| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| veut |
| 1. v. third-person singular present indicative of vouloir | |
| vouloir |
| 1. v. to want, wish, desire | |
| Je veux voir le soleil. - I want to see the sun. | |
| Hitler voulait la guerre, mais beaucoup n'en étaient pas conscients. - Hitler wanted war, but many were not aware of it. | |
| 2. v. to see oneself as; to give the impression of, to seem | |
| 3. n-m. will | |
| plus |
| 1. adv. more, -er (used to form comparatives of adjectives) | |
| Ton voisin est plus moche que mon frère. - Your neighbour is uglier than my brother. | |
| Le tien est beaucoup plus grand que le mien. - Yours is much bigger than mine. | |
| Elle est plus belle que sa cousine. - She is more beautiful than her cousin. | |
| Elles sont toutes plus entêtées les unes que les autres. - They are each more stubborn than the last. | |
| 2. adv. more, -er (used to form comparatives of adverbs) | |
| Elle le fait plus rapidement que lui. - She does it more quickly than he does. | |
| plus vite ! - faster! | |
| 3. adv. (after a verb) more, -er (indicating a higher degree or quantity) | |
| Je travaille plus en ce moment. - I am working more at the moment. | |
| Je veux faire plus. - I want to do more. | |
| 4. adv. more (indicating a greater quantity) (+preo, noun) | |
| Elle a plus de chocolat. - She has more chocolate. | |
| Plus de la moitié reste. - More than half is left. | |
| 5. adv. more (supplementary, preceded by de) | |
| Une heure de plus et il serait mort. - One more hour and he would be dead. | |
| Un kilo de plus, s'il vous plaît. - One more kilo, please. | |
| 6. adv. (preceded by a definite article) the most, -est (used to form superlatives of adjectives and adverbs) | |
| la plus grande - the biggest | |
| le plus difficile - the most difficult | |
| 7. adv. (usually with the negative particle ne, see usage notes below) no longer, not ... any more | |
| Tu n'existes plus. - You no longer exist. / You don't exist any more. | |
| Il n'y a plus de travail. - There is no more work. | |
| 8. adv. (elliptically, introducing each clause) the more ..., the more ... | |
| Plus je vois, plus je veux. - The more I see, the more I want. | |
| 9. adv. (similarly, used with other comparatives) the more ..., the ... | |
| Plus j'écoute, moins je comprends. - The more I listen, the less I understand. | |
| 10. n-m. plus, the symbol + | |
| 11. v. singular past historic of plaire | |
| 12. Participle. masculine plural of plu | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| entendre parler |
| 1. v. (indtr, que) to hear (of) | |
| Est-ce que tu as entendu parler de l'homme qui est arrivé ? - Have you heard about the person who just arrived? | |
| Vous n'en entendrez plus jamais parler. - You will never hear about it again. | |
| Vous avez dû entendre parler que ... - You had to have heard that ..., You had to have heard that ... | |
| 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 | |
| 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... | |
| procès |
| 1. n-m. lawsuit | |
| 2. n-m. trial | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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). | |
| a |
| 1. n. a, the name of the Latin-script letter A | |
| 2. pron. (Quebec, colloquial) alt form-lite, elle, , she | |
| C'te fille-là, a'a l'air cute. - This girl, she looks cute. | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present indicative of avoir | |
| Elle a un chat. - She has a cat. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| trop |
| 1. adv. too; too much | |
| La soupe est trop chaude. - The soup is too hot. | |
| J'ai trop mangé. - I have eaten too much. | |
| 2. adv. (colloquial intensifier) very, really, so | |
| Elle est trop belle ! - She is so beautiful! | |
| tâté |
| 1. Participle. past participle of tâter | |
| tâter |
| 1. v. to feel (touch lightly, to sense consistency or temperature) | |
| 2. v. to get a feel for | |
| 3. v. (obsolete, slang) to go to see someone | |
