Basic French Simple Phrases With Verb être (to be)

Question 1

A: Bonjour, je suis Patricia. Je suis belge.

B: Bonjour, je suis Lionel. Je suis américain.

Formal:

A: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Patricia. Je suis française.
B: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Lionel. Je suis américain.

Answer 1

A: Hello, I am Patricia. I am Belgian.

B: Hello, I am Lionel. I am American.

Question 2

je / j’

Answer 2

I

Je vais bien.
“I am well.”

Question 3

suis

Answer 3

am

Je suis dans le jardin.
“I am in the yard.”
Je suis pour l’équipe rouge.
I’m for the red team.”
Je suis né en juin.
“I was born in June.”

Question 4

belge

Answer 4

Belgian

Je mange des moules-frites dans un restaurant belge.
“I am eating mussels with fries in a Belgian restaurant.”

Question 5

américain/e

Answer 5

American

Tu sais, je suis américain !
“You know, I’m American!”

Question 6

Review

Answer 6

Review

Question 7

Je suis belge.
“I am Belgian.”

Answer 7

Stating who you are and where you are from is a standard conversation starter anywhere you might be in your native country or a foreign one.

While in France or another French-speaking country, you should use the verb être to state your nationality and describe your personality, and use s’appeler to say your name, as this verb is more commonly used for that purpose. The verb être is the equivalent of the verb “to be” in English. This is one of the most common French verbs used to describe states, feelings, location, identity, origin, and much more. To use it properly, you must incorporate it in a phrase.

Question 8

Understanding the Construction of a Simple Phrase

A - Its word order

Answer 8

To build a simple phrase, you need to use three elements.

The subject, which is a person, a thing, or a place performing the action or receiving it.
The verb, which is the action of the sentence.
The object, which is also called the complement.

In French, the word order of a simple phrase is always subject, verb, then complement.

Question 9

Understanding the Construction of a Simple Phrase

B - Subject and Verbs

Answer 9

1. In the first sentence, Marie is performing the action of eating. Marie is the subject and mange (“eats”) is the verb.
2. In the second sentence, the city receives the action of growing. Ville (“the city”) is the subject, and the verb is grandit (“grows”), which is the action of the phrase.
3. In the last sentence, the tree is victim of its weight and fell. Therefore, arbre, meaning “tree,” is the subject of the verb est tombé, which means “has fallen.”

Question 10

Understanding the Construction of a Simple Phrase

C - Complement

Answer 10

The complement can designate some thing, such as the apple in the first sentence; a way the action is happening or done, as in the second example; or a place, as in the third sentence.

Note: With the verb être, the complement is in fact called an “attribute,” or un attribut in French.

Question 11

The Verb être in a Simple Phrase
A - Word order

Answer 11

To build a sentence with the verb être, you must follow the word order of a simple sentence, which consists of:

Subject + verb être + attribut.

Question 12

L’attribut or “complement” in English is mainly associated with the verb être and describes

1. a state of the subject as in

Answer 12

Question 13

L’attribut or “complement” in English is mainly associated with the verb être and describes

2. a quality or nature of the subject

Answer 13

Je suis français.
“I’m French.”

L’attribut can be an adjective, such as triste (“sad”) or français (“French”), as in the examples above.

Question 14

L’attribut or “complement” in English is mainly associated with the verb être and describes

It can also be many other words, such as:

3. a noun to tell about:

Answer 14

Note: Some other verbs have un attribut, including the verb s’appeler, such as in the dialogue phrase Je m’appelle Patricia (“I’m Patricia.”).

Question 15

B - Conjugation of être

Answer 15

The verb être is irregular; however, it is very common and used extremely frequently in the French language. We use it not only to state information about a thing or person, but also in other tenses. For this reason, mastering it is important, as it will affect your French further in your studies.

To talk of nationality about yourselves or someone else, use first the appropriate noun and verb form:

Question 16

Tell About Your Nationality/Origin

Answer 16

Then add any of the appropriate nationalities, which you will find in the table below:

For example, if you want to say that your friend Bob is German, you would say either

Bob est allemand.
"Bob is German."
Il est allemand.
"He is German."