French: Family, Aimer, and Descriptions

• This study guide covers French grammar, and the vocabulary list should be consulted for vocabulary.

Family Members

• To ask "Who is this?", the phrase "Qui est-ce ?" is used.
• To say "Here is my mother" or "This is my mother," use "Voilà ma mère" or "C'est ma mère".
• To describe someone by saying "She has brown eyes and brown hair. She is tall," say "Elle a les yeux marron et les cheveux bruns. Elle est grande."
• To ask "What does she like to do?", the phrase "Qu'est-ce qu'elle aime faire ?" is used.
• To say "She likes to walk the dog and read," say "Elle aime promener le chien et lire."

Verb "Aimer"

• "aimer + verb (infinitive)" means "to like to do something."
• An infinitive is the unconjugated form of the verb.
• To say "I like to read", say "J'aime lire."
• To say "You like to jog", say "Tu aimes faire du jogging."
• To say "They like to play the guitar", say "Ils aiment jouer de la guitare."
• "Ma" is used before feminine nouns.
• "Mon" is used before masculine nouns.
• "Mes" is used before plural nouns.
• ma sœur = une soeur means my sister = a sister = feminine (f.).
• mon frère = un frère means my brother = a brother = masculine (m.).
• mes chiens = des chiens means my dogs = dogs = plural (pl.).

Conjugating Verbs

• "aimer" means "to like."
• j'aime = I like
• tu aimes = you like
• il/elle/on aime = he/she/one likes
• nous aimons = we like
• vous aimez = you (plural/formal) like
• ils/elles aiment = they like
• "Aimer" is a regular -er verb and all regular -er verbs follow this pattern.

Conjugating "Être"

• "être" means "to be."
• je suis = I am
• tu es = you are
• il/elle/on est = he/she/one is
• nous sommes = we are
• vous êtes = you (plural/formal) are
• ils/elles sont = they are

Conjugating "Avoir"

• "avoir" means "to have."
• j'ai = I have
• tu as = you have
• il/elle/on a = he/she/one has
• nous avons = we have
• vous avez = you (plural/formal) have
• ils/elles ont = they have

Subject Pronouns

• singular:
  • je = 1st person
  • tu = 2nd person
  • il, elle, on = 3rd person
• plural:
  • nous = 1st person
  • vous = 2nd person
  • ils, elles = 3rd person
• "vous" can be formal singular or plural.
• "on" can mean "one" or "people in general" and can replace "nous" or "we."

Showing Possession

• French uses "de" to show possession instead of 's. For example:
  • Le chat de ma sœur = The cat of my sister = My sister's cat.
  • L'oiseau de mon ami = The bird of my friend = My friend's bird.

Definite Article Abbreviations

• the:

  • le (m.)
  • la (f.)
  • les (pl.)

• of the:

  • de + le = du* (m.)
  • de + la = de la* (f.)
  • de + les = des (pl.)
  • de l' (*before a vowel)

• Le chien de la fille est gentil = of the girl = the girl's dog...

• Le chien du garçon est gentil = of the boy = the boy's dog

• Le chien des voisins est gentil = of the neighbors = the neighbors' dog

• de l' is also used before nouns starting with a silent h.

  • Example, c'est le chien de l'homme.

• "De" can mean from, of, or about.

C'est vs. Il est

• The French words "il" and "elle" can also mean "it."
  • Example 1: Je n'aime pas le cours parce qu'il est difficile – II = le cours
  • Example 2: J'adore la tarte! Elle est délicieuse! – Elle = la tarte
  • Example 3: J'ai une sœur. Elle est amusante. – Elle = she
• "c'est" is singular, "ce sont" is plural.
  • Voici Jean-Pierre. C'est un ami. (Here is Jean-Pierre. This is a friend)
  • Voici Magali et Sophie. Ce sont mes sœurs. (Here are Magali and Sophie. These are my sisters)
  • Voici Max. C'est mon chien. (Here is Max. This is my dog)
  • Voilà un livre. C'est un livre très intéressant. (Here is a book. It's a very interesting book)
• "c'est" and "ce sont" can also mean "he" and "she."
  • "C'est" is followed by a noun
  • "Il est" is followed by an adjective
  • C'est un ami. = He's a friend.
  • Il est marrant. = He is funny.
  • C'est mon amie. = She is my friend.
  • Elle est intelligente. = She is smart.
  • Ce sont des frères. = They are brothers.
  • Ils sont canadiens. = They are Canadian.
  • Ce sont les gateaux. = It's the cakes.
  • Ils sont délicieux! = They are delicious!
  • C'est un ami. = He is a friend (C'est is followed by a noun)
  • Il est amusant. = He is fun (Il est is followed by an adjective)

Hobbies and Professions

• When describing someone's profession, there is NO article.
• Un acteur / une actrice (an actor / actress) → Elle est actrice. Il est acteur. (She is an actress. He is an actor).
• Un /une prof (a teacher) → Elle est prof. (She is a teacher).
• Un facteur / une factrice (a mailman / mailwoman) → Il est facteur. (He is a mailman).
• Make sure the profession agrees in gender and number with the noun.

Passe-Temps (Hobbies)

• Only one conjugated verb per sentence should be used.
  • J'aime faire du ski. = I like to ski. ("to like" is conjugated, "to ski" is not)
  • Je fais du ski. = I ski or I am skiing. ("ski" is conjugated)

Asking Why and Giving Reason

• Tu aimes le basket ? (Do you like basketball?)
• Oui, j'aime regarder le basket, mais je n'aime pas jouer au basket. (Yes, I like to watch basketball, but I don't like to play basketball.)
• Pourquoi pas? (Why not?)
• Parce que je ne suis pas très sportif. (Because I am not very athletic.)
• Vous aimez jouer aux jeux vidéo ? ( Do you like to play video games?)
• Non, je n'aime pas parce que c'est débile. (No, I don't like it because it's stupid.)

Profession and Hobbies - Questions

• Qu'est-ce que tu fais comme passe-temps ? (What are your hobbies?)
• Quel est ton passe-temps préféré ? ( What is your favorite hobby?)
• Quels sont tes passe-temps préférés ? (What are your favorite hobbies?)
• Que fais-tu dans la vie ? (What do you do(as in profession)?)
• Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire plus tard ? (What do you want to do(as in profession)?)
• Je veux être __________ (I want to be __________ (as in profession))

The Verb Faire

• Introduction: "Faire" is often encountered in French and has many expressions.
• "Faire" is an irregular verb and does not follow a normal pattern.
  • faire - to make or to do
    • je fais - I make/do
    • tu fais - you make/do
    • il / elle / on fait - he / she / one makes/does
    • nous faisons - we make/do
    • vous faites - you make/do
    • ils / elles font - they make/do
  • Je fais mes devoirs. - I am doing my homework.
  • Il fait un sandwich au fromage. - He is making a cheese sandwich.
  • J'aime faire du vélo. - I like to bike.
  • Je fais du vélo avec mes amis. - I bike with my friends.
  • Je n'aime pas faire de la natation. - I do not like to swim.
  • Je ne fais pas souvent de natation. - I do not swim often.
  • Vous aimez faire de la plongée-sous marine. - You all like to scuba dive.
  • Vous faites de la plongée-sous marine en été. - You all scuba dive in the summer.
  • Faire is followed by DU or DE LA + sport.
    • J'aime le vélo. - I like biking.
    • Je fais du vélo. - I bike.
    • Je n'aime pas le vélo. - I do not like biking.
    • J'aime faire du vélo. - I like to bike.
    • Je ne fais pas de vélo. - I do not bike.
    • J'aime le ski. - I like to ski.
    • Je fais du ski. - I ski.
    • Je n'aime pas le ski. - I do not like to ski.
    • J'aime faire du ski. - I like to ski.
    • Je ne fais pas de ski. - I do not ski.
    • J'aime la plongée sous-marine. - I like scuba diving.
    • Je fais de la plongée sous-marine. - I scuba dive.
    • Je n'aime pas la plongée sous-marine. - I do not scuba dive.
    • J'aime faire de la plongée sous-marine. - I like to scuba dive.
    • Je ne fais pas de plongée sous-marine. - I do not scuba dive.
    • J'aime la natation. - I like swimming.
    • Je fais de la natation. - I swim.
    • Je n'aime pas la natation. - I do not swim.
    • J'aime faire de la natation. - I like to swim.
    • Je ne fais pas de natation. - I do not swim.
    • J'aime la pêche. - I like fishing.
    • Je fais de la pêche. - I fish.
    • Je n'aime pas la pêche. - I do not like fishing.
    • J'aime faire de la pêche. - I like to fish. -Je ne fais pas de pêche. - I do not fish.

Talking About Weather

• Quel temps fait-il ? - What is the weather like?
• Il fait _________. - It is _________.
• Il y a _________. - There is _________.
• Il pleut. Il neige. - It is raining. It is snowing.
• the - in
  • le printemps - au printemps - spring
  • l’été - en été - summer
  • l’hiver - en hiver - winter
  • l’automne - en automne - autumn

Jouer, Instruments, and Sports

• Jouer is always followed by DU / DE LA / DES + an instrument
• Remember:
  • de + le = du
  • de + la = de la
  • de + les = des
  • Je joue souvent de la batterie. - I often play the drums.
  • Tu joues des cymbales. - You play the cymbals.
  • Il joue de la guitare classique. - He plays classical guitar.
• However, with sports, jouer is followed by à. (m) à + le = au* (f) à + la = à la* (pl) à + les = aux
• before a vowel à l' For the vocabulary words in this module, you are only using à + le = au, but familiarize yourself with the rule as feminine and plural contractions may be used soon. Finally, faire + de follow these same contraction rules. le ski = skiing - faire du ski = to ski la randonnée = hiking - faire de la randonnée = to hike

Stem-Changing –ER Verbs

• To conjugate an -er verb, take off the -er and add the endings listed below in bold.
• er verbs je -e nous -ons tu -es vous -ez il/elle / on -e ils/elles-ent regarder - to watch je regarde nous regardons tu regardes vous regardez il regarde ils regardent These Verbs Follow the Same Pattern Explained Above. Regular -er Verbs
• adorer to adore, to love
• aimer to like
• chanter to sing
• chercher to look for
• danser to dance
• demander to ask
• détester to detest, to hate
• donner to give
• écouter to listen to
• étudier to study
• habiter to live
• jouer to play
• monter to show
• présenter to introduce
• regarder to watch
• rester to stay, to remain
• téléphoner to phone
• travailler to work
• trouver to find

Special Rules –ER Verbs

je -e nous -ons tu -es vous -ez il/elle / on -e ils/elles -ent

• The following are -er verbs that have special rules. voyager - to travel je voyage nous voyageons tu voyages vous voyageez il voyage ils voyagent Verbs that end in ger keep the e in the nous form.

-GER Verbs

• The following are -er verbs that have special rules.
• manger to eat
• nager to swim
• partager to share
• ranger to clean up, put away
• corriger to correct

Verbs Ending in –YER

• The following are -er verbs that have special rules.
• In verbs that end in -yer the -y changes to -i in every form except for the nous and vous forms.
• essayer to try je essaie nous essayons tu essaies vous essayez il essaie ils essaient Note that the assessments in this French course, you are to use the y to i model for the verbs essayer and payer. You will use the word stem paie for this course.

Other É Verbs

• add -è add -è Here are some other verbs that follow the same pattern.
• acheter to buy
• espérer to hope
• préférer to prefer
• répéter to repeat

Conjugating –RE Verbs

French has three main verb groups: -ER verbs, -RE verbs, and –IR verbs. You have already learned about –ER verbs. Now you are going to learn about –RE verbs. verbs, we are just talking about making the verb agree with the subject.

Regular -re Verbs

• re verbs je -s nous -ons tu-s vous -ez il / elle / on ils/elles-ent vendre to sell je vends nous vendons tu vends vous vendez il vend ils vendent Je vends ma voiture. – I sell my car. Elle travaille à la pâtisserie. – She works at the bakery. Elle vend des croissants et des gâteaux. – She sells croissants and cakes. The following verbs follow the same pattern.
• attendre to wait
• dépendre de to depend (on)
• entendre to hear
• perdre to lose
• rendre to turn in, to give back
• rendre visite à quelqu'un to visit someone
• répondre to answer, to respond

Possessive Adjectives

You already know how to say "my" and "your" (tu form) in French. Now, we will look at the rest of the terms. Remember, that these possessive adjectives also have masculine, feminine, and plural forms. my (m) mon mon père my father (f) ma ma mère my mother (pl) mes mes soeurs my sisters your (tu form) (m) ton ton père your father (f) ta ta mère your mother (pl) tes tes soeurs your sisters As you can see, père is masculine, so it goes with the masculine form of the possessive adjective. Mère is feminine, so it goes with ma or ta and soeurs is plural, so you must use the plural possessive adjective. my (tu) your his / her our (vous) your their (m) mon ton son notre votre leur (f) ma ta sa notre votre leur (pl) mes tes ses nos VOS leurs Note: ma / ta / sa cannot precede a word that begins with a vowel or silent h. In this case, default to the masculine form. the terms.

Some examples of the above

• Noun, Rule, Used with possessive adjectives
• une université, feminine but begins with a vowel, mon université ton université son université
• une amie, feminine but begins with a vowel, mon amie ton amie son amie
• une hache, feminine but begins with a silent h, mon hache ton hache son hache

–IR Verbs

French has three groups of verbs: -ER verbs, -RE verbs, and IR verbs. You have already learned how to conjugate ER and RE verbs. Now you will learn how to conjugate IR verbs. Remember, when we talk about conjugating verbs, we are just talking about making the verb agree with the subject. The main conjugations for IR verbs are:

• ir verbs je -is nous -issons tu -is vous -issez il/elle / on -it ils/elles -issent finir – to finish je finis nous finissons tu finis vous finisssez il finit ils finissent choisir – to choose je choisis nous choisissons tu choisis vous choisissez il choisit ils choisissent These verbs follow the same pattern explained above.
• ir verbs verb list

établir to establish grandir to grow (up) grossir to gain weight maigrir to lose weight obéir (à qlequ'un) to obey (someone) réagir to react réfléchir to reflect réussir (à) to succeed (at) vieillir to grow old

Stress Pronouns

We can use stress pronouns to put emphasis on a person with the following examples: Who likes chocolate? moi! I like chocolate! Who is calling me? Him! He is calling you! Stress pronouns:

• je moi
• tu toi
• il lui
• elle elle
• nous nous
• vous vous
• ils eux Other uses for stress pronouns: chez = à la maison = at home Je suis à la maison. Je suis chez moi. Tu es à la maison. Tu es chez toi. Ils sont à la maison. Ils sont chez eux. Here are some other terms that are followed by stress pronouns.
• pour for
• de from
• avec with

This study guide covers French grammar related to family members, the verb "aimer," and describing people. Learn how to ask 'Who is this?', introduce family, describe someone's appearance, and discuss their hobbies. Master using 'aimer + infinitive' to express liking an activity.