While I drink my coffeeBefore you practise: rules and examples
These topics cover this set, including review questions. Open the guide and refer to it while answering.
Un, une, le, la: gender and articles
Every noun has a gender, and the article shows it. Un and le are masculine, une and la feminine: un magasin, une valise; le train, la gare.
Un / une means a: Vivi cherche une valise, she is looking for a suitcase. Le / la means the: la valise rouge, the red suitcase. In the plural: des valises, les valises.
Before a vowel le and la become l’: l’addition, l’hôtel. Gender is not about meaning: une valise, but le livre. Learn each word with its article.
une valise/yn valiz/ — a suitcase
un magasin/ɛ̃ maɡazɛ̃/ — a shop
Colours and agreement
An adjective changes with its noun. For the feminine you usually add -e: un carnet vert → une valise verte; noir → noire; petit → petite.
If the word already ends in -e, it stays the same: un carnet rouge, une valise rouge. In the plural add -s, which is silent: des valises noires.
Colours go after the noun: une valise rouge. Short common adjectives go before it: une petite valise, une jolie maison. You can often hear the feminine: petit “p-tee”, petite “p-teet”.
une petite valise rouge/yn ptit valiz ʁuʒ/ — a small red suitcase
un carnet vert/ɛ̃ kaʁnɛ vɛʁ/ — a green notebook
At the shop: je cherche, c’est combien, je la prends
Je cherche… means I am looking for…: Je cherche une valise. It is a regular -er verb.
The price: Combien coûte la valise ? or simply C’est combien ? The answer: Quatre-vingts dollars. If it’s expensive: C’est un peu cher.
You decide to buy it: Je la prends !, I’ll take it! La stands for la valise and goes before the verb. For a masculine noun use le: Je le prends (le carnet).
Je cherche une valise./ʒə ʃɛʁʃ yn valiz/ — I’m looking for a suitcase.
Combien coûte la valise ?/kɔ̃bjɛ̃ kut la valiz/ — How much is the suitcase?
Je suis, elle est: the verb être
Être means to be: Je suis à la maison, I am at home; Vivi est à la maison, Vivi is at home. As in English, the verb is never left out.
Forms: je suis, tu es, il / elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils / elles sont. Es and est sound the same, like the e in bed: the final letters are silent.
Use être to say who you are and how you feel: Je suis canadienne, Elle est nerveuse. A word about a woman takes the feminine form: nerveux → nerveuse, heureux → heureuse, content → contente.
Je suis à la maison./ʒə sɥi a la mɛzɔ̃/ — I am at home.
Elle est un peu nerveuse./ɛl ɛ ɛ̃ pø nɛʁvøz/ — She is a little nervous.
-er verbs: je regarde, elle habite
Most French verbs end in -er: parler, regarder, habiter, aimer. They all follow one pattern.
Drop -er and add the endings: je regarde, tu regardes, il / elle regarde, nous regardons, vous regardez, ils regardent. Good news: -e, -es and -ent are silent, so je regarde, tu regardes and ils regardent sound the same.
Before a vowel je loses its e: j’habite, j’aime. One form covers both I look and I am looking: Vivi regarde la pluie, Vivi is looking at the rain.
Vivi regarde la pluie./vivi ʁəɡaʁd la plɥi/ — Vivi is looking at the rain.
Léa habite à Bruxelles./lea abit a bʁysɛl/ — Léa lives in Brussels.
Il y a and the weather
Il y a means there is or there are: Il y a un canapé pour toi, there is a sofa for you. The same form works for one thing or many: il y a des livres.
Weather: il pleut, it is raining; il neige, it is snowing. With fait: il fait beau, the weather is nice; il fait froid, it is cold; il fait chaud, it is hot.
To ask about the weather: Quel temps fait-il ? Here il is an empty subject, like it in it’s raining.
Il y a un canapé pour toi./il i a ɛ̃ kanape puʁ twa/ — There is a sofa for you.
Il pleut à Montréal./il plø a mɔ̃ʁeal/ — It is raining in Montréal.
1. Vivi cherche ___ valise.
2. ___ addition, s’il vous plaît.
3. une valise ___
4. des valises ___
5. Combien ___ la valise ?
6. Le carnet ? Je ___ prends.
7. Build the phrase
a suitcase
8. Build the phrase
I’ll take it! (the suitcase)
Review from Nº1These items appeared in the previous issue. See what has changed since then.
9. Vivi ___ à la maison.
10. Léa ___ à Bruxelles.
11. Build the phrase
It is raining in Montréal.