A Moi Paris Level 1 - Transcript

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À Moi Paris - Level 1

The Beginnings
COPYRIGHT © 2015-2016 by Camille Chevalier-Karfis / French Today
3rd Edition - Published October 2016
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A Moi Paris - The Beginnings
Table Of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
How to work with this audio book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The study guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The story part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Grammar Lexicon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What is an agreement?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What is a verb?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What is a noun?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What does “gender” mean?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What does number mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What is an article?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What is a pronoun?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What is an adjective?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What is an adverb? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What is a subject? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What is a person? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is an accent?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is a liaison?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is a gliding?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is an elision?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is a verb conjugation?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is the infinitive of a verb?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What is a verb tense?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Copyright ©2015-2016 - French Today 3

On the present tense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1. Julie, une Amie Du Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Study guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Greetings and basic politeness moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hi and bye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
First name or not?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Subject Pronouns - Singular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Punctuation differences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2. Monsieur Dupont, un Voisin Âgé. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Tu, toi, te and vous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Subject Pronouns - Plural. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3. Michel Et Jeanne, Des Amis D’anne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The verb to go = “aller”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
How are you?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
I’m fine, great, so-so, not great . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4. Laure, une Bonne Copine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Understanding the context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
‘Thank you’, ‘you are welcome’ and ‘please’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4 Copyright ©2015-2016 - French Today

And you?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
‘Let me introduce you to…’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
‘See you soon’, ‘have a good day/evening’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5. Vous Êtes Anglaise ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Present tense of the verb ‘to be’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
The key to memorizing your verbs: drilling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Vocabulary: the members of the family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6. Nous Parlons Français. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Verbs in ER + consonant - Pronunciation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Verbs in ER + consonant - Written Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
7. J’adore Les Enfants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
The days of the week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Regular ER verbs starting with a vowel or a mute h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Elision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
8. Tu Aimes la Musique ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Study guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Le, la, l’, les: which one should you use? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
The French verb “aimer”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The verb “préférer” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

9. Moi, J’adore Les Croissants !. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Making a noun plural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Irregular plural. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Vocabulary - Breakfast food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
“Moi”, “toi”... The French stress pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
10. Je M’appelle Tugdual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
“Un”, “une” = a, an, one. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Des = indefinite plural quantity, both feminine and masculine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Reflexive verbs = se or s’ + verb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Le verbe s’appeler - to say your name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Related vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
11. Je Rêve D’aller Aux États-Unis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
How do you say “French” and “France”?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Vocabulary – continents, countries and nationalities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Countries and Prepositions of Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
12. Un Dîner Typiquement Français . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Food-related vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Making a verb negative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
When two verbs follow each other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

13. J’ai Des Oeufs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
The partitive article: du, de la, de l’, des - unspecified quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
The verb “avoir” – to have. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
14. Désolée, Je Ne Peux Pas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
“Pouvoir” = Can, to be able to. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Numbers 1 to 29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
15. Quelle Heure Est-Il ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Story Part. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Numbers 30 to 100. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Telling the time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
16. Je Sors De L’école À Seize Heures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Study guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Three ways of telling the time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
17. Est-ce Qu’il y a un Jardin ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
School Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
“Il y a” : there is, there are. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

18. Il Fait Beau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Talking about the weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ordinal numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
19. J’adore Voyager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Asking questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
20. Je Fais Du Vélo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
The mutant forms of “le” and “les” with “à” and “de” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
To play a sport, a game, an instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Faire – to do, to make, and many other things!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
French Today’s Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings Intro
Introduction
When I read a French method, I am always appalled by its difficulty. Even ‘Beginner 101’ courses
assume you have had some French before or are a language genius...
This method was created from the ground up with the total beginner in mind. As the story develops,
I will be using vocabulary and concepts studied in the previous chapters, and will slowly add new
ones. Your knowledge of French will, therefore, expand gradually. As we learn best with repetitions,
I will be using both known and new vocabulary in the story part, as well as in the examples and
exercises.
Guessing from the context is essential when you learn a foreign language. Another essential concept
is to accept and embrace the fact that you will not always understand every single word being used.
As we advance through this audio method, I will introduce some very common concepts, which are
too advanced to be studied here. Doing so will train your ear to understand them, even if you may
not be able to use them yet yourself. Rest assured however that I will mostly use concepts that I do
explain, and that you will fully master them once you complete this audiobook.
French pronunciation can be a challenge. This book is full of pronunciation notes, and with the
recorded audio may be self-sufficient. However, French pronunciation follows simple rules and
knowing them will make more sense than just guessing. I strongly suggest that you study “Secrets of
French Pronunciation” (http://www.frenchtoday.com/sfp) at the same time as you are following this
method. As you work your way through this audiobook, I will be suggesting other in-depth lessons
that you could benefit from if you want to focus on particular, more specific, concepts.
The amount of work you will put into this book is up to you: you can just listen to the story part,
enjoy, and learn some truly useful French sentences... and have fun along the way. If you are
motivated, however, this method could be the basis for hours of serious studying, gradually building
up your knowledge and giving you the confidence that you need to interact in French.
So now, here is my advice on how to best use this book.
Copyright ©2015-2016 - French Today Page 9

How to work with this audio book

Each chapter of the story is recorded three times: once very slowly so you can really hear all the
French sounds, then at a normal speed, respecting the modern glided pronunciation of spoken
French. The whole section is then recorded in a “street French” manner, mostly for you to practice
on understanding French people when they speak among themselves in everyday life. Don’t sweat
trying to speak that fast yet, this will come with experience and practice.
Written French and spoken French are quite different, so make sure you always work with the audio
first, and memorize the correct pronunciation before you memorize the spelling. Beware of the
many silent letters. And repeat out loud, not only in your head, that doesn’t count :-)
1. LISTEN to the slow recording of the story part. Can you guess what is happening?
2. Read the English translation, then read the French at the same time as the normal recording is
playing. Note the glidings, liaisons, intonation and word groupings that happen. Write them
down on the print out of this PDF to help you read the story better.
3. REPEAT OUT LOUD - first sentence by sentence with the slow recording, then once you master
the slow recording, repeat longer dialogues with the normal recording speed. You will
probably need to use the pause and play buttons to have time to repeat in between each
phrase.
4. Use the “street French” recording of the whole section to test your understanding. You will
probably not be able to speak that fast at first, but you need to train your ear to be able to
understand people speaking that way (which is ‘normal’ speed for natives)!
The study guide

ALWAYS STUDY WITH THE AUDIO. Go as slow as you need, repeating as many times as necessary
until you get the pronunciation and are able to memorize the points being explained. It’s not about
going as fast as possible to the next chapter. Au contraire, you need to focus on the same point until
you really get it, and can do the exercises without hesitation.
1. Do and redo the exercises. After I give you the English sentences, pause to have time to answer
out loud or to write down your answer. Then check both your answer and its pronunciation
with the audio and pdf. Train with the audio to repeat my answer out loud.
2. Make flash cards to memorize the new words and expressions. Test yourself with your
flashcards.
3. Remember the golden rule of studying: for any time spent studying new material, try spending
twice as much time reviewing previously studied material: so go back! Repetition is the key!
Page 10 Copyright ©2015-2016 - French Today
The story part

You can use the story to improve your understanding and pronunciation, as well as your written
French.
Once you are familiar with the meaning of the story, go back then play, pause and REPEAT OUT
LOUD each sentence. Try to mimic the sing-song of my voice as if you were an actor: pay close
attention to the glidings, the elisions and liaisons, and also to the word grouping: where I pause
and breathe within the sentence. Repeat as many times as necessary for you to be able to read
comfortably.
Try not to translate! Stay focused on the context and the storyline. So you didn’t understand one
word? The worse that can happen is for your brain to freeze - and then you’d miss the rest of the
story. What you don’t know, you can usually guess: guessing what is logically happening in a given
context is very important in language learning. It’s essential that you develop this ability in French
and force your brain to go with the flow of the story or conversation.
Don’t try to link the French words to English! Link the words to images, verbs to actions, get a visual
image of it all - you don’t need to go through English to speak French. Doing so will lead to mistakes,
and will considerably slow you down when speaking since your brain would be doing twice the work
(idea to English, THEN English to French... rather than idea to French directly!!)
If you want to work on your written French, you can use the audio of the slow story as a dictation.
Play with the pause button as needed so you have time to write the sentences down.
Good luck with your French studies, and remember, repetition is the key!
Key
īī
Suggested Additional Reading/Listening
Some subjects are beyond the scope of this beginner method. When that subject is explored
in greater length in another French Today product, I’ll point it out.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings Lexicon
Grammar Lexicon
In order to properly study French, you’ll need to have a minimum of basis in grammatical analysis
and terms. This is essential to understand how phrases are properly constructed and how verbs,
nouns, conjugations change based on the context of the phrase.
What follows is a quick overview and recap of what these different grammar terms mean and will
serve to refresh your memory as you start your French learning venture.
1. What is an agreement?
In French, some words are said to “agree” with each other. The same way as in English you will add
an “s” to the 3rd person singular (she singS); in French, you will have to change some words or parts
of words (like the endings of verbs) to match other words related them.
2. What is a verb?
A verb indicates an action. It can be physical (to walk, to run, to go), mental (to think, to laugh), or a
condition (to be, to have). A verb is “conjugated” to match (we say to agree with) its subject: he does,
she has, they were...
3. What is a noun?
A noun is the name of a person, an animal, a thing, a place, an idea... Nouns can be common nouns:
man, dog, cup, home, love... or they can be proper nouns: Mary, Paris, France...
4. What does “gender” mean?

In English, gender is linked to the sex of a living being. A man is masculine, and to talk about him,
you’d use masculine pronouns such as “him”, “he”, “his”. A woman is feminine, and you’d use “her,
she, her” to talk about her. And things are neutral, like a book, and you’d use “it, its” to refer to it.
In French, all nouns – whether they refer to living being or not – are either masculine or feminine. If
it’s a living being, the gender will be determined by the sex: feminine or masculine.

But all other nouns also have a gender that needs to be memorized.
For example, a book in French is masculine, a table is feminine, liberty is feminine, Canada is
masculine and France is feminine.
When you learn a new noun, you should always learn its gender at the same time since it will affect
the spelling and pronunciation of the words related to it.
The gender of a noun is usually indicated with an (m) for masculine, (f) for feminine, or shown by the
article (a, the) that accompanies it.
Some endings will indicate a noun’s gender, but there are too many exceptions for this to be really
reliable.
5. What does number mean?

Number is the grammatical term used to talk about singular or plural.
1. One person or thing = singular.

2. More than one = plural.
In English, adding a pronounced “s” at the end makes a noun plural: books, tables. Some nouns have
an irregular plural: “children”.
In French, the plural of a noun is created by adding a silent “s” at the end. To know whether the noun
is singular or plural, you will have to listen to the words related to the noun, since they will agree
(match) with the noun’s gender and number.
Sometimes, only the context will tell you if something is plural or singular, since the pronunciation
will be the same. It can be a bit confusing!
6. What is an article?
An article precedes a noun and indicates whether it is a specific or non-specific person, animal, thing,
place, idea... In English, articles are “the, a, an”.
Articles are much more present in French than in English, and their subtleties can be a bit
overwhelming for a beginner. Patience, they will make more sense over time.
Articles are very important to show the gender and number of nouns in French.

7. What is a pronoun?
A pronoun replaces one or several nouns. When you speak of John, instead of repeating his name
over and over, you use the pronoun “he”. “Him”, “his” are other kinds of pronouns.
You will choose the correct pronoun according to the grammatical value of the noun you wish
to replace. For example: “he” is used to replace a noun subject of the verb, “him” for an object
pronoun and “his” for a possessive pronoun.
8. What is an adjective?
An adjective describes a noun or a pronoun in different ways:
1. A descriptive adjective indicates a quality: tall, blond, intelligent.

2. A possessive adjective shows possession: my book, their dogs.
3. A demonstrative adjective points out a noun: this book, that dog.
4. An interrogative adjective asks a question about a noun: what book, which dog?
French adjectives follow very different rules than their English counterparts.
Most descriptive adjectives go after the noun in French, when they go before the noun in English.
French adjectives will agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, and this will affect
both their writing and their pronunciation. This too will take some training and getting use to :-)
9. What is an adverb?
An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb (well, very, soon). Many adverbs end in
“ly” in English (happily) and in “ment” in French (heureusement).
Adverbs are invariable, which means they never agree with another word.
10. What is a subject?
The subject is the person or thing that does the action of the verb.
There is an easy way to find the subject of a sentence. First, find the verb. Then ask: “who + verb” or

“what + verb”. The answer to that question will be your subject. A subject is a noun or a pronoun. It
can be a person, a thing, a place, an idea...
Examples:
I paint. Who paints? I paint. “I” is the subject.
Camille is teaching French. Who is teaching? Camille is teaching. “Camille” is the subject.
What is happening to Camille? What’s happening? What is happening. “What” is the subject (This one
was trickier, wasn’t it?)
Was freedom won easily? What was won? Freedom was won. “Freedom” is the subject.
11. What is a person?
In grammar, a person refers to the different pronouns used to conjugate a verb.
I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
They are divided between singular and plural.
1. I is the first person singular

2. You is the second person singular
3. He and she are the third person singular
4. We is the first person plural
5. You is the second person plural (when it’s more than one person)
6. They is the third person plural
12. What is an accent?
An accent is a little mark over a vowel which may change the way that vowel is pronounced, or may
differentiate one word from another.
13. What is a liaison?
A liaison occurs when a silent consonant (like the s of “nous”) is followed by a vowel or a mute H.

In liaison, the silent letter becomes the first sound of the following word. Most consonants keep
their sound in liaison, except for S that makes a liaison sound in Z, X which becomes Z, and D which
becomes T. Listen carefully to the audio, and liaisons will become obvious to you.
Make sure you do your liaisons, they are a key ingredient to sounding French.
14. What is a gliding?
A gliding is what happens in modern French, when we glide over some letters, kind of like “gotta
go” instead of “I have got to go” in American English. It’s very common nowadays in French, and
reinforces the difference between spoken and written French.
15. What is an elision?
An elison occurs when a short word drops its vowel and becomes the first sound of the following
word. The dropped vowel is replaced in writing by an apostrophe. The remaining consonant is then
pronounced as if it were the first letter of the following word.
This will become much clearer with examples as we study this concept...
16. What is a verb conjugation?

The conjugation is the way a subject changes a verb so they match.
In English, the conjugation of verbs is quite simple. The verbs don’t change much (I, you, we, they
speak – he, she, it speaks) except for the verb to be (I am, you are, he is).
It is not so in French, where the verb form changes with almost each different person.
Some verbs are called “regular” because they follow a predictable conjugation pattern (such
as adding an “s” to the 3rd person singular in English), some are called “irregular” because their
conjugation pattern is not predictable (like the verb “to be” in English).
The way French verbs are written and their pronunciations are also very different.
17. What is the infinitive of a verb?

The infinitive is the form of the verb before it is being conjugated. It’s the basic verb name: “to
speak”.
In English, the infinitive is usually preceded by “to”: “to study”, but not always (example: “can”.)
In French, there is no “to” before the verb. The infinitive form is shown by the last two or three
letters, usually “er”, “ir” or “re” that will also determine the conjugation pattern of the verb if the verb
is regular.
18. What is a verb tense?

A tense indicates when the action of the verb is taking place: now, in the past, in the future.
1. A simple tense consists of only one verb form (ie: “I speak”).
2. A compound tense consists of one or more auxiliary verb + a main verb (ie: “I am speaking”, “I
have been thinking”).
Since this audiobook is created with the beginner student in mind, I will do my best to use mostly the
present tense. Because there are many verb forms to memorize for each different French tenses,
French conjugation can be quite a pain, and unfortunately, too many teaching methods only focus
on this aspect of French.
19. On the present tense

My deep belief is that someone can very well communicate using only the present tense, by adding
key words like “yesterday”, “next month”, “two years ago” to imply future or past tense... Even if
the sentence is not grammatically correct, it will be quite easy to understand and much easier to
understand than someone mixing up all the tenses in one sentence (ie: “I will think he has been
coming tomorrow but I knew not”), or freezing before each verb, or drastically lacking vocabulary.
In other words, beginners have to begin somewhere. In my opinion, mastering a decent

pronunciation, memorizing some useful vocabulary and grammatical syntax is more important than
verb tenses at this stage. So for now, and for a little while, concentrate on the present tense. The
other tenses can wait :-)
Grammar wise, French is more complex than English but reading in French is much easier once

you’ve understood the rules of pronunciation! I sincerely believe this audiobook and approach will
help you take your first steps in French, and set in place the essential structures on which you will be
able to build up solid foundations in French.
If grammatical terms and analysis are a challenge for you or if you simply want to learn more about
it, I strongly recommend you buy a book called “English grammar for students of French”.
And now, let’s learn some French!

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 01 Julie, Une Amie Du Bureau
01. Julie, une Amie Du Bureau

Julie, a Friend from Work (using the Tu Form)
Story
Anne est au marché. Elle est avec Mary, une jeune au pair anglaise.
Anne is at the open-air market. She is with Mary, a young English au pair.
Elle rencontre Julie, une amie du bureau.

They run into Julie, a friend of Anne’s from work.
Anne Bonjour Julie, comment vas-tu ?
Hi Julie, how are you doing?

Julie Je vais bien, merci, et toi ?

I’m fine, thank you, and you?
Anne Je vais très bien, merci. Julie, je te présente Mary. Mary, je te présente mon amie
Julie.
I am doing great, thank you. Julie, let me introduce you to Mary. Mary, let me introduce
you to Julie.
Julie Enchantée Mary.
Nice to meet you Mary.
Mary Enchantée Julie.

Nice to meet you Julie.
Anne Au revoir Julie !

Good-bye Julie!
Julie Au revoir Anne. Au revoir Mary.

Good-bye Anne. Good-bye Mary.
Mary Au revoir Julie.

Good-bye Julie.
Study guide
1. Greetings and basic politeness moves

On this subject, many things could be said as we all have many different ways to greet people
depending on age, context, social class and of course personal preferences.
In France, greetings follow a kind of routine:
1. First you say “hello”

2. Then you ask “how are you”?
3. The person answers “I’m fine/ not so good” then “thank you”, and then “and you”?
4. At the end, people say “goodbye” and usually also add “have a good day/evening...”
When adults meet, they shake hands or kiss on the cheeks, depending on their level of friendship.

French people don’t hug and would be uncomfortable with this foreign move.
When children or teenagers meet, they may kiss, or just wave “hi “. However, when they meet adults,
it is expected of them to kiss (very likely) or shake hands (especially if the person is a business
acquaintance of their parents).
2. Hi and bye.

Bonjour = hi, hello, good morning, good afternoon – used all day long, the most common way to
say hello. (Note that in Québec, they also use “ bonjour “ to say goodbye. It’s never used this way in
France).
Bonsoir = hello in the evening only, rarely used to say goodbye.
Salut = hey (mostly used with young people, quite informal). Sometimes used to say bye as well.
Au revoir = goobye, bye. Note the pronunciation “ or vwoar “. It’s the most common way to say
goodbye.
3. First name or not?

If you are talking to a friend, you’d usually use their first name. The same goes for a child.
Bonjour Mary ! Salut Anne! Bonsoir Thomas!
With other people, you’d use:
1. “Monsieur” (short is M.) for a man

2. “Madame” (short is Mme) for a woman
3. “Mademoiselle” (middle e silent - short is Mlle) for a younger woman
If you know the last name, saying it is more polite.
Bonjour Monsieur. Bonjour Monsieur Dupont.

Bonjour Madame. Bonjour Madame Dupont.
Bonjour Mademoiselle. Bonjour Mademoiselle Dupont.

4. Subject Pronouns - Singular

To replace a noun, you use a word called “a pronoun”. You choose this pronoun according to both
the grammatical value of the word it replaces and the meaning of the word it replaces.
Anne est au marché. Elle est avec Mary.
To replace “Anne” in the second sentence, I used “elle” (she). “Elle” is a subject pronoun: it replaces a
noun subject of the verb.
In French, the list of singular subject pronouns is:
1. Je (or j’ + vowel or h) = I

Je vais bien, merci.
2. Tu (never t’) = you singular informal

Comment vas-tu.
3. Il = it, he - long “ee” sound
4. Elle = it, she - short clip “L” sound

Elle est avec Mary
5. On - this one is more difficult to understand. It used to mean “ one “, but nowadays is used in
casual French to say “ we “, instead of the now more formal/written form “ nous “.
6. Vous = you, one person, formal
Note: There is no “it” form in French. Everything: objects, concepts, animals etc. are either masculine
or feminine in French, and are therefore referred to as “il” or “elle”.
5. Punctuation differences
Some rules of punctuation used when typing text are different in French. It’s not a huge deal if you
don’t apply the correct punctuation rules when typing, but I figured I’d mention it now since you’ll
notice the different punctuations in the story part between the French and English translation.
! Un point d’exclamation ! Space BEFORE and after

? Un point d’interrogation ? Space BEFORE and after

: Les deux points : Space BEFORE and after
; Un point virgule ; Space BEFORE and after
, Une virgule, No space before, space after, same as English
. Un point. No space before, space after, same as English
… Trois petits points… No space before, space after, same as English (also called
les points de suspension)…

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 02 Monsieur Dupont, Un Voisin Âgé
02. Monsieur Dupont, un
Voisin Âgé
Mr. Dupont, an Older Neighbor (using the Vous Form)
Story
Un peu plus tard, Mary et Anne croisent Monsieur Dupont, un voisin âgé d’Anne.
A little bit later, Mary and Anne cross paths with Mister Dupont an elderly neighbor of Anne’s.
Anne Ah, bonjour Monsieur Dupont.

Ah, good day Mister Dupont.
M Dupont Bonjour Madame Castel. Comment allez-vous ?

Hello Mrs Castel. How are you doing?

Anne Je vais bien, merci. Et vous ?

I am doing fine. Thank you. And you?
M Dupont Je vais bien, merci. Et comment va votre mère ?

I am fine, thanks. And how is your mother doing?
Anne Elle va bien, merci. Et vous, comment va votre femme ?

She is fine, thanks. And you, how is your wife doing?
M Dupont Elle va très bien. Je vous remercie.

She is doing just fine. Thank you.
Anne Comment vont vos enfants ?

How are your children?
M Dupont Ils vont très bien, merci. Et, comment va votre fils Paul ?
They are great, thanks. And how is your son Paul?
Anne Il va très bien. Monsieur Dupont, je vous présente mon au pair Mademoiselle Joe.
He is doing fine, thank you. Mister Dupont, let me introduce you to my au pair, Miss Joe.
M Dupont Bonjour Mademoiselle.

Hi Miss.
Mary Bonjour Monsieur.

Hello Sir.
Anne Mary et moi allons chez le marchand de légumes. Au revoir Monsieur Dupont, bonne
journée !
Mary and I are going to the vegetable store. Goodbye Mister Dupont, have a good day!
M Dupont Au revoir Madame Castel. Bonne journée à vous aussi.
Goodbye Mrs. Castel. Good day to you as well.

Study Guide
1. Tu, toi, te and vous

In French, we have several ways of saying “you”.
A) Informal Singular You
The first way to say “you”, we saw in use in the previous story. It’s a “you“ informal, used when
talking TO one single person – so singular.
This “you” is used to talk to a child, a member of your close family, a close friend, or someone you
are talking to in a very relaxed, informal setting.
The pronouns we commonly use to refer to this “you” are:
1. Tu – to replace a subject (hence a ‘Subject Pronoun’).

Comment vas-tu ? How are you doing?
2. Toi – after a preposition like “and “ (et).

Et toi ? And you? What about you?
3. Te – for an object pronoun.

Je te présente Mary – Let me introduce you to Mary.
B) Formal Singular You
The second “you” form, we used in this chapter’s story. It’s a “you” formal singular, used when
talking TO one single person.
Typically, this is the “you” used among professional adults, or with someone (much) older than you:
it’s the “you” a child uses with an adult (outside of close family), whereas the adult would use “tu” to
talk to the child.
The pronoun we commonly use to refer to this formal “you” is:

Vous – vous is simple to use since it is the same pronoun to replace nouns with all different kinds of
grammatical values!
Comment allez-vous ? = How are you doing?

Et vous? = And you?
Je vous remercie. = I thank you.
C) Formal/Informal Plural You
The third “you” form, we will see in next chapter’s story. It’s a “you” plural, used when talking TO
several people, no matter whether you are being formal or informal.
Surprise! It’s vous again! That makes things easier :-)
Now, there are MANY subtleties, habits and customs to take into consideration when using “tu”
versus “vous”: age, social class, context, personal habits, etc... But in general, remember these three
basic rules:
1. If someone says “tu” to you, you can say “tu” back, unless they are much older than you are.
2. You won’t necessarily use “tu” with people you are on a first name basis with. It depends how
close a friend they are.
You would always use “vous” with people you call Monsieur, Madame or Mademoiselle.
3. If in doubt, use “vous”.
īī
For an in depth explanation on the subtleties of when to use “tu” versus “vous”, refer to my
“French Greetings and Politeness Masterclass”, chapter 2. This 50 minute audio lesson takes
an in depth look at politeness and greetings, as well as the moves French people make when
greeting each other.
Exercise
Read the sentences out loud and determine the level of relationship. Determine if they would use
the “tu” or “vous” form.
1. Bonjour Monsieur Dupont.

2. Bonjour Julie.
3. Bonjour Madame Castel.
4. Salut Anne.
5. Bonjour Michel et Jeanne.
Answers
1. Bonjour Monsieur Dupont (last name - vous)

2. Bonjour Julie (first name - probably tu, maybe vous)
3. Bonjour Madame Castel (last name - vous)
4. Salut Anne (first name and very casual - tu)
5. Bonjour Michel et Jeanne (first name – vous plural)
2. Subject Pronouns - Plural

Et comment vont vos enfants ? And how are your children?
Ils vont très bien, merci. They are great, thanks.
In French, the list of plural subject pronouns (replacing several people) is:
1. Nous = we - S is silent, but becomes Z when followed by a vowel or an h. (Nowadays, “ nous “ is

used in a formal context and in writing mostly. In conversation, we tend to use “on“).
2. Vous = you plural, both formal and informal - S is silent, but becomes Z + vowel or an h.
3. Ils = they masculine or they masculine and feminine - S is silent, but becomes Z + vowel or an h.
4. Elles = they feminine ONLY - S is silent, but becomes Z + vowel or an h.
In pronunciation “Il” = “Ils” = eel, as well as “Elle” = “Elles” = L . Do not pronounce the S to remember
the spelling; it would mess up your pronunciation!
Exercise
Determine the correct subject pronoun

1. Talking to your brother.

2. Talking about your sister.
3. Talking to your colleagues.
4. Talking about your colleagues.
5. Talking about you.
6. Talking about yourself and your best girlfriend.
7. Talking about your best girlfriend.
8. Talking to your best friend.
9. Talking about you and your colleagues.
10. Talking about Mrs Dupont.
11. Talking about a house (une maison, feminine).
12. Talking to Mrs Dupont.
13. Talking to Mrs Dupont’s children.
14. Talking about Mrs Dupont’s children.
15. Talking to Mrs Dupont’s 5 year old child.
16. Talking about a female dog.
17. Talking about a male dog.
18. Talking about several houses.
19. Talking about a wine (un vin, masculine).
20. Talking about a baby.
Answers
1. Talking to your brother = tu (one person, family)

2. Talking about your sister = elle (one person, family)
3. Talking to your colleagues = vous (several people)
4. Talking about your colleagues = Ils (or elles if they are all only women)
5. Talking about youself = je
6. Talking about yourself and your best girlfriend = nous or on
7. Talking about your best girlfriend = elle (feminine)
8. Talking to your best friend = tu (one person, intimate friend)
9. Talking about you and your colleagues = nous or on
10. Talking about Mrs Dupont = elle
11. Talking about a house (une maison, feminine) = elle (there is no “it” in French).
12. Talking to Mrs Dupont = vous (Mrs show formality)

13. Talking to Mrs Dupont’s children = vous (plural)

14. Talking about Mrs Dupont’s children = ils (or maybe elles if they are all girls)
15. Talking to Mrs Dupont’s 5 year old child = tu (one person, child)
16. Talking about a female dog = elle (there is no “it” in French)
17. Talking about a male dog = il (there is no “it” in French)
18. Talking about several houses = elles
19. Talking about a wine (un vin, masculine) = il (there is no “it” in French)
20. Talking about a baby = il or elle (depending if it’s a baby girl or a baby boy)

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 03 Michel Et Jeanne, Des Amis D’anne
03. Michel Et Jeanne, Des

Amis D’anne
Michel and Jeanne, Anne’s Friends (using the Vous Form)
Story
Maintenant, Anne et Mary rencontrent Michel et Jeanne, des amis d’Anne, chez le marchand de
légumes.
Now, Anne and Mary run into Michel and Jeanne, Anne’s friends, at the vegetable store.
Anne Bonjour Michel, bonjour Jeanne ! Comment allez vous ?

Hi Michel, hi Jeanne! How are you?
Michel Bonjour Anne ! Nous allons bien, merci, et toi ?

Hi Anne! We are fine, thanks, and yourself?

Anne Je vais très bien, merci.

Voici mon amie Mary. Elle est anglaise, et elle va habiter chez nous pendant trois
mois. C’est une au pair.
I am doing great, thanks. This is my friend Mary. She’s English, and she is going to be living
with us for three months. She is an au pair.
Michel Bonjour Mary. Comment vas-tu ?

Hi Mary. How are you?
Mary Bonjour Monsieur. Je vais pas mal, merci, et vous ?

Hello Sir. I’m OK, thanks, and you?
Michel Je vais bien, merci.

I’m fine, thank you.
Jeanne Bonjour Mary.

Good morning Mary.
Mary Bonjour Madame.

Good morning Madam.
Anne Mary et moi allons à la boulangerie. On se téléphone bientôt, d’accord ?

Mary and I are going to the bakery. Let’s call each other soon, ok?
Jeanne D’accord ! À bientôt.

Ok! See you soon.
Study Guide
1. The verb to go = “aller”

The verb to go is a very common irregular verb. It’s called an irregular verb because its conjugation
pattern (the way it changes to agree with subject pronouns) is not predictable, unlike many French
verbs that follow a predictable pattern. This is one of the key irregular verbs that should be learned
by heart; unfortunately there is just no way around it!
In French, there is a big difference between the way things are written and the way they are
pronounced. Never pronounce a silent letter to remember the way something is spelled, otherwise
you will mess up your pronunciation! Make sure you use the audio recordings when learning this
verb.

Je vais (s silent) Nous allons (Z in liaison)

I go, I am going We go, we are going
Tu vas (s silent) Vous allez (Z in liaison)

You (casual) go, you are going You (plural + formal) go, you are going
Il/elle/on va Ils/Elles vont (t silent)

He/she/it/one/ goes –he/she/it/one is going They (masculine or mixed/ feminine) go, they are going
A) What is a liaison?
A liaison occurs when a silent consonant (like the s of “nous”) is followed by a vowel or a mute H. In
a liaison, the silent letter becomes the first sound of the following word. Most consonants keep their
sound in liaison, except for S that makes a liaison sound in Z, X becomes Z, and D becomes T. Listen
carefully to the audio, and liaisons will become obvious to you. Make sure you do your liaisons, they
are a key ingredient to sounding French.
1. Nous allons has a liaison in Z

2. Vous allez has a liaison in Z
Note that in French, there’s only one present tense, the “present simple”. We don’t use the verb to
be + a verb in “ing” to form a “present progressive” like there is in English. We don’t have a “They ARE
goING” construction; we only say “ils vont” for both “they go AND they are going”.
īī
Extensive pronunciation drills in all tenses of the verb “aller” are featured in my French Verb
Drills Volume 2: http://www.frenchtoday.com/fv2
Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb “aller”. Learn the new vocabulary. Once you are
done, drill with these sentences changing the subject pronouns. (Nous allons au bureau, Tu vas en
vacances etc...)
1. Je __________ au bureau – I am going/go to the office

2. Nous __________ en vacances – We are going/go on a vacation
3. Ils __________au restaurant – They are going/go to the restaurant
4. Il __________ à la boulangerie - He is going/goes to the bakery
5. Vous __________ à Paris – You are going/go to Paris

6. On __________ au cinéma – One is going/goes to the movies
7. Tu __________ à l’école – You are going/go to school
8. Elles __________chez le marchand de légumes – They are going/go to the vegetable store
9. Elle __________ en France – She is going/goes to France
Answers
1. Je vais au bureau – I am going/go to the office

2. Nous allons en vacances – We are going/go on a vacation
3. Ils vont au restaurant – They are going/go to the restaurant
4. Il va à la boulangerie - He is going/goes to the bakery
5. Vous allez à Paris – You are going/go to Paris
6. On va au cinéma – One is going/goes to the movies
7. Tu vas à l’école – You are going/go to school
8. Elles vont chez le marchand de légumes – They are going/go to the vegetable store
9. Elle va en France – She is going/goes to France
2. How are you?

To say “how”, we use the word “comment” (t is silent). Then we’ll use the verb “aller”, matching the
correct subject pronoun.
NOTE: The verb aller means “to go”, but it is also the verb we use in greetings, where English
speakers use the verb “to be” (how ARE you? I AM fine). You need to practice these expressions since
you cannot translate literally from English.
There are 3 main constructions:
1. Comment ça va ? is casual, and very commonly used lately.

It works for “tu” and “vous”, and for all the other subject pronouns as well. It’s kind of “how are
things (with you, with your work, with your mom...)”
2. Comment vas-tu ? is a bit less casual, and uses “tu”.
3. Comment allez-vous ? is used for “vous”.

Note the liaison with the ‘t’ of comment = coman (nasal) talé voo
We use the same construction for all the subject pronouns:
1. Comment va le travail ? = how is work?

2. Comment vont vos enfants ? = how are your kids?
In France, it’s rare to ask a stranger how they are doing. You’d ask this question to your friends
and acquaintances, but not to the baker (unless you know him/her well), unlike in the US where it’s
common to ask random people in shops “how are you today?”
3. I’m fine, great, so-so, not great

Again, for the answer we use the French verb “aller”, matching the correct subject pronoun, plus
some adverbs to modify the mood.
So, je vais... nous allons... il va... or the magic and generic “ça va”... or sometimes no pronoun used
before if it’s obvious you are answering a question about how you are doing.
1. Bien = fine.
2. Très bien = great
3. Comme-ci, comme ça = so-so, not great
4. Mal = badly, poorly, not well
1. Je vais bien...

2. ça va très bien...
3. nous allons comme-ci, comme ça...
4. il va mal...

04. Laure, une Bonne Copine
Laure, a Good Friend (using “Ça Va”)
Story
Elles arrivent à la boulangerie. Dans la queue, elles rencontrent Laure, une bonne copine d’Anne.
They arrive at the bakery. In line, they run into Laure, a close girlfriend of Anne.
Laure Salut Anne, ça va ?

Hey Anne, how are things?
Anne Ah, bonjour Laure. Ça va, et toi ?

Ah, hi Laure. All is good: what’s up with you?
Laure Ça va bien, merci.

All is good, thanks.
À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 04 Laure, Une Bonne Copine
Anne Laure, voici Mary, notre au pair anglaise.

Laure, this is Mary, our English au pair.
Laure Bonjour Mary. Comment vas-tu ?

Hi Mary. How are you?
Mary Bonjour Laure. Je vais bien, merci, et toi ?

Hi Laure. I am fine, thanks, and you?
Laure Bien, merci. Anne, comment va Sylvie ?

Fine, thanks. Anne, how is Sylvie doing?
Anne Elle va comme-ci, comme ça. Elle est un peu malade. Et Philippe, ça va ?
She’s not doing so well. She is a bit sick. And Philippe? Is he ok?
Laure Non, il va mal. Il est déprimé...

No, he’s not well at all. He is depressed...
Anne Vous allez en vacances bientôt ?

Are you going on a vacacion soon?
Laure Oui, nous allons en vacances en Bretagne la semaine prochaine. C’est bien pour
Philippe.
Yes, we are vacationing in Brittany next week. It’s a good thing for Philippe.
Boulangère Bonjour Madame.

Good morning Madam.
Anne Bonjour Mademoiselle. Je voudrais une baguette tradition s’il vous plaît.
Good morning Miss. I would like a “ traditional “ loaf please.
Boulangère Voilà Madame. Un Euro et dix centimes.

Here you go. One Euro and ten cents.
Anne Voici Deux Euros.

Here are two Euros.
Boulangère Merci Madame.
Thank you.
Anne Je vous en prie.

You’re welcome.

Boulangère Et voilà votre baguette et votre monnaie.

Au revoir, et bon après-midi.
And here is your loaf of bread and your change. Goodbye, and have a good afternoon.
Anne Merci Mademoiselle, au revoir. Au revoir Laure ! À bientôt.

Thank you Miss, goodbye. Bye Laure! See you soon.
Laure Salut Anne. Au revoir Mary.

Bye Anne. Bye Mary.
Study Guide
1. Understanding the context

Why did Mary say “tu” to Laure, but “vous” to Julie (in the very first dialog?)
Well, the context may tell us, or maybe it’s just the reaction of Mary. Maybe Julie was a bit older,
looked more formal and so Mary (who is seventeen, so not a child nor yet an adult) decided to be
formal with her. Maybe Anne shook hands with Julie, or she may have kissed her on the cheek but
yet looked a bit distant.
On the contrary, one can imagine that Laure looked very friendly and casual. We will see later in this
story that Mary addresses Anne with “tu”. She could also have said “vous” and it probably started this
way. However, relationships evolve, and at one point, Anne must have said “tu peux me tutoyer” –
you can use “tu” to talk to me.
Remember, the choice between “tu” and “vous” is not set in stone and might evolve over time.
2. ‘Thank you’, ‘you are welcome’ and ‘please’

Merci = thank you
Please be careful when you use this word. It’s VERY commonly used and is VERY butchered. It is not
the English “mercy”. The middle sound is closer to the one in the word “mair”, and the second one is
like “sea”, a long French “i” sound.

To answer ‘you are welcome’, you have both an informal “tu” and a formal “vous” form. You’ll need to
know both, with the appropriate spoken glidings.
1. Je vous en prie (you are welcome using “vous”) is pronounced kind of “jvoo zan(nasal) pree”.
2. Je t’en prie (you are welcome using “tu”) is pronounced “jtan(nasal) pree”.
Note: A gliding is what happens in modern French, when we glide over some letters, kind of like
“gotta go” instead of “I have got to go” in American English. It’s very common nowadays in French,
and reinforces the difference between spoken and written French. It’swhat is happening when “je
t’en prie” is pronounced “jtan pree”: the “e” of the “je” is glided. Same for the word “Mademoiselle”
which is pronounced “madmoazel”.
To say “please” we say:
1. S’il vous plaît (with vous) - it’s pronounced “seal voo play”
2. S’il te plaît (with tu) - it’s pronounced “seal te play” or even “steu play” (in a very glided way).
Note that this also means “please, go ahead”, and also “please don’t”, depending on the context.
Make sure you mimic the audio recordings when learning all these expressions, as you’ll use them
ALL the time.
3. And you?
To finish the whole greeting routine, it is essential (not just polite) to return the question back to the
person who asked it. To do that, we don’t use a subject pronoun; we use another kind of pronoun,
called a stress pronoun, mostly used after prepositions (with, and, for...).
1. Et toi ? = and you (when you are using “tu”)

2. Et vous ? = and you (of “vous”. “Vous” is the same word for a subject pronoun and a stress
pronoun)
3. Et Philippe ? Et votre mère (and your mother?) Et votre femme (and your wife?) Et vos enfants
(and your children?) = don’t forget to ask about people and things that you know are important
to that person as well, just like you would do in English.

Exercise
Train by saying these greetings out loud. Get a feel for the level of the relationship.
Avec Julie, une amie du bureau:
-- Bonjour Julie, comment vas-tu ?

-- Je vais bien, merci, et toi ?
Avec Monsieur Dupont, un voisin âgé:
-- Bonjour Madame Castel. Comment allez-vous ?

-- Je vais très bien. Merci. Et vous ?
-- Je vais bien merci. Et comment va votre mère ?
-- Elle va bien, merci. Et vous, comment va votre femme ?
-- Elle va très bien. Je vous remercie
-- Comment vont vos enfants ?
-- Ils vont très bien. Comment va votre fils Paul ?
-- Il va très bien, merci.
Avec Michel et Jeanne, des amis
-- Bonjour Michel, bonjour Jeanne. Comment allez vous ?

-- Bonjour Anne. Nous allons bien, merci, et toi ?
-- Je vais très bien. Merci.
Avec Laure, une bonne copine
-- Salut Anne, ça va ?
-- Bonjour Laure. Ça va, et toi ?
-- Ça va bien, merci.
-- Bonjour Mary. Comment vas-tu ?
-- Bonjour Laure. Je vais bien, merci, et toi ?
-- Bien, merci.
-- Comment va Sylvie ?
-- Elle va comme-ci, comme ça.
-- Et Philippe, ça va ?
-- Non, il va mal.

4. ‘Let me introduce you to…’

When you are meeting a friend or acquaintance with someone that they don’t know, you’ll need to
introduce them using:
1. Voici, voilà + name = this is, here is... This is casual and both words are interchangeable.
2. Je te présente + name = let me introduce you to... (here you is “tu”)
3. Je vous présente + name = let me introduce you to (here you is “vous”)
After your introduction, the person you introduced to will often reply:
Enchanté(e)/ravi(e) (de faire votre/ta connaissance) = Very pleased (meeting you). Most people just
go to “bonjour” or “comment allez-vous”, but this is also possible, although quite formal. In writing,
you’d add an «e» if said by a woman, but it’s a silent «e».
1. Enchantée de faire votre connaissance

2. Enchantée de faire ta connaissance
3. Ravie de faire votre connaissance
4. Ravie de faire ta connaissance.
5. ‘See you soon’, ‘have a good day/evening’

At the end of the conversation, as you are leaving and after you’ve said “au revoir”, use:
1. À bientôt = see you soon (but I don’t know how soon)
2. À tout à l’heure = see you later today (pronounced “a too ta leur” with a strong liaison in T)
3. À la semaine prochaine = see you next week
4. Bonne journée = have a good day
5. Bonne soirée = have a good evening, have a good (social) night
Watch out ! In English you say “have a good night”. In French, the word for “night” is “la nuit”, but
“bonne nuit” means “sleep well”, have a good night’s sleep ≠ “bonne soirée” which means have a
good social night/evening.

Free form exercise

Create your own dialogues.
1. Start by imagining that you are greeting a close friend (use “ça va”).
2. Then greeting a friend (use “comment vas-tu”)
3. Then greeting several people (use “comment allez-vous”)
4. Then greeting an acquaintance (use “Monsieur/Madame” and “comment allez-vous”)
5. Finally, introduce a friend to the dialogue.
6. First do it out loud.
7. Then in writing (and check the spelling).
8. Then read out loud what you wrote.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 05 Vous Êtes Anglaise ?
05. Vous Êtes Anglaise ?

Are You English?
Story
Mary est une jeune fille anglaise. Elle est en France pour trois mois. Elle téléphone à Madame Bizel.
Mary is a young English girl. She is in France for three months. She calls Mrs Bizel.
Mme Bizel Allo ?

Hello (« allo » is only used on the phone)
Mary Allo, bonjour. Je m’appelle Mary Joe. Je voudrais parler avec Madame Bizel s’il vous
plaît.
Hello, good morning. My name is Mary Joe (Joe is Mary’s last name). I would like to talk
with Mrs Bizel please.

Mme Bizel Oui, c’est moi.

Talking. (lit. Yes, it’s me)
Mary Bonjour Madame Bizel. Je vous téléphone de la part d’Anne Castel. Vous cherchez un
professeur d’anglais pour votre fille, n’est-ce pas ?
Good morning Mrs Bizel. I got your name from Anne Castel. You are looking for an English
teacher for your daughter, aren’t you?
Mme Bizel Oui, absolument. Est-ce que vous parlez couramment anglais ?
Yes, absolutely. Do you speak English fluently?
Mary Oui, je parle anglais couramment, c’est ma langue maternelle ; et je parle aussi
français bien sûr. En fait, c’est ma langue paternelle.
Yes, I speak English fluently, it’s my mother tongue; and I also speak French of course.
Actually, it’s my father ‘s language...
Mme Bizel Vous êtes anglaise ou américaine ?

Are you English or American?
Mary Je suis anglaise.

I am English.
Mme Bizel Ah, parfait. Je cherche un professeur pour aider ma fille Clothilde à mieux parler
anglais.
Ah, perfect. I am looking for a tutor to help my daughter Clothilde to speak English better.
Study Guide
1. Present tense of the verb ‘to be’

You remember the subject pronouns we studied in the first section?
Can you list them for me?
Je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles.
Good. Remember “il” and “ils”, and “elle” and “elles” are pronounced the same way.
Keep in mind that we use the verb “être” (‘to be’) mostly to state location (I am in Paris) or to describe

(I am tall), and other things. Unlike English however, we never use it in the tense construction “to be
+ ing” (this is called “present progressive” in English, and it’s a tense that doesn’t exist in French). So
be very careful that when you see a “to be + ing” form in English, don’t translate it with “to be”, but
with the other verb (the one in “ing”) in the French present tense.
So let’s study the verb ‘to be’. The infinitive of the verb (it’s ‘to’ form in English) is “être”. Note that the
“to” part is included in the infinitive.
Just like “aller”, this verb is very irregular, and also needs to be learned by heart.
“Être” is one of the two auxiliary verbs of the French language (with ‘to have’, “avoir”), meaning that
it is a verb used to build other tenses. But we’ll talk about that much later :-) I am just saying this to
warn you that “être” is extremely used in French.
Je suis (s silent) Nous sommes (sum, final s silent)

I am We are
Tu es (ay) Vous êtes (Z in liaison, so zet)
You are You are
Il, elle, on est (ay, t silent) Ils, elles sont (t silent)
He is, it is, she is, it is, one is (we are) They are
īī
Extensive drills on the modern pronunciation of all tenses of the verb “être” are featured in
my French Verb Drills Volume One: http://www.frenchtoday.com/fvd1
Exercise
Fill in the blanks using the verb “être”. You should be able to understand all of this vocabulary since
we have studied it already.
1. Je _______ à Paris.

2. Nous_______en France.
3. Mary_______anglaise.
4. Vous_______française.
5. Monsieur Dupont_______le voisin d’Anne.
6. On_______ au restaurant.
7. Les enfants_______au cinéma.
8. Anne_______au marché.
9. Philippe_______déprimé.
10. Nous_______en vacances.
11. C’_______chez nous.
12. C’_______moi.
Answers
1. Je suis à Paris – I am in Paris

2. Nous sommes en France - We are in France
3. Mary est anglaise – Mary is English
4. Vous êtes française – You are French
5. Monsieur Dupont est le voisin d’Anne – Mr Dupont is Anne’s neighbor
6. On est au restaurant – We (casual) are at the restaurant
7. Les enfants sont au cinéma – The children are at the movies
8. Anne est au marché – Anne is at the open-air market
9. Philippe est déprimé – Philippe is depressed
10. Nous sommes en vacances – We are on vacation
11. C’est chez nous – It’s our home
12. C’est moi – It’s me
2. The key to memorizing your verbs: drilling

Doing drills is an important way of learning your French conjugations. It is standard in most methods
and books to present the verb conjugations ‘in order’. From “je” to “ils”, often omitting the “elle, on”
and “elles” forms since they are the same as respectively the “il” and the “ils” forms.
The problem is that when you drill ‘in order’, your brain also memorizes the order. And you’ll have to
go through all the subject pronouns to bring up the “elles” form.
I strongly suggest that you drill randomly. After you memorize the pronunciation of a verb, write
down your French subject pronouns on a piece of paper. Let your pen drop and point at random,
and say that subject pronoun out loud followed by the correct verb form.
1. Nous sommes
2. ils sont

3. je suis
4. il est
5. vous êtes
6. on est
7. elle est
8. elles sont
9. tu es.
Always say the subject pronoun AND the verb form together. Try to “picture” the situation in your
head, to link the French words to a fact, an image you create, not to the English words.
3. Vocabulary: the members of the family

Note in the list below the 2 different articles French uses to say ‘a/an’.
1. Une [u-ne]: A 2-syllable word for the feminine words – it’s a rather long sound.
2. Un [in]: A short, nasal sound for the masculine words – no N sound, very short nasal sound.
FEMININE:
Une famille A family
Une mère A mother
Maman Mom
Une belle-mère A stepmother or a mother-in-law

(the same word is used for both in French)
Une soeur A sister
Une demi-soeur A step sister
Une fille (feeY) A daughter
Une fille A girl
Une femme (fAm) A woman
Une femme (fAm) A wife

Une grand-mère A grandmother
Une petite-fille A granddaughter
Une tante An aunt
Une cousine A cousin (f - meaning feminine)
Une nièce A niece
MASCULINE:
Un parent A parent
Un père A father
Papa Dad
Un beau-père A stepfather or a father-in-law

(the same word is used for both in French)
Un frère A brother
Un demi-frère A step brother
Un fils (feess) A son
Un garçon A boy
Un homme A man
Un mari A husband
Un grand-père A grandfather
Un petit-fils A grandson
Un oncle An uncle
Un cousin (m – meaning A cousin

masculine)
Un neveu A nephew
Un enfant A child

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 06 Nous Parlons Français
06. Nous Parlons Français

We Speak French
Story
La conversation avec Madame Bizel continue.

The conversation with Mrs Bizel continues.
Mary Est-ce que votre fille parle déjà anglais ?

Does your daughter speak English already?

Mme Bizel Oui, elle parle un peu. Elle travaille bien, mais je voudrais qu’elle parle plus souvent.
Donc nous cherchons quelqu’un pour parler avec elle. Et vous ? Vous êtes d’où ?
Est-ce que vous habitez à Paris ?
Yes, she speaks a little. She works well (meaning she is a good student) but I would like her
to speak more often so we are looking for someone to speak with her. What about you?
Where are you from? Do you live in Paris?
Mary Je suis de Londres, mais je suis en France pendant trois mois.

I am from London, but I am (staying) in France for three months.
Mme Bizel Et vous habitez chez les Castel, n’est-ce pas ?

And you live at the Castels’, right?
Mary Oui. Je suis au pair, et je m’occupe de leur fils.

Yes I do. I am an au pair, and I am taking care of their son.
Mme Bizel Oui, je sais. Anne est une amie. Vous parlez uniquement anglais avec Paul ?
Yes, I know. Anne is a friend. Do you only speak English with Paul?
Mary Non, nous parlons français et anglais ensemble; je vais le chercher à l’école, et aussi
je l’aide avec ses devoirs.
No, we speak French and English together; I pick him up from school, and I also help him
with his homework.
Mme Bizel Paul est un ami de ma fille Clothilde. Ils sont dans la même école.
Paul is a friend of my daughter Clothilde. They are in the same school.
Study Guide
So we studied “être” and “aller”, both irregular verbs. It’s time to study the conjugation of regular
French verbs. The biggest group of regular French verbs is the “ER group”. This means that any
French verb ending in “ER” (except for “aller”!) is going to be conjugated according to the same logic
so this is quite an important step...
As always there is a big difference between the verb forms’ spelling and the way they are
pronounced. First, let’s see how they are pronounced.

1. Verbs in ER + consonant - Pronunciation
Please note that the way I spell the verbs here is not the way they ought to be spelled, but the way they are
pronounced.
1. Take the verb in the infinitive

For example: “parler” = to speak, to talk
2. Remove the “er”, it gives you what is called ‘the stem’

Parler minus er => parl
3. The pronunciation is then very easy:
Je = tu = il = elle = on = ils = elles use the stem

Je parl, tu parl, il parl, elle parl, on parl, ils parl, elles parl
Nous uses the stem + “on” – nous parlon
Vous uses the stem + é sound – vous parlé
The vous form sounds exactly like the infinitive “ parler “.
There is no difference in pronunciation between the singular and the plural “il parl” and “ils parl”,
“elle parl” and “elles parl”, but you will see there is a big difference in writing.
Please, once you’ve learned the writing, do not pronounce in your head the silent letters to
memorize the spelling; it’s likely that you would then say them out loud and it would sound very bad
if you did.
Exercise
For these regular ER verbs (also called “first group” verbs), find the stem.
Then conjugate the verb.
1. Parler - to speak
2. Travailler - to work
3. Cuisiner - to cook a meal
4. Rencontrer - to meet for the first time / to run by chance into someone
5. Désirer - to wish for, to want (like in a shop what would you want/like ?)
6. Téléphoner (à quelqu’un) - to call (someone)
7. Chercher (quelqu’un/ quelque chose) - to look for someone/something
8. Déjeuner - to have lunch
9. Dîner - to have dinner
Listen to the audio for the answers – I didn’t want to write them down since in this chapter we are
only studying the pronunciation.
It’s essential you first master the pronunciation of these verbs so the silent written letters do not fool
you into using a wrong pronunciation!
Note the stem of “travailler”, “travaill” sounds like “eye”.
2. Verbs in ER + consonant - Written Form

Again, please don’t let the silent letters interfere with your pronunciation. Spoken and written French
are quite different!
Je stem + e (e silent) Nous stem + ons (s silent)
Tu stem + es (es silent) Vous stem + ez (pronounced like the infinitive)
Il, elle, on stem + e (e silent) Ils, elles stem + ent (ENT SILENT)
So let’s do this again:
1. Take the verb in the infinitive

For example: “passer” = to walk by, to come by
Remove the “er”, it gives you what is called “the stem”

Passer minus er => pass
The written form is then:
Je passe
tu passes
il passe

elle passe
on passe
nous passons
vous passez
ils passent
elles passent
Exercise
Conjugate these verbs in writing. Then play the audio and repeat them out loud after me, while
looking at the written form.Then play the audio and read the verb form out loud before I do, and
compare your pronunciation to mine.
This step is very important. I know this exercise takes time, but you really need to do it. Make sure
you really master this chapter before you move on to the rest of the audiobook :-)
1. Parler - to speak
2. Travailler - to work
3. Cuisiner - to cook a meal
4. Rencontrer - to meet for the first time, to run by chance into someone
5. Désirer - to wish for, to want (like in a shop what would you want/like?)
6. Téléphoner (à quelqu’un) - to call (someone – but in French we say to someone)
7. Chercher (quelqu’un/ quelque chose) - to look for someone/something (no “for” in French after
that verb)
8. Déjeuner - to have lunch
9. Dîner - to have dinner
Answers
1. Je parle, tu parles, il parle, elle parle, on parle

Nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent, elles parlent
2. Je travaille, tu travailles, il travaille, elle travaille, on travaille
Nous travaillons, vous travaillez, ils travaillent, elles travaillent
3. Je cuisine, tu cuisines, il cuisine, elle cuisine, on cuisine
Nous cuisinons, vous cuisinez, ils cuisinent, elles cuisinent
4. Je rencontre, tu rencontres, il rencontre, elle rencontre, on rencontre

Nous rencontrons, vous rencontrez, ils rencontrent, elles rencontrent

5. Je désire, tu désires, il désire, elle désire, on désire
Nous désirons, vous désirez, ils désirent, elles désirent
6. Je téléphone, tu téléphones, il téléphone, elle téléphone, on télephone
Nous téléphonons, vous téléphonez, ils téléphonent, elles téléphonent
7. Je cherche, tu cherches, il cherche, elle cherche, on cherche
Nous cherchons, vous cherchez, ils cherchent, elles cherchent
8. Je déjeune, tu déjeunes, il déjeune, elle déjeune, on déjeune
Nous déjeunons, vous déjeunez, ils déjeunent, elles déjeunent
9. Je dîne, tu dînes, il dîne, elle dîne, on dîne
Nous dînons, vous dînez, ils dînent, elles dînent

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 07 J’adore Les Enfants
07. J’adore Les Enfants

I Love Children
Story
Mary est en train de téléphoner à Mme Bizel. Elle cherche une personne pour parler anglais
avec sa fille Clothilde. Comme Mary cherche un travail, elle parle avec elle, se présente, et espère
travailler pour elle.
Mary is (in the process of) calling Mrs Bizel. She is looking for someone to speak English with her
daughter Clothilde. Since Mary is looking for a job, she speaks with her, introduces herself, and hopes to
work for her.
Mme Bizel Bon, vous êtes libre le mercredi après-midi Mary ?

Good (OK), are you available on Wednesdays afternoons, Mary?

Mary Oui, je suis libre le mercredi après-midi et aussi le samedi matin.

Yes, I am available on Wednesdays in the afternoon, and also on Saturdays in the
morning.
Mme Bizel Et vous avez de l’expérience ?

And do you have any experience?
Mary Oui : j’aide Paul avec son anglais, et j’adore les enfants. J’aimerais être professeur de
français en Afrique. J’explique bien la grammaire, mais nous parlons aussi beaucoup.
J’utilise un livre facile et amusant : les enfants l’adorent.
Yes: I help Paul with his English, and I love children. I would like to be a French teacher
in Africa. I explain grammar well but we also speak a lot. I use an easy and fun book:
children love it.
Mme Bizel Et la leçon coûte combien ?

And how much is the lesson?
Mary La leçon coûte 30 Euros par heure.

The lesson costs 30 Euros an hour.
Mme Bizel Parfait. Et bien je vais parler de tout ça avec mon mari. Est-ce que vous avez un
numéro de téléphone ou une adresse mail ?
Perfect. Well, I’m going to discuss all this with my husband. Do you have a phone number
or an email address?
Mary Oui, bien sûr. Mon numéro de téléphone mobile est le 06 10 20 30 40, et mon email
est maryjoe@gmail.com
Yes, of course I do. My cell phone is 06 10 20 30 40, and my email is maryjoe@gmail.com
Mme Bizel Excusez-moi, répétez le numéro de téléphone s’il vous plaît.

Excuse-me, repeat the phone number please.
Mary 06 10 20 30 40.

Mme Bizel Merci Mary. À bientôt.

Thank you Mary. Talk to you soon.
Study Guide
1. The days of the week

The French week starts on Mondays, not on Sundays.
In French, the days of the week are written in all lowercase, unless they start the sentence.
1. Un jour = a day

2. Lundi = Monday
3. Mardi = Tuesday
4. Mercredi = Wednesday
5. Jeudi = Thursday
6. Vendredi = Friday
7. Samedi = Saturday
8. Dimanche = Sunday
1. La semaine = the week

2. La semaine prochaine = next week
3. La semaine dernière = last week
To say ‘see you (on) ....’ we use “à ...”.

À lundi = see you on Monday
À la semaine prochaine = see you next week
Le + day of the week usually means “every week on that day”.

J’ai une leçon de français le lundi = I have a French lesson on MondayS (every week on Monday)
To say AM and PM, we use “matin”, “après-midi”, and “soir” after the day of the week.

1. Mardi matin = Tuesday in the morning

2. Jeudi après-midi = Thursday in the afternoon
3. Dimanche soir = Sunday in the evening
2. Regular ER verbs starting with a vowel or a mute h

So good news - the endings are the same J
The differences are:
1. The je becomes j’ with elision (concept I’ll develop further below), and is pronounced as if it was
the first sound of the verb.
2. The il and elle forms glide into the verb.
3. The on, nous, vous, ils and elles forms have strong liaisons (in N for on, in Z for the others).
Make sure you use the audio and repeat as many times as necessary to really get the correct
pronunciation of these verbs.
Habiter = to live in a place Étudier = to study

J’habite J’étudie
tu habites tu étudies
il habite il étudie
elle habite elle étudie
on habite on étudie
nous habitons nous étudions
vous habitez vous étudiez
ils habitent ils étudient
elles habitent. elles étudient
Note, once you remove the “er”, this verb ends on
an “i”. So the stem will end on an “i” sound, “étudi”.
This is not uncommon in French.

Aider = to help Inviter = to invite

J’aide J’invite
tu aides tu invites
il aide il invite
elle aide elle invite
on aide on invite
nous aidons nous invitons
vous aidez vous invitez
ils aident ils invitent
elles aident elles invitent
Exercise
Here is a list of additional verbs starting with a vowel or an h. Listen to the verb. Then pause, find the
stem and conjugate the verb out loud. Play the audio and do the next verb. Then conjugate all the
verbs in writing. Remember not to pronounce the silent letters in your head!
1. Adorer = to adore
2. Entrer (dans) = to enter a place (Note in French we say to enter IN a place)
3. Expliquer = to explain
4. Hésiter = to hesitate
5. Imaginer = to imagine
6. Oublier = to forget
7. Utiliser = to use
Answers
1. Adorer - “ador” - J’adore, tu adores, il adore, elle adore, on adore

Nous adorons, vous adorez, ils adorent, elles adorent
2. Entrer - “entr” - J’entre, tu entres, il entre, elle entre, on entre
Nous entrons, vous entrez, ils entrent, elles entrent
3. Expliquer - “expliqu” - J’explique, tu expliques, il explique, elle explique, on explique
Nous expliquons, vous expliquez, ils expliquent, elles expliquent
4. Hésiter - “hésit” - J’hésite, tu hésites, il hésite, elle hésite, on hésite
Nous hésitons, vous hésitez, ils hésitent, elles hésitent
5. Imaginer - “imagin” - J’imagine, tu imagines, il imagine, elle imagine, on imagine

Nous imaginons, vous imaginez, ils imaginent, elles imaginent

6. Oublier - “oubli” - J’oublie, tu oublies, il oublie, elle oublie, on oublie
Nous oublions, vous oubliez, ils oublient, elles oublient
7. Utiliser - “utilis” - J’utilise, tu utilises, il utilise, elle utilise, on utilise
Nous utilisons, vous utilisez, ils utilisent, elles utilisent
3. Elision
Elision happens when a few very common short words:
1. je
2. le
3. de
4. ne
5. que
6. se
7. ce
8. me
9. te
10. and la
are followed by a vowel or an h.
To avoid a clash of vowels (which is hard on the jaws), the short word will then drop its final vowel
and replace it in writing by an apostrophe. In pronunciation, the remaining consonant will become
the first sound of the following word. The apostrophe is absolutely silent: it is not pronounced
whatsoever.
You will see, this happens a lot, and it’s very important you master this to sound French.
1. De Anne = d’Anne

Of, from, about Anne
2. Je habite = j’habite
I live, I am living
1. Que il = qu’il
That/than he/it
2. La école = l’école
The school

3. Ce est = c’est

It is, she is, he is
4. Ne êtes = n’êtes
Are not
5. Le hôtel = l’hôtel
The hotel
6. Se appelle = s’appelle
(He/she) is named
7. Me appelle = m’appelle
(I) am named, my name is
8. Te aime = t’aime (watch out, this happens to « te » not to « tu »)
Love(s) you
9. Je étudie = j’étudie
I study, I am studying
Exercise
In the text of the novel, starting with the text in chapter five, find and write down all the elisions you
can find. Train with the audio of the answers.
Answers
1. je m’appelle
2. s’il vous plait
3. c’est
4. d’Anne
5. d’anglais
6. n’est-ce pas
7. c’est
8. l’anglais
9. l’école
10. qu’elle
11. quelqu’un
12. j’étudie
13. l’aide

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 08 Tu Aimes La Musique ?
08. Tu Aimes la Musique ?

Do You Like Music?
Story
Nous sommes chez Anne et Gérard Castel. Ils ont deux enfants : un jeune garçon, Paul, et Sylvie,
une adolescente, un peu plus jeune que Mary. C’est le petit-déjeuner du samedi matin, et la famille
discute avec Mary.
We are at Anne and Gérard Castel’s home. They have two children: a young boy, Paul, and Sylvie, a
teenage girl, a bit younger than Mary. It’s Saturday morning breakfast time, and the family is chatting
with Mary.
Anne Mary, est-ce que tu aimes la musique française ?

Mary, do you like French music?

Mary Oui, j’aime beaucoup la musique française.

Yes, I really enjoy French music.
Gérard Tu aimes quels chanteurs ?

What singers do you like?
Mary J’aime beaucoup Zazie, Francis Cabrel, Bénabar. J’écoute aussi souvent les classiques,
comme Brel ou Aznavour.
Et vous ?
I like Zazie, Cabrel, Bénabar very much. I also often listen to the classics, like Brel or
Aznavour. What about you?
Anne Nous, nous préférons la musique anglaise : Sting, Peter Gabriel...

For us, we like English music more: Sting, Peter Gabriel…
Mary Moi aussi, j’adore Sting. Je l’écoute très souvent. Et ma mère aime beaucoup Peter
Gabriel aussi.
Et toi Sylvie, qu’est-ce que tu aimes écouter?
I love Sting too. I listen to him very often. And my mother likes Peter Gabriel a lot as well.
What about you Sylvie: what do you like to listen to?
Sylvie Moi, je préfère les groupes plus modernes et les chansons à la mode. J’aime bien
aussi la musique mondiale : la musique africaine ou arabe. J’adore Khaled, je le
trouve fantastique.
Well me, I prefer more modern bands and hip songs. I also like world music: African or
Arabic music. I love Khaled, I find him amazing.
Paul Et moi, j’aime bien la musique classique !

As for me, I like classical music!
Anne Oui, Paul écoute de la musique classique tous les soirs, quand il s’endort.
Right, Paul listens to classical music every evening, when he falls asleep.
Paul Et toi Mary ? Tu aimes la musique classique ?

What about you Mary? Do you like classical music?
Mary Oui, j’aime bien ça. Mais je préfère la musique pop.

Yes, I like it. But I prefer pop music.
Paul André aime le hard rock.

André likes hard rock.

Mary Qui est-ce, André ?

Who is this André?
Paul C’est lui ! (Paul montre une photo sur le frigidaire). C’est mon cousin.
It’s him! (Paul points to a picture on the fridge). He is my cousin.
Anne Oui, c’est le fils de ma soeur. Paul l’adore.

Yes, he is the son of my sister. Paul loves him.
Study guide
1. Le, la, l’, les: which one should you use?

The definite article agrees in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine or masculine) with the
noun it modifies.
1. The + feminine word = la

La fille
2. The + masculine word = le
Le garcon
3. The + singular word starting with a silent h or a consonant = l’
L’école (le and la take elision)
4. The + plural word (masculine and feminine) = les
Les parents, les enfants - there is a strong liaison in Z after les + word starting with a vowel or
a silent h.
Remember that in French, things are feminine or masculine. There is no neutral ‘it’. The gender of a
thing is usually shown by the article that accompanies it. NEVER learn a list of words without some
kind of gender information since you’d be missing half of the information! If the article doesn’t show
the gender (like with a l’ or a plural les), the word should be followed by an (f) for feminine, or (m) for
masculine.

A) In French, the definite article is used in 2 situations:
1. To say “the”, to indicate a specific noun, just like you would use “the” in English.
2. In front of a noun used in a general sense, where there is no article in English, as in “do you
like music” - “est-ce que vous aimez la musique”. This use can be confusing since in English,
definite articles are not used like that.
My tip: when you are not refering to a specific thing, and if you can say “in general” after, then
use le, la, l’ or les.
It won’t work all the time, so you need to accept that this is a concept you will understand with
time, as your experience and “ear” for the French language develops.
In French ”le, la, l’ and les” can also be direct object pronouns. In English, they would translate as
“him, her, it and them” as in “Paul l’adore – Paul loves him”. These pronouns are followed by a verb,
and are very common, but difficult to learn for English speakers. We will not study them in this book,
but I will use them in the stories to help you develop a sense for them.
B) The definite article is often used after certain verbs
Verbs like “aimer” (to enjoy, like, love), “préférer” (to prefer, like x better than y), “adorer” (to loooove,
to adore), and “détester” (to hate) are often followed by the definite article since they introduce a
noun taken in its general sense.
1. Je déteste les films d’horreur = I hate horror movies

2. Il adore le miel = he loves honey
3. Nous aimons les chiens = we like dogs
4. Tu préfères les chats = you prefer cats (you like cats better)
Exercise
In the story part look for definite articles and write them down in one list. See if you can understand
why the definite article is used there (does it mean “the” or “in general”?) Look also for le, la, l’ and les
as direct object pronouns, and make another list.
Answers
1. le petit-déjeuner, la famille, la musique, les classiques, les groupes, les chansons, la mode, les soirs, le
hard rock, le frigidaire, le fils.
2. Je l’écoute, je le trouve, Paul l’adore.
2. The French verb “aimer”

“Aimer” is a regular ER verb starting with a vowel. There’s nothing special about it as far as
conjugation is concerned.
J’aime
Tu aimes
Il, elle, on aime
Nous aimons
Vous aimez
Ils, elles aiment
What is special about it are its different meanings…
A) Aimer = to enjoy, to like something
We use “aimer” to say “to enjoy/like something”, or “to enjoy/like doing something”. In the case of
doing something, “aimer” is followed by a verb in the infinitive form (the ER form for example).
1. J’aime jouer au tennis = I enjoy/like playing tennis.

2. Nous aimons cuisiner = we enjoy/like to cook.
3. Ils aiment l’école = they enjoy/like school.
B) Aimer = to be in love
When “aimer” is used with a person, it usually means to be in love.
1. J’aime Olivier = I am in love with Olivier

2. Le mari aime sa femme = the husband loves (is in love with) his wife
3. Je t’aime = I am in love with you
To say “to be in love with someone”, we also use the expression “être amoureux/amoureuse de
quelqu’un”.
1. Gérard est amoureux d’Anne = Gérard is in love with Anne

2. Anne est amoureuse de Gérard = Anne is in love with Gérard
C) Aimer = to love one’s family
“Aimer” can also mean love for a family member, or a pet.
1. Il aime son chien Bob = he loves his dog Bob

2. Nous aimons nos enfants = we love our children
We never use this construction with friends.
J’aime Pierre = I am in love with Pierre [not I love Pierre as a friend].
D) Aimer + adverb = to like a person
If you want to express the notion of to like someone, as a friend, not romantically, you need to
modify “aimer” with an adverb
1. J’aime bien Adeline = I like Adeline

2. Elle aime beaucoup Paul = she likes Paul a lot (still friend)
Note the lyrics of this famous French song by Zazie:
“Je ne t’aime pas, je t’aime bien” = I am not in love with you, I like you.
So be careful since using this verb incorrectly could get you in a lot of trouble...
You can also use these adverbs to modify how you like something:
1. Tu aimes bien la confiture = you do like jam

2. Ils aiment beaucoup le vin rouge = they like red wine very much
E) Adorer = to looooove
We use another verb to say we looooove something or someone (could be as a friend or

romantically), it’s the regular ER verb “adorer”. In its original meaning “adorer” means to worship. But
it has shifted meaning and now means to love, to adore (doing) something, or to adore someone.

1. J’adore dessiner = I love drawing

1. Elles adorent leurs chiens = they love their dogs.
Exercise
Translate the sentences below.
1. He likes jam

2. We enjoy studying
3. I am in love with you
4. You (vous) like Paul
5. She likes to cook
6. Anne likes Mary a lot
Answers
1. He likes jam - Il aime la confiture

2. We enjoy studying - Nous aimons étudier
3. I am in love with you - Je t’aime (je vous aime)
4. You (vous) like Paul - Vous aimez bien Paul
5. She likes to cook - Elle aime cuisiner
6. Anne likes Mary a lot - Anne aime beaucoup Mary
3. The verb “préférer”

The verb “préférer” (to prefer, to like x better than y) is regular in its endings, but has a change of
accent direction and pronunciation. The “nous” and the “vous” forms are just like the infinitive, based
on the stem “préfér” (both accent “aigu”). But for the other subject pronouns, the second accent
switch directions, and they are based on the stem “préfèr” (accent “aigu” then accent “grave”).
Pay close attention to the audio recordings to learn the correct pronunciation.
Je préfère

Tu préfères
Il, elle, on préfère
Nous préférons
Vous préférez
Ils, elles préfèrent
Other verbs in French (Espérer = to hope for, Répéter = to repeat, compléter = to complet etc...)
follow the same logic. They are semi irregular verbs.
Exercise
Translate and write down the following:
1. I prefer world music

2. We prefer jam
3. They prefer dogs
4. She prefers Sting
Answers
1. I prefer world music - Je préfère la musique mondiale

2. We prefer jam - Nous préférons la confiture
3. They prefer dogs - Ils/ elles préfèrent les chiens
4. She prefers Sting - Elle préfère Sting

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 09 Moi, J’adore Les Croissants !
09. Moi, J’adore Les

Croissants !
Me, I Love Croissants!
Story
La conversation à la table du petit-déjeuner continue.

The conversation at the breakfast table continues.
Sylvie Papa, tu peux me passer la confiture s’il te plaît ?

Dad, could you please hand me the jam?

Gérard Bien sûr. Voilà.

Sure thing. Here you go.
Sylvie Tu aimes la confiture Mary ou tu préfères le miel ?

Mary, do you like jam or honey better?
Mary Je préfère la confiture. Spécialement la confiture de cerises.

I like jam better. Especially cherry jam.
Anne Qui veut du café ?

Who wants coffee?
Gérard Moi s’il te plaît.

I do, please.
Sylvie Et moi aussi Maman. J’aime bien le café avec du lait.

So do I Mom. I like coffee with milk.
Anne Et toi Mary, tu aimes le café ou tu préfères le thé ?

What about you Mary, do you like coffee or tea better?
Mary J’aime les deux, mais je préfère le thé au petit-déjeuner. Et bien sûr, j’aime beaucoup
le pain français et les tartines.
I like both, but I prefer tea for breakfast. And of course, I love French bread and “toast”
(see below for an explanation of the word “une tartine”).
Paul Moi, je préfère le chocolat. Et j’aime bien les tartines, mais en général, je préfère les
céréales, avec du lait.
Papa, lui, préfère le café noir.
Me, I prefer (to drink) chocolate. And I like toast, but usually, I like cereals with milk better.
As for Daddy, he likes black coffee best.
Sylvie Mary, tu aimes les croissants ?

Mary, do you like croissants?
Mary Moi ? Oui, moi, j’adore les croissants. Et j’aime aussi beaucoup les pains au chocolat !
Me? Yes, I do love croissants. And I also like chocolate croissants very much!
Study Guide
1. Making a noun plural

In French, you usually make a noun plural by adding a silent S at the end of it. There is usually no
difference in pronunciation between the singular and the plural word; you hear from the article
whether the word is singular or plural.

La fille, les filles. The word “fille(s)” is pronounced exactly the same way.
Exercise
Using the vocabulary we learned in the previous section about family, fill in the appropriate definite
article. Then put the words in the plural form.
___ fille Les fille___
___ garçon Les garçon___
___ mari Les mari___
___ école (f) Les école___
___ soeur Les soeur___
___ université (f) Les université___
Answers
La fille, le garçon, le mari, l’école, la soeur, l’université.

Les filles, les garçons, les maris, les écoles, les soeurs, les universités.
2. Irregular plural
There are however some irregular plurals (and the list doesn’t stop here).
1. Nouns ending in AL make a plural in AUX [pronounced “o” – the x is silent], (with some
exceptions).
Le cheval (the horse) - les chevaux (horses)

Le journal (the newspaper) – les journaux (newspapers)
2. Nouns ending in AU (very rare), EAU and EU take a silent X in the plural.
Le tuyau (the pipe) - les tuyaux (pipes)

Le château (the castle) - les châteaux (castles)

Le feu (the fire) - les feux (fires)
3. Nouns ending in S, X or Z have the same plural form.
Le fils (the son) - les fils (sons)

Le nez (the nose) - les nez (noses)
La voix (the voice) - les voix (voices)
4. Common proper names usually don’t change in the plural (I say “usually” because this rule is
actually very complicated, with many exceptions...)
Nous allons chez les Castel - we’re going to the Castels’ (home)
3. Vocabulary - Breakfast food

la tartine bread with topping (like toast but not necessarily toasted…)
le pain bread
le croissant croissant
le pain au chocolat sort of a rectangular croissant filled with chocolate
la confiture jam/jelly
le miel honey
les céréales (f) cereals
le beurre butter
le jus d’orange orange juice
le café coffee
le thé tea
le café crème coffee with milk or cream
le chocolat chocolate
le café allongé American style coffee (long)
le lait milk
le sucre sugar

4. “Moi”, “toi”... The French stress pronouns

We have studied subject pronouns: little words that replace a noun subject to the verb.
Anne cuisine = elle cuisine. Elle is a subject pronoun meaning ‘she’.
I talked briefly about object pronouns, words that replace a noun whose grammatical value is to be
a direct (or an indirect) object. This is a more advanced concept that you’ll study later in your French
studies.
Anne aime Paul = Anne l’aime. L’ is a direct object pronoun meaning ‘him’.
Now we are going to learn another very important list of pronouns in French. They are called “stress
pronouns”, and I have used them many times in the stories.
A) List of stress pronouns
1. Moi (for je) = me

2. Toi (for tu) = you
3. Lui (for il) = him
4. Elle (so elle is the same word used for a stress or a subject pronoun) = her
5. Soi (for on) =oneself
6. Nous = us
7. Vous = you
8. Eux (for ils). The X is silent, it’s pronounced like the “e” in “je”. = them
9. Elles = them, feminine
B) When do we use stress pronouns?
A - We use stress pronouns in many cases when English uses them as well.
1. After “c’est”
Qui est-ce ? Who is it?

C’est moi ! It’s me!
2. Before and after prepositions. I have used prepositions in the previous stories, but here is a

short list of common ones in context. Memorize them: they are very useful.
Et (and), avec (with), chez (at someone’s place), pour (for, in order to), à côté de (next to), de
(of, from, about), à (to, at, in)
Toi et moi = you and I

Et vous ? Et toi ? = and you, what about you?
Je suis avec eux = I am with them
Chez elles = at their place
Il travaille pour moi = he works for me
Nous habitons à côté de chez lui = we live next to his place
Il parle de moi = he is talking about me
Il parle à Pierre = he is talking to Pierre
3. To answer a short question
Qui aime le chocolat ? = Who likes chocolate?

Moi ! = I do!
4. To say “me too”, “me neither”
J’aime la confiture - moi aussi ! I like jam - me too!

Je n’aime pas la confiture - moi non plus ! I don’t like jam - me neither
B - And in some cases, our use of stress pronouns differs from English
1. To indicate a possession

Ce livre est à moi = this book belongs to me (lit. this book is “at me”).
2. To emphasize a noun or a pronoun.

This is something hard for English speakers because they don’t use stress pronouns this way
at all.
Imagine a dialogue:
J’aime le café = I like coffee
Moi, je préfère le thé = Well, you’d say ‘I’ louder in English, I prefer tea, - I like tea better
There are more grammatical situations that call for stress pronouns, but I don’t think it’s necessary
to list them all here as they are more advanced concepts that you’ll study later.

Exercise
In chapters 8 and 9 of the story, look for stress pronouns, and figure out why they are being used.
Are they being used after a preposition? Are they used more for emphasis? Or are they used for a
short question?
Answers
In chapter 8, story part:

Nous, nous préférons la musique anglaise (On our side, we like English music better)
Moi aussi, j’adore Sting (I too love Sting)
Moi je préfère les groupes plus modernes (Well me, I prefer the more modern bands)
Et moi, j’aime bien la musique classique ! (As for me, I like classical music!)
Et toi Mary ? (What about you Mary?)
C’est lui ! (It’s him!)
In this chapter’s story:

Moi s’il te plaît. (Answer to “qui veut du café?”)
Et moi aussi. (And me too)
Moi, je préfère le chocolat. (I like chocolate better)
Papa, lui, préfère le café noir. (As for Daddy, he likes black coffee best)
Moi? Oui, moi j’adore les croissants. (Me? Yes, I do love croissants)

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 10 Je M’appelle Tugdual
10. Je M’appelle Tugdual

My Name is Tugdual
Story
Mary est au parc. Elle rencontre Camille, une amie de Sylvie.
Mary is at the park. She runs into Camille, a friend of Sylvie.
Camille Salut Mary, ça va ?

Hey Mary, what’s up?
Mary Salut Camille ! Ça va, merci, et toi ?

Hey Camille! I’m fine, thanks. You?
Camille Ça va très bien, merci. Mary, voici Tugdual, mon petit-copain, qui est ici pour le
weekend.
I’m all right, thanks. Mary, this is Tugdual, my boyfriend, who is here for the weekend.

Mary Bonjour.
Hi.
Tugdual Salut.
Hey.
Mary Excuse-moi, mais tu t’appelles comment ? Je n’ai pas bien compris.

Excuse-me, but what’s your name? I didn’t quite get it.
Tugdual Je m’appelle Tugdual.

My name is Tugdual.
Mary C’est compliqué pour moi de dire ça. Tug du al. C’est un prénom français ?
It’s hard for me to say that. Tug du al. Is it a French first name?
Tugdual Oui, mais c’est un peu spécial. C’est un prénom breton. Là-bas, c’est un prénom
commun, mais pas dans le reste de la France.
Yes, but it’s a bit special… It’s a first name from Brittany. Over-there, it’s a common first
name, but not so in the rest of France.
Mary Ah, d’accord. Et tu habites en Bretagne ?

Oh, all right. And do you live in Brittany?
Tugdual Oui, je suis de Paimpol, mais j’étudie à Rennes maintenant. Tu connais la Bretagne ?
Yes, I am from Paimpol, but I study in Rennes now. Have you been to Brittany? (The verb
“connaître” mean to be personally acquainted with a place or a person: to have been to
the place, to have met the person).
Mary Oui, j’y suis allée avec mes parents en vacances, il y a longtemps. C’est très joli là-bas.
Ça ressemble un peu à l’Irlande.
Yes, I have been there with my parents on vacation, a long time ago. It’s very pretty over
there. It looks a bit like Ireland.
Tugdual Et toi, tu es irlandaise ?

What about you, are you Irish?
Mary Non, je suis anglaise, mais j’ai de la famille en Irlande aussi. En fait, ma famille est
d’origine américaine, et nous allons souvent aux États-Unis pour voir le reste de
notre famille.
No, I’m British, but I have family in Ireland as well. In fact, my family is originally
American, and we often go to the States to see the rest of our family.

Study Guide
1. “Un”, “une” = a, an, one

We have already studied these little words, so you should be familiar with them.
We use un + a masculine word and une + a feminine word
It’s important that you master the pronunciation of these 2 words:
1. “Un” is a short nasal sound. The “n” sound disappears unless it’s followed by a liaison.
Un frère, un père, un mari

But un enfant, un ami, un oncle – liaison in N
2. “Une” is a longer sound. “u-ne”. The N is clearly pronounced. When “Une” is followed by a vowel
or an h, it will have a strong gliding.
Une soeur, une mère, une femme

Une amie, une Américaine – gliding in N
“Un, une” are also the cardinal number for “one”.
J’ai un frère et une soeur = I have one brother and one sister
2. Des = indefinite plural quantity, both feminine and

masculine
“Des” is used with a plural word (both feminine and masculine). In English, you could use the word
“some”, but usually, you don’t use anything there. “Des” is used to describe an unspecified plural
quantity; it tells you there is more than one item, but again, it’s a vague plural quantity (could be
2, could be 10,000 or more)… This “des” usually applies to whole items, which you could count, but
decided not to.
Watch out - we have several little words starting with “d” = des, du, de and d’. Here again, you need
to train on pronunciation to be sure you associate the right sound with the right word. Des ≠ de.

īī
Refer to the extensive pronunciation drills found in Secrets of French Pronunciation:
http://www.frenchtoday.com/sfp
Exercise
Translate the following:
1. I have one sister and one brother.

2. She invites a girlfriend
3. We are cooking pizzas
4. They are meeting some friends
Answers
1. I have one sister and one brother- J’ai une soeur et un frère
2. She invites a girlfriend- Elle invite une amie
3. We are cooking pizzas - Nous cuisinons des pizzas
4. They are meeting friends - Ils rencontent des amis
3. Reflexive verbs = se or s’ + verb

A lot of French verbs have a “normal” form, and a “reflexive” form.
1. Il coupe une pomme – He is cutting an apple.

2. Il se coupe – He cuts himself (on the finger for example)
A) When do we use a reflexive form?
Using a “reflexive” form may change the meaning of the verb, slightly.
We use a “reflexive” form in 3 situations:
1. When the subject is the same person as the direct object.
In other words, when one does the action to oneself, as in you (subject) are brushing your

own hair (direct object) versus brushing your daughter’s hair. These situations are often in the
context of toiletry, injuries, locomotion and attitudes.
Elle se brosse les cheveux - she is brushing her hair
2. In the plural, to show reciprocity, similar to the notion of “each other” in English.
We love each other = “nous nous aimons”.
3. Idiomatic expressions. The original verb and its “twisted” reflexive version have nothing in
common, you have to consider them like idioms, expressions.
“Sentir” - to smell
“Se sentir” - to feel
B) How to make a verb reflexive?
This is easy. You just have to add what is called a “reflexive pronoun”. The list of reflexive pronouns
is:
1. Me
2. te
3. se
4. nous
5. vous
6. se.
Note: Me, te, se take elision and become m’, t’, s’.
So in certain situations, if you are already using a subject pronoun, then you’ll have 2 pronouns one
after the other.
It’s a bit weird (especially when it comes to the “nous nous” and the “vous vous”) but you’ll get used
to it!
Example: Se réveiller – to wake up
Je me réveille
Tu te réveilles

Il, elle, on se réveille

Nous nous réveillons
Vous vous réveillez
Ils, elles se réveillent
“Je me”, “Tu te” and “on se” are going to glide, and become more of a “jeum”,“tut” and “ons” kind of
sound in street French.
As in any language, you have different levels of formality. The way French is taught in schools usually
focuses on written formal French, and teaches you to speak like you write. French Today’s approach
is quite the opposite: we want you to understand real French people, and be understood by them. In
order to do so, you need to learn the modern French language, like it’s spoken nowadays in France.
We will always make a point to teach you the modern French pronunciation of things. You can then
choose to follow it or stay more “conventional”.
īī
You will find out much more about reflexive verbs, as well as find lists of common ones in my
French Verb Fundamentals masterclass: http://www.frenchtoday.com/fvf
Exercise
Study the reflexive verbs below. Then see how they are used in the text.
For actions of toiletry, injuries, locomotion and attitudes, English usually uses a `possessive
adjective’ before the noun (I brush MY hair) - In French, we use a reflexive verb and a definite article -
no possessive adjective (Je me brosse LES cheveux, not mes cheveux).
1. Se brosser les cheveux, les dents - to brush one’s hair, one’s teeth
2. S’habiller - to get dressed
3. Se laver (les mains, les cheveux...) - to wash oneself (to wash one’s hands, one’s hair - hair is
plural in French)
4. Se maquiller - to apply makeup
5. Se raser - to shave
6. Se coucher – to go to bed
7. Se lever - to get up
Translate the text. You may have to guess a few words. Focus on the context, you will get them!
Le matin, Mary se réveille à 6h30. Elle se lève à 7h00. Elle va dans la salle de bains, elle se lave, et
puis elle s’habille. Elle se brosse les dents, elle se brosse les cheveux, et puis elle se maquille. Après,
elle va dans la cuisine prendre son petit-déjeuner.
In the morning, Mary wakes up at 6:30AM. She gets up at 7:00AM. She goes in the bathroom, she washes
herself, and then gets dressed. She brushes her teeth, she brushes her hair, and she puts on makeup. After,
she goes to the kitchen to have breakfast.
Exercise
Answer these questions:
Le matin, à quelle heure est-ce que vous vous réveillez ?
______________________________________________
Vous vous levez à quelle heure ?
______________________________________________
Vous vous habillez dans la salle de bains ou dans la chambre ?
______________________________________________
Answers
Le matin, à quelle heure est-ce que vous vous réveillez ?

Je me réveille à ....
Vous vous levez à quelle heure ?

Je me lève à ....
Vous vous habillez dans la salle de bains ou dans la chambre ?

Je m’habille dans la chambre / dans la salle de bain.
4. Le verbe s’appeler - to say your name

A common reflexive verb is the verb “s’appeler”.
1. In its reflexive form, “s’appeler”, it means to be called, to be named.

2. In its standard form, “appeler”, it means to call someone (on the phone, or in the street).
Since “appeler” starts with a vowel, “me, te, se” are going to become “m’, t’, s’” in elision. Study the
pronunciation of the pronouns and the liaisons that take place.
“Appeler” is slightly irregular, just like “préférer” was. You will notice that the L becomes LL for the je,
tu, il, elle, on, ils and elles forms, creating a “elle” sound.
S’appeler
Je m’appelle
Tu t’appelles
Il, elle, on s’appelle
Nous nous appelons
Vous vous appelez
Ils, elles s’appellent
5. Related vocabulary
1. Le nom - the name (generic)

2. Le prénom - the first name/surname (like Anne, Mary)
3. Le nom de famille - the family name (like Castel, Joe)
4. Le surnom - the nickname (like Bob for Robert – not as common in France as in the US)
5. Le petit nom - the (cute) nickname, used for love names as “ma chérie” (sweetie)
Exercise
Translate these sentences. If you are not sure, look for the answers in the story chapters.
1. What is your name? (using vous)

2. What is your name? (using tu)
3. My name is Anne.
4. What is her name?
5. Her name is Clothilde.

Answers
1. What is your name? (using vous)

Vous vous appelez comment ? (Also comment vous appelez-vous, but it’s more formal)
2. What is your name? (using tu)
Tu t’appelles comment ? (Also comment t’appelles-tu)
3. My name is Anne.
Je m’appelle Anne.
4. What is her name?
Elle s’appelle comment ? (Also comment s’appelle-t-elle ?)
5. Her name is Clothilde.
Elle s’appelle Clothilde.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 11 Je Rêve D’aller Aux États-unis
11. Je Rêve D’aller Aux États-

Unis
I Dream of Going to the United States
Story
La conversation entre Tugdual, Mary et Camille continue.

The conversation between Tugdual, Mary and Camille continues.
Tugdual Et tu es d’où en Angleterre ?

And where are you from in England?

Mary Je suis de Londres. Tu connais l’Angleterre ?

I am from London. Have you been to England?
Tugdual Non, mais j’aimerais beaucoup y aller. En fait, j’aimerais beaucoup voyager plus, et
en particulier, je rêve d’aller aux États-Unis. J’ai un cousin qui habite en Floride.
No, but I would love to go. In fact, I would love to travel more, and in particular, I dream
of going to the United States. I have a cousin who lives in Florida.
Camille Moi aussi j’aimerais aller aux États-Unis. Je pense que c’est un peu le rêve de tout le
monde en France. Mais je connais le Canada.
I would also love to go to the States. I think it is a bit of everybody’s dream in France. But I
have been to Canada.
Mary Ah oui ? Tu es allée où-ça ?

Really? Where did you go?
Camille Je suis allée au Québec, à Montréal et à Québec. Moi aussi j’ai de la famille là-bas.
Un oncle et une tante, et des cousins. Ils ont un grand appartement à Québec : c’est
vraiment sympa.
I went to Quebec, to Montreal and to Quebec city. I too have family over-there. An uncle
and an aunt, and some cousins. They have a big apartment in Quebec city: it’s really cool.
Mary J’adore la ville de Québec. C’est amusant, parce qu’il y a vraiment un mélange entre
la culture française et la culture américaine.
I love Quebec city. It’s fun, because there is a true mixture between French and American
culture.
Tugdual Et tu habites en France maintenant ?

And do you live in France now?
Mary Oui, enfin... pendant 3 mois. J’étudie le français et je suis au pair dans une famille
française.
Yes, well… for three months. I am studying French and I am an au pair for a French
family.
Tugdual Ton français est vraiment excellent. Tu n’as pas du tout d’accent anglais.
Your French is excellent. You don’t have any English accent.
Mary C’est parce que je suis française... Enfin, mon père est français, et ma mère est
anglaise. Donc, chez moi, je parle français avec mon père, et anglais avec ma mère.
It’s because I am French... Well, my dad is French, and my mom is English. So, at home, I
speak French with my dad, and English with my mom.
Tugdual Donc, tu es parfaitement bilingue. Quelle chance !

So, you’re truly bilingual. How lucky!

Mary Quand je parle, oui, je pense. Le problème, c’est quand j’écris. Je n’ai pas l’habitude
d’écrire en français, et je trouve ça très difficile. Les accords des verbes, les accords
des adjectifs... C’est très différent de l’anglais.
When I speak, yes, I think I am. The problem is when I write. I am not used to writing in
French, and I find it very difficult. The verb agreements, the adjective agreements… It’s
very different from English.
Camille Le français parlé et le français écrit sont comme deux langues différentes. Bon
courage !
Spoken French and written French are like two different languages. Good luck!
Mary Merci.
Thanks.
Camille Allez, nous devons y aller. À bientôt Mary.

Ok, we’ve got to go. See you soon Mary.
Mary Au revoir. Bonne journée ! Ravie d’avoir fait ta connaissance Tugdual.

Bye. Have a good day! Very nice meeting you Tugdual.
Study Guide
1. How do you say “French” and “France”?

It seems simple enough but we use different words to say “French” depending on their grammatical
value and their meaning.
A) How do you say “French” as in “the French language”?
The name of the language is LE françAIS - masculine, s silent, lower case f.
Usually, the “le” stays ; j’étudie le français, j’aime le français, j’apprends le français etc... but with the
verb “parler” (to speak), we drop the “le”, we usually say “je parle français”, although the alternative
(je parle le français) is not a mistake, but it’s rarely used anymore.
B) How do you say the names of the French people?
The name of the French people is “les Français”. S silent, uppercase F. This noun will change

according to the gender of the people you are referring to:
1. One Frenchman: un Français (ends in an ay sound, s silent).

2. One Frenchwoman: une Française (ends in an ayz sound).
3. Several Frenchwomen: des Françaises (ends in an ayz sound).
4. Several Frenchmen (with or without Frenchwomen): des Français (ends in an ay sound, s silent).
C) How do you say something or someone is French?
This time, it’s not going to be a noun, but an adjective. The F will be lower case, and the adjective
will agree in number and gender with the noun it modifies. Usually, French adjectives go AFTER the
noun.
1. A French wine = un vin français («un vin» is masculine singular)

2. A French car = une voiture française («une voiture» is feminine singular – add an E to make an
adjective feminine, the final consonant before the ending is then pronounced)
3. French wines = des vins français (masculine plural – usually, you add a silent S to make an
adjective plural, but not when it already ends in an S)
4. French cars = des voitures françaises (feminine plural: add ES, the final consonant before the
ending is then pronounced)
Now it can get a bit more complex when the adjective “French” modifies “a man” or “a woman”.
In English, you can say “a Frenchman”. It’s a noun. You can also say “a French man, a man who is
French”. In this case, French is an adjective. The same rule will apply in French.
1. A Frenchman = un Français (upper case F, Français is a noun).

2. A French man = un homme français (lower case f, français is an adjective).
D) How do you say the name of the country: France?
The name of the country is “la France”. Capital F
J’habite en France - I live in France (in + feminine country = en)

Je viens de France - I come from France (from + feminine country = de)

E) How do you say “I study French”?
In French you cannot say “I take a French class”. Your class is not French itself; it’s an idiom in English.
Your class is “about” the French language.
I take a class of French = I take a French class = je prends une classe DE FRANÇAIS
(not “je prends une classe française”: you cannot translate literally, it won’t work in French).
I study French = j’étudie le français = the name of the language is “le français’.
You could also say: I study the French language = j’étudie la langue française. “La langue” is feminine,
“française” is the adjective for “French” in agreement with “la langue”, hence feminine singular.
Exercise
Translate these sentences
1. I am French. (man speaking)

2. I study French.
3. We love France.
4. Do you live in France?
5. She likes French wine.
6. Do you speak French?
Answers
1. I am French (man speaking)

Je suis français.
2. I study French
J’étudie/J’apprends le français.
3. We love France
Nous aimons la France.
4. Do you live in France?
Est-ce que vous habitez en France ?
5. She likes French wine.
Elle aime le vin français.
6. Do you speak French?

Est-ce que vous parlez français ?
2. Vocabulary – continents, countries and nationalities

There are way too many countries to list here, but this is a start.
Note the endings of the adjectives, and how they change in spelling and pronunciation to become
feminine – but the S of the plural is silent.
When a country ends in an E, it’s usually feminine. When it ends on another vowel or a consonant,
it’s usually masculine.
Country or continent Masculine nationality Feminine nationality
L’Europe (f) européen/s européenne/s

Europe
La France français française/s
France
L’Angleterre (f) anglais anglaise/s
England
La Suède suédois suédoise/s
Sweden
L’Allemagne (f) allemand/s allemande/s
Germany
L’Espagne (f) espagnol/s espagnole/s
Spain
L’Italie (f) italien/s italienne/s
Italy
Les Etats-Unis (m) américain/s américaine/s
USA
L’Amérique du Sud (f) sud-américain/s sud-américaine/s
South America
Le Brésil brésilien/s brésilienne/s
Brazil
Le Mexique (ends in E: mexicain/s mexicaine/s
exception)
Mexico
L’Argentine (f) argentin/s argentine/s
Argentina

Le Canada canadien/s canadienne/s

Canada
L’Afrique (f) africain/s africaine/s
Africa
Les Pays arabes (m) arabe/s arabe/s
Arabic countries
La Russie russe/s russe/s
Russia
L’Asie (f) asiatique/s asiatique/s
Asia
La Chine chinois chinoise/s
China
Le Japon japonais japonaise/s
Japan
L’Inde (f) indien/s indienne/s
India
L’Australie (f) australien/s australienne/s
Australia
L’indonésie (f) indonésien/s indonésienne/s
Indonesia
īī
Adjectives are quite difficult to understand in French, and the rules are more complicated
than adding an e, s or es…. I have dedicated an audio masterclass to help students master
this topic, so I am not going to spend a lot of time studying adjectives in this book. I strongly
suggest that you study adjectives in depth since they will be a big part of your fluency in
French. http://www.frenchtoday.com/mfa
3. Countries and Prepositions of Place
A) General rule
When the name of a region ends in an E, it’s usually feminine:
1. La France
2. l’Angleterre (f)
3. la Chine

4. l’Inde (f)
5. la Californie
6. l’Asie (f)
7. la Floride
Exception: le Mexique, le Maine...
1. To say you’re going TO it, use EN

Je vais... en France, en Italie, en Afrique, en Floride...
2. To say you’re there, use EN

Je suis... en France, en Italie, en Afrique, en Floride...
3. To say you’re coming from it, use DE

Je viens de France, d’Italie, d’Afrique, de Floride...
When the name of a region ends in any other vowel but E, or a consonant, it’s usually masculine.
1. Le Canada
2. le Japon
3. le Portugal
4. le Burundi
5. le Luxembourg
6. le Texas
1. To say you’re going TO it, use AU

Je vais... au Niger, au Brésil, au Maroc, au Congo
2. To say you’re there, use AU

Je suis... au Niger, au Brésil, au Maroc, au Congo
3. To say you’re coming from it, use DU

Je viens... du Niger, du Brésil, du Maroc, du Congo
When a masculine country starts with a vowel or an H, use the rules of the feminine countries
1. L’Iran

2. l’Ouganda
3. l’Oman
4. l’Angola
5. l’Israël
Je vais en Iran, je viens d’Angola, je suis en Israël
B) Particular cases
Unfortunately, there are too many exceptions to be listed... so be ready to face many particular
cases. Here are some pointers:
3.B.A. Plural names
A few names of regions are plural. Most plural regions end in an S, but not all regions ending in an S
are plural (le Laos, l’Arkansas)... So with plural regions, here is the rule:
Les États-Unis, les Maldives, les Pays-Bas, les Philippines...
1. To say you’re going TO it, use AUX

Je vais... aux États-Unis, aux Maldives
2. To say you’re there, use AUX

Je suis... aux États-Unis, aux Maldives
3. To say you’re coming from it, use DES

Je viens... des États-Unis, des Maldives
Note the pronunciation of les États-Unis - there are 2 strong liaisons in Z, whether it’s introduced by
les, aux or des = Zéta Zuni.
3.B.B. Cities
Cities are usually not introduced by any article, and are usually feminine.
Paris est belle (because here Paris refers to “la ville de Paris”).
1. For most cities, to say you’re going TO it, use à

Je vais... à Paris, à Tokyo, à New-York

2. To say you’re IN it, use à

Je suis... à Paris, à Tokyo, à New-York
3. To say you’re coming from it, use DE

Je viens... de Paris, de Tokyo, de New-York
3.B.C. Islands
Islands are a really messy business in French... !!
1. Many don’t have any article, and will be introduced by à or de

Je vais à Cuba, à Haïti, à Madagascar
2. But some are masculine

Je vais au Japon
3. And some are feminine

Je vais en Corse
4. And other plural L

Je vais aux Maldives
So it’s more like a case-by-case scenario...
Exercise
Translate.
1. We are in France

2. I come from Canada
3. I am from Québec city
4. I live in the US
5. We are going to England
6. I love France

7. I am going to Paris for a vacation

8. I am Chinese (man speaking), I live in China
Answers
1. We are in France

Nous sommes en France
2. I come from Canada
Je viens du Canada
3. I am from Québec City
Je viens de (la ville de) Québec
4. I live in the US
J’habite aux Etats-Unis
5. We are going to England
Nous allons en Angleterre
6. I love France
J’aime la France (this one was a trick... Remember aimer + le, la, l’, les)
7. I am going to Paris for a vacation
Je vais à Paris pour les vacances
8. I am Chinese (man speaking), I live in China
Je suis chinois, j’habite en Chine
Time to review !! Dont forget to go back, and review previous chapters. For each hour spent studying
new material, you should spend at least as much time reviewing older material :-)

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 12 Un Dîner Typiquement Français
12. Un Dîner Typiquement

Français
A Typical French Dinner
Story
Après le petit-déjeuner, Mary et Anne discutent ; ce soir-là, les Castel ont des invités, et Anne va
préparer un bon diner. Elle demande à Mary si elle peut l’aider.
After breakfast, Mary and Anne are talking: that evening, the Castels are having guests over, and Anne is
going to prepare a good meal. She asks Mary if she can help her.
Mary Tu aimes cuisiner Anne ?

Do you enjoy cooking, Anne?

Anne Oui, j’aime bien ça, pour une occasion spéciale. Mais je n’aime pas beaucoup cuisiner
tous les jours. Heureusement, Gérard cuisine aussi, et maintenant, Sylvie commence
à nous aider. Et toi, tu aimes cuisiner ?
Yes, I like it, for a special occasion. But I don’t really enjoy cooking everyday. Thankfully,
Gérard cooks as well, and now, Sylvie is starting to helps us. What about you? Do you
enjoy cooking?
Mary Moi, je ne cuisine pas du tout. Mais j’aime bien manger !

I don’t cook at all. But I enjoy eating!
Anne Et bien, tu vas m’aider ce soir, d’accord ? Je vais faire un plat typiquement français :
des magrets de canards avec une purée de céleris. Bien sûr, des fromages, et
comme dessert, une tarte aux pommes. Tu aimes le canard ?
Well, then, you’re going to help me tonight, OK? I’m going to make a typically French dish:
duck magrets with mashed turnips. Of course, cheeses, and for dessert, an apple tart. Do
you like duck?
Mary Je ne sais pas. Mais je suis sûr que ça va être délicieux.

I don’t know, but I’m sure it will be delicious.
Anne Oui, c’est très bon. Chez nous, tout le monde adore ça. Et je mélange les céleris avec
des pommes de terres, pour faire une purée un peu plus intéressante... Et bien sûr
j’ajoute beaucoup de crème fraîche : c’est ça qui est bon dans la purée !!
Yes, it’s very good. At home everybody loves it. And I mix the turnips with some potatoes,
so the mashed turnips are a bit more interesting… And of course, I add a lot of crème
fraîche [a sort of sour cream]: that’s the best part in mashed (turnips/potatoes/ any
mashed vegetable) !!
Mary Miam.
Yum.
Anne Mais j’ai besoin d’une entrée. On va regarder dans un livre de cuisine, pour trouver
l’inspiration, d’accord ?
But I need an appetizer. We are going to look in a cookbook to find inspiration, OK?
Mary Volontiers.
With pleasure.

Study Guide
1. Food-related vocabulary
First, it’s a good idea to review the breakfast food vocabulary we studied in chapter 9.
Les fruits (m) Fruits
Une pomme An apple Une orange An orange
Une poire A pear Un citron A lemon
Une cerise A cherry Une fraise A strawberry
Une pêche A peach Une banane A banana
Un melon A cantaloupe Une tomate A tomatoe
Les legumes (m) Vegetables
Une pomme de terre (douce) A (sweet) potatoe Une courgette A zucchini
Une asperge Asparagus Un champignon A mushroom
Un haricot (rouge, vert,…) A (red, green,…) bean Des broccolis (m) Broccolis
Une aubergine An eggplant Un poivron A pepper
Une carotte A carrot Une salade A lettuce
Les boissons (f) Drinks
De l’eau (f) (some) water Du vin (some) wine
Un soda A soda Une bière A beer
Les viandes (f) Meats
Un steak A steak Un steak haché A ground beef patty
Du porc (Some) pork Du poulet (Some) chicken
Du boeuf (Some) beef Du veau (Some) veal
Les poissons (m) Fish
Du saumon (Some) salmon Du thon (Some) tuna
De la morue (Some) cod De la sole (Some) sole

Des fruits de mer (Some) shellfish Des crevettes(f) (Some) shrimps
Les oeufs (m) Eggs
Un oeuf au plat One egg sunny side up Une omelette An omelet
Des oeufs brouillés (Some) scrambled eggs Un oeuf dur A hard boiled egg
Les produits laitiers Dairy products
Du lait (Some) milk Du beurre (Some) butter
Un yaourt A yogurt Du fromage (Some) cheese
Les desserts Desserts
De la glace (Some) ice cream Une tarte A pie
Un gâteau A cake Une patisserie A pastry
Les condiments (m) Seasonings
Du sel (Some) salt Du poivre (Some) pepper
Du ketchup (Some) ketchup De la moutarde (Some) mustard
De l’huile (Some) oil Du vinaigre (Some) vinegar
Du sucre (Some) sugar Des épices (Some) spices
Des fines-herbes (Some) herbs De l’ail (Some) garlic
To say you are a vegetarian, say:
1. Je suis végétarien – if you are a man

2. Je suis végétarienne – if you are a woman
To say you are allergic to something, say “Je suis allergique à la / au / aux…”
1. Je suis allergique aux noix – I am allergic to nuts

2. Je suis allergique au lait – I am lactose intolerent
2. Making a verb negative

Making a verb negative is rather simple in French.

If the verb starts with a consonant, you surround the verb with “ne”…”pas”:
1. Il parle => il ne parle pas

2. Il mange => il ne mange pas
If the verb starts with a vowel or a h, the “ne” takes elision, so it becomes “n’”… “pas”:
1. Il étudie => Il n’étudie pas.

2. Il entend = > il n’entend pas
The “n” is then pronounced as if it was the first letter of the verb.
However, note that there are many glidings with the negative. When French people speak really fast,
the “ne” part totally disappears. I don’t encourage you to do this right now, but you should be doing
some gliding.
Watch out, what follows is only for pronunciation, it is never written this way… Listen to the audio to
make sense of it.
1. Je ne => jeun - Je ne chante pas

2. Tu ne => tune – Tu ne chantes pas
3. Il and elle – no gliding – Il ne chante pas, elle ne chante pas (to be fair, I have to say a popular gliding
is to transform the “il” into an “ee” sound, and “elle” into “ay”. So in the negative, it becomes “een”
and “ayn”... but it’s a drastic gliding that I don’t encourage you to do at this point.
On glides into n – on ne chante pas
4. Nous ne = noun – nous ne chantons pas
5. Vous ne = voun – vous ne chantez pas
6. Ils and elles – no gliding – ils ne chantent pas, elles ne chantent pas (but same remark)
For verbs starting with a consonant or an h, only the “je” glides.
Je n’étudie pas => jnétudie pas

Je n’entends pas => jnentends pas
For the rest of the pronouns, the verb starts with the n sound:
Tu n’étudies pas
Il n’étudie pas
Elle n’étudie pas

On n’étudie pas
Nous n’étudions pas
Vous n’étudiez pas
Ils n’étudient pas
Elles n’étudient pas
Note: There is a strong liaison after “pas” in Z: Nous ne parlons pas avec Marc.
Exercise
Translate these sentences in the affirmative. Then make them negative. Pay close attention to the
audio of the answers and make sure you repeat them out-loud to get familiar with the glidings.
1. On Mondays, I study with Camille.

2. We work at the office.
3. You (tu) are calling Mary.
4. You (vous) run into M. Dupont at the market.
5. Patrick lives in Paris now.
6. She is looking for Mary.
7. She is Américan.
8. They (m) are going to the US.
9. He is having lunch at the restaurant.
10. Anne works with Julie.
Answers
1. On Mondays, I study with Camille.

Le lundi, j’étudie avec Camille.
Le lundi, je n’étudie pas avec Camille.
2. We work at the office.
Nous travaillons au bureau.
Nous ne travaillons pas au bureau.
3. You are calling Mary.
Tu téléphones à Mary.
Tu ne téléphones pas à Mary.
4. You (vous) run into M. Dupont at the market

Vous rencontrez M. Dupont au marché.
Vous ne rencontrez pas M. Dupont au marché.
5. Patrick lives in Paris now.
Patrick habite à Paris maintenant.
Patrick n’habite pas à Paris maintenant.
6. She is looking for Mary.
Elle cherche Mary. (remember, no “pour”)
Elle ne cherche pas Mary.
7. She is American.
Elle est américaine.
Elle n’est pas américaine.
8. They are going to the US.
Ils vont aux États-Unis.
Ils ne vont pas aux États-Unis.
9. He is having lunch at the restaurant.
Il déjeune au restaurant.
Il ne déjeune pas au restaurant.
10. Anne works with Julie.
Anne travaille avec Julie.
Anne ne travaille pas avec Julie.
Exercise
Translate these sentences but review your food-related vocabulary first :-)
To make the questions, just write down the sentence in the affirmative and put a question mark
at the end. (It’s the common street way to ask questions in French, although there are more
grammatically correct ways to do it).
1. Do you like vegetables? (vous)

Yes, I like carrots, but I don’t like asparagus.
2. Do you live in Paris? (tu)
No, I live in London.
3. Are you inviting Anne to the restaurant next week? (tu)
No, I am not inviting Anne. I am inviting Camille.
(Watch out, no present progressive in French)
4. Does Mary help Anne with the dinner?

Yes, she does. But she doesn’t help Anne with breakfast.
5. Does Sylvie like salmon?
Yes, she loves salmon, but she likes meat better.
6. Do you prefer meat or fish? (vous)
I prefer fish. I don’t like meat. I am a vegetarian.
7. Do you like shrimps? (vous)
No, not at all. I am allergic to seafood.
Answers
1. Do you like vegetables?

Vous aimez les légumes?
Yes, I like carrots, but I don’t like asparagus.
Oui, j’aime les carottes, mais je n’aime pas les asperges.
2. Do you live in Paris?

Tu habites à Paris ?
No, I live in London.
Non, j’habite à Londres.
3. Are you inviting Anne to the restaurant next week? (tu)

Tu invites Anne au restaurant la semaine prochaine ?
No, I am not inviting Anne. I am inviting Camille. (Watch out, no present progressive in French…)
Non, je n’invite pas Anne. J’invite Camille.
4. Does Mary help Anne with the dinner?

Mary aide Anne avec le dîner ?
Yes, she does. But she doesn’t help Anne with breakfast.
Oui. Mais elle n’aide pas Anne avec le petit-déjeuner.
5. Does Sylvie like salmon?

Sylvie aime le saumon ?
Yes, she loves salmon, but she likes meat better.
Oui, elle aime le saumon, mais elle préfère la viande.
6. Do you prefer meat or fish? (vous)

Vous préférez la viande ou le poisson ?
I prefer fish. I don’t like meat. I am a vegetarian.
Je préfère le poisson. Je n’aime pas la viande. Je suis végétarien/végétarienne.

7. Do you like shrimps? (vous)

Vous aimez les crevettes ?
No, not at all. I am allergic to seafood.
Non, pas du tout. Je suis allergique aux fruits de mer.
3. When two verbs follow each other

The first one will be conjugated; the second one will be in the infinitive.
1. Je veux travailler. I want to work.

2. J’aime manger. I like eating.
3. Je préfère parler français. I prefer speaking French
Watch out that in English you often use a verb in the ‘ing’ form (technically called a ‘gerund’)
1. Do you enjoy cooking?

2. Do you like knitting?
In French, we say “do you enjoy to cook”, “do you enjoy to knit”, and the “to” is part of the infinitive:
1. Tu aimes cuisiner ?

2. Tu aimes tricotter ?
This is also the construction we use to express the near future: I am going to do something.
In French, we conjugate the verb “aller” in the present, and have a verb in the infinitive follow.
1. Je vais cuisiner – I am going to cook.

2. Nous allons inviter Laure – We are going to invite Laure.
Exercise
Translate these sentences.

1. She is going to cook some duck.

2. We like to go on vacation in Paris.
3. They prefer to cook French food.
4. I am not going to invite Anne.
5. You (vous) are going to eat at the restaurant
Answers
1. She is going to cook some duck.

Elle va cuisiner du canard.
2. We like to go on vacation in Paris.
Nous aimons aller en vacances à Paris.
3. They prefer to cook French food.
Ils préfèrent cuisiner de la cuisine française.
4. I am not going to invite Anne.
Je ne vais pas inviter Anne.
5. You (vous) are going to eat at the restaurant.
Vous allez manger au restaurant.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 13 J’ai Des Oeufs
13. J’ai Des Oeufs

I Have Eggs
Story
Mary et Anne pensent au repas qu’Anne va préparer ce soir-là. Elles cherchent une entrée dans un
livre de cuisine.
Mary and Anne are thinking about the meal that Anne is going to prepare that evening. They are looking
for an appetizer in a cookbook.
Anne Je voudrais faire quelque chose de simple... peut-être un plat marocain. Tu connais la
cuisine marocaine ?
I would like to do something simple… maybe a Morocan dish. Are you familiar with the
Morocan cuisine?
Mary Non, pas vraiment.

No, not really.

Anne Ou bien peut être une petite verrine…

Or maybe a little “ verrine “…
Mary Qu’est-ce que c’est “une verrine” ?

What is a “une verrine”?
Anne C’est un tout petit plat qui est servi dans un petit verre. On le mange avec une petite
cuillère. C’est joli et facile à faire. On l’utilise beaucoup en entrée, ou pour un dessert
léger.
It’s a tiny dish wich is served in a little glass. You eat it with a small spoon. It’s pretty and easy
to make. We use it a lot as an appetizer, or for a light dessert.
Mary Ça a l’air intéressant.

Sounds interesting.
Anne Alors, j’ai un livre de recettes de verrines... Verrine de crabe et avocat... non, trop
classique. Mangue, crevette, curry... pas mal, mais non. Oeuf, mousse d’asperge et
jambon croustillant... hum... intéressant !
So, I have a book for verrine recipes… Verrine of crab and avocado… no, too traditional.
Mango, shrimp, curry… not bad, but no. Egg, asparagus mousse and crispy ham… hum…
interesting!
Mary J’aime bien les asperges.

I like asparagus.
Anne Alors on va faire ça. Tu viens avec moi faire les courses ?
Then we’ll do that. Are you coming with me grocery shopping?
Mary Oui, avec plaisir ! J’apprends toujours beaucoup de nouveaux mots au supermarché.
With pleasure! I always learn a lot of new words at the supermarket.
Anne Alors, premièrement, il faut faire une liste de courses.

- Pour l’entrée: j’ai des oeufs, mais il faut acheter des asperges, et du jambon fumé.
- Pour le plat principal : des magrets de canards, des pommes de terre, du céleri, de la
crème fraîche.
- des fromages et de la salade.
So, first, we need to make a grocery list.
- for the appetizer : I have eggs, but we must buy asparagus and smoked ham.
- for the main course: duck breasts, potatoes, celery, crème fraîche [sort of sour cream].
- several cheeses and some lettuce
Mary Paul et Sylvie vont dîner avec nous ?

Are Paul and Sylvie going to have dinner with us?

Anne Ils aiment tous les deux le canard... Mais je crois que Paul va préférer manger une pizza
dans sa chambre. Et Sylvie... Elle a sans doute des projets avec des amis. Je vais lui
téléphoner pour vérifier.
Oh là là, il ne faut pas que j’oublie d’aller à la boulangerie pour acheter du pain et la
tarte aux pommes !
They both like duck… But I think Paul would rather eat a pizza in his room. And Sylvie… She
probably has plans with friends. I’m going to call her to check.
Oh my… I must not forget to go to the bakery (in order) to buy some bread and the apple
tart!
Study Guide
1. The partitive article: du, de la, de l’, des - unspecified

quantity
A) In the affirmative
When you are talking about a portion of an item (food), or something that cannot be quantified (e.g.
qualities, like patience), use a partitive article:
1. du (+ masculine word)

J’ai du pain – I have some bread.
2. de la (+ feminine word),
J’ai de la glace à la vanille – I have some vanilla ice-cream.
3. de l’ (followed by a vowel or an h),
Je voudrais de l’eau s’il vous plaît – I would like some water, please.
4. des (+ plural word).
Je mange des céréales au petit-déjeuner – I eat cereals for breakfast
The indefinite (un, une, des) and partitive articles have the same plural form “des”.

B) In the negative = pas de
In the negative, the partitive article becomes de or d’ – except when the verb is “être – to be”.
1. Je n’ai pas de beurre - I don’t have (any) butter

2. Je n’ai plus d’eau - I no longer have water.
Do not mistake the negative article “de, d’” = any, with the preposition “de, d’” = of, from, about. It’s
the same word, but not the same meaning!
Important: these articles are often used after the verbs “vouloir” (“Je voudrais du vin”) or “avoir” (“J’ai
des chats”) and with food, whereas “le”, “la”, “les” are used after “aimer, préférer, détester” and things
taken in a general meaning.
C) Some
It’s the notion of “some” in English, but we don’t always use the word “some”. Often, we use nothing
at all.
In French, you need to “accompany” your word with something.
1. Je voudrais de l’eau, s’il vous plait. (some water, maybe a glass, or maybe a bottle…)
2. Le professeur a de la patience. (patience ; you are not saying how much patience the teacher has,
just that he/she has some)
3. Voici du gâteau. (some of it, not the whole cake)
To describe an unspecified plural quantity, use “des” (both feminine and masculine). This tells you
there is more than one item, but again, it’s a vague plural quantity (could be 2, could be 10,000 or
more)… This “des” usually applies to whole items that you could count, but decided not to.
1. J’ai des Euros = I have some Euros (more than one, but I am not telling exactly how many)
2. Je vais acheter des pommes =I’m going to buy apples.
In English, we would probably not use an article there. Maybe ‘some’, but not necessarily. In French,
you need to use “des”
3. Elle a des amis formidables = she has (some) great friends
Some food items are usually referred to as singular, although they are really plural. Like rice. There
are many grains of rice, but it’s pretty unlikely that you are counting them one by one… So rice is
considered as a single ingredient, singular masculine “le riz”. If you need to count each grain, then

you’d use the expression “grain de riz” – “Il y a 3 grains de riz sur la table” (there are 3 grains of rice
on the table). But, more often, you’d say something like “J’achète du riz” (I buy some rice).
The word “du” is also the contraction of the preposition “de” and the definite article “le”, and so is the
word “des” (de + les). They mean “of/about/from the”.
1. Je téléphone du bureau – I am calling from the office

2. Je parle des amis de Sophie – I am talking about Sophie’s friends.
Exercise
In this chapter’s story, look for partitive articles.
Answers
1. Des oeufs
2. Des asperges
3. Du jambon fumé
4. Des magrets de canards
5. Des pommes de terre
6. Du céleri
7. De la crème fraîche
8. Des fromages
9. De la salade
10. Du pain
11. Des projets
12. Des amis
Exercise
Translate the English parts into French.
1. I like apples - I prepare (préparer) a pie with some apples.

2. Paul likes carrots – He often eats carrots.

3. We like steak – Tonight, we are going to cook some steaks.
4. They (m) are cooking an omelet with mushrooms and zucchini.
5. In my refrigerator, I have some orange juice, eggs and butter.
Answers
1. I like apples - I prepare (préparer) a pie with some apples.

J’aime les pommes – Je prépare une tarte avec des pommes.
2. Paul likes carrots – He often eats carrots.
Paul aime les carottes – Il mange souvent des carotte.s
3. We like steak – Tonight, we are going to cook some steaks.
Nous aimons les steaks – Ce soir, nous allons cuisiner des steaks.
4. They (m) are cooking an omelet with mushrooms and zucchini .
Ils cuisinent une omelette avec des champignons et des courgettes.
5. In my refrigerator, I have some orange juice, eggs and butter.
Dans mon frigidaire, j’ai du jus d’orange, des oeufs et du beurre.
2. The verb “avoir” – to have

‘To have’ is one of the most common French verbs since it is one of the two verbs used to build
compound tenses such as “passé composé” (j’ai mangé = I ate, I have eaten). The other verb is “être”.
They are also called “auxiliary verbs”.
J’ai
Tu as
Il, elle, on a
Nous avons
Vous avez
Ils, elles ont
Note the strong liaisons in the audio, in particular the one of the 3rd person plural: “Ils, elles Zont”.
Exercise
Translate the following sentences:

1. We have 2 brothers and one sister.

2. They (f) have a cookbook.
3. You (plural) have pears, cherries and strawberries.
4. She has a friend (f) in France.
5. Philippe has a girlfriend.
Answers
1. We have 2 brothers and one sister .

Nous avons deux frères et une soeur.
2. They (f) have a cookbook.
Elles ont un livre de cuisine.
3. You (plural) have pears, cherries and strawberries.
Vous avez des poires, des cerises et des fraises.
4. She has a friend (f) in France.
Elle a une amie en France.
5. Philippe has a girlfriend .
Philippe a une petite-amie.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 14 Désolée, Je Ne Peux Pas
14. Désolée, Je Ne Peux Pas

Sorry, I Can’t
Story
Dring, dring... Le téléphone mobile de Mary sonne...
Ring, ring… Mary’s cell phone rings.
Mary Excuse-moi Anne. Allô ?

Excuse-me Anne. Hello?
Mme Bizel Bonjour Mary. Cest Madame Bizel. La maman de Clothilde.

Good morning Mary. It’s Madame Bizel (speaking). Clothilde’s mom.
Mary Ah oui. Bonjour Madame. Comment allez-vous ?

Ah, yes. Good morning Madam. How are you?
Mme Bizel Très bien, merci, et vous ?

I’m great, thanks. And you?

Mary Je vais bien. Merci.

I’m fine, thanks.
Mme Bizel Je ne vous dérange pas ?

I hope I am not calling at a bad time (lit. I don’t disturb you)?
Mary Non, non, pas du tout.

No, no, not at all.
Mme Bizel Alors, je voudrais organiser des cours d’anglais pour Clothilde le mercredi après-
midi. À 17 heures. Est-ce que c’est possible ?
So, I would like to organize English lessons for Clothilde on Wednesday afternoons. At 5
PM. Is it possible?
Mary Non, désolée, à 17h je ne peux pas. Je dois m’occuper de Paul.

No, I’m sorry, I can’t at 5 PM. I have to take care of Paul.
Mme Bizel Alors à 15 heures ?

Then at 3 PM?
Mary Oui, pas de problème.

Yes, no problem.
Mme Bizel Vous pouvez venir chez nous ?

Are you able to come to our place?
Mary Oui. Nous commençons la semaine prochaine ?

Yes I am. Do we start next week?
Mme Bizel Si c’est possible pour vous, avec plaisir.

If it’s possible for you, with pleasure.
Mary D’accord. Alors vous pourriez me donner votre adresse ?

Ok. Then could you give me your address?
Mme Bizel Oui, nous habitons à côté de chez Anne ; je vais vous envoyer un mail, d’accord ?
Yes. We live next to Anne’s place; I am going to send you an email, OK?
Mary Parfait. Merci Madame, et à la semaine prochaine !

Perfect. Thank you Madam, and see you next week!
Study Guide
1. “Pouvoir” = Can, to be able to

Yet another irregular verb that is commonly used in French. The verb “can” is also the verb “to be
able to” in English, not to be mistaken with the auxiliary verb ‘to be’. The infinitive form of the verb is
“pouvoir”.
Je peux (silent x)
Tu peux (silent x)
Il, elle, on peut (silent t)
Nous pouvons
Vous pouvez
Ils, elles peuvent (silent ent)
A) The different uses of ‘pouvoir’
1. Pouvoir is used to ask for permission:
Est-ce que je peux téléphoner ? May I make a phone call?

Est-ce que je peux manger la dernière banane ? May I eat the last banana?
2. It’s also used to check on abilities/availabilities:
Est-ce que vous pouvez venir à 16 heures ? Can you come at 4 PM?
Non, désolés, nous ne pouvons pas. No, sorry, we cannot.
3. Finally, in a grammatical mood called the conditional, it’s used for politeness:
Je pourrais avoir un café s’il vous plaît ?– Could I have a coffee please?
Vous pourriez me donner votre numéro de téléphone ?– Could you give me your phone number?
Exercise
Translate these sentences:
1. Can you come to my place at 5 PM?

2. Can he work at the office next week?
3. Can she come to the movies with us?
4. I cannot speak Chinese.
5. We can start at 4 PM.

6. You (tu) can go to school with them (f).
Answers
1. Can you (vous) come to my place at 5 PM?

Vous pouvez venir chez moi à 17 heures ?
2. Can he work at the office next week?
Il peut travailler au bureau la semaine prochaine ?
3. Can she come to the movies with us?
Elle peut venir au cinéma avec nous ?
4. I cannot speak Chinese.
Je ne peux pas parler Chinois.
5. We can start at 4 PM.
Nous pouvons commencer à 16 heures.
6. You (tu) can go to school with them (f).
Tu peux aller à l’école avec elles.
2. Numbers 1 to 29
Make sure you listen to the audio to memorize these numbers and their correct pronounciation!
The number for ‘zero’ is “zéro” - watch out, “zé”, not “zi”!
“Un chiffre” is a digit, “un nombre” is a number.
Don’t forget to put the noun that follows in the plural if you have more than one:
Une fille (singular so no s)

Sept filles (plural therefore with a silent s)
1. Un or Une (if feminine)

2. Deux
3. Trois
4. Quatre
5. Cinq
6. Six
7. Sept

8. Huit
9. Neuf
10. Dix
11. Onze
12. Douze
13. Treize
14. Quatorze
15. Quinze
16. Seize
17. Dix-sept
18. Dix- huit
19. Dix-neuf
20. Vingt
21. Vingt et un (or vingt et une if feminine)
22. Vingt-deux
23. Vingt-trois
24. Vingt-quatre
25. Vingt-cinq
26. Vingt-six
27. Vingt-sept
28. Vingt-huit
29. Vingt-neuf
A) Cinq, six, huit and dix
When pronouncing these four digits, you usually drop their final consonant in front of a word
starting with a consonant (but not always…)
1. Cinq minutes => sin minut

2. Six minutes => si minut
3. Huit minutes => ui minut
4. Dix minutes => di minut
“Un” to “dix-neuf” are weird numbers. You really need to know them inside out if you want to
eventually understand and handle large numbers. In my experience, students have problems with

large numbers not because of the “big” part (100.000) but because of the smaller “last” part that they
don’t understand fast enough.
Furthermore, these numbers are used to say the time in French, so we use them… all the time!
Exercise
To learn numbers efficiently, always learn them out of order. (Just like the verbs… When you learn in
order, your brain prioritizes the info: first most important, last: less important.)
You have several ways of doing these exercises:
1. Repeat after me.

2. Read the digit/number out loud BEFORE I say it – check your pronunciation with mine.
3. Use the audio as a dictation to write down the digit/number (write in digits, you will not have
time to write it down in letters)
Series number one

1, 4, 6, 3, 7, 9, 2, 4, 5, 1, 7, 9, 10, 7, 5, 6, 2, 3, 1, 4, 9, 2, 6, 2, 10, 9, 4, 5, 10, 1, 4, 7, 9.
Series number two

11, 14, 16, 13, 17, 19, 12, 14, 15, 11, 17, 19, 17, 15, 16, 12, 13, 11, 14, 19, 12, 16, 12, 19, 14, 15, 11.
Series number three

20, 22, 26, 28, 23, 29, 21, 27, 21, 24, 21, 25, 29, 26, 25, 22, 21, 20, 24, 27, 23, 22, 20, 21.
Let’s mix them all up

1, 14, 26, 3, 10, 17, 9, 12, 4, 15, 21, 7, 19, 20, 27, 5, 26, 2, 13, 11, 14, 9, 12, 16, 22, 10, 20, 15, 7, 25.
À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 15 Quelle Heure Est-il ?
15. Quelle Heure Est-Il ?

What Time is It?
Story Part
Nous sommes mercredi matin. Mary et Paul sont en train de prendre leur petit-déjeuner.
It is Wednesday morning. Mary and Paul are in the middle of breakfast.
Sylvie Mary, je suis désolée, mais je ne me sens pas bien aujourd’hui. Je pense que je suis
malade. Est-ce que tu peux amener Paul à l’école ?
Mary, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel well today. I think I am sick. Could you take Paul to school?
Mary Bien sûr. Avec plaisir.

Sure. With pleasure.

Sylvie Normalement, on part pour l’école à sept heures et demie.

Usually, we leave for school at seven thirty.
Mary D’accord, quelle heure est-il ?

OK, and what time is it?
Sylvie Et bien, il est presque huit heures moins le quart… Je suis désolée, vous êtes un peu
en retard.
Well, it’s almost quarter to eight. I am sorry, you are a bit late.
Mary Viens vite Paul, on y va !

Come quickly Paul, let’s go!
Mary et Paul se dépêchent. Paul va à l’école en bus. Ils courent pour prendre le bus, et Mary
bouscule une dame…
Mary and Paul hurry. Paul goes to school by bus. They run to catch the bus and Mary bumps into a
lady...
Mary Excusez-moi Madame. Je suis vraiment désolée.

Excuse-me Madam. I am so sorry.
Dame Il n’y a pas de mal. Ce n’est pas grave.

No harm done. It’s no big deal.
Study Guide
1. Numbers 30 to 100
Make sure you listen to the audio to memorize these numbers.
Thirty to Fifty are easy. Yet make sure you learn them well, and can come up with them fast: knowing
how to “build” them won’t really help you in in the middle of a conversation!
30. Trente
31. Trenteetun
32. Trente-deux
33. Trente-trois
34. Trente-quatre
35. Trente-cinq
36. Trente-six
37. Trente-sept

38. Trente-huit
39. Trente-neuf
40. Quarante
41. Quaranteetun
42. Quarante-deux
43. Quarante-trois
44. Quarante-quatre
45. Quarante-cinq
46. Quarante-six
47. Quarante-sept
48. Quarante-huit
49. Quarante-neuf
50. Cinquante
51. Cinquanteetun
52. Cinquante-deux
53. Cinquante-trois
54. Cinquante-quatre
55. Cinquante-cinq
56. Cinquante-six
57. Cinquante-sept
58. Cinquante-huit
59. Cinquante-neuf
Sixty is easy enough: then the “crazy ones” start with seventy...
60. Soixante
61. Soixanteetun
62. Soixante-deux
63. Soixante-trois
64. Soixante-quatre
65. Soixante-cinq
66. Soixante-six
67. Soixante-sept
68. Soixante-huit

69. Soixante-neuf
70. Soixante-dix
71. Soixanteetonze
72. Soixante-douze
73. Soixante-treize
74. Soixante-quatorze
75. Soixante-quinze
76. Soixante-seize
77. Soixante-dix-sept
78. Soixante-dix-huit
79. Soixante-dix-neuf
When we reach eighty, it becomes ridiculous...
80. Quatre-vingts
81. Quatre-vingt-un
82. Quatre-vingt-deux
83. Quatre-vingt--trois
84. Quatre-vingt-quatre
85. Quatre-vingt-cinq
86. Quatre-vingt-six
87. Quatre-vingt-sept
88. Quatre-vingt-huit
89. Quatre-vingt-neuf
90. Quatre-vingt-dix
91. Quatre-vingt-onze
92. Quatre-vingt-douze
93. Quatre-vingt-treize
94. Quatre-vingt-quatorze
95. Quatre-vingt-quinze
96. Quatre-vingt-seize
97. Quatre-vingt-dix-sept
98. Quatre-vingt-dix-huit
99. Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

100. Cent
Note that Quatre-vingts has an S, but not the following numbers.
Note also that Quatre-vingt-un and Quatre-vingt-onze don’t have an “et”.
Some French speaking regions (Switzerland, Belgium...) have found a solution for these pathetic
numbers: they use “septante” (70) “octante” (or huitante) (80) and “nonante” (90) which, in my
opinion, makes so much sense. Unfortunately, we don’t use these numbers at all in France.
Exercise
To learn numbers efficiently, always learn them out of order. (Just like the verbs)
Like the previous exercise, you have several ways of doing these exercises:
1. Repeat after me.

2. Read the digit/number out loud BEFORE I say it – check your pronunciation with mine.
3. Use the audio as a dictation to write down the digit/number (write in digits, you will not have
time to write it down in letters).
Series number one

31, 44, 56, 63, 47, 39, 42, 54, 65, 51, 37, 49, 50, 67, 65, 46, 32, 53, 61, 54, 69, 52, 46, 42, 60, 59, 64.
Series number two

71, 64, 66, 73, 77, 79, 62, 74, 65, 61, 67, 79, 67, 75, 66, 72, 63, 61, 74, 79, 62, 76, 72, 79, 64, 75, 71.
Series number three

91, 84, 96, 83, 97, 99, 82, 94, 85, 91, 87, 89, 87, 95, 96, 92, 83, 81, 84, 99, 86, 92, 99, 84, 95, 81.
Let’s mix them all up

81, 94, 56, 73, 30, 57, 49, 72, 94, 85, 41, 37, 59, 90, 87, 65, 36, 52, 43, 91, 74, 79, 62, 36, 42, 80, 44.
2. Telling the time

Telling and understanding the time is part of everyday life. Unfortunately, it is not so easy in French,
because we have lots of different ways to tell time and lots of expressions. To add to the complexity,
the heavy use of liaisons makes the pronunciation even more difficult. So make sure you listen to the

audio to memorize the proper pronunciation.
A) Asking for the time
To ask for the time, you can say: “Quelle heure est-il ?” or “Il est quelle heure ?” - what time is it?
Watch out, not “Quel temps fait-il ?” which means ‘how is the weather like?’. You could also say “tu as
l’heure / vous avez l’heure ?” - do you have the time?
B) The 24-hour clock
Unlike English, the most common way to say the time is based on a 24 hour clock and not on a 12
hour clock + AM or PM. Be careful that although it might look similar to US military time, we do not
say the word “hundred” after the round hour. We do add the word “heure(s)” however.
C) Liaisons with the word “heure(s)”
In French, when you tell the time, you always have to add the word “heure(s)” after the numbers.
Since it starts with a silent H, you will have many liaisons and glidings. The word heure(s) is
pronounced in the same breath as the number, as if it were a weird ending to it... It takes some
practice, both to say it and to understand it fast!
1. Il est une heure = ilay tuneur (note there is no S at heure since there is only one)
2. Il est deux heures = ilay dezeur
3. Il est trois heures = ilay troazeur
4. Il est quatre heures = ilay catreur
5. Il est cinq heures = ilay sin(nasal)keur
6. Il est six heures = ilay seezeur
7. Il est sept heures = ilay sayteur
8. Il est huit heures = ilay wueeteur
9. Il est neuf heures = ilay neuveur (neuf makes a liaison in V with the word heure)
10. Il est dix heures = ilay deezeur
11. Il est onze heures = ilay on(nasal)zeur
12. Il est douze heures = ilay doozeur
13. Il est treize heures = ilay trayzeur

14. Il est quatorze heures = ilay catorzeur

15. Il est quinze heures = ilay kin(nasal)zeur
16. Il est seize heures = ilay sayzeur
17. Il est dix-sept heures = eelay disayteur
18. Il est dix-huit heures = ilay dizweeteur
19. Il est dix-neuf heures = ilay dizneuveur
20. Il est vingt heures = ilay vin(nasal)teur
21. Il est vingt et une heures = ilay vin(nasal)téuneur
22. Il est vingt-deux heures = ilay vin(nasal)tdeuzeur
23. Il est vingt-trois heures = ilay vintroizeur
24. Il est zéro heure = ilay zéroeur
So you see, the word heure can become neur, zeur, treur, keur, teur... with the liaisons and glidings
(did I already mention that written and spoken French are REALLY different languages? :-)
NOTE: In writing, the word “heure” is abbreviated as “h”, not the English “:”
We don’t write nor say the word “minute(s)” when we say the time, but if you need to abbreviate the
word minute, it would be “mn” in French.
1h45 = 1:45 - 45mn = 45 minutes
D) Expressions related to time
1. Être à l’heure = to be on time

2. Être en retard = to be late (for something, like an appointment)
3. Être en avance = to be early (for something)
4. C’est l’heure de... = it’s time to...
5. Il est neuf heures pile = it’s 9 sharp
6. C’est à quelle heure ? = it’s at what time?
7. Il est presque onze heures = It’s almost 11
8. C’est ouvert de quelle heure à quelle heure ? = it’s open from what time to what time?

Exercise
Translate these sentences:
1. I go to school at 9 AM.

2. At 7 PM, they are studying.
3. She eats lunch at 1 PM.
4. You (vous) eat dinner at 8 PM.
5. We are going to the restaurant at 9 PM.
6. What time is it ? It’s 5 PM.
7. I am late? No, you’re early (tu).
Answers
1. I go to school at 9 AM – Je vais à l’école à 9 heures.

2. At 7 PM, they are studying – À 19 heures, ils étudient.
3. She eats lunch at 1 PM – Elle déjeune à treize heures.
4. You (vous) eat dinner at 8 PM – Vous dînez à vingt heures.
5. We are going to the restaurant at 9 PM – Nous allons au restaurant à vingt et une heures.
6. What time is it ? It’s 5 PM – Quelle heure est-il ? Il est dix-sept heures.
7. I am late? No, you’re early (tu) – Je suis en retard? Non, tu es en avance.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 16 Je Sors De L’école À Seize Heures
16. Je Sors De L’école À Seize

Heures
I Get Out of School at 4pm 
Story
Ils entrent dans le bus. Il y a beaucoup de gens. Il n’y a pas de place pour s’asseoir.
They enter the bus. There are many people. There is no room to sit.
Mary L’école commence à quelle heure exactement ?

School starts at what time exactly?
Paul À huit heures et demie.

At half past eight.

Mary Bon, ça va. Tu ne vas pas être en retard. Tu vas être juste à l’heure, mais pas en
retard.
Well, it’s OK. You’re not going to be late. You’re going to be right on time, but not late.
Paul Et toi Mary ? Tu as cours à quelle heure ?
What about you Mary? At what time do you have class?
Mary Mon cours commence à neuf heures pile, donc j’ai le temps.
My class starts at 9 AM sharp, so I have time.
Paul Et tu finis à quelle heure ?

And at what time are you done?
Mary Je finis à 17 heures. Et après je viens te chercher. Tu sors à 18 heures, n’est-ce pas ?
I’m done at 5 PM sharp. And after, I come pick you up. You come out at 6 PM, right?
Paul En général, je vais à la cantine et sors de l’école à 16h30. Mais après, je vais à l’étude
jusqu’à 18 heures. Mais aujourd’hui c’est mercredi ! Je n’ai pas d’école l’après-midi.
Et c’est Papa qui vient me chercher.
In general, I go to the cafeteria and come out from school at 4:30 PM. But then I go to
supervised studies until 6 PM. But today is Wednesday! I don’t have any school in the
afternoon. And it’s Dad who comes to pick me up.
Mary Mais oui, bien sûr... Excuse-moi, je suis fatiguée, et stressée par mon cours cet
après-midi.
Why, yes, yes of course... Please excuse-me, I am tired, and stressed out by my lesson this
afternoon.
Paul Pas de problème Mary... Ce n’est pas grave.

Voilà, c’est notre arrêt.
No problem Mary... It’s no big deal.
Here we are, that’s our stop.
Study guide
1. Three ways of telling the time

In French, we have three different ways of telling the time. I suggest you pick one to speak, and train
with that one. But you need to understand all of them...

A) Using the official time
In French, all the official schedules (TV, radio, trains, planes etc…) use what English calls “military
time”. Based on a 24-hour clock, you say exactly the number of the hour, then the number of the
minutes (except that as I mentioned earlier, in French, we don’t say ‘hundred’ after the hour).
1. Il est treize heures quarante-deux = it’s 13:42.

2. Il est vingt heures = it’s 20:00.
B) Using Expressions
When we are not using the official time, we use these very common expressions:
We have our equivalents of noon and midnight: midi et minuit.

1. il est midi (noon),
2. il est minuit (midnight).
Note that these two expressions do not require the word heure since their position in the day is
self-implied. I strongly recommend that you use these, since “douze heures” sounds a lot like “deux
heures”. Otherwise, in official time, “midi” is “douze heures” and “minuit” is “zéro heure” (no S at
heure).
Et quart (quarter past)

1h15 : il est une heure et quart
4h15 : il est quatre heures et quart
Note the difference between «quart» (pronounced car) and «quatre» (4).
Moins le quart (quarter of )

3h45 : il est quatre heures moins le quart.
Note: don’t forget to say the hour +1: ‘THREE forty five’ is ‘quarter to FOUR’
You also want to glide your “le” as much as possible – it almost disappears when we speak fast.
Et demie (thirty, lit. «and an half»)

1h30: il est une heure et demie.
Note: we glide over the first “e” of demie = dmee
When you are not using the official time and want to differentiate between “AM” and “PM”, use the
expressions:
Du matin: AM, in the morning

Il est deux heures du matin.
De l’après-midi: PM, in the afternoon

Il est cinq heures de l’après-midi.
Du soir: PM, in the evening

Il est huit heures du soir.
When does “the evening” start? Good question... when it’s dark out? After work/school maybe...
Definitely after 7 PM... Maybe as early as 5 PM... It’s not always very clear so just go with the flow :-)
C) Saying the minutes past or before the hour
This pretty much works like it does in English. We switch to a 12-hour clock and let the context imply
PM/AM or we add one of the expressions mentioned above.
1. 1h45 = il est deux heures moins quinze or/ il est une heure quarante-cinq
2. 5h40 = il est six heures moins vingt or/ il est cinq heures quarante
2h45AM = il est trois heures moins quinze du matin or/ il est deux heures quarante-cinq du matin
It’s common in French to say the minutes before the hour when you are rounding up the time; “une
heure moins vingt, trois heures moins cinq”. You would rarely say: “il est une heure moins vingt-
deux”. When you need to be precise, use the minutes past the hour or the official time. And by the
same logic, you cannot use minutes before the hour with the official time.
Exercise
For each example below, say the time in three different ways (some may be the same)
1. It’s 1:30 PM
Official:
Past/to:
Expression:
2. The dinner is at 7:45 PM
Official:
Past/to:
Expression:

3. It’s 6:15 AM
Official:
Past/to:
Expression:
4. I am having lunch at 12:00 PM
Official:
Past/to:
Expression:
5. The movie is at 5:40 PM
Official:
Past/to:
Expression:
Answers
1. It’s 1:30 PM
Official: Il est treize heures trente.
Past/to: Il est une heure trente.
Expression: Il est une heure et demie (de l’après-midi)
2. The dinner is at 7:45 PM

Official: Le dîner est à dix-neuf heures quarante-cinq.
Past/to: Le dîner est à sept heures quarante-cinq.
Expression: Le dîner est à HUIT heures moins le quart (du soir – but since it’s dinner it’s obvious...)
3. It’s 6:15 AM
Official: Il est six heures quinze.
Past/to: Il est six heures quinze.
Expression: Il est six heures et quart (du soir... ou de l’après-midi !!)
4. I am having lunch at 12:00 PM

Official: Je déjeune à douze heures.
Past/to: Je déjeune à douze heures.
Expression: Je déjeune à midi.
5. The movie is at at 5:40 PM

Official: Le film est à cinq heures quarante.
Past/to: Le film est à six heures moins vingt
Expression: Le film est à six heures moins vingt (movies rarely start at 5AM so the afternoon is
implied )

2. Transportation
In French, we use “en” + mode of transportation inside which you ride, and “à” + other.
1. Je vais à l’école en voiture – I go to school by car.

2. Nous allons au bureau à pied – We go to the office by foot (we walk to the office).
3. Il va à Londres en avion – He’s going to London by plane.
4. Tu vas en France en bateau – You’re going to France by boat.
5. Ils vont chez Pierre à cheval – They ride their horses to go to Pierre’s house.
6. Vous allez à la boulangerie en métro – You’re taking the subway to go to the bakery.
Exception to the rule: with une bicyclette/un vélo (a bike) you can say both.
On va au cinéma en/à vélo – en/à bicyclette. = We’re riding our bike to go to the movies.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 17 Est-ce Qu’il Y A Un Jardin ?
17. Est-ce Qu’il y a un Jardin ?

Is There a Garden?
Story
Mary et Paul descendent du bus, ils marchent un peu et ils arrivent à l’école de Paul.
Mary and Paul get off the bus (lit. come down from), they walk a little and arrive at Paul’s school.
Mary C’est ici, ton école ?

Is this here, your school?
Paul Oui. On est arrivés.

Yes. We are here (lit. we have arrived)
Mary Whoa, c’est grand !

Wow, it’s big!
Paul Oui, il y a une grande cour, et un gymnase.

Yes, there is a big courtyard and a gym.

Mary Et il y a combien de salles de classes ?

And how many classrooms are there?
Paul Euh... je ne sais pas... Il y a quatre étages, et trois classes par étage.
Euh... I don’t know... There are four floors and three classrooms per floor.
Mary Donc il y a douze classes.

So, there are twelve classrooms.
Paul Oui, c’est ça. Et il y a aussi une étude et une garderie.

Yes, that’s it. And there’s also a study room and a day care.
Mary Est-ce qu’il y a un jardin ?

Is there a garden?
Paul Non, pas vraiment. Il y a une grande cour de récréation, avec des arbres, mais il n’y a
pas de jardin.
No, not really. There’s a big playground, with trees, but there isn’t any garden.
Mary Au revoir Paul. À ce soir !
Bye Paul. See you tonight!
Paul Au revoir. Bonne journée et bonne chance pour ton cours !

Bye. Have a good day and good luck for your lesson!
Study Guide
1. School Vocabulary
Une école A school
Une garderie Day care center /After school care
Un collège High school
Un lycée Middle school
Une Université A college
Une étude A study
Un professeur A teacher (always masculine)

Un, une prof A teacher – common slang
Une cour A courtyard
Un gymnase A gym
Un cours A class/ a lesson
Une leçon A lesson
Une salle de classe A classroom
Une cantine A cafeteria/lunchroom
Une matière A topic
Un diplôme A diploma
2. “Il y a” : there is, there are

“Il y a” is a very common phrase in French. The “a” part is the verb “to have”, so it may change in
other tenses (il y avait = there was, il y aura = there will be...). The “il” doesn’t refer to anyone in
particular, it’s weird, but it’s part of this construction.
Some VERY strong glidings!!! As you may have noticed, “il y a” is not quite pronounced like it is writ-
ten. If someone spoke very clearly and slowly, it would sound like “ili ya”. Faster would be “il ya”, but
in everyday spoken French, it becomes “ya”, the “il” part disappears!
A) ”Il y a” + noun singular or plural.
1. Dans l’école de Paul, il y a un gymnase. In Paul’s school, there IS one gym.

2. Dans l’école de Paul, il y a douze salles de classes. In Paul’s school, there ARE twelve classrooms.
B) “Il n’y a pas” (de)
In the negative, “il y a” becomes “il n’y a pas” – often followed by “de” as in “any”.
1. Il n’y a pas de jardin. There is no garden – There isn’t any garden.

2. Il n’y a pas de soleil. There is no sun
In this instance again, the glidings are so strong that it makes it sound like “yapad”, since the “de” will
glide as well.
C) Il y a... ? Est-ce qu’il y a... ? Il y a-t-il... ?
To ask ‘is there...?’ or ‘are there...?’ we can use different constructions:
1. Il y a une salle d’étude ? Is there a study room? (spoken French)

2. Est-ce qu’il y a un tennis ? Is there a tennis court? (yes/no answers)
3. Combien de salles de classes il y a-t-il ? How many classrooms are there? (very formal)
D) Ago
“Il y a” can also mean “ago”.
1. Je suis allé en Bretagne il y a trois ans. I went to Brittany three years ago.
2. J’ai mangé il y a 3 heures. I ate 3 hours ago.
Exercise
Translate the sentences below (you may need to review your food-related vocabulary and articles
first :-)
1. In an apple tart, there are apples, some sugar, flour (la farine) and butter.
2. For breakfast, there is coffee or tea, croissants, bread and jam. But there isn’t orange juice.
3. In my fridge, there are some vegetables: carrots, zucchinis and mushrooms. But there aren’t
any peppers.
4. Is there a Chinese restaurant near you, Anne?
Answers
1. In an apple tart, there are apples, some sugar, flour (la farine) and butter.
Dans une tarte aux pommes, il y a des pommes, du sucre, de la farine, et du beurre.

2. For breakfast, there is coffee or tea, croissants, bread and jam. But there isn’t orange juice.
Pour le petit-déjeuner, il y a du café ou du thé, des croissants, du pain et de la confiture. Mais il n’y a
pas de jus d’orange.
3. In my fridge, there are some vegetables: carrots, zucchinis and mushrooms. But there aren’t any
peppers.
Dans mon frigidaire, il y a des légumes: des carottes, des courgettes et des champignons. Mais il n’y
a pas de poivrons.
4. Is there a Chinese restaurant near you, Anne?

Il y a un restaurant chinois à côté de chez toi, Anne ?

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 18 Il Fait Beau
18. Il Fait Beau

It’s Nice Out
Story
Il est quatorze heures trente, et Mary va à sa première leçon d’anglais. Il fait beau quand elle part ;
malheureusement, après cinq minutes, il y a du vent, des nuages noirs arrivent, et il commence à
pleuvoir. Mary n’a pas de parapluie, et elle est trempée quand elle arrive chez les Bizel ! Elle sonne
à l’interphone.
It’s 2:30PM, and Mary is going to her first English lesson. It’s nice out when she leaves; unfortunately,
after 5 minutes, it’s windy, some black clouds arrive, and it starts to rain. Mary doesn’t have an umbrella,
and she is soaked when she arrives at the Bizels’. She rings the intercom.
Mme Bizel Qui est-ce ?

Who is it?
Mary C’est Mary Joe.

It’s Mary Joe.

Mme Bizel Bonjour Mary. Entrez, c’est au quatrième étage, à droite en sortant de l’ascenseur.
Hi Mary. Come in, we’re on the third floor, on the right when you exit the elevator.
Mary arrive, et Madame Bizel lui ouvre la porte.

Mary arrives, and Madam Bizel opens the door for her.
Mme Bizel Bonjour Mary. Oh, ma pauvre, vous êtes trempée !!

Hi Mary. Oh, poor you, you are soaked.
Mary Oui, il pleut fort maintenant. Et je n’ai pas de parapluie.

Yes, it’s pouring now, and I don’t have an umbrella.
Mme Bizel Je vais vous donner une serviette. Clothilde ! Viens ! Mary est là.
I’m going to give you a towel. Clothilde ! Come ! Mary is here.
Study Guide
1. Talking about the weather

Talking about the weather is maybe the most common of all the small talk conversations.
Unfortunately, doing so in French is not very easy, since we have a lot of different constructions and
expressions.
A) What you should know by heart
Thankfully, all you really need to know to get by are the few sentences below. Of course, there are
plenty of other things you could say, but this should give you enough to cover simply – yet efficiently
– most situations.
1. Quel temps fait-il ? – what’s the weather like?

2. Il fait beau– it’s nice out.
3. Il fait chaud – it’s warm out.
4. Il fait mauvais – it’s not nice out.
5. Il fait froid– it’s cold out.
6. Il pleut - it’s raining
7. Il neige - it’s snowing
8. Il y a du vent - it’s windy
9. Il y a des nuages – it’s cloudy
B) This “il” again
You will note that most verbs use this “il” again, the same as in “il y a”, that we saw in the previous
section. This “il” means nothing, it’s just part of this construction.
1. Il pleut souvent en Angleterre – it often rains in England.

2. Il ne neige pas beaucoup à Paris – it doesn’t snow much in Paris.
Exercise
Ask and answer the questions – be creative! Use the words you just learned to best answer the
questions, even if it’s not a literal translation.
1. How is the weather in Paris in the fall (en automne).

Usually, in the fall it rains, and it’s a bit cold.
2. Is it nice outdoors in France in the summer? (en été)
Yes, it’s nice out. It can be very warm.
3. Do you like it when it snows in winter? (en hiver)
No, I don’t like when it’s not nice out.
4. We are in the spring. Is it nice out today? (au printemps)
It isn’t raining, but it’s cloudy out.
Answers
1. How is the weather in Paris in the fall (en automne).

Quel temps fait-il à Paris en automne ?
Usually, in the fall it rains, and it’s a bit cold.
Généralement, en automne il pleut, et il fait un peu froid.
2. Is it nice outdoors in France in the summer? (en été)

Est-ce qu’il fait beau en France en été ?
Yes, it’s nice out. It can be very warm.
Oui, il fait beau. Il peut faire très chaud.

3. Do you like it when it snows in winter? (en hiver)

Vous aimez quand il neige en hiver ?
No, I don’t like it when it’s not nice out.
Non, je n’aime pas quand il fait froid.
4. We are in the spring. Is it nice out today? (au printemps)

Nous sommes au printemps. Il fait beau ?
It isn’t raining, but it’s cloudy out.
Il ne pleut pas, mais il y a un peu de nuages (un peu = quantity, followed by “de”)
2. Ordinal numbers
First thing which could prove useful: French people don’t count their floors the same way American
people do :-)
We start with “le rez de chaussée”, which means the ground level floor, what an American calls “the
first floor”, the street level. Then, when we actually go one floor up, we say “le premier étage”, the
equivalent of an American “second floor”.
So watch out! If you rent an apartment (un apartement) in Paris on the “quatrième étage sans
ascenseur”, thinking it’s the 4th floor, you’re in for a surprise! It’s the 5th floor, without elevator.
A) To make an ordinal number, just add “ième” to a regular number
Except of course for the first one, which is irregular!
1. Le premier, la première – the first

2. Le/la deuxième – the second
3. Le/la troisième – the third
4. Le/la neuvième – the ninth (note the F becomes V)
5. Le/la dixième – the tenth
6. Le/la vingtième – the twentieth
B) Les 21 arrondissements de Paris
Note that the different neighborhoods of Paris are called “arrondissements”(m), and there are
twenty-one of them. We name them using ordinal numbers.

1. J’habite dans le dix-septième arrondissement – I live in the 17th

2. Le cinquième arrondissement est très joli – the 5th is very pretty
Exercise
Translate the sentences below.
1. I live on the third floor

2. She lives in the Sixth in Paris
3. The Louvre is in the first district
Answers
1. I live on the third floor – J’habite au troisième étage (or “au deuxième étage” if you speak American
English)
2. She lives in the Sixth in Paris – Elle habite dans le sixième à Paris
3. The Louvre is in the first district – Le Louvre est dans le premier

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 19 J’adore Voyager
19. J’adore Voyager
I Love to Travel
Story
Clothilde arrive et les deux filles vont dans sa chambre.
Clothilde arrives, and both girls go to her room.
Mary Alors, Clothilde, avant de commencer la leçon d’anglais, je voudrais te connaître un

peu mieux. Je peux te poser quelques questions ?
So, Clothilde, before we start the English lesson, I would like to get to know you a bit more.
May I ask you a few questions?
Clothilde Bien sûr.

Of course you may.
Mary Quel âge as-tu ?

How old are you?

Clothilde J’ai quinze ans.

I’m fifteen.
Mary Et tu aimes bien parler anglais ?

And do you like to speak English?
Clothilde Oui, j’aime beaucoup ça. En fait, j’adore voyager, et je voyage souvent avec ma
famille pendant les vacances. C’est pratique de parler anglais.
Yes, I like it a lot. In fact, I love to travel, and I often travel with my family, during school
vacation. It’s useful to speak English.
Mary C’est vrai. Et tu es allée où ?

It’s true. And where did you go?
Clothilde En Angleterre, en Irlande, en Suisse, en Suède, en Espagne, en Grèce, et une fois au

Canada.
To England, to Ireland, to Switzerland, to Sweden, to Spain, to Greece, and once to
Canada.
Mary Oh la la, c’est beaucoup !

Wow, it’s a lot!
Clothilde Moi aussi, est-ce que je peux te poser des questions ?

May I ask you questions as well?
Mary Bien sûr. Avec plaisir.

Of course. With pleasure.
Clothilde Tu es anglaise, n’est-ce pas ?

You are English, right?
Mary Oui, enfin, ma mère est anglaise et mon père est français. Ou plus exactement, sa
mère, ma grand-mère est française, mais elle habite en Angleterre, comme nous.
Yes, well, my mother is English and my father is French. Or more exactly his mother, my
grandmother is French, but she lives in England, like we do.
Clothilde Et pourquoi es-tu en France ?

And why are you in France?
Mary Parce que je voudrais améliorer mon français, surtout mon français écrit. Je rêve
d’aller enseigner le français et l’anglais dans des pays en voie de développement,
comme en Afrique.
Et toi Clothilde, qu’est-ce que tu veux faire plus tard ?
Because I would like to improve my French, especially my written French. I dream of going
to teach French and English in developing countries, like in Africa.
What about you Clothilde? What would you like to do when you grow up?
Clothilde Je ne sais pas.

I don’t know

Study Guide
1. Asking questions
Yet another vast subject...
We have four different constructions to ask questions in French!
A) Street French
This is the most common construction now, and the one I have mostly been using in this book. It’s
also the simplest :-) You just raise your intonation towards the end of the sentence!
If you use an interrogative expression (like when, why, where...) it goes all the way at the end of your
sentence.
1. Et tu aimes bien parler anglais ? = And do you like to speak English?
2. Et tu es allée où ? = And where did you go?
B) Est-ce que
“Est-ce que” is nowadays mostly used to ask questions that can be answered by “oui” or “non”, and
with “qu’est-ce que” (what do you...).
It means nothing by itself (watch out! It doesn’t translate as ‘is’), it is like the inverted question mark
Spanish uses before the question – it warns you that a question is coming :-)
1. Est-ce que je peux te poser des questions ? = May I ask you questions?
2. Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire ? = What do you enjoy doing?
C) Inversion
Inversion is the most formal way of asking a question yet it’s still very much used, especially when
using an interrogative expression.
1. Quel âge as-tu ? = How old are you?

2. Pourquoi es-tu en France ? = Why are you in France?

3. Comment allez-vous ? = How are you ?

4. Comment va-t-il ? = How is he ?
5. Comment s’appelle-t-elle ? = What’s her name ?
In inversion, you pretty much invert the subject verb order, placing the verb first. Sometimes, you
will notice a “-t-“ used for “il”, “elle” and “on”. It’s too advanced for me to explain in details here, but
it’s just part of the constuction and the “t” doesn’t really translate into anything, so ignore it at this
point in time. 
D) N’est-ce pas
Grammar makes it a question, so I have to list it here. But it’s only used as a tag question, when you
are almost sure the answer is “yes”.
1. Tu es anglaise, n’est-ce pas ? = You are English, right /aren’t you?
2. Tu prends des leçons avec Mary, n’est-ce pas ? = You’re taking lessons with Mary, right/aren’t you?
E) Interrogative expressions
There are many in French. The most common ones are:
Qui = who , also “pour qui, avec qui”...

1. Qui est-ce ? Who is it ?
2. Qui vient dîner ce soir ? Who is coming over for dinner tonight?
3. Tu parles avec qui ? Who are you talking with?
Quand = when
Ils arrivent quand – When do they arrive?
Quoi = what, mostly used after a preposition: de, avec, à...

1. Tu parles de quoi ? What are you talking about?
2. Tu dessines avec quoi ? With what are you drawing?
Combien (de + noun) = how much, how many

1. Il y a combien de chambres ? How many bedrooms are there?
2. La leçon coûte combien ? How much does the lesson cost?

Pourquoi = why
1. Answers start with “Parce que” (which takes elision, “parce qu’il(s)”)
2. Et pourquoi es-tu en France ? And why are you in France?
3. Parce que je veux étudier. Because I want to study.
Où = Where
Et tu es allée où ? And where did you go ?
īī
There is a lot more to say about asking questions in French. Questions are essential to
conversation; mastering them is the key to a successful interaction in French. I’ve dedicated a
one hour audio masterclass to them http://www.frenchtoday.com/sfc
Exercise
Translate the sentences below, using the simple street French way.
1. Where do you like to travel? (vous)

2. When is the lesson?
3. How many brothers and sisters do you have? (tu)
4. Where is she traveling?
5. Who do they work with?
6. Why are you studying French? (tu)
7. He works because he wants to go to France.
Answers
1. Where do you like to travel? (vous) Vous aimez voyager où ?

2. When is the lesson? La leçon est quand ?
3. How many brothers and sisters do you have? (tu) Tu as combien de frères et de soeurs ?
4. Where is she traveling? Elle voyage où ?
5. Who do they work with? Ils travaillent avec qui ?
6. Why are you studying French? (tu) Tu étudies le français pourquoi ?
7. He works because he wants to go to France. Il travaille parce qu’il veut aller en France.

À Moi Paris - Level 1 - The Beginnings 20 Je Fais Du Vélo
20. Je Fais Du Vélo

I’m Riding a Bike
Story
La conversation entre Mary et Clothilde continue.

The conversation between Mary and Clothilde continues.
Mary Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire ?

What do you enjoy doing?
Clothilde Je joue au tennis et je fais du vélo. Et j’aime beaucoup dessiner.

I play tennis and I bike. And I like drawing a lot.
Mary Et est-ce que tu joues d’un instrument de musique ?

Do you play any instrument?

Clothilde Oui. Je joue du piano et de la guitare. J’aimerais bien jouer des percussions, mais
maman dit que ça fait trop de bruit. Et toi ?
Yes, I do. I play piano and guitar. I would like to play percussions, but mom says it makes
too much noise. What about you?
Mary Moi je fais de la natation. Je nage souvent avec ma grand-mère en Angleterre. Et je

joue un peu du violon. Mais ce qui me passionne vraiment, c’est la France, et tout ce
qui est français.
As for me, I swim. I often swim with my grandma in England. And I play the violin a bit.
But what I am really passionate about is France, and everything French.
Clothilde Ben alors, pourquoi tu ne viens pas vivre en France tout le temps ?
So then, why don’t you come live in France on a permanent basis [lit. all the time]?
Mary Mais ce n’est pas si facile Clothilde. J’habite chez mes parents en Angleterre, et puis
je fais des études là-bas aussi.
Well it’s not that easy Clothilde. I live at my parents’ in England, and also I study over
there.
Clothilde Oui, mais tu peux faire des études ici aussi. Et trouver une chambre dans un
apartement avec des colocataires.
Yes, but you can study here as well. And find a room in an apartment with roommates.
Mary Tu as raison, c’est une bonne idée. C’est vraiment mon rêve de vivre à Paris. Qui sait
? Peut-être que c’est ma destinée.
Allez, on commence la leçon. First we’ll review greetings. Hi, how are you?
You are right, it’s a good idea. It’s truly my dream to live in Paris. Who knows? Maybe it’s
my destiny. Ok, let’s start the lesson. First we’ll review greetings. Hi, how are you?
Study Guide
1. The mutant forms of “le” and “les” with “à” and “de”
Or in a grammatical jargon: “the contractions of the definite articles with the prepositions “à” and
“de” :-)
A) The mutant forms with “à” = “au” and “aux”
À + le = au

1. Je vais au restaurant = I’m going to the restaurant

2. Ils vont au bureau = They are going to the office
3. Nous sommes au cinéma = We are at the movie theater
À + les = aux
With a strong liaison in Z after if the following word starts with a vowel or an h !
1. Tu parles aux filles de Gérard = You are talking to Gerard’s daughters
2. Nous allons aux Etats-Unis = We are going to the United States
À la and à l’ = no change
1. Il va à la cantine = He is going to the school cafeteria

2. Tu es à l’école de Paul = You are at Paul’s school
B) The mutant forms with “de” = “du” and “des”
De + le = du
1. Le livre du garçon = The boy’s book

2. Donne-moi du sucre = Hand me some sugar
De + les = des
With a strong liaison in Z after!
1. Les amis des enfants = The children’s friends

2. Tu veux des pâtes ? = Would you like some pasta?
De la and de l’ = no change
1. Nous parlons de la soeur d’Anne = We are talking about Anne’s sister

2. La mère de l’amie de Mary = Mary’s friend’s mother

C) “De” is used to say who it belongs to
Just like you use “of” in English = the book of the boy, except that in English, you can also say “the
boy’s book”. You cannot do that possessive apostrophe thing in French. And if that were not enough,
you have to watch out for the contractions...
1. Le fils du voisin s’appelle Henri = the neighbor’s son is called Henri. (The son of the neighbor)
2. Les amis des Castel habitent à Paris = the Castels’ friends live in Paris. (The friends of the Castels)
De, d’, du, des...
1. “Du” and “des” can mean “some” (see chapter 13)

2. “Du” and “des” can also mean “of the” “from the”, “about the”
3. “Du” and “des” are also used with geographic places (see chapter 11)
“De“ is used to say “of”, “from” and “about”

But also to show who it belongs to “le livre de Mary”.
And sometimes to say “not any” in a negative (see chapter 13).
AND it takes elision, and becomes “d’“ when followed by a vowel.
I know it’s confusing. And it doesn’t always translate from these exact words into English. So don’t
freeze on them, go with the flow of the language, it will become easier as your practice of French
increases.
Exercise
Qui est-ce? Review your family-related vocabulary (chapter 5) if you need to, and answer the
questions with the appropriate name. (Anne’s family is described in chapter 8)
1. La fille d’Anne =

2. Le fils d’Anne =
3. Le mari d’Anne =
4. Le père de Sylvie =
5. La mère de Sylvie =
6. Le frère de Sylvie =
7. La femme de Gérard =

Answers
1. La fille d’Anne = c’est Sylvie

2. Le fils d’Anne = c’est Paul
3. Le mari d’Anne = c’est Gérard
4. Le père de Sylvie = c’est Gérard
5. La mère de Sylvie = c’est Anne
6. Le frère de Sylvie = c’est Paul
7. La femme de Gérard = c’est Anne
Exercise
Translate the sentences below and watch out for the contraction of the article... This exercise is quite
difficult: don’t worry too much if you don’t get it right at first.
1. They are going to the office

2. He wants to go to the United States
3. We are at the movie theater
4. She is going to the restaurant
5. The women from Canada
6. They are talking about the neighbor
7. The fruits from Japan
8. The school is next to the gym
Answers
1. They are going to the office = Ils vont au bureau

2. He wants to go to the United States = Il veut aller aux États-Unis
3. We are at the movie theater = Nous sommes au cinéma
4. She is going to the restaurant = Elle va au restaurant
5. The women from Canada = Les femmes du Canada
6. They are talking about the neighbor = Ils parlent du voisin
7. The fruits from Japan = Les fruits du Japon

8. The school is next to the gym = L’école est à côté du gymnase
2. To play a sport, a game, an instrument
A) Jouer
A good verb to practice with the contraction of the definite article is the verb “jouer”. “Jouer” in
French has two different constructions:
1. Jouer au, aux, à la, à l’ + sports and games

2. Jouer du, des, de la, de l’ + instrument
Note that the stem of this regular ER verb is “jou”, so it ends on a vowel sound, just like “étudier”
does: “étudi”.
So first, let’s study some vocabulary...
B) Musical instruments
La guitare The guitare
Le piano The piano
La flûte The flute
Le violon The violin
La trompette The trumpet
Le saxophone The saxophone
La batterie The drums
Les cors The horns
Les percussions (f) The percussions
L’accordéon (m) The accordion

C) Sports, games and hobbies
Le tennis Tennis
La pétanque Bowls, bocce
Le golf Golf
Les échecs (m) Chess
Le ping-pong Table tennis
Les cartes (f) Cards
Le foot, le football Soccer
Le football américain (American) Football
Exercise
Translate these sentences – apply the contractions of the definite articles
1. I play tennis.

2. She plays the violin.
3. The French like to play “pétanque”.
4. We are playing soccer.
5. He plays chess very well.
6. You (tu) would like to play the drums.
7. She plays percussions.
8. They play football.
Answers
1. I play tennis – Je joue au tennis.

2. She plays the violin – Elle joue du violon.
3. The French like to play “pétanque” – Les Français aiment jouer à la pétanque.
4. We are playing soccer – Nous jouons au foot.
5. He plays chess very well – Il joue très bien aux échecs.

6. You (tu) would like to play the drums -Tu voudrais jouer de la batterie.
7. She plays percussions – elle joue des percussions.
8. They play football – Il jouent au football américain.
3. Faire – to do, to make, and many other things!

“Faire” traditionnally translates into “to do, to make”.
1. Je fais une erreur – I am making a mistake

2. Vos devoirs ? Vous les faites maintenant? – Your homework? You are doing it right now?
But in reality, it’s much more often part of an idiomatic expression which does – or doesn’t – use “do/
make” in English.
1. Je fais la vaisselle – I’m doing/cleaning the dishes

2. Je fais une promenade – I’m taking a walk
A) Conjugaison
Je fais (s silent)
Tu fais (s silent)
Il, elle, on fait (t silent)
Nous faisons (pronounced feuzon)
Vous faîtes (very irregular, pronounced fêt)
Ils, elles font (very irregular, t silent)
B) Some common expressions usings faire
1. Faire de + sport/hobby = to practice a sport/hobby.

(Faire de la voile = to sail, faire du vélo = to ride a bike, faire de la natation = to swim, faire du
cheval = to ride a horse, faire du ski = to ski...)
2. Faire de + music instrument = to play/study an instrument.
3. Faire des études = to pursue some studies.
4. Il fait beau = the weather is nice.
5. Faire les courses = to go grocery shopping.
6. Faire une promenade = to take a walk.
7. Faire mal à quelqu’un = to hurt someone.
Exercise
Translate these sentences.
1. You (vous) are practicing tennis.

2. Mary practices swimming.
3. The weather is nice in France in the summer.
4. Clothilde rides a bike.
5. They are making a mistake.
6. It’s nasty out (weather).
7. We are taking a walk.
8. I am studying piano.
9. I want to ski.
10. You (vous) are horseback riding.
11. When they play, Sylvie doesn’t hurt Paul.
12. They are studying guitar.
Answers
1. You (vous) are practicing tennis - Vous faîtes du tennis

2. Mary practices swimming - Mary fait de la natation.
3. The weather is nice in France in summer – il fait beau en France en été.
4. Clothilde rides a bike - Clothilde fait du vélo.
5. They are making a mistake – Ils font une erreur.
6. It’s nasty out (weather) - Il fait mauvais.
7. We are taking a walk - Nous faisons une promenade.
8. I am studying piano - Je fais du piano.
9. I want to ski - Je veux faire du ski.
10. You are horseback riding - Vous faîtes du cheval.
11. When they play, Sylvie doesn’t hurt Paul – Quand ils jouent, Sylvie ne fait pas mal à PauI.
12. They are studying guitar - lls font de la guitare.

Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve now completed À Moi Paris Level 1 and are ready to embark on a new
adventure.
In my next audiobook, À Moi Paris Level 2, you’ll reunite with Mary as she moves to Paris to
study. You’ll meet her new friends, the Italian Claudia and the French Sophie, and the handsome
Frenchman Patrick... Oh la la!
Developed to help students practice their fundamental knowledge of French and build up their
vocabulary as well as communication skills, À Moi Paris Level 2 is written entirely in the present tense
and is recorded, like this audiobook, at three different speeds.
À Moi Paris Level 2 features a longer bilingual story, a study guide with points of grammar and tons of
vocabulary, as well as a question and answer exercise book to entice you to speak out loud.
Good luck with your French studies, and remember, repetition is the key!
French Today’s Method
The “À Moi Paris” Series

A unique audio book method to learn today’s modern French Language - Available in four levels
À Moi Paris Level 1 "The Beginnings"

Take your first steps in French. Master politeness and basic structures, as
you develop a sense of French pronunciation and learn core vocabulary.
Recorded at 3 different speeds - 7h 56min Audio - 141 Pages
À Moi Paris Level 2 "Meet the Gang"

Drastically increase your fundamental French vocabulary, and practice
understanding French in context, as well as the modern way of speaking. The
Q & A portion will entice you to practice out loud what you've learned, and
improve your confidence when handling simple conversations.
À Moi Paris Level 3 "Parisian Life"

Increase your eloquency with the present tense, by studying pronouns,
adverbs, and more advanced adjectives. As usual, learn all these grammatical
concepts within the context of the story so that you can memorize the new
vocabulary and grammar easily.
À Moi Paris Level 4 "New Challenges"

Challenge your understanding by being exposed to longer dialogues and
more complex vocabulary. Develop your ear for the other French tenses in
the context of much longer and complex dialogues.
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On the present tense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

1. Julie, une Amie Du Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2. Monsieur Dupont, un Voisin Âgé. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

3. Michel Et Jeanne, Des Amis D’anne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

4. Laure, une Bonne Copine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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5. Vous Êtes Anglaise ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

6. Nous Parlons Français. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

7. J’adore Les Enfants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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9. Moi, J’adore Les Croissants !. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

10. Je M’appelle Tugdual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

11. Je Rêve D’aller Aux États-Unis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

12. Un Dîner Typiquement Français . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

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13. J’ai Des Oeufs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

14. Désolée, Je Ne Peux Pas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

15. Quelle Heure Est-Il ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

16. Je Sors De L’école À Seize Heures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

17. Est-ce Qu’il y a un Jardin ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

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18. Il Fait Beau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

19. J’adore Voyager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

20. Je Fais Du Vélo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

French Today’s Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

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So now, here is my advice on how to best use this book.

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How to work with this audio book

The study guide

The story part

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4. What does “gender” mean?

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5. What does number mean?

1. One person or thing = singular.

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1. A descriptive adjective indicates a quality: tall, blond, intelligent.

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I paint. Who paints? I paint. “I” is the subject.

They are divided between singular and plural.

1. I is the first person singular

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16. What is a verb conjugation?

17. What is the infinitive of a verb?

18. What is a verb tense?

19. On the present tense

In other words, beginners have to begin somewhere. In my opinion, mastering a decent

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And now, let’s learn some French!

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01. Julie, une Amie Du Bureau

Elle rencontre Julie, une amie du bureau.

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Julie Je vais bien, merci, et toi ?

Mary Enchantée Julie.

Anne Au revoir Julie !

Julie Au revoir Anne. Au revoir Mary.

Mary Au revoir Julie.

1. Greetings and basic politeness moves