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French Sentence Builder > Lesson 4 > Flashcards

Lesson 4 Flashcards

In this deck, you will learn about the gerund and the present progressive. You will also learn the basic colors and vocabulary terms dealing with the household.

1
Q

Translate to French:

My house is near the high school

A

Ma maison est près du lycée

near - près. Note that when près is followed by a noun, you must add de between it and the noun. In this case, de le is of course replaced by du.

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2
Q

Translate to French:

The classroom is full

A

La salle est pleine

full - plein. Note that if you want to say “I am full (from eating),” it is incorrect to say Je suis plein. Instead, say J’ai trop mangé.

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3
Q

Translate to French:

There are many kids in the house

A

Il y a plein d’enfants dans la maison

many, lots of - plein de. This construction is an informal alternative to beaucoup de.

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4
Q

Translate to French:

The school is empty

A

L’école est vide

empty - vide

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5
Q

Translate to French:

Our teacher’s classroom is almost full

A

La salle de classe de notre enseignant est presque pleine

almost, nearly - presque, quasiment. Note that an alternative is pratiquement, which means “practically” or “virtually.”

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6
Q

Translate to French:

My car is almost entirely empty

A

Ma voiture est presque entièrement vide

totally, entirely - totalement, entièrement. These adverbs are formed from the adjectives total and entier, respectively.

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7
Q

Translate to French:

Marie is entirely pleased. Julie is entirely happy

A

Marie est toute contente. Julie est tout heureuse

entirely - tout. Tout can be used as an adverb. Adverbs are normally invariable, but tout is an exception. It agrees with feminine adjectives that begin with a consonant (as in the first sentence). The feminine adjective in the second sentence starts with a vowel sound, however, so tout is unchanged.

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8
Q

Translate to French:

Marie and Claire are entirely tired. Jean and Paul are entirely tired

A

Marie et Claire sont toutes fatiguées. Jean et Paul sont tout fatigués

entirely - tout. Tout is irregular as an adverb in that it agrees with feminine adjectives (unless they begin with a vowel sound). With masculine adjectives, however, it is invariable (as in the second sentence).

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9
Q

Translate to French:

My middle school is very near/close to Sophia’s house

A

Mon collège est tout près de chez Sophia

very - tout (adv.). Tout takes on this added meaning when it’s used to modify other adverbs (in this case, près).

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10
Q

Translate to French:

I leave tomorrow for Paris

A

Je pars demain pour Paris

to leave - partir. This is an irregular -IR verb that conveys leaving for or from somewhere. You can use the verb quitter to say that you are leaving someone or someplace, but it must take a direct object.

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11
Q

Translate to French:

Are we going out tonight?

A

Sortons-nous ce soir?

to go out - sortir. Note that this is an irregular -IR verb.

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12
Q

Translate to French:

They leave the house

A

Ils quittent la maison

to leave - quitter. Note that quitter is used specifically to signify leaving someone or something. If you want to say that you are leaving in general, use partir.

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13
Q

Translate to French:

I have to leave

A

Je dois partir

to have to - devoir. This irregular verb is often followed by an infinitive. It can also mean “to owe.” Its present-tense conjugations are je dois, tu dois, il/elle/on doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils/elles doivent.

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14
Q

What is a present participle, and how is it formed in French?

A

A present participle is the equivalent of the “-ing” verb form in English, when referring to a verb in progress. To form it, drop the conjugation ending from the nous form of the present tense and add -ant. For example, for the verb chanter, the present participle is chantant.

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15
Q

Translate to French:

Do you see the woman writing the book?

A

Est-ce que tu vois la femme écrivant le livre?

Note how the present participle is used here to modify a noun (la femme).

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16
Q

Translate to French:

The boys who come from Paris are smart

A

Les garçons qui viennent de Paris sont intelligents. Les garçons venant de Paris sont intelligents

Note the two French translations of this sentence. The first is the more literal translation. The second employs the present participle venant to replace the clause qui viennent.

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17
Q

Translate to French:

I think while walking

A

Je pense en marchant

When the present participle describes an action related to the main verb, it is called a gerund. It almost always follows the preposition en, in which case it means “while/upon ___-ing.” Here, the action en marchant is related to the central action, pense.

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18
Q

Translate to French:

By walking, you lose weight

A

En marchant, vous maigrissez

Note that the gerund can be used to explain the cause or effect of something. When it serves this purpose, it is translated as “by ___-ing.”

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19
Q

Translate to French:

I love dancing

A

J’adore danser

English verb + English present participle = French verb + French infinitive. When a second verb directly follows a first, conjugated verb, the second verb’s infinitive is used. J’adore dansant would be incorrect. In general, when you want to express a verb in its noun form (“I love dancing”), you use its infinitive (J’adore danser).

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20
Q

Translate to French:

Seeing is believing

A

Voir, c’est croire

In English, the present participle (“seeing”) is used as a noun. In French, however, the infinitive (voir) is used. Using the French present participle – Voyant, c’est croire – would be wrong.

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21
Q

Translate to French:

She’s leaving the room

A

Elle quitte la pièce

a room - une pièce. Pièce is used to refer to a room in general. You can also use salle, often to refer to a room with a specific purpose.

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22
Q

Translate to French:

You clean everything

A

Tu nettoies tout

to clean - nettoyer. In the present, the stem of this verb changes from nettoi- to nettoy- in the nous and vous forms: nous nettoyons.

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23
Q

Translate to French:

I am cleaning the house

A

Je suis en train de nettoyer la maison

to be ___-ing - être en train de + infinitive. The present progressive, or present continuous, denotes that you are in the process of doing something. The present tense could also work here: Je nettoie la maison. The construction Je suis nettoyant is NOT an acceptable translation of “I am cleaning.”

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24
Q

Translate to French:

The child cleans his bedroom too often

A

L’enfant nettoie sa chambre trop souvent

a bedroom - une chambre

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25
Q

Translate to French:

I’m in the process of making my bed

A

Je suis en train de faire mon lit

a bed - un lit

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26
Q

Translate to French:

My chest of drawers is full

A

Ma commode est pleine

a chest of drawers - une commode

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27
Q

Translate to French:

We are cleaning the kitchen today

A

Aujourd’hui nous nettoyons la cuisine

a kitchen - une cuisine

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28
Q

Translate to French:

I’m always cold!

A

J’ai toujours froid!

cold - froid. Note the use of the verb avoir to say “I am cold.” This translates directly to “I have cold.”

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29
Q

Translate to French:

It’s hot (outside)

A

Il fait chaud

hot - chaud. In order to indicate that it is hot, you must use the third-person singular form of the verb faire. This is true for the cold as well: “It’s cold” would be Il fait froid.

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30
Q

Translate to French:

The water is too hot

A

L’eau est trop chaude

water - l’eau. Note that this is a feminine noun.

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31
Q

Translate to French:

This neighborhood is small

A

Ce quartier est petit

a neighborhood - un quartier

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32
Q

Translate to French:

The refrigerator is in the kitchen

A

Le frigidaire est dans la cuisine

a refrigerator - un frigidaire

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33
Q

Translate to French:

There is too much water in the sink

A

Il y a trop d’eau dans l’évier

a sink - un évier. Note that the word for “a bathroom sink” is un lavabo.

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34
Q

Translate to French:

I’m emptying the bathroom sink

A

Je suis en train de vider le lavabo

to empty - vider

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35
Q

Translate to French:

The kitchen is clean

A

La cuisine est propre

clean - propre. For this adjective to mean “clean,” you should use it after the noun: une cuisine propre is “a clean kitchen.” Propre takes on a different, possessive meaning when used before the noun.

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36
Q

Translate to French:

The bathroom is large

A

La salle de bain est grande

a bathroom - une salle de bain

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37
Q

Translate to French:

She’s taking a shower

A

Elle prend une douche

a shower - une douche. Note that the verb doucher can mean “to shower” or “to wash” something.

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38
Q

Translate to French:

Do you take a shower every day?

A

Prends-tu une douche tous les jours?

every day - tous les jours

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39
Q

Translate to French:

I’m going to the bathroom

A

Je vais aux toilettes

the toilet, the bathroom - les toilettes. Note that in French the word for “toilet” is always plural. Also note that à le becomes au and à les becomes aux.

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40
Q

Translate to French:

He washes his car

A

Il lave sa voiture

to wash - laver

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41
Q

Translate to French:

The car is dirty

A

La voiture est sale

dirty - sale

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42
Q

Translate to French:

My brother speaks French all the time

A

Mon frère parle français tout le temps

all the time - tout le temps. Note that temps means both “time” and “weather.”

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43
Q

Translate to French:

You guys sully the kitchen all the time

A

Vous salissez la cuisine tout le temps

to soil, to sully - salir

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44
Q

Translate to French:

We’re eating in the dining room

A

Nous mangeons dans la salle à manger

a dining room - une salle à manger. Note that for the first-person plural of manger, the “e” is kept in the stem.

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45
Q

Translate to French:

Are you doing the dishes?

A

Est-ce que tu fais la vaisselle?

to do the dishes - faire la vaisselle. There are several household-related faire expressions. Others include faire les courses (“to run errands” or “to go shopping”), faire le ménage (“to do housework”), and faire la lessive/le linge (“to do the laundry”).

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46
Q

Translate to French:

It’s a great chair

A

C’est une chaise magnifique

a chair - une chaise. Note that “a seat” would be un siège.

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47
Q

Translate to French:

I’m sitting in the dining room

A

Je m’assieds dans la salle à manger

to sit - s’asseoir. Note that this is a reflexive verb, which we will talk more about elsewhere.

48
Q

Translate to French:

We are deciding to leave tonight

A

Nous décidons de partir ce soir

to decide - décider. This verb should be followed by the preposition de.

49
Q

Translate to French:

This chair is too hard

A

Cette chaise est trop dure

hard - dur. Note that dur can also be used to mean “difficult,” just like the word “hard” in English.

50
Q

Translate to French:

He pulls the door

A

Il tire la porte

to pull (out) - tirer. Note the feminine noun for “door,” porte.

51
Q

Translate to French:

We’re in the living room

A

Nous sommes dans le salon

a living room - un salon

52
Q

Translate to French:

The baby can walk

A

Le bébé peut marcher

a baby - un bébé

53
Q

Translate to French:

I sleep on the couch

A

Je dors sur le canapé

a couch, a sofa - un canapé. The masculine nouns sofa and divan would also work here.

54
Q

Translate to French:

The baby is sleeping in his crib

A

Le bébé dort dans son berceau

a crib - un berceau

55
Q

Translate to French:

How much does the sofa cost? It’s free

A

Combien coûte le canapé? Il est gratuit

free (of cost) - gratuit. The feminine form is gratuite. The invariable adjective gratis is an alternative. Note that C’est gratuit would also work here.

56
Q

Translate to French:

I like to watch television

A

J’aime regarder la télévision

to watch - regarder. Note that télévision is a feminine noun.

57
Q

Translate to French:

They have a new couch

A

Ils ont un nouveau divan

new - nouveau. The plural masculine form is nouveaux, while the feminine form is nouvelle(s). Depending on context, nouveau can sometimes mean “another.”

58
Q

Translate to French:

The living room floor is clean

A

Le sol du salon est propre

the floor - le sol

59
Q

Translate to French:

I have a new rug for the bathroom

A

J’ai un nouveau tapis pour la salle de bain

a rug, a carpet - un tapis

60
Q

Translate to French:

I’m taking the stairs

A

Je prends les escaliers

stairs, staircase - escalier(s). The plural escaliers refers to “stairs” or “steps.” The singular escalier would translate more accurately to “staircase.”

61
Q

Translate to French:

I like colors

A

J’aime les couleurs

a color - une couleur

62
Q

Translate to French:

The color of this light is interesting

A

La couleur de cette lumière est intéressante

light - la lumière. Note that lumière applies to both “a light” (in a room or on a ceiling) and all “light” in general.

63
Q

Translate to French:

The lamp is small

A

La lampe est petite

a lamp - une lampe

64
Q

Translate to French:

There’s a light on the ceiling

A

Il y a une lumière sur le plafond

a ceiling - un plafond

65
Q

Translate to French:

The furniture in this house is very old

A

Les meubles dans cette maison sont très vieux

furniture - des meubles. This word is typically plural when referring to “furniture” collectively. A single piece of furniture would be un meuble.

66
Q

Translate to French:

The book is on the bookshelf

A

Le livre est sur l’étagère

a bookshelf - une étagère

67
Q

Translate to French:

We are going down the stairs

A

Nous descendons les escaliers

to go down, to descend - descendre. This is a regular -RE verb.

68
Q

Translate to French:

Are they going up the stairs?

A

Montent-ils les escaliers?

to go up, to climb, to ascend - monter. This is a regular -ER verb.

69
Q

Translate to French:

The elevator is going down

A

L’ascenseur descend

an elevator - un ascenseur

70
Q

Translate to French:

This elevator is slow

A

Cet ascenseur est lent

slow - lent

71
Q

Translate to French:

My neighbor is named Béatrice. She is very pretty

A

Ma voisine s’appelle Béatrice. Elle est très jolie

a neighbor - un voisin

72
Q

Translate to French:

The living room chairs are red

A

Les chaises du salon sont rouges

red - rouge

73
Q

Translate to French:

The ceiling is blue

A

Le plafond est bleu

blue - bleu

74
Q

Translate to French:

She has a yellow couch

A

Elle a un canapé jaune

yellow - jaune

75
Q

Translate to French:

They have a grey house

A

Ils ont une maison grise

grey - gris

76
Q

Translate to French:

Is your neighbor’s house green?

A

La maison de ton voisin est-elle verte?

green - vert

77
Q

Translate to French:

My mother has a pink car

A

Ma mère a une voiture rose

pink - rose

78
Q

Translate to French:

The book is brown

A

Le livre est marron

brown - marron. Note that marron is invariable. It is used to describe objects, while brun is used to describe the color of hair and eyes.

79
Q

Translate to French:

The walls are green

A

Les murs sont verts

a wall - un mur. To refer to a wall around a city or property, you would use une muraille.

80
Q

Translate to French:

I have a purple bed

A

J’ai un lit violet

purple - violet

81
Q

Translate to French:

He is leaving the white house near our school

A

Il quitte la maison blanche près de notre école

white - blanc. Note the feminine form of the adjective in the example.

82
Q

Translate to French:

The television is not black anymore

A

La télévision n’est plus noire

black - noir

83
Q

Translate to French:

Do you want an orange pen?

A

Veux-tu un stylo orange?

orange - orange

84
Q

Translate to French:

My parents have a big red door

A

Mes parents ont une grande porte rouge

a door - une porte

85
Q

Translate to French:

I never open the door for my friends

A

Je n’ouvre jamais la porte pour mes amis

to open - ouvrir. As with many verbs, the past participle of this verb, ouvert, is commonly used as an adjective – “open.”

86
Q

Translate to French:

The door is closed

A

La porte est fermée

to close - fermer. Note the use of this verb’s past participle as an adjective here, similar to what happens in English.

87
Q

Translate to French:

She closes the window

A

Elle ferme la fenêtre

a window - une fenêtre

88
Q

Translate to French:

My friend Marc is always depressed

A

Mon ami Marc est toujours déprimé

depressed - déprimé. Note that “depressing” would be déprimant.

89
Q

Translate to French:

She is the shyest person that I know

A

C’est la personne la plus timide que je connais

shy - timide

90
Q

Translate to French:

Paul has many friends because he is very outgoing

A

Paul a beaucoup d’amis parce qu’il est très extraverti

outgoing - extraverti. You could also call an outgoing person ouvert.

91
Q

Translate to French:

I’m still bored

A

Je suis toujours ennuyé

bored - ennuyé. Note that the adverb toujours can be used to mean “still” as well as “always.” Note the adverb’s placement right after the conjugated verb but before the adjective. Also recall that ennuyeux means “boring.”

92
Q

Translate to French:

I do not want to go out because I am exhausted

A

Je ne veux pas sortir parce que je suis épuisé

exhausted - épuisé

93
Q

Translate to French:

She is finally motivated

A

Elle est enfin motivée

motivated - motivé. Note that the opposite of motivé is démotivé.

94
Q

Translate to French:

Claire is always in good spirits

A

Claire est toujours de bonne humeur

mood, spirits - humeur. Note that the preposition de must precede the adjective when describing the type of mood someone is in. For example, “Jean is in a bad mood” would be Jean est de mauvaise humeur.

95
Q

Translate to French:

He is in great shape

A

Il est en grande forme

shape, form - forme. Note that en must precede any adjective modifying forme. Forme can refer to both one’s physical and mental states.

96
Q

Translate to French:

I cannot finish this horrible snack

A

Je ne peux pas finir cet encas horrible

horrible - horrible

97
Q

Translate to French:

This book is truly terrible

A

Ce livre est vraiment terrible

terrible - terrible. Note that the French expression pas terrible is actually used somewhat positively to express that something is “OK” or “nothing special.”

98
Q

Translate to French:

She closes the door slowly

A

Elle ferme la porte lentement

slowly - lentement. Here, the suffix -ment is paired with the (feminine form of the) adjective lent to create the adverb. The feminine form is used simply to make the resulting adverb sound better when spoken.

99
Q

Translate to French:

My dad walks too quickly

A

Mon père marche trop rapidement

rapidly, quickly - rapidement. This adverb is formed by pairing the adjective rapide with the suffix -ment. Recall that vite could also work here.

100
Q

Translate to French:

He reacts strangely

A

Il réagit bizarrement

strangely - bizarrement. Note that you could also use étrangement.

101
Q

Translate to French:

Her cat is really fat

A

Son chat est très gros

fat - gros. Note that the feminine form is grosse. The word for “cat,” chat, is masculine.

102
Q

Translate to French:

I have three dogs

A

J’ai trois chiens

a dog - un chien

103
Q

Translate to French:

He’s mad when he goes to school

A

Il est en colère quand il va à l’école

mad - en colère. Furieux, enragé, and fâché are common alternatives.

104
Q

Translate to French:

She is sleeping all day!

A

Elle dort toute la journée!

all day - toute la journée. This is an example of the present progressive in English because the subject is in the process of sleeping, but in French the basic present tense can be used: elle dort.

105
Q

Translate to French:

I feel sad

A

Je me sens triste

I feel - je me sens. This is an example of a reflexive verb, which we will cover in-depth elsewhere. Reflexive verbs are used in fixed expressions, like je m’appelle, so for now just commit these few to memory.

106
Q

Translate to French:

This story is becoming more and more interesting

A

Cette histoire devient de plus en plus intéressante

more and more - de plus en plus. Note that the opposite construction, “less and less,” is de moins en moins.

107
Q

Translate to French:

We are more or less in agreement

A

Nous sommes plus ou moins d’accord

more or less - plus ou moins

108
Q

Translate to French:

Marie believes that she is invincible

A

Marie croit qu’elle est invincible

invincible - invincible

109
Q

Translate to French:

We become weaker while growing older

A

On devient plus faible en vieillissant

weak - faible. Note that faible also means “quiet” when referring to the volume of something.

110
Q

Translate to French:

When I feel weak, I take these pills

A

Quand je me sens faible, je prends ces pilules

a pill - une pilule

111
Q

Translate to French:

That movie seems/looks really funny!

A

Ce film a l’air très drôle!

to seem/look - avoir l’air. Note that when this construction is paired with an adjective, the adjective does not need to agree in gender and number with the subject.

112
Q

Translate to French:

Jean looks like a king

A

Jean a l’air d’un roi

to look like - avoir l’air de. Note that when paired with a noun, the expression avoir l’air takes on the preposition de. The same is true when it’s paired with the infinitive of a verb: “You look like you are angry” translates as Tu as l’air d’être fâché.

113
Q

Translate to French:

I think while eating

A

Je pense en mangeant

114
Q

Translate to French:

Jean is in the process of cooking himself a meal

A

Jean est en train de se faire à manger

115
Q

Translate to French:

A student succeeds by studying

A

Un étudiant réussit en étudiant

116
Q

Translate to French:

Upon opening the door, Marie sees her uncle

A

En ouvrant la porte, Marie voit son oncle

French Sentence Builder (20 decks)

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