| 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 | |
| réflexion |
| 1. n-f. reflection (in mirror) | |
| 2. n-f. thought, thinking | |
| 3. n-f. discussion, remark | |
| faire réflexion |
| 1. v. to reflect that, to ponder over the fact that, to consider that, to figure that | |
| 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 | |
| une |
| 1. num. feminine singular of un | |
| 2. art. a / an (feminine indefinite article) | |
| 3. n-f. front page (of a publication) | |
| chose |
| 1. n-f. thing | |
| 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 | |
| laquelle |
| 1. pron. feminine singular of lequel | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| avait |
| 1. v. third-person singular imperfect indicative 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. | |
| pensé |
| 1. Participle. past participle of penser | |
| 2. v. first-person singular present indicative of penser | |
| 3. v. first-person singular present subjunctive of penser | |
| penser |
| 1. v. to think, reflect, concentrate one's mind on something | |
| Penser tout haut. - Think aloud, speak one's mind freely. | |
| 2. v. to estimate, imagine, believe | |
| Vous n'en êtes pas où vous pensez. - You are not where you think you are. | |
| Il y a, je pense, dix kilomètres de chez vous chez moi. - It is ten kilometres, I estimate, from your place to my place. | |
| J'irai vous voir demain, je pense. - I will see you tomorrow, I suppose. | |
| La chose n'est pas si facile qu'on le pense. - The thing is not as simple as one might believe. | |
| Je ne pensais pas que vous vous méprendriez sur le sens de mes paroles. - I didn't imagine you would be mistaken on the sense of my words. | |
| 3. v. (originally with a que sentence) to be of the opinion that, believe | |
| Je pensais qu'il était de vos amis. - I thought he was a friend. | |
| Je veux être d'accord avec toi, mais je ne pense pas que nous ayons besoin de son aide. - I want to agree with you, but I don't think we need his help. | |
| Je pense comme vous. - I agree with your view. | |
| Il ne dit rien qu'il ne pense. - He doesn't say anything he doesn't believe. | |
| Dites librement ce que vous pensez. - Cavalierly state your opinion. | |
| J'espère qu'il ne pense pas ce qu'il dit. - I hope he doesn't believe what he is saying. | |
| Faites-moi connaître votre façon de penser. - Tell me how you think about it. | |
| Pensez-vous ? - Do you really believe that? (1935, punning at the dialogue partner's missing belief in his own statement) | |
| 4. v. to be absorbed by a worry or depressing thoughts | |
| 5. v. to conceive a project | |
| 6. v. (with de + object) to evoke the image or remembrance of someone in one's mind | |
| Penser d'aucun. | |
| 7. v. (with à + object) to attach one's thinking to someone, especially lovingly | |
| Pensez à moi. - Think of me. | |
| Il ne pense qu'à celle qu'il aime. - He only thinks but of his beloved. | |
| 8. v. (with infinitive) to believe being or doing something | |
| Il pense être plus habile que les autres. - He believes being smarter than others. | |
| Il ne pensait pas être observé. - He didn't think he was being observed. | |
| J'ai pensé mourir. - I thought I was going to die. | |
| 9. v. (with mal or bien + de + object) to think well or badly, to have a high or low opinion of someone | |
| C'est un homme qui pense toujours mal des autres. - It's a man who always thinks badly of others. | |
| Je ne pense de cette affaire ni bien ni mal. - I don't think neither well nor badly of this affair. | |
| Que pensez-vous de cet homme ? - What do you think about this man? | |
| 10. v. (with de + infinitive) to try or prepare to do something | |
| Penser de faire qqc. | |
| 11. v. to reflect on something | |
| Soi penser qqc. | |
| 12. v. (with à + object) to bear, keep something in mind, to consider something | |
| Le mal vient sans qu'on y pense. - Evil comes without one thinking of it. | |
| Faire ou dire une chose sans penser à mal. - Do or say something without meaning to harm. | |
| À quoi pensez-vous ? - What are you thinking? | |
| 13. v. (with infinitive) to intend to do, aim at doing something | |
| Je pensais aller vous voir. - I fancied paying you a visit. | |
| Que pensez-vous faire ? - What do you intend to do? | |
| 14. v. to have something in one's mind (c. 1220 in Barlaam et Josaphat, ed. C. Appel, 5623) | |
| C'est un homme qui ne dit jamais ce qu'il pense. - That's a man who never says what he thinks. | |
| Il pense beaucoup de choses qu'il ne dit pas. - He thinks a lot of things he doesn't say. | |
| 15. v. (with à + infinitive) to intend to do, aim at doing something | |
| À quoi pensez-vous de vous conduire ainsi ? - What are you aiming at by behaving like this? | |
| Je suis trop de vos amis pour avoir pensé à vous nuire. - I am too much your friend to think of harming you. | |
| Je pensais à aller vous voir hier. - I considered to visit you yesterday. | |
| 16. v. (with mal, obsolete) to intend to do something bad | |
| Penser mal. | |
| 17. v. (with à + object) to take care of | |
| Il nous a reçus admirablement, il a pensé à tout. - He has welcomed us admirably, he has thought of everything. | |
| 18. v. (with bien, in politics, religion, moral) to have opinions in accordance with the agreed principles | |
| Bien penser. | |
| 19. v. (with adverb or adverbial expression) to have a certain intellectual tendency, preference or property | |
| Penser finement, noblement, singulièrement, hardiment. - To think finely, nobly, in a singular way, boldly. | |
| Penser avec justesse. - To think with accuracy. | |
| Penser juste. - To think in the right way. | |
