French with 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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.

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    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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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    Find my other post about French grammar here.