French I
French I Comprehensive Vocabulary List
Interjections:
Ô Flûte! (RATS!)
Salut (hey / hi)
S’il vous (te) plaît. (please)
Merci ! Thank you
Bonjour ( hello / good day)
Bonne journée (Have a good day at school or at work.)
Bonne chance! (Good luck!)
Bon après-midi (good afternoon)
Bon soir (good evening)
Bonne nuit (Goodnight Implies: I am going to sleep now, so leave me alone.)
Chao (bye )
Au revoir (goodbye)
Plus (later)
À bientôt (See you later.)
À demain (See you tomorrow.)
À tout à l’heure (I’ll see you later.)
Voilà (Look there’s… Look there are…)
Voici (Look here’s… Look there’s…)
Chouette! (Cool!)
Merci (Thanks)
De rien (You’re welcome.)
Pas de grave! (Never mind! or Don’t worry about it).
oui (yes)
si (yes) (Used with a negated verb, when answer is yes. (Tu ne parles pas anglais? Si, je le sais.)
non (no)
Bien sûr (of course)
D’accord (OK)
Désolé(e) (Sorry !)
Je m’excuse. (I’m sorry.)
Je m’appelle (I call myself.)
Comment tu t’appelles? (What is your name ?)
Comment vous appelez-vous ? (What is your name ?)
Comment épelez-vous? (How do you spell ?)
Comment dit-on ________ en français? (How do you say _________ in French ?)
Est-ce qu’on peut aller au WC [sounds like vay-say] ? (May one use the restroom?)
On a besoin de l’eau (sounds like [low]? (One needs some water.)
On a besoin d’un passeport. (One needs a hall pass.)
As-tu fais ton passeport? (Have you written your hall pass ?)
Levez vous! (stand up!)
Asseyez-vous ! Be seated !
Là-bas (down there / down younder)
Silence! (Quiet, please)
Essayez! (Try !)
Nouns:
Nouns are people, places, things, or ideas. In French, nouns are masculine or feminine. There is no it or neuter.
However, sometimes nouns can be androgynous. This means both masculine and feminine at the same time.
French students must get in the habit of learning the genders of nouns as they encounter them.
une télévision
un poster
une carte (map)
un garçon (boy / guy / waiter)
une fille (girl / daughter)
une porte (door)
une fenêtre (window)
un tableau(x) (Smartboard)
un professeur (teacher)
un ordinature (computer)
une table
un CD
un DVD
un bureau(x) (office or desk)
une chaise (chair)
un crayon (pencil)
un stylo (pen)
un cahier (workbook or notebook)
un livre (book)
la plage (beach)
le centre commercial (mall)
le lycée (high school)
le musée (museum)
la maison (house)
le concert
la balle (ball)
le temple (Protestant church)
l’église (f) (Catholic Church)
la batte (bat)
le parc (park)
le sport
le stade (stadium)
un film (a movie)
la ville
la bibliothèque (library / bookshelf)
le café (café or coffee)
la piscine (pool)
le tennis
le basket-ball
le ski
la photo
une vaisselle (dish)
la salle (room)
l’escalier (m) (stairs)
1
la musique
le téléphone
la radio
le baladeur (MP3)
l’Internet (m)
un texto (text message)
les vacances (f.pl.) (vacation)
un pas (step)
une fête (party)
les échecs (m.pl.) chess
un chat (cat)
un chien (dog)
grand-père (grandpa)
grand-mère (grandma)
une mère (mother)
un père (father)
un fils (son)
une fille (girl / daughter)
un frère (brother)
un beau-frère (step-brother)
une sœur (sister)
une belle-sœur (step-sister)
une tante (aunt)
un oncle (uncle)
une famille (family)
un(e) cousin(e) (cousine)
un petit-fils (grandson)
une petite-fille (granddaughter)
un neveu (nephew)
une nièce (niece)
un mari (husband)
une femme (wife)
le1 hockey
la capitale
le piano
la flûte
la guitare
une montagne (mountain)
le volley
le surf
un océan
une forêt
un lit (bed)
le jardin (garden / lawn)
la biologie
la chimie (chemistry)
la physique
la géographie
l’histoire (f)
l’informatique (f) (computer)
l’espagnol (m)
le français
l’allemand (m) (German)
le latin
l’italien (m)
l’anglais (m) (English)
le néerlandais (Dutch)
les maths
les arts
l’éducation (f) musicale
l’EPS (P.E.)
l’heure (f) (time/ hour)
le temps (time / weather)
le matin (every moring)
l’après-midi (every afternoon)
le soir (every evening)
l’examen (m) (test / exam)
les devoirs (m) (homework)
une gomme (eraser)
un taille-crayon (sharpener)
une calculatrice (ccalculator)
un sac à doc (book bag)
une règle (ruler)
un dictionnaire
le vélo (bike)
la voiture (car)
un sofa
la cuisine (cooking / kitchen)
le garage
le pic (peak)
le cinéma (movies)
une mer (sea)
le pays
le jogging
un désert
un lac (lake)
la lessive (laundry)
la poubelle (trash)
Words that came from Germanic languages that begin with the letter ‘h’ do not drop the letters e, a, or i.
le lave-vaisselle (dish-washer)
une plage (beach)
une côte (coast)
le plan (city map)
la pharmacie
l’hôpital (m)
le supermarché
le passeport
le quai (platform)
le distributeur (vending machine)
l’avion (m) (airplane)
février (m)
mai (m)
septembre (m)
décembre
mercredi
samedi
en hiver (in winter)
l’aspirateur (m) (vacuum)
au rez-de-chaussée (lobby)
l’étage (floor / story)
la boutique
la poste (post office)
l’hôtel (m)
le marché
le billet (ticket)
le wagon (train car)
le terminal
la correspondance (connection)
mars (m)
juin (m)juillet (m)
octobre
lundi
jeudi
dimanche
en automne (in fall)
une chambre (bedroom)
un placard (closet)
la librairie (book store)
la banque
le poste (police)
le fleuriste
la carte bancaire (ATM card)
le train
la voie (lane)
la place (place / seat)
janvier (m)
avril (m)
août (m)
novembre
mardi
vendredi
en été (in summer)
au printemps
Pronouns: Pronouns are used to replace nouns, other pronouns, or even entire sections of text.
Subject Pronouns:
je (j’)……I
tu……….you
il……….he
elle……..she
on……..one / you
nous……..we
vous…….you
ils………they
elles……they
Direct Object Pronouns:
me (m’) = me
te (t’) = you
le (l’)= him
la (l’) = her
nous = us
vous = you
les = them
Stress Pronouns:
je….moi
tu…toi
il…lui
elle..elle
nous….nous
vous…vous
ils……eux
elles…elles
Reflexive Pronouns
je…me (m’)
nous…nous
tu…te (t’)
vous…vous
il /ils and elle / elles…se (s’)
Indirect Object Pronouns:
me (m’) = me nous = us
te (t’) = you vous = you
lui = him
eux = them
lui = her
Personne = no one or nobody
Rien = nothing
Ça = This (The pronoun, “it”, does not exist in French. The pronoun, “it”, is neither masculine nor feminine;
therefore, it’s considered neuter. The pronoun ça is both masculine and feminine at the same time;
therefore, it is considered androgynous. )
Adjectives: Adjectives word for nouns and pronouns. They are used to clarify nouns / pronouns, adjectives, and
adverbs. In French, all adjectives agree in number and in gender with the nouns or the pronouns, they modify.
numbers 0-1,000,000
un / une (a or an)
le / la / les (l’) (the)
des (some)
de (d’) (any)
blond(e)
fort(e)
intelligent(e)
grand(e) (tall)
court(e) (short)
petit(e) (small-boned)
impoli(e) (rude)
long / longue
vert(e)
gris(e)
en argent (silver)
laid(e) ugly
joli(e) pretty
français(e)
créatif / creative
brun(e) (brunette) (dark-haired)
sportif / sportive
généreux
généreuse
timide (shy)
roux / rousse (red headed)
bête (dumb)
stupide
génial(e) (awesome)
gentil(le)
blanc / blanche (white)
bleu(e)
rouge (red)
orange / orangé(e)
marron (brown)
jeune (young)
canadien(ne)
anglais(e) (English)
Possessive Adjectives
English
my
your
his / her
our
your
their
Sing.
Vowel
mon
ton
son
notre
votre
leur
Masculine
Singular
mon
ton
son
notre
votre
leur
méchant(e) (mean / evil )
mince (skinny / slim)
gros (se) (fat)
marrant(e) (silly positive way)
pénible (aggravating / needy)
paresseux (m) (lazy)
paresseuse (f) (lazy)
rude (load)
âgé (elderly)
Sympathique (sweet / nice / kind)
poli(e) (polite)
noir(e) (black)
jaune (yellow)
rose (pink)
en or (gold)
pourpre / violet(te) (purple)
mexicain(e)
américain(e)
Demonstrative Adjectives
Feminine
Singular
ma
ta
sa
notre
votre
leur
Plural
mes
tes
ses
nos
vos
leurs
Ça = this
(Ça is both masculine and
feminine.)
ce (mas) this / that
cet (mas / vowel) this / that
cette (fem) this / that
ces (plural) these / those
Interrogative Adjectives
Singular
Plural
Masculine
Quel
Quels
Feminine
Quelle
Quelles
English
Which
Which
Articles:
Vowel
Definate Articles
Indefinate Article
l’
Masculine Singular
le
un
Feminine Singular
la
une
Plural
les
des
Irregular Adjectives:
English
Beautiful /
Handsome
New
Old
All
Good
Masculine
Singular
beau
Masculine
Singular / Vowel
bel
Feminine
Singular
belle
Masculine
Plural
beaux
Feminine Plural
nouveau
vieux
tout
bon
nouvel
vieil
tout
bon (sounds like )
nouvelle
vieille
toute
bonne
nouveaux
vieux
tous
bons
nouvelles
vieilles
toutes
bonnes
Numbers are adjectives too:
1ier
2ème
3ème
4ème
5ème
6ème
7ème
8ème
9ème
10ème
premier / première
deuxième
troisième
quatrième
cinquième
sixième
septième
huitième
neuvième
dixième
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
There are two ways of saying second: deuxième or second(e).
belles
Adverbs: Adverbs are used to make verbs clearer. They tell when and where actions take place. Adverbs do not
show agreement like adjectives. In French, lots of adverbs are created from adjectives.
très (very)
rarement
si (so)
souvent (often)
ne (n’)…pas (not)
ne (n’)… pas encore (not yet)
ne (n’)…plus (no longer)
ne (n’)…rien (nothing)
ne (n’)…personne (no one / nobody)
ne (n’)…que (only)
ne (n’)…ni…ni.. (neither nor)
ne (n’)…guère (hardly)
plus (more)
que (qu’) (than)
aussi (also / too)
aujourd’hui (today)
demain (tomorrow)
hier (yesterday)
maintenant (now)
vite (quickly)
lentement (lowly)
doucement (carefully)
négligemment (carelessly)
en avance (early)
à l’heure (on time)
en retard (late)
Verbs:
Avoir
Parler
Téléphoner à
Nager
Manger
Bouffer
Commencer
Lancer
Aimer
Aimer bien
Adorer
Détester
Jouer de
Jouer à
Prononcer
Placer
Ranger
Déranger
Voyager
Partager
Habiter
Visiter
Regarder
Demeurer
Travailler
Penser
Danser
Chanter
Songer
Marcher
Fumer
Gâcher
Garder
Gagner
Monter
Laisser
Montrer
Négliger
Passer
Porter
Apporter
Pousser
Pratiquer
Préparer
Presser
Demander
Voler
Goûter
Instiller
Rester
Voter
Arriver
Tourner
Retourner
Tomber
Entrer
Rentrer
Faire
Voir
Aller
Entendre
Perdre
Répondre à
Descendre
Vendre
Rendre
Fondre
Fendre
Attendre
Acheter
Préférer
Espérer
Répéter
Amener
Épeler
Emmener
Promener
Venir
Revenir
Devenir
Mourir
Naître
Sortir
Partir
Finir
Rougir
Punir
Agir
Mettre
Être
Prendre
Comprendre
Savoir
Connaître
Devoir
Pouvoir
Devoir
Vouloir
Dormir
Nettoyer
French I Verb Tenses:
le présent de l’indicatif
l’impératif
le passé composé
l’imparfait de l’imparfait
Irregular Past Participles:
Infinitive:
Être
Avoir
Aller
Mettre
Faire
Savoir
Connaître
pouvoir
devoir
venir
devenir
voir
mourir
Past Participle:
été
eu
allé(e)
mis
fait
su
connu
pu
dû
venu(e)
devenu(e)
vu
mort(e)
Infinitive:
Naître
Prendre
Écrire
Rire
Lire
revenir
Courir
Vouloir
S’asseoir
Devoir
Tenir
Dire
Croire
Past Participle:
né(e)
pris
écrit
ri
lu
revenu(e)
couru
voulu
assis
dû
tenu
dit
cru
Balayer
Envoyer
Essayer de
Payer
Voir
Choisir
Oublier
S’appeler
Se mettre
Se grossir
Se maigrir
Se laver
Se coucher
Se doucher
Se lever
Se brosser
S’habiller
Prepositions: There are thousands of verbs in French and English that have trouble making good sense on their
own. These verbs are known as intransitive verbs. Intransitive verbs cannot make the first part of their sentences
make any sense with the second part of their sentences. To help these verbs make good sense, we developed
prepositions. Prepositions help us to understand what the first part of a sentence has to do with the second part
of a sentence. There are three things that every French student must understand about prepositions:
1- Prepostions can NEVER be translated. The English preposition ‘at’ means at. There is really no sure
way of translating ‘at’ into French. French people who are learning English have to add the preposition
‘at’ to the list of French prepositions that they already know. The same thing has to happen with people
who speak English, when they begin to learn French (or any other languages that use prepositions.).
2- Just because a verb is intransitive in French does not mean its English version is intransitive too.
(Don’t get yourselves confused here. Verbs can be translated. Prepositions cannot. We are talking about
verbs here.)
3- Just because a verb is intransitive in English does not mean that its French version is intransitive too.
Now: Add these prepositions to your English prepositions:
French Preposition:
à / au / aux
dans
en
chez
près de
loin de
de or des (du / des)
pour
sans
avec
après
par
là-bas
ici
là or y
sous
sur
Ways it is used: Remember: these explanations are NOT direct translations. Just a
little help…
1-Used in directions- toward a destination to the beach, in the concert, at the concert,
on the beach, at the door.
2- Must be used with certain infinitives such as jouer à, téléphoner à, and répondre à.
Makes an object included. In the group, in the house, in the pile, within the limites
used a lot with thoughts, in a though, in ideas, and in the belief (such as God), in case
of, instead of, in fact, and in Winter…
Used to denote territory: in my place, at my house, at the home of, in the office of, or
in my personal space…
close by, near, by , nearby, close to, about, or around.
far from, away from, outside of…
1-Of (to show ownership of), from a city, town, region, continent or planet, or about.
2- Must follow certain infinitives such as: choisir de, jouer de, or avoir peur de.
For, because of, in order to, to or for the benefit of…
Sans exists in English. It’s a synonym for without.
1-With, inclusive, as a part of, a piece of, as a part of and to include in
2- with this not that
after, physically pasted an object, once, following an object in a series or line or
behind, afterwards, last, then or at last.
for, by, through, across, among, downward, down, below, athwart, crosswise,
crossways, diagonally or via.
down there, down yonder, or down below.
here
there or a far point, or away. Y is a pronoun not a preposition in French.
under, underneath, beneath or below.
on or in (Sur la photo = In the photo.)
Conjunctions: We use conjunctions to link two or more objects in a list or to link two phrases into one single
sentence. In French, we place a comma before the conjunction only when there are two separate subjects and
two separate verbs. (Same as in English.). However, the French cannot use a comma between two adjectives.
They must use the word ‘et’ instead. For example: Je veux une voiture grande et vite. (I want a big, fast car.)
et (and)
mais (but)
si (if)
où (where)
ou (or) (no accent on ‘u’)
car (for)
Grammar and Structure Points
1- Nouns : In French, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. French does not have a neuter gender. French
does have an androgynous gender, which is both masculine and feminine at the same time. You have to
memorize the gender of each noun as you learn their English meanings. All words in French that end with
“tion” are feminine except le bastion (the stronghold). All days of the week, all months of the year, all four
seasons, and all languages are masculine. When you use verbs, numbers or colors (usually adjectives) as nouns,
they are also always masculine Here’s a verb being used as a noun: (Vivre est cruel. [To live is cruel.]
2- Subject pronoun notes:
A:
Je (I) is only capitalized, when it begins a sentence. When je appears anywhere else in a
sentence, it is NEVER capitalized. If the word ‘je’ comes before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u, y and h (Latin), the
letter ‘e’ is dropped and the ‘j’ is placed with that word. for example “ je parle.” This is a consonant sound, but
‘ je + aime (vowel sound) becomes j’aime. The French do not tend to form questions by flipping the pronoun,
‘je’ and its verb. However, following certain conjunctions, the subject and verb must be inverted even when no
question is being asked. When such inversion occurs, the letter ‘e’ is not dropped if the next word begins with a
vowel sound. For example: Je suis né aux États-Unis; aussi parle-je anglais. (I was born in the U.S.; therefore, I
speak English.)
B: French has two words for you. They are tu and vous. Both of these words can be used to address one
person (singularly). However, only vous can be used to address more than two people (plural). The form, tu is
considered informal. It is used with people, you know well. Vous is used with people you do not yet know well
or with people you need to show respect. If your mother taught you to say please, thank you, yes sir or no sir to
a certain group of people such as the elderly, then you need to use the vous form with those same groups of
people, when you address them in French. When you are speaking French to a person, he or she decides when it
is appropriate to use the tu form. The choice is not yours. Keep that in mind. It seems petty to some folks, but
speaking French with a French person is a high compliment. They will most often go out of their way to help
you just because you are trying to use French. (by filling out forms for you or walking you to where you need to
go.) Don’t ruin that with disrespect.
C: French has two words for they. They are ils and elles (their letter ‘s’ is not pronounced.) Use ils when
a groups is made up of all masculine people or things or when a group is made up of things that are mixed
genders masculine and feminine. When you are don’t know the genders of the members of a group, use ils by
default. Use elles only when a group is made up 100% of feminine things or people. Elles is not used as offen as
ils, but you will see it from time to time.
D: On is a subject pronoun that is used to keep from offending someone. It means someone, somebody,
and also you and we. Even when it means you or we, it is still conjugated like il and elle singular. When on is
used to mean the nous form within le passé composé, plural agreement is required, when être is the auxiliary
verb. On est sortis à 21h00.
3- Ajectives notes:
A- In French, all adjectives must agree in number and in gender with the noun or the pronoun they
modify. Many, many of the adjectives that are associated with the French fashion industry do not follow this
rule. These adjectives are mainly colors such as lime-green and cherry-crimson. They are considered slang.
Officially, they do not exist. However, they are used even though they do not exist. They do not show
agreement like other adjectives. (This is why they are considered non-existent.)
B- The majority of adjectives in French follow the nouns they modify. For example une voiture rose (a
pink car). Here the color, pink (rose) follows the noun, car (voiture). There are several adjectives that are placed
before the nouns that they modify. As you move from French I to French II and then on to French III, your list
of these adjectives grows. Here is a list of these types of adjectives for French I: beau, nouveau, vieux, bon, and
mauvais. There is another list of adjectives that mean one thing, when they are placed before the nouns they
modify and mean something else, when they are placed after the nouns that they modify. This type of adjective
also has a list that grows longer as you go from one level of French to the others. Here’s the French I list of
those adjectives: grand, brave, cher, and dernière.
C- In English, we place a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun. For example:
Megon has a big, yellow hat. The French do not do this. They use the word, et (and). Same example, but in
French: Megon a un chapeau gros et jaune.
4- Verb notes:
Infinitive:
An infinitive is the basic form of a verb. We look verbs up in dictionaries according to their
infinitive form. English infinitives usually have the word ‘to’ attached to them. Here are some examples of
English infinitives: to love, to go, to serve, and to be. French infinitives end in one of three endings: ER, IR or
RE. (New verbs end in ER: for example téléphoner à means to phone. IR verbs are words taken from another
part of speech such as an adjective and turned into a verb. For example: rouge is an adjective that means red.
Rougir is a verb that means to redden. RE verbs are verbs that are left over from Romance or Latin.) French
infinitives rarely have the our version of ‘to’, which is “à” attached to them. Here are some examples of French
infinitives: parler (to speak), finir (to finish), and vendre (to sell).
Conjugation: A verb conjugation is the way that a verb changes in form as it follows different subjects. Study
the conjugation of the English verb, to be. Notice how it changes according to the following subjects:
I (be) becomes, I am. You (be) becomes, you are. He (be) becomes, He is. She (be) becomes She is. It
(be) become It is. We (be) becomes We are. They (be) becomes They are. So, the conjugation of the verb to be
in the simple present tense is:
I am
we are
you are
you are
he is
they are
she is
it is
A- English has three present tenses: simple present, (I have a kitten.) present progressive: (I am having
my kitten groomed.) present emphatic (Sure, I do have a kitten.) French has only one present tense. This
inconstancy between the two languages causes students to make translation errors. Students need to transfer
English sentences into the English simple present tense before translating them into French. Student need to use
adverbs, adjectives, and creativity in order to convey the meanings of the present progressive and present
emphatic in French. Here are the examples from above translated into French without the need of the
progressive or emphatic tenses: Je fais panser mon minou par Renée. “I make Renée groom my cat.” instead of
“I am having my kitten groomed. Bien sûr, j’ai un minou. “Of course, I have a kitten” instead of “Sure, I do
have a kitten.”
B: There are four types of verbs in French, verbs that end with the letters ‘er”, those that end with the
letters ‘ir’, those that end with the letters ‘re’, and irregular verbs. Each class of verb may have its own endings
that are added to verbs during conjugation. Study the following tables:
Forming Regular RE verbs:
le présent de l’indicatif:
Forming Regular ER verbs:
le présent de l’indicatif:
Step 1 : Drop the ER from infinitive.
Step 2: Add these ending according to
the subject:
je…e
nous…ons
tu…es
vous…ez
il / elle / on… e
ils /elles…ent
Step 1 : Drop the RE from infinitive.
Step 2: Add these ending according to the subject:
je…s
nous…ons
tu…s
vous…ez
il / elle / on (add nothing) ils /elles…ent
Forming Regular IR verbs:
le présent de l’indicatif:
Step 1 : Drop the IR from infinitive.
Step 2: Add these ending according to
the subject:
je…is
nous…issons
tu…is
vous…issez
il / elle / on… it
ils /elles…issent
Regular ER, RE, and IR verbs are considered ‘weak verbs’. The irregular verbs are considered ‘strong
verbs’, for they are so popular that they can completely change their spelling, but we still know what they mean.
Some examples of strong verbs in English are: to be, to eat, and to go. Look how diverse the strong verb to be is
in English. And, notice how we still know what it is, even when it changes so greatly from one tense to the
other.
Present Tense
I am
you are
he is
she is
it is
we are
you are
they are
Simple Past Tense:
Future:
I was
you were
he was
she was
it was
I will be
you will be
he will be
she will be
it will be
we were
you were
they were
we will be
you will be
they will be
French also has strong verbs. They are also irregular. They can change their forms greatly and the
French still know what they mean. In time, French students also become so familiar with these strong verbs that
they know their meaning even though they change form from one tense to the other. Here is a list of these
irregular verbs: (strong verbs:)
être
avoir
faire
mettre
savoir
pouvoir
vouloir
écrire
venir
aller
dire
voir
rire
croire
devoir
connaître
prendre
naître
mourir
tenir
croire
C: Stem Changing Verbs: Some regular ER verbs follow a slightly different conjugation than other ER
verbs with all subjects except nous and vous. Study these examples:
Type A: The last ‘e’ in the root is changed to è, before you add the regular ER verb endings.
Acheter = to buy
j’achète
tu achètes
il / elle achète
nous achetons
vous achetez
ils / elle achètent
Lever= to raise
je lève
tu lèves
il / elle lève
nous levons
vous levez
ils / elle lèvent
Other type A Stem Changing verbs: amener = to bring someone along, emmener = to take someone
along, and promener = to take a walk.
Type B: é is replaced by è in the root, before you add the regular ER verb endings.
Préférer = to prefer
je préfère
tu préfères
il /elle préfère
nous préférons
vous préférez
ils / elles préfèrent
Espérer = to hope
j’espère
tu espères
il / elle espère
nous espérons
vous espérez
ils / elles espèrent
Another type B stem changing verb is répéter = to repeat,
Type C focuses on doubling consonants within these words as they are conjugated. Study these examples:
S’appeler = to call oneself
Jeter = to throw or to toss
je m’appelle
nous nous appelons
je jette
nous jetons
tu t’appelles
vous vous appelez
tu jettes
vous jetez
il / elle s’appelle
ils / elle s’appellent
il / elle jette
ils /elles jettent
Another Type C stem changing verb is épeler = to spell.
D: Conjugation for irregular verbs in any tense has to be memorized.
E: ER verbs that end in ger have a special ending in the nous form: eons. This rule keeps the ‘g’ from
being mispronounced. Here are some examples. nager (to swim) Noun nageons and manger (to eat)
nous mangeons.
F: ER verbs that end in cer have a special ending in the nous form: çons. A cedilla is added to the letter
‘c’ to keep its pronunciation soft like the ‘c’ in the English word, city. Here are some examples: lancer
(to throw) nous lançons and commencer (to start or to begin) nous commençons.
Study the following examples of French verb conjugation in the present tense. Pay close attention to the English
translations:
ER verb: parler (to speak)
je parle = I speak
I am speaking
I do speak
tu parles = you speak
you are speaking
you do speak
il parle = he speaks
he is speaking
he does speak
elle parle = she speaks
she is speaking
she does speak
nous parlons = we speak
we are speaking
we do speak
vous parlez = you speak
you are speaking
you do speak
ils parlent = they speak
they are speaking
they do speak
elles parlent = they speak
they are speaking
they do speak
IR verb: rougir (to blush)
je rougis = I blush
I am blushing
I do blush
tu rougis = you blush
you are blushing
you do blush
il rougit = he blushes
he is blushing
he does blush
elle rougit = she blushes
she is blushing
she does blush
nous rougissons = we blush
we are blushing
we do blush
vous rougissenz = you blush
you are blushing
you do blush
ils rougissent = they blush
they are blushing
they do blush
elles rougissent = they blush
they are blushing
they do blush
RE verb: vendre (to sell)
je vends = I sell
= I am selling
= I do sell
tu vends = you sell
= you are selling
= you do sell
il vend = he sells
= he is selling
= he does sell
elle vend = she sells
= she is selling
= she does sell
nous vendons = we sell
= we are selling
= we do sell
vous vendez = you sell
= you are selling
= you do sell
ils vendent
= they sell
= they are selling
= they do sell
elles vendent = they sell
= they are selling
= they do sell
Some Irregular Verb Conjugations:
Avoir (to have)
j’ai
tu as
il a
nous avons
vous avez
ils ont
Être (to be)
je suis
tu es
il est
nous sommes
vous êtes
ils sont
Tenir (to have / to hold)
je tiens
nous tenons
tu tiens
vous tenez
il tient
ils tiennent
Verbs conjugated like tenir :
venir, revenir, devenir, convenir,
advenir,
se souvenir, parvenir, prévenir,
circonvenir, and many more…
Connaître (to know a noun /
to be familiar with)
Aller (to go)
je vais
tu vas
il va
nous allons
vous allez
ils vont
je connais
tu connais
il connaît*
nous connaissons
vous connaissez
ils connaissent
* Pay attention to the circumflex!
Faire (to do / to make)
je fais
tu fais
il fait
nous faisons*
vous faites
ils font
* Faisons sounds weird. It sounds like
[fuzon]
Prendre (to take / to order)
je prends
nous prenons
tu prends
vous prenez
il prend
ils prennent
Other verbs conjugated like prendre:
comprendre, apprendre, surprendre, and
others…
Pouvoir (can / may / to be able to)
je puis or peux
tu peux
il peut
nous pouvons
vous pouvez
ils peuvent
Savoir (can / may / to know how to)
je sais
tu sais
il sait
je mets
tu mets
il met
Mettre (to place / to put)
nous mettons
vous mettez
ils mettent
Other verbs conjugated like mettre:
Omettre, admettre, promettre, permettre,
remettre, and others…
nous savons
vous savez
ils savent
Vouloir (to want)
je veux
tu veux
il veut
nous voulons
vous voulez
ils veulent
G: To make a verb negative in French (to say not), you wrap the circumfix, ne (n’)…pas around the
verb. For example: Je parle français = I speak French. To say I do not speak French, wrap ne….pas around the
conjugated verb. Je ne parle pas français (I speak no French, I am not speaking French, and I do not speak
French.) See adverb section for more negations.
I: French has 13 different past tenses. French I is concerned only with two, the passé composé and
l’imparfait de l’indicatif. Le passé composé is a past tense used to state that an action was completed in the past.
These actions are reserved for things like closing a door or stumping your toe. If an action took a while to
complete such as writing a book or raising a child, it does not use the passé composé. Time is very important to
le passé composé. The word, composé means compound in French. The passé composé differs from the simple
past in English in that it is a compound tense in French, but just a single word in English. The simple past in
English often requires us to place the suffix ed onto a verb and it’s ready to use. It’s a little more complex in
French, but not by much. The passé composé is formed with the present tense form of avoir (to have) or être (to
be) plus the past participle of the verb that you need placed in the past tense. To form the passé composé, follow
these rules much the same way, you follow a formula in math or science… one step at a time, without skipping
any one step.
Step 1: Determine which helping verb (auxiliary verb) to use, avoir or être by answering the following
questions:
Question A: Is the verb, I need to place in the past a change of location? If you answer yes, use être and
continue with the conjugation. If you answer no, go to the next question”
Question B: is the verb, I need placed in the past reflexive (does it have se before the infinitive)?
If you answer yes, use être. If you answered no to question A and question B use avoir. Attention: most verbs in
French use avoir as their auxiliary verb in the passé composé.
Step 2: Conjugate avoir or être in the present tense after the subject. (Leave room for any reflexive
pronoun, it necessary.)
AVOIR:
j’ai
tu as
il a
elle a
ÊTRE:
je suis
tu es
il est
elle est
nous avons
vous avez
ils ont
elles ont
nous sommes
vous êtes
ils sont
elles sont
Step 3- Form and place the past participle by following these steps, and make the participle agree
appropriately.
Steps for forming past participles:
ER verb: Drop the ‘r’ from the infinitive and add an accent to the ‘e’. Example: parler becomes parlé.
IR verb: Drop the ‘r’ from the infinitive. Add nothing. Example: fiinir becomes fini.
RE verbs: Drop the ‘RE’ and add ‘u’. Example vendre becomes vendu.
Irregular past participles have to be memorized. Here’s a list of the French I irregular past participles:
Irregular Past Participles French I
être = été
avoir = eu
faire = fait
aller = allé
lire = lu
mettre = mis
prendre = pris
comprendre = compris
savoir = su
mourir = mort
naître = né
connaître = connu
venir = venu
pouvoir = pu
dire = dit
vouloir = voulu
devenir = devenu
Details concerning agreement of past participles:
A: Past participle agreement is made, when être is the helping verb (auxiliary verb). The past
participle must agree with the subject in number and in gender. Study these examples:
Sarah est née en 1928.
Thomas et mon père sont allés en France.
B : When there is a preceding direct object pronoun and avoir is the helping verb (auxiliary
verb), agreement is made with that direct object pronoun. Study these examples: The direct
object pronoun is underlined. The past participle is double-underlined.
Voilà la fille que j’ai vue à la plage. (There’s the girl that I saw at the beach.)
Ils sont mes stylos. Je les ai donnés à Marc. (They are my pens. I handed them to Marc.)
Change of location verbs:
When the subject of a sentence does an action that causes it to change from one geographic
location to another, that verb must use être as its helping verb (auxiliary verb) in all the
compound tenses in French. Lucky for students, the French have pre-determined which of their
verbs fall into this category. Students only have to learn the list of verbs. Here’s the French
point of veiw on this issue: If a man is standing in a river and slips and falls, the French use the
verb glisser. (Il a glissé dans la rivière.) Glisser is not a change of location verb. This is true
because the guy did not change his geographic location. He was in the river, slipped , but
he remained in the river. BUT, if the same man is standing on one of the river’s banks and falls
into the river, the French use the verb tomber. (Il est tombé dans la rivière.) Tomber is a change
of location verb. This is true because the man changed from one geographic location to anotherthe river’s bank to the river itself.
Here’s one more example. Marie went to Columbia, S.C. on I-77 from Rock Hill, S.C. She
changed her geographic location. So, the word, to go in French (aller) is a change of
location. However, if her car ran out of gas in Fairfield County and she had to walk (marcher)
from exit 56 to exit 58, she did not change her location because she was still on I-77. Therefore,
to walk (marcher) is not a change of location verb. When Marie arrived at exit 58, she changed
her location, so arriver (to arriver) is a change of location. She was no longer at exit 56. Then,
when she left I-77 and started going up the exit ramp- she changed her location again. She was
no longer on I-77. So, to exit (sortir) can be a change of location verb.
Rester:
The French think that rester (to stay or to remain) is a change of location. I have asked
several French people why this is. I found this illogical. They all said “who cares, just use
être with it. So, no one cares, but we must use être as the auxiliary verb with rester (to
stay).
List of Change of location Verbs:
Descendre (to descend, to go down)
Rentrer (to reenter- to come back)
Monter (to go up / to climb up)
Retourner (to return)
Sortir (to go out / to exit)
Venir (to come)
Aller (to go)
Naître (to be born)
Devenir (to become)
Décéder (to die)
Entrer (to enter)
Revenir (to come back)
Tomber (to fall)
Rester (to stay / to remain)
Arriver (to arrive
Mourir (to die)
Partir (to leave)
Passer (to pass)
Some of the change of location verbs use avoir as their helping verb (auxiliary verb), when the
subject is causing something else to change its geographic location. These verbs are: monter, descendre,
rentrer (retourner) and sortir. Here are some examples:
J’ai sorti un stylo de mon sac à dos. (I removed a pen from my backpack.) In this example, the
pen changed geographic location, not the subject ‘je’.
Tu as monté le livre à ton père. (You carried a book up to your father.) Here the book changed its
location not ‘tu’.
Il a rentré la voiture chez lui. (He brought the car back to his house.) Here the car changed its
location not ‘Il’.
Nous avons descendu le pauvre chien. (We put the poor dog to sleep.) Here the poor dog
changed its location and not “nous”.
In addition, some of the change of location verbs use avoir as the helping verb (auxiliary verb)
with fixed expressions, where a change of location is illogical. Study these examples: Les prix ont
monté. (The prices climbed.) In this example, prices cannot change their locations, mainly because they
are featured on a sticker or on a quantity demanded curve. Le ton a monté et tombé. (The tone rose and
fell.) Sounds and tones do move in waves and they do return in echoes, but they don’t change from one
geographic location to another. Even when they are travelling through space they are still ‘in outer
space.”
l’Imparfait de l’indicatif:
The main comparison between le passé composé and l’Imparatif de l’indicatif (called l’imparfait
for short) is that both are French past tenses. However, they differ quite a lot. Le passé composé is made
up of two words, where l’imparfait is made up of just one. The time an action occurred is very
important to le passé composé, where time is quite vague within the use of l’imparfait. There are a lot of
irregularities associated with le passé composé, but there is only one irregular verb in l’imparfait: être.
Uses: (These are not the only uses of l’imparfait.)
1- Use l’imparfait, to quote people. (French quotation marks do not look the same as English:
« l’imparfait ».
2- Use l’imparfait to narrate past events: “The sun was shining.” “The moon was full” “Linda was no
longer alone on the beach”
3- Use l’imparfait to express actions that happened habitually in the past.
4- Use l’imparfait to express than an action was taking place, when another action interrupted it.
Formation:
Step 1- Take the present nous form of the verb, you need placed in l’imparfait.
Step 2- Drop the ‘ons’.
Step 3- Add these endings:
je (j’)….ais
tu…ais
il / elle / on…ait
nous…ions
vous…iez
ils / elles…aient
Here are some examples :
Parler = to speak
Step 1- Take the present nous form of parler, which is “parlons”.
Step 2- Drop the ons. “parlons leaves us with “parl”
Step 3- Add these endings:
je parlais
nous parlions
tu parlais
vous parliez
il parlait
ils parlaient
Finir = to finish
Step 1- Take the present nous form of finir, which is “finissons”.
Step 2- Drop the ons. “finissons leaves us with “finiss”
Step 3- Add these endings:
je finissais
nous finissions
tu finissais
vous finissiez
il finissait
ils finissaient
Rendre = to throw up / to give back / to make (an adjective : You make me sick !)
Step 1- Take the present nous form of rendre, which is “rendons”.
Step 2- Drop the ons. “rendons leaves us with “rend”
Step 3- Add these endings:
je rendais
nous rendions
tu rendais
vous rendiez
il rendait
ils rendaient
Être is the only irregular verb in l’imparfait.
j’étais
tu étais
il était
nous étions
vous étiez
ils étaient
I Semi-auxiliary verbs.
A: ALLER Like English, French has a near future construction. It is used to state things
that are about to happen too soon to be placed in the future tense. In English, we use the verb to go and
the verb to fix to form the near future. Study these examples:
“Boy, if you don’t get down from that ladder, you are going to fall.”
“She is going to be upset, when she sees your report card.
“God’s teeth! I am fixing to slap the lips off of your face!”
“She’s fixing to call the police! Let’s go…
The French use their verb to go (which is aller) to form their near future expressions. Study these
examples: Je vais téléphoner à ma mère. (I am going to call my mother.)
Tu vas tomber, si tu ne quitte pas cette échelle. (You are going to fall, if you don’t get off that
ladder.)
Formation: To form the near future in French, conjugate the verb aller in the present tense. Next
place the verb that you want placed in the near future behind the conjugated form of aller. Look at the
previous examples:
Je vais manger cette tomate. (I am going to eat that tomato.)
Ils vont gagner le match! (They are fixing to win the game !)
B: VENIR DE: French has a near past construction that is used to state actions were just
completed but too soon to be placed in the past tenses. In English, we go ahead and place the verb in the
past tense with the adverb, just. For example: I just broke my pencil point. She just learned that her
mother plans to marry Mr. Davis.
Formation: To form the near past in French, conjugate the verb venir de (to come) in the
present tense. Next, place the infinitive of the verb you need placed in the near past behind the word
“de”. For example: Je viens de parler à Paula. (I just spoke to Paula.) Robert vient de voir le voleur.
(Robert just saw the robber.)
Note : If there is a masculine or plural direct object pronoun in your formation of the near
past, you do not make the contraction with de + le / de + les. They remain unchanged. Study these
examples:
Je viens de le mettre sur la table. (I just set it on the table.)
Nous venons de les voir. (We just saw them.)
J : The French and English Imperative (le présent impératif) is used to give commands. In this
mood, the subject is said to be understood. This is because it is not stated aloud or in writing. The
imperative in both French and English has only three forms- the singular, the plural and the inclusive.
Study these examples of the English imperative:
Come over here boy and give your granny a kiss. (Notice that the sentence starts off with a
verb (come), and the subject is absent.
Open your textbooks to page 584. (Notice that the sentence starts off with a verb (open), and
the subject is absent.
Let’s go to Wal-mart after church. (Notice that the sentence starts off with a verbal phrase
(let’s go), and the subject is absent.
Formation : le présent impératif
If you are giving a commend to one person that you know well, take the tu form of the verb and
drop the subject. In addition, to dropping the subject, you must also drop the ‘s’ from regular ER verbs.
Study these examples:
Regarde-moi! (Look at me!)
Finis tes devoirs! (Finish your homework!)
Vends-moi mes livres! (Give me back my books!)
Aie une bonne journée. (Have a nice day.)
If you are giving a command to more than one person or to a person you don’t know so well,
take the vous form of the verb and drop the subject, ‘vous’. Leave the verb alone. Study these examples:
Fermez la bouche! (Shut up!)
Choisissez votre réponse. (Choose your answer.)
Descendrez de là ! (Get down from there!)
Soyez tranquille ! (Calm down!)
If you want to suggest an activity for you and others to do together, take the nous form of the
verb, drop the subject nous, and leave the verb alone. Study these examples:
Mangeons! (Let’s eat!)
Blanchissons nos jeans. (Let’s bleach our jeans.)
Vendons la voiture. (Let’s sell the car.)
Allons au café. (Let’s go to the café.)
K: Transitive Verbs:
A verb is considered transitive when it is followed directly by a noun or pronoun (a direct object)
without any help from a preposition. Study these examples of transitive verbs:
to see
to help
to take
to roll
to know
to sing
to drive
I see the boy.
You helped your granny make cakes.
They took the new car.
We rolled the barrel.
She knows the truth.
I sang that song last week.
They drive too fast.
Notes on transitive verbs:
A: Both French and English have transitive verbs.
B: A verb can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another sentence.
For example: They play the piano. (transitive)
They played with the children. (intransitive)
C: A verb may be transitive in English and intransitive in French.
For example. To telephone and téléphoner à
I telephoned my doctor. (transitive: There’s no preposition.)
J’ai téléphoné à mon médecin. [I telephoned my doctor] (intransitive: the
preposition is à)
D: A verb may be transitive in French and intransitive in English.
For example: attendre (to wait) / to wait
J’attends le train. (I am awaiting the train.) (transitive: no preposition.)
I am waiting for the train. (intransitive: The preposition is “for”)
K: Intransitive Verbs:
Verbs are considered to be intransitive when they cannot be followed directly by a noun or
pronoun (indirect object) without using a preposition.
to hope for
to go
to come
to arrive
to fall
to escape
She hoped for salvation.
I went to the game.
We came from the dentist.
They arrived at the airport 10 minutes too late.
Mr. Redd fell from the top step- not that one.
Notes on intransitive verbs:
A: Both French and English have intransitive verbs.
B: A verb can be intransitive in one sentence and transitive in another sentence.
C: A verb may be intransitive in English and transitive in French.
D: A verb may be intransitive in French and transitive in English.
5 : Contractions
A contraction is a shortened form of a word such as ma’am for madame. Other contractions are
shortened forms of entire phrases or clauses. One of the most popular examples is found the use of the
possessive case in English. When someone owns an item, we said that is David’s car or this is Sandy’s book.
The ‘s is a contraction for the phrase “That X has.” So instead of saying that is the car that David has, we
shorten it to David’s car. Contractions in English are left up to the discretion of the author or the speaker.
Teachers and professors usually do not have a lot to say about contractions until we use them in formal writing.
Such is not the case in French. In French, contractions are mandatory. You must use them or you run the risk of
not being well understood.
French I student must learn the following mandatory contractions:
Je: When using the subject pronoun, ‘je’ if the next word in the sentence begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o,
u, y) or if the next word begins with the consonant ‘h’ and the word derived from Latin, you must drop the letter
‘e’ and connect the j’ to the next word. For example: J’aime ta robe! (I love your dress!) The only times this
contraction does not occur is when the next word begins with the consonant ‘h’ in a word that derived from a
Germanic language (German, Dutch, or English). The other time that this contraction is not made is when a
subject / verb inversion is required following special conjunction.
For example: Je suis né au Canada, aussi parle-je anglais.
List of Words With Mandatory Contractions like Je / j’:*
je
me
te
se
ne
de
que
le
la
si
lorsque
ce
* There are more contractions in French than these…
Here is a list of some of these special conjunctions:
aussi (therefore / so), peut-être (perhaps), and à peine (when).
À:
While using the preposition ‘à’, if the next word is ‘le’ and it means ‘the’; these two words must
contract into au. For example: Je vais au café. (I am going to the café.) When using the preposition ‘à’, if the
next word is ‘les’ and it means ‘the’, the two words must contract into aux. For examples. Je vais aux ÉtatsUnis. ( I am going to the U.S.A.)
De:
While using the preposition, ‘de’, if the next word is le and it means ‘the’; these two words
contract in to ‘du’. For example: Je viens du cinéma. (I am coming from the movies.) While using the
preposition, ‘de’, if the next word is les and it means, ‘the’; the two words contract into ‘des’. For example: J’ai
acheté les livres des anglaises. (I bought the books from the English ladies.)
6: Asking Questions
List of French Question Words
Quand (When)
Comment (How)
Où (Where)
D’où (From where)
Pouquoi (Why)
Que (qu’) (What)
Avec qui (with whom)
Qui (Who)
A: Est-ce que (qu’) (Is it that?)
The easiest way to ask a question in French is to start a statement off with the phrase est-ce que
(qu’). For example: Tu joues du piano. (You play the piano.) can be made into a question by adding est-ce que
(qu’) and a question mark. Est-ce que tu joues du piano? (Is it that you play the piano?) Students often forget to
drop the ‘e’ in que, when the next word begins with a vowel sound. For example: Est-ce qu’il parle français? (Is
it that he speaks French?)
B: Qu’est-ce que (qu’) (What is it that?) This is used the same as est-ce que (qu’). (French II content will
cover more uses of this construction and other similar constructions.)
C: A second way of asking questions is through subject-verb inversion. For example: As-tu faim? (Are
you hungry?) French differs from English in subject-verb inversion. The French invert most of their subjects
and verbs, when they ask questions through subject-verb inversion. On the other hand, English speakers may
only do subject-verb inversion with helping verbs (auxiliary verbs). Look how odd the following questions
appear when this grammar rule is ignored:
Telelphoned your mother?
Went skiing with your friends?
Come home late again?
Notice how they appear clearer, when you follow this grammar rule:
Did you telephone your mother?
Have you gone skiing with your friends?
Have you come home late again?
There are two French grammar rules to follow, when using subject-verb inversion:
A: You must place a hyphen between the subject and verb, when you use subject-verb inversion:
For example: As-tu mon livre? (Do you have my book ?)
Sommes-nous arrivés? (Are we there yet?)
B: The French do not like for two vowels to clash within their sentences. To keep this from
happening, they place –t- between the subject and verb with the following subjects: il, elle, and on. This is only
done when two vowels would be pronounced. It is not done across the board. Look closely at the following
examples:
-t- is not needed in the following: Est-il ton frère? (Is he your brother?), Fait-elle du jogging? (Is she
jogging?), and Vend-il sa voiture? (Is he selling his car?).
-t- is required in the following: Va-t-il au supermarché? (Is he going to the supermarket?) A-t-elle vu
ma mère? (Did she see my mother?), and Travaille-t-il avec Marc? (Does he work with Marc?)
D: A third way of asking questions in French is to take a statement and raise the pitch of your
voice higher as you near the question mark. For example: Tu m’appelles. (You are calling me.) This is a
statement. If you want to turn it into a question, you would say the same phrase, but lift the pitch of your voice
as you end the sentence. Tu m’appelles?.
List of English Grammar Norms that Make Learning French Difficult:
1-
Students do not understand how nouns relate one to another in English sentences.
Solution:
A: Students need to understand:
1- The nominative case
2- The possessive case
3- The accusative case
4- The dative case
B: Students need to understand why pronouns are used to replace nouns, and they need to know
how to use pronouns correctly in each of the four cases in item A.
2-
Students do not understand the role that prepositions play within English sentences. They do not know
which preposition is appropriate.
Solution: Change your mind set when it comes to prepositions. They belong to verbs not nouns.
Prepositions may be little three or four letter words, but they are powerful. They can change the entire
meaning of a verb.
A: Students need to know why verbs are classified as transitive, and what caused these verbs to
have no need of a preposition.
B: Students need to understand what causes verbs to be intransitive. They need to understand
how degrees of meaning occur when the preposition is changed.
C: Students need to be at peace with the fact that a verb can be transitive in one circumstance,
but intransitive in another situation.
D: Prepositions are non-transferable. They cannot be translated from one language to another.
This being the case, students have to know prepositions, their role within any given sentence
and their influence over the verb in order to translate the main data from one language to
another.
3-
Students are not taught the complete list of English tenses in their English classes. I hope that this does
not offend anyone, but it has to be stated, so students are able to create an appropriate foundation for
learning any foreign language. Here is a comprehensive list of English verb tenses. Passive voice is
still considered inappropriate in both French and English, so it is not included in this list:
Tenses:
Present Indicative
Present Progressive
Present Emphatic
Present Perfect
Present Imperative
Preterite-Present
Moods:
Present Conditional
Present Subjunctive
Simple Past
Imperfect (Past Progressive)
Past Emphatic
Past Perfect
Future
Future Progressive
Future Perfect
Past Imperative
Past Conditional
Past Subjunctive
Future Subjunctive
Sample phrases that use some of the strange tenses / moods:
Present Perfect: That poor cat has lain in the street for two weeks (Denotes an action that started in the
past but continues at the present.)
Present Imperative: Get out!
Preterite-Present: Oh! I got it now!
Imperfect: I was mowing the lawn, when the phone rang.
Future Progressive: On Friday, I will be changing the sheets on all the beds.
Past Imperative: Better have those dishes washed before your father gets home from
work, Buster. (This looks like the past, but it denotes a future action.)
Present Subjunctive: It is important that your son read chapter six. (Notice, no ‘s’ on read.)
Past Subjunctive: If I were you, I would have gone to the doctor.
Future Subjunctive: If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take…
Solution: Students need to learn to conjugate verbs in these tenses, but more importantly than this, they
need to understand the logic behind their uses. We would never remove a flat-head screw with
a Philips-head driver or a butter knife. Verbs are like tools. There is a specific tool for every
job.
A: Students do not understand that verbs come with strings attached. When we use verbs we make
inferences about time, duration of actions, sentiments and motives. Culture and tradition determine
how these inferences are made in English. The French have their set of inferences that are
attached to their verb tenses. Lucky for French students in American, these inferences are
standardized. They are not likely to change within our lifetimes. (Our hearts ought to go out to the
poor French children who are tasked with learning to use English verbs, where there is no
standardized set of inferences.)
B: Students do not understand the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. They do not
understand that prepositions are part of the verb. Students need to understand that prepositions used
to function as adverbs. They still have many of the same characteristics as adverbs in French and in
English.
C: Students have a lot of trouble with auxiliary verbs in English. They must understand English
auxiliary verbs quite well in order to form all of the French verb tenses. Students make a lot
of conjugation errors, when they place a verb in a French verb tense. Oftentimes, this is caused by
a lack of fluency in English.
Solution: Learn to use these English auxiliary verbs correctly:
The Present Tenses:
The present progressive takes to be plus the present participle (verb ending in “ing”)
I am coming to church next Sunday morning.
The present emphatic takes to do plus the infinitive without “to”.
I do go to church every Sunday.
The present perfect takes to have conjugated in the present tense plus the past participle.
I have attended church every Sunday for the past forty years.
The Past Tenses:
The imperfect tense requires to be conjugated in the simple past plus the present
participle.
I was going to church last Sunday, when a rattlesnake bit me on the leg.
The imperfect may also use the auxiliary form “would” plus the infinitive without “to”.
I would go to church every Sunday, when I was your age.
The imperfect may also use the auxiliary “used” plus the infinitive.
I used to go to church every Sunday, when I was your age.
The past emphatic takes to do conjugated in the simple past plus the infinitive without “to”.
I did go to church last Sunday, even when that snake caused a run in my pantyhose.
The past perfect takes to have placed in the simple past plus the past participle.
I had had bad luck with other types of snakes. Once, I got popped by a cottonmouth at a
tent revival back in 1944.
The future takes the auxiliary will plus the infinitive without “to”.
I will bring the anti-venom to church on Sunday.
Officially, only the subject I may take the auxiliary “shall”.
I shall bring the anti-venom to church on Sunday.
The future progressive takes the auxiliary will plus the infinitive to be without the “to”
plus the present participle.
I will be bringing the anti-venom to church on Sunday, and you will be bringing the IV drips.
The Present Conditional:
Both the present conditional and the past conditional are not verb tenses. They are
considered moods of verbs. Tenses are used more to express facts. The moods are much
less concrete than tenses. They are used with emotions such as love, doubt, hope,
longing, and many others. If you need to state an action was certain, they conditional is
not what you need. You most likely need can, may or must. They are discussed after this
section.
There are five auxiliary verbs used to form the present conditional mood in English plus
the infinitive without “to”:
Should is used to infer that a subject has a social obligation or a duty to do some action.
Ought is a synonym for the auxiliary “should’. It just requires the use of “to” with the
infinitive.
I should attend church every Sunday.
I ought to attend church every Sunday.
Would is used to state a hypothetical situation.
I would attend church every Sunday, if you would offer to drive me.
Might is used to infer that a subject has permission to do an action.
I might attend a church on the other side of town next week.
Could is used to infer that a subject has the ability to do an action.
I have nothing planned. I could attend church next Sunday.
The Past Conditional:
The same five auxiliary verbs that belong to the present conditional are used to form the
past conditional. To form the past conditional, we state the appropriate auxiliary verb,
place the verb to have in the present tense, and place the past participle.
Should and ought are used to infer that a subject had a social obligation or a duty to do
in the past.
I should have realized how important going to church was for you.
I ought to have realized how important going to church was for you.
Would is used in the past conditional to state a hypothetical situation in the past.
I would have known how important church was to you, if I would have paid better
attention. Now, I am so sorry.
Might is used to state that a subject had permission to do an action in the past.
I might have attended church across town, but I chosen to come here.
Could is used to state that a subject had the ability to do some action in the past.
I could have attended church, if I wanted to do so.
D-Students need to understand how modal auxiliary verbs are used in English. Such an understanding is
necessary for making sound translations from English to French. French also has its set of modal
auxiliary verbs, but they do not carry the same connotations and inferences as those used in English.
Unlike the auxiliary verbs used in the conditional moods, modal auxiliary verbs are used with facts
and fancy (opinions, propaganda, fiction, fantasy, and lots of others…)
Solution: Students need to study and learn the following uses of modal auxiliary verbs:
Must: This verb is used to present a requirement. It takes the auxiliary ‘must’ plus the infinitive of the
required action without ‘to’ The French version of must is devoir.
“There are wolves in the forest, Red. You must call your mother the second that you arrive at
grandmother’s house.”
Can: This verb has two meanings. 1- To preserve fruits and vegetables for use later in the year. 2- A
modal auxiliary used to state ability to perform an action. We are concerned here with meaning
number two. It takes can plus the infinitive of the action without “to”.
“But surely, I can outrun all those beasts in the Forest. I can outrun every child in the village”. (The
famous last words of Little Red Riding Hood.)
May: This word also has two meanings. 1- The fifth month of the year. 2- a modal auxiliary that states
that a subject has permission to do an action. Here, we are interested only in item two. This form
cause confusion in two ways.
French II French I Comprehensive Vocabulary List
Nouns:
Le beau-père (stepfather / father-in-law)
La belle-mère (stepmother / mother-in-law)
Le beau-fils (stepson / son-in-law)
La belle-fille (stepdaughter / daughter-in-law)
Le beau-frère (stepbrother / brother-in-law)
La belle-sœur (stepsister / sister-in-law)
L’arrière-grand-père (great-grandfather)
L’arrière-grand-mère (great-grand-mother)
Le parrain (godfather)
La marraine (godmother)
La bonne fée (fairy-godmother)
L’ex-mari (ex-husband)
L’ex-femme (ex-wife)
Le Cinéma
Un caméscope (video-camera)
Un appareil photo (camera)
Un coca (soda)
Un jus (juice)
Une balle
Une raquette`
Une décoration
Un drapeau (flag)
Une fête
Un défilé (parade)
La Foule (crowd)
Le feu d’artifice (fireworks)
Le sapin de Noël (Christmas tree)
La Carte vœux (Christmas card)
Un cadeau (gift)
Un Ballons (balloon)
Une bougie (candle)
Un gâteau (cake)
Un petit gâteau (cup-cake)
Une boîte (box or can)
Un Chèque-cadeau (gift-card)
Un hymne national (national anthem)
Un poivron (bell-pepper)
Un oignon
une épice (spice)
une pêche (peach)
une framboise (raspberry)
une cerise (cherry)
une banane
une fraise (strawberry)
une pomme (apple)
un four (oven)
une cuisinière (stove)
la farine (flour)
le sucre (sugar)
la laitue (lettuce)
une tasse (cup)
l’huile (f) (oil)
Une cuillerée à café (teaspoon)
Une cuillerée à soupe (table spoon)
le boulanger (baker)
la boulangère (baker feminine)
le bœuf (beef)
le boucher (butcher)
la bouchère (butcher feminine)
une tranche de jambon (slice of ham)
la crevette (shrimp)
les fruits de mer (lobster)
le poissonnier (fish salesman)
la poissonnière (fish salewoman)
une huître (Oyster)
le yaourt (yogourt)
un morceau de fromage (wedge of cheese)
le caissier (cashier)
la caissière (cashier)
une bouteille (bottle)
un pot
une douzaine
un paquet
un sac
le chariot (shopping buggy)
le laboratoire (le labo)
Une pomme de terre (potato)
Une Carotte
Un haricot vert (green bean)
Le brocoli
Une tomate
Un champignons (mushroom)
Une aubergine (eggplant)
Un petit pois (pea)
en retenue (afterschool detention)
la note (grade)
la cantine (commons area)
le savon (soap)
la brosse (brush)
le dentifrice (tooth paste)
le lavabo (sink)
la serviette (towel)
le peigne (comb)
le gel douche
le déodorant
la toilette (tasks we do to get ready)
un écosystème
un environnement
trophique (adj.)
les niveaux (m) trophiques
le niveau
le consommateur
la photosynthèse
l’énergie (f)
acquérir
l’araignée (f)
un alligator
la plante
la fleur
la fougère
la fourmi
l’algues (fp2)
l’orchidée (f)
la racine (f)
la feuille
la branche
la chlorophylle
la sarigue
une abeille
la chèvre
le mouton
le cerf
un hippopotame
l’âne (m)
le zèbre
le gorille
2
Alga n’existe pas en français.
les lunettes de protection (fem.) (Safety glasses)
une expérience (experiment)
une salle d’informatique (computer lab)
la cour de récré (playground)
l’infirmerie (f)
le terrain de sport (field)
la piste (runway / track)
une compétition (track meet)
le conseiller (guidance)
la interro (quiz)
Café is the shorten form of cafeteria.
la baignoire (tub)
le sèche-cheveux
la brosse à dents
une douche (shower)
le rasoir (raizer)
le shampooing
la crème à raser
le robinet (faucet) (spigots are attached to vats)
la poule
le renard
le canard
le lézard
le tigre
un autotrophe (m)
le loup
le lion
le phoque
le serpent
l’algue (f)
un homme
le compagne
le niche
le rat
le cochon
le mouche
la larve
le ver
le scarabée
le papillon
un chimpanzé
le marais
le désert
la forêt
les bois (m)
le jungle
la rivière
l’océan (m)
la colline
la montagne
la sauterelle
le panda
la chenille
le lac
le fond de l’océan
le raton laveur
la tortue
l’ours (m)
la lotion anti-moustiques
la tousse premiers soins (firstaid kit)
le dos (back)
la jambe (leg)
le doigt
le pied (foot)
la cheville (ancle)
l’épaule (sholder)
un muscle
le cœur (heart)
l’os (m) (bone)
un œil (eye)
la bouche (mouth)
la joue (cheek)
les fesses (m) (butt)
l’écran (m) (Screen)
la souris (computer mouse)
le logiciel (the software)
la plage
la tente
un feu de camp
la lampe de poche (flasklight)
la gourde (cantine)
la boussole (compass)
une allumette (match)
la crème solaire
un sac à couchage
la tête (head)
le bras (arm)
la main (hand)
le cou (neck)
le genou (knee)
le doigt de pied (toe)
le cerveau (brain)
le poumon
l’estomac (m)
le front (forehead)
les yeux (eyes)
la lèvre (lip)
le sourcil (eyebrow)
un navigaeur (a search engine)
la touche (key : piano, computer, ATM)
l’imprimante3 (f) (printer)
un menu déroulant (menu / window on computer)
Computers, cars, fridges, printers, and washing-machines are also called by the name of their manufactures. For example: “Je ne
peux pas trouvé le Ford: I cannot find the car. « Il faut redémarrer le Dell. » You got to reboot the computer. Their names or
trademarks are used in the masculine form.
3
Verbs and Verbal Phrases:
exister
habiter (to live / to reside)
vivre (to vivre opposite of to die)
se marier
se divorcer
prendre
acheter
vendre
jouer avec (mess with / to fool around with)
préférer
finir
remercier (to thank)
réussir (to pass / to succeed at)
allumer (to light)
offrir (to offer)
envoyer (to send / to fire an employee)
faire les courses (shopping)
faire le ménage (to do housework)
faire la poussière (to dust)
emballer les cadeaux (wrap gifts)
décorer
souffrir (to suffer)
soulager (to sooth)
se réveiller (to wake up again)
savoir vivre (to act like you got sense or home training)
s’appeler (to call oneself)
souhaiter une bonne nuit (to say goodnight)
casser (to break)
sauter à la corde (to skip rope)
percher5 (to spend the night with a friend)
grimper aux arbres (to climb trees)
jouer aux dames (f) (to play checkers)
traire (to milk a cow or goat)
Chasser (to hunt)
Panser (to groom a horse)
Puer (to stink)
passer un examen (to take a test)
avoir entraînement (to have practice after school)
démarrer (to boot a computer)
navigater l’Internet (to surf the Internet)
graver (to burn a CD, DVD)
graver (to sync music to an MP3 player too)
cliquer (to click the mouse)
double-cliquer / recliquer (double click)
pirater (to pirate intellectual property)
se coucher (to go to bed)
faire dodo (to go beddy-bye Children language)
faire dodo4
se brosser
rater (to fail)
s’habiller (to get dressed)
se mettre (to don)
se laver (to wash oneself)
se doucher (to take a shower)
se maquer (to put on make-up)
se raser (to shave)
se douter (have low self-esteem)
se salir (to get oneself dirty)
s’éveiller (de) (to wake up)
se lever (to get up)
s’occuper de (to busy oneself with…)
se déshabiller (to undress)
faire la sieste (to take a nap)
jouer à la poupée (to play with dolls)
jouer à chat perché
jouer à chat perché (to play tag)
faire des farces (to play a joke on someone)
donner (to give)
Décéder (to die)
polluer (to pollute)
penser (to think)
sentir (to sense / to feel / to smell)
Faire dodo does not exist in English. It’s a small get-together of parents down the block, when the kids are all put to bed. The adults
drink beer and chat on the front porch. It’s a verb. It’s used in Louisiana and Canada.
5
The French rarely invite people to their homes. Girls meet boys in town for dates- the boy does not come to pick her up . Children
who live in Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and throughout Africa are the ones who spend the night with each other. They use
percher. In France, percher means to crash a party or invite yourself over to someone’s house. Not positive. It also means to perch like
a bird or cat does.
4
Goûter (to taste )
piquer (to bite [snake])
toucher