Discuss the Article : The Ultimate Guide To French Articles
<a href='/article/557/the-ultimate-guide-to-french-articles' target='_blank'>The Ultimate Guide To French Articles</a>
In French, nouns are usually preceded by articles. But how do you choose which article to use in a specific situation? This is exactly what you will learn in this ultimate guide to French articles.
French characters are characters that are unique to the French language. Typically they involve adding extra symbols to letters that English users are familiar with; on occasion they alter letters slightly in addition to adding additional symbols. Here is a list of all the common characters (with both sets of ALT codes):
This is the most usefull :
à A with Accent Grave (ALT + 0224/133)
è E with Accent Grave (ALT + 0232/138)
é E with Accent Acute (ALT + 0233/130)
ê E with Accent Circumflex (ALT + 0234/136)
For all the other characters, please check this link :
http://ergocanada.com/ergo/keyboards/how_to_generate_french_characters_on_a_keyboard.html
In English, there is only one way to say : 'to go TO + country'.
But in French, it is more complicated. Let me explain you how it works.
I - For the city
Before a name of the city, most of the time it is 'à' .
But if the name of the city start by 'le', we use 'au' and by 'les' : 'aux' .
<em>Example :</em>
Le Havre = je vais au Havre
Les Ulis = j’habite aux Ulis
Demain, je vais à Paris <em>Tomorrow, I go to Paris</em>
Ma sœur vit à Bruxelles <em>My sister leaves in Bruxels</em>
Ma meilleure amie réside à Dublin <em>My best friend leaves in Dublin</em>
II - For the country
1. If the country is a plurial name ('les') we use 'aux'
Example :
les Etats-Unis = je vais aux Etats-Unis
2. If the country is singular and masculine ('le') we use 'au'
Example :
le Maroc = Je vais au Maroc
le Portugal --> Je vais au Portugal
3. For the other case (most of the time, it is feminine name coutry 'la', or name country with 'l' ' before=, we use 'en'
Example :
la France --> Je vais en France
IMPORTANT : a country name starting by a vowel (like 'a, e, o, u') is almost always feminine )
Example :
L'Angleterre --> Je vais en Angleterre
But of course, there is some exeptions
Example :
je vais à Cuba - à Madagascar
Hello,
This is a small french exercice for test your french humour !!!!
Ready ?
It is very simple, you have to understand the joke in this image.
Don't worry I will give the answer if you are wrong !
But it is very easy ! I am sure you can do it !
This is the image :
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aahk_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-Bizzbee-FR-Site/Sites-Bizzbee-master-catalog/fr_FR/dw37e519f3/images/611307_8040_V1.jpg
Fighting or bonne chance in French !!
Hello,
This is a nice website with video about a french girl who explains many stuff and expressions about french language !
It is quite interresting for french conversation, you can find some slang, some mistake that the foreigner usually do, etc...
http://www.commeunefrancaise.com/
All the video is in english, and the french is always write !
I hope you will like it.
1 - What does it mean ?
ON has 3 way of use :
- It can substitute NOUS (<em>us</em>) : It is the most used.
- It can substiture QUELQU'UN (<em>someone</em>)
-It can substiture LES GENS (<em>people</em>)
2 - The conjugation
For conjugation, you always put the verb in the 3rd person singular (il/elle).
Exemples
On aime le chocolat (<em>we love chocolate</em>)
On achète du pain tous les matins (<em>we buy bread every morning</em>)
On se lève à 8h (<em>we wake up at 8am</em>)
Aujourd'hui on est mercredi (<em>today we are wednesday</em>)
On va à la plage demain (<em>we going to the beach tomorrow</em>)
3 - Practice
Find what means the ON in every sentences
<em>a- Qu'est-ce qu'on fait ce soir?</em>
<em>Quelqu'un ?</em>
<em>Nous ?</em>
<em>Les gens ?</em>
<em>b- On sonne, va ouvrir !</em>
<em>Quelqu'un (tu) ?</em>
<em>Nous ?</em>
<em>Les gens ?</em>
<em>c- On m'a dit d'attendre ici.</em>
<em>Quelqu'un ?</em>
<em>Nous ?</em>
<em>Les gens ?</em>
<em>d- Au Brésil, on parle portugais.</em>
<em>Quelqu'un ?</em>
<em>Nous ?</em>
<em>Les gens ?</em>
ANSWER
a- nous
b- tu (<em>someone</em>)
c- quelqu'un
d- les gens
4 - Questions ?
Please if you have any question about ON,
feel free to ask !
////CECI and CELA
Ceci and cela are used as the subject of all other verbs:
<em>Ceci va être facile. </em>
<em>This is going to be easy. </em>
<em>Cela me fait plaisir. </em>
<em>That makes me happy. </em>
Ceci and cela are used with pouvoir or devoir when those verbs are not followed by être.
<em>Ceci peut nous aider. </em>
<em>This could help us. </em>
<em>Cela doit aller dans la cuisine. </em>
<em>That has to go in the kitchen. </em>
Ceci and cela can also be direct and indirect objects:
<em>Donnez-lui cela de ma part.</em>
<em>Give him this from me.</em>
<em>Qui a fait cela ? </em>
<em>Who did this? </em>
Notes: Ceci is the contraction of ce + ici (this + here),
while cela is the contraction of ce + là (this + there).
Ceci is rare in spoken French. Just as là commonly replaces ici in spoken French (Je suis là - I'm here), French speakers tend to use cela to mean either "this" or "that."
Ceci only really comes into play when one wants to really distinguish between this and that:
<em>
</em>
<em>Je ne veux pas ceci, je veux cela. </em>
<em>I don't want this, I want that. </em>
////CA
Ça is the informal replacement for both cela and ceci.
<em>Donne-lui ça de ma part. </em>
<em>Give him this from me. </em>
<em>Qui a fait ça ? </em>
<em>Who did this? </em>
<em>Ça me fait plaisir. </em>
<em>That makes me happy. </em>
<em>Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? </em>
<em>What is that? </em>
<em>Je ne veux pas ceci (or ça), je veux ça. </em>
<em>I don't want this, I want that.</em>
The "Trema" is a diacritic sign you put on vowel. Usually it is on the e, i, u (and y in proper noun (name of place, family, etc)).
The purpose of its sign is to separate the sound of the vowel.
<em>For exemple</em> : The word naive in french is naïf
If the double mark isn't upon the i you pronounce : naif (like "nèf" in french pronunciation)
But with the double mark (naïf), you have to separate this specific vowel and read like that : "na - i - f(e)"
<em>This is other exemples :</em>
Maïs (corn) :
without double mark : mais = "mè"
with double mark : maïs = "ma - ï - se "
Canoë (canoe) :
without double mark : canoe= "cano"
with double mark : canoë = "cano - e(é)"
Héroïne (heroin) :
without double mark : héroine "oi" like foie, oie, moi, toi...
with double mark : héroïne = "héro - i - ne"
Haïr (to hate) :
without double mark : hair = (same pronunciation than "hair(cheveux)" in english)
with double mark : haïr = "ha - i - r(e)"
<em>But, because it's french language ! There is many exeption like usual !!!</em>
<em>For the moment let's remenber the basic !!!</em>
Exercice :
So now you can try with my name Aloïse,
how should you pronounce it ?
<em>Good luck</em>
