French with Pierrick

Author: Pierrick

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  • Tout, toute, tous, toutes in French

    Tout as an adjective

    When “tout” is used as an adjective it agrees with the gender and number of the noun it is linked to.

    • Tout le train (masculine). All the train.
    • Toute la table (feminine). All the table.
    • Tous les livres (masculine plural). All the books.
    • Toutes les fleurs (feminine plural). All the flowers.

    Tout as a pronoun

    When “tout” is used as a pronoun, it replaces a masculine or feminine plural group or a neutral group.

    • Ils sont tous sympas (masculine plural). They are all nice.
    • Elles sont toutes drôles (feminine plural). They are all funny.
    • Tu as tout compris (neutral). You understood everything.

    Tout as an adverb

    When “tout” is used as an adverb it is invariable.

    • Ce produit est tout nouveau (singular). This product is brand new.
    • Ces produits sont tout nouveaux (plural). These products are brand new.

    Expressions with tout

    Here are some common expressions with “tout”:

    • Tout le temps. All the time.
    • Tout le monde. Everybody.
    • Tout de suite. Right now.
    • Tout d’un coup. Suddenly.
    • Tout à l’heure. Later/earlier.
    • En tout cas. In any case.
    • C’est tout. That’s all.

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  • An vs année in French

    The nouns “an” and “année” (year) have the same meaning, but they are often used in different contexts.  

    Un an

    The noun “un an” is used with cardinal numbers, quantities and repetitive events.

    • J’ai 30 ans (nombre cardinal). I’m 30 years old (cardinal number).
    • J’apprends le français depuis 2 ans (quantité). I’ve been learning French for 2 years (quantity).
    • Il va en vacances en Italie tous les ans (évènement répétitif). He goes on holiday to Italy every year (repetitive event).

    Une année

    The feminine noun “une année” is used with ordinal numbers, adjectives and to describe something qualitative.

    • Je suis en deuxième année de Master (nombre ordinal). I’m in my second year of a Masters degree (ordinal number).
    • J’apprends le français depuis plusieurs années (adjectif). I’ve been learning French for several years (adjective).
    • Il va en vacances en Italie cette année (qualitatif). He is going on holiday to Italy this year (qualitative).

    « an » and « année » are interchangeable when used before an adjective.

    • L’an prochain. L’année prochaine. Next year.
    • L’an dernier. L’année dernière. Last year.

    “Jour” and “journée”

    It’s more or less the same rules for “jour” et “journée » (day).

    • On va passer 3 jours au Maroc (quantité). We’re going to spend 3 days in Morocco (quantity).
    • Je me lève tous les jours à 7h (répétition). I get up every day at 7am (repetition).
    • C’est une très belle journée (adjectif). It’s a beautiful day (adjective).

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  • Bon vs bien in French

    The difference between “bon” and “bien” in French.

    BON

    “Bon” is used as an adjective and agrees with the gender and number of the noun it is linked to.

    • Ce gâteau est très bon. This cake is very good.
    • Ces tartes sont très bonnes. These pies are very good.

    The superlative of “bon” is “meilleur“.

    • Ce gâteau est très bon mais celui-ci est meilleur. This cake is really good but this one is better.

    BIEN

    “Bien” is an adverb and it’s used with a verb. It doesn’t agree with anything.

    • Je vais bien. I’m good.
    • Ils vont très bien. They’re really good.

    The superlative of “bien” is “mieux“.

    • Je vais bien mais demain j’espère que j’irai mieux. I’m good but tomorrow I hope I will feel better.

    “c’est bon” vs “c’est bien“

    The difference between “c’est bon” and “c’est bien“:

    “C’est bon” is mostly used to talk about a taste.

    • Ce gâteau est super bon. This cake is really good.
    • C’est super bon ! It’s really good!

    “C’est bien” is mostly used to express a feeling or an opinion.

    • Personne A : J’ai réussi mon examen de français.
    • Person A: I passed my French exam.
    • Personne B : Bravo, c’est super bien !
    • Person B: Well done, it’s really good!

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  • Topics to practise your French

    Here are some topics in French to help you build up vocabulary:

    La météo – The weather

    • Use 5 to 10 phrases to talk about good weather.
    • Use 5 to 10 phrases to talk about bad weather.
    • Answer questions about the weather.
    • Name and talk about the seasons.
    • What is/are your favourite season(s) and why?
    • Ask questions about the weather.

    La nourriture et les boissons – Food and drinks

    • What is your favourite dish/food? What is your least-favourite dish/food?
    • What is your favourite type of restaurant?
    • Do you like desserts? What are your favourites?
    • What are your favourite drinks?
    • Do you follow a specific diet?
    • Do you take any supplements?

    Films et séries – Films and series

    • What are your favourite films/series and why?
    • What was the last film/series you watched? What was it about?
    • What are your favourite type of films/series?
    • Do you prefer watching films at the cinema or on streaming platform?
    • Do you like to have food or drinks at the cinema? If yes, what are your favourites?
    • How do you decide what movie you want to see when picking one?

    La maison – Home

    • Describe the different rooms of your house.
    • Describe the different furniture.
    • Describe the different chores you do in a house.
    • Describe the different activities you do in a house.
    • What do you like about your home?
    • What do you like doing in your home?
    • What are the most common rooms in every home and what are they serve for?
    • Quelles sont les pièces les plus communes à toutes les habitations et à quoi servent-elles ?
    • What are the things you like the most in your home/room?
    • Quelles sont les choses que tu aiment le plus dans ta maison/chambre ?
    • Describe your dream home?
    • Décris la maison de tes rêves ?
    • What are the most useful things you have in your kitchen?
    • Quelles sont les choses les plus utiles que tu as dans ta cuisine ?
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a house vs an apartment?
    • Quels sont les avantages et les inconvénients de vivre dans une maison vs un appartement ?
    • What are the most difficult and easy rooms to clean and why?
    • Quelles sont les pièces les plus difficiles et faciles à nettoyer et pourquoi ?

    Les habitudes – Habits

    • What are the habits or routines you enjoy doing on a daily or weekly basis?
    • Quelles sont les habitudes et les routines quotidiennes ou hebdomadaire que tu aimes faire ?
    • Do you have some to save you time?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te permettent de gagner du temps ?
    • Do you have some to stay healthy?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te permettent de rester en bonne santé ?
    • Do you have some for your well-being or to help you to relax?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te font du bien et qui t’aide à te décontracter ?
    • What are the habits you would like to get in the future?
    • Quelles sont les habitudes que tu voudrais développer dans le futur ?
    • What are the bad habits your dropped in the past or those you want to drop?
    • Quelles sont les mauvaises habitudes que tu as abandonné dans le passé et celles que tu voudrais abandonner ?

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  • 10 French adverbs ending in -ment

    Here are 10 common French adverbs ending in -ment, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Carrément[kaʀemɑ̃]Totally
    Complètement[kɔ̃plɛtmɑ̃]Totally, completely
    Exactement[ɛgzaktəmɑ̃]Exactly
    Nettement[nɛtmɑ̃]Significantly
    Personnellement[pɛʀsɔnɛlmɑ̃]Personally
    Probablement[pʀɔbabləmɑ̃]Probably
    Récemment[ʀesamɑ̃]Recently
    Seulement[sœlmɑ̃]Only
    Tellement[tɛlmɑ̃]So, such
    Vachement.[vaʃmɑ̃]Bloody
    Vraiment.[vʀɛmɑ̃]Really
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Ça te dit d’aller au restaurant ? Ouais, carrément ! Do you fancy going to the restaurant? Yeah, totally!
    • C’est complètement fou. It’s totally/completely crazy.
    • C’est exactement ce que j’allais dire. It’s exactly what I was going to say.
    • J’ai nettement amélioré mon français. I significantly improved my French.
    • Personnellement, j’adore les pizzas. Personally, I love pizzas.
    • On va probablement aller courrir demain. We’re probably going to run tomorrow.
    • J’ai récemment commencé à apprendre le français. I recently started to learn French.
    • Je suis seulement allé en France une fois. I only went to France once.
    • J’ai tellement faim. I’m so hungry.
    • Ce film est vachement bien. This film is bloody good.
    • Ce livre est vraiment intéressant. This book is really interesting.

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    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 15 emotions in French

    Here are 15 emotions in French with several ways to describe each of them:

    1. L’excitation (excitement)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    J’ai hâte.[ʒ’e ˈɑt]I can’t wait.
    J’ai hâte de te voir (avoir hâte de).[ʒ’e ˈɑt də tə vwaʀ]I can’t wait to see you.
    Je suis impatient.e.[ʒə sɥi ɛ̃pasjɑ̃, sjɑ̃t]I can’t wait.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    2. La joie (happiness)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis content.e.[ʒə sɥi kɔ̃tɑ̃, tɑ̃t]I am happy.
    Je suis content.e. pour toi (être content pour qqn).[ʒə sɥi kɔ̃tɑ̃, tɑ̃t puʀ twa]I’m happy for you (be happy for sb).
    Ça me fait plaisir.[sa mə fɛ pleziʀ]It makes me happy.
    C’est super.[sɛ sypɛʀ]It’s great.
    C’est génial.[sɛ ʒenjal]It’s great.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    3. La fatigue (tiredness)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis fatigué.e.[ʒə sɥi fatige]I am tired.
    Ça me fatigue.[sa mə fɛ fatig]It tires me.
    C’est fatiguant.[sɛ fatigɑ̃]It’s tiring.
    Je suis épuisé.e.[ʒə sɥi epɥize]I am exhausted.
    C’est épuisant.[sɛ epɥizɑ̃]It’s exhausting.
    Je suis crevé.e (informal).[ʒə sɥi kʀəve]I am knackered.
    C’est crevant (informal).[sɛ kʀəvɑ̃]It’s knackering.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    4. La frustration (frustration)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis énervé.e.[ʒə sɥi enɛʀve]I am annoyed.
    Ça m’énerve.[sa m’enɛʀv]It annoys me.
    C’est énervant.[sɛ enɛʀvɑ̃]It’s annoying.
    C’est frustrant.[sɛ fʀystʀɑ̃]It’s frustrating.
    Ça me gonfle (informal).[sa mə gɔ̃fl]It winds me up.
    C’est gonflant (informal).[sɛ gɔ̃flɑ̃]It’s annoying.
    Ça me saoul (informal).[sa mə sul]It annoys me.
    C’est saoulant (informal).[sɛ sulɑ̃]It’s annoying.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    5. La colère (anger)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    J’en ai assez.[ʒɑ̃ n’e ase]I’m fed up.
    J’en ai marre (familiar).[ʒɑ̃ n’e maʀ]I’m fed up.
    J’en ai marre de mon travail (en avoir marre de qch/qqn).[ʒɑ̃ n’e maʀ də mɔ̃ tʀavaj]I’m fed up with my job.
    Je n’en peux plus.[ʒə n’ɑ̃ pø ply]I’ve had enough.
    Je suis en colère.[ʒə sɥi ɑ̃ kɔlɛʀ]I’m angry.
    Je suis en colère contre lui (être en colère contre qqn).[ʒə sɥi ɑ̃ kɔlɛʀ kɔ̃tʀ lɥi]I’m mad at him.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    6. La surprise (surprise)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis surpris.e.[ʒə sɥi syʀpʀi, pʀiz]I am surprised.
    Ça me surprend.[sa mə syʀpʀɑ̃]It surprises me.
    C’est surprenant.[sɛ syʀpʀənɑ̃]It’s surprising.
    Je suis étonné.e.[ʒə sɥi etɔne]I am surprised.
    Ça m’étonne.[sa m’etɔn]It surprises me.
    C’est étonnant.[sɛ etɔnɑ̃]It’s surprising.
    Je suis choqué.e.[ʒə sɥi ʃɔke]I’m shocked.
    C’est choquant.[sɛ ʃɔkɑ̃]It’s shocking.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    7. L’inquiétude (worry)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis inquiet.e.[ʒə sɥi ɛ̃kjɛ, ɛ̃kjɛt]I am worried.
    Ça m’inquiète.[sa m’ɛ̃kjɛt]It worries me.
    C’est inquiétant.[sɛ ɛ̃kjetɑ̃]It’s worrying.
    Je suis stressé.e.[ʒə sɥi stʀɛse]I’m stressed.
    Ça me stresse.[sa mə stʀɛs]It is stressing me out.
    C’est stressant.[sɛ stʀesɑ̃]It’s stressful.
    Ça me fait flipper (slang).[sa mə fɛ flipe]It is freaking me out.
    C’est flippant (slang).[sɛ flipɑ̃]It’s freaking me out.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    8. La peur (fear)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    J’ai peur.[ʒ’e pœʀ]I’m scared.
    Ça me fait peur.[sa mə fɛ pœʀ]It scares me.
    C’est effrayant.[sɛ efʀɛjɑ̃]That’s scary.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    9. La déception (deception)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis déçu.e.[ʒə sɥi desy]I’m disappointed.
    Ça me déçoit.[sa mə deswa]It disappoints me.
    C’est décevant.[sɛ desəvɑ̃]It’s disappointing.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    10. La tristesse (sadness)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis triste.[ʒə sɥi tʀist]I am sad.
    Ça me rend triste.[sa mə ʀɑ̃ tʀist]It makes me sad.
    C’est triste.[sɛ tʀist]It’s sad.
    Je suis déprimé.e.[ʒə sɥi depʀime]I’m depressed.
    Ça me déprime.[sa mə depʀim]It depresses me.
    C’est déprimant.[sɛ depʀimɑ̃]It’s depressing.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    11. Le dégoût (disgust)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis dégoûté.e.[ʒə sɥi degute]I am disgusted.
    Ça me dégoûte.[sa mə degut]It disgusts me.
    C’est dégoûtant.[sɛ degutɑ̃]It’s disgusting.
    C’est dégueulasse (slang).[sɛ degœlas]It’s gross.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    12. L’ennuie (boredom)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je m’ennuie.[ʒə m’ɑ̃nɥi]I’m bored.
    Ça m’ennuie.[sa m’ɑ̃nɥi]It bores me.
    C’est ennuyant.[sɛ ɑ̃nɥijɑ̃]It’s boring.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    13. La gêne (embarrassment)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Je suis gêné.e.[ʒə sɥi ʒene]I’m embarrassed.
    Ça me gêne.[sa mə ʒɛn]It’s embarrassing.
    C’est gênant.[sɛ ʒɛnɑ̃]It’s embarrassing.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    14/15. La faim et la soif (hungry and thirsty)

    FrançaisIPA*English
    J’ai un creux.[ʒ’e œ̃ kʀø]I’m feel peckish.
    J’ai faim.[ʒ’e fɛ̃]I’m hungry.
    J’ai la dalle (familiar).[ʒ’e la dal]I’m really hungry.
    J’ai soif.[ʒ’e swaf]I’m thirsty.
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

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  • 10 adverbs of manner in French

    Here are 10 common adverbs of manner in French, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Attentivement[atɑ̃tivmɑ̃]Carefully
    Facilement[fasilmɑ̃]Easily
    Gentiment[ʒɑ̃timɑ̃]Kindly
    Heureusement[øʀøzmɑ̃]Thankfully
    Lentement[lɑ̃tmɑ̃]Slowly
    Malheureusement[maløʀøzmɑ̃]Unfortunately
    Patiemment[pasjamɑ̃]Patiently
    Poliment[pɔlimɑ̃]Politely
    Progressivement[pʀɔgʀesivmɑ̃]Progressively
    Rapidement.[ʀapidmɑ̃]Quickly
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Il écoute attentivement. He listens carefully.
    • Nous avons gagné facilement. We won easily.
    • Elle répond gentiment. She kindly answers.
    • Heureusement, j’ai un travail. Thankfully, I have a job.
    • On mange lentement. We eat slowly.
    • Malheureusement, je ne peux pas venir. Unfortunately, I can’t come.
    • Nous attentons patiemment. We’re waiting patiently.
    • Je demande poliment. I ask politely.
    • J’apprends le français progressivement. I’m learning French progressively.
    • Elle comprend rapidement. She understands quickly.

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    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 15 common French idioms to use in conversation

    Here are 15 common French idioms to use in conversation:

    FrenchEnglish
    C’est du gâteau.It’s a piece of cake.
    C’est le calme avant la tempête.It’s the calm before the storm.
    C’est trop beau pour être vrai.It’s too good to be true.
    C’est le moins qu’on puisse dire.That’s the least we can say.
    C’est maintenant ou jamais.It’s now or never.
    C’est plus facile à dire qu’à faire.It’s easier said than done.
    Il ne faut pas se fier aux apparences.Don’t judge a book by its cover.
    Jamais deux sans trois.Things always come in threes.
    Je croisse les doigts.Fingers crossed.
    Je ne suis pas dans mon assiette.I’m under the weather.
    Je touche du bois.Touch wood.
    Le temps c’est de l’argent.Time is money.
    Le temps passe vite.Time flies.
    Mieux vaut tard que jamais.Better late than never.
    Plus on est de fous, plus on rit.The more, the merrier.
    Tu as lu dans mes pensées.You read my mind.

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  • Revenir vs retourner vs rentrer in French

    Here are three situations to show the the difference between “revenir”, “retourner” and “rentrer”:

    Revenir

    • Je reviens du Japon (revenir).
    • I’m coming back from Japan.

    I was in Japan and now I’m back at home.

    Retourner

    • Je retourne au Japon (retourner).
    • I’m going back to Japan.

    I’ve already been to Japan and I’m going back there again.

    Rentrer

    • Je rentre chez moi (rentrer).
    • I’m going home.

    I was on holiday in Japan and now I’m going home.

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    Find my other post about French grammar here.