Basics of French

This is a guide on the basics of French.

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Introduction To French

I have been trying to follow recommendations to foreign math and science texts. Increasingly, they are in French or are bad translations of French. So, I am beginning a study of this language to add to my other lifelong studies. I hope it helps you in some way.

Salutations

When you address a person you don’t know well, include the word monsieur, madame, or mademoiselle in your greeting. In French, the use of these words is considered part of everyday polite conversation. In writing, the words Monsieur, madame, and Mademoiselle are capitalized only when used before a name or title. In addition, Monsieur is often abbreviated before a name as M. Madame is abbreviated as Mme. Mademoiselle is abbreviated as Mlle.

The Numbers

Combien?-How many?

Use the phrase:

Il y a six crayons

Trouvez les differences - Find the differences

Il y a un professeur

Il y a deux professeurs

Dans votre salle de classe - In your classroom

Il y a vingt-trois cahiers dans la salle de classe

French words that have been borrowed into English are called cognates. There are over 10,000 such words currently. The meanings are often the same or identical. 

Que veut dire? - What is the meaning of?

Here are obvious cognates.

Visite, lampe, carrots, lettre, appartement, microphone, adresse, geographie, groupe, drame, enthousiaste, and calme.

Ecoutez bien - Listen well

Qui est-ce? Who is that?

C’est Suzanne It’s Suzanne

Et la, qui est-ce? And who is that over there?

La, ce sont Paul et Diane That’s Paul and Diane

Et qui est-ce a la table? And who is that at the table?

Je ne sais pas I don’t know

To ask who a person is, use Qui est-ce?

Qui est-ce - Who is it?

Use the phrase c’est to make an identification. The plural of c’est is ce sont.

C’est Delphine - This is Delphine

Ce sont Serge and Chantal - They are Serge and Chantal

In the negative, c’est and ce sont become ce n’est pas and ce ne sont pas

Ce n’est pas Paul - This is not Paul

Ce ne sont pas Suzanne et Chantal - They are not Suzanne and Chantal

To indicate that you do not know the answer, say je ne sais pas

Qui est-ce? Est-ce Chantal - Who is that? Is it Chantal?

Je ne sais pas - I don’t know

Introducing yourself - Je m’appelle Jason

Identifying and Specifying

Qu ‘est-ce que c’est? - What is this?

C’est un studio de television - It’s a television studio

Il y a des techniciens dans la salle - There are technicians in the room

Il ya a une camera - There is a camera

Les acteurs regardent le chien - The actors are watching the dog

In French, nouns are divided into two broad categories, masculine and feminine. Gender in French is a grammatical category and used to classify nouns that share certain patterns. You should learn the gender of each noun as you learn the noun itself. To do this, you will need to learn the articles.

The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article means a, an, or some. Un is used before masculine nouns, une before feminine nouns, and des before plural nouns of either gender.

Masculine - un personnage - des personnages

Feminine - une camera - des cameras

C’est un film americain - It is an American film

C’est une photo de Louise - This is a photo of Louise

Ce ne sont pas des photos d’Antoine - These are not photos of Antoine

The Definite Article

The definite article means the. Le is used before masculine nouns, la before feminine nouns, and les in the plural. Note that before a noun beginning with a vowel sound, le and la become l’.

Le studio - les studios

L’acteur - les acteurs

L’hotel - les hotels

La personne - les personnes

L’actrice - les actrices

L’histoire - les histoires

The Plural Substantifs

Noun plurals are usually formed by adding -s to the written singular form. See the examples in the preceding article charts. This plural -s ending is usually silent.

Le film - les films

Note the following plurals of compound nouns.

Un sac a dos - deux sacs a dos

Un bloc-notes - deux blocs-notes

Une salle de classe - deux salles de classe

To ask for identification of a thing, use Qu’est-ce que c’est.

Qu’est-ce que c’est? - What is that?

C’est un sac a dos - Its a backpack

Vocabulary

Un acteur - an actor

Une actrice - an actress

Un cinema - movie theater

Une femme - woman

Une histoire - story

Un homme - man

Un personnage - character

Un ami - male friend

Une amie - female friend

Un cahier - notebook

Une calculatrice - calculator

Un crayon - pencil

Un etudiant - male university student

Une etudiante - female university student

Un livre - book

Un mobile - cell phone

Un ordinateur - computer

Un portable - laptop

Un stylo - pen

Des - some

Le, la, les - the

Un, une - a/an

A bientot - see you soon

A demain - see you tomorrow

Au revoir - goodbye

Bonjour - hello

Ca va? How’s it going?

Ca va bien - I’m fine

Comment allez-vous? - How are you?

Comment t’appelles-tu? -  What is your name?

Comment vas-tu? - How are you?

Comment vous appelez-vous? - What is your name?

Enchante - Nice to meet you

Et toi? - And you?

Et vous? - and you?

Je m’appelle - my name is…

Je vais bien - I am fine

Merci - thankyou

Salut - hi or bye

Tres bien - very well

Aussi - also

Bien - well

Dans - in

De - of or from

Et - and

Il y a - there us or there are

La - there or here

Non - no

Ou - or

Oui - yes

Tres - very

Vocabulary In Context

These are my notes on vocabulary in context in French.

Spelling a word correctly in French requires using written accents, which are part of the spelling of some words. They cannot be omitted. To ask how to spell a word in French, say:

Comment secrit le mot? - How do you spell the word?

Qui sont ces personnes? - Who are these people?

Subject Pronouns

Just as in English, every French verb has a subject, the person or thing that performs the action of the verb. Subjects are singular or plural, as well as masculine or feminine. Sometimes the subject is not named specifically but is identified by a pronoun.

Je becomes j’ before a verb form beginning with a vowel sound.

J’adore Paris - I love Paris

French has two pronouns meaning you; the distinction is mostly one of politeness. Tu is familiar and informal. It is used with animals, young children, family, friends, and contemporaries in age and status. The plural of tu is vous.

Tu es Yasmine? - Are you Yasmine?

Vous etes Yasmine et Benoit? - Are you Yasmine and Benoit?

Vous is also used in more formal situations, to address a person with whom you are not well acquainted, who is older, or who possesses greater status. The plural form is also vous.

Vous etes M. Jackson? - Are you Mr. Jackson?

Vous etes M. et Mme Harvey? - Are you Mr. and Mrs. Harvey?

These guidelines are general and may vary according to situation, region, or social class. If you are in doubt, it is best to address a person using vous.

Il, elle, and elles may refer to both people and things. Note that French has no single equivalent of the pronoun it. Use il or ils to replace masculine nouns, use elle or elles to replace feminine nouns.

Le livre est sur la table! - Is the book on the table?

Oui, il est sur la table. - Yes, it is on the table.

Les comptines sont utiles? - Are comptines useful?

Oui, elles ont tres utiles. - Yes, they are very useful.

If you need to refer to both masculine and feminine nouns at once, use the pronoun ils.

Rachid, Yasmine, et Isabelle sont a l’ecole. Ils parlent ensemble. - Rachid, Yasmine, and Isabelle are at school. They are talking.

The meaning of the pronoun on depends on the context: one, you, people, we, they.

En France, on aime les mobiles. - In France, people like cell phones.

On va ou? - Where are we going?

Tout le monde is a singular expression meaning everybody. It takes the same verb form as il, elle, and on.

Tout le monde est la? - Is everybody here?

The Verb Etre(to be)

In French, the form of a verb changes depending on the subject.

Je suis Isabelle. - I am Isabelle.

Tu es Yasmine? - Are you Yasmine?

Vous etes M. Bouhazid? - Are you Mr. Bouhazid?

The verb etre can be followed by a name, a noun, an adjective, and many other kinds of phrases.

Je suis Yasmine! - I am Yasmine!

C’est un portable. - That is a laptop.

Il est intelligent. - He is intelligent.

C’est vrai. - That’s true.

Vous etes dans le classe? - Are you in the class?

When expressing someone’s job or profession in French, the indefinite article is not used after the verb etre.

Je suis institutrice. - I am a school teacher.

Il est professeur. - He is a professor.

French Greetings

Greetings
Bonjour        Hello
Salut, ca va?        Hi there!, Hows it going?
Ca va bien, Ca va mal        It is going well, It is going badly
Comment allez-vous?        How are you? (polite)
Comment vas-tu?            How are you? (familiar)
Tres bien, merci, et vous (et toi)?        Fine, thanks. And you?
Pas mal, merci, et vous (et toi)?        Not bad, thanks. And you?
Comme ci, comme ca.        So-so
Bonsoir        Good Evening
Bonne nuit        Good night (when departing)
Je m`appelle Suzanne.        My name is Suzanne
Comment vous appelez-vous?        What is your name?
Je m`appelle David.        My name is David
Enchante(e).     Pleased to meet you.
Merci beaucoup.        Thank you very much.
De rien.        You are welcome.
Au revoir.        Good-bye
A bientot.     See you soon.

Gender, number of nouns, and articles
A noun is a person, place, or thing. In French, all nouns are masculine or
feminine and singular or plural. The French definite article is used more
frequently than the is used in English.

Definite Article
The French definite article agrees with the noun in gender and number.
Masculine        le        les
Feminine        la        les
M & Fem            l'        les
before vowel
sound or
mute h

Masculine Nouns
Masculine singular nouns take the definite article le. The genders of French
nouns are hard to guess. You will learn them as you go along. Pronounce the
following nouns with their article.
le chat            the cat
le chien        the dog
le cinema        the cinema
le cours        the course
le football        soccer
le frere        the brother
le garcon        the boy
le livre        the book
le telephone    the telephone
le vin            the wine

Feminine Nouns
Feminine singular nouns take the definite article la
la banque            the bank
la boutique            the store
la chemise            the shirt
la femme            the woman, the wife
la jeune fille        the girl
la lampe            the lamp
la langue            the language
la soeur            the sister
la table            the table
la voiture            the car
Many feminine nouns end in -e, but please do not consider this a general rule.
The nouns in the following list do not end in -e, however, they are all
feminine. Most final consonants are silent in French. In the list below, only
the final -r is sounded.
la chaleur            heat,warmth
la croix            the cross
la distraction        the amusement
la fleur            the flower
la fois                the time(occasion)
la foret            the forest
la fourmi            the ant
la main                the hand
la nuit                the night
la radio            the radio

Masculine and Feminine Articles Before a Vowel Sound or Mute H
The definite article l' is used before all singular nouns, masculine and
feminine, starting with a vowel or a mute h. The -e or -a of the definite
article is dropped. When the noun starts with h, pronounce the vowel that
follows the h.
Learn the gender in parentheses for each noun. When you begin to attach
adjectives to nouns, it will be easier to remember their gender.
l'ami (m)            the friend (m)
l'amie (f)            the friend (f)
l'anglais (m)        English (language)
l'architecte (m,f)    the architect
l'emploi (m)        the job
l'energie (f)        energy
l'enfant (m,f)        the child (m,f)
l'histoire (f)        the story, history
l'homme (m)            the man
l'hotel (m)            the hotel
l'ile (f)            the island
l'orange (f)        the orange (fruit)
l'universite (f)    the university
l'usine (f)            the factory

Singular Nouns and the Definite Article
The definite article indicates a specific person, place, thing, or idea. It also
precedes nouns that are used in a general sense.
C'est l'amie de ma mere.    
That is my mother's friend.
Les Francais adorent le football et le cyclisme.
The French love soccer and cycling.
Remember: Le is used with masculine singular nouns beginning with a consonant;
la is used with feminine singular nouns beginning with a consonant; and l' is
used with both masculine and feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel and
for most nouns beginning with the letter h.

The Initial Letter H
The letter h is always silent in French. Words starting with the letter
h-l'homme, for example, are pronounced with the first vowel sound. This is
called a mute h. However, in front of some French words starting with h, for
historical reasons, the article does not elide the -e or -a. For example:
la harpe            the harp
le heros            the hero
la honte            shame
le hors-d'oeuvre    the appetizer
This is called an aspirate h. This h is also a silent letter; it is not
pronounced. French dictionaries show the aspirate h with a diacritical mark.

Learning the Gender of Nouns

Gender is linked to the noun word, rarely to the physical things or the person.
Always learn the gender of a noun with its article: le livre (the book), la
fenetre (the window). Genders of nouns starting with a vowel sound need to be
memorized separately.: l'age (m)(the age), l'hotel(m)(the hotel), l'horloge
(f)(the clock). Several rules can help you guess if a French noun is masculine
or feminine:
1. Nouns that refer to males are usually masculine nouns; nouns that refer to
females are usually feminine: l'homme (m) (the man); la femme (f) (the woman).
2. The ending of a noun can be a clue to its gender. Here are some common
masculine and feminine endings. Be aware of cognate nouns, which are close to
English in spelling and meaning.

Masculine    
-eau le bureau 
-isme le tourisme, l'idealisme 
-ment le moment, le department

Feminine
-ence la difference, l'existence
-ie la tragedie, la compagnie
-ion la nation, la fonction
-te la universite, la diversite
-ude l'attitude, la solitude
-ure la litterature, la ouverture

Watch out for exceptions: l'eau (f)(water), la peau (skin), le silence
(silence).
3. Nouns adopted from other languages are usually masculine: le jogging, le
tennis, le jazz, le basket-ball. Exception: la pizza.
4. Some nouns referring to people indicate gender by their ending. The feminine
form often ends in -e.
l'Allemand            the German (m)
l'Americain            the American (m)
l'ami                the friend (m)
l'etudiant             the student (m)
le Francais            the Frenchman
l'Allemande            the German (f)
l'Americaine        the American (f)
l'amie                the friend (f)
l'etudiante            the student (f)
la Francaise        the Frenchwoman (f)
Note that final d,n,s, and t are silent in the masculine form, as in the
examples above. When followed by -e in the feminine form, d,n,s, and t are
pronounced.
5. Some nouns that end in -e and the names of some professions have only one
singular form, used to refer to both males and females. In this case, the
article remains the same whether the actual person is male or female.
l'auteur (m)            the author
l'ecrivain (m)            the writer
l'ingenieur (m)            the engineer
la personne                the person
le professeur            the professor,teacher
la sentinelle            the guard, watchman
la victime                the victim 
In contemporary Canadian French and among some other French speaker, you may
also see or read a feminine form for a few traditional professions (la
professeure, l'ecrivaine, l'auteure).
For learner, however, it is best to continue using the masculine forms of these
nouns to refer to both males and females.
6. For certain nouns referring to people, the gender of the individual is
sometimes indicated by the article alone. Such nouns most often end in -e; the
spelling of the noun does not change when the gender changes.
le journaliste/la journaliste        the journalist
le secretaire/la secretaire            the secretary
le touriste/la touriste                the tourist

The Indefinite Article

The singular indefinite article in French, corresponding to a (an) in English,
is un for masculine nouns and une for feminine nouns. The plural of both forms
is des, roughly equivalent to some (though it is usually not translated as
some). Depending on the context, un/une can also mean the number one. 
Masculine        un        des
Feminine        une        des

Masculine Nouns

Pronounce the examples, learning the gender of each noun along with its article.
The indefinite article is the same for nouns beginning with a consonant or
vowel. 
un ami                a friend (m)
un autobus            a bus
un billet            a ticket
un dictionaire        a dictionary
un fauteuil            an easy chair
un hotel            an hotel
un jardin            a garden
un musee            a museum
un pianiste            a pianist (m)
un salon            a living room