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

12/13/13
French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
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61. PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Subject
Direct Object
Indirect Object
Disjunctives
je
me
me
me
to me
moi
me
tu
you
te
you
te
to you
toi
you
il
he
le
him
lui
to him
lui
him
elle
she
la
her
lui
to her
elle
her
nous
we
nous
us
nous
to us
nous
us
vous
you
vous
you
vous
to you
vous
you
ils
they
les
them
leur
to them
eux
them
elles
they
les
them
leur
to them
elles
them
You have already learned the subject pronouns. They go before the conjugated verb forms. The
Direct and Indirect Object pronouns go before the verb even though in English they go after it.
They also go after the ne in a negative sentence and right before the verb. The disjunctive
always go after prepositions, or can be used alone for emphasis.
Sample Sentences:
J'achte des pantalons.
I buy some pants.
Je les achte.
I buy them.
Je vous donne la bote.
I give the box to you.
Je vous la donne.
I give it to you.
Aprs toi.
After you. (familiar)
Nous allons avec elle.
We go with her.
Il ne la quitte pas.
He doesn't leave her.
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Il la quitte.
He leaves her.
Je t'aime. or Je vous aime.
I love you.
Elle ne l'aime pas.
She doesn't love him.
When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or les,
then lui or leur. Me, te, le, and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a vowel, the same
way je does. In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected with a hyphen. And the
pronoun order changes a little too: Le, la, or les come first; then moi, toi, (Me and te become
moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur.
If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after the ne
and before the form of avoir in negative sentences.
Nous lui avons parl.
We spoke to him/her.
Vous en avez cout trois.
You've listened to three of them.
Je t'ai demand du pain.
I asked you for some bread.
Il ne l'a pas aim.
He didn't like it/her/him.
Tu n'y as pas habit.
You didn't live there.
Je ne vous ai pas parl.
I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.
Nous ne l'avons pas fini.
We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.
In the pass compos with avoir, direct object pronouns only must agree in gender and
number with the past participle.
Je les ai aims.
I liked them.
Il l'a regarde.
He watched her.
Elles nous ont cout(e)s.
They listened to us.
Add an e if the pronoun is feminine, and an s if it is plural. The l' could mean him or her, so you
might not need to put the extra e on the past participle. The same for nous and vous. They must
have an s because they are plural, but it is unclear as to whether they are masculine or feminine.
62. PARTS OF THE BODY / LES PARTIES DU CORPS
Standard French
Slang
head
la tte
la caboche / le crne
hair
les cheveux
les tifs
face
la figure / le visage / la face
forehead
le front
cheek
la joue
ear
l'oreille
les esgourdes
eye/s
l'il / les yeux
les mirettes
beard
la barbe
la barbouse
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mustache
la moustache
mouth
la bouche
lip
la lvre
nose
le nez
tongue
la langue
tooth
la dent
neck
le cou
eyebrows
les sourcils
eyelashes
les cils
chin
le menton
throat
la gorge
skin
la peau
blood
le sang
bone
l'os
shoulder
l'paule
chest
la poitrine
waist
la taille
belly button
le nombril
back
le dos
heart
le cur
lungs
les poumons
brain
le cerveau
liver
le foie
kidney
le rein
bladder
la vessie
rib
la cte
arm
le bras
elbow
le coude
wrist
le poignet
fist
le poing
hand
la main
fingers
les doigts
stomach / belly
l'estomac / le ventre
le buffet / le bide
butt
les fesses
les miches
body
le corps
la gueule / la bote
le blair / le pif
les crocs
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hip
la hanche
leg
la jambe
knee
le genou
foot
le pied
toes
les orteils
ankle
la cheville
thigh
la cuisse
shin
le tibia
calf
le mollet
thumb
le pouce
nails
les ongles
tattoo
le tatouage
piercing
le piercing
blond
blond/e
brunette
brun/e
red-head
roux/rousse
light brown
chtain
le penard / les arpions
To say something hurts or that you have an ache, you can use avoir mal (body part):
J'ai mal la tte. I have a headache.
J'ai mal l'estomac. I have a stomach ache.
Elle a mal au bras. Her arm hurts.
Tu as mal au genou? Your knee hurts?
Il a mal aux orteils. His toes hurt.
However, if someone is causing you pain, use faire mal (to hurt) plus the indirect pronoun.
Tu me fais mal. You're hurting me.
Ne lui faites pas mal. Don't hurt him / her.
When describing hair color or eye color, you use blonds, chtain, bruns, roux for hair; and
bleus, verts, marron, noirs for eyes. Notice that chtain and marron do not agree in gender or
number.
Elle a les cheveux roux. Elle est rousse. She has red hair. She is a red-head.
Il a les yeux marron. He has brown eyes.
Combien msures-tu ? / Combien fais-tu ? How tall are you?
Combien pses-tu ? How much do you weigh?
Je fais 1m60. I am 1 m 60 cm.
Je pse 50 kilos. I weigh 50 kilos.
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Listen to the l'apparence physique : un copain moi mp3 and try the cloze (fill-inthe-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.
63. ASKING QUESTIONS
1) Invert the subject and verb form and add a hyphen. Instead of Vous parlez anglais? use
Parlez-vous anglais? But if you invert il, elle, or on, you must put a t between the verb form (if
it ends in a vowel) and the subject for ease of pronunciation. Parle-il anglais? is incorrect and
must become Parle-t-il anglais? And je is usually only inverted with pouvoir or devoir.
However, if je is inverted with pouvoir, you don't use peux, but puis. Puis-je ? (pweezh) is Can
I?
2) Add n'est-ce pas ? (ness pah) to the end of the sentence. It is equivalent to isn't it, don't you,
aren't we, won't you, etc.
3) If the question requires a yes or no answer, put Est-ce que (ess kuh) at the beginning. It
contracts to Est-ce qu' before a word beginning with a vowel, such as elle, il or on. You can
also use interrogative words (quand, comment, o, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence and
then add est-ce que.
4) With interrogative words, you can also use inversion: Quand tes parents partent-ils en
vacances ? Or you can use an interrogative with est-ce que and normal word order: Pourquoi
est-ce que vous tes ici ?
5) Quel / Quelle / Quels / Quelles (which, what) agrees with the noun it modifies. It precedes
the noun or the verb tre, it may follow a preposition, and it can be used with inversion or with
est-ce que. Quelle est la date ? A quelle heure partez-vous ? Quels bagages est-ce que
vous prenez ? Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in exclamatory sentences. Quel
beau jour ! / Quelle belle journe ! What a beautiful day!
6) With negative questions, negative expressions remain in their usual place (i.e. around the
verb, or verb and subject if inverted). Tu ne travailles pas ? Est-ce que te ne travailles pas ?
Ne travailles-tu pas ? Pourquoi n'as-tu pas travaill ?
Asking Questions with the Pass Compos
Only the auxiliary verb (avoir or tre) and the subject pronoun are inverted. The past participle
follows.
A-t-il t surpris ? Was he surprised?
T'es-tu amus ? Did you have fun?
64. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
To ask about people:

Long Form
Subject
Qui est-ce qui

Qui est-ce qui est venu?
Short Form
Translation
Qui
Qui est venu?
Who came?
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Direct Object
Qui est-ce que

Qui est-ce que tu as vu?
Qui
Qui as-tu vu?
Whom did you see?
Object of
Preposition
Preposition + qui est-ce

que
A qui est-ce que tu as
parl?
Preposition +
qui
A qui as-tu
parl?
Whom did you

speak to?
To ask about things:

Long Form
Short Form
Translation
Subject
Qu'est-ce qui
Qu'est-ce qui est arriv?
Direct Object
Qu'est-ce que
Qu'est-ce que tu as fait?
Que
Qu'as-tu fait?
What did you do?
Object of
Preposition
Preposition + quoi estce que

De quoi est-ce que tu as
parl?
Preposition +
quoi
De quoi as-tu
parl?
What did you talk

about?
No short form
What happened?
Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:

a. With qui and quoi, inversion pattern is regular.
Qui Marie a-t-elle vu? Whom did Marie see?
De quoi Marc a-t-il besoin? What does Marc need?
b. With que, the noun subject must be inverted directly.
Que veut Jean? What does Jean want?
Que font les autres? What are the others doing?
c. However, if the sentence contains more than a subject and verb, or if the verb is in a
compound tense (such as the pass compos), the short form is not used.
Qu'est-ce que Luc veut faire aujourd'hui? What does Luc want to do today?
Qu'est-ce que les autres ont fait? What did the others do?
Verb Agreement:
a. Interrogative pronouns are usually masculine singular.
Les voitures font du bruit. Qu'est-ce qui fait du bruit? Cars make noise. What makes noise?
Les enfants sont arrivs. Qui est arriv? The children arrived. Who arrived?
b. Exception: when qui is followed by a conjugated form of tre, the verbs agrees with the noun
that follows.
Qui taient Les Trois Mousquetaires? Who were the three Musketeers?
Qu'est-ce que (or qui) vs. Quel:
a. Qu'est-ce que c'est que is used to ask for a definition, and quel asks for specific information.
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Qu'est-ce que c'est que le camembert? What is "camembert"?

Quel est le problme? What is the problem?
b. When followed by a conjugated form of tre, quel is used if tre is followed by a noun and
qu'est-ce qui is used if tre is followed by anything other than a noun.
Quelle est la date? What is the date?
Qu'est-ce qui est bon? What is good?
Written vs. Spoken French with Questions
In spoken French, inversion and the use of est-ce que are usually dropped, but they must be
used in written French. Additionally, some forms are contracted or the word order may differ. It's
also very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui.
Written forms
Parlez-vous franais ?
Est-ce que vous parlez franais ?
Comment l'avez-vous appris ?
Comment est-ce que vous l'avez
appris ?
Quand es-tu arriv ?
Quand est-ce que tu es arriv ?
De quoi parlent-ils ?
De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent ?
Pourquoi me regardes-tu ?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu me
regardes ?
Qui t'a dit a ?
Qui est-ce qui t'a dit a ?
Spoken forms
Translation
Do you speak
French?
Vous parlez franais ?

Vous l'avez appris comment ?
Quand t'es arriv ?
T 'es arriv quand ?
De quoi ils parlent ?
Ils parlent de quoi ?
How did you learn it?

When did you arrive?
What are they talking
about?
Pourquoi tu me regardes ?
Why are you looking at

me?
Qui c'est qui t'a dit a?
Who told you that?
65. FORMS OF LEQUEL

Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies. It expresses
Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition).
Adjective
Singular
Pronoun
Plural
Singular
Plural
Masculine
Quel livre listu?
Quels livres listu?
Lequel listu?
Lesquels listu?
Feminine
Quelle page
lis-tu?
Quelles pages
lis-tu?
Laquelle lis- Lesquelles

tu?
lis-tu?
Lequel contracts with and de in the plural and masculine singular forms:
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Singular
Masculine
Feminine
Plural
+ lequel = auquel
+ lesquels = auxquels
de + lequel = duquel
de + lesquels = desquels
+ laquelle = laquelle
+ lesquelles = auxquelles
de + laquelle = de laquelle
de + lesquelles = desquelles
Voil le portrait sans retouche de l'homme auquel j'appartiens. - That's the unaltered portrait of
the man to which I belong. [Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose]
Et des amours desquelles nous parlons. - And the loves about which we talk. [by Jean-Denis
Bredin]
You can also use another preposition + form of lequel to translate preposition + which: on
which, to which, in which, etc.
La table sur laquelle j'ai mis la bouteille est l-bas. - The table on which I put the bottle is over
there.
Le btiment dans lequel j'habite est trs vieux. - The building in which I live is very old.
66. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Relative pronouns join sentences together. These words signal a relative clause which explains
the noun, called the antecedent. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause (a verb
immediately follows), use qui. If the relative pronoun is the direct object of the clause (subject +
verb follows), use que. If the verb of the dependent clause requires the preposition de, use dont
to replace it. Also use dont to mean whose. Qui, que, and dont can all mean that or who,
depending on the sentence. If the antecedent is a place or time, use o to mean where or when.
When there is no specific antecedent, ce is added as an artificial one before que, qui or dont;
but it can refer to only things, not people. Ce qui, ce que and ce dont generally mean what.
Je mange des choses qui sont
bonnes.
I eat things that are good.
qui is subject
Je mange des choses que

j'aime.
I eat things that I like.
que is object
C'est ce que je disais.
That's what I said.
no antecedent
La femme dont le mari est

mort...
The woman whose husband is

whose
dead...
Voici ce dont j'ai besoin.
Here is what I need.
C'est un restaurant o on sert du It's a restaurant where they

serve fish.
poisson.
avoir besoin is followed

by de
restaurant is a place
Dont can also be translated as including or of which. Sept morts, dont 6 civils, dans
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l'attentat. Seven dead, including six civilians, in the attack.

After verbs of declaration or opinion (dire, affirmer, prtendre, jurer, dclarer, reconnatre,
avouer, penser, croire), you do not need to use a relative pronoun or to repeat the subject. As
long as the subject is the same in both clauses, you can replace que + subject + conjugated verb
with the infinitive.
Je pense que je peux le faire. = Je pense pouvoir le faire. I think that I can do it.
Elle dit qu'elle le connais. = Elle dit le connatre. She says that she knows him.
Vous avouez que vous avez menti. = Vous avouez avoir menti. You admit that you lied.
67. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
Demonstrative pronouns translate to the one(s), or that/those when replacing a noun. There are
four forms, but they are not often used alone. De, qui, que, dont and -ci or -l usually follow them.
Masc.
Fem.
Singular
celui
celle
Plural
ceux
celles
Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume. Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the one of
William)
Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa sur. He is carrying his own books and his sister's. (or:
those of his sister)
Quelles fleurs aimes-tu, celles-ci ou celles-l? Which flowers do you like, these (ones) or those
(ones)?
Ceux qui travaillent dur russissent. Those who work hard succeed.
C'est celui dont je parle. That's the one I'm talking about.
The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that) and a (this/that) refer to indefinite
things or ideas.
J'aime a. I like that.
Prenez ceci. Take this.
68. TO READ, TO SAY / TELL, & TO LAUGH
lire-to read
dire-to say/tell
rire-to laugh
lis
lisons
dis
disons
ris
rions
lis
lisez
dis
dites
ris
riez
lit
lisent
dit
disent
rit
rient
The past participles are: lu, dit and ri, and all three are conjugated with avoir.
69. DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS
1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only replace
people, not things. However, if the preposition is , there are two possible rules:
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+ person = indirect pronoun

+ person + = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases:
se fier
to trust
s'habituer
to get used to
s'intresser
to be interested in
penser
to think about
rver
to dream about
2. They can also be used alone, to emphasize a subject, with tre (to belong to) or in
compound subjects.
Moi, j'ai faim. Me, I am hungry.
Ses amis et lui, ils aiment manger. His friends and he, they like to eat.
Ce livre est moi ! That book is mine!
3. They can be added to -mme to mean -self.
elle-mme = herself
4. They are also used with ne...que.
Ce n'est que lui. It's only him.
70. Y & EN
Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb. Y (ee) means it or there. En (awn) means
some or some (of them), or of it. They replace prepositional phrases. In French, the phrases
will begin with (or any contraction of it), en, sur, sous, chez, devant, derrire, dans, etc. for
y; and de (or any contraction of it) or a number for en. They cannot replace people unless the
person is introduced with an indefinite article, partitive, number or quantity. Sometimes y and en
have no direct translation in English. Remember that they go before the verb, except in a
command, in which they follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen. The -er verbs also add
the -s they lost when forming the you (familiar) command.
Sample Sentences
Do you want some apples?
Voulez-vous des pommes?
Do you want some?
En voulez-vous?
I have three sisters.
J'ai trois surs.
I have three (of them).
J'en ai trois.
It is in the drawer
Il est dans le tiroir.
It is there.
Il y est.
I am going to Detroit.
Je vais Dtroit.
I am going there.
J'y vais.
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I am going to go to Atlanta.
Je vais aller Atlanta.
I am going to go there.
Je vais y aller.
Answer the telephone!
Rpondez au tlphone !
Answer it! (formal)
Rpondez-y !
Stay there! (familiar)
Restes-y !
Don't stay there! (familiar)
N'y reste pas.
Y and en can also replace a phrase or clause, especially with verbs that require or de after
them:
I think a lot about these stories.
Je rflchis beaucoup ces

histoires.
I think about them a lot.
J'y rflchis beaucoup.
He obeyed the rules.
Il a obi aux rgles.
He obeyed them.
Il y a obi.
We don't need this book.
On n'a pas besoin de ce livre.
We don't need it.
On n'en a pas besoin.
She's using the computer.
Elle se sert de l'ordinateur.
She's using it.
Elle s'en sert.
Notice y and en don't go after the verb in negative commands. Treat them like pronouns. Ne or
Je plus y or en all contract to N'y, J'y, N'en, and J'en. When you have a conjugated verb plus
an infinitive (vais and aller), the y or en go in between the two verbs.
71. TO SEE, TO BELIEVE, & TO WRITE
Verbs take a direct object if they do not need a preposition to connect it to the noun. Verbs that
take indirect objects use prepositions after the verb. Voir-to see (vwahr) and croire-to believe
(krwahr) take a direct and crire-to write (ay-kreer) takes an indirect.
voir-to see
croire-to believe
crire-to write
vois
voyons (vwah-
crois
croyons (k rwah-
cris (ay-
crivons (ay-k ree-
(vwah)
yohn)
(k rwah)
yohn)
k ree)
vohn)
vois
voyez (vwah-yay) crois
croyez (k rwah-yay) cris
crivez (ay-k ree-vay)
voit
voient (vwah)
croient (k rwah)
crivent (ay-k reev)
croit
crit
The past participles are: vu, cru, and crit.

You can sometimes tell if a verb takes a direct or indirect object by using the verbs in English.
We say "I see her" or "She believes him" or "He writes to them." In French, it would be "Je la
vois" (direct), "Elle le croit" (direct) and "Il leur crit." (indirect) But don't always count on English
to help you out. Tlphoner () and obir () both take indirect objects in French but you can't
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tell that in English. In this case, you can tell by the that follows the infinitive.
Writing Vocabulary
writing
l'criture (f)
punctuation la ponctuation
period
le point
comma
la virgule
exclamation
point
le point
d'interrogation
le point
d'exclamation
quotation
marks
parentheses
les guillemets
(m)
la parenthse
question mark
les deux points

apostrophe
(m)
semi-colon le point-virgule hyphen
colon
"at" sign
(@)
l'arobase (f)
asterisk
l'astrisque
(m)
brackets
le crochet
slash
la barre
l'apostrophe (f)
uppercase majuscule
le trait d'union
lowercase minuscule
When typing in French, you must leave an extra space before a punctuation mark that has two
components, such as a colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.
72. ANIMALS
ant
la fourmi
giraffe
la girafe
pig
le cochon
antelope
l'antilope
goat
la chvre
pigeon
le pigeon
antenna
l'antenne
goose
l'oie (f)
pike
le brochet
bat
la chauve-souris gorilla
le gorille
pony
le poney
beak
le bec
grasshopper
la sauterelle
puppy
le chiot
bear
l'ours (m)
hamster
le hamster
rabbit
le lapin
bee
l'abeille (f)
hare
le livre
raccoon le raton laveur
bird
l'oiseau (m)
hen
la poule
rat
le rat
blackbird
le merle
herring
la hareng
rooster
le coq
bull
le taureau
hoof
le sabot
salmon
le saumon
butterfly
le papillon
horn
la corne
scale
l'caille (f)
calf
le veau
horse
le cheval
scorpion le scorpion
cat
le chat
hummingbird le colibri
sea gull la mouette
caterpillar
la chenille
iguana
l'iguane
seal
le phoque
cheetah
le gupard
insect
l'insecte (m)
shark
le requin
chicken
le poulet
jellyfish
la mduse
sheep
le mouton
chimpanzee le chimpanz
kitten
le chaton
shrimp
la crevette
claw
la griffe
ladybug
la coccinelle
slug
la limace
cockroach
le cafard
lamb
l'agneau (m)
snail
l'escargot (m)
cod
la morue
lark
l'alouette (f)
snake
le serpent
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cocoon
le cocon
lion
le lion
sparrow le moineau
cow
la vache
lizard
le lzard
spider
l'araigne (f)
crab
le crabe
lobster (spiny) la langouste
squid
le calamar
crayfish
l'crevisse (f)
louse
le pou
squirrel
l'cureuil (m)
crocodile
le crocodile
mackerel
le maquereau
starfish
l'toile de mer
crow
le corbeau
mole
la taupe
swallow l'hirondelle (f)
deer
le cerf
monkey
le singe
swan
le cygne
dog
le chien
mosquito
le moustique
tadpole
le ttard
donkey
l'ne (m)
moth
le papillon de nuit tail
la queue
dragonfly
la libellule
mouse
la souris
tiger
le tigre
duck
le canard
mule
le mulet
toad
le crapaud
eagle
l'aigle (m)
mussel
la moule
trout
la truite
eel
l'anguille (f)
nest
le nid
tuna
le thon
elephant
l'lphant (m)
nightingale
le rossignol
turkey
le dindon
feather
la plume
octopus
la pieuvre
turtle
la tortue
fin
la nageoire
ostrich
l'autruche
wasp
la gupe
fish
le poisson
owl
le hibou
weasel
la belette
flea
la puce
ox
le buf
whale
la baleine
fly
la mouche
oyster
l'hutre (f)
wing
l'aile (f)
fox
le renard
parrot
le perroquet
wolf
le loup
frog
la grenouille
partridge
la perdrix
worm
le ver
gill
la branchie
penguin
le pingouin
zebra
le zbre
sit
assis
to bark
aboyer
lie down
couche-toi
to growl
grogner
shake
donne la patte
to pant
haleter
dog/cat food
les croquettes
to whine/whimper
gmir
leash
la laisse
to drool
baver
collar
le collier
to meow
miauler
to take/let dog out
sortir le chien
to scratch
griffer
to climb on
grimper sur
to pounce on
se jeter sur
73. PLAIRE & MANQUER

plaire-to please, enjoy
plais
plaisons
manquer-to miss, be lacking

manque
manquons
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plais
plaisez
manques
manquez
plat
plaisent
manque
manquent
The past participle of plaire is plu. To say that someone likes something, you have to switch the
subject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or someone pleases." As a
reflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere. Faire plaisir can also be used to
mean "to delight or to like."
Cette chienne plat Dominique. Dominique likes this dog. (Literally: This dog is pleasing to
Dominique.)
a t'a plu? Did you like it?
Ils se plaisent Londres. They enjoy being in London.
Cela me fait plaisir de vous revoir. I am happy to see you again.
Manquer has several meanings: to miss, to lack, or to regret the absence (miss). The last
meaning uses inverted word order just like plaire. Manquer means "to fail to do."
Elle a manqu le train. She missed the train.
Vous manquez de courage. You lack courage.
Tu me manques. I miss you. (Literally: You are missing to me)
Ils ont manqu aux devoirs. They failed to do the homework.
74. PLUPERFECT (PAST PERFECT)
This compound tense is used for flashbacks or anything that had happened before the time of
the narration. It's formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or tre and the past participle of the
main verb. This tense is comparable to the pass compos.
Imperfect of avoir or tre
avais
avions
tais
tions
avais
aviez
tais
tiez
avait
avaient
tait
taient
+ past participle
Je n'avais pas fini mon travail quand il est arriv. I had not finished my work when he
arrived.
Vous aviez faim parce que vous n'aviez pas du tout mang. You were hungry because you
hadn't eaten at all.
Nous avions manqu le rendez-vous parce que le bus tait en retard. We had missed the
meeting because the bus was late.
75. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or something.
someone/body
quelqu'un
quelque chose (de +
each
chacun(e)
not one,
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something
adjective)
none
aucun(e)
some
quelques-uns /
quelques-unes
anything
n'importe quoi
somewhere
quelque part
anyone
n'importe qui
several
plusieurs
anywhere
n'importe o
some...others
certains...d'autres
another
un(e) autre
any time
n'importe
quand
nowhere
nulle part
Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every). Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a noun,
while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun.
76. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used rather
than the indicative. The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the word que.
The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a different subject from
the dependent clause. If the two subjects are the same, the infinitive is used.
Je doute que Marc soit l. I doubt that Marc is here. (shows judgment and opinion)
Je veux venir. NOT: Je veux que je vienne. (use infinitive, same subject)
To form the subjunctive, use the ils/elles form of the present indicative tense. This is also the
form for the ils/elles form of the subjunctive. For je, tu, il/elle, drop the -ent and add -e, -es, and e. Nous and vous use the imperfect forms.
-e
-ions
-es
-iez
-e
-ent
Conjugations in the Subjunctive

avoir
tre
faire
aller
aie
ayons
sois
soyons
fasse
fassions
aille
allions
aies
ayez
sois
soyez
fasses
fassiez
ailles
alliez
ait
aient
soit
soient
fasse
fassent
aille
aillent
vouloir
pouvoir
savoir
veuille
voulions
puisse
puissions
sache
sachions
veuilles
vouliez
puisses
puissiez
saches
sachiez
pleuvoir
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veuille
veuillent
puisse
puissent
sache
sachent
pleuve
These verbs and conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive:

Verbs
Verbal
Expressions
Conjunctions
douter
il faut que
avant que
suggrer
il vaut mieux que
pour / afin que
vouloir
il est important
que
jusqu' ce que
proposer
il se peut que
moins que
avoir peur
il est possible que
bien que
/ quoique
regretter
il est temps que
sans que
craindre
c'est dommage
que
en attendant que
tre content(e)/triste/dsol(e)/surpris(e),
etc.
penser/croire/trouver
(negative and interrogative forms only)
Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.
Il est content que nous soyons l. He's happy that we are here.
Est-ce que vous pensez qu'elle puisse le faire ? Do you think that she can do it?
Il faut que je fasse la vaisselle. I have to do the dishes.
Elle sera l jusqu' ce que vous partiez. She will be there until you leave.
However, douter, jusqu' ce que, moins que, and bien que / quoique use the
subjunctive whether there is a change in subject or not. And when using avant before an
infinitive, the construction is avant de + infinitive. Note, also, that the subjunctive is not used
with esprer or il est probable, although the subjunctive may be used with these words in other
Romance languages.
The word ne is used after certain conjunctions (most notably avant que and moins que)
that take the subjunctive, but this does not make the phrase negative:
Finissez le travail avant que la classe ne se termine. Finish the work before class ends.
77. FALLOIR & VALOIR
Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs used
in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are:
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imperfect
present perfect
present
il fallait
il a fallu
il faut
il valait
il a valu
il vaut
future
conditional
il faudra
il faudrait
il vaudra
il vaudrait
Falloir can be translated as must, have to, be required to, etc. It can be followed directly by an
infinitive, or a subject and the subjunctive mood.
Il faut rester la maison aujourd'hui. You must stay at home today.
Il faut pas le faire ! You must not do it!
Il faut qu'il parte 8h. He must leave at 8.
In addition to worth, valoir mieux is used in translating "it's better."
a ne vaut pas la peine. It's not worth it.
Il vaut mieux en rire quen pleurer. It's better to laugh about it than cry.
78. ADVERBS
bien
well
quelquefois
sometimes
mieux
better
toujours
always
mal
badly
vite
quickly
peu
little
donc
therefore
dj
already
encore
yet
bientt
soon
quelque part
somewhere
ici
here
maintenant
now
there
tt
early
dedans
inside
tard
late
dehors
outside
peut-tre
maybe
souvent
often
jamais
(n)ever
d'habitude
usually
nulle part
nowhere
To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end. If the
masculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that. Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant take
the endings -emment and -amment.
Masculine
Feminine
Adverb
naturel
naturelle
naturellement
heureux
heureuse
heureusement
lent
lente
lentement
facile
facile
facilement
probable
probable
probablement
intelligent
intelligente
intelligemment
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brillant
brillante
brillamment
rcent
rcente
rcemment
Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and ventuellement (possibly, perhaps)
can be deceiving.
A Few Irregular Adverbs
vrai
vraiment
gentil
gentiment
profond
profondment
bref
brivement
prcis
prcisment
Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense. Adverbs of opinion and time usually go
at the beginning or end of the sentence. When peut-tre and sans doute begin a sentence or
clause, they are usually followed by que. With the pass compos, most adverbs are placed
between the auxiliary verb and past participle. In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb,
except with peut-tre, sans doute, srement, and probablement. Adverbs of time and place
generally follow the past participle.
79. TOOLS & HOBBIES
tools
les outils
chisel
le ciseau
toolbox
la bote outils
measuring tape
le mtre
hammer
le marteau
chainsaw
la trononneuse
screwdriver
le tournevis
file
la lime
nail
le clou
do-it-yourself
le bricolage
screw
la vis
handicrafts
l'artisanat
wrench
la cl
embroidery
la broderie
adjustable wrench
la cl molette
cross-stitch
le point de croix
bolt
le boulon
needlework
la couture
nut
l'crou (m)
needle
l'aiguille (f)
pliers
les pinces (f)
thread
le fil
saw
la scie
painting
peindre
blade
la lame
jewelry making
faire des bijoux
handle
le manche
gardening
le jardinage
anvil
l'enclume (f)
knitting
le tricot
clamp / vise
l'tau (m)
photography
la photographie
shovel
la pelle
woodworking
la menuiserie
pick axe
la pioche
pottery
la poterie
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drill
la perceuse
drawing
le dessin
drill bit
la mche
cooking
la cuisine
Other expressions related to hobbies/leisure time:

bavarder - to chat
bronzer - to tan
faire la grasse matine - to sleep in late
faire la sieste - to take a nap
faire une pause - to take a break
faire une promenade - to take a walk
faire un tour - to go out for a while
prendre un bain de soleil - to sunbathe
prendre un verre - to go out for a drink
se dtendre - to relax
se reposer - to rest
80. FALSE COGNATES
Les faux-amis or false cognates are a common pitfall among language students. The following
are some common words that you may be deceived by:
Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse.
Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of.
Une injure is an insult, not an injury.
Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently.
Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement.
Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt.
Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture.
Original means new or innovative.
Humeur means mood, not humor.
Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.
Djeuner du matin
Jacques Prvert
Il a mis le caf
Dans la tasse
Il a mis le lait
Dans la tasse de caf
Il a mis le sucre
Dans le caf au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
Il a tourn
Il a bu le caf au lait
Et il a repos la tasse
Sans me parler
Il a allum
Breakfast
Jacques Prvert
He put the coffee
In the cup
He put the milk
In the cup of coffee
He put the sugar
In the caf au lait
With the coffee spoon
He stirred
He drank the caf au lait
And he set down the cup
Without a word to me
He lit
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Une cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
Avec la fume
Il a mis les cendres
Dans le cendrier
Sans me parler
Sans me regarder
Il s'est lev
Il a mis
Son chapeau sur sa tte
Il a mis
Son manteau de pluie
Parce qu'il pleuvait
Et il est parti
Sous la pluie
Sans une parole
Et moi j'ai pris
Ma tte dans ma main
Et j'ai pleur.
A cigarette
He made smoke-rings
With the smoke
He put the ashes
In the ashtray
Without a word to me
Without a look at me
He got up
He put
His hat upon his head
He put
his raincoat on
Because it was raining
And he left
In the rain
Without a word
And I, I took
My head in my hand
And I cried.
Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from Paroles by Prvert
Le Corbeau et le Renard
Jean de la Fontaine
Matre corbeau, sur un arbre perch,
Tenait en son bec un fromage,
Matre renard, par l'odeur allch,
Lui tint peu prs ce langage:
<<Eh bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.
Que vous tes joli ! que vous me
semblez beau !
Sans mentir, si votre ramage
Se rapporte votre plumage,
Vous tes le phnix des htes de ces
bois.>>
A ces mots, le corbeau ne se sent pas
de joie;
Et pour montrer sa belle voix,
Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa
proie.
Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: <<Mon bon
monsieur,
Apprenez que tout flatteur
Vit aux dpens de celui qui l'coute.
Cette leon vaut bien un fromage sans
The Crow and the Fox

Jean de la Fontaine
Master Crow perched on a tree,
Was holding a cheese in his beak.
Master Fox attracted by the smell
Said something like this:
"Well, Hello Mister Crow!
How beautiful you are! how nice you seem to
me!
Really, if your voice
Is like your plumage,
You are the phoenix of all the inhabitants of
these woods."
At these words, the Crow is overjoyed.
And in order to show off his beautiful voice,
He opens his beak wide, lets his prey fall
The Fox grabs it, and says: "My good man,
Learn that every flatterer
Lives at the expense of the one who listens to
him.
This lesson, without doubt, is well worth a
cheese."
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doute.>>
Le corbeau, honteux et confus,
Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y
prendrait plus.
The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed,

Swore, but a little late, that he would not be
taken again.
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French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

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French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

[ French IV Zip file of mp3s - 23.22 MB ]

I buy some pants.

Je vous donne la bote.

I give the box to you.

After you. (familiar)

Nous allons avec elle.

He doesn't leave her.

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Je t'aime. or Je vous aime.

Elle ne l'aime pas.

She doesn't love him.

Vous en avez cout trois.

You've listened to three of them.

Je t'ai demand du pain.

I asked you for some bread.

Il ne l'a pas aim.

He didn't like it/her/him.

Tu n'y as pas habit.

You didn't live there.

Je ne vous ai pas parl.

I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.

Nous ne l'avons pas fini.

We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.

Elles nous ont cout(e)s.

They listened to us.

la figure / le visage / la face

l'il / les yeux

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

le penard / les arpions

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

To ask about people:

Qui est-ce qui

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Qui est-ce que

Whom did you see?

Preposition + qui est-ce

Whom did you

To ask about things:

What did you do?

Preposition + quoi estce que

What did you talk

Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Qu'est-ce que c'est que le camembert? What is "camembert"?

Vous parlez franais ?

How did you learn it?

Why are you looking at

Qui c'est qui t'a dit a?

Who told you that?

65. FORMS OF LEQUEL

Quel livre listu?

Quels livres listu?

Laquelle lis- Lesquelles

French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

I eat things that are good.

Je mange des choses que

I eat things that I like.

C'est ce que je disais.