French I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

French I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Rocket French: Learn French In Just 8 weeks is a great program for beginning French learners. It includes over 11 hours of audio, vocabulary and verb games, and grammar lessons that are all downloadable from their website. Champs-Elysées is an audio magazine for improving listening comprehension and cultural understanding of the French-speaking world for intermediate to advanced learners. If you're interested in buying books to supplement your French studies, I've recommended some books from Amazon. And Ectaco sells many electronic handheld dictionaries and translators.

Click on the play button to listen to the mp3s without downloading them. If you'd like to download the mp3s, use the DownThemAll add-on for Firefox. Alternatively, you can download a Zip file of all of the mp3s on this page: French I Zip (20.95 MB). Recordings of mp3s were done by a native speaker of French from Haute-Savoie. The exercises (made with Hot Potatoes) will open in a new window. I am slowly changing over the pronunciation guides to standard IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols, though Internet Explorer has some spacing issues with the symbols. I recommend using Firefox to view this site. And a huge thank you to Myles for helping with the IPA!!

1. Some Basic Phrases [ mp3 - 2.94 MB ] [ Multiple Choice Exercise ]

Bonjour /bɔ̃ʒuʀ/ Hello / Good day	Bonsoir /bɔ̃swaʀ/ Good evening	Bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ Good night
Salut /saly/ Hi / Bye	Au revoir /ɔʀ(ə)vwaʀ/ Goodbye	S'il vous plaît /sil vu plɛ/ Please
Merci (beaucoup) /mɛʀsi boku/ Thank you (very much)	De rien. / Je vous en prie. /də ʀjɛ̃/ /ʒəvu zɑ̃ pri/ You're welcome.	Bienvenu(e) /bjɛ̃vəny/ Welcome (also You're welcome in Quebec)
A tout à l'heure / A plus tard /a tu ta lœʀ/ /a ply taʀ/ See you later	A bientôt /a bjɛ̃to/ See you soon	A demain /a dəmɛ̃/ See you tomorrow
Désolé(e)! /dezɔle/ Sorry!	Pardon ! /paʀdɔ̃/ Excuse me!	Allons-y! /alɔ̃ zi/ Let's go!
Comment allez-vous ? /kɔmɑ̃ tale vu/ How are you? (formal)	Ça va ? /sa va/ How are you? (informal)	Très bien / mal / pas mal /tʀɛ bjɛ̃/ /mal/ /pa mal/ Very good / bad / not bad
Je vais bien /ʒə ve bjɛ̃/ I'm fine.	Ça va. /sa va/ I'm fine. (informal)	Oui / non /wi/ /nɔ̃/ Yes / no
Comment vous appelez-vous ? /kɔmɑ̃ vu zaple vu/ What's your name? (formal)	Tu t'appelles comment ? /ty tapɛl kɔmɑ̃/ What's your name? (informal)	Je m'appelle... /ʒə mapɛl/ My name is...
Enchanté(e) /ɑ̃ʃɑ̃te/ Nice to meet you.	Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle /məsjø/ /madam/ /madwazɛl/ Mister, Misses, Miss	Mesdames et Messieurs /medam/ /mesjø/ Ladies and gentlemen
Vous êtes d'où ? /vu zɛt du/ Where are you from? (formal)	Tu es d'où ? /ty ɛ du/ Where are you from? (informal)	Je suis de... /ʒə sɥi də/ 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... /ʒabit a/ I live in...
Quel âge avez-vous ? /kɛl ɑʒ ave vu/ How old are you? (formal)	Tu as quel âge ? /ty ɑ kɛl ɑʒ/ How old are you? (informal)	J'ai ____ ans. /ʒe __ ɑ̃/ I am ____ years old.
Parlez-vous français ? /paʀle vu frɑ̃sɛ/ Do you speak French? (formal)	Tu parles anglais ? /ty paʀl ɑ̃glɛ/ Do you speak English? (informal)	Je (ne) parle (pas)... /ʒə (nə) paʀl pa/ I (don't) speak...
Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends? /kɔ̃pʀəne vu/ /ty kɔ̃pʀɑ̃/ Do you understand? (formal / informal)	Je (ne) comprends (pas) /ʒə nə kɔ̃pʀɑ̃ (pa)/ I (don't) understand	Je (ne) sais (pas) /ʒə(n) sɛ (pa)/ I (don't) know
Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu peux m'aider ? /puve vu mede/ /ty pø mede/ Can you help me? (formal / informal)	Bien sûr. /bjɛ̃ syʀ/ Of course.	Comment? /kɔmɑ̃/ What? Pardon?
Où est ... / Où sont ... ? /u ɛ/ /u sɔ̃/ Where is ... / Where are ... ?	Voici / Voilà /vwasi/ /vwala/ Here is... / Here it is.	Il y a ... / Il y avait... /il i a/ /il i avɛ/ There is / are... / There was / were...
Comment dit-on ____ en français ? /kɔmɑ̃ di tɔ̃ __ ɑ̃ fʀɑ̃sɛ/ How do you say ____ in French?	Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? /kɛs kə sɛ kə sa/ What is that?	Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? /kɛs kil i a/ What's the matter?
Ça ne fait rien. /sa nə fɛ ʀjɛ̃/ It doesn't matter.	Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? /kɛs ki sə pas/ What's happening?	Je n'ai aucune idée. /ʒə ne okyn ide/ I have no idea.
Je suis fatigué(e) / malade. /ʒə sɥi fatiɡe/ I'm tired / sick.	J'ai faim / J'ai soif. /ʒe fɛ̃/ /ʒe swaf/ I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.	J'ai chaud / J'ai froid. /ʒe ʃo/ /ʒe fʀwɑ/ I'm hot / I'm cold.
Je m'ennuie. /ʒə mɑ̃nɥi/ I'm bored.	Ça m'est égal. / Je m'en fiche. /sa mɛ teɡal/ /ʒə mɑ̃ fiʃ/ I don't care.	Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t'en fais pas. /nə vu ɑ̃ fɛt pa/ /nə tɑ̃ fɛ pa/ Don't worry (formal / informal)
Ce n'est pas grave. /sə nɛ pa gʀav/ It's no problem. / It's alright.	J'ai oublié. /ʒe ublije/ I forgot.	Je dois y aller. /ʒə dwa i ale/ I must go.
A vos souhaits ! / A tes souhaits ! /a vo swɛ/ /a te swɛ/ Bless you! (formal / informal)	Félicitations ! /felisitasjɔ̃/ Congratulations!	Bonne chance ! /bɔn ʃɑ̃s/ Good luck!
C'est à vous ! / C'est à toi ! /sɛ ta vu/ /sɛ ta twɑ/ It's your turn! (formal / informal)	Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! /tɛze vu/ /tɛ twɑ/ Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal)	Je vous aime / Je t'aime /ʒə vu zɛm/ /ʒə tɛm/ I love you (formal & plural / informal)
Tenez / Tiens /təne/ /tjɛ̃/ Hey / Here (formal / informal)	Quoi de neuf ? / Ça boume ? /kwɑ də nœf/ /sa bum/ What's new? / What's up?	Pas grand chose. /pa gʀɑ̃ ʃoz/ 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 ] *Re-recorded mp3 January 2009! For a more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try to the new French Phonetics tutorial.

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]. Vowels that do not exist in English are marked in blue.

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
[ã]	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:

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 /ʀapidmɑ̃/ /ɑ̃tmɑ̃/ /sovtaʒ/
sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byʀo/ /ʃel dɔktoʀ/
il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/
je n(e), de n(e) /ʒən/ /dən/
j(e) te, c(e) que /ʃt/ /skə/ (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 [ mp3 - 538 KB ]

a	/a/	j	/ʒi/	s	/ɛs/
b	/be/	k	/ka/	t	/te/
c	/se/	l	/ɛl/	u	/y/
d	/de/	m	/ɛm/	v	/ve/
e	/ə/	n	/ɛn/	w	/dubləve/
f	/ɛf/	o	/o/	x	/iks/
g	/ʒɜ/	p	/pe/	y	/igrɛk/
h	/aʃ/	q	/ky/	z	/zɛd/
i	/i/	r	/ɛʀ/

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 /lə li/ the bed		la pomme /la pɔm/ the apple		l'oiseau /lwazo/ the bird		les gants /le ɡɑ̃/ the gloves

**Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some)**
Masculine		Feminine		Plural
un lit /õ li/ a bed		une pomme / yn pɔm/ an apple		des gants /de ɡɑ̃/ some gloves

**Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)**
Masc.		Masc, Before Vowel		Fem.		Plural
ce lit /sə li/ this/that bed		cet oiseau /sɛ twazo/ this/that bird		cette pomme /sɛt pɔm/ this/that apple		ces gants /se ɡɑ̃/ 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 & General Vocabulary [ mp3 - 1.11 MB ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ]

It's / That's	c'est	/sɛ/	There is/are	il y a	/il i a/
There is/are	voilà	/vwala/	Here is/are	voici	/vwasi/
and	et	/e/	always	toujours	/tuʒuʀ/
but	mais	/mɛ/	often	souvent	/suvɑ̃/
now	maintenant	/mɛ̃tnɑ̃/	sometimes	quelquefois	/kɛlkəfwa/
especially	surtout	/syʀtu/	usually	d'habitude	/dabityd/
except	sauf	/sof/	also, too	aussi	/osi/
of course	bien sûr	/bjɛ̃ syʀ/	again	encore	/ɑ̃kɔʀ/
so so	comme ci, comme ça	/kɔm si, kɔm sa/	late	en retard	/ɑ̃ʀətaʀ/
not bad	pas mal	/pa mal/	almost	presque	/pʀɛsk/
book	le livre	/lə livʀ/	friend (fem)	une amie	/y nami/
pencil	le crayon	/lə kʀɛjɔ̃/	friend (masc)	un ami	/o ̃ nami/
pen	le stylo	/lə stilo/	woman	une femme	/yn fam/
paper	le papier	/lə papje/	man	un homme	/õ nɔm/
dog	le chien	/lə ʃjɛ̃/	girl	une fille	/yn fij/
cat	le chat	/lə ʃa/	boy	un garçon	/õ gaʀsɔ̃/
money	l'argent (m)	/laʀʒɑ̃/	job / work	le travail	/lə tʀavaj/

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	/ʒə/	I	nous	/nu/	We
tu	/ty/	You (informal)	vous	/vu/	You (formal and plural)
il elle on	/il/ /ɛl/ /ɔ̃/	He She One	ils elles	/il/ /ɛl/	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 ] [ Conjugation Exercises ] [ Avoir & Etre Expressions Exercise ]

**Present tense of être /ɛtʀ/ - to be**
I am	je suis	/ʒə sɥi/	We are	nous sommes	/nu sɔm/
You are	tu es	/ty ɛ/	You are	vous êtes	/vu zɛt/
He is She is One is	il est elle est on est	/il ɛ/ /ɛl ɛ/ /ɔ̃ nɛ/	They are They are	ils sont elles sont	/il sɔ̃/ /ɛl sɔ̃/

**Past tense of être - to be**
I was	j'étais	/ʒetɛ/	We were	nous étions	/nu zetjɔ̃/
You were	tu étais	/tu etɛ/	You were	vous étiez	/vu zetje/
He was She was One was	il était elle était on était	/il etɛ/ /ɛl etɛ/ /ɔ̃ netɛ/	They were They were	ils étaient elles étaient	/il zetɛ/ /ɛl zetɛ/

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	/ʒə səʀe/	We will be	nous serons	/nu səʀɔ̃/
You will be	tu seras	/ty səʀa/	You will be	vous serez	/vu səʀe/
He will be She will be One will be	il sera elle sera on sera	/il səʀa/ /ɛl səʀa/ /ɔ səʀa/	They will be They will be	ils seront elles seront	/il səʀɔ̃/ /ɛl səʀɔ̃/

**Present tense of avoir /avwaʀ/ - to have**
I have	j'ai	/ʒe/	We have	nous avons	/nu zavɔ̃/
You have	tu as	/ty ɑ/	You have	vous avez	/vu zave/
He has She has One has	il a elle a on a	/il ɑ/ /ɛl ɑ/ /ɔ nɑ/	They have They have	ils ont elles ont	/il zɔ̃/ /ɛl zɔ̃/

**Past tense of avoir - to have**
I had	j'avais	/ʒavɛ/	We had	nous avions	/nu zavjɔ̃/
You had	tu avais	/ty avɛ/	You had	vous aviez	/vu zavje/
He had She had One had	il avait elle avait on avait	/il avɛ/ /ɛl avɛ/ /ɔ navɛ/	They had	ils avaient elles avaient	/il zavɛ/ /ɛl zavɛ/

**Future tense of avoir - to have**
I will have	j'aurai	/ʒoʀe/	We will have	nous aurons	/nu zoʀɔ̃/
You will have	tu auras	/ty oʀɑ/	You will have	vous aurez	/vu zoʀe/
He will have She will have One will have	il aura elle aura on aura	/il oʀa/ /ɛl oʀa/ /ɔ noʀa/	They will have They will have	ils auront elles auront	/il zoʀɔ̃/ /ɛl zoʀɔ̃/

In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t'es /tɛ/, tu as = t'as /tɑ/, 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	/avwaʀ ʃo/	to be hot	être de retour	/ɛtʀ də ʀətuʀ/	to be back
avoir froid	/avwaʀ fʀwa/	to be cold	être en retard	/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ ʀətaʀ/	to be late
avoir peur	/avwaʀ poʀ/	to be afraid	être en avance	/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ navɑ̃s/	to be early
avoir raison	/avwaʀ ʀɛzɔ̃/	to be right	être d'accord	/ɛtʀ dakɔʀ/	to be in agreement
avoir tort	/avwaʀ tɔʀ/	to be wrong	être sur le point de	/ɛtʀ syʀ lə pwɛ̃ də/	to be about to
avoir faim	/avwaʀ fɛ̃/	to be hungry	être en train de	/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ tʀɛ̃ də/	to be in the act of
avoir soif	/avwaʀ swaf/	to be thirsty	être enrhumée	/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ʀyme/	to have a cold
avoir sommeil	/avwaʀ sɔmɛj/	to be sleepy	nous + être (un jour)	/ɛtʀ õ ʒuʀ/	to be (a day)
avoir honte	/avwaʀ ʽɔ̃t/	to be ashamed
avoir besoin de	/avwaʀ bəzwɛ̃ də/	to need
avoir l'air de	/avwaʀ ɛʀ də/	to look like, seem
avoir l'intention de	/avwaʀ ɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃/	to intend to
avoir envie de	/avwaʀ ɑ̃vi də/	to feel like
avoir de la chance	/avwaʀ də la ʃɑ̃s/	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 [ mp3 - 183 KB ] [ Matching Exercise ]

Who	Qui	/ki/
What	Quoi	/kwa/
Why	Pourquoi	/puʀkwa/
When	Quand	/kɑ̃/
Where	Où	/u/
How	Comment	/kɔmɑ̃/
How much / many	Combien	/kɔ̃bjɛ̃/
Which / what	Quel(le)	/kɛl/

9. Numbers / Les numéros [ mp3 - 1.06 MB ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] [ Translaton Exercise ]

Zero	Zéro	/zeʀo/
One	Un	/õ/
Two	Deux	/d/
Three	Trois	/tʀwɑ/
Four	Quatre	/katʀ/
Five	Cinq	/sɛ̃k/
Six	Six	/sis/
Seven	Sept	/sɛt/
Eight	Huit	/ʽɥit/
Nine	Neuf	/nof/
Ten	Dix	/dis/
Eleven	Onze	/ɔ̃z/
Twelve	Douze	/duz/
Thirteen	Treize	/tʀɛz/
Fourteen	Quatorze	/katɔʀz/
Fifteen	Quinze	/kɛ̃z/
Sixteen	Seize	/sɛz/
Seventeen	Dix-sept	/disɛt/
Eighteen	Dix-huit	/dizɥit/
Nineteen	Dix-neuf	/diznof/
Twenty	Vingt	/vɛ̃/
Twenty-one	Vingt et un	/vɛ̃t e õ/
Twenty-two	Vingt-deux	/vɛ̃ d/
Twenty-three	Vingt-trois	/vɛ̃ tʀwɑ/
Thirty	Trente	/tʀɑ̃t/
Thirty-one	Trente et un	/tʀɑ̃t e õ/
Thirty-two	Trente-deux	/tʀɑ̃t d/
Forty	Quarante	/kaʀɑ̃t/
Fifty	Cinquante	/sɛ̃kɑ̃t/
Sixty	Soixante	/swasɑ̃t/
Seventy	Soixante-dix	/swasɑ̃tdis/
(Belgium & Switzerland)	Septante	/sɛptɑ̃t/
Seventy-one	Soixante et onze	/swasɑ̃t e ɔ̃z/
Seventy-two	Soixante-douze	/swasɑ̃t duz/
Eighty	Quatre-vingts	/katʀəvɛ̃/
(Belgium & Switzerland)	Octante	/ɔktɑ̃t/
Eighty-one	Quatre-vingt-un	/katʀəvɛ̃ tõ/
Eighty-two	Quatre-vingt-deux	/katʀəvɛ̃ d/
Ninety	Quatre-vingt-dix	/katʀəvɛ̃ dis/
(Belgium & Switzerland)	Nonante	/nɔnɑ̃t/
Ninety-one	Quatre-vingt-onze	/katʀəvɛ̃ ɔ̃z/
Ninety-two	Quatre-vingt-douze	/katʀəvɛ̃ duz/
One Hundred	Cent	/sɑ̃/
One Hundred One	Cent un	/sɑ̃ õ/
Two Hundred	Deux cents	/d sɑ̃/
Two Hundred One	Deux cent un	/d sɑ̃ õ/
Thousand	Mille	/mil/
Two Thousand	Deux mille	/d mil/
Million	Un million	/õ miljɔ̃/
Billion	Un milliard	/õ miljaʀ/

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 ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ]

Monday	lundi	/lõdi/
Tuesday	mardi	/maʀdi/
Wednesday	mercredi	/mɛʀkʀədi/
Thursday	jeudi	/ʒdi/
Friday	vendredi	/vɑ̃dʀədi/
Saturday	samedi	/samdi/
Sunday	dimanche	/dimɑ̃ʃ/
day	le jour	/lə ʒuʀ/
week	la semaine	/la s(ə)mɛn/
today	aujourd'hui	/oʒuʀdɥi/
yesterday	hier	/jɛʀ/
tomorrow	demain	/dəmɛ̃/
next	prochain / prochaine	/pʀɔʃɛ̃/ /pʀɔʃɛn/
last	dernier / dernière	/dɛʀnje/ /dɛʀnjɛʀ/
day before yesterday	avant-hier	/avɑ̃tjɛʀ/
day after tomorrow	après-demain	/apʀɛdmɛ̃/
the following day	le lendemain	/lə lɑ̃dəmɛ̃/
the day before	la veille	/la vɛj/

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 ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] + Seasons & Directions

January	janvier	/ʒɑ̃vje/
February	février	/fevʀije/
March	mars	/maʀs/
April	avril	/avʀil/
May	mai	/mɛ/
June	juin	/ʒɥɛ̃/
July	juillet	/ʒɥijɛ/
August	août	/u(t)/
September	septembre	/sɛptɑ̃bʀ/
October	octobre	/ɔktɔbʀ/
November	novembre	/nɔvɑ̃bʀ/
December	décembre	/desɑ̃bʀ/
month	le mois	/lə mwa/
year	l'an / l'année	/lɑ̃/ /lane/
decade	la décennie	/deseni/
century	le siècle	/lə sjɛkl/
millennium	le millénaire	/milenɛʀ/

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	/lete/	in the summer	en été	/ɑ̃ nete/
Fall	l'automne	/lotɔn/	in the fall	en automne	/ɑ̃ notɔn/
Winter	l'hiver	/livɛʀ/	in the winter	en hiver	/ɑ̃ nivɛʀ/
Spring	le printemps	/lə pʀɛ̃tɑ̃/	in the spring	au printemps	/o prɛ̃tɑ̃/

13. Directions / Les directions [ mp3 - 254 KB ]

on the left	à gauche	/a ɡoʃ/
on the right	à droite	/a dʀwɑt/
straight ahead	tout droit	/tu dʀwɑ/

North	le nord	/lə nɔʀ/	Northeast	le nord-est	/lə nɔʀ(d)ɛst/
South	le sud	/lə syd/	Northwest	le nord-ouest	/lə nɔʀ(d)wɛst/
East	l'est	/lɛst/	Southeast	le sud-est	/sydɛst/
West	l'ouest	/lwɛst/	Southwest	le sud-ouest	/sydwɛst/

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

Red	rouge	/ʀuʒ/	square	le carré	/kaʀe/
Orange	orange	/ɔʀɑ̃ʒ/	circle	le cercle	/sɛʀkl/
Yellow	jaune	/ʒon/	triangle	le triangle	/tʀijɑ̃gl/
Green	vert / verte	/vɛʀ/ /vɛʀt/	rectangle	le rectangle	/ʀɛktɑ̃gl/
Blue	bleu / bleue	/bl/	oval	l'ovale	/ɔval/
Purple	violet / violette	/vjɔlɛ/ /vjɔlɛt/	cube	le cube	/kyb/
White	blanc / blanche	/blɑ̃/ /blɑ̃ʃ/	sphere	la sphère	/sfɛʀ/
Brown	brun / brune marron	/bʀõ/ /bʀyn/ /maʀɔ̃/	cylinder	le cylindre	/silɛ̃dʀ/
Black	noir / noire	/nwaʀ/	cone	le cône	/kon/
Pink	rose	/ʀoz/	octagon	l'octogone	/ɔktogɔn/
Gold	doré / dorée	/dɔʀe/	box	la boîte	/bwat/
Silver	argenté / argentée	/aʀʒɑ̃te/	light	clair / claire	/klɛʀ/
Gray	gris / grise	/ɡʀi/ /ɡʀiz/	dark	foncé / foncée	/fɔ̃se/

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 ] [ Matching Exercise ]

What's the weather like?	Quel temps fait-il ?	/kɛl tɑ̃ fɛ til/
It's nice	Il fait bon	/il fɛ bɔ̃/
bad	Il fait mauvais	/il fɛ mɔve/
cool	Il fait frais	/il fɛ fʀɛ/
cold	Il fait froid	/il fɛ fʀwɑ/
warm, hot	Il fait chaud	/il fɛ ʃo/
cloudy	Il fait nuageux	/il fɛ nyaʒ/
beautiful	Il fait beau	/il fɛ bo/
mild	Il fait doux	/il fɛ du/
stormy	Il fait orageux	/il fɛ ɔʀaʒ/
sunny	Il fait soleil	/il fɛ sɔlɛj/
humid	Il fait humide	/il fɛ ymid/
muggy	Il fait lourd	/il fɛ luʀ/
windy	Il fait du vent	/il fɛ dy vɑ̃/
foggy	Il fait du brouillard	/il fɛ dy bʀujaʀ/
snowing	Il neige	/il nɛʒ/
raining	Il pleut	/il pl/
freezing	Il gèle	/il ʒɛl/
hailing	Il grêle	/il gʀɛl/
It is ____ degrees.	Il fait ____ degrés.	/il fɛ __ dəgʀe/

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

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

What time is it?	Quelle heure est-il ?	/kɛl oʀ ɛ til/
It is...	Il est...	/il ɛ/
one o'clock	une heure	/yn oʀ/
two o'clock	deux heures	/d zoʀ/
noon	midi	/midi/
midnight	minuit	/minɥi/
a quarter after three	trois heures et quart	/tʀwɑ zoʀ e kaʀ/
one o'clock sharp	une heure précise	/yn oʀ pʀesiz/
four o'clock sharp	quatre heures précises	/katʀoʀ pʀesiz/
twelve thirty	midi (minuit) et demi	/midi (minɥi) e dəmi/
six thirty	six heures et demie	/si zoʀ e dəmi/
a quarter to seven	sept heures moins le quart	/sɛt oʀ mwɛ̃ lə kaʀ/
five twenty	cinq heures vingt	/sɛ̃k oʀ vɛ̃/
ten fifty	onze heures moins dix	/ɔ̃z oʀ mwɛ̃ dis/
in the morning/AM	du matin	/dy matɛ̃/
in the afternoon/PM	de l'après-midi	/də lapʀɛmidi/
in the evening/PM	du soir	/dy swaʀ/

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 /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying précise (exactly, sharp).

17. Family and Animals / La famille et les animaux [ mp3 - 2.01 MB ] [ English to French Flashcards ] [ French to English Flashcards ] [ Translation Exercise ]


Family	la famille	/famij/	Girl	la fille	/fij/
Relatives	des parents	/paʀɑ̃/	Boy	le garçon	/gaʀsɔ̃/
Parents	les parents	/paʀɑ̃/	Niece	la nièce	/njɛs/
Grandparents	les grands-parents	/gʀɑ̃paʀɑ̃/	Nephew	le neveu	/n(ə)v/
Mom	la mère / maman	/mɛʀ/ /mɑmɑ̃/	Grandchildren	les petits-enfants	/p(ə)tizɑ̃fɑ̃/
Stepmother/Mother-in-Law	la belle-mère	/bɛlmɛʀ/	Granddaughter	la petite-fille	/p(ə)tit fij/
Dad	le père / papa	/pɛʀ/ /papa/	Grandson	le petit-fils	/p(ə)tifis/
Stepfather/Father-in-Law	le beau-père	/bopɛʀ/	Distant Relatives	des parents éloignés	/paʀɑ̃ elwaɲe/
Daughter	la fille	/fij/	Single	célibataire	/selibatɛʀ/
Son	le fils	/fis/	Married	marié(e)	/maʀje/
Sister	la sœur	/soʀ/	Separated	séparé(e)	/sepaʀe/
Half/Step Sister	la demi-sœur	/dəmi soʀ/	Divorced	divorcé(e)	/divɔʀse/
Sister-in-Law	la belle-sœur	/bɛlsoʀ/	Widower / Widow	veuf / veuve	/vof/ /vov/
Stepdaughter/Daughter-in-Law	la belle-fille	/bɛl fij/
Brother	le frère	/fʀɛʀ/	Dog	le chien / la chienne	/ʃjɛ̃/ /ʃjɛn/
Half/Step Brother	le demi-frère	/dəmi fʀɛʀ/	Cat	le chat / la chatte	/ʃa/ /ʃat/
Brother-in-Law	le beau-frère	/bo fʀɛʀ/	Puppy	le chiot	/ʃjo/
Stepson/Son-in-Law	le beau-fils	/bo fis/	Kitten	le chaton	/ʃatɔ̃/
Twins (m)	les jumeaux	/ʒymo/	Pig	le cochon	/kɔʃɔ̃/
Twins (f)	les jumelles	/ʒymɛl/	Rooster	le coq	/kɔk/
Uncle	l'oncle	/ɔ̃kl/	Rabbit	le lapin	/lapɛ̃/
Aunt	la tante	/tɑ̃t/	Cow	la vache	/vaʃ/
Grandmother	la grand-mère	/gʀɑ̃mɛʀ/	Horse	le cheval	/ʃ(ə)val/
Grandfather	le grand-père	/gʀɑ̃pɛʀ/	Duck	le canard	/kanaʀ/
Cousin (f)	la cousine	/kuzin/	Goat	la chèvre	/ʃɛvʀ/
Cousin (m)	le cousin	/kuzɛ̃/	Goose	l'oie	/wa/
Wife	la femme	/fam/	Sheep	le mouton	/mutɔ̃/
Husband	le mari	/maʀi/	Lamb	l'agneau	/aɲo/
Woman	la femme	/fam/	Donkey	l'âne	/ɑn/
Man	l'homme	/ɔm/	Mouse	la souris	/suʀi/

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

Slang words for people and pets:

The entire family	toute la smala	/tut la smala/	Sister	la frangine	/fʀɑ̃ʒin/
Grandma	mémé / mamie	/meme/ /mami/	Brother	le frangin	/fʀɑ̃ʒɛ̃/
Grandpa	pépé / papi	/pepe/ /papi/	Son	le fiston	/fistɔ̃/
Children	des gosses	/gɔs/	Aunt	tata / tatie	/tata/ /tati/
Kid	un gamin / une gamine	/gamɛ̃/ /gamin/	Uncle	tonton	/tɔ̃tɔ̃/
Woman	une nana	/nana/	Dog	le cabot / clébard	/kabo/ /klebaʀ/
Man	un mec / type / gars	/mɛk/ /tip/ /gaʀ/	Cat	le minou	/minu/

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

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 ] [ Translation Exercise ]

	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. Remember 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 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.

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