• Vocabulary

    Days of the Week

    Les jours de la semaine Sunday – dimancheMonday – lundiTuesday – mardiWednesday – mercrediThursday – jeudiFriday – vendrediSaturday – samedi Notice that the days of the week are not capitalized in French as they are in English. Take the days…

  • Culture,  Lessons

    Au clair de la lune

    Maybe you have heard this French folk song. Au clair de la lune,mon ami Pierrot,prête-moi ta plumepour écrire un mot.Ma chandell’ est morte;je n’ai plus de feu.Ouvre-moi ta portepour l’amour de Dieu. By the light of the moon, the singer…

  • Grammar,  Lessons,  Vocabulary

    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…

  • Grammar,  Lessons,  Vocabulary

    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.…

  • Grammar,  Lessons,  Vocabulary

    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…

  • Grammar,  Lessons

    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…

  • Culture,  France,  Lessons

    Paris

    Paris (pa-REE) is the capital city of France and home to many famous French landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the renowned art museum, the Louvre. These attractions and its many lovely gardens and historic buildings combine…

  • Grammar,  Lessons

    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…

  • Grammar,  Lessons

    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…

  • Grammar,  Lessons

    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…