la main (la MEH)* – the hand The French word for hand comes from the Latin word for hand – manus. English words that are related are manual (as in manual labour, which means working with your hands), and manuscript (something written by hand). * This pronunciation guide gives only a rough approximation of the real French sounds. Visit Nallenart … Read more
avoir peur de = to be afraid of The French phrase avoir peur de is another example of a French expression that uses avoir, to have, where English uses to be. Eg.: Robert a peur des araignées. = Robert is afraid of spiders. See if you can translate the following sentences. J’ai peur de ton … Read more
j’ai faim (zhay* FEH)** = I am hungry In English, we use the phrase “I am hungry” to let someone know we need food. In this sentence “am,” the being word, is used. To make the same statement in French, avoir (the having word) is used. The French phrase for “I am hungry,” j’ai faim, … Read more
French uses the verb avoir to tell how old someone is.
How old are you?
Quel âge as-tu? (kel ahzh* ah tyoo)**
I am ten years old.
J’ai dix ans. (zhay* deez ah)**
Read the question, then answer in French.
Quel âge as-tu?
J’ai…
* zh sounds like “g” in beige or “s” in measure.
** Please keep in mind that these pronunciation guides give only a
crude approximation of the actual French sounds.
For more work with AVOIR, download Nallenart’s Avoir Workpages.
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 French, avoir (the having word) is used. The French phrase for “I am thirsty,” j’ai soif, uses the having verb avoir. Even though this phrase literally means “I have thirst,” we would translate it as “I am thirsty,” because that is how we would say it in English.
This is what the different forms of this phrase look like in the
present tense.
| j’ai soif -I am thirsty |
nous avons soif -we are thirsty |
| tu as soif -you are thirsty |
vous avez soif -you are thirsty |
| il a soif -he is thirsty |
ils ont soif -they are thirsty |
| elle a soif -she is thirsty |
elles ont soif -they are thirsty |
For more work with AVOIR, download Nallenart’s Avoir Workpages.
It’s very likely that you have visited a public library in your community. Did you know that you can take a virtual tour of the National Library of France? Follow the link below to take a look inside this enormous library and see some of its treasures: http://www.bnf.fr/visiterichelieu/index.htm Sponsored by Nallenart. For more information about … Read more
French adjectives must change their forms depending on whether the nouns they describe are masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Usually the feminine form adds “e” to the masculine adjective. This can change the pronunciation of the adjective by causing the final consonant to be pronounced. The dog is small.Le chien est petit. (puh-TEE)The mouse … Read more
Écrire means to write. It is related to the English words scribe, script, and scripture. j’écris (zhay-KREE)* = I writetu écris (tyoo ay-KREE) = you writeil écrit (eel ay-KREE) = he writeselle écrit (el ay-KREE) = she writesnous écrivons (noo-zay-kree-VOH) = we writevous écrivez (voo-zay-kree-VAY) = you writeils écrivent (eel-zay-KREEV) = they writeelles écrivent (el-zay-KREEV) … Read more
Dire is an irregular verb meaning to say or to tell. The French word dire is from the Latin word dicere (to say) and is related to the English words dictate, diction, and dictionary. Note the irregular vous form! je dis (zhuh DEE)* = I saytu dis (tyoo DEE) = you sayil dit (eel DEE) … Read more
Now available! I am excited to announce that Nallenart’s French for Grade 9, L’Art d’ECRIRE, is now available. Download your free sample pages today! Sponsored by Nallenart. For more information about L’Art de lire and other products, visit our website: http://www.nallenart.on.ca