB ]

Zero Zéro zay-roh
One   Un ahn
Two Deux duh
Three Trois twah
Four Quatre kat
Five Cinq sahn
Six Six seess
Seven Sept set
Eight Huit weet
Nine Neuf nuhf
Ten Dix deess
Eleven Onze ohnz
Twelve Douze dooz
Thirteen Treize trehz
Fourteen Quatorze        kah-tohrz      
Fifteen Quinze kanz
Sixteen Seize sez
Seventeen          Dix-sept dee-set
Eighteen Dix-huit deez-weet
Nineteen Dix-neuf deez-nuhf
Twenty Vingt vahn
Twenty-one Vingt et un vahn tay ahn
Twenty-two Vingt-deux vahn duh
Twenty-three Vingt-trois vahn twah
Thirty Trente trawnt
Thirty-one Trente et un trawnt ay uhn
Thirty-two Trente-deux trawnt duh
Forty Quarante kah-rawnt
Fifty Cinquante sank-awnt
Sixty Soixante swah-sawnt
Seventy Soixante-dix swah-sawnt dees
(Belgium & Switzerland) Septante sehp-tawnt
Seventy-one Soixante et onze swah-ssawnt ay ohnz
Seventy-two Soixante-douze swah-ssawnt dooz
Eighty Quatre-vingts ka-truh vahn
(Belgium & Switzerland) Octante awk-tawnt
Eighty-one Quatre-vingt-un ka-truh vahn tahn
Eighty-two Quatre-vingt-deux ka-truh vahn duh
Ninety Quatre-vingt-dix ka-truh vahn dees
(Belgium & Switzerland) Nonante noh-nawnt
Ninety-one Quatre-vingt-onze ka-truh vahn ohnz
Ninety-two Quatre-vingt-douze ka-truh vahn dooz
One Hundred Cent sawn
One Hundred One Cent un sawn ahn
Two Hundred Deux cents duh sawn
Two Hundred One Deux cent un duh sawn ahn
Thousand Mille meel
Two Thousand Deux mille duh meel
Million Un million ahn meel-ee-ohn
Billion Un milliard ahn meel-ee-yahr

Note:  French switches the use of commas and periods.  1,00 would be 1.00 in English.  Belgian and Swiss French use septante, octante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70, 80, and 90 (though some parts of Switzerland use huitante instead of octante).  Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zéro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.

Ordinal Numbers [ mp3 - 356 KB ]

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

Note:  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.


10. Days of the Week / Les jours de la semaine [ mp3 - 481 KB ]

Monday lundi lahn-dee
Tuesday mardi mahr-dee
Wednesday       mercredi mair-kruh-dee  
Thursday jeudi zhuh-dee
Friday vendredi vawn-druh-dee
Saturday samedi sawm-dee
Sunday dimanche       dee-mawnsh
day le jour luh zhoor
week la semaine lah suh-men
today aujourd'hui oh-zhoor-dwee
yesterday hier ee-air
tomorrow demain duh-mahn
next prochain / prochaine proh-shahn / proh-shen
last dernier / dernière dair-nee-ey / dair-nee-air
day before yesterday avant-hier ah-vawn-tee-air
day after tomorrow après-demain ah-preh-duh-mahn
the following day le lendemain lawn-duh-mahn
the day before la veille vay

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


11. Months of the Year / Les mois de l'année [ mp3 - 383 KB ]

January janvier zhan-vee-ay
February février fay-vree-ay
March mars marz
April avril ah-vril
May mai may-ee
June juin zhwahn
July juillet zhwee-ay
August août oot
September     septembre sep-tawm-bruh
October octobre ahk-toh-bruh
November novembre noh-vawm-bruh
December décembre day-sawm-bruh
month le mois luh mwah
year l'an / l'année lawn/law-nay
decade la décennie day-suh-nee
century le siècle see-ehk
millennium le millénaire mee-lay-nair

Note:  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 [ mp3 - 157 KB ]

Summer l'été lay-tay in the summer en été awn ay-tay
Fall l'automne loh-tohn in the fall en automne aw noh-tohn
Winter l'hiver lee-vair in the winter en hiver aw nee-vair
Spring le printemps luh prahn-tawn in the spring au printemps oh prahn-tawn


13. Directions / Les directions [ mp3 - 254 KB ]
on the left à gauche ah gohsh
on the right à droite a dwaht
straight ahead tout droit too dwah

North le nord luh nor Northeast le nord-est luh nor-est
South le sud luh sewd Northwest le nord-ouest luh nor-west
East l'est lest Southeast le sud-est luh sewd-est
West l'ouest lwest Southwest le sud-ouest luh sewd-west


14. Colors and Shapes / Les couleurs et les formes [ mp3 - 814 KB ]

Red rouge roozh square le carré kah-ray
Orange orange oh-rahnzh circle le cercle sair-kluh
Yellow jaune zhohn triangle le triangle tree-awn-gluh
Green vert / verte vehr / vehrt rectangle le rectangle ruhk-tawn-gluh
Blue bleu / bleue bluh oval l'ovale loh-vahl
Purple violet / violette vee-oh-leh / vee-oh-lett cube le cube kewb
White blanc / blanche blawn / blawnsh sphere la sphère sfair
Brown brun / brune
marron
brahn / brewn
mah-rohn
cylinder le cylindre see-lahn-druh
Black noir / noire nwahr cone le cône kohn
Pink rose roze octagon l'octogone ok-toh-gohn
Gold doré / dorée doh-ray box la boîte bwaht
Silver argenté / argentée ahr-zhawn-tay light clair / claire klehr
Gray gris / grise gree / greez dark foncé / foncée fohn-say

Note: 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.  Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.


15. Weather / Le temps qu'il fait [ mp3 - 757 KB ]

What's the weather like? Quel temps fait-il ? kell tawn fay-teel
It's nice Il fait bon eel fay bohn
bad Il fait mauvais moh-vay
cool Il fait frais fray
cold Il fait froid fwah
warm, hot Il fait chaud shoh
cloudy Il fait nuageux noo-ah-zhuh
beautiful Il fait beau boh
mild Il fait doux dooh
stormy Il fait orageux oh-rah-zhuh
sunny Il fait soleil so-lay
humid Il fait humide ew-meed
muggy Il fait lourd loor
windy Il fait du vent vawn
foggy Il fait du brouillard broo-ee-yar
snowing Il neige eel nezh
raining Il pleut pluh
freezing Il gèle zhell
hailing Il grêle grell
It is ____ degrees. Il fait ____ degrés. eel feh duh-greh

Note:   Il pleut des cordes is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille or ça caille is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius degrees.


16. Time / Le temps qui passe [ mp3 - 529 KB ]

What time is it? Quelle heure est-il ? kell urr ay-teel
It is... Il est... eel ay
one o'clock une heure oon urr
two o'clock deux heures duh zurr
noon midi mee-dee
midnight minuit meen-wee
a quarter after three trois heures et quart twa zurr ay car
one o'clock sharp une heure précise oon urr pray-sees
four o'clock sharp quatre heures précises ka-truh urr pray-sees
twelve thirty midi (minuit) et demi meee-dee (meen-wee) ay duh-mee
six thirty six heures et demie see zurr ay duh-mee
a quarter to seven sept heures moins le quart set urr mwahn luh car
five twenty cinq heures vingt sank urr vahn
ten fifty onze heures moins dix ohnz urr mwan dees
in the morning/AM du matin doo mah-tahn
in the afternoon/PM de l'après-midi duh lah-pray mih-dee
in the evening/PM du soir doo swahr

Note:  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 is also a more informal way of saying précise (exactly, sharp).


17. Family and Animals / La famille et les animaux [ mp3 - 2.01 MB ]

Family la famille fah-mee Girl la fille fee
Relatives des parents pahr-awn Boy le garçon gar-sohn
Parents les parents pahr-awn Niece la nièce nee-ess
Grandparents les grands-parents grawn-pahr-awn Nephew le neveu nuh-vuh
Mom la mère, maman mehr, ma-ma Grandchildren les petits-enfants puh-tee-zawn-fawn
Stepmother/Mother-in-Law la belle-mère bell-mehr Granddaughter la petite-fille puh-teet fee
Dad le père, papa pehr, pa-pa Grandson le petit-fils puh-tee feez
Stepfather/Father-in-Law le beau-père boh-pehr Distant Relatives des parents éloignés pahr-awn ay-lwawn-yay
Daughter la fille fee Single célibataire say-lee-bah-tair
Son le fils feess Married marié(e) mah-ree-ay
Sister la sœur sir Separated séparé(e) say-pah-ray
Half/Step Sister la demi-sœur duh-mee-sir Divorced divorcé(e) dee-vor-say
Sister-in-Law la belle-sœur bell-sir Widower / Widow veuf / veuve vuhf / vuhv
Stepdaughter/Daughter-in-Law la belle-fille bell-fee
Brother le frère frehr Dog le chien / la chienne shee-ahn / shee-enn
Half/Step Brother le demi-frère duh-mee-frehr Cat le chat / la chatte shah / shaht
Brother-in-Law le beau-frère boh-frair Puppy le chiot shee-oh
Stepson/Son-in-Law le beau-fils boh-feess Kitten le chaton shah-tohn
Twins (m) les jumeaux zhoo-moh Pig le cochon koh-shohn
Twins (f) les jumelles zhoo-mell Rooster le coq kohk
Uncle l'oncle ohnk-luh Rabbit le lapin lah-pahn
Aunt la tante tawnt Cow la vache vahsh
Grandmother la grand-mère grawn-mehr Horse le cheval chuh-val
Grandfather le grand-père grawn-pehr Duck le canard kah-nahr
Cousin (f) la cousine koo-zeen Goat la chèvre shev-ruh
Cousin (m) le cousin koo-zahn Goose l'oie lwah
Wife la femme fawn Sheep le mouton moo-tohn
Husband le mari mah-ree Lamb l'agneau lan-yoh
Woman la femme fawn Donkey l'âne lon
Man l'homme ohm Mouse la souris soo-ree

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

Slang words for people and pets:

The entire family toute la smala toot lah smahlah Sister la frangine lah frahn-zheen
Grandma mémé / mamie meh-meh / mah-mee Brother

le frangin

luh frahn-zhan
Grandpa pépé / papi peh-peh / pah-pee Son le fiston luh fee-stohn
Children des gosses deh gohss Aunt tata / tatie tah-tah / tah-tee
Kid un gamin / une gamine ahn gah-mahn / ewn gah-meen Uncle tonton tohn-tohn
Woman une nana ewn nah-nah Dog le cabot / clébard luh kah-boh / kleh-bahr
Man un mec / type / gars ahn mek / teep / gahr Cat le minou luh mee-noo

18. To Know People and Places [ mp3 - 843 KB ]

connaître-to know people (koh-net-truh) savoir-to know facts  (sahv-wahr)
connais koh-neh connaissons koh-nezz-ohn sais say savons sah-vohn
connais koh-neh connaissez koh-nezz-ay sais say savez sav-ay
connaît koh-neh connaissent koh-ness sait say savent sahv

Note:  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 [ mp3 - 637 KB ]

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).


20. Possessive Adjectives [ mp3 - 654 KB ]

Masc. Fem. Plural
My mon (mohn) ma (mah) mes (may)
Your ton ta tes
His/Her/Its son sa ses
Our notre (noh-truh) notre nos (noh)
Your votre votre vos
Their leur (luhr) leur leurs (luhr)

Note:  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.

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.


French Index | French II | French III | French IV | French V | French VI | French VII | Informal French & Slang | French mp3s
Romance Languages | French & Italian | French & German


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