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Written Assignment

Clothes shopping
To suit in French:
aller = (of clothing) to suit someone
convenir = to be convenient to
someone, to be appropriate [do NOT
use with clothes]

To match in French:
aller bien avec
tre assorti
NOT: convenir

Clothes shopping
Avoid at all costs the use of the verb regarder
to translate to look (in the sense of to look
good, etc). Alternatives are:
avoir lair de + [adjective] - not usually used to
make a compliment
tu as lair fatigu, intelligent, triste = you look tired,
intelligent, sad

tu le/la porte trs bien!= you look good in it

je te vois / verrais bien dans... = I think you(d)
look good in...
....te va ravir = you look delightful in.....
tu es joli(e) / beau ou belle avec... = you look
pretty / beautiful in....

Clothes shopping
In French to look for is just chercher
(+ object), NOT chercher pour.
Translation of party:
USE la fte or la soire.
DO NOT use le parti (political party) or la partie (a
part of).

Be careful with the translation of on sale:

en vente = for sale, sold here, available
en solde = on sale (i.e. being sold cut-price)

Clothes shopping
Translation of great! (as in super!):
DO NOT use the French grand (= big or
great in the sense of distinguished /
famous / renowned).
USE: super, gnial, formidable

Daily Routine
If you want to say on Monday, on Tuesday,
etc in French, do NOT use the word SUR.
Remember to use le + day of the week e.g.
le lundi, le mardi, etc. (in particular if the
event in question takes place habitually).
Or, if referring to only one day, use just lundi,
mardi, etc UNpreceded by a preposition.
eg. Jeudi je vais chez le coiffeur.
NOT: Sur jeudi je vais chez le coiffeur.

Daily Routine
Use le soir as the translation for both in
the evening and at night-time. In French,
its much less common to use la nuit,
especially as a translation for tonight or
when referring to the period preceding
sleep (i.e. late evening).
If you are listing the activities taking place
throughout the day, use either puis or
ensuite as the translation for then.
Avoid the use of alors in sequences.

Daily Routine
When referring to lectures and tutes, it would
be more common in French to say cours
rather than classe:
la classe:
i. a group of pupils or students
ii. the classroom or teaching room
iii. a lesson (though more usually at a secondary
school)

le cours:
i.

lecture or tute (i.e. referring to university-level

Daily Routine
When giving times of the day, take heed with the
agreement of et demi(e):
une heures, deux heures et demie
(heure(s) is feminine and therefore demie requires an e by way of agreement)
midi et demi, minuit et demi
(midi and minuit are both masculine and therefore
demi should NOT be written with an extra -e at the end).

Use the verb aller in conjunction with modes of

transport and for any description of local travel (as
opposed to other verbs such as voyager).
CORRECT: Je vais luniversit en bus.
WRONG: Je voyage luniversit en bus.

Spelling (general)
A dialogue requires standard punctuation
i.e. capital letters at the start of a
sentence and full stops at the end.
Only questions require a question mark,
tentative or probing sentences do not
require a question mark. e.g. il y a des
robes vertes l-bas, si cela vous
intresse?

Spelling (general)
Never capitalise je mid-sentence in
the same way that I is capitalised in
English!
e.g. Je me rveille 7h00 du matin et
puis je me lve et je me brosse les
dents.

Take care with accents! And dont

forget:
oh l l

Spelling (general)
Take care with the conjugations of payer
and essayer. Although they are regular
er verbs, the y in both verbs is
commonly substituted by an i in all but
the nous and vous forms:
MOST COMMON: je paie
paye
MOST COMMON: jessaie
jessaye

ACCEPTABLE: je
ACCEPTABLE:

Grammar (general)
Put peut-tre at the END of the sentence, NOT at
the BEGINNING:
Vous voulez essayer la robe verte peut-tre?
NOT: Peut-tre vous voulez essayer la robe verte?

Be sure to revise demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet,

cette, ces) and demonstrative pronouns (celui,
ceux, celle, celles), as used with ci and l, and
learn to distinguish one group from the other!
Remember that adjectives describe a noun and
pronouns stand in place of a noun!
e.g. Cette robe-ci est jolie mais cette robe-l est laide.
[description - adjectives]
e.g. 2 Tu parles de la robe en lin ou celle en coton?
[substitution - pronoun]

Grammar (general)
Above all, revise the use of direct
object pronouns.....

Direct Object Pronouns: Summary

French
me / m

English
me

te / t

you (inf)

le

him/it

la

her/it

nous

us

vous

you (form)

les

them

Object Pronouns in the Present Tense:

WORD ORDER

Tu regardes le film ?
Oui, je le regarde
PRONOUN before VERB

me

REVISION: Direct Object

Pronouns
You prefer me.

you(sing.) I hate you.

Tu me prfres.
Je te dteste.

him/it

Nous le buvons.
We drink it (masc).

her/it

You eat it (fem). Vous la mangez.

us
you(plu.)

(plu.)

He helps us.

Il nous aide.

We invite you.

Nous vous

(plu.)

them(mas She likes them

c.)

(m).
(sing.)

invitons.

Elle les (m) aime.

Tu les (f) vois.

REVISION: Direct Object

Pronouns

You prefer me.

Tu me prfres.

me/m

I hate you.

Je te dteste.

te/t

Nous le buvons.
We drink it (masc).

le/l

You eat it (fem). Vous la mangez.

la/l

(plu.)

He helps us.

Il nous aide.

We invite you.

Nous vous

(plu.)

She likes them

(m).
(sing.)

invitons.
Elle les (m) aime.
Tu les (f) vois.

nous
vous

les (masc.
les (fem.)

REVISION: Direct Object

Pronouns RULE
Je le mange.
PRESENT TENSE

Pronoun before
verb.
Pronoun before
second verb
(infinitive).

le yaourt

Je vais le
manger.
FUTURE
WITH ALLER

Je laiCOMPOS
mang.
PASS

Pronoun before
first verb
(auxiliary
verb).

Exercise 1: Direct Object

Pronouns
PRESENT TENSE
EX. Tu mappelles.

FUTURE WITH ALLER

ANS: Tu vas mappeler.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Je vous coute.
Vous lachetez.
On les prends.
Elle nous choisit.
Il te regarde.
Nous vous aimons.

Je vais vous couter.

Vous allez lacheter.
On va les prendre.
Elle va nous choisir.
Il va te regarder.
Nous allons vous aimer.

Exercise 2: Direct Object

Pronouns
PRESENT
EX. Elle leTENSE
mange.

PASS COMPOS
ANS: Elle la mang.

1. Ils les prfrent (les

livres).
2. Tu mentends.
3. Vous le finissez.
4. Elles vous dtestent.
5. On nous invite.
6. Nous la vendons.

Ils les ont prfrs.

Tu mas entendu(e).
Vous lavez fini.
Elles vous ont
dtest(s).
On nous a invits.
Nous lavons vendue.

Exercise 3: Direct Object

Pronouns
PASS
COMPOS
EX. Nous
les avons achets.
1. Je lai visite (la ville).
2. Nous tavons invit(e).
3. Vous les avez regards (les
films).
4. On vous a aim(s).
5. Ils lont tudi (le franais).
6. Tu mas appel(e).

PRESENT TENSE
ANS: Nous les
achetons.
Je la visite.
Nous tinvitons.
Vous les regardez.
On vous aime.
Ils ltudient.
Tu mappelles.

ATTENTION!
Whenever a direct object is placed before a past participle,
the past participle agrees with it in gender
and number. Compare these sentences:
Sophie a cout la chanson.
(No agreement)
Sophie listened to the song.
Sophie la coute.
(Past participle agrees chanson.)
Sophie listened to it.