Lesson 10 Flashcards
This deck focuses on relative pronouns, as well as basic travel words.
Translate to French:
He’s listening to his professor because he doesn’t know what to do
Il écoute son prof car il ne sait pas quoi faire
what to do - quoi faire
Translate to French:
I am bringing many bags on this trip
J’apporte beaucoup de valises sur ce voyage
a bag, a suitcase - une valise. Note that “luggage” is translated by the masculine bagage(s).
Translate to French:
Have you guys packed (your bags) yet?
Avez-vous déjà fait vos valises?
to pack (one’s bags) - faire ses valises
Translate to French:
I am looking for a hotel in Paris
Je cherche un hôtel à Paris
a hotel - un hôtel
Translate to French:
You are going to take the TGV to Marseille tomorrow
Tu vas prendre le TGV pour Marseille demain
high-speed train - le TGV. This word stands for Train à Grande Vitesse, which means “high-speed train.”
Translate to French:
The train is now at the platform
Le train est maintenant sur le quai
a (train/subway) platform - un quai. Recall that “the train station” is la gare.
Translate to French:
A round-trip ticket from Chicago to Paris costs 900 euros
Un aller-retour de Chicago à Paris coûte 900 euros
a round-trip (ticket) - un aller-retour. This noun can describe both the round-trip ticket and the round-trip itself.
Translate to French:
I bought a one-way ticket to New York because I am not going to return to Paris
J’ai acheté un aller simple pour New York parce que je ne vais pas revenir à Paris
a one-way ticket - un aller simple. Note that “a one-way street” would be une rue à sens unique.
Translate to French:
The fare to take the subway is 2 euros
Le tarif pour prendre le métro est 2 euros
a price, a fare - un tarif
Translate to French:
She reserved a room at this hotel
Elle a réservé une chambre à cet hôtel
to reserve - réserver. Recall that ce becomes cet when it precedes a vowel sound. Also note that chambre should be used to refer to hotel rooms.
Translate to French:
Jean just gave his passport to the police officer
Jean vient de donner son passeport au policier
a passport - un passeport
Translate to French:
Everyone here is French except you
Tout le monde est français ici sauf toi
except (for) - sauf
Translate to French:
Normally, we travel to Europe during the summer vacation
Normalement, nous voyageons en Europe pendant les vacances d’été
normally - normalement, d’habitude. Note the -geons ending in the verb, since voyager is irregular in the first-person plural.
Translate to French:
As usual, my friend Michel arrived early
Comme d’habitude, mon ami Michel est arrivé en avance
as usual - comme d’habitude
Translate to French:
Is France a beautiful country?
La France est-elle un beau pays?
a country - un pays
Translate to French:
You have to go through customs before leaving the airport
Il faut passer par la douane avant de quitter l’aéroport
customs - la douane. Recall the use of the impersonal il faut to say “you have to” or “one must.”
Translate to French:
I am going to put your passport in my backpack
Je vais mettre ton passeport dans mon sac à dos
a backpack - un sac à dos. Dos is the masculine noun for “back.”
Translate to French:
They are looking at the map because they are lost
Ils regardent la carte parce qu’ils sont perdus
a map - une carte. This word can also mean “card” or “menu.”
Translate to French:
Where is the currency exchange? I want to trade my dollars for euros
Où se trouve le bureau de change? Je veux échanger mes dollars contre des euros
a currency exchange (counter) - un bureau de change. Note the verb échanger, “to trade” or “to exchange,” as well as the construction échanger quelque chose contre quelque chose d’autre. In a swap, contre means “for.”
Translate to French:
I’m going to ask the stewardess if we can order some food
Je vais demander à l’hôtesse de l’air si nous pouvons commander de la nourriture
a stewardess, a flight attendant - une hôtesse (de l’air). Note that a male flight attendant is un steward.
Translate to French:
Many passengers are going to get off at the next stop
Beaucoup de passagers vont descendre au prochain arrêt
a passenger - un passager. The feminine form would be passagère. Also note that voyageur (“traveler”) is a commonly used synonym.
Translate to French:
One second, I am going to ask for help
Une seconde, je vais demander de l’aide
to ask for help - demander de l’aide. The noun for “help,” aide, is feminine. The verb “to help” is translated by aider.
Translate to French:
In general, kids need to sleep for at least 8 hours
En général, les enfants ont besoin de dormir au moins 8 heures
in general - en général
Translate to French:
This car does not turn very well
Cette voiture ne tourne pas très bien
to (make a) turn - tourner. Note that the noun “a turn” is translated by un virage.
Translate to French:
Marcel continues to work
Marcel continue à travailler
to continue - continuer. This verb can be followed by both the prepositions à and de.
Translate to French:
To arrive at the Champs-Élysées, you must continue straight ahead
Pour arriver aux Champs-Élysées, il faut continuer tout droit
straight ahead - tout droit. Remember that while “straight” is droit, “right” is the similar droite.
Translate to French:
According to the map, the post office is close to here
Selon la carte, la poste est près d’ici
according to - selon. Note that d’après and (to a lesser extent) suivant can work as synonyms.
Translate to French:
He expressed his last wishes
Il a exprimé ses derniers voeux
a wish - un souhait, un voeu. Notice how voeu takes an “x” in the plural. Note also that “to wish” is souhaiter or désirer.
Translate to French:
Despite my brother’s wishes, I closed the door
Malgré les voeux de mon frère, j’ai fermé la porte
despite - malgré, en dépit de
Translate to French:
Thanks to him, I arrived at the airport on time
Grâce à lui, je suis arrivé à l’aéroport à l’heure
thanks to - grâce à
Translate to French:
There are many parks around Paris
Il y a beaucoup de parcs autour de Paris
around - autour de
Translate to French:
England is to the north of France
L’Angleterre est au nord de la France
north - nord. When used as a noun, this word is masculine, as are the nouns for all the directions.
Translate to French:
I am going to the south of France this summer
Je vais dans le sud de la France cet été
south - sud
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We have to drive east to reach our destination
Il faut conduire vers l’est pour arriver à notre destination
east - est. Notice how the “t” is pronounced. Both vers and à could be used before l’est. Finally, note that destination is feminine.
Translate to French:
The sun sets in the west
Le soleil se couche à l’ouest
west - ouest. Note how se coucher means “to set” when applied to the sun. Note also that compound directions are constructed with hyphens: le nord-ouest.
Translate to French:
I miss Julie
Julie me manque
to miss (someone, something) - manquer à. The word order in French is inversed because the verb manquer takes the preposition à. Julie me manque literally translates as “Julie is missing to me.” Also note that manquer de means “to lack (something).”
Translate to French:
I miss you
Tu me manques
Notice the inverted, often confusing construction here. In French, the thing being missed (“you”) serves as the subject of the verb, which is conjugated in the second-person singular. The speaker (the person doing the missing) is the object, and is represented by the object pronoun me.
Translate to French:
Do you think Julie misses me?
Est-ce que tu penses que je manque à Julie?
Another option is Est-ce que tu penses que je lui manque? This translates more directly to “Do you think she misses me?”
Translate to French:
Jean decided to move to Marseille
Jean a décidé de déménager à Marseille
to move (to change residences) - déménager
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Do you want to travel to a foreign country with me?
Veux-tu voyager dans un pays étranger avec moi?
foreign - étranger. Note that this is also a noun: un étranger means “a foreigner.”
Translate to French:
The Rio Grande is the border between the two countries
Le fleuve Rio Grande est la frontière entre les deux pays
a border - une frontière
Translate to French:
Paul is running to the boarding gate because he is late
Paul court à la porte d’embarquement parce qu’il est en retard
a boarding gate - une porte d’embarquement
Translate to French:
We’ve missed our flight
Nous avons raté notre vol
a flight - un vol
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Welcome aboard!
Bienvenue à bord!
on board, aboard - à bord
Translate to French:
There are several restaurants in this terminal
Il y a plusieurs restaurants dans ce terminal
an airport terminal - un terminal. The plural form is terminaux. Also note that a bus or train terminal is un terminus.
Translate to French:
Fortunately, we are hungry too
Heureusement, nous avons aussi faim
fortunately - heureusement
Translate to French:
Unfortunately, this flight has already left
Malheureusement, ce vol est déjà parti
unfortunately - malheureusement
What are the French relative pronouns?
qui, que, dont, lequel, où
Relative pronouns connect relative (dependent) clauses to main clauses. For example, in the sentence Le pull que je veux coûte cher, Le pull… coûte cher is the main clause while que je veux is the dependent clause.
Translate to French:
The child that I saw is big
L’enfant que j’ai vu est grand
The relative pronoun que replaces the direct object in a dependent clause.
Translate to French:
We are looking for the dog that is hungry
Nous cherchons le chien qui a faim
Here, the relative pronoun qui replaces the subject in the dependent clause. Also notice how qui does not always translate to “who”; in this case, it is best translated as “that.”
Translate to French:
The boy to whom we gave the present is very pleased
Le garçon à qui nous avons donné le cadeau est très content
Note how à qui replaces the indirect object in the dependent clause. If an indirect object refers to a person and comes after a preposition (à in this case), it can be replaced by qui.
Translate to French:
The house in which we’re sleeping is huge
La maison dans laquelle nous dormons est immense
To replace an indirect object that is a thing (not a person) and that comes after a preposition, use lequel or one of its variations. Recall that if the indirect object were a person, it would be replaced by qui.
Translate to French:
The reason (for which) she left is complicated
La raison pour laquelle elle est partie est compliquée
a reason - une raison. Note the common construction pour laquelle, in which the feminine variant of lequel agrees with raison.
Translate to French:
The cities about which you guys are thinking are strange
Les villes auxquelles vous pensez sont étranges
When preceded by the preposition à, lequel and its variants change to auquel/auxquels/auxquelles. À and laquelle, however, do not contract: they’re simply paired together – la ville à laquelle…
Translate to French:
The professor about whom you are speaking lived in England
Le professeur dont tu parles a vécu en Angleterre
The relative pronoun dont replaces any person or object that comes after the preposition de. Depending on context, it can take several meanings, including “of/about which,” “of/about whom,” and “whose.”
Translate to French:
The middle school next to which you played sports is closed
Le collège à côté duquel tu as fait du sport est fermé
Dont is not used if it doesn’t immediately follow the noun to which it refers. If the noun is followed by a prepositional phrase (like à côté de), you must use duquel or one of its variants.
Translate to French:
The city where she lives is interesting
La ville où elle habite est intéressante
As a relative pronoun, où introduces a relative clause referring to a place or time. It can thus mean both “where” and “when.”
Translate to French:
The century in which we live is becoming more and more strange
Le siècle où nous vivons devient de plus en plus étrange
a century - un siècle. Here, the relative pronoun où refers to time. You cannot use quand as a relative pronoun. As an alternative, you could say Le siècle pendant/dans lequel nous vivons…
What are the French indefinite relative pronouns?
ce que, ce qui, ce dont, quoi, quiconque
Unlike normal relative pronouns, indefinite relative pronouns do not have a specific antecedent. Most of the indefinite relative pronouns roughly mean “which” or “what.”
Translate to French:
The film that Paul saw is very funny. What Paul saw is very funny
Le film que Paul a vu est très drôle. Ce que Paul a vu est très drôle
In the first sentence, the antecedent (the film) is defined. In the second sentence, it is indefinite, as “what Paul saw” is not specifically expressed. When this is the case, the indefinite relative pronoun ce que is used as the direct object in the dependent clause.
Translate to French:
What is happening is difficult to understand
Ce qui se passe est difficile à comprendre
Here, the indefinite relative pronoun ce qui serves as the (indefinite) subject of the dependent clause.
Translate to French:
I don’t know what you need
Je ne sais pas ce dont tu as besoin
The indefinite relative pronoun ce dont is used before expressions that contain the preposition de.
Translate to French:
He knows what I thought about
Il sait à quoi j’ai pensé
The indefinite relative pronoun quoi is used after a preposition.
Translate to French:
What I’m thinking about is very stupid
Ce à quoi je pense est très stupide
When à quoi comes at the beginning of a clause, ce is placed in front of it. This also applies to when à quoi comes after c’est: C’est ce à quoi je pense – “That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Translate to French:
Anyone who (has) left is a bad person!
Quiconque est parti est une mauvaise personne!
Quiconque is a rare indefinite relative pronoun that is similar to celui qui, which means “the one who/that.” Quiconque, however, typically means “anyone who/that” or “whoever that.”
Translate to French:
Anyone can take this class
Quiconque peut suivre ce cours
Quiconque does not function here as an indefinite relative pronoun, as it does not introduce a dependent clause. Instead, it is used as an indefinite pronoun. Used this way, it simply means “anyone.” A common alternative is n’importe qui.
What are the French relative pronouns?
Relative pronouns introduce a dependent clause that modifies a noun. Que, qui, lequel, dont, où are the basic relative pronouns. The indefinite relative pronouns are ce que, ce qui, ce dont, quoi, quiconque.
Translate to French:
This house belongs to me
Cette maison m’appartient
to belong to - appartenir à. Because this verb takes the preposition à, an indirect object pronoun (m’) is used.
Translate to French:
I dreamt about him yesterday
J’ai rêvé de lui hier
to dream - rêver. Both à and de are commonly used after this verb; the difference between the two is minimal, like it is for “to dream of” versus “to dream about.” Note, however, that rêver à does not allow preceding indirect object pronouns.
Translate to French:
Elaine cannot do without him
Elaine ne peut pas se passer de lui
to do without - se passer de
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I advised him to take the train
Je lui ai conseillé de prendre le train
to advise - conseiller à. Note that “to advise someone to do something” is conseiller à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose.
Translate to French:
Jean resembles his father
Jean ressemble à son père
to resemble, to look like - ressembler à
Translate to French:
He is giving him a gift
Il lui offre un cadeau
to give, to offer - offrir. This verb denotes giving a gift or offering something. The verb donner denotes the physical handing over of an object.
