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French I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

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1. BASIC PHRASES / LES EXPRESSIONS DE BASE
Bonj our
/baur/
Hello / Good day / Good morning
Bonsoi r
/baswar/
Good evening
Bonne nui t
/ban nqi/
Good night (only said when
going to bed)
Salut
/saly/
Hi / Bye
Au revoi r
/ar)vwar/
Goodbye
S' i l vous pl at / S' i l te pl at
/sil vu plc/
Please (formal / informal)
Merci (beaucoup)
/mcrsi boku/
Thank you (very much)
De ri en.
/d rjc/
You're welcome.
Je vous en prie.
/vu zo pri/
You're welcome. (formal) / Go
ahead.
Bienvenu(e)
/bjc ny/
Welcome (also You're welcome in
Quebec)
Al lons-y!
/ala zi/
Let's go!
A tout l ' heure
/a tu ta lr/
See you in a little while
A pl us tard
/a ply tar/
See you later
A bi entt
/a bjcto/
See you soon
A demai n
/a dmc/
See you tomorrow
Je sui s dsol(e)
/dezale/
I'm sorry
Pardon !
/parda/
Excuse me! (pushing through
a crowd) / Sorry! (stepped on
someone's foot)
Excusez-moi !
/ekskyze mwa/
Excuse me! (getting someone's
attention) / I'm sorry! (more
formal apology)
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Comment all ez-vous ?
/kamo tale vu/
How are you? (formal)
Je vais bien
/ ve bjc/
I'm fine.
Trs bi en / mal / pas mal
/trc bjc/ /mal/ /pa mal/
Very good / bad / not bad
a va ?
/sa va/
How are you? (informal)
a va.
/sa va/
I'm fine. (informal response to
a va ?)
Oui / non
/wi/ /na/
Yes / no
Comment vous appel ez-vous ?
/kamo vu zaple vu/
What's your name? (formal)
Tu t'appel les comment ?
/ty tapcl kamo/
What's your name? (informal)
Je m'appel l e...
/ mapcl/
My name is...
Enchant(e)
/ojote/
Nice to meet you.
Monsieur, Madame,
Mademoi sel l e
/msj/ /madam/ /madwazcl/
Mister, Misses, Miss
Mesdames et Messieurs
/medam/ /mesj/
Ladies and gentlemen
Vous tes d' o ? / Vous venez
d' o ?
/vu zct du/ /vu vne du/
Where are you from? (formal)
Tu es d' o ? / Tu vi ens d' o
?
/ty c du/ /ty vjc du/
Where are you from? (informal)
Je sui s de... / Je vi ens de...
/ sqi d/ / vjc d/
I am from...
O habi tez-vous ?
/u abite vu/
Where do you live? (formal)
Tu habi tes o ?
/ty abit u/
Where do you live? (informal)
J'habi te ...
/abit a/
I live in...
Quel ge avez-vous ?
/kcl o ave vu/
How old are you? (formal)
Tu as quel ge ?
/ty o kcl o/
How old are you? (informal)
J'ai ____ ans.
/e __ o/
I am ____ years old.
Parlez-vous franais ? / Tu parl es
angl ai s ?
/parle vu frosc/ /ty parl oglc/
Do you speak French? (formal) / Do
you speak English? (informal)
Je parl e allemand.
/ parl almo
I speak German.
Je ne parl e pas espagnol .
/ n parl pa cspapal/
I don't speak Spanish.
Comprenez-vous? / Tu
comprends?
/kaprne vu/ /ty kapro/
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)
Je comprends
/ kapro/
I understand
Je ne comprends pas
/ n kapro pa/
I don't understand
Pouvez-vous m' ai der ? / Tu peux
m'ai der ?
/puve vu mede/ /ty p mede/
Can you help me? (formal / informal)
Bi en sr.
/bjc syr/
Of course.
Comment ?
/kamo/
What? Pardon?
Tenez / Ti ens
/tne/ /tjc/
Hey / Here (formal / informal)
Je sais
/ sc/
I know
Je ne sais pas
/n sc pa/
I don't know
O est ... / O sont ... ?
/u c/ /u sa/
Voi ci / Voi l
/vwasi/ /vwala/
Il y a ... / Il y avai t...
/il i a/ /il i avc/
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Where is ... / Where are ... ? Here is/are... / There it is.
There is / are... / There was /
were...
Comment di t-on ____ en franais
?
/kamo di ta __ o frosc/
How do you say ____ in French?
Qu' est-ce que c' est que a ?
/kcs k sc k sa/
What is that?
Qu' est-ce qu' il y a ?
/kcs kil i a/
What's the matter?
a ne fai t ri en.
/sa n fc rjc/
It doesn't matter.
Qu' est-ce qui se passe ?
/kcs ki s pas/
What's happening?
Je n' ai aucune i de.
/ ne okyn ide/
I have no idea.
Je sui s fati gu(e) / Je sui s mal ade.
/ sqi fatige/ / sqi malad/
I'm tired / I'm sick.
J' ai fai m / J' ai soi f.
/e fc/ /e swaf/
I'm hungry / I'm thirsty.
J'ai chaud / J' ai froi d.
/e jo/ /e frwo/
I'm hot / I'm cold.
Je m'ennuie.
/ monqi/
I'm bored.
a m' est gal. / Je m' en
fiche.
/sa mc tegal/ / mo fij/
It's the same to me / I don't
care. (informal)
Ne vous en fai tes pas. / Ne t' en
fais pas.
/n vu o fct pa/ /n to fc pa/
Don't worry (formal / informal)
Ce n'est pas grave.
/s nc pa grav/
It's no problem. / It's alright.
J' ai oubl i .
/e ublije/
I forgot.
Je doi s y al l er.
/ dwa i ale/
I must go.
A vos souhai ts ! / A tes souhai ts !
/a vo swc/ /a te swc/
Bless you! (formal / informal)
Fl i ci tati ons !
/felisitasja/
Congratulations!
Bonne chance !
/ban jos/
Good luck!
C' est vous ! / C' est toi !
/sc ta vu/ /sc ta two/
It's your turn! (formal / informal)
Tai sez-vous ! / Tai s-toi !
/tcze vu/ /tc two/
Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal /
informal)
Je vous ai me / Je t' ai me
/ vu zcm/ / tcm/
I love you (formal & plural /
informal)
Tu me manques.
/ty m mok/
I miss you. (informal)
Quoi de neuf ?
/kwo d nf/
What's new?
Pas grand-chose.
/pa gro joz/
Not a whole lot.
Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one
meaning to "you" in French (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to
close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do
not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a
plural you, used when speaking to more than one person. Also notice that some words take an extra e, shown
in parentheses. If the word refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the e is added in spelling; but in
most cases, it does not change the pronunciation. To make verbs negative, French adds ne before the verb
and pas after it. However, the ne is frequently dropped in spoken French, although it must appear in written
French.
Don' t forget to check out my vi deo seri es on i nformal French expressi ons and sl ang vocabul ary at the
Informal French tutori al
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2. PRONUNCIATION / LA PRONONCIATION For a more in-depth look at French pronunciation, try
to the French Phoneti cs tutorial.
French Vowel s
IPA
Phonetic
spelling
Sample words
General
spellings
[i ] ee vi e, mi di , l i t, ri z i, y
[y] ee rounded rue, j us, ti ssu, usi ne u
[e] ay bl , nez, cahi er, pi ed
, et, final er
and ez
[] ay rounded j eu, yeux, queue, bl eu eu
[c] eh l ai t, ai l e, bal ai , rei ne
e, , , ai, ei,
ais
[] eh rounded
sur, uf, fl eur,
beurre
u, eu
[a] ah
chat, ami, papa,
salade
a, ,
[o] ah longer
bas, ne, grce,
chteau
a,
[u] oo
l oup, cou, cai l l ou,
outi l
ou
[o] oh
eau, dos, escargot,
htel
o,
[a] aw
sol , pomme, cl oche,
horl oge
o
[a] uh
fentre, genou,
cheval, ceri se
e
[o] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in English are marked in
blue.

French semi -vowels
IPA
Phonetic
spelling
Sample words General spelling
[w] w foi s, oui , Loui s oi, ou
[q] ew-ee l ui , sui sse ui
[j ] yuh orei l l e, Mi rei l l e ill, y
French nasal vowel s
IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling
[] awn gant, banc, dent en, em, an, am, aon, aen
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[c] ahn pai n, vi n, l i nge
in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,
en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, en
[] uhn brun, l undi , parfum un
[] ohn rond, ongl e, front on, om
[] is being replaced with [c] in modern French
In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant. Otherwise, the in- prefix is
pronounce een before a vowel.
French Consonants
ex +vowel egz examen, exerci ce
ex +consonant eks excepti onnel , expressi on
ch (Latin origin) sh archi tecte, archi ves
ch (Greek origin) k orchestre, archol ogi e
ti +vowel (except ) see dmocratie, nation
c +e, i, y; or s cent, ceinture, maon
c +a, o, u k cai l l ou, car, cube
g +e, i, y zh genou, gi ngembre
g +a, o, u g gomme, gangl i on
th t maths, thme, thym
j zh j ambe, j us, j eune
qu, final q k que, quoi , grecque
h silent hari cot, herbe, hasard
vowel +s +vowel z rose, fal ai se, casi no
x +vowel z six ans, beaux arts
final x s si x, di x, soi xante (these 3 only!)
There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final consonant, unless that
final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r).
Li ai son: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant that is not
pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two together as if it were one word. S and
x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these liaisons. Liaison is always made in the following cases:
after a determiner: un ami , des ami s
before or after a pronoun: vous avez, j e l es ai
after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants
after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un l ivre
after some one-syllable adverbs (trs, plus, bien)
after est
It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of tre, but it is never made after et.
Si l ent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and slurring more words.
rapi d(e)ment, l ent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage /rapidmo/ /otmo/ /sovta/
sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byro/ /jel daktor/
i l y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , pl us d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/
j e n(e), de n(e) /n/ /dn/
j(e) te, c(e) que /jt/ /sk/ (note the change of the pronunciation of the j as well)
Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it generally falls on
the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no questions, and all other times, it goes
down at the end of the sentence.
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3. ALPHABET / L'ALPHABET
a /a/ j /i/ s /cs/
b /be/ k /ka/ t /te/
c /se/ l /cl/ u /y/
d /de/ m /cm/ v /ve/
e / n /cn/ w /dublve/
f /cf/ o /o/ x /iks/
g /s/ p /pe/ y /igrck/
h /aj/ q /ky/ z /zcd/
i /i/ r /cr/
4. NOUNS, ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES / LES NOMS, LES ARTICLES & LES DEMONSTRATIFS
All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you must memorize the
gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which gender a noun is. Nouns ending
in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion,
-tion, -ence, -ance, -t, and -ette are usually feminine.
Articles and adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. And articles have to be
expressed even though they aren't always in English; and you may have to repeat the article in some cases.
Demonstratives are like strong definite articles.
Defini te Articles (The)
Masculine Feminine Before Vowel Plural
l e lit
/l li/
the bed
l a pomme
/la pam/
the apple
l 'oiseau
/lwazo/
the bird
les gants
/le go/
the gloves
Indefi ni te Arti cl es (A, An, Some)
Masculine Feminine Plural
un lit
/ li/
a bed
une pomme
/ yn pam/
an apple
des gants
/de go/
some gloves
Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)
Masc. Masc, Before Vowel Fem. Plural
ce lit
/s li/
this/that bed
cet oiseau
/sc twazo/
this/that bird
cette pomme
/sct pam/
this/that apple
ces gants
/se go/
these/those gloves
If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of the noun for
this and these, and -l to the end of the noun for that and those. For example, ce l it-ci is this bed, while ce
li t-l is that bed.
5. USEFUL WORDS / LES MOTS UTILES
It's / That's c' est /sc/ There is/are i l y a /il i a/
There is/are voi l /vwala/ Here is/are voici /vwasi/
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and et /e/ always touj ours /tuur/
but mai s /mc/ often souvent /suvo/
now maintenant /mctno/ sometimes quel quefoi s /kclkfwa/
especially surtout /syrtu/ usually d' habi tude /dabityd/
except sauf /sof/ also, too aussi /osi/
of course bi en sr /bjc syr/ again encore /okar/
so so
comme
ci , comme a
/kam si, kam sa/ late en retard /ortar/
not bad pas mal /pa mal/ almost presque /prcsk/
book l e l i vre /l livr/ friend (fem) une ami e /y nami/
pencil le crayon /l krcja/ friend (masc) un ami / nami/
pen le styl o /l stilo/ woman une femme /yn fam/
paper l e papi er /l papje/ man un homme / nam/
dog l e chi en /l jjc/ girl une fi l l e /yn fij/
cat le chat /l ja/ boy un garon / garsa/
money l' argent (m) /laro/ job / work l e travai l /l travaj/

The expression i l y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed by a number, it means ago.
Il y a ci nq mi nutes means five minutes ago. Some common slang words for money include: l e fri c, l e pze,
l e pognon, des sous and for job/work: l e boul ot.
6. SUBJECT PRONOUNS / LES PRONOMS SUJETS
Subj ect Pronouns
j e // I nous /nu/ We
tu /ty/ You (informal) vous /vu/ You (formal and plural)
i l
el l e
on
/il/
/cl/
/a/
He
She
One
i l s
el l es
/il/
/cl/
They (masc.)
They (fem.)
Il and el l e can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine
nouns) instead of a person's name. Il s and el l es can replace plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice
there are two ways to say you. Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives.
Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don't know or who is older. On can
be translated into English as one, the people, we, they, or you.
Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tu or
be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone.
7. TO BE & TO HAVE / ETRE & AVOIR
Present tense of tre /ctr/ - to be
I am je sui s / sqi/ We are nous sommes /nu sam/
You are tu es /ty c/ You are vous tes /vu zct/
He is
She is
One is
il est
elle est
on est
/il c/
/cl c/
/a nc/
They are
They are
ils sont
elles sont
/il sa/
/cl sa/
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Past tense of tre - to be
I was j'tais /etc/ We were nous ti ons /nu zetja/
You were tu tais /tu etc/ You were vous tiez /vu zetje/
He was
She was
One was
il tait
elle tait
on tait
/il etc/
/cl etc/
/a netc/
They were
They were
ils taient
elles taient
/il zetc/
/cl zetc/
Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of pronunciation.
Future Tense of tre - to be
I will be je serai / sre/ We will be nous serons /nu sra/
You will be tu seras /ty sra/ You will be vous serez /vu sre/
He will be
She will be
One will be
il sera
elle sera
on sera
/il sra/
/cl sra/
/a sra/
They will be
They will be
ils seront
elles seront
/il sra/
/cl sra/
Present tense of avoi r /avwar/ - to have
I have j'ai /e/ We have nous avons /nu zava/
You have tu as /ty o/ You have vous avez /vu zave/
He has
She has
One has
il a
elle a
on a
/il o/
/cl o/
/a no/
They have
They have
ils ont
elles ont
/il za/
/cl za/
Past tense of avoi r - to have
I had j'avais /avc/ We had nous avi ons /nu zavja/
You had tu avai s /ty avc/ You had vous aviez /vu zavje/
He had
She had
One had
il avai t
elle avai t
on avai t
/il avc/
/cl avc/
/a navc/
They had
ils avai ent
elles avaient
/il zavc/
/cl zavc/
Future tense of avoi r - to have
I will have j'aurai /ore/ We will have nous aurons /nu zora/
You will have tu auras /ty oro/ You will have vous aurez /vu zore/
He will have
She will have
One will have
il aura
elle aura
on aura
/il ora/
/cl ora/
/a nora/
They will have
They will have
ils auront
elles auront
/il zora/
/cl zora/

In spoken French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es =t'es /tc/, tu
as =t' as /to/, etc. In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean we
instead of nous.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS WITH AVOIR AND ETRE
Avoi r and tre are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:
avoi r chaud /avwar jo/ to be hot tre de retour /ctr d rtur/ to be back
avoi r froi d /avwar frwa/ to be cold tre en retard /ctr o rtar/ to be late
avoi r peur /avwar pr/ to be afraid tre en avance /ctr o navos/ to be early
avoi r raison /avwar rcza/ to be right tre d' accord /ctr dakar/ to be in agreement
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avoi r tort /avwar tar/ to be wrong
tre sur l e poi nt
de
/ctr syr l pwc
/
to be about to
avoi r fai m /avwar fc/ to be hungry tre en trai n de /ctr o trc d/ to be in the act of
avoi r soif /avwar swaf/ to be thirsty tre enrhume /ctr oryme/ to have a cold
avoi r sommeil /avwar samcj/ to be sleepy
nous + tre (un
jour)
/ctr ur/ to be (a day)
avoi r honte /avwar 'at/ to be ashamed
avoi r besoi n de /avwar bzwc d/ to need
avoi r l 'ai r de /avwar cr d/
to look like,
seem

avoi r l ' i ntenti on
de
/avwar ctosja/ to intend to
avoi r envi e de /avwar ovi d/ to feel like
avoi r de la
chance
/avwar d la jos/ to be lucky
J'ai froi d. I'm cold.
Tu avai s rai son. You were right.
Il aura sommei l ce soi r. He will be tired
tonight.
El l e a de l a chance ! She's lucky!
Nous aurons fai m pl us tard. We will be
hungry later.
Vous aviez tort. You were wrong.
Il s ont chaud. They are hot.
El l es avai ent peur hi er. They were afraid
yesterday.
Je sui s en retard! I'm late!
Tu tais en avance. You were early.
El l e sera d' accord. She will agree.
Nous sommes l undi . It is Monday.
Vous ti ez enrhum. You had a cold.
Il s seront en trai n d' tudi er. They will be (in the act
of) studying.
El l es tai ent sur l e poi nt de parti r. They were about
to leave.
On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.
8. QUESTION WORDS / LES INTERROGATIFS
Who Qui /ki/
What Quoi /kwa/
Why Pourquoi /purkwa/
When Quand /ko/
Where O /u/
How Comment /kamo/
How much / many Combi en /kabjc/
Which / what Quel(l e) /kcl/
9. CARDINAL NUMBERS / LES NOMBRES CARDINAUX
Zero Zro /zero/
One Un //
Two Deux /d/
Three Troi s /trwo/
Four Quatre /katr/
Five Ci nq /sck/
Six Si x /sis/
Seven Sept /sct/
Eight Hui t /'qit/
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Nine Neuf /nf/
Ten Di x /dis/
Eleven Onze /az/
Twelve Douze /duz/
Thirteen Trei ze /trcz/
Fourteen Quatorze /katarz/
Fifteen Qui nze /kcz/
Sixteen Sei ze /scz/
Seventeen Di x-sept /disct/
Eighteen Di x-hui t /dizqit/
Nineteen Di x-neuf /diznf/
Twenty Vi ngt /vc/
Twenty-one Vi ngt et un /vct e /
Twenty-two Vi ngt-deux /vc d/
Twenty-three Vingt-troi s /vc trwo/
Thirty Trente /trot/
Thirty-one Trente et un /trot e /
Thirty-two Trente-deux /trot d/
Forty Quarante /karot/
Fifty Ci nquante /sckot/
Sixty Soi xante /swasot/
Seventy Soi xante-dix /swasotdis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Septante /scptot/
Seventy-one Soi xante et onze /swasot e az/
Seventy-two Soi xante-douze /swasot duz/
Eighty Quatre-vi ngts /katrvc/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Octante /aktot/
Eighty-one Quatre-vi ngt-un /katrvc t/
Eighty-two Quatre-vi ngt-deux /katrvc d/
Ninety Quatre-vi ngt-di x /katrvc dis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Nonante /nanot/
Ninety-one Quatre-vi ngt-onze /katrvc az/
Ninety-two Quatre-vi ngt-douze /katrvc duz/
One Hundred Cent /so/
One Hundred One Cent un /so t/
Two Hundred Deux cents /d so/
Two Hundred One Deux cent un /d so t/
Thousand Mi l l e /mil/
Two Thousand Deux mi l l e /d mil/
Million Un mi l l i on / milja/
Billion Un mi l l i ard / miljar/

French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French
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Switzerland use huitante for 80 and octante is barely used anymore). Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10
are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone
numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region,
or 06 and 07 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 =zro
un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.

ORDINAL NUMBERS / LES NOMBRES ORDINAUX
first premi er / premire
second deuxime / second
third troisime
fourth quatri me
fifth cinquime
sixth sixime
seventh septime
eighth huiti me
ninth neuvime
tenth dixime
eleventh onzi me
twelfth douzi me
twentieth vingti me
twenty-first vi ngt et uni me
thirtieth trenti me
The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ime. But if a number ends in an e, you must drop it
before adding the -ime. After a q, you must add a u before the -ime. And an f becomes a v before the
-ime.

Listen to the l a tl phone : un message mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from
French Listening Resources.
10. DAYS OF THE WEEK / LES JOURS DE LA SEMAINE
Monday l undi /ldi/
Tuesday mardi /mardi/
Wednesday mercredi /mcrkrdi/
Thursday j eudi /di/
Friday vendredi /vodrdi/
Saturday samedi /samdi/
Sunday di manche /dimoj/
day l e j our /l ur/
week l a semai ne /la s()mcn/
today auj ourd' hui /ourdqi/
yesterday hier /jcr/
tomorrow demain /dmc/
next prochai n / prochai ne /prajc/ /prajcn/
last derni er / derni re /dcrnje/ /dcrnjcr/
day before yesterday avant-hier /avotjcr/
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day after tomorrow aprs-demain /aprcdmc/
the following day l e l endemai n /l lo mc/
the day before l a vei l l e /la vcj/
Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a certain day, such
as l e lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing.

Listen to the l ' heure & l a date : l ' empl oi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise
from French Listening Resources.
11. MONTHS OF THE YEAR / LES MOIS DE L' ANNEE
J anuary janvier /ovje/
February fvri er /fevrije/
March mars /mars/
April avri l /avril/
May mai /mc/
J une j ui n /qc/
J uly j ui l l et /qijc/
August aot /u(t)/
September septembre /scptobr/
October octobre /aktabr/
November novembre /navobr/
December dcembre /desobr/
month l e moi s /l mwa/
year l ' an / l ' anne /lo/ /lane/
decade l a dcenni e /deseni/
century l e si cl e /l sjckl/
millennium l e mi l l nai re /milencr/
To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai." With dates, the ordinal
numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: l e premi er mai but l e deux j ui n. Also note that
months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days of the week).
12. SEASONS / LES SAISONS
Summer l' t /lete/ in the summer en t /o nete/
Fall l ' automne /lotan/ in the fall en automne /o notan/
Winter l ' hi ver /livcr/ in the winter en hiver /o nivcr/
Spring l e pri ntemps /l prcto/ in the spring au pri ntemps /o prcto/
13. DIRECTIONS / LES DIRECTIONS
on the left gauche /a goj/
on the right droi te /a drwot/
straight ahead tout droi t /tu drwo/
North l e nord /l nar/ Northeast le nord-est /l nar(d)cst/
South l e sud /l syd/ Northwest l e nord-ouest /l nar(d)wcst/
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East l' est /lcst/ Southeast le sud-est /sydcst/
West l ' ouest /lwcst/ Southwest le sud-ouest /sydwcst/
14. COLORS & SHAPES / LES COULEURS & LES FORMES
Red rouge /ru/ square le carr /kare/
Orange orange /aro/ circle l e cercl e /scrkl/
Yellow j aune /on/ triangle l e tri angl e /trijogl/
Green vert / verte /vcr/ /vcrt/ rectangle l e rectangl e /rcktogl/
Blue bl eu / bl eue /bl/ oval l ' oval e /aval/
Purple vi ol et / vi ol ette /vjalc/ /vjalct/ cube l e cube /kyb/
White bl anc / bl anche /blo/ /bloj/ sphere la sphre /sfcr/
Brown
brun / brune
marron
/br/ /bryn/
/mara/
cylinder l e cyl i ndre /silcdr/
Black noi r / noi re /nwar/ cone l e cne /kon/
Pink rose /roz/ octagon l ' octogone /aktogan/
Gold dor / dore /dare/ box l a bote /bwat/
Silver argent / argente /arote/ light cl ai r / cl ai re /klcr/
Gray gri s / gri se /gri/ /griz/ dark
fonc /
fonce
/fase/
Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that also exist as
nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bl eu cl ai r, noi r fonc remain masculine even if they
describe a feminine noun. Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.
15. WEATHER / LE TEMPS QU' IL FAIT
What's the weather like? Quel temps fai t-il ? /kcl to fc til/
It's nice Il fai t bon /il fc ba/
bad Il fai t mauvai s /il fc mave/
cool Il fai t frai s /il fc frc/
cold Il fai t froi d /il fc frwo/
warm, hot Il fai t chaud /il fc jo/
cloudy Il fai t nuageux /il fc nya/
beautiful Il fai t beau /il fc bo/
mild Il fai t doux /il fc du/
stormy Il fai t orageux /il fc ara/
sunny Il fai t sol ei l /il fc salcj/
humid Il fai t humi de /il fc ymid/
muggy Il fai t l ourd /il fc lur/
windy Il fai t du vent /il fc dy vo/
foggy Il fai t du broui l l ard /il fc dy brujar/
snowing Il nei ge /il nc/
raining Il pl eut /il pl/
freezing Il gl e /il cl/
hailing Il grl e /il grcl/
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It is ____ degrees. Il fait ____ degrs. /il fc __ dgre/
Il pl eut des cordes /il pl de kord/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il cai l l e /il kaj/ or a cail le
/sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius degrees.
Listen to the l e cl i mat: l e temps dans l es Al pes mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise
from French Listening Resources.
16. TIME / LE TEMPS QUI PASSE
What time is it? Quel l e heure est-i l ? /kcl r c til/
It is... Il est... /il c/
one o'clock une heure /yn r/
two o'clock deux heures /d zr/
noon mi di /midi/
midnight mi nui t /minqi/
a quarter after three troi s heures et quart /trwo zr e kar/
one o'clock sharp une heure prcise /yn r presiz/
four o'clock sharp quatre heures prcises /katrr presiz/
twelve thirty midi (mi nuit) et demi /midi (minqi) e dmi/
six thirty si x heures et demi e /si zr e dmi/
a quarter to seven sept heures moins le quart /sct r mwc l kar/
five twenty ci nq heures vi ngt /sck r vc/
ten fifty onze heures moi ns di x /az r mwc dis/
in the morning/AM du mati n /dy matc/
in the afternoon/PM de l ' aprs-mi di /d laprcmidi/
in the evening/PM du soi r /dy swar/
Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular numbers, and not
demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if it is 18h30, you must say
di x-huit heures trente. The word pi l e /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying prcise (exactly, sharp).

Listen to the l ' heure & l a date : l ' empl oi du temps mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise
from French Listening Resources.
17. FAMILY & ANIMALS / LA FAMILLE & LES ANIMAUX
Family l a fami l l e /famij/ Niece l a ni ce /njcs/
Relatives des parents /paro/ Nephew le neveu /n()v/
Parents les parents /paro/ Grandchildren les petits-enfants /p()tizofo/
Grandparents
l es grands-
parents
/groparo/ Granddaughter l a peti te-fi l l e /p()tit fij/
Mom la mre / maman
/mcr/
/momo/
Grandson le petit-fi l s /p()tifis/
Stepmother/Mother-in-Law la belle-mre /bclmcr/ Godfather l e parrai n /parc/
Dad le pre / papa /pcr/ /papa/ Godmother l a marrai ne /marcn/
Stepfather/Father-in-Law le beau-pre /bopcr/ Godson l e fi l l eul /fijl/
Daughter l a fi l l e /fij/ Goddaughter l a fi l l eul e /fijl/
Son l e fi l s /fis/
Distant
Relatives
des parents
l oi gns
/paro
elwape/
Sister l a sur /sr/ Single cl i batai re /selibatcr/
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Half/Step Sister l a demi -sur /dmi sr/ Married mari(e) /marje/
Sister-in-Law l a bel l e-sur /bclsr/ Separated spar(e) /separe/
Stepdaughter/Daughter-
in-Law
l a bel l e-fi l l e /bcl fij/ Divorced di vorc(e) /divarse/
Brother le frre /frcr/ Widower veuf /vf/
Half/Step Brother le demi-frre /dmi frcr/ Widow veuve /vv/
Brother-in-Law le beau-frre /bo frcr/
Stepson/Son-in-Law l e beau-fi l s /bo fis/ Dog
l e chi en / l a
chi enne (m) / (f)
/jjc/ /jjcn/
Twins (m) les jumeaux /ymo/ Cat
l e chat / l a chatte
(m) / (f)
/ja/ /jat/
Twins (f) l es j umel l es /ymcl/ Puppy l e chi ot /jjo/
Uncle l ' oncl e /akl/ Kitten le chaton /jata/
Aunt la tante /tot/ Pig l e cochon /kaja/
Grandmother la grand-mre /gromcr/ Rooster l e coq /kak/
Grandfather le grand-pre /gropcr/ Rabbit l e l api n /lapc/
Cousin (f) l a cousi ne /kuzin/ Cow la vache /vaj/
Cousin (m) le cousi n /kuzc/ Horse le cheval /j)val/
Wife la femme /fam/ Duck le canard /kanar/
Husband le mari /mari/ Goat la chvre /jcvr/
Woman la femme /fam/ Goose l ' oi e /wa/
Man l ' homme /am/ Sheep l e mouton /muta/
Child (m) / (f)
un enfant / une
enfant
/ofo/ Lamb l' agneau /apo/
Girl l a fi l l e /fij/ Donkey l ' ne /on/
Boy le garon /garsa/ Mouse l a souri s /suri/
Le gendre /odr/ is another word for son-in-law.

Listen to the l a fami l l e : ma fami l l e mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French
Listening Resources.

Slang words for people and pets:
The entire family toute l a smal a /tut la smala/ Sister l a frangi ne /froin/
Grandma mm / mami e /meme/ /mami/ Brother l e frangi n /froc/
Grandpa pp / papi /pepe/ /papi/ Son le fi ston /fista/
Children des gosses /gas/ Aunt tata / tatie /tata/ /tati/
Kid un gami n / une gami ne /gamc/ /gamin/ Uncle tonton /tata/
Woman une nana /nana/ Dog l e cabot / cl bard /kabo/ /klebar/
Man un mec / type / gars /mck/ /tip/ /gar/ Cat l e mi nou /minu/

Listen to the ani maux : chi en ou chat ? mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from
French Listening Resources.
18. TO KNOW PEOPLE & PLACES / CONNAITRE & SAVOIR
connatre-to know peopl e /kanctr/ savoi r-to know facts /savwar/
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connais /kanc/ connai ssons /kancsa/ sai s /sc/ savons /sava/
connais /kanc/ connaissez /kancse/ sai s /sc/ savez /save/
connat /kanc/ connaissent /kancs/ sai t /sc/ savent /sav/
Connatre is used when you know (are familiar with) people, places, food, movies, books, etc. and savoir is
used when you know facts. When savoir is followed by an infinitive it means to know how.
There is another form of savoir commonly used in the expressions que j e sache that I know (of) and pas que j e
sache not that I know (of).
Je connais ton frre. I know your brother.
Je sais que ton frre s' appelle Jean. I know that your brother is named J ohn.
Connai ssez-vous Grenobl e ? Do you know (Are you familiar with) Grenoble? / Have you ever been to
Grenoble?
Oui , nous connai ssons Grenobl e. Yes, we know (are familiar with) Grenoble. / Yes, we've been to Grenoble.
Tu sai s o Grenoble se trouve. You know where Grenoble is located.
Il s savent nager. They know how to swim.
Connatre can be translated several ways into English:
Tu connai s l e fi l m, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the film, Les Enfants?
Tu connai s Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon?
Tu connai s l a tarti fl ette ? Have you ever eaten tartiflette?
19. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS / LA FORMATION DES NOMS PLURIELS
To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not pronounced).
But there are some exceptions:
Sing. Plural
If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing. bus(es) l e bus l es bus
If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. boat(s) le bateau les bateaux
If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to -aux. horse(s) le cheval les chevaux
Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s. knee(s) l e genou l es genoux
Exceptions: festi val , carnaval , bal , pneu, bl eu, l andau, dtai l , chandai l all add -s. There are only seven
nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bi j ou, cai l l ou, chou, genou, pou, j ouj ou, hi bou. There are, of
course, some irregular exceptions: un i l (eye) - des yeux (eyes); l e ci el (sky) - les cieux (skies); and un
jeune homme (a young man) - des j eunes gens (young men).
Notice that the only time the pronunciation will change in the plural form is for masculine nouns that change -al
or -ail to -aux and for the irregular forms. Al l other nouns are pronounced the same i n the si ngul ar and the
pl ural - it is only the article that changes pronunciation (le, la, l' to les).
20. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES / LES ADJECTIFS POSSESSIFS
Masc. Fem. Plural
My mon /ma/ ma /ma/ mes /mc/
Your ton /ta/ ta /ta/ tes /tc/
His/Her/Its son /sa/ sa /sa/ ses /sc/
Our notre /natr/ notre /natr/ nos /no/
Your votre /vatr/ votre /vatr/ vos /vo/
Their l eur /lr/ l eur /lr/ leurs /lr/
Possessive pronouns go before the noun. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, you must use the
masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation. Ma amie is incorrect and must be mon amie, even
though amie is feminine. Remember that adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, not the
possessor! Sa mre can mean his mother or her mother even though sa is the feminine form, because it
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agrees with mre and not the possessor (his or her).
C' est ma mre et mon pre. This is my mother and my father.
Ce sont vos petits-enfants ? These are your grandchildren?
Mes parents sont divorcs. My parents are divorced.
Sa grand-mre est veuve. His grandmother is a widow.
Notre frre est mari, mais notre sur est cli bataire. Our brother is married, but our sister is single.
Ton oncl e est architecte, n' est-ce pas ? Your uncle is an architect, isn't he?
Leurs cousi nes sont nerl andai ses. Their cousins are Dutch.
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