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French (study Basuu Properly!!!!) > Important Things To Know > Flashcards

Important Things To Know Flashcards

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1
Q

Singular/plural Possessive Adjectives for nous, vous and Ils/elles

A

Nous = we
Notre = our
Nos = our (plural)

Vous = you
Votre = your (singular)
Vos = your (plural)

Ils/elles = they
Leur = their (singular)
Leurs = their (plural)

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2
Q

Pronounce the following:

é
è
â
ç
ï

A

é = Pronounced like “ay” in “say.” Example: “Café” (Coffee) . This accent is only found on e

è = pronounced like “eh” in “bed”
Example: Mère (mother). This accent can be found on e, a & u

â = pronounced like “a” in car.
Example: pâtes (pasta) . This accent can be found on all vowels. Doesn’t change pronunciation.

Ç = pronounced like the “ss” in “hiss.”
Example: garçon (boy)

Ï = pronounced like the “ee” in “see.”
Example: haïr (to hate)

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3
Q

If we don’t understand or haven’t heard someone, what can you say?

A

Formal =
comment ?
pardon ?

Informal=
quoi ? (What?)

Formal is better way to say it

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4
Q

Indefinite articles:

A
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5
Q

Masculine/feminine nouns

A
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6
Q

Masculine/feminine nouns

A
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7
Q

Nouns ending eau, eu & au as plural

A
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8
Q

Single nouns ending z,x & s in plural

A
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9
Q

How to congregate plural and singular verbs

A

Par exemple:

Habiter
J’ habite
Tu habites
Il - elle habite
Nous habitons
Vous habitez
ills/elles habitent

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10
Q

Describing location

A
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11
Q

“Going to the” in French can be translated as “aller à la” or “aller au” depending on the gender of the noun following it:
…

A

Going to the + feminine noun = aller à la

Going to the + masculine noun = aller au

For example: Going to the market = aller au marché (since “marché” is masculine)

Going to the post office = aller à la poste (since “poste” is feminine)

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12
Q

The ‘have stealing rule’

A

When have is in a sentence it steals the pronouns

For example:

they must prepare it = ils doivent le préparer

They have prepared it = ils l’ont prèparè

The pronoun moves in front of have rather than in front of the verb as shown in both sentences

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13
Q

To make ir verbs past tense

A

Step 1: Choose correct form of ‘avoir’ depending on subject

Step 2: replace the IR in the verb with correct principle

For example: (to see = voir)

I saw it = je l’ai vu

They saw it = ils l’ont vu

They have seen a fish = Ils ont vu un poisson

We have not seen it = nous ne l’avons pas vu

She has seen it = elle l’a vu

(Remember, ‘the have stealing rule’ also applies which is the reason for the l’ )

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14
Q

être is most important verb in french. Has MANY USES

A

Etre in present tense:

Je suis (I am)
Tu es (You are)
Il/Elle/On est (He/She/One is)
Nous sommes (We are)
Vous êtes (You are)
Ils/Elles sont (They are)

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15
Q

Making er, ir & re verbs past tense

A

For most “-er” verbs: Remove the “-er” ending and add “-é” to form the past participle.
Example: Parler (to speak) → Parlé (spoken)

For most “-ir” verbs: Remove the “-ir” ending and add “-i” to form the past participle.
Example: Finir (to finish) → Fini (finished)

For most “-re” verbs: Remove the “-re” ending and add “-u” to form the past participle.
Example: Vendre (to sell) → Vendu (sold)

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16
Q

Il y a

Translation: There is/there are

A
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17
Q

il n’y a pas

Translation: there is not/there are not

A
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18
Q

Transport

A
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19
Q

en bus
en metro
en taxi
en train
en tram
en voiture
à moto
à vélo
à pied

A

By bus
By metro
By taxi
By train
By tram
By car
By motorbike
By bike
By/on foot

Transport you get inside = en
Other forms of transport = à

20
Q

Conjugate Prendre

A
21
Q

Use definite article when talking about a specific thing or when giving an opinion

A
22
Q

Use indefinite articles when referring to something which is not specific

A
23
Q

Use partitive articles when you can’t count and want to talk about a vague quantity

A
24
Q

Always use le, la, les after verbs expressing preferences

A
25
Q

How to structure a sentence when the quantity of the thing your describing is 0

A
26
Q

ils sont & ils ont

they are & they have

A

Ils sont = pronounce 2 words separately but make a clear “s” sound

Ils ont = pronounce 2 words separately or push words together but pronounce with a clear “z” sound as this is what you must do when pushing an s onto a vowel.

If you don’t do this they could be mistaken for the otherworld and your sentence won’t make sense

Note: you can push words together in ils ont because there is a vowel starting on the second word

27
Q

Using avoir (to have) or être (to be) for verbs when speaking in past tense

A

When speaking in past tense, verbs that involve going somewhere or coming from somewhere don’t use “avoir” (to have) in their congregation, they instead use “être” (to be)

For example (for majority of verbs where avoir is used):

I ate = j’ai mangé
I have eaten = j’ai mangé
They have understood it = Ils l’ont compris

For verbs that involve going/coming from somewhere (in any way):

I have gone = je suis allé
We have gone = Nous sommes allés
They have left = Ils sont partis
You have arrived = Vous êtes arrivé
I have died = Je suis mort (leaving the planet)
I was born = Je suis né (being brought into the world)

All use etre

28
Q

Past tense tips

A

French is generally a lot easier for past tense than English as they use much less tenses

For example in English we could say either:

I have gone
I did go
I went

I ate
I did eat
I have eaten

However in french you just use one tense. For example:

I have gone = je suis allé
I did go = je suis allé
I went = je suis allé

I ate = j’ai mangé
I did eat = j’ai mangé
I have eaten = j’ai mangé

Note: the 1st example uses être to conjugate in past tense but most of the time you’d use avoir. Its because aller is a verb where you are going somewhere or coming from somewhere and for those type of verbs u use etre

29
Q

Do chapter 16 basuu

A
30
Q

The have stealing rule Part 2

(Look at chapter 22 on audiobook if unsure)

A

The ‘have stealing rule’ applies when using etre in past tense because etre is playing the role of have

For example:

We have gone there = nous y sommes allés

You got off it = Vous en êtes descendu

31
Q

conjugations of (aller, être and avoir) in present tense

(3 of the most important verbs)

A

Here are the present tense conjugations of the verbs “aller” (to go), “être” (to be), and “avoir” (to have) in French:

Aller:
- Je vais (I go)
- Tu vas (You go - informal singular)
- Il/Elle/On va (He/She/One goes)
- Nous allons (We go)
- Vous allez (You go - formal singular/plural)
- Ils/Elles vont (They go)

Être:
- Je suis (I am)
- Tu es (You are - informal singular)
- Il/Elle/On est (He/She/One is)
- Nous sommes (We are)
- Vous êtes (You are - formal singular/plural)
- Ils/Elles sont (They are)

Avoir:
- J’ai (I have)
- Tu as (You have - informal singular)
- Il/Elle/On a (He/She/One has)
- Nous avons (We have)
- Vous avez (You have - formal singular/plural)
- Ils/Elles ont (They have)

32
Q

Telling the time. Part 1.

Specifically, the basic phrase and how to say half past, quarter past and quarter too and minutes too

A

French use the 24hour clock

Basic phrases:

Quelle heures est-il ?= what is the time?

Il est deux heures = it is 2am
Il est quatorze heures = it is 2pm

Adding ‘et demie’ at end means it is half past. It literally translates to ‘and a half’

Il est vingt heurs et demie = it is half past 8 (french write like 20h30).

  • Adding et quart at end of phrase makes it quarter past (literally translates to ‘and a quarter’)

Ill est une heure et quart = it is quarter past 1
(NOTE: No plural and therefore no s in the heures when it is 1o’clock)

  • Adding ‘moins le quart’ at end of phrase makes it quarter to that time (literally means ‘minus a quarter’)

Il est vingt-deux heures moins le quart = it is quarter to 10pm

  • Adding ‘moins’ only at the end means it is a specific minute to. For example,

Il est deux heures moins cinq = it is 5 minutes to 2

33
Q

Telling the time part 2
How to say minutes past an hour and 12am and 12pm

A

To say minutes past the hour ud say

Il est (the hour) heures (minute)

For example, ill est quatre heurs dix = it is 10 past 4

If it is 12pm you say ‘il est midi’ (literally meaning, it is midday)

If it is 12am you say ‘il est minuit’
(Literally meaning, it is midnight)

For both of the above you DO NOT say any numbers

Example:

Il est midi et quart (literally translates to, it is midday plus a quarter) = it is quarter past 12 (12:15pm)

34
Q

Colours in french

Pronunciation changes depending on whether masculine or feminine

A
35
Q

When and how to use ‘on’

Important!!!

A

2 uses:

1st use:
In english you may say something like ‘you can buy it here’ or ‘can you eat here?’ but you don’t literally mean the person your talking to, you may be talking generally

They do not do this In french. They say on. Equivalent in posh english as someone saying ‘one can buy it here’ or ‘one can eat here?’

If you say ‘you’ in french like we do in english it would be confusing for the person and they’ll think your addressing them specifically when your not.

If you can use it in English, then you must use it in french.

For example, this sentence in french would be the translation of: if one can use it in English, then one must use it in French.

Example sentences in french:

You can buy it over there = Vous pouvez l’acheter ici (addressing that person specifically)

You can buy it over there/one can buy it over there = on peut l’acheter ici (speaking more generally)

2nd use:
One also replaces ‘we’ in sentences. (not as important as above)

We want to leave = (2 ways)
On veut partir / nous voulons partir

36
Q

Using ‘must’

A

Must is used to replace ‘needs to’ and ‘has to’ or ‘have to’ which we may use in English

For example

they need it = they must
I have to = I must
He needs to = he must

And so on

37
Q

On y va

A

On y va is an expression which means ‘lets go’

It literally means:
One is going there

38
Q

Tenses in french
(Listen to chapter 26 at 9:40)

A

In present tense French only use 1 tense. In english we use multiple. This means it is easier to speak in present tense than in English. See below

Do not make the common mistake of wanting to translate something like ‘you are eating’ or ‘i am eating’ and believing you need to add ‘are’ or ‘am’ for example . This applies when there is a main verb in a sentence like eating. DOES NOT apply where there is an adjective instead, for example I am happy.

This only applies in the format

You do think = vous pensez
You think = vous pensez
You are thinking = vous pensez

We run = Nous dirigeons
We are running = Nous dirigeons
We do run = Nous dirigeons

I eat = je mange
I am eating = je mange
I do eat = je manage

She thinks = elle pense
She is thinking = elle pense
She does think = elle pense

I am happy = je suis contente (‘suis’ is needed here because happy is an adjective and ‘am’ is the verb. The other examples have a main verb so you don’t need the extra words .

39
Q

How to use verbs ending ‘er’ in present tense

Using example donner (to give) but this applies to 90% of other verbs in present tense

Look at 15mins of chapter 26 on audio book

A

When using I (je), he (il) or she (elle) as subject cut off ‘r’ at end of verb

When using you (formal) replace r with z

When using tu (informal) replace r with s

When using we replace ‘er’ with ons

When using they place er with ent

  • Je donne (I give)
  • Il/Elle donne (He/She gives)
  • Tu donnes (You give)
  • Ils/Elles donnent (They give)
    (All these above sound the same when spoken )
  • Nous donnons (We give)
  • Vous donnez (You give)
    (As long as you know the infinitive from of the verb this is easy to pronounce too)

Look at 15mins of chapter 26 on audio book

40
Q

Using ‘le’ and ‘la’ as pronouns

A

Whether you use La or le depends on whether the thing you are talking about is masculine or feminine.
La = feminine.
Le = masculine.

For example:

Je peux la voir = I can see it (when the thing your talking about is feminine, such as a room (chambre))

Je peux le voir = I can see it (when the thing your talking about is masculine, such as a book (livre))

Je peux la voir = I can see her

Je peux le voir = i can see him

DONT STRESS TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BUT BE AWARE

41
Q

PART 1/3
When there are multiple pronouns

For example ‘me’ and ‘it’ in the same sentence

Remember the rule: ‘L for last’

Look at part 2 for what to do if both pronouns begin with L

A

Remember the rule: ‘L for last’ so the pronoun starting with L always comes last

To give it = le donner

To give me = me donner

To give it to me = me le donner

You can give it to me = vous pouvez me le donner

42
Q

Part 2/3
When there are multiple pronouns and the pronouns both start with L

For example ‘to him’ or ‘to her’ (lui) and ‘it’ (le/la) in the same sentence.

Use the rule: L is always last but if you 2 l’s lui goes last…

If you have leur (to them), leur goes last like lui. (You can’t have leur and lui together as this doesn’t make sense)

A

To give it to him = le lui donner

You can give it to him = vous pouvez le lui donner

Can you give it to him tomorrow?= pouvez vous le lui donner demain ?

give it to them = le leur donner

Give them to him = les lui donner

43
Q

Future tense for: using avoir

Verb used in example is manger

NOTE: aller can also be used and is easier than avoir

This applies to every verb

Look at chapter 28 of audiobook for more detail

A
  1. When pronoun is je (i) take the corresponding word for avoir which is ai (have) and add it to the end of the verb

Je mangerai = I-to eat-have = I will eat

  1. When pronoun is il/elle/on take the corresponding word for avoir which is a (has) and add on end of verb.

Il mangera = he-to eat-has = he will eat
Elle mangera = she-to eat-has = she will eat
On mangera = one-to eat-has = one will eat

  1. When pronoun is tu add take corresponding word for avoir which is as (have) and add on end of word.

Tu mangeras = you-to eat-have = you will eat

  1. When pronoun is vous take the corresponding word for avoir which is avez (have) and do the same. However, je mangeravez is too long in french so they take away the av part. Therefore, for vous it would be mangerez. Ez sounds the same as ai.

Vous mangerez = you-to eat-have = you will eat

  1. When pronoun is nous you do the same. Like vous, avons is too long so just add the ons

Nous mangerons = we-to eat-have = we will eat

  1. When pronoun is ills/elles do the same. Like vous and nous, vont is too long so add ont at the end.

Ills mangeront = they-to eat-have = they will eat.
Elles mangeront = they-to eat=have = they will eat

Nous attendons = we will wait
Je verrai = I will see
This way of speaking in future can be used for every verb. They either end SOUNDING like ‘ray’ ‘ron’ or ‘ra’

44
Q

Future tense for er verbs: using aller

Verb used in example is manger

NOTE: avoir can also be used but is harder than aller

A

Structure is:

Pronoun + aller + infinitive verb

For example:

  • Je vais manger = I am going to eat.
  • Nous allons travailler = We are going to work.
  • Ils/Elles vont partir = They are going to leave
  • vous allez me le donner = You are going to give it to me
45
Q

Part 3/3

Using vous/nous/leur/les/lui/le as multiple pronouns in a sentences

A

Vous= you/to you
Nous= we/us/to us
Leur= to them
Les= them
Lui= to her/to him
Le= it/him/her

Can you give it to us
Can you give them to us
He wants to give them to us
He doesn’t want to give them to you
He wants to give you to us
I want to give them to her
I want to give it to them
I want to give them to them
He is not going to give it to her later
He is going to give it to them
You are going to give it to me
They are going to wait for me

46
Q

Reflexive verbs

What are they?

A

They are used to show that the subject (who is doing the action) is also the direct object (who has the action done to them

To show the action is being done on the subject the verb includes a ‘reflexive pronoun’

Examples in English:
I wash myself (myself = reflexive pronoun)
We wash ourselves (ourselves = reflexive pronoun)

Reflexive pronoun changes depending on subject (like it does in English too)

Je me = I…myself
tu te = you…yourself
il se = he…himself
elle se = she…herself
on se = we…ourselves
nous nous = we…ourselves
vous vous = you…yourself
ils se = they…themselves
elles se = they…themselves

The conjugation works in the same way like any other verb but you also need to add the reflexive pronoun when the action is being done on the subject by the subject

EXAMPLE:

1) to wash oneself = se laver
2) je me lave = I wash myself
3) tu te laves = you wash yourself
4) il/elle/on lave = he/she/we washes himself/herself/ourself
5) nous nous lavons = we wash ourselves
6) vous vous lavez = you wash yourself
7) ils/elles se lavent = they wash themselves

IN CONTEXT =

réveiller = to wake up

Tom (ils) se réveille tous les jours = Tom (he) wakes up everyday

s’habiller = to get dressed

je m’habille avant de prendre mon petit-dejeuner = I get dressed before having breakfast

se lever = to wash oneself

ils se lavent apres leur match de football = they wash themselves after their football match

se prendre en photo = to take a picture of yourself

Tu te prends en photo devant la Tour Eiffel= You take a photo of yourself infront of the Eiffel Tower

EXTRA NOTE: Whenever the relexive verb is in its infinitive form it always starts with ‘se’ as seen above

French (study Basuu Properly!!!!) (6 decks)

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