Expressions with AVOIR – soif
j’ai soif (zhay* SWAHF)** = I am thirsty In English, we use the phrase “I am thirsty” to let someone know we need a drink. In this sentence “am,” the being word, is used. To make the same statement in…
Expressions with avoir
Avoir (to have) is used in many common expressions in French. Some of these are quite different from English, so you must memorize them. 1. avoir chaud (a-VWAHR shoh)*- to be hot2. avoir froid (a-VWAHR frwah)- to be cold3. avoir…
Quelle est la date?
To ask, “What is the date today?” say:Quelle est la date aujourd’hui? To answer, we say:Aujourd’hui, c’est le jour numéro mois.eg.: Aujourd’hui c’est le lundi 6 février.Today is Monday, February 6. Another possibility:Aujourd’hui, c’est jour, le numéro mois.eg.: Aujourd’hui c’est…
Using Colour Words
In French the colour words come after the nouns that they describe. For example:une pomme rouge = a red apple (an apple, red) See if you can translate the following phrases: une tomate rougeun chien brunune banane jauneune carotte orangele…
Pronouns
Instead of having a separate pronoun such as it to refer to things, French uses il (he, it) to replace masculine nouns and elle (she, it) to replace feminine nouns. The book is black. It is black.Le livre est noir.…
What colour is it?
To ask what colour something is, use the phrase “De quelle couleur…?” What colour is the book?De quelle couleur est le livre? The book is red.Le livre est rouge. What colour is the cat?De quelle couleur est le chat? The…
More Than One
Most French nouns form the plural by adding “s” at the end, just like in English. Because this final “s” is not usually pronounced in French, The plural must also be indicated by the accompanying article. le or la becomes…
Asking Questions 4: Use Question Words
Another way to ask a question is to use one of these words or phrases: Qui = whoQu’est-ce que = whatOù = whereCombien de = how much, how manyQuand = whenComment = howPourquoi = why Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.com…
Asking Questions 3: Use Inversion
The third way to ask a question in French is by using inversion, or switching the verb and the subject. Manges-tu des bonbons? = Are you eating some candies?Parlez-vous français? = Do you speak French? When you use inversion with…
Asking Questions 2: Use est-ce que
Another way to ask a question is by placing est-ce que at the beginning of a declarative sentence. Tu manges des bonbons. = You are eating some candies.Est-ce que tu manges des bonbons? = Are you eating some candies? Elle…