French with Pierrick

Author: Pierrick

  • How does the French presidential election work?

    • The president is elected by direct universal suffrage from French voters who are over 18 years old. Every voters vote directly for a candidate.
    • The president of the Republic is elected for a 5 year term which is renewable once.
    • An absolute majority (>50%) is required to be elected at the end of the first round. Though, it hasn’t happened yet. Also, a blank ballot doesn’t count as a vote.
    • If a candidate doesn’t get a majority in the first round, there is a second round 2 weeks later between the two candidates who got the most votes in the first round.
    • To run for president every candidate needs to get at least 500 signatures from at least 30 different départements (administrative area). Also, no more than 10% of the total number of signatures should come from the same département.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch this content in video format.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Reference: Service public, Comment est elu le president de la republique et pour combien de temps [website], https://www.vie-publique.fr/fiches/19427-comment-est-elu-le-president-de-la-republique-et-pour-combien-de-temps (accessed 8 December 2021)

  • Savoir vs connaître in French

    Here is the main difference between savoir and connaître in French:

    Savoir

    Savoir is followed by an infinitive or a clause starting with qui (who), que (what), quoi (what), quand (when), comment (how), où (where), si (if), etc.

    Savoir is used when we have knowledge of something, like for example:

    • Je sais qu’il fait chaud en été. I know it’s hot in summer.
    • Tu sais où ton ami habite. You know where your friend lives.

    Or when we know how to do something:

    • Elle sait jouer à la guitare. She knows how to play the guitar.
    • Nous savons nager. We know how to swim.

    Connaître

    Connaître is followed by a noun, a person’s name or a place.

    • Je connais cette recette (noun). I know this recipe.
    • Vous connaissez Elsa (person’s name). You know Elsa.
    • Ils connaissent cette region (place). They know that region.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch this content in video format.

    You can find some exercises here.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other post about French grammar here.

  • French prepositions for countries, cities and continents

    The 4 different prepositions we use in French for countries, states, provinces, cities and continents are: “en“, “au“, “aux” and “à“.

    1. Countries, states and provinces

    1. First, we use the preposition “en” in front of feminine names or masculine which start with a vowel, for instance:
    • En France (feminine) / In France
    • En Équateur (masculine) / In Equator
    • En Californie (feminine) / In California
    • En Ontario (masculine) / In Ontario

    Generally, country names ending in “e” are feminine but there are a couple of exceptions like “le Mexique”.

    1. We use the preposition “au” in front of masculine names that do not start with a vowel like:
    • Au Portugal (masculine) / In Portugal
    • Au Brésil (masculine) / In Brazil
    • Au Texas (masculine) / In Texas
    • Au Québec (masculine) / In Quebec
    1. Also, we use the preposition “aux” in front of plural names, for example:
    • Aux États-Unis (plural) / In the United States
    • Aux Pays-Bas (plural) / In the Netherlands
    1. Lastly, we use the preposition “à” in front of country names without an article like:
    • À Malte / In Malta
    • À Madagascar / In Madagascar

    2. Cities

    We also use the preposition “à“ in front of every city names, like:

    • À Paris / In Paris
    • À Sidney / In Sidney

    3. Continents

    To finish, we use the French preposition “en” in front of every continent, for example:

    • En Asie / In Asia
    • En Afrique / In Africa

    Find my other post about French grammar here.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch a video of this content on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

  • Emmener, emporter, amener and apporter in French

    It can be difficult for French learners to differentiate “emmener”, “amener”, “emporter” and “apporter” between them, so here is some explanation:

    Emmener

    We use “emmener” when we lead someone or people with us, with the intention to go from a point A to a point B, for example:

    • J’emmène ma fille à l’école (de la maison à l’école). 
    • I bring my daughter to school (from home to school).

    Emporter

    “Emporter” has the same meaning as “emmener” but it is used with things:

    • Elle emporte son déjeuner avec elle (de la maison au bureau). 
    • She takes her lunch with her (from home to the office).

    Amener

    The difference between “emmener” and “amener” is that with “amener” you don’t have the intention to go from a point A to a point B, for example:

    • Il amène sa copine avec lui (à la soirée). 
    • He is bringing his girlfriend with him (to the party).

    Apporter

    In the same way, “apporter” has the same meaning as “amener” but it is used with things:

    • On va apporter un gâteau (à la soirée).
    • We are going to bring a cake (to the party).

    It is not uncommon for native speakers to mix up “emmener” and “amener”.

    The main thing to remember is that “emmener” and “amener” are used with people, while “emporter” and “apporter” are used with things.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch my content in video format on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other post about French grammar here.

  • French liaison

    We make the “liaison” in French when we pronounce the last consonant of a word with the first syllable of the following word, when it starts with a vowel or a silent h.

    The liaison is mainly made with the sounds [z], [t] and [n].

    When the last consonant is an “s” or an “x”, we make a [z] sound.

    Also, after “grand” and “quand” we make a [t] sound.

    Liaison in groups of nouns

    We make the liaison in groups of nouns and after all numbers, like the examples in the table below:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Des_histoires[de zistwaʀ]Some stories
    Mon_ami[mɔ̃ nami]My friend
    Aux_États_Unis[o zeta zyni]In the United States
    Huit_ans[ˈɥi tɑ̃]Eight years
    Six_euros[si zøʀo]Six euros
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    We make the liaison between an adjective and a noun, when the noun follows the adjective:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Joyeux_anniversaire[ʒwajø zanivɛʀsɛʀ]Happy birthday
    Bon_appétit[bɔ̃ napeti]Enjoy your meal
    Un petit_objectif[œ̃ p(ə)ti tɔbʒɛktif]A small goal
    Un grand_arbre[œ̃ gʀɑ̃ taʀbʀ]A tall tree
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    Liaison in groups of verbs

    We make the liaison in groups of verbs after the personal pronouns, “on”, “nous”, “vous”, “ils” and “elles”, like in the examples below:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    On_a[ɔ̃ na]We have
    Nous_écrivons[nu zekʀivɔ̃]We write
    Vous_êtes[vu zɛt]You are
    Ils_apprennent[il zapʀɛn]They learn
    Elles_achètent[ɛl zaʃɛt]They buy
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    Liaison after short adverbs

    We make the liaison after short adverbs like:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Elle est très_optimiste [ɛl ɛ tʀɛ zɔptimist]She is very optimistic
    Vous avez bien_écouté[vu ave bjɛ̃ nekute]You listened carefully
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    Quand

    We also make the liaison after “quand”, and it makes a [t] sound. For example:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Quand_on marche[kɑ̃ tɔ̃ maʀʃ]When we walk
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    Liaison in specific expressions

    We also make the liaison in specific expressions like these common ones:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Plus_ou moins [ply zu mwɛ̃]More or less
    De temps_en temps[də tɑ̃ zɑ̃ tɑ̃]From time to time
    Pas_à pas[pɑ za pɑ]Step by step
    Petit_à petit[p(ə)ti ta p(ə)ti]Little by little
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    Aspirated h

    Some words starting with an h in French have an aspirated h and with these words we don’t make the liaison. For example:

    FrançaisIPAEnglish
    Un héros[œ̃ ˈeʀo]A hero
    Des haricots[de ˈaʀiko]Some French beans
    Des hérissons[de ˈeʀisɔ̃]Some hedgehogs
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    If you want to exercise yourself with the liaison you can do it here.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch this content in video format on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other post about French grammar here.

  • Reflexive verbs in French

    Reflexive verbs are verbs which use a reflexive pronoun like in the table bellow. They describe an action that is done to yourself. The reflexive pronoun changes depending on who is doing the action.

    Reflexive pronouns

    Personal pronounsReflexive pronounsSe lever (to get up)
    JeMe, m’Je me lève
    TuTe, t’Tu te lèves
    Il, elle, onSe, s’Il, elle, on se lève
    NousNousNous nous levons
    VousVousVous vous levez
    Ils, ellesSe, s’Ils, elles se lèvent

    If you want you can do some exercises with reflexive pronouns here.

    Conjugation of reflexive verbs

    Depending on the tense and the form (affirmative or negative) the reflexive pronoun isn’t going to be at the same place in the sentence.

    Here are in the table bellow the different structure for conjugated reflexive verbs:

    TenseAffirmative formNegative form
    PrésentJe me lèveJe ne me lève pas
    Passé composéJe me suis levéJe ne me suis pas levé
    ImparfaitJe me levaisJe ne me levais pas
    Futur procheJe vais me leverJe ne vais pas me lever
    Futur simpleJe me lèveraiJe ne me lèverai pas

    The main thing to keep in mind is that the structure change with the futur proche but stay the same with the other main tenses.

    Also, for the “passé composé” reflexive verbs always need the “être” (to be) auxiliary.

    Common reflexive verbs

    Some verbs are only reflexive like “se souvenir” (to remember).

    • Se lever. To get up.
    • Se réveiller. To wake up.
    • Se souvenir. To remember.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    You can practise using reflexives verbs here.

    Watch my videos about the French language on YouTube.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other post about French grammar here.

  • 10 adverbs of place in French

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

    AdverbeIPA*Adverb
    Ici[isi]Here
    Là[la]There
    Là-bas[laba]There
    Près[pʀɛ]Near
    Loin[lwɛ̃]Far
    À l’intérieur[a l’ɛ̃teʀjœʀ]Inside
    À l’extérieur[a l’ɛksteʀjœʀ]Outside
    Dehors[dəɔʀ]Outside
    Dessous[d(ə)su]Below
    Partout[paʀtu]Everywhere
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Il pleut ici. It’s raining here.
    • Ils ne sont pas là ce matin. They are not there this morning.
    • On n’est jamais allé là-bas. We never went there.
    • J’habite près du centre ville. I live near the city center.
    • Elles habitent loin du centre ville. They live far from the city center.
    • J’ai froid, je rentre à l’intérieur. I’m cold, I’m going back inside.
    • Le parking est à l’extérieur du camping. The car park is outside the camp site.
    • Il fait beau dehors. It’s sunny outside.
    • Le prix est marqué dessous. The price is indicated below.
    • Je suis allé presque partout dans cette région. I’ve been almost everywhere in this region.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch a video of this content on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 10 adverbs of quantity in French

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

    AdverbesIPA*Adverbs
    Moins[mwɛ̃]Less
    Plus[plys]More
    Autant[otɑ̃]As much as
    Presque pas[pʀɛsk pɑ]Hardly any
    Peu[œ̃ pø]Little/few
    Pas mal[pɑ mal]Quite a lot
    Assez[ase]Enough
    Beaucoup[boku]A lot
    Tellement[tɛlmɑ̃]So much/many
    Trop[tʀo]Too much/many
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • J’ai moins d’idées que toi. I have less ideas than you.
    • Tu as plus d’idées que moi. You have more ideas than me.
    • Il a autant d’idées qu’elle. He has as much ideas as her.
    • On n’a presque pas d’idées. We hardly have any ideas.
    • Nous avons peu d’idées. We have few ideas.
    • Vous avez pas mal d’idées. You have quite a lot of ideas.
    • Elles ont assez d’idées. They have enough ideas.
    • J’ai beaucoup d’idées. I have a lot of ideas.
    • Tu as tellement d’idées. You have so many ideas.
    • Elle a trop d’idées. She has too many ideas.

    You can make these examples uncountable by replacing “idées” (ideas) by “eau” (water).

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch a video of this content on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 20 weather phrases in French

    Here are 20 common weather phrases in French:

    La météoIPA*The weather
    Le beau tempsGood weather
    Il fait beau[il fɛ bo]It’s sunny
    Il fait chaud[il fɛ ʃo]It’s hot
    Il fait très chaud[il fɛ tʀɛ ʃo]It’s very hot
    Il fait bon[il fɛ bɔ̃]The weather is nice
    Il fait doux[il fɛ du]It’s mild
    Il fait frais[il fɛ fʀɛ]It’s cool
    Il y a du soleil[il i ja dy sɔlɛj]It’s sunny
    C’est ensoleillé[sɛ ɑ̃sɔleje]It’s sunny
    Le mauvais tempsBad weather
    Il fait mauvais[il fɛ mɔvɛ]The weather is bad
    Il fait froid[il fɛ fʀwa]It’s cold
    Il fait très froid[il fɛ tʀɛ fʀwa]It’s very cold
    Il pleut[il plø]It’s raining
    Il neige[il nɛʒ]It’s snowing
    Il y a du vent[il i ja dy vɑ̃]It’s windy
    Il y a des nuages[il i ja de nɥaʒ]It’s cloudy
    Il y a de l’orage[il i ja də zɔʀaʒ]It’s stormy
    Il y a du brouillard[il i ja dy bʀujaʀ]It’s foggy
    Il y a de la brume[il i ja də la bʀym]It’s misty
    C’est nuageux[sɛ nɥaʒø]It’s cloudy
    C’est orageux[sɛ ɔʀaʒø]It’s stormy
    C’est pluvieux[sɛ plyvjø]It’s rainy
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    It is also frequent to hear French speakers saying “y’a” in an informal situation, instead of “il y a”, like for example:

    • Y’a du brouillard. It’s foggy.
    • Y’a beaucoup plu. It rained a lot.

    Talking about temperature

    Here are several ways to talk about temperature in French:

    • La température est d’environ 15°. The temperature is about 15°.
    • Il fait environ 15°. It is around 15°.
    • Il fait entre 15° et 18°. The temperature is between 15° and 18°.

    Questions to ask about the weather

    Alongside these weather phrases here are some common questions you can ask about the weather:

    • Quel temps il fait aujourd’hui chez toi ? What’s the weather like today where you are?

    Il pleut ici. It rains here.

    • Quel temps il a fait pendant tes vacances ? What was the weather like during your holidays?

    Il a fait beau et chaud presque tous les jours. It was sunny and warm almost everyday.

    You can also ask:

    • Comment est la météo ? What is the weather like?
    • Est-ce qu’il fait beau ? Is the weather nice?
    • Quel temps il fait là-bas ? What is the weather like over there?

    To finish, here are two other weather expressions that I like to use:

    • Ça caille (informal). It’s freezing.
    • On est trempé.e. We’re soaked/drenched.

    Seasons

    To finish, here is a table with the seasons in French, how to pronounce them and their respective prepositions:

    Les saisonsIPA*Seasons
    Le printemps[lə pʀɛ̃tɑ̃]Spring
    Au printemps[o pʀɛ̃tɑ̃]In spring
    L’été[l’ete]Summer
    En été[ɑ̃ nete]In summer
    L’automne[l’ɔtɔn]Autumn
    En automne[ɑ̃ nɔtɔn]In autumn
    L’hiver[l’ivɛʀ]Winter
    En hiver[ɑ̃ nivɛʀ]In winter
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    We make the liaison between “en” and “été”, “automne” and “hiver” (shown in bold).

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch this content in video format on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other vocabulary lists in French here.

  • 10 adverbs of frequency in French

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

    AdverbeIPA*Adverb
    Toujours[tuʒur]Always
    Tout le temps[tu le tɑ̃]All the time
    Habituellement[abitɥɛlmɑ̃]Usually
    D’habitude[dabityd]Usually
    Souvent[suvɑ̃]Often
    Régulièrement[ʀegyljɛʀmɑ̃]Regularly
    Parfois[paʀfwa]Sometimes
    De temps en temps[də tɑ̃ zɑ̃ tɑ̃]From time to time
    Rarement[ʀɑʀmɑ̃]Rarely
    Presque jamais[pʀɛsk ʒamɛ]Hardly ever
    Jamais[ʒamɛ]Never
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Je bois toujours du café le matin. I always drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois habituellement du café le matin (formal). I usually drink coffee in the morning.
    • D’habitude je bois du café le matin (informal). I usually drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois souvent du café le matin. I often drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois régulièrement du café le matin. I regularly drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois parfois du café le matin. I sometimes drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois du café le matin de temps en temps. I drink coffee in the morning from time to time.
    • Je bois rarement du café le matin. I rarely drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je ne bois presque jamais de café le matin. I hardly ever drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je ne bois jamais de café le matin. I never drink coffee in the morning.

    Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it if you liked it.

    Watch a video of this content on my YouTube channel.

    Book a French lesson with me on italki.

    Find my other adverb lists in French here.