| 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... | |
| fait |
| 1. n-m. fact | |
| 2. v. third-person singular present indicative of faire | |
| 3. Participle. past participle of faire | |
| 4. adj. done | |
| 5. adj. cut out | |
| Je ne suis vraiment pas fait pour l'escalade. | |
| faire |
| 1. v. to do | |
| faire la vaisselle - to do the washing-up. | |
| Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? - What are you doing? | |
| Fais pas ça. - Don't do that. | |
| 2. v. to make | |
| faire une erreur - to make a mistake. | |
| faire un voyage - to take a trip | |
| 3. v. to say (of a person), to go (of an animal) | |
| "Je t'aime," fit-il. - "I love you," he said. | |
| Le chat fait "miaou". - The cat goes "meow". | |
| 4. v. to make (cause someone or something to do something) | |
| Tu me fais rire. - You make me laugh. | |
| La chanson me fait pleurer. - The song makes me cry. | |
| 5. v. to act like (something) | |
| Fais pas ton innocent avec moi. - Don't act like you're so innocent around me./Don't give me that innocent act. | |
| 6. v. (impersonal) to be (of the weather or various situations) | |
| Il fait chaud/froid/noir/beau dehors. - It is hot/cold/dark/nice outside. | |
| Ça fait dix ans que nous nous connaissons. - We have known each other for ten years. | |
| Ça fait bizarre. - That seems/looks bizarre; that gives a bizarre effect/appearance/result. | |
| Ça fait très monsieur, ta cravate. - Your tie makes you look like a real gentleman. | |
| 7. v. to do, to make (oneself) | |
| Elle se fait les ongles. - She is doing her nails. | |
| 8. v. to be, to get (used for a passive action) | |
| se faire piquer - to be stung | |
| Je me suis fait avoir. - I got screwed. | |
| Est-ce que tu t'es fait couper les cheveux ? - Did you get your hair cut? | |
| 9. v. to ripen (of fruit), to mature | |
| 10. v. to become used to, to get used to | |
| Je ne m'y suis toujours pas fait. - I still haven't got used to it. | |
| 11. v. (slang) to do (to have sex with) | |
| 12. v. (informal, intransitive) to defecate; (metaphorically) to shit oneself (to be terrified) | |
| L'enfant a fait dans son pantalon. - The child soiled his trousers. | |
| Ils viennent d'entendre les nouvelles et ils font dans leur culotte. - They've just heard the news and they're shitting themselves. | |
| 13. v. to become, to get | |
| se |
| 1. pron. The third-person reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronoun. | |
| 2. pron. (to) himself | |
| 3. pron. (to) herself | |
| 4. pron. (to) oneself | |
| 5. pron. (to) itself | |
| 6. pron. (to) themselves | |
| 7. pron. (to) each other | |
| 8. pron. (Louisiana) (The second-person plural reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronoun.) | |
| Je suis partie à la chasse et faut vous autres se comportes bien. - I'm going hunting and y'all need to behave yourselves. | |
| retrace |
| 1. v. first-person singular present of retracer | |
| 2. v. third-person singular present of retracer | |
| 3. v. second-person singular imperative of retracer | |
| retracer |
| 1. v. to recount, to tell | |
| 2. v. to redraw, to draw again | |
| 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 | |
| mon |
| 1. det. (possessive) my (used to qualify masculine nouns and vowel-initial words regardless of gender) | |
| J'ai perdu mon chapeau. - I lost my hat. | |
| La décision a été prise pendant mon absence. - The decision was taken in my absence. | |
| 2. det. Followed by rank, obligatory way of addressing a (male) superior officer within the military. (Folk etymology: military-specific short for "monsieur".) | |
| esprit |
| 1. n-m. immaterial or incorporeal substance | |
| 2. n-m. disembodied mind | |
| 3. n-m. mind (in the wide sense) | |
| 4. n-m. mind (as principle of thought) | |
| 5. n-m. specific mind aptitude | |
| 6. n-m. high mind aptitude | |
| 7. n-m. deep intention, sense, or purpose (of a text, action, attitude...); philosophy (in figurative sense) | |
| 8. n-m. (metonymy) human being, as possessing abilities of mind | |
| 9. n-m. (old) volatile fluid ; (in particular) alcohol | |
| comme |
| 1. conj. as | |
| Je travaille comme artiste. - I work as an artist. | |
| 2. conj. like | |
| J'agis comme il faut. - I act like I must. | |
| 3. conj. how | |
| Comme tu es belle ce soir ! - How beautiful you are tonight! | |
| 4. conj. because, as, since | |
| Comme j'étais malade, il est venu me voir. - As I was ill, he came to see me. | |
| 5. part. (colloquial Canada) like | |
| 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' | |
| comme si |
| 1. conj. as if; as though (as to suggest that) | |
| Il sortit par la porte et Roger put voir que son visage était pâle, comme s’il avait vu un fantôme. - He went out the door and Roger could see that his face was white, as though he had seen a p | |
| il |
| 1. pron. he (third-person singular masculine subject pronoun for human subject) | |
| Il est parti. - He left. | |
| 2. pron. it (third-person singular subject pronoun for grammatically masculine objects) | |
| Je cherche mon livre. Où est-il ? - I'm looking for my book. Where is it? | |
| 3. pron. (impersonal pronoun) Impersonal subject; it | |
| Il pleut. - It’s raining. | |
| était |
| 1. v. third-person singular imperfect indicative of être | |
| être |
| 1. v. to be | |
| Vous devez être plus clairs. - You must be clearer. | |
| 2. v. (auxiliary) Used to form the perfect and pluperfect tense of (including all reflexive verbs) | |
| Après être allé au yoga, je suis rentré chez moi. - After having gone to yoga, I came back home. | |
| 3. v. (semi-auxiliary) to be (Used to form the passive voice) | |
| Il peut être battu ce soir. - He can be beaten this evening. | |
| 4. n-m. being, creature | |
| 5. n-m. being, the state or fact of existence | |
| encore |
| 1. adv. still | |
| Êtes-vous encore là? - Are you still there? | |
| 2. adv. more | |
| Voulez-vous encore du pain ? - Would you like more bread? | |
| Tu en veux encore? - Do you want some more? | |
| 3. adv. again | |
| Écris-le encore une fois! - Write it once again! | |
| 4. adv. (after the adverb pas) yet, not yet | |
| Je n'ai pas encore fini. - I haven't finished yet. | |
| présent |
| 1. adj. present (that what/which is in the place talked about) | |
| 2. adj. current, present | |
| 3. adj. (grammar) present | |
| 4. n-m. (grammar) present tense | |
| 5. n-m. (dated, except in, Louisiana, and Acadia French) gift; present | |
| 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 | |
| Mes |
| 1. n. abbreviation of maîtres, Maîtres | |
| 2. det. my (when referring to a plural noun) | |
| Mes clés sont dans ma poche. - My keys are in my pocket. | |
| mon |
| 1. det. (possessive) my (used to qualify masculine nouns and vowel-initial words regardless of gender) | |
| J'ai perdu mon chapeau. - I lost my hat. | |
| La décision a été prise pendant mon absence. - The decision was taken in my absence. | |
| 2. det. Followed by rank, obligatory way of addressing a (male) superior officer within the military. (Folk etymology: military-specific short for "monsieur".) | |
| yeux |
| 1. n. plural of œil, eyes | |
| Il a les yeux bleus. - He has blue eyes. | |
| Il a de beaux yeux bleus. - He has beautiful blue eyes. | |
| œil |
| 1. n-m. (anatomy) eye, organ that is sensitive to light, helping organisms to see | |
| 2. n-m. (plural œils) glyph, rendering of a single character | |
| 3. n-m. (plural œils) eye (of a needle) | |
