For the exams you will need to have these four verbs off like nobody’s business….They form the basis for many phrases in French and of course for the Passé Composé they are key.
avoir, aller, faire, être….if you don’t know these – you’re on the wrong bus!
Click here for some tests on french verbs. See what you think…do you really know them ?
For the next few days I will be travelling (very busy) so there are no plans to conduct the online grind this week. Keep the emails and forum entries coming and I will try to anwer as many as possible.
Today I decided to go back to basics. I feel that a lot of students haven’t maybe paid attention in class say back in first year and are flapping about since. In French, as I’m sure you must now by now, there are certain rules that seem to crop up everywhere and spoil the party for those in the dark….
I have met Leaving Cert students scrambling about weeks before their exam who have not grasped the points below. Now these are the very foundations of French so if you are bored already maybe its time to start Applied Metalwork instead….
Now if you have 10 minutes I want you to learn just three things. Not just learn – I want you to understand. Le and la.
Starting next Wednesday 11th of November you can access online grinds for free. Simply register with WizIQ and they will send you a reminder email with a link to the class. You can click on this email next Wednesday at 8:00 PM and you will be brought into the online class. You will need a headset (headphones+microphone – so you can ask a question if you want) and also a webcam. Nothing else! The grind will last about 40 minutes and we will go through some of the topics that cause the most grief to students.
Class Link with WiziQ
Here is some tests on Prepositions. See what you think…do you really know them ?
Prepositions are those little words like devant, apres, sur that are essential in building any sentence in French.
Click here and see do you really know these words….
Read more…
Below is a sample question about tabacco and smoking. The answer is shown in French and English. The errors are in red and explanations are given. Hopefully you will find this useful.
Que pensez vous de l’avertissement qu’on peut lire sur les paquets de cigarettes?
What do you think of the warnings that you can read on cigarette packets?
French Answer
A mon avis. En ce qui me concerne, je suis tout à fait d’accord avec ces avertissement et je pense que c’est un excellent moyen d’informer les gens, sur les effets nuisibles du tabagisme.
I have just added apture the site. Let’s try this post. We are interested in the Passé Composé as a tense in French. In addition there are videos and newspaper articles like le Monde that can be referenced.
I’m going to add another piece for the quiz here. or here. Some more items on french grammar.
I have updated this tonight so that the experience for the student is much smoother/cleaner. So I have started using meebo…
I’ve just added live chat to the website so that students can get help online when they need it. Currently there is no charge for this service as I am interested in looking at the different ways that students are getting into difficulties with French. I hope that I will be online most evenings (and most of the daytime also) and that I can respond quickly to your shouts for help. As far as I know this is the only live chat website dedicated to French so hopefully you will find this useful.
If you have any fruther suggestions on how I might improve the site just drop me an line by contacting me here.
Pouvoir: to be able
This is one of the most commonly used verbs in French and covers a multitude of meanings.
Is it’s most basic form is means : to be able.
For example : il peut aller au cinema -> he can go to the cinema.
There are lots of expressions that are quiet handy also and can be used in written french in answering exam questions. Here are a few.
Je ne peux plus : I can’t do any more (i.e. I’m worn out/Can’t stand it any more)
Then there is the reflexive version : se pouvoir. The best way of explaining this is with an example.
Ca se peut que: it is possible que ….
Il peut y avoir : there can be…. (similar to Il doit y avoir: there must be – all based on the root : il y a ).
Any more ideas or questions just drop me a word at here
ça se peut (informal)
maybe, perhaps
C’est on ne peut mieux.
It couldn’t be better.
comment se peut-il que…?
how can it be that…?
faire ce qu’on peut
to do what one can
Il peut (impersonal)
It may/could/might
Il peut y avoir
There may/might/could be
Il pourrait s’agir de
It could be / have to do with
Il pourrait se faire que
It may be that
Il se peut/pourrait que + subjunctive
It may be, it’s possible that
Je n’y peux rien.
There’s nothing I can do about it.
On ne peut plus + adjective
It couldn’t be more ___ (or ___er)
On ne peut mieux.
No one could (be, do, etc.) better.
On n’y peut rien.
It can’t be helped, There’s nothing we can do.
Puisse Dieu…
May God…
Puisse le ciel…
May Heaven…
Qui peut le plus peut le moins. (proverb)
He who can do more can do less.
Que puis-je pour vous ? (formal)
What can I do for you? How may I help you?
s’il se peut
if it’s (at all) possible
Tu peux ! Vous pouvez !
You should be! I should say so!
le pouvoir
power, ability
peut-être
perhaps, maybe
Advertisement
When to use le, la, les…
Let’s start simply. Le is masculine. La is feminine.
So : the car -> la voiture. How do we know this is feminine (f) ….? Well because we just have to learn it off.
Unfortunately most of the vocabulary you will learn requires you to remember whether the noun is masculine or feminine,
So: the book -> le livre. This means it is masculine (m).
And so on. And all the rules that that implies….well not too many actually. You will get to understand these in time.
