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Cheat sheet
About me: cheat sheet
The summary, key terms and the trap to avoid for every lesson, in order. Print it, or read it, cover it, and say it back.
- Name: Je m'appelle … Age: J'ai … ans.
- Nationality and job: Je suis … (no un/une before the job).
- City: J'habite à …
- Many nationalities and jobs add -e for a woman.
- je m'appelle
- my name is
- j'ai … ans
- I am … years old
- j'habite à
- I live in (a city)
- je suis
- I am (nationality, job)
- Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ?
- What do you do (for a living)?
Watch out: Saying Je suis vingt-quatre ans. In French, you have years: J'ai vingt-quatre ans, with avoir, not être.
- être: je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont.
- avoir: j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.
- Être for who or what you are; avoir for what you have, and for age.
- je → j' before a vowel sound.
- être
- to be
- avoir
- to have (also used for age)
- j'
- je before a vowel sound
Watch out: Writing je ai. Before a vowel sound, je becomes j': j'ai, j'habite. The same happens with le/la → l': l'ami.
- Every noun is masculine or feminine.
- a: un (m), une (f); the: le (m), la (f); before a vowel sound: l'.
- Plural: des (some), les (the), noun + -s (usually silent).
- un/une/des for something new; le/la/les for something known or in general.
- Learn every noun with its article.
- masculine / feminine
- the two genders of French nouns
- un, une
- a (masculine, feminine)
- le, la
- the (masculine, feminine)
- l'
- le or la before a vowel sound
- des
- some (plural)
- les
- the (plural)
Watch out: Guessing gender from meaning. La table and le bureau (the desk) are both furniture, but one is feminine and one masculine. There are some patterns (words ending in -tion are feminine, -ment masculine), but the safe habit is to learn each noun with its article: not "livre" but "un livre".
- Take off -er, add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.
- -e, -es, -e and -ent are silent; -ons and -ez are said.
- je → j' before a vowel or silent h: j'habite, j'aime.
- on takes the il form.
- Key verbs: parler, habiter, aimer, travailler.
- -er verb
- a verb whose dictionary form ends in -er (parler)
- parler
- to speak
- habiter
- to live (somewhere)
- aimer
- to like, to love
- travailler
- to work
- on
- one, we (same form as il)
Watch out: Pronouncing the silent -ent of ils parlent as "parl-ENT". It is silent: ils parlent sounds just like il parle. (The -ent is only said in some other words, such as souvent, often.)
- ne + verb + pas; n' before a vowel.
- un, une, des → de (d') after a negative.
- le, la, les stay.
- With être, articles don't change: ce n'est pas un livre.
- Speech often drops ne; keep it in writing.
- ne … pas
- not (round the verb)
- n'
- ne before a vowel sound
- pas de
- no, not any (replaces un, une, des)
- non
- no
Watch out: Keeping un or des after a negative: wrong: Je n'ai pas un frère, wrong: Il n'a pas des enfants. After pas, use de: Je n'ai pas de frère, il n'a pas d'enfants.
- mon / ma / mes, ton / ta / tes, son / sa / ses agree with the noun owned.
- mon, ton, son before a feminine noun starting with a vowel: mon amie.
- sa mère = his or her mother.
- Adjectives: + e for feminine, + s for plural, usually after the noun.
- Adjectives ending in -e stay the same: jeune, sympathique.
- mon, ma, mes
- my (m, f, plural)
- son, sa, ses
- his or her (agrees with the noun)
- grand(e)
- tall, big
- petit(e)
- short, small
- brun(e) / blond(e)
- dark-haired / blonde
- jeune
- young (same in m and f)
- sympathique
- nice, friendly (same in m and f)
Watch out: Choosing son or sa by the owner, as in English his / her. In French it follows the noun: sa mère is "his mother" or "her mother", because mère is feminine. Son père is "his father" or "her father".