6. Subject Pronouns / les pronoms sujets
|
Subject Pronouns |
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|
je |
/ʒə/ |
I |
nous |
/nu/ |
We |
|
tu |
/ty/ |
You (informal) |
vous |
/vu/ |
You (formal and plural) |
|
il elle on |
/il/ /ɛl/ /ɔ̃/ |
He She One |
ils elles |
/il/ /ɛl/ |
They (masc.) They (fem.) |
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
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Present tense of être /ɛtʀ/ - to be |
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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 She is One is |
il est elle est on est |
/il ɛ/ /ɛl ɛ/ /ɔ̃ nɛ/ |
They are They are |
ils sont elles sont |
/il sɔ̃/ /ɛl sɔ̃/ |
|
Past tense of être - to be |
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|
I was |
j'étais |
/ʒetɛ/ |
We were |
nous étions |
/nu zetjɔ̃/ |
|
You were |
tu étais |
/tu etɛ/ |
You were |
vous étiez |
/vu zetje/ |
|
He was She was One was |
il était elle était on était |
/il etɛ/ /ɛl etɛ/ /ɔ̃ netɛ/ |
They were They were |
ils étaient elles étaient |
/il zetɛ/ /ɛl zetɛ/ |
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 |
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|
I will be |
je serai |
/ʒə səʀe/ |
We will be |
nous serons |
/nu səʀɔ̃/ |
|
You will be |
tu seras |
/ty səʀa/ |
You will be |
vous serez |
/vu səʀe/ |
|
He will be She will be One will be |
il sera elle sera on sera |
/il səʀa/ /ɛl səʀa/ /ɔ̃ səʀa/ |
They will be They will be |
ils seront elles seront |
/il səʀɔ̃/ /ɛl səʀɔ̃/ |
|
Present tense of avoir /avwaʀ/ - to have |
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|
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 She has One has |
il a elle a on a |
/il ɑ/ /ɛl ɑ/ /ɔ̃ nɑ/ |
They have They have |
ils ont elles ont |
/il zɔ̃/ /ɛl zɔ̃/ |
|
Past tense of avoir - to have |
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|
I had |
j'avais |
/ʒavɛ/ |
We had |
nous avions |
/nu zavjɔ̃/ |
|
You had |
tu avais |
/ty avɛ/ |
You had |
vous aviez |
/vu zavje/ |
|
He had She had One had |
il avait elle avait on avait |
/il avɛ/ /ɛl avɛ/ /ɔ̃ navɛ/ |
They had |
ils avaient elles avaient |
/il zavɛ/ /ɛl zavɛ/ |
|
Future tense of avoir - to have |
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|
I will have |
j'aurai |
/ʒoʀe/ |
We will have |
nous aurons |
/nu zoʀɔ̃/ |
|
You will have |
tu auras |
/ty oʀɑ/ |
You will have |
vous aurez |
/vu zoʀe/ |
|
He will have She will have One will have |
il aura elle aura on aura |
/il oʀa/ /ɛl oʀa/ /ɔ̃ noʀa/ |
They will have They will have |
ils auront elles auront |
/il zoʀɔ̃/ /ɛl 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:
|
avoir chaud |
/avwaʀ ʃo/ |
to be hot |
être de retour |
/ɛtʀ də ʀətuʀ/ |
to be back |
|
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 |
|
avoir raison |
/avwaʀ ʀɛzɔ̃/ |
to be right |
être d'accord |
/ɛtʀ dakɔʀ/ |
to be in agreement |
|
avoir tort |
/avwaʀ tɔʀ/ |
to be wrong |
être sur le point de |
/ɛtʀ syʀ lə pwɛ̃ də/ |
to be about to |
|
avoir faim |
/avwaʀ fɛ̃/ |
to be hungry |
être en train de |
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ tʀɛ̃ də/ |
to be in the act of |
|
avoir soif |
/avwaʀ swaf/ |
to be thirsty |
être enrhumée |
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ʀyme/ |
to have a cold |
|
avoir sommeil |
/avwaʀ sɔmɛj/ |
to be sleepy |
nous + être (un jour) |
/ɛtʀ œ̃̃̃ ʒuʀ/ |
to be (a day) |
|
avoir honte |
/avwaʀ ʽɔ̃t/ |
to be ashamed |
|
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|
avoir besoin de |
/avwaʀ bəzwɛ̃ də/ |
to need |
|
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avoir l'air de |
/avwaʀ ɛʀ də/ |
to look like, seem |
|
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avoir l'intention de |
/avwaʀ ɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃/ |
to intend to |
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avoir envie de |
/avwaʀ ɑ̃vi də/ |
to feel like |
|
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avoir de la chance |
/avwaʀ də la ʃɑ̃s/ |
to be lucky |
|
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|
J'ai froid. I'm cold. Tu avais raison. You were right. Il aura sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight. Elle a de la chance ! She's lucky! Nous aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later. Vous aviez tort. You were wrong. Ils ont chaud. They are hot. Elles avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday. |
Je suis en retard! I'm late! Tu étais en avance. You were early. Elle sera d'accord. She will agree. Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday. Vous étiez enrhumé. You had a cold. Ils seront en train d'étudier. They will be (in the act of) studying. Elles étaient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave. 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 |
/œ̃̃̃/ |
|
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 œ̃̃̃/ |
|
Twenty-two |
Vingt-deux |
/vɛ̃ dø/ |
|
Twenty-three |
Vingt-trois |
/vɛ̃ tʀwɑ/ |
|
Thirty |
Trente |
/tʀɑ̃t/ |
|
Thirty-one |
Trente et un |
/tʀɑ̃t e œ̃̃̃/̃/ |
|
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 tœ̃̃̃/ |
|
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 tœ̃̃̃/ |
|
Two Hundred |
Deux cents |
/dø sɑ̃/ |
|
Two Hundred One |
Deux cent un |
/dø sɑ̃ tœ̃̃̃/ |
|
Thousand |
Mille |
/mil/ |
|
Two Thousand |
Deux mille |
/dø mil/ |
|
Million |
Un million |
/õ miljɔ̃/ |
|
Billion |
Un milliard |
/õ miljaʀ/ |
Note: French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French use septante, octante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70, 80, and 90 (though some parts of Switzerland use huitante instead of octante). 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.