aussi |
1. adv. too, also, as well | |
Moi aussi - Me too. | |
2. adv. as ((used for equal comparisons)) | |
Mon fils est rendu aussi grand que moi. - My son has gotten as tall as me. | |
3. conj. therefore | |
peut |
1. v. third-person singular present indicative of pouvoir | |
pouvoir |
1. v. can, to be able to | |
Je peux venir ce soir. - I can come this evening. | |
2. v. may | |
désastre qui peut nous frapper - disaster which may strike us | |
3. v. (impersonal, reflexive) to be possible; may, could be | |
Il se peut que je sois malade. - (literally) It could be that I'm ill / (more naturally) I may be ill. / I could be ill. | |
4. n-m. (or un) power | |
prendre le pouvoir - to take power, to seize power | |
5. n-m. authority | |
6. n-m. (legal) power of attorney | |
on |
1. pron. (indefinite) one, people, you, someone (an unspecified individual) | |
On ne peut pas pêcher ici - You can’t fish here | |
2. pron. (personal, informal) we | |
On s’est amusés. - We had fun. | |
facilement |
1. adv. easily | |
croire |
1. v. to believe (someone) | |
Il jure qu'il dit la vérité. Je ne le crois pas. - He swears that he's telling the truth. I do not believe him. | |
Je crois que c'est vrai. - I believe that it is true. | |
2. v. to believe, to accept as true (+preo, à, something) | |
Croire à quelque chose - To believe in something. | |
Les français croient à l'amour. - The French believe in love. | |
Croyez-vous à l'existence de Dieu? - Do you believe (in) the existence of God? | |
Nous croyons à la venue du messie. - We believe in the coming of the Messiah. | |
3. v. to believe, to have faith + en (object) = in | |
croire en quelqu'un, en quelque chose - I have faith in someone, ...in something. | |
Oui, je crois en Dieu. - Yes, I believe in God. | |
Je crois en toi. - I have faith in you. | |
Il ne croit qu'en soi. - He only believes in himself. | |
4. v. to think of oneself as, to consider oneself as | |
Il se croit parfait. - He thinks he's perfect. | |
que |
1. conj. that (introduces a subordinate noun clause and connects it to its parent clause) | |
Je vois que tu parles bien français. - I see that you speak French well. | |
2. conj. Substitutes for another, previously stated conjunction. | |
Si le temps est beau et que tout le monde est d'accord, nous mangerons en plein air. - If the weather is nice and if everyone likes the idea, we'll eat outside. | |
3. conj. when, no sooner | |
Il était à peine parti qu’elle a téléphoné à la police. - No sooner had he left when she called the police. | |
4. conj. (Links two noun phrases in apposition forming a clause without a (finite) verb, such that the complement acts as predicate.) | |
5. conj. introduces a comparison | |
6. conj. (comparisons of superiority or inferiority) than | |
Il est plus grand que son père. - He is taller than his father. | |
7. conj. (comparisons of equality) as | |
Elle est aussi intelligente que toi. - She is as smart as you. | |
8. conj. (used with ne) only, just; but, nothing but | |
Je ne mange que des fruits. - I eat nothing but fruit. | |
9. conj. how (in rhetorical interjections) | |
Que c'est beau! - How beautiful it is! | |
Mais que t'es drôle, quoi. - Oh, how funny you are. | |
10. pron. (tlb, interrogative) | |
11. pron. (slightly formal, accusative) (The inanimate direct-object interrogative pronoun.) | |
Que pensez-vous de cette peinture ? - What do you think of that painting? | |
Qu'auriez-vous fait d'autre ? - What else would you have done? | |
12. pron. (slightly formal, nominative) (The inanimate subject or predicative interrogative pronoun.) | |
Qu'est-il arrivé ? - What happened? | |
Que me vaut cette visite ? - To what do I owe this visit? | |
Que sommes-nous ? - What are we? | |
13. pron. (accusative, relative) (The direct object relative pronoun.) | |
C'est un homme que je connais très bien. - He's a man whom I know very well. | |
Je viens de lire la lettre que vous m'avez envoyée. - I've just read the letter that you sent me. | |
elle |
1. pron. she | |
Je crois qu'elle est partie. - I think she left. | |
2. pron. it (feminine gender third-person singular subject pronoun) | |
Voilà ma voiture. Elle a cinq ans. - That's my car. It is five years old. | |
3. pron. disjunctive form of elle; her; à elle = hers | |
C’est à elle. - It's hers. | |
sera |
1. v. third-person singular future indicative of être | |
serait |
1. v. third-person singular conditional of être | |
soit |
1. conj. or, meaning, that is to say | |
2. conj. either ... or | |
Il veut adopter un animal de compagnie, soit un chat, soit un chien. - He wants to adopt a pet, either a cat, or a dog. | |
Je lui ai dit que j'aimerais reprendre un de mes vieux passe-temps, soit jouer du piano, soit apprendre une langue. - I told him I want to take up one of my old hobbies agains, be that playing | |
3. v. third-person singular present subjunctive of être | |
4. v. (math) let be | |
Soit f une fonction linéaire. - Let f be a linear function. | |
5. interj. OK; granted; so be it | |
ne |
1. part. (literary) not (used alone to negate a verb; now chiefly with only a few particular verbs: see usage notes) | |
2. part. not, no (used before a verb, with a coordinating negative element usually following; see Usage Notes, below) | |
3. part. (Used in a subordinate clause before a subjunctive verb (especially when the main verb expresses doubt or fear), to provide extra overtones of doubt or uncertainty (but not negating its verb); the so- | |
4. part. In comparative clauses usually translated with the positive sense of the subsequent negative | |
Apprendre le français est plus facile qu'on ne pense. - Learning French is easier than you (might) think. | |
écoutait |
1. v. third-person singular imperfect indicative of écouter | |
écouter |
1. v. to listen | |
2. v. to listen to | |
J’écoute la radio. | |
pas |
1. n-m. step, pace, footstep | |
2. n-m. (geography) strait, pass | |
Pas de Calais - Strait of Dover | |
3. n-m. thread, pitch (of a screw or nut) | |
4. adv. The most common adverb of negation in French, typically translating into English as not, don't, doesn't, etc. | |
Je ne sais pas. - I don't know | |
Ma grande sœur n'habite pas avec nous. - My big sister doesn't live with us. | |
J’veux pas travailler. - I don't wanna work. | |
du |
1. contraction. contraction of de + le (t=of the) | |
« Eussent » est la troisième personne du pluriel de l'imparfait du subjonctif de « avoir ». - "Eussent" is the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive form of "avoir.". | |
2. contraction. , translation=The bulge gives 9nine liters more than the point which corresponds to that of the diameter of the base indicated by the gauge (...) | |
3. art. Forms the partitive article. | |
Il mange du pain. - He eats bread. / He eats some bread. | |
de |
1. prep. of (expresses belonging) | |
Paris est la capitale de la France. - Paris is the capital of France. | |
2. prep. of (used to express property or association) | |
Œuvres de Fermat - Fermat’s Works | |
Elle est la femme de mon ami. - She is my friend’s wife. | |
le voisin de Gabriel - Gabriel's neighbor | |
3. prep. from (used to indicate origin) | |
Elle vient de France. - She comes from France. | |
Êtes-vous de Suisse ? - Are you from Switzerland? | |
Ce fromage vient d’Espagne. - This cheese is from Spain. | |
C’est de l’ouest de la France. - It’s from the west of France. | |
Le train va de Paris à Bordeaux. - The train goes from Paris to Bordeaux. | |
4. prep. of (indicates an amount) | |
5 kilos de pommes. - 5 kilograms of apples. | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une portion de frites - A portion of fries | |
5. prep. used attributively, often translated into English as a compound word | |
Un jus de pomme - Apple juice | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une boîte de nuit - A nightclub | |
Un chien de garde - A guarddog | |
Une voiture de sport - A sportscar | |
Un stade de football - A football stadium | |
6. prep. from (used to indicate the start of a time or range) | |
De 9:00 à 11:00 je ne serai pas libre. - From 9 to 11 I won’t be free. | |
Je travaille de huit heures à midi. - I work from 8 o'clock to noon. | |
un groupe de cinq à huit personnes - a group of from five to eight people | |
7. prep. used after certain verbs before an infinitive, often translated into English as a gerund or an infinitive | |
J’ai arrêté de fumer. - I stopped smoking. | |
Il continue de m’embêter. - He keeps annoying me. | |
Elle m’a dit de venir. - She told me to come. | |
Nous vous exhortons de venir. - We urge you to come. | |
8. prep. by (indicates the amount of change) | |
Boire trois tasses par jour réduirait de 20 % les risques de contracter une maladie. - Drinking three cups a day would reduce the risks of catching an illness by 20%. | |
9. art. Used in the plural with prepositioned adjectives. | |
Ce sont de bons enfants. - They are good children. | |
Il y a d’autres exemples. - There are other examples. | |
10. art. Used in negated sentences with the grammatical object. | |
Elle n’a pas de mère. - She doesn’t have a mother. | |
Il ne mange pas de viande. - He doesn’t eat meat. | |
Il n’y a pas de problèmes. - There are no problems. | |
11. n-f. abbreviation of dame | |
le |
1. art. the (definite article) | |
Le lait du matin. - The milk of the morning. | |
2. art. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English. | |
L'amour est aveugle. - Love is blind. | |
3. art. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc. | |
Il s’est cassé la jambe. - He has broken his leg. | |
4. art. (before units) a, an | |
Cinquante kilomètres à l’heure. - fifty kilometres an hour | |
5. pron. (direct object) him, it | |
Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas. - Where is Malik? I don't see him. | |
Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture. - My bag? I'm going to put it in the car. | |
6. pron. used to refer to something previously mentioned or implied; not translated in English | |
Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi. - ... and he is it too | |
pas de |
1. prep. (Quebec, informal) without | |
Tu shakais comme une poule pas de tête. - You were shaking like a headless chicken. | |
tout |
1. adv. all | |
2. det. all | |
3. n-m. whole, entirety, total | |
le tout | |
4. pron. everything | |
du tout |
1. adv. at all | |
pas du tout - not at all | |
rien du tout - nothing at all | |
2. adv. (obsolete) entirely, absolutely | |
3. interj. (informal) not at all | |
pas du tout |
1. adv. not at all, not in the least, by no means | |
Je n'aime pas ça du tout. - I don't like that at all. | |
2. interj. not at all! | |
Le |
1. Proper noun. surname, from=Vietnamese | |
2. art. the (definite article) | |
Le lait du matin. - The milk of the morning. | |
3. art. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English. | |
L'amour est aveugle. - Love is blind. | |
4. art. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc. | |
Il s’est cassé la jambe. - He has broken his leg. | |
5. art. (before units) a, an | |
Cinquante kilomètres à l’heure. - fifty kilometres an hour | |
6. pron. (direct object) him, it | |
Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas. - Where is Malik? I don't see him. | |
Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture. - My bag? I'm going to put it in the car. | |
7. pron. used to refer to something previously mentioned or implied; not translated in English | |
Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi. - ... and he is it too | |
baron |
1. n-m. baron, lord, noble landowner | |
qui |
1. pron. (interrogative) who, whom | |
Tu as vu qui ? - Who have you seen? | |
Je ne sais pas qui vous êtes. - I don't know who you are. | |
2. pron. (relative) who, whom (after a preposition), which, that | |
La personne qui parle connait bien son sujet. - The person who speaks knows his/her subject well. | |
Cette voiture bleue qui passe me plait beaucoup. - This blue car which is passing I like a lot. | |
J’aime les chiens qui sont calmes. - I like dogs that are quiet. | |
Un homme à qui j’ai parlé. - A man to whom I spoke/have spoken. | |
Si lugubre que fût l’appartement, c’était un paradis pour qui revenait du lycée. - Gloomy as the apartment was, it was still a paradise for those who came back from school. | |
Rira bien qui rira le dernier. - Who laughs last laughs well. | |
3. conj. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) if | |
Qui elle en a, ça va faire. - If she has any, that will do. | |
tenait |
1. v. third-person singular imperfect indicative of tenir | |
tenir |
1. v. to have; to hold | |
2. v. to keep | |
3. v. to take (e.g., take into account, take into consideration); to consider; to account for; to reflect | |
Peut-être devons-nous tenir compte de plusieurs problèmes. - Maybe we should take several issues into account. | |
4. v. to stay; to hold | |
5. v. to hold on | |
Elle descend en se tenant aux racines. - She comes down using the roots for handles (holding on to the roots). | |
6. v. to hold oneself, to be standing | |
Il se tenait dans le coin. - He stood in the corner. | |
7. v. to behave | |
Tiens-toi bien. - Behave yourself. | |
8. v. to maintain, remain in a certain position or disposition | |
Tiens-toi droit! - Keep yourself straight! | |
Elle se tient immobile sur la corde raide. - She stays still on the tightrope. | |
9. v. (indtr, à) to be attached to something, to be fond of something, to hold something dear; to wish to | |
10. v. to hang out | |
entre |
1. prep. between | |
2. prep. among | |
3. v. first-person singular present of entrer | |
4. v. third-person singular present of entrer | |
5. v. second-person singular imperative of entrer | |
entrer |
1. v. to enter | |
Entrer dans la salle. - Enter the room. | |
ses |
1. det. his, her, its, their, one's (when referring to a plural noun) | |
Alicia dîne chez ses parents. - Alicia is having dinner at her parents' house. | |
Thomas a perdu ses clés. - Thomas has lost his keys. | |
Tout le monde doit apporter ses documents. - Everyone needs to bring their documents. | |
deux |
1. num. two | |
mains |
1. n. plural of main | |
main |
1. n-f. hand | |
2. n-f. (soccer) handball | |
3. n-f. (poker) hand | |
une |
1. num. feminine singular of un | |
2. art. a / an (feminine indefinite article) | |
3. n-f. front page (of a publication) | |
main |
1. n-f. hand | |
2. n-f. (soccer) handball | |
3. n-f. (poker) hand | |
de |
1. prep. of (expresses belonging) | |
Paris est la capitale de la France. - Paris is the capital of France. | |
2. prep. of (used to express property or association) | |
Œuvres de Fermat - Fermat’s Works | |
Elle est la femme de mon ami. - She is my friend’s wife. | |
le voisin de Gabriel - Gabriel's neighbor | |
3. prep. from (used to indicate origin) | |
Elle vient de France. - She comes from France. | |
Êtes-vous de Suisse ? - Are you from Switzerland? | |
Ce fromage vient d’Espagne. - This cheese is from Spain. | |
C’est de l’ouest de la France. - It’s from the west of France. | |
Le train va de Paris à Bordeaux. - The train goes from Paris to Bordeaux. | |
4. prep. of (indicates an amount) | |
5 kilos de pommes. - 5 kilograms of apples. | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une portion de frites - A portion of fries | |
5. prep. used attributively, often translated into English as a compound word | |
Un jus de pomme - Apple juice | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une boîte de nuit - A nightclub | |
Un chien de garde - A guarddog | |
Une voiture de sport - A sportscar | |
Un stade de football - A football stadium | |
6. prep. from (used to indicate the start of a time or range) | |
De 9:00 à 11:00 je ne serai pas libre. - From 9 to 11 I won’t be free. | |
Je travaille de huit heures à midi. - I work from 8 o'clock to noon. | |
un groupe de cinq à huit personnes - a group of from five to eight people | |
7. prep. used after certain verbs before an infinitive, often translated into English as a gerund or an infinitive | |
J’ai arrêté de fumer. - I stopped smoking. | |
Il continue de m’embêter. - He keeps annoying me. | |
Elle m’a dit de venir. - She told me to come. | |
Nous vous exhortons de venir. - We urge you to come. | |
8. prep. by (indicates the amount of change) | |
Boire trois tasses par jour réduirait de 20 % les risques de contracter une maladie. - Drinking three cups a day would reduce the risks of catching an illness by 20%. | |
9. art. Used in the plural with prepositioned adjectives. | |
Ce sont de bons enfants. - They are good children. | |
Il y a d’autres exemples. - There are other examples. | |
10. art. Used in negated sentences with the grammatical object. | |
Elle n’a pas de mère. - She doesn’t have a mother. | |
Il ne mange pas de viande. - He doesn’t eat meat. | |
Il n’y a pas de problèmes. - There are no problems. | |
11. n-f. abbreviation of dame | |
son |
1. n-m. sound | |
Le son de ce piano est agréable. (The sound of this piano is nice.) | |
2. det. (possessive) his, her, their, its (used to qualify masculine nouns and before a vowel) | |
Elle a perdu son chapeau. - She lost her hat. | |
Il a perdu son chapeau. - He lost his hat. | |
J'aime son amie. - I like his/her girlfriend. | |
La décision a été prise pendant son absence. - The decision was taken in her/his absence. | |
3. n-m. bran | |
Ceci est du pain de son. - This bread is done with bran. | |
anche |
1. n-f. (music) reed | |
2. n-f. (obsolete) a chute by which flour falls from the mill to the bin | |
3. n-f. (Lorraine, dated) faucet | |
en |
1. prep. in (used to indicate space, also see usage notes) | |
J'habite en Angleterre. - I live in England. | |
2. prep. to (indicates direction towards certain very large locations, see usage notes) | |
Il est allé en France. - He went to France. | |
3. prep. by (used to indicate means) | |
aller en bus - go by bus | |
partir en voiture - leave by car | |
4. prep. as | |
Il me traite en ami. - He treats me as a friend. | |
habillé en père Noël - dressed as Father Christmas | |
5. prep. at (used to describe an ability) | |
fort en histoire - good at history | |
6. prep. of, made of (used to describe composition) | |
une chaise en hêtre - a chair made of beech/a beech chair | |
une fourchette en métal - a fork made of metal/a metal fork | |
7. prep. in (during the following time (used for months and years)) | |
en 1993 - in 1993 | |
en janvier - in January | |
en septembre 2001 - in September 2001 | |
8. prep. (followed by a gerund) while | |
9. prep. (followed by a gerund) by, in describing a way of getting something | |
C'est en trichant qu'il est devenu champion. - It was by cheating that he became champion. | |
10. prep. in (used to describe color) | |
une photo en noir et blanc - a photo in black and white | |
11. prep. in (used to describe feelings) | |
en détresse - in distress | |
12. prep. in (as part of something) | |
en équipe - on a team | |
13. pron. (Used as the object of a verb to indicate an indefinite quantity; of it, of them. Replaces the partitive article (du, de la, etc.)) | |
Essaies-en ! - Try some (of it / them)! | |
Tu as combien de livres ? J'en ai trois. - How many books do you have? I have three (of them). | |
Y a-t-il beaucoup de pièces ? Oui. Il y en a beaucoup. - Are there many rooms? Yes, there are many (of them). | |
Martin a trois sandwichs, mais j'en ai seulement deux. - Martin has three sandwiches, but I have only two (of them). | |
Il y en a combien ? - How many of them are there? | |
Je bois de l'alcool parce que j'en ai besoin - I drink alcohol because I need (of) it. | |
14. pron. Adverbial preposition indicating movement away from a place already mentioned; from there, from it. Replaces the phrase de là or d’ici. | |
Est-ce qu'elle vient de Barcelone ? Oui, elle en vient. - Does she come from Barcelona? Yes, she comes (from there). | |
lui |
1. pron. him, he; the third-person masculine singular personal pronoun used after a preposition, or as the predicate of a linking verb, or when disjoined from a sentence, or as a stressed subject | |
J'habitais avec lui. - I was living with him. | |
C'est lui qui a dit cela. - It was him who said that. | |
Lui, il n'en sait rien. - He doesn't know anything about it. | |
2. pron. him, her; the third-person singular personal pronoun used as an indirect object | |
Je lui ai donné le livre. - I gave the book to him/her. | |
3. Participle. past participle of luire | |
parlant |
1. Participle. present participle of parler | |
2. adj. telling, eloquent | |
Cet exemple n'est pas très parlant. Choisis-en un autre. | |
parler |
1. v. to speak, talk | |
Il a commencé à parler à l’âge de quatre ans. - He began to speak at the age of four. | |
Ils ont parlé plusieurs heures avant d’aller se coucher. - They spoke several hours before going to sleep. | |
2. v. to be able to communicate in a language; to speak | |
Elle parle couramment français. - She speaks French fluently | |
3. v. (heraldry) to cant; (of a coat of arms) to make a pun of its bearer's name | |
Armes parlantes. | |
4. v. takes a reflexive pronoun | |
se parler à soi-même - to talk to oneself | |
5. n-m. parlance | |
6. n-m. vernacular, dialect | |
dans |
1. prep. (literal, figurative) in, inside (enclosed in a physical space, a group, a state) | |
vieillir dans la misère - to grow old in poverty | |
être dans l'infanterie - to be in the infantry | |
avoir quelque chose dans la bouche - to have something in the mouth | |
dans les circonstances d'une pandémie - under the circumstances of a pandemic | |
Il habite dans le quartier le plus riche de Paris. - He lives in the richest district of Paris. | |
Il nage comme un poisson dans l'eau. - He swims like a fish in the water. | |
mettre l'argent dans la poche - to put money into one's pocket | |
Bienvenue dans le meilleur bar de tout Paris. - Welcome to the best bar in all of Paris. | |
2. prep. to (indicates direction towards certain large subdivisions, see usage notes) | |
Aujourd'hui, je vais dans le Maine, et demain, je vais dans l’État de New York. - Today, I'm going to Maine, and tomorrow, I'm going to New York. | |
3. prep. in, within (a longer period of time) | |
Je serai prêt dans une heure. - I'll be ready in one hour. | |
Il arrivera dans trois jours. - He will arrive in three days. | |
4. prep. (with respect to time) during | |
dans un temps donné - during a given time | |
dans ma jeunesse - in my youth | |
5. prep. out of, from | |
boire dans une tasse - to drink from a cup | |
Il prend le beurre dans le réfrigérateur. - He takes the butter out of the fridge. | |
6. prep. (metonymy) in; in the works of | |
le marxisme dans Sartre - Marxism in the works of Sartre | |
7. prep. (colloquial) (Used in dans les) | |
dans les trentes kilos - about thirty kilos | |
dans les dix euros - about ten euros | |
8. n. plural of dan | |
son |
1. n-m. sound | |
Le son de ce piano est agréable. (The sound of this piano is nice.) | |
2. det. (possessive) his, her, their, its (used to qualify masculine nouns and before a vowel) | |
Elle a perdu son chapeau. - She lost her hat. | |
Il a perdu son chapeau. - He lost his hat. | |
J'aime son amie. - I like his/her girlfriend. | |
La décision a été prise pendant son absence. - The decision was taken in her/his absence. | |
3. n-m. bran | |
Ceci est du pain de son. - This bread is done with bran. | |
patois |
1. n-m. patois (French dialect) | |
2. n-m. patois (any regional dialect) | |
3. n-m. (Louisiana French) saying, maxim, proverb, adage | |
de |
1. prep. of (expresses belonging) | |
Paris est la capitale de la France. - Paris is the capital of France. | |
2. prep. of (used to express property or association) | |
Œuvres de Fermat - Fermat’s Works | |
Elle est la femme de mon ami. - She is my friend’s wife. | |
le voisin de Gabriel - Gabriel's neighbor | |
3. prep. from (used to indicate origin) | |
Elle vient de France. - She comes from France. | |
Êtes-vous de Suisse ? - Are you from Switzerland? | |
Ce fromage vient d’Espagne. - This cheese is from Spain. | |
C’est de l’ouest de la France. - It’s from the west of France. | |
Le train va de Paris à Bordeaux. - The train goes from Paris to Bordeaux. | |
4. prep. of (indicates an amount) | |
5 kilos de pommes. - 5 kilograms of apples. | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une portion de frites - A portion of fries | |
5. prep. used attributively, often translated into English as a compound word | |
Un jus de pomme - Apple juice | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une boîte de nuit - A nightclub | |
Un chien de garde - A guarddog | |
Une voiture de sport - A sportscar | |
Un stade de football - A football stadium | |
6. prep. from (used to indicate the start of a time or range) | |
De 9:00 à 11:00 je ne serai pas libre. - From 9 to 11 I won’t be free. | |
Je travaille de huit heures à midi. - I work from 8 o'clock to noon. | |
un groupe de cinq à huit personnes - a group of from five to eight people | |
7. prep. used after certain verbs before an infinitive, often translated into English as a gerund or an infinitive | |
J’ai arrêté de fumer. - I stopped smoking. | |
Il continue de m’embêter. - He keeps annoying me. | |
Elle m’a dit de venir. - She told me to come. | |
Nous vous exhortons de venir. - We urge you to come. | |
8. prep. by (indicates the amount of change) | |
Boire trois tasses par jour réduirait de 20 % les risques de contracter une maladie. - Drinking three cups a day would reduce the risks of catching an illness by 20%. | |
9. art. Used in the plural with prepositioned adjectives. | |
Ce sont de bons enfants. - They are good children. | |
Il y a d’autres exemples. - There are other examples. | |
10. art. Used in negated sentences with the grammatical object. | |
Elle n’a pas de mère. - She doesn’t have a mother. | |
Il ne mange pas de viande. - He doesn’t eat meat. | |
Il n’y a pas de problèmes. - There are no problems. | |
11. n-f. abbreviation of dame | |
Juif |
1. n-m. Jew (a person with a Jewish cultural or ancestral connection) | |
2. adj. Jewish | |
3. adj. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) stingy | |
4. n-m. Jew (follower of Judaism) | |
Polonais |
1. n-m. Pole, resident or native of Poland | |
2. n-m. Polish, the Polish language | |
3. adj. Polish | |
dont |
1. pron. of/from whom/which, whose | |
Vous rappelez-vous ce dont je vous ai parlé ? - Do you remember that of which we spoke? | |
Il n’est rien dont je sois encore certain. - There is nothing of which I am still certain. | |
Quel est le pays dont provient cette marchandise suspecte ? - What is the country from which the suspicious merchandise comes? | |
J’ai décidé d’abandonner l’affaire dont je vous ai entretenu il y a quelques jours. - I decided to abandon the matter of which we have been speaking for a few days. | |
La maladie dont il est mort porte un nom imprononçable. - The disease of which he died has an unpronounceable name. | |
Les pays dont nous n’avons point de connaissance sont les destinations privilégiées des grands aventuriers. - The countries of which we have little knowledge are the privileged destinations of | |
Ces étoiles — dont le nom m’échappe — sont les plus brillantes de la voûte céleste. - These stars, whose names escape me, are the brightest in the skies. | |
Le Québec est une province du Canada dont les frontières correspondent au territoire de la nation québécoise. - Quebec is a province of Canada whose borders correspond to the Quebecois nation. | |
2. pron. (sometimes) by which | |
Le coup dont il fut frappé. - The blow by which he was struck. | |
3. pron. Denotes a part of a set, may be translated as "including" or such as in some situations. | |
Il a eu dix enfants, dont neuf filles. - He had ten children, nine of them girls. | |
les |
1. art. plural of le: the | |
2. art. plural of la: the | |
3. pron. plural of le: them | |
4. pron. plural of la: them | |
singulières |
1. adj. feminine plural of singulier | |
singulier |
1. adj. (grammar) singular | |
2. adj. curious, strange, peculiar | |
désinences |
1. n. plural of désinence | |
désinence |
1. n-f. (linguistics) ending, desinence, inflectional suffix | |
ne |
1. part. (literary) not (used alone to negate a verb; now chiefly with only a few particular verbs: see usage notes) | |
2. part. not, no (used before a verb, with a coordinating negative element usually following; see Usage Notes, below) | |
3. part. (Used in a subordinate clause before a subjunctive verb (especially when the main verb expresses doubt or fear), to provide extra overtones of doubt or uncertainty (but not negating its verb); the so- | |
4. part. In comparative clauses usually translated with the positive sense of the subsequent negative | |
Apprendre le français est plus facile qu'on ne pense. - Learning French is easier than you (might) think. | |
doivent |
1. v. third-person plural present indicative of devoir | |
devoir |
1. n-m. duty | |
manquer à son devoir, manquer à tous ses devoirs - to fail in one's duty, duties | |
Il est de mon devoir de protéger le roi. - It is my duty to protect the king. | |
2. n-m. exercise, assignment (set for homework) | |
3. v. must, to have to, should (as a requirement) | |
Les auteurs d'un dictionnaire doivent déterminer au départ les catégories de mots à retenir, en fonction des limites imposées par l'éditeur et du public visé. - The authors of a dictionary have | |
4. v. (present) must | |
5. v. (conditional) should | |
6. v. must, to do or have with certainty | |
7. v. to owe (money, obligation and etc) | |
8. v. (literary, intransitive, in imperfect subjunctive, with inversion of subject) (even) though it be necessary (+ infinitive) | |
9. v. to have a duty to | |
pas |
1. n-m. step, pace, footstep | |
2. n-m. (geography) strait, pass | |
Pas de Calais - Strait of Dover | |
3. n-m. thread, pitch (of a screw or nut) | |
4. adv. The most common adverb of negation in French, typically translating into English as not, don't, doesn't, etc. | |
Je ne sais pas. - I don't know | |
Ma grande sœur n'habite pas avec nous. - My big sister doesn't live with us. | |
J’veux pas travailler. - I don't wanna work. | |
donner |
1. v. to give, to transfer the possession/holding of something to someone else | |
2. v. to donate | |
3. v. to come across | |
moins |
1. adv. comparative of peu; less, fewer | |
Faites moins de bruit. - Make less noise. | |
J'ai dû attendre moins de dix minutes. - I had to wait less than ten minutes. | |
De moins en moins de personnes peuvent se permettre de passer des vacances à l'étranger. - Fewer and fewer people can afford to spend holidays abroad. | |
2. adv. (with numbers) minus; negative | |
moins cinq - minus five | |
3. adv. preceded by a definite article superlative of peu; the least | |
C'est lui qui gagne le moins (d'argent) dans sa famille. - He earns the least money in his family. | |
C'était la chose la moins surprenante. - It was the least surprising thing. | |
4. n-m. the minus sign | |
5. prep. minus | |
Cinq moins deux font trois - Five minus two makes three. | |
de |
1. prep. of (expresses belonging) | |
Paris est la capitale de la France. - Paris is the capital of France. | |
2. prep. of (used to express property or association) | |
Œuvres de Fermat - Fermat’s Works | |
Elle est la femme de mon ami. - She is my friend’s wife. | |
le voisin de Gabriel - Gabriel's neighbor | |
3. prep. from (used to indicate origin) | |
Elle vient de France. - She comes from France. | |
Êtes-vous de Suisse ? - Are you from Switzerland? | |
Ce fromage vient d’Espagne. - This cheese is from Spain. | |
C’est de l’ouest de la France. - It’s from the west of France. | |
Le train va de Paris à Bordeaux. - The train goes from Paris to Bordeaux. | |
4. prep. of (indicates an amount) | |
5 kilos de pommes. - 5 kilograms of apples. | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une portion de frites - A portion of fries | |
5. prep. used attributively, often translated into English as a compound word | |
Un jus de pomme - Apple juice | |
Un verre de vin - A glass of wine | |
Une boîte de nuit - A nightclub | |
Un chien de garde - A guarddog | |
Une voiture de sport - A sportscar | |
Un stade de football - A football stadium | |
6. prep. from (used to indicate the start of a time or range) | |
De 9:00 à 11:00 je ne serai pas libre. - From 9 to 11 I won’t be free. | |
Je travaille de huit heures à midi. - I work from 8 o'clock to noon. | |
un groupe de cinq à huit personnes - a group of from five to eight people | |
7. prep. used after certain verbs before an infinitive, often translated into English as a gerund or an infinitive | |
J’ai arrêté de fumer. - I stopped smoking. | |
Il continue de m’embêter. - He keeps annoying me. | |
Elle m’a dit de venir. - She told me to come. | |
Nous vous exhortons de venir. - We urge you to come. | |
8. prep. by (indicates the amount of change) | |
Boire trois tasses par jour réduirait de 20 % les risques de contracter une maladie. - Drinking three cups a day would reduce the risks of catching an illness by 20%. | |
9. art. Used in the plural with prepositioned adjectives. | |
Ce sont de bons enfants. - They are good children. | |
Il y a d’autres exemples. - There are other examples. | |
10. art. Used in negated sentences with the grammatical object. | |
Elle n’a pas de mère. - She doesn’t have a mother. | |
Il ne mange pas de viande. - He doesn’t eat meat. | |
Il n’y a pas de problèmes. - There are no problems. | |
11. n-f. abbreviation of dame | |
Mal |
1. Proper noun. Section of Tongres in Belgium | |
2. n-m. (as in the phrase: avoir du mal) trouble, difficulty | |
J'ai du mal à m'imaginer ça. - I have trouble imagining that. | |
3. n-m. pain | |
J'ai mal à la tête. - I have pain at the head. | |
4. n-m. evil | |
Le philosophe abordait de grandes questions du bon et du mal. - The philosopher discussed broad questions of good and evil. | |
5. n-m. damage, harm | |
Le mal est fait. - The damage is done. | |
6. adv. badly | |
C'est mal fait. - It's done badly. | |
7. adj. (in set phrases and limited constructions) bad | |
bon an, mal an - good year, bad year | |
bon gré, mal gré - willy-nilly | |
Il est mal de infinitive - It’s wrong to infinitive | |
C'est mal de infinitive - It’s wrong to infinitive | |
à |
1. Notes. In Canada, à and a are not homophones, à a, a ɑː. | |
2. prep. to (destination) | |
aller au bout - go to the end / go all the way | |
Je vais à Paris. - I am going to Paris. | |
3. prep. to (until) | |
Le spectacle sera de 18h à 21h. - The show will be from 6 pm to 9 pm. | |
4. prep. on the, to (some directions) | |
Tournez à gauche ! - Turn to the left! | |
Ne tournez pas encore à droite ! - Don't turn to the right yet! | |
Le vent vire au nord. - The wind turns north. | |
L'école est à gauche. - The school is on the left. | |
5. prep. at (said of a particular time) | |
à dix heures et quart - at quarter past ten | |
Je pars à cinq heures précises. - I am leaving at exactly five o'clock. | |
6. prep. at, in, on (said of a particular place) | |
à la maison - at home | |
à l'hôtel - at the hotel | |
au comptoir du bar - at the bar | |
au bois - in the woods | |
J'habite à un demi-kilomètre d'ici. - I live half a kilometer from here. | |
La maison qui a été détruite hier soir ne se trouvait qu'à trois kilomètres de chez nous. - The house that was destroyed last night was only three kilometers from our place.à trois kilomètres d | |
7. prep. Used in various interjections used as warnings or exhortations | |
au voleur ! - stop thief! | |
à l'assassin ! - murderer! | |
au meurtre ! - murder! murderer! | |
à moi ! - help! | |
à l'aide ! - help! | |
au secours ! - help! | |
au feu ! - fire! | |
aux armes ! - to arms! | |
à l'attaque ! - attack! forward! charge! up and at 'em! | |
à l'abordage ! - on board! | |
au boulot ! - get to work! let's get to work! | |
au travail ! - get to work! let's get to work! | |
8. prep. from (origin) | |
Nous prenons de l'eau au puits. - We get water from the well. | |
Je l'ai eu à la bibliothèque. - I got it from the library. | |
Voilà la femme à laquelle j'ai acheté mon chien - There's the woman I bought my dog from. | |
9. prep. of (belonging to) | |
C'est un ami à moi. - This is a friend of mine. | |
Cette voiture est à John. - This is John's car. | |
le chien à Marie - Mary's dog nonstandard: one normally would use de here | |
10. prep. till, until (used in farewells) | |
à plus tard - see you later | |
à bientôt - see you soon | |
Salut, donc. À demain. - Bye, then. 'Til tomorrow / see you tomorrow. | |
11. prep. (cuisine) cooked in or with | |
12. prep. Used to make compound nouns to state what something is used for | |
moulin à poivre - pepper mill | |
sac à dos - backpack | |
boite à musique - music box | |
13. prep. (before an infinitive) to (used to express something not completed) | |
l'équipe à battre - the team to beat | |
Il n'y a jamais grand-chose à faire par ici. - There's never much to do around here. | |
Là où tu ne vois pas grand-chose, je ne trouve qu'une grande abondance de choses qui restent à faire. - Where you see nothing great, I only see a great abundance of things that need doing. | |
Il reste deux tâches à finir. - There are two things left to finish. | |
Il y a de la bière à boire. - There's some beer to drink. | |
14. prep. Used to describe a part of something, often translated into English as a compound adjective | |
un animal à quatre pattes - a four-legged animal | |
une femme au visage pâle - a pale-faced woman | |
un homme à longue barbe - a long-bearded man — a man with a long beard | |
une chemise à manches courtes - a short-sleeved shirt | |
une maison aux murs de brique - a brick-walled house / a house with brick walls | |
15. prep. by | |
peu à peu - bit by bit | |
petit à petit - little by little | |
minute à minute - minute by minute | |
jour à jour - day by day | |
un à un - one by one | |
16. prep. or, to (used to express an approximate number) | |
six à sept personnes - six or seven people | |
de vingt à trente ans - from twenty to thirty years | |
tous les cinq à six ans - every five or six years | |
17. prep. Used to indicate the recipient of certain phrasal verb. | |
mettre le feu à - to set fire to | |
clouer le bec à - to shut (someone) up | |
donner la chasse à - to give chase to | |
18. prep. with | |
ceux |
1. pron. masculine plural of celui | |
celui |
1. pron. the one | |
Le bon choix est celui que je vous ai indiqué. - The right choice is the one I have indicated to you. | |
Les états paranoïaques, tels que ceux de schizophrénie, peuvent sembler superficiellement similaires mais sont caractéristiquement différents. - Paranoid states, such as those of schizophrenia | |
Contrairement au modèle français, le Président du Conseil ne dispose pas de pouvoir formel, tel que celui de désigner ou renvoyer les autres, ou encore la capacité de dissoudre le Parlement. - | |
qui |
1. pron. (interrogative) who, whom | |
Tu as vu qui ? - Who have you seen? | |
Je ne sais pas qui vous êtes. - I don't know who you are. | |
2. pron. (relative) who, whom (after a preposition), which, that | |
La personne qui parle connait bien son sujet. - The person who speaks knows his/her subject well. | |
Cette voiture bleue qui passe me plait beaucoup. - This blue car which is passing I like a lot. | |
J’aime les chiens qui sont calmes. - I like dogs that are quiet. | |
Un homme à qui j’ai parlé. - A man to whom I spoke/have spoken. | |
Si lugubre que fût l’appartement, c’était un paradis pour qui revenait du lycée. - Gloomy as the apartment was, it was still a paradise for those who came back from school. | |
Rira bien qui rira le dernier. - Who laughs last laughs well. | |
3. conj. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) if | |
Qui elle en a, ça va faire. - If she has any, that will do. | |
les |
1. art. plural of le: the | |
2. art. plural of la: the | |
3. pron. plural of le: them | |
4. pron. plural of la: them | |
lisent |
1. v. third-person plural present of lire | |
lire |
1. v. to read | |
2. v. to be read | |
3. n-f. lira (unit of currency) | |
liser |
|
que |
1. conj. that (introduces a subordinate noun clause and connects it to its parent clause) | |
Je vois que tu parles bien français. - I see that you speak French well. | |
2. conj. Substitutes for another, previously stated conjunction. | |
Si le temps est beau et que tout le monde est d'accord, nous mangerons en plein air. - If the weather is nice and if everyone likes the idea, we'll eat outside. | |
3. conj. when, no sooner | |
Il était à peine parti qu’elle a téléphoné à la police. - No sooner had he left when she called the police. | |
4. conj. (Links two noun phrases in apposition forming a clause without a (finite) verb, such that the complement acts as predicate.) | |
5. conj. introduces a comparison | |
6. conj. (comparisons of superiority or inferiority) than | |
Il est plus grand que son père. - He is taller than his father. | |
7. conj. (comparisons of equality) as | |
Elle est aussi intelligente que toi. - She is as smart as you. | |
8. conj. (used with ne) only, just; but, nothing but | |
Je ne mange que des fruits. - I eat nothing but fruit. | |
9. conj. how (in rhetorical interjections) | |
Que c'est beau! - How beautiful it is! | |
Mais que t'es drôle, quoi. - Oh, how funny you are. | |
10. pron. (tlb, interrogative) | |
11. pron. (slightly formal, accusative) (The inanimate direct-object interrogative pronoun.) | |
Que pensez-vous de cette peinture ? - What do you think of that painting? | |
Qu'auriez-vous fait d'autre ? - What else would you have done? | |
12. pron. (slightly formal, nominative) (The inanimate subject or predicative interrogative pronoun.) | |
Qu'est-il arrivé ? - What happened? | |
Que me vaut cette visite ? - To what do I owe this visit? | |
Que sommes-nous ? - What are we? | |
13. pron. (accusative, relative) (The direct object relative pronoun.) | |
C'est un homme que je connais très bien. - He's a man whom I know very well. | |
Je viens de lire la lettre que vous m'avez envoyée. - I've just read the letter that you sent me. | |
à |
1. Notes. In Canada, à and a are not homophones, à a, a ɑː. | |
2. prep. to (destination) | |
aller au bout - go to the end / go all the way | |
Je vais à Paris. - I am going to Paris. | |
3. prep. to (until) | |
Le spectacle sera de 18h à 21h. - The show will be from 6 pm to 9 pm. | |
4. prep. on the, to (some directions) | |
Tournez à gauche ! - Turn to the left! | |
Ne tournez pas encore à droite ! - Don't turn to the right yet! | |
Le vent vire au nord. - The wind turns north. | |
L'école est à gauche. - The school is on the left. | |
5. prep. at (said of a particular time) | |
à dix heures et quart - at quarter past ten | |
Je pars à cinq heures précises. - I am leaving at exactly five o'clock. | |
6. prep. at, in, on (said of a particular place) | |
à la maison - at home | |
à l'hôtel - at the hotel | |
au comptoir du bar - at the bar | |
au bois - in the woods | |
J'habite à un demi-kilomètre d'ici. - I live half a kilometer from here. | |
La maison qui a été détruite hier soir ne se trouvait qu'à trois kilomètres de chez nous. - The house that was destroyed last night was only three kilometers from our place.à trois kilomètres d | |
7. prep. Used in various interjections used as warnings or exhortations | |
au voleur ! - stop thief! | |
à l'assassin ! - murderer! | |
au meurtre ! - murder! murderer! | |
à moi ! - help! | |
à l'aide ! - help! | |
au secours ! - help! | |
au feu ! - fire! | |
aux armes ! - to arms! | |
à l'attaque ! - attack! forward! charge! up and at 'em! | |
à l'abordage ! - on board! | |
au boulot ! - get to work! let's get to work! | |
au travail ! - get to work! let's get to work! | |
8. prep. from (origin) | |
Nous prenons de l'eau au puits. - We get water from the well. | |
Je l'ai eu à la bibliothèque. - I got it from the library. | |
Voilà la femme à laquelle j'ai acheté mon chien - There's the woman I bought my dog from. | |
9. prep. of (belonging to) | |
C'est un ami à moi. - This is a friend of mine. | |
Cette voiture est à John. - This is John's car. | |
le chien à Marie - Mary's dog nonstandard: one normally would use de here | |
10. prep. till, until (used in farewells) | |
à plus tard - see you later | |
à bientôt - see you soon | |
Salut, donc. À demain. - Bye, then. 'Til tomorrow / see you tomorrow. | |
11. prep. (cuisine) cooked in or with | |
12. prep. Used to make compound nouns to state what something is used for | |
moulin à poivre - pepper mill | |
sac à dos - backpack | |
boite à musique - music box | |
13. prep. (before an infinitive) to (used to express something not completed) | |
l'équipe à battre - the team to beat | |
Il n'y a jamais grand-chose à faire par ici. - There's never much to do around here. | |
Là où tu ne vois pas grand-chose, je ne trouve qu'une grande abondance de choses qui restent à faire. - Where you see nothing great, I only see a great abundance of things that need doing. | |
Il reste deux tâches à finir. - There are two things left to finish. | |
Il y a de la bière à boire. - There's some beer to drink. | |
14. prep. Used to describe a part of something, often translated into English as a compound adjective | |
un animal à quatre pattes - a four-legged animal | |
une femme au visage pâle - a pale-faced woman | |
un homme à longue barbe - a long-bearded man — a man with a long beard | |
une chemise à manches courtes - a short-sleeved shirt | |
une maison aux murs de brique - a brick-walled house / a house with brick walls | |
15. prep. by | |
peu à peu - bit by bit | |
petit à petit - little by little | |
minute à minute - minute by minute | |
jour à jour - day by day | |
un à un - one by one | |
16. prep. or, to (used to express an approximate number) | |
six à sept personnes - six or seven people | |
de vingt à trente ans - from twenty to thirty years | |
tous les cinq à six ans - every five or six years | |
17. prep. Used to indicate the recipient of certain phrasal verb. | |
mettre le feu à - to set fire to | |
clouer le bec à - to shut (someone) up | |
donner la chasse à - to give chase to | |
18. prep. with | |
ceux |
1. pron. masculine plural of celui | |
celui |
1. pron. the one | |
Le bon choix est celui que je vous ai indiqué. - The right choice is the one I have indicated to you. | |
Les états paranoïaques, tels que ceux de schizophrénie, peuvent sembler superficiellement similaires mais sont caractéristiquement différents. - Paranoid states, such as those of schizophrenia | |
Contrairement au modèle français, le Président du Conseil ne dispose pas de pouvoir formel, tel que celui de désigner ou renvoyer les autres, ou encore la capacité de dissoudre le Parlement. - | |
qui |
1. pron. (interrogative) who, whom | |
Tu as vu qui ? - Who have you seen? | |
Je ne sais pas qui vous êtes. - I don't know who you are. | |
2. pron. (relative) who, whom (after a preposition), which, that | |
La personne qui parle connait bien son sujet. - The person who speaks knows his/her subject well. | |
Cette voiture bleue qui passe me plait beaucoup. - This blue car which is passing I like a lot. | |
J’aime les chiens qui sont calmes. - I like dogs that are quiet. | |
Un homme à qui j’ai parlé. - A man to whom I spoke/have spoken. | |
Si lugubre que fût l’appartement, c’était un paradis pour qui revenait du lycée. - Gloomy as the apartment was, it was still a paradise for those who came back from school. | |
Rira bien qui rira le dernier. - Who laughs last laughs well. | |
3. conj. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) if | |
Qui elle en a, ça va faire. - If she has any, that will do. | |
les |
1. art. plural of le: the | |
2. art. plural of la: the | |
3. pron. plural of le: them | |
4. pron. plural of la: them | |
entendent |
1. v. third-person plural present of entendre | |
entendre |
1. v. to hear | |
2. v. to be able to hear | |
3. v. (literary) to listen to | |
4. v. (formal) to mean | |
Qu'entendez-vous par là ? - What do you mean by that?entendez-vous par là ?, What do you mean by that? | |
Qu'entendait-il par « attristé par la tranquilité » ? - What does he mean by "saddened by the tranquility"?entendait-il par « attristé par la tranquilité » ?, What does he mean by "saddened by | |
5. v. to agree with each other | |
6. v. to have good relations with; to get on; to get along | |
Je m'entends bien avec elle. - I get along well with her.entends bien avec elle., I get along well with her. | |
Si seulement mes enfants s’entendaient ! - If only my kids got along! | |
7. v. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to be good or competent at something | |
s'y entendre en (...) - to be good at ... | |
8. v. (rare) to desire; to wish; to intend | |
comme je l’entends - as I wish | |
J'entends bien régler cette question une bonne fois pour toutes. - I fully intend to solve this issue once and for all.entends bien régler cette question une bonne fois pour toutes., I fully in | |
9. v. (dated) to demand | |
10. v. (dated) to know | |