Beginner French Language Study Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic numbers, days, months, interrogatives, standard conversational questions, verb conjugation groups (-ER, -IR, 3rd group), pronunciation patterns, determiners, auxiliary verbs, and foundational nouns.

Soixante-dix

The French number 70, literally formed by combining $60 + 10$.

Soixante et onze

The French number 71, literally formed by combining $60 + 11$.

Quatre-vingts

The French number 80.

Quatre-vingt-dix

The French number 90.

Cent

The French number 100.

Mille

The French number 1,000.

Jours de la semaine

The days of the week in French: Lundi (Monday), Mardi (Tuesday), Mercredi (Wednesday), Jeudi (Thursday), Vendredi (Friday), Samedi (Saturday), Dimanche (Sunday).

Mois de l'année

The months of the year: Janvier (January), Février (February), Mars (March), Avril (April), Mai (May), Juin (June), Juillet (July), Août (August), Septembre (September), Octobre (October), Novembre (November), Décembre (December).

Où

Question word meaning 'Where'.

Quoi / Qu'est-ce que…

Question expression meaning 'What'.

Quand

Question word meaning 'When'.

Comment

Question word meaning 'How'.

Quel / Quelle

Question word meaning 'Which' or 'What' (masculine/feminine).

Est-ce que…

Interrogative phrase used to form questions equivalent to 'Can I…' or 'Do you…'.

Comment tu t'appelles ?

Conversational question meaning 'What is your name?', answered with 'Je m'appelle…'.

Ça va ?

Conversational question meaning 'How are you?', which can be answered with 'Ça va', 'Ça va bien', or 'Je vais bien'.

Quel âge as-tu ?

Question meaning 'How old are you?', answered using the verb avoir: 'J'ai … ans'.

D'où viens-tu ?

Question meaning 'Where are you from?', answered with 'Je viens de / du…'.

Où habites-tu ?

Question meaning 'Where do you live?', answered with 'J'habite à…'.

First Group Verbs (-ER)

The category containing all French verbs ending in -ER (such as chanter, jouer, marcher), conjugated with endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Second Group Verbs (-IR)

Regular verbs ending in -IR (such as finir, punir, choisir), conjugated with endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

Third Group Verbs

The category of French verbs ending in -OIR, -RE, and irregular verbs, explicitly including 'aller' (to go).

Chanter

A first-group (-ER) French verb meaning 'to sing'.

Finir

A second-group (-IR) French verb meaning 'to finish'.

Jouer

A verb meaning 'to play' (e.g., 'vous jouez').

Marcher

A verb meaning 'to walk' (e.g., 'il marche').

Punir

A second-group verb meaning 'to punish' (e.g., 'ils punissent').

Courir

An irregular verb meaning 'to run', taking the form 'nous courons'.

Choisir

A second-group verb meaning 'to choose', conjugated in the nous form as 'nous choisissons'.

Final Consonant and 'E' Pronunciation Rule

When there is an 'e' after a final consonant, the consonant sound is pronounced; without an 'e', the final consonant is typically silent.

Diphthong 'oi'

A French letter combination pronounced with the sound 'wa'.

Vowel Combination 'au'

A French vowel combination pronounced with the sound 'oh'.

Vowel Combination 'ou'

A French vowel combination pronounced with the sound 'oo'.

Two Verbs Together Rule

A French grammar rule stating that when two verbs are placed together in a sentence, the second verb must be in its infinitive form.

Indefinite Articles

French indefinite determiners: 'un' (masculine singular), 'une' (feminine singular), and 'des' (plural).

Definite Articles

French definite determiners meaning 'the': 'le' (masculine singular), 'la' (feminine singular), and 'les' (plural).

Possessive Adjectives ('My')

French possessive adjectives for 'my': 'mon' (masculine singular), 'ma' (feminine singular), and 'mes' (plural).

Être

Auxiliary verb meaning 'to be', conjugated as: il/elle/on est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont.

Avoir

Auxiliary verb meaning 'to have', conjugated as: il/elle/on a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.

Aller

Irregular 3rd group verb meaning 'to go', conjugated in the singular present as: je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, and plural as: nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont.

Faire

Irregular verb meaning 'to do' or 'to make', conjugated with the subject pronouns je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles.

De la voile

French vocabulary term meaning 'sailing'.

Dire

French verb meaning 'to say'.

Une phrase

French noun meaning 'a sentence'.

En

French preposition meaning 'in'.

Un magasin

French noun meaning 'a shop'.

Un bureau

French noun meaning 'an office'.

Une plage

French noun meaning 'a beach'.

Un parc

French noun meaning 'a park'.

Une heure

French noun meaning 'an hour'.

Du vin

French noun meaning 'wine' / 'some wine'.

Contraction of 'à + le' (au)

Grammatical rule stating that the preposition 'à' (to) combines with masculine definite article 'le' to become 'au', while with feminine nouns it stays 'à la'.