| 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 | |
| ce |
| 1. det. this, that | |
| 2. pron. (subject of être, with predicative adjectives or relative clauses, singular only) it, this, that (see § Usage notes, below) | |
| C'est beau ! - It is beautiful! | |
| est-ce que...? - is it that...? | |
| ce dont je parlais - that which I was speaking of | |
| C'eût été avec plaisir, mais... - It would have been with pleasure, but... | |
| C'eût été dommage... - It would have been a pity... | |
| 3. pron. (subject of être, with predicate nouns) he, she, it, this, that | |
| C'est un/une célébrité. - He/she is a celebrity. | |
| Ce sont des célébrités. - These are celebrities. | |
| Ce sont des gens bien. - These are good people. | |
| ce semble - it seems | |
| ce peuvent être... - these may be... | |
| moment |
| 1. n-m. moment (point in time) | |
| 2. n-m. moment (short period of time) | |
| 3. n-m. a while | |
| Ça fait un moment que je l'attends - I've been waiting for him for a while | |
| 4. n-m. (physics, mechanics) moment, momentum | |
| précis |
| 1. adj. Which does not leave doubt; specific, explicit | |
| 2. adj. Done in a precise and reliable fashion | |
| 3. adj. (Sound) Well perceived; sharp | |
| 4. adj. (Of language or writing) Demonstrating precision, concision and accuracy | |
| 5. adj. Said of someone whose language expresses such qualities | |
| 6. adj. (Measure) calculated or measured with precision | |
| 7. n-m. précis | |
| 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 | |
| voyageurs |
| 1. n. plural of voyageur | |
| voyageur |
| 1. n-m. traveller | |
| auraient |
| 1. v. third-person plural conditional of avoir | |
| avoir |
| 1. n-m. asset, possession | |
| 2. v. to have (to own; to possess) | |
| J'aimerais avoir 20 dollars. - I would like to have 20 dollars. | |
| 3. v. (auxiliary) to have (auxiliary verb to form compound past tenses of most verbs) | |
| J'ai parlé. - I have spoken, I spoke. | |
| Qu'est-ce que vous m'avez fait ? - What have you done to me? | |
| 4. v. to have (a condition) | |
| J'ai faim. - I have hunger. | |
| J'ai soif. - I have thirst. | |
| J'ai froid. - I have cold. | |
| J'ai chaud. - I have hot. | |
| J'ai la chiasse. - I have the shits. | |
| J'ai le rhume. - I have a cold. | |
| J'ai le SIDA. - I have AIDS. | |
| J'ai de la fièvre. - I've got a fever. | |
| 5. v. to have (a measure or age) | |
| Elle a 19 ans. - She has 19 years. | |
| 6. v. to have (to trick) | |
| Tu t'es fait avoir. - You've been had. | |
| 7. v. to have (to participate in an experience) | |
| avoir des relations sexuelles - to have sexual relations | |
| 8. v. (indtr, à) to have (to), must +preo, à, infinitive | |
| J'ai à vous parler. - I have to talk to you. | |
| dû |
| 1. n-m. what is owed, what is due, money's worth | |
| 2. Participle. past participle of devoir | |
| Elle a dû rentrer chez elle en marchant. - She had to walk home. | |
| 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 | |
| y |
| 1. pron. there (at a place) | |
| Il est dans la maison. Il y est. - He is in the house. He is there. | |
| 2. pron. there, thither (to there) | |
| Nous allons au Mexique. Nous y allons. - We are going to Mexico. We are going there. | |
| 3. pron. Used as a pronoun to replace an adverbial phrase starting with à. | |
| Je pense à mon pays. J'y pense. - I think about my country. I think about it. | |
| 4. pron. With verbs: see for verbs which use this structure. | |
| 5. pron. With adjectives. Only used with a handful of adjectives (the most common combination being y compris, which is a special case), mainly in legal terminology. | |
| personnes y nommées - Persons named there(in) | |
| procédures y afférentes - Related procedures | |
| documents y relatifs - Related documents | |
| eaux y affluentes - Tributary waters | |
| 6. pron. (Quebec, France, colloquial) he: Alternative form of il | |
| 7. pron. (Quebec, France, colloquial) they: Alternative form of ils | |
| 8. pron. (Quebec, colloquial) they: Alternative form of elles | |
| prendre |
| 1. v. to take | |
| prends ma main - take my hand | |
| 2. v. to eat; to drink | |
| elle prend un café - she is drinking a coffee | |
| 3. v. to get; to buy | |
| Je vais prendre le plat du jour. - I'll get the dish of the day. | |
| 4. v. to rob; to deprive | |
| prendre quelque chose à quelqu'un | |
| 5. v. to make | |
| prendre une décision - to make a decision | |
| prendre des mesures draconiennes - to take draconian measures | |
| 6. v. to catch, to work, to start | |
| le feu ne prend pas - the fire won't start | |
| la sauce ne prend pas - the sauce isn't thickening | |
| ma mayonnaise ne prend pas - my mayonnaise isn't setting | |
| ça ne prend pas avec moi - that won't wash with me | |
| 7. v. to get (something) caught (in), to jam | |
| je me suis pris la main dans la porte - I caught my hand in the door | |
| je me suis pris la porte dans la figure | |
| 8. v. indtr, à | |
| Qu'est-ce qui t'a pris ? Qu'est-ce qui t'est passé par la tête ? - What were you thinking? What got into you? What came over you? | |
| Qu'est-ce qui lui a pris ? Quelle mouche l'a piqué ? - What was he thinking? What got into him? | |
| bien lui en prit | |
| mal lui en prit | |
| 9. v. to start having a negative feeling towards someone | |
| prendre en aversion | |
| prendre en grippe | |
| prendre en dégoût | |
| 10. v. (followed by a partitive, in various idiomatic expressions) to gain | |
| prendre de la vitesse - to gain speed | |
| prendre du galon - to gain a promotion | |
| prendre de l'avance - to gain ground | |
| prendre du retard - to fall behind schedule, to run late, to drop behind | |
| prendre de la hauteur - to gain some perspective | |
| prendre du recul - to take a step back | |
| prendre de la bouteille - to gain experience | |
| en prendre de la graine - to take away a lesson | |
| prendre du poids - to gain weight | |
| prendre de la masse - to build muscle | |
| prendre de la brioche, prendre du bide, prendre du ventre - to get a paunch | |
| prendre du bouchon | |
| prendre de l'élan - to gain momentum | |
| prendre de l'âge | |
| prendre de la valeur - to gain value | |
| prendre de l'importance | |
| 11. v. (colloquial ; impersonal) to take (a certain amount of time) | |
| Ça va me prendre au moins deux heures pour le mettre à jour. | |
| 12. v. (colloquial ; impersonal ; by extension) to take (a certain number or amount of) | |
| Pour finir dans deux heures, ça prend trois personnes. - To finish in two hours, it'll take three people. | |
| 13. v. (impersonal) to come over (to arise in and gain some control over one's thoughts and/or actions) | |
| il prend quelque chose à quelqu'un - something comes over someone | |
| Il lui prend une fantaisie de mettre le feu à la maison. | |
| pied |
| 1. n-m. (anatomy) foot | |
| 2. n-m. leg, foot (projection on the bottom of a piece of equipment to support it) | |
| 3. n-m. an old unit of measure equal to 32.5 centimetres | |
| 4. n-m. (Quebec, etc.) (Translation for English foot (approx. 30.5 centimetres)) | |
| 5. n-m. (poetry) foot | |
| si |
| 1. conj. if, whether | |
| Je me demande si elle sera seule. - I wonder if she'll be alone. | |
| Je veux savoir si tu viendras ou non. - I want to know if you're coming or not. | |
| 2. conj. if (assuming that) | |
| Si j'avais ses pouvoirs, je créerais un monde où le mal n'existe pas. - If I had his power, I'd create a world where evil didn't exist. | |
| Si tu n'avais pas appelé, je serais morte. - If you hadn't called, I'd be dead. | |
| 3. conj. even if | |
| 4. conj. although, while | |
| 5. interj. yes (used to contradict a negative statement) | |
| Tu ne m’aimes pas, n’est-ce pas ? — Si ! - You don’t like me, do you? — Yes, I do! | |
| Moi, je n'ai rien fait ! — Si ! - I didn't do anything! — Yes, you did! | |
| 6. adv. so, such (intensifier) | |
| J’étais si fatigué ces jours-ci que je n’avais pas le courage de vous écrire. - I was so tired those days that I didn't have the energy to write to you. | |
| Cela n'aurait pas été une si bonne idée. - That wouldn't have been such a good idea. | |
| 7. adv. (si + adjective/adverb + que ...) however (to whatever extent or degree) | |
| Si bavard qu'il soit, il ne dit rien de stupide. - However talkative he may be, he doesn't say anything stupid. | |
| 8. n-m. (music) si, the note 'B' | |
| 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 | |
| malencontreux |
| 1. adj. (dated) (of a person:) | |
| 2. adj. unfortunate, unlucky (experiencing misfortune) | |
| 3. adj. embarrassing, annoying | |
| 4. adj. of a thing: | |
| 5. adj. (dated) troubling, grievous, woeful (causing or signalling unhappiness, grief, woe, etc.) | |
| 6. adj. unfortunate, unlucky (causing or signalling misfortune) | |
| bolide |
| 1. n-m. (astronomy, dated) fireball | |
| 2. n-m. (by extension) fast racing car; speedster, high-powered car | |
| 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. | |
| eût |
| 1. v. third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of avoir | |
| avoir |
| 1. n-m. asset, possession | |
| 2. v. to have (to own; to possess) | |
| J'aimerais avoir 20 dollars. - I would like to have 20 dollars. | |
| 3. v. (auxiliary) to have (auxiliary verb to form compound past tenses of most verbs) | |
| J'ai parlé. - I have spoken, I spoke. | |
| Qu'est-ce que vous m'avez fait ? - What have you done to me? | |
| 4. v. to have (a condition) | |
| J'ai faim. - I have hunger. | |
| J'ai soif. - I have thirst. | |
| J'ai froid. - I have cold. | |
| J'ai chaud. - I have hot. | |
| J'ai la chiasse. - I have the shits. | |
| J'ai le rhume. - I have a cold. | |
| J'ai le SIDA. - I have AIDS. | |
| J'ai de la fièvre. - I've got a fever. | |
| 5. v. to have (a measure or age) | |
| Elle a 19 ans. - She has 19 years. | |
| 6. v. to have (to trick) | |
| Tu t'es fait avoir. - You've been had. | |
| 7. v. to have (to participate in an experience) | |
| avoir des relations sexuelles - to have sexual relations | |
| 8. v. (indtr, à) to have (to), must +preo, à, infinitive | |
| J'ai à vous parler. - I have to talk to you. | |
| 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. | |
| dévié |
| 1. Participle. past participle of dévier | |
| dévier |
| 1. v. to divert | |
| 2. v. to deviate, stray, go off course | |
| 3. v. to deflect, parry | |
| leur |
| 1. pron. (personal, indirect) (to) them | |
| Je leur ai donné un coup de main. - I gave them a hand. | |
| 2. det. their | |
| Je peux voir leur maison d'ici. - I can see their house from here. | |
| direction |
| 1. n-f. (spatial) direction | |
| être / aller dans la bonne direction - to be going the right way, to be heading the right way | |
| 2. n-f. (figuratively) direction | |
| 3. n-f. government | |
| 4. n-f. (figuratively) the director of the administration/organisation | |
| 5. n-f. (occasional, figurative) the territory administered by a government | |
