French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar: 3,665 People Like This. To See W Hat Your Friends Like

12/13/13
French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
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41. IMPERFECT TENSE
This past tense corresponds to "was, were or used to." This tense is used for repeated, continuous, or
ongoing actions; as well as for verbs that describe background and circumstances, such as weather,
time, and physical, mental, and emotional states. (Use the pass compos for actions that happened
once and are done.) Verbs that express mental and emotional states that are descriptive in nature are
generally used in the imperfect more than the pass compos. These verbs are: aimer, avoir, croire,
dtester, esprer, tre, penser, and prfrer.
To form the stem, use the nous form of the present tense and drop the -ons. Then add these endings:
-ais
//
-ions
/j
/
-ais
//
-iez
/je/
-ait
//
-aient
//
The only exception is tre for which you must use the stem t-, but still the same endings. Verb stems
that end in -c must use a cedilla () under the c to make it soft. Verb stems ending in -g keep the e before
all forms except nous and vous.
tre
tais
/et/
tions
/etj
/
tais
/et/
tiez
/etje/
tait
/et/
taient
/et/
commencer
manger
commenais /km
s/ commencions
commenais /km
s/ commenciez
commenait
/km
sj
/ mangeais /m
/ mangions
/m
j
/
/km
sje/ mangeais /m
/ mangiez
/m
je/
/km
s/ commenaient /km
s/ mangeait /m
/ mangeaient /m
/
Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir

These verbs change meanings, according to whether they are used in the imperfect or the pass
compos.
Imperfect
avoir
j'avais
www.ielanguages.com/french3.html
I had
Pass Compos
j'ai eu
I got, received
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devoir
je devais
I was supposed to j'ai d

j'ai pu
je n'ai pas pu
I was able to (and did), succeeded

I couldn't, failed
I knew
j'ai su
I found out, discovered
I wanted to
j'ai voulu
I tried, decided, insisted
je n'ai pas voulu I refused
pouvoir je pouvais I was capable

savoir
je savais
vouloir je voulais
I must have, I had to (and did)
The imperfect tense is also used with these constructions:

tre en train de + infinitive = to be in the middle of doing something
J'tais en train d'tudier quand vous tes
arrivs.
I was (in the process of ) studying when you

arrived.
tre sur le point de + infinitive = to be just about to do something

J'tais sur le point de vous rappeler.
I was just about to call you back.
aller + infinitive = going to do something

J'allais sortir quand le tlphone a sonn.
I was going to leave when the phone rang.
venir de + infinitive = to have just done something

Je venais de manger, alors je n'avais plus
faim.
I had just eaten, so I wasn't hungry anymore.
42. PLACES / LES ENDROITS

school
l'cole (f)
/ekl/
university
l'universit (f)
/ynivsite/
bathroom
les toilettes (f)
/twalt/
bank
la banque
/b
k/
locker
le casier
/kzje/
train station
la gare
/ga/
drinking fountain la fontaine
/f
tn/
airport
l'aroport (m)
/aep/
store
le magasin
/magaz/
telephone
le tlphone
/telefn/
library
la biblio(thque) /biblijtk/
apartment
l'appartement (m) /apatm

/
office
le bureau
/byo/
hotel
l'htel (m)
/otl/
stadium
le stade
/stad/
village
le village
/vila/
cafe
le caf
/kafe/
factory
l'usine (f)
/yzin/
cafeteria
la caftria
/kafeteja/
garden
le jardin
/ad/
movie theater
le cinma
/sinema/
castle
le chteau
/ato/
church
l'glise (f)
/egliz/
cathedral
la cathdrale
/katedal/
museum
le muse
/myze/
zoo
le zoo
/zo/
pool
la piscine
/pisin/
bakery
la boulangerie
/bul
i/
countryside
la campagne
/k
pa/
monument
le monument
/mnym
/
beach
la plage
/pla/
pharmacy
la pharmacie
/famasi/
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theater
le thtre
/tet/
butcher shop
la boucherie
/bui/
park
le parc
/pak/
candy store
la confiserie
/k
fizi/
restaurant
le restaurant
/st
/
police station la gendarmerie
/
dam()i/
hospital
l'hpital (m)
/pital/
town hall
la mairie
/mi/
post office
la poste
/pst/
square
la place
/plas/
home
la maison
/mz
/
bookstore
la librairie
/libi/
city
la ville
/vil/
grocery store l'picerie (f)
supermarket
le supermarch
/sypmae/ pastry shop
la ptisserie
/ptisi/
delicatessen
la charcuterie
/akyti/
la poissonnerie
/pwasni/
fish market
/episi/
Nowadays, la mdiathque /medjatk/ is replacing bibliothque because most libraries also have
DVDs and CDs to lend, not just books. You may also hear la cantine /k
tin/ to refer to the cafeteria in a
school.
Listen to the les magasins : la boulangerie mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank)
exercise from French Listening Resources.
43. TRANSPORTATION
by bike
en vlo (m)
/
velo/
by bus
en bus (m)
/
bus/
by moped
en scooter (m)
by car
en voiture (f)
/
skut/
/
vwaty/
by motorcycle
en moto (f)
/
moto/
by subway
en mtro (m)
on foot
pied (m)
/
meto/
/a pje/
by plane
en avion (m)
/
navj/
by train
en train (m)
by boat
en bateau (m)
/
t/
/
bato/
Instead of using a specific verb of movement (drive, fly, walk) before a location, French actually uses a
more general verb + the location + the manner of movement.
I walk to school. = Je vais l'cole pied. (I go to school on foot.)
I'm flying to New York. = Je vais New York en avion. (I go to New York by plane.)
Common slang words for car/automobile are une bagnole /bal/ or une caisse /ks/. In Quebec, it's
un char /a/.
44. TO WANT & TO BE ABLE TO
vouloir /vulwa/ -to want and pouvoir /puvwa/ - to be able to, can
Present
Imperfect
Future
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veux /v/ voulons /vul

/ voulais /vul/ voulions
/vulj
/ voudrai /vud/ voudrons /vud
/
veux /v/ voulez
/vule/ voulais /vul/ vouliez
/vulje/ voudras /vuda/ voudrez
veut /v/ veulent
/vl/
voulait
/vul/ voulaient /vul/
voudra
peux /p/ pouvons /puv

/ pouvais /puv/ pouvions /puvj
/ pourrai
peux /p/ pouvez
/puve/ pouvais /puv/ pouviez
/vuda/ voudront /vud

/
/pu/
pourrons /pu
/
/puvje/ pourras /pua/ pourrez
peut /p/ peuvent /pv/ pouvait /puv/ pouvaient /puv/ pourra
/vude/
/pue/
/pua/ pourront /pu/
Voulez-vous? can mean Do you want? or Will you? The past participles are voulu and pu and both are
conjugated with avoir. The conditional forms of vouloir are used in the expression "would like" i.e. I'd like
= je voudrais, you'd like = tu voudrais, he'd/she'd like = il/elle voudrait, we'd like = nous voudrions,
you'd like = vous voudriez, they'd like = ils/elles voudraient.
You do not need to use pouvoir after verbs that involve the senses, such as voir (to see) and entendre
(to hear). Je ne vois pas / Je n'entends pas can mean I don't see or I can't see / I don't hear or I can't
hear depending on the context.
45. THE HOUSE AND YARD / LA MAISON ET LE JARDIN
House
la maison
Apartment
/mz/
Yard
le jardin
/ad/
l'appartement (m) /apatm

/ Shrub
l'arbuste (m)
/abyst/
Bedroom
la chambre
/
b/
Lawn/grass
le gazon / la
pelouse
/gaz
/ /p()luz/
Hallway
le couloir
/kulwa/
Bush
le buisson
/bis
/
Kitchen
la cuisine
/kizin/
Tree
l'arbre (m)
/ab/
Storeroom
le dbarras
/debaa/
Lawn mower
la tondeuse
gazon
/t
dzagaz
/
Stairs
l'escalier (m)
/skalje/
Hose
le tuyau d'arrosage /tijodaoza/
Floor
l'tage (m)
/eta/
Watering can
l'arrosoir (m)
/aoza/
Living Room le living / le salon /livi/ /sal/Rake
le rteau
/to/
Closet
la penderie
/p
di/
Hoe
la bche
/b/
Room
la pice
/pjs/
Clippers
le cisaille
/sizj/
Ground Floor
le rez-dechausse
/dose/
Shovel
la pelle
/pl/
Dining Room la salle manger
/salam
e/ Sprinkler
l'arroseur (m)
/aoz/
Bathroom
/saldb/ Lock (door)
la serrure
/sey/
Terrace, patio la terrasse
/tas/
Lock (bolt)
le verrou
/vu/
Attic
le grenier
/gnje/
Padlock
le cadenas
/kadna/
Chimney
la chemine
/()mine/
Hinges
la charnire
/anj/
Roof
le toit
/tw/
Key
la cl
/kle/
Garage
le garage
/gaa/
Keychain
le porte-cl
/ptkle/
la salle de bains
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Driveway
l'alle (f)
/ale/
Keyhole
le trou de la serrure sey/
Sidewalk
le trottoir
/ttwa/
Doorknob
la poigne de porte /pwaedpt/
Porch
le porche
/p/
Tile roofing
les tuiles (f)
Basement
le sous-sol
/susl/
Clapboard/Shingle les bardeaux (m)
/bado/
Cellar
la cave
/kav/
Slate roofing
/adwaz/
/til/
l'ardoise (f)
You may also see the words la loggia /ldja/ (small room off a large room - sometimes like a pantry)
and la veranda /ve
da/ (enclosed porch/balcony), as well as les toilettes /twalt/ (a separate room just
for the toilet), for parts of a house or apartment.
Listen to the le logement : dcrire son appartement mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank)
exercise from French Listening Resources.
46. FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES / LES MEUBLES ET L'ELECTROMENAGER
Furniture
les meubles
/mbl/
Appliances
l'lectromnager
/elktomenae/
Shelf
l'tagre (f)
/eta/
Thermostat
le thermostat
/tmsta/
Desk
le bureau
/byo/
Air
le climatiseur
Conditioner
/klimatiz/
Chair
la chaise
/z/
Fan
le ventilateur
/v
tilat/
Dresser
la commode
/kmd/
Rocking
chair
le fauteuil bascule
/fotjabaskyl/
Curtain
le rideau
/ido/
Stool
le tabouret
/tabu/
Curtain rod
la tringle
/tgl/
Cushion
le coussin
/kus/
Shutters
les volets (m)
/vl/
Carpet
la moquette
/mkt/
Blinds
les stores (m)
/st/
Mixer /
Beater
le batteur lectrique
/batelktik/
Window
la fentre
/fnt/
Blender
le mixeur
/miks/
Bed
le lit / le
plumard
/li/ /plyma/
Can opener l'ouvre-botes (m)
/uvbwat/
Door
la porte
/pt/
Toaster
le grille-pain
/gijp/
Closet
le placard
/plaka/
Coffee
maker
la caftire
/kaftj/
Rug
le tapis
/tapi/
Coffee press le moulin caf
/mul
na kafe/
Lamp
la lampe
/l
p/
Kettle
la bouilloire
/bujwa/
Nightstand
la table de nuit
/tabldni/
Sheet
le drap
/da/
Answering
machine
le rpondeur
/epd
/
Blanket
la couverture
/kuvty/
Stereo
la chane hi fi
/n i fi/
Mattress
le matelas
/matla/
Television
la tl(vision)
/televizj
/
Bunkbeds
les lits superposs

(m)
/lisyppoze/
VCR
le
/maetskp/ Lightswitch
magntoscope
l'interrupteur (m)
/t
eypt/
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Remote
Control
la
/telekm
d/
tlcommande
Lampshade l'abat-jour (m)
/abau/
Computer
l'ordinateur (m) /dinat/
Faucet
/bin/
Radio
la radio
/adjo/
Drain/Piping la canalisation
/kanalizasj
/
Fridge
le frigo
/figo/
Towel bar
le porte-serviettes
/ptsvjt/
Refrigerator
le rfrigrateur
/
Laundry
efieat/ room
la buanderie
/b
di/
Freezer
le conglateur
/k
elat/
Bleach
la javel
/avl/
(Coffee)
Table
la table (basse) /tabl bas/
Laundry
basket
le panier linge
/panje a l/
Sink
l'vier (m)
/evje/
Clothespin
la pince linge
/psa l/
Bathtub
la baignoire
/bwa/
Washing
Machine
la machine laver /
le lave-linge
/mainalave/
/lavl/
Stove
la cuisinire
/kizinj/
Clothes
Dryer
le sche-linge
/sl/
Oven
le four
/fu/
Iron
le fer repasser
/fapase/
Dishwasher
le lave-vaisselle /lavvsl/
Ironing
board
la planche
repasser
/pl
apase/
Microwave
le four micro/fuamiko
d/ Hanger
ondes
le cintre
/st
/
Shower
la douche
/du/
Vacuum
l'aspirateur (m)
/aspiat/
Pillow
l'oreiller
/je/
Broom
le balai
/bal/
Mirror
le miroir
/miwa/
Dustpan
la pelle
/pl/
Ceiling
le plafond
/plaf/
Mop
la serpillire
/spij/
Floor
le plancher
/pl
e/
Garbage
les ordures (f)
/dy/
Armchair
le fauteuil
/fotj/
Garbage
bag
le sac poubelle
/sakpubl/
Clock
la pendule
/p
dyl/
Garbage
can
la poubelle
/publ/
Bedspread
le couvre-lit
/kuvli/
Flyswatter
la tapette mouche
/taptamu/
Vase
le vase
/vz/
Clothes
Dryer
le schoir
/sewa/
Bathroom
sink
le lavabo
/lavabo/
Hair Dryer
le sche-cheveux
/seav/
Futon couch
le clic-clac
/klik klak/
Couch/Sofa le canap / le sofa
/kanape/ /sfa/
DVD Player le lecteur de DVD
/lktddevede/
le robinet
Monte le son. / Baisse le son. Turn up the volume. / Turn down the volume.
Allume la lumire. / Eteinds la tl. Turn on the light. / Turn off the television.
47. COMPARATIVES & SUPERLATIVES
Comparatives
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aussi (adj or adv) que
as (adj or adv) as
moins (adj or adv) que
less (adj or adv) than
plus (adj or adv) que
more (adj or adv) than
plus de (noun) que
more (noun) than
autant de (noun) que
as many (noun) as
moins de (noun) que
less (noun) than

Sample Sentences
She is taller than Colette.
Elle est plus grande que Colette.
I am smarter than you.
Je suis plus intelligente que toi.
Peter runs less quickly than me.
Pierre court moins rapidement

que moi.
The kitchen is as big as the

living room.
La cuisine est aussi grande que

le salon.
I have more books than she.
J'ai plus de livres qu'elle.
We have as many cars as he.
Nous avons autant de voitures

que lui.
Verbs can also be compared with plus/aussi/moins (+ que):

Il travaille moins qu'elle. He works less than she.
Ils dorment plus. They sleep more.
Superlatives
Simply add le, la or les before the comparative if you are using an adjective. With adverbs, always use
le. After a superlative, de is used to mean in. If the adjective follows the noun, the superlative follows the
noun also, surrounding the adjective.
Sample Sentences
It's the biggest city in the world.
C'est la plus grande ville du

monde.
She is the most beautiful woman

in this room.
Elle est la plus belle femme de

cette salle.
This neighborhood is the least

expensive in Paris.
Ce quartier est le moins cher

de Paris.
It's the most dreaded punishment C'est la punition la plus

in the world.
redoutable du monde.
She works the most courageously Elle travaille le plus
of everyone.
courageusement de tous.
In French, sometimes you don't use any articles, as compared to English:
Plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
7/17
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48. IRREGULAR FORMS

Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
bon
good
meilleur/e better
le/la meilleur/e
best
mauvais
bad
pire
worse
le/la pire
worst
petit
small
moindre
less
le/la moindre
least
Adverb
Comparative
Superlative
bien
well
mieux
better
le mieux
best
beaucoup
much
plus
more
le plus
most
mal
badly
pis
worse
le pis
worst
peu
little
moins
less
le moins
least
Only use the irregular forms of mauvais in the abstract sense. If the idea is concrete, you may use
plus/moins mauvais and le/la mauvais.
49. CLOTHING / LES VETEMENTS
pajamas
le pyjama
boxer shorts
le caleon
jewelry
le bijou
briefs
le slip
necklace
le collier
panties
la culotte
jeans
le jean
tuxedo
le smoking
pants
le pantalon
bowtie
le nud papillon
sweater
le pull
vest/cardigan
le gilet
turtleneck
le col roul
flip flops
les tongs
raincoat
l'impermable (m)
sleeve
la manche
blouse
le chemisier
pocket
la poche
bra
le soutien-gorge
decorative scarf
la foulard
slip
le jupon
man's suit
le costume
coat
le manteau
woman's suit
le tailleur
tennis shoes
des tennis (m)
slippers
des pantoufles (f)
swimsuit
le maillot de bain
jacket
le blouson
shorts
le short
underwear
les sous-vtements
bracelet
le bracelet
gloves
les gants (m)
charm
le porte-bonheur
mittens
les moufles (f)
t-shirt
le tee-shirt
belt
la ceinture
hat
le chapeau
cap
la casquette
ring
la bague
skirt
la jupe
chain
la chanette
dress
la robe
earrings
les boucles d'oreilles (f)
sandal
la sandale
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pin
l'pingle (f)
boots
des bottes (f)
sock
la chaussette
blazer/coat
la veste
shoe
la chaussure
scarf
l'charpe (f)
man's shirt
la chemise
tie
la cravate
hooded jacket
l'anorak
slipper shoes
des chaussons
sneakers
des baskets
high heels
des escarpins
track suit
le jogging
long shorts
le bermuda
size (clothes)
la taille
size (shoes)
la pointure
Les bas (stockings) and les collants (tights) are popular in France. Chaussures talons hauts are
high-heeled shoes, while chaussures talons plats are flat shoes. Chaussures de ville are dress
shoes. A slang word for clothes is les fringues.
50. TO WEAR
Mettre /mt/ - to put, to put on, wear
Present
Imperfect
Future
mets /m/ mettons /mt

/ mettais /mt/ mettions /mtj
/ mettrai /mt/ mettrons /mt
/
mets /m/ mettez
met
/mte/ mettais /mt/ mettiez
/m/ mettent /mt/
/mtje/ mettras /mta/ mettrez
mettait /mt/ mettaient /mt/
mettra
/mte/
/mta/ mettront /mt/
Other verbs that are conjugated like mettre: promettre - to promise and permettre - to permit. The past
participle of mettre is mis and it is conjugated with avoir.
Porter is actually the verb to wear, but the French use mettre also.
Il / Elle te va bien.
It looks good on you. (informal)
Il / Elle vous va bien.
It looks good on you. (formal)
Ils / Elles te vont bien.
They look good on you. (informal)
Ils / Elles vous vont bien. They look good on you. (formal)
51. FUTURE TENSES: SIMPLE AND ANTERIOR
The futur simple expresses an action that will take place [will + infinitive]. The futur antrieur expresses an
action that will have taken place before another future action [will have + past participle]. The future tense
is used just like it is in English, however, in French, the future is always used after quand or lorsque
(when), ds que or aussitt que (as soon as) and tant que (as long as.)
To form the future tense, use the infinitive and add these endings that resemble those of avoir. However,
you drop the -e from -re verbs.
parler
-ai
//
-ons
-as
/a/
-ez
/e/
-a
/a/
-ont
/
/
choisir
perdre
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parlerai
parlerons
choisirai
choisirons
perdrai
perdrons
parleras
parlerez
choisiras
choisirez
perdras
perdrez
parlera
parleront
choisira
choisiront
perdra
perdront
And of course, there are exceptions. Here are the irregular stems for the future tense (these will also be
used in the conditional tense):
Irregular Stems
aller
ir-
pleuvoir
pleuvr-
avoir
aur-
pouvoir
pourr-
courir
courr-
recevoir
recevr-
devoir
devr-
savoir
saur-
envoyer
enverr-
tenir
tiendr-
tre
ser-
valoir
vaudr-
faire
fer-
venir
viendr-
falloir
faudr-
voir
verr-
mourir
mourr-
vouloir
voudr-
tre
aller
serai
serons
j'irai
irons
seras
serez
iras
irez
sera
seront
ira
iront
Other exceptions: For appeler and jeter, double the consonant. For nettoyer and payer, change the y
to i. For acheter, add an accent grave. For prfrer, the accents all remain the same.
jeter
jetterai
jetterons
payer
paierai
paierons
acheter
achterai
achterons
prfrer
prfrerai
prfrerons
jetteras jetterez
paieras paierez
achteras achterez
prfreras prfrerez
jettera
paiera
achtera
prfrera
jetteront
paieront
achteront
prfreront
To form the futur antrieur (will have + past participle), use the future of either avoir or tre (whichever
the main verb takes) and the past participle of the main verb.
Quand ils reviendront, ils auront chang. When they come back, they will have changed.
Ds qu'ils seront revenus, ils voudront repartir. As soon as they have returned, they will want to
leave again.
52. PRECEDING & PLURAL ADJECTIVES
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Masculine
Feminine
Adjective
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
beautiful
beau (bel)
beaux
belle
belles
good
bon
bons
bonne
bonnes
dear
cher
chers
chre
chres
crazy
fou (fol)
foux
folle
folles
nice
gentil
gentils
gentille
gentilles
big
grand
grands
grande
grandes
large
gros
gros
grosse
grosses
young
jeune
jeunes
jeune
jeunes
pretty
joli
jolis
jolie
jolies
long
long
longs
longue
longues
bad
mauvais
mauvais
mauvaise
mauvaises
better, best
meilleur
meilleurs
meilleure
meilleures
soft
mou (mol)
moux
molle
molles
new
nouveau (nouvel)
nouveaux
nouvelle
nouvelles
little
petit
petits
petite
petites
old
vieux (vieil)
vieux
vieille
vieilles
The masculine singular and plural are pronounced the same, as are the feminine singular and plural.
These are the most common adjectives that go before the noun. An acronym to remember which ones
go before the noun is BRAGS: Beauty, Resemblance (mme and autre), Age/Order (premier and
dernier), Goodness, and Size. All other adjectives, except numbers, go after the noun. The five words in
parentheses (bel, fol, mol, nouvel, and vieil) are used before masculine singular words beginning with
a vowel or a silent h.
A few adjectives can be used before or after the noun, and the meaning changes accordingly. When
used before the noun, they take a figurative meaning; and when used after, they take a literal meaning.
Before plural adjectives preceding plural nouns, you use de instead of des to mean some. Ex: Some
old monuments. De vieux monuments.
53. ADJECTIVES: FORMATION OF FEMININE
Almost all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify. Most adjectives are
given in the masculine form, so to change to the feminine forms, follow these rules:
Masculine
Add -e
Feminine
Adjective
brun
brune
brown
fatigu
fatigue
tired
If it already ends in -e, add nothing
jeune
jeune
young
-x changes to -se
gnreux
gnreuse
generous
fausse
false
Exceptions: faux
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roux
rousse
red (hair)
doux
douce
sweet, soft
-il, -el, and -eil change to

-ille, -elle, and -eille
naturel
naturelle
natural
-et changes to -te
inquiet
inquite
worried
muette
silent
coquet
coquette
stylish
-en and -on change to

-enne and -onne
Italien
Italienne
Italian
-er changes to -re
cher
chre
dear, expensive
-f changes to -ve
actif
active
active
-c changes to -che
blanc
blanche
white
publique
public
grec
grecque
Greek
-g changes to -gue
long
longue
long
-eur changes to -euse if adjective

is derived from verb
menteur
menteuse
liar
-eur changes to -rice if adjective

is not same as verb
crateur
cratrice
creator
-eur changes to -eure with

adjectives of comparison
infrieur
infrieure
inferior
pais
paisse
thick
favori
favorite
favorite
frais
frache
fresh, cool
Exceptions: muet
Exceptions: public
And a few completely irregular ones:
54. FORMING PLURALS: ADJECTIVES

To form the feminine plural, just add an -s, unless it already ends in an s, then add nothing. To form the
masculine plural, just add an -s, except in these cases: -al becomes -aux (exceptions: banal - banals;
final - finals); and if it ends in an x or s already, add nothing.
Masculine Singular
Masculine Plural
national
national
nationaux
general
gnral
gnraux
Feminine Singular
Feminine Plural
national
nationale
nationales
general
gnrale
gnrales
And of course there are more exceptions... some adjectives are invariable and do not have feminine or
plural forms. Compound adjectives, such as bleu clair (light blue) and vert fonc (dark green),
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adjectives that are also nouns, such as or (gold), argent (silver), marron (chestnut), and the words chic
(stylish), bon march or meilleur march (inexpensive) never change.
55. MORE ADJECTIVES
short (length) court/e
different
diffrent/e
boring
ennuyeux/euse
loud, noisy
bruyant/e
situated
situ/e
crazy
fou/folle
elegant
lgant/e
big
gros/se
interesting
intressant/e
tight, narrow troit/e
curious
curieux/euse
sensitive
sensible
several
plusieurs
nervous
nerveux/euse
athletic
sportif/sportive
pointed
pointu/e
only
seul/e
stubborn
ttu/e
bright
vif/vive
amusing
amusant/e
shy
timide
cute
mignon/ne
touching
mouvant/e
hard-working
travailleur/euse
perfect
parfait/e
funny
drle, marrant/e optimistic
optimiste
ready
prt/e
heavy
lourd/e
pessimistic
pessimiste
sad
triste
careful
prudent/e
tolerant
tolrant/e
clever
malin/maligne
dirty
sale
pretentious
prtentieux/euse
lazy
paresseux/euse tired
fatigu/e
ambitious
ambitieux/se
generous
gnreux/euse
angry
fch/e
pleasant
agrable
famous
clbre
annoyed
irrit/e
enthusiastic
enthousiaste
decorated
dcor/e
old
g/e
honest
honnte
Remember the first word is the masculine and the second is the feminine. The addition of an e for the
feminine form allows the last consonant to be voiced. These adjectives go after the noun.
Normally, the verb rendre means to give something that you owe to someone, such as On rend ses
devoirs au professeur. It can also be used in the sense of to represent. But rendre + adjective means
to make someone or something + adjective.
Tu me rends si heureuse ! You make me so happy!
Le fait qu'il ne possde pas de voiture le rend triste. The fact that he doesn't have a car makes him
sad.
Some common slang adjectives that are used constantly in everyday speech:
chouette
great, good
minable
mediocre
con / conne
dbile
dgueu(lasse)
extra
gnial
stupid, dumb
idiotic
disgusting, bad
extraordinary
very interesting
moche
sensass
super
sympa
tarte
ugly, unpleasant
sensational
marvellous
nice, pleasant
inane
impec
perfect
tocard
ridiculous, deplorable
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The intensifiers vachement and drlement are also used often, meaning very or really.
Il est vachement sympa. = He is really nice.
Elle est drlement triste. = She is very sad.
Listen to the le caractre : une jeune fille trs heureuse mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-theblank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
56. PROBLEM VERBS
Some verbs in French present problems because they have several translations in English. Other verbs
can have several translations in French, but fewer meanings in English.
visiter - to visit places
rendre visite - to visit people
apporter - to bring things to some place
emporter - to take things from some place
amener - to bring someone to some place
emmener - to take someone from some place
apprendre quelque chose - to learn something
apprendre quelque chose quelqu'un - to teach someone something
rencontrer - to meet
faire la connaissance de - to meet someone for the first time
retrouver - to meet (for an appointment)
partir - to leave (from or for a place)
quitter - to leave (a person or place)
sortir - to go out
s'en aller - to go away
laisser - to leave something behind
retourner - to go back (to where speaker is not)
revenir - to come back (to where speaker currently is)
rentrer - to come or go home
rendre - to return or give something back
faire - to make
fabriquer - to produce
obliger - to make someone do something
rendre - to make someone + adjective
After some verbs, the word ne is required, but this does not imply negation: craindre, redoter,
empcher
Je crains qu'il ne fasse trop froid. I'm afraid that it's too cold.
And a few verbs only require ne and not pas in the negative, but this is elevated or literary language:
cesser, oser, pouvoir, savoir
Je ne peux vivre sans toi. I cannot live without you.
57. C'EST / IL EST + ADJECTIVE + A / DE + INFINITIVE
C'est + adjective + + infinitive is used when the idea has already been mentioned; while il est +
adjective + de + infinitive is used when the idea has not yet been mentioned. Also, the c'est
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construction is used when you do not use a direct object after the infinitive of the transitive verb, and the il
est construction is used when you do.
Est-ce qu'on peut apprendre le chinois en un an ? Can you learn Chinese in one year?
Non, c'est impossible apprendre en un an ! No, it's impossible to learn in one year! (The idea,
Chinese, has already been mentioned, and there is no direct object.)
OR:
Non, il est impossible d'apprendre le chinois en un an ! (This sentence contains the direct object
after the infinitive.)
Il est facile d'apprendre l'italien. It is easy to learn Italian. (The idea has not already been mentioned,
and the direct object is used.)
Adjectives that express a certain emotion require de before the infinitive: content, dsol, furieux,
heureux, triste
Je suis contente de vous voir. I am happy to see you.
Other adjectives require before the infinitive: agrable, pnible, terrible, amusant, intressant,
ennuyeux, lger, lourd, lent, rapide, premier, dernier, prt, seul
Il est prt partir. He is ready to leave.
A longer list of adjectives that require or de before an infinitive can be found at 91. on French V.
In addition, when quelque chose is followed by an adjective, de is inserted between the two.
quelque chose d'intressant = something interesting
58. SPORTS & INSTRUMENTS
Soccer
le football
Softball
le softball
Hockey
le hockey
Golf
le golf
Football
le football amricain
Bicycling
le vlo
Basketball
le basket
Surfing
le surf
Baseball
le base-ball
Dirt/Motor biking
le bicross
Horse-back riding
l'quitation; du cheval
French horn
le cor d'harmonie
Tennis
le tennis
violin
le violon
Skiing
le ski
guitar
la guitare
Volleyball
le volley
drum
le tambour
Wrestling
la lutte / le catch
tuba
le tuba
Jogging
le jogging
flute
la flte
Ice-skating
le patin glace
trombone
le trombone
Swimming
la natation
clarinet
la clarinette
Track and Field
l'athltisme
cello
le violoncelle
Bowling
le bowling
harp
la harpe
La lutte is regular wrestling (the real Greco-Roman sport), while le catch is professional/fake wrestling.
Faire de + a sport means to play. Jouer + a sport also means to play, as does jouer de + an
instrument.
Tu fais du foot. You play soccer.
J'aime jouer au tennis. I like to play tennis.
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Je peux jouer de la guitare. I can play the guitar.

Nous jouons de la clarinette. We play the clarinet.
Il veut jouer du tuba. He wants to play the tuba.
Listen to the les sports: la ptanque mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from
French Listening Resources.
59. NATURE
air
l'air (m)
frost
la gele
rose
la rose
archipelago l'archipel (m) grass
l'herbe (f)
sand
le sable
bank
la rive
gulf
le golfe
sea
la mer
bay
la baie
hail
la grle
shadow
l'ombre (f)
barn
la grange
hay
le foin
sky
le ciel
beach
la plage
high tide
la mare haute
snow
la neige
branch
la branche
hill
la colline
soil
la terre
bridge
le pont
ice
la glace
south
le sud
bud
le bouton
island
I'le (f)
spring
(water)
la source
bush
le buisson
isthmus
l'isthme
star
l'toile (f)
cape
le cap
jungle
la jungle
stem
la tige
cave
la caverne
lake
le lac
storm
l'orage (m) / la
tempte
city
la ville
leaf
la feuille
strait
le dtroit
climate
le climat
light
la lumire
stream
le ruisseau
cloud
le nuage
lightning
l'clair (m)
street
la rue
coast
la cte
lily
le lis
sun
le soleil
comet
la comte
low tide
la mare basse
sunflower
le tournesol
constellation
la
meadow
constellation
le pr
thaw
la fonte
country
le pays
la lune
thunder
le tonnerre
country(side) la campagne mountain
la montagne
tornado
la tornade
la chane de
montagnes
tree
l'arbre (m)
moon
current
le courant
mountain
range
daffodil
la jonquille
mouth (river) l'embouchure (f)
trunk
le tronc
daisy
la
marguerite
mud
la vase
tulip
la tulipe
darkness
l'obscurit
(f)
nature
la nature
valley
la valle
desert
le dsert
north
le nord
view
la vue
dew
la rose
peninsula
la pninsule
water
l'eau (f)
dust
la poussire plain
la plaine
fresh water l'eau douce
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earth
la terre
planet
la plante
salt water
l'eau sale
east
l'est (m)
plant
la plante
watering
can
l'arrosoir (m)
farm
la ferme
pond
l'tang (m)
waterfall
la cascade
field
le champ
pot (for
plants)
le pot de fleurs
wave
la vague / l'onde (f)
flower
la fleur
rain
la pluie
weather
le temps
foam
l'cume (f)
rainbow
l'arc-en-ciel (m)
west
l'ouest (m)
fog
le brouillard river
le fleuve
wind
le vent
foliage
le feuillage
rock
le rocher
world
le monde
forest
la fort
root
la racine
60. TO LIVE
vivre - to live, be alive (vee-vruh)
vis
vis
vit
Present
vivons
vivez
vivent
vivais
vivais
vivait
Imperfect
vivions
viviez
vivaient
vivrai
vivras
vivra
Future
vivrons
vivrez
vivront
The past participle of vivre is vcu and it is conjugated with avoir. Habiter is another verb that means to
live, but it means to live in a place. Vivre is used to mean the state of being alive. A subjunctive form of
vivre, vive, is often used in exclamations.
Vive la France ! Long live France!
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French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

[ French III Zip file of mp3s - 26.83 MB ]

Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir

French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

I was supposed to j'ai d

I was able to (and did), succeeded

I found out, discovered

pouvoir je pouvais I was capable

I must have, I had to (and did)

The imperfect tense is also used with these constructions:

I was (in the process of ) studying when you

tre sur le point de + infinitive = to be just about to do something

I was just about to call you back.

aller + infinitive = going to do something

I was going to leave when the phone rang.

venir de + infinitive = to have just done something

I had just eaten, so I wasn't hungry anymore.

42. PLACES / LES ENDROITS

les toilettes (f)

drinking fountain la fontaine

l'appartement (m) /apatm

French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

police station la gendarmerie

grocery store l'picerie (f)

/sypmae/ pastry shop

French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

veux /v/ voulons /vul

veux /v/ voulez

/vule/ voulais /vul/ vouliez

/vulje/ voudras /vuda/ voudrez

veut /v/ veulent

/vul/ voulaient /vul/

peux /p/ pouvons /puv

/puve/ pouvais /puv/ pouviez

/vuda/ voudront /vud

/puvje/ pourras /pua/ pourrez

peut /p/ peuvent /pv/ pouvait /puv/ pouvaient /puv/ pourra

/pua/ pourront /pu/

l'appartement (m) /apatm

le tuyau d'arrosage /tijodaoza/

Living Room le living / le salon /livi/ /sal/Rake

Dining Room la salle manger

/saldb/ Lock (door)

Terrace, patio la terrasse

French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

le trou de la serrure sey/

la poigne de porte /pwaedpt/

les tuiles (f)

Clapboard/Shingle les bardeaux (m)

les volets (m)

les stores (m)

Can opener l'ouvre-botes (m)

Coffee press le moulin caf

les lits superposs

French III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Lampshade l'abat-jour (m)

l'ordinateur (m) /dinat/

la table (basse) /tabl bas/

les ordures (f)

Couch/Sofa le canap / le sofa