French Tutorial Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and

Grammar
Note: Before heading to the tutorial I would Strictly recommend to download any
online dictionary which could easily translate the difficult French words
provided below so that you can understand them easily and learn quickly, if
you have one so thats good if not then Ill personally prefer BabelFish
dictionary which is free so you dont need to buy it. The download link is
provided below:

Download BabelFish Translator

1. Basic Phrases / les expressions de base
Bonjour
/bu/
Hello / Good day / Good
morning

Bonsoir
/bswa/
Good evening

Bonne nuit
/bn ni/
Good night (only said when
going to bed)

Salut
/saly/
Hi / Bye

Au revoir
/()vwa/
Goodbye

S'il vous plat / S'il te plat

/sil vu pl/
Please (formal / informal)

Merci (beaucoup)
/msi boku/
Thank you (very much)

De rien.
/d j/
You're welcome.

Je vous en prie.
/vu z pri/
You're welcome. (formal) /
Go ahead.

Bienvenu(e)
/bjvny/
Welcome (also You're
welcome in Quebec)

Allons-y!
/al zi/
Let's go!

A tout l'heure
/a tu ta l/
See you in a little while

A plus tard
/a ply ta/
See you later

A bientt
/a bjto/
See you soon

A demain
/a dm/
See you tomorrow

Je suis dsol(e)
/dezle/
I'm sorry

Pardon !
/pad/
Excuse me! (pushing
through a crowd) / Sorry!
(stepped on someone's foot)

Excusez-moi !
/ekskyze mwa/
Excuse me! (getting
someone's attention) / I'm
sorry! (more formal
apology)

Comment allez-vous ?

Je vais bien

Trs bien / mal / pas mal

/km tale vu/

How are you? (formal)

/ ve bj/
I'm fine.

/t bj/ /mal/ /pa mal/

Very good / bad / not bad

a va ?
/sa va/
How are you? (informal)

a va.
/sa va/
I'm fine. (informal response
to a va ?)

Oui / non
/wi/ /n/
Yes / no

Comment vous appelezvous ?

/km vu zaple vu/
What's your name? (formal)

Tu t'appelles comment ?
/ty tapl km/
What's your name?
(informal)

Je m'appelle...
/ mapl/
My name is...

Enchant(e)
/te/
Nice to meet you.

Monsieur, Madame,
Mademoiselle
/msj/ /madam/
/madwazl/
Mister, Misses, Miss

Mesdames et Messieurs
/medam/ /mesj/
Ladies and gentlemen

Vous tes d'o ? / Vous

venez d'o ?
/vu zt du/ /vu vne du/
Where are you from? (formal)

Tu es d'o ? / Tu viens
d'o ?
/ty du/ /ty vj du/
Where are you from?
(informal)

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

/ si d/ / vj d/
I am from...

O habitez-vous ?
/u abite vu/
Where do you live? (formal)

Tu habites o ?
/ty abit u/
Where do you live?
(informal)

J'habite ...
/abit a/
I live in...

Quel ge avez-vous ?
/kl ave vu/
How old are you? (formal)

Tu as quel ge ?
/ty kl /
How old are you?
(informal)

J'ai ____ ans.

/e __ /
I am ____ years old.

Parlez-vous franais ? / Tu
parles anglais ?
/pale vu frs/ /ty pal gl/
Do you speak French?
(formal) / Do you speak
English? (informal)

Je parle allemand.
/ pal alm//
I speak German.

Je ne parle pas espagnol.

/ n pal pa spal/
I don't speak Spanish.

Comprenez-vous? / Tu
comprends?
/kpne vu/ /ty kp/
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)

Je comprends
/ kp/
I understand

Je ne comprends pas
/ n kp pa/
I don't understand

Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu
peux m'aider ?
/puve vu mede/ /ty p mede/
Can you help me? (formal /
informal)

Bien sr.
/bj sy/
Of course.

Comment ?
/km/
What? Pardon?

Tenez / Tiens
/tne/ /tj/
Hey / Here (formal /
informal)

Je sais
/ s/
I know

Je ne sais pas
/n s pa/
I don't know

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

/u / /u s/
Where is ... / Where are ... ?

Voici / Voil
/vwasi/ /vwala/
Here is/are... / There it is.

Il y a ... / Il y avait...
/il i a/ /il i av/
There is / are... / There was /
were...

Comment dit-on ____ en

franais ?
/km di t __ fs/
How do you say ____ in
French?

Qu'est-ce que c'est que

a ?
/ks k s k sa/
What is that?

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?
/ks kil i a/
What's the matter?

a ne fait rien.
/sa n f j/
It doesn't matter.

Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?

/ks ki s pas/
What's happening?

Je n'ai aucune ide.

/ ne okyn ide/
I have no idea.

Je suis fatigu(e) / Je suis

malade.
/ si fatie/ / si malad/
I'm tired / I'm sick.

J'ai faim / J'ai soif.

/e f/ /e swaf/
I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.

J'ai chaud / J'ai froid.

/e o/ /e fw/
I'm hot / I'm cold.

Je m'ennuie.
/ mni/
I'm bored.

a m'est gal. / Je m'en

fiche.
/sa m teal/ / m fi/
It's the same to me / I don't
care. (informal)

Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne

t'en fais pas.
/n vu ft pa/ /n t f pa/
Don't worry (formal /
informal)

Ce n'est pas grave.

/s n pa gav/
It's no problem. / It's alright.

J'ai oubli.
/e ublije/
I forgot.

Je dois y aller.
/ dwa i ale/
I must go.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes

souhaits !
/a vo sw/ /a te sw/
Bless you! (formal / informal)

Flicitations !
/felisitasj/
Congratulations!

Bonne chance !
/bn s/
Good luck!

C'est vous ! / C'est toi !

Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi !

Je vous aime / Je t'aime

/s ta vu/ /s ta tw/
It's your turn! (formal /
informal)

/tze vu/ /t tw/

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

/ vu zm/ / tm/
I love you (formal & plural /
informal)

Tu me manques.
/ty m mk/
I miss you. (informal)

Quoi de neuf ?
/kw d nf/
What's new?

Pas grand-chose.
/pa g oz/
Not a whole lot.

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

2. Pronunciation / la prononciation
French Vowels
Phonetic
spelling
[i] ee
ee
[y]
rounded
IPA

[e] ay
[]

ay
rounded

[] eh
[]

eh
rounded

[a] ah

Sample words
vie, midi, lit, riz
rue, jus, tissu,
usine
bl, nez, cahier,
pied
jeu, yeux, queue,
bleu
lait, aile, balai,
reine
sur, uf, fleur,
beurre
chat, ami, papa,
salade

General
spellings
i, y
u
, et, final
er and ez
eu
e, , , ai,
ei, ais
u, eu
a, ,

[] ah longer
[u] oo
[o] oh
[] aw
[] uh

bas, ne, grce,

a,
chteau
loup, cou, caillou,
ou
outil
eau, dos,
o,
escargot, htel
sol, pomme,
o
cloche, horloge
fentre, genou,
e
cheval, cerise

[] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in
English are marked in blue.

IPA
[a]

Phonetic spelling
awn

[ ]

ahn

[]
[o]

uhn
ohn

French semi-vowels
Phonetic Sample
General
IPA
spelling
words
spelling
fois, oui,
[w]
w
oi, ou
Louis
[]
ew-ee
lui, suisse
ui
oreille,
[j]
yuh
ill, y
Mireille
French nasal vowels
Sample words
General spelling
gant, banc, dent
en, em, an, am, aon, aen
in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,
pain, vin, linge
en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, en
brun, lundi, parfum
un
rond, ongle, front
on, om
[] is being replaced with [ ] in modern French

In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant.
Otherwise, the in- prefix is pronounce een before a vowel.

ex + vowel
ex + consonant
ch (Latin origin)
ch (Greek origin)

French Consonants
egz
examen, exercice
eks
exceptionnel, expression
sh
architecte, archives
k
orchestre, archologie

ti + vowel (except )
c + e, i, y; or
c + a, o, u
g + e, i, y
g + a, o, u
th
j
qu, final q
h
vowel + s + vowel
x + vowel
final x

see
s
k
zh
g
t
zh
k
silent
z
z
s

dmocratie, nation
cent, ceinture, maon
caillou, car, cube
genou, gingembre
gomme, ganglion
maths, thme, thym
jambe, jus, jeune
que, quoi, grecque
haricot, herbe, hasard
rose, falaise, casino
six ans, beaux arts
six, dix, soixante (these 3 only!)

There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final
consonant, unless that final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r).
Liaison: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant
that is not pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two
together as if it were one word. S and x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these
liaisons. Liaison is always made in the following cases:

after a determiner: un ami, des amis

before or after a pronoun: vous avez, je les ai
after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants
after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un livre
after some one-syllable adverbs (trs, plus, bien)
after est

It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of tre, but it is never made after et.
Silent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and
slurring more words.

rapid(e)ment, lent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage /apidm/ /tm/ /sovta/

sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byo/ /el dkto/
il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/
je n(e), de n(e) /n/ /dn/
j(e) te, c(e) que /t/ /sk/ (note the change of the pronunciation of the j as well)

Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it
generally falls on the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no
questions, and all other times, it goes down at the end of the sentence.

3. Alphabet / l'alphabet

/i/

/s/

b /be/

/ka/

/te/

/l/

u /y/

/a/

/se/

d /de/

m /m/

//

/n/

w /dublve/

/f/

/o/

/iks/

//

/pe/

/igrk/

h /a/

/ky/

/zd/

//

/i/

/ve/

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

Feminine

Before Vowel

Plural

le lit
/l li/
the bed

la pomme
/la pm/
the apple

l'oiseau
/lwazo/
the bird

les gants
/le /
the gloves

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some)

Masculine

Feminine

Plural

un lit
// li/

une pomme
/ yn pm/

des gants
/de /

a bed

an apple

some gloves

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)

Masc.

Masc, Before Vowel

Fem.

Plural

ce lit
/s li/
this/that bed

cet oiseau
/s twazo/
this/that bird

cette pomme
/st pm/
this/that apple

ces gants
/se /
these/those gloves

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

5. Useful Words / les mots utiles

It's / That's
There is/are
and
but
now
especially
except
of course

not bad
book

c'est
voil
et
mais
maintenant
surtout
sauf
bien sr
comme
ci, comme a
pas mal
le livre

/s/
/vwala/
/e/
/m/
/mtn/
/sytu/
/sof/
/bj sy/
/km si, km
sa/
/pa mal/
/l liv/

pencil

le crayon

/l kj/

pen
paper
dog
cat
money

le stylo
le papier
le chien
le chat
l'argent (m)

/l stilo/
/l papje/
/l j/
/l a/
/la/

so so

There is/are
Here is/are
always
often
sometimes
usually
also, too
again

il y a
voici
toujours
souvent
quelquefois
d'habitude
aussi
encore

/il i a/
/vwasi/
/tuu/
/suv/
/klkfwa/
/dabityd/
/osi/
/k/

late

en retard

/ta/

almost
friend (fem)
friend
(masc)
woman
man
girl
boy
job / work

presque
une amie

/psk/
/y nami/

un ami

// nami/

une femme
un homme
une fille
un garon
le travail

/yn fam/
// nm/
/yn fij/
// gas/
/l tavaj/

Note: The expression il y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed

by a number, it means ago. Il y a cinq minutes means five minutes ago. Some common
slang words for money include: le fric, le pze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le
boulot.

6. Subject Pronouns / les pronoms sujets

Subject Pronouns
je

//

nous

tu /ty/

You (informal)

vous /vu/ You (formal and plural)

il /il/
elle /l/
on //

He
She
One

ils /il/
elles /l/

/nu/

We

They (masc.)
They (fem.)

Note: Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns,
and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name. Ils and elles can replace
plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice there are two ways to say you. Tu is used
when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives. Vous is used when
speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older. On
can be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you.
Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer
means to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be
formal with someone.

7. To Be & To Have / Etre & avoir

Present tense of tre /t/ - to be
I am

je suis

/ si/

We are

nous sommes /nu sm/

You are tu es

/ty /

You are

vous tes

/vu zt/

He is
She is
One is

/il /
/l /
/ n/

They are
They are

ils sont
elles sont

/il s/
/l s/

il est
elle est
on est

Past tense of tre - to be

/et/

We were

nous
tions

/nu
zetj/

You were

vous
tiez

/vu
zetje/

ils
taient
elles
taient

/il zet/
/l
zet/

I was

j'tais

You were

tu tais /tu et/

He was
She was
One was

il tait
/il et/
elle
They were
/l et/
tait
They were
/ net/
on tait

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

We
will be

nous serons /nu s/

You will
You will
tu seras /ty sa/
vous serez
be
be
He will
be
She will
be
One will
be

il sera
/il sa/
elle
/l sa/
sera
/ sa/
on sera

/vu se/

They
will be
ils seront /il s/
They will elles seront /l s/
be

Present tense of avoir /avwa/ - to have

I have

j'ai

/e/

We have

nous
avons

You have

tu as

/ty /

You have

vous avez /vu zave/

He has
She has
One has

il a
/il /
elle a /l /
on a / n/

They have ils ont

They have elles ont

/nu zav/

/il z/
/l z/

Past tense of avoir - to have

I had

j'avais /av/

We had

nous
avions

/nu zavj/

You had

tu avais /ty av/

You had

vous
aviez

/vu zavje/

He had
She had
One had

il avait
elle
/il av/
avait /l av/
on
/ nav/
avait

ils
avaient
They had
elles
avaient

/il zav/
/l zav/

Future tense of avoir - to have

We
will have

nous
aurons

/nu
zo/

tu auras /ty o/

You will
have

vous
aurez

/vu
zoe/

il aura /il oa/

elle
/l oa/
aura
/ noa/
on aura

They
will have
They will
have

ils auront /il zo/

elles
/l zo/
auront

I will have

j'aurai

You will
have
He will have
She will
have
One will

/oe/

have
In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the
pronoun: tu es = t'es /t/, tu as = t'as /t/, etc.
In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean
we instead of nous.
Common Expressions with avoir and Etre
Avoir and tre are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be
memorized:
avoir chaud

/avwa o/

to be hot

avoir froid

/avwa fwa/ to be cold

avoir peur

/avwa p/

avoir raison

/avwa z/ to be right

to be afraid

/t d
tu/
/t
tre en retard
ta/
/t
tre en avance
navs/
tre de retour

tre d'accord /t dak/

to be back
to be late
to be early
to be in
agreement

tre sur le
/t sy l
to be about to
point de
pw d/
tre en train /t t
to be in the act
avoir faim
/avwa f/
to be hungry
de
d/
of
avoir soif
/avwa swaf/ to be thirsty tre enrhume /t yme/ to have a cold
avoir
nous + tre
/avwa smj/ to be sleepy
/t // u/ to be (a day)
sommeil
(un jour)
to be
avoir honte /avwa t/
ashamed
avoir besoin /avwa bzw
to need
de
d/
to look like,
avoir l'air de /avwa d/
seem
avoir
/avwa tsj/ to intend to
l'intention de
avoir envie de /avwa vi d/ to feel like
avoir de la
/avwa d la
to be lucky
chance
s/
roid. I'm cold.
Je suis en retard! I'm late!
vais raison. You were right.
Tu tais en avance. You were early.
ra sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight.
Elle sera d'accord. She will agree.
a de la chance ! She's lucky!
Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday.
aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later.
Vous tiez enrhum. You had a cold.
aviez tort. You were wrong.
Ils seront en train d'tudier. They will be (in the act of) studying.
avoir tort

/avwa t/

to be wrong

nt chaud. They are hot.

avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday.

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

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

8. Question Words / les interrogatifs

Who
What
Why
When
Where
How
How much / many
Which / what

Qui
Quoi
Pourquoi
Quand
O
Comment
Combien
Quel(le)

/ki/
/kwa/
/pukwa/
/k/
/u/
/km/
/kbj/
/kl/

9. cardinal Numbers / Les nombres cardinaux

Zero
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one

Zro
Un
Deux
Trois
Quatre
Cinq
Six
Sept
Huit
Neuf
Dix
Onze
Douze
Treize
Quatorze
Quinze
Seize
Dix-sept
Dix-huit
Dix-neuf
Vingt
Vingt et un

/zeo/
// /
/d/
/tw/
/kat/
/sk/
/sis/
/st/
/it/
/nf/
/dis/
/z/
/duz/
/tz/
/katz/
/kz/
/sz/
/dist/
/dizit/
/diznf/
/v/
/vt e / /

Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Thirty
Thirty-one
Thirty-two
Forty
Fifty
Sixty
Seventy
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Seventy-one
Seventy-two
Eighty
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Eighty-one
Eighty-two
Ninety
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Ninety-one
Ninety-two
One Hundred
One Hundred One
Two Hundred
Two Hundred One
Thousand
Two Thousand
Million
Billion

Vingt-deux
Vingt-trois
Trente
Trente et un
Trente-deux
Quarante
Cinquante
Soixante
Soixante-dix
Septante
Soixante et onze
Soixante-douze
Quatre-vingts
Octante
Quatre-vingt-un
Quatre-vingt-deux
Quatre-vingt-dix
Nonante
Quatre-vingt-onze
Quatre-vingt-douze
Cent
Cent un
Deux cents
Deux cent un
Mille
Deux mille
Un million
Un milliard

/v d/
/v tw/
/tt/
/tt e // ///
/tt d/
/kat/
/skt/
/swast/
/swastdis/
/sptt/
/swast e z/
/swast duz/
/katv/
/ktt/
/katv t/ /
/katv d/
/katv dis/
/nnt/
/katv z/
/katv duz/
/s/
/s t// /
/d s/
/d s t// /
/mil/
/d mil/
/o milj/
/o milja/

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

first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
twelfth
twentieth
twenty-first
thirtieth

premier / premire
deuxime / second
troisime
quatrime
cinquime
sixime
septime
huitime
neuvime
dixime
onzime
douzime
vingtime
vingt et unime
trentime

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

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

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
day
week
today
yesterday
tomorrow
next
last
day before yesterday
day after tomorrow

lundi
mardi
mercredi
jeudi
vendredi
samedi
dimanche
le jour
la semaine
aujourd'hui
hier
demain
prochain / prochaine
dernier / dernire
avant-hier
aprs-demain

/l/di/
/madi/
/mkdi/
/di/
/vddi/
/samdi/
/dim/
/l u/
/la s()mn/
/oudi/
/j/
/dm/
/p/ /pn/
/dnje/ /dnj/
/avtj/
/apdm/

the following day

the day before

le lendemain
la veille

/l ldm/
/la vj/

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

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

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
month
year
decade
century
millennium

janvier
fvrier
mars
avril
mai
juin
juillet
aot
septembre
octobre
novembre
dcembre
le mois
l'an / l'anne
la dcennie
le sicle
le millnaire

/vje/
/fevije/
/mas/
/avil/
/m/
//
/ij/
/u(t)/
/sptb/
/ktb/
/nvb/
/desb/
/l mwa/
/l/ /lane/
/deseni/
/l sjkl/
/milen/

To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai."
With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: le
premier mai but le deux juin. Also note that months are all masculine and not
capitalized in French (same as days of the week).

12. Seasons / Les saisons

Summer l't

/lete/

Fall

l'automne /lotn/

Winter

l'hiver

/liv/

in the summer en t
en
in the fall
automne
in the winter en hiver

/ nete/
/
notn/
/

niv/
Spring

le
/l
printemps pt/

in the spring

au
/o prt/
printemps

13. Directions / Les directions

on the left
on the right
straight
ahead
North
South
East
West

le nord
le sud
l'est
l'ouest

/l n/
/l syd/
/lst/
/lwst/

gauche /a go/
droite /a dwt/
tout
/tu dw/
droit

Northeast
Northwest
Southeast
Southwest

le nord-est
le nord-ouest
le sud-est
le sud-ouest

/l n(d)st/
/l n(d)wst/
/sydst/
/sydwst/

14. Colors & Shapes / Les couleurs & les formes

Red

rouge

/u/

square

le carr

/kae/

Orange orange

//

circle

le cercle

/skl/

Yellow jaune

/on/

triangle

le triangle

/tijgl/

Green

vert / verte

/v/ /vt/

rectangle

le rectangle /ktgl/

Blue

bleu / bleue

/bl/

oval

l'ovale

/val/

Purple

violet / violette /vjl/ /vjlt/

cube

le cube

/kyb/

White

blanc /
blanche

/bl/ /bl/

sphere

la sphre

/sf/

Brown

brun / brune
marron

/bo/ /byn/
/ma/

cylinder

le cylindre

/sild/

Black

noir / noire

/nwa/

cone

le cne

/kon/

Pink

rose

/oz/

octagon

l'octogone

/ktogn/

Gold

dor / dore

/de/

box

la bote

/bwat/

Silver

argent /
argente

/ate/

light

clair / claire /kl/

Gray

gris / grise

/gi/ /giz/

dark

fonc /
fonce

/fse/

Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as
adjectives that also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives:

bleu clair, noir fonc remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun.
Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.

15. Weather / Le temps qu'il fait

What's the weather like?
It's nice
bad
cool
cold
warm, hot
cloudy
beautiful
mild
stormy
sunny
humid
muggy
windy
foggy
snowing
raining
freezing
hailing
It is ____ degrees.

Quel temps fait-il ?

Il fait bon
Il fait mauvais
Il fait frais
Il fait froid
Il fait chaud
Il fait nuageux
Il fait beau
Il fait doux
Il fait orageux
Il fait soleil
Il fait humide
Il fait lourd
Il fait du vent
Il fait du brouillard
Il neige
Il pleut
Il gle
Il grle
Il fait ____ degrs.

/kl t f til/
/il f b/
/il f mve/
/il f f/
/il f fw/
/il f o/
/il f nya/
/il f bo/
/il f du/
/il f a/
/il f slj/
/il f ymid/
/il f lu/
/il f dy v/
/il f dy buja/
/il n/
/il pl/
/il l/
/il gl/
/il f __ dge/

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

16. Time / Le temps qui passe

What time is it?
It is...
one o'clock
two o'clock
noon

Quelle heure est-il ?

Il est...
une heure
deux heures
midi

/kl til/
/il /
/yn /
/d z/
/midi/

midnight
a quarter after three
one o'clock sharp
four o'clock sharp
twelve thirty
six thirty
a quarter to seven
five twenty
ten fifty
in the morning/AM
in the afternoon/PM
in the evening/PM

minuit
trois heures et quart
une heure prcise
quatre heures prcises
midi (minuit) et demi
six heures et demie
sept heures moins le quart
cinq heures vingt
onze heures moins dix
du matin
de l'aprs-midi
du soir

/mini/
/tw z e ka/
/yn pesiz/
/kat pesiz/
/midi (mini) e dmi/
/si z e dmi/
/st mw l ka/
/sk v/
/z mw dis/
/dy mat/
/d lapmidi/
/dy swa/

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

17. Family & Animals / La famille & les animaux

Family

la famille /famij/
des
Relatives
/pa/
parents
les
Parents
/pa/
parents
les
Grandparents
grands- /gpa/
parents
la mre / /m/
Mom
maman /mm/
Stepmother/Mother-in- la belle/blm/
Law
mre
le pre /
Dad
/p/ /papa/
papa
Stepfather/Father-inle beau/bop/
Law
pre
Daughter
la fille
/fij/
Son

le fils

/fis/

Niece

la nice

/njs/

Nephew

le neveu

/n()v/

Grandchildren

les petits/p()tizf/
enfants

Granddaughter

la petitefille

Grandson

le petit-fils /p()tifis/

Godfather

le parrain /pa/

Godmother

la
marraine

/man/

Godson

le filleul

/fijl/

Goddaughter

la filleule
des
parents
loigns

/fijl/

Distant
Relatives

/p()tit fij/

/pa
elwae/

Sister

la sur
la demiHalf/Step Sister
sur
la belleSister-in-Law
sur
Stepdaughter/Daughter- la bellein-Law
fille
Brother
le frre
le demiHalf/Step Brother
frre
le beauBrother-in-Law
frre

/s/

Single

clibataire /selibat/

/dmi s/

Married

mari(e)

/maje/

/bls/

Separated

spar(e)

/sepae/

/bl fij/

Divorced

divorc(e) /divse/

/f/

Widower

veuf

/vf/

/dmi f/

Widow

veuve

/vv/

/bo f/

Stepson/Son-in-Law

le beau/bo fis/
fils

Dog

Twins (m)

les
/ymo/
jumeaux

Cat

Twins (f)
Uncle
Aunt
Grandmother
Grandfather
Cousin (f)
Cousin (m)
Wife
Husband
Woman
Man
Child (m) / (f)
Girl
Boy

les
jumelles
l'oncle
la tante
la grandmre
le grandpre
la
cousine
le cousin
la femme
le mari
la femme
l'homme
un
enfant /
une
enfant
la fille
le garon

le
chien / la
/j/ /jn/
chienne
(m) / (f)
le chat / la
chatte
/a/ /at/
(m) / (f)

/yml/

Puppy

le chiot

/jo/

/kl/
/tt/

Kitten
Pig

le chaton
le cochon

/at/
/k/

/gm/

Rooster

le coq

/kk/

/gp/

Rabbit

le lapin

/lap/

/kuzin/

Cow

la vache

/va/

/kuz/
/fam/
/mai/
/fam/
/m/

Horse
Duck
Goat
Goose
Sheep

le cheval
le canard
la chvre
l'oie
le mouton

/()val/
/kana/
/v/
/wa/
/mut/

/f/

Lamb

l'agneau

/ao/

/fij/
/gas/

Donkey
Mouse

l'ne
la souris

/n/
/sui/

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

Slang words for people and pets:
The entire
family

toute la smala

Grandma

mm / mamie

Grandpa
Children

pp / papi
des gosses
un gamin / une
gamine

Kid

/tut la smala/ Sister

/meme/
/mami/
/pepe/ /papi/
/gs/

la frangine

/fin/

Brother le frangin

/f/

Son
Aunt

le fiston
tata / tatie

/fist/
/tata/ /tati/

/gam/ /gamin/ Uncle

tonton

/tt/

Woman

une nana

/nana/

Dog

le cabot /
clbard

/kabo/
/kleba/

Man

un mec / type /
gars

/mk/ /tip/
/ga/

Cat

le minou

/minu/

18. To Know People & Places / connaitre & savoir

connatre-to know people /knt/

savoir-to know facts /savwa/

connais /kn/

connaissons

/kns/

sais

/s/

savons

/sav/

connais /kn/

connaissez

/knse/

sais

/s/

savez

/save/

connat /kn/

connaissent

/kns/

sait

/s/

savent

/sav/

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

19. Formation of Plural Nouns / la formation des noms pluriels

To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not
pronounced).
But there are some exceptions:

Sing.

Plural

If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing.

bus(es)

le bus

les bus

If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x.

boat(s)

le bateau

les bateaux

If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to

horse(s)
-aux.

le cheval

les chevaux

Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s. knee(s)

le genou

les genoux

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

20. Possessive Adjectives / les adjectifs possessifs

Masc.

Fem.

Plural

My

mon /m/

ma /ma/

mes /m/

Your

ton /t/

ta /ta/

tes /t/

His/Her/Its

son /s/

sa /sa/

ses /s/

Our

notre /nt/

notre /nt/

nos /no/

Your

votre /vt/

votre /vt/

vos /vo/

Their

leur /l/

leur /l/

leurs /l/

Possessive pronouns go before the noun. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel,
you must use the masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation. Ma amie is
incorrect and must be mon amie, even though amie is feminine. Remember that
adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, not the possessor! Sa mre can

mean his mother or her mother even though sa is the feminine form, because it agrees
with mre and not the possessor (his or her).
C'est ma mre et mon pre. This is my mother and my father.
Ce sont vos petits-enfants ? These are your grandchildren?
Mes parents sont divorcs. My parents are divorced.
Sa grand-mre est veuve. His grandmother is a widow.
Notre frre est mari, mais notre sur est clibataire. Our brother is married, but our
sister is single.
Ton oncle est architecte, n'est-ce pas ? Your uncle is an architect, isn't he?
Leurs cousines sont nerlandaises. Their cousins are Dutch.