Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Raymond
LEVEL ONE
Learn In Your Car – French is the only language learning
system designed to teach a foreign language in your car as you
drive, without the aid of a textbook. However, for your
reference, this booklet contains the entire recorded text so that
you can see how the words are spelled. This booklet also con-
tains additional explanations which will be helpful to you if
you have trouble understanding some of the concepts in the
program.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Learn In Your Car – French is designed and organized with
the traveler in mind. The following guidelines are used:
1. The basic premise is that communicating in a language
requires learning words, phrases and sentences: but you can't
learn to communicate effectively in a language unless you
know the individual meaning of each word.
2. The emphasis is on communication. Words, phrases or
sentences can be used to communicate. It is not always
necessary to use a complete sentence to convey a thought.
3. It teaches the way a child learns. Children start by learning
one-word sentences, then two-word sentences, etc.
4. It teaches the most important things first. This course does
not use your valuable memory to store useless words. The
important words you need to survive and get around are taught
first. Grammar is introduced in the later lessons, but it is taught
with examples rather than rules.
5. No more than one new word is introduced at a time. This
means you won't hear a sentence or a phrase and wonder which
sound corresponds to which word.
6. No textbook is required. The fact that no more than one new
word is introduced at a time enables you to use the CDs
effectively without referring to a textbook. The CDs are
designed to be used without a textbook so that you can use
them while driving a car or while doing other things that
require similar amounts of concentration.
7. Literal (word-for-word) translations are used as much as
possible. This enables you to understand how a sentence or
phrase is constructed and what the individual words mean.
HOW TO USE
“LEARN IN YOUR CAR – FRENCH”
The first track on the first disk is an introduction. Lessons start
on the following track.
Play Lesson One several times until you learn most of it. Then
start playing Lesson One followed by Lesson Two until you
learn most of Lesson Two. As you progress, keep adding
lessons. Always go back to the beginning of Lesson One to
reinforce the material you have already learned. (As you
progress through the material, you may want to restart at some
place other than the start of Lesson One. This is fine as long as
you know all the material ahead of your starting point. Later
lessons are designed with the assumption that you already
know the material in earlier lessons.)
NOTES ABOUT THE TEXT
• Words that are underlined in phrases in the text have the same
meaning in both English and French. When a new word is
introduced, it will usually be underlined.
• Literal translations are in brackets with an "L." such as:
[L. This is a literal translation.]
• Words in brackets [like this] are understood, but are not heard
on the recording.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Bill Frame, Emily Gignoux, Valorie
Vasquez, Kim Reinert, Annette Norris and Linda Rabin who
helped to make this audio production possible.
—Hank Raymond
“Tu” = familiar “you” singular, used in casual conversation. Use this form when you speak to people you
know well or with children, relatives and friends.
“Vous” = plural “you” as in “you people”. “Vous” is also used as a polite “you” singular. Use this form
when you don’t know people at all, when you are introduced to people for the first time, and to people older
than you are.
“Il” and “elle” generally mean “he” and “she”, but also mean “it” when referring to a masculine or
feminine noun.
“Ils” and “elles” generally mean “they” (masc. or mixed = “ils”) (fem. only = “elles”).
Questions can be formed several ways in French. One way is to change the order of the subject and the verb
as shown above.
LESSON 3 – LEÇON 3
TRANSPORTATION NOUNS – NOMS DE TRANSPORT
train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . train
a train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un train
the train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le train
the trains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les trains
an automobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une voiture
the automobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la voiture
the automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les voitures
the toilets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les toilettes
a taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un taxi
the taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le taxi
a boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un bateau
the boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le bateau
4
In French, all nouns have a gender. That is, they are considered either masculine or feminine. Words such
as “the”, “a”, or “an” are called articles (the car, a car, an airplane, etc.) Articles must also agree in both
gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singluar or plural) with the nouns that they modify. The table
below shows gender and number for French articles:
“Je voudrais” in English means “I would like.” The literal translation is “I would want.” “Je voudrais” is
much more polite and should be used instead of “Je veux” whenever possible.
Using “Je voudrais” (instead of “Je veux”) is almost always a good idea when it is followed by a noun: “Je
voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît,” (I would like a coffee, please.) not “Je veux un café.” You are likely to
get a warmer reply and better service, too.
Adding “bien” after “Je veux” often shows agreement to a proposition: “Voulez-vous un café?” (Do you
want a coffee?) “Je veux bien, merci.” (Yes, I would, thank you.) You can see how the tone changes.
8
LESSON 5 – LEÇON 5
MONEY – L’ARGENT
the money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l’argent
European money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l’argent européen
a euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un euro
some euros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . des euros
the bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la banque
Where is the bank? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Où est la banque?
to change some money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . changer de l’argent
I would like to change some money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais changer de l’argent.
to buy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acheter
I would like to buy some euros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais acheter des euros.
the rate of exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le cours / le cours du change
What is the rate of exchange? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quel est le cours du change?
the small change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la monnaie
a coin [L. a piece of money] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une pièce de monnaie
a bank note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un billet
9
French requires the use of “des”, “du”, “de la”, or “de l’” in cases where English doesn’t use an article,
because “some” or “any” is understood. (Ex: We have [some] friends. Nous avons des amis.)
LESSON 6 – LEÇON 6
HOTEL – L’HÔTEL
a hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un hôtel
a room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une chambre
a better room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une meilleure chambre
I would like a room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais une chambre.
10
LESSON 7 – LEÇON 7
IMPORTANT WORDS – MOTS IMPORTANTS
the water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l’eau
the drinkable water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l’eau potable
the luggage (plural) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les bagages
my luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mes bagages
the suitcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la valise
the suitcases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les valises
my suitcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ma valise
my suitcases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mes valises
this / that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ce / cet / cette
this suitcase here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cette valise-ci
that suitcase there . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cette valise-là
12
“Ce” and “cet” are masculine. “Cette” is feminine. “Cet” is used in front of a word which starts with a
vowel or a mute “h”.
13
LESSON 9 – LEÇON 9
NUMBERS – LES CHIFFRES ET LES NOMBRES
0 ................................................ zéro
1 ................................................ un
2 ................................................ deux
3 ................................................ trois
15
LESSON 10 – LEÇON 10
MORE NUMBERS – PLUS DE NOMBRES
11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . onze
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . douze
13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . treize
14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . quatorze
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . quinze
16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . seize
17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dix-sept
18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dix-huit
19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dix-neuf
20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vingt
16
To form ordinal numbers larger than “first”, (premier, première) take the cardinal number and add the
suffix “–ième”. Ex: “troisième” (third), “sixième” (sixth). Ordinal numbers formed from numbers
ending in “e” drop the final “e.” Example: quatre becomes quatrième; douze becomes douzième.
LESSON 13 – LEÇON 13
AT THE RESTAURANT – AU RESTAURANT
a table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une table
For how many persons? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pour combien de personnes?
I would like a table for two. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais une table pour deux.
I would like this one here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais celle-ci.
I would like that one there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais celle-là.
another table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une autre table
19
20
In French, adjectives must agree with the word they modify in both gender (masculine or feminine) and
number (singular or plural). For example, “grand” would become “grande” if it were modifying a feminine
noun. It would become “grands” or “grandes” (depending on gender) if it were modifying a plural noun.
Sometimes this changes the sound and/or the spelling of the adjective significantly; sometimes it doesn’t.
22
“Un an” is used with numbers (1 an, 10 ans, 30 ans… ). “Une année” is used in any other situation.
(L’année dernière; l’année prochaine; bonne année; etc… )
LESSON 16 – LEÇON 16
TIME OF DAY – L’HEURE*
time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le temps
How long? [L. How much time?] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combien de temps?
What time is it? [L. Which hour is it?] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quelle heure est-il?
the morning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le matin
noon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . midi
the afternoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l’après-midi
the evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le soir
the night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la nuit
midnight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . minuit
a second . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une seconde
a minute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une minute
24
*Time of the day in French is the hour (L’heure) unless you talk about the time you spend (Le temps).
LESSON 17 – LEÇON 17
QUESTIONS – LES QUESTIONS
Who? / Whom? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qui?
Who is it? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qui est-ce?
What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quoi?
What did you say? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comment?
What is it? / What is that? [L. What is it that it is?] . . . . . . . . Qu’est-ce que c’est?
What is this? / What is this here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qu’est-ce que c’est que ceci?
25
The phrase “Qu’est-ce que… ” (literally, “What is it that… ”) when placed in front of a statement, turns the
statement into a question starting with the word “What”.
26
When “what” is followed by a noun as in, “What class?”, “What book?”, “What city?” etc., use “quel(s)”
or “quelle(s)”. This can be thought of as saying: “Which class?” (Quelle classe?); “Which book?” (Quel
livre?); “Which city?” (Quelle ville?); etc.. “Quel” is an adjective and therefore must agree in gender and
number with the noun it modifies.
LESSON 18 – LEÇON 18
SHOPS – LES MAGASINS
the store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le magasin
a bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une boulangerie
the butcher shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la boucherie
a pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une pharmacie
the supermarket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le supermarché
the pastry shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la pâtisserie
a post office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une poste
the customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la douane
a laundry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . une blanchisserie
the hairdresser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le coiffeur
27
LESSON 19 – LEÇON 19
NOUNS – DES NOMS
the town / the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la ville
a country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un pays
the name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . le nom
the food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . la nourriture
a state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un état
the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . les Etats-Unis
28
LESSON 20 – LEÇON 20
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS – DES ADJECTIFS ET DES ADVERBES
big . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . grand [masculine] / grande [feminine]
small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . petit [masculine] / petite [feminine]
good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bon [masculine] / bonne [feminine]
not good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pas bon [masculine] / pas bonne [feminine]
well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bien
not well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pas bien
bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mauvais [masculine] / mauvaise [feminine]
badly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mal
very . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . très
“hot” or “warm” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . chaud [masculine] / chaude [feminine]
cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . froid [masculine] / froide [feminine]
early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tôt
late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tard
30
Remember, adjectives must agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with
the words they modify. The feminine forms of the adjectives are shown in parentheses. Adjectives can usu-
ally be made into a plural form by adding an “s”. Adverbs do not modify nouns and don't agree with any-
thing.
32
These are the infinitive forms of these verbs (i.e. to be, to go, to see, etc.). To speak correctly you need to
use the correct form (conjugation) of the verb. If you don’t know the correct conjugation, use the infinitive.
You will most likely be understood.
In most smaller dictionaries, only the infinitive form of a verb is listed. (In English, the infinitive form is
listed without the “to”.) For example, in a small English dictionary, you would find “eat”, but most likely
wouldn’t find “ate”, “eaten”, “eats”, etc.
LESSON 22 – LEÇON 22
PREPOSITIONS – LES PREPOSITIONS
to / at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . à
from / of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . de
with . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . avec
without . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sans
35
36
Possessive adjectives agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the
nouns they modify, not the gender of the possessor.
The plural forms of these possessive adjectives (mes, tes, ses, nos, vos, leurs) are same for both masculine
and feminine forms.
LESSON 25 – LEÇON 25
CONJUNCTIONS AND OTHER USEFUL WORDS –
CONJONCTIONS ET AUTRES MOTS PRATIQUES
and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . et
39
LESSON 26 – LEÇON 26
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, GENERAL – PHRASES GENERALES
I speak French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je parle français.
I do not speak French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je ne parle pas français.
Do you speak French? (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parlez-vous français?
a little . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un peu
from here to there . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d’ici à là-bas
at the train station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . à la gare
on the platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sur le quai
in the train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dans le train
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“Puis” means exactly the same thing as “peux” except that “puis” is used when asking a question.
Use “on” to indicate a definite subject, a person or persons in general – (i.e. we, you, they) in the sense of
people in general. “On” is used often in the French language. Even though “on” usually refers to a number
of people, from a grammatical point of view it is a singular pronoun, acting just like “il” and “elle”. For
example: “On va au restaurant” (We're going to the restaurant.) (One goes to the restaurant.)
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The expression “N’est-ce pas?” is frequently used after a statement to turn it into a question where it takes
the place of many English phrases such as: “Isn’t it?”; “Aren’t you?”; “Can’t they?”; “Won’t he?”; “Doesn’t
she?” etc..
To make a sentence negative in French, place “ne” before and “pas” immediately after the conjugated verb.
If the verb begins with a vowel or a vowel sound “ne” becomes “n’.”
LESSON 28 – LEÇON 28
QUESTIONS WITH “EST-CE QUE” – QUESTIONS AVEC “EST-CE QUE”
Is it that… ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce que… ?
It is big. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C’est grand.
Is it big? / Is it that it is big? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce que c’est grand?
You have a car. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vous avez une voiture.
Do you have a car? (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce que vous avez une voiture?
You understand. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tu comprends.
Do you understand? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce que tu comprends?
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The expression “est-ce que...” at the beginning of a statement turns it into a question.
*Est-ce literally means, “Is it?”. “Est-ce” is the shorter way to say “is it?”
LESSON 29 – LEÇON 29
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, GENERAL – PHRASES D’ORDRE GENERAL
I must… / I have to… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je dois…
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LESSON 30 – LEÇON 30
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, TRANSPORTATION – PHRASES; TRANSPORTS
Excuse me, sir, when does the next train
to Paris leave? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S’il vous plaît, monsieur, quand part le
prochain train pour Paris?
The train leaves in ten minutes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Le train part dans dix minutes.
It leaves at ten o’clock in the morning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il part à dix heures du matin.
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LESSON 33 – LEÇON 33
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, GETTING AROUND – PHRASES D’APPROCHE
Excuse me, sir, where is the nearest post office? . . . . . . . . . . . S’il vous plaît, monsieur, où est la poste
la plus proche?
It’s very far from here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C’est très loin d’ici.
How many kilometers from here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A combien de kilomètres d’ici?
I don’t know, but it’s about ten minutes by car. . . . . . . . . . . . . Je ne sais pas, mais c’est à peu près à dix
minutes en voiture.
Is there a bus or a taxi near here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce qu’il y a un autobus ou un taxi
près d’ici?
Yes, there is a taxi, but it’s very expensive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oui, il y a un taxi, mais c’est très cher.
How much does the bus cost? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combien coûte l’autobus?
The bus is free, but it’s very difficult. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L’autobus est gratuit, mais c’est très difficile.
Why? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pourquoi?
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LESSON 34 – LEÇON 34
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, DIRECTIONS – DEMANDER SON CHEMIN
Excuse me, sir, I am looking for this address. (polite) . . . . . . . S’il vous plaît monsieur, je cherche cette
adresse.
You follow this street. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vous suivez cette rue.
As far as the corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jusqu’au coin.
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LESSON 35 – LEÇON 35
SENTENCES AND PHRASES, CONVERSATION – PHRASES DE CONVERSATION
Good morning, John, how’s it going? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonjour, John, ça va?
Fine, and you? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Très bien, et toi?
Not bad. What are you doing today? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . Pas mal. Qu’est-ce que tu fais aujourd’hui?
I’m going to my parents’ house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je vais chez mes parents.
Are you going there by car? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Est-ce que tu y vas en voiture?
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“Pour acheter” literally means “for to buy”. “Pour voir” literally means “for to see”. In English, the “for” is
understood.
When using aller, venir, passer, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, retourner, rester, rentrer (motion verbs),
you do not need to use “pour” to connect the following verb. For example: Je viens prendre mon livre.
(meaning “pour prendre… ”)
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The verb “être” (to be) and the verb “avoir” (to have) (Lesson 38) are the two most important verbs to learn.
These two verbs in their various forms are used the most frequently.
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In French there are three large groups of regular verbs whose infinitive forms end in “er”, “ir” or “re”. (The
infinitive is the form marked by “to” in English such as: to go; to look; to run; to buy; to sell; etc…) “Er”
verbs are the most frequent, followed by “ir” and “re” verbs. These regular verbs follow rules nicely and
are therefore fairly easy to learn.
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SUBJECT ENDING
je . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(e)
tu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(es)
il, elle, on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(e)
nous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(ons)
vous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(ez)
ils, elles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parl(ent)
As you can see from these examples, “to speak” or “to be speaking” both have the same translation in
French. For example, “I speak.” and “I am speaking.” both translate to “Je parle.” This applies generally to
all French verbs.
Irregular verbs don’t follow any particular spelling rules and must be learned individually. “Aller” (to go) is
a good example. See Lesson 42.
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SUBJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ENDING
je . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(is)
tu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(is)
il, elle, on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(it)
nous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(issons)
vous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(issez)
ils, elles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fin(issent)
LESSON 41 – LEÇON 41
TYPICAL REGULAR VERBS WITH “RE” ENDINGS (present tense) –
VERBES REGULIERS; TERMINAISONS EN “RE” (troisième groupe)
to sell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vendre
I sell newspapers. / I am selling [some] newspapers. . . . . . . . Je vends des journaux.
You sell magazines. /
You are selling [some] magazines. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . Tu vends des revues.
He is selling his car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il vend sa voiture.
She sells vegetables. / She is selling [some] vegetables. . . . . . Elle vend des légumes.
We are selling our tickets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nous vendons nos billets.
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To conjugate a regular “re” verb in the present tense, drop the “re” from the infinitive and add the
appropriate ending:
SUBJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ENDING
je . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend(s)
tu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend(s)
il, elle, on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend( )
nous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend(ons)
vous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend(ez)
ils, elles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vend(ent)
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Note: Some textbook authors prefer to group all verbs not ending in “–er” or “–ir” as irregular, “third
group” verbs, including those ending in “–re.” Some even recognize “fourth” and “fifth” conjugation verbs.
Others simply prefer to acknowledge that there are regular as well as irregular verbs. For simplicity this
text uses the latter approach. So, apply the “regular verbs” rules where you can (which is most of the time)
and learn the irregular verbs as you need them.
Verbs ending in “re” based on prendre (to take) such as “comprendre” (to understand) and “apprendre” (to
learn), have irregular plural forms. (They drop a “d” and / or add “n”.)
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Both of these slightly irregular patterns are easily pronounced and understood. Other verbs ending in “re”
such as “boire” (to drink), “lire” (to read), as well as a number of verbs ending in “ir”, “oir”, “aire”, etc. are
irregular and must be learned individually as you need them.
LESSON 42 – LEÇON 42
THE NEAR FUTURE TENSE – LE FUTUR PROCHE
I am going to go to the beach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je vais aller à la plage.
I am going to buy lunch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je vais acheter le déjeuner.
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The near future tense (le futur proche) is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb “aller” (to go),
plus the infinitive form of the main verb. The near future tense is an easy way to learn to talk about things
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Of course, “aller” (to go) is also the verb you use to say “where”, “when”, “how” and “with whom” you are
“going.” Examples: Je vais à la plage demain avec ma femme. (I’m going to the beach tomorrow with my
wife.); Où allez-vous demain? (Where are you going tomorrow?)
LESSON 43 – LEÇON 43
SPEAKING WITH THE INFINITIVE OF A VERB –
PARLER AVEC LE VERBE A L’INFINITIF
I want to buy a truck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je veux acheter un camion.
I would like to leave this evening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais partir ce soir.
I would like to go there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je voudrais y aller.
I can pay the bill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je peux payer l’addition.
I have to sleep tonight. / I must sleep tonight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je dois dormir cette nuit.
You want to stay here? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tu veux rester ici?
You can go now. / You may go now. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tu peux t’en aller maintenant.
Can you speak with him? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peux-tu parler avec lui?
He would like to learn to speak French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il voudrait apprendre à parler français.
She must rent a car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elle doit louer une voiture.
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This lesson shows some ways of using the infinitive. The infinitive is not usually used alone, but in con-
junction with another verb, and is simply another vocabulary word used the same way as in English.
LESSON 44 – LEÇON 44
SPEAKING IN THE PAST TENSE – PARLER AU PASSE COMPOSE
I bought a book. / I have bought a book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J’ai acheté un livre.
I looked for the address. / I have looked for the address. . . . . J’ai cherché l’adresse.
You bought the breakfast. /
You have bought the breakfast. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tu as acheté le petit déjeuner.
You paid the bill. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tu as payé l’addition.
He rented the room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il a loué la chambre.
He closed the door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il a fermé la porte.
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The compound past (passé composé) tense is used to describe events which have happened, where the
action is finished. (i.e. the event is over or complete).
The compound past (passé composé) is formed by using the present tense form of the verb “avoir” (to
have), or in some cases the verb “être” (to be), followed by the past participle of the main verb. (The past
participle in English is the form of the verb which follows “have”: have seen; have eaten; have watched;
have read; have bought; have opened; etc.)
LESSON 45 – LEÇON 45
COMPOUND PAST WITH VERBS THAT USE “ETRE” –
LE PASSE COMPOSE AVEC LES VERBES QUI UTILISENT “ETRE”
I went to the bakery yesterday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je suis allé(e) à la boulangerie hier.
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There are some verbs which form the compound past with the verb “être” instead of the verb “avoir”. This
lesson shows four of the most common ones. Verbs which use “être” in the “passé composé” are generally
verbs of motion or change of condition and include: “aller,” “venir,” “entrer,” “sortir,” “monter,”
“descendre,” “arriver,” “partir,” “rester,” “tomber,” “mourir” and “naître.” (to go, to come, to enter, to go
out, to go up, to go down, to arrive, to leave, to stay, to fall, to die, and to be born). Clearly, these last two
are a change of condition! “Passer” takes “être” when used as a motion verb (to go by). Otherwise, “pass-
er” takes “avoir,” as in “I passed the salt” or “We passed / spent a week in Paris.”
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