41. Imperfect Tense This past tense corresponds to "was, were or used to.

" This tense is used for repeated, continuous, or ongoing actions; as well as for verbs that describe background and circumstances, such as weather, time, and physical, mental, and emotional states. (Use the pass compos for actions that happened once and are done.) Verbs that express mental and emotional states that are descriptive in nature are generally used in the imperfect more than the pass compos. These verbs are: aimer, avoir, croire, dtester, esprer, tre, penser, and prfrer. To form the stem, use the nous form of the present tense and drop the -ons. Then add these endings: -ais -ais -ait // // // -ions -iez /j / /je/

-aient //

The only exception is tre for which you must use the stem t-, but still the same endings. Verb stems that end in -c must use a cedilla () under the c to make it soft. Verb stems ending in -g keep the e before all forms except nous and vous. tre tais /et/ tions tais /et/ tiez commencer commenais /km / commencions /km s sj / commenais /km / commenciez s /km sje/ commenait /km / commenaient /km / s s /etj / /etje/ manger mangeais /m / mangions /mj / mangeais /m/ mangiez /mje/ mangeait /m/ mangeaient /m/

tait /et/ taient /et/

Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir These verbs change meanings, according to whether they are used in the imperfect or the pass compos. Imperfect avoir devoir j'avais je devais I had I was supposed to j'ai eu j'ai d j'ai pu je n'ai pas pu Pass Compos I got, received I must have, I had to (and did) I was able to (and did), succeeded

pouvoir je pouvais I was capable

I couldn't, failed savoir je savais I knew I wanted to j'ai su j'ai voulu je n'ai pas voulu I found out, discovered I tried, decided, insisted I refused

vouloir je voulais

The imperfect tense is also used with these constructions: tre en train de + infinitive = to be in the middle of doing something J'tais en train d'tudier quand vous tes arrivs. J'tais sur le point de vous rappeler. aller + infinitive = going to do something J'allais sortir quand le tlphone a sonn. Je venais de manger, alors je n'avais plus faim. 42. Places / Les Endroits school bathroom locker drinking fountain store library office stadium cafe cafeteria movie theater church museum l'cole (f) /ekl/ les toilettes (f) /twalt/ le casier la fontaine le magasin la biblio(thque) le bureau le stade le caf la caftria le cinma l'glise (f) le muse /kzje/ /f n/ t /magaz / /biblijtk/ /byo/ /stad/ /kafe/ /kafeteja/ /sinema/ /egliz/ /myze/ university l'universit (f) /ynivsite/ bank la banque /b k/ train la gare /ga/ station airport telephone l'aroport (m) /aep/ /telefn/ /apatm / /otl/ /vila/ /yzin/ /ad / /ato/ /katedal/ /zo/ I was going to leave when the phone rang. I had just eaten, so I wasn't hungry anymore. venir de + infinitive = to have just done something I was (in the process of ) studying when you arrived. I was just about to call you back.

tre sur le point de + infinitive = to be just about to do something

le tlphone l'appartement apartment (m) hotel l'htel (m) village le village factory l'usine (f) garden le jardin castle cathedral zoo le chteau la cathdrale le zoo

pool countryside beach theater park restaurant hospital post office home city supermarket

la piscine la campagne la plage le thtre le parc le restaurant l'hpital (m) la poste la maison la ville

/pisin/ /k / pa /pla/ /tet/ /pak/ /st / /pital/ /pst/ /mz / /vil/

bakery monument pharmacy butcher shop candy store police station town hall square bookstore grocery store

la boulangerie /buli/ le monument /mnym / la pharmacie /famasi/ la boucherie la confiserie /bui/ /k i/ fiz

la gendarmerie / m()i/ da la mairie la place la librairie l'picerie (f) /mi/ /plas/ /libi/ /episi/ /ptisi/

le /sypmae/ supermarch delicatessen la charcuterie /akyti/

pastry shop la ptisserie

fish market la poissonnerie /pwasni/

Nowadays, la mdiathque /medjatk/ is replacing bibliothque because most libraries also have DVDs and CDs to lend, not just books. You may also hear la cantine /k to tin/ refer to the cafeteria in a school.

43. Transportation by bike by bus by moped by car by motorcycle by subway on foot by plane by train by boat en vlo (m) en bus (m) en scooter (m) en voiture (f) en moto (f) en mtro (m) pied (m) en avion (m) en train (m) en bateau (m) /velo/ /bus/ /skut / /vwaty / /moto/ /met o/ /a pje/ /navj / /t / /bato/

Instead of using a specific verb of movement (drive, fly, walk) before a location, French actually uses a more general verb + the location + the manner of movement. I walk to school. = Je vais l'cole pied. (I go to school on foot.) I'm flying to New York. = Je vais New York en avion. (I go to New York by plane.) Common slang words for car/automobile are une bagnole /bal/ or une caisse /ks/. In Quebec, it's un char /a/.

44. To Want & To Be Able To vouloir /vulwa/ -to want and pouvoir /puvwa/ - to be able to, can Present veux /v/ voulons veux /v/ voulez veut /v/ veulent /vul / /vule/ /vl/ voulais voulais voulait Imperfect /vul/ /vul/ /vul/ voulions vouliez voulaient pouvions pouviez /vulj / /vulje/ /vul/ /puvj / /puvje/ voudrai /vud/ voudra voudras /vuda/ /vuda/ Future voudrons /vud / voudrez voudront /vud / pourrons /pu / pourrez pourront /pu / /vude/

peux /p/ pouvons /puv / peux /p/ pouvez /puve/ peut /p/ peuvent /pv/

pouvais /puv/ pouvais /puv/ pouvait /puv/

pourrai /pu/ pourra

pourras /pua/ /pua/

/pue/

pouvaient /puv/

Voulez-vous? can mean Do you want? or Will you? The past participles are voulu and pu and both are conjugated with avoir. The conditional forms of vouloir are used in the expression "would like" i.e. I'd like = je voudrais, you'd like = tu voudrais, he'd/she'd like = il/elle voudrait, we'd like = nous voudrions, you'd like = vous voudriez, they'd like = ils/elles voudraient. You do not need to use pouvoir after verbs that involve the senses, such as voir (to see) and entendre (to hear). Je ne vois pas / Je n'entends pas can mean I don't see or I can't see / I don't hear or I can't hear depending on the context.

45. The House and Yard / La maison et le jardin House Apartment Bedroom la maison /mz / l'appartement /apatm / (m) la chambre / / b Yard Shrub Lawn/grass le jardin l'arbuste (m) le gazon / /ad / /abyst/ /gaz /p()luz/ /

Hallway Kitchen Storeroom Stairs Floor Living Room

le couloir la cuisine le dbarras l'escalier (m) l'tage (m)

/kulwa/ /kizin/ /debaa/ /skalje/ /eta/

Bush Tree Lawn mower Hose Watering can

la pelouse le buisson l'arbre (m) la tondeuse gazon le tuyau d'arrosage l'arrosoir (m) le rteau la bche le cisaille la pelle

/bis / /ab/ /t dzagaz / /tijodaoza/ /aoza/ /to/ /b/ /sizj/ /pl/

le living / le salon Closet la penderie Room la pice le rez-deGround Floor chausse la salle Dining Room manger la salle de Bathroom bains Terrace, patio la terrasse Attic le grenier Chimney Roof Garage Driveway Sidewalk Porch Basement Cellar la chemine le toit le garage l'alle (f) le trottoir le porche le sous-sol la cave

/livi/ /sal Rake / /p i/ d /pjs/ /dose/ /salame/ /saldb / /tas/ /gnje/ /()mine/ /tw/ /gaa/ /ale/ /ttwa/ /p/ /susl/ /kav/ Hoe Clippers Shovel Sprinkler Lock (door) Lock (bolt) Padlock

l'arroseur /aoz/ (m) la serrure /sey/

le verrou /vu/ le cadenas /kadna/ la Hinges /anj/ charnire Key la cl /kle/ Keychain le porte-cl /ptkle/ le trou de Keyhole sey/ la serrure la poigne Doorknob /pwaedpt/ de porte Tile roofing les tuiles (f) /til/ les Clapboard/Shingle bardeaux /bado/ (m) l'ardoise Slate roofing /adwaz/ (f)

You may also see the words la loggia /ldja/ (small room off a large room - sometimes like a pantry) and la veranda /ve (enclosed porch/balcony), as well as les toilettes da/ /twalt/ (a separate room just for the toilet), for parts of a house or apartment.

46. Furniture and Appliances / Les meubles et l'Electromenager Furniture Shelf Desk Chair Dresser les meubles l'tagre (f) le bureau la chaise la commode /mbl/ /eta/ /byo/ /z/ /kmd/ /ido/ /t gl/ /vl/ /st/ /fnt/ /li/ /plyma/ /pt/ /plaka/ /tapi/ /l p/ /tabldni/ /ep / d /n i fi/ /televizj / /maetskp/ /telekm d/ /dinat/ /adjo/ /figo/ Appliances Thermostat Air Conditioner Fan Rocking chair Stool Cushion Carpet Mixer / Beater Blender l'lectromnager /elktomenae/ le thermostat /tmsta/ le climatiseur /klimatiz/ /v tilat / /fotjabaskyl/ /tabu/ /kus / /mkt/ /batelktik/ /miks/ /uvbwat/ /gijp / /kaftj/ /mulna kafe/ /bujwa/ /da/ /kuvty/

Curtain le rideau Curtain rod la tringle Shutters les volets (m) Blinds Window Bed Door Closet Rug Lamp Nightstand Answering machine Stereo Television VCR Remote Control Computer Radio Fridge Refrigerator Freezer (Coffee) Table les stores (m) la fentre le lit / le plumard la porte le placard le tapis la lampe la table de nuit le rpondeur la chane hi fi la tl(vision) le magntoscope la tlcommande l'ordinateur (m) la radio le frigo

le ventilateur le fauteuil bascule le tabouret le coussin la moquette le batteur lectrique le mixeur l'ouvre-botes Can opener (m) Toaster le grille-pain Coffee maker la caftire Coffee press le moulin caf Kettle la bouilloire Sheet le drap Blanket Mattress la couverture

le matelas /matla/ les lits superposs Bunkbeds /lisyppoze/ (m) l'interrupteur Lightswitch / ypt/ te (m) Lampshade Faucet l'abat-jour (m) le robinet /abau/ /bin/ /kanalizasj / /ptsvjt/ /b i/ d /avl/ /panje a l/

le /efieat/ rfrigrateur le conglateur /kelat/ la table (basse) /tabl bas/

Drain/Piping la canalisation le porteTowel bar serviettes Laundry la buanderie room Bleach la javel Laundry le panier linge basket

Sink Bathtub Stove Oven

l'vier (m) la baignoire la cuisinire le four

/evje/ /bwa/ /kizinj/ /fu/

Clothespin Washing Machine Clothes Dryer Iron

la pince linge la machine laver / le lavelinge le sche-linge

/p a l / s /mainalave/ /lavl/ /sl/

Dishwasher le lave-vaisselle /lavvsl/ Microwave Shower Pillow Mirror Ceiling Floor Armchair Clock Bedspread Vase le four micro-ondes la douche l'oreiller le miroir le plafond le plancher le fauteuil la pendule le couvre-lit le vase /fuamiko d/ /du/ /je/ /miwa/ /plaf / /ple/ /fotj/ /p dyl/ /kuvli/ /vz/ /lavabo/ /klik klak/

le fer repasser /fapase/ la planche Ironing board /plapase/ repasser Hanger Vacuum Broom Dustpan Mop Garbage Garbage bag Garbage can Flyswatter Clothes Dryer Hair Dryer Couch/Sofa le cintre l'aspirateur (m) le balai la pelle la serpillire les ordures (f) le sac poubelle la poubelle la tapette mouche le schoir /s / t /aspiat/ /bal/ /pl/ /spij/ /dy/ /sakpubl/ /publ/ /taptamu/ /sewa/

Bathroom le lavabo sink Futon couch le clic-clac

le sche-cheveux /seav/

le canap / le sofa /kanape/ /sfa/ le lecteur de DVD Player /lktddevede/ DVD

Monte le son. / Baisse le son. Turn up the volume. / Turn down the volume. Allume la lumire. / Eteinds la tl. Turn on the light. / Turn off the television.

47. Comparatives & Superlatives Comparatives aussi (adj or adv) que moins (adj or adv) que plus (adj or adv) que plus de (noun) que autant de (noun) que as (adj or adv) as less (adj or adv) than more (adj or adv) than more (noun) than as many (noun) as

moins de (noun) que

less (noun) than

Sample Sentences She is taller than Colette. Elle est plus grande que Colette. I am smarter than you. Je suis plus intelligente que toi. Peter runs less quickly than me. Pierre court moins rapidement que moi. The kitchen is as big as the living room. La cuisine est aussi grande que le salon. I have more books than she. J'ai plus de livres qu'elle. We have as many cars as he. Nous avons autant de voitures que lui.

Verbs can also be compared with plus/aussi/moins (+ que): Il travaille moins qu'elle. He works less than she. Ils dorment plus. They sleep more. Superlatives Simply add le, la or les before the comparative if you are using an adjective. With adverbs, always use le. After a superlative, de is used to mean in. If the adjective follows the noun, the superlative follows the noun also, surrounding the adjective. Sample Sentences It's the biggest city in the world. C'est la plus grande ville du monde. She is the most beautiful woman in this room. Elle est la plus belle femme de cette salle. This neighborhood is the least expensive in Ce quartier est le moins cher de Paris. Paris. C'est la punition la plus redoutable du It's the most dreaded punishment in the world. monde. Elle travaille le plus courageusement de She works the most courageously of everyone. tous.

In French, sometimes you don't use any articles, as compared to English: Plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

48. Irregular Forms Adjective Comparative Superlative

bon mauvais petit

good meilleur/e better le/la meilleur/e best bad pire worse le/la pire less le/la moindre worst least small moindre Adverb

Comparative mieux more less

Superlative best most worst least le plus le moins

bien mal peu

well

better le mieux worse le pis

beaucoup much plus badly pis little moins

Only use the irregular forms of mauvais in the abstract sense. If the idea is concrete, you may use plus/moins mauvais and le/la mauvais.

49. Clothing / Les vetements pajamas jewelry necklace jeans pants sweater turtleneck raincoat blouse bra slip coat tennis shoes swimsuit shorts bracelet charm t-shirt hat ring chain earrings pin le pyjama le bijou le collier le jean le pantalon le pull le col roul l'impermable (m) le chemisier le soutien-gorge le jupon le manteau des tennis (m) le maillot de bain le short le bracelet le porte-bonheur le tee-shirt le chapeau la bague la chanette les boucles d'oreilles (f) l'pingle (f) boxer shorts briefs panties tuxedo bowtie vest/cardigan flip flops sleeve pocket decorative scarf man's suit woman's suit slippers jacket underwear gloves mittens belt cap skirt dress sandal boots le caleon le slip la culotte le smoking le nud papillon le gilet les tongs la manche la poche la foulard le costume le tailleur des pantoufles (f) le blouson les sous-vtements les gants (m) les moufles (f) la ceinture la casquette la jupe la robe la sandale des bottes (f)

sock shoe man's shirt hooded jacket sneakers track suit size (clothes)

la chaussette la chaussure la chemise l'anorak des baskets le jogging la taille

blazer/coat scarf tie slipper shoes high heels long shorts size (shoes)

la veste l'charpe (f) la cravate des chaussons des escarpins le bermuda la pointure

Les bas (stockings) and les collants (tights) are popular in France. Chaussures talons hauts are high-heeled shoes, while chaussures talons plats are flat shoes. Chaussures de ville are dress shoes. A slang word for clothes is les fringues.

50. To Wear Mettre /m t / - to put, to put on, wear Present mets /m/ mettons /mt / mets /m/ mettez met /mte/ /m/ mettent /mt/ Imperfect mettais /mt/ mettais /mt/ mettait /mt/ mettions mettiez /mtj / /mtje/ mettrai /mt/ mettras /mta/ mettra /mta/ Future mettrons /mt / mettrez mettront /mt / /mte/

mettaient /mt/

Other verbs that are conjugated like mettre: promettre - to promise and permettre - to permit. The past participle of mettre is mis and it is conjugated with avoir. Porter is actually the verb to wear, but the French use mettre also. It looks good on you. (informal) Il / Elle vous va bien. It looks good on you. (formal) Ils / Elles te vont They look good on you. bien. (informal) Ils / Elles vous vont They look good on you. bien. (formal) Il / Elle te va bien. 51. Future Tenses: Simple and Anterior The futur simple expresses an action that will take place [will + infinitive]. The futur antrieur expresses an action that will have taken place before another future action [will have + past participle]. The future tense is used just like it is in English, however, in

French, the future is always used after quand or lorsque (when), ds que or aussitt que (as soon as) and tant que (as long as.) To form the future tense, use the infinitive and add these endings that resemble those of avoir. However, you drop the -e from -re verbs. -ai -as -a // /a/ /a/ -ons / -ez /e/ -ont / /

parler choisir perdre parlerai parlerons choisirai choisirons perdrai perdrons parleras parlerez choisiras choisirez perdras perdrez parlera parleront choisira choisiront perdra perdront

And of course, there are exceptions. Here are the irregular stems for the future tense (these will also be used in the conditional tense): Irregular Stems aller avoir courir devoir tre faire falloir mourir iraurcourrdevrserferfaudrpleuvoir pleuvrpouvoir pourrrecevoir recevrsavoir valoir venir voir saurtiendrvaudrviendrverrvoudr-

envoyer enverr- tenir

mourr- vouloir

tre aller serai serons j'irai irons seras serez iras irez sera seront ira iront

Other exceptions: For appeler and jeter, double the consonant. For nettoyer and payer, change the y to i. For acheter, add an accent grave. For prfrer, the accents all remain the same. jeter jetterai jetteras jettera jetterons jetterez jetteront payer paierai paiera paierons paieront paieras paierez acheter achterai achtera achterons achteront achteras achterez prfrer prfrerai prfrera prfrerons prfreront prfreras prfrerez

To form the futur antrieur (will have + past participle), use the future of either avoir or tre (whichever the main verb takes) and the past participle of the main verb. Quand ils reviendront, ils auront chang. When they come back, they will have changed. Ds qu'ils seront revenus, ils voudront repartir. As soon as they have returned, they will want to leave again.

52. Preceding & Plural Adjectives Masculine Singular Plural beau (bel) beaux bon bons cher chers fou (fol) foux gentil gentils grand grands gros gros jeune jeunes joli jolis long longs mauvais mauvais meilleur meilleurs mou (mol) moux nouveau (nouvel) nouveaux petit petits vieux (vieil) vieux Feminine Singular Plural belle belles bonne bonnes chre chres folle folles gentille gentilles grande grandes grosse grosses jeune jeunes jolie jolies longue longues mauvaise mauvaises meilleure meilleures molle molles nouvelle nouvelles petite petites vieille vieilles

Adjective beautiful good dear crazy nice big large young pretty long bad better, best soft new little old

The masculine singular and plural are pronounced the same, as are the feminine singular and plural. These are the most common adjectives that go before the noun. An acronym to remember which ones go before the noun is BRAGS: Beauty, Resemblance (mme and autre), Age/Order (premier and dernier), Goodness, and Size. All other adjectives, except numbers, go after the noun. The five words in parentheses (bel, fol, mol, nouvel, and vieil) are used before masculine singular words beginning with a vowel or a silent h. A few adjectives can be used before or after the noun, and the meaning changes accordingly. When used before the noun, they take a figurative meaning; and when used after, they take a literal meaning. Before plural adjectives preceding plural nouns, you use de instead of des to mean some. Ex: Some old monuments. De vieux monuments.

53. Adjectives: Formation of Feminine Almost all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify. Most adjectives are given in the masculine form, so to change to the feminine forms, follow these rules: Masculine Add -e brun fatigu If it already ends in -e, add nothing jeune -x changes to -se gnreux Exceptions: faux roux doux -il, -el, and -eil change to naturel -ille, -elle, and -eille -et changes to -te inquiet Exceptions: muet coquet -en and -on change to Italien -enne and -onne -er changes to -re cher -f changes to -ve actif -c changes to -che blanc Exceptions: public Feminine brune fatigue jeune gnreuse fausse rousse douce naturelle inquite muette coquette Italienne chre active blanche publique Adjective brown tired young generous false red (hair) sweet, soft natural worried silent stylish Italian dear, expensive active white public

-g changes to -gue -eur changes to -euse if adjective is derived from verb -eur changes to -rice if adjective is not same as verb -eur changes to -eure with adjectives of comparison

grec long menteur crateur infrieur

grecque longue menteuse cratrice infrieure paisse favorite frache

Greek long liar creator inferior thick favorite fresh, cool

pais And a few completely irregular ones: favori frais 54. Forming Plurals: Adjectives

To form the feminine plural, just add an -s, unless it already ends in an s, then add nothing. To form the masculine plural, just add an -s, except in these cases: -al becomes -aux (exceptions: banal - banals; final - finals); and if it ends in an x or s already, add nothing. Masculine Singular national gnral Feminine Singular nationale gnrale Masculine Plural nationaux gnraux Feminine Plural nationales gnrales

national general

national general

And of course there are more exceptions... some adjectives are invariable and do not have feminine or plural forms. Compound adjectives, such as bleu clair (light blue) and vert fonc (dark green), adjectives that are also nouns, such as or (gold), argent (silver), marron (chestnut), and the words chic (stylish), bon march or meilleur march (inexpensive) never change.

55. More Adjectives short (length) loud, court/e bruyant/e different diffrent/e situated situ/e boring crazy ennuyeux/euse fou/folle

noisy elegant tight, narrow several pointed bright cute perfect ready sad clever lazy generous famous lgant/e troit/e big curious gros/se curieux/euse interesting sensitive intressant/e sensible sportif/sportive ttu/e timide travailleur/euse optimiste pessimiste tolrant/e prtentieux/euse ambitieux/se agrable honnte

plusieurs/plusieures nervous pointu/e vif/vive mignon/ne parfait/e prt/e triste malin/maligne paresseux/euse gnreux/euse clbre only

nerveux/euse athletic seul/e stubborn shy hardworking optimistic pessimistic tolerant pretentious ambitious pleasant honest

amusing amusant/e touching mouvant/e funny heavy careful dirty tired angry old drle, marrant/e lourd/e prudent/e sale fatigu/e fch/e g/e

annoyed irrit/e

enthusiastic enthousiaste

decorated dcor/e

Remember the first word is the masculine and the second is the feminine. The addition of an e for the feminine form allows the last consonant to be voiced. These adjectives go after the noun. Normally, the verb rendre means to give something that you owe to someone, such as On rend ses devoirs au professeur. It can also be used in the sense of to represent. But rendre + adjective means to make someone or something + adjective. Tu me rends si heureuse ! You make me so happy! Le fait qu'il ne possde pas de voiture le rend triste. The fact that he doesn't have a car makes him sad. Some common slang adjectives that are used constantly in everyday speech: chouette minable mediocre ugly, con / conne stupid, dumb moche unpleasant dbile idiotic sensass sensational disgusting, dgueu(lasse) super marvellous bad great, good

extra gnial impec

extraordinary sympa very interesting perfect tarte tocard

nice, pleasant inane ridiculous, deplorable

The intensifiers vachement and drlement are also used often, meaning very or really. Il est vachement sympa. = He is really nice. Elle est drlement triste. = She is very sad.

56. Problem Verbs Some verbs in French present problems because they have several translations in English. Other verbs can have several translations in French, but fewer meanings in English. visiter - to visit places rendre visite - to visit people apporter - to bring things to some place emporter - to take things from some place amener - to bring someone to some place emmener - to take someone from some place apprendre quelque chose - to learn something apprendre quelque chose quelqu'un - to teach someone something rencontrer - to meet faire la connaissance de - to meet someone for the first time retrouver - to meet (for an appointment) partir - to leave (from or for a place) quitter - to leave (a person or place) sortir - to go out s'en aller - to go away laisser - to leave something behind retourner - to go back (to where speaker is not) revenir - to come back (to where speaker currently is) rentrer - to come or go home rendre - to return or give something back

faire - to make fabriquer - to produce obliger - to make someone do something rendre - to make someone + adjective After some verbs, the word ne is required, but this does not imply negation: craindre, redoter, empcher Je crains qu'il ne fasse trop froid. I'm afraid that it's too cold. And a few verbs only require ne and not pas in the negative, but this is elevated or literary language: cesser, oser, pouvoir, savoir Je ne peux vivre sans toi. I cannot live without you.

57. C'est / Il est + Adjective + A / de + Infinitive C'est + adjective + + infinitive is used when the idea has already been mentioned; while il est + adjective + de + infinitive is used when the idea has not yet been mentioned. Also, the c'est construction is used when you do not use a direct object after the infinitive of the transitive verb, and the il est construction is used when you do. Est-ce qu'on peut apprendre le chinois en un an ? Can you learn Chinese in one year? Non, c'est impossible apprendre en un an ! No, it's impossible to learn in one year! (The idea, Chinese, has already been mentioned, and there is no direct object.) OR: Non, il est impossible d'apprendre le chinois en un an ! (This sentence contains the direct object after the infinitive.) Il est facile d'apprendre l'italien. It is easy to learn Italian. (The idea has not already been mentioned, and the direct object is used.) Adjectives that express a certain emotion require de before the infinitive: content, dsol, furieux, heureux, triste Je suis contente de vous voir. I am happy to see you. Other adjectives require before the infinitive: agrable, pnible, terrible, amusant, intressant, ennuyeux, lger, lourd, lent, rapide, premier, dernier, prt, seul Il est prt partir. He is ready to leave. A longer list of adjectives that require or de before an infinitive can be found at 91. on French V. In addition, when quelque chose is followed by an adjective, de is inserted between the two. quelque chose d'intressant = something interesting

58. Sports & Instruments Soccer Hockey Football Basketball Baseball Horse-back riding Tennis Skiing Volleyball Wrestling Jogging Ice-skating Swimming Track and Field Bowling le football le hockey le football amricain le basket le base-ball l'quitation; du cheval le tennis le ski le volley la lutte / le catch le jogging le patin glace la natation l'athltisme le bowling Softball Golf Bicycling Surfing Dirt/Motor biking French horn violin guitar drum tuba flute trombone clarinet cello harp le softball le golf le vlo le surf le bicross le cor d'harmonie le violon la guitare le tambour le tuba la flte le trombone la clarinette le violoncelle la harpe

La lutte is regular wrestling (the real Greco-Roman sport), while le catch is professional/fake wrestling. Faire de + a sport means to play. Jouer + a sport also means to play, as does jouer de + an instrument. Tu fais du foot. You play soccer. J'aime jouer au tennis. I like to play tennis. Je peux jouer de la guitare. I can play the guitar. Nous jouons de la clarinette. We play the clarinet. Il veut jouer du tuba. He wants to play the tuba.

59. Nature air archipelago bank bay barn beach branch bridge l'air (m) l'archipel (m) la rive la baie la grange la plage la branche le pont frost grass gulf hail hay high tide hill ice la gele l'herbe (f) le golfe la grle le foin la mare haute la colline la glace rose sand sea shadow sky snow soil south la rose le sable la mer l'ombre (f) le ciel la neige la terre le sud

bud bush cape cave city climate cloud coast comet

le bouton le buisson le cap la caverne

island isthmus jungle lake leaf light lightning lily low tide meadow

I'le (f) l'isthme la jungle le lac la feuille la lumire l'clair (m) le lis la mare basse le pr la lune la montagne la chane de montagnes

spring (water) star stem storm strait stream street sun sunflower thaw thunder tornado tree

la source l'toile (f) la tige l'orage (f) / la tempte le dtroit le ruisseau la rue le soleil le tournesol la fonte le tonnerre la tornade l'arbre (m) le tronc la tulipe la valle la vue l'eau (f) l'eau douce l'eau sale l'arrosoir (m) la cascade la vague / l'onde (f) le temps l'ouest (m) le vent le monde

la ville le climat le nuage la cte la comte la constellation constellation country le pays country(side) la campagne current daffodil daisy darkness desert dew dust earth east farm field flower foam fog foliage forest 60. To Live

moon mountain mountain le courant range mouth la jonquille (river) la marguerite mud l'obscurit (f) nature le dsert north la rose peninsula la poussire plain la terre planet l'est (m) la ferme le champ la fleur l'cume (f) le brouillard le feuillage la fort plant pond pot (for plants) rain rainbow river rock root

l'embouchure (f) trunk la vase la nature le nord la pninsule la plaine la plante la plante l'tang (m) le pot de fleurs la pluie l'arc-en-ciel (m) le fleuve le rocher la racine tulip valley view water fresh water salt water watering can waterfall wave weather west wind world

vivre - to live, be alive (vee-vruh)

vis vis vit

Present vivons vivez vivent

Imperfect vivais vivions vivais viviez vivait vivaient

vivrai vivras vivra

Future vivrons vivrez vivront

The past participle of vivre is vcu and it is conjugated with avoir. Habiter is another verb that means to live, but it means to live in a place. Vivre is used to mean the state of being alive. A subjunctive form of vivre, vive, is often used in exclamations. Vive la France ! Long live France!