LF5002 French Level 2

LF5002 - French Language Level 2
French Language Level 2

Grammar and Vocabulary
Creation date : November 2021

Author : Estelle Bech
Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 1

Short selection of mobile apps for learning French
Please kindly take note that a few of these applications are not for free.
It is not an NTU requirement to purchase or to use any of these applications.
The following list is just a selection for your own information and enjoyment.
FluentU FluentU is a video-based learning platform that takes the web’s best
(not free) French videos and turns them into language learning experiences.
Clips can include anything from TV shows, music videos,
commercials, French movie trailers, so you can learn how French
people actually talk. All FluentU’s videos have interactive subtitles
that you can hover over any time during the video, and the clip will
pause and draw up definitions and useful examples of how each word
is used.
Memrise Memrise is an excellent choice for your learning needs if you’re
(Free) struggling to remember French words after a while.
Its methodology is highly unique. Unlike most apps, it doesn’t (just)
teach words through pictures. It teaches you French words
through humour.
Rosetta Rosetta Stone sets itself apart from many other language
Stone methodologies by offering a completely immersive experience. For
(not free) instance, you might be taught the French word for man (l’homme),
woman (la femme), water (l’eau) through pictures.A phrase might
then be shown to you that says “L’homme et la femme boivent de
l’eau” (the man and the woman is drinking water).You might not know
the word “boivent” (to drink), but based on what you’ve already learnt,
along with visual aids, you can probably guess
Duolingo Among all the apps here, Duolingo probably strikes the best balance
(free) between learning French and being fun, like a game. The great thing
about Duolingo is that you do not need a huge time commitment to use
this. Inside every unit, there are sub-units, where Duolingo teaches you
about seven new words. It does this through a combination of fun
exercises such as rearranging sentences, matching a picture to the
word, and repeating a phrase in French to be assessed.
Kahoot! Kahoot! is a tool for using technology to administer quizzes,
(free) discussions, or surveys. It is a game-based response system played
by the user in real time. As a user, make a search about the topic you
are interested in (eg. French verbs conjugation). Choose a kahoot! And
the play mode (practice if you are alone or challenge to play with your
friends). Kahoot! Is considered as one of the top ranking and powerfull
tech tool to learn a new language or juste anything you feel like
interested.
Quizlet Quizlet is a free website / mobile app providing learning tools for
(free) students, including flashcards, study and game modes.
Quizizz Quizizz is a free website / mobile app providing learning tools for
(free) students, including flashcards, study and game modes.
Worldwall This is the perfect tool to look at if you are short of time, even if you are
(free) not very confident with technology. Ideal for revising vocabulary,
grammar, in a quick way.
(Back to Index)

Short selection of websites apps for learning French
1. Recommended Online dictionaries
As we do not recommend the use of Google translate or any other automated translating service during
classroom, we selected a few online dictionaries that will give you an accurate translation according to
context.
Dictionnaire Larousse Bilingue francais- anglais

http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/anglais-francais
Worldreference bilingue
http://www.wordreference.com/fren/dictionnaire%20bilingue
English French Collins Dictionary

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-french
English French Cambridge Dictionary

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english-french/
2. Recommended online learning sites on internet
NTULearn Website : TV5MONDE : Every week, a new video and new exercises
Apprendre le français avec TV5 (learn French with TV5 World)

http://apprendre.tv5monde.com/fr/niveaux/a1-debutant
https://apprendre.tv5monde.com/en
http://parlons-francais.tv5monde.com/webdocumentaires-pour-apprendre-le-francais/p-1-lg0-Accueil.htm
Learning French with songs

Chansons FLE : https://chansonsfle.blogspot.com/
Listening comprehension with Lyricstraining.com
Learning French with podcasts : https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-podcasts/
Learning French with French movies

https://www.francaisavecpierre.com/apprendre-le-francais-grace-a-des-films-francais/
Apprendre le français avec le CAVILAM : http://www.leplaisirdapprendre.com/
Le Point du FLE : http://www.lepointdufle.net/p/apprendre_le_francais.htm
Bonjour de France : http://www.bonjourdefrance.com/
(Back to Index)

About grammar ….
What is an adjective?
An adjective describes a noun. It gives more information about size, colour, etc.
For example: a black pen, a thick book, a narrow street. An adjective can be easily suppressed from a
sentence without the main sentence meaning being altered: a black pen is on the table.
More about adjectives: What is an adjective? Adjectives vs adverbs
What is an adverb?
An adverb modifies a verb or/and adjective.
For example: He sings well. "Well" gives additional information about "sing". He sings very well. "very" gives
additional information about "good". Please note: good = bon (adjective) or well= bien (adverb).
More about adverbs: Adjectives vs adverbs
What is an article?
Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. Example 1: After the long day, the cup of
tea tasted particularly good. By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was one specific day that was
long and one specific cup of tea that tasted good. Example 2: After a long day, a cup of tea tastes
particularly good. By using the article a, we’ve created a general statement, implying that any cup of tea
would taste good after any long day. Possessives (my, yours, his, her, our, their) is another type of
article.
More about articles: What are articles?
What is a conjugation?
Conjugation is the change that takes place in a verb to express tense, mood, person and so on. In
English, verbs change as they are used, most notably with different people (you are, I am, he does, we
do) and different time (I am doing, I did, I will do). Conjugating verbs essentially means altering them
into different forms to provide context.
More about verb agreements: Subject-verb agreement
What is a direct object complement?

The direct object of a veb is a group of nouns placed after the verb in a statement. It’s the receiver of
the action). Ex. John fed the dog. The dog is the receiver of the action (to feed = the verb) and is placed
after the verb.
More about D.O.C.: What is a Direct Object?
What is an indirect object complement?

An indirect object is a noun that identifies for whom the action of the verb is performed or to whom the
direct object goes. Example: My mom sent me money. ... Like a subject complement, it can be a noun
or a pronoun.
More about I.O.C.: What is an Indirect Object Complement?
What is an infinitive?
The infinitive is the base form of the verb. In English, the infinitive form is introduced by the word ”to” (to
like, to do). It's a form you can find when you look up for verbs in dictionaries.
More about infinitives: Verb forms
What is a noun?
A noun is a naming word. lt is something that you can name. Common nouns are easy to recognize:
with the exception of proper names (capital letter), you can always add an article with a common noun.
Examples of proper nouns : a person (Jean), a place (any city, country), a river, an animal’s name, etc.
Examples of common nouns : a thing or an animal (cat, car, table), an idea (liberty, love, etc.)
More about nouns: What is a noun; Common and proper nouns
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to
another word or element in the clause, as in ‘the man on the platform’, ‘she arrived after dinner’.
More about prepositions: Preposition of direction
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word standing for a noun.
For example: /, You, He, She, ft, We, They' are subject pronouns.
More about pronouns: What is a pronoun? Reflexive and intensive pronouns Question words
What is a verb?
A verb is a word that indicates an action, mental state or condition. The action can be physical, as
in verbs such as run, walk, hit, sit or mental, as in verbs like dream, think, believe.
Verbs are words which show that one is able to do, feel, or be something.
Verbs indicates/ expresses tenses (present tense, futur tense, past tenses, etc) and can be conjugated.
More about verbs: What is a verb?
What is a subject?
ln a sentence the person or thing that performs the action is called the subject. For
example: John speaks French. He speaks well.
More about subjects: What is a subject?
(Back to Index)

Leçon 1 Semaine 2 – Classe 1

Revisions
Introducing yourself
List of abbreviations in French and English:
adj. adjectif → adjective n.m. nom masculin → masculine noun

adv. adverbe → adverb pl. pluriel → plural
art. article → article prep. préposition → preposition
exp. expression → expression pron. pronom → pronoun
interj. interjection → interjection v. verbe → verb
loc. locution → locution v. pron. verbe pronominal → reflexive verb
n.f. nom féminin → feminine noun
1. Vocabulary
Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons
2. Communication / key sentences
3. Pronunciation, Phonics & Spelling
3.1. Spelling : French letters
The 5 French Accents are (by order of frequency):
• Accent Aigu (é) over the letter E (bébé)

• Accent Grave (è) over the letters A, E, U (à, Michèle, où)
• Accent Circonflexe (ê) over the letters A, E ,I, O, U (âge, être, Benoît, hôpital, flûte)
• “C” cédille (ç) under the letter C and before the vowels A, O, U (ça)
• Tréma (ë) over the letters E, I, U (Raphaël, Anaïs, aigüe)
Some accents make the pronunciation different. Especially with the letter “e”. (ê, é, è).
Some accents do not affect the pronunciation but the meaning (a = has; à = to, in, at)
The tréma indicates that two vowels need to be pronounced separately.
3.2. Names for accentuated vowels (examples with the letter E) and consonant C
É : e accent aigu
È : e accent grave
Ê : e accent circonflexe
Ë : e tréma
Ç : C cédille
Selection of online resources : [ Sounds 1 ] [ Vowels ] [ Consonants ] [ Sounds 2 ]

Alphabet reading : [ Alphabet 1 ] [ Alphabet 2 ] [ Alphabet 3 ] [ Alphabet TIP1 ]

Alphabet song : [ Chanson 1 ] [ Chanson 2 ]
Alphabet exercises : [ AlphaEX1 ] [ AlphaEx2 ] [ AlphaEX3 ] [ AlphaEX4 ]
Accent exercises : [ Accent 1 ] [ Accent 2 ]
Accent lessons : [ Lesson 1 ] [ Lesson 2 ]
4. Grammar
4.1. Indicating origines (to come from + city)
To indicate an origin or a starting point, French uses the verb venir (to come) and the preposition “de”
that means “from”. See examples below taken from LF5001 Coursiel.
Je viens de Paris mais

je travaille à NTU.
Kindly note that “de” contracts to “d’” in front of vowels and h.

Je viens de Paris.
Je viens d’Arras (Arras is a French city in the Northern part of France)
To ask about someone’s origin, you can say :

- Tu viens de quel pays ?
- Tu viens d’où ? or D’où est-ce que tu viens ?
The verb venir (to come) is conjugated as follows.
Venir
to come (from a place)
Pronunciation tips :
je viens
Viens and vient have the same pronunciation. = / vjɛ͂ /
tu viens
Do not pronounce “s” or “t”.
il / elle vient
nous venons
Viennent is pronounced / vjɛn /
vous venez
ils viennent
Online resources : [ Venir de ]
4.2. Indicating origines (to come from + countries)
You know that countries, regions, states or counties have genders in French as follows :
Countries ending in “e” are feminine : la France, la Chine, l’Indonésie…

Others are masculine : le Japon, le Canada, le Portugal, le Brésil, le Vietnam …
Exceptions: le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Zaïre
Plural countries end in “s”: les Etats-Unis, les Emirats Arabes Unis, les Maldives, les Philippines, les
Pays-Bas…

To indicate where you originated from (like a country), you need to know the country gender because de
(= from) blends with le, la, l’, les as follows :
Online resources : [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Song !!! ] [ Lesson ]
Examples :
Je suis francophone.
Je viens de France.
Je viens du Canada.
Je viens des Comores.
Il vient de Paris. de + town / small island

Il vient de France. de + feminine country
Il vient d’ Iran d’ + singular country starting with vowel
Il vient du Canada. du (de+le) + masculine country
Il vient des Etats-Unis. des (de+les) plural country
Online resources : [ Lesson 1 ] [ to and from + countries ] [ Nationalities and origines ]
4.3. Indicating origines (to come from + public places)
Like countries, public places also have genders and therefore the same blending rules will apply when
saying from the + public places. However, as you can see below, from the + countries and from the +
public places will sometimes be translated differently.

VENIR = TO COME
CITIES DE
Je viens de Lyon.
MASCULINE COUNTRIES DU
Je viens du Portugal.
FEMININE COUNTRIES DE
Je viens de France.
COUNTRIES IN PLURAL DES
Je viens des Philippines.
SINGULAR COUNTRIES STARTING WITH VOWELS / H D’
Je viens d’Irak.
MASCULINE PLACES DU
Je viens du cinéma.
FEMININE PLACES DE LA
Je viens de la piscine.
PLACES IN PLURAL DES
Je viens des toilettes.
SINGULAR PLACES STARTING WITH VOWELS / H DE L’
Je viens de l’hôpital.
PEOPLE DE CHEZ
Je viens de chez Estelle.
In conclusion : the way to express origins are different for country/city and public place for:
- Singular noun starting with a vowel or h.
- Singular and feminine noun
Otherwise, the way to indicate origins are identical (whether you are coming from a country or a place).

See below the differences between countries and public places :
VENIR = TO COME VENIR = TO COME

FEMININE COUNTRIES DE FEMININE PLACES DE LA
Je viens de France Je viens de la piscine.
SINGULAR COUNTRIES D’ SINGULAR PLACES DE L’
STARTING WITH Je viens d’Irak STARTING WITH Je viens de l’hôpital.
VOWELS / H VOWELS / H
Online resources : [ à au à la aux d’ de du des + public place ]
(Back to Index)


Revisions
Daily routine and activities
1. Vocabulary
4. Grammar
4.1. Indicating destination and origins – Synoptic table
ALLER VENIR
CITIES À DE
Je vais à Lyon. Je viens de Lyon.
MASCULINE COUNTRIES AU DU
Je vais au Portugal. Je viens du Portugal.
FEMININE COUNTRIES EN DE
Je vais en France. Je viens de France.
COUNTRIES IN PLURAL AUX DES
Je vais aux Philippines. Je viens des Philippines
SINGULAR COUNTRUES STARTING EN D’
WITH VOWELS / H Je vais en Irak. Je viens d’Irak.
MASCULINE PLACES AU DU
Je vais au cinéma. Je viens du cinéma.
FEMININE PLACES À LA DE LA
Je vais à la piscine. Je viens de la piscine.
PLACES IN PLURAL AUX DES
Je vais aux toilettes. Je viens des toilettes.
SINGULAR PLACES STARTING WITH À L’ DE L’
VOWELS / H Je vais à l’hôpital. Je viens de l’hôpital.
PEOPLE CHEZ DE CHEZ

Je vais chez Estelle. Je viens de chez Estelle.
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U4, L1
Planning a meeting with friends
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Textbook vocabulary
amusant, adj. funny festival, n.m. festival

appeler, v. to call libre, adj. free
attendre, v. to wait for mot, n.m. word
avoir envie de, exp. to feel like + v.ing musique, n.f. music
baigner (se), v. pron. to bathe, to swim occupé, adj. busy
boîte, n.f. (a) tin, box pièce, n.f. pheater play
carnaval, n.m. carnival place, n.f. seat, place
chanter, v. to sing prochain, adj. next
concert, n.m. concert pouvoir, v. can
connaître, v. to know + nouns refuser, v. to refuse
contacter, v. to contact rentrer, v. to return (home)
d’accord, exp. ok refuser, v. to refuse
déjeuner, v. to lunch répondre, v. to answer, to reply
demander, v. to ask (for) savoir, v. to know + verb
dire, v. to tell, to say si, adv. if, whether
été, n.m. summer sortie, n.f. outing
exposition, n.f. exhibition téléphoner, v. to call, to telephone
fête de la musique, n.f. music festival teuf, n.f. party (slang)
foire, n.f. fair trouver, v. to find
groupe, n.m. group voir, v. to see
idée, n.f. idea vouloir, v. to want
voyager, v. to travel
inviter, v. to invite
Je vais venir avec elle. I will go with her.

Tu vas voir un spectacle ? Are you going to watch a show ?
Ca va être sympa ! It’s going to be nice !
Est-qu’ils vont chanter ? Are they going to sing ?
Il dit à Lucas qu’il peut venir. He tells Lucas he can come.
Elle demande si elle peut déjeuner avec nous. She’s asking whether she can lunch with us.
Samedi prochain Next Saturday
Samedi soir Saturday night
Ce soir Tonight

3.1. What is a liaison?
In French, when a word ending in a normally silent consonant is followed by a vowel or h muet, that
consonant might be transferred onto the next word. This euphonic technique is called a liaison and it’s
one of the aspects of French pronunciation.
Some liasons are required, other are optional, some are forbidden. Below is a list of the required liaisons
and the forbidden ones.
3.2. Required liaisons
Nominal group
1. Article + noun or adjective. les amis [Z]
2. Adjective + noun Mes anciens élèves [Z]
Mon petit ami [T]
3. Number + noun or adjective un homme [N]
deux hommes [Z]
Verbal group
1. Pronoun + verb or verb + pronoun Ils ont faim. [Z]
Ont-ils soif ? [T]
2. Pronoun + pronoun (see LF5003 Coursiel) Nous en avons.[Z]
Vous y allez ? [Z]
Adverbial group
Single-syllable adverbs, conjunctions, and Quand + est-ce que tu viens ? [D]
prepositions Bien amusant. [N]
Chez elle. [Z]
Trop utile. [P]
Tout ensemble. [T]
Online resources: [ Pronunciation ] [ Liaisons obligatoires 1 ] [ Liaisons obligatoires 2 ] [ L.O. 3 ]
3.3. Forbidden liaisons
Some French liaisons are forbidden: they aren’t—can’t be—pronounced even in the most formal French.
Often this is to avoid confusion with similar expressions.
Before h aspiré en haut [ã o]

les héros [le eRo]
deux homards [dø omaR]
Before onze and oui les onze enfants [le ɔz̃ ãfã]
deux oui et un non [dø wi e œ̃ nɔ̃]
Between a noun as a subject and the verb Robert a 15 ans. [RobɛR a kɛ ̃ zã]
Mon chat aime jouer. [mɔ̃ ʃa ɛm ʒwe]
Between a singuar noun and an adjective placed un garçon intelligent [œ̃ gaRsɔ̃ ɛt̃ ɛliʒã]
after the noun
After et avant et après [avã e apRɛ]
un homme et une femme [œ̃ nɔm.e yn fam]
After adverbs, prepositions or conjunctions that Comment est-elle ? [kɔmã e tɛl]

have more than one syllable. ̃ jɛ ̃ ã vwa ty]
Combien en vois-tu ? [kɔb
toujours aimable [tuʒuR.ɛmabl]
When quand is followed by a verb in inversion. Quand aimes-tu étudier ? [kã ɛm ty etydje]
After verb inversion in formal questions A-t-on osé ? [a tɔ̃ oze]

Parlez-vous espagnol ? [paRle vu ɛspaɲɔl]
Ont-elles étudié ? [ɔ̃ tɛl etydje]
Vont-ils habiter ici ? [vɔ̃til.abite isi]
[ Liaisons interdites 1 ] [ Liaisons interdites 2 ] [ Liaisons interdites 3 ]
4. Grammar
4.1. The near future
The futur proche (near future) tense describes what is going to happen with certainty.
To form the futur proche, use the present tense of aller (to go) plus an infinitive.
Example: Je vais aller au cinéma, je ne vais pas faire de vélo.
Aller + infinitive
to go
je vais partir I am leaving

tu vas travailler I am going to work
il / ça va marcher He is going to walk / it is going to work
nous allons réussir We are going to succeed
vous allez jouer You are going to play
ils vont répondre They are going to answer
To make it negative and say something is not going to happen, put ne … pas or n’… pas around the
conjugated verb aller. To say something is never going to happen, use ne/n’ … jamais. For example,
Nous n’allons pas perdre nos portables. – We aren’t going to lose our mobile phones.
Ils ne vont jamais oublier de fermer la porte à clé. – They are never going to forget to lock the door.
Online resources: [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ]
4.2. The indirect speech in the present tense
Direct speech is when the exact words that have been said by a person are written down inside inverted
commas.
Ex.: “I was tired after all that walking,” explained Captain Tom.
When indirect speech is used, the writer will share the main points of what someone has said without
writing exactly what they said in full. No speech punctuation is used for indirect speech.
Ex.: Captain Tom admitted he was very tired by the end of his challenge.
In French, there are also two different ways to express the words of another person: direct speech (or
direct style) and indirect speech (indirect style).
In direct speech the original speaker words are In indirect speech, the original speaker's words
reported in quotes. are reported without quotes in a subordinate
clause (introduced generally with « que »).
To report speeches or though, link the sentences with “que”.
Discours direct/ direct speech Discours indirect / indirect speech

Il dit : « il fait beau. » Il dit qu’il fait beau.
Il pense « c’est trop tard » Il pense que c’est trop tard.
Beware of the following changes in case of questions……
Yes/no questions = si + declarative sentence.

Il dit : « Est-ce qu’il pleut ? » Il demande s’il pleut.
Il dit : « Tu es d’accord ? » Il demande si tu es d’accord.
Open questions
With « quand , où, comment », structure will be

(Où, quand, comment, etc. = interrogative word + S + V)

Il dit : « Où allez-vous ? » Il demande où vous allez.
Il dit : « Quand partez-vous ? » Il demande quand vous partez.
Questions Indirect questions
Je voudrais savoir / il demande…

Quand partez-vous à Paris ? … quand vous allez à Paris.
Qui connaissez-vous en France ? … qui vous connaissez à Paris.
Comment rentrez-vous à la maison ? … comment vous rentrez à la maison.
Pourquoi étudiez-vous à NTU ? … pourquoi vous étudiez à NTU.
Où apprenez-vous le français ? … où vous apprenez le français.
With « que, qu’est-ce que »

Il dit : « Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? » Il demande ce que tu fais.
Online resources: [ Video 1] [ Video 2 ] [ Video 3 ] [ Lesson 1 ]

5. Culture : Youth hobbies in France
Certainly organized sport has a place in French society, however, with cycling, swimming, football (soccer),
skiing, tennis, boules (pétanque), and, increasingly, golf, basketball, and martial arts being the most
popular activities.
Additionally, what do teenagers do in France? Soccer and Rugby are popular. French teens, like most
teens, enjoy socializing by going to the movies or getting together at each other's homes or in local cafés.
Beside this, what do French people enjoy doing? French people enjoy shopping, eating and walking
through cities. They also enjoy skiing and visiting beaches.
Online resources: [ French faux pas ] [ Video + subtitles about teens’ hobbies ]
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U4, L1&2
Talking about your activities
1. Vocabulary
accepter, v. to accept expliquer, v. to explain

actif, adj. active habiller (s'), v. pron. to get dressed
apporter, v. to bring hiver, n.m. Winter
avoir envie de to feel like important, adj. important
bise, n.f. kiss invitation, n.f. invitation
blanc, blanche, adj. white inviter, v. to invite
canyoning, n.m. canyoning mer, n.f. sea
commerce, n.m. trade montagne, n.m. mountain
connaître, v. to know plaisir,n.m. pleasure
content, adj. happy randonnée, n.f. hike
copain, n.m. male friend remercier, v. to thank
copine, n.f. female friend repas, n.m. meal
danser, v. to dance répondre, v. to reply
devoir, v. to have to, must savoir, v. to know
dîner, n.m. dinner se marier, v. to get married
été, n.m. Summer surprise, n.f. surprise
1.2. Activities and hobbies
1.2.1. Faire + le, la, les, l’/ un, une, des
FAIRE + house chores or FAIRE + (sport, game) set or match
faire, v. to do, to make

Faire les/ses devoirs To do your homework
Faire la lessive To do the laundry
Faire la vaisselle To do the dishes
Faire la fête To have a party
Faire les courses To go marketing
Faire les magasins To do shopping
Faire des confitures To make jams
Faire un tennis To have a tenis game
Faire un footing To have a run
Faire un pique-nique To have a picnic
Faire la cuisine To do the cooking
Faire le ménage To clean up

1.2.2. Faire + du, de la, de l’, des
FAIRE + sport
Faire du foot Faire de la Faire de la moto Faire du vélo Faire du tennis

course
Faire du judo Faire du ski Faire du rugby Faire de la natation Faire de la gym
Faire du ping pong Faire du basket Faire du volley Faire du badminton Faire du kayak
faire du canyoning to do canyoning faire du VTT to do montain biking

Faire du cheval horse riding
Faire de la danse To practice dance escalader, v. to climb
Faire de l’équitation horse riding peindre, v. to paint
Faire de l’escalade To practice climbing randonnée, n.f. hike
Faire de la peinture To practice painting skate, n.m. skateboard
Faire de la randonnée To go for a walk in ski, n.m. ski
the countryside. skier, v. to ski
Faire du skate To skate vélo, n.m. bike
1.2.3. Jouer + du, de la, de l’, des
JOUER + music instrument (I play the…)

du piano du violon du violoncelle du saxophone de la guitare
du tuba de la flute des percussions de la trompette de la clarinette

de la batterie
1.2.4. Jouer + au, à la, à l’, aux
JOUER + collective game
Jouer aux cartes Jouer au billard Jouer aux échecs/ au mah-jong
Jouer au tennis Jouer au rugby Jouer à la roulette Jouer au foot
Jouer aux jeux vidéos Jouer au loto Jouer au cricket Jouer aux boules
Jouer à la pétanque
(Back to Index)
Je sais nager/ conduire /lire. I can swim/drive/read.

Je connais Vincent. I know Vincent. (I have met him personally)
Je sais. I know.
Je sais qu’ il est encore malade. I now he’s still sick/ill.
Je fais le ménage. I do the house cleaning.
Je ne fais pas le ménage. I don’t do the house cleaning.
Je fais du cheval / de l’équitation / de la natation. I am horseriding /I do swimming.
Je ne fais pas de natation. I don’t do swimming.
Je joue du piano / de la flute / des percussions. I play the piano / the flute / the drums.
Je ne joue pas du piano / de la flute / des
percussions. I don’t play the piano / the flute / the drums.
Je joue aux boules / à la pétanque / au foot / I play balls / soccer.
Je ne joue pas au rugby. I don’t play soccer.
3. Grammar
3.1. Connaître ou savoir ?
Both savoir and connaître mean to know in French. So when shall you use one or the other?
“Connaître” means “to know” with the idea to be personally familiar with, to have experienced it yourself.
It is always followed by a NOUN – it cannot be followed by anything else – Or preceeds by a pronoun
replacing a noun.
Tu connais Estelle ? Do you know Estelle ?

Tu la connais ? Do you know her?
Je ne connais pas Paris I don’t know Paris
“Savoir” means to know or to have knowledge of a fact or to know how to do something. It is generally
followed with nothing, a VERB (infinitive) or with que, quand, où and so on.
Sais-tu où il habite? Do you know where he lives?

Je sais parler chinois I know how to speak Chinese.
Savoir + qui +S+V Nous ne savons pas qui il est.

où Tu sais où il habite?
comment Vous savez comment je m’appelle?
quand Vous savez quand on arrive ?
quel + nom Il ne sait pas quel dessert choisir.
pourquoi Elle sait pourquoi il est malade.
si Je ne sais pas si elle veut venir.
ce que Je sais ce que je veux.
In conclusion :
Connaître + (proper or common) noun

Savoir + verb/ nothing/ conjunction
Note : When a French person says “Est-ce que vous connaissez Paris ?”, in most cases he/she doesn’t
mean “Do you know (of) Paris”, but rather “Have you personally been there?”.
Same with people; if you said “Je connais Brad Pitt”, French speakers may think you have met him.
Online resources: [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Video 3 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ] [ Quiz 3 ]
3.2. Faire or jouer ?
Use faire du, de la, des, de l’ + sport/ music when referring more to an organised, repeated activity - I
take dance lessons / I go swimming [as a regular activity, e.g. attending class or lessons] - than just a
'one-off' activity you're in the middle of doing such as I'm dancing / I'm swimming.
Use jouer au, à la, aux, à l’ when referring to a collective sport (e.g. soccer, rugby) or a sport where you
are at least two people engaged (badminton, tennis, chess). Never to an activity you practice alone (e.g.
swimming)
Use jouer du, de la, des, de l’ when referring to music instruments you play (E.g. I play the piano)
HOUSE CHORES MUSIC SPORT

Faire le, la, les, l’ Jouer du, etc. Faire du, etc. Jouer au, etc. Faire du, etc
Online resources: [ jouer a or de] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ]
4. Culture : Sports and music in France
Have you ever seen the Tour de France? Do you know what boules is? Find out more about these sports
as well as other sports such as rugby and tennis.
Football and rugby

Football is the most popular sport in France. The French national team won the World Cup in 1998 and
2018. You certainly know some French soccer/ football players or heard of them. Rugby is also very
popular in France. Every year France competes in the Six Nations competition.
Tennis and Tour de France

One of the four main tennis championships is "Roland Garros", the French Open, played on clay and
hosted at Roland Garros in Paris every year. Tennis is the second most popular hobby in France after
football.
Tour de France is the biggest cycling race in the world.The Tour de France is an annual race that has
different stages all around France. Sometimes the race starts in another European country but always
ends on Les Champs Elysées in Paris. Freestyle biking (le BMX freestyle) is also popular in France.
Boules or Pétanque

A typical game unique to France is la pétanque or les boules, is a game which involves rolling heavy
metal balls at a jack and seeing who is closest. It is typically played outdoors in parks on summer days,
especially in the South of the country.
French people and sport practice
Online resources : [ Top 10 incredible activities to do in France ] [ 10 most practiced sports in France ]
French people and music styles

Leçon 5
Semaine 4 – Classe 1
Inviting someone out Tendance 1, U4, L2
Replying to an invitation
1. Vocabulary
Refer to Lesson 4.
Avoir envie de To feel like +v.ing pouvoir can

devoir To have to/must Vouloir To want
Je suis désolé. I am sorry.

Je ne suis pas libre. I am not free/ available.
Je suis occupé. I am busy.
Tu peux venir ? Can you come?
Tu veux venir ? Do you want to come?
Je dois travailler/ étudier. I have to work/study.
Je voudrais étudier. I would like to study.
J’ai envie d’aller au concert. I feel like going to the concert.
(Back to Index)

3. Grammar
3.1. Conjugations
vouloir pouvoir devoir

to want can to have to / must
je veux je peux je dois

tu veux tu peux tu dois
il veut il peut il doit
nous voulons nous pouvons nous devons
vous voulez vous pouvez vous devez
ils veulent ils peuvent ils doivent
Online resources : [ Vouloir song ] [ Vouloir ] [ Pouvoir ] [ Pouvoir song ] [ Devoir ] [ Devoir song ]
3.2. How to translate can, to have to, must, may in French?
3.2.1. Can
Can meaning "to be capable of" is equivalent to pouvoir in the present tense.
E.g. 1 : I can do it. Je peux le faire.
E.g. 2 : Can you help us? Pouvez-vous nous aider ?
Can meaning "to know how to" equals savoir.

E.g. 1 : Can he drive? Il sait conduire ?
E.g. 2 : I can’t swim. Je ne sais pas nager.
3.2.2. May
May meaning "it’s possible" is equivalent to pouvoir in the present tense.

E.g. 1 :I may leave early. Je peux partir tôt.
May in a request is either pouvoir in the present

E.g. 1 :May I help you? Est-ce que je peux vous aider ?
3.2.3. Must or have to
Must can be translated by the present tense of devoir or falloir.

E.g. 1 :You must finish. Tu dois finir.
E.g. 1 : I have to finish. Je dois finir.
Online resources : [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ]
(Back to Index)

4. Culture : Cultural activities in France
Source : www.letudiant.fr


Tendance 1, U4, L3
Giving info about your health
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Body parts
Source : lefrancaisetvous.com
Online resources: [ Body parts 1 ].. [ Body parts 2 ] [ face ] [ Body parts 3 ] [ song ]
après, prep. after malade, malade, adj. sick

avant, prép. before on, pron. we (spoken)
caillant, adj. chilly (belgicism) rentrer, v. to come back
coup de fatigue,n.m. sudden fatigue rester, v. to remain, to stay
fatigué, adj. tired se reposer,v. to rest
finir, v. to finish se sentir bien, v. to feel well
s’inquiéter, v. to worry sortir, v. to go out

2. Communication / practice sentences
2.1. Talking about your health
Je suis d’accord. I agree. repose-toi ! rest!

Je ne suis pas d’accord. I disagree. Je suis malade. I am sick/ill.
Je suis fatigué. I am tired. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? What’s happening ?
Qu’est-ce que ça veut What does it mean? Je suis inquiet. (masc.) I am worried
dire ? Je m’inquète. (fem.)
Je me sens mal. I feel bad/sick/ill. Je me sens bien. I feel good.
Comment tu te sens ? How do you feel ? J’ai mal. I am in pain.
J’ai de la température. I have temperature. J’ai de la fièvre. I have fever.
2.2. Expressing physical pain
Online resources : [ Avoir mal a 1 ] [ Avoir mal a 2 ]
3. Grammar
3.1. Mal au, à la, aux, à l’
To express physical pain in French, you will use the expression avoir mal (literally "to have pain")
Ex.1 : J'ai très mal! It really hurts!
Ex.2 : Elle n'a pas mal. She's not hurt. / She's not in pain.
When the pain is localised, you use avoir mal à + le/la/l'/les followed by the part of the body that hurts.
Remember that à + le and à + les contract in au and aux .
Ex.1 : J'ai mal à la gorge. My throat is sore. / I have a sore throat.
Ex.2 : Ali a mal à l'oreille. Ali's ear aches. / Ali has an earache.
Ex.3 : J'ai mal aux dents. My teeth hurt. / I have a toothache.
The expression avoir mal au cœur does not mean you're having a heartache or a heart attack, but that
you're feeling sick, like you want to throw up.
Ex.1 : Mon frère a mal au cœur en voiture. My brother is car sick.

Case of œil and yeux (Note that the irregular plural of œil is yeux.)
Ex.1 : Maurice a mal à l'œil. Maurice's eye hurts.
Ex.2 : Roxane a mal aux yeux. Roxane's eyes hurt.
3.2. The imperative mood
3.2.1. What is the imperative mood ?
The imperative, (l'impératif in French) is used to give commands, orders, or express wishes, like 'Stop!',
'Listen!' You may recognize the imperative from commands such as 'Ecoutez' or 'Répétez'. Keep in mind
that the imperative is a very direct way to give an order. It is often replaced with more polite alternatives
like the conditional (Refer to LF5004 coursiel).
3.2.2. How to conjuguate verbs in the imperative mood?
French imperative conjugations are relatively easy, as for most verbs they’re identical to their present
tense conjugations – without the subject pronoun. The imperative is the only personal verb form that does
not require a subject; the verb conjugation alone tells you who is being ordered to do or not to do
something, like in English.
In addition, the imperative exists only for three grammatical persons instead of the normal six.
1. Verbs ending with -er:
From the present tense (ex. donner) you take these 3 forms:
Présent Indicative Imperative Mood English

Tu donnes Donne ! *1 Give !
Nous donnons Donnons ! Let’s give!
Vous donnez Donnez ! *2 Give
*1. Pay attention, the letter S disappears for the first form in this category of verbs.
*2. Formal or plural vous
2. All the other verbs
Présent Indicative Imperative Mood English

Tu fais Fais ! * Do!
Nous faisons Faisons ! Let’s do!
Vous faites Faites ! Do!
3. Specificities
Infinitive Présent Indicative Imperative Mood English

être Tu es Sois ! Be !
Nous sommes Soyons ! Let’s be !
Vous êtes Soyez ! Be !
avoir Tu as Aie ! Have !
Nous avons Ayons ! Let’s have !
Vous avez Ayez ! Have !
savoir Tu sais Sache ! Know !
Nous savons Sachons ! Let’s know !

Vous savez Sachez ! Know !
vouloir Tu veux Veuille !* Want !
Nous voulons Veuillons !* Let’s Want !
Vous voulez Veuillez !* Want !
* Only use in formal expressions.
4. Mind map
Online resources : [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Video 3 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ] [ Quiz 3 ]
4. Culture : Life expectancy in France
According to the latest WHO data published in 2018 life expectancy in France is: Male 80.1, female 85.7
and total life expectancy is 82.9 which gives France a World Life Expectancy ranking of 5. French women
have the second longest life expectancy in the world and French men ranking is not too far behind. The
oldest woman in the world was a French woman called Jeanne Calment who lived almost 123 years !
Why are French people living so long ?
Fight over obesity. In order to combat the obesity trend, the government decided early to ban free refills
of sugary beverages in schools, work places, restaurants, etc.The French have taken other steps as well,
such as placing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2012. Despite a rise in the last 10 years, the
obesity rate in France is only 15.3 percent.
Healthy habits. Healthy habits are ingrained in the French culture from a young age. The French generally
eat small portions, they usually enjoy only one large meal a day — lunch, snacking is rarely encouraged
and even children are taught to take small bites and chew slowly. Binge drinking is less common than
elsewhere and French people will prefer to take the long way home when walking the dog and opt for stairs
in lieu of elevators.
One of the best free health care system in the world. The French health care system is one of
universal health care largely financed by government national health insurance. In its 2000 assessment of

world health care systems, WHO found that France provided the "best overall health care" in the world.
Approximately 77% of health expenditures are covered by government funded agencies.
The Carte Vitale is the health insurance card of the national health care
system in France. It was introduced in 1998 to allow a direct settlement with
the medical arm of the social insurance system.
To be eligible for a Carte Vitale, you must be a citizen of France for 3 or
more years. a Carte Vitale can be ordered from the official social security
website of France, and will come in the mail within a 1-2 month period.
Source : https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/news/themes-in-the-spotlight/health
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U4, L3
Giving simple advice
1. Vocabulary
See previous lesson.
Je suis d’accord. D’accord. I agree. OK.

Moi aussi. Me too
Je ne suis pas d’accord. I disagree.
Moi non plus. Me neither. Neither do I.
Réveille-toi ! Wake up!
Lavons-nous ! Let’s wash!
Levez-vous ! Get up!
Ne te repose pas ! Don’t rest!
Ne nous reposons pas ! Let’s not rest!
Ne vous reposez pas ! Don’t rest!
3. Grammar
3.1. The imperative mood with reflexive verbs
To form a positive imperative with a reflexive verb, we use the conjugated verb followed by a reflexive
stress pronoun (toi, vous, nous). Note the hyphen attaching the verb and the reflexive pronoun.
In negative imperatives, however, the reflexive pronoun is unstressed (te or t’, nous, vous) and occupies
its normal position: after the ne and before the verb. Examples:
Impératif affirmatif Impératif négatif Impératif affirmatif Impératif négatif
Dépêche-toi Ne te dépêche pas Verb - pronoun Neg 1 Pron Verb Neg 2

Dépêchons-nous Ne nous dépêchons pas
Dépêchez-vous Ne vous dépêchez pas
Online resources: [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Video Neg 3 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ]
3.2. Telling your agreement or disagreement (moi aussi/ moi non plus)
B agrees B disagrees
A asks B a question Tu es d’accord ? Oui, je suis Non, je ne suis pas
d’accord. d’accord.

B agrees with A B disagrees with A

A makes an affirmative J’aime le foot Moi aussi. Pas moi / Moi non.
statement Me too. Not me.
A makes a negative Je n’aime pas le Moi non plus. Moi si.
statement foot Neither do I. I do.
4. Culture : Etiquette & Customs in France
Meeting Etiquette
The handshake is a common form of greeting, but friends may greet each other by lightly kissing on the
cheeks, once on the left cheek and once on the right cheek.
First names are reserved for family and close friends. Wait until invited before using someone's first name.
You are expected to say 'bonjour' or 'bonsoir' (good morning and good evening) with the honorific title
Monsieur or Madame when entering a shop and 'au revoir' (good-bye) when leaving. If you live in an
apartment building, it is polite to greet your neighbours with the same appellation.
Gift Giving Etiquette

Flowers should be given in odd numbers but not 13, which is considered unlucky.Some older French retain
old-style prohibitions against receiving certain flowers: White lilies or chrysanthemums as they are used
at funerals; any white flowers as they are used at weddings. If you give wine, make sure it is of the highest
quality you can afford. The French appreciate their wines. Gifts are usually opened when received.
Dining Etiquette if you are invited to a French house for dinner:

Arrive on time. Under no circumstances should you arrive more than 10 minutes later than invited without
telephoning to explain you have been detained.The further south you go in the country, the more flexible
time is.If invited to a large dinner party, especially in Paris, send flowers the morning of the occasion so
that they may be displayed that evening. Dress well. The French are fashion conscious and their version
of casual is not as relaxed as in many western countries.
Table manners
Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.If
there is a seating plan, you may be directed to a particular seat. Do not begin eating until the hostess
says 'bon appetit'. If you have not finished eating, cross your knife and fork on your plate with the fork
over the knife. Do not rest your elbows on the table, although your hands should be visible and not in
your lap. Finish everything on your plate. Do not cut salad with a knife and fork. Fold the lettuce on to
your fork. Peel and slice fruit before eating it. Leave your wine glass nearly full if you do not want more.
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U4, L4
Organising a picnic
1. Vocabulary (Food and beverage)
1.1. Fruit (Source : www.islcollective.com)
Online resources: [ Fruit 1 ] [ Fruit 2 ] [ Song Fruit 3 ]

1.2. Vegetables (Source : www.islcollective.com)
Online resources : [ Legumes 1 ] [ Legumes 2 ] [ Legumes 3 ]

1.3. Meat and fish (www.islcollective.com), side dishes

1.4. Cereals, dairy products, sauces (www.islcollective.com)

1.5. Beverage and desserts (www.islcollective.com)

1.6. Textbook vocabulary (in bold, the most important words)
accompagnement, n.m. support mayonnaise, n.f. mayonnaise

acheter, v. to buy morceau, morceaux
n.m. piece (s)
alcool, n.m. alcohol
moutarde, n.f. mustard
bacon, n.m. bacon
olive, n.f. olive
baguette, n.f. baguette
oriental, orientale, adj. eastern
barquette de frites, n.f. French fries punnet
pain de campagne, n.m. country bread
barquette, n.f. tub, punnet
pain de mie, n.m. sandwich bread
boire, v. to drink papaye, n.f. papaya
boisson au choix, n.f. beverage choice pâté, n.m. pâté
boisson, n.f. drink pâte, n.f. pastry
camion,n.m. truck pâtes, n.f. pl. pasta
carte, n.f. card petit-déjeuner, n.m. breakfast
carte, n.f. menu quelque, adv. roughtly
chocolat, n.m. chocolate rapidement, adv. quickly
choux de Bruxelles, n.m. Brussels sprouts régime, n.m. diet
cidre, n.m. cider salade de fruit, n.f. fruit salad
cognac, n.m. cognac salade, n.f. salad
confiture, n.f. jam sandwich, n.m. sandwich
crêpe, n.f. pancake sandwicherie, n.f. sandwich shop
déjeuner, n.m. lunch sauce tomate, n.f. tomato sauce
déjeuner, v. to have lunch sauce, n.f. sauce
dîner, n.m. dinner saucisson, n.m. salami
dîner, v. to dinner tranche, n.f. slice
eau, eaux, n.f. water, waters vanille, n.f. vanilla
eau gazeuse, n.f. sparkling water végétarien, adj. vegetarian
eau minérale, n.f. mineral water épice, n.f. spice
eau plate n.f. still water hors d'œuvre, n.m. starter
escargot, n.m. snail jus de fruits, n.m. fruit juice
farine, n.f. flour laitue, n.f. lettuce
feta, n.f. Greek sheep cheese piment, n.m. chilli
feuille, n.f. leaf poivre, n.m. pepper
frites, n.f. pl. French fries salé, salée, adj. salted
gâteau, n.m., gâteaux, plu. cake(s) soupe, n.f. soup
gazeux, gazeuse, adj fuzzy sparkling sucré, sucrée, adj. sweet
jus d'orange, n.m. orange juice thé noir, n.m. black tea
litchi, n.m. lychee thé vert, n.m. green tea
Il y a un étudiant. There is a student (male)

Il y a une étudiante. There is a student (female)

Il y a des étudiants. There are students.

Il n’y pas d’étudiant. There are no students. There aren’t any students.
Je mange du poisson. I eat/ am eating fish.
Je mange un poisson. I eat/ am eating a fish.
Je ne mange pas de poisson. I don’t eat/ am not eating (any) fish.
Je bois beaucoup de thé. I drink/ am drinking a lot of tea.
Je bois peu de café. I drink/ am drinking little coffea.
Je ne bois pas de vin. I don’t drink/ am not drinking (any) wine.
3. Grammar
3.1. Quantities with trop, beaucoup, assez, quelques, un peu
Quelques œufs some / a couple of / eggs

trop de / d’ (+vowel / h) too much/many
beaucoup de / d’ a lot of
assez de / d’ enough
un peu de / d’ a bit of / little
peu de / d’ few
Je fais trop de piano Je ne fais pas de piano

Je mange trop de bonbons Je ne mange pas de bonbons
Je fais beaucoup d’exercice physique Je fais un peu d’exercice physique
Je fais assez de sport je ne fais pas assez de sport
Je fais beaucoup de danse Je fais un peu de danse
Je mange beaucoup de gâteaux Je mange peu de gâteaux
Attention : ne dites pas « beaucoup de l’exercice, beaucoup de la danse, beaucoup du sport, beaucoup
des gâteaux »
Online resources: [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Video 3 ]
3.2. What are partitive articles?
The partitive article refers to an unspecified quantity of food, liquid, or some other uncountable noun.
You are not counting individual items but considering a part of the whole only. English has no equivalent
article – the partitive is usually translated by the adjectives “some” or “any,” or may be left out entirely.
Examples:
Du poulet (some chicken) Un poulet (a chicken)

( a part, a piece, a bit of chicken) (a whole chicken)

Characteristics of partitive articles
- Used with uncountable nouns like chocolate, water, and money*
- Placed directly in front of a noun
- Agree with the noun in number and gender
* As opposed to countable nouns like bars of chocolate, glasses of water, and euros, which take the
indefinite article.
French partitive articles

There are three singular articles but only one plural partitive article: des.
The partitive article is created by combining the preposition de with the definite article:
For masculine nouns: de + le = du—e.g., du lait (some milk).

For feminine nouns: de + la = de la—e.g., de la viande (some meat).
For nouns that begin with a vowel or a silent h: de + l’ = de l’—e.g., de l’eau (some water).
For plural nouns of either gender: de + les = des—e.g., des animaux (some animals or any animals).
partitive Articles
du + masculine du thé some tea
de la + feminine de la limonade some lemonade
de l’ + vowel / h de l’ eau some water
de l’ huile some oil
des + plural des bonbons (some) sweets
un peu d’ eau a bit of / little water

beaucoup de sucre a lot of sugar
3.3. When to use definite, undefinite or partitive articles in French?
Use definite articles when you talk about things in general or things you like or dislike:
E.g.: J’aime le poulet (I like chicken, generally speaking)
And use indefinite articles (exactly like in English) when you can count things individually
E.g.: je prends un thé. I take a tea.
deux limonades two lemonades (= two glasses of lemonade)
quelques gâteaux a few cakes
Use partitive articles when you can add “some, a few, a bit of, a part of” before a noun
E.g.: Je mange du poulet I am eating (some) chicken.
Je bois du thé I am drinking (some) tea.

J’aime le poulet Je cuisine un poulet Je mange du poulet
(article défini / en général) (article indéfini / un poulet entier) (article partitif/
une partie du poulet)
J’élève des poulets
(article indéfinis pluriel /
on peut compter)

Online resources: [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Video 3 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ]

3.4. Negative forms of partitive articles
When a partitive article is used in a negative expression, de is used without the definite article:
partitive Articles negative form

du + masculine du thé some tea pas de thé
de la + feminine de la limonade some lemonade pas de limonade
de l’ + vowel / h de l’ eau some water pas d’ eau
de l’ huile some oil pas d’ huile
des + plural des bonbons (some) sweets pas de bonbons
un peu d’ eau a bit of water Pas d’ eau

beaucoup de sucre a lot of sugar Pas de sucre
Reminders :
The negative form of (a/ an) un, une, des is also “ de ”.
Tu as un bureau ? - Non, je n’ai pas de bureau. I don’t have any pen. I have no pen
une maison ? - Non, je n’ai pas de maison. I don’t have any house. I have no house
des enfants? - Non, je n’ai pas d’enfants. I don’t have any children. I have no children
De becomes d’ in front of vowels or silent h.
- Je n’ ai pas d’ amis. I don’t have any friends.

- Il n’ y a pas d’ hôtel à NTU. There is no hotel in NTU
However the definite articles le, la, les does not change in a negative sentence unlike the indefinite
articles un, une, des or the partitive article (du, dela, de l’, des)
Example: Elle aime les croissants ? Non, elle n’aime pas les croissants.
Online resources: [ un / une ] [ un / une / des ]
3.5. Boire and manger
Manger is a regular French -er verb, but it is also a spelling-change verb. This means that it takes all the
regular -er endings, but a small spelling change is made to the stem for consistency of pronunciation. The
stem: the infinitive manger minus the -er ending, which leaves the stem mang-. All endings are added to
this stem. Here's how the spelling change works:
boire (to drink) Manger (to eat)

je bois je mange
tu bois tu manges
il boit il mange
nous buvons nous mangeons
vous buvez vous mangez
ils boivent ils mangent

Verbs like manger that end in -ger change spelling slightly before endings that begin with the hard vowels
a or o. Because g followed by a or o makes a hard g sound (as in gold), an e has to be added after g to
keep a soft g (like the j in je).
In short, wherever the g is not followed by an e, an e must be inserted so that the g remains soft throughout
the conjugations.
For example, in the present tense and the imperative, this g-to-ge spelling change is found only in the
nous conjugation: mangeons.
Online resources: [ Manger ] [ Boire ]
4. Culture : French food culture
The French have elevated food into an art form. Nowhere else on earth is so much attention paid to what
people are going to eat and how they are going to eat it. The reason is steeped in history – the fostering
of the royal court, the subsequent revolution, the discipline of the apprentice system, the quality of
ingredients and creativity of the chefs, the availability of incredible produce and simply, the love of good
food.
The focus on food has elevated French chefs to almost godlike status and one of the symbols is the
coveted Michelin star system that rates chefs and restaurants. Published since 1900, it awards stars to a
very small number of European restaurants of outstanding quality.
There are many regions with their own specialty foods, and the origin of produce is of critical importance
– from cheese and butter to salt and wine, the DOC symbol denoting its origin is highly prized. Many
people shop every day to source the freshest produce and local markets are an essential part of life.
French cuisine has developed fine techniques and perfected the equipment needed for many jobs. Some
families pass on treasured cooking pots and crêpe pans through generations.
Like so many countries, the character of the food varies considerably by region. Paris is famous for its
incredible cheeses, chocolates, pastries and gateaux; the centre is known for its hearty peasant fare, pâté
and clafoutis (a kirsch-laden dark cherry pie); Burgundy is home to coq au vin, Dijon mustard and
escargots; coastal Brittany has abundant fresh seafood, such as moules marinières (mussels in white
wine) and moules frites (mussels with French fries); and Bordeaux is synonymous with many of the most
decadent of French foods – foie gras, truffles, duck confit, and fine wines and cognac.
From the simplest crusty baguette eaten with ripe brie to a beautiful lobster bisque or hearty boueuf
bourguignon, France is heaven for any food lover.
Online resources: [ French food in Singapore ] [ Pronounce French food like a Native ]

Le
sud
de la
France
Le
nord est
de la
France

Le sud
ouest
de la
France
Le nord
de la
France

Le
sud-est
Paris
et
le centre
(Back to Index)



Tendance 1, U5, L1
Telling about a journey or a trip
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Ways of tranportation
1.2. Textbook vocabulary / vocabulary to describe a trip
amuser, v. to enjoy Franche Comté, n.f. Franche Comté,

anniversaire,n.m. birthday region of France
baignade, n.f. bathing île, n.f. island
cheval, chevaux, n.m. horse, horses magnificent,
magnifique, adj. wonderful
coquille, n.f. shell
Normandy,
coquille Saint-Jacques, n.f. scallop Normandie, n.f. region of France
découverte, n.f. discovery nymphéa, n.m. white water lily
découvrir, v. to discover mer, n.f. sea
délicieux, délicieuse, adj. delicious montagne, n.f. mountain
enchanté, adj. nice to meet you parking, n.m car park
difficile, adj. difficult préhistorique, adj. prehistoric
dormir, v. to sleep s'amuser, v. to enjoy o.s.
ensemble, n.m. group se baigner, v. to bathe
espérer, v. to hope site préhistorique, n.m. prehistoric site
historique, adj. historic, snowboard, n.m. snowboard
historical
village, n.m. village

oublier, v. to forget roman, n.m. book

peintre, n.f. painter (f) romantique, adj. romantic
peintre, n.m. painter (m) visiter, v. to visit
pièce, n.f. room voyager, v. to travel
présentation, n.f. presentation coquille, n.f. shell
rêve, n.m. dream
1.3. Expressing dates and periods of time
“Aujourd’hui, nous sommes le vendredi 8 juillet 2011”.
Jeudi 7 juillet – 7h00 ⇒ Hier matin (yesterday morning)

Jeudi 7 juillet – 12h00 ⇒ Hier midi (yesterday at noon)
Jeudi 7 juillet – 15h00 ⇒ Hier après-midi (yesterday afternoon)
Jeudi 7 juillet – 20h00 ⇒ Hier soir (yesterday evening)
Mercredi 6 juillet ⇒ Avant-hier (the day before yesterday)
Lundi 4 juillet ⇒ Lundi dernier / il y a 5 jours (last Monday, 5 days ago)
Samedi 2 et dimanche 3 ⇒ Le week-end dernier (last weekend)
Lundi 27 juin – Dimanche 3 juillet ⇒ La semaine dernière (last week)
Juin 2011 ⇒ Le mois dernier (last month)
2010 ⇒ L’an dernier / l’année dernière (last year)
il a fait, pc. he did j'ai fait, pc. I did

j'ai adoré, pc. I loved / I liked j'ai mangé, pc. I ate
j'ai aimé, pc. I loved / I liked j'ai parlé, pc. I spoke
j'ai bu, pc. I drunk j'ai passé, pc. I spent
j'ai découvert, pc. I discovered j'ai préféré, pc. I preferred
j'ai déjeuné, pc. I lunched j'ai rencontré, pc. I met
j'ai dîné, pc. I dinned j'ai visité, pc. I visited
j'ai eu, pc. I had j'ai vu, pc. I saw
3. Grammar
3.1. Expressing possession : structure « Noun de Noun »
There is no « ‘s » to express possession in French nor can one juxtapose 2 nouns as in “the Louvre
museum”. We must say “the museum of the Louvre”.
Le musée de+le Louvre  le musée du Louvre.

la bibliothèque de l’université.
les bureaux de la société.
Le livre de+les étudiants  le livre des étudiants.

3.2. Ways of transportation : à or en ?
Je prends le train, Je voyage en train by train

la voiture, J’y vais en voiture by car
le vélo. à vélo by bike
Je marche. à pied. on foot
À or en = on or by
Conclusion :
Use « en » in front of means of transport you get into, “à” for those you ride.
NB. You may still hear or see “en vélo, en moto”, but never en pied.
3.3. The past tense : le passé composé (Video lesson)
The « passé composé » talks about one-time, completed actions that took place in the past within a time
frame (over a limited period of time). This tense places the emphasis on the result or consequences of the
action. Though the “passé composé” looks something like the English perfect, it often corresponds to
the English simple past (I ate) or sometimes the present perfect (I have eaten).
3.3.1. How do you form the Passé composé ? (Video lesson)
This tense is a compound tense. It means that you need two verbs to conjugate it.
You will first need an auxiliary verb, AVOIR, that you conjugate in present tense.
Then you will need the past participle of the verb you want to conjugate in passé composé.
For Example: J’ai parlé (I spoke) / J’ai mangé (I ate)
3.3.2. How do you form the past participle ? (Video lesson)

Take the infinitive drop the replace it by = past participle
 manger er ⇒ é ⇒ mangé
 finir r ⇒ fini
 vendre re ⇒ u ⇒ vendu
Irregular past participles
Like in English, several French verbs have irregular past participles. Below are the most important ones
fo learn for your level:
prendre  J’ ai pris le métro. I took the MRT.

comprendre Vous avez compris ? Did you understand?
apprendre Tu as appris ton vocabulaire ? Have you learned your vocab?
écrire J’ ai écrit à mon ami. I wrote to my friend.

dire Qu’est-ce qu’elle a dit ? What did she say ?
avoir J’ ai eu un “A” en français ! I got an A in French.

être J’ ai été très malade. I have been very sick?
lire Tu as lu le journal ce matin ? Did you read the paper this morning?
voir Vous avez vu ce film ? Have you seen this movie ?
boire J’ ai bu un café. I drank a coffee.
pouvoir Elle n’ a pas pu venir. She was not able to come.
vouloir Il n’ a pas voulu venir. He did not want to come.
connaître Où as-tu connu Pierre ? Where did you get to know Pierre?
devoir Nous avons dû rentrer à Paris. We had to come back to Paris.
ouvrir Tu as ouvert ton cadeau ? Did you open your present?

faire Qu’est-ce que tu as fait hier? What did you do yesterday?
Online resources : [ 20 irregular past participles ] [ 25 irregular past participles ]
3.3.4. Where do I place the negation?
Subject Verb 1 (avoir/être) Past participle

Il/ Marc a compris
He/ Marc understood
Subject Neg 1 Verb 1 (avoir/être) Neg 2 Past participle

Il/ Marc n' a pas compris
Online resources : [ PC and negation 1 ] [ PC and negation 2 ]

3. Culture : French regions (http://foudefle.blogspot.com/)
Online resources : https://uk.france.fr/en/places-to-go
Le musée de Monet à Giverny : https://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm

Le château Gaillard : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Gaillard
La cathédrale de Rouen : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouen_Cathedral
L’hôtel Baudy : https://www.pbase.com/nieuwburgh/ancien_hotel_baudy
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U5, L1
Relating a journey or a trip
1. Vocabulary
Elle est partie. She left

Ils ne sont pas sortis. They didn’t exit/go out.
Nous nous sommes lavés. We washed.
Elle ne s’est pas levé. She didn’t get up/ She hasn’t got up.
3.1. Optionnal liaisons
Some French liaisons in front of a vowel or h muet are optional, so it’s up to you to decide whether to
pronounce them. However, that decision matters: more liaisons means more formal speech, so fewer
liaisons obviously means more informal, possibly even familiar speech.
Nominal group
Between a noun in plural and adjective when des livres utiles [Z]
placed after the noun des bateaux à voile [Z]
Verbal group
Between avoir or être and the past participle in Nous avons aimé notre voyage. [Z]
the past tenses Il est allé à la poste le jeudi matin. [T]
Between être and its attribute C’est ici. [T]
Vous êtes amis ? [Z]
Online resources: [ Liaisons facultatives ]
4. Grammar
4.1. The past tense with “être”
The passé composé of 14 verbs is formed by combining the present tense of être (je suis, tu es, il est,
nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont) and then adding the past participle of the verb showing the action.
These verbs have no Direct Object complement, therefore they use “être” instead of “avoir” to form the
passé composé.
Most verbs can be remembered as pairs of opposites.

aller to go Il est allé

venir * to come Il est venu *
arriver to arrive Il est arrivé
partir to leave Il est parti
entrer to go in Il est entré
sortir to go out Il est sorti
monter to go up Il est monté
descendre to go down Il est descendu
naître * to be born Il est né *
mourir * to die Il est mort *
passer to pass Il est passé
rester to stay Il est resté
retourner to go back Il est retourné
tomber to fall il est tombé
*venir, naître and mourir have irregular past participles ( venu, né, mort).
All verbs derived from the above also use être. Examples :
re partir to leave again

re venir to come back
re monter to go back up
r entrer to go back home
de venir to become, etc…
The following figure should help you to memorize these 14 verbs :
islcollectives.com
Online resources: [ Verbe être ] [ PC etre 1 ] [ PC étre 2 ]

4.2. Agreements when using verb être (accord du participe passé) (video lesson)
When formed with the auxiliary “être”, the past participle agrees in gender (masculine/feminine) and
number (singular/plural) with the subject. In a way, it behaves like an adjective when indicating a nationality
or a profession (Je suis singapourienne / Je suis étudiante)
Examples :
je / tu / il / vous = je / tu / elle / vous =
je suis je suis
tu es né en France. tu es née en France.
il est elle est
vous êtes vous êtes
on / nous / vous / ils = on / nous / vous / elles =
or or
on est on est
nous sommes nés en France. nous sommes nées en France.
vous êtes vous êtes
ils sont elles sont
Hier, je suis allé(e) au cinéma.

tu es allé(e) chez Hélène.
il est allé se reposer
elle est allée manger au restaurant.
on est allé(e)s dormir
nous sommes allé(e)s voir Estelle à l’hôpital.
vous êtes allé(e)s en Malaisie.
ils sont allés à la piscine.
elles sont allées pique-niquer
4.3. Reflexive and reciprocal verbs (video lesson)
All reflexive and pronominal verbs also use “être” when forming the passé composé.
Hier, je me suis
tu t’ es promené(e)
il
elle s’est promené(e)(s)
on
nous nous sommes promené(e)s au zoo.
vous vous êtes promené(e)(s)
ils se sont promené(e)s
elles

Negation with reciprocal or reflexive verbs
Both the reflexive pronoun and « être » are sandwiched between « ne » and « pas »
Subject Neg 1 Pron Verb 1 (avoir/être) Neg 2 Past participle
Il/ Marc ne s’ est pas promené
Questions with reciprocal or reflexive verbs
Tu t’es couché à quelle heure?

À quelle heure est-ce que tu t’es couché ?
[Est-ce que] tu t'es t’es couché tôt?
4.4. Mind map Passé composé (carte mentale)
Online resources: [ Video PC 1 ] [ Video PC 2 ] [ Quiz 1 ] [ Quiz 2 ]
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U5, L2
Organising a trip & explaining something
1. Vocabulary
à destination de to partir, v. to leave

à grande vitesse high speed passager, n.m. passenger
annuler, v. to cancel présenter sa carte to show one's
arrêt de bus, n.m. bus stop d'identité, v. identity card
arrêt, n.m. stop présenter son to show one's
passeport, v. passport
arrivée, n.f. arrival
quai, n.m. Train plateform
attacher, v. fasten
rembourser,v. to repay
autoroute, n.f. motorway
réserver, v. to book
ballon, n.m. ball, balloon
retenue, n.f. restraint
billet aller-retour, n.m. return ticket
se déplacer,v. to move
billet aller-simple, n.m. one way ticket
site de réservation,
billet d'avion, n.m. plane ticket n.m. booking site
billet de train, n.m. train ticket station de métro, n.f. mrt station
billet, n.m. ticket (underground)
ceinture, n.f. seatbelt station, n.f. station
confirmer, v. to confirm ticket de bus, n.m. bus ticket
décoler, v. to take off ticket de métro, n.m. mrt ticket
départ, n.m. departure un billet de deuxième second class
direct, directe, adj. direct classe ticket
échanger, v. to exchange, un billet de première
embarquer, v. to board ( a plane) classe first class ticket
en provenance de, exp. coming from vélib.n.m. Paris free bicycle
visa, n.m. visa
gratuit, adj. free of charge
voie, n.f. train line
il faut it is necessary to
vol direct, n.m. direct flight
normal, adj. normal
voyager à l'étranger, v. to travel overseas
on compte we need
partir, v. to set off, to leave
2.1. Expressing a date or a moment in the day
Le matin in the morning

Le midi at lunchtime
L’après-midi in the afternoon
Le soir in the evening

Je pars samedi I am leaving this Saturday (no article in front of the day)
Je pars le (samedi) 12 juin I am leaving on (Saturday) the 12th June (le + date)
Je pars samedi prochain I am leaving next Saturday.
Je pars la semaine prochaine. I am leaving next week.
Je suis parti hier I left yesterday

Je suis parti le (samedi) 12 juin I left on (Saturday) the 12th June (le + date)
Je suis parti samedi dernier I left last Saturday.
Je suis parti la semaine dernière. I left last week.
2.2. Expressing time
« Quelle heure est-il? »

« Il est quelle heure? »
« Quelle heure (est-ce qu’) il est? »
« Vous avez l’heure ? » - Il est quatre heures

« Est-ce que tu as l’heure ? »
The 12-hour clock is the system used in every day conversation in France. As it only uses numbers from
1 to 12 for the hours, you may use the expressions:
du matin (in the morning) to express am.

de l'après-midi (in the afternoon) to express pm.
du soir (in the evening) to express pm. (from 6 pm onwards)
The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. do not exist in French. Du soir is used when the day is setting down,
usually from 6 pm onwards (depending on the season)
L’heure courante L’heure officielle
Il est une heure (de l’après-midi) 13h00 Il est treize heures

Il est une heure cinq 13h05 Il est treize heures cinq
Il est une heure dix 13h10 Il est treize heures dix
Il est une heure et quart 13h15 Il est treize heures quinze
Il est une heure vingt 13h20 Il est treize heures vingt
Il est une heure vingt-cinq 13h25 Il est treize heures vingt-cinq
Il est une heure et demie 13h30 Il est treize heures trente
Il est deux heures moins vingt-cinq 13h35 Il est treize heures trente-cinq
Il est deux heures moins vingt 13h40 Il est treize heures quarante
Il est deux heures moins le quart 13h45 Il est treize heures quarante-cinq
Il est deux heures moins dix 13h50 Il est treize heures cinquante
Il est deux heures moins cinq 13h55 Il est treize heures cinquante-cinq
Il est deux heures 14h00 Il est quatorze heures
NB. In the 12-hour clock, we do not use “douze” for 12pm and 12am but:
Il est midi. It’s Noon.

Il est minuit. It’s Midnight.
Online resources : [ Temps essentiel ] [ Temps 1 ] [ Temps 2 ]

2.3. Understanding announcements
Dans un train On a train

Le TGV 8330 en provenance de Paris The TGV coming from Paris Montparnasse and
Montparnasse et à destination de Tours va entrer going to Tours is going to enter the station track
en gare voie 6. 6.
Les réservations sont obligatoires dans ce train. Bookings are needed for this train.
Nous vous rappelons que désormais, l’étiquetage We would like to remind you that from now on,
des bagages est obligatoire. writing your name on your luggage is compulsory.
Pour votre sécurité, éloignez-vous de la bordure For your security, please stay away from the edge
du quai”. of the platform”.
Bienvenue dans le TER 5506 à destination de Welcome in the TER 5506 going to Guingamp.
Guingamp. Ce train dessert les gares de Paimpol This train stops at the following stations: Paimpol
Gare de Pontrieux. Une minute d’arrêt. Pontrieux station. One minute stop. Connection to
Correspondance pour Paris voie A. Pour votre Paris on track A. For your security, mind the gap
sécurité attention à l’espace entre le train et la between the train and the platform”
bordure du quai”.
Dans un avion On a plane
Mesdames et Messieurs, votre attention s’il vous Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please
plaît
Nous invitons tous les passagers à embarquer We ask all passengers to board immediately at
immédiatement aux portes… gates.…
Ceci est le dernier appel avant la fermeture des This is the last call before the doors are closed for
portes du vol Air France … flight Air France …
Merci de présenter votre carte d’embarquement et Please have your boarding pass and identification
vos papiers d’identité. ready.
Veuillez attacher votre ceinture de sécurité et Please fasten your seatbelts at this time and
assurez-vous que tous vos bagages soient placé secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the
sous les sièges devant vous ou dans les coffres. overhead compartments.
3. Grammar
3.1. Verbs ending with -IR (ouvrir, finir, partir)
In French level 1, you already learnt how to conjugate an - IR verb following the same conjugation pattern
and endings as -ER verbs. These verbs (découvrir, recouvrir, couvrir, etc..) end with -VRIR.
ouvrir
to open
j’’ouvre
tu ouvres Ouvre, ouvres and ouvrent have the same pronunciation.
il ouvre
nous ouvrons Online resources : [ Ouvrir 1 ] [ Ouvrir 2 ]
vous ouvrez
ils ouvrent

You also learn how to conjugate the verb venir that has different stems and different endings from -ER
verbs. This verb belongs to the -ENIR family (like revenir, tenir, détenir, survenir)
Venir
to come (from a place)
Pronunciation tips :
je viens
Viens and vient have the same pronunciation. = / vjɛ͂ /
tu viens
Do not pronounce “s” or “t”.
il / elle vient
nous venons
Viennent is pronounced / vjɛn /
vous venez
ils viennent
Online resources : [ venir de ]
In fact, there are other verbs ending with -IR. Regular – IR verbs are 15% of all French verbs) and are
usually created from adjectives or nouns:
finir (to finish) from la fin

maigrir (to lose weight) from maigre
grossir (to put on weight) from gros
grandir (to grow up) from grand
réfléchir (to think out)…
regular – IR verbs regular – IR verbs
finir choisir
to finish to choose
je finis je chois is
tu finis tu chois is
il finit il chois it
nous finissons nous chois issons
vous finissez vous chois issez
ils finissent ils chois issent
Online resources : [ Finir ] [ Choisir ]
Finally, there are other -IR verbs that follow another conjugation pattern and endings.
They are easy to spot as they finish with:
- TIR (e.g. partir, sortir)
- MIR (e.g. dormir)
- VIR (e.g. servir, désservir)
TIR verbs * MIR verb VIR verb
choisir (to choose) partir (to leave)
je par s je dor s je ser s

tu par s tu dor s tu ser s
il par t il dor t il ser t
nous part ons nous dorm ons nous serv ons
vous part ez vous dorm ez vous serv ez
ils part ent ils dorm ent ils serv ent
Online resources : [ Partir ] [ Dormir ] [ Servir ]

4. Culture : Travelling in France
By air
Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport are the two busiest airports in France. The former,
located in Roissy near Paris, is the fifth busiest airport in the world with 60 million passenger
movements in 2008, and France's primary international airport, serving over 100 airlines. It’s most
likely the one youy will arrive to or transit to when flying to Franc e from Singapore.
The national carrier of France is Air france, a full service global airline which flies to 20 domestic
destinations and 150 international destinations in 83 countries (including Overseas departments
and territories of France) across all 6 major continents.
By train
The French transportation system is one of the best in western Europe. French railways, which
were nationalized just before World War II, carry a somewhat greater ton-mileage load of freight
than do those of Germany, and French passenger mileage is also slightly greater than that of its
eastern neighbor. The government has used low freight rates to stimulate economic activity, and
passenger rates have been kept artificially low to make traveling easier for the lower income
groups.
In addition, the state has electrified the busiest lines (26% of the total track is now electric, but
this carries over 75% of all traffic). It has also developed Europe's fastest passenger train, the
high-speed Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV); it began operation in 1981 on a specially built Paris-
Besançon track, where it cruised at up to 298 km/h.
In 1988, a consortium of French and British construction companies began work on the English
Channel Tunnel — or "Chunnel". Completed in 1994, it established the first direct rail link between
France and Great Britain. Average travel time between Paris and London via the Chunnel is about
3 hours.
By boat
Everybody has heard of the Canal du Midi, after all it is France’s most famous canal! Listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, it is lined by plane trees and cypress trees which
provide welcome shade over the canal in the warm southern sunshine. Cruise through the
vineyards of Languedoc Roussillon and the medieval city of Carcassonne with a boating holiday
on the Canal du Midi.
Fans of fine wines and history should consider renting a canal boat for an adventure in Burgundy.
Be seduced by rich history, gastronomy and the finest wines with a boating holiday on the Canal
de Bourgogne.
By road
The autoroute (highway or motorway) system in France consists largely of toll roads (76% of the
total). It is a network of 11,882 km of motorways as of 2014. On road signs, autoroute destinations
are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown
with an added autoroute logo. Toll autoroutes are signalled with the word péage (toll or toll plaza)
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U2, L3
Facing a problem & giving an explanation
1. Vocabulary
ballon, n.m. ball place, n.f. seat

chaussure de ski, n.f ski shoe portable, n.m. handphone
chaussures de sport, pourquoi, adv. why ?
n.f. trainers pour, prep. for
directeur, n.m. director (m) préparation, n.f. preparation
directrice, n.f. director (f) rendez-vous, n.m. meeting
donner, v. to give réunion, n.f. meeting
expliquer, v. to explain salon, n. m. lounge, fair
mettre, v. to put (on) se mettre à, v. to begin to
parce que, conj. because valise, n.f. suitcase
C’est à qui ? Whose is it?

C’est à moi/toi/lui/elle/nous/vous/eux/elles. It’s mine/yours/his/hers/ours/yours/theirs.
C’est le portable d’Anne. It’s Anne’s handphone.
C’est le portable de Ludovic. It’s Ludovic’s handphone.
C’est le portable du directeur. It’s the director’s handphone. (m.)
C’est le portable de la directrice It’s the director’s handphone. (f.)
C’est l’ordinateur de l’employé(e). It’s the employee’s computer.
C’est l’ordinateur des employés. It’s the employees’ computer.
3. Grammar
3.1. Expressing cause, aim and consequences.
3.1.1. Pourquoi ? Parce que !
Below are the basic question words and question patterns in French you need to know:
how much ?
what ? when ? where ? who ? why ? how ?
how many ?
quel ? Qu’est-ce que quand ? où ? qui ? pourquoi ? comment ? combien ?
 Pattern 1 : Subject / Verb / Question word / ... ? (SPOKEN LANGUAGE)

Vous / habitez / où ? Where do you live?

 Pattern 2: Question word / est-ce que / Subject / Verb / ... ? (STANDARD LANGUAGE)
Où / est-ce que / vous / habitez ? Where do you live?
To express a cause, a reason and answer the question “pourquoi”, use parce que / parce qu’ + S + V.
« Pourquoi étudiez-vous la littérature ?

- J’étudie la littérature parce que j’aime écrire et que je voudrais devenir écrivain. »
We don’t start a sentence with the conjunction parce que in the middle of a paragraph.
Do not write « J’apprends le français. Parce que je voudrais voyager en France » but « J’apprends le
français parce que je voudrais voyager en France ».
NB. If the reason can be given a simple noun (not a full sentence), use à cause de…(because of)
« Pourquoi quittent-ils Paris ?

- A cause de la pollution. » (= Parce qu’il y a trop de pollution)
Online resources : [ Pronunciation ] [ Parce que & a cause de ]
3.1.2. Pour (aim or goal)
To express an objective / an aim, use pour + infinitive
Je pars en France pour améliorer mon I am leaving for France to / in order to

français. improve my French.
Pourquoi allez-vous en France ? Why are you going to France?
- Pour rencontrer des Français ! In order to meet French people!
3.1.3. Mais, donc, alors
Je dois aller travailler en France mais je I have to go and work in France but I do
ne parle pas français. not speak French.
Je ne parle pas français donc / alors je I do not speak French therefore / so I am

vais prendre des cours. going to take classes.
3.2. Expressing possession
You can express that something belongs to you with:

- A possessive
- A structure « Noun de Noun »
- C’est à + disjunctive pronoun
3.2.1. Possessive (See coursiel French level 1)
The words my, your, his, her, its, our, their in French agree with the noun that follows (they behave like
the definite articles le/la/les). The gender of the owner makes no difference. So, “sa maison” can mean
“his house” or “her house” or “its house”; “sa soeur” can mean “his sister” or “her sister” or “its sister”.

the + MASCULINE + FEMININE + PLURAL

possessor WORD WORD WORD
je (I) mon portable ma place mes valises

mon amie *
tu (you) ton portable ta place tes valises
ton amie *
il (he) / elle son portable sa place ses valises
(she) son amie *
nous (we) notre ami/ amie nos valises
vous (you) votre ami/ amie vos valises
ils / elles leur ami/ amie leurs valises
(they)
* For feminine and singular words that start with a vowel or h, use mon, ton, son.
Online resources : [ Possessifs ] [ Possessifs 2 ]
3.2.2. Structure “Noun de Noun”
You can say that something belongs to someone by using the structure Noun de/d’ Noun :
OF + proper noun Starting with a vowel/H D’ Le billet d’Anne (Anne’s)

Any other singular case DE Le portable de Ludovic
Plural name DES Le portable des Duponts
OF + common noun Masculin singular DU La valise du professeur

Feminine singular DE LA La place de la directrice
Singular starting with a vowel/H DE L’ Le billet de l’étudiant(e)
Any plural DES Les billets des étudiant(e)s
Le portable de Ludovic (the handphone of Ludovic = Ludovic’s handphone)

La valise de votre voisine (the suitcase of the neighbour = the neighbour’s suitcase)
Le billet d’Anne (the ticket of Anne = Anne’s ticket)
La valise du professeur (the suitcase of teacher = the teacher’s suitcase)
La place de la directrice (the seat of the director = the director’s seat)
Le billet de l’étudiant(e) (the ticket of the student = the student’s ticket)
Les billets des étudiant(e)s (the tickets of the students = the students’ tickets)
Online resources : [ Noun de Noun ]
3.2.3. Structure « C’est à + disjunctive pronoun »
1. What is a disjunctive pronoun ?
As indicated by the name, stressed/disjunctive/emphatic pronouns are used for emphasis. Stressed
pronouns exist in English, but they are not always used in the same ways or for the same reasons as
French stressed pronouns. See example below.
Moi, je ne sais pas  I don’t know

Characteristics of stressed pronouns

1. May be used with or in place of a subject or object
2. Must agree with the subject or object in number and gender
3. Can only refer to people
2. When to use stressed pronouns?
3. Synoptic table – Stressed pronouns
- You usually use a “pronom tonique” (disjunctive pronoun) after a preposition.(orange case)
moi Qu’est-ce que c’est? Un cadeau pour moi? pour = for

toi - Oui, c’est pour toi, pour ton anniversaire.
Lui - Oui, ‘cest pour lui.
elle Li Na est en retard, tant pis (never mind) je pars sans elle. sans = without
nous Tu viens avec nous ? avec = with
vous Je mange chez vous? chez = at someone’s place
eux Je te présente Ludovic et Éric. Je travaille avec eux.
elles Voici Li Na et Ariane. Je travaille avec elles.
- When the pronoun is by itself/ alone. (light blue case)

This is why you say “ Et toi?” ” and not “ Et tu?”
- At the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis. (The French people do it all the time!) :
Moi, j’adore le champagne
Tu es vraiment bête (really silly), toi !
4. Structure « C’est à + disjunctive pronoun »
The French preposition à is used to express possession in the following constructions:

noun + être + à + stressed pronoun, noun, or name
c'est + à + stressed pronoun, noun, or name
These constructions put emphasis on the ownership of the object.
Cet argent est à Paul. - This money is Paul's.

Le livre est à lui. - The book is his.
- À qui est ce stylo ? - Whose pen is this?

- C'est à moi. - It's mine.
*In spoken French, you might hear c'est + noun + à + name (e.g., c'est un livre à Michel), but it is
grammatically incorrect. The correct way to use possession in this construction is with de (c'est un livre de
Michel).
4. Culture : Working in France
French Business hours

Working hours generally run from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Most
business lunch times start around 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Except for a power
lunch or business lunch, most people don’t schedule appointments during l’heure du midi.”
Lunch time
In France, lunch time is sacred. In each company, everybody gets a one or two hours break for lunch time.
This is a time French use to relax and meet their friend. If you need to make an appointment or a call with
a French person, please schedule it outside lunch time. If you are not available outside these hours, you
can always invite your French business partner for a lunch in a restaurant.
Speaking of eating, whether you are at a restaurant or not, always wait that everybody is served to start
eating. Usually Frenches wish to each other “bon appetit” before starting. Also, do not put your elbow on
the table while you are eating, and do not hide your hands under the table.
Courtesy at work in Frane

When you address a business partner in French, use the terms “monsieur” or “madam” (mister or misses).
Also, always use the pronoun “vous”. Once you’ll have a good relationship with your business partner, you
may switch to the “tu”, but not before. However, if you work in a start-up environment, you will notice that
people tend to use the “tu” at first.
If French people are known for “la bise” and never hug to say hi, always greet your interlocutor with a
handshake. This must be a light handshake, made while saying hi and looking at the person in the eyes.
Language: speak like a French!

If you’re planning to do business in France, learn some French! At least a few words like “bonjour”, “merci”,
and “au revoir” (hello, thank you and goodbye). The French people you are working with will appreciate
the effort and it will help you to build a good and trusty relationship with them.
Style: even more important at work

If you have a meeting with a French, always mind your style. Usually, people wear a costume, with a shirt
and a tie of neutral color if you are a man, and a costume, or a dress/skirt with a shirt if you are a woman.
It is important for your image and the first impression to be always proper and well presented.
Appointment when you work in France

If you want to plan a business meeting, you should do it in advance (1 or 2 week). Indeed, French people
schedule their meeting in advance, and if you notice them at the last moment, there is a very few chances
that they will be available. Also, arrive on time at your meeting: French people are punctual for work
appointments.
Hierarchy at work
French people give very high importance of what the boss says or think and will try to make sure they are
appreciated event though French will definitely say it when they don’t agree and won’t hesitate to get into

a debate with their boss. This is totally fine in France as long as it is done with respect of the other person’s
opinion.
In France, it is also important to get on well with your boss and to seem involved and dedicated to your
work (and your boss). As a consequence, the informal conversation around the coffee break or cigarette
breaks is often the opportunity to get to know your colleagues and/or your boss in a different context. Many
opportunities and projects are also discussed in these contexts. It is therefore important to go even though
you could sometimes feel like an outsider, especially if the language barrier is still present. With some time
and effort, it will pay off!
Keep your professional and personal life separate.

In French business culture people prefer to keep their professional life and family life very much separate.
This helps to maintain a consistent structure of formality in the workplace. When you are engaged in small
talk at the beginning of a meeting or a networking event, it is in your favour to keep the topic of discussion
purely professional and avoid questions about the other person’s personal life, family or even what they
did on the weekend.
Avoid high-pressure sales tactics.

French business people do not like to be pressured into making quick decisions. Aggressive selling
techniques won’t work. If you are in a business meeting, be patient and expect a lot of discussion and
exchange of information. Decisions are generally not made on the first meeting. They are made after many
detailed discussions and by somebody at the top. Be patient.
Expect probing questions and interruptions.

It is not frowned upon in France to ask a lot of questions and to interrupt somebody before they have
finished. It is a common French conversation style. In other countries, interrupting may be inappropriate
but in France it is simply a way to express your interest in the other person and the conversation. If you
are being interrupted, take it initially as a positive sign that they like what you’re saying. Reciprocally, if
you want to show your interest, don’t be afraid to interrupt and finish other people’s sentences, too.
Paid vacations
Since the 1920s, employees in France are entitled, by law, up to five weeks of paid vacation per year, yes
35 days. The amount of paid vacation days a worker receives is based on how much they’ve worked.
Typically 2.5 working days of vacation are accrued for every 26 days of work.
Holidays in France
There are exactly 11 national holidays and a few regional celebrations and festivals. Most French workers
use their paid vacation in the summer months. Workers with children will often plan their paid vacation
leave around school holidays. There are 4 long school breaks where students get around 2 weeks off of
school.
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U5, L4
Visiting a region or a county
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Weather forecast & Seasons (La météo et les saisons)
printemps (nm)
été (nm)
automne (nm)
hiver (nm)
© Estelle Bech
No capital letter for the Months of the year and the seasons.

1.2. Other words related to the weather
arc-en-ciel, n.m. rainbow frais, fraiche, adj. chilly

avoir chaud to be hot froid, adj. cold
avoir froid to be cold froid, n.m. cold
briller, v. to shine glace, n.f. ice
brume, n.m. fog grêle, n.f. hail
brumeux, adj. foggy grêler, v. to hail
chaleur, n.f. heat neiger, v. to snow
chaud, adj. hot nuageux, adj. cloudy
climat, n.m. climat orageux, adj. stormy
couvert, adj. cloudy pleuvoir, v. to rain
éclaircie, n.f. sunny interval pluvieux, adj. rainy
enneigé snow-covered température, n.f. temperature
ensoleillé, adj. sunny tempête, n.f. storm
foudre, n.f. lightning tonnerre, n.m. thunder
fraicheur, n.f. chiliness
Online resources : [ Meteo 1 ] [ Meteo 2 ] [ Meteo 3 ] [ Meteo 4 ]
1.3. Points cardinaux (East, west, North, South)
au nord de la France
dans le nord
Au nord-ouest de la France Au nord-est de la France
à l’ ouest de la France dans à l’ est de la France

le
centre
Dans l’ouest Dans l’est
Au sud-ouest de la France Dans le sud-est de la France
dans le sud
au sud de la France
Online resources : [ Points cardinaux ] [ Points cardinaux 2 ]

1.4. Textbook vocabulary (Landscapes and natural elements)
agriculteur, n.m. farmer (m) mer, n.f. sea

agricultrice, n.f. farmer (f) mont, n.m. mount
au bord de la mer, n.m. sea side monter à cheval, v. to do horse riding
cabane de berger, n.m. shepherd's hut monter, v. to go up
cabane, n.f. hut moustique, n.m. mosquito
cascade, n.f. waterfall naturel, naturelle, adj. natural
côte de Bretagne, n.f. coast of Brittany océan, n.m. ocean
couple, n. m. couple original, originale, adj. original
descendre, v. to go down parc naturel, n.m. natural park
éco-bénévole, adj. Eco-volunteer paysage, n.m. landscape
éco-citoyen, adj. environmentally plage, n. f. beach
responsible citizen
écolo, adj. environmentally plongée, n.f. diving
friendly recevoir, v. to receive
équitation, n.f. horse riding seul, adj. alone
expérience, n.f. experience technicien, n.m. technician (m)
extraordinaire, adj. extraordinary téléfilm, n.m. tv series
feu, n. m. fire touriste, n.m.f tourist
forêt, n. f. forest traineau à chiens, n.m. dog sleigh
haut, haute, adj. high traineau, traineaux, n.m. Sleigh
île, n.f. island village, n.m. village
lac, n.m. Lake
Online resources : [ Paysage 1 ]
2. Communication / key and practice sentences
2.1. Weather & Seasons
Il fait mauvais weather is bad Le vent souffle. wind is blowing

La pluie tombe weather is hot La neige tombe. snow is falling
Le soleil brille weather is good Il y a une éclaircie. It’s clearing up.
Quel temps fait-il ? Il fait quel temps ? Comment est la météo ?

IL FAIT + ADJ

IL Y A + NOUN
IL + VERB
2.2. Indicating a date or a period
En février /au mois de févier In February

En 2019 In 2019
De mardi à samedi From Tuesday to Saturday

Du mardi 29 janvier From Tuesday the 29th of January
au dimanche 2 février to Sunday the 2nd of February
De janvier à mars From January to March

Du 13 février au 20 mars From the 13th of February till the 20th of March
De 2016 à 2019 From 2016 to 2019
en vacances on holidays
pendant la semaine /les vacances during the week / holidays
Au printemps in Spring
En été in Summer
En automne in Automn
En hiver in Winter

3. Culture : What the weather like in France

Overall, Metropolitan France enjoys a temperate climate. The weather is often mild but there are big
differences between the seasons and regions.Each region enjoys its own climate !
Metropolitan France has a temperate climate. It's neither too hot nor too cold, but the weather changes
significantly with the seasons.
In the spring, from March to May, the weather is pleasant. There is mild temperature and sunshine to offset
the frequent precipitation. In the summer, from June to September, it may be hot, especially in the South,
but it rarely gets above 35 degrees Celsius.
From October to December, there are some beautiful days in the autumn, but it is often damp. Without
being particularly hard, the winters are cold. Snow sometimes comes on the heels of rain and the
temperature can dip into the negatives, especially in the mountains.
Along the Atlantic seaboard, in the West of France, there is an

oceanic climate. Temperature differences are moderate and the
winters are mild but damp. It rains relatively frequently.
The Bay of the Somme (Picardie, Hauts de France region)
In the East, the climate is continental. Summers are warm, with

some thunderstorms, and winters are cold. Temperatures can
drop below 0 degrees Celsius and, in the mountains, are
frequently accompanied by snow.
Strasbourg en hiver
The city of Strasburg during winter
In the South, the climate is Mediterranean. Summers are hot and

winters mild and dry. The autumn often brings thunderstorms and
heavy rain that can lead to flooding.
A typical Provence landscape
In the overseas departments, the climate is tropical and

temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees Celsius.
A beach on Martinique island
Source : Campus France

(https://www.campusfrance.org/en/France-weather-climate)


Tendance 1, U6, L1
Choosing a present
1. Vocabulary
à partir de from ... onwards le plus the most

acheter,v. to purchase le moins the least
amusant, adj. funny les autres, others
basket, n.m. basketball marcher,v. to function, to run
cadeau, n.m. gift meilleur, adj. best/better
cadre, n.m. picture frame modèle, n.m. model
carte cadeau, n.f. gift card montrer, v. to show
casquette, n.f. (baseball) cap ordinateur, n.m. computer
ce, cet, cette / this, that / léger, adj. lighter
ces these, those sportif, adj. sporty
choisir, v. to choose stylé, adj. stylish
choix, n.m. choice pour être tendance,
cliquer, v. to click exp. to be trendy
comparer, v. to compare radio-réveil, n.m. alarm clock
cuisine, n.f. kitchen simple, adj. simple
exotique, adj. exotic surpris, adj. surprising
fonctionner, v. to fuction, to run utile, adj. useful
le meilleur, the best
Ce réveil est plus cher. This/that clock is less expensive.

Cet ordinateur est moins expensive. This/that computer is more expensive.
Ces chaussures sont aussi grandes. These/ Those shoes are as big.
Ce cadeau est le moins original. This/That present is the least original.
Cette casquette est la plus jolie. This/that cap is the prettiest.
Ces cadres-photos sont les plus beaux. These /those picture frames are the most beautiful.
Ces voitures sont les pires. These/those cars are the worst.
Jean est plus grand que Pierre. Jean is taller than Pierre.
Pauline est moins grande qu’Aurélie. Pauline is less tall than Aurélie.
Frédéric est le meilleur. Frédéric is the best.
Hélène est la meilleure. Hélène is the best.
Sophie et Hélène sont les meilleures. Sophie and Hélène are the best.
Frédéric et Benoît sont les meilleurs. Frédéric and Benoît are the best.
Jean est pire que Dominique. Jean is worse than Dominique.
Estelle est meilleure qu’Isabelle. Estelle is better than Isabelle.

3. Grammar
3.1. Making comparisons in English
In English, as in French, there are three types of comparisons:
1. Superiority indicates that something is "___er" (bigger, faster, stronger) or "more ___" (more purple,
more tired, more important).
2. Inferiority indicates that something is "less ___" (less hungry, less exciting, less complete).
3. Equality indicates that two or more things are "as ___" (as happy, as thirsty, as interesting).
To compare people or things, English add –er to the adjective :

E.g.: She is smaller than you. Elle est plus petite que toi
With longer adjectives English uses more/less… than … :

E.g.: She is more intelligent than you. Elle est plus intelligente que toi.
3.2. Making comparisons in French
In French, as you can observe from the examples ahead, just put an adverb (plus, moins, aussi) in front
of the adjective.
plus…………. que…... (more ….than),
moins ……….que……. (less …..than),
aussi ………. .que ……(as…….. as…).
Georges est : Max est :

plus grand que Max moins grand que
Georges
plus gros que Max moins gros que
Georges
aussi fort que Max aussi laid que Georges
While in English comparisons can be made using adjective+er or more + adjective, the first option
(adjective+er) is impossible in French.
Cet enfant est plus grand que l’autre. This child is taller than the other one.
Ton livre est plus intéressant que mon livre. Your book is more interesting than my book.
Ils sont plus contents que moi. They’re happier than I am
Stressed pronouns are used after que when a pronoun is required.

E.g. : Elle est plus grande que lui. She is taller than he is

The comparative adverb itself is invariable, but, as always, the adjective has to agree with its noun in
gender and number when you are using être (to be). Some more examples. Please pay attention to the
agreement of the adjective
Les baskets sont plus légères que les chaussures .

Ces tee-shirts sont plus chers que la chemise.
Note: Like in English, the adjectives bon and mauvais have special comparative forms:
Ce plat est meilleur que l’autre. This dish is better than the other one.
Ton accent est pire que le mien. Your accent is worse than mine.
Online resources : [ Video lesson 1] [ Video 2 ] [ Bon mauvais ]
3.3. Superlatives (the most, the best, the worst)
To form the superlative form of an adjective, use the appropriate definite article with the comparative
form of the adjective.
Jeanne Sylvie Laurence

Jeanne est frisée*. Sylvie est plus frisée que Jeanne. Laure est la plus frisée des trois.
*frisé, frisée, adj. curly
Superlative adjective normally follows the nouns they modify, and the definite article is repeated.
E.g.: Laurence est la fille la plus frisée des trois.
Adjective that usually precede the nouns they modify can either precede or follow the noun in the
superlative construction.
If the adjective follows the noun, the definite article must be repeated.
La plus grande voiture. Or . La voiture la plus grande.
The preposition de expresses in or of in the superlative construction

Ils ont acheté la voiture la plus chère du magasin.
The adjective bon(ne) has irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Mauvais has both regular and irregular forms.
comparative Superlative
bon(ne) meilleur(es) le meilleur / la meilleure / les meilleur(e)s
mauvais(e) plus mauvais(es) le plus mauvais / la plus mauvaise’ les plus mauvais(e)s
pire(s) le pire / la pire / les pires
Online resources :[ Superlatifs ] [ Le meilleur et le pire ]

3.4. Demounstratives adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces/ this, that, these, those)
Regarde ce sac ! Et ces chaussures !

Il est beau ! J’adore !
Et cette jupe !
Elle est chouette !
Et cet ensemble !
Trop cool !
Et cette écharpe !
Super !
Demonstrative adjectives are used like articles. They mean ‘this, that, these, those”.
singulier pluriel
masculin ce pantalon pantalons
cet ensemble (cet + voyelle) ensembles
cet hôtel (cet + h…) ces hôtels
féminin cette jupe jupes
écharpe écharpes
Online resources : [ Demonstratifs 1 ] [ Demonstratifs 2 ] [ Demonstratifs 3 ]
4. Culture : Offering a gift in France
Congratulations! A French person has invited you to their home for dinner. That’s a rare honor and you
should be thrilled. But now you wonder, should I bring a gift with me? What should it be? You definitely
don’t want to spoil the moment by making a faux pas.
In France, the big three gifts to bring to a dinner are chocolates, flowers and a bottle of something.
Let’s look at each.
Chocolates
It’s hard to go wrong with this one. As long as you bring along a box of high-quality chocolates,
preferably from a good chocolatier, you’ll be fine. Chocolates are such a popular gift that when you go to
a French dinner party you’ll often see a stack of them near the front door.
Flowers
Again, this is usually a safe choice. But France has some do’s and don’ts when it comes to flowers (mostly
don’ts) that you should be aware of.

Don’t bring chrysanthemums: they’re for funerals.

Don’t bring a bouquet of red carnations: that means you don’t like the host.
Don’t bring an all-white bouquet: they’re just for weddings.
Don’t bring an all-yellow bouquet: that means unfaithfulness.
Don’t bring red roses (unless you’re in love with the host).
Do bring an odd-number of flowers (except 13, which is bad luck.) For some reason, bringing an even
numbers of flowers is bad.
Do arrive on the early side if you’re going to a big dinner party. You don’t want to make the host hunt for a
vase at the same time everyone else is arriving.
A nice bottle
Bringing alcohol can be tricky. Liqueurs are great, like a bottle of cognac or calvados. The same is true of
Champagne (real Champagne, from Champagne), which is always a welcome gift. But bringing wine
depends on the host and how well you know them.
In the US, a host will often open a bottle brought by a guest, but this rarely happens in France. No, the
host has already selected their wines based on what will go best with the food they’ll be serving. So if you
bring a bottle of wine, the host will typically thank you and then put it in their cave to drink another time.
Les étrennes
In France, holiday gifts are called “les étrennes.” Traditionally, the word refers to gifts given to private and
public workers (and sometimes small children) in the New Year. In recent years, however, we start handing
out these tokens of appreciation in December. But to whom shall you offer these ones ?
School Teachers: You’re under absolutely no obligation to give a present. If your kids insist, a box of
chocolates or a thoughtful card will be appreciated. But talk to other parents at your kids’ school – we’ve
heard of some teachers receiving things like scarves and bottles of wine for the holidays. If gift giving is a
tradition at your particular school, you may feel compelled to fall in line. But generally in France, teachers
aren’t given gifts for the December holidays.
Extra-curricular teachers/coaches: It’s thoughtful, though not necessary, to offer a little something to
your kids’ soccer coach, ballet teacher or private tutors. If the teacher has produced a December recital,
concert or performance, you may want to present the teacher with flowers, a handwritten note or card, or
another small gift at that time.
The concierge or gardien(ne): These are the people who work for your apartment building. They may
collect your mail, screen your visitors, or keep the building clean – or do special things for your like water
your plants while you’re away, or keep an extra key to your apartment. When it comes to your concierge
and gardien, gifts get a little more pricey.
House cleaners: If you feel close to her or know her tastes, a gift of flowers, chocolates, or a scarf – in
addition to cash – is also acceptable. The same works for babysitters (nounous) too.
Garbage collectors and the local firefighters. Be aware that the French usually tip public workers for
their service. The tip must always be in cash, and placed in an envelope. If you’re going to be away for the
holidays, give the gift before you leave. Usually, the firefighters will give you a calendar in exchange.
Your postal delivery person: Give €5 to €25 in exchange for the calendar they’ll inevitably offer. You’re
free to buy it or not, but service may improve if you’re generous.
Source : https://www.frenchasyoulikeit.com/french-gift-giving-etiquette-les-etrennes/
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U3, L2
Choosing clothes & Giving an opinion
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Les vêtements
1.2. Les motifs, les couleurs et les matières

COULEUR, N.F. COLOUR MATIÈRE, N.F. MATERIALS

blanc, adj. white argent, n.m. silver
blanche (f.) coton, n.m. cotton
bleu, adj. blue cuir, n.m. leather
jaune, adj. yellow laine, n.f. wool
gris, adj. grey métal, n.m. metal
marron, adj. brown
or, n.m. gold
noir, adj. black
soie, n.f. silk
orange, adj. orange
velours, n.m. velvet
rose, adj. pink
plastique, n.m. plastic
rouge, adj. red
synthétique, n.m. synthetic
vert, adj. green
nylon, n.m. nylon
violet, adj. purple
violette, (f.)
1.3. Les formes et les styles
FORME, N.F. SHAPES STYLE, N.M. STYLE

large, adj. large LOOK, N.M. LOOK
étroit, adj. narrow chic, adj. smart
long, adj. long classique, adj. classical
longue (f.) décontracté, adj. casual
haut, adj. high/tall ethnique, adj. ethnic
bas, adj. low habillé, adj. dressed
basse (f.)
court, adj. short
1.4. Autres vêtements et accessoires
VÊTEMENT, N.M. CLOTHE soutien-gorge, n.m. bra

blouson, n.m. loose jacket tailleur, n.m. lady suit
chemisier, n.m. blouse talon, n.m. heel
costume, n.m. men suit tong, n.f. flipflop
cravate, n.f. tie ACCESSOIRE, N.M. ACCESSORY
culotte, n.f. panties (f.) bijou, n.m. jewel
foulard, n.m. scarf bracelet, n.m. bracelet
impermeable, n.m. raincoat boucle d’oreille, n.m. earring
nœud papillon, n.m. a bow tie broche, n.m. brooch
sandale, n.f. sandal collier, n.m. necklace
slip, n.m. panties (m.)
Online resources : [ Video 1 ] [ Vêtements et chaussures ] [ Accessoires ] [ Motifs et matières ]
à l'aise, loc. at ease

apprécier, v. to appreciate
aller bien, to fit well
biographique, adj. biographic

essayer, v. to try (on) taille, n.f. waist

être à l'aise, exp. to be at ease taille, n.f. clothing size
falloir, v. to need to aide, n. f. help
gros, grosse, adj big, fat aider, v. to help
habillé, adj. dressed bouclé, adj. curly
il faut, exp. it is necessary to gros, grosse, adj. fat
ne… pas assez not enough marinière, n.f. striped jersey
parfait, adj. perfect marque, n.f. brand name
se sentir à l'aise,v. to feel at ease mec, n.m. guy (slang)
soirée habillée, n.f. dressed evening tenue
taille, n.f. height vestimentaire, n.f. clothing
Ce vêtement te va bien ! This clothe fits you well

Qu’est-ce que tu mets ? What do you wear ? are you wearing ?
Qu’est-ce qu’il porte ? What is he wearing ? does he wear ?
Je porte une jupe violette et un chemisier. I wear a purple dress and a blouse.
Je mets une veste courte et des chaussures noires. I m putting on a short jacket and black shoes.
Il faut mettre des bijoux. You have to put on jewels.
La chemise blanche va bien avec le pantalon noir. The white shirt fits well with the black pants.
La robe longue ne va pas avec ce collier. The long dress doesn’t fit with this necklace.
Tu dois porter une robe à fleurs. You must wear a flowery dress.
4. Grammar
4.1. Position and agreements of adjectives
Adjectives are describing words. They are either masculine or feminine, singular or plural. They agree
in gender and number with the noun they describe
You are describing : Singular Plural

a male person un étudiant singapourien des étudiants singapouriens
a male animal un chien noir des chiens noirs
an object (masculine) un stylo bleu des stylos bleus
a female person une étudiante française des étudiantes françaises
a female animal une chienne noire des chiennes noires
an object (feminine) une voiture japonaise des voitures japonaises
While all adjectives in English comes before the noun they describe, almost all French adjectives go
after the noun they describe. Only a handful of adjectives come before the noun.
You can remember them with the acronyms : BANGS

B = Beauty (beau - beautiful, joli - pretty)

A = Age (jeune – young, nouveau – new, vieux – old)
N = Numbers (1, 2, 3, etc… but also premier, deuxième, troisième, etc.)
G = Goodness (bon – good, mauvais – bad)
S = Size (grand – big, petit – small, short, long – long, gros – big/ huge/fat)
Some of the adjectives placed before the noun are following other rules for making the feminine or the
plural.
ending Masculin féminin

- er Premier/dernier (last) Première/dernière
- eau Nouveau/ beau Nouvelle/ belle
- on Bon/ mignon (cute) / Bonne / mignonne
+ exceptions Vieux (old)  Vieille
Long (long)  Longue
Gros (fat, big)  Grosse
Blanc (white)  Blanche
Voilet (purple)  Violette
ending Masculin Masculin pluriel
- s or - x Un vieux monument français Des vieux monuments français
- eau Un beau monument Des beaux monuments
Examples with adjectives placed before and after the noun they describe.
C’est un bon restaurant japonais.

C’est une belle ville très intéressante.
J’ai un grand frère insupportable.
C’est un mauvais exemple.
J’ai une nouvelle voiture bleue.
J’ai une petite soeur très amusante.
Online resources : [ BANGS 1 ] [ BANGS 2 ]
4.2. Devoir or il faut ?
Il faut is the third person singular of the verb falloir.

It an impersonal form of the verb, it only exists in this form as in il pleut (it is raining).
It expresses a requirement, a necessity, an obligation in an affirmative statement.
Pour écrire, il faut un stylo. (il faut + nom)

Pour progresser en français, il faut travailler. (il faut + verbe à l’infinitif)

Il faut expresses an interdiction in a negative statement.

Il ne faut pas sortir. = = On ne peut pas pas sortir. Il est interdit de sortir.
Devoir + infinitive, expresses an obligation, a duty.

Pour apprendre le français, on doit avoir un bon dictionnaire.
= On ne doit pas, nous ne devons pas, vous ne devez pas sortir.
Online resources : [ Devoir Falloir 1 ] [ Devoir Falloir 2 ] [ Devoir Falloir 3 ]
4.3. Beaucoup, trop, assez
Très + ADJECTIVE J’ai travaillé 14 h. Je suis très fatigué.

I worked 14 hours. I am very tired.
Trop + ADJECTIVE Je suis trop fatigué pour continuer.

I am too tired to go on.
Ne + VERBE + pas assez Je n’aime pas ce pull-over, il n’est pas assez chaud
I don’t like this pullover, it is not hot enough
Trop de / ne.. pas assez + nom
trop de + NOUN Il y a trop de monde dans ce restaurant.

There are too many people in this restaurant.
ne … pas assez de Il n’y a pas assez de place.

There is not enough room.
5. Culture : Dress codes in France
For restaurants and bars.

For most restaurants and bars, the dress code is dressed-up casual. So, if you do decide to go with a
cocktail dress, the norm is for it to be accompanied by tights and a sweater/light jacket. This isn’t because
Parisians are against showing skin; it’s just not typical for this type of setting. People would just give you
some funny looks (wondering how cold you must be). More common, though, would be to wear a casual
dress (with tights, of course) or rip-free denim jeans with a nice top. Boots and heels are often worn, but it
also isn’t unusual to spot women wearing sneakers on their nights out. As a general rule of thumb, clothing
that has holes or is extremely oversized can be frowned upon at a lot of places. And baseball caps/ hats
are almost always a no (unless you go to a sports bar…maybe).
For clubs/high-end outings

If you’re headed somewhere to tear up the dance floor or indulge in some fancy food and refreshments,
the dress code will likely be stricter. Jeans (besides dark or black-wash) are usually safest to avoid. I’d
recommend a skirt, tights, and a nice blouse—paired with either boots or heels. If you're ever unsure of
what would be allowed, opt for semi-formal attire: a dress or skirt (always with tights) or slacks. In case of
super dress-code confusion--which can certainly happen--don't hesitate to call the venue before-hand.
They're not exactly known for being more understanding towards tourists, and better to be safe than sorry!


Tendance 1, U6, L3
Choosing clothes & Giving an opinion
1. Vocabulary
Je pense que… I think that…

Je trouve que… I think that.. I find that…
Je crois que… I think that…
A mon avis, In my opinion…
Selon moi, … According to me…
3. Grammar
3.1. Verbs ending with -YER
In the present tense, verbs that end in -yer, such as payer (to pay), ennuyer (to bore/irritate) or envoyer
(to send) are conjugated like regular first group verb (ending in -er). The exception to note is that the y
becomes an i in the je, tu, il/elle and ils/elles forms.
essayer (to try/ try on) envoyer (to send) ennuyer (to bother)
j’ essaie j’ envoie j’ ennuie

tu essaies tu envoies tu ennuies
il essaie il envoie il ennuie
nous essayons nous envoyons nous ennuyons
vous essayez vous envoyez vous ennuyez
ils essaient ils envoient ils ennuient
passé composé passé composé passé composé
j’ai essayé j’ai envoyé J’ai ennuyé
Online resources : [ Essayer ] [ Envoyer ] [ Ennuyer ]
3.2. Direct object pronouns
3.2.1. What is a COD or DO (Direct object in English) ?
A direct object answers the question « what ? » (for things) or « whom ? » (for people) after the verb.
Exemple: Je connais Aldo. Question: Je connais qui ?

Réponse: - Aldo ( Aldo is a COD)

Je connais sa maison Question: Je vois quoi ?

Réponse: - Sa maison (Sa maison is a COD)
The pronom COD is used to avoid repeating the COD.
Exemple : Tu connais Aldo ? (Aldo = COD)

– Oui, je le connais. (le = pronom COD)
Tu vois sa maison ? (Sa maison = COD)

– Oui, je la connais. (la = pronom COD)
3.2.2. Table of the pronom COD
Pronoms Pronoms OD
Exemples
sujets COD pronouns
The person who is talking je me / m’ me Il m’aime
The person one is talking to tu te / t’ you Il t’aime
The person one is talking about Masc.
il le / l’ him/ it Il l’aime
Fem. elle la / l’ her/it Elle l’aime
The persons who are talking* on*
nous us Il nous aime
nous
The persons one is talking to * vous vous* you Il vous aime
The persons one is talking Masc.
ils
about les them Il les aime
Fem. elles
* In the case where “on” means “les gens” or “quelqu’un”, it is referring to the person we are talking about.
* vous can refer to one or several persons.
* le, la, l’, les, can refer to persons or things.
3.2.3. Where to place the pronoms COD ?
In French, pronouns generally precede the verb, whereas in English they follow it.
« Est-ce que tu connais bien Marie ? » - Oui, je la connais bien.

« Tu vas lire ce livre ? » - Non, je ne vais pas le lire.
In passé composé, it is placed before the helping verb, AVOIR ou ETRE.
« Tu as vu André aujourd’hui ? »
- Oui, je l’ai vu.
The negation is bracketting the group {pronom + verb} :

Present tense
Subject Neg 1 Pron Verb Neg 2
Il/ Marc ne m’ aime pas

Past tense
Subject Neg 1 Pron Verb 1 (avoir/être) Neg 2 Past participle
Il/ Marc ne m’ a pas aimé
Online resources : [ COD 1 ] [ COD 2 ]
4. Culture : A history of French fashion
Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior… the list could go on forever. These are just a handful of the designers who
have helped to establish France’s reputation as a world leader in all things fashion. Stylistically and
technically innovative, the French fashion industry dates back as far as the 17th century and, despite
occasional blips, its reputation endures.
It is fair to say that the French owe their chic style to Louis XIV, the ‘Sun King’, who reigned from 1643-
1715. Louis had decidedly lavish taste, a clear example being the opulent Palace of Versailles. The
monarch was renowned for his exquisite attire, and introduced the textile trade to France. He placed it
under the control of the royal court, and soon it became the international authority on style. For centuries,
France would be the place to go to find the highest-quality materials.
In the 19th century, France reaffirmed its love of fashion with the development of haute couture – fitting
clothing to a particular client – and the opening of the great courtier houses. Englishman Charles Frederick
Worth was the first to open a store, on Rue de la Paix in Paris, followed by Jacques Doucet, Paul Poiret
and Madeleine Vionnet, among others.
The most famous of the fashion houses established in Paris in the early 20th century was that of Coco
Chanel. The Saumur-born designer shunned uncomfortable garments such as the corset – which forced
a woman’d upper body to match a particular shape. Chanel instead introduced looser, free-flowing designs,
which proved immensely popular during the 1920s.
France’s fashion industry suffered considerably during World War II, when Chanel and other designers
closed their stores during the German occupation. One country hoping to profit from this gap in the market
was he USA, which aimed to strengthen its own industry by shifting media attention to American designers
such as Claire McCardell.
After years of rationing and subsequent textile shortages, high fashion experienced a revival thanks largely
to the work of Christian Dior, who became an iconic figure in post-war women’s fashion with his ‘new look’.
Characterised by a nipped in waist and A-line skirt that reached the mid-calf, Dior’s pioneering style
transformed the female silhouette, but initially drew a lot of criticism due to the amount of fabric needed to
produce his garments. Dior had the last word, declaring that “Europe has had enough of bombs, now it
wants to see some fireworks.”
These words helped to fuel post-war optimism, and resulted in Dior being inundated with orders.
The French fashion world faced perhaps its biggest threat in the 1960s with the rise of youth culture in
‘swinging London’. British designer Mary Quant led the way, eschewing the formal Parisian garments for
more audacious designs. These included extremely short mini-skirts which were adored by younger
generations as a symbol of female emancipation and sexual liberation.

However, in the late 1960s it was the work of a young Yves Saint Laurent which would help Paris to reclaim
its fashion crown. Importantly, Saint Laurent introduced a number of men’s jackets into the female
wardrobe – namely ‘le smoking’ – and was the first couturier to produce a ready-to-wear collection. Today
almost all of the original couture houses produce ready-to-wear lines that enjoy much greater press
coverage than couture collection and are, ultimately, much more profitable, arguably contributing to high
fashion’s longevity.
(Back to Index)


Tendance 1, U6, L2&4
Buying a present & paying for it
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Purchasing items
achat, n. m. purchase liquide, n.m. cash

acheter, v. to buy, purchase livrer, v. to deliver
addition, n.f. bill mode de payment, n.m. payment mode
argent, n.m. money monnaie, n.f. change
carte bancaire, n.f. bank card occasion, n.f. occasion, opportunity
billet, n.m. Bank note opération d'achat en
chèque, n.m. cheque ligne, n.f. online purchase
chèquier, n.m. cheque book panier, n.m. basket
code de la carte, n.m. pin nb of the card passer commande, exp. to place an order
code, n.m. code payer, v. to pay
code secret, n.m. secret pin nb pièce, n.f. coin
commander, v. to order produit, n.m. product
compte, n.m. account retirer, v. Withdraw (money)
coûter, v. to cost se connecter à, v. to connect to
délai, n.m. deadline site de vente en ligne,
n.m. online site
distributeur, n.m. ATM
soldes, n. f. pl. sales
espèces, n.f.pl. cash
taper, v. to type
expiration, n.f. expiry
titulaire, n.m. owner
faire un achat to purchase
valider, v. to validate
en ligne, exp. online
vendre, v. to sell
ligne, n.f. line
verification, n.f. verification
1.2. Other textbook vocabulary
acteur, n.m. actor magazine, n. m. magazine

actrice, n.f. actress neuf, neuve, adj. new
auteur, n.m. author (m) papeterie, n.f. stationary shop
bande, n.f. soundtrack papier, n.m. paper
chercher (aller), v. to fetch, look for satisfait, adj. satisfied
enquête de satisfaction, n.f. feedback survey stylo, n.m. pen
enquête, n.f. investigation téléviseur, n.m. television set

Combien (est-ce que) ça coûte ? How much /does it cost/ is it?

Combien ça fait ? How much does it make?
Ca coûte 100 euros. It cost 100 euros.
Combien (est-ce que) les livres coûtent ? How much does the books (le livre) cost?
Le livres coutent 30 dollars singapouriens. The books cost 30 sgd.
Je paie en espèces/ par chèque/ par carte. I pay cash/ by cheque/ by card.
Comment (est-ce que) vous payez ? How do you pay ? (formal?) (use est-ce que)
C’est cher ! It’s expensive!
Ce n’est pas cher ! C’est bon marché. It’s cheap! It s a good deal.
C’est gratuit. It’s free.
C’est en soldes/ en promotion. It’s on sales.
Je voudrais acheter trois croissants, I would like to buy 3 croissants.
Est-ce que je pourrais avoir trois croissants ? May I have 3 croissants?
Je donne un pourboire. I give/ am giving a tip.
Je vous rends la monnaie. I give you the change back.
Je paie l’addition. I pay the bill.
Tapez votre code bancaire, s’il vous plaît. Please type you card pin code.
Je vous fais un chèque de 29 euros. I’llwrite you a cheque for 29 euros.
J’ai retiré 200 euros du distributeur. I withdrew 200 euros from the ATM.
Desolé, nous n’acceptons pas les chèques. Sorry, we don’t take cheques.
Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas de monnaie. Sorry, I don’t have change.
3. Grammar
3.1. Verbs ending with – E_ER
Acheter ("to buy") is a very common French stem-changing verb. It is a verb that has two different stems
but is conjugated with the same endings as regular -er verbs. For the present tense of verbs that end in -
e_er ( _ indicates one or more consonants), the stem change consists of changing the e before that
consonant to è in all forms but nous and vous.
See this happen in the table below. Stem changes are not limited to the present tense; they occur across
several French tenses and moods
promener (to walk ) acheter (to purchase) geler (to freeze)
Je promène J’ achète je gèle

tu promènes tu achètes tu gèles
il promène il achète il gèle
nous promenons nous achetons nous gelons
vous promenez vous achetez vous gelez
ils promènent ils achètent ils gèlent
j’ai promené j’ai acheté j’ai gelé
Online resources : [ Acheter ] [ Promener ] [ Geler ] [ Lever ] [ Mener ]

3.2. Forming inverted questions (l’inversion)
3.2.1. Making open and close questions in standard French
Close question: A close question is a question you can only answer by yes or no. No question word is
required. You have already learn how to make close question in lessons 1 and 2.
Pattern 1: Give a questioning tone to the statement (raise the intonation):

Subject / Verb / (...) ?
Tu / es / professeur ? You are a teacher? (Are you a teracher)
Pattern 2: Leave the sentence as it is and put est-ce que at the beginning:
Est-ce que / Subject / Verb / (...) ?
Est-ce que / vous / apprenez / le français? Do you learn French language?
Open question: An open question is a question you cannot answer by yes or no. You need question
words. You already know how to make an open question since Lesson 3.
Below are the question words you know so far:
how much ?
what ? when ? where ? who ? how ?
how many … ?
quel ? quand ? où ? qui ? comment ? combien ?
 Pattern 1 : Subject / Verb / Question word / ... ?

Vous / habitez / où ? Where do you live?
 Pattern 2: Question word / est-ce que / Subject / Verb / ... ?

Où / est-ce que / vous / habitez ? Where do you live?
Online resources : [ Est-ce que 1 ] [ Est-ce que 2 ] [ Est-ce que 3 ]
3.2.2. Making open and close questions with inversion
The normal word order in French and English is : subject + verb + complements, as in Vous êtes… – you
are…. Both languages also have what is known as inversion, where the verb and subject pronoun switch
places, resulting in êtes-vous… ? – are you…?. In English, inversion is used only to ask questions. In
French, inverted questions are of the highest standard form of speech to ask a question.
Particularities of French Inversion

In French, a hyphen is required between the inverted verb-subject:
vous savez savez-vous
il est est-il ?
When a verb ending in a vowel precedes il, elle, or on, t- must be added for euphony:
il a a-t-il
elle parle parle-t-elle
on écoute écoute-t-on
Inversion with je is possible, though rare and subject to certain conditions:

j’ai ai-je

je parle parlé-je
Online resources : [ INV 1 ] [ INV 2 ] [ INV 3 ]
3.3. Combien and Combien de
1. How much, how many + nothing
How much do you want? Combien voulez-vous ?

How much it is? Combien ça coûte ?
How many? Combien ?
How many are they? Combien sont-ils ?
2. How much, how many + noun = combien de/d’ (before vowels or h)
How much time? Combien de temps ?

How much money? Combien d‘argent ?
How many times? Combien de fois ?
How many chairs do you want? Combien de chaises voulez-vous ?
Online resources : [ Combien 1 ] [ Combien 2 ] [ Combien 3 ]
4. Culture : What’s the French lifestyle like ?
Consumer buying behavior in France is centered

around discount shopping, remote pickup locations,
and cross-border purchases
Source : https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/selling-to-france/


Tendance 1, U7, L1
Starting a conversation
1. Vocabulary
1.1. Professions
masculine feminine English
étudiant étudiante student

ingénieur ingénieure engineer
professeur professeure Teacher/ professor
employ é employée employee
artist e artiste artist

pilot e pilote pilot
journalist e journaliste journalist
fonctionnair e fonctionnaire civil servant
coiff eur* coiffeuse hair dresser

chanteur* chanteuse singer
ac teur actrice actor

édi teur éditrice editor
direc teur directrice director
boulang er boulangère baker

caissi er caissière cashier
ouvri ier ouvrière factory worker
sport if sportive sportsman / sportswoman
patr on patronne boss

musici en musicienne musician
informatici en informaticienne IT engineer
médecin médecin doctor

chef cheffe chef / chief / boss
père de famille mère de famille father / mother
* Note: the nouns of professions that change from –eur to –euse are usually nouns derived from a verb,
for example: chanter (to sing)  un chanteur (a singer)
Online resources : [ PROF 1 ] [ PROF 2 ] [ PROF 3 ]

absent, adj. absent intéressant, adj. interesting

chef, n.m. head, manager (m) interroger, v. to question
cheffe, n.f. head, manager (f) marquis, n.m. marquess
collègue, n.f. colleague marquise, n.f. marchioness
collègue, n.m. colleague parler de, v. to talk about
coupe de champagne, n.f. champagne cup poli, polie, adj. polite
croire, v. to believe
retraite, n.f. retirement
engager la to start conversation
conversation, exp. symphonie, n.f. symphony
époque, n.f. era, age tasse, n.f. cup
exposition, n.f. exhibition vivre, v. to live
impoli, adj. impolite
2. Grammar
2.1. Feminine forms of nouns and adjectives
Adjectives describe a noun and all French adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number.
The general rule is that for feminine nouns, add -e, for masculine plural nouns, add -s, and for feminine
plural nouns, add -es.
Examples :
Example 1 Example 2
masculin Un petit ami Un étudiant intelligent
masculin pluriel Des petits amis Des étudiants intelligents
féminin Une petite amie Une étudiante intelligente
féminin pluriel Des petites amies Des étudiantes intelligentes
Particulars cases
ending Masculin féminin

- e belge, suisse, confortable belge, suisse, confortable
- ien/-een italien/coréen italienne/ coréenne
- er premier/dernier première/dernière
- el nouvel/ exceptionnel nouvelle/ exceptionnelle
- eux heureux heureuse
- on bon/ mignon/ bonne / mignonne
- f actif, neuf active / neuve
+ exceptions vieux, nouveau, beau, gros, long  longue, blanc blanche

2.2. Plural forms of nouns and adjectives
GENERAL RULE : adjective in masculine or feminine + S
Example 1: un joli garçon  des jolis garçons

Example 2 : une jolie fille  des jolies filles
Particulars cases
ending Masculin Masculin pluriel

- s Un étudiant français Des etudiants français
FEMININ PLURIEL Des etudiantes françaises
- x Un étudiant heureux Des etudiants heureux
FEMININ PLURIEL Des etudiantes heureuses
- al Un étudiant normal Des étudiants normaux
FEMININ PLURIEL Des etudiantes normales
-eau Un beau Russe Des beaux Russes
FEMININ PLURIEL  Des belles Russes
Online resources : [ FEM 1 ] [ FEM 2 ] [ FEM 3 ]
3. Culture : Small talks in France
Small talk usually takes place at the beginning of a conversation with a stranger you have just met, after
introducing yourselves and finding out where each of you comes from. Small talk allows you to remain
vague, if you so desire, and exchange simple questions and answers. Of course, it can lead to a more
serious conversation, but small talk generally deals with innocuous subjects such as the weather, family,
or work. In other words, it is a wonderful way to acquaint yourself with someone else and allows you, as
you are sitting in your airplane seat, for example, to decide whether you want to pursue the conversation
with the stranger next to you or go back to the great book you were reading.
Some topics which are considered normal or common in other cultures can be considered as taboo in
France. For example, other nationalities would find it acceptable to ask people they just met questions like
if they’re married, what they do for a living, if they have kids---or in some cases, how much they make in
a year. In France, that is never a topic for small talk.
Instead, focus on innocuous topics like the weather (of course!), current events (“avez-vous lu à propos
de..?” Have you read about…?), and cultural topics like food, movies, art, music, and so on.
And remember to use vous instead of tu!
(Back to Index)

Verb tables
1. Auxiliary verbs – les verbes auxiliaires
“avoir, être, aller, faire”
1 2 3 4 Listen to the
conjugation
avoir (to have) être (to be) aller (to go) faire (to do)
in one click !
j’ ai je suis je vais je fais 1. avoir

tu as tu es tu vas tu fais
il a il est il va il fait 2. être
nous avons nous sommes nous allons nous faisons
vous avez vous êtes vous allez vous faites 3. aller
ils ont ils sont ils vont ils font
4. faire
2. - ER verbs : First verb group – les verbes du premier groupe
All verbs ending with -ER have the same form as “regarder” (5) with the exception of “aller” (3).
90% of French verbs are regular and are conjugated like “regarder”. (video lesson)
-ER verbs endings : (je) -e, (tu) -es, (il, elle, on) -e, (nous) -ons, (vous) -ez, (ils, elles) -ent.
5 6 7a
All –ER verbs other – ER verbs - GER verbs Listen to the

small variations for only variation of the Examples : conjugation
verbs finishing with : accent for : - bouger (to move) in one click !
- GER (7a), -CER (7b) - changer (to change)
- YER (8), - lever (to raise) - juger (to judge) 5. parler
- ELER (9), - acheter (to purchase) - mélanger (to mix)
- ETER (9) - amener (to bring/take) - partager (to share) 6. lever
- and other verbs (5) - emmener (to take) - rédiger (to write)
- 7a. manger
regarder (to look) lever (to raise) manger (to eat)
je regarde je lève je mange

tu regardes tu lèves tu manges
il regarde il lève il mange
nous regardons nous levons nous mangeons
vous regardez vous levez vous mangez
ils regardent ils lèvent ils mangent

j’ai regardé j'ai levé j’ai mangé

8 9 7b
- YER verbs - ELER and - CER verbs
–ETER verbs
Examples : Examples:
- payer (to pay) Examples : - lancer (to launch)
- envoyer (to send) - épeler (to spell) - rincer (to rince)
- essuyer (to wipe out) - jeter (to throw away) - pincer (to pinch) Listen to the
- appuyer (to press) - rappeler (to call back) conjugation
in one click !
payer (to pay) appeler (to call) commencer (to start) 7b.
commencer
je paie J’ appelle je commence
tu paies tu appelles tu commences 8. payer
il paie il appelle il commence
nous payons nous appelons nous commençons 9. appeler
vous payez vous appelez vous commencez
ils paient ils appellent ils commencent 9. jeter

j’ai payé j’ai appelé j’ai commencé
2.- IR verbs : Second verb group – les verbes du deuxième groupe
All regular vebs finishing with “-IR” are usually created from adjectives (gros → grossir) or nouns (la Lune
 alunir). They have the same form as “finir” (table 10). However other verbs ending with -IR follow other
patterns and actually belong to the third group of verbs. See tables 11-18.
-IR verbs endings : (je) -s, (tu) -s, (il, elle, on) -t, (nous) -ons, (vous) -ez, (ils, elles) -ent.
(except tables 15-16 where the verbs endings are identical to -ER verbs endings)
10 11 12
Listen to the
finir (to finish) venir (to come) partir (to leave) conjugation
in one click !
je finis je viens Je pars
tu finis tu viens tu pars 10. finir
il finit il vient il part
nous finissons nous venons nous partons 11. venir
vous finissez vous venez vous partez
ils finissent ils viennent ils partent 12. partir
12.13. servir
j’ai fini je suis venu (e) je suis parti (e) 12.14. dormir
A few examples All verbs ending with: All verbs ending with:
- choisir (to choose) -ENIR 12.33. mettre
- grandir (to grow up) - TIR (sortir – to go out)
- guérir (to cure) - devenir (to become) - VIR (servir – 13)
- maigrir (to slim down) - revenir (to come back) - MIR (dormir – 14)

- réfléchir (to think) - tenir (to hold) -TRE (mettre – 33)

- réunir (to meet) - contenir (to contain) - VRE (suivre - 41 )
- réussir (to succeed)
13 14 15
servir (to serve) dormir (to sleep) ouvrir (to open)
je sers je dors j’ ouvre Listen to the

tu sers tu dors tu ouvres conjugation
il sert il dort il ouvre in one click !
nous servons nous dormons nous ouvrons
vous servez vous dormez vous ouvrez 13.12. servir
ils servent ils dorment ils ouvrent
14.12. dormir
15. ouvrir
j’ai servi j'ai dormi j’ai couvert
All verbs ending with: Other verbs All verbs ending with: 16. offrir
- TIR (sortir – to go out) - s’endormir (to fall asleep) - VRIR ( 17. mourir
- VIR (servir – 12) - couvrir (to cover)
- MIR (dormir – 13) All verbs ending with: - découvrir (to discover) 18. courir
-TRE (mettre – 33) - FRIR (offrir – 15)
- VRE (suivre - 41) - TIR (sortir – to go out)
- VIR (servir – 13) have -ER verbs endings
- MIR (dormir – 14) :-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez,
-TRE (mettre – 33) ent
- VRE (suivre - 41)
3.- R/RE verbs : third verb group – les verbes du troisième groupe
3.1. - DRE verbs
Hint : With verbs finishing with -endre (attendre, vendre), -andre (répandre : to spread), -ondre
(répondre : to answer), tables 18 and 19, the endings are –s, -s, - (nothing), -ons, -ez, -ent
19 20
vendre (to sell) prendre (to take)
Listen to the
conjugation
je vends je prends in one click !
tu vends tu prends
il vend il prend 19. entendre
nous vendons nous prenons
vous vendez vous prenez 19. répondre
ils vendent ils prennent
20. prendre
passé composé passé composé

j’ai vendu j'ai pris
All verbs ending with: Verbs

- ANDRE from the same family
- ONDRE
- ENDRE - apprendre (to learn)
- comprendre
Examples (to understand)
- attendre (to wait for) - surprendre
- défendre (to defend) (to surprise)
- descendre (to go down)
- entendre (to hear)
- perdre (to lose)
- rendre (to give back)
- répondre (to answer)
3.2. - OIR verbs
Vouloir, pouvoir and valoir have special endings ( -x, -x) and the same stem vowel (eu).
22 23 24
Listen to the
devoir (to have to) pouvoir (to be able to) voir (to see) conjugation
in one click !
je dois je peux je vois
tu dois tu peux tu vois 22. devoir
il doit il peut il voit
nous devons nous pouvons nous voyons 23. pouvoir
vous devez vous pouvez vous voyez
ils doivent ils peuvent ils voient 24. voir

j’ai dû j'ai pu j'ai vu
Other verbs vouloir (25) and pouvoir Examples

- décevoir (to follow the same - revoir (to see again)
disappoint) irregularities. - croire follow the same
- recevoir (to receive) irregularities. (30)
25 26 27
vouloir (to want to) savoir (to know + verb) pleuvoir (to rain)
je veux je sais Listen to the

tu veux tu sais conjugation
il veut il sait il pleut in one click !
nous voulons nous savons
vous voulez vous savez 25. vouloir
ils veulent ils savent
26. savoir
Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 27. pleuvoir 96
28. valoir

j’ai voulu j'ai su il a plu
3.3. -OIRE verbs
31
boire (to drink)
Listen to the
je bois conjugation
tu bois in one click !
il boit
nous buvons 31. boire
vous buvez
ils boivent
passé composé
j'ai bu
3.4. -TRE verbs
32 33
connaître
mettre (to put - on)
(to know + a noun…)
je connais je mets
tu connais tu mets
il connaît il met
nous connaissons nous mettons
vous connaissez vous mettez Listen to the
ils connaissent ils mettent conjugation
in one click !
passé composé passé composé
32. connaître
j’ai connu j'ai mis
All verbs ending with All verbs ending with 33. mettre
- AITRE - TRE
Other examples Other examples

- disparaître : to - permettre : to allow
disappear - promettre :
- naître : to be born to promise
- reconnaître : to - battre : to fight
recognize - débattre : to discuss

3.5. - IRE verbs
38
dire (to say)
Listen to the
je dis conjugation
tu dis in one click !
il dit
nous disons 38. dire
vous dites
ils disent
passé composé
j'ai dit
Conjugaison similar to
verb faire. (4)
To memorise verbs conjugations

See mindmaps in the next couple of pages.
Another way to listen to verbs conjugations:

refer to list of verbs and click on the link provided.
(Back to Index)

List of verbs (French sorting)

Verb Translation Table Type of verb Listen to the
number conjugation
acheter to purchase 6 er acheter
aller to go 3 er aller
amener to bring 6 er see mener
appeler to call 9 er appeler
applaudir to clap 10 ir see choisir
apprendre to learn 20 dre prendre
appuyer to press 8 er see payer
attendre to wait 19 dre see entendre
avoir to have 1 aux avoir
boire to drink 31 oire boire
bouger to move 7a er see manger
choisir to choose 10 ir choisir
comprendre to understand 20 dre see prendre
commencer to start 7b er commencer
connaître to know + noun 32 tre connaître
couvrir to cover 15 ir see ouvrir
découvrir to discover 15 ir see ouvrir
défendre to defend 19 dre see entendre
démolir to demolish 10 ir see choisir
descendre to go down 19 dre see entendre
devenir to become 11 ir see venir
devoir to have to 22 oir devoir
dire to say 38 ire dire
disparaître to disappear 32 tre see connaître
dormir to sleep 14 ir dormir
emmener to take away 6 er see mener
entendre to hear 19 dre entendre
envoyer to send 8 er envoyer
épeler to spell 9 er see appeler
être to be 2 aux être
faire to do 4 re faire
falloir must/to have to 28b oir falloir
finir to finish 10 ir finir
grandir to grow up 10 ir see choisir
grossir to put on weight 10 ir see choisir
guérir to cure 10 ir see choisir
juger to judge 5 er see manger
lever to raise 6 er lever
maigrir to loose weight 10 ir see choisir
manger to eat 7a er manger
mélanger to mix 7a er see manger

mentir to lie 12 ir see partir

mettre to put - on 33 tre mettre
obéir to obey 10 ir see choisir
offrir to offer 16 ir offrir
ouvrir to open 15 ir ouvrir
partager to share 7a er see manger
partir to leave 12 ir partir
payer to pay 8 er payer
permettre to allow 33 tre see mettre
pleuvoir to rain 27 oir pleuvoir
pouvoir to be able to/can 23 oir pouvoir
prendre to take 20 dre prendre
promettre to promise 33 tre see mettre
rappeler to call back 9 er see appeler
recevoir to receive 22 oir recevoir
reconnaître to recognize 32 tre see connaître
rédiger to write 7a er see manger
réfléchir to think 10 ir see choisir
regarder to look 5 er see aimer
rendre to give back 19 dre see entendre
repartir to leave again 12 ir see partir
répondre to answer 19 dre répondre
réunir to reunite 10 ir see choisir
réussir to succeed 10 ir see choisir
revenir to come back 11 ir see venir
savoir to know + verb 26 oir savoir
s'endormir to fall asleep 15 ir see dormir
sentir to feel 12 ir sentir
servir to serve 13 ir servir
sortir to go out 12 ir sortir
tenir to hold 11 ir tenir
vendre to sell 19 dre see entendre
venir to come 11 ir venir
voir to see 23 oir voir
vouloir to want 24 oir vouloir
(Back to Index)

List of verbs (English sorting)
Verb Translation Table number Type of verb Listen to the

conjugation
to allow permettre 33 tre see mettre
to answer répondre 19 dre répondre
to be être 2 aux être
to be able to/can pouvoir 23 oir pouvoir
to become devenir 11 ir see venir
to bring amener 6 er see mener
to call appeler 9 er appeler
to call back rappeler 9 er see appeler
to choose choisir 10 ir choisir
to clap applaudir 10 ir see choisir
to come venir 11 ir venir
to come back revenir 11 ir see venir
to cover couvrir 15 ir see ouvrir
to cure guérir 10 ir see choisir
to defend défendre 19 dre see entendre
to demolish démolir 10 ir see choisir
to disappear disparaître 32 tre see connaître
to disappoint décevoir 22 oir see recevoir
to discover découvrir 15 ir see ouvrir
to do / to make faire 4 re faire
to drink boire 31 oire boire
to eat manger 7a er manger
to fall asleep s'endormir 14 ir see dormir
to feel sentir 12 ir sentir
to finish / to end finir 10 ir finir
to give back rendre 19 dre see entendre
to go aller 3 er aller
to go down descendre 18 dre see entendre
to go out sortir 12 ir sortir
to grow up grandir 10 ir see finir
to have avoir 1 aux avoir
to have to devoir 22 oir devoir
to hear entendre 18 dre entendre
to hold tenir 11 ir tenir
to judge juger 7a er see manger
to know + noun connaître 32 tre savoir
to know + verb savoir 26 oir connaître
to learn apprendre 20 dre prendre
to leave partir 12 ir partir
to leave again repartir 12 ir see partir

to lie mentir 12 ir see partir

to look regarder 5 er see aimer
to loose weight maigrir 10 ir see finir
to mix mélanger 7a er see manger
to move bouger 7a er see manger
must/ to have to falloir 28b oir falloir
to obey obéir 10 ir see finir
to open ouvrir 15 ir ouvrir
to pay payer 7a er payer
to promise promettre 33 tre see mettre
to purchase acheter 6 er acheter
to put - on mettre 33 tre mettre
to put on weight grossir 10 ir see finir
to rain pleuvoir 27 oir pleuvoir
to raise lever 6 er lever
to receive recevoir 22 oir recevoir
to recognize reconnaître 32 tre see connaître
to reunite réunir 10 ir see finir
to say / to tell dire 38 ire dire
to start commencer 7b er commencer
to see voir 23 oir voir
to sell vendre 19 dre see entendre
to send envoyer 8 er envoyer
to serve servir 13 ir servir
to share partager 7a er see manger
to sleep dormir 14 ir dormir
to spell épeler 9 er see appeler
to succeed réussir 10 ir see finir
to take emmener 6 er see mener
to take prendre 20 dre prendre
to think réfléchir 10 ir see finir
to throw away jeter 9 er jeter
to understand comprendre 20 dre prendre
to wait attendre 19 dre see entendre
to want vouloir 24 oir vouloir
to write rédiger 7a er see manger
To memorize verbs conjugations

See mindmaps in the next couple of pages
To listen to verbs conjugations

Refer to list of verbs and click on the link provided.
(Back to Index)
Verbs stems for the -ER verbs © Estelle Bech
Verbs ending for the Present tense © Estelle Bech
Verbs are words that describe an action or talk about something that happens. They take many different
forms depending on their subjects, the time they refer to and other ideas we want to express.
The infinitive form of a verb is its most basic form. In French, you can spot the verbs easily because they
retain their original ending of -er. The equivalent meaning in English is the same as “to [verb],”
so aimer translates to “to like.”
French verbs are made up of two parts: a stem and an ending or infinitive marker. In the verb aimer, aim is its
stem. er is the ending or infinitive marker.
(Back to Index)

Verbs endings for the Present tense
Verbs stems for the -ER verbs

V
E
R
B
S
S
T
E
M
S
F
O
R
T
H
E
T
H
I
R
D
G
R
O
U
P

Index – Table des matières

Short selection of mobile apps for learning French (go to) p. 2
Short selection of websites apps for learning French (go to) p. 3
About grammar … (go to) p. 4
1 Introducing yourself (go to) p. 6

Textbook vocabulary & Communication sentences
Spelling:accentuated vowels
Indicating origins (venir de)
Mindmaps of venir de
2 Daily routines and activities (go to) p. 11

Textbook vocabulary & Communication sentences
Indicating destinations and origines (aller à & venir de)
Synoptic table (to go to to come from)
3 Planning a meeting with friends (go to) p. 12

Textbook vocabulary
Communication sentences
Pronounciation : required and forbidden liaisons
The near future (aller + verb / to be +v.ing)
The indirect speech in the present tense
Culture: Youth hobbies in France
4 Talking about your activities (go to) p. 17

Textbook vocabulary
Vocabulary: activities & hobbies (faire de, jouer à/de)
Communication & key sentences
Connaître or Savoir ?
Faire or Jouer ?
Culture: Sports And Music In France
5 Inviting someone out & Replying to an invitation (go to) p. 23

Vocabulary: Days of the week & Months
Vouloir, pouvoir, devoir – Can, May, Must, To have to
Culture: Cultural Activities In France
6 Giving info about your health (go to) p. 26

Vocabulary: Body parts
Textbook vocabulary
Communication: Talking about your health
Communication: Expressing physical pain
Avoir mal à
The imperative mood (1)
Mindmap of the Imperative mood
Culture: Life Expectancy & Health System In France
7 Giving simple advice (go to) p. 31

Textbook vocabulary
Communication: agreement
The imperative mood (2) with reflexive verbs

Culture: Etiquette And Customs In France
8 Organising a picnic (go to) p. 47

Vocabulary: fruits & vegetables
Vocabulary: meat, fish and dairy
Vocabulary: cereals, beverage, dessserts
Textbook vocabulary
Quantities (trop, beaucoup, assez, quelques, un peu)
Partitives articles (du, dela, des, de l’)
How to conjugate boire and manger (to drink, to eat)
Culture: French Food Culture
9 Telling a journey or a trip (go to) p. 46

Vocabulary: ways of transportation
Vocabulary to describe a trip
Expressing dates and periods of time
Expressing possession (Nouns de Noun)
Ways of tranportation : à or en ?
The past tense - Le passé composé (1)
Culture: French Regions
10 Relating a journey or a trip (go to) p. 51

Textbook vocabulary
Pronunciation : Optionnal liaisions
The past tense - Le passé composé (2)
11 Traveling to a country abroad (go to) p. 55

Textbook vocabulary
Communication: Expressing a date or a moment in the day
Communication: Expressing time
Communication: Understanding announcements
How to conjugate verbs ending with IR (venir, ouvrir, choisir, partir)
Culture: Traveling In France
12 Facing a problem & Giving an explanation (go to) p. 60

Textbook vocabulary
Expressing cause, aim and consequence (pourquoi, parce que)
Expressing possession with C’est à + disjunctive pronoun
Stressed Pronouns (moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, eux, elles)
Culture: Working In France
13 Visiting a region or a county (go to) p. 66

Vocabulary: Weather forecast & Seasons
Vocabulary: Directions (East, West, South, North)
Textbook vocabulary
Communication : Telling the weather
Culture: What the Weather Like in France ?

14 Choosing a present (go to) p. 71

Textbook vocabulary
Making comparisons (plus, moins, aussi)
Superlatives (le plus, le moins)
Demounstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)
Culture: Offering a Gift in France
15 Choosing clothes & Giving an opinion (go to) p. 76

Vocabulary: Clothes & accessories
Vocabulary: materials, styles & colours
Textbook vocabulary
Position and agreements of adjectives and nouns
Devoir or Il faut ?
Beaucoup, trop, assez
Culture: Dress code in France
16 Choosing clothes & Giving an opinion (go to) p. 82

Communication : giving your opinion
How to conjugate verbs ending with -YER ?
Direct Object pronouns (me, te, le , la, les, nous, vous, les)
Culture: A History of French fashion
17 Buying a present & Paying for it (go to) p. 85

Vocabulary to purchase items in shops
Textbook vocabulary p. 77
How to conjugate verbs ending with -E_ER ?
Inverted questions
Combien or Combien de ?
Culture : What’s the French lifestyle like ?
18 Starting a conversation (go to) p. 85

Vocabulary: professions
Textbook vocabulary p. 77
Feminine forms of nouns and adjectives
Plural forms of nouns and adjectives
Culture : Small talks in France
Verb table (go to) p. 92

List of verbs (French sorting) (go to)
List of verbs (English sorting) (go to)
Verb stem and endings for the present tense (go to)
Index (go to) p. 105

FIN
THE END

LF5002 French Level 2

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LF5002 - French Language Level 2

French Language Level 2

Creation date : November 2021

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 1

Short selection of mobile apps for learning French

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 2

Short selection of websites apps for learning French

1. Recommended Online dictionaries

Dictionnaire Larousse Bilingue francais- anglais

English French Collins Dictionary

English French Cambridge Dictionary

2. Recommended online learning sites on internet

Apprendre le français avec TV5 (learn French with TV5 World)

Learning French with songs

Learning French with podcasts : https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-podcasts/

Learning French with French movies

Apprendre le français avec le CAVILAM : http://www.leplaisirdapprendre.com/

Le Point du FLE : http://www.lepointdufle.net/p/apprendre_le_francais.htm

Bonjour de France : http://www.bonjourdefrance.com/

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 3

What is a direct object complement?

What is an indirect object complement?

More about nouns: What is a noun; Common and proper nouns

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 5

Leçon 1 Semaine 2 – Classe 1

adj. adjectif → adjective n.m. nom masculin → masculine noun

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

2. Communication / key sentences

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

3. Pronunciation, Phonics & Spelling

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

3.1. Spelling : French letters

The 5 French Accents are (by order of frequency):

• Accent Aigu (é) over the letter E (bébé)

Selection of online resources : [ Sounds 1 ] [ Vowels ] [ Consonants ] [ Sounds 2 ]

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 6

Alphabet reading : [ Alphabet 1 ] [ Alphabet 2 ] [ Alphabet 3 ] [ Alphabet TIP1 ]

4.1. Indicating origines (to come from + city)

Je viens de Paris mais

Kindly note that “de” contracts to “d’” in front of vowels and h.

To ask about someone’s origin, you can say :

The verb venir (to come) is conjugated as follows.

Online resources : [ Venir de ]

4.2. Indicating origines (to come from + countries)

Countries ending in “e” are feminine : la France, la Chine, l’Indonésie…

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 7

Online resources : [ Video 1 ] [ Video 2 ] [ Song !!! ] [ Lesson ]

Il vient de Paris. de + town / small island

Online resources : [ Lesson 1 ] [ to and from + countries ] [ Nationalities and origines ]

4.3. Indicating origines (to come from + public places)

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 8

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 9

See below the differences between countries and public places :

VENIR = TO COME VENIR = TO COME

Online resources : [ à au à la aux d’ de du des + public place ]

Estelle Bech 13.11.2021 10

Leçon 2 Semaine 2 – Classe 2

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

2. Communication / key sentences

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

3. Pronunciation, Phonics & Spelling

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons

Refer to LF5001 Coursiel – Grammar and Vocabulary notes – all lessons