Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

My French Cards > Duolingo > Flashcards

Duolingo Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
French flashcards AP® French flashcards
1
Q

What one-syllable words can elide?

A

je, me, te, se, de, ce, ne, and que

Tu can also be elided in casual speech, but not in writing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happens to the contraction du (de + le) before a vowel?

A

It takes the de l’ form

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Here are some mandatory liaisons, along with approximate pronunciations:

A

Articles and adjectives with nouns. For example, un homme (“uh-nohm”), mon orange (“mohn-norahnge”), or deux hommes (“duh-zohm”).

Pronouns and verbs. For example, nous allons (“noo-zalohn”) or est-il (“ay-teel”).

Single-syllable adverbs and prepositions. For instance, très utile (“tray-zuteel”) or chez elle (“shay-zell”).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Liaisons are forbidden:

A

Before and after et (“and”).

After singular nouns (including proper nouns and names).

After inversions (which you’ll learn in “Questions”).

Before an aspirated H (e.g. héros - “hero”).

After a nasal sound, except that un, on, and en do liaise.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What sounds do these letters make in liaisons?

  • s, -x, -z?
  • d?
  • f?
A

Z
T
V

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

When to use ce

A

When describing people and things with a noun after être you must use the impersonal pronoun ce,

Note that ce is invariable, so it can never be ces sont.

These pronouns aren’t interchangeable. The basic rule is that you must use ce when être is followed by any determiner—for instance, an article (le, la, les, un, une) or a possessive adjective (ma, ses, votre). Note that c’est should be used for singulars and ce sont should be used for plurals.

C’est un homme. — He’s a man. / This is a man. / That is a man.
Ce sont des chats. — They’re cats. / These are cats. / Those are cats.
C’est la fille. — She is the girl. / This is the girl. / That is the girl.
Ce sont les femmes. — They are the women. / These are the women. / Those are the women.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

When not to use ce

A

If an adjective, adverb, or both appear after être, then use the personal pronoun.

Elle est belle. — She is beautiful. (Or “It is beautiful.”)
Il est très fort. — He is very strong. (Or “It is very strong.”)

However, c’est should be used when using an adjective to make a general comment about (but not describe) a thing or situation. In this case, use the masculine singular form of the adjective.

C’est normal ? — Is this normal?
Non, c’est étrange. — No, this is strange.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

I am [in the process of] eating.

A

Je suis en train de manger.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

crêpe m/f?

A

f

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

carotte m/f?

A

f

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Spell “Onion” and gender?

A

un oignon (m)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Languages, days of the week, months, seasons, metals, colors, and measurements are mostly?

A

Masculine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Most nouns ending in -e tend to be?

A

Feminine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Most nouns ending in consonants tend to be?

A

Masculine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Nouns that have the endings -ion and -son tend to be?

A

Feminine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What gender are the following puppies usually?

  • tre, -ble, -cle (think “treble clef”)
  • one, -ème, -ège (think “OMG”)
  • age, -isme
A

Masculine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Words ending in -é (but not -té) are?

A

Masculine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Words ending in -té are?

A

Feminine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Words ending in -de (le guide) are masculine except for?

A

-ade, -nde, -ude (these are feminine) (la parade)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

-ste and -me tend to be masculine, but there are dozens of exceptions. Words for people ending in -ste are often gender-neutral. Give an example

A

le/la cycliste

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

-eur is masculine for most professions or technical terms, but it’s feminine for some emotions and abstract things.
Give an example of each

A

le chauffeur — the driver

la peur — the fear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Female animal nouns are generally formed as follows?

A

taking the last consonant, doubling it, and adding a mute -e to the end.

un chat ⇒ une chatte
un chien ⇒ une chienne

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

tigre m/f?

A

m (exception to -e rule)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Poulet is chicken, what is hen?

A

Une poule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

a fly

A

une mouche

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is the weather like?

A

Quel temps fait-il ?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

It is windy.

A

Il y a du vent.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

it is misty.

A

Il y a de la brume.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

It is stormy.

A

Il y a de l’orage.

30
Q

It is freezing.

A

Il gèle.

31
Q

cloudy

A

nuageux

32
Q

What does BANGS stand for?

A 
Beauty
Age
Number
Good or bad
Size
33
Q

Figurative meanings _______ the noun

A

precede

34
Q

Literal meanings ________ the noun (with figurative adjectives)

A

follow

35
Q

a pitiful man

A

un pauvre homme

36
Q

a poor man

A

un homme pauvre

37
Q

a particular number

A

un certain nombre

38
Q

a guaranteed victory

A

une victoire certaine

39
Q

my own car

A

ma propre voiture

40
Q

my clean car

A

ma voiture propre

41
Q

a dear friend

A

un cher ami

42
Q

an expensive watch

A

une montre chère

43
Q

What are three common adjectives that change for the sake of euphony?

A

beau ⇒ bel
vieux ⇒ vieil
nouveau ⇒ nouvel

44
Q

There are no quotation marks in French. Instead, the French use guillemets (« »). Exclamation marks (!), question marks (?), colons (:), semicolons (;) and guillemets need to have a space on either side.

A

Incorrect: “Ça va?”
Correct: « Ça va ? »

45
Q

When writing numbers in French, commas are decimal points, while spaces mark thousands places.

A

Incorrect: 1,235.8
Correct: 1 235,8

46
Q

citron m/f?

A

m

47
Q

What happens to “des” in front of an adjective?

A

It becomes “de”

48
Q

monkey

A

le singe

49
Q

As nouns, colors are usually __________?

A

Masculine

50
Q

colors derived from nouns (e.g. fruits, flowers, or gems) tend to be _________?

A

Invariable in gender and number

51
Q

in compound adjectives (les adjectifs composés) made up of two adjectives, both adjectives remain _______?

A

in single masculine form

52
Q

Most colors that end in -e in their masculine forms are ______?

A

invariable with gender

53
Q

Demonstrative Adjectives

A

(“this”, “that”, “these”, and “those”) modify nouns so they refer to something or someone specific. They can be used in place of articles. Like other adjectives, they must agree with the nouns they modify.

54
Q

Ça or Ce?

A

A simple rule of thumb to follow is that ce should be used with être, including in the double-verb constructions pouvoir être and devoir être.

Ça should be used with all other verbs.

55
Q

comme

A

as/like

56
Q

donc

A

so/thus

57
Q

car

A

because (in writing)

parce que in speech

58
Q

if the subject of the sentence is a noun, then the noun should appear before the verb, although a pronoun still needs to appear afterwards.

A

Le lait est-il froid ? — Is the milk cold?

Les chats sont-ils noirs ? — Are the cats black?

59
Q

If the verb ends in a vowel, the letter T must be inserted after the verb for euphony. This T is chaîned onto the pronoun and is meaningless.

A

A-t-il un chien ? — Does he have a dog?

Parle-t-elle anglais ? — Does she speak English?

60
Q

The most common interrogative pronouns are qui (for people) and que (for everything else). However, the construction changes based on a number of factors. Qui is the only pronoun that can start a question by itself, but both qui and que can be used with inversion.

A

Qui parle ? — Who is speaking?
Qui es-tu ? — Who are you?
Que fait-il ? — What is he making?

61
Q

Both can also use est-ce, but est-ce que (which you learned above) can only be used in a question with être or when the pronoun is the object (“what” or “whom”). When it’s the subject, est-ce qui must be used.

A

Qui est-ce qui parle ? — Who’s speaking? (subj.)
Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? — What is going on? (subj.)
Qui est-ce que tu appelles ? — Whom are you calling? (obj.)
Qu’est-ce que c’est ? — What is it? (question with être)

62
Q

A number of interrogative adverbs can be used to request information

Pourquoi (“why”): Pourquoi manges-tu du pain ? — Why are you eating bread?
Comment (“how”): Comment allez-vous ? — How are you?
Quand (“when”): Quand est-ce que tu vas manger ? — When are you going to eat?
Combien (“how many/much”): Combien d’eau ? — How much water?
Où (“where”): Où suis-je ? — Where am I?

A

Note that when these adverbs are used with intonation-based questions, they can appear at the beginning or the end of the sentence (except pourquoi).

Tu vas comment ? — How are you?
Vous êtes d’où ? — Where are you from?

63
Q

Unlike an adjective, an interrogative pronoun can stand alone. For instance, the interrogative pronoun lequel can replace quel + noun. Note that it agrees with the noun it replaces.

A

Quel cheval ? — Which horse? Lequel ? — Which one?
Quels hommes mangent ? — Which men eat? Lesquels mangent ? — Which ones eat?
Quelle robe est rose ? — Which dress is pink? Laquelle est rose ? — Which one is pink?
Quelles lettres ? — Which letters? Lesquelles ? — Which ones?

64
Q

The adverbial pronoun en can be used to replace objects introduced by de. For instance, it can replace a partitive article + noun.

A

Avez-vous de l’argent ? — Do you have some money?

Oui, j’en ai. — Yes, I have some.

65
Q

En may replace nouns or pronouns in verb constructions that use de, like parler de (“to talk about”).

A

Marc parle de son frère ? — Is Marc talking about his brother?
Oui, il en parle. — Yep, he’s talking about him.

66
Q

Nouns in adverbs of quantity can also be replaced with en.

A

Achetez-vous beaucoup de livres ? — Are you buying a lot of books?
Oui, j’en achète beaucoup. — Yes, I am buying a lot [of them].
Notice that en always precedes the verb, but adverbs stay in place after the verb.

67
Q

The adverbial pronoun y can refer to a previously mentioned or implied place, in which case it’s usually translated as “there”.
In English, “there” may be omitted, but the same is not true of y in French. Je vais is not a complete sentence without y.

A

Allez-vous au restaurant ? — Are you going to the restaurant?
Oui, j’y vais. — Yes, I’m going there.

68
Q

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which are subordinate clauses that elaborate upon a previously mentioned noun (the antecedent). Use que when the relative pronoun is the direct object (“whom” in English) and use qui when it’s the subject (“who” in English).

A

C’est l’homme que je connais. — He’s the man whom (or “that”) I know.
La fille qui lit un menu. — The girl who (or “that”) reads a menu.

69
Q

If you have trouble figuring out whether to use qui or que, try rephrasing the sentence without the relative pronoun. Use qui if the antecedent is the subject; otherwise, use que.

A

Subject: La fille qui lit un menu. ⇒ La fille lit un menu.
Object: C’est l’homme que je connais. ⇒ Je connais l’homme.

70
Q

When se refers to a plural subject, it can also be reciprocal or mutual (“each other”).

A

Ils s’aiment. — They love each other.
Les filles se parlent. — The girls speak to each other.
On se parle quand ? — When do we speak to each other?
On se voit bientôt. — We will see each other soon.

71
Q

Certain pronouns can be added to the end of the sentence to differentiate between reflexive and reciprocal uses if necessary.

A

Ils s’aiment eux-mêmes. — They love themselves.
Elles s’aiment elles-mêmes. — They love themselves.
Ils s’aiment l’un l’autre. — They love each other.
Elles s’aiment les unes les autres. — They love one another.

72
Q

This is my mother.

These are my parents.

A

C’est ma mère.

Ce sont mes parents.

My French Cards (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions