French IV

12/13/13 French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

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French IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

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61. PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Disjunctives

je I me me me to me moi me

tu you te you te to you toi you

il he le him lui to him lui him

elle she la her lui to her elle her

nous we nous us nous to us nous us

vous you vous you vous to you vous you

ils they les them leur to them eux them

elles they les them leur to them elles them

You have already learned the subject pronouns. They go before the conjugated verb forms. TheDirect and Indirect Object pronouns go before the verb even though in English they go after it. They also go after the ne in a negative sentence and right before the verb. The disjunctive

always go after prepositions, or can be used alone for emphasis.

Sample Sentences:

J'achète des pantalons. I buy some pants.

Je les achète. I buy them.

Je vous donne la boîte. I give the box to you.

Je vous la donne. I give it to you.

Après toi. After you. (familiar)

Nous allons avec elle. We go with her.

Il ne la quitte pas. He doesn't leave her.

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http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/French4.zip

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/personalpronouns.mp3



Il la quitte. He leaves her.

Je t'aime. or Je vous aime. I love you.

Elle ne l'aime pas. She doesn't love him.

When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or les,then lui or leur. Me, te, le, and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a vowel, the same

way je does. In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected with a hyphen. And the

pronoun order changes a little too: Le, la, or les come first; then moi, toi, (Me and te become

moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur.

If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after the ne

and before the form of avoir in negative sentences.

Nous lui avons parlé. We spoke to him/her.

Vous en avez écouté trois. You've listened to three of them.

Je t'ai demandé du pain. I asked you for some bread.

Il ne l'a pas aimé. He didn't like it/her/him.

Tu n'y as pas habité. You didn't live there.

Je ne vous ai pas parlé. I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.

Nous ne l'avons pas fini. We didn't finish (or haven't finished) it.

In the passé composé with avoir, direct object pronouns only must agree in gender andnumber with the past participle.

Je les ai aimés. I liked them.

Il l'a regardée. He watched her.

Elles nous ont écouté(e)s. They listened to us.

Add an e if the pronoun is feminine, and an s if it is plural. The l' could mean him or her, so you

might not need to put the extra e on the past participle. The same for nous and vous. They musthave an s because they are plural, but it is unclear as to whether they are masculine or feminine.

62. PARTS OF THE BODY / LES PARTIES DU CORPS

Standard French Slang

head la tête la caboche / le crâne

hair les cheveux les tifs

face la figure / le visage / la face

forehead le front

cheek la joue

ear l'oreille les esgourdes

eye/s l'œil / les yeux les mirettes

beard la barbe la barbouse

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/partsofbody.mp3



mustache la moustache

mouth la bouche la gueule / la boîte

lip la lèvre

nose le nez le blair / le pif

tongue la langue

tooth la dent les crocs

neck le cou

eyebrows les sourcils

eyelashes les cils

chin le menton

throat la gorge

skin la peau

blood le sang

bone l'os

shoulder l'épaule

chest la poitrine

waist la taille

belly button le nombril

back le dos

heart le cœur

lungs les poumons

brain le cerveau

liver le foie

kidney le rein

bladder la vessie

rib la côte

arm le bras

elbow le coude

wrist le poignet

fist le poing

hand la main

fingers les doigts

stomach / belly l'estomac / le ventre le buffet / le bide

butt les fesses les miches

body le corps



hip la hanche

leg la jambe

knee le genou

foot le pied le penard / les arpions

toes les orteils

ankle la cheville

thigh la cuisse

shin le tibia

calf le mollet

thumb le pouce

nails les ongles

tattoo le tatouage

piercing le piercing

blond blond/e

brunette brun/e

red-head roux/rousse

light brown châtain

► To say something hurts or that you have an ache, you can use avoir mal à (body part):

J'ai mal à la tête. I have a headache.

J'ai mal à l'estomac. I have a stomach ache.Elle a mal au bras. Her arm hurts.

Tu as mal au genou? Your knee hurts?

Il a mal aux orteils. His toes hurt.

However, if someone is causing you pain, use faire mal (to hurt) plus the indirect pronoun.

Tu me fais mal. You're hurting me.Ne lui faites pas mal. Don't hurt him / her.

► When describing hair color or eye color, you use blonds, châtain, bruns, roux for hair; and

bleus, verts, marron, noirs for eyes. Notice that châtain and marron do not agree in gender or

number.

Elle a les cheveux roux. Elle est rousse. She has red hair. She is a red-head.

Il a les yeux marron. He has brown eyes.

Combien mésures-tu ? / Combien fais-tu ? How tall are you?

Combien pèses-tu ? How much do you weigh?Je fais 1m60. I am 1 m 60 cm.

Je pèse 50 kilos. I weigh 50 kilos.



Listen to the l'apparence physique : un copain à moi mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-

the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

63. ASKING QUESTIONS

1) Invert the subject and verb form and add a hyphen. Instead of Vous parlez anglais? use

Parlez-vous anglais? But if you invert il, elle, or on, you must put a t between the verb form (if

it ends in a vowel) and the subject for ease of pronunciation. Parle-il anglais? is incorrect and

must become Parle-t-il anglais? And je is usually only inverted with pouvoir or devoir.

However, if je is inverted with pouvoir, you don't use peux, but puis. Puis-je ? (pweezh) is Can

I?

2) Add n'est-ce pas ? (ness pah) to the end of the sentence. It is equivalent to isn't it, don't you,aren't we, won't you, etc.

3) If the question requires a yes or no answer, put Est-ce que (ess kuh) at the beginning. It

contracts to Est-ce qu' before a word beginning with a vowel, such as elle, il or on. You can

also use interrogative words (quand, comment, où, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence andthen add est-ce que.

4) With interrogative words, you can also use inversion: Quand tes parents partent-ils en

vacances ? Or you can use an interrogative with est-ce que and normal word order: Pourquoiest-ce que vous êtes ici ?

5) Quel / Quelle / Quels / Quelles (which, what) agrees with the noun it modifies. It precedesthe noun or the verb être, it may follow a preposition, and it can be used with inversion or withest-ce que. Quelle est la date ? A quelle heure partez-vous ? Quels bagages est-ce que

vous prenez ? Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in exclamatory sentences. Quel

beau jour ! / Quelle belle journée ! What a beautiful day!

6) With negative questions, negative expressions remain in their usual place (i.e. around theverb, or verb and subject if inverted). Tu ne travailles pas ? Est-ce que te ne travailles pas ?

Ne travailles-tu pas ? Pourquoi n'as-tu pas travaillé ?

► Asking Questions with the Passé ComposéOnly the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the subject pronoun are inverted. The past participlefollows.A-t-il été surpris ? Was he surprised?

T'es-tu amusé ? Did you have fun?

64. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

To ask about people:

Long Form Short Form Translation

SubjectQui est-ce qui

Qui est-ce qui est venu?

Qui

Qui est venu? Who came?

http://www.ielanguages.com/frenchlistening.html#apparence

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/askquestions.mp3

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/interrogativepronouns.mp3



Direct Object Qui est-ce que

Qui est-ce que tu as vu?

Qui

Qui as-tu vu?Whom did you see?

Object ofPreposition

Preposition + qui est-ce

que

A qui est-ce que tu as

parlé?

Preposition +

qui

A qui as-tu

parlé?

Whom did youspeak to?

To ask about things:

Long Form Short Form Translation

SubjectQu'est-ce qui

Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé?No short form What happened?

Direct ObjectQu'est-ce que

Qu'est-ce que tu as fait?

Que

Qu'as-tu fait?What did you do?

Object ofPreposition

Preposition + quoi est-ce que

De quoi est-ce que tu asparlé?

Preposition +quoi

De quoi as-tuparlé?

What did you talkabout?

► Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:

a. With qui and quoi, inversion pattern is regular.Qui Marie a-t-elle vu? Whom did Marie see?

De quoi Marc a-t-il besoin? What does Marc need?

b. With que, the noun subject must be inverted directly.

Que veut Jean? What does Jean want?

Que font les autres? What are the others doing?

c. However, if the sentence contains more than a subject and verb, or if the verb is in acompound tense (such as the passé composé), the short form is not used.

Qu'est-ce que Luc veut faire aujourd'hui? What does Luc want to do today?

Qu'est-ce que les autres ont fait? What did the others do?

► Verb Agreement:

a. Interrogative pronouns are usually masculine singular.

Les voitures font du bruit. Qu'est-ce qui fait du bruit? Cars make noise. What makes noise?

Les enfants sont arrivés. Qui est arrivé? The children arrived. Who arrived?

b. Exception: when qui is followed by a conjugated form of être, the verbs agrees with the nounthat follows.

Qui étaient Les Trois Mousquetaires? Who were the three Musketeers?

► Qu'est-ce que (or qui) vs. Quel:

a. Qu'est-ce que c'est que is used to ask for a definition, and quel asks for specific information.



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

Quel est le problème? What is the problem?

b. When followed by a conjugated form of être, quel is used if être is followed by a noun andqu'est-ce qui is used if être is followed by anything other than a noun.

Quelle est la date? What is the date?

Qu'est-ce qui est bon? What is good?

► Written vs. Spoken French with Questions

In spoken French, inversion and the use of est-ce que are usually dropped, but they must beused in written French. Additionally, some forms are contracted or the word order may differ. It'salso very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui.

Written forms Spoken forms Translation

Parlez-vous français ?Est-ce que vous parlez français ?

Vous parlez français ?Do you speakFrench?

Comment l'avez-vous appris ?Comment est-ce que vous l'avezappris ?

Vous l'avez appris comment ? How did you learn it?

Quand es-tu arrivé ?Quand est-ce que tu es arrivé ?

Quand t'es arrivé ?T 'es arrivé quand ?

When did you arrive?

De quoi parlent-ils ?De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent ?

De quoi ils parlent ?Ils parlent de quoi ?

What are they talkingabout?

Pourquoi me regardes-tu ?Pourquoi est-ce que tu meregardes ?

Pourquoi tu me regardes ?Why are you looking atme?

Qui t'a dit ça ?Qui est-ce qui t'a dit ça ?

Qui c'est qui t'a dit ça? Who told you that?

65. FORMS OF LEQUEL

Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies. It expresses

Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition).

Adjective Pronoun

Singular Plural Singular Plural

MasculineQuel livre lis-

tu?

Quels livres lis-

tu?

Lequel lis-

tu?

Lesquels lis-

tu?

FeminineQuelle page

lis-tu?

Quelles pages

lis-tu?

Laquelle lis-

tu?

Lesquelles

lis-tu?

Lequel contracts with à and de in the plural and masculine singular forms:

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/lequel.mp3



Singular Plural

Masculineà + lequel = auquel à + lesquels = auxquels

de + lequel = duquel de + lesquels = desquels

Feminineà + laquelle = à laquelle à + lesquelles = auxquelles

de + laquelle = de laquelle de + lesquelles = desquelles

Voilà le portrait sans retouche de l'homme auquel j'appartiens. - That's the unaltered portrait ofthe man to which I belong. [Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose] Et des amours desquelles nous parlons. - And the loves about which we talk. [by Jean-Denis

Bredin]

► You can also use another preposition + form of lequel to translate preposition + which: on

which, to which, in which, etc.

La table sur laquelle j'ai mis la bouteille est là-bas. - The table on which I put the bottle is over

there.Le bâtiment dans lequel j'habite est très vieux. - The building in which I live is very old.

66. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Relative pronouns join sentences together. These words signal a relative clause which explainsthe noun, called the antecedent. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause (a verbimmediately follows), use qui. If the relative pronoun is the direct object of the clause (subject +

verb follows), use que. If the verb of the dependent clause requires the preposition de, use dont

to replace it. Also use dont to mean whose. Qui, que, and dont can all mean that or who,

depending on the sentence. If the antecedent is a place or time, use où to mean where or when.

When there is no specific antecedent, ce is added as an artificial one before que, qui or dont;

but it can refer to only things, not people. Ce qui, ce que and ce dont generally mean what.

Je mange des choses qui sont

bonnes.I eat things that are good. qui is subject

Je mange des choses que

j'aime.I eat things that I like. que is object

C'est ce que je disais. That's what I said. no antecedent

La femme dont le mari est

mort...

The woman whose husband isdead...

whose

Voici ce dont j'ai besoin. Here is what I need.avoir besoin is followed

by de

C'est un restaurant où on sert du

poisson.

It's a restaurant where theyserve fish.

restaurant is a place

Dont can also be translated as including or of which. Sept morts, dont 6 civils, dans

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/relativepronouns.mp3



l'attentat. Seven dead, including six civilians, in the attack.

► After verbs of declaration or opinion (dire, affirmer, prétendre, jurer, déclarer, reconnaître,avouer, penser, croire), you do not need to use a relative pronoun or to repeat the subject. Aslong as the subject is the same in both clauses, you can replace que + subject + conjugated verbwith the infinitive.

Je pense que je peux le faire. = Je pense pouvoir le faire. I think that I can do it.

Elle dit qu'elle le connais. = Elle dit le connaître. She says that she knows him.

Vous avouez que vous avez menti. = Vous avouez avoir menti. You admit that you lied.

67. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

Demonstrative pronouns translate to the one(s), or that/those when replacing a noun. There arefour forms, but they are not often used alone. De, qui, que, dont and -ci or -là usually follow them.

Masc. Fem.

Singular celui celle

Plural ceux celles

Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume. Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the one of

William)Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa sœur. He is carrying his own books and his sister's. (or:those of his sister)Quelles fleurs aimes-tu, celles-ci ou celles-là? Which flowers do you like, these (ones) or those

(ones)?Ceux qui travaillent dur réussissent. Those who work hard succeed.C'est celui dont je parle. That's the one I'm talking about.

The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that) and ça (this/that) refer to indefinite

things or ideas.

J'aime ça. I like that.

Prenez ceci. Take this.

68. TO READ, TO SAY / TELL, & TO LAUGH

lire-to read dire-to say/tell rire-to laugh

lis lisons dis disons ris rions

lis lisez dis dites ris riez

lit lisent dit disent rit rient

The past participles are: lu, dit and ri, and all three are conjugated with avoir.

69. DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS

1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only replacepeople, not things. However, if the preposition is à, there are two possible rules:

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/demonstrativepronouns.mp3

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/liredirerire.mp3

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/disjunctivepronouns.mp3



à + person = indirect pronoun

à + person + à = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases:

se fier à to trust

s'habituer à to get used to

s'intéresser à to be interested in

penser à to think about

rêver à to dream about

2. They can also be used alone, to emphasize a subject, with être à (to belong to) or incompound subjects.

Moi, j'ai faim. Me, I am hungry.

Ses amis et lui, ils aiment manger. His friends and he, they like to eat.

Ce livre est à moi ! That book is mine!

3. They can be added to -même to mean -self.

elle-même = herself

4. They are also used with ne...que.

Ce n'est que lui. It's only him.

70. Y & EN

Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb. Y (ee) means it or there. En (awn) means

some or some (of them), or of it. They replace prepositional phrases. In French, the phrases

will begin with à (or any contraction of it), en, sur, sous, chez, devant, derrière, dans, etc. for

y; and de (or any contraction of it) or a number for en. They cannot replace people unless the

person is introduced with an indefinite article, partitive, number or quantity. Sometimes y and en

have no direct translation in English. Remember that they go before the verb, except in acommand, in which they follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen. The -er verbs also addthe -s they lost when forming the you (familiar) command.

Sample Sentences

Do you want some apples? Voulez-vous des pommes?

Do you want some? En voulez-vous?

I have three sisters. J'ai trois sœurs.

I have three (of them). J'en ai trois.

It is in the drawer Il est dans le tiroir.

It is there. Il y est.

I am going to Detroit. Je vais à Détroit.

I am going there. J'y vais.

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/yen.mp3



I am going to go to Atlanta. Je vais aller à Atlanta.

I am going to go there. Je vais y aller.

Answer the telephone! Répondez au téléphone !

Answer it! (formal) Répondez-y !

Stay there! (familiar) Restes-y !

Don't stay there! (familiar) N'y reste pas.

Y and en can also replace a phrase or clause, especially with verbs that require à or de afterthem:

I think a lot about these stories.Je réfléchis beaucoup à ces

histoires.

I think about them a lot. J'y réfléchis beaucoup.

He obeyed the rules. Il a obéi aux règles.

He obeyed them. Il y a obéi.

We don't need this book. On n'a pas besoin de ce livre.

We don't need it. On n'en a pas besoin.

She's using the computer. Elle se sert de l'ordinateur.

She's using it. Elle s'en sert.

Notice y and en don't go after the verb in negative commands. Treat them like pronouns. Ne or

Je plus y or en all contract to N'y, J'y, N'en, and J'en. When you have a conjugated verb plus

an infinitive (vais and aller), the y or en go in between the two verbs.

71. TO SEE, TO BELIEVE, & TO WRITE

Verbs take a direct object if they do not need a preposition to connect it to the noun. Verbs that

take indirect objects use prepositions after the verb. Voir-to see (vwahr) and croire-to believe

(krwahr) take a direct and écrire-to write (ay-kreer) takes an indirect.

voir-to see croire-to believe écrire-to write

vois(vwah)

voyons (vwah-

yohn)

crois(k rwah)

croyons (k rwah-

yohn)

écris (ay-

kree)

écrivons (ay-kree-

vohn)

vois voyez (vwah-yay) crois croyez (k rwah-yay) écris écrivez (ay-kree-vay)

voit voient (vwah) croit croient (k rwah) écrit écrivent (ay-kreev)

The past participles are: vu, cru, and écrit.

You can sometimes tell if a verb takes a direct or indirect object by using the verbs in English. We say "I see her" or "She believes him" or "He writes to them." In French, it would be "Je lavois" (direct), "Elle le croit" (direct) and "Il leur écrit." (indirect) But don't always count on Englishto help you out. Téléphoner (à) and obéir (à) both take indirect objects in French but you can't

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/voircroireecrire.mp3



tell that in English. In this case, you can tell by the à that follows the infinitive.

Writing Vocabulary

writing l'écriture (f) question markle point

d'interrogation"at" sign(@)

l'arobase (f)

punctuation la ponctuationexclamationpoint

le point

d'exclamationasterisk

l'astérisque

(m)

period le pointquotationmarks

les guillemets(m)

brackets le crochet

comma la virgule parentheses la parenthèse slash la barre

colonles deux points(m)

apostrophe l'apostrophe (f) uppercase majuscule

semi-colon le point-virgule hyphen le trait d'union lowercase minuscule

When typing in French, you must leave an extra space before a punctuation mark that has twocomponents, such as a colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.

72. ANIMALS

ant la fourmi giraffe la girafe pig le cochon

antelope l'antilope goat la chèvre pigeon le pigeon

antenna l'antenne goose l'oie (f) pike le brochet

bat la chauve-souris gorilla le gorille pony le poney

beak le bec grasshopper la sauterelle puppy le chiot

bear l'ours (m) hamster le hamster rabbit le lapin

bee l'abeille (f) hare le lièvre raccoon le raton laveur

bird l'oiseau (m) hen la poule rat le rat

blackbird le merle herring la hareng rooster le coq

bull le taureau hoof le sabot salmon le saumon

butterfly le papillon horn la corne scale l'écaille (f)

calf le veau horse le cheval scorpion le scorpion

cat le chat hummingbird le colibri sea gull la mouette

caterpillar la chenille iguana l'iguane seal le phoque

cheetah le guépard insect l'insecte (m) shark le requin

chicken le poulet jellyfish la méduse sheep le mouton

chimpanzee le chimpanzé kitten le chaton shrimp la crevette

claw la griffe ladybug la coccinelle slug la limace

cockroach le cafard lamb l'agneau (m) snail l'escargot (m)

cod la morue lark l'alouette (f) snake le serpent

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/animals.mp3



cocoon le cocon lion le lion sparrow le moineau

cow la vache lizard le lézard spider l'araignée (f)

crab le crabe lobster (spiny) la langouste squid le calamar

crayfish l'écrevisse (f) louse le pou squirrel l'écureuil (m)

crocodile le crocodile mackerel le maquereau starfish l'étoile de mer

crow le corbeau mole la taupe swallow l'hirondelle (f)

deer le cerf monkey le singe swan le cygne

dog le chien mosquito le moustique tadpole le têtard

donkey l'âne (m) moth le papillon de nuit tail la queue

dragonfly la libellule mouse la souris tiger le tigre

duck le canard mule le mulet toad le crapaud

eagle l'aigle (m) mussel la moule trout la truite

eel l'anguille (f) nest le nid tuna le thon

elephant l'éléphant (m) nightingale le rossignol turkey le dindon

feather la plume octopus la pieuvre turtle la tortue

fin la nageoire ostrich l'autruche wasp la guêpe

fish le poisson owl le hibou weasel la belette

flea la puce ox le bœuf whale la baleine

fly la mouche oyster l'huître (f) wing l'aile (f)

fox le renard parrot le perroquet wolf le loup

frog la grenouille partridge la perdrix worm le ver

gill la branchie penguin le pingouin zebra le zèbre

sit assis to bark aboyer

lie down couche-toi to growl grogner

shake donne la patte to pant haleter

dog/cat food les croquettes to whine/whimper gémir

leash la laisse to drool baver

collar le collier to meow miauler

to take/let dog out sortir le chien to scratch griffer

to climb on grimper sur to pounce on se jeter sur

73. PLAIRE & MANQUER

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

plais plaisons manque manquons

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/plairemanquer.mp3



plais plaisez manques manquez

plaît plaisent manque manquent

The past participle of plaire is plu. To say that someone likes something, you have to switch thesubject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or someone pleases." As areflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere. Faire plaisir à can also be used tomean "to delight or to like."

Cette chienne plaît à Dominique. Dominique likes this dog. (Literally: This dog is pleasing to

Dominique.)Ça t'a plu? Did you like it?Ils se plaisent à Londres. They enjoy being in London.

Cela me fait plaisir de vous revoir. I am happy to see you again.

Manquer has several meanings: to miss, to lack, or to regret the absence (miss). The lastmeaning uses inverted word order just like plaire. Manquer à means "to fail to do."

Elle a manqué le train. She missed the train.Vous manquez de courage. You lack courage.

Tu me manques. I miss you. (Literally: You are missing to me)Ils ont manqué aux devoirs. They failed to do the homework.

74. PLUPERFECT (PAST PERFECT)

This compound tense is used for flashbacks or anything that had happened before the time ofthe narration. It's formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or être and the past participle of themain verb. This tense is comparable to the passé composé.

Imperfect of avoir or être

avais avions étais étions

avais aviez étais étiez + past participle

avait avaient était étaient

Je n'avais pas fini mon travail quand il est arrivé. I had not finished my work when hearrived.Vous aviez faim parce que vous n'aviez pas du tout mangé. You were hungry because you

hadn't eaten at all.Nous avions manqué le rendez-vous parce que le bus était en retard. We had missed the

meeting because the bus was late.

75. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or something.

someone/body quelqu'un each chacun(e)

quelque chose (de + not one,

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/pluperfect.mp3

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/indefinite.mp3



something adjective) none aucun(e)

somequelques-uns /quelques-unes

anything n'importe quoi

somewhere quelque part anyone n'importe qui

several plusieurs anywhere n'importe où

some...others certains...d'autres any timen'importequand

another un(e) autre nowhere nulle part

Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every). Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a noun,while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun.

76. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used ratherthan the indicative. The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the word que.

The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a different subject fromthe dependent clause. If the two subjects are the same, the infinitive is used.

Je doute que Marc soit là. I doubt that Marc is here. (shows judgment and opinion)Je veux venir. NOT: Je veux que je vienne. (use infinitive, same subject)

To form the subjunctive, use the ils/elles form of the present indicative tense. This is also theform for the ils/elles form of the subjunctive. For je, tu, il/elle, drop the -ent and add -e, -es, and -e. Nous and vous use the imperfect forms.

-e -ions

-es -iez

-e -ent

Conjugations in the Subjunctive

avoir être faire aller

aie ayons sois soyons fasse fassions aille allions

aies ayez sois soyez fasses fassiez ailles alliez

ait aient soit soient fasse fassent aille aillent

vouloir pouvoir savoir pleuvoir

veuille voulions puisse puissions sache sachions

veuilles vouliez puisses puissiez saches sachiez

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/subjunctive.mp3



veuille veuillent puisse puissent sache sachent pleuve

These verbs and conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive:

VerbsVerbalExpressions

Conjunctions

douter il faut que avant que

suggérer il vaut mieux que pour / afin que

vouloiril est important

quejusqu'à ce que

proposer il se peut que à moins que

avoir peur il est possible quebien que

/ quoique

regretter il est temps que sans que

craindrec'est dommage

queen attendant que

être content(e)/triste/désolé(e)/surpris(e),etc.

penser/croire/trouver (negative and interrogative forms only)

Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.Il est content que nous soyons là. He's happy that we are here.

Est-ce que vous pensez qu'elle puisse le faire ? Do you think that she can do it?Il faut que je fasse la vaisselle. I have to do the dishes.

Elle sera là jusqu'à ce que vous partiez. She will be there until you leave.

► However, douter, jusqu'à ce que, à moins que, and bien que / quoique use thesubjunctive whether there is a change in subject or not. And when using avant before aninfinitive, the construction is avant de + infinitive. Note, also, that the subjunctive is not usedwith espérer or il est probable, although the subjunctive may be used with these words in other

Romance languages.

► The word ne is used after certain conjunctions (most notably avant que and à moins que)that take the subjunctive, but this does not make the phrase negative:Finissez le travail avant que la classe ne se termine. Finish the work before class ends.

77. FALLOIR & VALOIR

Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs used

in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are:

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/falloirvaloir.mp3



imperfect il fallait il valait

present perfect il a fallu il a valu

present il faut il vaut

future il faudra il vaudra

conditional il faudrait il vaudrait

Falloir can be translated as must, have to, be required to, etc. It can be followed directly by aninfinitive, or a subject and the subjunctive mood.Il faut rester à la maison aujourd'hui. You must stay at home today.Il faut pas le faire ! You must not do it!

Il faut qu'il parte à 8h. He must leave at 8.

In addition to worth, valoir mieux is used in translating "it's better."Ça ne vaut pas la peine. It's not worth it.

Il vaut mieux en rire qu’en pleurer. It's better to laugh about it than cry.

78. ADVERBS

bien well quelquefois sometimes

mieux better toujours always

mal badly vite quickly

peu little donc therefore

déjà already encore yet

bientôt soon quelque part somewhere

ici here maintenant now

là there tôt early

dedans inside tard late

dehors outside peut-être maybe

souvent often jamais (n)ever

d'habitude usually nulle part nowhere

To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end. If themasculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that. Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant takethe endings -emment and -amment.

Masculine Feminine Adverb

naturel naturelle naturellement

heureux heureuse heureusement

lent lente lentement

facile facile facilement

probable probable probablement

intelligent intelligente intelligemment

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/adverbs.mp3



brillant brillante brillamment

récent récente récemment

Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and éventuellement (possibly, perhaps)

can be deceiving.

A Few Irregular Adverbs

vrai vraiment

gentil gentiment

profond profondément

bref brièvement

précis précisément

Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense. Adverbs of opinion and time usually goat the beginning or end of the sentence. When peut-être and sans doute begin a sentence or

clause, they are usually followed by que. With the passé composé, most adverbs are placed

between the auxiliary verb and past participle. In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb,except with peut-être, sans doute, sûrement, and probablement. Adverbs of time and placegenerally follow the past participle.

79. TOOLS & HOBBIES

tools les outils chisel le ciseau

toolbox la boîte à outils measuring tape le mètre

hammer le marteau chainsaw la tronçonneuse

screwdriver le tournevis file la lime

nail le clou do-it-yourself le bricolage

screw la vis handicrafts l'artisanat

wrench la clé embroidery la broderie

adjustable wrench la clé à molette cross-stitch le point de croix

bolt le boulon needlework la couture

nut l'écrou (m) needle l'aiguille (f)

pliers les pinces (f) thread le fil

saw la scie painting peindre

blade la lame jewelry making faire des bijoux

handle le manche gardening le jardinage

anvil l'enclume (f) knitting le tricot

clamp / vise l'étau (m) photography la photographie

shovel la pelle woodworking la menuiserie

pick axe la pioche pottery la poterie

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/toolshobbies.mp3



drill la perceuse drawing le dessin

drill bit la mèche cooking la cuisine

Other expressions related to hobbies/leisure time:

bavarder - to chat

bronzer - to tanfaire la grasse matinée - to sleep in late

faire la sieste - to take a napfaire une pause - to take a break

faire une promenade - to take a walkfaire un tour - to go out for a whileprendre un bain de soleil - to sunbathe

prendre un verre - to go out for a drinkse détendre - to relax

se reposer - to rest

80. FALSE COGNATES

Les faux-amis or false cognates are a common pitfall among language students. The followingare some common words that you may be deceived by:

Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse.

Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of.

Une injure is an insult, not an injury.

Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently.

Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement.

Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt.

Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture.

Original means new or innovative.

Humeur means mood, not humor.

Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.

Déjeuner du matin

Jacques Prévert

Il a mis le caféDans la tasse Il a mis le lait Dans la tasse de caféIl a mis le sucre Dans le café au lait Avec la petite cuiller Il a tournéIl a bu le café au lait Et il a reposé la tasse Sans me parler Il a allumé

Breakfast

Jacques Prévert

He put the coffeeIn the cupHe put the milkIn the cup of coffeeHe put the sugarIn the café au laitWith the coffee spoonHe stirredHe drank the café au laitAnd he set down the cupWithout a word to meHe lit

http://www.ielanguages.com/mp3s/falsecognates.mp3



Une cigarette Il a fait des ronds Avec la fumée Il a mis les cendres Dans le cendrier Sans me parler Sans me regarder Il s'est levéIl a mis Son chapeau sur sa têteIl a mis Son manteau de pluieParce qu'il pleuvaitEt il est partiSous la pluie Sans une parole Et moi j'ai pris Ma tête dans ma main Et j'ai pleuré.

A cigaretteHe made smoke-ringsWith the smokeHe put the ashesIn the ashtrayWithout a word to meWithout a look at meHe got upHe putHis hat upon his headHe put his raincoat onBecause it was rainingAnd he leftIn the rainWithout a wordAnd I, I tookMy head in my handAnd I cried.

Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from Paroles by Prévert

Le Corbeau et le Renard

Jean de la Fontaine

Maître corbeau, sur un arbre perché,Tenait en son bec un fromage,Maître renard, par l'odeur alléché,Lui tint à peu près ce langage:<<Eh bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.Que vous êtes joli ! que vous mesemblez beau !Sans mentir, si votre ramageSe rapporte à votre plumage,Vous êtes le phénix des hôtes de cesbois.>>A ces mots, le corbeau ne se sent pasde joie;Et pour montrer sa belle voix,Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber saproie.Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: <<Mon bonmonsieur,Apprenez que tout flatteurVit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute.Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage sans

The Crow and the Fox

Jean de la Fontaine

Master Crow perched on a tree,Was holding a cheese in his beak.Master Fox attracted by the smellSaid something like this:"Well, Hello Mister Crow!How beautiful you are! how nice you seem tome!Really, if your voiceIs like your plumage,You are the phoenix of all the inhabitants ofthese woods."At these words, the Crow is overjoyed.And in order to show off his beautiful voice,He opens his beak wide, lets his prey fallThe Fox grabs it, and says: "My good man,Learn that every flattererLives at the expense of the one who listens tohim.This lesson, without doubt, is well worth acheese."



doute.>>Le corbeau, honteux et confus,Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'yprendrait plus.

The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed,Swore, but a little late, that he would not betaken again.

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French IV