All The Prepositions
August 27, 2012 § Leave a comment
… that I can find in my Une Fois Pour Toutes book. The list is taken from the book, I added the definitions.
1. the simple principal prepositions
à – to, at, in
après – after
avant – before
avec – with
chez – at the house of, at the business of, at the office of
contre – against
dans – in (concretely, physically inside something)
de – of, from
depuis – since
derrière – behind
dès – (used with time) – from, as soon as
devant – in front of
en – in (more abstract, not concrete)
entre – between
envers – toward (in an abstract sense)
excepté – except, apart from
jusqu’à – up to, until (used before nouns and time, not before phrases)
malgré – in spite of
par – by
parmi – among
pendant – during
pour – for
sans – without
sauf – except
selon – according to
sous – under
sur – on
vers – toward (physically)
2. Complex prepositions
à cause de – because of
à côté de – next to (literally at the side of)
à l’égard de – with regards to, toward
à l’éxception de – except for
à l’insu de – without the knowledge of, unbeknownst to
à moins de – short of, unless
à travers – across
à partir de – starting from
à propos de – about, concerning, regarding
au bout de – at the end of (more concrete, physical)
au centre de – at the center of
au delà de – beyond
au-dessous de – below, under, underneath
au-dessus de – above
au fond de – at the base of, deep down, at the bottom of
au gré de – at the will of, at the mercy of, at the request of
au lieu de – instead of
au milieu de – in the middle of
au pied de – at the foot of
au sommet de – at the summit of
au sujet de – on the subject of
auprès de – near to
autour de – around (like the periphery of)
d’après – according to
de la part de – on behalf of
de crainte de – from fear of
de peur de – from fear of
en bas de – at the bottom of
en face de – across from, opposite
en faveur de – on account of, in favor of, to the benefit of
en haut de – at the top of
en raison de – on account of, because of
faute de – for want of
hors de – out of, outside, away from
le long de – the length of, along
loin de – far from
par rapport à – regarding, in comparison to, in relation to
près de – near
quant à – as for
vis à vis de – opposite, face to face from, towards
3. other prepositions of place
au coin de – at the corner of
à gauche de – to the left of
à droite de – to the right of
à l’interieur de – in the interior of, inside, in
à l’extérieur de – outside, outside of
4. prepositions used with time
au commencement de – at the beginning of, at the start of
au début de – at the beginning of
au moment de – when, as
à l’heure de – in the era, age of
à l’époque de – at the time of
à la fin de – at the end of (used with abstract, lit, movies – think Pink Panther)
au bout de – at the end of
à partir de – from, starting from
dès- from (used with time)
vers – toward, around
pour – for (used with a time period that has yet to end)
pendant – during, for (used with time periods that have ended)
jusqu’à – up to, until
depuis – since
par – per
en – in (used with longer, unspecified periods of time, en été, en janvier, en 1995)
à – at, on (used with specific times, à 6h, à lundi, au 28 août, au 17ième siècle, au mois de mai)
More “Found” Information
June 26, 2012 § Leave a comment
The following two things were copied and pasted from French Amis posts on Facebook. I highly recommend that you look them up and like / follow them. They have wonderful information.
Text Abbreviations
June 11, 2012 § Leave a comment
This was literally copied and pasted from Collins French Dictionary – Collinsdictionary.com
To help you get the hang of texting in French, here are some useful abbreviations:
bjr = bonjour (hello)
bsr = bonsoir (goodnight)
auj = aujourd’hui (today)
ir = hier (yesterday)
bi1to = bientôt (soon)
tds = tout de suite (right away)
vazi = vas-y (go ahead)
DQP = dès que possible (as soon as possible)
tjs = toujours (always)
@+ = à plus tard (see you later)
@2m1 = à demain (see you tomorrow)
a tt = à tout à l’heure (see you soon)
kan = quand (when)
ALP = à la prochaine (until next time)
JMS = jamais (never)
slt = salut (hi, bye)
biz = bisous (kisses)
M = merci (thanks)
2 ri 1 = de rien (You’re welcome)
STP/SVP = s’il te/vous plait (please)
pk = pourquoi (why)
ki = qui (who)
p-ê = peut-être (maybe)
d’ac, dak = d’accord (agreed)
cb1 = c’est bien (good)
XLent = excellent
ama = à mon avis (in my opinion)
BCP = beaucoup (a lot)
NRV = énervé (worried, nervous)
HT = acheter (buy)
TLM = tout le monde (everyone)
ENTK = en tout cas (in any case)
EDR = écroulé de rire (laughing out loud)
GspR b1 = J’espère bien (I hope so)
Chui = Je suis (I am) Je c = Je sais (I know)
C1Blag = C’est une blague (It’s a joke)
TOQP = T’es occupé ? (Are you busy?)
QDN, Koi29 = Quoi de neuf? (What’s new?)
Tata KS = T’as ta caisse ? (You have your car?)
C pa 5pa = C’est pas sympa (That’s not nice)
G1id2kdo = J’ai une idée de cadeau (I have a great idea)
CPG (C’est pas grave)
GHT2V G (J’ai) HT (acheté) 2 (du) V (vin)
FDS fin de semaine
b1sur (bien sûr)
NSP (ne sais pas)
Passé Simple
May 21, 2012 § Leave a comment
The passé simple is a tense that is only used in writing. It takes the place of the passé composé in novels, newspapers, and other relatively formal forms of writing.
My goal is that you recognize it for what it is as you come across it in your readings. Most of the verbs are easily recognizable in their passé simple forms, but there are a few irregular ones that you won’t recognize.
Rules and charts
For verbs ending in ER (both irregular and regular)
Drop the ER and add the passé simple endings
Parler
Je parlai. Nous parlâmes
Tu parlas. Vous parlâtes
Il parla. Ils parlèrent
Aller (also ends in ER, but irregular in present tense)
J’allai. Nous allâmes
Tu allas. Vous allâtes
Il alla. Ils allèrent
For verbs ending in IR, most RE, voir, and asseoir
Drop the IR and add the passé simple endings
Je finis. Nous finîmes
Tu finis. Vous finîtes
Il finit. Ils finirent
Je descendis. Nous descendîmes
Tu descendis. Vous descendîtes
Il descendit. Ils descendirent
(faire)
Je fis. Nous fîmes
Tu fis. Vous fîtes
Il fit. Ils firent
Venir verbs are irregular
Je vins. Nous vînmes
Tu vins. Vous vîntes
Il vint. Ils vinrent
Now for the list of the way irregular verbs – these ones all have the same endings, but can be hard to figure out which verbs they are because their passé simple forms in no way resemble any other form of the verb.
The endings for these verbs are
Je – us. Nous – ûmes
Tu – us. Vous – ûtes
Il – ut. Ils – urent
And here are the stems
être – f
avoir – e
boire – b
devoir – d
taire – t
lire – l
vivre – véc
plaire – pl
croire – cr
Example
être
Je fus. Nous fûmes
Tu fus. Vous fûtes
Il fut. Ils furent
avoir
J’eus. Nous eûmes
Tu eus. Vous eûtes
Il eut. Ils eurent
lire
Je lus. Nous lûmes
Tu lus. Vous lûtes
Il lut. Ils lurent
Relative Pronouns
April 24, 2012 § Leave a comment
Relative pronouns are tricky. The big grammar books have all sorts of charts and examples and lots of grammar speak about when to use which relative pronoun. They make my head spin. My effort here is to try to keep it very simple. I’m probably oversimplifying it, but this gives you the basics of when to use what.
Relative pronouns introduce a relative clause, a clause that modifies part of the main idea of the sentence. They fall under two categories,
1. that / which / who / whom
and
2. what
In French the relative pronoun that one uses is NOT determined by what you’re saying (that/which/who/whom), but by the words around it. This will make more sense in a minute.
1. To start, we’ll tackle that/which/who/whom
a. the basic that/which/who/whom will either be qui or que.
*qui will be followed by a verb or a verb phrase
*que will be followed by a noun or a subject pronoun
Je vois la femme qui vous a parlé.
Tu as parlé à quelqu’un qui t’a beacoup encouragé.
Voici la Tour Eiffel qui est le symbole de Paris.
J’aime la robe que tu as achetée.
C’est une entreprise que je connais bien.
Voici une voiture que j’aime.
Les pièces qui m’intéressent le plus sont celles que Molière a écrites.
For the full write up of qui versus que, click on this link. https://tiffanyendres.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/qui-and-que/
b. then there’s dont. Dont means that/which/who when combined with de.
De + Que = Dont.
The idea is that, like in English, French sentences cannot end in a preposition. De counts as a preposition. It happens with specific verbs (avoir envie de, avoir envie de, s’inquiéter de, etc.), and can also be used in the context of ‘about’ or ‘of’. In proper English, one would say ‘of whom, of which’. In French, this equals ‘dont’.
Où est le livre dont tu as besoin? – Where is the book of which you have need?
Elle a le sac dont j’ai envie – She has the bag of which I want – because in this context to want is ‘avoir envie de’
C’est un évenement dont tout le monde parle. – This is an event about which everyone is talking. To talk about = parler de
Mes voisins, dont j’ai déjà fait la connaissance, sont très sympathiques. – My neighbors of whom I’ve already made the acquaintance, are very nice. To make the acquaintance of – faire la connaissance de
Ali a une amie dont la famille habite à Londres. – Ali has a friend whose family lives in London.
For the full explanation of Dont, click on the following links
https://tiffanyendres.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/dont-part-1/
https://tiffanyendres.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/dont/
c. lequel in all its forms is used to mean that/which/who/whom when following a preposition, or with specific verbs that end in à or de. Like in English, in French a sentence cannot end in a preposition. Instead of saying,
This is the pen that I write with. – Voici le stylo que j’écris avec.
one should say,
This is the pen with which I write. – Voici le stylo avec lequel j’écris.
When following a preposition Qui / Que changes to lequel. Lequel matches the gender and number of the noun that it replaces.
| m.s. | lequel |
| m.pl. | lesquels |
| f.s. | laquelle |
| f.pl. | lesquelles |
When combined with à or de, the normal contractions take place. (à +lequel = auquel, à+lesquels = auxquels, de+lequel = duquel, de+lesquelles = desquelles, etc.)
More lequel examples
* C’est un travail sans lequel je ne peux pas vivre. This is a job without which I cannot live.
* La raison pour laquelle je vous ai dit cela est très simple. The reason for which I told you this is very simple.
* Les lettres auxquelles je dois répondre sont entassées sur mon bureau. The letters to which I have to respond are piled on my desk.
*J’ai perdu la boîte dans laquelle j’ai mis tous les verres. I lost the box in which I put all the glasses.
*Elle va préparer le dîner, après lequel nous prendrons un digestif. (after which)
*Voilà le lac au milieu duquel j’ai attrapé plusieurs poissons. (au milieu de = in the middle of)
* Il y a des choses auxquelles on n’aimes pas penser. (penser à = to think about)
2. What
As a relative pronoun, what literally translates to “that which” or “the thing which” = ce qui, ce que, ce dont, or ce à quoi. Ce qui, ce que, and ce dont follow the same rules as qui, que, and dont, but instead of meaning that/which/who/whom, the addition of the ‘ce’ changes the meaning to ‘what’.
a. ce qui vs ce que
Ce qui is followed by a verb or a verb phrase.
Ce que is followed by a noun or a subject pronoun.
*Ma grand-mère me dit toujours ce qui est bon et ce qui est mauvais. Ce n’est pas toujours ce que je veux entendre.
*Cet enfant ne sait pas ce qu’il veut.
*Ce qui semble important un jour est oublié le lendemain.
*Elle ne sait pas ce qu’elle doit faire.
*Je ne sais pas ce qui lui a fait peur.
b. Ce dont happens when ce que combines with de.
* Nous n’avons plus ce dont tu as besoin.
*C’est exactement ce dont j’avais besoin.
*Tu veux me donner ce dont j’ai envie.
Chapter 12 Vocabulary
April 20, 2012 § Leave a comment
joints – les articulations
the mouth – la bouche
the arm – le bras
the brain – le cerveau
the ankle – la cheville
the eyelashes – les cils (m)
the heart – le coeur
the neck – le cou
the elbow – le coude
the skull – le crâne
the thigh – la cuisse
the finger – le doigt
the back – le dos
a shoulder – une épaule
the buttocks – les fesses
the liver – la foie
the forehead – le front
the knee – le genou
the hips – les hanches (f)
the leg – la jambe
the cheek – la joue
the lips – les lèvres (f)
the hand – la main
the chin – le menton
the calf – le mollet
an eye – un oeil
eyes – les yeux
a fingernail, toenail – un ongle
an ear – une oreille
a toe – un orteil OR un doigt de pied
a bone – un os
a foot – un pied
a wrist – un poignet
body hair – le poil
the lungs – les poumons (m)
a kidney – un rein
blood – le sang
the eyebrow – le sourcil
the waist – la taille
an injured person – un blessé
an owie, an injury – une blessure
a scar – une cicatrice
a sprain – une entorse
a light sprain – une foulure
the flu – la grippe
the stomach flu – la grippe intestinale
heartburn – le mal au coeur
headache – le mal de tête
bitten – mordu
a sting – une piqûre
an emergency – une urgence
to catch a cold – attraper un rhume
to swallow – avaler
a fish bone – une arête
to have a headache – avoir mal à la tête
to hurt oneself – se blesser
to burn oneself – se brûler
to break (body part) – se casser (body part)
to cut oneself – se couper
to be knocked over – être renversé
to sprain one’s ankle – se fouler la cheville
to slip, slide – glisser
to bump against – se heurter contre
to drop – laisser tomber
to make someone sick – rendre quelqu’un malade
to knock over – renverser
to inhale smoke – respirer de la fumée
to feel – se sentir
to fall – tomber
a pain – une douleur
chills – des frissons
swelling – le gonflement
to swell – gonfler
aching – endoloris
the muscles – les muscles (m)
a stuffy nose – le nez bouché
a rash – des rougeurs
a cough – un toux
to cough – tousser
to sneeze – éternuer
to sniff – renifler
dizziness – des vertiges (m)
to be unconscious – être sans connaissance
fever – la fièvre
to vomit – vomir
sedentary – sédentaire
to faint – s’évanouir
crutches – les bequilles (f)
a stretcher – une civière OR le brancard
a pill – un comprimé
a capsule – une gélule
drops – des gouttes (f)
a medicine – un médicament
a prescription – une ordonnance
a bandaid – un pansement
a pill – une pilule
a shot – une piqûre
a cast – un plâtre
cream – la pommade (chauffante)
medical care – les soins médicaux
a sleeping pill – un somnifère
an herbal tea – une tisane
to take care of – soigner
aspirin – l’aspirine
effective – efficace
the syrup – le sirop
a remedy – un remède
to unclog one’s nose – se déboucher le nez
to forbid – défendre
to digest – digérer
to take someone to the hospital – emmener (person) à l’hôpital
to stretch – étirer
to avoid (the sun) – éviter le soleil
to require – exiger
to make a diagnosis – faire un diagnostic
to rub – frotter
to heal – guérir
to forbid – interdire
to eat healthily – manger sainement
to blow one’s nose – se moucher
a kleenex – un mouchoir
to lose weight – perdre le poids
to take someone’s pulse – prendre le pouls à IOP
to prescribe – prescrire
a treatment – un traitement
to protect – protéger
to lower, to reduce – réduire
to stay in shape – rester en forme
to make feel better – soulager
to follow a balanced diet – suivre un régime équilibré
an energy drink – une boisson énergisante
a runner – un coureur, une coureuse
the duration – la durée
a ladder – une échelle
troubles, annoyances – des ennuis
the end – la fin
a witness – un témoin
to witness – témoigner
help – au secours
stretched out on the ground – étendu par terre
to stretch – s’étendre
everywhere, all over – partout
Le Conditionnel
April 4, 2012 § Leave a comment
The conditional is the “would verb” tense. One uses it just as one says “would” in English. It’s a happy tense because it pretty much completely aligns with the “would verb” usage in English.
To form the conditional
1. Take the future stem of a verb
a. for er, ir verbs the future stem is the infinitive
b. for re verbs, the future stem is the infinitive -e (vendr, perdr, descendr)
c. for irregular verbs – memorize them
2. Add the imparfait endings
| je – ais | nous – ions |
| tu – ais | vous – iez |
| il – ait | ils – aient |
Uses of the conditional
1. to express the future in the past
*Hier il a dit qu’il viendrait aujourd’hui. Yesterday he said that he’d come over today.
*Je savais que tu le ferais. I knew that you’d do it.
*Le professeur nous a dit que la classe serait facile. The prof told us that the class would be easy.
*Nous pensions que tu deviendrais médecin. We thought you’d become a doctor.
2. If imparfait then conditional …
*Si je savais la réponse, je la crierais à haute voix. If I knew the answer, I’d holler it out.
*S’ils avaient une voiture, ils sortiraient avec leurs amis. If they had a car, they’d go out with their friends.
*Si j’étais riche, j’habiterais à Paris. If I was rich I’d live in Paris.
3. As a form of politesse
used with vouloir (would like), pouvoir (could), and aimer.
*Je voudrais vous parler. I’d like to talk to you.
*Pourriez-vous m’aider s’il vous plaît? Could you help me please.
*Nous aimerions bien aller à la plage. We would really like to go to the beach.
4. Always used after “au cas où”
*Elle nous donnera son adresse au cas où nous irions à Paris. She will give us her address in case we go to Paris.
* Au cas où il ne serait pas là, vous pourriez lui laisser un mot. In case he’s not there, you could leave him a note.
Sur
March 28, 2012 § Leave a comment
This information is not my own. It is “borrowed” from Laura K. Lawless at About.com. Here is the link to her page.
http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/preposition_sur_2.htm?nl=1
She is absolutely amazing. This information is literally copied and pasted from her page. She did all the work.
The French preposition sur usually means “on,” but has a few other meanings depending on what it’s used with.
I. Location
un livre sur la table – a book on the table
sur ma route – on my way
sur la photo– in the photograph
sur le stade, le marché– at the stadium, market
sur la chaussée, le boulevard, l’avenue – in the road, boulevard, avenue
il neige sur tout le Canada – it’s snowing all over Canada
II. Direction
tourner sur la gauche – to turn to the left
revenir sur Paris – to return to Paris
III. Approximate time
arriver sur les six heures – to arrive around 6 o’clock
elle va sur ses 50 ans – she’s going on 50 (years old)
sur une période d’un an – over a period / the course of a year
IV. Proportion / ratio
trois fois sur quatre – three times out of four
un enfant sur cinq – one child in five
une semaine sur deux – every other week
V. Subject / topic
un article sur les roses – an article on roses
une causerie sur l’égalité – a talk on / about equality
The French preposition sur is required after certain French verbs and phrases that are followed by an indirect object, but there is sometimes no equivalent preposition in English.
acheter quelque chose sur le marché – to buy something at the market
appuyer sur (le bouton) – to press (the button)
appuyer sur (le mur) – to lean (on the wall)
arriver sur (midi) – to arrive at around (noon)
compter sur – to count on
concentrer sur – to concentrate on
copier sur quelqu’un – to copy from someone
croire quelqu’un sur parole – to take someone’s word, to take someone at his word
diriger son attention sur – to direction one’s attention to
écrire sur – to write about
s’endormir sur (un livre, son travail) – to fall asleep (over a book, at work)
s’étendre sur – to spread out over
fermer la porte sur (vous, lui) – to close the door behind (you, him)
interroger quelqu’un sur quelque chose – to question someone about something
se jeter sur quelqu’un – to throw oneself upon someone
loucher sur – to ogle
prendre modèle sur quelqu’un – to model oneself on someone
questionner quelqu’un sur quelque chose – to question someone about something
réfléchir sur – to think about, reflect upon
régner sur – to reign over
rejeter une faute sur quelqu’un – to place the blame on someone
rester sur la défensive – to stay on the defensive
rester sur ses gardes – to keep one’s guard up
revenir sur (un sujet) – to go back over (a topic)
sauter sur une occasion – to jump at an opportunity
tirer sur – to shoot at
tourner sur (l’église, la droite) – to turn (toward the church, right)
The French preposition sur means “on” and is also used in many expressions. Learn how to say immediately, red-handed, by order, and more with this list of expressions with sur.
arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe (informal) to be completely irrelevant
avoir du pain sur la planche (informal) to have a lot to do
avoir un cheveu sur la langue (informal) to have a lisp
coup sur coup one after another
dormir sur ses deux oreilles to sleep like a baby
envoyer sur les roses (informal) to brush someone off, send packing
être sur la bonne piste to be on the right track
faire du sur-place to mark time
faire faute sur faute to make one mistake after another
je suis revenu sur mon idée I thought better of it
sur ce, j’ai fait X whereupon I did X
sur ces entrefaites at that moment
sur ces mots with this, so saying
(ne le prends pas) sur ce ton (don’t take it) like that
sur commande by order
sur invitation by invititation
(la clé est) sur la porte (the key is) in the door
sur la recommendation de X upon X’s recommendation
sur-le-champ immediately, right away
sur le coup at the time, at first, outright
sur le coup de 10 heures around 10 o’clock
(être) sur le départ (to be) about to leave
sur le fait in the act, red-handed
sur l’heure immediately, right away
sur le mode mineur in the minor key
(je ne l’ai pas) sur moi (I don’t have it) on me
sur le moment at the time, at first
sur le vif from life, in real life
sur place on the spot, right there; to eat here (as opposed to à emporter – to go)
vivre les uns sur les autres to live one on top of the other
French Notes 