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French pronunciation is drope different from the English one. So note that the pronunciation table given below is not perfectly exact. It is worth listening to a French speaker so as to improve one's pronunciation.

So as to be polite the first word I want you to learn is: merci (beaucoup) = thank you (very much)

De rien = you're welcome

Oui = yes

Non = no

S'il vous plaît = please

Bonjour = good morning, good afternoon

Bonsoir = good evening

Bonne nuit = good night (before going to bed).

Au revoir = good-bye

À plus tard; à tout à l'heure; 'à plus!' = see you later

Comment allez-vous? = how are you?

Merci, très bien, et vous? = very well, thanks, and you?

Enchanté (de faire votre connaissance) = glad to know you

Excusez-moi; pardon? = I beg your pardon

Pardon! = excuse me

Salut! = hi!

Je voudrais/Nous voudrions = I/we'd like

Puis-je/Pouvons nous = can I/can we

One of the most difficult aspect of French is its conjugation. Unlike English, verbs have a lot of forms, beautiful irregular verbs. This aspect is typical in latin languages like French, Spanish or Italian.

je (pron. exactly like su in pleasure) = I. Je becomes j' when the verb begins by a vowel.

tu (pron. tü with a German ü) = you, for one person that you know well

il (pron. ill like in will) = he, it

elle (pron. ell like in well) = she, it

nous (pron. noo, like in noon) = we

vous (pron. voo, like in voodoo) = you, for several persons that you know well or not, and for one person you don't know or you respect

ils (pron. ill like in will) = they for masc.

elles (pron. ell like in well) = they for fem.

Unlike Spanish but like English you have to conjugate your verbs with the personal pronouns. Indeed, lots of forms are pronounced exactly the same way (even if they are written differently!) and so personal pronouns are useful to undierstand the meaning of what you say.

French présent corresponds to 2 English tenses: I sing, I'm singing = je chante

French imparfait corresponds to the English form I was singing = je chantais

French passé composé corresponds to the English tense: I sang = j'ai chanté. In French, always to have/to be + past paticiple

French passé simple or prétérite corresponds to 2 English tenses: I sang, I've sung. = je chantai. Note that it is mainly used in litterature; people prefer to use the passé composé in allday life

French futur corresponds to the English form: I will sing = je chanterai

French conditionnel corresponds to the English form: I would sing = je chanterais

French subjonctif présent is not very used in English (eg. 'God save the Queen'). We use this tense after words like que (that). For instance: je veux que tu sois riche=I want you to be rich.

Présent: drop -ER, add: e, es, e, ons, ez, ent

Imparfait: drop -ER, add: ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient

Prétérite: drop -ER, add: ai, as, a, âmes, âtes, èrent

Subjonctif présent: drop -ER, add: e, es, e, ions, iez, ent

Futur: add directly: ai, as, a, ons, ez, ont

Conditionnel: add directly: ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient

Impératif: see table

Passé composé: conjugate être or avoir (it depends) + past participle of the verb (drop -ER, add é).

Example: the verb chanter, to sing.

Présent: drop -IR, add: is, is, it, issons, issez, issent

Imparfait: drop -IR, add: issais, issais, issait, issions, issiez, issaient

Prétérite: drop -IR, add: is, is, it, îmes, îtes, irent

Subjonctif présent: drop -IR, add: isse, isses, isse, issions, issiez, issent

Futur: add directly: ai, as, a, ons, ez, ont

Conditionnel: add directly: ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient

Impératif: see table

Passé composé: conjugate être or avoir (it depends) + past participle of the verb (drop -IR, add i).

Example: the verb finir, to end.

This is not exactly a 'group' of verbs but a kind of 'fourre-tout' (holdall). Here you can meet the most strange conjugation forms, consequences to centuries of transformation in the French people's mouth...(of course, they are very often used verbs!).

Let's begin with the verb être, to be. It is absolutly irregular.

Let's see now the verb faire, to do.

The verb avoir, to have.

The verb aller, to go.

Let's see now the verb boire, to drink.

The verb pouvoir, can.

Let's see now the verb vouloir, to want.

Let's see now the verb voir, to see.

To finish, let's see the pronominal verb se laver, to wash oneself. (laver is regular).

You have seen lots of different forms in these pages but note that they have very few different pronunciations!

At the end of a verb, e, es, ent are not pronounced. Eg: je chante, tu chantes, ils chantent: /shant/.

At the end of a verb, ai, ais, ait, aient are pronounced like e in get.

At the end of a verb, er, ez , é, és, ée, ées are pronounced like a in late.

At the end of a verb, ons, ont are pronounced like orn in corn (o nasalisé).

At the end of a verb, a, as, ât are pronounced like a in father.

The negative form of a verb is simply built by means of the expression ne...pas.

Example:

Je vois (I see) -> Je ne vois pas (I don't see).

Je suis Français (I'm French) -> Je ne suis pas Français 5I'm not French).

As you can see you must put ne before the conjugated verb, and pas after it. You mustn't forget any of these two terms; however, when we speak fast, we often 'forget' the ne. So, instead of saying 'Je ne sais pas' (I don't know), we'll say 'Je sais pas' or even 'Ch'ai pas' (something like 'I dunno!').

Definite article: In English there is only one article (The). In French we have three.

Le and la are contracted to l' when followed by a vowel or an h.

examples: le garçon (the boy); la fille (the girl); l'autoroute (the motorway); les chiens (the dogs).

Indefinite article (a/an):

examples: un ordinateur (a computer), une maison (a house), des français (Frenchmen).

Partitive articles (some/any):

examples: du pain (some bread), de la viande (some meet), de l'eau (some water), des oranges (some oranges).

Note: in negative sentences we use de (or d' before a vowel).

example: Il y a du pain (there's some bread) -> Il n' y a pas de pain (there's no bread).

They are either masculine or feminine (you have to learn the gender, like in German or Spanish).

The plural is formed by adding an s to the singular. This a general rule and lots of words have different plural forms.

examples:

un poisson (a fish) -> des poissons (fishes)

un gâteau (a cake) -> des gâteaux (cakes)

un monsieur (a sir) -> des messieurs (sirs) !

Unlike English they change according to the associated noun. The feminine is generally built by adding an e at the end of the adjectif. The plural by adding an s.

examples:

le grand immeuble (the big building) - la grande maison (the big house)

un chat mignon (a cute cat) -> des chats mignons (cute cats)

Be careful because English and French doesn't work the same way!

In English you say 'her dog', 'her house' if the owner is feminine, regardless the gender of the objects (which not exists).

In French we say 'son chien', 'sa maison'. The possessive adjective is declinated according to the gender of the thing possessed (chien is masc and maison is fem) and not according to the owner (here the owner can be masc or fem).

This/that:

ce or cet for masc. (cet before a vowel or h)

cette for fem.

Example: ce bébé (this/that baby), cet homme (this/that man), cette femme (this/that woman)

These/those:

ces (for masc. and fem.)

Example: ces enfants (these/those children)

Knowing the French numbers you can easily read a clock.

Quelle heure est-il, s'il vous plaît? = What time is it, please?

Il est... = it is...

Noon, 12PM = midi

Midnight, 12AM = minuit

In France, instead of saying 1PM we will say 13h (treize heures). So, 8PM will be 20h (vingt heures).

15h15 = quinze heures quinze or trois heures et quart (5h1/4)

16h20 = seize heures vingt or quatre heures vingt (4h20)

17h30 = dix sept heures trente or cinq heures et demi (5h1/2)

18h45 = dix huit heures quarante cinq or sept heures moins le quart (7h -1/4)

9h50 = neuf heures cinquante or dix heures moins dix (10h - 10min)

11h05 = onze heures cinq

12h15 = midi et quart

Lundi (monday), Mardi, Mercredi, Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi, Dimanche.

Janvier, Février, Mars, Avril, Mai, Juin, Juillet, Août (pron. /oot/), Septembre, Octobre, Novembre, Décembre.

Les noms de pays:

Africa = l'Afrique

America (north, south, centre) = l'Amérique (du nord, du sud, centrale)

Asia = l'Asie

Europe (west, east, north, south) = l'Europe (de l'Ouest, de l'Est, du Nord, du Sud)

Oceania = l'Océanie

Australia = l'Australie

Belgium = la Belgique

Canada = le Canada

China = la Chine

England = l'Angleterre

France = la France

Germany = l'Allemagne

Great Britain = la Grande Bretagne

Greece = la Grèce

Ireland = l'Irlande

Italy = l'Italie

Japan = le Japon

Netherlands = les Pays - Bas

Poland = la Pologne

Portugal = le Portugal

Russia = la Russie

Scotland = l'Ecosse

Spain = l'Espagne

Switzerland = la Suisse

The USA = les Etats-Unis (d'Amérique)

Wales = le Pays de Galle

There is/are = il y a

There isn't/aren't = il n'y a pas

There isn't/aren't any = il n'y en a pas

Now/Later = maintenant/plus tard

Before/After = avant/après

Always/Never = toujours/jamais

Sometimes = de temps en temps; des fois

Often = souvent

Then = ensuite

Enough/Too = assez/trop

More than/Less than = plus que/moins que

Lots of = beaucoup de

Several = plusieurs

None = aucun

All = tous

Everybody/Nobody = tout le monde/personne

Everywhere/Nowhere = partout/nulle part

Everything:Nothing = tout/rien

Something,anything = quelque chose

Where = où. Where is/are...? = Où se trouve/nt...?

When = quand

What = quoi

How = comment

How much/many = combien de

Who = qui

Why = Pourquoi. Because = parce que. Since= puisque

Which = lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles (depends on the object)

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