Collins Easy Learning French Grammar (Gnv64)

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Collins French

Crammar

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Maree

Airlie

CONTRIBUTORS

WendyLee Cadlle Amiot-Cadey Di Larkin We would like to give special thanks to Di Larkin, Foreign Languages Consultant, and Irene Muir, Faculty Head, Belmont House School, for all their advice on

teaching practice in today's classroom.

Their contributions have been invaluable in the writing of this book.

CONTENTS Foreword for language teachers

V

Introduction for students Glossary of grammar terms

vi vill

Nouns

1

Using nouns Gender Forming plurals

1

2 9

Articles Different types of article The definite article: le, la, l' and les The indefinite article: un, une and des The partitive article: du, de la, de l'and des

Adjectives

't9 22 25

Using adjectives Making adiectives agree Word order with adjectives Comparatives and superlatives of adjectives Demonstrative adjectives: ce, cette, cet and ces Possessive adjectives Indefinite adjectives

Pronouns Personal pronouns: subject Personal pronouns: direct object Personal pronouns: indirect object

12 12 13

25

27 32 34 37 39

4'l

42 43 .

47 49

Emphatic pronouns

51

Possessive pronouns

54 56

en and y Using different types of pronoun together Indefinite pronouns Relative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns Verbs The three coniugations The present tense The present tense: regular -er (first conjugation) verbs The present tense: regular -ir (second conjugation) verbs The present tense: regular -re (third conjugation) verbs The present tense: spelling changes in -er verbs The present tense: irregular verbs The imperative Reflexive verbs

59 60 62 65

69 69 71

72 74 76 78

82 85

88

The imperfect tense The future tense The conditional The perfect tense The pluperfect tense The passive The present participle

92 98 105

lmpersonal verbs The subjunctive

127

Verbs followed by an infinitive

133

Other uses of the infinitive

"t37

111

1't9 122

12s 129

Negatives

138

Questions How to ask a question in French

142

Question words

Adverbs How adverbs are used How adverbs are formed Comparatives and superlatives of adverbs Some common adverbs Word order with adverbs Prepositions How prepositions are used i, de and en Some other common prepositions Prepositions consisting of more than one word Prepositions after verbs Prepositions after adjectives

Conjunctions

et mais, ou, parce que and si Some other common conjunctions The conjunction que

142 146 ',52

1s2

The fosy Leorning French Crommar is designed to be used with both young and adult learners, as a group reference book to complement your course book during classes, or as a recommended text for self-study and homework/coursework. The text specifically targets learners from ab initio to intermediate or CCSE level, and therefore its structural content and vocabulary have been matched to the relevant specifications up to and including Higher CCSE. The approach aims to develop knowledge and understanding of grammar and your learners' ability to apply it by:

r

155 157 160

defining parts of speech at the start of each major section with examples in English to clarify concepts

e minimizing the use of grammar terminology and providing clear explanations of terms both within the text and in the Glossary

'152

o illustrating all points with examples (and their translations) based on topics and contexts which are relevant to beginner and intermediate course content

162

The text helps you develop positive attitudes to grammar learning in your

162 163

classes by:

17'l

177

178 183 "184

184 186 187

Numbers

188

Time and date Some common difficulties The alphabet Main index

190 193

Verb tables Verb index

FOREWORD FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

198

199 1-94 95-105

Note on trademarks Entered words which we have reason to believe constitute trademarks have been designated as such. However, neither the presence nor the absence of such designation should be regarded as affecting the legal status of any trademark.

o giving clear, easy-to-follow explanations o prioritizing content according to relevant specifications for the . sequencing points to reflect course content, e.g. verb tenses o highlighting useful Tips to deal with common difficulties

.

levels

summarizing Key points at the end of sections to consolidate learning

In addition to fostering success and building a thorough foundation in French grammar, the optional Grammar Extra sections will encourage and challenge your learners to further their studies to higher and advanced levels.

INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS Whether you are starting to learn French for the very first time, brushing up on topics you have studied in class, or revising for your CCSE exams, the fosy Leorning French Grommor is here to help. This easy-to-use guide takes you through all the basics you will need to speak and understand modern, everyday French. Newcomers can sometimes struggle with the technical terms they come across when they start to explore the grammar of a new language. fhe Eosy Leorning French Crammor explains how to get to grips with all the parts of speech you will need to know, using simple language and cutting out jargon. The text is divided into sections, each dealing with a particular area of grammar. Each section can be studied individually, as numerous crossreferences in the text point you to relevant points in other sections of the book

for further information. Every major section begins with an explanation of the area of grammar covered on the following pages. For quick reference, these definitions are also collected together on pages viii-xii in a glossary of essential grammar terms.

What is a verb? A verb is a 'doing' word which describes what someone or something does, what someone or something is, or what happens to them, for

rtp lf you are in doubt as to which form of you use vous and you will not offend anybody.

to

use,

it

is safest

to

Key points sum up all the important facts about a particular area of grammar, to save you time when you are revising and help you focus on the main

grammatical points.

y'

y' y' y' (

Key points

Wittr masculine singular nouns Witn feminine singular nouns witn plural nouns r use des. un, une and des sentences.

*

+ use un. i use une.

change to de or

d'in

negative

tne indefinite article is not usually used when you say what jobs people do, or in exclamations with quel.

lf you think you would like to continue with your French studies to a higher level, check out the Grammar Extra sections. These are intended for advanced students who are interested in knowing a little more about the structures they will come across beyond CCSE.

exampfe, be, sing, live.

Orammar Extra! Each grammar point in the text is followed by simple examples of real French, complete with English translations, helping you understand the rules. Underlining has been used in examples throughout the text to highlight the grammatical point being explained.

l

lf you are talking about a part of your body, you usually use a word like my or his in English, but in French you usually use the definite article.

Tourne la tete i gauche. ll s'est cass6 le bras. J'ai mal d la gorge.

Turn your head to the left. He's broken his arm. l've got a sore throat.

ln French, as with any foreign language, there are certain pitfalls which have to be avoided. Tips and Information notes throughout the text are useful reminders of the things that often trip learners up.

lf you want to use an adjective after quelque chose, rien, quelqu'un and personne, you link the words with de. quelqu'un d'important someone important quelque chose gl'int6ressant something interesting rien d'amusant nothing funny

Finally, the supplement at the end of the book contains Verb Tables, where 93

important French verbs (both regular and irregular) are declined in full. Examples show you how to use these verbs in your own work. lf you are unsure of how a verb declines in French, you can look up the Verb Index on pages 95-1 05 to find either the conjugation of the verb itself, or a crossreference to a model verb, which will show you the patterns that verb follows. We hope that you will enjoy using the Eosy Learning French Grqmmor and fnd it useful in the course of your study.

GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR TERMS ABSTRACT NOUN a word used to refer to a quality, idea, feeling or experience, rather than a physical object for example, size, reoson, hoppiness. Compare with concrete

example, wolk, have, be, go. Compare

with infinitive. CARDINAL NUMBER a number used in counting, for example, onet seven/ ninety. Compare with ordinal

noun.

number.

ADf ECTIVE a 'describing' word that

CLAUSE a group of words containing a verb.

tells you more about a person or thing, such as their appearance, colour, size or other qualities, for example, pretty, blue, big. ADVERB a word usually used with verbs, adjectives or other adverbs that gives more information about

when, where, how or in what circumstances something happens, for example, quickly, happily now. AGREE

(to) to change word endings

according to whether you are referring to masculine, feminine, singular or plural people or things. AGREEMENT changing word endings according to whether you are referring to masculine, feminine, singular or plural people or things. APOSTROPHE s an ending ('s) added to a noun to show who or what someone or something belongs to, for example, Danielle's dog, the doctor's wife, the book's cover. ART|CLE a word like the, o and an, which is used in front of a noun. See also definite article, indefinite

article and partitive article. AUXILIARY VERB a verb such as be, hove and do when it is used with a main verb to form tenses, negatives and questions. BASE FORM the form of the verb without any endings added to it, for

COMPARATIVE an adjective or adverb with -er on the end of it or more or /ess in front of it that is used to compare people, things or actions, for example, slower, less importont, more corefully.

COMPOUND NOUN a word for a living being, thing or idea, which is made up of two or more words, for example, tin-opener, roilway stotion. CONCRETE NOUN a word that refers to an object you can touch with your hand, rather than to a quality or idea, for example, ball, map, opples. Compare with abstract noun. CONDITIONAL a verb form used to talk about things that would happen or would be true under certain conditions, for example, I would help you if I could. lt is also used to say what you would like or need, for example, Could you give me the bill? CONIUGATE (to) to give a verb different endings according to whether you are referring to I, you, they and so on, and according to whether you are referring to past present or future, for example, I hove, she had, they will hove. CONfUGATION a group of verbs which have the same endings as each other or change according to the same pattern.

CON|UNCTION a word such as and, becouse or but that links two words or phrases of a similar type or two parts of a sentence, for example, Diqne and I hove been friends for yeors.; I left because I was bored.

CONSONANT a letter of the alphabet which is not a vowel, for example, b, f, m, s, y etc. Compare with vowel. CONSTRUCTION an arrangement of words together in a phrase or sentence. DEFINITE ARTICLE the word the.

Compare with indefinite article. DEMONSTRATIVE ADTECTIVE one of the words this, thot, these and those used with a noun to point out a particular person or thing, for example, this woman, thot dog. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN one of the words this, thqt, these and those used instead of a noun to point out people or things, for example, Ihot looks fun.

DIRECT OBTECT a noun referring to

the person or thing affected by the action described by a verb, for exampfe, She wrote her nome.; I shut the window. Compare with indirect

window?'

-'He did.' Also called

stressed pronoun. ENDING a form added to a verb, for example, go-> gogg and to adjectives and nouns depending on whether they refer to masculine, feminine, singular or plural things. EXCLAMATION a word, phrase or sentence that you use to show you are surprised, shocked, angry and so on, for exampfe/ Wow!; How dore you!; What o surprise! FEMININE a form of noun, pronoun or adjective that is used to refer to a living being, thing or idea that is not classed as masculine. FUTURE a verb tense used to talk

about something that will happen or

will be true. GENDER whether a noun, pronoun

or adjective is feminine or masculine. IMPEMTIVE the form of a verb used when giving orders and instructions, for example, Shut the door!; Sit down!; Dont go! IMPERFECT one of the verb tenses

used to talk about the pasf especially in descriptions, and to say what was happening or used to happen, for example, I used to walk to school; It was sunny at the weekend. Compare

object.

with perfect.

DIRECT OBTECT PRONOUN a word such as me, him, us and them which is used instead of a noun to stand in

not refer to a real person or thing

for the person or thing most directly affected by the action described by the verb. Compare with indirect

object pronoun. EMPHATIC PRONOUN a word used instead of a noun when you want to emphasize something, for example, ls this for me?; 'Who broke the

IMPERSONAL VERB one which does

and where the subject is represented by it, for example, lt's going to ioin;

It's 10 o'clock INDEFINITE ADIECTIVE one of a small group of adjectives used to talk about people or things in a general way, without saying who or what they are, for example, several, oll, every.

INDEFINITE ARTICLE the words o and an. Compare with definite article.

for example, Whsls hoppening?;

PART OF SPEECH a word class, for

Who's coming?

INDEFINITE PRONOUN a small

INVARIABLE used to describe a form which does not change.

exampfe, noun, verb, odjective, preposition, pronoun.

group of pronouns such

as

everything, nobody and something,

which are used to refer to people or things in a general way, without saying exactly who or what they are. INDIRECT OBf ECT a noun used with verbs that take two objects. For example, in I gove the carrot to the robbit, the rqbbitis the indirect object and carrot is the direct object. Compare with direct object. INDIRECT OBIECT PRONOUN when a verb has two objects (a direct one and an indirect one), the indirect object pronoun is used instead of a noun to show the person or the

IRREGULAR VERB a verb whose forms do not follow a general pattern or the normal rules. Compare with regular verb.

MASCULINE a form of noun, pronoun or adjective that is used to refer to a living being, thing or idea that is not classed as feminine. NEGATIVE a question or statement which contains a word such as not, never or nothing, and is used to say

that something is not happening, not true or is absenf for example,

is

I never eat meot; Don't you love me?

PARTITIVE ARTICLE the words sorne or eny, used to refer to part of a

thing but not all of it, for example,

PASSIVE a form of the verb that is

used when the subject of the verb is the person or thing that is affected

by the action, for example t we were told. PAST PARTICIPLE a verb form which is used to form perfect and pluperfect tenses and passives, for example, wotched, swum. Some past participles are also used as adjectives,

NOUN a'naming'word for a living being, thing or idea, for example,

for exampfe, a broken watch.

He gave me q book

womary desk, hoppiness, Andrew.

to talk about the past especially about actions that took place and

me a towel? Compare

with direct

object pronoun. INDIRECT QUESTION used to tell someone else about a question and introduced by a verb such as osk, tell or wonder, for example, He osked me whot the time wos; I wonder who he is. INFINITIVE the form of the verb with fo in front of it and without any endings added, for example, to wolk, to hove, to be, to go. Compare with base form. INTERROGATIVE ADIECTIVE a question word used with a noun to ask who?, whqfT or which? for example, Whqt instruments do you ploy?; Which shoes do you like? INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN one of the words who, whose, whom, what and which when they are used instead of a noun to ask questions,

NUMBER used to say how many things you are referring to or where something comes in a sequence. See also ordinal number and cardinal number. OBTECT a noun or pronoun which refers to a person or thing that is affected by the action described by the verb. Compare with direct obiect, indirect object and subject. OBIECT PRONOUN one of the set of pronouns including me, him and them, which are used instead of the noun as the object of a verb or preposition. Compare with subject

pronoun. ORDINAL NUMBER a number used to indicate where something comes in an order or sequence, for example, first, fifth, sixteenth. Compare with cardinal number.

,

Have you got Sny money?; l'm going to buy some breod.

thing the action is intended to benefit or harm, for example, me in and Cqn you get

person or thing. Compare with singular.

PERFECT one

of the verb tenses used

were completed in the past. Compare with imperfect. PERSON one of the three classes: the first person (1, we), the second person

(you singular and you plural), and the third person (he, she, it and they). PERSONAL PRONOUN one of the group of words including l, you and they which are used to refer to yourself, the people you are talking to, or the people or things you are talking about. PLUPERFECT

one of the verb tenses

used to describe something that had happened or had been true at a point in the past, for example, /'of forqotten to finish mv homework. PLURAL the form of a word which is used to refer to more than one

POSSESSIVE ADf ECTIVE one of the words m1q your, his, her, its, our or their, used with a noun to show that one person or thing belongs to

another. POSSESSIVE PRONOUN one of the words mine, yours, hers, his, ours or theirs, used instead of a noun to show that one person or thing

belongs to another. PREPOSITION is a word such as af, for; with, into or from, which is usually followed by a noun, pronoun or, in Engfish, a word ending in -ing. Prepositions show how people and things relate to the rest of the sentence, for example, She's of home; a tool fel cutting gross; lt's from Dovid. PRESENT a verb form used to talk about what is true at the moment what happens regularly, and what is happening now, for example, /'m o student; I trqvel to college by train; l'm

studvino lonauqses. PRESENT PARTICIPLE a verb form ending in -ing which is used in English to form verb tenses, and which may be used as an adjective or a noun, for example, What ore you

doing?; the setting sun; Swimming is easy!

PRONOUN a word which you use instead of a noun, when you do not need or want to name someone or something directly, for example, lf, you, none. PROPER NOUN the name of a person/ place, organization or thing. Proper nouns are always written with a capitaf letter, for example, Kevin, Glasgow, Europe, London Eye.

described by the verb, for example, My cqt doesn't drink milk. Compare

QUESTION WORD a word such as why, where, who, which or how which is used to ask a question.

with object.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUN a word

SUBTECT PRONOUN a

ending in -self or -selves, such

as

myself or themselves, which refers

back to the subject, for example, He hurt himself.; Toke care of ypunell. REFLEXIVE VERB a verb where the subject and object are the same, and where the action 'reflects back' on the subject. A reflexive verb is used with a reflexive pronoun such as myself, yourself, herself, for example,

word such as l, he, she and theywhich carries out

the action described by the verb. Pronouns stand in for nouns when it is clear who is being talked about, for example, My brother isn't here ot the moment. He'll be back in an hour. Compare with object pronoun. SUBTUNCTIVE a verb form used in certain circumstances to express

some sort of feeling, or to show

I wqshed myself.; He shaved himself.

doubt about whether something will

REGULAR VERB a verb whose forms

happen or whether something is true. lt is only used occasionally in modern English, for example, /f / were you, I wouldn't bother.; So be it.

follow a general pattern or the normal rules. Compare with irregular verb. RELATIVE PRONOUN a word such as thot, who or which, when it is used to link two parts of a sentence together. SENTENCE a group of words which usually has a verb and a subject. In writing, a sentence has a capital letter at the beginning and a full

stop, question mark or exclamation mark at the end. SINGULAR the form of a word which is used to refer to one person or

thing. Compare with plural. STEM the main part of a verb to which endings are added. STRESSED PRONOUN used instead

of a noun when you want to emphasize something, for example, ls this for me?; 'Who broke the window?'

-'Hs

did.' Also called

emphatic pronoun. SUBIECT the noun in a sentence or phrase that refers to the person or

thing that does the action described by the verb or is in the state

NOUNS

SUPERLATIVE an adlective or adverb with -esf on the end of it or mosf or /eosf in front of it that is used to

compare people, things or actions, for example, thinnesL most quickly,

What

is a noun? A noun is a 'naming'word for a living being, thing or idea, for example,

womont happiness, Andrew.

Using nouns D In French, all nouns

are either masculine or feminine. This is called their gender. Even words for things have a gender.

D Whenever you are using a noun, you need to know whether it is mascullne or feminine as this affects the form of other words used with it, such as:

o adiectives that describe it o articles (such as le or une) that go before it . pronouns (such as il or elle) that replace it t)

im-po-ssi-ble (4 syllobles).

dictionary. When you come across a new noun, always learn the word for the or o that goes with it to help you remember its gender.

o le or un before a noun tells you it is masculine o la or une before a noun tells you it is feminine D We refer to something

as singular when we are talking about just one of them, and as plural when we are talking about more than one. The singular is the form of the noun you will usually find when you look a noun up in the dictionary. As in English, nouns in French change their form in the plural.

TENSE the form of a verb which

shows whether you are referring to the past, present or future. VERB a

'doing'word which

describes what someone or something does, what someone or something is, or

pages 25, 12

D You can find information about gender by looking the word up in a

leqst interesting.

SYLIABLE consonant+vowel units that make up the sounds of a word, for example, co-the-dral (3 sylloble),

For more informotion on Adjectives, Articles or Pronouns, see

and 42.

)

Adjectives, articles and pronouns are also affected by whether a noun singular or plural.

what happens to them, for example, be, sing, Iive.

VOWEL one of the letters o, e, i, o or u. Compare with consonant.

Remember that you have to use the right word for the, o and so on according to the gender of the French noun.

is

2

Nourus

Nourus 3

Gender

',21 Nouns referring to animals

tr

>

l

Nouns referring to people Most nouns referring to men and boys are masculine.

un homme un roi

ln English we can choose between words like bull or cow, depending on the sex of the animal we are referring to. In French too there are sometimes separate words for male and female animals. un taureau a bull

a man a king

une vache

F

Most nouns referring to women and girls are feminine. a girl une fille une reine a queen

)

When the same word is used to refer to either men/boys or women/girls, its gender usually changes depending on the sex of the person it refers to. un camarade a (male) friend a (female) friend une camarade

Sometimes, the same word with different endings is used for male and female animals.

un chien une chienne

une Belge

Words for other animals do not change according to the sex of the animal. Just learn the French word with its gender, which is always the same.

Some words for people have only one possible gender, whether they refer to a male or a female. a (male or female) baby

une personne une vedette

a (male or female) person

a (male or female) guide

un

make a word masculine or feminine by changing the ending, for example, Englishngn and EnglishwpmsL or prince and princess. In French, very often the ending of a noun changes depending on whether it refers to a man or a woman.

un prince

a prince a princess

une princcssc un employ6 une employ6e

+

For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

a mouse

There are lots of rules to help you:

o

words ending in -e are generally feminine (une boulangerie a baker's; une banque a bank)

o

words ending in a consonant (any letter except e, e, i, o or u) are generally masculine (un a6ropo{ an airporf un film a film)

are some exceptions to these rules, so it is best to check in dictionary if you are unsure.

a (female) employee

snd feminine forms of words,

L

D There

a (male) employee

For more informotion on Masculine

a fish

French, however, things are either masculine or feminine. As things do not divide into sexes the way humans and animals do, there are no physical clues to help you with their gender in French. Try to learn the gender as you learn the word.

D In English, we can sometimes

an Englishman an Englishwoman

poisson

une souns

11] Nouns referring to thinqs ) ln English, we call all things - for example, toble, cor, book, apple - 'i( . ln

a (male or female) star

un Anglais une Anglaise

a (female) dog, a bitch

When you do not know or care what sex the animal is, you can usually use the masculine form as a general word.

Grammar Extn!

un b6b6 un guide

a (male) dog

rrp

a Belgian (man) a Belgian (woman)

un Belge

a cow

see

poge 7.

a

4 )

Nourus 5

Nourus

-on

These endings are often found on masculine nouns. Masculine ending

Examples

-age

un villaqe a village un voyagg a journey un 6tage a floor le fromage cheese BUT:

-olr

-sme

>

The following types of word are also masculine:

.

names of the days of the week, and the months and seasons of the year

le lundi septembre prochain le printemps

o

un mirqL a mirror un couloir a corridor le sqL the evening un mouchoir a handkerchief

Tu apprends le frangais

French

Portuguese

depuis

combien de temps? o most metric weights and measures un gramme

le racisme racism

un mdtre un kilomitre

o

la peau skin

D

How long have you been learning French?

a gramme a metre a kilometre

English nouns used in French

le football un tee-shirt un sandwich

BUT:

football a tee-shirt a sandwich

These endings are often found on feminine nouns.

-eu

un leu a oame

Feminine endinq

-ou

un cheu a cabbage le genou the knee

-anGe

-rel

le cahier the exercise book un quaillel an area un escalier a staircase

-anse -ence -ense

Examples la chance luck, chance une danse a dance la patience patience la d6fense defence

-ton

lc silence silence une r6gion a region

BUT:

une addition a bill une r6union a meeting la circulatlon traffic BUT:

BUT:

la fin the end une main a hand

Spring

the names of languages le frangais

le tourismc tourism

un magas!4 a shop un jardin a garden un dessin a drawing le vin the wine

Monday next September

le portugais

un cadeau a present un chapeau a hat un gdteeu a cake le rideau the curtain

-tn

un ballon a ball le citrgn the lemon BUN

un appartement a flat un b6timent a building le ciment cement un vGtement a garment

lleau water

un champignon a mushroom

une maison a house la saison the season

une image a picture une page a page la plage the beach

-ment

I

-t6 -ti6

un avion a plane une sp6cialit6 a speciality la moiti6 half BUT:

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

un 6t6 a summer le p6t6 p6t6

6

Nourus 7

Nourus

4l

Grammar E>

use

la poste

posr the post

mettre quelque

office

chose

a turn; a walk

la

tower

walk

un taureau une vache

a bull

un neveu une nidce

a nephew a niece

y' y' y' y'

a (female) friend

un employ6 une employ6e

a (male) employee a (female) employee

Eiffel the

un Frangais

Eiffel Tower

une Frangaisg

a Frenchman a Frenchwoman

la

tour

Key points Vtost nouns referring to men, boys and male animals are masculine: most nouns referrinq to women. oirls and female animals are feminine. The endiig of a French- noun often changes depending on whether it refers to a male or a female. Generally, words ending in -e are feminine and words ending in a are masculine, though there are many exceptions to

;;,:t""T:.", These endings are often found on masculine nouns:

-age, -ment, -oir, -sme, -eau, -eu, -ou, -ier, -in and -on. These endings are often found on feminine nouns: -ance, -anse, -ence, -ense, -ion, -t6, -ti6. Oays of the week, months and seasons of the year are masculine. So are languages, most metric weights and measures, and English nouns used in French.

For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

a cow

Many masculine French nouns can be made feminine simply by changing the ending. This is usually done by adding an -e to the masculine noun to form the feminine.

> lf the masculine singular

y'

a woman

a (male) friend

something une toul

a man

une amie

to post faire un tour to go for a

un homme une femme

un aml

poste

an extension (phone)

un tour

i

Masculine and feminine forms of words

un 6live

form already ends in -e, no further e is added.

une 6live

a (male) pupil a (female) pupil

un camarade une camarade

a (male) friend a (female) friend

un colldgue une colldgue

a (male) colleague a (female) colleague

rtp lf a masculine noun ends in a vowel, its pronunciation does not change when an -e is added to form the feminine. For example, ami and amie (meaning friend) are both pronounced the same.

lf a masculine noun ends with a consonant that is not pronounced, for example, -d, -s, -r or -t, you DO pronounce that consonant when an -e is added in the feminine. For example, in 6tudiant (meaning student), you cannot hear the U in 6tudiante, you can hear the t.

8

Nouls

Noutrts

Forming plurals

Ttp Some masculine nouns, such as voisin (meaning neighbour), end in what is called a nasal vowel and an -n. \Mth these words, you pronounce the vowel 'through your nose' but DO NOT say the n. When an -e is added in the feminine - for example, voisine - the vowel becomes a normal one instead of a nasal vowel and you DO pronounce the n.

trl l

t

I

> In English

we usually make nouns plural by adding an -s to the end (gorden + gardens; house'+ houses), although we do have some nouns which are irregular and do not follow this pattern (mouse - mice; child * children).

Some other patterns

rtp

Some changes to endings from masculine to feminine are a little more complicated but still fall into a regular pattern. Masculine

Feminine

ending -f

endinq -ve

-x

-se

-eur

-euse

-teur

-teuse

-trice -an

-anne

-ten

-tenne

Example un veut/une veuve un 6poux/une 6pouse un dansegr/ une danseuse un chanteur/ une chanteuse un acteul/unc acldce un paysan/ une paysannc

a (male) dancer/ a (female) dancer

un jardin

a garden

a (male) farmerl a (female) farmer

des jardins

gardens

un Parisiea/ une Parisienne

a (male) Parisian/

une voiture des voitures

cars

a (female) Parisian

-onne

un lion/une lionne

a lion/a lioness a (male) foreigner/ a (female) foreigner

-et

-ette

un 6trange/ une 6trangire le cadet/la cadette

y' l/ y'

for more information on Adjectives, Articles ond Pronouns, see pages 25,12 and 42.

Most French nouns also form their plural by adding an -s to their singular form.

a (male) singer/ a (female) singer an actor/an actress

-ere

-elle

*

widow

a husband/a wife

-on -er

-el

Remember that you have to use les with plural nouns in Any adjective that goes with the noun has to agree with any pronoun that replaces it.

Meaning a widower/a

Plurals ending in -s

un professionnel/ une professionnelle

the youngest (male) child the youngest (female) child a (male) professional/

un h6tel des h6tels

>

a (female) professional

be made to refer to females

by adding an -e. lf the masculine singular form already ends in -e, no further e is added. tne pronunciation of feminine nouns is sometimes different from that of the corresponding masculine nouns. Other patterns include: -er * -Ere -f * -ve -teur * -teuse or -trice -et + -ette -x + -se -an, -en and -on > -anne -eur + -euse -enne and -onne -el - -elle

For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

l4 )

a hotel hotels

lf the singular noun ends in -s/ -x or -2, no further -s is added in the plural.

Key points ly'rany masculine French nouns can

a car

un fils des fils

50n5

une vorx des voix

voices

un nez

a nose

des nez

noses

a son

a voice

Plurals ending in -x

The following nouns add an -x instead of an -s in the plural:

.

nouns ending in -eau

un chapeau des chapeaux

a hat hats

9

10 Nourus o most nouns ending in -eu un jeu a game games des jeux o a FEW nouns ending in -ou (MOST nouns ending in -ou add -s as usual) des bijoux

a jewel jewels

un caillou des cailloux

a pebble pebbles

un chou des choux

a cabbage cabbages

un genou des genoux

a knee

un hibou

an owl owls

un bijou

des hiboux

knees

un joujou des joujoux

a toy

un pou des poux

a louse

toys

lice

Adding an -s or -x to the end of a noun does not usually change the way the word is pronounced. For example, professeur and professeurs and chapeau and chapeaux sound just the same when you say them out loud. lf the singular noun ends in -al or -ail, the plural usually ends in -aux. un journal des journaux

a newspaper newspapers

un animal des animaux

an animal animals

un travail des travaux

jobs

a job

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

11

rtp The plural of un

3I

eil

(an eye) is des yeux (eyes).

Plural versus singular

D A few words relating to clothing are plural in English but NOT in un slip un short un pantalon

French.

pants shorts trousers

A few common words are plural in French but NOT in English.

les les

affaires cheveux

business

hair

desrenseignements information Grammar E>

t

/

the hotels.

see

page t 63.

When i is followed by le, the two words become au. au cin6ma to/at the cinema aux professeurs to the teachers

For further explanation of grammatical

The French word de is translated into English in several different ways, including of and from. There are special rules when you use it together with

t

)

For more information on the preposition de, see

poge 166.

>

When de is followed by le, the two words become du. du cin6ma from/of the cinema des professeurs from/of the teachers

>

When de is followed by les, the two words become des. des maisons from/of the houses des 6tudiants from/of the students

D When de

les

on the preposition d,

Using de with le, la, l' and les

le and les.

The French word ir is translated into English in several different ways, including ot or to. There are special rules when you use it together with le and les. For more informqtion

I

tems, please see pages viii-xii,

is followed by la or l', the words do not change. de la bibliothique from/of the library de I'h6tel from/of the hotel

T'P le and la change to l' when they are used in front of a word starting with a vowel and most words starting with h.

Amcles

16 Anncus

y' y' y'

lf you are talking about a part of your body, you usually use a word like my or hrs in English, but in French you usually use the definite article. Turn your head to the left. Tourne la t6te d gauche. ll s'est cass6 le bras. He's broken his arm. l've got a sore throat. J'ai mal d la gorge.

Key points

Wtfr masculine sinqular nouns , use le. Wittr feminine singular nouns , use la. Wi|h nouns starting with a vowel, most nouns beginning with h and the French word y , use l'. tntn plural nouns ' use les.

y' y' i+ le=au

> ln French you have to use the definite article in front of the names of countries, continents and regions.

i+les=aux de+le=du

la Bretagne l'Europe

de+les=des

Brittany

La France est

Europe France is very beautiful.

tris belle.

J'ai achet6 ce poster au Japon.

E

Je viens des

Using the definite article

L

The definite article in French (le, la, l' and les) is used in more or less the same way as we use fhe in English, but it is also used in French in a few places where you might not expect it.

}

The definite article is used with words like prices, flu and time that describe qualities, ideas or experiences (called abstract nounS) rather than something that you can touch with your hand. Usually, the is missed out in English

with this type of word. Les prix montent.

J'ai la

grippe.

Je n'ai pas le

@

}

temps.

Prices are rising.

[J

I

l've got flu.

)

Note that if the name of the country comes after the French word en, meaning to or in, you do not use the definite article. en is used with the names of countries, continents and regions that are feminine in French.

For more information on the preposition en, see

)

I don't have time.

Etats-Unis.

languages and sports. Tir aimes les maths?

J'apprends le frangais depuis

ans.

with pleasure

Mon sport pr6t6r6, c'est le wi thout d o u

bt)

[J

Je n'aime pas le caf6. I don't like coffee. Les ordinateurs co0tent trds cher. Computers are very expensive. Les professeurs ne gagnent pas Teachers don't earn very much. beaucoup.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

trois

foot.

Do you like maths? l've been learning French for

three years. My favourite sport is football.

Note that the definite article is not used after en.

Gomment est-ce qu'on

You also use the definite article when you are talking about things like coffee or computers thatyou can touch with your hand (called concrete nouns) if you are talking generally about that thing. Usually, the is missed out in English with this type of word.

page 168.

You often use the definite article with the name of school subjects,

to be hungry (literally to have hunger) probably (lite ra lly.

I bought this poster in Japan. I come from the United States.

Je vais en Ecosse le mois prochain. l'm going to Scotland next month. ll travaille en Allemagne. He works in Cermany.

trtote that there are some set phrases using avoir, avec or sans followed by a noun, where the definite article is NOT used.

avoir faim avec plaisir sans doute

17

dit'fils'

How do you say 'fils' in English?

en anglais?

Sophie est nulle en chimie.

L

Sophie's no good at chemistry.

When you use the verb parler (meaning to speak) in front of the name of the language, you do not always need to use the definite article in French. Tu parles espagnol?

Do you speak Spanish?

ll parle bien I'anglais.

He speaks English well.

18 Anncus ) You use le with dates, and also with the names of the days of the week and the seasons when you are talking about something that you do regulady or

that

mai. She's leaving on the seventh of May. Je vais chez ma grand-mdre I go to my grandmother's on le dimanche. Sundays. Note that you do not use the definite article after en. En hiver nous faisons du

L

ski.

>

I

The basic rules

In English we have the indefinite article o, which changes to an in front of word that starts with a vowel. ln the plural we say either some, any or nothing at all.

D In French, you choose from un, une and des, depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, and singular or plural.

In winter we go skiing.

with masculine noun

with feminine noun

You often find the definite article in phrases that tell you about prices and

Singular

un

une

rates.

Plural

des

des

6 euros le kilo 3 euros la pidce On roulait d 100 kilomitres d l'heure.

y'

6 euros a kilo 3 euros each We were doing 100 kilometres an hour.

Key points The definite article is used in French with: . abstract nouns . concrete nouns (when you are saying something that is true obout

>

un is used in front of masculine singular nouns. un rol a king un chien a dog un jardin a garden

>

une is used in front of feminine singular nouns. une reine a queen une souris a mouse une porte a door

.;:[fi^z':::l .

r

des is used in front of plural nouns, whether they are masculine or feminine, and whatever letter thev start with. (some/any) dogs des chiens (some/any) mice des souris (some/any) friends des amis

countries/ continents and regions school subjects, languages and sports

: ::;:t"t

the week and the seasons (when you are tolking obout something that you do regularly or thot is a habit)

. prices

and rates

[J +

Note that des is also a combination of de + les and has other meanings, such as saying who something belongs to or where something is from. For more information on des, see

poge 166.

T'P When des is used in front of a word that starts with a consonant (any letter except o, e, i, o or u), you DO NOT say the s on the end of des: des chiens (some/ony) dogs, When des is used in front of a word that starts with a vowel, and most words starting with h, you DO pronounce the s on the end. lt sounds like the z in the English word zip: des amis (some/any) friends, des h6tefs (some/ony) hotels. For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

19

The indefinite article: un, une and des t

is a habit.

Elle part le 7

@

Anncus

a

20 Amcus

A }

Anrrcus

lrr questions and negative sentences des means any, or is not translated at

The indefinite article in negative sentences

all.

n English we use words like not and neverto indicate that something is not happening or is not true. The sentences that these words are used in are f

frires? ll n'y a pas deufs.

Tu as des

called negative sentences.

I never do my homework on time. In French, you use word pairs like ne ... pas (meaning not) and ne ... jamais (meaning never) to say that something is not happening or not true. When un, une or des is used after this type of expression, it has to be changed to de. I don't have a bike. Je n'ai pas de v6lo. Nous n'avons pas de cousins. We don't have any cousins.

+

For more information on Negotives, see

page 138.

T'P As an English speaker, you will know what sounds right in your own language. The important thing to remember is that des can NEVER be missed out in French, even if there is no word in English.

4l >

r0p Je n'ai pas d'ordinateur. I don't have a computer. ll n'y a pas d'horloge dans la salle.There isn't a clock in the room.

,)

There are some very common adjectives, like beau, bon and petit, that can come BEFORE the noun instead of after it. When an adjective comes before a plural noun, des changes to de.

J'ai regu de beaux cadeaux. Gette r6gion a de trds jolis

+

For more information

I got some lovely presents. This area has some very pretty villages.

on Word order with odjectives, see page j2.

with the adjective quel (meaning what a), in sentences like O,uel dommage! What a shamel Ouelle surprise! What a surprise! Ouelle bonne id6e! What a good idea! For more information on quel, see

o Orammar Et ln English

we have only one way of saying you. In French, there are two words: tu and vous. The word you use depends on: o whether you are talking to one person or more than one person

o

whether you are talking to a friend or family member, or someone else

> lf you are talking to one person you know well, such as a friend, person or a relative, use tu. Tu me pr6tes ce CD? Will you lend me this CD?

a young

44 Pnoruourus )

Pnoruourus 45

lf you are talking to one person you do not know so well, such as your teacher, your boss or a stranger, use vous. Vous pouvez entrer. You may come in.

il is also used to talk about the weather, the time and in certain other set phrases, often in the same way as some phrases with it in English.

ll pleut. ll est deux heures. ll faut partir.

lf you are in doubt as to which form of you to use, it is safest to use vous and you will not offend anybody.

D lf you are talking to more than

one person, you have to use vous, no matter how well you know them. Vous comprenez, les enfants? Do you understand, children? [J Note that the adjectives you use with tu and vous have to agree in the feminine and plural forms. Vous 6tes certain,

Monsieur

Vous 6tes certains, les enfants? Are you sure, children? (masculine plurol)

Grammar Ertra! Any past participles (the form of the verb ending in -6, -i or -u in French) used with €tre in tenses such as the perfect also have to agree in the feminine and plural forms. Vous 6tes oartie quand, Estelle? When did you leave, Estelle? (feminine singular)

Estelle et Sophie - vous 6tes parties quand? (feminine plurol)

+

tr }

For more informotion

ifs (meaning they) and elles (meaning they) are used in the plural to talk about things, as well as about people or animals. Use ils for masculine

nouns and elles for feminine nouns. lls vont appeler ce soir. 'Oi sont Anne et Rachel?' *

'Elles sont d la piscine.' 'Est-ce qu'il reste des billets?' -'Non, ils sont tous vendus.' 'Tu aimes ces chaussures?''Non, elles sont affreuses!'

Are you sure, Mr Leclerc?

Leclerc? (mo scu li n e si ng u I o r)

Estelle and Sophie leave?

on the Past participle,

see

-

illelle and ils/elles In English we generally refer to things (such as table, book, cor) only as it. In French, il (meaning he, it) and elle (meaning she, it)are used to talk about a thing, as well as about a person or an animal. You use il for masculine nouns and elle for feminine nouns.

ll est d6jd parti. Elle est actrice.

She's an actress.

ll mord, ton chien? Prends cette chaise. Elle est

Take this chair. lt's more

plus confortable.

comfortable.

He's already left. Does your dog bite?

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viiS-xii.

They're going to call tonight. 'Where are Anne and Rachel?''They're at the swimming pool.' ?re there are any tickets left?' 'No, they're all sold.' 'Do you like those shoes?'- 'No, they're horrible!'

lf you are talking about a masculine and a feminine noun, use ils. Oue font ton pdre et ta mire What do your father and mother do quand ils partent en vacances? when they go on holiday? 'Oi sont le poivre et la 'Where are the pepper and the moutarde?'-'lls sont d6jdr sur mustard?' - 'They're already on the la table.' table.'

4l

on

D on

is

when did you

poge 111.

It's raining. It's two o'clock. We/You have to go.

frequently used in informal, everyday French to mean h/e. On va i la plage demain. We're going to the beach tomorrow. On y va? Shallwe go?

on can also have the sense of someone or they. On m'a vol6 mon polte-monnaie. Someone has stolen my purse. On vous demande au t6l6phone: There's a phone call for you.

rrp often used to avoid a passive construction in French. On m'a dit que tu 6tais malade. I was told you were ill.

on

is

*

For more informotion on the Possive, see

poge 122.

46 PRoruourus )

Pnoruourus 47

You can also use on as we use you in English when we mean people in general.

On peut visiter le ch6teau en

You can visit the castle in the

616.

5Ummer.

D'ici on peut voir les c6tes

From here you can see the French

What is a direct object pronoun? A direct object pronoun is a word such as me, him, us and them, which is used instead of the noun to stand in for the person or thing most directly

frangaises.

coast.

affected by the action expressed by the verb.

Ttp

,

The form of the verb you use with on is the same as the illelle

form.

4 y' y' y' y' y'

Personal pronouns: direct object

For more informotion

on Verbs,

see

French subject pronouni

Using direct obiect pronouns

D Direct object pronouns stand in for nouns when it is clear who or what is being talked aboug and save having to repeat the noun. l've lost my glasses. Have you seen them? 'Have you met Jo?'-'Yes, I really like her!'

poges 69-1 37.

Key points

tne

1l

D

ire: je (j'), tu, il, elle, on in the

singular, and nous, vous, ils, elles in the plural. to say you in French, use tu if you are talking to one person you know well or to a young person. Use vous if you are talking to one person you do not know so well or to more than one person. il/ils (masculine singular/plural) and elle/elles (feminine singular/plural) are used to refer to things, as well as to people or animals. il is also used in certain set phrases. lf there is a mixture of masculine and feminine nouns, use ils. on can mean we, someone, you, they, or people in general. It is often used instead of a passive construction.

Here are the French direct object pronouns:

Meaning

Singular me (m')

Meaning

Plural

me

nous

u5

te (t'l

you

vous

you

le (l')

him

les

it la (l')

them (mosculine ond feminine)

her

it lls vont nous aider. Je la vois. 'Tu aimes les carottes?''Non, je les d6teste!'

E

+

They're going to help us. I can see her/it. 'Do you like carrots?'- 'No, I hate

them!'

Note that you cannot use direct object pronouns after a preposition like i or de, or when you want to emphasize something. For more informotion on Emphotic pronouns, see

poge 51.

T'P me changes to m', te to t', and le/la to l' in front of words beginning with a vowel, most words beginning with h, and the French word y. Je t'aime. Tu m'entends?

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Can you hear me?

48 D

Pnoruourus

PRoruourus 49

ln orrk'rs and instructions telling someone to do something, moi is used instr,,rrl of me, and toi is used instead of te. Aidez-mo_i!

Help me!

Assieds-toi.

Sit down.

le is rornetimes used to refer back to an idea or information that has already been given. The word lf is often missed out in English. 'Ta chemise est trds 'Je l9 sais.'

C.l L

sale.'-

'Your shirt's very

Personal pronouns: indirect object What is an indirect object pronoun? When a verb has two objects (a direct one and an indirect one), the indirect object pronoun is used instead of a noun to show the person or thing the action is intended to benefit or harm, for example, me in He gove me a book; Can you get m9. o towel?

dirty.'-

'l know.'

1l

Word order with direct obiect pronouns

> lt is important

to understand the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in English, as they can have different forms in French:

The direct object pronoun usually comes BEFORE the verb. Je I love you.

t'aime.

@

Can you see them?

whaf?

Elle ne nous connait pas.

She doesn't know us.

He gave me a book. object pronoun)

Note that in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, the direct object pronoun comes AFTER the verb. Sit down.

ll voudrait la revoir. Puis-je vous aider?

Key points

y'

The French direct object pronouns are: me (m,),

y'

in the singular, and nous, vous, les in the plural. Except in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, the direct object pronoun comes before the verb.

He gave me a object)

D

me (=indirect

book. + What did

he give me?

+

a book (=jjyssl

towel? + Whot cqn you get me? + a towel (=direct

Here are the French indirect object pronouns:

Singular

Meaning

me (m')

me,

te (t')

Plural

Meaning

nous

us,

you, to you, for you

vouS

you, to you, for you

lui

him, to him, for him it, to it, for it

leur

them, to them, for them (mosculine ond feminine)

lui

her, to her, for her it, to it, for it

te (t,), lella (t,)

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

+

object and NOT the indirect oblect

Can you get me a object)

He'd like to see her again. Can I help you?

Who did he give the book to?

o if something answers the question what or who, then it is the direct

He saw me,

When a verb like vouloir (meaning to want) or pouvoir (meaning to be oble to, can) is followed by another verb in the infinitive (the 'fo'form of the verb), the direct object pronoun comes BEFORE the infinitive.

-

the question who to/for? or to/for

Can you get me a towel? '+ Who con you get o towel for? + me (=i ndi rect obj ect p ro no u n)

In tenses like the perfect that are formed with avoir or €tre and the past participle (the part of the verb that ends in -4 -i or -u in French), the direct object pronoun comes BEFORE the part of the verb that comes from avoir

or 6tre. ll m'a vu.

}

o an indirect object answers

Les voyez-vous?

Asseyez-vous.

D

Using indirect obiect pronouns

to me, for me

to us, for

us

ll nous 6crit tous les jours.

He writes

lls te cachent quelque chose.

They're hiding something from you.

to

us every day.

50

PRoruourus 51

PRotrtoutrts

rq

Emphatic pronouns

me changes to m' and te to t' in front of words beginning with vowel, most words beginning with h, and the French word y.

ll m'a donn6 un

livre.

Tu m'apportes une

serviette?

What is an emphatic pronoun? An emphatic pronoun is used instead of a noun when you want to emphasize something, for example ls this for me?

a

He gave me a book. Can you get me a towel?

The pronouns shown in the table are used instead of the preposition i with a noun. l'6cris i Suzanne. l'm writing to Suzanne. -+ fe lui 6cris. l'm writing to her. Donne du lait au chat. Give the cat some milk. -+ Donne-lui du lait. Give

1l )

In French, there is another set of pronouns which you use after prepositions, when you want to emphasize something and in certain other cases. These are called emphatic pronouns or stressed pronouns.

it some milk. Some French verbs like demander i (meaning to osk) and t6l6phoner i (meaning to phone) take an indirect object even though English uses a direct obiect. ll leur tril6phone tous les soirs. He phones them every evening.

)

Singular

Meaning

Plural

Meaning

mot

I

nouS

we

toi

you

vouS

you

lui

he

eux

they (mosculine) them

elles

they (feminine) them

me

elle sol

Je pense souvent a toi. C'est pour moi? Venez avec moi. ll a besoin de nous.

KeY Points

fhe French indirect object pionouns are: me (m'), te (t'), lui in

y'

the singular, and nous, vous, leur in the plural. Except in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, the direct object pronoun comes before the verb.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

I often think about you. ls this for me? Come with me. He needs us.

soi (meaning oneself is used with the subiect pronoun on and with words tout fe monde (meaning everyone) or chacun (meaning each one).

like

Note that in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, the indirect obiect pronoun comes AFTER the verb. Give me that! Donne-moi ga!

y'

oneself

$ourself, ourselves

The indirect object pronoun usually comes BEFORE the verb'

@

she

her

Word order with indirect obiect pronouns Dominique vous 6crit une lettre. Dominique's writing you a letter' He doesn't speak to us. ll ne nous parle pas. ll ne veut pas me r6pondre. He won't answer me.

u5

him

On the other hand, some French verbs like attendre (meaning to wait for), chercher (meaning to look for) and regarder (meaning to /ook ot) take a direct object even though English uses an indirect obiect. Je les attends devant la gare. l'll wait for them outside the station.

E

Using emphatic pronouns

4

ll faut avoir confiance en

soi.

Tout le monde est rentr6 soi.

chez

You have to have confidence in yourself. Everyone went home.

When to use emphatic pronouns

> Emphatic pronouns are used in the following circumstances: o after a preposition C'est pour-mqi?

ls this for me?

52

Pnoruouus 53

PRoruourus

o

for emphasis, especially where a contrast is involved You look like your father, she doesn't.

ll m'6nerve, lui!

He's getting on my nerves!

o on their own without o

9

pdre,

mais elle non.

Toi, tu ressembles d ton

a verb

'Oui a cass6 la fen6tre?'-'Lul.' 'Who broke the window?' 'Je suis fatigu6e.'-'Moi aussi.' 'l'm tired.' - 'Me too'' after c'est and ce sont (meaning it ts) ls that you, Simon? C'est toi, Simon? It's them. Ge sont eux.

-

For more informotion on c'est and ce sont, see page 65.

o .

in comparisons Tu es plus jeune que moi. ll est moins grand que toi.

You're younger than me. He's smaller than you (are).

when the sublect of the sentence is made up of two pronouns, or of a pronoun and a noun My father and she don't get on. Mon pire et elle ne s'entendent pas.

Grammar Extra! You can add -m€me or -m6mes to the emphatic pronouns when you particularly want to emphasize something. These forms correspond to English myself, ourselves and so on

Form with -m6me

Meaning

mot-meme

myself

toi-m€me

yourself

lui-m€me

himself, itself

elle-m€me

herself, itself

soFmeme nous-memes

oneself $ourself, ou rselves) ourselves

vous-meme vous-memes

yourself yourselves

eux-meme5

themselves (m a scu I i n e)

elles-mGmes

themselves (feminine)

Je I'ai fait moi-m6me. Elle l'a choisi elle-m6me.

I

did it myself. it herself.

She chose

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages

viii'xii.

54

PRoruourus 55

Pnoruourus

Possessive pronouns What is a possessive pronoun? A possessive pronoun is one of the words mine, yours, hers, his, ours or thelrs, which are used instead of a noun to show that one person or thing befongs to another, for example, Ask Carole if this pen is hers.

Grammar Ertra! Remember that ir with the definite article le becomes au, and \o: d + le mien + au mien

i

+ les miens

i with

les becomes aux,

+ aux miens + aux miennes

d + les miennes

)

Tu pr6fdres ce manteau au

Here are the French possessive pronouns: Meaning

Feminine

singular la mienne

les miens

les miennes

mrne

le tien

la tienne

les tiens

les tiennes

yours

le sien

la sienne

les siens

les siennes

his

J'ai oubli6 mes cl6s. J'ai

hers

des

Feminine

singular le mien

plural

le n6tre

la n6tre

les n6tres

les n6tres

ourS

le vdtre

la vdtre

les

vdtres

les vdtres

yours

le leur

la leur

les leurs

les leurs

theirs

Ces CD-ld, ce sont les miens.

Those CDs are mine.

Heureusement que tu as tes c163. J'ai oubli6 les miennes.

It's lucky you've got your keys. lforgot mine.

In French, possessive pronouns agree with what they describe, NOT with the person who owns that thing. For example, le sien can mean his or hers, but can only be used to replace a masculine singular noun.

'C'est le v6lo de Paul?''Oui, c'est le sien.' 'C'est le v6lo d'lsabelle?''Oui, c'est le sien.'

'ls that Paul's bike?' 'Yes, it's his,' 'ls that lsabelle's 'Yes, itt hers.'

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

-

bike?'-

to mine?

with les becomes

de + le mien + du mien de + les miens + des miens de + les miennes r des miennes

t

)

tiennes,

For more informotion

y' y'

rtp

Do you prefer this coat

Remember that de with the definite article le becomes du, and de des, so:

Masculine plural

Masculine

mien?

besoin

on Articles,

see

l've forgotten my keys. I need yours.

poge 12.

Key points The French possessive pronouns are le mien, le tien, le sien for singular subject pronouns, and le n6tre, le v6tre and le leur for plural subject pronouns. Their forms change in the feminine and the plural. In French, the pronoun you choose has to agree with the noun it replaces, and not with the person who owns that thing.

56

PRonourrrs 57

Pnoruourus

zlY

en and y

)

en and y do not usually refer to people. How we translate them into English depends on where en and y are found in French.

normally followed by i to avoid repeating the same word. 'Je pensais i l'examen.'-'Mais 'l was thinking about the exam.'arr6te d'y penser!' 'Well, stop thinking about it!' (y replaces d in penser d quelque chose) 'Je ne m'attendais pas i ga.'- 'l wasn't expecting that.'-'Well, I 'Moi, je m'y attendais.' was expecting it.' (y reploces d in s'qttendre d quelque chose)

>yis used with verbs and phrases :

tren is used with verbs and phrases normally followed by de to avoid repeating the same word. Si tu as un probldme, tu peux lf you've got a problem, you can talk to me about it. (en replaces de m'en parler. in parler de quelque chose) prGter Can you lend me that book? | need Est-ce que tu peux me it. (en reploces de in svoir besoin de ai besoin. ce livre? J'eo quelque chose) ll a un beau iardin et il en est He's got a beautiful garden and is very proud of it. (en reploces de in trds fier.

D en

y can afso mean there. lt can be used to replace phrases that would

use

prepositions such as dans (meaning tn) and sur (meaning on). She spends the whole summer Elle y passe tout l'6t6. there. Regarde dans le tiroir. Je pense Look in the drawer. I think the keys que les cl6s y sont. are in there.

Qtre fier de quelque chose)

)

.) l

en can also replace the partitive article (du, de la, de l', des). . Je n'ai pas d'argent.Tu en as? | haven't got any money. Have you got any? 'Tu peux me prGter des timbres?' 'Can you lend me some stamps?'-'Non, je dois en acheter.' 'No, I have to buy some.' For more information on the

en

)

see

I

Word order with en and y

en and y usually come BEFORE the verb.

J'gn

veux.

I

moi. content?

Elle en a parl6 avec En Gtes-vous

Comment fait-on pour y N'y pense plus.

poge 22.

aller?

want some.

She talked to me about it. {re you pleased with it/them?

How do you get there? Don't think about it any more.

In orders and instructions telling someone to do something, en or y come EB the verb and are attached to it with a hyphen O. Take some. Prenez-en. Stay there. Restez-y.

is also used:

o as a preposition o with the present

+

Portitive article,

t

A[f participle of verbs

For more information on Prepositions

and the Present participle,

see poges

1 62 qnd 1 25.

When en is used with avoir, with il y a or with numbers, it is often not translated in English but can NEVER be missed out in French.

'Est-ce que tu as un

'Have you got a dictionary?' -'Yes,

dictionnaire?'-'Oui, j'en ai un.' l've got one.' 'Gombien d'6ldves y a-t-il dans 'How many pupils are there in your ta classe?'-'ll y en a trente.' class?' - 'There are thirty.' J'en veux deux.

I

want two (of them).

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages

viii'xii.

rrp The final -s of -er verbs is usually dropped in the tu form used for orders and instructions. When an -er verb in the tu form is used before en or y, however, the -s is not dropped, to make it easier to sav.

Donne des bonbons i ton Donnes-en i ton frire. Va dans ta chambre!

Vis;y| t ) For more information

frire.

Cive some sweets to your brother. Cive some to your brother. Go to your room! Co on!

on the Imperotive, see poge 85.

58 L

+

Pnoruourus 59

PRoruoulvs

en and y come AFTER other direct or indirect obiect pronouns. Cive them some. Donnez-leur-en. He spoke to me about it ll m'en a parl6. For more informqtion on Direct obiect pronouns qnd lndirect obiect pronouns, see poges 47 ond 49.

y' y' y' y'

Key points en is used with verbs and expiessions normally followed by de to avoid repeating the same word. en can also replace the partitive article. When en is used with avoir and il y a or with numbers, it is often not translated in English but can never be missed out in French. y is used with verbs and expressions normally followed by i to

Using different types of pronoun together D

Sometimes you find a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence. He gave me (indirect obiect) them (direct obiect). He gave them (direct object) to me (indirect object).

)

When this happens in French, you have to put the indirect and direct obiect pronouns in a certain order.

;;

---

te

Direct ---}ei*E---*-----..te en lui :-

avoid repeating the same word.

y' y can also mean there and may replace expressions y' y'

that would be

used with dans and sur or some other preposition indicating a place.

en andy usually come before the verb, except in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, when en or y follows the verb and is attached to it with a hyphen. en and y come after other direct or indirect object pronouns.

Dominique vous l'envoie demain. ll te les a montr6s? Je les lui ai lus. Ne la leur donne pas. Elle ne m'en a pas parl6.

y' y'

For further explanation of grammatacal terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Dominique's sending it to you tomorrow. Has he shown them to you? I read them to him/her. Don't give it to them. She didn't speak to me about it. Key points

lf a direct and an indirect object pronoun are used in the same sentence, you usually put the indirect object pronoun before the direct object pronoun. With lui and leur, this order is reversed and you put the direct object pronoun before the indirect object pronoun.

60

PRoruourus 61

Pnoruourus

lndefinite pronouns What is an indefinite pronoun? An indefinite pronoun is one of a small group of pronouns such as everything, nobody and something which are used to refer to people or things in a general way without saying exactly who or what they are.

)

'What did you buy?'lf the sentence contains a verb you have to use ne with it. He's eaten nothing.

Here are the most common French indefinite pronouns:

o

.

+

chacun (masculine singular)lchacune (feminine singular) each, everyone We each gave ten euros. Nous avons chacun donn6 dix euros. Everyone does what they like. Chacun fait ce qu'il veut. Toutes les villas ont chacune Each villa has its own swimming pool. leur piscine. personne nobody/no one, anybodylanyone ll nly a personne d la maison. There's no one at home. Elle ne veut voir personne. She doesn't want to see anybody. For more informotion

on Negatives,

see

page 138.

.

tout everything ll organise tout.

.

o

quelque chose something, anything

f'ai quelque chose pour

toi. i

Avez-vous quelque chose d6clarer?

+

l've got something for you. Do you have anything to declare?

o

quelqu'un somebody/someone, anybody/anyone There's someone at the door. ll y a quelqu'un i la porte. parapluie? Has anybody seen my umbrella? Ouelqu'un a vu mon

o

rien nothing, anything Elle n'a rien dit. Rien n'a chang6.

She didn't say anything.

Nothing's changed.

For more informotion on Negatives, see

page 138.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

ls everything OK?

tous (mosculine pluraf)ltoutes (feminine plurat) all I know them all. Je les connais tous. Elles sont toutes arriv6es? Are they all here?

You can use quelque chose

de/rien de and quelqu'un de/personne de

with adjectives if you want to

say

nothing interesting, something new and

so on.

rien d'int6ressant

y' Oui sait la r6ponse? Personne. Who knows the answer? No one. lf the sentence contains a verb you have to use ne with it.

He's organizing everything.

Tout va bien?

y'

nothing interesting

Key points rlen and personne can be used on their own to answer questions, but need to be used with ne when there is a verb in

the sentence.

quelque chose/rien and quelqu'un/personne can be followed by de + adjective.

62

Pnoruourus 63

PRotrtoutrts

Relative pronouns: qui, que, lequel, auquel, duquel

>

What is a relative pronoun? ln English a relative pronoun is one of the words who, which and thot (and the more formal whom) which can be used to introduce information that makes it clear which person or thing is being talked about, for

qui is also used after a preposition such as i de or pour to talk about pcaplc. the person he is speaking to la personne d qui il parle pour j'ai qui les enfants achet6 the children I bought sweets for des bonbons

example, The mon who has just come in is Ann's boyfriend; The vase that you broke wos quite valuable. Relative pronouns can also introduce further information about someone or something, for example, Peter, who is q brilliant painter, wonts to study ort; lone's house, which was built in 1890, needs o lot of repoirs.

D In French, the

tr )

T(/p ln English we often miss out the object pronouns who, which and that. For example, we can say both the friends thot I see most, ol the friends I see most, and the house which we wqnt to buy, or the house we wont to buy. In French you can |{EVER miss out que or qui

relative pronouns are qui, que, lequel, auquef and duquel.

in this way.

qui and que

2l

qui and que can both refer to people or things.

Subject

Direct object

Relative pronoun

Meaning

qui

who which that

que

Mon frdre, qui a vingt ans, est l'universit6. Est-ce qu'il y a un bus qui va

i

au centre-ville? Les amis que je vois le plus

sont L6a et Mehdi. Voild la maison que nous voulons acheter.

>

lequel, laquelle. lesquels. lesquelles

fequel (meaning which)is used after a preposition such as i de or pourto talk about things. lt has to agree with the noun it replaces.

who, whom which that

Masculine

Feminine

Meaning

Singular

lequel

laquelle

which

Plural

lesquels

lesquelles

which

le livre pour lequel elle

My brother, who's twenty, is at

la table sur laquelle mon sac

university. ls there a bus that goes to the town centre?

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

the book she is famous for

mis

the table I put my bag on

j'ai

Remember that ir and de combine with the definite article le to become au and du, and with les to become aux and des. lequel/lesquels/lesquelles combine with ir and de as shown in the table. laquelle doesn't change.

The friends (that) | see most are L6a and Mehdi. That's the house (which) we want to buy.

que changes to qu' in front of a word beginning with a vowel and most words beginning with h.

est

GOnnue

t|

'

+ lequel

+ laquelle

+ lesquels

+ lesquelles

Meaning

a

auquel

i

laquelle

auxquels

auxquelles

to which

de

duquel

de laquelle

desquels

desquelles

of which

For more information

on d ond dq

see

poges 14 and 15.

64

Pnoruourus 65

Pnoruourus

Orammar Extra! dont means whose, of whom, of which, about which and so on. lt can refer to people or things, but its form NEVER changes. la femme dont la voiture est en panne les films dont tu parles

y' y'

the woman whose car has broken down the films you're talking about

Key points qui and que can both refer to people or things: qui is the subject of the part of the sentence it is found in; que is the object.

y'

n Engfish we often miss out the object pronouns who, which and thot, but in French you can never miss outque orqui. After a preposition you use qui if you are referring to people, and lequel if you are referring to things - lequel agrees with the noun

y'

a+ lequel 'auquel

f

Demonstrative pronouns: ce, cela/ga, ceci, celui What is a demonstrative pronoun? ln English a demonstrative pronoun is one of the words this, that, and fhose used instead of a noun to point people or things out, for

these,

exampfe, Thqt looks fun.

rl

ce

> ce is usually used with the verb

Gtre (meaning to be) in the expressions

c'est (meanin g it's, that's), c'6tait (meaning it wos, that wos), ce sont (meaning it's, that's) and so on.

C'est moi. C'6tait mon frdre. Ce sont eux.

it replaces.

It's me. That was my brother. It's them.

rrp

i+lesquels ,auxquels

i + lesquelles * auxquelles y' de+ lequel ' duquel

ce becomes c' when it is followed by a part of the verb that starts with e or 6. ce becomes E' when it is followed by a part of the verb that starts

de+lesquels'desquels de+ lesquelles' desquelles

with a.

Qa 6t6 difficile.

It was difficult.

Note that after c'est and ce sont and so on you have to use the emphatic form of the pronoun, for example, moi instead of je, eux instead of ils and so on.

C'est moi.

Q

For more informotion on Emphotic

It's me.

pronount

see

poge 51.

D ce is used:

o

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

with a noun or a question word to identify a person or thing Who is it?, Who's this/that? Oui est-ce? They're teachers. Ce sont des professeurs. que What's this/that? c'est? Ou'est-ce It's a tin-opener. C'est un ouvre'boite.

66

PRorrroulus 67

PRotuoutrts

o

with an adjective to refer to a statement, idea and so on that cannot be classed as either masculine or feminine

C'est trds int6ressant. C'est dangereux. Ce n'est pas grave.

o

That's/lt's very interesting. That's/lt's dangerous. It doesn't matter.

for emphasis G'est moi qui ai t6l6phon6. lt was me who phoned. Ce sont les enfants qui ont fait It was the children who made the le

g6teau.

cake.

E cela, ga and ceci l cefa and Ea mean it, this or that. Both refer to a statement,

rtp ga and cela are used in a more general way than il and elle, which are usually linked to a noun that has already been mentioned.

plait d'aller d l'6tranger? Do you like going abroad?

Elle te plait, ma

nouvelle

Do you like my new car?

voiture?

L

ceci means fhis and is not as common as cela and ga. lt is used to talk about something that has not yet been mentioned.

Lisez ceci.

)

Read this.

}

Meaning

Singular

celui

celle

the one

Plural

ceux

celles

the ones

celui and its other forms are used before:

o

qui, que or dont 'Ouelle robe pr6f6rez-vous?' 'Which dress do you like best?' -'Celle qui est en vitrine.' - 'The one in the window.' Prends ceux que tu pr6fires. Take the ones you like best. the one I told you about celui dont je t'ai parl6 like i, dans and so on. proche celui de la fontaine the one near the fountain

celui and its other forms can be used with de to show who something belongs to. In English, we would use 's. I haven't got a camera but I can Je n'ai pas d'appareil photo mais je peux emprunter celui borrow my sister!. de ma seur. Compare your answers with your Comparez vos r6ponses d neighbour's. celles de votre voisin. You can add the endings -ci and -lir to celui and its other forms to emphasize the difference between something that is close to you and something that is further away.

r use -ci for something that is closer to you o use -li for something that is further away Masculine

Feminine

Meaning

Singular

celui-ci celui-lir

celle-ci celle-lir

this, this one that that one

Plural

ceux-cl ceux-lir

celles-ci celles-lir

these, these ones those, those ones

ceci is also used to hand or show someone something.

Prends ceci.Tu en auras besoin. Take this. You'll need it.

tr

Feminine

o prepositions an idea or an

obfect. ga is used instead of cela in everyday, informal French. It doesn't matter. Qa ne fait rien. Ecoute-moi gal Listen to this! Cela d6pend. That/lt depends. Je n'aime pas cela. I don't like that. Donne-moi ga! Give me that!

Qa te

Masculine

celui, celle. ceux, celles celui and celle mean the one; ceux and celles mean the ones. The form you choose depends on whether the noun it is replacing is masculine or feminine, and singular or plural.

For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

On prend quel fromage? Celui-ci ou celui-ld? Ces chemises ont deux poches mais celles-li n'en ont pas.

Which cheese shall we get? This one or that one? These shirts have two pockets but those have none.

68

PRor,roulvs

y'.

"

cei.soften found

," ,n"

",lo"rlrl,"",lr'".'"rt

."

VERBS sont and so on.

:il',:!iil"i0",,"" or thins ;J:,fi:"J;""#n:T:?"t;*:l:no'o

What is a verb? A verb is a 'doing' word which describes what someone or something does, what someone or something is, or what happens to them, for

on that cannot be crassed

example, be, sing, live.

it,

"y' :jffff|l'i"un cefui and celle mean

thisor thot;ceci means rhis, but is not as

fhe one; ceuxand celles mean the ones. They are often found with the endings -ci and -li and are used to distinguish between things which are close and things which are further away.

The three coniugations D

Verbs are usually used with a noun,

with a pronoun such

as I, you or she, or

with somebody's name. They can relate to the present the past and the future; this is called their tense. t

)

)

For more informotion

on Nouns and Pronouns,

see

pages 1 ond 42.

Verbs are either:

. regular; their forms follow the normal rules o irregular; their forms do not follow the normal rules D Regular English verbs have a base form (the form of the verb without any endings added to it for example, walk). The base form can have fo in front

it for example, to wolk. This is called the infinitive. You will find one of these forms when you look a verb up in your dictionary. of

D

French verbs also have an infinitive, which ends in -er, -ir or -re, for example, donner (meaning to give), finir (meaning to finish), attendre (meaning to woit). Regular French verbs belong to one of these three verb groups, which are called conjugations. We will look at each of these three conjugations in turn on the next few pages.

> English

verbs have other forms apart from the base form and infinitive: form ending in -s (wolks), a form ending in -ing (wolking), and a form ending in -ed (wolked).

D

a

French verbs have many more forms than this, which are made up of endings added to a stem. The stem of a verb can usually be worked out

from the infinitive.

D

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

French verb endings change, depending on who you are talking aboul je (l), tu (you), illelle/on (he/she/one) in the singular, or nous (we), vous (you) and ifs/elles (they) in the plural. French verbs also have different forms depending on whether you are referring to the present, future or past.

70 Venss ) Some verbs in French do not follow the normal rules, and are called irregular verbs. These include some very common and important verbs like avoir (meaning to hove), €tre (meaning to be), faire (meaning to do, to make) and aller (meaning to go). There is information on many of these irregular verbs in the following sections.

+

For Verh tables, see supplement.

Venss

71

The present tense What is the present tense? The present tense is used to talk about what is true at the momenf what happens regulady and what is happening now, for example, l'm a student, I travel to college by train, l'm studying languoges.

D You use a verb in the present tense to talk about:

y'

Key points French verbs have different forms depending on what noun or pronoun they are used with, and on their tense.

( tfey are made up of a stem and an ending. The stem is usually y'

y'

based on the infinitive.

o

things that are happening now

It! raining. The phoneS ringing.

.

Regular verbs fit into one of three patterns or conjugations: -er, -ir, or -re verbs. lrregular verbs do not follow the normal rules.

o

things that happen all the time or at certain intervals, or things that you do as a habit It always snows in January. I play football on Saturdays. things that are true at the present time: She's not very well. It's a beautiful house.

D There is more than one way to express the present tense in English. For exampfe, you can say either I give, I am giving, or occasionally I do give. ln French you use the same form (e donne) for all of these!

> ln English

you can also use the present tense to talk about something that going to happen in the near future. You can do the same in French. Je vais en France le mois prochain. Nous prenons le train de dix

l'm ooino to France next month. We_fegetling the ten o'clock train.

heures.

Ttp Although English sometimes uses parts of the verb to be to form present tense of other verbs (for example, I am listening, shel talking), French NEVER uses the verb 6tre in this way.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

is

72

Vrnes

VeRes 73

The present tense: regular -er {first conjugationl verbs

)

lf an infinitive in French ends in -er, it means the verb belongs to the first coniugation, for example, donner, aimer, parler.

)

To know which form of the verb to use in French, you need to work out what the stem of the verb is and then add the correct ending. The stem of -er verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -er. Infinitive

Stem (without -er)

donner (to give) aimer (to like, to love) parfer (to speak, to tolk)

donnatm-

parl-

Now you know how to find the stem of a verb, you can add the correct ending. Which one you choose will depend on whether you are referring to je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vout ils or elles.

c

For more information on Pronouns, see poge 42.

Here are the present tense endings for -er verbs: Pronoun

Ending

ie (i')

-e

Add to stem, e.g. donnje donne

tu

-es

tu donnes

you grve you are giving

il

-e

il donne

he/she/itlone gives he/she/itlone is giving

Meanings I give I

elle on

elle donne on donne

am giving

.nou5

-ons

nous donnons

we grve we are giving

vous

-ez

vous donnez

you grve you are giving

ils elles

-ent

ils donnent elles donnent

they give they are giving

Marie regarde la t616. Le train arrive d deux heures.

Marie is watching W. The train arrives at 2 o'clock.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

rtp je changes to j' in front of a word starting with a vowel (o, e, i, o or u), most words starting with h, and the French word y.

il

Note that there are a few regular -er verbs that are spelled slightly differently from the way you might expect.

Q

For more information on Spelling changes

in -er verbs,

see

y'

Verbs endins in -e,

/

present tense stem by losing the -er from the infinitive. for -er verbs are:

uuunfil i^"itln, conlugation

lj".:j:::::"T:::"T:::,T

page 78.

and form their

74

Venes 75

Venes

The present tense: regular -ir (second conjugation) verbs lf an infinitive ends in -ir, it means the verb belongs to the second conjugation, for example, finir, choisir, remplir.

)

The stem of -ir verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive,,

and chopping off -ir.

)

Infinitive

Stem (without -ir)

finir (to

fin-

finish)

choisir (to choose)

chois-

rempfir (to fill, to fill in)

rempl-

D

Now add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to

For more informotion on Pronouns, see page 42.

Here are the present tense endings for -ir verbs: Pronoun

Ending

Add to stem, e.g. fin-

Meanings

ie 0')

-ts

ie finis

I finish

tu

-t5

tu finis

I am finishing you finish you are finishing

il

-it

elle on

il finit

he/she/itlone

finit on finit

finishes

we finish we are finishing you finish you are finishing

elle

he/she/it/one finishing

nous

-tssons

nous finissons

vous

-tssez

vous finissez

ils

-issent

ils finissent elles finissent

elles

Le cours finit i onze heures. Je finis mes devoirs.

is

they finish they are finishing

The lesson finishes at eleven o'clock, l'm finishing my homework.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

D The nous and vous forms of -ir verbs have an extra (two syllobles) tu filnis vous

tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles,

+

j' in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.

je changes to

l

filnilssez

syllable.

(three syllables)

Key points -i, u"toniiJ,i""'r"lona conjugation and form

y'

Verbs ending in

y'

their present tense stem by losing the -ir from the infinitive. The present tense endings for -ir verbs are:

y'

-ls, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. Remember the extra syllable in the nous and vous forms.

76

Venes 77

Vrnes

The present tense: regular -re (third coniugationl verbs

)

lf an infinitive ends in -re, it means the verb belongs to the third coniugation, for example, attendre, vendre, entendre.

)

The stem of -re verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -re. Infinitive

Stem (without -re)

attendre (to wait)

attend-

vendre (fo sel/)

vend-

entendre (to hear)

entend-

je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles.

)

For more informqtion on Pronouns, see poge 42.

Here are the present tense endings for -re verbs: Pronoun

Ending

Add to stem,

Meanings

e.g. attend-

je 0')

-s

i'attends

lwait

tu

-s

tu attend!

I am waiting you wait you are waiting

il elle on

il attend elle attend

nous

-on5

on attend nous attendons

vouS

-ez

vous attendez

ils elles

-ent

ils attendent elles attendent

j' in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y. Key points

y' Yerbsending in -re belonfil,Ii"'l-rtita y'

L Now add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to +

Ttp je changes to

he/she/itlone waits he/she/itlone is waiting we wait we are waiting you wait you are waiting they wait they are waiting

J'attends ma s(Eur. Chaque matin nous attendons

l'm waiting for my sister. Every morning we wait for the train

le train ensemble.

together.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

conjugation and form

their present tense stem by losing the -re from the infinitive.

tne present tense endings for -re verbs are: -s, -5, -, -ons, -gz, -ent.

78

Venes 79

Venas

The present tense: spelling changes in -er verbs

}

Learning the patterns shown on pages 72-73 means you can now work out the forms of most -er verbs. A few verbs, though, involve a small spelling change. This is usually to do with how a word is pronounced. In the tables below the form(s) with the irregular spelling is/are underlined.

tr >

3I

Pronoun

verbs such as appeler (meaning to col[), which end in -eler, the I doubles before -e, -es and -ent. The double consonant (ll) affects the pronunciation of the word. In appeler, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teacher, but in appelle the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet.

as

le

lance

tu

lances

il elle on

lance

nouS

langons

vous

lancez

ils

lancent

to eot), which end in -ger, g

becomes ge before an a or an o. This is so the letter g is still pronounced fike the s in the English word leisure. Pronoun

Example verb: appeler

I

aopelle

tu

appelles

il

appelle

nous

appelons

vous

appelez

ils elles

apoellent

The exceptions to this rule are geler (meaning to freeze) and peler (meaning to peel), which change in the same way as lever (see page 81). Verbs like this are sometimes called '1 , 2, 3, 5 verbs' because they change

in the first person singular (je), second person singular (tu), and third person singular and plural (illelle/on and ils/elles).

Verbs ending in -ger

> With verbs such as manger (meaning

Pronoun

elle on

Example verb: lancer

elles

l2l

> With

Verbs ending in -cer

With verbs such as lancer (meaning to throw), which end in -cer, c becomes E before an a or an o. This is so the letter c is still pronounced in the English word ice.

Verbs ending in -eler

Example verb; manger

je

man9e

tu

manges

il elle on

mange

nous

manqeons

vous

man9ez

ils elles

mangent

4

Verbs ending in -eter

verbs such as jeter (meaning to throw),which end in -eter, the t doubles before -e, -es and -ent. The double consonant (tt) affects the pronunciation of the word. In jeter, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teacher, but in iette the first e sounds like

> With

the one in the English word pef. Pronoun

Example verb: jeter

le

iette

tu

iettes

il elle on

iette

nous

ietons ietez

vouS

ils elles For {urther explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

ictten!

80 Venss L The exceptions

Vengs

to this rule include acheter (meaning to buy), which changes in the same way as lever (see page 81).

D

Verbs like this are sometimes called'1,

tr >

}

2.3. 6 verbs'.

Verbs ending in -yer With verbs such as nettoyer (meaning to cleon), which end in -yer, the y changes to i before -e, -es and -ent. Pronoun

Example verb: nettoyer

le tu

nettoie nettoies

il elle on

nettoie

nous

nettoyons

vous

nettoyez

ils elles

nettoient

Verbs ending in -ayer, such as payer (meaning to poy) and essayer

(meaning to try), can be spelled with either a y or an i. So je paie and

je paye, for example, are both correct.

}

Verbs like this are sometimes called

tr

"1

, 2, 3, 6 verbs'

Ghanges involving accents

> With verbs such as lever

(meaning to roise), peser (meaning to weigh) and acheter (meaning to buy), e changes to 6 before the consonant + -e, -es and -ent. The accent changes the pronunciation too. In lever the first e sounds ike the vowel sound at the end of the English word teocher, but in fdve and so on the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet. f

Pronoun

Example verb: lever

je

live

tu

lives

il

live

elle on nous

levons

vous ils

levez

livent

elles For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

With verbs such as esp6rer (meaning to hope), r6gler (meaning to adjust) and pr6f6rer (meaning to prefer),6 changes to E before the consonant + -e, -es and -ent. Pronoun

Example verb: esp6rer

I' tu

esDere

il elle on

eSDere

esDeres

nous

esperons

vous

esperez

ils elles

espirent

D Verbs fike this are sometimes called '1, 2. 3, 6 verbs'. Key points

Ir*::T'i'J:,"il: "/l'-''Tiffi

xi-unr..

itr?.'il-:,'ffi1;":::,andvousrorms

/ l:H:'iti,t llffX, una vous rorms (optionar in -ayer verbs). I

81

82

Venes 83

Venss

The present tense: irregular verbs

)

3

Some verbs in French do not follow the normal rules. These verbs include some very common and important verbs like avoir (meaning to hove), 6tre (meaning to be), faire (meaning to do, to moke) and aller (meanin g to go). The present tense of these four verbs is given in full below.

O

For Verb tables, see supplement.

tr

The present tense of avoir Pronoun

avoll

I

al

I have

a5

you have he/she/itlone has

tu il

Meaning: to have

a

elle on nous

avonS

vous

avez

we have you have

ils elles

ont

they have

J'4j deux s(Durs.

I have two sisters.

ll a les yeux bleus.

He has blue eyes. She's three. What's the matter?

Elle a trois ans. O,u'est-ce qu'il y a?

e

The present tense of faire Pronoun je

faire

tu

fais

il elle on nous

fait

vous

faites

ils elles

font

Meaning: to do, to make ldo/make

fais

I am doinq/makinq you do/make you are doing/making he/she/it/one does/makes he/she/itlone is doing/making

we do/make we are doinq/makinq you do/make vou are doinq/makinq they do/make they are doing/making

faisons

l'm making a cake. What are you doing? It's hot. It doesn't matter.

Je fais un gdteau. Ou'est-ce que tu fais? ll fait chaud. Qa ne fait rien.

l+'l

The present tense of 6tre Pronoun

6tre

ie

suls

Meaning: fo be tam

tu il

es

you are

est

he/she/itlone

elle on nous

50mmes

vouS

6tes

ils elles

sont

we are you are they are

is

l'm happy.

Je suis heureux. Mon pdre est instituteur.

My father's a primary school

ll est deux heures.

teacher. It's two o'clock.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

I

The present tense of aller Meaning: fo go

Pronoun

aller

,e

vats

tu

vas

you 90 you are qoinq

il

va

elle on nous

he/she/itlone goes he/she/it/one is going

allons

vous

allez

we go we are qoinq you go vou are qoinq

ils elles

vont

l90 I am going

Je vais

i

they go they are going

l'm going to London.

Londres.

'Comment allez-vous?'

-'Je

'How are you?' -'l'm fine.'

vais bieni

'Comment ga va?'-'Qa va bien.' 'How are you?'

-'l'm

fine.'

84

tr

Venes 85

Venes

The imperative

lrregular -ir verbs

D Many irregular

verbs that end in -ir, such as partir (meaning to go) and

What is the imperative? An imperative is a form of the verb used when giving orders and rrrstructions, for example, Shut the door!; Sit down!; Don't go!

tenir (meaning to hold), have a common pattern in the singular. The je and tu forms often end in -s, and the illelle/on form often ends in -t. Pronoun

partir

tenir

,e

parS

tien5

tu

par!

tien5

illelle/on

pa(t

tient

Je pars demain. Elle tient le b6b6.

+

l'm leaving tomorrow. She is holding the baby.

t

> r

I

In French, there are two forms of the imperative that are used to give instructions or orders to someone. These correspond to tu and vous.

i,

>

For Verb tables, see supplement.

Using the imperative

For more information on the difference between tu

{

D

see

poge 43.

There is also a form of the imperative that corresponds to nous. This means the same as /ef3 in English. lt is not used as often as the tu and vous forms.

2l

t'

ond vous,

Forming the present tense imperative

For regular verbs, the imperative is the same as the tu, nous and vous forms of the present tense, except that you do not say the pronouns tu, nous and vous. Also, in the tu form of -er verbs like donner, the final -s is dropped.

Meaning -ir verbs:

Pronoun

-er verbs:

tu

give

finis

nouS

donner donne donnons

Iet's qive

finissons

vous

donnez

grve

finissez

finir

Meaning -re verbs: attendre finish attends lett finish attendons attendez finish

Donne-moi ga! Finissez vos devoirs et allez

Give me that!

vous Goucher,

bed.

Attendons le bus.

Let's wait for the bus.

Meaning wait let's wait

wait

Finish your homework and go to

rtp When a tu imperative comes before en or y, the final -s is kept to make the words easier to pronounce. The s is pronounced like the z in the English word zipi Co on! Vaglg! Give some to your brother. Donnes:gn d ton frdre.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

86

VeRes 87

Venes

Lg"l Where to put the obiect pronoun

}

4

An object pronoun is a word like la (meaning her/it), me/moi (meaning me) or leur (meaning to them) that is used instead of a noun as the object of a sentence. In orders and instructions, the position of these object pronouns in the sentence changes depending on whether you are telling someone TO DO something or NOT TO DO something.

+

For more informotion on Object

)

pronouns,

see

page 47.

lf you are telling someone NOT TO DO something, you put the oblect pronouns BEFORE the verb.

Ne me d6range pas. Ne leur parlons pas. Ne le regardez pas.

L lf you are telling someone TO DO something, you put the object pronouns the verb and join the two words with a hyphen. The word order the same as in English. Excusez:nng!.

Excuse me.

Aide-nous.

Help us. Let's wait for her/it.

Attendonsi!a.

Orders and instructions telling someone to do something may contain direct obiect and indirect obiect pronouns. When this happens, the pronouns go in this order: DIRECT

INDIRECT

le

moi

la

toi

BEFORE

lui nous

les

vous

leur Pr6te-les

moi!

Donnez-la-nous!

E)

Lend them to me! or Lend me them! Give it to us! or Cive us it!

For imperatives using Reflexive verbs, see

For further explanation of grammatical

terml

poge 90.

please see pages viii-xii.

and vouloir (meaning to wont) have irregular imperative forms. Pronoun

avotl

6tre

savolr

vouloir

tu

ate

sorS

sache

nouS

ayons

soyons

sachons

veuille veuillons

vouS

ayez

soyez

sachez

veuillez

Sois sage. Veuillez fermer la porte.

Don't disturb me. Let's not speak to them. Don't look at him/it.

AFTER

lmperative forms of inegular verbs avoir (meanin g to have),6tre (meanin g to be), savoir (meaning to know)

is

Be

good.

Please shut

the door.

88

Venes 89

Vrnes

What's happening? O,u'est-ce qui se passe? Le soleil se ldve d cinq heures. The sun rises at five o'clock. Sit down! Assevez-vous!

Reflexive verbs What is a reflexive verb? A reflexive verb is one where the sublect and oblect are the same, and where the action 'reflects back' on the subject. lt is used with a reflexive pronoun such as myself, yourself and herself in English, for example, / washed myself; He shoved himself.

tr l

D

Using reflexive verbs

English. Some French verbs can be used with a reflexive pronoun or without a reflexive pronoun, for example, the verbs appeler and s'appeler, and arr€ter and s'arr6ter. Sometimes, however, their meaning may change.

Appelle le chien. Je m'appelle Jacques. ll an6te le moteur. Elle s'an6te devant une

Reflexive verbs are often used to describe things you do (to yourself) every day or that involve a change of some sort (going to bed, sitting down, getting angry, going to sleep). Some of the most common French reflexive

verbs are listed here:

s'amuser s'appeler s'arr6ter s'asseoir se baigner

to play, to enjoy oneself to be called to to to to

stop sit down go swimming go to bed to hurry to get dressed

se coucher se d6p6cher

s'habiller s'int6resser

vitrine.

Call the dog. l'm called facques. He switches off the engine. She stops in front of a shop window.

2l Forming the present tense of reflexive verbs

se changes to s'in front of a word starting with'a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.

For

Note that se and s' are very rarely translated as himself and so on in

In French, reflexive verbs are much more common than in English, and many are used in everyday French. They are shown in dictionaries as se the infinitive (se means himself, herself, itself, themselves or oneself). seis called a reflexive pronoun.

rw )

fl

i

quelque chose

to be interested in somethinq

se laver se lever se passer se promener se rappeler se r6veiller

to wake up

se trouver

to be (situated)

to wash, to have a wash to get up, to rise, to stand up to take place, to happen, to go to go for a walk

to remember

lurther explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

D To use a reflexive verb in French, you need to decide which reflexive pronoun to use. The forms shown in brackets in the table are used before a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, or the French word y. Subject pronoun le

Reflexive Dronoun me (m')

tu

te (t')

il elle on

se (s')

Meaning myself yourself himself herself itself oneself

nous

nouS

ourselves

vouS

vous

ils elles

se (s')

yourself (singulor) vourselves (p/urol) themselves

Je me ldve t6t. Elle s'habille. lls s'int6ressent beaucoup aux animaux.

I get up early. She's getting dressed. They're very interested in animals.

90 Venes ) The present tense forms of a reflexive verb work in just the same way as an

Vrnes

Ttp

ordinary verb, except that the reflexive pronoun is used as well. Reflexive forms ie me lave

Meaning lwash (myself)

tu te laves

you wash (yourself)

il se lave

he washes (himself)

elle se lave

she washes (herself)

on se lave nous nous lavons vous vous lavez ils se lavent elles se lavent

}

tr

BEFORE

I go to bed early. What's your name?

When telling someone NOT TO DO something, you put the reflexive pronoun BEFORE the verb as usual. Ne te ldve pas. Ne vous habillez pas.

l

a]

Don't get up. Don't get dressed.

When telling someone TO DO something, you put the reflexive pronoun AFTER the verb and join the two words with a hyphen.

Live-toi! D6p6chez-vous! Habillons-nous.

For more informotion on the Imperative, see

t'

is

poge 85.

Each otherand one another

D We use each other in English when we are talking about two people, and one anotherwhen we are talking about three or more people. The French reflexive pronouns nout vous and se can all mean two or more people.

les

We speak to each other every day.

jours.

In the present tense, the reflexive pronoun almost always comes the verb.

Je me couche t6t. Comment t'appelles-tu?

)

Nous nous parlons tous

Where to put the reflexive pronoun

)

t

Some reflexive verbs, such as s'asseoir (meaning to sit down), are irregular. Some of these irregular verbs are shown in the Verb tables. For Verb tables, see supplement.

t'

When you-are telling someone NOT TO DO something, te or used, not toi. Don't get uP. Ne te live pas.

it washes (itself)

+

)

When you are telling someone TO DO something, te or changes to toi. Sit down. Assieds-toi.

one washes (oneself) we wash (ourselves) you wash (yourself) (singular) you wash (yourselves) (p/urol) they wash (themselves)

91

Get up! Hurry up! Let's get dressed.

For further oxplanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Shall we see each other tomorrow? On se voit demain? pays The three countries are really like se ressemblent Les trois one another. beaucoup.

92

VeRes 93

Venss

2l

The imperfect tense What is the imperfect tense? The imperfect tense is one of the verb tenses used to talk about the past, especially in descriptions, and to say what used to happen, for example, I used to wolk to school; lt was sunny at the weekend.

)

Forming the imperfect tense of -er verbs

To form the imperfect tense of -er verbs, you use the same stem of the verb as for the present tense. Then you add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles.

Pronoun

Ending

Add to stem,

Meanings

e.g. donn-

tr )

je (j')

Using the imperfect tense

-ars

je donnais

I gave

was giving I used to give I

The imperfect tense is used:

.

to describe what things were like and how people felt in the past when she left. It was oourino with rain.

tu

-at5

tu donnais

you gave you were giving you used to give

il

-ait

he/she/it/one gave he/she/it/one was giving he/she/it/one used to give

I was very sad

o

to

say

what used to happen or what you used to do regularly in the past

We used to get up very early in those days. I never used to like milk.

o

nous

-rons

il donnait elle donnait on donnait nous donnions

vous

-rc2

vous donniez

you gave you were giving you used to give

ils elles

-aient

ils donnaient elles donnaient

they gave

elle on

to indicate things that were happening or something that was true when something else took place I was watchino TV when the phone rano. As we were looking out of the window, we saw someone walk across

the lawn.

@

Note that if you want to talk about an event or action that took place and was completed in the past, you use the perfeet tensc.

* L

ll portait toujours un grand for more informotion on the Perfect tense,

see

poge 111.

You can often recognize an imperfect tense in English because it uses form like were looking or wos roining. The words used to also show an

imperfect tense.

rtp Remember that you NEVER use the verb €tre to translate was ol were in forms like was roining or were looking and so on. You change

the French verb ending instead.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

a

'

we gave we were giving we used to give

they were giving they used to give

He always wore a big black hat.

chapeau noir. We were living in Paris at that time. Nous habitions d Paris d cette 6poque. Pour gagner un peu d'argent, ie To earn a little money I used to donnais des cours de frangais. give French lessons.

rrp

je changes to j' in front of a word starting with words starting with h, and the French word y.

a vowel, most

94

tr )

Venes 95

Vrnes Forming the imperfect tense of -ir verbs

To form the imper-fect tense of -irverbs, you use the same stem of the verb

for the present tense. Then you add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to jq tq i[ ellg on, nous, voug ils or eller as

Pronoun

Ending

Add to stem, e.g.

ie 0')

't55at5

ie finissais

fin

Meanings finishing

I used to finish -t5sars

il elle on

-issait

nous

-rssrons

vous

-rssrez

-issaient

ils elles

tu finissais

you finished you were finishing you used to finish

il finissait elle finissait on finissait

he/she/itlone finished he/she/itlone was finishing he/she/itlone used to finish

nous finissions

we finished we were finishing we used to finish

vous finissiez

ils finissaient elles finissaient

ils

choisissaient une bague

de

)

Meanings

i'c')

-als

i'attendais

I

tu

-at5

il elle on

-ait

nouS

-lons

on attendait nous attendions

vous

-rc2

vous attendiez

ils elles

-aient

ils attendaient elles attendaient

waited waiting I used to wait I was

tu attendais

That afternoon they were choosing an engagement ring.

Forming the imperfect tense of -re verbs

il attendait elle attendait

you waited you were waiting you used to wait he/she/it/one waited he/she/it/one was waiting he/she/itlone used to wail we waited we were waiting

we used to wait you waited you were waiting you used to wait they waited they were waiting they used to wait

Christine m'attendait tous les Christine used to wait for me every evening at the exit. soirs a la sortie. I was living alone after my divorce. Je vivais seule aprds mon

they finished they were finishing they used to finish

fiangailles.

tr

Add to stem, e,g, attend-

you finished you were finishing you used to finish

ll finissait souvent ses devoirs He often finished his homework before dinner. avant le diner. Get apris-midi-ld

Ending

I finished I was

tu

Pronoun

divorce.

il >

Spelling changes in -er verbs

As with the present tense, a few -erverbs change their spellings slightly when they are used in the imperfect tense. The forms with spelling changes have been underlined in the tables.

verbs such as lancer(meaning to throw), which end in -ce4 c becomes g before an a or an o. This is so that the letter c is still pronounced

> With

as in the English word lce.

To form the imperfect tense of -re verbs, you use the same stem of the verb

Pronoun

Example verb: lancer

for the present tense. Then you add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to ig tu, il elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles. These endings are the same as for -erverbs.

le

lanfais

tu il

lanEais

as

lanEait

elle on

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

nous

lancions

vouS

lanciez

ils elles

lanEaient

96 Venes > With verbs such as manger becomes

ge before

an

a or

VeRes 97

rwr

(meaning to eot), which end in -ger, g an o. This is so the letter g is still pronounced

me changes to m', te to t' and se to s' before a vowel, most words starting with h and the French word y.

like the s in the English word leisure. Pronoun

Example verb: manger

je tu il

manoeats manoeats

/

mangeait

>

elle on nous

mangrons

vouS

mangiez mangeaient

ils elles

These verbs follow the 1.2,3,6 pattern. That is, they change in the

firs!

second and third person singular, and in the third person plural.

tr )

Reftexive verbs in the imperfect tense

I

lrregular verbs in the imperfect tense

The only verb that is irregular in the imperfect tense is €tre. 6tre 6tais

I was

6tais

you were

il elle on

6tait

he/she/itlone was

nouS

6tions

we were

vouS

6tiez

you were

ils elles

6taient

they were

The imperfect tense of reflexive verbs is formed just as for ordinary verbs, except that you add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se). Subject pronoun

Reflexive

pronoun

Example with laver

,e

me (m')

lavais

J'6kis heureux. Mon pdre 6tait instituteur.

Meaning

te (t')

lavais

I washed

il elle on

se (s')

lavait

nous

nous

lavions

vouS

vous

laviez

ils elles

se (s')

lavaient

I used to wash you washed you were washing you used to wash he/she/itlone washed he/she/it/one was washing he/she/itlone used to wash we washed we were washing we used to wash you washed you were washing

you used to wash they washed they were washing they used to wash

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

I was happy.

My father was a primary school teacher.

I was washing

tu

Meaning

Pronoun

t' tu

/

r'

98

Vsnes

Venes

The future tense

m

What is the future tense? The future tense is a verb tense used to talk about something that will happen or will be true.

tr }

Pronoun

Just as in English, you can use the present tense in French

ie 0')

to refer to

something that is going to happen in the future. fe pfends le train de dix heures. l'm taking the ten o'clock train. Nous allons i Paris la semaine We're going to paris next week. prochaine.

}

In English we often use going to followed by an infinitive to talk about something that will happen in the immediate future. You can use the French verb aller (meaning to go) followed by an infinitive in the same way. Tu vas tomber si tu continues. You're going to fall if you carry on. ll va manquer le train. He's going to miss the train.

)

see

page 82.

Add to stem, e.g.

Meanings

-45

il elle on

-a

nouS

-ons

vous

-ez

ils elles

-ont

je donner4i

I

will give

je finiraj

I

will finish

j'attendraj tu donneras tu finiras tu attendras illelle/on donnera illelle/on finira illelle/on attendra nous donnerqE

lwill wait

nous finirqns nous attendrqn! vous donnercz vous finirez vous attendrez ils/elles donnerQnt ils/elles finiren! ils/elles attendrsnt

Elle te donnera mon adresse. Le cours finira ir onze heures. Nous t'attendrons devant le cin6ma.

you will give you will finish

you will wait he/she/itlone will give he/she/it/one will finish he/she/it/one will wait we will give we will finish we will wait you will give you will finish you will wait they will give

they will finish they will wait

She'll give you my address. The lesson will finish at eleven o'clock. We'll wait for you in front of the cinema.

Forming the future tense vowel, ie changes to j' in front of a word starting with a y. word French the starting with h, and

To form the future tense in French, you use:

o the infinitive of -er and -ir verbs, for example, donner, finir o the infinitive without the final e of -re verbs: for example, attendr-

)

-al

tu

Remember that French has no direct equivalent of the word will in verb forms like will rain or will look and so on. You change the French verb ending instead to form the future tense.

A

Ending

ovoir,

donner-, f inir-, aftendr-

fn English the future tense is often shown by will or its shortened form ,/l What will you do? The weather will be warm and dry tomorrow. He'll be here soon. l'll give you a call.

L

Note that apart from the nous and vous forms, the endings are the same as the Present tense of avoir. For the present tense of

Using the future tense

99

Then add the correct ending to the stem, depending on whether you are talking about je, tq if elle, ory nous, vous, ils or elles. The endings are the same for -er, -ir and -re verbs.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

Spelling changes in'er verbs

tr >'

with the present and imperfect tenses, a few -er verbs change their spellings slightly in the future tense. The forms with spelling changes have been underlined in the tables.

As

100

Venes

Venes

> With verbs such as appeler (meaning to cal[), which

With verbs such as nettoyer (meaning to clean), that end in -yer, the y t hanges to i throughout the future tense.

end in -eler, the

I doubles throughout the future tense. The double consonant (ll) affects the pronunciation of the word. ln appeler, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teacher, but in appellerai the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet. Pronoun

Example verb: appeler

t' tu

appellerai appelleras

il elle on

appellera

nous

appellerons

vouS

appellerez

ils elles

appelleront

The exceptions to this rule are geler (meaning to freeze) and peler (meaning to peel), which change in the same way as lever (see poge 101).

With verbs such as jeter (meaning to throw), that end in -eter, the t doubles throughout the future tense. The double consonant (tt) affects the pronunciation of the word. In jeter, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teocher, but in jetterai the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet. Pronoun

Example verb: jeter

le tu

tstlcralt

ielterc!

il elle on

jctteIa

nous

ietterons ietterez

vouS

ils elles

101

ietteront

The exceptions to this rule include acheter (meaning to buy), which changes in the same way as lever (see page 101).

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages vlii-xii.

>

Verbs ending in -ayer, such as payer (meaning to pay) and essayer (meaning to try), can be spelled with either a y or an i. So ie paierai and

ie payerai, for example, are both correct.

>

With verbs such as lever (meaning to raise), peser (meaning to weigh) and acheter (meaning to buy), e changes to E throughout the future tense. In lever the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English wotd teocher, but in lEverai and so on the first e sounds like the one in the English word pef. Pronoun

Example verb: lever

le

lEverai

tu

lEveras

it

lEvera

elle on nouS

liverons

vous

lEverez

ils elles

lEveront

Venes

102

Venss

tr

Reflexive verbs in the future tense

)

il faut becomes il faudra (meaning it will be necessary to)' il pleut becomes il pleuvra (meaning it will rain).

The future tense of reflexive verbs is formed in just the same way as for ordinary verbs, except that you have to remember to give the reflexive pronoun (me, se, nous, vous, se). Subject pronoun

Example with laver

Reflexive

plonoun

fhis

is

the future tense of avoir:

I

aural

tu

auras

il

aura

Meaning: to have I will have you will have he/she/it/one will have

nouS

aurons

we will have

vouS

aurez

you will have

ils elles

auront

they will have

Pronoun

Meaning

je

me (m')

laverai

I

tu

te (t')

laveras

you will wash

il elle on

se (s')

lavera

he/she/it/one will wash

nous

nous

laverons

we will wash

vous

vous

laverez

you will wash

ils elles

se (s')

laveront

they will wash

will wash

avolr

elle on

>

This is the future tense of €tre: Meaning: to be

rq

Pronoun

6tre

ie

seral

lwill

me changes to m', te to t'and se to s' before a vowel, most words starting with h and the French word y.

tu

seras

you will be

il

sera

he/she/itlone will be

be

elle on

tr )

There are some verbs that do not use their infinitives as the stem for the future tense, including avoi4 6tre, faire and aller, which are shown in full on pages 103-104.

)

Other irregular verbs include: Verb

devoir

Meaning le to have devrai

)

tu

illelle/on nous

vous

devras

devra

devrez

devrons

ils/elles devront

to, must

pouvoir to be oble pourral

pourras

POUrra

pourrons

sauras

Saura

Saurons saurez sauront tiendrons tiendrez tiendront viendrons viendrez viendront verrons verrez verront voudrons voudrez voudront

pourrez

pourront

to, con Savotr

to know

saural

tenir

to hold

tiendrai tiendras tiendra viendrai viendras viendra verral verras verra voudiai voudras voudra

venrr to come votr to see vouloir to wont

For further oxplanation of grammatical

seron5

we will be

vous

Serez

you will be

ils elles

seront

they will be

nous

lregular verbs in the future tense

tems, please see pages viii-xii,

This is the future tense of faire:

tu

feras

il elle on

fera

Meaning: to do, to make I will do/make you will do/make he/she/it/one will do/make

Pronoun

faire

le

ferai

nous

ferons

we will do/make

vous

ferez

vou will do/make

ils elles

feront

they will do/make

103

104

)

Venes 105

Venes

The conditional

This is the future tense of aller: Pronoun

aller

Meaning: fo go

I

Iral

lwill go

tu il

tras

you will go

tra

he/she/it/one will 9o

elle on

+

nous

rrons

we will go

vouS

tfez

you will go

ils elles

iront

they will go

For Verb tables, see supplement.

What is the conditional? The conditional is a verb form used to talk about things that would happen or that would be true under certain conditions, for example,

1]

Using the conditional

D You can often recognize a conditional in English by the word would or its shortened form 'd. I would be sad if you left. lf you asked him, he'd helP You.

L You use the conditional

1/ y' ( 1/

y' y' y'

I

wpuk! help you if I could. lt is also used to say what you would like or need, for example, Could you

youcan use a present,""l""l"oflt"?ti ro tatk about something that will happen or be true in the future, just as in English. You can use aHer with an infinitive to refer to things that will happen in the immediate future. the stem is the same as the infinitive for -er, -ir and -re verbs, except that the final -e of -re verbs is lost. fhe future tense endings are the same for -er, -ir and -re verbs: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. In verbs ending in -eler and -eter: | - ll and t * tt throughout the future tense. In verbs ending in -yer: y , i throughJut the future tense (optional in -ayer verbs). S.omeverb.s are irregular in the future tense. lt is worth learning these in full.

for:

o

asking for something formally and politely, especially in shops l'd like a kilo of pears, please.

.

saying what you would like l'd like to go to the United States.

o o

making a suggestion I could come and pick You uP. giving advice You should say you're sorry.

rrp There is no direct French translation of would in verb forms like would be, would like, would help and so on. You change the French verb ending instead.

l4 L

Forming the conditional

To form the conditional in French, you have

to

use:

o the infinitive of -er and -ir verbs, for example, donner-, finiro the infinitive without the final e of -re verbs, for example, attendr-

>

r) For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Then add the correct ending to the stem, depending on whether you are talking about je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles' The endings are the same for all verbs. In fact, they are the same as the -er and -re endings for the IMPERFECT TENSE, but the stem is the same as the FUTURE TENSE. For more informotion on the Imperfect tense

92 qnd 98.

ond the Future tense,

see pqges

106

VrRes

Venss

Pronoun

Ending

Add to stem, e,g,

3

Meanings

donner-, f inir-, attendr-

ie (')

I

i'attendrais

tu

-at5

il elle on

-ait

nous

-tons

vous

ils elles

-lez

-aient

> would give I would finish I would wait

ie donner4iE ie finirai5

-ats

tu donnerai! tu finiraiE tu attendrai! illelle/on donnerai! illelle/on finiraft illelle/on attendrai!

you would give you would finish you would wait

nous donnerions nous finirlo45 nous attendrienl

we would give we would finish we would wait

vous donnerlcz vous finirlg; vous attendrlcz

you would give you would finish you would wait

ils/elles donneraienI ils/elles finiraient ils/elles attendraient

they would give they would finish

J'atmcrals aller aux Etats

he/she/it/one would give he/she/itlone would finish heishe/it/one would wait

they would wait

Unis. l'd like to go to the

United States.

T'P je changes to j' in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.

a

Note that you have to be careful not to mix up the future tense and the conditional. They look very similar. FUTURE

CONDITIONAL

je donnerai je finirai

je donnerais

j'attendrai j'aimerai je voudrai je viendrai je serai

je finirais j'attendrais j'aimerais je voudrais je viendrais

je serais

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

107

Spelling changes in -er verbs

]

with the future tense, a few -er verbs change their spellings slightly in the conditional. The forms with spelling changes have been underlined in the tables below.

As

> With

verbs such as appeler (meaning to cal[), which end in -eler, the I doubles throughout the conditional. The double consonant (ll) affects the pronunciation of the word. ln appeler, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teocher, but in appellerais the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet. Pronoun

Example verb: appeler

I'

appellerais

tu

aooellerais

il

aopellerait

elle on nouS vouS ils

appellerions appelleriez aooelleraient

elles

The exceptions to this rule are geler (meaning to freeze) and peler (meaning to peef), which change in the same way as lever (see page 1 08).

\Mth verbs such as jeter (meaning to throw), which end in -eter, the t doubles throughout the conditional. The double consonant (tt) affects the pronunciation of the word. In jeter, the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teocher, but in ietterais the first e sounds like the one in the English word pet. Pronoun je

tu

Example verb: jeter

ietterais ietterais

il elle on

ietterait

nous

icttedsns

vous ils elles

ietteriez

je$sdcn!

The exceptions to this rule include acheter (meaning to buy), which changes in the same way as lever (see poge 108).

Venes

108 Vrnes (meaning to cleon), that end in -yer, the y changes to i throughout the conditional.

> With verbs such as nettoyer Pronoun

Example verb: nettoyer

le

tu

nettoierais nettoierais

iI

nettoierait

elle on nous vous ils elles

ll_J Reflexive verbs in the conditional >

The conditional of reflexive verbs is formed in lust the same way as for ordinary verbs, except that you have to remember to give the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se).

nettoierions nettoieriez nettoieraient

Reflexive

Example

pronoun

with laver

ie

me (m') te (t')

laverais

lwould wash

laverais

you would wash

se (s')

laverait

he/she/it would wash

nous

nouS

laverions

we would wash

vous

vous se (s')

laveriez

you would wash

laveraient

they would wash

il elle on

Verbs ending in -ayer, such as payer (meaning to poy) and essayer (meaning to try), can be spelled with either a y or an i. So ie paierais and

ils elles

je payerais, for example, are both correct. With verbs such as lever (meanin g to roise), peser (meaning to weigh) and acheter (meaning to buy), e changes to E throughout the conditional' In lever the first e sounds like the vowel sound at the end of the English word teocher, but in liverais and so on the first e sounds like the one in the English word pef. Example verb: lever

le

liverais

tu

lEverais

il

lEverait

liverions

vous

lEveriez

ils

lEveraient

me changes to m', te to t' and se to s' before a vowel, most words starting with h and the French word y.

lil

lrregular verbs in the conditional

The same verbs that are irregular in the future tense are irregular in the conditional, including: avoir, etre, faire, aller, devoir, pouvoir, savoir,

tenir, venir, voir, vouloir. t

)

For more information on

lrregulor verbs in the future tense,

see

D To form the conditional of an irregular verb, use the same stem future tense, for example:

elles

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages

Ttp

L

elle on nous

Meaning

Subject pronoun

tu

Pronoun

109

avoir - aur€tre + ser-

viii-xii'

poge 102. as

for the

VrRes 111

110 Vrnss

)

The perfect tense

Then add the usual endings for the conditional. lnfinitive

Future stem

Gonditional endings

avorr

aur-

-ais, -ais,

€tre

ser-

-ait

faire

fer-

nous aurisns, vous aurlez ils/elles auraicnl

-ais, -ais, -ait,

ie seraig tu seralg illelle/on serail nous serions, vous serigz, ils/elles seralco! je fergig tu ferais illelle/on ferai! nous ferions. vous ferlgz, ils/elles feretcot

-ais, -ais, -ait,

-ions, -iez, -aient aller

tr-

-ais, -ais, -ait,

-ions, -iez, -aient

J'llais si j'avais le temps. Je voudrais un kilo de poires, s'il vous plait. Tu devrais t'excuser.

y' ( y' y' y'

j'auralg tu aurait illelle/on aurait.

-ions, -iez, -aient

-ions, -iez, -alent

What is the perfect tense? The perfect is one of the verb tenses used to talk about the past, especially about actions that took place and were completed in the past.

Conditional form

!

Using the perfect tense

D You can often recognize a perfect tense in English by a form like

I gove,

I hove finished. I gave her my phone number. I have finished my soup.

i'iraig tu ira!5, illelle/on irail nous irisn!, vous irlcz, ils/elles iiaient

Ttp

lwould go if I had time. l'd like a kilo of pears, please.

The perfect tense is the tense you will need most to talk about that have happened or were true in the past. lt is used to talk about actions that took place and WERE COMPLETED in the past. Use the imperfect tense for regular events and in most descriptions.

You should say you're sorry.

*

Key points

Theconditional endings ur" ift" same for -er, -ir and -re verbs: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -alent. Theconditional endings are the same as the endings for the imperfect tense of -er and -re verbs, but the stem is the same as the stem of the future tense. In verbs ending in -eter,and. -eter: | ' ll and t + tt throughout the conditional. In verbs ending in -yer: y - i throughout the conditional (optional in -ayer verbs)' tne same verbs that are irregular in the future are irregular in the conditional. lt is worth learning these in full.

2) >

for more information on the lmpertect tense,

see

page 92.

Forming the perfect tense

The imperfect, future and conditional tenses in French are made up of just one word, for example, je donne, tu finissais or il attendra. The perfect tense has TWO parts to it: . the ge$n! tense of the verb avoir (meaning to have) or €tre (meaning to be) . a part of the main verb called the past participle, like given, finished and done in English

D ln other words, the perfect tense in French

is like the form I hove donein

English. r

)

For more informotion on forming the present tense of

ovoir ond etre,

see

page 82.

3

>

|

Forming the past participle

To

form the past participle of regular verbs, you

verb: For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages

viii'xii.

use

the infinitive of the

112

.

Venes 113

Venes For -er verbs, you replace the -er at the end of the infinitive with 6.

Infinitive donner (to give) tomber (fo foll)

o

donntomb-

donn6

Take

partir (fo leove, to go)

tomb6

off -ir

with -i.

fini

finpart-

descendre (to go down, to come down, to get off

tr

> The perfect tense of -re verbs like attendre is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: j'ai attendu, tu as attendu and so on.

parti

off -re attend-

Add -u attendu

descend-

descendu

'T,;{h

> The perfect tense of -ir verbs like finir is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: j'ai fini, tu as fini and so on.

Add -i

Take

attendre (to wait)

Ttp je changes to j' in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.

For -re verbs, you replace the -re at the end of the infinitive

lnfinitive

D

Add -6

For -ir verbs, you replace the -ir at the end of the infinitive

lnfinitive finir (to finish)

.

Take off -er

with

-u.

6l avoir or 6tre? >

MOST verbs form their perfect tense with avoir; these include donner shown on page112.

as

> There

are two main groups of verbs which form their perfect tense with €tre instead of avoir:

Verbs that form their perfect tense

o

with avoir

Most verbs form their perfect tense with avoir, for example donner:

t

Pronoun

avotr

Past participle

Meaning

I

al

donn6

I gave

tu

a5

donn6

you you have given

il elle on

a

donn6

he/she/it/one gave he/she/it/one has given

nous

avons

donn6

we gave we have given

For more informqtion on Reflexive verbs, see

.

I have given

gave

)

I

all reflexive verbs

a group of verbs that are mainly used to talk about movement or a change of some kind, including these ones:

aller venir arriver

partir descendre

vouS

avez

donn6

you gave you have given

ils elles

ont

donn6

they gave they have given

Elle a donn6 son num6ro de t6l6phone i Glaude. ll a achet6 un ord:nateur. Je n'ai pas regard6 la t6l6 hier.

She gave Claude her phone number. He's bought a computer. I didn't watch

W yesterday.

monter

entrer sortir mourir naitre

devenir rester tomber

to go to come to arrive, to happen to leave, to go to go down, to come down, to get off to go up, to come up to go in, to come in to go out, to come out to die to be born

to become to stay to fall

went to the football match

Je suis all6 au match de

I

football hier. ll est sorti acheter un journal.

yesterday.

Vous 6tes descendu d quelle For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii.xii.

page 88.

station?

He's gone out to buy a newspaper. Which station did you get off at?

114

Venes

Venes

D Here are the perfect tense forms of tomber in full:

Gnmmar Extra! Some of the verbs on the previous page take avoir when they are used with a direct object for example:

descendre quelque chose

Est-ce que bagages?

tu as descendu les

Elle a mont6 les escaliers, Elle a sorti son pofte-monnaie de son sac.

*

tr F

For more information on

avotl

je

suts

es

tU

down to go up something, to come up something to take something out

sortir quelque chose

Pronoun

Did you bring the bags down?

Plural

-5

Direct objects, see page 47.

Feminine endings

Examples

tomb6 parti

-e

tomb6e partie

est

tomb6

he/it fell,

elle

est

tomb6e

she/it fell, she/it has fallen

on

est

tomb6 (singulo) tomb6s (mosculine plurol) tomb6es (feminine plurol)

one fell/one has fallen, we fell/we have fallen

nous

sommes

tomb6s (mosculine) tomb6es (feminine)

we fell/we have fallen

vous

€tes

tomb6 (mosculine singular) tomb6e (feminine singulor)

you fell/you have fallen

sont

tomb6s

they fell/they have fallen

elles

sont

tomb€es

they fell/they have fallen

On est arriv6s en retard. On est rentr6es toutes les d la m6me heure.

tomb6cs

partis

parties

descendu!i! Did your brother go abroad? She came with us.

They left at six o'clock. My cousins arrived yesterday. (The cousins are female.)

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

ils

Grammar Extra!

descenduj

frire est all6 ir l'6tranger? Elle est venue avec nous. lls sont partis ir six heures. Mes cousines sont aniv6es hier. Est-ce ton

you fell/you have fallen

tomb,6 (mosculine)

When on means we, the past participle can agree with the subiect of the sentence, but it is optional.

descendue -es

fell/l have fallen

tombr6s (masculine plurol) tomb6es (feminine plurol)

Examples

tomb6g

I

il

5he went up the stairs. She took her purse out of her handbag:

descendu

tomb6. (mosculine)

he/it has fallen

When a verb takes €tre, the past participle ALWAYS agrees with the subject of the verb; that is, the endings change in the ferninine and plural forms.

Singular

Meaning

tomb6e (feminine)

Verbs that form their perfect tense with 6tre

Masculine endings

Past participle

tomb6e (feminine)

to get something down, to bring something down, to take something

monter quelque chose

115

deux

We arrived late. (masculine) We both came in at the same time (feminine)

)

The perfect tense of -ir verbs like partir is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: ie suis parti(e), tu es parti(e) and so on.

)

The perfect tense of -re verbs like descendre is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: ie suis descendu(e), tu es descendu(e) and so on.

116

Venes

Venes

ll

117

The perfect tense of reflexive verbs

D Here is the perfect tense of the reflexive verb se laver (meaning to wash

Grammar Ertra! When a verb takes avoir, the past participle usually stays in the masculine singular form, as shown in the table for donner, and does not change for the feminine or plural forms.

(oneself), to have a wosh, to get washed) in full. Remember that all reflexive verbs take €tre, and so the past participle of reflexive verbs usually agrees with the sublect of the sentence.

Subject plonoun

Reflexive

Present tense Past participle

plonoun

of 6tre

In one particular case, however, the past participle of verbs with avoir does change in the feminine and plural forms. ln the sentences above, dissertation is the direct object of the verb finir. When the direct obiect comes AFTER the verb, as it does in the examples above, then the past participle doesn't change. lf the direct object comes BEFORE the verb, however, the past participle has to change to agree with that direct object.

ie

me

suls

tu

t

es

il

s'

hier the essay that he finished yesterday qu'slles dissertation ont finie hier the essay that they finished yesterday le Since object pronouns usually come BEFORE the verb, the past participle changes to agree with the pronoun.

elle

s

on

s'

ll a fini sa dissertation. Elles ont fini leur dissertation.

He's finished his essay.

They've finished their essay.

la dissertation qu'il a finig

ll a bu son th6? - Oui, il Ia bU. Did he drink his tea? - Yes, he's drunk it. ll a bu sa limonade? - Oui, il Ia bue. Did he drink his lemonade? - Yes, he's drunk it.

rtp

Meaning

1av6 (masculine)

I washed myself

you washed yourself

est

lav6e (feminine) lav6 (masculine) lav6e (feminine) lav6

est est

lav6e lav6 (singulor) lav6s

he washed himself one washed oneself she washed herself

one washed oneself we washed

(masculine plural) lav6es (feminine plurol)

ourselves

nous

nous

sommes

lav6s (masculine) lav6es (feminine)

we washed

vous

vous

Gtes

lav6 (masculine singula)

you washed

lav6e

Remember that with verbs taking €tre, it is the sggls subiect of v! the verb that tells you what ending to add to the past participle. Compare this with the rule for verbs taking avoir that have a direct objec! in their case, it is the direct obiect coming before the verb that tells you what ending to add to the past participle.

(feminine singulo) Iav6s (mosculine plural) lav6es (feminine plural)

ourselves

yourself (singular) you washed yourselves (p/urot)

ils

5e

sont

lav6s

they washed themselves

elles

se

sont

lav6es

they washed themselves

rrp When on means we, the past participle can agree with the subject of the sentence, but it is optional. We washed ourselves one after On s'est lav6es l'une the other. (feminine) f'autre.

aprls

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

118

Venes 119

Venes

Grammar Extra!

Orammar Extra! The past participle of reflexive verbs DOES NOT change if the direct object (la jambe in the example below) FOLLOWS the verb. Elle s'cs!_siassr6 la jambe.

tr )

What is the pluperfect tense? The pluperfect is a verb tense which describes something that had happened or had been true at a point in the past, for example, I U1lgptten to finish my homework.

She's broken her leg.

lrregular verbs in the perfect tense Some past participles are irregular. There aren't too many, so try to learn

them.

avoir (meaning to have) devoir (meaning to hove to, must) dire (meaning to soy, to tell) €tre (meaning to be) faire (meaning to do, to moke) mettre (meaning to put) pouvoir (meaning to be qble to, con) prendre (meaning to take) ravoir (meaning to know)

tenir (meaning to hold) venir (meaning to come) voir (meaning to see) vouloir (meaning to want)

) )

The pluperfect tense

\a

fallu (it

y' y' y /

>

Using the pluoerfect tense

You can often recognize a pluperfect tense in English by a form like I hod arrived, vou'd fallen.

Elle avait essav6 des douzaines de pulls. Nous avions d6ii commenc6 i manger quand il est aniv6, J'ctals-arivcc la premiire. Mes parents s'6taient couch6s t6t.

-+ d0 +

r

dit 6t6

+ fait + mis -PU -+ pris

+su + tenu

+vu -+

he arrived. I had arrived first. My parents had gone

to bed early.

>

the pluperfect tense in French has two parts to it: the imperfect tense of the verb avoir (meaning to have) or €tre (meaning to be)

Like the perfect tense,

. . D

the past participle lf a verb takes avoir in the perfect tense, then it will take avoir in the pluperfect too. lf a verb takes Gtre in the perfect then it will take 6tre in the pluperfect too.

r)

For more informotion on the Impertect tense

ond the Pertect tense, see pages 92 and

111.

was necessary).

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

We'd already started eating when

Forming the pluperfect tense

voulu

o"r.r,ol".l,l!tLtiat happened and were completed in the past. lt is not used for things that happened regularly or in descriptions. The per:fect tense is formed with the present tense of avoir or €tre and a past participle. Most verbs take avoir in the perfect tense. All reflexive verbs and a small group of verbs referring to movement or change take €tre. ii" prut participle ends in -6 for -er verbs, in -l for -ir verbs, and in -u for -re verbs. VrfrtiuurU, tfrut iuLe avoir, the past participle does not usually change. With verbs that take €tre, including reflexive verbs, the past participle changes in the feminine and plural.

She had tried on dozens of iumpers.

l4

) venu

y' rheperrect \e .

tl

+eu

if pleut becomes il a plq (it roined). il faut becomes

1

lq D

Verbs taking avoir

Here are the pluperfect tense forms of

donner (meaning to give) in full.

Pronoun

avotr

Past participle

Meaning

I

avais

tu

avats

il

avait

donn6 donn6 donn€

vou had qiven he/she/itlone had given

I had oiven

elle on nouS

avtonS

vouS

avtez

ils

avaient

donn6 donn€ donn6

we had given you had given they had given

elles

The pluperfect tense of -ir verbs like finir (meaning to finish) is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: j'avais fini, tu avais fini and so on. The pluperfect tense of -re verbs like attendre (meaning to woit) is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: i'avais attendu, tu avais attendu and so on.

120 l4

)

I

VeRes 121

Venes

ld

Verbs takinq 6tre

Here are the pluperfect tense forms of tomber (meaning to fall) in full. When a verb €tre in the pluperfect tense, the past participle alWays agrees with the sublect of the verb; that is, the endings change in the feminine and plural forms.

D

lrregular verbs in the pluperfect tense lrregularpastparticiplesarethesameasfortheperfecttense(seepogellS).

takes

Ptonoun

6tre

Past participle

Meaning

I

6tais

I had fallen

tu

6tais

il

6tait

tomb6 (mosculine) tomb6e (feminine) tomb6 (mosculine) tomb6e (feminine) tomb6

elle

on

6tait 6tait

tomb6e tomb,6 (singulor) tomb6s (m ascu li n e pl u ro [) tomb6es (feminine pluroD

she/it had fallen one had fallen we had fallen

nouS

6tions

tomb6s (mosculine) tomb6es (feminine)

we had fallen

vous

,6tiez

tomb6 (mo scu I i n e si n g u I o r) tomb6e (f e m i n i n e si ng u I a r)

you had fallen

I ils

i

/

ell6s

tombds (masculine plurol) tomb6es (feminine plurol) tomb6s

6taient 6taient

tomb6es

you had fallen he/it had fallen

thev had fallen they had fallen

The pluperfect tense of -ir verbs like partir (meaning to leove, fo go) is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: j'6tais parti(e), tu 6tais parti(e) and so on. The pluperfect tense of -re verbs like descendre (meaning to come down, to go down, to get offl is formed in the same way, except for the past participle: j'6tais descendu(e), tu descendu(e) and so on. '6tais

rq When on means we, the past participle can agree with the subject of the sentence, but it is optional. On 6tait

E D

+

tomb6es.

We had fallen. (feminine)

Reflexive verbs in the pluperfect tense Reflexive verbs in the pluperfect tense are formed in the same way as in the perfect tense, but with the imperfect tense of the verb 6tre (see poge 97). For more informotion

on the Pertect tense of reflexive verbs,

see

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

page 117.

ut1

122 Vrnes

.r

The passive

>

What is the passive? The passive is a form of the verb that is used when the subject of the verb is the person or thing that is affected by the action, for example, / wos given, we were told, it had been mqde.

tr }ln

l

ln English we use the verb fo bewith the past participle (wos hit, was given) to form the passive. In French the passive is formed in exactly the same way, using Ctre and the past participle. The past participle agrees with the subject of the passive verb; that is, the endings change in the feminine and olural forms.

Using the passive

Elle est encourag6e par ses parents. Vous 6tes tous bien pay6s.

a normal, or octive sentence, the'subject'of the verb is the person or

Les portes ont 6t6

thing that carries out the action described by the verb. The'object'of the verb is the person or thing that the verb'happens'to. Ryan (subject) hit (active verb) me (object).

l

Venes 123

Forming the Passive

In English, as in French, you can turn an active sentence round passive sentence. | (subject) was hit (possive verb) by Ryan (ogent).

to make

a

t

l,

For more information on the Past

participle,

see

poge 111.

D Here is the present tense of the -er verb aimer (meaning to like, to love) Pronoun

in

Present tense

Past participle

Meaning

of 6tre le

suis

aim6 (mosculine) aim6e (feminine)

lam

tu

e5

aim6 (mosculine) aim6e (feminine)

fou are loved

il

est

afme

he/it is

elle

est

armee

on

est

aim6 (singulor) aim6s (m o s c u I i n e p I u ra l) aim6es (femin in e plu ra[)

nous

sommeS

aim6s (mosculine) aim6es (feminine)

we are loved

vouS

Ctes

aim6 (m o scu I i n e si n g u I a r) aim6e (f e m ln i n e si n g u I a r) aim6s (m o scu I i n e p I u ro l) aim6es (feminine plural)

yoiu are loved

ils

sont sont

aim6s

they are loved

aim6es

they are loved

;a

loved

fved

Tt/p There is a very important difference between French and English in sentences containing an indirect object. In English we can quite easily turn a normal (active) sentence with an indirect object into a passive sentence.

Active Someone (subject) gave (active verb) me (indirect object) a book (direct object). Passive | (subiect) was given (possive verb) a book (direct object).

In French, an indirect object can NEVER become the subject of

a

passive verb.

for more informotion on Direct and lndirect objects, 47 ond 49.

You are all well paid. ('you' refers to more than one Person here) The doors have been closed.

its passive form.

Very often, however, you cannot identify who is carrying out the action indicated by the verb. I was hit in the face. The trees will be chopped down. l've been chosen to represent the school.

Q

ferm6es.

She is encouraged by her parents.

see poges

elles

she/it is'fovedt one is l9v$d we are loved

i

I

The passive of -ir verbs is formed in the same way, except that the past participle is different. For example, elle est remplie (meaning it is fulD. The passive of -re verbs is formed in the same way, except that the past

participfe is different. For example, il est d6fendu (meaning it is forbidden). For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

Venas 125

124 Vrnes Grammar Extra!

Grammar Extra! When on means u/e, the past participle can agree with the subject of the sentence, but it is optional.

monde.

On est aim6s de tout le

)

We're loved by everyone. (mosculine)

The present participle

You can form other tenses of the passive by changing the tense of the verb

What is a present participle? The present participle is a verb form ending in -ing which is used in English to form verb tenses, and which may be used as an adiective and a noun, for example,

€tre.

Whot are you doing?; the setting sun; Swimming is eosy!

lmperfect: j'6tais aim6(e) | was loved Future: tu seras aim6(e) you will be loved Perfect: il a 6t6 aim6 he has been loved

+

For more information on the lmpertect,

i1] Using the present pafticiple > Present participles are not as common

future and pertect tenses,

in French as in English, because they are not used to form tenses. The main uses of the present participle in French are:

see pages

o

92,98and111.

}

lrregular past participles are the same as for the perfect tense (see page

ll

E_l Avoiding the passive D

Passives are not as common in French as in English. There are two main ways that French speakers express the same idea.

o by using the pronoun

On m'a dit que tu ne

pas. +

name.

o

on (meaning someone or they) with a normal,

active verb On leur a envoy6 une

lettre. venais

En attendant sa s(Eur, Richard s'est endormi, Appelle-nous en arivant chez toi. En aoouvant sur ce bouton, on peut imprimer ses documents. ll s'est bless6 en essavant de

by using a reflexive verb Les melons se vendent 2 la pidce.

r0

euros

+ Key

; i*:::**:k*:*: :x;'"::",': reflexive verb or the pronoun on.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

For more

o

y' tnepresent tense of ,r'" prrliJJit'iirr.a by using the present

"'"

While waiting for hls sister, Richard fell asleep.

Call us when you get home. By pressing this button, you can print your documents. He hurt himself trying to rescue a cat.

sauver un chat.

Melons are sold for 2 euros each.

For more informotion on Reflexive verbs, see page 88.

as a verb, after the preposition en. The present participle DOES NOT agree with the subiect of the verb when it is used in this way. The subject of the two parts of the sentence is always the same. en can be translated in a number of different

ways.

They were sent a letter. (literally: Someone sent them a letter.) I was told that you weren't coming. (literally They told me you weren't coming.)

For more information on Pronouns, see poge 42.

o

as a verb, on its own, corresponding to the English -ingform. lt DOES NOT agree wlth the sublect of the verb when it is used in this way. Living close to Paris, I go into town Habitant prds de Paris, ie vais quite often. assez souvent en ville, lls m'ont suivi, criant mon nom. They followed me, shouting my

informotion on the preposition en, see poge 158.

as an adjective, like in English. As with all adjectives in French, the ending DOES change in the feminine and plural forms.

Ces enfrants sont 6nervants.

the setting sun the following year Those children are annoying.

des chaises plia$cs

folding chairs

le soleil couchant l'ann6e suivante

126

VeRes 127

Venes

lmpersonal verbs

Ttp The French present participle is NEVER used to translate English verb forms fike / wos walking, we are leaving.

Q

For more information on the lmpertect tense ond the Present tense, see pages 92 and 1 1 1.

English verbs describing movement that are followed by an adverb such as out or down, or a preposition such as dcross or up are often translated by a verb + en +

present participle.

ll est sorti en courant. J'ai_lraVerSe la rue en

e )

What is an impersonal verb? An impersonal verb is one that does not refer to a real person or thing ,rnd where the subject is represented by it, tor example, lt's going tp rain; It's ten o'clock,

D lmpersonal verbs are only

il (meaning if) and in the infinitive.

He ran out. (literolly: He came out running.)

boitant.

I limped across the street. (literally: I crossed the street limping.)

Forming the present participle -ir and -re verbs, you use the nous form of the present tense and replace the -ons ending with -ant.

To form the present participle of regular -er,

addition to their normal meanings, for example, ifvok,

nous form of present tense

Take off -ons

Add -ant

lnfinitive

donnons

donn-

donnant

avoir + noun

langons

lang-

langant

mangeons

mange-

mangeant

Ctre + time

finissons

finiss-

finissant partant

faire + noun

partons

Part-

attendons

attend-

attendant

descendons

descend-

descendant

falloir + noun

LqJ lrregular verbs Three verbs have an irregular present participle:

avoir (meaning to hove) + ayant + 6tant 6tre (meaning to be) savoir (meaning to know)

y'

+

ffl f;:R

tenses in French, but they can

" iil:lii{il:;,ff:::J:ilTi"T1T fiI| j["[:;'"T?i,.n'"n "

a

il est il fait jour il fait nuit il faut

r.,l

and

Meaning there isJslngulor) tn"nu

it

|

u(":

There are three main ways that verbs can be linked together:

. . .

I

Attercertain verbs you have ,5""tJ:'ltj""ctive in French when there is a different subject in the two clauses. These verbs mostly relate to wishing, fearing, and saying what you think, what you feel and that you are ,.n.:qi:..1 subjunctive ii also found aftei certain verbal expressions that start with ll.

t

)

For more information on Prepositions

ofter verbs,

2)

fhe present tense subjunctive endings for -ir verbs

are:

-isse, -isses, -lsse, -issions, -issiez and -issent.

see

Would you like to wait?

l'm learning to swim. Try to come.

ofter odjectives, and on Prepositions

pages 1 83 qnd 1 78.

Verbs followed by an infinitive

with no preposition

D A number of verbs and groups of verbs can be followed by an infinitive with no preposition. The following important group of verbs are all very irregular, but they crop up so frequently that they are worth learning in full:

o devoir (to have to, must, to be due to)

y'- tne y'

Vous voulez aftendre? with the preposition i J'apprends d nager. with the preposition de Essayez de venir.

stem of the present tense subiunctive is the same as the stem used for 1ne the ordinary present tense. present tense subiunctive endings for -er and -re verbs are: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez and -ent.

with no linking word

o

Tu dois 6tre fatigu6e.

You must be tired.

Elle doit oartir. Le nouveau centre commercial doit ouvrir en mai.

The new shopping centre is due to open in May.

pouvoir (can, moy) Je pcux t'aideI, si tu veux. Puls-ie venir vous voir samedi?

She has to leave.

I can help you, if you like.

May I come and see you on Saturday?

savoir (fo know how to, con) Tu sais conduire? Je sais faire les omelettes.

vouloir (to wont) Elise veut rester un iour de plus. Ma voiture ne veut pas

Can you drive? I know how to make omelettes. Elise wants

to stay one more

day.

My car won't start.

d6marer. For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

Voulez-vous boire quelque chose? Would you like something to drink? l'd like to buy a computer. Je voudrais acheter un ordinateur.

134

}

Vrnss

Venes

faffoir (meaning to be

necessary) and

valoir mieux (meaning to be

better)

>

are only used in the infinitive and with il.

ll faut orendre une d6cision. We/you efc. have to make a dec ll vaut mieux t6l6ohoner avant. lt's better to ring first.

D For more information on lmpersonal verbs, see page 127. l The following common verbs can also be followed by an infinitive without preposition:

adorer to love aimer to like, to love aimer mieux to prefer d6sirer to want d6tester to hate envoyer to send esp6rer to hope faire to make, to have something done (fhat quelque chose)

laisser pr6f6rer sembler

to movement of some kind and do not have a direct (meanin g to go) and venir (meaning to come), can be aller as such obiect, followed by an infinitive l'm going to see Nicolas tonight. Je vais voir Nicolas ce soir. Verbs that relate

3]

s'amuser ir faire quelque

J'apprends i skier. ll a commenc6 d pleuvoir. is,

faire faire

Some of these verbs combine with infinitives to make set phrases with a special meaning. aller chercher quelque chose to go and get something laisser tomber quelque chose to drop something vouloir dire quelque chose to mean something

}

Go and get your dad! Paul dropped the vase. What does that mean?

Verbs that relate to seeing or hearing, such asvoir (meaning to see), regarder (meaning to watch, to look at),6couter (meaning to listen fo) and entendre (meaning to heor) can be followed by an infinitive.

ll nous a vus arriver. On entend chanter les

oiseaux.

He saw us arrive. You can hear the birds singing.

For further explanation of grammatical tems, please see pages viii-xii.

to go on doing something to get used to doing something

l'm learning to ski. It began to rain.

verbs can be followed by a person's name or by a noun relating to a person, and then by ir and an infinitive. Sometimes you need to put i in front of the person too. to help someone do something aider quelqu'un i faire quelque chose to teach someone to do apprendre i quelqu'un ir faire something quelque chose inviter quelqu'un ir faire quelque to invite someone to do

I hope to see you next week.

rire! Don't make me laugh! J'ai_faltfCparer mes chaussures. l've had my shoes mended. Je pr6fdre manger d la cantine. I prefer to eat in the canteen.

to have fun doing something to learn to do something to begin to do something

>> Some

to seem

Va chercher ton papa! Paul a laiss6 tomber le vase. Ou'est-ce que ga veut dire?

chose

apprendre ir faire quelque chose €ommencer ir faire quelque chose continuer i faire quelque chose s'habituer i faire quelque chose

prochaine. Ne me fuis pas

)

Verbs followed bv d + infinitive

There are some common verbs that can be followed by ir and an infinitive.

to let to prefer

J'espite te voir la semaine

Come and see!

Viens voir!

L

135

chose

tr L

something

Verbs followed by de + infinitive There are some common verbs that can be followed by de and an infinitive' arreter de faire quelque chose, to stop doing something s'arr€ter de faire quelque chose commencer de faire quelque chose to start doing something to go on doing something continuer de faire quelque chose to decide to do something d6cider de faire quelque chose to hurry to do something quelque chose faire de se d6p6cher to try to do something quelque chose essayer de faire to apologize for doing something quelque chose s'excuser dlavoir fait

finir de faire quelque chose oublier de faire quelque chose proposer de faire quelque chose refuser de faire quelque chose sugg6rer de faire quelque chose

to finish doing something to forget to do something to suggest doing something to refuse to do something to suggest doing something

136

Venes

Venes

J'ai-d€erd6_dc lui 6crire. Je leur ai sugg6r6 de partir

I decided to write

de

to

her.

I suggested that they set off early.

bonne heure,

L

The following verbs meaning asking or telling are also followed by de and an infinitive. Sometimes you need to put ir in front of the person you are asking or telling.

i quelqu'un de faire quelque chose demander i quelqu'un de faire commander

quelque chose dire ir quelqu'un de faire

quelque

to ask someone to do something

to prevent someone from doing

quelque chose

something

remercier quelqu'un de faire

to thank someone for doing

quelque chose

something

Grammar Extra! lf it is important to emphasize that something is going on at a particular time, you can use the phrase €tre en train de faire quelque chose.

ll est en train de travailler. Est-ce que

vous

>

The infinitive can be used in many other ways:

.

after certain adjectives

content de happy to pr€t i ready to ll est touiours

Elisabeth vient de partir. Aisabeth has just left.

( {

rf

o

J'ai besoin de changer de l'argent. I need to change some money.

o

in instructions that are aimed at the general public

-

for example, on

signs or in cookery books

Aiouter le sel et le poivre, bien m6langer. Conserver au frais.

et

Add the salt and pepper, and mix well. Keep refrigerated.

the subject or object of a sentence, when the infinitive corresponds to the -ing form in English used as a noun Smoking isn't good for your health. Fumer n'est pas bon pour la sant6. I love reading. J'adore lire.

as

Ttp You can use the verb faire with an infinitive to refer to something you are having done by someone else. I have to get my car Je dois faire r6oarer ma

voiture.

f ( For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

to help.

How do you get to the station? Pour aller d la gare? ll est parti sans dire au revoir. He left without saying goodbye. after certain set phrases involving a verb plus a noun avoir envie de faire quelque chose to feel like doing something avoir besoin de faire quelque chose to need to do something avoir peur de faire quelque chose to be frightened of doing something

He's working. Can you call back later?

lf you want to say you have just done something, you can use the phrase venir de faire PAST tense, but in French you use the pRESENT tense.

He's always ready

service.

pouvez rappeler plus tard?

quelque chose. In English you use the

pttOti-re[drc

o after certain prepositions

to tell someone to do something

chose

emp€cher quelqu'un de faire

Other uses of the infinitive

to order someone to do something

137

repaired.

Nrcnrves >

A negative question or statement is one which contains a word such as not, never or nothing and is used to say that something is not happening, is not true or is absent.

139

In English, drd is often used to make a statement negative. I went to his party. * | didn't go to his party. We saw David at the weekend. + We didn't see David at the weekend. Note that the French verb faire is NEVER used in this way.

fl

> non

plus is the equivalent of English neither in phrases like me neither,

neither do / and so on.

'l don't like hamburgers.'- 'Me hamburgers.'-'Moi non plus.' neither.' ll n'y va pas et moi non plus. He isn't going and neither am l.

'Je n'aime pas les

tr F

Using negatives ln Engfish we

use

words like not, no, nothing and neverto show a negative.

l'm not very pleased. Dan never ranq me. Nothing ever happens here! There's no milk left.

)

Nof is often combined with certain English verbs won't, didn't, hasn't. He isn't iokino.

- for example, can!

)

The French word ne is missed out when negatives are used without a verb

to answer a question. 'Oui a t6l6phon67'- 'Personne.' 'Who rang?'-'Nobody.' 'Qu'est-ce que tu fais cet 'What are you doing this afternoon?' - 'Nothing.' aprds-midi?' - 'Bign.'

Ttp

She didn't sav.

In everyday conversation French native speakers often miss out the word ne. Be careful about doing this yourself in formal situations.

L In French, if you want to make something negative, you generally use a pair of words, for example, ne ... pas (meaning not). The verb goes in the middle. ne ... pas not ne ... rien nothing, not ... anything ne ... personne nobody, no one, not... anybody, not ... anyone ne ... jamais never, not .., ever ne ... plus no longer, no more, not... any longer, not... any more

Je ng fume oas. Ne changez rien. Je ne vois personne. Elle nlanive iamais d I'heure. ll ng travaille plus ici.

Je peux pas venir ce ll me l'a pas dit.

I can't see anybody.

He didn't tell me.

Sometimes you will find two of these negative expressions combined.

lls ne font jamais rien d'int6ressant. They never do anything interesting. I don't know anyone in Nice any Je ne connais plus personne more. i Nice.

El

Word order with negatives

D Negative expressions in French 'sandwich' the verb in the present tense and in other tenses that consist of lust one word. ne goes before the verb and the other half of the exoression comes after the verb.

ll ne boit iamais d'alcool. ll ne pleuvait pas.

For further explanation of grammatical tenns, please see pages viii-xii.

I can't come tonight.

Grammar Extra!

I don't smoke. Don't change anything. She never arrives on time. He's no longer working here.

soir.

He never drinks alcohol.

It wasn't raining.

140 Necnrvrs

)

Necnrves

In the perfect tense and other tenses that consist of two or more words such as the pluperfect there are two possibilities:

.

ne ... pas, ne ... rien, ne ... plus and ne ... jamais follow the pattern: ne (n') + avoir or €tre + pas + past participle Elle n'a pAS fait ses devoirs. She hasn't done her homework. I didn't say anything. Je n'ai rien dit. Piene nlest pas encore aniv6. Pierre isn't here yet.

o ne ... personne

follows the pattern: ne (n') + avoir or €tre + past participle + personne

Je n'ai vu personne.

I didn't see anybody.

+ For more informqtion on the Perfect tense, see poge 111. ) A negative sentence may also contain a pronoun such as te, le, lui and so on that is the direct or indirect oblect of the verb, or a reflexive pronoun. lf so, ne comes before the pronoun.

Je ne t'entends pas. Ne lui parle pas! Tu ng te rappelles pas de lui? ll ne se ldve iamais avant midi.

+ )

I can't hear you.

Don't speak to him/her! Don't you remember him? He never gets up before midday.

For more informotion on Direct ond Indirect object pronouns and on Reflexive pronount see pqges 47, 49 snd 89.

When a verb is in the infinitive, ne ... pas, ne ... rien, ne ... plus and ne ... jamais come together before the infinitive.

ll essayait de ne oas rire. J'ai peur de ne pas r6ussir.

He was trying not to laugh. l'm afraid of not succeeding.

After these negative expressions, un, une and des (the indefinite / arttgl$ and du, de la, de l' and des (the partlttye_arttelO change to de.

4

for more informotion on the tndefinite article and the Portitive orticle, see pages 1 9 and 22.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

3

I

141

non and pas

> non (meaning

no) is the usual negative answer to a question. lt can also correspond to nof in English. 'Tu veux nous accompagner?'- 'Do you want to come with us?''Non, merci.' 'No thanks.' Tir viens ou non? Are you coming or not?

J'espdre que !!g_lt.

I hope not.

pas is generally used when a distinction is being made, or for emphasis. It, too, often corresponds to not in English.

'Oui veut m'aider?'-'Pas

moi!'

'Who wants to help me?' - 'Not me!' 'Est-il de retour?' -'Pas encore.' 'ls he back?' - 'Not yet.' 'Tu as froid?'-'Pas du tout.' 'Are you cold?' - 'Not at all.' Pas question! No way!

Oursnorus

OUESTIONS

E-j )

What is a question? A question is a sentence which is used to ask someone about something and which normally has the verb in front of the subject. A question word such as why, where, who, which or how is used to ask a question.

)

The basic rules

There are four ways of asking questions in French:

o by making your voice go up at the end of the sentence o by using the phrase est-ce que o by changing round the order of words in a sentence o by using a question word

tr }

question, the verb is put BEFORE the subject. This change to normal word order is called inversion. You can do this when the subject is a pronoun such as vous or il. When you change the word order (or invc$ in this way, you add a hyphen (-) between the verb and the pronoun.

Vous (subiect) aimez (verb)

lf you are expecting the answer yes or no, there is a very straightforward way of asking a question. You can keep word order just as it would be in a normal sentence (subject then verb), but turn it into a question by making your voice go up at the end of the sentence. 5o to turn the sentence Vous aimez la France (meaning You like France) into a question, all you need to do is to add a question mark and make your voice go up at the end. Vous (sublect) aimez (verb) la Do you like France? France?

We're leaving right away.

C'est vrai. C'est vrai? Tes parents sont en vacances. Tes parents sont en vacances?

That's that true. ls that true?

Are we leaving right away?

The phrase est-ce que is used to ask a question. Word order stays just the same as it would in an ordinary sentence. Est-ce que comes before the subject and the verb comes after the subject. So to turn the sentence Tu connais Marie (meaning You know Morie) into a question, all you need to do is to add est-ce que.

tr Asking a question bv changing word order ) In ordinary sentences, the verb comes AFTER its subject. In this type of

Asking a question by making llour voice go up

On part tout de suite. On part tout de suite?

Asking a question by using est-ce que

Est-ce oue tu (subject) connais Do you know Marie? (verb)MarieT Est-ce que vous allez en ville? Are you going into town? Est'ce que ta s@ur est vraiment ls your sister really happy? heureuse?

How to ask a question in French

tl-l

18

You like France.

la France.

Aimez (verblvous (subject)

Do you like France?

la France?

ll6crit bien.

+

Ecrit-ilbien?

He writes well. Does he write well?

On part tout de suite. Part-on tout de suite?

We're leaving right away. Are we leaving right away?

For more

informotion on Pronouns,

see

poge 42.

Ttp

Your parents on holiday. Are your parents on holiday?

This is quite a formal way of asking a question. In the perfect tense and other tenses that consist of two or more words such as the pluperfect the part of the verb that comes from avoir or Gtre the one that goes before the pronoun.

Ag-tu vu mon sac? Est-elle rest6e longtemps?

+ For furthel explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Have you seen my bag?

Did she stay long?

For more information on the Perfect tense, see

page 111.

is

144

l

Oussrolrts 145

0uesroru$

you can use est-ce que. lf you do this, the question word goes at the START of the sentence. you can change word order so that the verb comes before the subject. lf you do this, the question word goes at the START of the sentence. Vous arrivez quand? Ouand est-ce que vous arrivez? When do you arrive? Ouand anivez-vous?

When the verb ends in a vowel in the illglle form, -t- is inserted before the pronoun to make the words easier to say. Aime-t-il les chiens? Does he like dogs? Atelle assez d'argent? Does she have enough money?

Ttp Unlike English there are two ways in French of answering yes to a question or statement. oui is the word you use to reply to an ordinary question. 'Tu l'as

fait?'-'Oui.'

'Elle est belle, n'est-ce

'Oui.'

, pas?'-

Ouel train est-ce que tu Ouel train prends-tu?

'Have you done it?' - 'yes., 'She's beautiful, isn't she?'

Grammar Extra! You can also form a question in this way with a noun or a person's name. lf you do this, the noun or name comes firsf then you add an extra pronoun after the verb and link them with a hyphen. Jean-Piene (subject) ls Jean-Pierre there? (pronoun) li?

est(verb)-il

La piCce dure-t-elle longtempsT Does the play last long? In less formal French, the pronoun may come before the verb, and the noun or name may come at the end of the sentence. ll est li, Jean-Piere? ls Jean-Pierre there? Elle dure longtemps, la pilce? Does the play last long?

Asking a question by using a question word

}

A question word is a word like when or how that is used to ask for information. The most common French question words are listed on pages 146-150.

l

You can use a question word with one of the methods described above: . you can make your voice go up at the end of the sentence. lf you do this, the question word goes at the END of the sentence.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii,

prends?

lls vont ou? Oi est-ce qu'ils vont?

-'Yes.'

si is the word you use to reply to a question or statement that contains a negative expression like ne ... pas. 'Tu ne l'as pas fait?'-'Si.' 'Haven't you done it?' - 'Yes (l have).' 'Elle n'est pas tris belle.''She isn't very beautiful.' 'Mais si!' 'Yes, she is!'

tr

Tu prends quel train?

What train are you getting?

Where are they going?

Oi vont-ils?

+

For more information on Negatives, see

poge | 38.

146 Oueslorus

Oursnorus 147

O,uestion words

tr )

2I

Common question words

>

Listed below are some very common question words. que, quel, qui, quol and lequel, are explained on pages 147-150.

o

o

vas-tu How many people are you going to

inviter? comment? Gomment va-t-elle? Comment tu t'appelles?

invite? how?

How is she? What's your name?

In questions, qui, que and quoi are all pronouns. Which of them you choose depends on: o whether you are referring to people or to things

o

combien + verb? how much?, how many? combien de + noun? how much?, how many? Combien co0te cet ordinateur? How much does this computer C'est combien, ce pantalon? How much are these trousers? Tu en veux combien? Deux? How many do you want? Two? Combien de personnes

qui?. que? and quoi?

o t

)

whether you are referring to the subject or object of the verb (the subject is the person or thing that is carrying out the action described by the verb; the object is the person or thing that'receives'the action) whether the word you use will come after a preposition such as i, de or en For more informqtion on Pronouns ond Prepositions, see poges

42 and 62'

> qui? and que? have longer forms, as shown in the table below. There

is a

difference in word order between the longer and shorter forms' is used for talking about people, and means who? or whom? in English. You can use whom? in formal English to refer to the object of verb, though

> qui?

most people use who). qui? gan be used after a preposition.

pardon

is also used to ask someone to repeat something, and is thd". same as Pardon? in English. comment and quoi can mean the same thing, but are informal, and are the same as Whot? in English.

oi? Ori allez-vous? D'or) viens-tu?

Who? Whom?

Referring to

Subiect

qui?

Meaning

Examples

Meaning

who?

Qui vient?

Who's coming?

people qui est-ce

where? Where are you going?

Qui est-ce qui vient?

qui?

Object

Where are you from?

qui?

who?

Qui vois-tu?

qui est-ce

whom?

Qui est-ce que tu vois? De qui est-ce

que?

rtp

qui? After prepositions qui est-ce

Be careful not to mix up oir, which means where, and ou (without an accent), which means or.

pourquoi?

why?

Pourquoi est-ce qu'il ne vient pas avec nous? quand? Quand est-ce gue tu pars en

Why isn't he coming with us?

que?

when?

qu'il parle? Pour qui est ce livre? A qui avez-vous 6crit?

Who's he talking about? Who's this book for?

Who did you write to?, To whom did you write?

When are you going on holiday?

rw

How long have you known him?

que changes to qu' before a vowel, most words beginning with h, and the French word y.

vacances?

Depuis quand est-ce que vous le connaissez?

who? whom?

Who/Whom can you see?

t) For further explanation of grammatical torms, please see pages viii-xii.

For more informqtion on que ond

qui,

see

page 62.

ih',

148

} i

Ouesrolvs

Ouesrnrus

qui

is

+

quel, quelle, quels and quelles are all forms of the same word. The form that you choose depends on whether you are referring to something that is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

the usual way of saying whose in questions.

A qui est ce sac?

Whose is this bag?

For more information on using

d to show possession,

see

English. que? cannot be used after a preposition; you have to use quoi? instead. Referring to

Masculine

Feminine

Meaning

Singular

quel?

quelle?

who? what? which?

Plural

quels?

quelles?

who? what? which?

page 165.

L que? and quoi? are used for talking about things, and mean what? in What?

Meaning

Examples

Meaning

what?

Qu'est-ce qui se

What's happening?

things Subject

qu'est-ce qui?

passe?

Qu'est-ce qui

t'inquiEte? Object

qu'est-ce que? what?

quoi? After prepositions

what?

Whatt worrying you?

Qu'est-ce que vous faites? Que faites-vous?

What are you doing?

A quoi pensestu? De quoi parlezvous?

What are you

thinking about?

grammar, Who did you write to? Whqt ore you talking about? It is NEVER possible to end a French sentence with a preposition.

quel?, quelle?. quels? and quelles?

For more information on Adjectives

and Pronouns,

Ouelle est ta couleur pr6f6r6e? Ouelle heure est-il?

What's your favourite colour?

Ouels sont tes chanteurs pr6f6r6s? Vous jouez de quels

Who are your favourite singers?

What time is it?

What instruments do you play?

t

)

{{

For more information on how quel

What are your favourite colours? Which shoes do you like best?

in used in exclomotions,

see

page 21

.

lequel?. laquelle?. lesquels? and lesquelles?

D In questions lequel, laquelle, lesquels and lesquelles (meaning which one/ones?) are all forms of the same pronoun, and are used to replace nouns. The form that you choose depends on whether you are referring to something that is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

quel? (meaning who?, which? or what) can be used with a noun (as an adiective) or can replace a noun (as a pronoun). Compare this with que? (and its longer forms) and quoi?, which also mean whot?, but are NEVER used with nouns.

+

Who's your favourite singer? Which wine do you recommend?

Ouelles sont tes couleurs pr6f6r6es? Ouelles chaussures te plaisent le plus?

Ttp as about or of, even though some people think this is not good

Ouel est ton chanteur pt6t6r6? Ouel vin recommandez-vous?

instruments?

What are you talking about?

It is possible to finish an English sentence with a preposition such

tr

149

see poges

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

25 ond 42.

Masculine

Feminine

Meaning

Singular

lequel?

laquelle?

which? which one?

Plural

lesquels?

lesquelles?

which? which ones?

'J'ai choisi un livre.'-'Lequel?'

'l've chosen a book.'-'Which one?'

Laouelle de ces valises est d Bruno?

Which of these cases is Bruno's?

150

Oursrorus

Ouesnorus 151

'Tu te souviens de mes

-'Lcs_Sce!S?'

amis?'

Lesouelles de vos seurs mari6es?

sont

'Do you remember my friends?'-

tWhich ones?' Which of your sisters are married?

+

For more informotion on lequel, see poge 63.

tr

n'est-ce pas? and non?

}

English-speakers often use an expression like isn't it?, don't they?, weren't we? or will you? tagged on to the end of a sentence to turn it into a

question. French uses n'est-ce pas? instead. This useful little phrase never changes, so is very easy to use. You use it in questions when you expect person you are talking to to agree with you.

ll fait chaud, n'est-ce

pas?

Tu parles frangais, n'est-ce

Vous n'oublierez pas,

pas?

n'est-ce

lt's warm, isn't it? You speak French, don'tyou? You won't forget, will you?

pas?

)

lt

common to use non (meaning no) in the same way in spoken French. hein? means the same as eh? in English, and is only used in very informal conversations. is very

ll fait chaud, non? ll fait chaud, hein?

It's warm, isn't it? It's warm, eh?

Grammar Extra! All the questions in the previous section are the actual words that someone uses when they are asking a question, and so they all end with a question mark. These are called diree! questions. When you are telling someone else about a question that is being

lrked, you use an indirect question. Indirect questions never end with a question mark, rrrd they are always introduced by a verb such as to ask, to tell, to wonder, to know and ro on. He asked me what the time was. (His actual question was What is the timeT) Tell me which way to go. frour actual question was Which way do I go)

Word order in indirect questions is generally the same as in English: question word + subject verb.

Dites-moi quel (question word) autobus (subject)va (verb) ila gafe.

ll m'a demand6 combien d'argent j'avais. Je me demande s'il viendra ou pas.

He asked me how much money I had. I

wonder if he'll come or not.

When the subiect of the question is a noun and NOT a pronoun like ie or il, the sublect ,rnd verb that come after the question word are often swapped round.

oi (question word) sont (verb) mes cl6s (subject).

Je me demande

Demande-lui qui est

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

Tell me which bus goes to the station.

venu.

I

wonder where my keys are.

Ask him who came.

Aovenes 153

ADVERBS What is an adverb? An adverb is a word usually used with verbs, adjectives or other adverbs that gives more information about when, how, where, or in what circumstances something happens, for example, quickly, hoppily, now.

Masculine adjective

Feminine adjective

Adverb

Meaning

heureux

heureuse

heureusement

fortunately

doux

douce

doucement

gently, slowly

seul

seule

seulement

only

The adverb ending -ment is added to the masculine not the feminine form of the adjective if the masculine ends in -6, -i or -u. Masculine adjective

Feminine adjective

Adverb

Meaning

How adverbs are used

d6sesp6r€

d6sesp6r6e

d6sesp6r6ment

desperately

)

vral

vrate

vraiment

truly

absolu

absolue

absolument

absolutely

ln general, adverbs are used together with:

o

verbs (act quickly. speak strongely. smile cheerfully) adjectives (rc!fu ill, q lot better, deeply sorry)

o . other adverbs (resWfart, bo quickly, ysrywell) l

)

lf the adjective ends in -ant, the adverb ends in -amment. lf the adjective ends in -ent, the adverb ends in -emment. The first vowel in the -emment and -amment endings is pronounced in the same way in both - like the o

in the English word caf. courant + couramment (fluently)

Adverbs can also relate to the whole sentence; they often tell you what the speaker is thinking or feeling.

r6cent

Fortunately, Jan had already left. Actually, I don't think l'll come.

@

)

The basic rules

tris

Elles sont

beau. tris belles.

J'y vais souvent. Nous y allons souvent.

@

)

He's very handsome. They're very beautiful.

I often go there. We often go there.

t,tote that there is one exception to this rule. The word tout changes in certain phrases, for example, tout seul (meaning oll alone).

seul, Elle est souvent toute seule.

ll est aniv6 tout

)

A

Adverbs in French NEVER change their form, no matter what they refer to.

ll est

r6cemment (recently)

Note that an exception to this rule is the adverb lentement (meaning slowly), which comes from the adjective lent (meaning slow).

How adverbs are formed

tr

*

He arrived on his own.

lrregular adverbs

There are a number of common irregular adverbs. Adjective

Meaning

Adverb

Meaning

bon

good

bien

well

gentil

nice, kind

gentiment

nicely, kindly

mauvars

bad

mal

badly

meilleur

better, best small

mieux peu

better

petit pire

worse

Pis

worse

Elle travaille bien.

She's often on her own.

Many English adverbs end in Jy, which is added to the end of the adiectivc (quick - quickly, sad - sodlt/;, frequent - frequentQ. In French, many adverbs end in -ment. This is usually added to the end of the feminine singular form of the adjective.

G'est un emploi trds mal pay6.

l{ >

She works well. It's a very badly paid job.

Adjectives used as adverbs Certain adlectives are used as adverbs, mostly in set phrases:

o For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

little

bon good sentir bon to smell nice

154

AoveRes 155

Aovenes cher expensive

Comparatives and superlatives of adverbs

co0ter cher to be expensive payer cher to pay a lot

.t I Comparative adverbs

droit straight aller tout droit to go straight on dur hard travailler dur to work hard

, What is a comparative adverb? r A comparative adverb is one which, in English, has -er on the end of it or i more or /ess in front of it for example, eorlier, loter, soonert moreless i frequently

>

fort loud parler plus fort to speak up

Adverbs can be used to make comparisons in French, just as they can in English. The comparative (more often, faster) of adverbs is formed using the same phrases as for adjectives.

o

mauvais bad

sentir mauvais to smell

tr )

o

Adverbs can be made up of several words instead of iust one. Here are 50me common ones:

bien

sOr

de temps en temps en g6n6ral en retard tout de suite

more ... (than)

first

o

usually

from time to time

less ... (than)

Don't speak so fast! (literally

Speak

fast!) We see each other less often than before.

Nous nous voyons moins souvent qu'avant. as... as aussi ... que Je parle frangais aussi bien

oue

I can speak French as well as you!

toi!

usually

straight away

(que)

You walk faster than me. She's singing louder than the others.

less

is

late

moins ...

moi. les

Parle moins vite!

of course

that

(que)

Elle chante plus fort gue autres.

Adverbs made up of more than one word

c'est-ir-dire d'abord d'habitude

plus ...

Tu marches pluS vite que

Viens aussi vite que

possible.

Come as quickly as possible.

t)

For more information on Comparative odjectives, see poge 34.

ld

Superlative adverbs

What is a superlative adverb? A superlative adverb is one which, in English, has -esf on the end of it or most or leostin front of it, for example, soonest, fostest, mostlleast frequently.

L

The superlative of adverbs (the most, the fastest) is formed using the same phrases as for adjectives, except that le NEVER changes to la or les in the feminine and plural with adverbs as it does with adjectives.

o o For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

t)

le plus ... (que) the most ... (that) Marianne parle le plus vite.

Marianne speaks fastest.

le moins ... (que) the least... (tha$ G'est Gordon qui a mang6 le moins. Cordon ate the least.

For more information on Superlotive odjectives, see page 34.

156

Aovenes 157

Aovenes

tr

Adverbs with iregular comparatives and superlatives

)

Some of the most common adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms. Adverb beaucoup

Meaning a lot

Comparative plus

bien

well

mieux

better

le mieux

mal

badly

pis

worse less

little

moins

C'est lui qui danse le mieux.

D Here are some common adverbs that do not end in -ment:

alors apris

then, so, at that time

Meaning

Superlative

Meaning

more

le plus

(the) most (the) best

aprEs-demain the day after tomorrow

le pis le plus mal

(the) worst

assez aussi

le moins

(the) least

avant-hier the day before yesterday beaucoup a lot, much bientOt soon cependant however

plus mal Peu

Some common adverbs

He dances best.

afterwards

aujourd'hui todaY

dedans dehors d6ia demain depuis derriEre

devant encore

enfin

ensemble ensuite environ hier ici jamais

enough, quite also, too, as

inside outside already, before

tomorrow since

behind in front still, even, again

at last together then about yesterday here never, ever

rw jamais can sometimes be used without ne to mean never or ever. 'Est-ce que tu vas souvent au 'Do you 9o to the cinema a lot?' - 'No, never.' cinema?'-'Non, ian0atg.' pdre? Did you ever see your father As-tu iemels revu ton again?

Q

for more information on Negatives,

ta For further explanation of grammatical

tems, please see pages viii-xii.

li-bas loin

see

poge 1j8.

there, here over there far, far off, a long time ago

158

AoveRss

AoveRes 159

longtemps a long time maintenant now, nowadays m€me moins oir parfois

D

people:

even

.

less

where

partout

sometimes everywhere

peu

not much, not very

o

not to confuse peu, which means not much or not very,

o

He doesn't travel much.

troP de too much, too many

J'ai mang6 trop de fromage. l've eaten too much

She's a bit shy.

cheese.

Several of the adverbs listed on pages "157 and 158 can also be used as

prepositions: apr6s, avant, devant derriEre and depuis.

)

The question words combien (meaning how much, how mony), comment (meaning how), pourquoi (meaning why) and quand (meaning when) are described on page 146.

)

pas, plus and jamais are used in negative word pairs.

50

soudain souvent

suddenly

surtout tard

tris

especially, above all late early always, still all, very very

trop

too much, too

vite

quick, fast soon

For more informotion on Prepositions, see

page 162.

often

+

T{,p vite and rapide can both mean fost or quick. Remember, though, that vite is an adverb and rapide is an adiective. une voiture ll roule trop

She makes a lot of mistakes.

then

si

tout

fautes.

+

sometimes

toujours

beaucoup de a lot of Elle fait beaucoup de

perhaps more nearly

plus presque puis quelquefois

t6t

We don't have enough time.

invit6es?

D peut-€tre

de

o combien de how much, how many Gombien de personnes as-tu How many people have you invited?

with un peu, which means o little or q bit. ll voyage peu. Elle est un peu timide.

assez de enough

Nous n'avons pas assez temps.

Ttp Be careful

Some of the adverbs listed on pages 157 and 158 can be followed by de and used in front of a noun to talk about quantities or numbers of things or

rapide vite.

a fast car He drives too fast.

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

For more informqtion on Negotives, see

poge 138.

160 Aovrnas

Aovenes

Word order with adverbs

tr )

>

Adverbs with verbs

Some adverbs FOLLOW the past participle of verbs that consist of more than one word. This rule covers most adverbs that tell you how or where something is done, and a few adverbs that tell you about time.

aujourd'hui today

In English, adverbs can come in different places in a sentence.

demain hier loin

l'm never coming back.

D In French, the

rules are more fixed. When an adverb goes with a verb that consists of just one word, such as a verb in the present tense or the imperfect tense, it generally goes AFTER that verb.

janvier. Je pensais souvent d toi. )

tard vite

lt always snows in January. I often used to think about you.

When an adverb goes with a verb that consists of more than one word, such as a verb in the pcrfeeftense, it generally comes BETWEEN the part of the verb that comes from avoir or €tre and the past participle. ll a trop mang6. He's eaten too much. lls sont d6idr patis. They've already gone.

tomorrow

yesterday far, far off, a long time ago longtemps a long time partout everywhere quelquefois sometimes earlv t6t

See you soon! Suddenlv the phone rano. l'd reallv like to come.

ll neige touiours en

161

late

quick, fast soon

On les a vus partout. Elle est revenue hier.

,4 l

We saw them everywhere. She came back yesterday.

Adverbs with adiectives and other adverbs

When an adverb goes with an adjective, it generally comes iust

BEFORE

that

adjective.

+ l

For more information on the Pertect tense, see

poge 'l 11.

The rule above covers most adverbs that tell you about quantity or time (apart from a few listed later), and some very common ones telling you how something is done.

beaucoup

bien bientdt d6ie encore enfin mal mieux

a lot, much

well soon already, before still, even, again

at last badly

better not much, not very

peu rarement rarely souvent often toujours always, still trop too much, too vraiment really

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

lls ont une tris belle maison. They have a very nice house. a well-dressed woman une femme bien habill6e

)

When an adverb goes with another adverb, it generally comes just

that adverb. C'est troo tard. Fatima travaille beaucoup pluS vite.

It's too late. Fatima works much faster.

BEFORE

PReposmorus 163

PREPOSITIONS

i,

de and en

Eit What is a preposition? A preposition is a word such as at, for, with, into or from, which is usually followed by a noun, pronoun or, in English, a word ending in -ing. Prepositions show how people and things relate to the rest of the

D

Be careful not to confuse the preposition ir with the verb avoir: il a (meaning he hos) and so on.

rw

sentence, for example, She's at home.; a tool for cutting grass; it's from

When ir is followed by le, the two words become au. Similarly, when i is followed by les, the two words become aux.

David.

il

Using prepositions

}

Prepositions are used in front of nouns and pronouns (such as me, him, the mqn and so on), and show the relationship between the noun or pronoun and the rest of the sentence. Some prepositions can be used before verb forms ending in -ing in English. I showed my ticket to the inspector.

! i

to the rest of the sentence. Je suis trds contente de te voir. l'm very happy to see you. Tu aimes jouer au tennis? Do you like playing tennis?

)

@

see

page

can mean ot. Les melons se vendent

i

2

Melons are selling at 2 euros each. We were driving at 100 km an hour I threw a stone at Chantal.

l'm at home.

Note that ir la maison can also mean to the house.

l'm going back to the house or

Je rentre d la maison.

back home.

Li

can mean rn.

Nous habitons d la campagne. Mon pdre est d Londres.

In English it is possible to finish a sentence with a preposition such as for, obout or on, even though some people think this is not good grammar. You can NEVER end a French sentence with a preposition.

Restez au lit. Jean est entr6, un livre main.

Le caf6 au laiL c'est pour qui? Who's the white coffee for? What are you talking about? Qe quoi parlez-vous?

i

la

We live in the country. My father is in London. Stay in bed. Jean came in with a book in his hand.

Ttp

rtp

ir is used to mean in with the names of towns and cities, and au (singulor) or aux (plurot) with the names of countries that are masculine in French. I live in Mexico. J'habite au Mexique. Elle est aux Etats-Unis. She's in the States.

The French preposition is not always the direct equivalent of the preposition that is used in English. lt is often difficult to give just one English equivalent for French prepositions, as the way they are used varies so much between the two languages.

i For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

for more informotion on Articles,

euros pidce. Nous roulions i 100 km i l'heure. J'ai lanc6 une pierre d Chantal. Je suis d la maison.

Come with me. This brush is really good for cleaning shoes.

+ For more informotion on Nouns ond Pronouns, see pqges 1 and 42. ) Prepositions are also used after certain adjectives and verbs and link them

illelle/on form of the

can mean to. Je vais au cin6ma ce soir. Donne le ballon d ton frdre.

l'm going to the cinema tonight. Give the ball to your brother.

164

Pneposmorus 165

Pneposmorus

.

T'P

Onyvaipied?

is used to mean to with the names of towns and cities, and au (singulor) or aux (plurol) with the names of countries that are masculine in French.

le trajet de Londres d Pads La banque est ouverte de 9

heures i midi. Je suis en vacances du 21

auSjuillet. Li

juin

mur.

Le bureau se trouve au

au

premier

6tage. Ou'est-ce qu'il y a ir la t6l6 soir?

ce

[J

There are two beautiful paintings on the wall. The office is on the first floor.

>

What's on W tonight?

Note that ir and sur can both mean on in English. sur usually means on the top of something. sur la t6l€ means on top of the W set, buL i fa t6f6 means broadcqst on TV. Both can be translated as on the TV in English. sur le mur means on top of the wall, but au mur means

la femme au chapeau vert un gargon aux yeux bleus

the woman with the green hat a boy with blue eyes

fait

i

la main laver d la machine

hand-made to machine-wash

what a type of food is made of une tarte aux poires un sandwich au jambon

a pear tart a ham sandwich

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

i

ir is used with times, centuries and the names of festivals.

at in at at

trois heures au vingtiime siBcle No6l d Piques

d

i

three o'clock the twentieth century Christmas Easter

ir is used to talk about distances and rates. La maison est d 6 kilomdtres The house is 6 kilometres from here. d'ici. G'est dr deux minutes de chez lt's two minutes from my place. !

i

l'heure.

\ ows who owns sornq:th\r Ce cahier est i Pau[

J

C'est d toi?

C'est d qui de

how something is done

a coffee cup

i

Je suis pay6

what someone looks like or is wearing

a letter box a washing machine

ruote that une tasse caf6 means a coffee cup, but une tasse de cafd means o cup of coffee. In the same way, un verre vin means o vvine g/oss but un verre de vin means o gloss of wine.

moi.

ir is often used to describe:

o

ir can also show what something is used for.

une boite aux lettres une machine d laver une tasse d caf6

5July.

hanging on the woll.

)

D

can mean on.

ll y a deux beaux tableaux

@

Apart from i v6fo and i cheval (meaning on horseback), the prepositions en and par are used with most other means of transport.

the journey from London to Paris The bank is open from 9 to 12.

l'm on holiday from 21 June !o

He came on his bike.

Ttp

Je vais assez souvent d Paris. I go to Paris quite often. ll va aux Etats-Unis la semaine He's going to the States prochaine. next week. ir is also used with de to mean from ... to ...

Shall we walk?

ll est venu i v6lo.

i

}

how you travel

de

bains?

l'rh,Raid by the hour.

s.

ours?

nettoy\la salle

Vflhose.turh'is it to clean the

bathroom?

lf you want to say where something hurts, you use

J'ai mal d la t6te. J'ai mal aux jambes. J'ai mal i la gorge.

i.

l've got a headache.

My legs ache. l've got a sore throat.

166

)

PRrposmorus 167

Pneposrrorus

ir is used with certain adjectives. Son 6criture est difficile dr lire. His/Her writing is difficult to read. l'm ready for anything. Je suis pr6t dr tout.

+ ) i

For more information about Prepositions

is used with certain verbs.

D

For more information obout Prepositions

lTt +

see

Finally, some common ways of saying goodbye contain

auSjuillet.

)

See See

you Saturday! you later!

un amide la famille les fen6tres de la maison la voiture de Marie-Piene

is used as part of the partitive article, whibh is usually the equivalent of some or ony in English. For more information on the

Psrtitive orticle,

see page

@

)

22.

de can mean from. Je viens d'Edimbourg. une lettre de Rachid Je la vois de temps en temps.

the windows of the house Marie-Pierre's car

une boite g[allumeftes deux bouteilles de vin

two bottles of wine

une tasse de caf6

a cup of coffee

a box of matches

Note that une tasse de caf6 means a cup of coffee butune tasse ir caf6 means a coffee cup. ln the same way, un verre i vin means o wine glass but un verre de vin means o gloss of wine.

de can describe what material something is made of. a cotton dress une robe de coton a wooden door une porte de bois

rw en can also be used to say what something is made of, and used when it is important to stress the material. a gold bracelet un bracelet en or

When de is followed by le, the two words become du. Similarly, when de is followed by les, the two words become des.

for more information on Articles,

a friend of the family

of in English.

Ttp 4

l'm on holiday from 21 lune to SJuly.

D de can indicate what something contains, when it usually corresponds to

de

de

juin

the journey from London to Paris The bank is open from 9 to I 2.

de often shows who or what something belongs to.

page 178.

i.

with ir to mean from ... to ...

heures i midi. Je suis en vacances du 21

See you soon! See you tomorrow!

A bient6t! A demain! A samedi! A tout i l'heure!

l

after verbs,

is also used

le trajet de Londres d Pads La banque est ouverte de 9

sfter adiectives, see page 183.

s'int6resser i quelque chose to be interested in something penser d quelque chose to think about something

+

D de

see

poge 12.

is 41.,

You can use de to say what something is used for.

un sac de couchage un terrain de foot un an6t de bus

l'm from Edinburgh. a letter from Rachid I see her from time to time. de

t) For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

a sleeping bag a football pitch a bus stop

found after superlatives (the most..., the biggest, the least... and so on). la plus belle ville du monde the most beautiful city in the world le film le moins int6ressant the least interesting film in the festival du festival

is

For more informotion on Superlotive odjectives, see page 34.

168

Pneposmorus 169

Pnrposrlorus

years and months, and to say how long something will take, when it is the equivalentof in/within: in 1923 en 1923 in lanuary en janvier l'll do it in three days. Je le ferai en trois iours.

D en is used to talk about

L de is used in phrases to talk about quantities. Elle fait beaucoup de fautes. She makes a lot of mistakes. Combien de personnes as'tu How many people have you invi invit6es?

)

de is used with certain adlectives. Je suis trds surpris de te ll est triste de partir.

t)

voir.

For more informqtion on Prepositions

l'm very surprised to see you. He's sad to be leaving. ofter adjectives,

see

Gmmmar Extra! en and dans can both be used in French to talk about a length of time, but the meaning is very different.

page 183.

Grammar hctra! lf you want to use an adiective after quelque chose, rien, quelqu'un and personne, you link the words with de. someone important quelqu'un g['important something interesting quelque chose d'int6ressant

rien d'amusant

)

+

de is found after certain verbs. d6pendre de quelque chose parler de quelque chose For more informqtion on Prepositions

l'll do it in three days. Je le ferai dans trois jours. l'll do it in three days. Je le ferai en trois iours. Though both can be translated in the same way, the first sentence means that you'll do it in three days, time; the second means that it will take three days for you to do it.

)

nothing funny

to depend on something to talk about something ofter verbs,

see

en is used with the names of the seasons, except for spring' in summer en 6t6 in autumn en automne in winter en hiver in sPring BUT: au printemPs

D en is used for most means of transport. Je suis venu en voiture' G'est plus rapide en train' ll est all6 en ltalie en avion.

page 178.

tren

I came by car.

lt's quicker by train. He flew to ltaly.

Ttp

@ Note that en is never followed by an article such as le, du or des. ) en is used to talk about a place. lt can be the equivalent of the English to

The prepositions

i

and par are also used with means of transport.

or in. Je vais en ville. ll a un appartement en ville, Nous allons en France cet 6t6. Nous habitons en France.

Use en to say what language something is in.

l'm going to town. He has a flat in town. We're going to France this summer. We live in France.

rrp en is used with the names of countries that are feminine in French. Use ir with the names of towns and cities, and au or aux with

>

en can be used to say what something is made of when you particularly want to stress the material. a bracelet made of gold, a gold un bracelet en or

'

un manteau en cuir

bracelet a coat made of leather, a leather

coat

masculine countries. For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages

'

une lettre 6crite en'espagnol a letter written in Spanish Say it in English. Dis-le en anglais.

viii-xii'

170

Pneposmorus 171

Pneposmorus

Eome other common Prepositions t tote that some of these words are also adverbs, for example, avant, depuis.

{f )

r

en often describes the situation or state that something or someone is in.

l'm on holiday.

Je suis en vacances. La voiture est en panne. Tu es toujours en retard!

)

>

For more information on the Adverbs, see

o lpp|5 after aprds le d6ieuner aprds son d6part

is found before present participles. the form of the verb that ends in -ing in English and -ant in French.

porte.

la troisiBme maison

I do my homework while watching

For more informotion on the Present

He saw me as he came past the door.

participle,

see

apris la

after lunch after he had left the third house after the town hall

mairie After you!

Aprds vous!

TV.

la

poge 152.

The following prepositions are also frequently used in French:

en

Je fais mes devoirs en regardant la t616. ll m'a vu en passant devant

r)

The car's broken down. You're always late!

I

Note that where English uses a verb in the perfect tense following ofter, French uses the infinitive avoir or 6tre and a past participle'

[J

Nous viendrons aprds avoir la vaisselle.

poge 125,

o

@

fait

We,|l come after we,ve done the dishes.

3y6n1 before

ll est arriv6 avant toi.

He arrived before you.

Toumez d gauche avant la poste.

Turn left before the Post office.

Note that where English uses a verb ending in -ing alter before, French uses de followed by the infinitive.

Jepr6firefinirmesdevoirsIprefertofinishmyhomework before eating.

avant de manger.

o

avec with

with my father unechambreavecsa||edebainaroomwithitsownbathroom

avec mon pdre

Ouvre-la avec un

.

For further explanataon of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

couteau'

chez Elle est chez Pierre. Elle va chez Pierre. Je reste chez moi ce weekend' Je vais rentrer chez moi. lls habitent pris de chez moi.

Open it with a knife' She's at Pierre's house. Shet going to Pierre's house,

l'm staying at home this wecletttl l'm going home. They live near my house.

172 l

Pneposmorus 173

Pneposmorus

T'P chez is also used with the name of jobs or professions to indicate a shop or place of business.

I

Je vais chez le m6decin.

l

contre against Ne mets pas ton v6lo contre le mur.

l'm going to the doctor's.

behind the door

devant in front of ll est assis devant moi.

He's sitting in front of me.

entre ... et between ... and ll est assis entre son pire et son oncle. Le bureau est ferm6 entre 13

Don't put your bike against the wall

i

dans in, into

He's sitting between his father and his uncle. The office is closed between 1 and 2 p.m.

et 14 heures.

ll est dans sa chambre.

He's in his bedroom.

Nous passons une semaine dans les Alpes. dans deux mois ll est entr6 dans mon bureau.

We're spending a week in the Alps.

jusque as far as, until

l'll go with you

Je te raccompagne iusque

in two months'time He came into my office.

Jusqu'ot vas-tu? Jusqu'ici nous n'avons pas eu

meaning is very different.

Je le ferai dans trois iours. l'll do it in three days. Je le ferai en trois jours. l'll do it in three davs. Though both can be translated in the same way, the first sentence means that you'll do it in three days' time; the second means that it will take three days for you to do it.

depuis since, for Elle habite Paris depuis Elle habite Paris depuis

ans. @

1998. cinq

de septembre.

'1

998

She's been living in Paris for five years.

He's been in France since September. (ond he is still there)

lf you are saying how long something has NOT happened for, you use the perfect tense with depuis. Nous ne I'avqng pas vu deouis We haven't seen him for un mois. a month.

Q

For more informotion on the Present tense

How far are you going? Up to now we've had no problems.

qnd the Pertect tense,

pogesTl and111. For further explanation of grammatical te]ms, please see pages viii-xii.

see

l'm staying until the end of the month.

jusque changes to jusqu' before a word beginning with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.

. She's been living in Paris since

Note that French uses the present tense with depuis to talk about actions that started in the past and are still going on.

ll est en France depuis le mois

far as your house.

de probldmes.

Je reste iusqu'i la fin du mois.

dans and en can both be used in French to talk about a length of time, but the

o

as

chez toi.

Grammar Extra! l

derriEre behind derridre la porte

par by, with, per

deux par deux

two by two

Par le train

by train by post by email His name begins with H. Take three tablets per day.

par la poste par email Son nom commence oar un

H.

Prenez trois cachets oar iour. Le voyage co0te quatre cents euros Dar personne.

The trip costs four hundred euros per person. Nous nous voyons une fois oar We see each other once a month.

mois.

ll est tomb6 par terre. ll y a beaucoup de touristes

There are a lot of tourists around

He fell down.

par ici.

here.

174

sans without

rtp The prepositions

o

Pneposmorus 175

PReposmorus

i

Elle est venue sans son frdre' un caf6 sans sucre un pull sans manches

and en are also used with means of transport.

pendant during, for Qa s'est pass6 pendant l'616. ll n'a pas pu travailler pendant plusieurs mois.

() -

It happened during the summer. He couldn't work for several

.

Ecosse.

en

i

NewYork

pendant

Q

under the table underground

Pose-le sur le bureau. Ton sac est sur la table.

years.

Vous verrez l,hapitat sur gauche. un livre sur la politique

l'll be in New York for a month.

for more information on the Pertect tense,

see

Everyone's coming except him'

SUr On

We lived in Scotland for ten

votre

Put it down on the desk. Your bag is on the table. You'll see the hospital on your left. a book on politics

Note that i and sur can both mean on in English. sur usually means on the top of something. sur la t6l6 means on top of the TV set, bul i fa t6l6 means broadcost on TV. Both can be translated as on the TV in English. sur le mur means on top of the wall, but au mur means

m

un mois.

a sleeveless sweater

sous under

o

pendant is also used to talk about something that will happen in the future. Je serai

lui.

sous la table sous terre

You can also miss out pendant.

Nous avons habit6 dix ans

sauf except Tout le monde vient sauf

.

French uses the perfect tense with pendant to talk about actions in the past that are completed. Nous avons habit6 pendant dix We lived in Scotland for ten years. (but don't any more) ans en Ecosse.

a coffee without sugar

Note that sans can also be used before infinitives in French. In English a verb form ending in -ing is used after without. Elle est partie sans dire au revoir. She left without saying goodbye.

months.

Ttp

She came without her brother.

page 111

hanging on the wall.

pour for (who or what something is for, and where something or someone

is

going)

Ttp

lt's a present for you. C'est un cadeau pour toi. Nous voudrions une chambre We'd like a room for two nights. oour deux nuits. the train for Bordeaux le train pour Bordeaux

E

Note that pour can also be used with infinitives, when meaning of in order to.

it

and by.

one person in ten une personne sur six I got 14 out of 20 in maths' quatorze en vingt sur J'ai eu maths. La pidce fait quatre mitres sur The room measures four metres bY two' deux.

has the

She's ringing to find out what time Elle tt6l6phone pour savoir i we'll get there. quelle heure on arrivera. Pour aller dr Nice, s'il vous plait? Which way is it to Nice, please?

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.

With numbers and measurements sur can also mean in, out of

.

vers towards (a place), at about ll allait vers la gare. Je rentre chez moi vers cinq heures.

He was going towards the station. I go home at about 5 o'clock.

176

}

PReposmoNs 177

Pnepognorus

voici (meaning this is, here rs) and voilir (meaning there is, that rs) are two very useful prepositions that French speakers often use to point things out. This is my brother and that's my Voici mon frire et voild

ma

consisting of more than one word one. Prepositions can also be made up of several words instead of iust

de de i cause de

at the edge of, at the side of after

s(Eur.

sister.

Voici ton sac.

Here's your bag.

au bord au bout

Le voici!

Here he/it is! Look! There's Paul. Have you lost your pen? Here's another one. There they are!

au-dessous de below au-dessus de above au fond de at the bottom of, at the end of au milieu de in the middle of

Tiens!Voild Paul. Tu as perdu ton stylo? En un autre. Les voildr!

voilir

i

because of

Au bout d'un moment, il s'est endormi. Nous ne pouvons Pas sortir i-eeuse-dg mauvais temps. J'ai gar6 la voiture au bord de la route. Mon porte-monnaie est au fond dg mon sac. Place le vase au milieu de la table.

For further explanation of grammatical

toms, please sce pages vlii-xli.

After a while, he fell asleep' We can't go out because of the bad weather. I parked the car bY the side of the road. My purse is at the bottom of mY bag. Put the vase in the middle of the

table.

178

Pneposnprus 179

Pneposlrrols

Prepositions after verbs

)

|> Here are some verbs taking

some French verbs can be followed by an infinitive (the fo form of the verb) and linked to it by either de or i, or no preposition at all. This is also true ol verbs and their obiects: the person or thing that the verb ,happens,to.

S

For more informotion

on Verbs followed by an infinitive,

see

page

croire i quelque chose r'lnt6resser ir quelqu'un/quelque

to believe in something to be interested in someone/

chose

something to play something (sports, gomes)

ob6ir

rhe lists in this section concentrate on those French verbs that involve

Verbs that are followed by

i

a

jouer au tennis jouer aux 6checs

is often the equivalent of the English word to when it is used with an indirect object after verbs like send, give and soy.

to say something to someone to give something to someone to write something to someone to send something to someone to show something to someone

lndirect objects,

see

obey someone

think about someone/something answer someone phone someone

rtp

+ obiect

dire quelque chose ir quelqu'un donner quelque chose ir quelqu'un 6crire quelque chose i quelqu'un envoyer quelque chose ir quelqu'un montrer quelque chose i quelqu'un

to to to to

When you are using jouer to talk about sports and games, you use i. When you are using jouer to talk about musical instruments, you use de.

l i

For more informotion on

quelqu'un

r6pondre ir quelqu'un t6l6phoner i quelqu'un

different construction from the one that is used in English.

+

i

penser ir quelqu'un/quelque chose

The preposition that is used in French is not always the same as the one that is used in English. Whenever you learn a new verb, try to learn which preposition can be used after it too.

tr

in French that have a different construction in

fouer ir quelque chose

l j3.

Ttp

l

i

[nglish.

to play tennis to play chess

jouer de la guitare to play the guitar jouer du piano to play the piano

D plaire followed by i plaire

i

is a

common way of saying you like something.

to

quelqu'un

Ton cadeau me plait beaucoup' I like your present a lot. This film is very popular with young Ce film plait beaucoup aux people. jeunes.

page 49.

Grammar with this type of verb. In English, you can say either to give something to someone or to give someone something; lo show something to someone or to show someone somethinq. You can NEVER miss out i in French in the way that you can sometimes miss out fo in English.

please someone (literollY)

E> tCIrmflner (to fall)

w ftemfrn' (to hoto) prq H$ E rsT' $ [J

Pi?t)$H!UT IU

tiens tiens

illelle/on

tient

le

nous

tenons tenez

vouS ils/elles

tiennent

ie tu

ffi .$

L] ndff Tfi \./Fl

tienne tiennes

r

ai tenu

tenu a tenu nous avons tenu vouS avez tenu ils/elles ont tenu

tu illelle/on

as

illelle/on tienne

nous teniOnS vous teniez ils/elles tiennent

je tu

je

tiendrai

tu il/elle/on

tiendras

nous vous

tiendra tiendrons tiendrez

ils/elles

tiendront

I|\IgPffiffiATfiVffi

tiens/tenons ltenez

ils/elles tombent

ils/elles tenaient

illelle/on tiendrait

nous tiendrions vous tiendriez ils/elles tiendraient r N3

suis tomb6(e) es

nous sommes tomb6(e)s vous 6tes tomb6(e)(s) ils/elles sont tomb6(e)s

kE

tenu

le tu

tomberai tomberas

il/elle/on tombera

nous tomberons vous tOmberez ils/elles tomberont IMPF{4AffNVfi

tombe/tombons/tombez

pl\H$K[u"n" $fi ffiTl(:npLF

PRESE[\!T $3ds{4'11#lpLffi

tenant

tombant

SXS

iX,?,Pf..

*i

Tiens-moi la moin. Hold mv hand.

Tiens-toi

fi

See

tombe tombes

illelle/on tombe

nous tombions vous tombiez ils/elles tombent

je tu

tombais tombais

illelle/on tombait

nous tombions vous tombiez ils/elles tombaient

je tu

tomberais tomberais

iUelle/on tomberait nous tomberions vous tomberiez ils/elles tomberaient PA$T pAR'I"[{:[$']fl-

Hii

tomb6

EXAIV{pd.F p$"ff,-{,,q,str$

PSf ffi A,$trS

EIle tenoit beaucoup d son"chot. She was really Tiens, prends mon stylo. Here, have my pen.

je tu

$ U H"]U NU0TI\f tr

*${vmNTlf}NAi-

FUT[.'fi€

tiendrais tiendrais

$E[\lT

I!V!FHRFEfiT

tomb6(e) illelle/on esttomb6(e)

nous tenions vous teniez

*$$.$"F] flIA $?TIfi

tombes

nous tombons vous tombez

je tu

tenais tenais

il/elle/on tenait

je tu

tombe

PERFEC'fi'

GCIq\!mflTtolvA[-

il:U'TUffiC

le tu

il/elle/on tombe

tftnpHRr"gcT'

PHffiFE$T

pffi fi

PRE$EfU"tr

attached to her cat'

Attention, tu vas tomber! Be careful, you'll fall! Nicole est tomb4e de chevql. Nicole fell off her horse' the stairs Elle s'est fsit mal en tombant dans l'escalier. she hurt herself falling down

droit!Sit up straight!

pages 88-91 for informotion on how ta form the reflexive verb se tenir.

jelj'=ltu-you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nou$:we voua=you ils/elles=they

jeli,=|tu=youil=he/itel|e=she/iton=we/onenou$=Wevous=youils/e||e$=they

..r

l:"itri-

VeRe Tneles

,+"";,:$ Vrne Teeles

> traire (to milk) PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

PRESENT

je tu

trais trais

illelle/on trait nous trayons vous trayez ils/elles traient

illelle/on nous vous ils/elles

je tu

traie traies

illelle/on traie

nous trayions vous trayiez ils/elles traient IMPERFECT

PERFECT

i' tu

>

ai trait

trait a trait avons trait avez trait ont trait as

FUTURE

je tu

trairai trairas illelle/on traira nous trairons vous trairez

ils/elles trairont IMPERATIVE

trais/trayons ltrayez

le tu

trayais trayais

illelle/on trayait

nous trayions vous trayiez ils/elles trayaient CONDITIONAL

je tu

trairais trairais

iUelle/on trairait

nous trairions vous trairiez ils/elles trairaient PAST PARTICIPLE

trait

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

PRESENT

je

le tu

vaincs vaincs

illelle/on vainc nous vainquons vous vainquez ils/elles vainquent

illelle/on

il::

ar valncu as vaincu

i.:1Ti,^-,,

:Yuilfl:;"

ils/elles ont vaincu

varnquars

vainquais

illelle/on vainquait

:::: vous :1:::::l' valnqulez ils/elles vainquaient

le tu

vaincrai vaincras

illelle/on vaincra nous vaincrons vous vaincrez ils/elles

le tu

CONDITIONAL

FUTURE

je tu

ils/elles vainquent TMPERFECT

PERFECT

, tu

vainque vainques iUelle/on vainque nous vainquions vous vatnqutez

""i^ir""t

vaincrais

illelle/on vaincrait

nous vatncnonS vous vaincriez ils/elles vaincraient PAST PARTICIPLE

IMPERATIVE vaincs / vainquons

varncrars

/ vainquez

vaincu

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

trayant

vainquant

EXAMPLE PHBASES

EXAMPLE PI{BASES

A lo ferme, on o appris d troire les vaches. We learnt to milk cows on the farm. Elle trsit les voches d six heures du motin. She milk the cows at 6 am.

L'ormde o 6t6 vaincue. The army was defeated. Lo France s vaincu la Corde trois buts q deux. France beat Korea 3 goals

ieli'=l tu=you il=he/it ellb=she/it on=we/one nous=we vou$=you ils/elles=they

to 2.

ie/i,=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we y6u3=|ou ils/elles=they

Vene

Vene TneLrs

Taelrs

> vendF€ (to sell)

p, waloif (to be worth) PRSSHN}T $

PRESf;hIT

je tu

vaux vaux

il/elle/on vaut

le tu

I",'

RJU N#TNVE

vaille vailles

illelle/on vaille

nous valons vous valez

nous valions vous valiez

ils/elles valent

ils/elles vaillent IIMPERFEET

PERFECT

j' tu illelle/on nous vous ils/elles

ai valu as valu a valu avons valu avez valu ont valu

FUTURg"

je tu

vaudrai vaudras illelle/on vaudra nous vaudrons vous vaudrez

ils/elles vaudront IIV?PERATNVE

vaux/valons lvalez

je tu

valais valais

illelle/on valait

vends venos vend nous vendons vous venoez Je

tu il/elle/on

ils/elles

I

tu illelle/on

nous vouS ils/elles

ils/elles valaient

je tu

as vendu

a vendu

avons vendu avez vendu ont vendu

vendrai vendras illelle/on vendra nous vendrons vous vendrez

nous vaudrions vous vaudriez

ils/elles vendront

ils/elles vaudraient

valu

ai vendu

je tu

illelle/on vaudrait

IMPERATIVE

vends/vendons/vendez

PI4HSHNT FANTfiCIPtffi

PRESET\IT' PAffiT f;!PI.H

valant

vendant

EXAMPLE FHtrA$T'S

EXAMPI-E FFffi'llsgs

vout combien? How much is it worth? (.o voudroit Io peine d'essoyer. lt would be worth a try. Il vout mieux ne pas y pensei: lt's best not to think about it.

Il

Qo

ieli'=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we v6u5=lou ils/elle$=they

ie tu

vende vendes illelle/on vende nous vendions vous vendiez

ils/elles vendent IMPERFECT

FUTURE

vaudrais vaudrais

PIA$T P'$,i{T!fifi?tE

vendent

PERFECT

nous valions vous valiez c0rumlTl0niA[-

PRE$ENT SU B-IU I\'CTIVE

PRESEfUT

je tu

venoars

vendais

illelle/on vendait

nous vendions vous vendiez ils/elles vendaient

cor!DtfloNl\L

je tu

vendrais vendrais

il/elle/on vendrait

nous vendrions vous vendriez ils/elles vendraient PAST PAHTICIPTE

vendu

son vdlo pour 50 euros. He sold me his bike for 50 euros' que vendez des piles? Do you sell batteries? vous Est-ce EIle voidrait vendre ss voiture. She would like to sell her car.

m'u vendu

ie/j,=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we vous=you ils/elles=they

Vene Tneues

Vens Tasles gfefiXfrffi"

@

Pfd ffi,S E

PHF$nihqT

je tu

>

(to come)

viens viens

illelle/on vient

nous venonS vous venez ils/elles viennent

r'j'f

le

tu illelle/on nous vous ils/elles

$

Uc

tiJ

[."r

vienne viennes vienne venions veniez

,e

suis venu(e)

TU

es venu(e)

est venu(e) sommes venu(e)s 6tes venu(e)(s) sont venu(e)s

illelle/on nous vous ils/elles

je

tu illelle/on nouS

vous ils/elles

venats venais

venait venions veniez

je tu

je

viendrai viendras illelle/on viendra nous viendrons vous viendrez

IU

viendrais viendrais

il/elle/on

viendrait

ils/elles viendront

ils/elles

ilf,"'[FF:&:fr"&T$Vlr

viens/venons /venez $Hfsl'f

nous VOUS

,Pl-l$l;

i'

viendrions viendriez

illelle/on

l:;jl,iR'1"[r*llB]["ffi

venu

P$?ffi

vetes

illelle/on v€te

vOt

nous v6tions vous v6tiez ils/elles v€tent F[WPH}TFK*T

PEffiFfr#'T

je tu

j' tu

ai v6tu as v€tu il/elle/on a v€tu nous avons v€tu

v€tais

nous v6tions vous v€tiez

avez vOtu

ils/elles v€taient (": {:., f d

FUT["0m8

f

} }T

q

je tu

je tu

v€tirai v€tiras illelle/on v€tira nous v6tirons vous v€tirez

t

v€tirais v€tirais

nous v6tirions vous v6tiriez ils/elles v€tiraient F"dh$}' F,ft

ilvtF!8trV"\.{ti/F;

fi:iT

tr$lP[.H

v6tu

v6ts/v€tons/v€tez ifi[[pt

{:} h} A

illelle/on v6tirait

ils/elles v€tiront

r{"r{.\$f

v6tais

illelle/on v€tait

ils/elles ont vOtu

pftfj*ig:i\j'l

v€te

tu

ils/elles v6tent

vous

$tr$$.d' ${."lSJ{.Jfi,{#T{l/fi

je

v€ts v6ts

nous v€tons vous v€tez

viendraient

FhqFi-['F*l PC-H

F:

v€tant

venant

ff-;9*4,,14Ph f,:

je tu

venaient

fl:$i\trm['ffi0rsA{"

g1(_i?'L!ffiH

(to dress)

PRH$$IFiT

viennent

$MiPffiffiFtrCT

$jlHffirrtrflT

F!il{fr

zu*T[Vr,

w&$;na"

i#j"d&4$Sr$

viendro pas cette ann,Ae. She won't be coming this year. Fatou et Malik viennent du S6ndgol. Fatou and Malik come from Senegal. Je viens de manger. l've just eaten. EIle ne

EK,4/WpA€ Fddffi/q$s.f; It litt

6tait v\tu d,un pantalon et d'un pull. He was wearing trousers. and a iumper' fout se lever, se'lover et se votir e'n 1 0 minutes. You have to get up, get washed and get dressed in 10 minutes.

()

ie/i'-ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we vous=you ils/elles=they

see

pages 88-91 for informqtion on how to form the reflexive verb se vQtir.

ie/i,=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we vous=you ils/elles=they

Vens TagLrs

Vpne Tneles

F vivre pnFsEtuT

je tu

PFIESEh{T' S{"I EJU Nfr TIVH

vis vis

illelle/on vit

nous vivons vous vivez ils/elles vivent

ar vecu as v6cu

illelle/on a v6cu nous avons v6cu vous avez v6cu ils/elles ont v6cu

je tu

vives

vlvral vivras

illelle/on vivait

illelle/on vivra

nous vivrons vous vivrez ils/elles vivront IMFERAT[VH

vis/vivons lvivez

vivrais vivrais

illelle/on vivrait

nous vivrions vous vivriez PN-E

v6cu

fiffNm[Tlsl\!Al-

je tu

verrai verras

verrais verrais

illelle/on verrait

illelle/on verra nous verrons vous verrez

nous verrions vous verriez ils/elles verraient

ils/elles verront

PA$T PAffiTIEtPLg

llVfi Pffi F&l''\:I" j\itF.:

vois/voyons /voYez fi'i

1(;lF !.H

PF{ENiL:}ii"t n'll

vivant

voyant

EXAMFLE f'F'fr.ASFS

F.{:i^wF{ {. u. .r::...rr

i,

venez me voir quand vous serez d Paris. Come and see me when you're in Paris. ne vois rien sans mes lunettes. I can't see anything without !Y glasses. le 'Est-ce que tu l'os vu? Did you see him? or Have you seen him? Est-ce que cette tache se voitT Does that stain show?

r) ieli'=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nous=we vous=you ils/elles=they

ils/elles voyaient

FL'Tti*nfr

PRESETST PART'CIPI-H

Ma seur vit en Espagne. My sister lives in Spain. ll o vdcu dix ans d Lyon, He lived in Lyons for 10 years. Les gorilles vivent surtout dqns Ia fordf. Corillas mostly live in the forest.

voyais

nous voytons vous voyiez

avons vu avez vu ils/elles ont vu

je tu

voyais

illelle/on voyait

nous vous

ils/elles vivraient Pld$,"i &:'A*{Tlel

le tu

ai vu as vu il/elle/on a vu

ils/elles vivaient

voies

TfuXPERFSCT

i' ru

nous vivions vous viviez

voie

ils/elles voient

PtrFgFffiCT'

je vivais tu vivais

IUETIVE

nous voyions vous voyiez

ils/elles voient

ils/elles vivent

IJ

il/elle/on voie

nous voyons vous voyez

nous vivions vous vtvtez

HSHIUT $U EJ

le tu

vois vois

illelle/on voit

illelle/on vive

le tu

PIft

PF?H$HTST"

vlve

c0Fdmtfl0NAL

FUTLIRE

le tu

,e

tu

tMPEnFd:Cl'

PERFECT

, tu

ts v'ffifir (to see)

(to live)

see pages 88-91 for informotion

on

how to

form the reflexive verb se voir.

ielj,-ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one 6qu5=w€ vous=you ils/elles=they

Vrne lNoex

Vens TneLrs

b. qdf'}*.fifi#xq" i:'Fl

F:jSi

(to want) ,:,ffi

E|'* T'

ils/elles veuillent

ils/elles veulent

I

voulu a voulu avons voulu avez voulu ont voulu a5

nouS

vous ils/elles 'Fcr f i.lffif,!

voudrai

tu illelle/on

voudraS

voudront

ils/elles

Fi

fi

tlil

ils/elles voulaient

i'

F),pl, "ffi

r,.,}

ni ["] il T

T[

*

i

fi

#

fld s"

[-

nous voudrions vous voudriez ils/elles voudraient il"l"fl

fi

$

pF- H

voulu

$] [- ]"n

With the exception of reflexive verbs which always take 6tre, all verbs have the same auxiliary (6tre or avoir) as their model verb. There are a few exceptions 1 2. which are inilicated by a superior number or

An asterisk (*) means that the verb takes avoir when it is used with a direct object, and 6tre when it isn't.

r)

For more information on verbs that take either avoir or €tre, see page 114.

abaisser

abandonner abattre ab0tir

abimer abolir

abonder abonner aborder aboutir aooyer abreuver

abriter abrutir x,jn fu,{ia{

ft

frffi{$sw

All the verbs are in alphabetical order. For reflexive verbs like s'asseoir (to sit down) or se taire (to siop talking),look under asseoir or taire, not under s' or se.

ab16ger

voulant

a:

t$te Werh

rusm

The verbs in bold are the model verbs which you will find in the verb tables. All the other verbs follow one of these patterns, so the number next to each verb indicates which pattern fits this particular verb. For example, .aider (to help) follows the same pattern as donner (number 29 in the verb tables)'

voudrais voudrais

illelle/on voudrait

!ltl:$ ll' ft:l

[\{il

/ veuillons / veuillez

&:

nous voulions vous vouliez

je tu

voudra voudrons voudrez

nous vous

voulais voulais

illelle/on voulait

{:

je

n

je tu

ai voulu

tu illelle/on

tm

Superior numbers (1, 2 etc) refer you to notes on.page 107. These notes explain any differences between the verbs and their model.

lR'XPffiFlFI:ICT

ft:nr$q{:;Efr"r

$r,'

nJ[j t\jfi i"]idn

nous voulions vous vouliez

nous voulons vous voulez

$MF fiF{$:8

$iF,J

veuille veuilles illelle/on veuille

veux

illelle/on veut

veuille

F$fr ru"f

je tu

Je veux

tu

ff-Bmqnr

,f,i{ ff ll,$ &;$

pour Nodl.She wants a bike for Christmas. lls voulaient aller qu cindma. They wanted to go to the cinema. Tu voudrqis une tasse de th6? Would you like a cup of tea?

Elle veut un v6lo

ie/j'=ltu=you il=he/it elle=she/it on=we/one nou$=we v6u5=lou ils/elles=they

absenter (s') absorber absoudrea abstenir (s') abstraire abuser accabler accaparer acc6der acc6l6rer accepter accompagner

accomplir accorder 10 accoter 20 accoucher 29 accouder (s') ?q accourtr29 accoutumer accrocher 29 )9 accroitre6 accroupir (s') 39 accueillir 54 accumuler 67 29 accuser acharner (s') 29 36 29

39 29 29 29 29 |

/

39

acheminer

29 29

acheter

29 29 22 39 23 29 29 29 29 2

achever

44

71

acqu6rir actionner

84 86 29 29 29 35 ?q

29 29

3

)q

adorer

29

aoosser

29

adoucir

39 29 90

adresser adveni13 aerer

affaiblir affairer (s') affaisser (s') affamer

aff16ter

35 39

29 29 29

affermir

39

afficher

29 29

affirmer affliger affoler affranchir

affronter

46 29 39 35 29 13

adh6rer

?<

agacer agenouiller (s') agir agiter agrandir

adjoindre admettre admirer adopter

4)

ag16er

48

ahurir

29 29

aider

39 29 39 19 39 29

aigrir

39

activer adapter

additionner

29 29 29

29

aiguiser aimanter aimer aiouter ajuster alarmer alerter alimenter all6cher all6ger all6guer aller allier aflumer alt6rer alterner af unir amaigrir ambitionner am6liorer am6nager amener ameuter amincir amoindrir amollir amonceler

29 29

29 29 29

29 29 29 35

67 35

4 20 29 35

29 39 39

29 29

46 44 29 39 39 39 5

V,ena

Vrne lnloex amorcer

amplifier amputer amuSer analyser

an6antlr angorsser

animer annexer annoncer

annoter annuler

anoblir anticiper aparser

apercevoir apitoyer aplatir

apparaitre' appareiller apparenrer apparier appartentr appauvrlr

appeler applaudir appliquer apponer appr6cier apprenore appreter apprivoiser approcher

approfondir approprier approuver appuyer arc-bouter argenter arguer armer arpenter arracner arranger arrCter

arriver arrondir arroser asphyxrer aspirer assag rr

assainir assassiner

13

20 29

i

29 44

assembler assener

i

asseoir (s')

29 ^^i

29 I 39 ; 29 i

29

5

t1

(.ltalOgUer

60

bouleverser

2\)

(

balbutier

2A

boulonner bourdonner bourrer

( aUSef

baliser

bannir

assrster

29 20 39 29

baptiser baratiner

39 29

29

barbouiller

29

bousculer bousiller

fo

boutonner

1q

braconner brailler

39

?q 39 39

39

)9

| bAiller 39 I baiser 29 r baisser

29

branler braquer

29 29 29 29

bavarder baver b6cher becqueter b6gayer b6ler b6n6ficier b6nir bercer berner beugler beurrer biaiser

10 29 29 29

54 29 29 29

8 39

29 29 29 29 29

bichonner biffer

)a )o

brouiller

29

br0ler bru nir buter

29 54 29

blesser

29 29 39

29 29

boire boiter bombarder bondir bonifier

9

?o

)q 29

)9 29 29

border borner boucher boucler

bouder bouffer

bricoler brider briguer briller brimer

5

1q

39 29 20

blottir (se)

breveter

brosser

bl€mir bloquer

bredouiller

29

39 13

39

13

Draver

29

20

blaser

29

blaguer bldmer blanchir

braireT

briser broder broncher

60 ?o

46 29

39

bou rsoufler

29 29 29 29 29 29 29

42

29 29 29 39 29

29 29 (se)

brandir

39

battre

39

29 1 baignel

brancher

61

attendrir atterrir attirer attraper attribuer

46 aviver 29' avoir 6 , avouer 39 , bdcler 29 i bafouer 20 i bagarrer

batailler batifoler

29 29

bdtir

attendre

aviser

baser

29 29

29 29

5

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29 29 29 29

29

renausser

29

16imprimer 16int6grer relaillir

29

reparaitre rdparer

12

z+ 29

retancer

13

16partir repeindre repenore

10 61

rev€tir

91

eo

r6viser

repentir (se)

78

reperdre

62

revivre revotr r6volter rhabiller ridiculiser

29 92 93 29 29 29 29 75

35

35

reproduire

l4

risquer

)q

20 20 29

16pudier

20

rivaliser

29 29 76 29

37

remuer

i

74 29

za

24

20 29

revenir rever 16v6rer

repartir

remanier remarier remarquer rembourser rem6dier remercier remettre remmener

r6duire refaire r6f6rer refermer r6fl6chir refl6ter refondre r6former

refuser

29 89

reluire23

remplir remployer remponer

r6fugier (se)

35

revendiquer revenore

rep16senter

?o

refroidir

r6v6ler

reprendre

redresser

29 20

29 89 57 29 58

20 45

redouter

70

7C

16organiser 16pandre

70 29 66 29

remordre remorquer remoudre rempracer

35

renvoyer

repousser

+b 28 29 29

29 39

IJ

73 29 48 39 29 29 39

44

remonter* remontrer

?(

35 39

relicher rel69uer relever relier relire

3.1

35

42 43 39 29

rr5jouir

a/

recopier recouore recourir recouvrir

renifler

)a

rejoindre

15

39

29

regretter fegrouper

13

reconvertir

r6futer regagner regaillardir regarder r6g6n6rer

rdpondre

)9 IU

3

r6server 16sider

29 29 29 20 29 29

20

r6signer r6silier

48

16sister

44 49 29 50 29

16sonner

ressaisir

39 ?o

51

ressembler

29

IJ

ressemeler ressenUr

39

renaitre24

54 29 29 53

rench6rir

39

rencontrer rendormir

29

rendre renfermer renfler renforcer renler

requ€rir

16soudre respirer resplendir

ressortir

rester

29 29

restreindre r6sulter r6sumer resurgir r6tablir retaper retarder retenir

13

reUrer

20

retomber

30 8

71

29

5

rigoler rire

rogner

rompre ronfler ronger

r6tir

i

rougrr rourer rousp6ter rouvrtr rutner Saccager saisir salir

78

Satuer

80 72

sanctifier sangloter

61

satisfaire sauter

46 39 39

29 35

56 29

46 39 39 29

20

39 39

sauver

savoir

29 37 29 29 29 77

29 29 84 29 85

scier

20

scinder scintiller

29 29

s6cher Secouer

29

29 29

sauvegarder

VrRe lNoex

Vene lNoex

Semer

17 24 29 44

sentir

78

s6parer Serref

29 29

secourir s6duire sembler

vendre

13 24

verdir

39

54

traire

29 86

verooyer v6rifier vernir verrouiller

traiter

29

verser

29

31

v€tir

9^l

35

VCXCT

29 48

vibrer vider vieillir

29 29

29

tournoyer

81 35

tousser

82 20

tracer

sugg6rer

suivre

tracaSser

traduire trahir trainer

sertir

39

servir

79

supplier supposer surcharger surenchErir surfaire

s6vir sevrer

39

surgerer

44

surqir

39

transcrire transf6rer

o/

surmonter'

49

transformer

29 29 29

surpaS5er

59

surprenore surveiller survenir survtvre susciter suspendre tacher tacher tailler taire (se) taper

66 29

transmettre transparaitre transprrer transplanter

tater taxer teindre teinter t6l6phoner

29 29

si6ger siffler signaler signer signifier simplifier simuler soigner sombrer sommeiller songer 50nner

20 20 29 29 29 29

-1

29

46 39 37 2

90 92 29 89

29

transporter traquer travailler traversef

39

57 29 29

vitrifier vitup6rer vivifier vivre

20

29 29

29

soupeser

44

tenir

a4

sourire

75

souscrire

3l

tenter terminer ternir

29 29 39 29 20 35

ulc6rer

39 29 29

unifier unir

35

user

tomber

85

tondre tonner tordre torpiller tortiller torturer toucher tourmenter tourner

70 29

usiner utiliser vacciner

50

vaincre

29 29 29 29 29 29

valoir

29 29 29 87 88

vanter

29

varier v6g6ter veiller vendanger

20

sous-entenclre

89

souStrarre

86 84

soutenir souvenir (se) sp6cialiser sp6cifier standardiser stationner st6riliser stimuler stup6fier subir submerger subsister

84 29

20 29 29 29 29 20 39

46 29

substituer subvenirl succ6der

29 90

sucer

13

35

terrassef

terrifier t6ter ti6dir timbrer tirer tol6rer

29 29 29 89

urbaniser

39 29 29 29 29

t6moigner tendre

t6l6viser

61

virer

29

29

29

29 29 46 44 29 48

violer

20 39 29

visser

55

83 29

venir

viser visiter

souffrir souhaiter souiller soulager soulever souligner soumettre soupgonner

sortir*

29 29

venger

29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 20

tr6bucher trembler tremper tricher tricoter trier triompher tripoter tromper troquer trotter troubler trouer trouver truffer truquer tuer tutoyer

46 29 80

89 46 90

54 29 29

suer

suffire

35

20 92

Notes t)

Auxiliary=avoir.

2) Auxiliary = €tre. 3) Only infinitive and 3rd persons of each tense used. 4) Past participle: absous, absoute. s) Conjugated with either avoir or etre. 6) No circumflex on: j'accrois, tu accrois, and accru. z) Hardly used except in the infinitive and the 3'd persons of the present, future and conditional.

8) e)

Past participle: circoncis. Past participle: confit.

10) No circumflex on: je d6crois, tu d6crois, and d6cru. 11) When demeurer means to live, the auxiliary is avoir; when it means to remain, the auxiliary is €tre.

vocif6rer

35

voiler

29

voir voter

93 l9

vomir voter

39 29

29 29

vouer

vouloir

29 94

14) When fleurir means to prosper, the present participle is florissant, and the imperfect is florissait.

29

vouvoyer voyager

54

1s)

46

29

29 29 29 29 29 54 35

20 39 29 29

29

46

vrombir

39

vulgariser z6brer

29

z6zayer

60

ztgzaguer

29

35

12) Past participle: dissous, dissoute. 13) Present participle: faillant; past participle: failli; future: je faillirai, conditional: je faillirais, efc. NB: f'ai failli tomber = | nearly fell.

etc;

Past participle: frit; used mainly in the present tense singular and in compound tenses.

16) Past participle: inclus. 17) Past participle: m0, rnue, mus, mues. 18) Past participle: nui.

tr)

In questions, je peux can be replaced by ie puis: Puis-je vous aider? May I help you?

20) Subjunctive: je pr6vale, efc. 21 ) Future: je pr6voirai, etc; conditional: je pr€voirais, etc. 22) Used only in the infinitive, present and past participles, and compound renses.

2r)

Past participle: relui.

24) No past participle, no compound tenses.

ilt" o*rH What is the pa: The passive is a is the person o qtven, we we'

[J

ruote that des meanings, sur

something is

)

For moro

de changes to o most words stai Je

r

n'ai pas d'r

sBN 978-0-00-719644-9

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