Vocab- Grammar B

changer

Common meanings:

• to load

  • charger la voiture = to load the car

• to charge (battery/device)

  • charger son téléphone = to charge your phone

• to entrust / assign (in some expressions)

In the reflexive expression:

• se charger de = to take care of / handle

So:

• Je me chargerai de ça = I’ll take care of that.

The infinitive is:

• charger = to load / charge / take care of (depending on use)

servir

Meaning depends on context:

1. Imperative (command)

• Sers ! = Serve! / Help! (informal, singular “you”)

Examples:

• Sers-moi du café. = Serve me some coffee.

• Sers-toi. = Help yourself.

2. Present tense (je form)

• je sers = I serve / I help / I am useful

Example:

• Je sers le dîner. = I serve dinner.

Infinitive:

• servir = to serve / to be useful

Se servir

“to help oneself” / “to use”

It usually takes de + something.

Examples:

• Je me sers du café. = I help myself to coffee. / I take coffee.

• Sers-toi. = Help yourself.

• On se sert de ce logiciel. = We use this software.

Breakdown:

• se = reflexive pronoun (oneself)

• servir = to serve

• se servir de = to use / to help oneself to

Important contrast:

• servir = to serve (someone else)

• se servir de = to use (something yourself)

occuper

to occupy / to keep busy / to take up

Forms:

• j’occupe = I occupy / I keep busy

• il/elle occupe = he/she occupies

Common reflexive form:

• s’occuper de = to take care of / to be busy with

Examples:

• Je m’occupe de tout. = I take care of everything.

• Il s’occupe des enfants. = He takes care of the children.

• Ça occupe beaucoup de temps. = That takes a lot of time.

Infinitive:

• occuper = to occupy / to take up / to keep busy

Débarrasser

“to clear” / “to remove” / “to get rid of” Common uses:

• débarasser la table = to clear the table

• débarasser quelqu’un de quelque chose = to free someone from something

Reflexive form:

• se débarrasser de = to get rid of

Examples:

• Je débarrasse la table. = I clear the table.

• Il s’est débarrassé de ses vieux vêtements. = He got rid of his old clothes.

• On doit se débarrasser du problème. = We have to get rid of the problem.

Infinitive:

• débarasser = to clear / to remove / to get rid of

Télécharger

• to download

Examples:

• Je télécharge une application. = I download an app.

• Tu as téléchargé le fichier ? = Did you download the file?

• Télécharge ce document. = Download this document.

Related noun

• le téléchargement = download / downloading

How to use it: 1. As a thing (a download)

• Le téléchargement est terminé. = The download is finished.

• Le téléchargement du fichier a échoué. = The file download failed.

2. As the process (downloading)

• Le téléchargement est rapide. = The downloading is fast.

• Le téléchargement de l’application prend du temps. = Downloading the app takes time.

remercie

thanks, appreciate

e vous remercie
👉 Thank you (formal)

Je te remercie
👉 Thanks (informal)

écrivain

writer

faire parvenir

• to have something delivered / to send
  
  👉 Je ferai parvenir le dossier
  = I will send / I will have the file delivered

parvenir

to reach / to arrive / to succeed in doing something

It comes from the verb venir (to come), so it follows similar patterns.

🔥 Important uses of parvenir 1. 📍 To reach / arrive at a place

👉 Le colis est parvenu à destination
= The package reached its destination

2. 🎯 To succeed in doing something

👉 Elle est parvenue à résoudre le problème
= She managed to solve the problem

3. 📩 In formal/business French (like your sentence)

👉 faire parvenir = to send / forward (politely/formally)

Because it’s from venir:

👉 parvenir → est parvenu(e) (past)
👉 uses être in passé composé

Example:
👉 Le dossier est parvenu
= The file arrived

appartenir

to belong (to someone)
Ce livre appartient à Marie
= This book belongs to Marie

rédacteur en chef

Editor-in-chief

🔵 Breakdown:

• rédacteur = writer / editor

• en chef = in charge / chief

aussitôt que possible

Also “as soon as possible”, BUT…

👉 Tone:

• More formal / literary

• Slightly stronger sense of immediacy

dès que possible

“as soon as possible”

👉 Tone:

• Neutral

• Very common

• Works everywhere (spoken + written)

rendre

means to give something back to someone

• Requires a person (often with à / lui / me)

• Action = returning possession

👉 Il m’a rendu les livres
= He gave the books back to me

retourner

means:

• to go back

• to return (yourself)

• to turn over

👉 Il est retourné à la bibliothèque
= He went back to the library

👉 Le colis est retourné au magasin
= The package was returned (no focus on WHO received it)

raconter

to tell / to narrate

J’ai raconté une histoire
= I told a story

• ai = auxiliary (avoir)

• raconté = past participle

éteindre

to turn off / extinguish

Définitivement

definitely / absolutely / for sure

Je vais définitivement accepter ce travail
= I will definitely accept this job

faire parvenir

• to cause something to reach someone

• naturally translated as to send, deliver, or forward

Structure

• faire parvenir quelque chose à quelqu’un
  → “to send/get something to someone”

More examples

• Nous vous ferons parvenir les détails demain.
  → “We will send you the details tomorrow.”

• Elle a fait parvenir une lettre au directeur.
  → “She sent a letter to the director.”

parvenir

“Parvenir” is a French verb meaning:

• to succeed in

• to manage to

• to achieve

• sometimes to arrive/reach

Examples

• Il est parvenu à finir le travail.
  → “He managed to finish the work.”

• Elle est parvenue au sommet.
  → “She reached the top.”

• Je ne parviens pas à comprendre.
  → “I can’t manage to understand.”

malade

• malade ≠ sickness

• It means:

  • sick (adj) OR

  • sick person / patient (noun)

👉 “sickness” = la maladie

s’occuper de

to take care of / to deal with

Il s’occupe des enfants
👉 He takes care of the children

Je m’occupe de ça
👉 I’ll take care of that

gagner

• “won”

• or “earned” depending on context

Examples:

• J’ai gagné. → I won.

• Il a gagné de l’argent. → He earned money.

avoir peur de

because you are afraid of something.

Examples:

French	English
J’ai peur des chiens.	I’m afraid of dogs.
Elle a peur de parler.	She’s afraid to speak.
Nous avons peur de l’avenir.	We’re afraid of the future.

Acte de naissance

“birth certificate.”

Depending on context, it can also refer specifically to an official civil-record birth document issued by a government authority.

roman

novel
Example:

• J’ai lu un roman. → “I read a novel.”

cuir

leather
Example:

• veste en cuir → “leather jacket”

• sac en cuir → “leather bag”

conseil

“advice,” “tips,” or “recommendations” in English.

Examples:

• Merci pour vos conseils. → “Thanks for your advice.”

• Il donne de bons conseils. → “He gives good advice/tips.”

propre

1. Clean / tidy

• une chambre propre → “a clean room”

• mains propres → “clean hands”

2. Own / personal (depending on context)

• son propre style → “his/her own style”

• ma propre voiture → “my own car”

arroser

Meanings of arrose

• waters (plants, garden)

• sprays (with liquid)

• sometimes figuratively: “soaks” / “drenches”

Forms

• J’arrose → I water

• Il/Elle arrose → He/She waters

• Arrose ! → Water! (command)

Examples

• Elle arrose les plantes. → She waters the plants.

• Il arrose le jardin. → He waters the garden.

• Arrose-les ! → Water them!

ranger

Core meanings

• to tidy up / put away

• to organize / arrange

• to store neatly

---

Examples

• Je range ma chambre. → I tidy my room

• Elle range ses affaires. → She puts her things away

• Range ta table ! → Clean up your table!

---

Quick forms (present)

• Je range

• Tu ranges

• Il/Elle range

• Nous rangeons (notice the extra “e”)

• Vous rangez

• Ils/Elles rangent

---

Tip

That extra “e” in “rangeons” is there to keep the soft “g” sound (like “zh”) instead of a hard “g”.

linge

Main meanings

• laundry (clothes to be washed / already washed)

• linen (bedsheets, towels, fabric items)

---

Examples

• Je fais le linge. → I’m doing the laundry

• Le linge est propre. → The laundry is clean

• Le linge de lit → Bed linen

• Le linge sale → Dirty laundry

---

Useful expressions

• panier à linge → laundry basket

• étendre le linge → to hang out the laundry

---

Think of linge as anything fabric-related in daily household life.

noces (always plural)

Core meaning

• wedding / marriage ceremony (formal or literary)

---

Examples

• Les noces ont eu lieu hier. → The wedding took place yesterday

• Ils célèbrent leurs noces. → They are celebrating their wedding

---

Very common usage

You’ll often see it in anniversaries:

• noces d’or → golden wedding (50 years)

• noces d’argent → silver wedding (25 years)

---

Nuance

Compared to mariage, noces sounds:

• more formal

• slightly old-fashioned / elegant

---

prévoir

Meaning of prévue

• planned

• scheduled

• expected

It is the feminine singular past participle.

---

Forms

• Masculine: prévu

• Feminine: prévue

• Plural: prévus / prévues

---

Examples

• La réunion est prévue demain. → The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow

• Une sortie est prévue ce soir. → An outing is planned tonight

• La date prévue → The planned date

---

Tip

You use prévue when the noun it refers to is feminine (like réunion, date, sortie).

prête-moi

Meaning

• prête-moi → lend me

---

Breakdown

• prête → imperative (command form of prêter)

• moi → to me

👉 Together: “lend me”

---

Examples

• Prête-moi ton stylo. → Lend me your pen

• Prête-moi de l’argent. → Lend me some money

---

Important

The hyphen (-) is required in commands:

• Donne-moi (give me)

• Passe-moi (pass me)

• Prête-moi (lend me)

prêter

Core meaning

• to lend (give something temporarily, expecting it back)

---

Examples

• Je prête mon livre. → I lend my book

• Elle prête de l’argent à son ami. → She lends money to her friend

• Peux-tu me prêter ton stylo ? → Can you lend me your pen?

---

Structure (important)

prêter + quelque chose + à quelqu’un

👉 Je prête le livre à Marie.
(I lend the book to Marie)

---

Quick forms (present)

• Je prête

• Tu prêtes

• Il/Elle prête

• Nous prêtons

• Vous prêtez

• Ils/Elles prêtent

---

Don’t confuse

• prêter = to lend

• emprunter = to borrow

👉

• Je prête = I lend

• J’emprunte = I borrow

casser

Meanings of casse

• breaks

• is breaking

• or break! (command)

---

Forms

• Je casse → I break

• Il/Elle casse → He/She breaks

• Casse ! → Break! (command)

---

Examples

• Il casse le verre. → He breaks the glass

• Elle casse tout. → She breaks everything

• Casse ça ! → Break that!

---

Useful expression

• Ça casse. → It breaks / It’s breaking

• Casse-toi ! (informal) → Get lost! / Go away!

panne (feminine noun: la panne)

Core meanings

• breakdown / failure (machine, car, system)

• power outage

• something not working

---

Examples

• La voiture est en panne. → The car has broken down

• Il y a une panne d’électricité. → There is a power outage

• Mon téléphone est en panne. → My phone isn’t working

---

Very common expression

• être en panne → to be broken / out of order

👉 Je suis en panne d’idées.
→ I’m out of ideas (figurative use)

---

Tip

Think of panne as:
⚡ “something stopped working unexpectedly”

---

If you want, I can show you common verbs used with panne (like tomber en panne).

casser vs panne

Focus = the action of breaking

• means: breaks / is breaking

• it’s a verb

Examples:

• Il casse le téléphone. → He breaks the phone

• Ça casse facilement. → It breaks easily

👉 Think: the moment something gets broken

---

⚡ panne

👉 Focus = the state of not working

• means: breakdown / not working

• it’s a noun

Examples:

• Le téléphone est en panne. → The phone is not working

• La voiture est en panne. → The car has broken down

👉 Think: after it’s broken → now it doesn’t work

---

🔥 Key difference (this is the exam trick)

	casse	panne
Type	verb	noun
Meaning	breaking action	broken state
Focus	“it breaks”	“it doesn’t work”

briquet

Core meaning

• lighter (used to make a flame, e.g., for cigarettes or candles)

---

Examples

• J’allume le briquet. → I light the lighter

• Tu as un briquet ? → Do you have a lighter?

• Le briquet ne marche pas. → The lighter isn’t working

---

Related verb

• allumer → to light / to turn on
  👉 allumer un briquet = to light a lighter

---

Quick memory trick

briquet → 🔥 small fire tool

vide

Core meaning

• empty

  • Le sac est vide. → The bag is empty

  ---

  🔹 2. Hollow / void (more abstract or physical space)

  • Un espace vide → An empty space / void

  • Regarder dans le vide → To stare into space

  👉 Here it feels more like emptiness / nothingness

  ---

  🔹 3. Emotionally empty

  • Je me sens vide. → I feel empty

  👉 Used for feelings like:

  • loneliness

  • lack of purpose

  • emotional numbness

  ---

  🔹 4. Useless / meaningless (in some contexts)

  • Des paroles vides → Empty words (no real meaning)

  • Une promesse vide → An empty promise

  ---

  🔹 5. In expressions

  • à vide → without result / running empty

    • Parler à vide → to talk for nothing

  • faire le vide → to clear out / empty / mentally reset

c'est-à-dire

"that is to say", "in other words", or "meaning".

Examples:

• Je suis végétarienne, c'est-à-dire que je ne mange pas de viande.
  → I am vegetarian, meaning I don't eat meat.

• Louis XIII était le fils d'Henri IV, c'est-à-dire que Henri IV était son père.
  → Louis XIII was the son of Henry IV, in other words, Henry IV was his father.

In spoken French, you'll hear it a lot when someone wants to explain or clarify something:

• Il est bilingue, c'est-à-dire qu'il parle deux langues.
  → He is bilingual, that is to say, he speaks two languages.

A common abbreviation is "c.-à-d.", similar to "i.e." in English.

connaître vs reconnaître

connaître = to know, be familiar with

Used for people, places, things.

• Je connais Paris.
  → I know Paris / I'm familiar with Paris.

• Je connais Marie.
  → I know Marie.

• Tu connais ce livre ?
  → Do you know this book?

Present tense:

• je connais

• tu connais

• il/elle connaît

---

reconnaître = to recognize

Used when you identify someone or something you've seen before.

• Je reconnais Marie.
  → I recognize Marie.

• Tu reconnais cette chanson ?
  → Do you recognize this song?

• J'ai reconnu sa voix.
  → I recognized his/her voice.

Present tense:

• je reconnais

• tu reconnais

• il/elle reconnaît