French 103 Unit 1 la Francophone

Salut

This is an informal French greeting that means both “hi” and “bye”

And it is used with friends, family, and people you know well, but not in formal situations.

For example:

____, mon ami! ça va which translates to “Hello my friend! how is it going!”

Bonjour

This is means “hello or good morning” and this is generally considered neutral (neuter) because it can be used in both formal and informal situations.

That is why it is appropriate when speaking to friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, or strangers.

Bonsoir

This means good evening.

This is generally considered neutral (neutre) because it can be used in both formal and informal situations.

This means its appropriate when speaking to friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, or strangers in the evening.

Au revoir

This means goodbye, and it is neutre which means it can be used in both formal and informal situations.

It means goodbye, and is appropriate when speaking to friends, classmates, teachers, coworker, or strangers.

Bonne Journée

This means “have a good day”

This is generally considered neutral because it can be used in both formal and informal situations. It means “have a good day” and is commonly used when saying goodbye to friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, or strangers.

Bone soirée

This means “have a good evening" and this is considered neutral because it can be used in both formal and informal situations.

So that means it is commonly used when saying goodbye to friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, or strangers.iC

Ciao

This means “Hi / Bye” and this is (familiar) an informal greeting and farewell commonly used between friends, family members, and people who know each other well.

It is sometimes used casually, especially by younger speakers to mean “bye”

Bienvenue

This means “welcome” and it is considered neutral (neutre) which means it can be used in both formal and informal situations.

It is used to greet or receive someone warmly, whether they are a friend, classmate, teacher, coworker, or stranger.

Comment ça va

This means “how are you” and it is (neutre / familiar) generally considered informal or neutral (so it can be used in formal or informal situations) bro its usually used with friends, classmates, family members, and people you know well.

it is a common way to start a casual conversation in French.

Comment allez-vous

This means “how are you” and it is (former / pluriel ) a formal expression.

It is commonly used with teachers, coworkers, strangers, older people, or anyone you want to address politely.

It is also plural, meaning it can address more than one person like “How are you all” or “how are you guys “ (plural)

Comment vous appelez vous?

This means “what’s your name” and it is (former/pluriel) formal expression in French.

It is commonly used with teachers, strangers, older people, or in profession situations.

This can also be plural (pluriel) so the expression can also be used when speaking to more than one person, for example “what is your names”

Comment t’appelles-tu or Comment tu t’appelles

This means “what’s your name” and it is (familiar) informal expression used to ask “What is your name”.

they are commonly used with friends, classmates, family members, and people of a similar age.

Both expressions use the pronoun “tu” which is the expression singular and informal.

Je m’appelle

This means “my name is” and this is considered neutral as it can be used in both formal and informal situations because it is simply the standard way to introduce yourself in French.

Therefore it works with friends, classmates, professor, strangers, and in a professional settings.

Tu t’appelles

This means “What is your name” and it is an informal French expression, and it is used when speaking to someone with the pronouns tu (you), which is typically reserved for friends, classmates, family members, or people of similar age.

It is considered informal because it uses the familiar form of address a person rather than the more polite and respectful vous (you) form.

This is commonly used in casual conversations when meeting someoen’s new in a relaxed setting.

For example, you might ask a classmate, ____ _____ _______ (what is your name), when introducing yourself and getting to know them.

Il / elle / iel / on s’appelle

The first one translates to “his name is” in English. It is used when talking about a male person and introducing or identifying him by name.

It is neutral, because it is a standard grammatical expression, it can be used in both formal and informal situations. For example, you might say “_ ______ Pierre” which translates his name is Pierre, when you are telling someone the name of a classmate, friend, or colleague. Because it is neither formal nor informal it is appropriate in most everyday conversations.

The second one translate to “her name is” It is neutrals, and is used when talking about a female person and stating her name. This can be used in both formal and informal settings because it is standard French. For example “___ _______ Marie” meaning her name is Marie.

The third one translates to “Their name is,” This is neutral and a gender neutral pronoun that combines the elements of il and Elle and is used by some French speaker for people who do not identify exclusively as male or female. Because it functions as a standard pronoun in sentences, it can be used in both formal and informal contexts. For example, _ ____ Alex means “their name is Alex” This expression is useful when referring to someone using gender neutral language.

The last one means “We are called” or “Our names are” in English, depending on the context. It’s a more informal and its most commonly means “we” in everyday spoken French. For example “___ ______ Sophie et Emma” means our names are Sophie and Emma. (Remember for this though it can also means “one” or refer to people in general, unlike “nous” which specifically means “we”)

Nous nouns appelons

This is a tends to be a formal French expression that means “We are called”

It is used when a group of people is introducing themselves together. Because it is the standard grammatical form of nous (we), it tends to be used in formal situations.

For examples ___ ____ _____ Paul et Sophie, it translates to our names are Paul and Sophie.

This is most commonly used in introductions and when identify a group by name.

Difference between Nous and On

The main difference is the level of formality. Nous means “we” and is consider more formal and grammatical. It is often used in writing, speeches, presentations, and formal situations. For example “Nous nous appelons Marie et Paul” (our names are Marie and Paul)

On can also mean “we” but it can also means “one” or refer to people in general. It tends to be more informal and is the way most native French speaker say “we” in everyday conversations, especially the younger generation. For example, “On s’appelle Marie et Paul” means “our names are Marie and Paul”

So nous is more formal and common in writing and formal speech,

On is more informal and common in everyday spoken French.

Vous vous appelez

This means “your name is” or “You are called” and it is formal.

It is used speaking to one person formally, and it can also be used when addressing multiple people.

it is formal because it uses the pronoun vous, which shows respect and politeness toward strangers, professor, elders, or people in profession settings.

For example “Vous vous appelez comment” means “What is your name”

Ils / Elle/ iels s’appellent

The first one translate to “their names are” and it is neutral and used when referring to a group of males or a mixed-gender group. It is used to introduce or identify multiple people by name. Because it is standard French, it can be used in both formal and informal situations. Example (___ _____ Marc and Julien translate to Their names are mark and Julien)

This translates to “their names are” it is neutral and used when referring to a group made entirely of females. It’s standard French so it can be used in formal and informal contexts. It’s used to introduce or identify multiple women or girls by name. Example (____ _______ Sophie et Claire) means their names are Sophie and Claire.

This translates to “Their names are” and it is neutral and it for gender-neutral plural pronoun iels. It is used by some French speaker to refer to a group of people in a gender-inclusive way. it can be used in both formal and informal situations. For example ___ ______ Alex et Sam (their names are Alex and sam)

Et vous

This translates to “And you” and it is formal. It is used to continue a conversation after answering a question yourself, especially during introductions.

The expression it considered formal because it uses vous, which shows politeness and respect when speaking to strangers, professor, elder, or people in a profession settings.

For example after saying Je m’appelle Emma you follow and ask “__ ___” to polity as for the other persons name.

Et toi

This translates to “And You” is it is informal (famiilier). It is used to continue a conversation after answering a question yourself, especially when talking with friends, classmates, family, or people your age.

The expression is considered informal because it uses too , which corresponds to the informal pronoun tu (you).

ça ne va pas (bien) / bof (familier)

The first part, is a standard French expression and it is neutral which means it is not especially formal or informal, and it translate to “I’m not doing well” or “Thing are not going well,” and it tends to be a appropriate response to “Commnent ça va?”

In contras the second phrase is an informal phrase (familiar)and it means “so-so” “meh” or “not great.” Since it is informal it is most commonly used in casual situations with conversations with friends or people you know well.

Pas mal

This translates to “not bad” in English and it is a standard French expression which means it is neutral, so it neither formal or informal. it can be used as a response to “Comment ça va” and is appropriate in most everyday situations.

It is important to know that even though this phrase contains a negative word (pas) it usually expressed a positive or moderate positive opinion such as “Pretty good”

Ça va

This translate to “I’m fine” and it is a standard French expression which means it is neither formal nor informal.

It is one of the most common expression in frnehc and it can be used in most everyday situations.

It is importat to know that this can be used as both a question and an answer.

ça va très bien / Super

The first phrase is a standard French expression (so it is neither formal nor informal) and it means “I’m doing very well” or “Thing are going very well” it is common used when answering how you are feeling. It is important to know that adding “très” means very, so it makes the response more enthusiastic and positive.

The second expression in somewhat informal but is is a very common expression that means “great” or “Awesome” and it is often used to show enthusiasm and happiness.

Levez-vous

stand up.

This is more formal because it uses vous.

Asseyez-vous / Vous Pouvez vous asseoir

Sit down/ you can sit down

Since both use vous it is more formal.

Trouvez un (masculine) nouveau (masculine) partenaire (referring to a male partner) ; Trouvez un nouveau partenaire; Trouvez une (féminine) nouvelle (feminine) partenaire (referring to a female partner); Trouvez une nouvelle partenaire

Find a new partner; Find a new partner

This is a formal command.

Je ne comprends pas / Je comprends pas

I don’t understand / I understand

It is used in informal settings.

je ne sais pas / je sais pas

I don’t know.

This is used in informal settings.

Je suis d’accord / Je ne suis pas d’accord

I agree / I don’t agree

This is a standard expression that is used to show agreement in both formal and informal situations.

Moi aussi / Moi non plus

Me too / me neither

These are appropriate in both formal and informal situations.

Et vous / Et toi

And you

The first one is used in more formal situations while the other one is more informal.

Vous pouvez répéter

Can you repeat.

This is used in more formal situations.

Comment ça s’écrit

How do you write that (how is it spelled)

This is used in both formal and informal situations.

Qu’est-ce que X veut dire

What does ___ mean?

This is used in both formal and information situations.

Comment dit-on X en anglais

how do you say ____ in English

This is used in both formal and informal situations.

Des petits groupes

small groups.

This is neutral (neutre) and appropriate in both formal and informal situations)

je peux aller aux toilettes

Can I go to the bathroom

This phrase tends to be used more in formal settings to ask a questions.

The French and how they create numbers

The French love math so much that they use arithmetic to create numbers.

Specifically in English, numbers follow a fairly straightforward pattern, such as (70 = seventy, 80 = eighty, 90 = ninety).

But in French some numbers are b built using arithmetic (so math that deals around additional, subtraction, multiplication, and division).

So:

70 means soixante-dix (which means “sixty-ten” = 60 + 10)

80 means quatre-vingts (which means “four twenties = 4 × 20)

90 means quatre-vingt-dix (which means “four twenties and ten” = 80 + 10).

So instead of creating unique names like “seventy” and “ninety” French often constructs larger numbers by combing smaller ones mathematically.

The Swiss Romans and Belgians have a simpler system.

Demi

This word translates to “half” or “one-half” and it is used to express fractions and portions of something.

For example, “un demi” means one-half (1/2)m and “une demi-heure” means half an hour.

When it is used before a noun, Demi usually agrees with the noun’s gender (so it must math its gender but it never takes an “s” to become plural, because you are only adding one half).

In fractions, demi is important because it represent diving a whole into two equal parts. For example, “un et demi” means one and a half 1(1/2), while “deux et Demi” means two and a half 2(1/2).

This is commonly used in time, measurements, recipes, and everyday conversation to indicate half of something.

How is Demi used in sentences

In addition to being used in fractions, where Demi translates to “one-half” it can also appear before nouns. When used before a noun, Demi agrees with the noun’s gender (demi or demie), but it does not normally take a plural form because it refers to a half unit.

Remember this is usually used as an adjective or fraction.

Examples of this relationship between Demi and nouns include:

1. une demi-douzaine (a half a dozen)

2. demi-frère (half brother)

3. demi-heure (half hour)

4. demi-pas (half step)

Moitié

This is a noun, that means “half” as one of two equal parts of a whole. for example, it can be used to say “the half of the cake” or “the half of the students”. Because it is a noun, it is often preceded by an article, such as la, and is followed by de when referring to what is being divided.

So example:

la moitié du gateau

la moitié des étudiants

Remember this word appears by itself or with an adjective (so a thing that describes or modifies a noun, for example a RED car, or a SMALL house, or a HAPPY student).

More examples of the uses of this word:

je te donne la moitié ( I’ll give you half)

il m’écoute à moitié (he’s half listening to me)

un verre à moitié vide ou à moitié plein (a half empty or half full glass)

à moitié fait (half done)

à moitié prix (half priced)

Nombre vs numèro

This answers the question of how many (specifically nombre), while numéro is a numerical identifier, like a telephone number or a house number.

Example:

Nombre pair = even number

nombre impair - odd number

nombre entier = whole number

nombre décimal = decimal

So you would use it in sentence like “she has a even number of people” (its telling you how many of a thing something has)

Compter

This is a verb (so an action word), and in French this means “to count” or sometimes “to intend / plan” depending on the contex.

When it is used to count numbers, it describes the action of listing numbers in order. For example, je compete jusqu’a dix means “I count to ten”, and, les infants competent leurs jousts means “the children count their toys”

Because it is a verb it tend to go after the noun it must be conjugated to math the subject

calculer

This means to calculate, and it means to express an action.

in French, this ranges from meaning “to figure our a mathematical results'“ or “To compute”. And this is used when someone preforms mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

For example, Je calculate le somme means “I calculate the sum” and Nouns calculus le percentage means “we calculate the percentage”

C’est quoi le total

This translates to the saying “What the sum”

le valeur & la moyenne

this translates to the “value” and the other word translate to “average'“

la soustraction

This noun translates to “subtraction”

It refers to the mathematical operation of taking one number away from another to find the difference. Unlike calculer this noun names the mathematical operation of taking one number away from another to find the difference.

So for example it can be used in this context “soustraire 4 à 10 vous donne 6” which means “subtracting 4 from 10 gives 6”

l’addition

This translates tot he mathematical operation of addition, and it’s a noun.

You can use it in the context of things such as:

"Additionner 5 et 7 vous donner 12”

translating to Adding 5 to 7 gives you 12.

la multiplication

This translates to the mathematical operation of multiplication, therefore it a noun.

You can use it in the context of things such as:

“Multiplier le chiffre par 6”

translating to “Multiply the number by 6”

La divison; le reste; remainder

This translates to the mathematical operation of diving, therefore it is a noun.

You can use it in the context of things such as:

“Diviser le nombre 32 par 8 vous donne 4”

Which translates to “diving the number 32 by 8 gives you 4”

The other words specifically _ _____ is the leftover amount after division/ so the remainder

And le ______ corresponds exîclty to the mathematical concept of the remainder.

irregular verbs

This is a verb whose past tense and past participle (we say this because those verbs in those forms are more frequently used to build compound tenses,—verb form made of more than one word, like an auxiliary form, such as “she has walked” however this irregularity also applies to its future and other tense conjugations) do not follow the neat patterns of regular -ER, -IR, or -RE verbs, you have to memorize their unique stems (this is the base of the verb that stays the same when you add endings for different subjects and tenses) and endings.

Être

This Is a common irregular verbs and it means “to be” and to conjugate it in the present tenses:

Je suis = I am

Tu es = You are

Il/Elle/On/ iel / est = He / She / We / they (nonbinary) are

Nous sommes = We are

Vous êtes = You are

Ils /Elles/ iels sont = They are (masc / fem / nonbinary)

Vous

This word means “you”

And it is used in singulier formal (so when you are talking to one person you do not know well in a formal situation )

And it is used in Pluriel formal (so when you are talking to a group of people you need to address formally) (example: when you are speaking to a group of people you need to address formally)

And it is also used in Pluriel familiar (so when you are talking to a group of friends or family members and it is used in informal situations ) (example: Hey guys, what are you all doing)

This is the mandatory word for “you’ whenever you talk to a group of people, or whenever you talk to one person formally (golden rule)

Tu

This translate to “you”

This is used only for one person while vous is used for two or more people; no matter your relationship.

Tu is used in informal situations where you are more close to the individual, while vous tends to be used in more formal situations.

On

This French word has two completely different meanings depending on the context:

So this means “One” (the general meaning) and it used to talk about people in general, or an unknown person. And their is also “Nous” which means “we” and it is used in everyday spoken French to mean “we” instead of the formal word nous.

So “On” meaning “one” is used when you are talking about people in general do, or when you don’t know exactly who did something

for example “on doit respecter la loi” translating to “One must respect the law”/ “people must respect the law” or for a unknown person “on a volé mon vélo” which translates to “someone stole my bike”

Than “On” meaning “Nous” or “We” in English is something that will be used most of the time in France, because it is used more casually, as French speaker alsmot never use the word nous for we they use on instead.

And example of its usage “On va au cinema” and this translates “We are going to the cinema”

La negation

This, which translates to negation, is the structured used to make a sentence negative, typically translation to “not” in English.

You use the “sandwich” rule using the two-part structure ne…pas to negative a basic sentence.

So you place ne directly before the conjugated verb and pas directly after it for example:

Je parle become je ne parle pas which translates from I speak to I don't speak.

Remember if the verb begins with a vowel (a, e, I, o u, and y) or a silent “h",” ne shortens to n’ (for example: J’aime becomes je n’aime pas)

Examples of this (Vous n’êtes pas timides = you are not scared) or (Nous ne sommes pas de Nice = we are not from nice)

Consonants; liaison

These are speech sounds produced by obstructing or restricting airflow through your vocal tract using your lips, teeth, tongue, or throat.

Remember that most written final consonants (so when a word ends in a _________) in French are not pronounced, for example (petit, the second t is silent, however when followed by a ‘e’, the “t” is pronounced as in petite)

However, the ________ C, R, F, and L are the most common ________ that are pronounced at the end of the word (this means, in French most _______ at the very end of the word are silent, so you do not say them, however, if a word ends in C, R, F, or L you usually do pronounce them)

We can remember this with the word, CaReFuL in English

Examples include: Chic, cher, chef, cheval

Normally, when a French word ends in a letter like S, that letter is completely silent, like the quiet S at the end of the word vous (which you just pronounce as voodoo). But if the very next word starts with a vowel sound, like avez, or the word for eyes, jeux, something happens called a liaison. (this is because the first word ends in a sleeping consonant and the next word starts with a vowel, the sleeping letter wakes up to bridge the gap so that the word slide smoothly together. So when that quiet S wakes up along side the vowel of the next word, it transforms into a buzzing Z sound. So instead of saying two separate words, they fuse together its one smooth sound, truing vous and avez into voo-zah-vay

Why a phrase would be neutral if the speaker address two people simultaneously

A phrase would be neutral if the speaker address two people simultaneously, and don't confused as in French if you want to address them with you, “Vous” is the mandatory plural form for “you” regardless of how close you are to the individuals.

So using first names introduces a friendly, neutral element.

Why a phrase would be formal if a speaker is addressing one person with you and they use vous.

A phrase would be strictly formal if the speaker is addressing a single person but chose the pronoun vous and the verb conjugation “allez-vous” instead of the infomal “tu / vas-tu” because the word “vous” is reserved for more formal situations, and because they aren’t forces to address them with vous since it the individual they are addressing ins’t plural, this would be a strictly formal situation.

What pronouns are

French pronouns are things that replace nouns to avoid repetition, these include:

1. Subject pronouns (so they are word that perform the action, such as Je (I), tu (you), il/elle (he/she)

   1. Example Elle parle français (she speaks French)

2. Direct object pronouns (these replace nouns receive the action, so it would lead to me, telling, le/la, nous, vous les)

   1. Example: Tu regardless la tele? Oui, je la regarde (are you watching TV? Yes, I am watching it)

3. Indirect object pronoun (these replace nouns answers “to whom” these include me, te, luv, nous, vous, leur

   1. Example: Je parle a Maire ( I’m talking to Marie) which turns to Je lui parle (I am talking to her)

4. Reflexive pronouns: these are used for actions done to oneself: including me, te, se, nouns, vous, se

   1. Object pronoun always go before the conjugated verb

      1. Nous nous lavons (translates to we wash ourselves)

What verb conjugations are

These are where a conjugation changes a verb’s ending to match the subject and the tense:

these include:

1. Regular verbs: these follow a strict partners based on infitne endings: -ER, -IR, -RE

2. irregular verbs: these do not follow patterns, but they must be memorized. These cinldue etre, avoir, aller, faire

3. Passé Composè: This is used for past actions and it combines a helping verb (avoir or eire) with a past partciple

Semantic group

This means putting words together because they share a similar meaning or belong to the same topic.

So this is basically the process of storing and organizing French words into categories based on shared meanings, common themes, or related concepts.

La Nourriture (Food and dining)

La nourriture (food)

Le petit-déjeuner; Breakfast

Le déjeuner: Lunch

Le dîner: Dinner

Le pain : bread

Le fromage : Cheese

Le fruit : fruit

Le légume : vegetable

L’eau (f) : Water

Le serveru / la serveuse : Waiter / Waitress

L’addition (f): The bill

À la Maison (around the house)

La maison : House

Le chambre : Bedroom

La cuisine : Kitchen

La salle de bain : Bathroom

Le salon : living room

Le lit : Bed

Le table : table

La chaise : chair

Le fenêtre : window

La porte : door

Les Transports et Le voyage (Transport and travel)

Le voyage : Travel / Trip

La voiture : car

Le train : Train

L’avion (m): Airplane

Le vélo : Bicycle

Le billet : Ticket

La gare : Train station

L’aéroport (m): Airport

L’hôtel (m): Hotel

La valise : Suitcase

Le travail (Work and office)

Le travail : Work/job

Le bureau : Office/Desk

L’ordinateur (m): computer

La réunion: Meeting

Le collègue : Colleague

Le chef : Boss/ manger

Le document : Document

L’e-mail (m): Email

Weather & Nature (Le temps et La Nature)

Le temps : Weather

Le soleil : Sun

La pluie : Rain

Le neige : Snow

Le vent : Wind

Le ciel : Sky

L’arber (m): Tree

La fleur : Flower

How you use an article to determine a the gender of a noun in French

In French, articles are one of the main clues used to determine the gender of a noun. Every noun is either masculine or feminine, and the article placed before it usually indicated gender.

For example, le and un are masculine article, while la and une are feminine articles.

Thus le livre (the book) is masculine, because it uses le, where're la mason (the house) is famine because it uses la.

Articles are importance because they impact other parts of the sentence, including adjectives and pronouns (since articles and pronouns cannot be placed infont of the same noun) which must agree with the nouns gender

What articles are in French; Definite articles ; indefinite articles; and how they work with vowels

in French, an article is a word that comes before a noun and helps identify its gender and number. Common articles include le, la, ‘l, les, and une.

Definite article (this is a world like “the” that goes before a noun to show that you are talking about a specific person, place, or thing.)

M or neutral:

Le : This means the “the” for a masculine singular noun (for example le chat = the cat)

Les : This means the “the” for any plural noun, masculine or feminine (for example les chats = the cats)

Indefinite articles (these are small words, equivalent to “a” or “an” or “some” in English, and these come before a noun to talk about something nonspecific or general thing)

M or neutral:

Un : This is used for Masculine singular nouns, and it means a or an (for example un chat = a cat)

Des : This is used for plural nouns of any gender and it means some, (for example des chats = some cats)

Definite articles (this is “the” in English and it refers to a specific noun)

F or neutral:

la: it is “the’ and it is used for nouns that are singular and feminine (for example la table = the table)

les: It is used for plural nouns and it used for both famine and masculine nouns (e.g., les table = the tables, les aimes the —female —- friends)

Indefinite articles (is the a / an / some and it reflexes to a general or non-specific noun)

F or neutral:

une : is used before singular feminine nouns (for example, une pomme = an apple)

des : is used before all plural nouns, masculine or feminine (e.g., des livers - some books)

how do definite and indefinite articles work with nouns that start ahead of a vowel

In French, definite articles change to l’ before a vowel (a,e,i,o,u which is called i grec) while indefinite articles do not change their spelling.

Therefore, le and la change to l’ before a singular noun that start with a vowel or a silent (h)

Remember the plural definite article “les” does not change its spelling in front of a vowel, but its pronouncaiton changes because of a liaison (when les sits before a word starting with a vowel sound, or a silent h, you pronounce the final s as a z sound. This blends the word les into the next word so they flow together smoothly)

Examples:

l’ami (the friend, and masculine)

Les amis (the friends) is pronounce lay-za-mee instead of separate words

The different French accents (diacritics) and their meanings; Accent Aigu; Accent grave; Accent circonflexe; Accent Tréma; Accent Cédille

Accent ____(Acute accent - é): Their usage appears only on the letter e. Its meaning is it changes the “uh” sound to a sharp “ay” sound. it mainly appears on past past particles of -er verbs. like parlé (spoken), and mangé (eaten). It replaces the -ty ending in English words with -té, such as université (university) and liberté (liberty). It is also used in words with the -e suffix (like cuillerée, a spoonful) and proper names like Amélie.

Accent ___ (Grave accent - à , è, ù ): Their usage is it appears on e, a, and u. It’s meaning and sound is on e, it makes an open “eh” sound (like in “set”). On a or u, it does not change the sound, instead it separates look-alike words (homonyms), for example là (there) versus la (the), or où (where), versus ou (or).

Accent _____ (Cricumflex - â, ê, î, ô, û); Their usage is it can sit on any vowel. It’s meaning and sound is it looks like a little hat, it really changes how a modern word sounds. It is a ghost from old French history, showing where a letter (usually an “s”) used to be. It also helps tell similar words apart. For example île (land, while used to be isle); mûr (ripe), versus mur (wall)

Accent ____ (Diaeresis - ë, ï, ü): Its usage is it two dots placed over a vowel. It’s meaning and sound is it tells you how to pronounce two touching vowels separately instead of bending them into one sound. Examples Maïs (corn) is pronounces “mah-ess” instead of blending like Mais (but, princes “meh”

Accent ____ (Cedilla - ç): Its usage is it is a tiny tail placed only under the letter C. It’s meaning and sound is the letter C normally sounds like a “k” before a, o, and u. The cedilla forces it to make a soft “s” sound instead. For example Garçon (boy) and fraçais (french)

les voyelles en français (the french vowels)

In French, the letters used as vowels are the same as in English : A, E, I, O, U, and Y. The standard French vowels include:

A - Pronounced like the “a” in “father” (e.g., chat)

E- pranced like the “a” in “about” or the “u” in nurse (e.g., le).

I - pranced like the “ee in “meet” (e.g., lit)

O - can be closed like the “o” in “go” or open like the “o” in glove (e.g.m porte)

U - This sound doesn’t exist in English. So make an “ee” sound with your tongue, but round your lips tightly like you are saying “oo”

Y - pronounced exactly like the French letter I (“ee”) when it stands alone or between consonates (e.g. stylo)

There is semi-vowels (Glides): These are when sometimes, the vowels I, U, and Y, act like consonants when they blend quickly into another vowel. (specifically when you pronounce vowels air flows freely through your mouth without your tongue, teeth, or lips blocking it. Semi-vowels share this exact physical property; your mother remains open without fiction or obstruction. However every syllable needs a loud, sustained center called a nuclei, which is almost always a full vowel. Semi-vowel do not form the center of a syllable; instead they function like consonants by sitting at the borders, therefore they must attach to a true vowel)

I - Sound like the English “y” in “yes” (e.g, bien)

U - turns into a sharp sound before another vowel (e.g., oui sound like “wee”

Y - often acts like a double “I” (e.g.m payer is pronounced pai-ier)

There is Nasal vowels (when vowels met M or N): This is when a vowel is followed by an M or N in the same syllable, the consonant becomes silent, and the vowel is spoke through the nose:

AN / EN/ AM / EM - pronounced like the “ah" in father but nasalized (e.g. band, Enfant)

IN / IM / AIN / EIN / YN - pronounced like the “a” in “cat” but nasalized (e.g., vin, train)

ON / OM - produced like the “o” in “no” but nasalized (e.g., bon)

UN / UM - produced like the “u” in fun bust nasalized (e.g., un)

The French consonants

French has 21 consonant letters in its alphabet (the ones that are not the vowels) and finial consonants are often silent due to historical sound shifts.

Remember that while ‘y’ functions as a vowel sound in many contexts, it is traditionally grouped in the constant letter set of the alphabet. Remember you do not pronounce the last consonant of a French word (like the s in les, or the t in chat) This habit comes from centuries of word simplification starting in Vulgar Latin and old French.

Over time, unstressed final vowels faded away, leaving final constant unsupported, which caused them to erode and fall silent in speech.

Unlike English, almost every French consonant, except r, is spoken closer to the front of the mount while your tongue stays tense, and plosive sound like p, t, k, have little to no initial puff of air (aspiration)

The production of Final Consonants and French Lisaon

As a general rule, final consents in French are silent, with key exceptions governed by C-R-F-l (CaReFuL):

C is usually produced

R is usually pounced

F is usually produced

L is usually produced

The French liaison Is the phonetic linking where a normally silent final consonant is proncued at the begging of the following word if that world starts with a vowel sound or a silent h. For example the proncuation shifts in Liaison include:

S and X sound like Z: les amis (lay-zah-mee), deus homes (duz-zohm)

D sound like t; un grand Enfant (un gron-tahn-fahn)

T sound like t: C’est un (seh-tuhn)

N sounds like nasal (n): un ami (uh-nah-mee)

French adjective

These are words that describe nouns and must change their form to match the gender and the number of that noun, and in French they are usually placed after the noun.

This includes categories like colors (examples: le liver vert the green book), shapes and nationalities (une femme américaine - an American woman), and relational (they classify a noun by linking it to another concept, for example “La chaleur solaire = the heat from the sun” or “un problème cardiaque = a heart problem) or participle adjectives ( these comes from a verb’s present or past participle and behaves like a regular descriptive adjective. For example “une porte fermée = a closed door” or une voyageur fatigué = a tired traveler”)

However, a small common group of a_______ goes before the noun. you can remember them with the acronym BANGS, so these include adjectives that describe:

B - Beauty: beau (beautiful), jolly (pretty)

A - Age: Jeune (young), vieux (old), nouveau (new)

N - Number: premier (first), deuxième (second)

G - Goodness: bon (good), mauvais (bad), meilleur (better)

S - Size: grand (big/ tall), petite (small), gros (big / fat)

Example: Une jolie maison (a pretty house), or un grand homme (a

Adjective formation (to allow the adjective to agree with the subject amount and gender); and irregular adjective formation

In French, adjectives must agree in gender (masculine / feminine) and number (singular and pleura), with the noun they modify and their formation follows a standard set of base rules and predictable irregular patterns.

Remember if an adjective that already ends in an “e” in its masculine and singular form uses the same spelling for both the masculine and feminine singular.

The rules:

If the noun is Feminine and singular:

add an -e to the masculine singular form (example blu - blue or grand - grande)

If the noun is Feminine and Plural:

add an -es to the masculine singular form

If the noun is masculine and singular you do not change the adjective because the masculine singular form is the base form in French grammar

If the noun is Masculine and plural:

Add an -s to the masculine singular form

However some adjectives are irregular which means some of these adjective change completely depending on the spelling when they are trying to agree with the noun, these include:

Masculine (beau) Feminine (belle) Meaning is beautiful

Masculine (nouveau) Feminine (nouvelle) Meaning is new

Masculine (vieux) Feminine (vieille) Meaning is old

Masculine (bon) Feminine (borne) Meaning is good

Masculine (blanc) Feminine (blanche) Meaning is white

However, remember that irregular adjective plurality:

For Feminine and plural: add -s

For Male that is plural:

Ending in -s or -x do not add anything

Ending in -eau add -x instead of -s

Ending in -ai add an -aux

How production of adjectives change based upon their agreement; and how plural adjectives production doesn’t change unless a liaison is present.

In French the pronunciation of an adjective changes when it shifts from masculine to feminine.

When you add an “-e” to make a masculine adjective feminine, it often “activates” a final consonant that was previously silent in the masculine form. For example, grand (masculine singular, produced “Grahn” with a silent d) becomes grande (feminine singular, produced “grahnd” where d is heard)

Remember there is no pronunciation change if the masculine singular form already ends in a silent -e. The pronunciation remains identical for both gender (for example rouge masculine / feminine sounds the same ) (also reminder that you do not produce a final “e” at the end of a French adjective even though its a vowel because it is a silent vowel if it is unaccented, and if the -e comes after a consonant, the final consonant is produced instead of the -e being hear)

When you are doing number changes (singular to plural):

The written plural markers (“-s” or “-es”) do not change the spoken pronunciation in regular adjectives so the plurals sound identical to singulars for example:

Petit and Petits sound the exact same

Petite and Petites sound the exact same

The plural markers are unpronounced unless resolved liaison, so when a plural word is filled by a work begging with a vowel sound or mute h, the normally silent plural -s or -x is produced as a z sound. (example: this would cause a distinction between the production of un grand arbre and de grands arbres)

CaReFuL

Regular verbs

These are action words that follow a predicable set pattern when you change (conjugate) them to match who is doing the action.

French divides ______ verbs into three clear groups based on their infinitive endings (is the base, unconjugated form of a verb, these include:

1. -Er verbs : the larger group where over 80% of French verbs and these. For example “Parler” means to speak

2. -Ir verbs: the Verbs that add an -iss- sound in plural forms.For example “finir” means to finish.

3. -re verbs: A smaller group of standard verbs. For example “Vendre” meaning to spell.

-Er verbs and their conjugations in the present tense

These verbs (which is one type of regular verb) makes up the largest group of regular verbs. They are called -er verbs because their infinite form (the unchanged, “to do something form” ends in -er, such as parler (to speak), or manger (to eat).

To conjugate in The present tense (Le Présent):

1. Je (I ) _____(verb) -e

2. Tu (you, informal) ______(verb) -es

3. il (he) / elle (she) / on (we) ____(verb) -e

4. nouns (we) ____(verb) -ons

5. vous (you & plural/formal) ______ (verb) -ez

6. ils / elles / i (they) ______(verb) -ent

Examples:

Je parle (I speak/ I am speaking)

Tu parles (you speak)

Il/ Elle/ On parle (he/She speaks)

Nous parlons (we speak)

Vous parlez (you speak)

Ils/ Elles parlent (they speak)

-Er verbs and their conjugation in the past tense (Le passé Composé) & The imperfect tense

When conjugating in this tense, this is used for completed actions in the past. It is compounded tense, meaning it requires two words: an auxiliary (helping) verb (usually avoir— to have), and the past particle of your verb.

Subject, the auxiliary verb, the past participle

Remember the auxiliary verb, is the present tense conjugation of avoir (to have)

And for the past participle, for -er verbs, you drop the -er and add -é

Conjugating in the Passé compose:

1. Je (I) ai (auxiliary verb) parlé. (I spoke / I have spoken)

2. Tu (you) as (auxiliary verb) parlé. (you spoke)

3. Il (he) / Elle (she) / On (One or we) a (auxiliary verb ) parlé (he/ she/ one spoke)

4. Nouns (we) avons (auxiliary verb) parlé (we spoke)

5. Vous (you, formal) avez (auxiliary verb) parlé (You all spoke)

6. Ils / Elles (they) ont (auxiliary verb) parlé. (they spoke)

regular -er verbs, the past particciple all you do is drop the -er and add -é.

The _______ tense is another past tense, but it is used for ongoing habitual actions, or description in the past (e.g., “I used to speak” or “ I was eating”)

To conjugate in this take the present-tense nouns form of the verb (for -er groups you remove the -er and add the -ons) drop the -ons ending to find the stem, and add the universal imperfect endings; these include:

1. Je / J’ ____(verb) - ais

2. Tu _____(verb) - ais

3. Il / Elle / on _____(verb) - ait

4. nous _____ (verb) - ions

5. vous _____(verb) -iez

6. ils / elles _____ (verb) - aient

Some exceptions to this is it is the only verb with an irregular stem. It doesn’t use the nous form; instead it’s stem is ét (j’ètais,tu étais, etc.)

For verbs ending in -ger and -cer keep spelling rules in mind for pronouncaiton:

For -ger verbs (like manger), add an e before endings that do not start with an i.

For example (je mangeais, tu mangeais, il mangeait, but not for nouns mangions, or vous mangiez)

For -cer verbs (like commencer), use a cedilla (je commençais but nouns nous commencions).

-Er verbs and their conjugation in the future tense; le futur simple

To conjugate regular -er verb in the French simple future tense you add specific future endings directly to the infinitive form of the verb.

Unlike the present tense, you do not drop the -er ending before conjugation. The infinite itself serves as you conjugation stem.

The endings used for the future tense are identical for all regular verbs, and these include:

1. Je _____ (infinitive -er verbs) -ai

2. Tu _____ (infinitive -er verbs) -as

3. Il / elle / on _____ (infinitive -er verbs) - a

4. nouns ____(infinitive -er verbs) -ons

5. vous ____ (infinitive -er verbs) -ez

6. ils / elles ____ (infinitive -er verbs) -ont

Examples:

Je parlerai ( I will speak)

Tu parleras (you will speak)

Il / Elle / On parlera (He / She / One will speak)

Stem changing -er verbs and how you conjugate them

These are stem-chaining verbs in French (often called ‘boot verbs”) which are regular verbs whose root or spelling changes form when you conjugate them. Despite, this root tweak, they are still considered regular -er verbs because they use the exact same endings as -er verbs when you conjugate them in the different tenses.

For these verbs the stem change happens for all singular verbs (je, tu, il/elle) and the third person plural (its / Elles). The nouns and vous forms do not change0

The 4 main types of stem changes verbs:

1. Verbs ending in -eler (like appeler - to call) you double the consonant (ll)

   1. J’appelle

   2. tu appelles

   3. il / elle appelle

   4. nouns appelons

   5. vous appelez

   6. ils / elles appellent

2. Verbs ending in -eter you double the consonant (tt)

   1. je jette

   2. tu jettes

   3. il jette

   4. nous jetons

   5. vous jetez

   6. ils jettent

3. When a verb has a silent e in its root syllable (like acheter- to buy or lever - lift), the “e” changes to a grave accent (è) inside the boot to force a short “eh” sound

   1. je achète

   2. tu achètes

   3. il / elle achète

   4. nouns achetons (no change)

   5. vous achetez (no change)

   6. ils / elles achètent

4. For verbs that have an é (acute accent) in the last syllable of the stem (like préférer to prefer, or répéter ) the accent flips to a grave accent (è) inside the boot:

   1. Je préfère

   2. tu préfères

   3. il / elle préférons (no change)

   4. vous préférez (no change)

   5. ils / elles préfèrent

5. For verbs ending in -yer, the y changes to an I inside the boot

   1. For example for enjoyer (to send):

   2. je envoie

   3. tu envoies

   4. il / elle envoie

   5. nouns envoyons (no change)

   6. vous envoyez (no change)

   7. ils / elles envoient

These changes all come down to pronunciation. This concept refers to French-stem chains verbs (like acheter, préféer, or appeler). In French, the language prioritizes a smooth, rhythmic flow called euphony (sounding pleasant and flowing). When a verb stem ends in a “weak” or “closed” vowel sound, and you try to add a complete silent ending (-e, -es , -ent) it creates a phonetic “dead end” that is difficult to pronounce cleanly. To fix this, French uses a stem change to open up the vowel sound, giving you enough vocal momentum to transition smoothly.

Regular -er verbs / stem-changing -er verbs

The difference between these types of verbs is usually the stem vowel, not in the endings, as for regular -er verbs when conjugating it the stem stays the same while for stem-changing -er verbs the spelling changes in some forms to preserve pronunciation.

However, in the present tense of both -er verbs and stem-changing -er verbs, the singular forms and the third-person plural are produced identically, leaving nous and nouns as the only forms that sound different.

aventureux (-euse)

Adventurous, and the can be an adjective

courageux (-euse)

courageous

énergique

energetic

impatient (-e)

impatient

patient (-e)

patient

enthousiaste

enthusiastic

fier (fière)

proud

généreux (-euse)

generous

responsable

responsible

possessif (-ive)

possessive

actif (-ive)

active

sportif (-ive)

active

sportif (-ive)

athletic

intellectuel (-le)