▄Rib's French Tutorial [Complete! Come take a look!]▄

[Godivea]

Bonjour! Je suis finalement de retour sur ce Guild!

Ce Thread vous apprendra comment bien parler français. Je ne suis pas parfaite mais j'aimerais aider ceux qui ont un peu de misère avec la prononciation, l'utilisation des bons mots et comment bien les écrire.

Cela me prendra du temps à cause de l'école, des devoirs, etc. mais j'y donnerai mon max.! Aussi, si vous avez des suggestions ou des problèmes concernant le Français, PM-moi! Je suis ouverte à toutes les critiques (quelles soient bonnes ou mauvaises). Si, par mégarde, je fais une erreur, je vous prierais de me le dire!

Merci!
---------------------------
*Hey guys! I'm finally back on this guild!

This thread will teach you how to speak French. I'm not perfect but I'd like to help those who need help with the pronunciation, how to write them correctly and how to use them properly.

It'll take me a lot of time because of school, homeworks and all but I'll give it my all! Also, if you have requests or problems with French, PM-me! I'm open-minded so feel free to criticize (whether it's good or bad). If, inadvertently, I make a mistake, please tell me!

Thank you!

*As you may have noticed, I'm not so good in English so please forgive me for that! DDD8

 

[Godivea]

- Frequently Used Expressions and Phrases
- Alphabet Pronunciation
- Sounds
- Grammar Basics
- Negative phrases
- Interrogative phrases
- Possessive form
- Counting in French
- Contributors

 

[Godivea]

HOW IT WORKS : FRENCH WORD (PRONUNCIATION) - ENGLISH TRANSLATION (ADVICES, FORMAL/INFORMAL, ETC.)

Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in French (as well as in many other languages.) The informal "you" is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal "you" is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural "you", used when speaking to more than one person. Also notice that some words take an extra "e". If the word refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the "e" is added in spelling; but in most cases, it does not change the pronunciation. To make verbs negative, French adds "ne" before the verb and "pas" after it. However, the "ne" is frequently dropped in spoken French, although it must appear in written French.

Salutations, Greetings, Goodbyes & Others :

Bonjour (bɔ̃ʒuʀ) - Hello, Good Morning, Good Day...

Salut (saly) - Hi, Hey... (informal)

Bienvenue (bjɛ̃vəny) - Welcome... (can also mean "you're welcome")

Bonsoir (bɔ̃swaʀ) - Good Evening...

Bonne nuit (bɔn nɥi) - Good night... (only said when going to bed)

Au revoir (ɔʀ(ə)vwaʀ) - Goodbye...

S'il vous plaît / S'il te plaît (sil vu plɛ) - Please... (formal/informal)

Merci (beaucoup) (mɛʀsi (boku)) - Thank you (very much)...

De rien (də ʀjɛ̃) - You're welcome...

Je vous en prie (ʒəvu zɑ̃ pri) - You're welcome (formal), Go ahead...

À tout à l'heure (a tu ta lœʀ) - See you in a little while...

À plus tard (a ply taʀ) - See you later...

À bientôt (a bjɛ̃to) - See you soon

À demain (a dəmɛ) - See you tomorrow

Je suis désolé(e) (dezɔle) - I'm sorry

Pardon! (paʀdɔ) - Excuse me! (pushing through a crowd), Sorry! (stepped on someone's foot)...

Excusez-moi! (ekskyze mwa) - Excuse me! (getting someone's attention), I'm sorry! (more formal apology)...

Comment allez-vous? (kɔmɑ̃ tale vu) - How are you?... (formal)

Je vais bien (ʒə ve bjɛ̃) - I'm fine...

Très bien /mal /pas mal (tʀɛ bjɛ̃/mal/pa mal) - Very good /bad /not bad...

Ça va? (sa va) - How are you? (informal), are you okay?...

Ça va (sa va) - I'm fine (informal response to "Ça va?")...

Oui /non (wi/nɔ) - Yes/no...

Comment vous appelez-vous? (kɔmɑ̃ vu zaple vu) - What's your name? (formal)...

Tu t'appelles comment? (ty tapɛl kɔmɑ) - What's your name? (informal)...

Je m'appelle... (ʒə mapɛl) - My name is...

Enchanté(e) (ɑ̃ʃɑ̃te) - Nice to meet you...

Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle (məsjø/madam/madwazɛl) - Mister, misses, miss...

Mesdames et Messieurs (medam/mesjø) - Ladies & Gentlemen...

Vous êtes d'où?/Vous venez d'où? (vu zɛt du/vu vəne du) - Where are you from?... (formal)

Tu es d'où?/Tu viens d'où? (ty ɛ du/ty vjɛ̃ du) - Where are you from?... (informal)

Je suis de.../Je viens de... (ʒə sɥi də/ʒə vjɛ̃ də) - I am from...

Où habitez-vous? (u abite vu) - Where do you live?... (formal)

Tu habites où? (ty abit u) - Where do you live?... (informal)

Quel âge avez-vous? (kɛl ɑʒ ave vu) - How old are you?... (formal)

Tu as quel âge? (ty ɑ kɛl ɑʒ) - How old are you?... (informal)

J'ai ___ ans. (ʒe __ ɑ̃) - I am ____ years old...

Parlez-vous français?/Tu parles français? (paʀle vu frɑ̃sɛ/ty paʀl frɑ̃sɛ) - Do you speak French? (formal)/Do you speak French?... (informal)

Je parle anglais (ʒə paʀl ɑ̃glɛ) - I speak English...

Je ne parle pas espagnol (ʒə nə paʀl pa ɛspaɲɔl) - I don't speak Spanish...

Comprenez-vous?/Tu comprends? (kɔ̃pʀəne vu/ty kɔ̃pʀɑ) - Do you understand?... (formal / informal)

Je comprends (ʒə kɔ̃pʀɑ) - I understand...

Je ne comprends pas (ʒə nə kɔ̃pʀɑ̃ pa) - I don't understand...

Pouvez-vous m'aider?/Tu peux m'aider? (puve vu mede/ty pø mede) - Can you help me?... (formal / informal)

Bien sûr (bjɛ̃ syʀ) - Of course...

Comment? (kɔmɑ) - What?, Pardon?...

Je sais/Je ne sais pas (ʒə sɛ/ʒən sɛ pa) - I know/ I don't know...

Comment dit-on ____ en français? (kɔmɑ̃ di tɔ̃ __ ɑ̃ fʀɑ̃sɛ) - How do you say ____ in French?...

Je suis fatigué(e)/ Je suis malade/ J'ai faim/ J'ai soif/ J'ai chaud/ J'ai froid/ Je m'ennuie (ʒə sɥi fatiɡe / ʒə sɥi malad / ʒe fɛ / ʒe swaf / ʒe ʃo / ʒe fʀwɑ / ʒə mɑ̃nɥi) - I'm tired/ I'm sick/ I'm hungry/ I'm thirsty/ I'm hot/ I'm cold/ I'm bored...

À vos souhaits!/ À tes souhaits! (a vo swɛ / a te swɛ) - Bless you! (formal / informal)

Félicitations! (felisitasjɔ) - Congratulations!

Bonne chance! (bɔn ʃɑ̃s) - Good luck!

Taisez-vous !/ Tais-toi ! (tɛze vu / tɛ twɑ) - Be quiet... (formal/informal)

Je vous aime/ Je t'aime (ʒə vu zɛm / ʒə tɛm) - I love you... (formal & plural / informal)

Tu me manques (ty mə mɑ̃k) - I miss you... (informal)

Quoi de neuf? (kwɑ də nœf) - What's up?, What's new?

Pas grand-chose (pa gʀɑ̃ ʃoz) - Not much...

 

[Godivea]

French uses the 26 letters of the alphabet plus a few "add-ons" : accents on vowels (é, è, ê, etc...) or cedilla (ç).

Click on each link to hear their pronunciation in French :

"A" Pronunciation
"B" Pronunciation
"C" Pronunciation
"D" Pronunciation
"E" Pronunciaton
"F" Pronunciation
"G" Pronunciation
"H" Pronunciation
"I" Pronunciation
"J" Pronunciation
"K" Pronunciation
"L" Pronunciation
"M" Pronunciation
"N" Pronunciation
"O" Pronunciation
"P" Pronunciation
"Q" Pronunciation
"R" Pronunciation
"S" Pronunciation
"T" Pronunciation
"U" Pronunciation
"V" Pronunciation
"W" Pronunciation
"X" Pronunciation
"Y" Pronunciation
"Z" Pronunciation

 

[Godivea]

Remember this before going further:

Most of the time, do not pronounce final d, s, t or x in French words.

As an example, red letters are not pronounced in the following words :

- un rebond (a bounce);
- français (French);
- un saut (a jump);
- heureux (happy).

--------------------------------

[on] sound

You will hear "on" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Une maison - a house ([ON] SOUND);
Un garçon - a boy ([ON] SOUND)
*Comprendre - to understand ([ON] SOUND)
*Un combat - a fight ([ON] SOUND)

*Note that "on" before a "p" or a "b" is written "om".
However, there is one particular case: un bonbon (a candy/sweet).

--------------------------------

[ou] sound

You will hear "ou" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Hint: Pronouce "ou" like "oo".

La tour Eiffel - the Eiffel tower ([OU] SOUND)
Mourir - to die ([OU] SOUND)
Un mouvement - a mouvement ([OU] SOUND)
Vous - you (formal) ([OU] SOUND)

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[oi] sound

You will hear "oi" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Une fois - once ([OI] SOUND)
Un toit - a roof ([OI] SOUND)
Un poisson - a fish ([OI] SOUND)
Croire - to believe ([OI] SOUND)

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[oin] sound

You will hear "oin" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Moins - minus (-) or less ([OIN] SOUND)
Un point - a dot ([OIN] SOUND)
Loin - far away ([OIN] SOUND)
Un soin - a care ([OIN] SOUND)

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[ai] sound

You will hear "ai" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Une maison - a house ([AI] SOUND)
Un balai - a broom ([AI] SOUND)
Une caisse - a cash register ([AI] SOUND)
Une naissance - a birth ([AI] SOUND)

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[en] sound

You will hear "en" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Note that "en" and "an" are pronounced the same way.

Encore - again ([EN] SOUND)
Comprendre - to understand ([EN] SOUND)
Les parents - the parents ([EN] SOUND)
*Le Camembert - a Camembert (French cheese) ([EN] SOUND)
Un enfant - a child ([EN] SOUND)
**Un tambour - a drum ([EN] SOUND)

*Note that "en" before a "p" or a "b" is written "em".
**Note that "an" before a "p" or a "b" is written "am".

--------------------------------

[eu] sound

You will hear "on" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

L'heure - the time ([EU] SOUND)
La peur - the fear ([EU] SOUND)
Une fleur - a flower ([EU] SOUND)
Un auto-stoppeur - a hitchhiker ([EU] SOUND)

NOTE : The past participle of the verb avoir (to have) is written eu and is prononced like the letter "U".

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[in] sound

You will hear "in" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Un magasin - a shop ([IN] SOUND)
Malin - clever ([IN] SOUND)
*Un timbre - a stamp ([IN] SOUND)
**Un pain - a bread ([IN] SOUND)
**Demain - tomorrow ([IN] SOUND)
**Un frein - a brake ([IN] SOUND)

*Note that "in" before a "p" or a "b" is written "im".
**Note that "in", "ain" and "ein" are pronounced the same way.

--------------------------------

[é] sound

You will hear "é" in the following examples. Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

Révéler - to reveal ([É] SOUND)
*Aimer - to love ([IN] SOUND)

*Note that "-er" at the end of a word is pronounced the same way as "é". Some French verbs in the infinitive end with -er.

 

[Godivea]

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

First, you have to learn the personal pronouns used in French.


Singular :

JE ( I )

TU ( YOU )

*IL/*ELLE/**ON ( HE, SHE, *WE )

Plural :

NOUS ( WE )

***VOUS ( YOU )

*ILS/*ELLES (THEY )

*Note that "il" and "ils" are for masculine things/persons and "elle" and "elles" are for feminine things/persons.
**Note that "on" is a sort of vague and not precise "we".
***Note that "vous" can be used to talk to someone you do not know very well, or to someone important (your boss for example). Of course, it can also be used to talk about a group of persons.

"LE", "LA" AND "LES"

"Le", "la" and "les" are the French equivalents for "the".

As French makes a distinction between masculine and feminine objects, people use "le" for masculine things/persons and "la" for feminine things/persons.

However, in the plural, only "les" is used whatever the gender is.

You will hear "LE", "LA" AND "LES". Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

LE (MASCULINE) - [LE] PRONUNCIATION
LA (FEMININE) - [LA] PRONUNCIATION
LES (PLURAL) - [LES] PRONUNCIATION

- Note that when the following noun begins with a vowel, "le" or "la" becomes "l'".

- Note that making plural is easy : most of the time, it consists in adding an "s" to the noun.

EXAMPLE (PLURAL):

L'ORDINATEUR (MASCULINE) - THE COMPUTER
=
LES ORDINATEURS (PLURAL) - THE COMPUTERS

L'ÎLE (FEMININE) - THE ISLAND
=
LES ÎLES (PLURAL) - THE ISLANDS

"UN", "UNE" AND "DES"

"Un", "une" and "des" are the french equivalents for "a/an"

As French makes a distinction between masculine and feminine objects, people use "un" for masculine things/persons and "une" for feminine things/persons.

However, in the plural, only "des" is used whatever the gender is.

You will hear "UN", "UNE" AND "DES". Press the URL to hear the corresponding word.

UN (MASCULINE) - [UN] PRONUNCIATION
UNE (FEMININE) - [UNE] PRONUNCIATION
DES (PLURAL) - [DES] PRONUNCIATION

EXAMPLE (PLURAL):

UN TÉLÉPHONE (MASCULINE) - A PHONE
=
DES TÉLÉPHONES (PLURAL)

UNE TÉLÉVISION (FEMININE) - A TELEVISION
=
DES TÉLÉVISIONS (PLURAL)

BUILDING A SENTENCE

It is the same as in English. Most sentences are built on the same template :

SUBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENT - TRANSLATION

EXAMPLES :

La pluie frappe sur les carreaux. - The rain hits the window-panes.
Les arbres perdent leurs feuilles. - Trees are losing their leaves.

AUXILIARIES

ÊTRE - TO BE

Let's start with the most common verb... être (to be).

"Être" is an irregular verb whatever the tense is. Here is the conjugation in the present :

[ÊTRE] PRONUNCIATION

JE SUIS - I AM
TU ES - YOU ARE
IL/ELLE/ EST - HE/SHE/ IS
NOUS SOMMES - WE ARE
VOUS ÊTES - YOU ARE
ILS/ELLES SONT - THEY ARE

EXAMPLES :

Je suis heureux. - I am happy.
Nous sommes dans la cuisine. - We are in the kitchen.

AVOIR - TO HAVE

Another useful verb : Avoir (to have).

Like "être", "avoir" is an irregular verb whatever the tense is. Here is the conjugation in the present :

[AVOIR] PRONUNCIATION

J'AI (=JE AI) - I HAVE
TU AS - YOU HAVE
IL/ELLE/ A - HE/SHE/ HAS
NOUS AVONS - WE HAVE
VOUS AVEZ - YOU HAVE
ILS/ELLES ONT - THEY HAVE

Il a une voiture. - He has a car.
J'ai une montre. - I have a watch.

 

[Godivea]

NE [VERB] PAS

French use "ne" [INSERT VERB HERE] "pas" to make negative phrases :

HOW IT WORKS : SUBJECT + NE + VERB + PAS + ...

Je ne suis pas dans la cuisine.
(I am not in the kitchen.)

Nous ne partons pas en vacances.
(We are not going in vacation.)

Ils ne parlent pas Italien.
(They do not speak Italian.)

*Tu n'as pas de chance!
(You are not lucky!)

*Note that when the verb begins with a vowel, use n' instead of ne.

OTHER EXAMPLE [WITH PRONUNCIATION] :

Il ne veut pas venir avec nous. ([PRONUNCIATION])
(He doesn't want to come with us.)

NE [VERB] JAMAIS

Use "ne" [INSERT VERB HERE] "jamais" to translate "never" :

Je ne vais jamais à la piscine.
(I never go to the pool.)

OTHER EXAMPLE [WITH PRONUNCIATION] :

Il ne veut jamais venir avec nous. ([PRONUNCIATION])
(He never wants to come with us.)

NE [VERB] PLUS

French use "ne" [INSERT VERB HERE] "plus" to make negative sentences with "anymore" :

WARNING : Do not confuse "plus" (+, final "s" is pronounced) and "plus" ("anymore", final "s" isn't pronounced.)

Je ne suis plus dans la cuisine.
(I am not in the kitchen anymore.)

OTHER EXAMPLE [WITH PRONUNCIATION] :

Il ne veut plus venir avec nous. ([PRONUNCIATION])
(He doesn't want to come with us anymore.)

 

[Godivea]

CONVERTING A DECLARATIVE SENTENCE INTO AN INTERROGATIVE ONE :

Est-ce-que...

-Tu participes à toutes nos réunions. (DECLARATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-You take part in all our meetings. (TRANSLATION)
-Est-ce que tu participes à toutes nos réunions? (INTERROGATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Do you take part in all our meetings? (TRANSLATION)

_________________________

-Il joue au football. (DECLARATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-He plays soccer. (TRANSLATION)
-Est-ce qu'il joue au football? (INTERROGATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Does he play soccer? (TRANSLATION)

Switching the subject and the verb

-Tu participes à toutes nos réunions. (DECLARATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-You take part in all our meetings. (TRANSLATION)

BECOMES

*-Participes-tu à toutes nos réunions? (INTERROGATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Do you take part in all our meetings? (TRANSLATION)

*Note that a dash must be included between the verb and the subject.

_________________________

-Il joue au football. (DECLARATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-He plays soccer. (TRANSLATION)

BECOMES

-**Joue-t-il au football? (INTERROGATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Does he play soccer? (TRANSLATION)

**Note that you must add -t- between the verb and the subject when the verb ends with a vowel and the subject begins with a vowel.

-Marie aime la peinture. (DECLARATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Marie is fond of painting. (TRANSLATION)
***-Marie aime-t-elle la peinture ? (INTERROGATIVE) - PRONUNCIATION
-Is Marie found of painting? (TRANSLATION)

***Note that you can't say : "Aime Marie la peinture ?" Instead, replace the firstname by the corresponding pronoun and keep the firstname at the beginning of the phrase.

_________________________

-Pourquoi? = WHY?
-Comment? = HOW?
-Où? = WHERE?
There is a grave accent on "où" to tell the difference with "ou" (or) but the pronunciation remains the same.
-Quand? = WHEN?
-Qui? = WHO?

_________________________

DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE THE TONE OF YOUR VOICE! CLICK ON THE PRONUNCIATION LINKS TO HEAR IT.

 

[Godivea]

In French, the possessive adjectives agree with the following noun. But in the plural, there is no difference between masculine and feminine :



EXAMPLES :

-Mon père travaille dur.
-My father works hard.
-Nous avons trouvé tes chaussures.
-We have found your shoes.

_______________________________

In French, pronouns like mine, yours, etc... agree with the subject :



EXAMPLES :

-C'est le chat de Marie ; c'est le sien.
-It is Marie's cat ; it is hers.
-Donne-moi ta main et prend la mienne.
-Give me your hand and hold mine.


_______________________________

Belonging ('s equivalents)

English uses 's to indicate that something belongs to someone. French uses de.

EXAMPLES :

-Ce sont les chaussures de Pierre. ([DE PRONUNCIATION])
-These are Pierre's shoes.

Please note that de + le = du. For example :

-Le chat (de le) du garçon
-The boy's cat.

If the noun begins with a vowel or with a silent h, use de + l' :

-Les pieds de l'homme.
-Man's feet.

 

[Godivea]

From 0 to 9

These should be learnt by heart :

0 = ZÉRO
1 = UN
2 = DEUX
3 = TROIS
4 = QUATRE
5 = CINQ
6 = SIX
7 = SEPT
8 = HUIT
9 = NEUF

[FROM 0 TO 9 PRONUNCIATION]

_______________________

From 10 to 19

Now, from 10 to 19, things are irregular, like in English and in German :

10 = DIX
11 = ONZE
12 = DOUZE
13 = TREIZE
14 = QUATORZE
15 = QUINZE
16 = SEIZE
*17 = DIX-SEPT
*18 = DIX-HUIT
*19 = DIX-NEUF

*Note that you can remember easily those 3 cases :

-17 = 10+7 : dix+sept = dix-sept
-18 = 10+8 : dix+huit = dix-huit
-19 = 10+9 : dix+neuf = dix-neuf

[FROM 10 TO 19 PRONUNCIATION]

_______________________

From 20 to 69

From 20 to 69, things are very regular. You just have to learn :

- 20 : vingt
- 30 : trente
- 40 : quarante
- 50 : cinquante
- 60 : soixante

The rest is natural :



[FROM 20 TO 29 PRONUNCIATION]

Do the same for trente, quarante, cinquante and soixante :

- [FROM 30 TO 39 PRONUNCIATION]
- [FROM 40 TO 49 PRONUNCIATION]
- [FROM 50 TO 59 PRONUNCIATION]
- [FROM 60 TO 69 PRONUNCIATION]

_______________________

From 70 to 99

THINGS START TO GET STRANGE HERE :

-70 is prononced soixante-dix (60+10)
-80 is prononced quatre-vingts (4*20)
-90 is prononced quatre-vingt-dix (4*20+10)


[FROM 70 TO 79 PRONUNCIATION]


*Note that vingt takes an s when it is not in the middle of a number.
[FROM 80 TO 89 PRONUNCIATION]


[FROM 90 TO 99 PRONUNCIATION]

_______________________

100, 200, etc...

100 is written cent. It takes an s when it is not in the middle of a number :


[100, 200, ETC...PRONUNCIATION]
_______________________

1000, 2000, etc...

1000 is written "mille". It is invariable. So, no "s" for "mille".


[1000, 2000, ETC...PRONUNCIATION]

_______________________

One million and more...

1000000 is written "million". It takes an "s" in the plural.


[UN MILLION PRONUNCIATION]

 

[Godivea]

Here's a list of useful sites you can visit to practice pronunciation :

THERE





And this one is the know how to conjugate your verbs :

THERE

More will be added soon....

 

[Godivea]

(EVEN A SMALL CONTRIBUTION COUNTS. HELP ME MAKE THIS THREAD A BETTER ONE.)

- Antios
- rodolph the great

 

[Godivea]

- RESERVED -