GES 108

Lesson 1: The French Alphabet

Let us start our French class with the French Alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O,

P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X ,Y, Z.

French Phonetic As in
Letter: Symbols: English:
Aa [a], [] [h]
Bb [b] [bay]
Cc [s], [k] [say]
Dd [d] [day]
Ee [ә], [e], [ɛ] [e], [o]
Ff [f] [f]
Gg [Ʒ], [g] [ӡay]
Hh ––, [’] [ash]
Ii [i], [j] [he]
Jj [Ʒ] [ʒee]
Kk [k] [kah]
Ll [l] [l]
Mm [m] [m]
Nn [n] [n]
Oo [o] [oh]
Pp [p] [pay]
Qq [k] [queue]
Rr [ʀ], [r] [ʀ]
Ss [s], [z] [s]
Tt [t] [tay]
Uu [y] [ewe]
Vv [v] [vay]
Ww [w], [v] [dublәvay]
Xx [ks], [s], [z] [iks]
Yy [i], [j] [igʀk]
Zz [z] [zd]

1.3.2. Let us continue our French class by learning French words through the Alphabet.
A Ananas (pineapple)
B Bébé (baby)
C Cahier (notebook)
D Dindon (turkey)
E Eléphant (elephant)
F Fourchette (Fork)
G Garçon (boy)
H Hôtel (hotel)
I Igname (yam)
J Jardin (garden)
K Kangourou (Kangaroo)
L Lion (lion)
M Mangue (Mango)
N Natte (mat)
O Orange (orange)
P Poulet (hen)
Q Queue (tail)
R Radio (radio)
S Souris (rat)
T Télévision (television)
U Université (University)
V Vache (cow)
W Wagon (Wagon)
X Xylophone (Xylophone),
Y Yahourt (yoghurt)
Z Zèbre (Zebra)

The French Vowel and Consonant Sounds

Vowels: Examples: Consonants: Examples:
[i] il, ici, Paris, ami, vie, lyre [p] papa, appétit, potage, obstacle
[e] été, bébé, préféré, jouer, louez [t] table, vite, natte, grandami

[] aigle, tête, crème, laisser-faire [k] képi, cou, avec, qui, ticket

[a] abbé, salade, patte, papa, [b] bon, bébé, robe, bateau, abbé

[] âge, pâte, chasse, cadre, gras [d] date, dans, addition, début

[ᴐ] objet, nord, rhum, album [g] gare, bague, aggraver, aiguiser
[o] aube, mot, bravo, arôme, [f] feu, neuf, photo, téléphone
[u] où, tout, nous, bouche, goût [s] sel, façade, classe, science, dix

[y] une, nu, vêtu, bureau, public [ʃ] chat, chic, tâche, charme
[̃ø] peu, deux, jeûne, lieu, Dieu [v] vous, vase, rêver, wagon

[œ] il, heure, sur, peur, beurre [z] zéro, zèbre, hasard, maison

[ә] je, me, ce, que, petit, faisons [ʒ] je, page, joujou, bijou
[l] lac, lent, avril, aller, sol
Nasals: Examples: [ʀ] rat, rue, rouge, arrivée, venir
[ɛ]̃ vin, plein, train, faim [m] mon, main, maman, imminent
[ɑ̃] an, France, ample, encore [n] nous, nature, tonne, ananas

[ᴐ̃)] oncle, bon, long, ombre [ɲ] signe, oignon, montagne

[œ̃] un, brun, parfum, lundi [ŋ] camping, meeting, parking.

Semi-Consonants: Examples:
[j] bien, papier, paille, soleil, yaourt

[w] weekend, oui, ouest, douane

[ɥ] huit, lui, puits, huître, linguiste.

Accents
In French, the accent is a sign on a vowel, and it gives precision to the pronunciation or
differentiates homonyms. Given below are the accents in French with their phonetic transcriptions:
English French Pronunciation
é (acute accent) = l’accent aigu(ë) [laks)tgy] Exemple: été [ete]; répété [ʀepete].
è (grave accent) = l’accent grave [laksɑ̃ gʀav] Ex.:très [tʀ]; pères [pʀ].
^ (circumflex accent) = l’accent circonflexe [laksɑ̃siʀkᴐ̃flɛks] Ex.:tête [tɛt].
ï, ë (di(a)eresis) = le tréma [lә tʀema] Ex.:Moïse [moiz]; aiguë [egy].
(cedilla) = la cédille [la sedij] Ex.: leçon [lәsᴐ̃]; français [fʀɑ̃)s].

Punctuation Marks
The Punctuation Marks in French and their phonetic transcriptions are as follows:
(English) French Pronunciation
, Comma la virgule [la viʀgyl]
. Full Stop or Period le point [lә pwɛ]̃
: Colon les deux points [le dø pwɛ̃ / l dø pwɛ]̃
; Semicolon le point-virgule [lә pwɛ̃ viʀgyl]
 Suspension Mark les points de suspension [le pwɛ̃ dәsyspɑ̃sjᴐ̃]
? Question Mark le point d’interrogation [lә pwɛ̃ dɛt̃ eʀᴐgasjᴐ̃]
! Exclamation Mark le point d’exclamation [lә pwɛ̃ dɛksklamasjᴐ̃]
( ) Parentheses or Brackets les parenthèses [le paʀɑ̃tɛz]
<<…>>Quotation Marks les guillemets [le gijmɛ]
’ Apostrophe l’apostrophe [lapᴐstʀᴐf]
– Hyphen le trait d’union [lә tʀɛdynjᴐ̃]
–– Dash le tiret [lә tiʀɛ]
(‘go to the next line’/‘next paragraph’) à la ligne [a la liɲ]
(‘inverted comma begins’/‘I quote’ ) Ouvrez les guillemets! <<… [uvʀe lɛ gijmɛ]
(‘inverted comma closes’/‘end of quote’) Fermez les guillemets!… »[fɛʀmelɛgijmɛ]

Lesson 2 :
Greetings
Greetings in French:
Bonjour. Good morning/Good day.
Bon après-midi. Good afternoon.
Bonsoir. Good evening.
Bonne nuit. Good night.
Félicitations ! Congratulations!
Bon anniversaire/Joyeux anniversaire/Heureux anniversaire. Happy birthday.
Bonne année/Heureuse année. Happy New Year.
Comment allez-vous? How are you? (Formal)
Comment vas-tu? How are you? (Informal)
Très bien, merci. Fine, thank you.
Au revoir. Good bye.

How do you congratulate someone in French?

Félicitations! (Congratulations!)

For birthday, you can say:

Joyeux anniversaire /Bon anniversaire. (Happy birthday.)

To the bereaved:
Mes condoléances. (My condolences.)
Désolé. (Sorry.)

Saying "thank you" in French:

A: Merci beaucoup (Thanks a lot).
B: Pas de quoi (Don’t mention).
A: Merci (Thank you).
B: Je vous en prie (You are welcome).
A: Merci (Thank you).
B: C’est gratuit (It’s free).

Se Présenter
A: Comment tu t'appelles (What is your name)?
B: Je m'appelle Sola (My name is Sola). Et toi(What about you)?
A: Moi, je m'appelle Ade (Me, My name is Ade).
B: Quel âge avez-vous? How old are you?
A: J'ai dix ans. Et toi? I am 10 years old. What about you?
B: Moi, j'ai huit ans. Me, I am 8 years old.
A: Quel âge a ton père ? How old is your father?
B. Mon père a quarante ans My father is 40 years old.
Asking question by Qu’est-ce que c’est? ”Où” and the use of “C’est”
Learn to ask questions in French:
Q: Qu'est-ce que c'est ? What is this?
A: C'est un livre. It is a textbook.
C'est une gomme. It is erazer
C'est une règle. It is a ruler

Another simple way of asking questions in French is:

Question: "C'est qui ? Who is it?"
Answer: C'est Sola. It is Sola.
C'est le professeur. It is the teacher.
C'est le pasteur. It is the pastor

It is easy to point at the location (near or far) of an object or person in French.

Use ‘Voici’ ‘Here is’ for what is closer and “Voilà” “That is” for what is far.

Let us use ‘Voici’:

Q: Où est la craie ? (Where is the chalk?)
A: Voici la craie. (Here is the chalk.)
Q: Où se trouve la chemise ? (Where is the shirt?)
A: Voici la chemise. (Here is the shirt.)

Now to ‘Voilà’:
E.g. Voilà la fille.
Voilà le Président.
Voilà la bibliothèque.
Voilà la librairie
(That is the girl.)
(That is the President)
(That is the library.)
(That is the bookshop.)

Class Activity:
Q: Où est la banque ? (Where is the bank?)
A: Voilà la banque. (That is the bank.)
Q: Où est l'ordinateur ? (Where is the computer?)
A: Voilà l'ordinateur. (That is the computer.)

Use of C’est (It is or This is):

When we are referring to a particular object, we must say “il est” or “elle est” depending on the
gender of the noun concerned, e.g.

Où est ta montre? – (Where is your wristwatch?)

Elle est dans la chambre. – It is in the room.)
Comment est ton livre? – Il est très petit.
(How is your book?) – (It is very small.)

Generally, we use c’est when we are saying who a person is or what a thing is:

Qui est-ce? – (Who is it?)

 C’est moi. – (It is me.)
Qu’est-ce que c’est? – (What is that?)
C’est une table. – (It is a table.)

N’est-ce pas? (Isn’t it?)

This is the question tag that is always used in French and it is invariable. For instance, all
question tags in French is the same “n’est-ce pas?” E.g.

Tu es fatigué, n’est-ce pas? (You are tired, aren’t you?)

Tu n’es pas fatigué, n’est-ce pas?
Elle est là, n’est-ce pas?
Ils sont travailleurs, n’est-ce pas?
Je suis professeur, n’est-ce pas?
Nous avons faim, n’est-ce pas?
Ils viennent demain, n’est-ce pas?
Vous avez peur des chiens, n’est-ce pas?
Nous ne sommes pas fâchés, n’est-ce pas?
Cela n’est pas mauvais, n’est-ce pas?
Je ne mens pas, n’est-ce pas?
Elle n’est pas là, n’est-ce pas?
Vous n’êtes pas paresseux, n’est-ce pas?
(You are not tired, are you?)
(She is there, isn’t she?)
(They are hard-working, aren’t they?)
(I am a teacher, aren’t I?)
(We are hungry, aren’t we?)
(They are coming tomorrow, aren’t they?)
(You are afraid of dogs, aren’t you?)
(We are not angry, are we?)
(That is not bad, is it?)
(I am not telling a lie, am I?)
(She is not there, is she?)
(You are not lazy, are you?)

Les jours de la semaine (Days of the Week):

Lundi Monday
Mardi Tuesday
Mercredi Wednesday
Jeudi Thursday
Vendredi Friday
Samedi Saturday
Dimanche Sunday

Les mois de l’année (Months of the Year):

Janvier January
Février February
Mars March
Avril April
Mai May
Juin June
Juillet July
Août August
Septembre September
Octobre October
Novembre November
Décembre December
Les Couleurs
Popular Colours in French:
These are popular colours in French:
white blanc
black noir
yellow jaune
red rouge
purple pourpre
blue bleu
green vert.

Let us learn the feminine of these colours:

Masculin Féminin
blanc blanche
noir noire
jaune jaune
vert verte
bleu bleue

Dialogue 1 :
A: Ma chemise est verte. My shirt is green.
B: La mienne est blanche. Mine is white.
A: Mon stylo est noir. My pen is black.
B: Le mien est rouge. Mine is red.

Objects:
Do you know how these class objects are called in French?
Pen le bic
Pencil le crayon
Table la table
Chair la chaise
Chalk la craie
Television la télévision
Air-conditioning le climatiseur
Fan le ventilateur
Textbooks les livres
Exercise books les cahiers
Blackboard le tableau noir
Marker la feutre

In the class:
A: Qu'est-ce que c'est? What is that?
B: C'est un ventilateur. It is a fan.
C'est une télévision. It is a television.
Ce sont des stylos. These are pens.
 C'est un tableau noir. It is a blackboard.

A la maison (At home):

A: Qu'est-ce que c'est? What is this?
B: C'est une armoire. It is a wardrobe.
C'est une ampoule. It is a bulb.
Ce sont des chaussures. These are shoes.

In the city (Dans la ville):

A: Qu'est-ce que c'est? What is it ?
B: C'est un poteau électrique. It is an electric pole.
C'est un embouteillage. It is a traffic jam.
C'est un gratte-ciel. It is a skyscraper.

On campus:
A: Qu'est-ce que c'est?
B: C'est un bureau.
C'est un laboratoire.
C'est la faculté.
Ce sont les salles de classe.
What is this?
It is an office.
It is a laboratory.
It is the Faculty.
They are classrooms.

The Monuments in France

Are you familiar with these monuments in France?
La Tour Eiffel Eiffel Tour
L'Arc de Triomphe Triumphal Ark
L'Arc de la Défense Defence bow

Learn about mountains in France:

Les Pyrénées The Pyrenees
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc
Les Alpes The Alps.

Do you know that these are rivers in France?

La Seine
La Rhône
La Garonne
La Loire
La Dordogne
La Gironde
Le Rhin, and
La Saône

French people travel in the following:

L'autobus Bus
L'avion Aeroplane
La voiture Car
Le train Train
L'hélicoptère Helicopter

The Seasons Expressed in French:

Le printemps = spring
L’été = summer
L’automne = fall
L’hiver = winter

Prepositions used with Seasons:

À + le printemps = au printemps = in spring
En + été = en été = in summer
En + automne = en automne = in fall
En + hiver = en hiver = in winter

La Date (Date):
To express dates in French, the following expressions are used:
Q: Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui? What day is it today?
A: Nous sommes Lundi le 1er décembre 2014. Today is Monday, 1st December
2014.
Q: Quel jour est-ce aujourd’hui? What day is it today?
A: C’est aujourd’hui le mercredi 3 décembre. Today is Wednesday, December 3.
C’est aujourd’hui le jeudi quatre avril deux
mille quatorze. Today is Friday, April 4, 2014.

Other forms of writing the date in French are:

Le 20 août 2012. = August 20, 2012.
Le vendredi 10 janvier 1998 = Friday, January 10, 1998.

Other expressions for talking about dates:

Au mois de janvier = in the month of January
En février = in February
Le premier juillet = July 1, or the first of July
Le quatre septembre = September 4 or 4thof September.

Lesson 3
Definite and Indefinite Article
There are three kinds of articles in French. These are: the definite, the indefinite, and the
partitive.
The definite article
The definite article in English is ‘the’ which in French is ‘le’ before a masculine singular noun and
‘la’ before a feminine singular noun. The plural of these two words is ‘les’ which is used for both
genders. However, before masculine and feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel or a
mute ‘h’, both ‘le’ and ‘la’ are shortened to l’. Consider the following examples:
 Masculine Feminine Contracted Form Plural

Le la l’ les (the)

le livre (the book) les livres (the books)

la gomme (the eraser)
l’arbre (the tree)
l’hameçon (the fish-hook)
l’habitude (the habit)
The definite articles ‘le’, ‘la’, and ‘les’ combine with ‘à’ (to, in or at) in the following ways:
à + le = au
à + la = à la
à + l’ = à l’
à + les = aux
Examples:
Je vais au marché.
Je parle au garçon.
Ils sont au jardin.
les gommes (the erasers)
les arbres (the trees)
les hameçons (the hooks)
les habitudes (the habits)
(to the, at the, in the)
(to the, at the, in the)
(to the, at the, in the)
(to the, at the, in the)
(I am going to the market.)
(I am talking to the boy.)
(They are in the garden.)

Je parle à la fille. (I am speaking to the girl.)

Nous allons à la rivière. (We are going to the river.)
Est-elle à la maison? (Is she in the house?)

Je parle à l’enfant. (I am talking to the child.)

Je parle à l’homme. (I am speaking to the man.)
Il a couché à l’hôtel. (He spent the night at a hotel.)

Je parle aux enfants. (I am talking to the children.)

Tu parles aux garçons. (You are speaking to the boys.)
Elle va aux Etats-Unis. (She is going to the United States.)
Nous parlons aux filles. (We are talking to the girls.)
Je parle aux hommes. (I am talking to the men.)

In like manner, the definite article combines with ‘de’ (of or from) as follows:
de + le = du (of the, from the)
de + la = de la (of the, from the)
de + l’ = de l’ (of the, from the)
de + les = des (of the, from the)
Examples:
Le livre du garçon (The book of the boy / The boy’s book)
Le livre de la femme (The book of the woman / The woman’s book)
Le livre de l’homme (The book of the man / The man’s book)
Le livre des garçons (The book of the boys / The boys’ book)
Nous arrivons du Togo. (We are coming from Togo.)
 Elles viennent du Nigéria. (They are coming from Nigeria.)
Le Nigéria est un grand pays de l’Afrique. (Nigeria is a great country of Africa.)

It should be noted here that the article ‘le’, ‘la’, or ‘les’ always precedes the names of countries,
continents, mountains, rivers, and lakes, e.g.
le Nigéria (Nigeria), le Ghana (Ghana),
l’Algérie (Algeria), la Guinée (Guinea),
l’Asie (Asia) la France (France),
le Nil (the Nile), ` le lac Tchad (Lake Chad),
le Togo (Togo), le Cameroun (Cameroon),
la Gambie (Gambia), l’Afrique (Africa),
l’Europe (Europe), les Etats-Unis (the United States),
le Niger (the Niger), le Kilimandjaro (Mount Kilimanjaro), etc.

The following question may now be asked: ‘How do we know the gender of the names of
countries?’ In answering this very important question, it suffices to say that apart from a very few
exceptions, the names of countries that end in ‘e’ are feminine in gender, while those ending in
any other letter of the alphabet are masculine. For instance, the following are feminine in gender:
la Gambie (the Gambia), la Sierra-Léone (Sierra Leone),
l’Angleterre (England), l’Amérique (America),
l’Allemagne (Germany), l’Italie (Italy),
l’Espagne (Spain) etc.
Note the following points:
(i) ‘In’ and ‘to’ is ‘en’ if the name of the country is feminine, and ‘au’ if it is masculine.
(ii) ‘From’ is ‘de’ or d’ if the name is feminine, and ‘du’ if it is masculine.
(iii)‘Of ’ is ‘de la’ with feminine names, and ‘du’ with masculine names.
(iv) ‘To’, ‘at’ or ‘in’ with names of towns is ‘à’; ‘from’ is ‘de’.
E.g.
Je vais en France. (I am going to France.)
Ils vont en Allemagne. (They go to Germany.)
Elle va en Gambie. (She is going to the Gambia.)

Je vais au Togo. (I am going to Togo.)

Ils vont au Cameroun. (They go to Cameroon.)
Elle va au Canada. (She is going to Canada.)

Il revient d’Amérique. (He is coming back from America.)

Elles sont revenues du Canada. (They came back from Canada.)
Cela vient de France. (That comes from France.)

Ils vont à Lagos. (They are going to Lagos.)

Je vais à Londres. (I am going to London.)
Elles sont à Toulouse. (They are in Toulouse.)
The indefinite article
The indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an’ in English is ‘un’ in French for the masculine, and ‘une’ for the
feminine singular, while ‘some’ or ‘any’ in English is ‘des’ in French for both masculine and
feminine singular. Consider the following examples:

Masculine Feminine
Un une (a, an)

Singular
Plural Des (some)

Singular Plural
un livre (a book) des livres (some books)
une gomme (an eraser) des gommes (some erasers)
un homme (a man) des hommes (some men)
un arbre (a tree) des arbres (some trees)
une femme (a woman) des femmes (some women)
une fille (a girl) des filles (some girls)

Examples:
J’ai un livre (I have a book.)
Tu as une gomme. (You have an eraser.)
Nous avons des livres (We have some books.)
Ils ont des gommes. (They have erasers.)
Il y a des arbres dans le jardin. (There are some trees in the garden.)
Des enfants jouent dans le couloir. (Some children are playing in the corridor.)
Y a-t-il des étudiants dans la classe? (Are there any students in the class?)

The Partitive Article (= some)

‘Of the’meaning ‘some’ (du, de la, de l’, des) in French is derived as follows:

de + le = du
de + la = de la
de + l’ = de l’
de + les = des

For example,
du riz = some rice
de la confiture = some jam
de l’alcool = some alcohol
des oranges = some oranges.

Therefore, in order to express ‘some’ of anything, we say ‘of the’ before the noun, and it
is never omitted in French, e.g.

Nous buvons de la bière. (We are drinking beer.)

 Elle mange des gâteaux. (She is eating cakes.)

Also, we use these forms in questions, e.g.

Avons-nous de l’argent? (Have we any money?)

A-t-il des oranges? (Has he any oranges?)

The French verb ‘Aller’ (to go) is conjugated thus in the present:

Je vais (I go/I am going/I do go)

Tu vas (You go/You are going/You do go)
Il/Elle va (He/She goes, He/She is going, He/She does go)
Nous allons (We go/We are going/We do go)
Vous allez (You go/You are going/You do go)
Ils/Elles vont (They go/They are going/They do go).

N.B.‘aller’ is an irregular verb.

Let us form sentences with ‘Aller’:

Je vais au marché.
Il va à Lagos.
Nous allons à la banque.
Elles vont à l'église.
Elle va à l'hôpital.
Ils vont au bureau.
(I am going to the market.)
(He is going to Lagos.)
(We are going to the bank.)
(They are going to church.)
(She is going to the hospital.)
(They are going to the office.)

Apart from using ‘aller’ to tell where you are going, it can be used in greetings.
E.g.
A: Comment ça va ? (How are you)?
B: Ça va bien, merci. (Fine, thank you).
A: Comment allez-vous? (How are you?)
B: Je vais bien, merci. (I am fine, thank you.)
A: Comment vas-tu? (How are you?)
B: Je vais bien. (I am fine.)

Apart from greetings, ‘aller’ can be used to tell whether something befits one.
E.g.
A: La chemise me va? (Does the shirt fit me?)
B: Oui, ça te va. (Yes, it befits you.)

Other expressions with ‘Aller’:

Aller à la pêche : to go fishing
Aller à la chasse : to go hunting
 Aller à pied: to go on foot, to walk
Aller à bicyclette: to go by bicycle
Aller en voiture, en avion, par le train: to go by car, by plane, by train
Aller loin: to succeed
Aller trop loin: to go too far
Aller bien, mal, mieux: to feel well, bad, better
Aller à quelqu’un: to suit, to become

The Verb “Avoir” in the Present Tense

J'ai (I have),
Tu as (You have),
Il/Elle a (He/She has),
Nous avons (We have),
Vous avez (You have),
Ils/Elles ont (They have).

Let us form some sentences with ‘avoir’:

J'ai un pantalon. (I have a trousers.)
Tu as dix doigts. (You have ten fingers.)
Il/Elle a des chaussures. (He/She has some shoes.)
Nous avons une cérémonie. (We have a ceremony.)
Vous avez deux sœurs. (You have two sisters.)
Ils ont cours. (They have lectures.)

In French, ‘avoir’ is used to tell age.

Example:
J'ai trente ans. (I am 30 years old.)
Il a cinq ans. (He is 5 years old.)
Vous avez soixante ans. (You are 60 years old.)

Dialogue:
Q: Quel âge as-tu/Quel âge avez-vous? (How old are you?)
A: J'ai seize ans (I am 16 years old.)
Q:Et ton père ? (And your father?)
A: Il a soixante-dix ans. (He is 70 years old.)

The French use ‘avoir’ to express their state of health and mind.
E.g. J'ai soif (I am thirsty),
J'ai faim (I am hungry),

When one is sick:

J'ai mal à l'estomac (I have stomach ache.)
Il a mal de tête (He has headache.)
Elle a mal aux yeux (She has eye problem.)

Other Expressions with ‘Avoir’:

 Avoir chaud : to be warm
Avoir froid : to be cold
Avoir faim : to be hungry
Avoir sommeil : to be sleepy
Avoir peur de : to be afraid of
Avoir honte de : to be ashamed of
Avoir raison : to be right
Avoir tort : to be wrong
Avoir mal à : to have an ache in
Avoir lieu : to take place
Avoir beau : to do something in vain
Avoir l’air : to look, to seem
Avoir de la chance : to be lucky
Avoir de la patience : to be patient
Avoir envie de : to want to
Avoir besoin de : to need/to be in need of

Let us examine with the verb ‘Être’ in the present.

Je suis I am
Tu es You are
Il/Elle est He/She is
Nous sommes We are
Vous êtes You are
Ils/Elles sont They are (m./f.)

You can use the verb ‘Être’ to say your nationality.

E.g. Je suis Nigérian (masculin).
Je suis Nigériane (féminin).
Tu es de quelle nationalité?
Je suis Togolais.
Je suis Togolaise.
Ils/Elles sont Béninois(es).
Vous êtes Malien.
Nous sommes Burkinabées.
I am a Nigerian.
I am a Nigerian.
What is your nationality?
I am a Togolese (masculin).
I am a Togolese (féminin).
They are Benineses.
You are a Malian.
We are Burkinabés.

‘Être’ can be used to say your profession:

E.g.
Il est infirmier. He is a nurse.
Elle est infirmière. She is a nurse.
Je suis professeur(e). I am a teacher.

Class Activity:
Q: Tu es étudiante? Are you a student?
A: Non, je suis professeure. No, I am a teacher.
Q: Et toi? What about you?
A: Moi, je suis ingénieur. Me, I am an engineer.
Class Activity-contd.
A: Il est médecin? Is he a medical doctor?
B: Non, il est tailleur. No, he is a tailor.
A: Elle est chimiste ? Is she a chemist?
B: Non, elle est vendeuse. No, she is a seller.

Learn to make use of ‘Être’ to express your mood/emotion:

E.g.
Je suis content(e). I am happy.
Il est heureux. He is happy.
Ils sont fâchés. They are angry.

Other Expressions with ‘être’ (to be):

Être en train de: to be in the act of
Être à : to belong to
Être de : to be from
Être égal à : to make no difference (e.g. Cela m’est égal).
Être de retour : to be back
Ça y est : It’s all right. It’s done

Lesson 4
Masculine and Feminine of Nouns
The following feminine nouns are derived from masculine nouns:

Adding silent ‘-e’ to the masculine version:

Masculine Feminine
Un ami Une amie
Un voisin Une voisine
Un étudiant Une étudiante
Un cousin Une cousine

Syllabic modification of the masculine noun: Changing ‘-er’ endings to ‘-ère’ endings:
Masculine Feminine
Un infirmier Une infirmière
Un boulanger Une boulangère
Un épicier Une épicière
Un ouvrier Une ouvrière
Un étranger Une étrangère
Un couturier Une couturière
Un romancier Une romancière
Un berger Une bergère
Un dentellier (lacemaker/laceworker) Une dentellière
By changing -x endings to ‘-se’ endings:
Masculine English Meaning Feminine
Un époux Spouse Une épouse
Un jaloux Jealous person Une jalouse
Un ambitieux Ambitious person Une ambitieuse
Un orgueilleux A proud person Une orgueilleuse

N.B.: Roux = Rousse (reddish-brown).

Changing -f endings to -ve endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Le juif Jew La juive
Un veuf Widower Une veuve
Un sportif Sportsman/sportswoman Une sportive

Changing ‘-c’ endings to ‘-que’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un laïc Layman/laywoman Une laïque
Un Turc Turkish Une Turque
N.B.: un Grec = Une Grecque.

Changing ‘-eau’ endings to ‘-elle’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un jumeau Twin Une jumelle
Un chameau Camel Une chamelle

Changing ‘-p’ endings to ‘-pe’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un loup Wolf Une loupe

Changing ‘-eur’ endings to ‘-euse’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un menteur Liar Une menteuse
Un vendeur Seller Une vendeuse
Un chanteur Singer Une chanteuse
Un voleur Thief Une voleuse
Un offreur Offerer Une offreuse
Un dénicheur Talent scout/spotter Une dénicheuse
Un dénigreur Disparager Une dénigreuse
 Un conteur Storyteller Une conteuse
Un décideur A decision-maker Une décideuse
Un empoisonneur Poisoner/nuisance Une empoisonneuse
Un acheteur Buyer Une acheteuse
Un pêcheur Fisherman/fisherwoman Une pêcheuse

Changing ‘-deur’ endings to ‘-drice’:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un ambassadeur Ambassador Une ambassadrice

Changing ‘-eur’ endings to ‘-esse’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un défendeur Defendant Une défenderesse
Un vengeur Avenger Une vengeresse
Un enchanteur Enchanter/charmer Une enchanteresse
Un chasseur Hunter/huntress Une chasseresse
Un docteur Doctor/female Une doctoresse
doctor

Changing ‘-teur’ endings to ‘-trice’ endings:

Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un éditeur Editor/publisher Une éditrice
Un exécuteur Executioner/executor Une exécutrice
Un inventeur Inventor Une inventrice
Un persécuteur Persecutor Une persécutrice
Un cantateur Professional singer Une cantatrice
Un impérateur Emperor/empress Une impératrice
Un directeur Director Une directrice
Un inspecteur Inspector Une inspectrice
Un agitateur Agitator Une agitatrice
Un dénonciateur Informer Une dénonciatrice

Others: -el to -elle ; -et to –ette; -at to -atte; -ot to -otte; -on to -onne; -en to -enne; -an to -
anne:
Masculine Meaning Feminine
Un colonel Colonel Une colonelle
Un cadet Younger/youngest Une cadette
Un chat Cat Une chatte
Un boulot Chubby person Une boulotte
Un sot Fool/idiot Une sotte
Un baron Baron/baroness Une baronne
Un félon Traitor Une félonne
Un lion Lion/lioness Une lionne
Un chien Dog/bitch Une chienne
 Un doyen Dean/doyen/senior Une doyenne
Un gardien Guardian/keeper/ Une gardienne
watchman/watchw
oman
Un paysan Peasant/country Une paysanne
dweller

Some nouns with ‘-esse’ added to form the feminine:

Masculine English Meaning Feminine
Un âne Donkey/she-ass (jenny) Une ânesse
Un clown Clown Une clownesse
Un diable Devil Une diablesse
Un maître Master/mistress Une maîtresse
Un hôte Host/hostess Une hôtesse
Un prêtre Priest Une prêtresse
Un prince Prince/princess Une princesse
Un tigre Tigre/tigress Une tigresse
Un abbé Abbot.abbess/priest Une abbesse
Un devin Diviner/soothsayer Une devineresse
Un diacre Deacon/deaconess Une diaconesse
Un dieu god/goddess Une déesse
Un duc Duke/duchess Une duchesse
Un nègre Negro/negress Une négresse
Un pécheur Sinner Une pécheresse
Un poète Poet Une poétesse

Some masculine nouns take ‘-ïne’, ‘-ine’ in the feminine:

Masculine English Meaning Feminine

Un héros Hero/heroine Une héroïne
Un speaker Announcer, news reader Une speakerine
Un gosse Kid/youngster Une gosseline

Certain nouns are irregular:

Masculine English Meaning Feminine
Un copain Pal/mate Une copine
Un canard Drake/duck Une cane
Un dindon Turkey cock/turkey hen Une dinde
Un perroquet Parrot/chatterbox Une perruche

Nouns derived from adjectives:

Adjective English Meaning Noun English Meaning
Aimable Pleasant/kind L’amabilité Kindness/courtesy/
pleasantness
Divers Diverse/various/several La diversité Diversity/variety/range
Bon Good/lovely/fine/right La bonté Kindness/goodness
Clair Clear/light/fresh/fair La clarté Clarity/light/fairness
Cohérent Coherent La cohérence Coherence
Grand Big/tall/large/main/important/ La grandeur Greatness/size/magnitude
grand/important/major
Certain Certain La certitude Certainty
Doux Soft/sweet/mild/gentle/pleasant/ La douceur Softness/sweetness/
lovely smoothness/mildness/
gentleness

Charmant Charming/delightful/nice/lovely/ Le charme Charm/spell

wonder-ful
Fidèle Loyal/faithful/reliable La fidélité Fidelity/faithfulness/loyalit/
reliability/accuracy
Réel Real La réalité Reality

Adjective English Meaning Noun English Meaning

Sage Wise/sensible/moderate/ La sagesse Wisdom/common sense/
reasonable//sober/ soundness/moderation/good
wellbehaved/wise man/expert sense
Jaloux Jealousy La jalousie Jealousy
Malade Sick/ill/diseased/bad/injured/ La maladie Sickness/illness/disease
crazy
Fou Mad/wild/crazy La folie Madness/craziness/wildness
Plein Full/solid/rounded La plénitude Fullness/ampleness
Exact Exact/correct/accurate/true/right/ L’exactitude Exactitude/correctness/
/precise accuracy/preciseness
Clairvoyant Perceptive La Perceptiveness
clairvoyance
Petit Small/little/young/minor La petitesse pettiness
/little boy/petty
Large Wide, broad, big La largeur Width, breath
Poli Polite, polished La politesse Politeness, decency
Étrange Strange L’étrangeté Strangeness
Rapide Rapid, fast, quick, swift, speedy La rapidité Speed, briskness
Sensuel Sensual La sensualité Sensuality
Violent Violent La violence Violence
Fort Strong La force Strength
Important Important L’importance Importance
Sot Silly La sottise Sillyness, foolishness
Gourmand Greedy, fond of sweet things La Greediness, weakness for
gourmandise sweet things, gluttony
Las Weary La lassitude Weariness
Lent Slow La lenteur Slowness
Some are derived from verbs:
Verb English Meaning Noun English Meaning
Administrer Administer L’administration Administration
Annexer Annex L’annexion Annexe, annex,
appendix
Apparaître Appear L’apparition Apparition/appearance
Autoriser Authorise L’autorisation Authorisation
Construire Construct La construction Construction
Abattre Beat L’abattement Beating
Acquitter Acquit L’acquittement Acquittance
Agir Act L’agissement/l’action Action
Changer Change Le changement Change
Dérober Steal from, hide from La dérobade Avoidance, refusal,
evasion, running out
Abandonner Abandon L’abandon Abandonment
Arrêter Stop, arrest, to L’arrêt Arrest, stopping,
apprehend, to give up cancellation, halt,
cessation

Chasser Chase away, drive La chasse Hunting, shooting,

away, hunt, shoot chase, pursuit

Etudier Study L’étude Study

Finir End, finish La fin End
Appeler Call L’appel Call, appeal, plea
Poser To ask question, to lay La pose Putting in, installation,
down, to put down, to putting up, hanging,
set down, to install, put pose
in, put up, postulate
Réformer Reform, discharge La réforme Reform, discharge
Sauter Jump Le saut Jump
Voler Fly Le vol Flight
Blesser Wound La blessure Wound
Brûler Burn, set fire to, scald, La brûlure Burn
scorch
Verb English Meaning Noun English Meaning
Cultiver Grow, cultivate La culture Cultivation, growing
Déchirer Tear, rip up, break, La déchirure Tear, break, rift
rend, shatter, split

Lire Read La lecture Reading

Couvrir Cover La couverture Cover
 Rompre Break, break off, upset, La rupture Breaking off, break
disrupt; end; interrupt down, splitting up,
fall out gracture, failure
Signer Sign La signature Signature
Casser Break, crack La cassure Break, crack, split,
rupture
Eplucher Peel L’épluchure Peeling, peel
Plier Fold La pliure Fold, folding
Mordre Bite La morsure Bite
Ouvrir Open L’ouverture Opening
Coiffer comb, brush La coiffure Hairdo, hairstyle
Gargouiller Rumble, gurgle Gargouillis/ Rumbling, gurgling
gargouillement

Plural Forms of Nouns

In French, ‘-s’ is basically added to nouns to form their plurals with ‘les’ accompanying them as
their definite articles.

The plural form of indefinite articles ‘des’ is used when one is not specific about the object in
question.
French Singular French Plural English Singular English Plural
Le stylo les stylos Pen Pens
La fille Les filles Girl Girls
La voiture Les voitures Car Cars
Le toit Les toits Roof Roofs
La toilette Les toilettes Toilet Toilets
Le bonbon Les bonbons Sweet Sweets
L’ami(e) Les ami(e)s Friend Friends
L’orange Les oranges Orange Oranges
L’homme Les hommes Man Men
L’habit Les habits Dress/cloth Dresses/Clothes

However, there are exceptions to this rule. These exceptions are determined by the endings of the
nouns whose formation of their plurals does not follow the above rule.
For nouns ending in -s; -x; or -z, they are invariable in their plural forms.

Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le bras Les bras Arm Arms
Le pas Les pas Step/footstep Steps/footprints
Le pays Les pays Country Countries
Le poids Les poids Weight Weights
La fois Les fois Time Times
Le vers Les vers Verse Verses
 Le fils Les fils Son Sons
L’os Les os Bone Bones
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
La souris Les souris Mouse Mice
La vis (screw) Les vis Screw Screws
Le progrès Les progrès Progress Progresses
Le mets Les mets Dish dishes
La croix Les croix Cross Crosses
Le prix Les prix Price Prices
Le nez Les nez Nose Noses
Le gaz Les gaz Gas Gases
La voix Les voix Voice Voices
La noix Les noix Nut Nuts

Plurals of nouns with -au, -eau, -œu are formed by adding ‘-x’ at the end of the word.
Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le noyau Les noyaux Stone (of Stones (of fruits)
fruit)/nucleus /nucleuses
L’étau Les étaux Vice/stranglehold Vices/strangleholds
Le tuyau (drain- Les tuyaux Drain-pipe Drain-pipes
pipe)
Le bateau Les bateaux Boat Boats
Le bedeau Les bedeaux beadle/verger/usher/ beadles/vergers/ushers/
campus campus
policeman/porter. policemen/porters.

‘Verger’ is an
official whose job is
to take care of the
inside of the church
and perform some
simple duties
duringchurchservice.
Le manteau Les manteaux Coat Coats
Le cerneau Les cerneaux Shelled walnut Shelled walnuts
(shelled) walnut)

Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural

Le chapeau Les chapeaux Hat/cap Hats/caps
Le château Les châteaux Castle Castles
Le pinceau (paint Les pinceaux Paint brush Paint brushes
brush)
Le poteau Les poteaux Pole/post/mast Poles/posts/masts
Le dieu Les dieux god gods
 Le feu Les feux Fire Fires
Le jeu Les jeux Game Games
Le cheveu Les cheveux Hair Hairs
Le neveu Les neveux Nephew Nephews
Le lieu Les lieux Place/venue Places/venues
Le vœu Les vœux Wish Wishes
Exceptions to this rule are: le landau (carriage), le sorrau, le bleu, le pneu, le lieu (type of fish),
which take an ‘-s’ in the plural.

The following nouns ending in -ou, take ‘-x’ in the plural:

Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le bijou Les bijoux Jewellery jewelleries
Le caillou Les cailloux Stone Stones
Le chou Les choux Cabbage Cabbages
Le genou Les genoux Knee Knees
Le joujou Les joujoux Toy Toys
Le pou Les poux Louse Lice

Nouns with -al endings take ‘-x’ in the plural:

Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
L’animal Les animaux Animal Animals
Le bocal (jar) Les bocaux Jar Jars
Le canal Les canaux Canal Canals
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le cheval Les chevaux Horse Horses
L’hôpital Les hôpitaux Hospital Hospitals
Le journal Les journaux Newspaper Newspapers

In exception to this rule, the following words ending in -al take ‘-s’ in the plural:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le carnaval Les carnavals Carnival Carnivals
Le ceremonial Les ceremonials Ceremonial Ceremonials
Le choral (choir/choral Les chorals Choir/choral Choirs/choral
society) society societies
Le chacal (jackal) Les chacals Jackal Jackals
Le festival Les festivals Festival Festivals
Le récital Les récitals Recital Recitals
Le régal (delight/treat) Les régals Delight/treat Delights/treats
Le final Les finals Final Finals
Le pal (stake/pale) Les pals Stake/pale Stakes/pals
Words ending in -ail take ‘-s’ in the plural:
Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le bétail Les Livestock/cattle Livestock/cattle
(livestock/cattle) bétails
Le bercail (fold/family Les Fold/family base Folds/family bases
bases) bercails
Le chandail (sweater) Les Sweater Sweaters
chandails
Le détail Les Detail details
détails
L’éventail (fan, range, Les Fan/range/spread/spectrum Fans/ranges/spreads
spread, spectrum) éventails /spectrums

Some exceptions to this rule which have ‘-aux’ as their terminals are listed below:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Singular
Le bail (lease) Les baux Lease Leases
Le corail (coral) Les coraux Coral Corals
L’émail (enamel) Les émaux Enamel Enamels
Le soupirail (air hole) Les soupiraux Air hole Air holes
Le travail Les travaux Work Works
Le ventail (ventail) Les ventaux Ventail Ventails
Le vitrail Les vitraux Glass window Glass windows
(glass window)

Irregular Nouns:
Listed below are some irregular nouns. These nouns have been thus classified because the
formation of their plurals does not follow any of the above rules. They therefore have to be learned
by heart.
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
L’aïeul Les aïeux Ancestor Ancestors
L’ail (garlic) Les aulx Garlic Garlics
Le bonhomme (chap, old Les bonshommes Chap/old Chaps/old
man/fellow/ man/fellow/little men/fellows/little
little chap/lad chap/lad chaps/lads
Le ciel Les cieux Sky Skies
Le gentilhomme Les gentilshommes Nobleman/gentleman Noblemen/gentlemen
(nobleman/gentleman)
L’œil Les yeux Eye Eyes
Le monsieur Les messieurs Mister Misters
Madame Les Mesdames Madam Madams
 Mademoiselle Les Mesdemoiselles Miss Misses

Certain nouns are rendered in the plural:

Les applaudissements = applause
Les meubles = furniture
Les mathématiques = mathematics
Les ténèbres = darkness
Les fiançailles = engagement
Les funérailles = funeral
Les gens = people
Les environs = outskirts, vicinity, around, region
Les renseignements = information, enquiries (when it means enquiries)
Les vacances = holidays (but ‘la vacance’ meaning vacancy is rendered in
both singular and plural).
Les vivres = food/foodstuffs/provisions.
Les dépens = expense/cost.

Family names:
When it is a simple family name, ‘-s’ is not added to the name except for the article « les »
which is the only mark that distinguishes it as plural.

Example: The Adeyemos = Les Adeyemo

When the name is that of a historical family, example: ruling families/dynasties as well as
important biblical and ancient personalities, ‘-s’ is added. This gives it a meaning that connotes a
generational sense.

Example: Les Akintolas, Les Awolowos, Les Adeyemis d’Oyo, les Sijuwades d’Ife, Les trois
Maries bibliques qui sont les amies de Jésus.

Pluralisation of Loan-words
Loan-words obey the same rules as in French words. Therefore, when foreign words end in -s, -x,
-z as in French, they remain the same as the singular.

Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
Le boss Les boss Boss Bosses
Le kibboutz (kibbutz is Les kibboutz (or Kibbutz Kibbutz
a type of farm or factory kibboutzim)
in Israel where a group
of people live together
and share all the work,
decisions and income)
Others would ordinarily take an ‘-s’ in the pluralised state:
Example:
Singulier Pluriel Singular Plural
L’alibi Les alibis Alibi Alibis
L’auditorium Les auditoriums Auditorium Auditoriums
Le forum /fↄRↄm/ Les forums Forum Forums

The use of ‘il y a’ (there is/are):

Consider first of all the following expressions:
Il y a (there is or there are)
Il n’y a pas (there is not or there are not)
Y a-t-il? (Is there or Are there?)
N’y a-t-il pas? (Is there not or Are there not?/Aren’t there?)

Therefore, if we want to express something like ‘There is a book on the table’, we say:
Il y a un livre sur la table.

Let us consider further the following expressions:

Il n’y a pas un/de livre sur la table. (There is no book on the table.)
Y a-t-il un livre sur la table? (Is there a book on the table?)
N’y a-t-il pas un/de livre sur la table? (Isn’t there a book on the table?)

Please note that the question ‘Is there a book on the table?’ can be asked in the following three
ways:
i) Il y a un livre sur la table?
ii) Est-ce qu’il y a un livre sur la table?
iii) Y a-t-il un livre sur la table?

Also, the negative question ‘Isn’t there a book on the table?’ can be asked thus:
i) Il n’y a pas un livre sur la table?
ii) Est-ce qu’il n’y a pas un livre sur la table?
iii) N’y a-t-il pas un livre sur la table?

However, if we want to include something like ‘any’ or ‘some’ in our expression, then, we
should combine this with ‘il y a’ as follows:
Oui, il y en a. (Yes, there is/are some.)
Non, il n’y en a pas. (No, there isn’t/aren’t any.)
Y en a-t-il?/Est-ce qu’il y en a? (Is there any?/Are there any?)
N’y en a-t-il pas? (Isn’t there any?/Aren’t there any?)
Lesson 5
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, and it must agree in gender, number, and person with
its antecedent. There are several kinds of pronouns, namely, the personal, possessive,
demonstrative, relative, interrogative, and indefinite pronouns.
Personal or subject pronouns
These are called ‘pronoms personnels’ or ‘pronoms personnels sujets’.

French English
Je I
Tu You
Il He
Elle She
On (neuter) One, they, people, we
Nous We
Vous You
Ils They
Elles They

Example (used with a verb):

Je mange I eat or I am eating or I do eat
Tu manges You eat or You are eating or You do eat
Il mange He eats or He is eating or He does eat
Elle mange She eats or She is eating or She does eat
On mange One eats, or They eat, People eat, We eat
Nous mangeons We eat or We are eating or We do eat
Vous mangez You eat or You are eating or You do eat
Ils mangent They eat or They are eating or They do eat.
Elles mangent They eat or They are eating or They do eat.

Examples with the use of personal pronouns

Je vais au marché. (I am going to the market.)
Il va à Lagos. (He is going to Lagos.)
Nous allons à la banque. (We are going to the bank.)
Elles vont à l'église. (They are going to church.)
Elle va à l'hôpital. (She is going to the hospital.)
Ils vont au bureau. (They are going to the office.)
Object Pronouns
Object pronouns are complements of personal pronouns.
French English
Me Me
Te You
le/la/l’ him/her/it
 Nous Us
Vous You
Les Them

Example:

French English

Tola me voit. Tola sees me.

Je te regarde. I look at you.

Il bat le garçon. He beats the boy.

Il le bat. He beats him.
Kemi lave le chien. Kemi washes the dog.
Kemi le lave. Kemi washes it.
Nous conduisons la voiture. We drive the car.
Nous la conduisons. We drive it.
Le professeur enseigne Tunde et moi. The teacher teaches Tunde and me.
Le professeur nous enseigne. The teacher teaches us.
Ils invitent Bode et toi. They invite Bode and you.
Ils vous invitent. They invite you.
J’aime l’orange et la mangue. I love orange and mango.
Je les aime. I love them.
Bimbo achète le poisson. Bimbo buys fish.
Bimbo l’achète. Bimbo buys it.

Third Person Direct Object Pronouns

Third person direct object pronouns are: le, la, l’, and les.

Le replaces masculine singular nouns.

Je mange le pain. = Je le mange.
mas. sing. noun. dir. obj. pron.

La replaces feminine singular nouns.

Biodun lave la voiture. = Biodun la lave.

fem. sing. noun.
dir. obj. pron.
L’ replaces masculine or feminine singular nouns before verbs that start with vowels.
Nous écrivons la lettre = Nous l’ écrivons.

fem. sing. noun. dir. obj. pron.

Les replaces masculine or feminine plural nouns.

Vous cherchez les livres. = Vous les cherchez.

masc. plu. noun. dir. obj. pron.

Ils descendent les valises. = Ils les descendent.

The Object pronouns are the pronouns that stand for the direct objects in a sentence. Let us
consider the following sentences:

Je vois mon frère. (I see my brother.) – Je le vois. (I see him.)

Je vois ma sœur. (I see my sister.) – Je la vois. (I see her.)
Je vois mes relations. (I see my relatives.) – Je les vois. (I see them.)
Je vois Marie et Alice. (I see Mary and Alice.) – Je les vois. (I see them.)

The Third Person Indirect Object Pronouns (lui, leur)

The Indirect Object Pronouns stand for the indirect objects in a sentence. Let us consider the
following:
Je parle à mon frère. Je lui parle.
(I am speaking to my brother.) (I am speaking to him.)

Je parle à ma sœur. Je lui parle.

(I am speaking to my sister.) (I am speaking to her.)

Je parle à mes relations. Je leur parle.

(I am speaking to my relations.) (I am speaking to them.)

Je parle à Marie et à Alice. Je leur parle.

(I am speaking to Mary and Alice.) (I am speaking to them.)

For the First and Second Person (Singular and Plural) Indirect Object pronouns, consider the
following examples:
Il me parle. (He is talking to me.)
Je te/vous parle. (I am talking to you.)
Ils nous parlent. (They are talkingto us.)
Nous te/vous parlons. (We are talking to you.)

The French Pronoun ‘on’

‘On’ is a pronoun in French and it corresponds to the English ‘one’ as used in sentences
such as the following:
On dit qu’elle est folle. (They say that she is mad. / It is said that she is mad.)
On ne sait jamais. (One never knows. /You never know.)
 On doit être travailleur. (One must be hard-working./You must be hard-working.)
On frappe à la porte. (Someone is knocking at the door.)
On croit que c’est vrai. (People think that it is true./It is thought that it is true.)
Lorsqu’on est fatigué, on se repose. (When one is tired, one rests.)

The Pronoun ‘en’

This little word ‘en’ is a pronoun and it always stands for de + something and it is always placed
before the verb. It means either ‘of it’, ‘of them’, ‘some’ or ‘any’. Let us consider the following
examples:
As-tu du cidre?–Oui, j’en ai beaucoup.
(Have you any cider?––Yes, I have plenty of it.)

Avez-vous peur des vaches?–Oui, nous en avons peur.

(Are you afraid of cows?––Yes, we are afraid of them.)

Combien de sœurs as-tu?–J’en ai trois.

(How many sisters have you?––I have three of them.)

A-t-elle des bonbons?–Oui, elle en a.

Has she any sweets?––Yes, she has some.

As-tu du fromage?–Non, je n’en ai pas.

(Have you any cheese?––No, I haven’t any.)

The Pronoun ‘Y’

‘Y’ is another pronoun and it means ‘there’ in English. Just like ‘en’, it is placed before
the verb in French, e.g.
Vas-tu à l’école aujourd’hui ? – Oui, j’y vais.
(Are you going to school today? – Yes, I am going there.)

Êtes-vous dans la maison ? – Oui, j’y suis.

(Are you in the house? – Yes, I am there.)

Allons-nous au marché cet après-midi ? – Oui, nous y allons.

(Are we going to the market this
afternoon? – Yes, we are going there.)

Vont-ils à la boulangerie ce soir ? – Non, ils n’y vont pas.

(Are they going to the bakery this
evening? – No, they aren’t going there.)
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns replace possessive adjectives with the objects possessed. Possessive
pronouns are not frequently used. When used, they take the gender and number of the noun they
replace or refer to. Possessive pronouns also agree in number with the object possessed.
Possessive pronouns replace possessive adjectives with the objects possessed.
Example:
Possessive English Meaning Possessive Pronoun English Meaning
Adjective
Mon visage My face Le mien Mine
Ton cahier Your exercise book Le tien Yours
Son frère His brother Le sien Hers/his
Notre père Our father Le nôtre Ours
Votre stylo Your pen Le vôtre Yours
Leur argent Their money Le leur Theirs

Observe that possessive pronouns are accompanied by definite articles depending on the gender.
Possessive pronouns also agree in number with the object possessed. (See table of agreement
below):
Masculine Feminine
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Le mien(Mine) Les miens La mienne Les miennes
Le tien(Yours) Les tiens La tienne Les tiennes
Le Les siens La sienne Les siennes
sien(His/Hers/Its)
Le nôtre(Ours) Les nôtres La nôtre Les nôtres
Le vôtre(Yours) Les vôtres La vôtre Les vôtres
Le leur(Theirs) Les leurs La leur Les leurs

i) J’ai ma montre et tu as la tienne. = I have my watch and you have yours.

ii) Nous avons nos camarades. Vous avez les vôtres.= We have our friends. You have yours.
iii) Vos enfants sont jolis et les leurs aussi. = Your children are beautiful and theirs also.
iv) Leur voiture est dehors mais la mienne n’y est pas. = Their car is outside but mine is not
there.
v) Son sac est plein et le mien aussi. = Her/his bag is full and mine too.
vi) Mon ami est là. Et le tien ? Est-ce qu’il est là aussi ?= My friend is there. And yours? Is he
there too?

When the possessor is an indefinite subject pronoun, for example, on, personne, tout le
monde, chacun, the following pronouns are used: le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes.

Example:
On aime son enfant. On aime le sien.
(One loves her/his child. One loves hers/his.)

Tout le monde a sa chance dans la vie. Tout le monde a la sienne.

(Everyone has her/his chance in life. Everyone has hers/his.)

Chacun(e) a sa tour. = Chacun(e) a la sienne.

(Each one has her/his turn. = Each one has hers/his.)
 When chacun replaces a plural subject pronoun, the possessive pronoun agrees with the
subject pronoun.

Example:
Vous conduisez vos voitures chacun les vôtres. = (Each one drives their cars.)

The masculine plural of possessive pronouns are used to designate relatives, friends, and allies.
Example:
Vous êtes des leurs. = (You are one of them.)
Nous sommes les vôtres. = (We are one of you.)
Ils sont les nôtres. = (They are one of us.)

The Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in French are:
Singular Plural
Masculine Celui Ceux
Feminine Celle Celles
They are equivalent to that, these, and those in English.

Le père de Samuel et celui de Tomiwa. = (Lit.: The father of Samuel and that of
Tomiwa)
La voiture de ta mère et celle de la mienne = (Lit.: The car of your mother and that
of mine)
Les marchés à Ibadan et ceux à Abuja = (Lit.: The markets in Ibadan and
those in Abuja)
Les écoles du Nigéria et celles des Etats Unis = (Lit.: The schools of Nigeriaand
those of the United States)
When followed by a relative pronoun, they mean the one, the ones, he/she who, these or
those.
Example:
Celui qui chante est mon favori. = (The one who sings is my favourite.)
Les deux robes sont jolies mais je préfère
celle qui est rouge. = (The two dresses are beautiful but I
prefer the one that is red.)
Les formes du pronom démonstratif:
Celui, celui-ci, celui-là = un nom masculin singulier
Ceux, ceux-ci, ceux-là = un nom masculin pluriel
Celle, celle-ci, celle-là = un nom féminin singulier
Celles, celles-ci, celles-là = un nom féminin pluriel.

Followed by de, the demonstrative pronoun indicates possession:

Example:
Le livre de Bola et celui de Tinu = Bola’s book and Tinu’s

To make a distinction between this one and that one, and between these and those, these two
suffixes -ci and -là are added:
 Example:
J’aime celui-ci. Je n’aime pas celui-là. = I like this one. I don’t like that one.
Je parle à celle-ci. Je ne parle pas à celle-là. =I talk to this one. I don’t talk to that one.

Between two things, ‘celui-ci’ and ‘celle-ci’ mean the latter; ‘celui-là’ and ‘celle-là’ mean
the former.
Example:
Tola et Bola sont étudiantes. Celle-ci est intelligente mais celle-là n’est pas intelligente.
(Tola and Bola are students. The latter is intelligent but the former is not intelligent.)

Wole Soyinka et Chinua Achebe sont écrivains. Celui-ci est mort et celui-là est vivant.
(Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe are writers. The latter is dead and the former is alive.)

‘Celui-ci’ can be replaced by ‘ce dernier’ and ‘celui-là’ by le premier.

Ce dernier écrivain est Ibo tandis que le premier est Yorouba.

(The latter is Ibo while the former is Yoruba.)

The Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns

Ce, ceci, cela (ça):
Ce (C’) is used mainly with the verb ‘être’ and sometimes with‘aller’, ‘devoir’, or ‘pouvoir’.
Ce is at times replaced by cela.
Example:
i) When used with a modified noun:
Mangeons cette mangue! C’est un bon fruit.= Let us eat this mango! It is a good fruit.
ii) before a proper noun:
Je vois une belle femme. C’est Madame Oladele. (I see a beautiful woman. It is Mrs Oladele.)
iii) before a pronoun:
La voiture est devant l’église. Est-ce la vôtre? (The car is in the front of the church. Is it yours?)
iv) before a superlative:
Les étudiants de français sont intelligents. Ce sont les meilleurs étudiants de l’Université
d’Ibadan.
(The students studying French are intelligent. They are the best students of the University of
Ibadan.)
v) before an infinitive:
Pour réussir à ses examens c’est de pouvoir lire et étudier.= (Passing one’s exams is being able
to read and study.)
Le problème c’est d’avoir un peu d’argent pour acheter le livre.= (The problem is to have a
little money to buy the book.)
Ce qui est important c’est de savoir vivre.= (What is important is to know how to live well.)

Ce qui est urgent c’est d’aller manger.= (What is urgent is to go and eat.)
vi) before an adverb:
C’est aujourd’hui un jour férié. = (Today is a public holiday.)
C’est maintenant ou jamais. = (It is now or never.)
 vii) as a neuter subject:
Il est lundi aujourd’hui. Oui, c’est vrai. = (Today is Monday. Yes, it is true.)

The Demonstrative Pronoun ‘ceci’, ‘cela’ (ça)

When the demonstrative pronoun replaces an indefinite expression or an idea, ceci and cela is
used. Ça is used in familiar style. It is not standard French. Cela is used when an expression
has already been mentioned. Ceci is used to introduce an expression.

Ceci est excellent. C’est un bon résumé. = (This is excellent. It is a good summary.)
C’est un cas d’accident. Cela est urgent. = (It is a case of an accident. It is urgent.)

(Ordinarily, ‘cela’ is not used before the verb ‘être’ except in the type of example given here,
i.e., when an expression has already been mentioned).

‘Ceci’ refers to the closer/closest object and ‘cela’ to the farther/farthest object.

(The Reflexive Pronouns) Les pronoms réfléchis

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject or doer is the receiver of the action. They are:
me, te, se, nous, vous, se. They can either be direct or indirect objects.
Example:
Je me vois dans le miroir. = I see myself in the mirror.
Il se lave les dents chaque matin et soir.= He brushes his teeth each morning and evening.

Before verbs beginning with vowels or mute h, me, te, se become m’, t’, s’. E.g.
Je m’aide. = I help myself.
Tu t’habilles = You dress yourself.
Il s’aime = He loves/likes himself.
Elles s’aiment = They love themselves (f.).
(Position of Reflexive Pronouns) La place des pronoms réfléchis
Pronom (Sujet) Pronom réfléchi Verbe
Je Me lave
Tu Te laves
Il/Elle/On Se lave
Nous Nous lavons
Vous Vous lavez
Ils/Elles se lavent

Lesson 6
Adjectives
It should be noted that the definite articles (le, la, les), the indefinite articles (un, une, des), and the
Possessive Adjectives (mon, ma, mes) take on the gender and number of the noun with which they
are placed. In like manner, ordinary adjectives like ‘big’, ‘small’, ‘handsome’, etc. do agree in
gender and number with the noun that they describe.
Thus, in order to obtain the feminine form of an adjective, we add ‘-e’ to the masculine form.
E.g.
English Masculine Feminine

big/large/tall grand grande

small/short/little petit petite
pretty joli jolie
bad mauvais mauvaise
wicked méchant méchante
black noir noire
all tout toute
green vert verte
grey gris grise

It should be noted also that there are some adjectives which end in the silent or mute ‘e’ in the
masculine form (e.g. jeune, young; malade, ill; jaune, yellow). These adjectives have the same form
whether they are used with a masculine or a feminine noun. For example, ‘le jeune homme’(the
young man)and ‘la jeune femme’(the young woman). Consider the following:

English Masculine Feminine

young jeune jeune
red rouge rouge
near proche proche
fast vite vite
lovely aimable aimable
huge énorme énorme
serious grave grave
easy simple simple

However, when the noun is plural in French, the qualifying adjective must also be in its plural
form. For example,
Singular Plural
le petit enfant (the small child) les petits enfants (the small children)
le joli tissu (the fine cloth) les jolis tissus (the fine cloths)
le mauvais élève (the bad pupil) les mauvais élèves (the bad pupils)
un garçon intelligent (a clever boy) des garçons intelligents (some clever boys)
une fille intelligente(a bright girl) des filles intelligentes(some bright girls).
Agreement of Adjectives
The Adjective must always agree in number and gender with the noun or pronoun that it
describes or qualifies, e.g.
Le garçon est beau. Il est beau.
(The boy is handsome.) (He is handsome.)

Les garçons sont beaux. Ils sont beaux.

(The boys are handsome.) (They are handsome.)

La fille est belle. Elle est belle.

(The girl is beautiful.) (She is beautiful.)
 Les filles sont belles. Elles sont belles.
(The girls are beautiful.) (They are beautiful.)

L’homme est content. Il est content.

(The man is happy.) (He is happy.)

Les hommes sont contents. Ils sont contents.

(The men are happy.) (They are happy.)

La femme est contente. Elle est contente.

(The woman is happy.) (She is happy.)

Les femmes sont contentes. Elles sont contentes.

(The women are happy.) (They are happy.)

Note that an adjective qualifying nouns of mixed gender is made masculine plural, e.g.
Mon oncle et ma tante sont contents. – Ils sont contents.
(My uncle and aunt are happy.) – (They are happy.)

Ma mère et ma tante sont contentes. – Elles sont contentes.

(My mother and my aunt are happy.) – (They are happy.)

Ton père et ton frère sont là? – Oui, ils sont là.
(Are your father and brother there?) – (Yes, they are there.)

Agreement of Adjectives
The Adjective must always agree in number and gender with the noun or pronoun that it
describes or qualifies, e.g.
Le garçon est beau. Il est beau.
(The boy is handsome.) (He is handsome.)

Les garçons sont beaux. Ils sont beaux.

(The boys are handsome.) (They are handsome.)

La fille est belle. Elle est belle.

(The girl is beautiful.) (She is beautiful.)

Les filles sont belles. Elles sont belles.

(The girls are beautiful.) (They are beautiful.)

L’homme est content. Il est content.

(The man is happy.) (He is happy.)

Les hommes sont contents. Ils sont contents.

(The men are happy.) (They are happy.)
 La femme est contente. Elle est contente.
(The woman is happy.) (She is happy.)

Les femmes sont contentes. Elles sont contentes.

(The women are happy.) (They are happy.)

Note that an adjective qualifying nouns of mixed gender is made masculine plural, e.g.
Mon oncle et ma tante sont contents. – Ils sont contents.
(My uncle and aunt are happy.) – (They are happy.)

Ma mère et ma tante sont contentes. – Elles sont contentes.

(My mother and my aunt are happy.) – (They are happy.)

Ton père et ton frère sont là? – Oui, ils sont là.
(Are your father and brother there?) – (Yes, they are there.)

The Position of Adjectives

Some French Adjectives are placed before the nouns while many others come after the nouns
that they qualify. For instance,
a) le petit élève = the small pupil
le beau garçon = the handsome boy
un grand homme = a tallman
la petite fille = the small girl
la belle maîtresse = the beautiful mistress
une grande femme = a tall woman

Some of the French adjectives that come after the nouns that they qualify are as follows:
b) le livre rouge = the red book
un chien méchant = a wicked dog
la voiture française = the French car
une femme charmante = a charming woman

Comparison of Adjectives
In English and French, there are three degrees of comparison, viz. positive, comparative, and
superlative. Consider the following examples:
Positive Comparative Superlative
beau (pretty) plus beau (prettier) le plus beau (the prettiest)
facile (easy) plus facile (easier) le plus facile (the easiest)
gai (merry) plus gai (merrier) le plus gai (the merriest)
grand (tall) plus grand (taller) le plus grand (the tallest)
vite (fast) plus vite (faster) le plus vite (the fastest)
ancien (ancient) plus ancien (more ancient) le plus ancien (the most ancient)
E.g.
Pierre est beau. (Peter is handsome.)
Eke est plus beau que Pierre. (Eke is more handsome than Peter.)
 Paul est le plus beau de tous. (Paul is the most handsome of all.)

Marie est l’étudiante la plus intelligente de la classe.

(Mary is the most intelligent student in the class.)
Marie et Amadou sont les étudiants les plus intelligents de la classe.
(Mary and Amadu are the most intelligent students in the class.)

Adjectifs possessifs (Possessive Adjectives) :

In French, the preposition ‘de’ plus a proper noun indicates possession.
Example:
La voiture de Bola = Bola’s car
Le fils de Monsieur Bankole = Mr. Bankole’s son
Les formes des adjectifs possessifs :
Masculine Feminine Singular Masculine/Feminine English Meaning
Singular Plural
Mon Ma Mes My
Ton Ta Tes Your
Son Sa Ses Her /his
Notre Notre Nos Our
Votre Votre Vos Your
Leur Leur Leurs Their

The possessive adjective agrees in number and gender with the object possessed at the 1 st, 2nd,
and 3rd person singular levels. At the 1 st, 2nd and 3rd person plural levels, they agree with number
alone.
Mon livre = My book
Ma règle = My ruler
Son bébé = Her/His baby
Sa chaise = Her/His chair
Ton cahier = Your exercise book
Ta table = Your table
Notre maison = Our house
Nos maisons = Our houses
Votre mère = Your mother
Vos mères = Your mothers
Leur sœur = Their sister
Leurs sœurs = Their sisters

Please note that the possessive adjective does not agree with the possessor.
‘Mon, ton, son’ are used for feminine objects beginning with a vowel or silent ‘h’:
Example:
Mon amie = My friend (female friend)
Mon orange = My orange (feminine object starting with a vowel)
 Ton église = You church (feminine object starting with a vowel)
Son histoire = Her/His story/her or his history (feminine object starting
with a silent ‘h’)
Son ombre = Her/his shadow (masculine object starting with a vowel)
Son hôpital = Her/His hospital (masculine object starting with a silent
‘h’)
The possessive adjective is repeated before each object possessed:
J’ai mon cahier d’exercices, mon sac à main et ma gomme.

When only an object is possessed by each person, the singular possessive adjective is used.
Example:
Les étudiants portent leur sac. = The students are carrying their bag.
Nous avons notre stylo. = We have our pen.

The Demonstrative Adjectives

Ce (this), cet(this), cette(this), ces(these):
Ce is used for masculine noun.
Cet is used for masculine noun beginning with a vowel or a silent ‘h’.
Cette is used for a feminine noun when it begins with a vowel or a silent ‘h’.
Ces is used for plural nouns.
Examples:
J’aime ce cahier (masculine noun). = I like this exercise book.
Tu regardes cet arbre (masculine noun). = You look at this tree/
You are looking at this tree.
Il veut cette orange (feminine noun). = He wants this orange.
Elle parle à cette dame (feminine noun). = She speaks to this woman/
She is speaking to this lady.
Vous écrivez cette histoire (feminine noun). = You write this story/history/
You are writing this story/history.
Nous voyons ces tables (plural feminine noun). = We see these tables/We are seeing these
tables.
Lesson 7
Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They are invariable. Most adverbs in French
are formed by adding -ment to the feminine form of adjectives.
Regular forms of french Adverbs:
Masculine Adjective Feminine Adverb English meaning (of Adverb)
Adjective
Final finale finalement finally
fort forte Fortement strongly
Parfait parfaite parfaitement perfectly
Complet complète complètement completely
Heureux heureuse heureusement happily
Doux douce doucement gently/Softly
Rapide rapide rapidement rapidly
 Franc franche franchement frankly/really/definitely/clearly
Frais fraîche fraîchement freshly
Long longue longuement for a long time/long/ thoroughly
/in depth/in detail/at length

Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in a vowel apart from mute ‘e’: add -ment to the masculine
form of the adjective:
French French Adverb English Adverb
MasculineAdjective
Hardi Hardiment boldly
Poli Poliment politely
Vrai Vraiment truly
Absolu Absolument absolutely
Résolu Résolument resolutely
Except:
Gai = gaîment or gaiement (gaily).

For some adjectives ending in -u in the masculine, add circumflex to the ‘-u’ when forming the
adverb:
Example:
French Masculine French Adverb English Adverb
Adjective
Assidu Assidûment attentively
Continu Continûment continually
Cru Crûment coarsely

Some adjectives ending in ‘e’ mute in the feminine form change the ‘e’ to ‘é’ before -ment to form
the adverb:
Example:
Masc.Adjective FeminineAdjective Adverb English
Aveugle Aveugle aveuglément blindly
Commode Commode commodément conveniently
Commun Commune communément commonly
Confus Confuse confusément confusingly
Enorme Enorme énormément enormously
Exquis Exquise exquisément exquisitely
Importun Importune importunément importunately
Opportun Opportune opportunément opportunely
Obscur Obscure obscurément obscurely
Précis Précise précisément precisely
Profond Profonde profondément profoundly
Uniforme Uniforme uniformément uniformly

Adjectives ending in -ant and -ent in the masculine form change ‘-ant’ to ‘-amment’ and ‘-ent’ to
‘-emment’ to form adverbs. For instance:
 Masculine Adjective Adverb English
Abondant Abondamment abundantly
Brilliant Brillament brilliantly
Constant Constamment constantly
Courant Couramment fluently
Puissant Puissament powerfully
Decent Décemment decently
Evident Evidemment evidently
Fréquent Fréquemment frequently
Patient Patiemment patiently
Prudent Prudemment wisely

Irregular Adverbs
MasculinAdjective Feminine Adjective Adverb English
Bref Brève brièvement briefly
Gentil Gentille gentiment nicely
Impuni Impunie impunément with impunity

Some adverbs differ from their corresponding adjectives. For example:

MasculineAdjective Feminine Adjective Adverb English
Bon Bonne Bien well
Mauvais Mauvaise Mal badly
Meilleur Meilleure mieux better
Petit Petite Peu little
Moindre Moindre moins less

Some adverbs are identical to the masculine singular adjectives:

MasculineAdjective FeminineAdjective Adverb English
Bas Basse Bas low
Bon Bonne Bon good
Chaud Chaude chaud warm
Cher Chère Cher expensive
Clair Claire Clair clearly
Court Courte Court short
Dur Dure Dur hard
Faux Fausse Faux false
Fort Forte Fort loudly, strongly
Haut Haute Haut highly, loudly
Juste Juste Juste straight
Mauvais Mauvaise mauvais bad
Net Nette Net clean, short

The Position of Adverbs

In simple sentences, adverbs are placed after the verbs they modify.
Example:
 Elle chante bien. = She sings well.
Il parle rapidement. = He speaks rapidly.

In compound tenses, short, common adverbs and some adverbs of manner are placed between the
auxiliary verb and the past participle. Some of these adverbs are as follows:
Assez, bien, beaucoup, bientôt, déjà, encore, enfin, jamais, mal, mieux, moins, souvent, toujours,
trop, vite.
Examples
Elle a beaucoup parlé. = He spoke a lot.
Nous avons bien dormi. = We slept well.
Elle a trop bu. = She drank too much.
Elle est descendue enfin. = She has descended at last.

Adverbs of place and certain adverbs of time such as ‘hier, aujourd’hui, demain, avant-hier,
après demain, autrefois, tard’ and adverbs ending in ‘-ment’ usually follow the past participle.
E.g.
Elle a voyagé partout. = She has travelled/She travelled.
Elle est arrivée hier. = She has arrived yesterday/She arrived yesterday.
Il est parti tard. = He left late.
On l’a rencontré là-bas. = I/You/We saw her/him there.
Elle a compris facilement. = She has understood easily/She understood easily.

The adverb that modifies an infinitive can be placed before or after it.
Example:
Je voudrais toujours garder mon sang-froid.= I would always like to keep my
calmeness/composure/self-control.

Je voudrais garder toujours mon sang-froid.= I would like to always keep my

calmness/composure/self-control.

Some adverbs may appear at the beginning of the sentence.

Example:
Finalement, elle est arrivée.
Elle est arrivée, finalement.
Heureusement, il l’a bien fait
Il l’a bien fait, heureusement.
= Finally, she has arrived/she arrived.
= She has arrived/she arrived finally.
= Happily, he has done well/he did well.
= He has done well/he did well, happily.

Many adverbs of time may appear at the beginning of a sentence.E.g.

Enfin, il a fini. = Finally, he has finished/he finished.
Aujourd’hui nous irons au cinéma. = Today, we will go to the cinema.
Demain nous partirons. = Tomorrow, we will leave.
Lesson 8a
Verb (Simple Present Tense)
Example from first group verbs
Parler (to talk, to speak)
 Je parle francais (I speak french)
Tu parles anglais (You speak English)
Il parle haousa (He speaks hausa)
Nous parlons Igbo (We speak Igbo)
Vous parlez allemand (You speak German)
Ils parlent ruse (They speak Russian)

Ecouter (to listen)

J’écoute la radio (I listen to radio)
Tu écoutes le professeur (You listen to the teacher)
Il écoute la chanson (He listens to the song)
Nous écoutons le programme (We listen to the programme)
Vous écoutez l’arbitre (You listen to the referee)
Ils écoutent le président (They listen to the president)

Teachers should use some first group verbs like manger, marcher, regarder, travailler,
commencer, habiter, acheter etc conjugate and form sentences with them. Also, put the
sentences in the negative using ne…pas

Example from second group verbs

finir (to finish)
Je finis mon devoir (I finish my assignment)
Tu finis la lessive (You finish washing)
Elle finit l’inscription (She finishes)
Nous finissons (We finish)
Vous finissez (You finish)
Elles finissent (They finish)

Je choisis le bic (I choose the pen)

Tu choisis la chemise (You choose the shirt)
Il choisit le foot (He chooses football)
Nous choisissons les jupes noires (We choose the black skirts)
Vous choisissez la belle fille (You choose the beautiful girl)
Ils choisissent (They choose)

Teachers should use some second group verbs like refléchir, ralentir, remplir, réussir etc
conjugate and form sentences with them. Also, put the sentences in the negative using ne…pas

Example from Third group verbs

Lire (to read)
Je lis mon livre (I read my textbook)
Tu lis le cahier de français (You read the french notebook)
Il lit le journal (He reads newspaper)
Nous lisons le roman (We read the novel)
Vous lisez la Bible/le Koran (You read the Bible/Quran)
Ils lisent leur cahiers (They read their notebooks)

Teachers should use some second group verbs like écrire, dire, faire, vouloir, pouvoir etc
conjugate and form sentences with them. Also, put the sentences in the negative using ne…pas.

Lesson 8b
Le Passé Composé
The past or perfect tense is used to indicate a past action in conversation, letter writing or accounts
of recent happenings. In order to form the perfect tense, the auxiliary verbs ‘to have’ and ‘to be’
are used while the past participle remains unchanged except only in cases where it is preceded by
a direct object. However, verbs conjugated with the auxiliary verb ‘être’ must agree in person and
gender with the subject of the sentence.

First group Verb

parler (to speak):
J’ai parlé anglais.
Tu as parlé français.
Il a parlé haoussa.
Nous avons parlé igbo.
Vous avez parlé yorouba.
Ils ont parlé arabe.
(I spoke English.)
(You spoke French.)
(He spoke Hausa.)
(We spoke Igbo.)
(You spoke Yoruba.)
(They spoke Arabic.)

J’ai parlé la langue anglaise. (I have spoken the English language.)

Tu as parlé la langue française.
Il a parlé la langue haoussa.
Nous avons parlé la langue igbo.
Vous avez parlé la langue yorouba.
Ils ont parlé la langue arabe.
(You have spoken the French language.)
(He has spoken the Hausa language.)
(We have spoken the Igbo language.)
(You have spoken the Yoruba language.)
(They have spoken the Arabic language.)

Teachers should use other verbs like saluer, donner, baigner etc in passé composé and put them
in the negative sentences.
Second group verb
mentir(to tell a lie, to lie)
J’ai menti. (I have told a lie or I told a lie or I did tell a lie.)
Tu as menti. (You have told a lie or You told a lie or You did tell a lie.)
Il/Elle/On a menti. (He/She/One has told a lie or He told a lie or He did tell a lie.)
Nous avons menti. (We have told a lie or We told a lie or We did tell a lie.)
Vous avez menti. (You have told a lie or You told a lie or You did tell a lie.)
Ils/Elles ont menti. (They have told a lie or They told a lie or They did tell a lie.)

Teachers should use other verbs like finir, obeir, sourire, rire etc in passé composé and put them
in the negative sentences.
Third group verb
Lire - to read
J’ai lu (I have read)
Tu as lu (You have read)
Il//Elle a lu (He/She has read)
Nous avons lu (We have read)
Vous avez lu (You have read)
Ils/Elles ont lu (They have read)

Teachers should use other verbs like entendre, répondre, élir, produire etc in passé composé
and put them in the negative sentences.

More examples on passé composé

J’ai regardé la télévision.
Tu as écrit une lettre.
Elles ont lu le livre.
Nous avons mangé du riz
Les filles ont vu leurs amies.
(I have watched television.)
(You have written a letter.)
(They have read the book.)
(We have eaten some rice.)
(The girls have seen their friends.)

Verbs conjugated with ‘être’ in passé composé:

venir(to come) (i.e., a verb of motion):

French English
Je suis venu(e) (I came/I have come/I did come)
Tu es venu(e) (You came/You have come/You did come.)
Il est venu (He came/He has come/He did come)
Elle est venue (fem./sg.) (She came/She has come/She did come)
Nous sommes venu(e)s (We came/We have come/We did come)
Vous êtes venu(e)s (You came/You have come/You did come)
Ils sont venus (They came/They have come/They did come)
Elles sont venues(fem./pl.) (They came/They have come/They did come)

ii) se laver(to wash oneself) (i.e. a reflexive verb):

Je me suis lavé(e) (I washed myself/I have washed myself/I did wash myself)
Tu t’es lavé(e) (You washed yourself/You have washed yourself.)
Il s’est lavé (He washed himself/He has washed himself/He did wash himself)
Elle s’est lavée (She washed herself/She has washed herself/She did wash herself)
Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s (We washed ourselves/We have washed ourselves)
Vous vous êtes lavé(e)s (You washed yourselves/You did wash yourselves)
Ils se sont lavés (They washed themselves/They have washed themselves –masc.)
Elles se sont lavées. (They washed themselves/They did wash themselves – fem.)

The following are some examples of the use of the Perfect tense of the verbs conjugated with
‘être’. Please note that in French, the past participles of these types of verbs must always agree
with their subjects in person, number, and gender, as indicated in French by the underlined
agreeing letters or vowels in the French verbs below:
Elle est arrivée hier.
Ils sont déjà partis.
Nous sommes déjà retournés.
J’y suis allé(e) avant-hier.
Ils se sont lavés.
Elles se sont aussi lavées.
(She arrived yesterday. – fem./sing.)
(They have already left. – masc./plur.)
(We have already returned. – masc./plur.)
(I went there the day before yesterday. –
masc./fem./sing.)
(They have washed themselves – masc./plur.)
(They have also washed themselves – fem./plur.)

Lesson 8c
Future Simple
(The Future tense)Le Futur Simple

As the name implies, the future tense is used in both English and French to express an action or a
state of being which will take place sometime in the future. In English, however, to give the idea
of future action, we have to bring in another separate word ‘shall’ for the personal pronouns I and
We, and ‘will’ for other persons. But in French, the Future tense is expressed in one word. For
example, the French ‘je parlerai’ translates ‘I shall speak’ in English, while ‘il parlera’ means ‘he
will speak’.
The formation of the French Future tense is very simple. All we need to do is just to put the
following terminations at the end of the infinitive form of the verb:
-ai
-as
-a
-ons
-ez
-ont.
manger(to eat):
Je mangerai du poisson (I shall eat fish)
Tu mangeras des bananes (You will eat bananas)
Il manger du pain (He will eat bread)
Nous mangerons le petit-dejeuner (We shall eat breakfast)
Vous mangerez du riz au poulet (You will eat rice with chicken)
Ils mangeront des fromages (They will eat chesses)

se lever (to stand up):

Je me lèverai à 8 heures
Tu te lèveras très tôt
Elle se lèvera plus tard
Nous nous lèverons
Vous vous lèverez
Elles se lèveront
(I shall stand up at 8 o’clock)
(You will stand up very early)
(She will stand up later)
(We shall stand up)
(You will stand up)
(They will stand up)

The second one is when we want to talk about the near future. In that case, one can use the verb
‘aller’ (to go). For instance:
 i) Je vais manger du riz. (I am going to eat rice.)
ii) Je vais parler anglais. (I am going to speak English.)
iii) Je vais voyager à Lagos demain. (I am going to travel to Lagos tomorrow.)
iv) Nous allons écouter la radio. (We shall listen to the radio.)
v) Nous allons nous asseoir. (We are going to sit down.)
vi) Il va dire la vérité. (He is going to tell the truth.)
vii) Il va me dire la vérité. (He is going to tell me the truth.)
viii) Nous allons apprendre le français. (We are going to learn French.)

Imperative
The Imperative is used to express commands, prohibitions, exhortations or mere wishes. However,
it is important to note that a command can be given to three sets of people, namely, Second Person
singular, First Person plural, and Second Person plural.

parler (to speak, to talk):

je parle (I speak) Imperative:
tu parles (you speak) Parle! (Speak!)
il/elle parle (he/she speaks)
nous parlons (we speak) Parlons! (Let us speak!)
vous parlez (you speak) Parlez! (Speak!)
ils/elles parlent (they speak)

choisir (to choose):

je choisis (I choose)
tu choisis (you choose) Choisis! (Choose!)
il/elle choisit (he/she chooses)
nous choisissons (we choose) Choisissons! (Let us choose!)
vous choisissez (you choose) Choisissez! (Choose!)
ils/elles choisissent (they choose)

attendre (to wait, to wait for):

j’attends (I wait)
tu attends (you wait) Attends! (Wait!)
il/elle attend (he/she waits)
nous attendons (we wait) Attendons! (Let us wait!)
vous attendez (you wait) Attendez! (Wait!)
ils/elles attendent (they wait)

It would be observed that all the three verbs conjugated above are regular verbs. And as far as
giving an order is concerned, we can give an order to three sets of people. We can give an order
to a second person ‘ you’ (singular), we can give an order to ourselves, and we can give an order
to ‘you’ (plural), e.g. Talk!, Let us talk!, and Talk! Respectively, as can be seen on the column at
the right hand side above. Nevertheless, the imperative is not restricted to regular verbs alone. The
irregular verbs also have their own forms of the imperative. Let us take a few examples of them:
être (to be): Sois (Be); Soyons (Let us be); Soyez (Be)
avoir (to have): Aie (Have); Ayons (Let us have); Ayez (Have)
savoir (to know): Sache (know); Sachons (Let us know); Sachez (Know)
boire (to drink): Bois (Drink); Buvons (Let us drink); Buvez (Drink)

It would also be observed that (except for the sake of emphasis) the Imperative makes no
use of the subject pronouns ‘ you’, ‘ we’, and ‘ you’, and this is true for both English and French.
It is important to note here that the ‘-s’ of the stem of the Second Person singular vanishes in the
Imperative of all the regular ‘-er’ verbs (including ‘aller’ which is an irregular verb), e.g. parle,
donne, mange, etc. instead of: parles, donnes, manges of the present tense with ‘Tu’. Let us now
conjugate the irregular verb ‘aller’ in relation to what we have just said:

aller (to go): Imperative:

je vais (I go)
tu vas (you go) Va! (Go!)
il/elle va (he/she goes)
nous allons (we go) Allons! (Let us go!)
vous allez (you go) Allez! (Go!)
ils/elles vont (they go)

With regard to this irregular verb ‘aller’, the ‘s’ resurfaces in the second person singular
when we want to express something like: Go on! Let us go on! and Go on! which in French are
expressed as follows: Vas-y! Allons-y! and Allez-y! Respectively. Furthermore, the reflexive
verbs themselves are not left out in the formation of the imperative mood. Consequently, it will
be fruitful here for us to have a look at the conjugation of one of these verbs in the present tense
which serves as a basis for the formation of the Imperative:

s’asseoir (to sit oneself down): Imperative:

je m’assieds (I sit down)
tu t’assieds (you sit down) Assieds-toi! (Sit down!)
il/elle s’assied (he/she sits down)
nous nous asseyons (we sit down) Asseyons-nous! (Let us sit down!)
vous vous asseyez (you sit down) Asseyez-vous! (Sit down!)
ils/elles s’asseyent (they sit down)

However, it is not impossible to hear something like: qu’ils s’asseyent (let them sit down),
qu’elles partent (let them leave), qu’elle s’asseye (let her sit down), qu’il s’asseye? (may he sit
down?), que je m’asseye? (may I sit down?), que nous nous asseyions? (may we sit down?), and
so on. Nevertheless, this usage belongs to a different mood entirely, namely, the subjunctive mood.
Now, let’s take a few more examples of the imperative to clearly show its use in French:
Parle français ! (Speak French.)
Parlons français! (Let us speak French.)
Parlez français! (Speak French.)
Finis ton devoir! (Finish your homework.)
Finissons notre devoir! (Let us finish our homework.)
Finissez votre devoir.
Attends un peu!
Attendons un peu! . (Let us wait a little.)
Attendez un peu!
Va à l’école!
Allons à la librairie!
Allez au marché!
Sois calme!
Soyons gentils!
Soyez heureux!
Aie pitié de moi!
Ayons pitié de lui!
Ayez pitié de nous!
Regarde Paul!
Regarde-le.
Regarde l’homme.
Regarde-le.
Regarde Marie.
Regarde la dame.
Regarde-la.
Regarde ce livre.
Regarde-le.
Regardons la photo.
Regardons-la.
Regardez ces photographies.
Regardez-les.
Regardez-les très bien.
Fermez la porte.
Fermez-la.
Donnez-moi le crayon.
Donnez-le-moi.
Donnons-lui la moto.
Donnons-la-lui.
Donnez le cahier à Marie.
Donnez le cahier à elle.
Donnez-lui le cahier.
Donnez-le à elle.
Donnez-le-lui.
Donne l’argent à eux.
Donne-le à eux.
Donne-le-leur.
(Finish your homework.)
(Wait a little.)
(Wait a little.)
(Go to the school.)
(Let us go to the bookshop.)
(Go to the market.)
(Be calm.)
(Let us be kind.)
(Be happy.)
(Have pity on me.)
(Let us have pity on him/her.)
(Have pity on us.)
(Look at Paul.)
(Look at him.)
(Look at the man.)
(Look at him.)
(Look at Mary.)
(Look at the lady.)
(Look at her.)
(Look at this book.)
(Look at it.)
(Let us look at the photo.)
(Let us look at it.)
(Look at these photographs.)
(Look at them.)
(Look at them very well.)
(Close the door.)
(Close it.)
(Give me the pencil.)
(Give it to me.)
(Let us give him the motor-cycle.)
(Let’s give it to him.)
(Give the exercise book to Mary.)
(Give the exercise book to her.)
(Give her the exercise book.)
(Give it to her.)
(Give it to her.)
(Give the money to them.)
(Give it to them.)
(Give it to them.)
Donnons les livres à elles. (Let us give the books to them.)
Donnons-les à elles. (Let us give them to them.)
Donnons-les-leur. (Let us give them to them.)
Donnez-nous des pommes. (Give us some apples.)
Donnez-nous-en. (Give us some.)
Donnons-lui du pain. (Let us give her some bread.)
Donnons-lui-en. (Let’s give her some.)
Donne-leur de la salade. (Give them some salad.)
Donne-leur-en. (Give them some.)

Assieds-toi. (Sit down.)

Asseyons-nous ici. (Let us sit down here.)
Asseyez-vous là-bas. (Sit down over there.)
Asseyez-vous là. (Sit down there.)
On account of the importance of the imperative, I feel it is essential for us here to consider yet
another verb. This time around, it is another reflexive verb, but one with some difference. The verb
is:

s’en aller (to go away or to leave):

Imperative:
je m’en vais (I go away)
tu t’en vas (you go away) Va-t’en! (Go away!)
il/elle s’en va (he/she goes away)
nous nous en allons (we go away) Allons-nous-en! (Let us go away!)
vous vous en allez (you go away) Allez-vous-en! (Go away!)
ils/elles s’en vont (they go away)
The Imperative Negative
However, as we have seen some examples of the imperative in the positive form, it now
behoves us to see them also in the negative form. The negative imperative is very easy to form in
French: just use ne … pas. In other words, we put ne before the imperative form of the verb and
pas after it,e.g. ‘ne parle pas (Don’t talk). More examples are as follows:
Ne parle pas. (Don’t talk.)
Ne parle pas anglais. (Don’t speak English.)
Ne parlons pas anglais. (Let us not speak English.)
Ne parlez pas anglais. (Don’t speak English.)

Ne finis pas ta tâche. (Don’t finish your task.)

Ne finissons pas notre tâche. (Don’t let us finish our job.)
Ne finissez pas votre tâche. (Don’t finish your job.)

N’attends pas ton ami(e). (Don’t wait for your friend.)

N’attendons pas notre frère. (Let us not wait for our brother.)
N’attendez pas vos sœurs. (Don’t wait for your sisters.)
Ne les attendez pas. (Don’t wait for them.)
Ne va pas à l’école.
N’y va pas.
N’allons pas à la bibliothèque.
N’y allons pas.
Ne regarde pas l’homme.
Ne le regarde pas.
Ne regardons pas la photo.
Ne la regardons pas.
Ne fermez pas la porte.
Ne la fermez pas.
Ne donne pas le livre à Paul.
Ne donne pas le livre à lui.
Ne lui donne pas le livre.
Ne le lui donne pas.
Ne lui donnons pas les cahiers.
Ne les lui donnons pas.
Ne me donnez pas le crayon.
Ne donnez pas le crayon à moi.
Ne me le donnez pas.
Ne donne pas l’argent à eux.
Ne leur donne pas l’argent.
Ne le leur donne pas.
Ne donnez pas les cahiers à elles.
Ne leur donnez pas les cahiers.
Ne les leur donnez pas.
Ne nous donnez pas de pommes.
Ne nous en donnez pas.
Ne lui donnons pas de pain.
Ne lui en donnons pas.
Ne leur donne pas de salade.
Ne leur en donne pas.
Ne t’assieds pas.
Ne t’assieds pas là.
Ne nous asseyons pas ici.
Ne vous asseyez pas.
Ne t’en vas pas!
Ne nous en allons pas!
Ne vous en allez pas!
Now that we have known the First Person singular and plural as well as the First Person plural
forms of the Imperative, let us also learn the Imperative of Reflexive verbs. Consider the following
examples:
(Don’t go to school.)
(Don’t go there.)
(Let us not go to the library.)
(Don’t let us go there.)
(Don’t look at the man.)
(Do not look at him.)
(Don’t let us look at the photo.)
(Don’t let us look at it.)
(Don’t shut the door.)
(Don’t shut it.)
(Don’t give the book to Paul.)
(Don’t give the book to him.)
(Don’t give him the book.)
(Don’t give it to him.)
(Let us not give her the exercise books.)
(Don’t let us give them to her.)
(Don’t give me the pencil.)
(Don’t give the pencil to me.)
(Don’t give it to me.)
(Don’t give the money to them.)
(Don’t give them the money.)
(Don’t give it to them.)
(Don’t give the note books to them.)
(Don’t give them the note books.)
(Don.t give them to them.)
(Don’t give us apples.)
(Don’t give us any.)
(Don’t let us give him bread.)
(Don’t let us give him any.)
(Don’t give them salad.)
(Don’t give them any.)
(Don’t sit down.)
(Don’t sit down there.)
(Let us not sit down here,)
(Don’t sit down.)
(Don’t go away!)
(Don’t let us go away!)
(Don’t go away!)
 se lever (to stand up):
Present tense Imperativ
Je me lève (I stand up) ––
Tu te lèves (You stand up) Lève-toi! (Stand up!)
Il/Elle se lève (He/She stansd up) ––
Nous nous levons (We stand up) Levons-nous! (Let us stand up!)
Vous vous levez (You stand up) Levez-vous! (Stand up!)
Ils/Elles se lèvent (They stand up) ––
se laver (to wash oneself):

Present tense Imperative

Je me lave (I wash myself) ––
Tu te laves (You wash yourself) Lave-toi! (Wash yourself!)
Il/Elle se lave (He/She washes him/herself) ––
Nous nous lavons (We wash ourselves) Lavons-nous! (Let us wash
ourselves!)
Vous vous lavez (You wash yourselves) Lavez-vous! (Wash yourselves!)
Ils/Elles se lavent (They wash themselves) ––

s’asseoir (to sit down):

Present tense Imperative
Je m’assieds (I am sitting down) ––
Tu t’assieds (You are sitting down) Assieds-toi! (Sit down!)
Il/Elle s’assied (He/She is sitting down) ––
Nous nous asseyons (We are sitting down) Asseyons-nous! (Let us be seated!)
Vous vous asseyez (You are sitting down) Asseyez-vous! (Sit down!)
Ils/Elles s’asseyent (They are sitting down) ––
Having learnt the positive Imperative, let us now also learn its Negative forms. Consider the
following examples:

s’asseoir (to sit down):

Positive
Assieds-toi! (Sit down!)
Asseyons-nous! (Let us be seated!)
Asseyez-vous! (Sit down!)
Negative
Ne t’assieds pas! (Don’t sit down!)
Ne nous asseyons pas! (Don’t let us be
seated!)
Ne vous asseyez pas! (Don’t sit down!)

se lever (to get up):

Positive Negative
Lève-toi! (Stand up!) Ne te lève pas! (Don’t stand up!)
Levons-nous! (Let us stand up!) Ne nous levons pas! (Don’t let us stand up!)
Levez-vous! (Stand up!) Ne vous levez pas! (Don’t stand up!)

se laver (to wash oneself):

Positive Negative
Lave-toi! (Wash yourself!) Ne te lave pas! (Don’t wash yourself!)
Lavons-nous! (Let us wash ourselves!) Ne nous lavons pas! (Let us not wash
ourselves!)
Lavez-vous! (Wash yourselves!) Ne vous lavez pas!(Don’t wash yourselves!)

finir (to finish):

Positive Negative
Finis! (Finish!) Ne finis pas! (Don’t finish!)
Finissons! (Let us finish!) Ne finissons pas! (Don’t let us finish!)
Finissez! (Finish!) Ne finissez pas! (Don’t finish!)

Lesson 9
L’Imparfait
All you need to do is just to add the Imperfect termination to the stem or radical of the present
indicative form of the first person plural. For example, ‘Nous donnons’ leaves us with ‘donn-‘
after removing the first person plural ending ‘-ons’ of the verb. In like manner, ‘Nous finissons’
leaves us with ‘finiss-’ after removing the ‘-ons’ ending of the first person plural tense of the verb.
It is to this remaining stem that we now add the Imperfect termination. The only exception to this
rule that readily comes to mind is the verb ‘être’. Therefore, the Imperfect terminations are as
follows:

-ais
-ais
-ait
-ions
-iez
-aient
Examples:
parler (to speak, to talk):
Je parlais (I was speaking or I used to speak)
Tu parlais (You were speaking or You used to speak)
Il/Elle/On parlait (He/She/One was speaking or He/She/One used to speak)
Nous parlions (We were speaking or We used to speak)
Vous parliez (You were speaking or You used to speak)
Ils parlaient (They were speaking or They used to speak)

finir (to finish):

Je finissais (I was finishing or I used to finish)
Tu finissais (You were finishing or You used to finish)
Il/Elle/On finissait (He/She/One was finishing or He/She/One used to finish)
Nous finissions (We were finishing or We used to finish)
Vous finissiez (You were finishing or You used to finish)
Ils/Elles finissaient (They were finishing or They used to finish)
vendre (to sell):
Je vendais (I was selling or I used to sell)
Tu vendais (You were selling or You used to sell)
Il/Elle/On vendait (He/She/One was selling or He/She/One used to sell)
Nous vendions (We were selling or We used to sell)
Vous vendiez (You were selling or You used to sell)
Ils/Elles vendaient (They were selling or They used to sell.)

On account of the difficulties that students of French encounter in the formation of this
tense, particularly with regard to the ‘-ir’ verbs, we shall elaborate what we have just said before.
It should be noted that the second group of verbs, i.e. those ending in ‘-ir’ behave somewhat
differently from the other groups in the formation of the imperfect tense in French. The rule here,
as said before, is to use the present tense of the verb ‘finir’, for instance, and then go to the ‘
Nous’ form of it, i.e. Nous finissons. It is the stem or radical of this conjugation to which we now
add the Imperfect endings or terminations. For example, the imperfect stem of the verb ‘choisir’
will be ‘choisiss-’ because the present tense of the verb is ‘ Nous choisissons’. This is applicable
to all the regular ‘-ir’ verbs whose present indicative stems end in ‘-iss-’. However, it is important
to note that it is not all the verbs that end in ‘-ir’ that belong to the second group of verbs. For
instance, verbs like ‘mentir’, ‘partir’, tenir, etc. are those belonging, not to the second group, but
to the third group of verbs. For instance, the imperfect stem of the verbs ‘mentir’, ‘partir’, and
‘tenir’ will be ‘ment-’, ‘part-’, and ‘ten-’ respectively because we say: ‘Nous mentons’, ‘Nous
partons’, and ‘Nous tenons’ in the present tense. The following is the conjugation of three of the
‘-ir’ verbs that belong to the third group of verbs:

mentir (to tell a lie, to lie):

Je mentais (I was lying or I used to tell a lie)
Tu mentais (You were lying or You used to lie)
Il/Elle/On mentait (He/She/One was lying or He/She/One used to lie)
Nous mentions (We were lying or We used to lie)
Vous mentiez (You were lying or You used to tell a lie)
Ils/Elles mentaient (They were lying or They used to lie)

sentir(to feel):
Je sentais (I was feeling or I used to feel…)
Tu sentais (You were feeling or You used to feel…)
Il/Elle/On sentait (He/She/One was feeling…)
Nous sentions (We were feeling…)
Vous sentiez (You were feeling…)
Ils/Elles sentaient (They were feeling…)

accueillir(to welcome, to collect):

J’accueillais (I used to welcome…)
Tu accueillais (You used to welcome…)
Il/Elle/On accueillait (He/She/One used to welcome…)
Nous accueillions (We used to welcome…)
Vous accueilliez (You used to welcome…)
Ils/Elles accueillaient (They used to welcome…)

On account of the importance of this tense in French, we shall now give the imperfect forms of
more verbs. It is important to note, however, that as far as the first and third groups of verbs are
concerned, the formation of their imperfect tenses is as explained earlier on. In other words, we
use the ‘Nous’ form of the verb in the present tense, remove the present stem of the conjugation
and then add the imperfect terminations. As further examples, the conjugations of three second
group ‘-ir’ regular verbs are as follows:

choisir (to choose):

Je choisissais
Tu choisissais
Il/Elle choisissait
Nous choisissions
Vous choisissiez
Ils/Elles choisissaient
(I was feeling or I used to feel…)
(You were feeling)
(He/She was feeling)
(We were feeling)
(You were feeling)
(They were feeling)

obéir (to obey):

J’obéissais (I was obeying or I used to obey)
Tu obéissais (You used to obey)
Il/Elle/On obéissait (He/She was obeying)
Nous obéissions (We used to obey)
Vous obéissiez (You used to obey)
Ils/Elles obéissaient (They were obeying)

réfléchir (to think, to meditate, to reflect):

Je réfléchissais
Tu réfléchissais
Il/Elle réfléchissait
Nous réfléchissions
Vous réfléchissiez
Ils/Elles réfléchissaient
(I was meditating or I used to meditate)
(You used to meditate)
(He/She was meditating)
(We used to meditate)
(You used to meditate)
(They were meditating)