In French, nouns (substantives
m.) are either masculine (
m.) or feminine (
f.). Each gender has its own article.
| le jour m. |
the day |
| la nuit f. |
the night |
Les is the plural article for both masculine and feminine nouns.
| les hommes m. plural |
the men |
| les femmes f. plural |
the women |
When the noun begins with a vowel or a silent ‘h’, the
le or
la simply becomes
l’.
| l’ombre m. |
the shade |
| l’abeille f. |
the bee |
| l’hôtel m. |
the hotel |
| un bâtiment m. |
a building |
| une maison f. |
a house |
| des choix m. |
some choices |
| des filles f. |
some girls/daughters |
Guessing the gender of people nouns is easy. If you’re referring to a male, it’s masculine, otherwise it’s feminine.
| le gosse |
the kid (male) |
| la gosse |
the kid (female) |
Many people nouns have both masculine and femine forms.
| le fermier |
farmer (male) |
| la fermière |
farmer (female) |
| le vendeur |
salesperson (male) |
| la vendeuse |
salesperson (female) |
Some people nouns are always either masculine or feminine, regardless of whether it refers to a guy or a girl.
| la vedette |
star |
| le savant |
wise person |
| le pilote |
pilot |
| le professeur |
teacher (high school or university) |
Guessing the gender of inanimate nouns can be a bit tricky. Consonant ending nouns are usually masculine and
e ending nouns are usually feminine but there are tons of exceptions. There are some rather complicated rules that can be used.
|
Je suis le professeur. |
I am the teacher. |
|
Tu es un élève. |
You are a student. |
|
Il est Français. |
He is French. |
|
Elle est Française. |
She is French. |
|
Nous sommes des élèves. |
We are students. |
|
Ils sont de France. |
They are from France. |
|
Elles sont de Paris. |
They (women) are from Paris. |
When
je is followed by a word that begins with a vowel, it becomes simply
j’.
Vous is the formal ‘you’ form. Using it shows respect and social distance. It should always be used when addressing strangers except for in certain environments like school where students normally use
tu with each other. Permission should be asked before using
tu, but you normally shouldn’t ask if someone is significantly older than you. It should always be employed when addressing people of authority like your teachers or the police.
|
Excusez-moi. Vous parlez francais ?
Excuse me. Do you speak French? |
Normally, the final consonant of a word ending in
s isn’t pronounced. when followed by a vowel ending word or a word that begins with silent
h, this final consonant is pronounced. This is called liaison.
|
les enfants |
the children |
|
Je suis heureuse. |
I am happy (f.). |
Vous is also used for plural you.
|
Vous êtes fous. |
You (all) are crazy. |
|
Vous êtes des élèves. |
You (all) are students.. |
Notice that the verb form changes whenever the subject changes. These different verb forms are known as conjugations. They indicate the subject (I, you, he/she/it, we, you formal, and they) and tense (ie. present, past, or future). The conjugations of regular verbs (
verbes réguliers
m.) follow easy to predict patterns while irregular verbs
(verbes irréguliers
m.) don’t. Ê
tre, the verb on this page, is one of the irregulars. Two other important irregular verbs are
aller (
to go) and
pouvoir (
can).
| je |
suis |
| tu |
es |
| il / elle |
est |
| nous |
sommes |
| vous |
êtes |
| ils / elles |
sont |
|
| je |
vais |
| tu |
vas |
| il / elle |
va |
| nous |
allons |
| vous |
allez |
| ils / elles |
vont |
|
| je |
peux |
| tu |
peux |
| il / elle |
peut |
| nous |
pouvons |
| vous |
pouvez |
| ils / elles |
peuvent |
|
Je peux !
I can!
The infinitive (l’infinitif) is displayed at the top of each verb’s conjugation table. Besides serving to identify a verb, it is employed whenever the tense or the person need not be indicated. This is the case when verbs are strung together. The first verb marks the tense and person.
Elle va être ici.
She’s going to be here.
Je peux aller.
I can go.
The infinitive is also used when a verb follows a preposition.
Il va aller là-bas.
He’s going to go over there.
To negate something surround the verb with
ne and
pas.
|
Je ne peux pas. |
I can’t. |
|
Ils ne vont pas. |
They’re not going. |
Ne, like
je, drops it’s vowel when it comes before a vowel. This is called
élision.
|
Il n’est pas français. |
He isn’t french. |
In casual speech, the
ne is often dropped.
-Er Ending Verbs
| je |
parle |
| tu |
parles |
| il/elle |
parle |
| nous |
parlons |
| vous |
parlez |
| ils/elles |
parlent |
|
| j’ |
écoute |
| tu |
écoutes |
| il/elle |
écoute |
| nous |
écoutons |
| vous |
écoutez |
| ils/elles |
écoutent |
|
For the following verbs , the e remains in the nous form .
| changer |
** |
to change |
| manger |
** |
to eat |
| nager |
** |
to swim |
| partager |
** |
to share |
Nous mangeons.
We eat.
Nous partageons.
We share.
|
| aimer |
** |
to like
to love |
| commencer |
** |
to begin |
| donner |
** |
to give |
| écouter |
** |
to listen to |
| emprunter |
** |
to borrow |
| étudier |
** |
to study |
| fermer |
** |
to close |
| goûter |
** |
to taste |
| laver |
** |
to wash |
| marcher |
** |
to walk |
| rester |
** |
to stay |
| sauter |
** |
to jump |
| prêter |
** |
to lend |
| parler |
** |
to talk |
| travailler |
** |
to work |
|
-Ir Ending Verbs
| je |
choisis |
| tu |
choisis |
| il/elle |
choisit |
| nous |
choisissons |
| vous |
choisissez |
| ils/elles |
choisissent |
|
| je |
finis |
| tu |
finis |
| il/elle |
finit |
| nous |
finissons |
| vous |
finissez |
| ils/elles |
finissent |
|
|
| accomplir |
** |
to accomplish |
| bâtir |
** |
to build |
| choisir |
** |
to choose |
| embellir |
** |
to make beautiful |
| envahir |
** |
to invade |
| finir |
** |
to finish |
| grandir |
** |
to grow up |
| obéir |
** |
to obey |
| punir |
** |
to punish |
| remplir |
** |
to fill |
| réunir |
** |
to reunite |
| réussir |
** |
to succeed |
| saisir |
** |
to seize |
|
-Re Ending Verbs
| j’ |
entends |
| tu |
entends |
| il/ elle |
entend |
| nous |
entendons |
| vous |
entendez |
| ils/elles |
entendent |
|
| je |
vends |
| tu |
vends |
| il/ elle |
vend |
| nous |
vendons |
| vous |
vendez |
| ils/elles |
vendent |
|
|
| attendre |
|
to wait |
| défendre |
|
to defend |
| descendre |
|
to descend |
| entendre |
|
to hear |
| étendre |
** |
to stretch;
to spread out |
| fendre |
** |
to split |
| fondre |
** |
to melt |
| pendre |
** |
to hang |
| pondre |
** |
to lay an egg |
| perdre |
** |
to lose |
| rendre |
** |
to render |
| répandre |
** |
to spread |
| répondre |
** |
to answer |
| tendre |
** |
to tighten |
| vendre |
** |
to sell |
|
Almost Regular
These verbs are essentially regular with slight changes.
In the following verbs, the second to the last vowel becomes
è for all conjugations except the
nous and v
ous forms.
| j’ |
espère |
| tu |
espères |
| il/ elle |
espère |
| nous |
espérons |
| vous |
espérez |
| ils/elles |
espèrent |
|
|
| céder |
** |
to yield,
to cede |
| célébrer |
** |
to celebrate |
| compléter |
** |
to complete |
| considérer |
** |
to consider |
| espérer |
** |
to hope |
| posséder |
** |
to possess |
| préférer |
** |
to prefer |
| protéger |
** |
to protect |
| répéter |
** |
to repeat |
|
| j’ |
achète |
| tu |
achètes |
| il/ elle |
achète |
| nous |
achetons |
| vous |
achetez |
| ils/elles |
achètent |
|
|
| acheter |
** |
to buy |
| amener |
** |
to bring,
to lead toward |
| élever |
** |
to raise |
| emmener |
** |
to take,
to lead away |
| enlever |
** |
to lift |
| geler |
** |
to freeze |
| lever |
** |
to raise |
| mener |
** |
to lead |
| peser |
** |
to weigh |
| promener |
** |
to take a walk |
|
Here, the final consonant is doubled except for the
nous and
vous forms
| j’ |
appelle |
| tu |
appelles |
| il/ elle |
appelle |
| nous |
appelons |
| vous |
appelez |
| ils/elles |
appellent |
|
|
| appeler |
** |
to call |
| jeter |
** |
to throw (away) |
| rejeter |
** |
to reject |
|
And here, the
y is sometimes converted to
i.
| j’ |
envoie |
| tu |
envoies |
| il/ elle |
envoie |
| nous |
envoyons |
| vous |
envoyez |
| ils/elles |
envoient |
|
Essayer and payer have two forms of conjugations – each is pronounced differently. One uses an i and the other a y.
| j’ |
essaie |
| tu |
essaies |
| il/ elle |
essaie |
| nous |
essayons |
| vous |
essayez |
| ils/elles |
essaient |
|
| j’ |
essaye |
| tu |
essayes |
| il/ elle |
essaye |
| nous |
essayons |
| vous |
essayez |
| ils/elles |
essayent |
|
|
|
| employer |
** |
to use |
| ennuyer |
** |
to bore |
| envoyer |
** |
to send |
| essayer |
** |
to try |
| essuyer |
** |
to wipe |
| nettoyer |
** |
to clean |
| payer |
** |
to pay (for) |
|
| Masculine |
Feminine* |
Masculine & Feminine plural |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| sa fille |
| his/her daughter |
|
| ses enfants m. |
| his/her children |
|
|
|
|
| nos voisins f. |
| our neighbors |
|
| votre pain |
| your (formal) bread |
|
| votre nourriture |
| your (formal) food |
|
| vos pommes f. |
| your (formal) apples |
|
|
|
|
|
*Whenever a feminine noun begins with a vowel, the masculine forms are used-
mon,
ton, and
son.
| son argent f. |
his/her money |
son amitié f. |
his/her friendship |
la sœur de Bruno
Bruno’s sister (the sister of Bruno)
la voiture de monsieur Jospin
Mr. Jospin’s car (the car of Mr. Jospin)
les clés de mon frère
my brother’s keys (the key’s of my brother)
Usually adjectives come in masculine and feminine flavors and reflect the gender of the noun they modify. Normally masculine adjectives end in a consonant and feminine adjectives end in an e.
| un homme fort |
a strong soldier |
une femme forte |
a strong woman |
Adjectives are a diverse lot though. You’ll find many kinds of masculine and feminine forms including invariable adjectives.
| un maillon faible |
a weak link |
une voix faible |
a weak voice |
Here are some adjectives in masculine feminine pairs unless invariable.
| chaud / chaude |
hot |
lourd / lourde |
heavy |
difficile |
difficult |
| froid / froide |
cold |
léger / légère |
light |
facile |
easy |
| plein / pleine |
full |
rapide |
fast |
propre |
clean |
| vide |
empty |
lent / lente |
slow |
sale |
dirty |
| épais / épaisse |
thick |
longue |
long |
haut / haute |
high |
| fin / fine |
thin |
court / courte |
short |
bas / basse |
low |
| dur / dure |
hard |
mouillé / mouillée |
wet |
| doux / douce |
soft |
sec / sèche |
dry |
| sûr / sûre |
sure/safe |
compliqué / compliquée |
complicated |
| dangereux / dangereuse |
dangerous |
simple |
simple |
Subject pronouns can refer to objects as well as persons.
| Il est doux. |
He/It is soft. |
| Elle est douce. |
She/It (feminine) is soft. |
More commonly though,
ce or another demonstrative is used with objects and things.
Ce is only used with the verb
être and becomes
c’when the
être verb form begins with an
e. When an adjective describes
ce, it is always masculine, even if a feminine object is being referred to.
| C’est doux. |
It / That is soft. |
| C’est dangereux. |
It / That is dangerous. |
Most color adjectives are invariable. There are only a few that aren’t.
| blanc / blanche |
white |
noir / noire |
black |
gris / grise |
gray |
| vert / verte |
green |
When an adjective modifies a plural noun, an s should be is added to the end however this s is never pronounced.
|
des vents froids m. |
cold winds |
|
des mains froides f. |
cold hands |
Whenever an adjective describes both a male and female noun, the masculine form is used.
Monsieur Martin et sa femme sont gentils.
Mr Martin and his wife are nice.
|
|
Normally adjectives follow the noun they modify, however this isn’t the case for all adjectives.
|
la grande ville |
the large city |
le petit général |
the small general |
|
le bon curé |
the good priest |
une jolie femme |
a pretty woman |
|
le mauvais Dr. Moreau |
the evil Dr. Moreau |
les hauts murs |
the high walls |
|
le gros morceau de gâteau |
|
|
the big/fat piece of cake |
|
Sometimes the meaning of an adjective changes depending on it’s placement.
|
un ancien élève |
a former student |
ma propre cuisine |
my own kitchen |
|
un village ancien |
an old village |
ma cuisine propre |
my clean kitchen |
|
ma chère mère |
my dear mother |
le pauvre homme |
the unfortunate man |
|
un légume cher |
an expensive vegetable |
l’homme pauvre |
the poor man
(money-wise) |
The following adjectives are all irregular. The archaic masculine form is now only used in front of masculine nouns that begin with a vowel or silent h.
| Masculine |
un beau livre
a beautiful book |
le nouveau conseil
the new advise |
un vieux piège
an old trap |
| Archaic Masculine |
le bel oiseau
the beautiful bird |
un nouvel échec
a new failure |
le bon vieux temps
the good old days |
| Feminine |
la belle montagne
the beautiful mountain |
la nouvelle année
the new year |
une vieille plaie
an old wound |
|
 Object (l’objet m.) |
|
L’artiste peint un chef d’œuvre. |
|
 Subject (le Sujet) |
|
The artist is painting a masterpiece. |
The direct object pronouns are placed in front of the verb.
|
Il me comprend. |
He understands me. |
|
Je te comprends. |
I understand you. |
|
Tu le comprends. |
You understand him/it. |
|
Nous la comprenons. |
We understand her/it. |
|
Tu nous comprends. |
You understand us. |
|
Je vous comprends. |
I understand you (formal)/you (plural). |
|
Elles les comprennent. |
They (feminine) understand them. |
When followed by a vowel or silent ‘h’,
me,
te, la and
le experience elision.
|
Elle t‘aime. |
She loves you. |
|
Il m‘envoie une lettre. |
He is sending me a letter. |
|
Je l’ai. |
I have him/her/it. |
When you refer to a piece of something – not the entire thing – use the partitive article which is de placed in front of the article and noun.
|
Je veux le pain. |
I want the bread. |
|
Je veux l’argent. |
I want the money |
Don’t be so food greedy (gourmand) or money greedy (
avide)!
|
Je veux du pain. |
I want some bread. |
|
Tu veux m’emprunter de l’argent ? |
Would you like to lend me some money? |
French Basic
s
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