| je |
| 1. pron. I | |
| 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. | |
| peux |
| 1. v. first-person singular present indicative of pouvoir | |
| 2. v. second-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 | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| tout |
| 1. adv. all | |
| 2. det. all | |
| 3. n-m. whole, entirety, total | |
| le tout | |
| 4. pron. everything | |
| 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... | |
| 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. | |
| je |
| 1. pron. I | |
| ai |
| 1. v. first-person singular present indicative of avoir | |
| J'ai un chien. - I have a dog. | |
| besoin |
| 1. n-m. need | |
| 2. n-m. want (state of being in need) | |
| 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 | |
| ma |
| 1. det. feminine singular of mon | |
| Ma mère est venue me voir. - My mother came to see me. | |
| valise |
| 1. n-f. case, suitcase | |
