French Flashcards
femme - /fam/
Noun
femme f (plural femmes)
woman Antonym: homme
wife
Synonym: épouse Antonyms: mari, époux
(LGBT, rare) Alternative form of fem (“femme, feminine lesbian”) (contrast butch)
homme - /ɔm/
Noun
homme m (plural hommes)
man (adult male human)
Antonyms: femme, hommesse
C’est un homme bien, le meilleur d’entre nous.
He's a good man, the best of us.
man, Man (species)
man (virile male)
man (employee)
un - /œ̃/, /ɛ̃/, (before a vowel) /œ̃.n‿/
Article
un m (feminine une, plural des, negative de)
an, a
Numeral
un (feminine une, masculine plural uns, feminine plural unes)
one
Usage notes
The numeral is treated as aspirated in calculating and stating values: soustraire deux de un (“to subtract two from one”), une moyenne de un (“an average of one”). Also in dates, though this is considered nonstandard: le un mars for le premier mars (“March 1st”). Otherwise it is unaspirated.
Whereas in English the singular is used only after the number one, in French it is typically used after numbers smaller than two. This means that both zéro and un are generally used with the singular, even when they are followed by a decimal part.
zéro point ― zero points
0,35 mètre ― 0.35 metres
1,99 euro ― 1.99 euros
chat - /ʃa/
Noun
chat m (plural chats, feminine chatte)
cat (feline)
(male) cat, tom, tomcat
tag, tig (children’s game)
je - /ʒə/
Pronoun
je (first person singular, plural nous, object me, emphatic moi, possessive determiner mon)
I
Usage notes
When several pronouns are included in the same sentence, it is considered impolite to say the pronoun je first; it must be the last one, and tu must be said after third persons (this applies also for toi and moi):
Nous irons, Rose, toi et moi.
We will go, Rose, you and I.
et - /e/
Conjunction
et
and
Usage notes
et is never subject to liaison with a following word, i.e. the t is never pronounced.
chien - /ʃjɛ̃/
Noun
chien m (plural chiens, feminine chienne)
dog cock, hammer (of a firearm)
Adjective
chien (feminine chienne, masculine plural chiens, feminine plural chiennes)
(Louisiana) greedy, stingy
cheval - /ʃə.val/
Noun
cheval m (plural chevaux, feminine jument)
horse horsepower (slang) tall and slim woman, beautiful woman (only in the feminine form, jument) (slang) horse, H (narcotic)
garçon - /ɡaʁ.sɔ̃/
Noun
garçon m (plural garçons)
boy
Synonym: gamin
Il a deux garçons et une fille.
He has two boys and a girl.
(by extension) young man; man
Synonym: homme
Generic name of a male employee in some industries
Short for garçon de café.
Garçon, l’addition s’il vous plaît. ― Waiter, the bill please.
fille - /fij/
Noun
fille f (plural filles)
girl Coordinate term: garçon Toutes les filles n’aiment pas jouer avec des poupées. ― Not all girls like playing with dolls.
daughter
Coordinate term: fils
Je vous présente mes fils, Gérard-Marcel et Pierre-Vincent, et mes filles, Marie-Léonore et Jacqueline-Hélène.
May I introduce you to my sons, Gérard-Marcel and Pierre-Vincent, and my daughters, Marie-Léonore and Jacqueline-Hélène.
(slang) prostitute, wench
Il buvait et courait les filles avant qu’il ne contracte la cirrhose et la blennorragie. ― He drank and consorted with hookers before contracting cirrhosis and gonorrhea.
tu - /ty/
Pronoun
tu (second person informal singular, plural vous, object te, emphatic toi, possessive determiner ton)
you (singular); thou
Usage notes
When more pronouns are included in the same sentence, it is considered somewhat impolite to say the pronoun moi first, etiquette says it must be the last one, and toi must be said after a third person:
Rose, toi et moi irons là-bas., “Rose, you and I will go there.”
"Tu" is used to address one person in an informal situation. Older people tend to exclusively use it with familiar people, and do not use it with unfamiliar adults unless invited to; but younger people use this pronoun much more, using it together in any informal situation, even if they don't know each other. Using "vous" in this context will be seen as old-fashioned and distant.
"Tu" is not typically used in formal settings such as business meetings and never in court, regardless of the relationship between the speaker and the listener.
Using "vous" when "tu" would be more appropriate will come across as rigid and awkward; however, using "tu" when "vous" would be more appropriate could come over as deliberate disrespect. For this reason, as a rule of thumb, it is advised to use "vous" if in doubt, as it is "all-encompassing".
Children are always addressed using "tu" – vous would come over as comical. In elementary, middle, and high schools, teachers address students using "tu", but students address teachers using vous*. In higher education usage of vous becomes more common in both directions.
In formal written communication to any adult, use vous. Not doing so may come over as unprofessional at best, deliberately disrespectful at worst.
*However, depending on the region or type of school, other norms may be more used in place. For example, in Quebec (not the rest of Canada), it is more common for students to use “tu” with their teachers.[1]
As a final note: These come as natural to a person who grew up in a French-speaking country, but not necessarily for outsiders. If you are obviously a foreigner, people will normally be forgiving of such mistakes.
manger - /mɑ̃.ʒe/
Verb
manger
(transitive) to eat
Synonyms: dévorer, consommer, avaler, engloutir, s’empiffrer, se bâfrer, ingurgiter, grignoter, festoyer, se goinfrer, becqueter, déguster, se sustenter, s’alimenter, ingérer
J’ai mangé de la viande pour le souper.
I ate some meat for dinner.
(intransitive) to eat
Synonym: casser la croûte
C’est bizarre que je ne mange rien.
It's strange that I don't eat anything.
Manger au restaurant.
To eat in a restaurant.
Conjugation
This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written mange- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a “soft” /ʒ/ and not a “hard” /ɡ/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and ranger.
croissant - /kʁwa.sɑ̃/
Noun
croissant m (plural croissants)
crescent
croissant
crescent moon
croissant de lune
(heraldry) crescent Adjective
croissant (feminine croissante, masculine plural croissants, feminine plural croissantes)
increasing, augmenting
Participle
croissant
present participle of croître present participle of croitre
une - /yn/
Numeral
une f
feminine singular of un
See also
un m
Article
une
a / an (feminine indefinite article)
See also
un m premier, 1er première, 1ère
Noun
une f (plural unes)
front page (of a publication)
es - /ɛ/
Verb
être
to be
Vous devez être plus clairs.
You must be clearer.
(auxiliary) Used to form the perfect and pluperfect tense of certain verbs (including all reflexive verbs)
Après être allé au yoga, je suis rentré chez moi.
After having gone to yoga, I came back home.
(semi-auxiliary) to be (Used to form the passive voice)
Il peut être battu ce soir.
He can be beaten this evening.
