| 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. | |
| allons |
| 1. v. first-person plural present indicative of aller | |
| 2. v. first-person plural imperative of aller | |
| aller |
| 1. v. to go + à, location (object) = to | |
| Je vais au magasin. - I'm going to the store. | |
| On y va. - Let's go. | |
| 2. v. to attend (school, church regularly) (+preo, à) | |
| aller à l'école - to attend school | |
| 3. v. (when followed by an infinitive verb) to be going (to); will soon; (forms a near-future tense) | |
| Il allait visiter sa famille. - He was going to visit his family. | |
| Je vais aller au magasin. - I will go to the store. | |
| 4. v. (when followed by an adverb) to be (feeling) | |
| J'espère que tu vas bien. - I hope you are well. | |
| Tout ira bien - All will be well. | |
| 5. v. to go well + avec (object) = with (clothes, colors, etc.) | |
| 6. v. to suit (+preo, à, someone) | |
| Cette robe te va bien ! - That dress suits you well! | |
| 7. v. to be X-proof (to be suitable for use in an appliance without running the risk of being damaged in the process) (+preo, à) | |
| aller au four - to be ovenproof | |
| aller au micro-ondes - to be microwave safe | |
| aller au lave-vaisselle - to be dishwasher proof | |
| 8. n-m. outward trip; journey out; trip away | |
| aller et retour - round trip | |
| nous |
| 1. pron. the plural personal pronoun in the first person: | |
| 2. pron. (subject pronoun) we. | |
| 3. pron. (object pronoun) us, to us. | |
| 4. pron. (royal, obsolete) we (as the royal we) | |
| 5. n-m. the nous, (divine) reason in philosophy | |
| 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 | |
| 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... | |
| poulet |
| 1. n-m. chicken | |
| 2. n-m. (slang) policeman (especially a plain-clothes police detective) | |
| 3. n-m. (obsolete) love letter | |
