For the exams you will need to have the vocabulary learned off so that when the time comes to sitting down and writing that letter the words will drop onto the page with ease. Often the letter will require you to inquire about hotel reservations. Do you know how to ask about bookings etc ? Check out this post…
Read more…
Today I added another quiz in the Online Classroom. It’s the little words that get you in writing French. All because the gender (feminine or masculine) of the noun is important.
So for example :
je vais au cinema….(à + le => au)…..
Also
je parle à Sean……(à + proper noun [person/place] => à)
Another example
Je viens de la gare…..(de + la => de la)
Try the quiz and see how you get on.
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 ?
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.
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.
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.
The passé composé is used in French in answer the question ‘What happened?’ On the other hand, you will usually put a verb in the imparfait if it answers the question ‘What was going on when something else happened?’
Generally, the passé composé is used to relate events while the imparfait is used to describe what was going on in the past, states of being in the past, or past habits.
|
imparfait (set scene) |
|
passé composé (event) |
|
Avant, Tammy habitait à Fort Worth … |
|
et puis un jour, elle a déménagé. |
Usually, when verbs like être, avoir, pouvoir, vouloir, and savoir are in a past narration, they will be in the imparfait, since they most likely describe a past state of being or condition.
|
Quand j’avais 15 ans, j’habitais à Fort Worth. |
|
When I was 15, I used to live in Fort Worth. |
This all goes to explain why J’étais is usually better than J’ai été. For more see frenchgrinds.ie
