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French II Tutorial

French Index | French I | French III | French IV | French V | French VI | French VII | Informal French & Slang | French mp3s

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 II Zip file of mp3s - 24.85 MB ]

21. To Do or Make [ mp3 - 1.27 MB ]

Another past tense (passé composé) uses the present tense forms of avoir plus the past participle of faire: fait. J'ai fait translates as I did/made whereas je faisais translates as I was doing/making, I used to do/make (continuous action in the past).

Faire is used in expressions of weather (il fait beau) and many other idiomatic expressions:
faire de (a sport) - to play (a sport)
faire le sourd / l'innocent - to act deaf / innocent
faire le (subject in school) - to do / study (subject)
faire le ménage - to do the housework
faire la cuisine - to do the cooking
faire la lessive - to do laundry
faire la vaisselle - to do the dishes
faire une promenade - to take a walk
faire un voyage - to take a trip
faire les courses - to run errands
faire des achats - to go shopping
faire de l'exercice - to exercise
faire attention - to pay attention
faire la queue - to stand in line

22. Work and School [ mp3 - 1.75 MB ]

Note:  Notice that some professions are always masculine, even if the person is a woman.  There are also words that are always feminine (such as la victime) even if the person is a man.

School Subjects [ mp3 - 1.67 MB ]

Notice that you do not use an indefinite article before professions, unless they are preceded by an adjective.

Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ?  What do you do for a living?
Je suis avocate.  I am a lawyer. (fem.)
Je suis professeur.  I am a professor.
Je suis étudiant.  I am a student (masc.)
Où est-ce que vous faites vos études ?  Where do you study?
Je vais à l'université de Michigan.  I go to the university of Michigan.
Je fais mes études à l'université de Toronto.  I study at the University of Toronto.
Qu'est-ce que vous étudiez ? What do you study?
Quelles matières étudiez-vous ?  What subjects do you study?
J'étudie les langues étrangères et la linguistique.  I study foreign languages and linguistics.
Je fais des mathématiques.  I study/do math.
Ma spécialisation est la biologie.  My major is biology.

Slang words/abbreviations for school:

dictionary	un dico	dee-koh	student	un potache	poh-tash
paper / essay	une disserte	dee-sehrt	book	un bouquin	boo-kahn
college / faculty	la fac	fahk	to work	bosser	baw-say
quiz	une interro	ahn-teh-roh	to understand	piger	pee-zhay
to have detention	être collé / collée avoir une colle	eh-truh kawl-leh ah-vwahr ewn kawl	to skip (a class)	sécher (un cours)	seh-shay

23. Prepositions and Contractions [ mp3 - 1.50 MB ]

In:  Dans vs. En
Dans is used to show the time when an action will begin, while en shows the length of time an action takes.

Je pars dans quinze minutes.  I'm leaving in 15 minutes.
Il peut lire ce livre en une demi-heure.  He can read this book in a half hour.

With: Avec vs. De vs. A vs. Chez
Avec implies doing something or going along with someone; de is used in phrases of manner and in many idiomatic expressions; à is used when referring to someone's attributes; and chez is used to mean "as far as (person) is concerned."  To describe the way a person carries him/herself, no extra word is used.

Je vais en France avec ma sœur.  I'm going to France with my sister.
Elle me remercie d'un sourire.  She thanks me with a smile.
L'homme aux cheveux roux est très grand.  The man with the red hair is very tall.
Chez cet enfant, tout est simple.  With this child, everything is simple.
Il marche, les mains dans les poches.  He walks with his hands in his pockets.

24. Countries and Nationalities / Les pays et les nationalités [ mp3 - 4.47 MB ]

Africa	l'Afrique (f)	Finland	la Finlande	Norway	la Norvège
African	africain/e	Finnish	finnois/e	Norwegian	norvégien/ne
Albania	l'Albanie	France	la France	Macedonia	la Macédoine
Albanian	albanais/e	French	français/e	Macedonian	macédonien/ne
Algeria	l'Algérie	Germany	l'Allemagne (f)	Poland	la Pologne
Algerian	algérien/ne	German	allemand/e	Polish	polonais/e
America	l'Amérique (f)	Great Britain	la Grande-Bretagne	Portugal	le Portugal
American	américain/e	British	brittanique	Portuguese	portugais/e
Argentina	l'Argentine (f)	Greece	la Grèce	Quebec	le Québéc
Argentine	argentin/e	Greek	grec / grecque	Quebecker	québécois/e
Asia	l'Asie (f)	Hungary	la Hongrie	Romania	la Roumanie
Asian	asiatique	Hungarian	hongrois/e	Romanian	roumain/e
Australia	l'Australie (f)	Iceland	l'Islande	Russia	la Russie
Australian	australien/ne	Icelandic	islandais/e	Russian	russe
Austria	l'Autriche (f)	India	l'Inde	Scotland	l'Ecosse
Austrian	autrichien/ne	Indian	indien/ne	Scottish	écossais/e
Belgium	la Belgique	Indonesia	l'Indonésie (f)	Senegal	le Sénégal
Belgian	belge	Indonesian	indonésien/ne	Senegalese	sénégalais/e
Bosnia	la Bosnie	Ireland	l'Irlande (f)	Serbia	la Serbie
Bosnian	bosniaque	Irishman	irlandais/e	Serbian	serbe
Brazil	le Brésil	Israel	l'Israël	Slovakia	la Slovaquie
Brazilian	brésilien/ne	Israeli	israélien	Slovak	slovaque
Bulgaria	la Bulgarie	Hebrew (lang.)	hébreu	Slovenia	la Slovénie
Bulgarian	bulgare	Italy	l'Italie (f)	Slovene	slovène
Cambodia	le Cambodge	Italian	italien/ne	Spain	l'Espagne (f)
Cambodian	cambodgien/ne	Japan	le Japon	Spanish	espagnol/e
Canada	le Canada	Japanese	japonais/e	Sweden	la Suède
Canadian	canadien/ne	Korea	la Corée	Swedish	suédois/e
China	la Chine	Korean	coréen/ne	Switzerland	la Suisse
Chinese	chinois/e	Latvia	la Lettonie	Swiss	suisse
Croatia	la Croatie	Latvian	letton/ne	Taiwan	le Taïwan
Croatian	croate	Lithuania	la Lituanie	Taiwanese	taïwanais/e
Czech Republic	la République Tchèque	Lithuanian	lituanien/ne	Tunisia	la Tunisie
Czech	tchèque	Luxembourg	le Luxembourg	Tunisian	tunisien/ne
Denmark	le Danemark	Luxembourger	luxembourgeois/e	Turkey	la Turquie
Danish	danois/e	Malta	Malte	Turk	turc / turcque
Egypt	l'Egypte (f)	Maltese	maltais/e	Ukraine	l'Ukraine
Egyptian	égyptien/e	Morocco	le Maroc	Ukrainian	ukrainien/ne
England	l'Angleterre (f)	Moroccan	marocain/e	United Kingdom	la Royaume-Uni
English	anglais/e	Netherlands	les Pays-Bas	United States	les Etats-Unis
Estonia	l'Estonie	Dutch	néerlandais/e	Vietnam	le Vietnam
Estonian	estonien/ne	Dutch (person)	hollandais/e	Vietnamese	vietnamien/ne
Europe	l'Europe (f)	New Zealand	la Nouvelle-Zélande	Wales	le Pays-de-Galles
European	européen/ne	New Zealander	néo-zélandais/e	Welsh	gallois/e

Note: The masculine forms of the nationalities are also used for the language. Adjectives of nationalities and languages are not capitalized in written French. The definite article is not used before a language when it follows the verb parler (to speak): Je parle anglais. Notice that French also uses hollandais when referring to Dutch people and sometimes the Dutch language, but this is not exactly correct (just as it is not correct to use Holland when referring to the Netherlands in English).

25. Negative Sentences [ mp3 - 479 KB ]

To make sentences negative, simply put ne and pas around the verb.  In spoken French, however, the ne is frequently omitted, but it cannot be omitted in written French.  And when you are replying "yes" to a negative question, you use si and not oui.

Je suis du Canada.  I am from Canada.
Je ne suis pas du Mexique.  I am not from Mexico.
Je suis française.  I am French (feminine.)
Je ne suis pas suisse.  I am not Swiss. (masculine or feminine)
Il est australien.  He is Australian.
Elle n'est pas danoise.  She is not Danish.
Elles sont des Etats-Unis.  They are from the United States.
Ils ne sont pas du Portugal.  They are not from Portugal. 
Je parle chinois et japonais.  I speak Chinese and Japanese.
Je ne parle pas suédois.  I don't speak Swedish.
Vous n'êtes pas du Brésil ?  You aren't from Brazil?
Si, nous sommes du Brésil.  Yes, we are from Brazil.

26. To / In and From places, cities, and countries [ mp3 - 407 KB ]

If the name of a country ends in-e, the gender is feminine.  If it ends in anything else, it is masculine. All continents are feminine.  The country exceptions are le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Zaïre, le Zimbabwe, and le Mozambique.  Some cities have an article as well, such as La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans).

Je vais à la boulangerie. I'm going to the bakery.
Il vient de Londres. He comes from London.
On va en France demain. We're going to France tomorrow.
Tu viens du Mexique ? You come from Mexico?

In general, if a region, province or state ends in -e, it is feminine. Californie, Caroline du Nord / Sud, Floride, Géorgie, Louisiane, Pennsylvanie, and Virginie are the feminine American states; while Maine is masculine. For French régions or départements that begin with Haut(e), the h is an aspirate h, and therefore, there is no elision with preceding words, i.e. de Haut-Rhin, la Haute-Normandie, etc.

Elles habitent en Californie. They live in California.
Il est de Haute-Savoie. He is from Haute-Savoie.
Ce fromage vient du Nord. This cheese comes from Nord.
Je veux voyager dans le Texas. I want to travel in Texas.

27. To Come and to Go [ mp3 - 1.16 MB ]

Other verbs that are conjugated like venir:  tenir - to hold, devenir - to become, obtenir - to get, revenir - to come back.

Je viens des Etats-Unis. I come from the United States.
Il tient un crayon.  He's holding a pencil.
Nous allons en Espagne.  We're going to Spain.
Tu ne vas pas au Brésil cet été.  You're not going to Brazil this summer.

Aller + an infinitive means "going to do something."
Ils vont aller en Angleterre.  They are going to go to England.
Elle va parler russe.  She's going to speak Russian.
Je vais devenir professeur.  I'm going to become a professor.

Aller is also used idiomatically when talking about health.
Comment vas-tu ?  How are you?
Je vais bien.  I'm fine.

Venir de + an infinitive means "to have just done something."
Il vient d'aller en Finlande.  He just went to Finland.
Vous venez de manger une pomme.  You just ate an apple.

28. Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense [ mp3 - 1.54 MB ]

Verbs in French end in -er, -re, or -ir.  The verb before it is conjugated is called the infinitive.  Removing the last two letters leaves you with the stem (aimer is the infinitive, aim- is the stem.)  The present indicative tense indicates an ongoing action, general state, or habitual activity.  Besides the simple present tense (I write, I run, I see); there are two other forms of the present tense in English: the progressive (I am writing, I am running, etc.) and the emphatic (I do write, I do run, etc.)  However, these three English present tenses are all translated by the present indicative tense in French.

To conjugate verbs in the present tense, use the stem and add the following endings.

Note:  If a verb is followed by à (like répondre) you have to use the à and any contractions after the conjugated verb.  Ex: Je réponds au téléphone. I answer the phone.

* The 2nd -ir verbs are considered irregular sometimes because there are only a few verbs which follow that pattern.  Other verbs like partir are sortir (to go out), dormir (to sleep), mentir (to lie), sentir (to smell, feel) and servir (to serve.)

You can also download a list of the 681 most common verbs in French (available in PDF format.)

29. Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs [ mp3 - 861 KB ]

These verbs are conjugated like normal verbs, but they require an extra pronoun before the verb.  Most indicate a reflexive action but some are idiomatic and can't be translated literally.  The pronouns are:

Note:  When used in the infinitive, such as after another verb, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the sentence.  Je vais me coucher maintenant.  I'm going to go to bed.

30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs [ mp3 - 1.43 MB ]

1. Verbs that end in -ger and -cer:   The nous form of manger isn't mangons, but mangeons.  The e has to stay so the g can retain the soft sound.   The nous form of commencer isn't commencons, but commençons.  The c must have the accent (called a cedilla) under it to make the c sound soft.

2. Verbs that add or change to an accent grave:  Some verbs add or change to an accent grave (è) in all the forms except the nous and vous.

3. Verbs that are conjugated as -er verbs: Some -ir verbs are conjugated with -er endings.  For example:  offrir-to offer, give, ouvrir-to open, couvrir-to cover, découvrir-to discover and souffrir-to suffer.

4. Verbs that end in -yer: Change the y to an i in all forms except the nous and vous.  Examples: envoyer-to send (awn-vwah-yay), nettoyer-to clean (nuh-twah-yay), essayer-to try (ess-ah-yay)

5. Verbs that double the consonant:  Some verbs, such as appeler-to call (ahp-lay), and jeter-to throw (zheh-tay) double the consonant in all forms except the nous and vous.

31. Present Perfect Tense or Passé Composé [ mp3 - 452 KB ]

You have learned the present indicative so far, which expresses what happens, is happening, or does happen now; but if you want to say something happened, or has happened, you use the passé composé.  The passé composé is used for actions that happened only once, a specified number of times or during a specified period of time, and as a result or consequence of another action.  All you need to learn are the past participles of the verbs.

Regular Verbs: Formation of the Past Participle

Then conjugate avoir and add the past participle:

To make it negative, put the ne and pas around the conjugated form of avoir.

32. Irregular Past Participles [ mp3 - 973 KB ]

33. Etre Verbs [ mp3 - 730 KB ]

Sixteen "house" verbs and all pronominal verbs are conjugated with être, and they must agree in gender and number with the subject.  The house verbs are:

Most have regular past participles, except venir-venu, devenir-devenu, revenir-revenu, mourir-mort, and naître-né.  And five of these verbs, monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer, and passer can sometimes be conjugated with avoir if they are used with a direct object.  

You add the e for feminine and s for plural.  Vous can have any of the endings. To form the negative, place ne...pas around the auxiliary verb.

There are only two cases with pronominal verbs where the past participle does not agree:
1.  When the pronominal verb is followed by a direct object.  
Compare:  Elles se sont lavées, but: elles se sont lavé les mains.
2.  With verbs where the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object, such as
se parler, se demander, se dire, s'écrire, se sourire, and se téléphoner.
Ils se sont téléphoné.

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34. Food and Meals / La Nourriture et Les Repas [ mp3 - 1.65 MB ]

Breakfast	le petit déjeuner	puh-tee day-zhew-nay	Egg	l'œuf (m)	luff
Lunch	le déjeuner	day-zhew-nay	Cake	le gâteau	gah-toh
Dinner	le dîner	dee-nay	Pie	la tarte	tart
Cup	la tasse	tahss	Milk	le lait	leh
Slice	la tranche	trawnsh	Coffee	le café	kah-fay
Bowl	le bol	bohl	Butter	le beurre	burr
Glass	le verre	verr	Water	l'eau	loh
Salt and Pepper	le sel et le poivre	luh sell ay luh pwahv-ruh	Ham	le jambon	zham-bohn
Fork	la fourchette	foor-shett	Fish	le poisson	pwah-sohn
Spoon	la cuillère	kwee-yehr	Tea	le thé	tay
Knife	le couteau	koo-toh	Salad	la salade	sah-lahd
Plate	l'assiette (f)	ah-syett	Jam	la confiture	kon-fee-tewr
Napkin	la serviette	ser-vyett	Meat	la viande	vee-awnd
Ice cream	la glace	glahss	French fries	les frites (f)	freet
Juice	le jus	zhew	Beer	la bière	bee-ehr
Fruit	le fruit	fwee	Wine	le vin	vahn
Cheese	le fromage	froh-mawzh	Sugar	le sucre	soo-kruh
Chicken	le poulet	poo-lay	Soup	le potage	poh-tawzh
Cereal	des céréales	say-ray-all	Ketchup	le ketchup	keh-chup
Oil	l'huile	lweel	Mustard	la moutarde	moo-tahrd
Vinegar	le vinaigre	vee-neh-gruh	Mayonnaise	la mayonnaise	may-oh-nez
Yogurt	le yaourt	yah-oort	Pasta	des pâtes	paht

In France, it is common to use déjeuner to mean to have breakfast as well as to have lunch. In Quebec, the meals are le déjeuner, le dîner, and le souper. The plural of un œuf is des œufs, but fs is not pronounced: uhn-uff / day-zuh. Food is generally divided into two categories: sucré (sweet/sugary) and salé (savoury/salty). Le pain is the general word for bread; if you want to specify white bread, use le pain de mie. Because the French eat dinner so late in the evening (8 pm), young children have l'heure de goûter (snack time) after school. Le yaourt refers to fruit yogurts and sweet puddings and they are eaten as desserts in France. La glace is also a common dessert, and you can find several parfums (flavors). The word for scoops (of ice cream) is boules. Many restaurants now offer take out food options, which is called à emporter (to take away).

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35. Fruits, Vegetables and Meat [ mp3 - 2.00 MB ]

fruit	un fruit	fwee	corn	le maïs	mah-eez
apple	une pomme	pohm	cucumber	un concombre	cohn-cohn-bruh
apricot	un abricot	ah-bree-koh	eggplant	une aubergine	oh-behr-zheen
banana	une banane	bah-nahn	lettuce	la laitue	leh-tew
blueberry	une myrtille	meer-tee	mushroom	un champignon	shahm-pee-nyohn
cherry	une cerise	suh-reez	onion	un oignon	wawn-yohn
coconut	une noix de coco	nwah duh koh-koh	peas	les pois	pwah
date	une datte	daht	pepper	un piment	pee-mawn
fig	une figue	feeg	potato	une pomme de terre	pohm duh tehr
grape	un raisin	reh-zahn	pumpkin	une citrouille	see-troo-ee
grapefruit	un pamplemousse	pahm-pluh-moos	rice	le riz	ree
lemon	un citron	see-trohn	spinach	des épinards	ay-pee-nar
lime	un citron vert	see-trohn vair	squash	une courge	koorzh
melon	un melon	mel-ohn	tomato	une tomate	to-maht
olive	une olive	oh-leev	turnip	un navet	nah-vay
orange	une orange	oh-ranzh	zucchini	des courgettes	koor-zhett
peach	une pêche	pesh	meat	la viande	vee-awnd
pear	une poire	pwahr	bacon	du lard, du bacon	lar, bah-kohn
pineapple	un ananas	ah-nah-nah	beef	le bœuf	buhf
plum	une prune	prewn	chicken	le poulet	poo-lay
prune	un pruneau	proo-noh	duck	le canard	kah-nar
raisin	un raisin sec	reh-zahn sek	goat	la chèvre	shev-ruh
raspberry	une framboise	frwahm-bwahz	ham	le jambon	zhahm-bohn
strawberry	une fraise	frez	lamb	l'agneau	awn-yoh
watermelon	une pastèque	pah-stek	liver	le foie	fwah
vegetable	un légume	leh-goom	meatballs	des boulettes de viande	boo-lett duh vee-awnd
artichoke	un artichaut	ar-tee-sho	pork chop	une côtelette de porc	kote-lett duh pork
asparagus	des asperges	ahs-pehrzh	rabbit	le lapin	lah-pahn
beet	une betterave	bett-rahv	hamburger	le steak haché	stayk ah-shay
broccoli	le brocoli	broh-coh-lee	sausage	la saucisse	so-seess
cabbage	un chou	shoo	dried sausage	le saucisson	so-see-sohn
carrot	une carotte	cah-roht	turkey	la dinde	dahnd
cauliflower	un chou-fleur	shoo-flir	veal	le veau	voh
celery	un céleri	say-luh-ree	venison	le chevreuil	shuv-ruh-ee

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36. To Take, Eat or Drink [ mp3 - 643 KB ]

Prendre-to take, eat or drink (prawn-druh)				Boire-to drink (bwahr)
prends	prawn	prenons	pruh-nohn	bois	bwah	buvons	bew-vohn
prends	prawn	prenez	pru-nay	bois	bwah	buvez	bew-vay
prend	prawn	prennent	prenn	boit	bwah	boivent	bwahv

Other verbs that are conjugated like prendre:  apprendre - to learn, comprendre - to understand and surprendre - to surprise.

Note:  When you want to say "I am having wine," the French translation is "Je prends du vin."  You must use de and le, la, l', or les and the proper contractions (called partitives) because in French you must always express some.  So "je prends de la bière" literally means "I am having some beer" even though in English we would usually only say I am having beer.  

Manger is a regular verb meaning "to eat," but manger is used in a general sense, such as Je mange du poulet tous les samedis.  I eat chicken every Saturday.  Boire is literally the verb to drink and is also used in a general sense only. Je bois du vin tout le temps.  I drink wine all the time.

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37. Quantities [ mp3 - 910 KB ]

assez de	enough (of)	un morceau de	a piece of	une douzaine de	a dozen of
une assiette de	a plate of	un peu de	a little (bit) of	un paquet de	a packet of
beaucoup de	a lot of	une tasse de	a cup of	un panier de	a basket of
une boîte de	a box of	une tranche de	a slice of	une poignée de	a handful of
une bouteille de	a bottle of	trop de	too much, many	plus de	more
un kilo de	a kilo of	un verre de	a glass of	un bouquet de	a bunch of

Note:  With quantities and negatives, you never use partitives.  The construction is always de or d' + noun.

Je voudrais prendre du fromage, mais pas de fruit.  I would like to have some cheese, but no fruit.
Il prend de la viande.  He is eating some meat.
Nous prenons du riz et des brocolis.  We are having some rice and broccoli.
Il y a trop de lait dans la tasse.  There is too much milk in the cup.
Je voudrais un morceau de tarte.  I would like one piece of pie.
Est-ce que je peux prendre un verre de vin ?  May I have a glass of wine?
Je prends du vin.  I'm drinking some wine.
Je ne prends pas de vin.  I am not drinking any wine.

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38. Commands [ mp3 - 462 KB ]

Use the vous, tu and nous forms for commands.
Vous form	Polite and Plural	Same as verb form		Restez !	Stay!
Tu form	Familiar	Same as verb form, but drop -s for -er verbs		Regarde !	Watch!
Nous form	Let's...	Same as verb form		Allons-y !	Let's go!

Note:  When using pronominal verbs as commands, the pronoun is placed after the verb connected by a hyphen.  Tu te dépêches becomes Dépêche-toi !  
And in negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb, as in Ne nous reposons pas.

Irregular Command Forms

être (be)			avoir (have)			savoir (know)
tu	sois	swah	tu	aie	ay	tu	sache	sahsh
nous	soyons	swah-yohn	nous	ayons	ay-yohn	nous	sachons	sah-shohn
vous	soyez	swah-yay	vous	ayez	ay-yay	vous	sachez	sah-shay

Ne sois pas méchant avec ta sœur !  Don't be mean to your sister!
N'ayez pas peur ! Don't be afraid!
Sachez que j'apprécie votre aide. Know that I appreciate your help.

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39. More Negatives [ mp3 - 805 KB ]

ne...plus	no longer
ne...jamais	never
ne...rien	nothing
ne...aucun(e)	not a single one
ne...que	only
ne...personne	nobody
ne...ni...ni	neither...nor
ne...nulle part	nowhere

The que in ne...que is placed directly before the noun it limits.  Rien and personne may be used as subjects:  Personne n'est ici.  Aucun(e) by definition is singular, so the verb and nouns must also be changed to the singular.  With ni...ni, all articles are dropped except definite articles.  Je n'ai ni caméra ni caméscope, but Je n'aime ni les chats ni les chiens.

Il n'aime plus travailler.  He no longer likes to work.  (Or: He doesn't like to work anymore)
Nous ne voulons faire des achats que lundi.  We want to go shopping only on Monday.
Elle ne déteste personne.  She hates no one.  (Or: She doesn't hate anyone.)

Negatives with Passé Composé
1. Ne...pas, ne...plus, ne...jamais, and ne...rien
Ne comes before auxiliary verb, and the other part is between auxiliary and past participle.
Nous n'avons rien fait. We did nothing. Vous ne vous êtes pas ennuyés. You were not bored.

2. Ne...personne, ne...aucun, ne...ni...ni, ne...nulle part, and ne... que
Ne comes before the auxiliary verb, but the other part is after the past participle.
Il n'a écouté personne. He listened to no one. Il n'a fait aucune faute. He made not a single mistake.

* Use of ne ... pas de:  In negative sentences, the partitives and indefinite articles become de before the noun (unless the verb is être, then nothing changes.)

Partitive:  Je prends du pain et du beurre.  I'm having some bread and butter.
Negative:  Je ne prends pas de pain ou de beurre.  I am not having any bread or butter.

Indefinite:  J'ai un chien.  I have a dog.
Negative:  Je n'ai pas de chien.  I don't have a dog.

Verb is être:  C'est une chatte brune. It's a brown cat.
Negative:  Ce n'est pas une chatte brune.  It's not a brown cat.

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40. Holiday Phrases [ mp3 - 439 KB ]

Merry Christmas	Joyeux Noël	zhoy-uh no-ell
Happy New Year	Bonne Année	bun ah-nay
Happy Thanksgiving	Joyeux Thanksgiving	zhoy-uh zahnks-gee-veeng
Happy Thanksgiving (Canada)	Bonne Action de grâces	bun ak-see-ohn de grahss
Happy Easter	Joyeuses Pâques	zhoy-uhz pawk
Happy Halloween	Bonne fête d'Halloween	bun fett dah-loh-ween
Happy Valentine's Day	Joyeuse Saint-Valentin	zhoy-uhz sahnt-val-awn-tahn
Happy Birthday	Bon Anniversaire Joyeux Anniversaire	bun ahn-nee-vair-sair zhoy-uh zah-nee-vair-sair
Happy Saint Day	Bonne Fête	bun fett
Happy Holidays	Joyeuses Fêtes	zhoy-uhz fett
Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve dinner	le Réveillon	reh-vay-yohn
New Year's Eve	la Saint-Sylvestre	sahn-seel-veh-struh

If someone is named after a saint, you can wish them bonne fête on that saint's feast day.

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The French National Anthem:  La Marseillaise

by Claude-Joseph Rouget de L'Isle

Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé.
Contre nous, de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé, l'étendard sanglant est levé.
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces farouches soldats.
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras égorger vos fils, vos compagnes.
Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos bataillons, Marchons, marchons !
Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons.

Amour sacré de la Patrie,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs.
Liberté, liberté chérie,
Combats avec tes défenseurs;
Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire
Accoure à tes mâles accents;
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !
Aux armes citoyens !
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons.

Ye sons of France, awake to glory, Hark, hark, what
myriads bid you rise: Your children, wives and grandsires
hoary, Behold their tears and hear their cries, see their
tears and hear their cries! Shall hateful tyrants mischief
breeding with hireling hosts, a ruffian band
Affright and desolate the land, while peace and liberty lie bleeding?
To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe!
March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death.

O sacred love of france, undying,
Th'avenging arm uphold and guide
Thy defenders, death defying,
Fight with Freedom on their side.
Soon thy sons shall be victorious
When the banner high is raised;
And thy dying enemies, amazed,
Shall behold thy triumph, great and glorious.
To arms, to arms, ye brave! Th'avenging sword unsheathe!
March on! March on! All hearts resolved on victory or death.

Translation by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1st verse) and Mary Elizabeth Shaw (2nd verse) (This is not a literal translation.)

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The Canadian National Anthem:  O Canada

O Canada, terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

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The Belgian National Anthem: La Brabannçone

Noble Belgique, à jamais terre chérie,
À toi nos cœurs, à toi nos bras,
Par le sang pur répandu pour toi, Patrie!
Nous le jurons d'un seul cri: tu vivras!
Tu vivras toujours grande et belle
Et ton invincible unité
Aura pour devise immortelle
Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!
Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!
La Liberté!

Noble Belgium, forever beloved land,
Thine our hearts, thine our arms,
By the pure blood shed for you Fatherland!
We swear it in a single shout: thou shalt live!
Thou shalt live, ever great and beautiful
And thy invincible unity
Shall have for everlasting motto:
The King, the Law, Liberty!
The King, the Law, Liberty!
Liberty!

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The Swiss National Anthem: Cantique suisse

by Charles Chatelanat

Sur nos monts, quand le soleil
Annonce un brillant réveil,
Et prédit d'un plus beau jour le retour,
Les beautés de la patrie
Parlent à l'âme attendrie;
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Les accents d'un cœur pieux,
Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.

Lorsqu'un doux rayon du soir
Joue encore dans le bois noir,
Le cœur se sent plus heureux près de Dieu.
Loin des vains bruits de la plaine,
L'âme en paix est plus sereine,
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Les accents d'un cœur pieux,
Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.

Lorsque dans la sombre nuit
La foudre éclate avec bruit,
Notre cœur pressent encore le Dieu fort;
Dans l'orage et la détresse
Il est notre forteresse;
Offrons-lui des coeurs pieux:
Dieu nous bénira des cieux,
Dieu nous bénira du haut des cieux.

Des grands monts vient le secours;
Suisse, espère en Dieu toujours!
Garde la foi des aïeux, Vis comme eux!
Sur l'autel de la patrie
Mets tes biens, ton cœur, ta vie!
C'est le trésor précieux
Que Dieu bénira des cieux,
Que Dieu bénira du haut des cieux.

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French Index | French I | French III | French IV | French V | French VI | French VII | Informal French & Slang | French mp3s

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