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French I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

     
Click on the play button to listen to the mp3s through Yahoo Media Player without having to download them. If
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French I Zip (20.95 MB) All flashcards and exercises will open in a new window.

French Language Tutorial is now available for purchase! French Language

Tutorial can be purchased as an e-book ($9.95) or paperback book ($24.95). All of
the original French tutorials (1-7) plus French phonetics and IPA transcriptions for
pronunciation, either in printer-friendly PDF format or as a coil-bound paperback,
shipped worldwide through lulu.com. Please visit the Store to order online.

If you're interested in buying other materials to supplement your French studies, I've recommended some books
from Amazon. Or if you'd like to take courses in France, try ESL Schools in Lyon.

1. Basic Phrases / les expressions de base

Bonjour Bonne nuit
Bonsoir
/bɔ̃ʒuʀ/ /bɔn nɥi/
/bɔ̃swaʀ/
Hello / Good day / Good Good night (only said when
Good evening
morning going to bed)
Salut Au revoir S'il vous plaît / S'il te plaît
/saly/ /ɔʀ(ə)vwaʀ/ /sil vu plɛ/
Hi / Bye Goodbye Please (formal / informal)

Je vous en prie.
Merci (beaucoup) De rien.
/ʒəvu zɑ̃ pri/
/mɛʀsi boku/ /də ʀjɛ̃/
You're welcome. (formal) / Go
Thank you (very much) You're welcome.
ahead.

Bienvenu(e)
Allons-y! A tout à l'heure
/bjɛ̃vəny/
/alɔ̃ zi/ /a tu ta lœʀ/
Welcome (also You're welcome
Let's go! See you in a little while
in Quebec)

A plus tard A bientôt A demain

/a ply taʀ/ /a bjɛ̃to/ /a dəmɛ̃/
See you later See you soon See you tomorrow

Pardon ! Excusez-moi !
Je suis désolé(e) /paʀdɔ̃/ /ekskyze mwa/
/dezɔle/ Excuse me! (pushing through Excuse me! (getting someone's
I'm sorry a crowd) / Sorry! (stepped on attention) / I'm sorry! (more
someone's foot) formal apology)

Comment allez-vous ? Je vais bien Très bien / mal / pas mal

/kɔmɑ̃ tale vu/ /ʒə ve bjɛ̃/ /tʀɛ bjɛ̃/ /mal/ /pa mal/
How are you? (formal) I'm fine. Very good / bad / not bad

Ça va.
Ça va ? Oui / non
/sa va/
/sa va/ /wi/ /nɔ̃/
I'm fine. (informal response to
How are you? (informal) Yes / no
Ça va ?)

Comment vous appelez-vous ? Tu t'appelles comment ? Je m'appelle...

/kɔmɑ̃ vu zaple vu/ /ty tapɛl kɔmɑ̃/ /ʒə mapɛl/
What's your name? (formal) What's your name? (informal) My name is...

Monsieur, Madame,
Enchanté(e) Mesdames et Messieurs
Mademoiselle
/ɑ̃ʃɑ̃te/ /medam/ /mesjø/
/məsjø/ /madam/ /madwazɛl/
Nice to meet you. Ladies and gentlemen
Mister, Misses, Miss

Tu es d'où ? / Tu viens
Vous êtes d'où ? / Vous venez
d'où ? Je suis de... / Je viens de...
d'où ?
/ty ɛ du/ /ty vjɛ̃ du/ /ʒə sɥi də/ /ʒə vjɛ̃ də/
/vu zɛt du/ /vu vəne du/
Where are you from? I am from...
Where are you from? (formal)
(informal)
 Tu habites où ?
Où habitez-vous ? J'habite à...
/ty abit u/
/u abite vu/ /ʒabit a/
Where do you live?
Where do you live? (formal) I live in...
(informal)

Quel âge avez-vous ? Tu as quel âge ? J'ai ____ ans.

/kɛl ɑʒ ave vu/ /ty ɑ kɛl ɑʒ/ /ʒe __ ɑ̃/
How old are you? (formal) How old are you? (informal) I am ____ years old.

Parlez-vous français ? / Tu
parles anglais ? Je parle allemand. Je ne parle pas espagnol.
/paʀle vu frɑ̃sɛ/ /ty paʀl ɑ̃glɛ/ /ʒə paʀl almɑ/̃ /ʒə nə paʀl pa ɛspaɲɔl/
Do you speak French? (formal) / I speak German. I don't speak Spanish.
Do you speak English?
(informal)

Comprenez-vous? / Tu
comprends? Je comprends Je ne comprends pas
/kɔ̃pʀəne vu/ /ty kɔ̃pʀɑ̃/ /ʒə kɔ̃pʀɑ̃/ /ʒə nə kɔ̃pʀɑ̃ pa/
Do you understand? (formal / I understand I don't understand
informal)

Pouvez-vous m'aider ? / Tu
peux m'aider ? Bien sûr. Comment ?
/puve vu mede/ /ty pø mede/ /bjɛ̃ syʀ/ /kɔmɑ̃/
Can you help me? (formal / Of course. What? Pardon?
informal)

Tenez / Tiens Je sais Je ne sais pas

/təne/ /tjɛ̃/ /ʒə sɛ/ /ʒən sɛ pa/
Hey / Here (formal / informal) I know I don't know

Il y a ... / Il y avait...
Où est ... / Où sont ... ? Voici / Voilà
/il i a/ /il i avɛ/
/u ɛ/ /u sɔ̃/ /vwasi/ /vwala/
There is / are... / There was /
Where is ... / Where are ... ? Here is/are... / There it is.
were...

Comment dit-on ____ en

français ? Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?
/kɔmɑ̃ di tɔ̃ __ ɑ̃ fʀɑ̃sɛ/ /kɛs kə sɛ kə sa/ /kɛs kil i a/
How do you say ____ in What is that? What's the matter?
French?

Ça ne fait rien. Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? Je n'ai aucune idée.

/sa nə fɛ ʀjɛ̃/ /kɛs ki sə pas/ /ʒə ne okyn ide/
It doesn't matter. What's happening? I have no idea.
Je suis fatigué(e) / Je suis
J'ai faim / J'ai soif. J'ai chaud / J'ai froid.
malade.
/ʒe fɛ̃/ /ʒe swaf/ /ʒe ʃo/ /ʒe fʀwɑ/
/ʒə sɥi fatiɡe/ /ʒə sɥi malad/
I'm hungry / I'm thirsty. I'm hot / I'm cold.
I'm tired / I'm sick.

Ça m'est égal. / Je m'en Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne

Je m'ennuie. fiche. t'en fais pas.
/ʒə mɑ̃nɥi/ /sa mɛ teɡal/ /ʒə mɑ̃ fiʃ/ /nə vu ɑ̃ fɛt pa/ /nə tɑ̃ fɛ pa/
I'm bored. It's the same to me / I don't Don't worry (formal /
care. (informal) informal)

Ce n'est pas grave. J'ai oublié. Je dois y aller.

/sə nɛ pa gʀav/ /ʒe ublije/ /ʒə dwa i ale/
It's no problem. / It's alright. I forgot. I must go.

A vos souhaits ! / A tes

Félicitations ! Bonne chance !
souhaits !
/felisitasjɔ̃/ /bɔn ʃɑ̃s/
/a vo swɛ/ /a te swɛ/
Congratulations! Good luck!
Bless you! (formal / informal)

C'est à vous ! / C'est à toi ! Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! Je vous aime / Je t'aime

/sɛ ta vu/ /sɛ ta twɑ/ /tɛze vu/ /tɛ twɑ/ /ʒə vu zɛm/ /ʒə tɛm/
It's your turn! (formal / Shut up! / Be quiet! (formal / I love you (formal & plural /
informal) informal) informal)

Tu me manques. Quoi de neuf ? Pas grand-chose.

/ty mə mɑ̃k/ /kwɑ də nœf/ /pa gʀɑ̃ ʃoz/
I miss you. (informal) What's new? Not a whole lot.

Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more
than one meaning to "you" in French (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is
used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when
talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to
show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more
than one person. Also notice that some words take an extra e, shown in parentheses. If the word
refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the e is added in spelling; but in most cases, it
does not change the pronunciation. To make verbs negative, French adds ne before the verb and
pas after it. However, the ne is frequently dropped in spoken French, although it must appear in
written French.

Don't forget to check out my video series on informal French expressions:

2. Pronunciation / la prononciation For a more in-depth look at French
pronunciation, try to the French Phonetics tutorial.

French Vowels
Phonetic General
IPA Sample words
spelling spellings
[i] ee vie, midi, lit, riz i, y
ee rue, jus, tissu,
[y] u
rounded usine
blé, nez, cahier, é, et, final er
[e] ay
pied and ez
ay jeu, yeux, queue,
[ø] eu
rounded bleu
lait, aile, balai, e, è, ê, ai, ei,
[ɛ] eh
reine ais
eh sœur, œuf, fleur,
[œ] œu, eu
rounded beurre
chat, ami, papa,
[a] ah a, à, â
salade
bas, âne, grâce,
[ɑ] ah longer a, â
château
loup, cou, caillou,
[u] oo ou
outil
eau, dos, escargot,
[o] oh o, ô
hôtel
sol, pomme,
[ɔ] aw o
cloche, horloge
fenêtre, genou,
[ə] uh e
cheval, cerise

[ɑ] is disappearing in modern French, being replaced by [a]. Vowels that do not exist in English
are marked in blue.

French semi-vowels
Phonetic Sample General
IPA
spelling words spelling
fois, oui,
[w] w oi, ou
Louis
[ɥ] ew-ee lui, suisse ui
[j] yuh oreille, ill, y
 Mireille
French nasal vowels
IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling
[ã] awn gant, banc, dent en, em, an, am, aon, aen
in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,
[ɛ̃] ahn pain, vin, linge
en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, éen
[œ̃] uhn brun, lundi, parfum un
[õ] ohn rond, ongle, front on, om

[œ̃] is being replaced with [ɛ̃] in modern French

In words beginning with in-, a nasal is only used if the next letter is a consonant.  Otherwise, the
in- prefix is pronounce een before a vowel.

French Consonants
ex + vowel egz examen, exercice
ex + consonant eks exceptionnel, expression
ch (Latin origin) sh architecte, archives
ch (Greek origin) k orchestre, archéologie
ti + vowel (except é) see démocratie, nation
c + e, i, y; or ç s cent, ceinture, maçon
c + a, o, u k caillou, car, cube
g + e, i, y zh genou, gingembre
g + a, o, u g gomme, ganglion
th t maths, thème, thym
j zh jambe, jus, jeune
qu, final q k que, quoi, grecque
h silent haricot, herbe, hasard
vowel + s + vowel z rose, falaise, casino
x + vowel z six ans, beaux arts
final x s six, dix, soixante (these 3 only!)

There are a lot of silent letters in French, and you usually do not pronounce the final consonant,
unless that final consonant is C, R, F or L (except verbs that end in -r).

Liaison: French slurs most words together in a sentence, so if a word ends in a consonant that is
not pronounced and the next word starts with a vowel or silent h, slur the two together as if it
were one word. S and x are pronounced as z; d as t; and f as v in these liaisons. Liaison is always
made in the following cases:
  after a determiner: un ami, des amis
 before or after a pronoun: vous avez, je les ai
 after a preceding adjective: bon ami, petits enfants
 after one syllable prepositions: en avion, dans un livre
 after some one-syllable adverbs (très, plus, bien)
 after est

It is optional after pas, trop fort, and the forms of être, but it is never made after et.

Silent e: Sometimes the e is dropped in words and phrases, shortening the syllables and slurring
more words.

 rapid(e)ment, lent(e)ment, sauv(e)tage /ʀapidmɑ̃/ /ɑ̃tmɑ̃/ /sovtaʒ/

 sous l(e) bureau, chez l(e) docteur /sul byʀo/ /ʃel dɔktoʀ/
 il y a d(e)... , pas d(e)... , plus d(e)... /yad/ /pad/ / plyd/

 je n(e), de n(e) /ʒən/ /dən/

 j(e) te, c(e) que /ʃt/ /skə/ (note the change of the pronunciation of the j as well)

Stress & Intonation: Stress on syllables is not as heavily pronounced as in English and it
generally falls on the last syllable of the word. Intonation usually only rises for yes/no questions,
and all other times, it goes down at the end of the sentence.

3. Alphabet / l'alphabet

a /a/ j /ʒi/ s /ɛs/

b /be/ k /ka/ t /te/
c /se/ l /ɛl/ u /y/
d /de/ m /ɛm/ v /ve/
e /ə/ n /ɛn/ w /dubləve/
f /ɛf/ o /o/ x /iks/
g /ʒɜ/ p /pe/ y /igrɛk/
h /aʃ/ q /ky/ z /zɛd/
i /i/ r /ɛʀ/
4. Nouns, Articles & Demonstratives / les noms, les articles & les demonstratifs

All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine.  For the most part, you must
memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which
gender a noun is.  Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending
with a consonant.  Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette are usually
feminine.

Articles and adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify.  And articles have
to be expressed even though they aren't always in English; and you may have to repeat the article in
some cases.  Demonstratives are like strong definite articles.

Definite Articles (The)

Masculine Feminine Before Vowel Plural
le lit la pomme l'oiseau les gants
/lə li/ /la pɔm/ /lwazo/ /le ɡɑ̃/
the bed the apple the bird the gloves
Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some)
Masculine Feminine Plural
un lit une pomme des gants
/œ̃ li/ / yn pɔm/ /de ɡɑ̃/
a bed an apple some gloves
Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those)
Masc. Masc, Before Vowel Fem. Plural
ce lit cet oiseau cette pomme ces gants
/sə li/ /sɛ twazo/ /sɛt pɔm/ /se ɡɑ̃/
this/that bed this/that bird this/that apple these/those gloves

If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of
the noun for this and these, and -là to the end of the noun for that and those.  For example, ce lit-
ci is this bed, while ce lit-là is that bed.

5. Useful Words / les mots utiles

It's / That's c'est /sɛ/ There is/are il y a /il i a/

There is/are voilà /vwala/ Here is/are voici /vwasi/
and et /e/ always toujours /tuʒuʀ/
but mais /mɛ/ often souvent /suvɑ̃/
now maintenant /mɛ̃tnɑ̃/ sometimes quelquefois /kɛlkəfwa/
especially surtout /syʀtu/ usually d'habitude /dabityd/
except sauf /sof/ also, too aussi /osi/
of course bien sûr /bjɛ̃ syʀ/ again encore /ɑ̃kɔʀ/
comme
so so /kɔm si, kɔm sa/ late en retard /ɑ̃ʀətaʀ/
ci, comme ça
not bad pas mal /pa mal/ almost presque /pʀɛsk/
book le livre /lə livʀ/ friend (fem) une amie /y nami/
pencil le crayon /lə kʀɛjɔ̃/ friend (masc) un ami /œ̃ nami/
pen le stylo /lə stilo/ woman une femme /yn fam/
paper le papier /lə papje/ man un homme /œ̃ nɔm/
dog le chien /lə ʃjɛ̃/ girl une fille /yn fij/
cat le chat /lə ʃa/ boy un garçon /œ̃ gaʀsɔ̃/
money l'argent (m) /laʀʒɑ̃/ job / work le travail /lə tʀavaj/

Note: The expression il y a is reduced to y a in everyday speech. When il y a is followed by a

number, it means ago.  Il y a cinq minutes means five minutes ago. Some common slang words
for money include: le fric, le pèze, le pognon, des sous and for job/work: le boulot.

6. Subject Pronouns / les pronoms sujets

Subject Pronouns
je /ʒə/ I nous /nu/ We
tu /ty/ You (informal) vous /vu/ You (formal and plural)
il /il/ He
ils /il/ They (masc.)
elle /ɛl/ She
elles /ɛl/ They (fem.)
on /ɔ̃/ One

Note:  Il and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and
elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person's name.  Ils and elles can replace plural nouns
as well in the same way.  Notice there are two ways to say you.  Tu is used when speaking to
children, animals, or close friends and relatives.  Vous is used when speaking to more than one
person, or to someone you don't know or who is older.  On can be translated into English as one,
the people, we, they, or you.

Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means
to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with
someone.
7. To Be & To Have / Etre & avoir

Present tense of être /ɛtʀ/ - to be

I am je suis /ʒə sɥi/ We are nous sommes /nu sɔm/
You are tu es /ty ɛ/ You are vous êtes /vu zɛt/
He is il est /il ɛ/
They are ils sont /il sɔ̃/
She is elle est /ɛl ɛ/
They are elles sont /ɛl sɔ̃/
One is on est /ɔ̃ nɛ/
Past tense of être - to be
nous /nu
I was j'étais /ʒetɛ/ We were
étions zetjɔ̃/
/vu
You were tu étais /tu etɛ/ You were vous étiez
zetje/
il était
He was /il etɛ/ ils étaient
elle They were /il zetɛ/
She was /ɛl etɛ/ elles
était They were /ɛl zetɛ/
One was /ɔ̃ netɛ/ étaient
on était

Note: Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of
pronunciation.

Future Tense of être - to be

We nous
I will be je serai /ʒə səʀe/ /nu səʀɔ̃/
will be serons
You will You will
tu seras /ty səʀa/ vous serez /vu səʀe/
be be
He will
be They
il sera /il səʀa/
She will will be ils seront /il səʀɔ̃/
elle sera /ɛl səʀa/
be They will elles seront /ɛl səʀɔ̃/
on sera /ɔ̃ səʀa/
One will be
be
Present tense of avoir /avwaʀ/ - to have
I have j'ai /ʒe/ We have nous avons /nu zavɔ̃/
You have tu as /ty ɑ/ You have vous avez /vu zave/
He has il a /il ɑ/ They have ils ont /il zɔ̃/
She has elle a /ɛl ɑ/ They have elles ont /ɛl zɔ̃/
 One has on a /ɔ̃ nɑ/
Past tense of avoir - to have
nous
I had j'avais /ʒavɛ/ We had /nu zavjɔ̃/
avions
You had tu avais /ty avɛ/ You had vous aviez /vu zavje/
il avait
He had /il avɛ/ ils avaient
elle /il zavɛ/
She had /ɛl avɛ/ They had elles
avait /ɛl zavɛ/
One had /ɔ̃ navɛ/ avaient
on avait
Future tense of avoir - to have
nous /nu
I will have j'aurai /ʒoʀe/ We will have
aurons zoʀɔ̃/
You will You will /vu
tu auras /ty oʀɑ/ vous aurez
have have zoʀe/
They /il zoʀɔ̃/
He will have il aura /il oʀa/ ils auront
will have
She will have elle aura /ɛl oʀa/ elles
They will /ɛl
One will have on aura /ɔ̃ noʀa/ auront
have zoʀɔ̃/

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

Common Expressions with avoir and Etre

Avoir and être are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:

/ɛtʀ də
avoir chaud /avwaʀ ʃo/ to be hot être de retour to be back
ʀətuʀ/
avoir froid /avwaʀ fʀwa/ to be cold être en retard /ɛtʀ ɑ̃ ʀətaʀ/ to be late
avoir peur /avwaʀ pœʀ/ to be afraid être en avance /ɛtʀ ɑ̃ navɑ̃s/ to be early
to be in
avoir raison /avwaʀ ʀɛzɔ̃/ to be right être d'accord /ɛtʀ dakɔʀ/
agreement
être sur le /ɛtʀ syʀ lə
avoir tort /avwaʀ tɔʀ/ to be wrong to be about to
point de pwɛ̃ də/
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ tʀɛ̃ to be in the act
avoir faim /avwaʀ fɛ̃/ to be hungry être en train de
də/ of
avoir soif /avwaʀ swaf/ to be thirsty être enrhumée /ɛtʀ ɑ̃ʀyme/ to have a cold
nous + être (un
avoir sommeil /avwaʀ sɔmɛj/ to be sleepy /ɛtʀ œ̃ ʒuʀ/ to be (a day)
jour)
avoir honte /avwaʀ ʽɔ̃t/ to be ashamed      
 avoir besoin /avwaʀ bəzwɛ̃
to need      
de də/
to look like,
avoir l'air de /avwaʀ ɛʀ də/      
seem
avoir
/avwaʀ ɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃/ to intend to      
l'intention de
avoir envie de /avwaʀ ɑ̃vi də/ to feel like      
avoir de la /avwaʀ də la
to be lucky      
chance ʃɑ̃s/
roid.  I'm cold. Je suis en retard!  I'm late!
vais raison.  You were right. Tu étais en avance.  You were early.
ra sommeil ce soir.  He will be tired tonight. Elle sera d'accord.  She will agree.
a de la chance !  She's lucky! Nous sommes lundi.  It is Monday.
aurons faim plus tard.  We will be hungry later. Vous étiez enrhumé.  You had a cold.
aviez tort.  You were wrong. Ils seront en train d'étudier.  They will be (in the act of) studying.
nt chaud.  They are hot. Elles étaient sur le point de partir.  They were about to leave.
avaient peur hier.  They were afraid yesterday. On est de retour.  We/you/they/the people are back.

8. Question Words / les interrogatifs

Who Qui /ki/

What Quoi /kwa/
Why Pourquoi /puʀkwa/
When Quand /kɑ̃/
Where Où /u/
How Comment /kɔmɑ̃/
How much / many Combien /kɔ̃bjɛ̃/
Which / what Quel(le) /kɛl/

9. cardinal Numbers / Les nombres cardinaux

Zero Zéro /zeʀo/

One   Un /œ̃ /
Two Deux /dø/
Three Trois /tʀwɑ/
Four Quatre /katʀ/
Five Cinq /sɛ̃k/
Six Six /sis/
Seven Sept /sɛt/
Eight Huit /ʽɥit/
Nine Neuf /nœf/
Ten Dix /dis/
Eleven Onze /ɔ̃z/
Twelve Douze /duz/
Thirteen Treize /tʀɛz/
Fourteen Quatorze /katɔʀz/
Fifteen Quinze /kɛ̃z/
Sixteen Seize /sɛz/
Seventeen Dix-sept /disɛt/
Eighteen Dix-huit /dizɥit/
Nineteen Dix-neuf /diznœf/
Twenty Vingt /vɛ̃/
Twenty-one Vingt et un /vɛ̃t e œ̃ /
Twenty-two Vingt-deux /vɛ̃ dø/
Twenty-three Vingt-trois /vɛ̃ tʀwɑ/
Thirty Trente /tʀɑ̃t/
Thirty-one Trente et un /tʀɑ̃t e œ̃̃ /̃/
Thirty-two Trente-deux /tʀɑ̃t dø/
Forty Quarante /kaʀɑ̃t/
Fifty Cinquante /sɛ̃kɑ̃t/
Sixty Soixante /swasɑ̃t/
Seventy Soixante-dix /swasɑ̃tdis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Septante /sɛptɑ̃t/
Seventy-one Soixante et onze /swasɑ̃t e ɔ̃z/
Seventy-two Soixante-douze /swasɑ̃t duz/
Eighty Quatre-vingts /katʀəvɛ̃/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Octante /ɔktɑ̃t/
Eighty-one Quatre-vingt-un /katʀəvɛ̃ tœ̃ /
Eighty-two Quatre-vingt-deux /katʀəvɛ̃ dø/
Ninety Quatre-vingt-dix /katʀəvɛ̃ dis/
(Belgium & Switzerland) Nonante /nɔnɑ̃t/
Ninety-one Quatre-vingt-onze /katʀəvɛ̃ ɔ̃z/
Ninety-two Quatre-vingt-douze /katʀəvɛ̃ duz/
One Hundred Cent /sɑ̃/
One Hundred One Cent un /sɑ̃ tœ̃̃ /
Two Hundred Deux cents /dø sɑ̃/
Two Hundred One Deux cent un /dø sɑ̃ tœ̃̃ /
 Thousand Mille /mil/
Two Thousand Deux mille /dø mil/
Million Un million /õ miljɔ̃/
Billion Un milliard /õ miljaʀ/

French switches the use of commas and periods.  1,00 would be 1.00 in English.  Belgian and
Swiss French use septante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70 and 90
(though some parts of Switzerland use huitante for 80 and octante is barely used anymore).
Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their
final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01,
02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 for cell phones. They are written
two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zéro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq,
quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.

Ordinal Numbers / Les nombres ordinaux

first premier / première

second deuxième / second
third troisième
fourth quatrième
fifth cinquième
sixth sixième
seventh septième
eighth huitième
ninth neuvième
tenth dixième
eleventh onzième
twelfth douzième
twentieth vingtième
twenty-first vingt et unième
thirtieth trentième

Note:  The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ième.  But if a number ends in an e,
you must drop it before adding the -ième.  After a q, you must add a u before the -ième.  And an
f becomes a v before the -ième.

10. Days of the Week / Les jours de la semaine

Monday lundi /lœ̃di/

Tuesday mardi /maʀdi/
 Wednesday mercredi /mɛʀkʀədi/
Thursday jeudi /ʒødi/
Friday vendredi /vɑ̃dʀədi/
Saturday samedi /samdi/
Sunday dimanche /dimɑ̃ʃ/
day le jour /lə ʒuʀ/
week la semaine /la s(ə)mɛn/
today aujourd'hui /oʒuʀdɥi/
yesterday hier /jɛʀ/
tomorrow demain /dəmɛ̃/
next prochain / prochaine /pʀɔʃɛ̃/ /pʀɔʃɛn/
last dernier / dernière /dɛʀnje/ /dɛʀnjɛʀ/
day before yesterday avant-hier /avɑ̃tjɛʀ/
day after tomorrow après-demain /apʀɛdmɛ̃/
the following day le lendemain /lə lɑ̃dəmɛ̃/
the day before la veille /la vɛj/

Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a
certain day, such as le lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and
they are not capitalized in writing.

11. Months of the Year / Les mois de l'annEe

January janvier /ʒɑ̃vje/

February février /fevʀije/
March mars /maʀs/
April avril /avʀil/
May mai /mɛ/
June juin /ʒɥɛ̃/
July juillet /ʒɥijɛ/
August août /u(t)/
September septembre /sɛptɑ̃bʀ/
October octobre /ɔktɔbʀ/
November novembre /nɔvɑ̃bʀ/
December décembre /desɑ̃bʀ/
month le mois /lə mwa/
year l'an / l'année /lɑ̃/ /lane/
 decade la décennie /deseni/
century le siècle /lə sjɛkl/
millennium le millénaire /milenɛʀ/

To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in "en mai."  With
dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month:  le premier mai but le
deux juin.  Also note that months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days
of the week).

12. Seasons / Les saisons

Summer l'été /lete/ in the summer en été /ɑ̃ nete/

Fall l'automne /lotɔn/ in the fall en automne /ɑ̃ notɔn/
Winter l'hiver /livɛʀ/ in the winter en hiver /ɑ̃ nivɛʀ/
le /lə au
Spring in the spring /o prɛ̃tɑ̃/
printemps pʀɛ̃tɑ̃/ printemps

13. Directions / Les directions

on the left à gauche /a goʃ/

on the right à droite /a dʀwɑt/
straight
tout droit /tu dʀwɑ/
ahead

North le nord /lə nɔʀ/ Northeast le nord-est /lə nɔʀ(d)ɛst/

South le sud /lə syd/ Northwest le nord-ouest /lə nɔʀ(d)wɛst/
East l'est /lɛst/ Southeast le sud-est /sydɛst/
West l'ouest /lwɛst/ Southwest le sud-ouest /sydwɛst/

14. Colors & Shapes / Les couleurs & les formes

Red rouge /ʀuʒ/ square le carré /kaʀe/

Orange orange /ɔʀɑ̃ʒ/ circle le cercle /sɛʀkl/
Yellow jaune /ʒon/ triangle le triangle /tʀijɑ̃gl/
Green vert / verte /vɛʀ/ /vɛʀt/ rectangle le rectangle /ʀɛktɑ̃gl/
Blue bleu / bleue /blø/ oval l'ovale /ɔval/
Purple violet / violette /vjɔlɛ/ /vjɔlɛt/ cube le cube /kyb/
White blanc / blanche /blɑ̃/ /blɑ̃ʃ/ sphere la sphère /sfɛʀ/
brun / brune /bʀõ/ /bʀyn/
Brown cylinder le cylindre /silɛ̃dʀ/
marron /maʀɔ̃/
Black noir / noire /nwaʀ/ cone le cône /kon/
Pink rose /ʀoz/ octagon l'octogone /ɔktogɔn/
Gold doré / dorée /dɔʀe/ box la boîte /bwat/
argenté /
Silver /aʀʒɑ̃te/ light clair / claire /klɛʀ/
argentée
Gray gris / grise /gʀi/ /gʀiz/ dark foncé / foncée /fɔ̃se/

Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that
also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bleu clair, noir foncé
remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun.  Remember to place the color adjective
after the noun.

15. Weather / Le temps qu'il fait

What's the weather like? Quel temps fait-il ? /kɛl tɑ̃ fɛ til/

It's nice Il fait bon /il fɛ bɔ̃/
bad Il fait mauvais /il fɛ mɔve/
cool Il fait frais /il fɛ fʀɛ/
cold Il fait froid /il fɛ fʀwɑ/
warm, hot Il fait chaud /il fɛ ʃo/
cloudy Il fait nuageux /il fɛ nyaʒ/
beautiful Il fait beau /il fɛ bo/
mild Il fait doux /il fɛ du/
stormy Il fait orageux /il fɛ ɔʀaʒ/
sunny Il fait soleil /il fɛ sɔlɛj/
humid Il fait humide /il fɛ ymid/
muggy Il fait lourd /il fɛ luʀ/
windy Il fait du vent /il fɛ dy vɑ̃/
foggy Il fait du brouillard /il fɛ dy bʀujaʀ/
snowing Il neige /il nɛʒ/
raining Il pleut /il plø/
freezing Il gèle /il ʒɛl/
hailing Il grêle /il gʀɛl/
It is ____ degrees. Il fait ____ degrés. /il fɛ __ dəgʀe/
Il pleut des cordes /il plø de koʀd/ is a common expression meaning it's pouring. Il caille /il kaj/
or ça caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it's freezing. And remember that France uses Celcius degrees.

16. Time / Le temps qui passe

What time is it? Quelle heure est-il ? /kɛl œʀ ɛ til/

It is... Il est... /il ɛ/
one o'clock une heure /yn œʀ/
two o'clock deux heures /dø zœʀ/
noon midi /midi/
midnight minuit /minɥi/
a quarter after three trois heures et quart /tʀwɑ zœʀ e kaʀ/
one o'clock sharp une heure précise /yn œʀ pʀesiz/
four o'clock sharp quatre heures précises /katʀœʀ pʀesiz/
twelve thirty midi (minuit) et demi /midi (minɥi) e dəmi/
six thirty six heures et demie /si zœʀ e dəmi/
a quarter to seven sept heures moins le quart /sɛt œʀ mwɛ̃ lə kaʀ/
five twenty cinq heures vingt /sɛ̃k œʀ vɛ̃/
ten fifty onze heures moins dix /ɔ̃z œʀ mwɛ̃ dis/
in the morning/AM du matin /dy matɛ̃/
in the afternoon/PM de l'après-midi /də lapʀɛmidi/
in the evening/PM du soir /dy swaʀ/

Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular
numbers, and not demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if
it is 18h30, you must say dix-huit heures trente. The word pile /pil/ is also a more informal way
of saying précise (exactly, sharp).

17. Family & Animals / La famille & les animaux

Family la famille /famij/ Niece la nièce /njɛs/

Relatives des parents /paʀɑ̃/ Nephew le neveu /n(ə)vœ/
les petits-
Parents les parents /paʀɑ̃/ Grandchildren /p(ə)tizɑ̃fɑ̃/
enfants
les grands-
Grandparents /gʀɑ̃paʀɑ̃/ Granddaughter la petite-fille /p(ə)tit fij/
parents
Mom la mère / / Grandson le petit-fils /p(ə)tifis/
 mɛʀ/ /
maman
mɑmɑ̃/
Stepmother/Mother-in- la belle-
/bɛlmɛʀ/ Godfather le parrain /paʀɛ̃/
Law mère
le père / /pɛʀ/
Dad Godmother la marraine /maʀɛn/
papa /papa/
le beau-
Stepfather/Father-in-Law /bopɛʀ/ Godson le filleul /fijœl/
père
Daughter la fille /fij/ Goddaughter la filleule /fijœl/
Distant des parents /paʀɑ̃
Son le fils /fis/
Relatives éloignés elwaɲe/
Sister la sœur /sœʀ/ Single célibataire /selibatɛʀ/
la demi-
Half/Step Sister /dəmi sœʀ/ Married marié(e) /maʀje/
sœur
la belle-
Sister-in-Law /bɛlsœʀ/ Separated séparé(e) /sepaʀe/
sœur
Stepdaughter/Daughter-
la belle-fille /bɛl fij/ Divorced divorcé(e) /divɔʀse/
in-Law
Brother le frère /fʀɛʀ/ Widower veuf /vœf/
le demi- /dəmi
Half/Step Brother Widow veuve /vœv/
frère fʀɛʀ/
le beau-
Brother-in-Law /bo fʀɛʀ/      
frère
le chien / la
Stepson/Son-in-Law le beau-fils /bo fis/ Dog chienne (m) / /ʃjɛ̃/ /ʃjɛn/
(f)
le chat / la
Twins (m) les jumeaux /ʒymo/ Cat /ʃa/ /ʃat/
chatte (m) / (f)
Twins (f) les jumelles /ʒymɛl/ Puppy le chiot /ʃjo/
Uncle l'oncle /ɔ̃kl/ Kitten le chaton /ʃatɔ̃/
Aunt la tante /tɑ̃t/ Pig le cochon /kɔʃɔ̃/
la grand-
Grandmother /gʀɑ̃mɛʀ/ Rooster le coq /kɔk/
mère
le grand-
Grandfather /gʀɑ̃pɛʀ/ Rabbit le lapin /lapɛ̃/
père
Cousin (f) la cousine /kuzin/ Cow la vache /vaʃ/
Cousin (m) le cousin /kuzɛ̃/ Horse le cheval /ʃ(ə)val/
Wife la femme /fam/ Duck le canard /kanaʀ/
Husband le mari /maʀi/ Goat la chèvre /ʃɛvʀ/
Woman la femme /fam/ Goose l'oie /wa/
Man l'homme /ɔm/ Sheep le mouton /mutɔ̃/
 un enfant /
Child (m) / (f) /ɑ̃fɑ̃/ Lamb l'agneau /aɲo/
une enfant
Girl la fille /fij/ Donkey l'âne /ɑn/
Boy le garçon /gaʀsɔ̃/ Mouse la souris /suʀi/

Note: Le gendre /ʒɑ̃dʀ/ is another word for son-in-law.

Slang words for people and pets:

The entire
toute la smala /tut la smala/ Sister la frangine /fʀɑ̃ʒin/
family
Grandma mémé / mamie /meme/ /mami/ Brother le frangin /fʀɑ̃ʒɛ̃/
Grandpa pépé / papi /pepe/ /papi/ Son le fiston /fistɔ̃/
Children des gosses /gɔs/ Aunt tata / tatie /tata/ /tati/
un gamin / une
Kid /gamɛ̃/ /gamin/ Uncle tonton /tɔ̃tɔ̃/
gamine
le cabot / /kabo/
Woman une nana /nana/ Dog
clébard /klebaʀ/
/mɛk/ /tip/
Man un mec / type / gars Cat le minou /minu/
/gaʀ/

18. To Know People & Places / connaitre & savoir

connaître-to know people /kɔnɛtʀ/ savoir-to know facts  /savwaʀ/

connais /kɔnɛ/ connaissons /kɔnɛsɔ̃/ sais /sɛ/ savons /savɔ̃/
connais /kɔnɛ/ connaissez /kɔnɛse/ sais /sɛ/ savez /save/
connaît /kɔnɛ/ connaissent /kɔnɛs/ sait /sɛ/ savent /sav/

Connaître is used when you know (are familiar with) people, places, food, movies, books, etc.
and savoir is used when you know facts.  When savoir is followed by an infinitive it means to
know how.
There is another form of savoir commonly used in the expressions que je sache that I know (of)
and pas que je sache not that I know (of).

Je connais ton frère.  I know your brother.

Je sais que ton frère s'appelle Jean.  I know that your brother is named John.
Connaissez-vous Grenoble ?  Do you know (Are you familiar with) Grenoble? / Have you ever
been to Grenoble?
Oui, nous connaissons Grenoble.  Yes, we know (are familiar with) Grenoble. / Yes, we've
been to Grenoble.
Tu sais où Grenoble se trouve.  You know where Grenoble is located.
Ils savent nager.  They know how to swim.
Connaître can be translated several ways into English:
Tu connais le film, Les Enfants ? Have you seen the film, Les Enfants?
Tu connais Lyon ? Have you ever been to Lyon?
Tu connais la tartiflette ? Have you ever eaten tartiflette?

19. Formation of Plural Nouns / la formation des noms pluriels

To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s (which is not

pronounced). Sing. Plural
But there are some exceptions:
If a noun already ends in an -s, add nothing. bus(es) le bus les bus
If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. boat(s) le bateau les bateaux
If a masculine noun ends in -al or -ail, change it to -aux. horse(s) le cheval les chevaux
Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s. knee(s) le genou les genoux

Exceptions: festival, carnaval, bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s. There are
only seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, pou,
joujou, hibou. There are, of course, some irregular exceptions:  un œil (eye) - des yeux (eyes);
le ciel (sky) - les cieux (skies); and un jeune homme (a young man) - des jeunes gens (young
men).

Notice that the only time the pronunciation will change in the plural form is for masculine nouns
that change -al or -ail to -aux and for the irregular forms. All other nouns are pronounced the
same in the singular and the plural - it is only the article that changes pronunciation (le, la, l' to
les).

20. Possessive Adjectives / les adjectifs possessifs

Masc. Fem. Plural

My mon /mɔ̃/ ma /ma/ mes /mɛ/
Your ton /tɔ̃/ ta /ta/ tes /tɛ/
His/Her/Its son /sɔ̃/ sa /sa/ ses /sɛ/
Our notre /nɔtʀ/ notre /nɔtʀ/ nos /no/
Your votre /vɔtʀ/ votre /vɔtʀ/ vos /vo/
Their leur /lœʀ/ leur /lœʀ/ leurs /lœʀ/
Possessive pronouns go before the noun.  When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, you must
use the masculine form of the pronoun for ease of pronunciation.  Ma amie is incorrect and must
be mon amie, even though amie is feminine. Remember that adjectives agree with the noun in
gender and number, not the possessor! Sa mère can mean his mother or her mother even though
sa is the feminine form, because it agrees with mère and not the possessor (his or her).

C'est ma mère et mon père.  This is my mother and my father.

Ce sont vos petits-enfants ?  These are your grandchildren?
Mes parents sont divorcés.  My parents are divorced.
Sa grand-mère est veuve.  His grandmother is a widow.
Notre frère est marié, mais notre sœur est célibataire.  Our brother is married, but our sister is
single.
Ton oncle est architecte, n'est-ce pas ?  Your uncle is an architect, isn't he?
Leurs cousines sont néerlandaises.  Their cousins are Dutch.

Go on to French II →

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