Lesson 9 Flashcards
This deck covers reflexive verbs and pronouns, as well as impersonal verbs. Along with vocabulary about the city, you will also learn about the causative "se faire," the construction "venir de" + infinitive, and the expression "il faut" + infinitive.
Translate to French:
I won’t go to Marc’s if you don’t want to come with me
Je ne vais pas aller chez Marc si tu ne veux pas venir avec moi
if - si. Si is a common word that is used both as an adverb and a conjunction. It can take on other meanings like “so”: elle est si intelligente means “she is so smart.” You can also use si as an affirmative response to a negative question.
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He isn’t coming? Yes (he is)
Il ne vient pas? Si (il vient)
yes - si. Note how si is used here as an affirmative response to a negative question.
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Can you check if the service is included?
Peux-tu vérifier si le service est compris?
to check - vérifier
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I forgot to buy a new jacket
J’ai oublié d’acheter une nouvelle veste
to forget - oublier. Note how de follows oublier when preceding another verb.
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Maurice’s baby hit me!
Le bébé de Maurice m’a frappé!
to hit - frapper
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It hit me straight in the face
Ça m’a frappé en pleine figure
right/straight in the face - en pleine figure
What are impersonal verbs?
Impersonal verbs do not change based on grammatical person. Instead, they are conjugated only in the third-person singular, with the indefinite il. Pleuvoir (to rain) and neiger (to snow) are examples of impersonal verbs. (e.g. A person cannot rain.)
Translate to French:
I sometimes forget to eat
Il m’arrive d’oublier de manger
to be possible, to happen - arriver (impersonal). Note the impersonal use of arriver here: il m’arrive, where the speaker (m’) is the indirect object, essentially means “it happens (on occasion) to me.”
Translate to French:
One (we) must make dinner / Dinner has to be made
Il faut faire à manger
must, have to, need to - falloir (with infinitive). This is an impersonal verb; it is only conjugated with il. Note the construction il faut + infinitive, which is common. You could also say On doit faire à manger.
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I have to go to school
Il me faut aller à l’école
Note how object pronouns can be used with the impersonal il faut. This construction is rare compared to alternatives like Je dois aller à l’école.
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New York is a huge city
New York est une ville immense
a city - une ville. Note the use of immense to mean “huge.” Énorme could also work.
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We have to be at the airport in two hours
Nous devons être à l’aéroport en deux heures
an airport - un aéroport
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I’m late because I just got back from the airport
Je suis en retard car je viens de revenir de l’aéroport
to have just (done something) - venir de + infinitive. This construction is very common and serves to describe a recently completed action.
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Julie just bought an apartment in New York
Julie vient d’acheter un appartement à New York
an apartment - un appartement
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This building has been here for 100 years
Cet immeuble est ici depuis 100 ans
a building - un bâtiment, un immeuble. The former typically applies to buildings of all kinds, while the latter applies to multi-story buildings.
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This skyscraper has 100 floors
Ce gratte-ciel a 100 étages
a skyscraper - un gratte-ciel. This is an invariable noun, which means its plural form doesn’t take an “s.”
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Is the Paris subway well known?
Le métro parisien est-il bien connu?
the subway - le métro. Note that “to take the subway” is prendre le métro, while “a subway station” is une station de métro.
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He is getting off at the next stop
Il descend au prochain arrêt
a bus/train/subway stop - un arrêt
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We need to buy three tickets
Nous devons acheter trois billets
a ticket (for transportation) - un billet, un ticket. The former is more general – it also applies to tickets for a show – but is likely to apply to planes and trains. The latter frequently applies to trams or subways.
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You must keep your ticket until the end of the trip
Il faut garder ton billet jusqu’à la fin du voyage
to keep - garder
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Paul just missed the train
Paul vient de rater le train
to miss - rater. This verb applies typically to modes of transportation. A different verb (manquer) is used more generally: it can mean “to miss” other things (like meetings), “to fail to meet,” and “to miss/long for” people.
Translate to French:
She failed her exams
Elle a raté ses examens
to fail (to not pass) - rater. This verb can mean both “to fail” and “to miss.” Another verb, échouer, means “to fail” in a broader sense – “to not succeed.” For example, le plan a échoué means “the plan failed.”
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There are a lot of cars on the street
Il y a beaucoup de voitures dans la rue
a street - une rue. Note that dans is used to say “on” or “in” the street.
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I don’t see the store on this boulevard
Je ne vois pas le magasin sur ce boulevard
a boulevard - un boulevard. Note that sur is used to say “on” or “in” the boulevard.
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They will see us on the avenue in 15 minutes
Ils vont nous voir sur l’avenue dans 15 minutes
an avenue - une avenue. Note that sur is used to say “on” or “in” the avenue.
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Did he already cross the street?
A-t-il déjà traversé la rue?
to cross - traverser, croiser
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This bridge crosses the Seine
Ce pont traverse la Seine
a bridge - un pont
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It will take at least 5 minutes to cross the bridge
Ça va prendre au moins 5 minutes pour traverser le pont
at least - au moins, au minimum. Another possible translation is Le pont met 5 minutes à traverser.
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The park is close to the Hudson River
Le parc est près du fleuve Hudson
a river - une rivière, un fleuve
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I decided to take a taxi
J’ai décidé de prendre un taxi
a cab, a taxi - un taxi. Recall that décider takes the preposition de.
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Are you guys looking for a taxi?
Cherchez-vous un taxi?
to look for - chercher. Note that chercher does not require a preposition in the same way that “to look for” does in English.
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My father works in a building downtown
Mon père travaille dans un immeuble en centre-ville
downtown - centre-ville. This literally means “center of town.” Note the use of en. Finally, note that “the business district” is le centre commercial – literally, “the commercial/business center.”
What are reflexive (or pronominal) verbs?
Reflexive verbs are verbs that require a reflexive pronoun in addition to a subject pronoun. Reflexive verbs are easily identifiable, as their infinitives are always preceded by se or s’: for example, s’appeler, which means “to call oneself,” is a reflexive verb.
What are reflexive pronouns and when are they used?
The reflexive pronouns are me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
They are used in addition to subject pronouns to conjugate reflexive (or pronominal) verbs like s’appeler. The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject of the verb. This is because the action of a reflexive verb is both performed and received by the subject; the subject is also the object of the verb.
Translate to French:
His name is Michel
Il s’appelle Michel
his name is/he is named… - il s’appelle… When conjugating this reflexive verb in the third-person singular, you must use the reflexive pronoun se, changed here to s’ because the verb begins with a vowel. The reflexive pronoun is placed after the subject (pronoun) and before the verb. The literal translation would be “he calls himself…”
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(to a child) Is your name Marcel?
Est-ce que tu t’appelles Marcel?
(informal) your name is… - tu t’appelles… When conjugating this reflexive verb in the second-person singular, you must use the reflexive pronoun te, changed here to t’. The literal translation would be “you call yourself…”
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Where is the Eiffel Tower?
Où se trouve la tour Eiffel?
Where is… - Où se trouve… The reflexive verb se trouver should typically be used to refer to objects or places whose location is permanent.
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I remember his name
Je me rappelle de son nom
to recall, to remember - se rappeler (de). Note the use of the reflexive pronoun me to agree with the first-person singular subject. This verb also exists non-reflexively: rappeler means “to call back” or “to remind.”
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Now I remember that story!
Maintenant je me souviens de cette histoire!
to remember - se souvenir (de). Se rappeler can be used as a synonym.
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He called her back shortly afterwards
Il l’a rappelée peu après
shortly afterwards, soon thereafter - peu après. Note how the non-reflexive rappeler means “to call back” here.
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He reminds me all the time to buy stamps
Il me rappelle tout le temps d’acheter des timbres
to remind - rappeler. Recall that the non-reflexive rappeler can mean both “to remind” and “to call back.”
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Yes, she remembers that the meeting is mandatory
Oui, elle se rappelle que la réunion est obligatoire
mandatory - obligatoire. Note the construction se rappeler que here. Se souvenir que would also work.
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We often mess up
Nous nous trompons souvent
to be mistaken, to mess up - se tromper. Note the reflexive pronoun nous, which comes after the subject pronoun (also nous) and precedes the verb. The non-reflexive tromper means “to deceive” or “to mislead.”
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The building is located in Paris
Le bâtiment se trouve à Paris
to be located - se trouver. Recall that the non-reflexive trouver means “to find.”
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Who won? It happens to be you
Qui a gagné? Il se trouve que c’est toi
to happen to be - se trouver (impersonal)
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Where is the nearest amusement park?
Où se trouve le parc d’attractions le plus proche?
an amusement park - un parc d’attractions
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The post office is closed
La poste est fermée
the post office - la poste, le bureau de poste. Recall that the adjective “closed” is formed from the past participle of the verb fermer, “to close.”
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Jean is likely at the bank
Jean est probablement à la banque
a bank - une banque. Note that probablement can mean “likely” as well as “probably.”
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Then, I went to the police station
Ensuite, je suis allé au commissariat
a police station - un commissariat (de police)
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I just bought some potatoes at the supermarket
Je viens d’acheter des pommes de terre au supermarché
a supermarket - un supermarché
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My cousins live in the suburbs
Mes cousins habitent en banlieue
suburb - banlieue. This word carries a more negative connotation in France than it does in the U.S. Typically, a French city’s wealthiest districts are at the city center, while the less desirable neighborhoods are outside the city in la banlieue. You could say ils habitent dans la banlieue, but this is usually followed by the city’s name (de Paris, for instance).
Translate to French:
They’re stopping at Jean’s house
Ils s’arrêtent chez Jean
to stop - s’arrêter. The reflexive s’arrêter is used for stopping oneself, as in “to halt.” Recall that the non-reflexive arrêter means “to cease” – to stop something or doing something.
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Madrid is the capital of Spain
Madrid est la capitale de l’Espagne
a capital - une capitale. Note the definite article before the country name. You will learn more about saying country names elsewhere.
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I am having a hard time seeing the board
J’ai du mal à voir le tableau
to have a hard time (doing something) - avoir du mal (à faire quelque chose)
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She is hurting herself
Elle se fait mal
to hurt oneself - se faire mal. Note the reflexive se faire in this expression. Several expressions are founded on reflexive verbs.
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You are hurting Jean
Tu fais mal à Jean
to hurt someone - faire mal à quelqu’un. As an alternative, you could employ an indirect object pronoun and say Tu lui fais mal.
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They are making friends
Ils se font des amis
to make friends - se faire des amis
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Albert is passing himself off as a millionaire
Albert se fait passer pour un millionnaire
to pass oneself off as - se faire passer pour
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He takes himself for a prince/ He thinks he is a prince
Il se prend pour un prince
to take oneself for, to think one is - se prendre pour
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I wash myself every day after dinner
Je me lave tous les jours après le dîner
to wash oneself - se laver. Laver can be used both reflexively and non-reflexively. When the action is performed on the subject, it should be reflexive; when the action is performed on something else, it should be non-reflexive. “I wash my car,” for instance, is Je lave ma voiture.
Translate to French:
We understand each other
Nous nous comprenons
Note how comprendre is used reflexively here, taking on a reciprocal function; at least two subjects are acting on one another. Aimer can be used this way too: nous nous aimons (reflexive) means “we like each other,” while nous aimons nos parents (non-reflexive) means “we like our parents.”
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He gets along very well with his sister
Il s’entend très bien avec sa soeur
to get along - s’entendre. Note how the verb entendre (to hear) takes on this completely different meaning when the reflexive pronoun is added to it.
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We do not get along
Nous ne nous entendons pas
Note how in a negative sentence with a pronominal verb, the ne precedes the reflexive pronoun.
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Are you going to wash yourself?
Est-ce que tu vas te laver?
Note the use here of a reflexive verb in the infinitive. The reflexive pronoun precedes the reflexive verb, even if it is in the infinitive. However, notice how the pronoun agrees with the subject.
Translate to French:
When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion –Voltaire
Quand il s’agit d’argent, tout le monde est de la même religion –Voltaire
to have to do with, to be a question of, to be about - s’agir de (impersonal). The reflexive construction s’agir de is impersonal and can only be conjugated with il. A common error is to say Ce roman s’agit de, with the intended meaning being “This novel is about.” Instead, say Ce roman parle de, Ce roman raconte l’histoire de, or Ce roman traite de.
Translate to French:
He received a bad grade. It is thus necessary to study a lot more
Il a reçu une mauvaise note. Il s’agit donc d’étudier beaucoup plus
it is necessary to - s’agir de (impersonal) + infinitive. When used with an infinitive, the impersonal s’agir de often takes this meaning. Note also that the non-reflexive agir means “to behave” or “to act.”
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I hurt myself
Je me suis fait mal
In compound tenses, all reflexive verbs take être as the auxiliary verb. Note how the reflexive pronoun comes before the conjugated auxiliary verb.
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They approached the car carefully
Ils se sont approchés de la voiture avec attention
to approach, to get close to - s’approcher de. An alternative is se rapprocher. Note the use of être as the auxiliary verb. As a result of this, the past participle agrees with the subject.
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Three months went by
Trois mois se sont passés
to go by - se passer. Recall that se passer can also mean “to happen” or “to take place.” When applied to time, it means “to go by.”
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That went well
Ça s’est bien passé
to go well - bien se passer. Another way of saying this would be Tout s’est bien passé. Note that “to go badly/poorly” is mal se passer.
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She made herself something to eat
Elle s’est fait quelque chose à manger
to make something for oneself - se faire + noun
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He made us leave
Il nous a fait sortir
Recall that the construction faire + infinitive means “to have something done” or “to make someone do something.”
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She had a hip operation (done)
Elle s’est fait opérer de sa hanche
to have something done for/to oneself - se faire + infinitive. Here, se faire is used causatively. The past participle does not change to faite to agree with the subject; the participle of faire is invariable when followed by an infinitive.
Translate to French:
You do not seem at ease
Tu ne sembles pas à l’aise
to seem, to appear, to look (like) - sembler. This verb can be used both personally (as is the case here) and impersonally (with the impersonal il). When used personally, it can be followed by an adjective (as in the example) or by an infinitive.
Translate to French:
The shirt seems to be expensive
La chemise semble être chère
Note the use of (the personal) sembler with an infinitive.
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It seems weird to leave like this
Il semble étrange de partir comme ça
it seems, it appears, it looks (like) - il semble. When used impersonally, sembler can be followed either by an adjective + de + an infinitive (as in the example), or by que + the subjunctive, which you will learn about elsewhere.
Translate to French:
It looks to me like no one is here
Il me semble que personne n’est ici
Note the impersonal use of sembler. The me here is an indirect object pronoun, not a reflexive pronoun. When sembler is used impersonally with an indirect object pronoun, it takes the indicative.
Translate to French:
They look pleased
Ils paraissent contents
to appear, to look, to seem - paraître. This verb is very similar to sembler, both because of its meaning and because it can be used both personally and impersonally. Like sembler, when paraître is used personally, it can be followed by an adjective or an infinitive.
Translate to French:
That day, she appeared alone at school
Ce jour-là, elle a paru seule à l’école
Note how paraître can be followed by a prepositional phrase. Used like this, it takes on the meaning “to show up” or “to make an appearance.” You cannot use sembler this way: elle a semblé à l’école does not work.
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It seems like she is going to return
Il paraît qu’elle va revenir
The impersonal il paraît is similar to il semble. However, unlike il semble que (which must be followed by the subjunctive), il paraît que can be followed by the indicative.
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It seems important to me to arrive early
Il me paraît important d’arriver en avance
Here, an indirect object pronoun is used with the impersonal il paraît. Note how the verb is followed by an adjective + de + an infinitive.
Translate to French:
I’m tired, so I’m going to sit down
Je suis fatigué, donc je vais m’asseoir
to sit (down) - s’asseoir. This is an irregular pronominal verb. Its conjugations in the present are: je m’assieds, tu t’assieds, il/elle/on s’assied, nous nous asseyons, vous vous asseyez, ils/elles s’asseyent.
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He is (getting) angry at/with Marc because of what he said
Il se fâche contre Marc à cause de ce qu’il a dit
to be angry, to get angry - se fâcher. Note that fâcher means “to anger.” The reflexive form se fâcher, however, changes the meaning slightly. Also note how contre means “at” or “with” here.
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She is hurrying because she is late
Elle se dépêche car elle est en retard
to hurry - se dépêcher
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She is annoyed because of the interruptions
Elle s’énerve à cause des interruptions
to become annoyed - s’énerver. Note that énerver is “to annoy.” Also note that interruption is a feminine noun.
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He is getting bored while waiting for you
Il s’ennuie en vous attendant
to get bored - s’ennuyer
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I am going to fall asleep early tonight
Je vais m’endormir tôt ce soir
to fall asleep - s’endormir. Note that “to go to sleep” is aller se coucher.
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She goes to bed around 9 pm
Elle se couche vers 21 heures
to go to bed - se coucher. Vers means “around” or “approximately.” Note that 24-hour time is commonly used in France. Finally, the non-reflexive coucher can mean several things, including “to sleep (with),” “to sleep over/spend the night,” and “to put to bed.”
Translate to French:
Jules gets dressed every morning at 7 o’clock
Jules s’habille chaque matin à 7 heures
to get dressed - s’habiller. Note that the non-reflexive habiller means “to dress” (someone else).
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Before going to sleep, I get undressed
Avant d’aller dormir, je me déshabille
to undress, to get undressed - se déshabiller
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Are you guys getting tired?
Est-ce que vous vous fatiguez?
to get tired - se fatiguer
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You will handle it
Tu vas te débrouiller
to get by, to manage, to handle (it) - se débrouiller
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She put on makeup
Elle s’est maquillée
to put on makeup - se maquiller. Note the agreement of the past participle, as the reflexive pronoun s’ serves here as the direct object (the woman puts makeup on herself).
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She behaves well with her mother
Elle se comporte bien avec sa mère
to behave, to act - se comporter
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Have they come home? I imagine not
Est-ce qu’ils sont rentrés? J’imagine que non
to imagine - imaginer
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We are having fun / We are having a good time
Nous nous amusons bien
to have fun - s’amuser. This verb is typically used with bien. Also note that the non-reflexive amuser means “to amuse” or “to entertain.”
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I cut myself by accident
Je me suis coupé par accident
to cut oneself - se couper. Note that couper is simply “to cut.”
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I wonder if she is going to be at Julie’s
Je me demande si elle va être chez Julie
to ask (oneself), to wonder - se demander
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I have to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow
Je dois me réveiller à 6h30 demain
to wake (oneself) up - se réveiller. Note that the non-reflexive réveiller means “to wake (someone) up.”
Translate to French:
I feel good because it’s nice outside
Je me sens bien car il fait beau
to feel - se sentir. This reflexive verb applies generally to how one feels (good, bad, sick, etc.). The non-reflexive sentir applies instead to physically feeling things. It can also mean “to smell” or “to taste.”
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When she arrived I felt great joy
Quand elle est arrivée j’ai ressenti une grande joie
to feel (emotion) - ressentir. This verb is used typically with nouns (of emotion) – joy, remorse, sadness, solitude, stress, etc.
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Can I (take a) rest? I’m feeling tired
Est-ce que je peux me reposer? Je me sens fatigué
to rest - se reposer
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In the morning, Marie looks at herself in the mirror
Le matin, Marie se regarde dans le miroir
to look at oneself - se regarder. Note the masculine noun miroir. Also note that se regarder can be used for reciprocal action: nous nous regardons, for example, means both “we look at each other” and “we look at ourselves.”
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Claude does not swim well and doesn’t want to drown
Claude ne nage pas bien et ne veut pas se noyer
to drown - se noyer
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Are they arguing?
Est-ce qu’elles se disputent?
to argue - se disputer
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When did they get married? In June
Quand est-ce qu’ils se sont mariés? En juin
to get married - se marier. This verb is used most commonly to describe two people marrying each other. To describe one person marrying another, use épouser: il a épousé sa femme.
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I can’t watch the movie if you don’t stop talking
Je ne peux pas regarder le film si tu ne te tais pas
to stop talking, to shut up - se taire
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This year, I’m going to take an interest in math
Cette année, je vais m’intéresser aux maths
to be interested in, to take an interest in - s’intéresser à. Note the use of aux since math(ématique)s is plural.
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They always trust you. You know that well
Ils te font toujours confiance. Tu le sais bien
to trust - faire confiance à. The reflexive verb se fier à or the expression avoir confiance en could work as alternatives.
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They are making fun of him because he’s old
Elles se moquent de lui parce qu’il est vieux
to make fun of - se moquer de
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I’m going to have to get up and go to work early tomorrow morning
Je vais devoir me lever et aller au travail tôt demain matin
to get up - se lever. Note that this is different from the verb se réveiller, “to wake up.”
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Paul shaves every morning
Paul se rase tous les matins
to shave (oneself) - se raser
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They still haven’t gotten used to the weather
Ils ne se sont pas encore habitués au temps
to get used to - s’habituer à. Recall that in the past tense, the participle of reflexive verbs must agree with the subject. Also note that s’habituer does not allow preceding indirect object pronouns. For example, you cannot say Tu vas m’habituer; you must say Tu vas t’habituer à moi.
Translate to French:
I don’t care about what he is saying
Je m’en fiche de ce qu’il dit
to not care about - s’en ficher de. This is an informal expression that should only be used conversationally. Note its use of the pronoun en, which you will learn about elsewhere.
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He is integrating himself into American society
Il s’intègre dans la société américaine
to integrate oneself (into) - s’intégrer (dans). Note that société can mean both “company” and “society.”
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She expressed her many regrets
Elle a exprimé ses nombreux regrets
to express - exprimer. The reflexive s’exprimer means “to express oneself.” Note also that regret is masculine.
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He is heading toward the subway
Il se dirige vers le métro
to move/head toward - se diriger vers. The non-pronominal diriger can mean “to be in charge of,” “to direct,” or “to guide.”
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The two men are going away
Les deux hommes s’en vont
to go away - s’en aller. This expression employs the pronoun en, which you will learn about elsewhere. Also note that partir can function as a synonym for s’en aller.
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You will get by / You will get through (this)
Tu vas t’en sortir
to manage/cope, to get by/through - s’en sortir
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She tried to sneak out after her father went to sleep
Elle a essayé de sortir sur la pointe des pieds après que son père s’est couché
to sneak out (of) - sortir sur la pointe des pieds. This is an idiomatic expression that literally means “to leave on the tips of the feet.” In this way, it’s similar to the expression “to tiptoe.”
Translate to French:
They are worrying about the exam tomorrow
Ils s’inquiètent de l’examen demain
to worry (about) - s’inquiéter (de). Note the use of de to mean “about.” Another way of saying “to worry” is s’en faire: ne t’en fais pas – “don’t worry (about it).”
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The king addressed them
Le roi s’est adressé à eux
to address - s’adresser à
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That makes me sad
Ça me rend triste
to make + adjective - rendre + adjective. If “to make” is followed by an adjective, you should use rendre rather than faire. Rendre is a common verb that can take many meanings.
Translate to French:
You guys returned the books to the library
Vous avez rendu les livres à la bibliothèque
to return, to give back (something) - rendre (quelque chose). Rendre most literally means “to return,” but it can be used in several ways to mean several different things.
Translate to French:
She is not aware of the fact that Pierre is not here
Elle ne se rend pas compte du fait que Pierre n’est pas là
to realize, to be aware (of) - se rendre compte (de). Note that compte is invariable and does not need to agree with the subject.
Translate to French:
Marcel realizes that she is doing it
Marcel se rend compte qu’elle le fait
Note that se rendre compte can be followed by que as well as de.
Translate to French:
I visited you last week
Je t’ai rendu visite la semaine dernière
to visit (someone) - rendre visite à (quelqu’un). This verb applies to visiting people. The verb visiter applies to visiting or seeing places.
Translate to French:
You failed your exams, but too bad, such is life
Tu as raté tes examens, mais tant pis, c’est la vie
too bad, never mind - tant pis. Note that the opposite of this expression is tant mieux, which roughly translates to “all the better” or “even better.”
Translate to French:
We pleased her by singing for her yesterday
Hier nous lui avons fait plaisir en chantant pour elle
to please someone - faire plaisir à quelqu’un
