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. | |
perd |
1. v. third-person singular present indicative of perdre | |
perdre |
1. v. to lose (be unable to find) | |
J'ai perdu les clés, mais un de mes amis les a trouvées. - I lost my keys, but one of my friends found them. | |
2. v. to lose (not win) | |
3. v. to get lost | |
Ils se sont perdus dans la forêt dense. - They got lost in the dense forest. | |
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). | |
vitesse |
1. n-f. speed | |
2. n-f. (automotive) gear | |
en vitesse |
1. adv. (informal) quickly, rapidly, fast | |
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... | |
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. | |
ce que |
1. pron. (accusative, relative) what (relative pronoun - direct object) | |
C'est ce que font les gens bien. - This is what good people do. | |
Cela n'est pas ce que je voulais. - That isn't what I wanted. | |
Il avait bien conscience de ce qu'il avait fait. - He knew perfectly well what he had done. | |
Ce que dit le roi est vrai, parce que le roi le dit. - What the king says is true, because the king says it. | |
A est à B ce que C est à D - A is to B as C is to D | |
2. pron. (accusative, interrogative) what (in indirect questions) | |
Savez-vous ce qu’il dit ? - Do you know what he says? | |
Savez-vous ce que vous faites ? - Do you know what you're doing? | |
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. | |
gagne |
1. v. first-person singular present of gagner | |
2. v. third-person singular present of gagner | |
3. v. second-person singular imperative of gagner | |
gagner |
1. v. to win | |
On a gagné la ligue ! - We won the league! | |
2. v. to earn | |
Je gagne 10 euros de l'heure. - I earn 10 euros an hour. | |
3. v. to gain; to obtain | |
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). | |
Cap |
1. Proper noun. only used in, Le Cap, , Cape Town | |
2. n-m. (landforms) cape | |
3. n-m. (nautical) heading | |
4. n-m. (figuratively) goal, direction, course | |
cap stratégique - strategic course | |
5. n-m. (Quebec, geography) cap (summit of a mountain) | |
quand |
1. conj. when | |
Appelez-moi quand vous arriverez chez vous - Call me when you get home | |
2. adv. when | |
Quand est-il mort ? - When did he die? | |
Je ne sais pas quand est-ce qu'il est mort. - I don't know when it was that he died. | |
Quand est-ce que vous voulez partir ? - When do you want to leave? | |
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. | |
navigue |
1. v. first-person singular present of naviguer | |
2. v. third-person singular present of naviguer | |
3. v. second-person singular imperative of naviguer | |
naviguer |
1. v. to navigate | |
2. v. to sail | |
3. v. (internet) to browse | |
4. v. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) to steer an automobile | |
au |
1. contraction. contraction of à le | |
Il étudie la musique au conservatoire. - He studies music at the conservatory. | |
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 | |
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 | |
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 | |
serré |
1. adj. tight | |
2. adj. (writing, etc) fine, cramped | |
3. adj. (coffee) strong | |
4. adj. (figuratively) strict, tight | |
5. Participle. past participle of serrer | |
serrer |
1. v. to tighten (a screw, a knot) | |
Doucement ! Ça ne sert à rien de trop serrer cette vis. - Gently! It's no use to tighten this screw too much. | |
Ton nœud de cravate n'est pas assez serré. - Your tie's knot isn't tightened enough. | |
2. v. to shake (hands) | |
J'ai refusé de lui serrer la main. - I refused to shake his/her hand. | |
3. v. to squeeze | |
Il lui serra le bras si fort qu'elle en garda une trace pendant trois jours. - He squeezed her arm so hard that she had a mark on it for three days. | |
4. v. to squeeze | |
Ils se sont serrés pour lui faire une place. - They squeezed together to make room for him. | |
5. v. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to shake (hands) | |
Les jeunes hommes d'affaires se sont serré la main. - The young businessmen shook each other's hands. | |
6. v. (slang) to seduce; to flirt with | |
7. v. (slang) to pinch (to arrest, apprehend someone) | |