| le |
| 1. art. the (definite article) | |
| Le lait du matin. - The milk of the morning. | |
| 2. art. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English. | |
| L'amour est aveugle. - Love is blind. | |
| 3. art. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc. | |
| Il s’est cassé la jambe. - He has broken his leg. | |
| 4. art. (before units) a, an | |
| Cinquante kilomètres à l’heure. - fifty kilometres an hour | |
| 5. 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. | |
| 6. 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 | |
| métro |
| 1. n-m. metro; subway (US), underground (UK), Tube (UK) | |
| 2. n-m. short for métropole; metropolis | |
| 3. n-m. (France, informal) resident or native of metropolitan France | |
| 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 | |
| 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' | |
| plein |
| 1. adj. full, full up | |
| La voiture est pleine. - The car is full. | |
| C'est plein de légendes. - It's full of stories | |
| 2. adj. plenty | |
| Il y a plein de choses à faire. - There are plenty of things to do. | |
| 3. adj. solid | |
| 4. adj. (astronomy, of a moon) full | |
| 5. adj. (preceded by en) mid-; middle | |
| en plein match - (right) in the middle of a match | |
| en plein concert - mid-concert | |
| en plein essor - on the rise | |
| en pleine attaque - mid-attack | |
| 6. adj. (biology, of an animal) pregnant | |
| 7. adv. (of the four cardinal points) due | |
| Aller plein sud - To go due north | |
| 8. adv. (colloquial) a lot, lots of, many | |
| J'en ai plein du monde ici - I have lots of people here | |
| 9. n-m. full tank (of gas) | |
| 10. n-m. downstroke (of a letter) | |
| 11. prep. (somewhat colloquial) in; all over; filling | |
| Avoir du vin plein sa cave. | |
| J'ai de l’argent plein mes poches. - I have money filling up my pockets. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 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. | |
| y avoir |
| 1. v. (impersonal, transitive) there be | |
| Il y a deux raisons. - There are two reasons. | |
| 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 | |
| peu |
| 1. adv. little; not very much/many | |
| Il est peu intelligent. - He is little intelligent. | |
| Pour obtenir de bons prix certains négociateurs emploieraient parfois des méthodes peu conventionnelles - To get good prices, certain negotiators sometimes employ unconventional methods | |
| 2. n-m. few | |
| peu de gens sont d'accord - few people agree | |
| Beaucoup sont appelés mais peu sont élus. - Many are called but few are elected. | |
| Le peu de services qu’il a rendus ont paru mériter une récompense. - The few services he gave seemed deserving of a reward. | |
| Le peu de qualités dont il a fait preuve l’a fait éconduire. | |
| 3. n-m. little | |
| un peu - a little | |
| Je te donne le peu d'argent que j'ai - I'll give you the little money I have | |
| Je n'aime pas beaucoup ce café mais j'en ai bu un peu - I don't like this coffee very much but I drank some of it | |
| Les galaxies lenticulaires ont perdu ou transformé la majorité de leur matière interstellaire, si bien qu'on n'y observe que très peu de formation d'étoiles, alors même qu'elles peuvent conteni | |
| près |
| 1. adv. near (a time or a place); close (gloss, to a time or a place) | |
| Mon anniversaire est très près. (It's my birthday soon.) | |
| J'habite tout près. (I live just nearby.) | |
| J'habite près de l'épicerie. (I live close to the grocery store.) | |
| 2. prep. (formal, or legal) attached to, (connects a person or an organisation delegated officially to a setting.) | |
| un expert près les tribunaux - an expert witness | |
| les procureurs près les tribunaux - court-appointed prosecutors | |
| l'ambassade de France près le Saint-Siège - the French Embassy to the Holy See | |
| l'ambassadeur près le Saint-Siège - the ambassador to the Holy See | |
| à peu près |
| 1. adv. more or less; about, just about | |
| Il est à peu près 11 h (small - onze heures., It's about 11 o'clock.) | |
| 2. adv. almost, just about | |
| (parasyn, pas loin de, près de, un peu moins de) | |
| Ils sont considérés comme à peu près équivalents les uns aux autres. - They are considered almost equivalent to each other. | |
| cinq |
| 1. num. five | |
| Mon père a cinq sœurs. - My father has five sisters. | |
| personnes |
| 1. n. plural of personne | |
| personne |
| 1. n-f. person | |
| 2. pron. (with ne) no one, nobody | |
| Il n'y a personne ici. - There is nobody here. | |
| Qui l'a lu? Personne. - Who has read it? No one. | |
| Il n'a parlé avec personne. - He spoke to nobody. | |
| Personne ne parle avec lui. - No one speaks with him. | |
| 3. pron. anyone | |
| Il le sait mieux que personne. - He knows it better than anyone. | |
| par |
| 1. prep. through | |
| par la fenêtre - through the window | |
| aller par le parc - go through the park | |
| 2. prep. by (used to introduce a means; used to introduce an agent in a passive construction)) | |
| voyager par train - travel by train | |
| par surprise - by surprise | |
| le bateau est attaqué par des pirates. - the boat is being attacked by pirates. | |
| 3. prep. over (used to express direction) | |
| Viens par ici ! - Come over here! | |
| 4. prep. from (used to describe the origin of something, especially a view or movement) | |
| voir par devant - see from the back | |
| le liquide est arrivé par le robinet - the liquid arrived from the tap | |
| 5. prep. around, round (inside of) | |
| par tout le cinéma - all around the cinema | |
| 6. prep. on (situated on, used in certain phrases) | |
| par terre - on the ground | |
| 7. prep. on, at, in (used to denote a time when something occurs) | |
| par un beau jour - on a nice day | |
| par un soir - in one evening | |
| 8. prep. in | |
| marcher par deux - walk in twos | |
| 9. prep. per, a, an | |
| trois fois par semaine - three times a week | |
| 10. prep. out of (used to describe the reason for something) | |
| par pure colère - out of pure anger | |
| par tristesse - out of sadness | |
| 11. prep. for | |
| 12. n-m. (golf) par | |
| mètre |
| 1. n-m. metre/meter | |
| 2. v. first-person singular present of métrer | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present of métrer | |
| 4. v. second-person singular imperative of métrer | |
| métrer |
| 1. v. to meter | |
| carré |
| 1. adj. square | |
| 2. adj. (maths) quadratic | |
| 3. adj. straightforward | |
| 4. n-m. square | |
| 5. n-m. patch (of land) | |
| 6. n-m. (poker) four of a kind | |
| 7. n-m. (Louisiana) frame, framework | |
| mètre carré |
| 1. n-m. square metre, square meter (standard unit of area) | |
