| sans |
| 1. prep. without | |
| Je ne veux pas partir sans toi. - I cannot leave without you. | |
| Elle est partie sans parler à personne. - She left without talking to anyone. | |
| doute |
| 1. n-m. doubt | |
| Il n'y avait pas le moindre doute sur l'identité de l'envahisseur. - There wasn't the slightest doubt about the identity of the invader. | |
| 2. v. first-person singular present of douter | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present of douter | |
| 4. v. second-person singular imperative of douter | |
| douter |
| 1. v. to doubt | |
| Il ne faut pas douter de la bonne foi de son interlocuteur. - One must not doubt the intention of one's interlocutor. | |
| Je doute qu'il y parvienne. - I doubt that he will manage. | |
| J'en doute. - I doubt that. | |
| 2. v. to suspect, to have an inkling | |
| Je me doutais qu'il n'allait pas bien, mais je ne savais pas que c'était à ce point-là. - I suspected that he was not doing well, but I did not know that it was to that degree. | |
| Il s'en doute bien. - He is well aware. | |
| sans doute |
| 1. adv. no doubt, most probably, most likely | |
| Il vaut sans doute mieux que tu ne lui en dises rien. - It's probably better that you say nothing to him about it. | |
| la |
| 1. art. the (definite article) | |
| 2. pron. her, it (direct object) | |
| Où est Judith ? Je ne la vois pas. - Where is Judith? I don't see her. | |
| Prends cette boîte et mets-la dans le coin. - Take that box and put it in the corner. | |
| 3. n-m. (music) la, the note 'A' | |
| bonté |
| 1. n-f. goodness, kindness | |
| divine |
| 1. adj. feminine singular of divin | |
| divin |
| 1. adj. divine, godlike | |
| bonté divine |
| 1. interj. (dated) good heavens! good grief! goodness me! | |
| 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. | |
| a |
| 1. n. a, the name of the Latin-script letter A | |
| 2. pron. (Quebec, colloquial) alt form-lite, elle, , she | |
| C'te fille-là, a'a l'air cute. - This girl, she looks cute. | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present indicative of avoir | |
| Elle a un chat. - She has a cat. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| voulu |
| 1. Participle. past participle of vouloir | |
| vouloir |
| 1. v. to want, wish, desire | |
| Je veux voir le soleil. - I want to see the sun. | |
| Hitler voulait la guerre, mais beaucoup n'en étaient pas conscients. - Hitler wanted war, but many were not aware of it. | |
| 2. v. to see oneself as; to give the impression of, to seem | |
| 3. n-m. will | |
| 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. | |
| elle |
| 1. pron. she | |
| Je crois qu'elle est partie. - I think she left. | |
| 2. pron. it (feminine gender third-person singular subject pronoun) | |
| Voilà ma voiture. Elle a cinq ans. - That's my car. It is five years old. | |
| 3. pron. disjunctive form of elle; her; à elle = hers | |
| C’est à elle. - It's hers. | |
| sera |
| 1. v. third-person singular future indicative of être | |
| serait |
| 1. v. third-person singular conditional of être | |
| soit |
| 1. conj. or, meaning, that is to say | |
| 2. conj. either ... or | |
| Il veut adopter un animal de compagnie, soit un chat, soit un chien. - He wants to adopt a pet, either a cat, or a dog. | |
| Je lui ai dit que j'aimerais reprendre un de mes vieux passe-temps, soit jouer du piano, soit apprendre une langue. - I told him I want to take up one of my old hobbies agains, be that playing | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present subjunctive of être | |
| 4. v. (math) let be | |
| Soit f une fonction linéaire. - Let f be a linear function. | |
| 5. interj. OK; granted; so be it | |
| fût |
| 1. n-m. bole (of tree) | |
| 2. n-m. keg, cask, draft | |
| 3. v. third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of être | |
| Ne fût-ce que je n'ai pas fait l'amour avec elle. - If only Were it only that I did not make love with her. | |
| 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 | |
| sans |
| 1. prep. without | |
| Je ne veux pas partir sans toi. - I cannot leave without you. | |
| Elle est partie sans parler à personne. - She left without talking to anyone. | |
| consolations |
| 1. n. plural of consolation | |
| et |
| 1. conj. and | |
| nos |
| 1. det. plural of notre; our | |
| Nos enfants nous rendent souvent visite. - Our children visit us often. | |
| notre Our |
|
| pauvres |
| 1. adj. plural of pauvre | |
| 2. n. plural of pauvre | |
| pauvre |
| 1. adj. (after a noun) poor (financially deprived) | |
| 2. adj. (after a noun) lacking, scanty | |
| 3. adj. (before a noun) poor, pitiable | |
| 4. adj. (pejorative) (Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis.) | |
| pauvre con - you twat, you moron, you idiot | |
| 5. n-m. poor person; pauper | |
| 6. n-m. person deserving of pity | |
| tendresses |
| 1. n. plural of tendresse | |
| tendresse |
| 1. n-f. Tenderness, state of being tender. | |
| restent |
| 1. v. third-person plural present of rester | |
| rester |
| 1. v. to stay | |
| On est restés à l'hôtel pendant une bonne part du séjour, on était tous malades. | |
| 2. v. to remain, be left over | |
| Il reste un peu de riz dans le frigo, si tu veux. | |
| 3. v. to stay, to remain (to continue to have a particular quality) | |
| Elle est restée comme elle était quand je l'ai rencontrée. | |
| 4. v. (rare) to rest | |
| 5. v. (Louisiana French, Canada) to live | |
| Moi, je reste au Québec. | |
| Le |
| 1. Proper noun. surname, from=Vietnamese | |
| 2. art. the (definite article) | |
| Le lait du matin. - The milk of the morning. | |
| 3. art. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English. | |
| L'amour est aveugle. - Love is blind. | |
| 4. art. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc. | |
| Il s’est cassé la jambe. - He has broken his leg. | |
| 5. art. (before units) a, an | |
| Cinquante kilomètres à l’heure. - fifty kilometres an hour | |
| 6. 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. | |
| 7. 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 | |
| meilleur |
| 1. adj. comparative of bon ("better") | |
| J'aime la pizza, mais les raviolis sont meilleurs. - I like pizza, but ravioli is better. | |
| C'est une meilleure chanteuse que moi. - She's a better singer than I am. | |
| 2. adj. comparative of bien | |
| 3. adj. when preceded by definite article, le meilleur superlative of bon ("best") | |
| 4. adj. when preceded by definite article, le meilleur superlative of bien ("best") | |
| 5. n-m. best | |
| Pour arriver à votre but, il va falloir donner le meilleur de vous-même. - To reach your goal, you'll have to do your best. | |
| Ces gars-là sont vraiment les meilleurs. - Those guys really are the best. | |
| adoucissement |
| 1. n-m. sweetening, mellowing, softening | |
| 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 | |
| nos |
| 1. det. plural of notre; our | |
| Nos enfants nous rendent souvent visite. - Our children visit us often. | |
| notre Our |
|
| peines |
| 1. n. plural of peine | |
| 2. v. second-person singular present of peiner | |
| peiner |
| 1. v. to struggle, toil | |
| Il a beaucoup peiné sur ce travail. - He struggled a lot in the job | |
| 2. v. to cause pain to, afflict | |
| Cette nouvelle m’a beaucoup peiné. - The news pained me greatly | |
