ou |
1. conj. or | |
2. conj. either...or | |
Ou il est fou ou il est bête. - Either he's mad or he's stupid. | |
bien |
1. adj. good, all right, great | |
2. adj. good looking, nice | |
3. adv. well | |
Ça va bien ? - It goes well? | |
Il joue vraiment bien au football. - He plays soccer really well. | |
4. adv. indeed; so | |
Bien, on peut partir maintenant ? - So, can we leave now? | |
5. adv. (followed by de, des, or du) a lot (of) | |
Macy Gray a traversé bien des épreuves. - Macy Gray got through a lot of ordeals. | |
6. adv. very; really | |
C'est bien aimable à vous. - it's very considerate of you. | |
C'est bien beau, mais... - It's all very well, but... | |
Je te trouve bien silencieux aujourd'hui. - You seem very quiet today. | |
Il est bien moche, ce type. Ce type est vraiment moche. - That guy is really ugly. | |
7. adv. (in comparisons) much (more, less, better, etc.) | |
Jérémie est bien plus fort que moi. - Jérémie is much stronger than me. | |
bien meilleur que ... - much better than ..., much better than ... | |
8. n-m. good as opposed to evil | |
9. n-m. a commodity, a good | |
10. n-m. a possession | |
ou bien |
1. conj. either (... or ...) | |
serait |
1. v. third-person singular conditional 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 | |
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... | |
quelque |
1. det. some (singular) | |
araignée |
1. n-f. spider | |
qui |
1. pron. (interrogative) who, whom | |
Tu as vu qui ? - Who have you seen? | |
Je ne sais pas qui vous êtes. - I don't know who you are. | |
2. pron. (relative) who, whom (after a preposition), which, that | |
La personne qui parle connait bien son sujet. - The person who speaks knows his/her subject well. | |
Cette voiture bleue qui passe me plait beaucoup. - This blue car which is passing I like a lot. | |
J’aime les chiens qui sont calmes. - I like dogs that are quiet. | |
Un homme à qui j’ai parlé. - A man to whom I spoke/have spoken. | |
Si lugubre que fût l’appartement, c’était un paradis pour qui revenait du lycée. - Gloomy as the apartment was, it was still a paradise for those who came back from school. | |
Rira bien qui rira le dernier. - Who laughs last laughs well. | |
3. conj. (Louisiana French, Cajun French) if | |
Qui elle en a, ça va faire. - If she has any, that will do. | |
brode |
1. v. first-person singular present of broder | |
2. v. third-person singular present of broder | |
3. v. second-person singular imperative of broder | |
broder |
1. v. to embroider | |
une |
1. num. feminine singular of un | |
2. art. a / an (feminine indefinite article) | |
3. n-f. front page (of a publication) | |
demi |
1. adj. half | |
2. n. number box, 2 | |
3. n-m. half (fraction) | |
4. n-m. (used in time) half (half-hour) | |
Il est cinq heures et demie. - It is half past five. | |
Elle sera là dans une demi-heure. - She will be here in half an hour. (where “demi” indicates a fraction and where there is no agreement in gender and number) (where “demi” indicates a fraction | |
5. n-m. (Polynesia, France) a person of multiracial descent, usually a person with French and other non-European origin; mixed-race | |
6. n-m. a glass of beer of 250 ml volume | |
7. n-m. (Quebec, real estate) bathroom | |
Appartements 3 1/2 pièces à louer à Montréal - 3.5 room apartments (an apartment unit with a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room, plus a bathroom) for rent in Montreal | |
aune |
1. n-f. (historical, unit of length) ell | |
2. n-f. (by extension) measuring rod of one ell | |
3. n-f. (figuratively) yardstick (standard to which other comparisons are judged) | |
4. v. first-person singular present of auner | |
5. v. third-person singular present of auner | |
6. v. second-person singular imperative of auner | |
7. n-m. Alternative spelling of aulne, t=alder | |
auner |
1. v. to measure in ells | |
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 | |
mousseline |
1. n-f. muslin | |
2. n-f. mousseline | |
mousseliner |
|
pour |
1. prep. for (meant for, intended for) (followed by a noun or pronoun) | |
J'ai un cadeau pour toi. - I've got a gift for you. | |
2. prep. for (in support of) | |
Pourquoi voter pour lui ? - Why did you vote for him? | |
3. prep. for (as a consequence for) | |
Il faut le punir pour ses crimes. - He must be punished for his crimes. | |
4. prep. for (an intended destination) | |
Sébastien est parti pour Londres. - Sébastien left for London. | |
5. prep. to (to bring about an intended result) (followed by a verb in the infinitive) | |
Je veux chanter pour te faire revenir. - I want to sing to make you come back. | |
6. prep. for, to (according to) | |
Pour moi, ce film est trop irréaliste. - For me, this film is too unrealistic. | |
cravate |
1. n-f. necktie | |
2. n-f. headlock (wrestling move) | |
3. n-f. (Quebec) Situation in which a canoe is stuck on a rock | |
4. v. first-person singular present of cravater | |
5. v. third-person singular present of cravater | |
6. v. second-person singular imperative of cravater | |
cravater |
1. v. to put on a tie | |
2. v. to decorate someone with a chain or ribbon around the neck | |
3. v. to strangle, choke | |
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 | |
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... | |
col |
1. n-m. (clothing) collar | |
2. n-m. (geography) col (dip on a mountain ridge) | |
3. n-m. (anatomy) neck | |
4. n-m. neck (of objects, vases etc.) | |
le col d'une bouteille - the neck of a bottle | |
étranglé |
1. Participle. past participle of étrangler | |
étrangler |
1. v. to strangle | |
2. v. to choke (with laughter, etc.) | |
Il s'agitait comme une vieille théâtreuse sous l'œil des gamins qui s'étranglaient de rire. - He was fidgeting like an old actress as the kids watched and choked with laughter. | |
3. v. to say in a voice strangled by emotion. | |