section-01.md

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Duolingo French Course

• Duolingo French Course, Section 1
  • Unit 1: Use basic phrases, Greet people
  • Unit 2: Introduce yourself, Use the present tense
  • Unit 3: Get around town, Refer to family members
  • Unit 4: Talk about things you do, Form the plural
  • Unit 5: Use the present tense, Describe your family
  • Unit 6: Order food and drink

Unit 1

Use basic phrases, Greet people

Phrase

Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning
Je suis Marie	/ézhuh swee/	I am Marie
C’est un chat (C`est: Ce est)	/say/	It’s a cat
Un chat mange	/mãʒ/ /mahzh/	A cat is eating
Paul manage un croissant	/kʁwasɑ̃/ /kwah-sahn/	Paul is easting a croissant
Tu es Marc?		Are you Marc?
Non, Je suis Paul		No, I am Paul
Bonjour, comment çe va?		Good morning, how are you doing?
Ça va très bien, et toi?	/tʁɛ/:/treh/	I am doing very well, and you?
Ça va		I am fine
Au revoir, Marie	/oh ruh vwahr/	Good bye, Marie
Bonne journée		Have a good day
Bonne soirée	/swah-ray/	Have a good evening
Bienvenue		Welcome
Merci beaucoup		Thank you very much
 demain	/duh-mahn/	See you tomorrow
 bientôt	/byehn-toh/	See you soon
Enchanté		Nice to meet you

Grammar

French	English
Je suis	I am
Tu es	You are
Il/elle/on est	He/she/we is
C`est: Ce est	It/this is

Gender

In French, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns use “un” and feminine nouns use “une”. See the list of masculine and feminine words here.

Masculine nouns

French	English
un garçon	a boy
un homme	a man
un chien	a dog

Feminine nouns

French	English
une fille	a girl
une femme	a woman
une pizza	a pizza
une orange	an orange

Accents

In French, an accent mark over a letter can make a new sound:

French	Example
je	as in petition
é	journée (similar to bay)
è	très /treh/ (as in bet)

If the last letter of a word is an e without an accent, it is usually silent.

Phrase	Pronunciation
femme	/fam/
bonne nuit	/bawn nwee/

Unit 2

Introduce yourself, Use the present tense

Phrase

Phrase	Pronunciation	English
Excuse-moi, tu parles français?	/fʁɑ̃sɛ/ /frahn-seh/	Excuse me, do you speak English?
Oui, je suis français	/wi/:/wee/	Yes, I am French
Comment tu t`appelles?		What is your name?
Je m`appelle Julia		My name is Julia
Je parle espagnol	/ɛspaɲɔl/ /ess-pahn-yohl/	I speack Spanish
Je suis espagnol		I am Spanish
Je suis américaine		I am American (speaker is a woman or girl)
J`étudie à New York, et toi?	/ay-ty-dee/	I am studying in New York and you?
Marie est journaliste	/ʒuʁnalist/ /zhur-nah-leest/	Marie is a journalist
Je travaille à Paris	/trah-vay/	I work in Paris
Je suis en Europe		I am in Europe
Marie habite en Italie	/ah-beet/	Marie lives in Italy
J`habite avec Marie	/ah-beet/	I live with Marie
France		French (Name of the country)

Take a look at the Cities and Countries page.

Grammar

Phrase	Meaning
Je parle	I speak
Tu parles	you speak
Il/elle parle	he/she speaks

The s in verbs above is actually silent.

French	Meaning
Je m`appelle …	My name is …
Tu t`appelles …	Your name is …
Il/elle s`appelle …	His/her name is …

E.g. What do you (tu) call yourself’s name (t`appelles)?

Two words exist for in. We use à for cities but en with many countries.

Phrase
J`habite à Paris
J`habite en France
Je travaille à Madrid
Je travaille en Espagne

Gender

Feminie adjectives end in e:

French	English
Gabriel est espagnol	Gabriel is Spanish (Gabriel: Masculine name)
Sarah est espagnole	Sarah is Spanish
Il est amèricain	He is American
Elle est amèricaine	She is American

Sometimes, the extra little e changes the sound a little.

Unit 3

Get around town, Refer to family members

Phrases

Phrase	Pronunciation	English
Ton appartement		Your apartment
Le Billet		The Ticket
Il va bien		He is doing well
J'aime la couleur	/kulœʁ/ /koo-luhr/	I like the color
Je veux cette veste	/vø/:/vuh/ /sɛt/:/seht/ /vɛst/:/vest/	I want this jacket
À cent euros		At one hundred euros
Ma meilleure amie	/mɛjœʁ/ /meyeuhr/	My best friend
Où est le restaurant, s`il vous plaît?	Où: you without y /sil voo pleh/	Where is the restaurant, please?
Je vais à la gare	/veh/:/gahr/	I am going to the train station
Tu as une valise?		Do you have a suitcase?
Je vais à Paris en voiture	/vwah-tewr/	I am going to Paris by car
Je prends le train et l`avion	/prahn/	I am taking the train and the plane
Ton père habite ici?	/pɛʁ/:/pehr/	Does your father live here?
Mon père		My father
Mon mari	/maʁi/:/mah-ree/	My husband
Ma femme		My wife
Grand-mère	/ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁ/ /grahn mehr/	Grandmother
Ma famille habite en France		My family lives in France
Le mari de Julia est mexicain		Julia's husband is Mexican
J'ai un animal de compagnie	/kɔ̃paɲi/ /kohm-pah-nyee/	I have a pet
Est-cs que (est ce)	/ɛskə/ /ess-kuh/	Do you or Are you
Est-ce que vous travaillez ici?	/tʁavaje/ /trah-vah-yeh/	Do you work here?
Mon travail	/tʁavaj/ /trah-vahy/	My job/work
Une chouette	/ʃwɛt/:/shwet/	An owl
Dans		In
Ètudiant		Student
Le fils de Louis et Marc s'appelle Paul		Louis and Marc's son's name is Paul
La maison	/mɛzɔ̃/ /meh-zohn/	The house
Le jardin	/ʒaʁdɛ̃/ /zhahr-danh/	The garden
L'appatement		The apartment
Alice veut une chouette	/vœ/:/vuh/	Alice wants an owl
Ma lune de miel	/lyn/:/leen/ /mjɛl/:/myell/	My honeymoon
Votre (formal of ton)	/vɔtʁ/ /vohtr/	Your
Je suis désolé	/dezɔle/ /day-zohl-ay/	I am sorry
Elle es désolée		She is sorry
Je l'aime	/lɛm/:/leh-m/	I love her
Je t'aime aussi		I love you too
Le médecin		The doctor
Une femme élégante	/eleɡɑ̃t/ /eh-leh-gahnt/	An elegant women
Une supermarché	/soo-pehr-mahr-shay/	A supermarket
Une grande massion		A big home
Un grand garçon	/ɡʁɑ̃d/:/grahnd/	A tall boy
Un pantalon	/pɑ̃talɔ̃/ /pahn-tah-loh/	A pants
Coûte très cher	/kut/:/koot/	It is very expensive
Mais	/mɛ/:/meh/	But
Un homme a besoin d'un mèdecin	/bəzwɛ̃/ /buh-zwahn/	A man needs a doctor
Il est très malade	/malad/ /mah-lahd/	He is very sick
Il parle a une autre femme	/otʁ/:/ohtr/	He speaks to an another women
J'ai besoin d'aide		I need help
Je ne trouve pass mon passeport	/tʁuv/:/troov/	I cannot find my passport
Mon sac		My bag
Ma veste		My jacket
Ce n'est pass possible		It's not possible
ta main	/mɛ̃/ /meh~(nasal)/	Your hand
Bon voyage		Wish someone a good trip

French	English	Example
Tu	You
Toi	You (with emphasis)	Je parle à toi: I am talking to you! Toi, tu es intelligent: You, you are smart!

Grammar

THE: Le, La, l

Rule	Example	Meaning
Le goes with masculine nouns	le garçon	The boy
La goes with feminine nouns	la femme	The woman
l`goes with word started a vowel or silent h	l`homme	The man

Mon/Ma, Ton/Ta, Son,Sa

The words like my and your change based on the gender of the word after them.

Masculine	Feminine
Mon père My father	Ma mère My mother
Ton frère Your brother	Ta sœur Your sister
Son fils His/her son	Sa fille His/her daughter

Instead of Marie's cat, we would switch the word oder and say le chat de Marie.

Phrase	English
Le chat de Marie	Marie's cat
Le chien d' Anna	Anna's dog

Verbs

Most verbs change predictably but some do their own thing:

Verb	Meaning
Je vaise	I go
Tu vas	You go
Il/Elle va	He/she goes

If a verb begins with a vowel be sure to change "je" to "j`":

Verb	Meaning
J`ai	I have
Tu as	You have
Il/elle a	He/she has

Unit 4

Talk about things you do, Form the plural

Phrases

Verbs and Words	Pronunciation	English
Une chauffeur		A driver
Maintenant		Now
Conduit (verb)		Drive
Voilà		Here is/There is
Je ne sais pas		I don't know.
Ce n' est pas la gare		This is not the train station
Une Hôpital		A hospital
C'est difficile		It's difficult
Ils/elles sont difficiles		They're difficult
Ouvre la porte		Open the door
Plats végétarien		Vegetarian dishes
Viande		Meat
Le porc est délicieux		The pork is delicious
Une salade et du poisson		A salad and some fishes
Du pain et du fromage		Some bread and some cheese
Du jambon		Some ham
De la glace		Some ice
Tu as huit ans		You are eight years old
Nous avons besoin d'argent		We need the money
Pourquoi?		Why?
Notre maison est petite		Our house is small
Plus de place		More space
la musique		The music
la banque		The bank
la boulanerie		The bakery
Les professeurs		The professors
Les femmes		The women
Les hommes		The men
Un, deux, trios		One, two, three
On est ici		We are here
Faciles		Easy
Les chiens ont besoin de marcher beaucoup		Dogs need to walk a lot
La nourriture est chére		Food is expensive
C'est joli ici		It's lovely here
Bon anniversaire		Happy birthday
Votre prénom		Your name
J'ai très faim		I am very hungry (it's said: I have very hunger)
Le short et des bottes		The short and boots

"du" is a partitive article that is used to indicate an unspecified or undefined quantity of a mass or uncountable noun.

"de" comes before femenine nouns
"du" comes before masculine nouns
"des" comes before plural nouns

Example: du lait et du sucre et de la glace. Paul écrit des messages.

Grammar

Subject	(Devoir) (must)
Je	dois
Tu	dois
Il/elle	doit
Nous	devons
Vous	devez
Ils/elles	doivent

In French, plural names take an extra s at the end, however, the plural s is usually silent.

Singular and Plural	English
Il est étudiant	He is student
Elle est étudiante	She is student
Elles sont étudiantes	They are student

French
Les chiens
Les chats
Les garçons
Les garçons
Les maisons

French	Meaning
Ils	They (group of men or mixed)
Elles	They (group of women)

À followed by le becomes au and À followed by les becomes aux.

Rule	Shortened	Example
à + le	au	Ja vais au zoo I am going to the zoo
à + les	aux	Il va aux toilettes Je parle aux enfants

Possessive adjectives

My	Our	Your	Your (plural)	His/Her	Their
Mon	Notre	Ton	Votre	Son	Leur
Ma	Notre	Ta	Votre	Sa	Leur
Mes	Nos	Tes	Vos	Ses	Leurs

Subject	(marcher) (to walk)	(jouer) (to play)
Je	Marche	Joue
Tu	Marches	Joues
Il/elle	Marche	Joue
Nous	Marchons	Jouons
Vous	Marchez	Jouez
Ils/elles	Marchent	Jouent

Your	Our	Example
Ton	Notre	Ton livre	singular, masculine
Ta	Notre	Ta maison	singular, feminine
Tes	Nos	Tes vêtements	plural

Phrase	Meaning
Le chocolat	The chocolate	singular, masculine
La maison	The house	singular, feminine
Les restaurants	The restaurants	plural

Unit 5

Use the present tense, Describe your family

Phrase

Verbs and Words	Pronunciation	English
Une Aime		A friend
Aimer		To like
Lire		To read
Habiter		To live
Manger		To eat (not a regular "-er" verb)
Étudier		To study
Avoir		To have (not a regular "-er", "-ir", or "-re" verb)
L'école		The school
Le parc		The park
au à (to,at) + le (the)		At the
Deux		Two
Sais (savoir)		know (to know) (verb)
Le nouvel étudiant		The new studient
La nouvelle maison		The new house
Il y a un étudiant		There is a studient
la classe		The class
Il écrit des livers		He writes some books
Très intéressant		Very interesting
Il a de beaux vêtements		It has beautiful cloths
Derrrière		Behind
Un magasin		A store
Vous préférex le sac rouge		Do you prefer the red bag?
Le sac blanc		The while bag
Beau		Beautifil
Je paye où?		Where should I pay?
Il est amusant		He is funny
Elle est amusante		She is funny
Elle est contente		She is happy
Est-ce que tu aimes le français?		Do you like French?
Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?		What do you want? Qu'est-ce que: what
Vous voulez quelque chose ?	/kelk shoz/	You need something?
Mes parents sont américains		My parents are American
Mes sœurs		My sisters
Mes fréres		My brothers
Ce sont mes filles		These are my doughters
Tu as beaucoup de vêtements violets		You have a lot of purple Clothes
Regarder, regarde		To look/watch (verb), watche
Veste		Jacket
Chapeaux		Hat
Le soleil		The sun
Des lunettle de soleil rouges		Red Sunglasses
Ville		Town
Je n'aime pas		I don't like
Où sont les toilettes ?		Where is the restrooms?
du sucre et du lait		Some suger and some milk

possessive adjectives	English
Ton livre	Your book (singular, masculine)
Ta maison	You house (singular, feminine)
Tes vêtements	Your cloths (plural)

Note: "pas" is used with "ne" to form negative sentences in French. It is placed after the verb and before other words or phrases in the sentence to create a negative statement.

We use le, la or les when talking about general likes and dislikes:

Example
La femme est contente
Les femmes sont contentes

Example
Il aime le chocolat
Tu aimes les restaurants

Grammar

Subject	Meaning	Verb	Meaning
Je	I	Aime	I like
Tu	You (singular)	Aimes	You like
Il/elle	He/she	Aime	He/she likes
Nous	We	aimons	We like
Vous	You (plural)	aimez	You like
Ils/elles	They	aiment	They like

Note: "aimer" is a regular "-er" verb in French, so it follows the regular conjugation pattern for verbs ending in "-er".

Subject	(Parler) (to speak)	(Habiter) (to live)	(Manger) (to eat)
Je	Parle	Habite	mange
Tu	Parles	Habites	manges
Il/elle	Parle	Habite	mange
Nous	parlons	Habitons	mangeons
Vous	parlez	Habitez	mangez
Ils/elles	parlent	Habitent	mangent

Note: "parler" is a regular "-er" verb in French.

Note: "habiter" is a regular "-er" verb in French.

Note: "manger" is an irregular verb in French, and its conjugation does not follow the regular "-er" verb pattern.

Subject	(Avoir) (to have)	(Être) (to be)	(Vouloir) (to want)
Je	ai	suis	veux
Tu	as	es	veux
Il/elle	a	est	veut
Nous	avons	sommes	voulons
Vous	avez	êtes	voulez
Ils/elles	ont	sont	veulent

Subject	(Savoir) (to know)	(Conduire) (to drive)	(Acheter) (to buy)
Je	sais	conduis	achète
Tu	sais	conduis	achètes
Il/elle	sait	conduit	achète
Nous	savons	conduisons	achètons
Vous	savez	conduisez	achètez
Ils/elles	savent	conduisent	achètent

Subject	(Voyager) (to travel)	(Étudier) (to study)	(pouvoir) (can)
Je	voyage	étudie	peux
Tu	voyages	étudies	peux
Il/elle	voyage	étudie	peut
Nous	voyageons	étudions	pouvons
Vous	voyagez	étudiez	pouvez
Ils/elles	voyagent	étudient	peuvent

Examples

Phrase	Meaning
Habitez-vous ici?	Do you live here?
Êtes-vous médecin?	Are you a doctor?
Est-ce que vous êtez médecin?	Are you a doctor?

"Est-ce que": This phrase is used to introduce a question and can be translated as "Is it that" or "Do"

"vous êtes": This means "you are". "Vous" is the second-person plural pronoun for "you," and "êtes" is the conjugated form of the verb "être" (to be).

Note: The correct word order for a question in French is typically formed by inverting the subject pronoun and the verb, with a hyphen (-) connecting them. Habitez-vous is the correct inversion of vous habitez, which means you live in English.

Unit 6

Order food and drink

Phrases

Verbs and Words	Pronunciation	English
Une biére		A beer
Je voudrais		I would like
Un verre de vin		A glass of wine
Une bouteille d'eau		A bottle of water
Un fromage d'Italie		A cheese from Italy
L'addition		The check
Une table pour deux personnes		A table for two persons
Quatre verres d'eau	/ver d'o/	Four glasses of water
La table		The table
Le café		The coffee
Le thé		The tea
Le jus		The juice
Le serveur		The waiter
La serveuse		The waitress
L'eau		The water
Une tasse		A cup
Une café ou une bière?		A coffee or a beer?
Le thé vert		The green tea
Voulez vous un thé?		Do you want a tea?
Je suis très contente d'aller en Espagne!		I am very happy to go to Spain! (d'aller: de aller)
C'est joli		It's beautiful
Ton voyage est quand?		When is your trip?
Dans deux semaines		In two weeks
Cette semaine		This week
Tu es prête?		Are you ready?
Tous les jours		Every day, all the days
Trois jours		Three days
Génial!		Great!
Sur les musées		About the museum
Sur le table		On the table
Quelque chose	/kelk shoz/	Something
Je cherche un chose		I am looking for a thing
De l'argent		Some money
La petite amie		The girlfriend
Parfaite	/paʁ.fɛt/	Perfect
Pas de problème		No problem
Je ne veux pas cuisiner		I don want to cook
Je suis fatiguée		I am tired
Nous avons besoin de quoi?		What do we have a need for?
Fruit		Fruit

Grammar

Subject	(voir) (to see)	(Cuisiner) (to cook)	(Chercher) (to look for)
Je	Vois	Cuisine	Cherche
Tu	Vois	Cuisines	Cherches
Il/elle	Voit	Cuisine	Cherche
Nous	Voyons	Cuisinons	Cherchons
Vous	Voyez	Cuisinez	Cherchez
Ils/elles	Voient	Cuisinent	Cherchent

Yes/No Questions

Nous avons besoin de quoi? What do we have a need for? (What do we need?)

It is common to use the word "quoi" (what) at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a question. This type of question is called a "yes-no question" or a "closed question" because it usually requires a simple "yes" or "no" answer.

In general, when forming a yes-no question in French, the verb and subject pronoun are inverted. However, when using a question word such as "quoi" (what) or "qui" (who), the word order remains the same as in a statement, and the question word is simply added at the end to indicate that it is a question.

Statement: Je suis fatigué. (I am tired.)
Question: Suis-je fatigué? (Am I tired?)

Statement: Il parle français. (He speaks French.)
Question: Parle-t-il français? (Does he speak French?)

Statement: Nous avons un chat. (We have a cat.)
Question: Avons-nous un chat? (Do we have a cat?)

Statement: Tu aimes le chocolat. (You like chocolate.)
Question: Aimes-tu le chocolat? (Do you like chocolate?)

Statement: Elle habite à Paris. (She lives in Paris.)
Question: Habite-elle à Paris? (Does she live in Paris?)