FRENCH NOTE 28 VERBS CONJUGATED WITH ÊTRE

French Note 28


Only few verbs are conjugated with " être " . It is better to remember these verbs. There is a well-known mnemonic  for remembering these verbs easily. What is it ?

MRS DR VANDER TRAMP

Imagine a tramp , always wandering , and whose wife is a doctor.

Each letter of this mnemonic will be the first letter of a verb conjugated with " être ". Let us list these verbs along with their " passé participe"


1. Mourir - mort

2.  Rentrer - rentré

3.  Sortir -    Sorti

4.  Devenir - devenu

5.   Revenir -  revenu

6.    Venir - venu

7.    Aller -  allé

8.    Naître -  né

9.    Descendre - Descendu

10.    Entrer -    Entré

11.    Retourner -  retourné

12.     Tomber -  tombé

13.     Rester - resté

14.     Arriver - arrivé

15.   Monter -  monté

16. Partir.  - parti

17.Passer - passé




You may recall that as far as " passé participe " is concerned,  I have covered them in our previous notes. Now we shall see how to conjugate for " passé composé " in respect of the above verbs for all the subject pronouns.

Aller

Je suis allé ( e)

Tu es allé ( e)

Il est allé

Elle est allée

Nous sommes allé(e)s

Vous êtes allé(e)s

Ils sont allés

Elles sont allées


The point to be noted is that ,when a verb is conjugated with " être" ,the passé participe agrees in number and gender with the subject . That is why , you find extra " e" for feminine gender and an addition of " s" for plural.


Pierre  dit , " je suis venu , ce matin.

Hélène dit , " Je suis  venue , ce matin.

Have you got the point ?


Now it is for you to make your own sentences using the above verbs in passé composé .

Sometimes verbs like , " sortir,passer,descendre" can be  conjugated with " avoir" . In a later post, I shall explain clearly the use of such verbs.

Happy Learning !

Sayee Jayaraman

15/12/2014
30/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 27 PASSÉ PARTICIPE OF IMPORTANT VERBS

French Note 27

Let us learn the passé participe  of some common irregular verbs


   

1. Être     Été         26. Joindre.    Joint.   49. Mouvoir   Mû

2. Avoir.     Eu.       27.lire.         Lis.          50.pleuvoir plu

3. Aller - allé.          28. Mettre.   Mis.        51. Voir     Vu

4. Venir - venu.        29. Naître     Né

5.  Courir   Couru.    30. Plaire.   Plu

6. Boire.     Bu.         31.prendre. Pris

7. Devoir.    Du.         32.rire.     Ris

8. Pouvoir.     Pu.       33. Suffire.  Suffit

9. Falloir.      Fallu.      34.suivre.   Suvi

10. Vouloir.   Voulu     35.Acquérir.  Acquis

11. Valoir.      Valu.       36. Tenir.    Tenu

12. Conclure.     Conclu 37. Bouillir bouilli

13.conduire.     Conduit.  38.Cueillir Cueilli

14.connaître.     Connu.     39, Dormir. Dormi

15.Coudre.         Cousu.    40.fuir.  Fuit

16. Craindre.       Craint.     41.mentir menti

17. Croire.           Cru.        42.mourir mort
18.pourvoir.       Pourvu
19.recevoir     Reçu
20. Croître.         Crû.       43.offrir. Offert

21.Cuire.           Cuit.       44.ouvrir. Ouvert

22.Dire.             Dit.         45.partir.  Parti

23. Écrire.         Écrit        46.sentir.   Senti

24.Éteindre.    Éteint        47. Servir.  Servi

25.faire.           Fait.          48. Vêtir    Vêtu

  I have given above the passé participe of very important irregular verbs. The idea is not to bore you with the list. Kindly use this as a reference because all types of verbs are covered here. Even for me it will be useful . Sometimes , one is doubtful of some conjugations . Remember that you will be coming across these verbs quite often in your study of French at all levels. Kindly go through French texts and identify the passé participe forms. It will be a good exercise for you.

In the next post , I shall deal with few verbs which are conjugated with " être "

Diligent learners  kindly bring to my notice any inadvertent error. I shall stand corrected.

Happy learning !

Sayee Jayaraman

14/12/2014
30/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 26 PASSE COMPOSÉ

French Note 26

Passé composé


Today let us discuss"passée composé " .


In English , you require just one word to express past tense. " spoke", " did" , "worked", " wrote" and so on.

But French requires two words for expressing the past.

What are those two words?

1. Appropriate conjugation of either " être " or " avoir" in the present indicative.

2. Past participle of the relevant verb. In other words, past participle of the verb whose past tense you need.


As regards the first part of " passe composé " , we  have no problem. The conjugation of " être" and " avoir "  has already been covered.


As regards the second part, one should learn the formation of passé participe or past participle for all regular and irregular verbs.


Formation of past participle

1.  The formation of past participle of first group verbs is obtained by  removing the ending of the infinitive form and adding " é" . It is quite simple.

Parler - parlé
Aimer- aimé
Manger - mangé
Marcher - marché

Have you got it ?

Remember all the above verbs are conjugated with " avoir".

Let us make simple sentences in past tense. In fact we are going to apply the rule stated above.

J'ai parlé
I spoke
I have spoken
Tu as aimé
You loved
You have loved
Nous avons mangé
We ate
We have eaten

Note that the " passé participe"  does not change according to the subject. We say it remains invariable. For all subjects in first, second and third person , both in singular and plural , " passé participe"  remains invariable.

In my French Note 21, I have mentioned  many first group verbs. Now it is for you to form their " passé participe" and form simple sentences.

Notice that I have given two English forms for passé composé . The English present perfect and the simple past both are expressed in " passé composé " in French .

An event which took place in the past is expressed in " passé composé ".

In both conversation and written form , " passé composé " is used in French .

As regards , literary language , the French use " passé simple" which we shall take up later.

2. Formation of " passé participe" for the second group verbs ending in - IR.

The rule is very simple.  Just remove  the " R" from the infinitive form. You get the " passé participe ".

Finir - fini
Grandir - grandi
Grossir - grossit
Maigrir - maigri
Agir - agi
Tressaillir - tressailli

All the above verbs are conjugated with " avoir

Vous avez  fini ce travail très vite.

You finished this work  very quickly.

Elles ont grandi dans un village près de Chennai .

They grew up in a village near Chennai.

Elle a maigri de cinq kilos.

She slimmed by five kilos. ( literal translation )

She lost five kilos. ( Normal usage in English )

In French note 22, I have listed quite a few second group verbs. It is for you to form their " passé participe" and form sentences in " passé composé ".


3. Formation of " passé participe " in respect of regular verbs ending in - RE.
There are certain third group verbs ending in -RE , which have regular " passé participe" form.

The rule is that you remove the ending - " RE" and add " U " . Then you get the passé participe.

Attendre - attendu

Battre - battu

Fondre-fondu

Perdre - perdu

Rompre - rompu

Vaincre - vancu

In my French Note 24 , I have mentioned several verbs conjugated like the above verbs.
All such verbs will have similar endings for passé participe.

All the above verbs are conjugated with " avoir ".

I shall devote a separate note for verbs which are conjugated with " etre".

As regards several irregular verbs, we have to learn their passé participe .

I shall devote the next note for verbs which are conjugated with " etre" and the next one for other important irregular verbs.

Once again I tell you that these notes are mainly for clear understanding of difficult points. In no way , I claim them as substitute for standard text book or other tools of learning. I know the difficulties of English speaking learners in grasping the subtleties of French . These notes are meant for them . I feel one should highlight the differences between the two languages for better appreciation of both . No question of comparing to show that one is superior to the other. Since neither English nor French is my mother tongue , I can be more objective. Language is a medium of communication and it is advisable not to have too much emotional attachment to it.  Every language has its own charm and beauty . My aim in learning French is just to understand  a culture which has made  immense contribution to human civilization in several fields.  There is no end to learning . The joy is in our intellectual voyage and never in reaching a destination . Art is long and life is short.

Happy learning.

Sayee Jayaraman

14/12/2014

30/01/2015

FRENCH SONG 6 IL EST CINQ HEURES PARIS S'ÉVEILLE

FRENCH SONG 6 " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille " Jacques Dutronc


Je suis le dauphin de la place Dauphine
Et la place Blanche a mauvaise mine
Les camions sont pleins de lait
Les balayeurs sont pleins de balai

Il est cinq heures
Paris s'éveille
Paris s'éveille

Les travestis vont se raser
Les stripteaseuses sont rhabillées
Les traversins sont écrasés
Les amoureux sont fatigués



Il est cinq heures
Paris s'éveille
Paris s'éveille



Le café est dans les tasses
Les cafés nettoient leurs glaces
Et sur le boulevard Montparnasse
La gare n'est plus qu'une carcasse



Il est cinq heures
Paris s'éveille
Paris s'éveille

Les banlieusards sont dans les gares
A la Villette on tranche le lard
Paris by night, regagne les cars
Les boulangers font des bâtards

Il est cinq heures
Paris s'éveille
Paris s'éveille

La tour Eiffel a froid aux pieds
L'Arc de Triomphe est ranimé
Et l'Obélisque est bien dressé
Entre la nuit et la journée

Il est cinq heures
Paris s'éveille
Paris s'éveille
Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens


Les journaux sont imprimés
Les ouvriers sont déprimés
Les gens se lèvent, ils sont brimés
C'est l'heure où je vais me coucher



Il est cinq heures
Paris se lève
Il est cinq heures
Je n'ai pas sommeil
TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH " il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille "

By Sayee Jayaraman /30/01/2015

Me the oldest resident of Dauphine square
And Blanche Square is a horrible sight
Vans are full of milk
Sweepers with all their brooms.


Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens.

Fancy artists going to shave
strip teasers  re-dressed
Bolsters crushed
Lovers exhausted.

Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens.

Coffe in their cups
They clean the windows
And on the Montparnasse Boulevard
The station is no better than a carcass.

Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens.

Commuters in the stations
At Villette bacon is cut
Paris by night swarming with buses
Bakers making country bread.

Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens.

Eiffel Tower cold at the foot
Arc de Triomphe  revived
Obelisk well erect
Between the dusk and dawn.

Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Paris awakens.

Newspapers being printed
Workers worn out
People get up frustrated
It's time I went to bed .

Five in the morning
Paris awakens
Five in the morning
I am not sleepy.

http://youtu.be/7whXkifG_ms

FRENCH NOTE 25 - AVOIR

FRENCH NOTE 25

The auxiliary verb " avoir "


The meaning of this verb is " to have ".  Basically it indicates possession. But that is not all.
First let us see its conjugation in the present tense / indicative mood.

J'ai
Tu as
Il/elle/on a
Nous avons
Vous avez
Ils/ elles ont


While forming compound tenses in French , for almost 99% of the French verbs you need " avoir" as auxiliary verb.

In English we use the verb " to be " for expressing  one's age .

He is forty years old.

She is twenty years old.

For English speaking world , " age " is a state of being.

But , surprisingly , for the French , " age " is a sort of possession as the verb " avoir" is

used to express age.

Quel âge avez-vous?

J'ai quarante ans.

If you do a word by word translation, it sounds funny to English ears.

What age do you have ?

I have forty years.

Please avoid literal translation.

How old are you ?

I am forty years old.

A synonym for " avoir " is " posséder "

J'ai une voiture blanche

Je possède une voiture blanche.

I have a white car.


In English  the phrase " to have to do something " means that it is necessary to do that.

I have to go to bank today.

I have to write to David.

In French , a similar expression exists.

"  avoir à faire quelque chose " is the form which you must remember.

" avoir à faire quelque chose = devoir faire quelque chose "


Aujourd'hui , j'ai à aller à la banque.

Aujourd'hui , je dois aller à la banque.

J'ai à écrire à David.

Je dois écrire à David.

Hope you understood.

Note that after " devoir " no preposition should be put and the infinitive of the second verb follows immediately .


" avoir " can be used in the sense of " to get".


Pouvez-vous m'avoir un chien ?

Can you get me a dog ?


" avoir " can be used  to indicate bodily ailments . There are several expressions.

Elle a mal à la tête .

She has head-ache.

The dimensions of length / width/ height can be expressed using " avoir".

Le mur a deux mètres de haut.

The wall measures two meters in height.


There are hundreds of idiomatic expressions using " avoir" which , in due course, we may examine.

That is all for " avoir " now.

Be prepared for " passé composé " in my subséquent notes.

Happy learning.

Sayee Jayaraman

12/12/2014
30/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 24 THIRD GROUP OF VERBS CONTINUATION

French Note 24


Verbs with endings -RE

31. Attendre - to wait for, expect

J'attends
Tu attends
Il/elle/on attend
Nous attendons
Vous attendez
Ils/elles attendent

Défendre , dépendre,dépendre ,descendre,entendre,s'étendre ,mordre,pendre,prétendre,rendre, répondre,tendre ,tordre,vendre are conjugated similarly. Note that a large number of verbs are conjugated like attendre. So please pay special attention .

32. Battre - to beat

Je bats
Tu bats
Il/elle/on bat
Nous battons
Vous battez
Ils/elles battent

Abattre, combattre are conjugated similarly.

33. Boire - to drink

Je bois
Tu bois
Il/elle/on boit
Nous buvons
Vous buvez
Ils/elles boivent

On 33. Conclure - to conclude

Je conclus
Tu conclus
Il/elle/on conclut
Nous concluons
Vous concluez
Ils/elles concluent

Occlure ,inclure  exclure are  conjugated similarly.

34. Conduire - to drive

Je conduis
Tu conduis
Il/elle/on conduit
Nous conduisons
Vous conduisez
Ils/elles conduisent

Construire,détruire, induire,instruire,introduire,luire,réduire,traduire are conjugated similarly.

35. Connaître -to know

Je connais
Tu connais
Il/elle/on connaît
Nous connaissons
Vous connaissez
Ils/elles connaissent

Apparaître, disparaître , paraître, réapparaître are conjugated similarly .

36.  Coudre - to stitch

Je couds
Tu couds
Il/elle/on coud
Nous cousons
Vous cousez
Ils/elles cousent


37. Craindre - to fear

Je crains
Tu crains
Il /elle/on craint
Nous craignons
Vous craignez
Ils/elles craignent

Contraindre,plaindre are conjugated similarly.

38. Croire - to believe

Je crois
Tu crois
Il/elle/on croit
Nous croyons
Vous croyez
Ils/elles croient

39. Croître -to grow

Je croîs
Tu croîs
Il/elle/on croît
Nous croissons
Vous croissez
Ils/elles croissent

Please do not confuse the conjugation of " croire " with " croître" especially the singular forms.


40. Cuire - to cook

Je cuis
Tu cuis
Il/elle/on cuit
Nous cuisons
Vous cuisez
Ils/elles cuisent


41. Dire - to say

Je dis
Tu dis
Il / elle / on dit
Nous disons
Vous dites
Ils/elles disent

Please be careful while conjugating for " vous". One is likely to commit mistake. Hence a favorite question in basic French exams. Really a good irregular verb.


42. Écrire - to write

J'écris
Tu écris
Il/elle/on écrit
Nous écrivons
Vous écrivez
Ils/elles écrivent

Décrire , s'inscrire,prescrire, proscrire are  conjugated similarly.

43. Éteindre - to put out

J'éteins
Tu éteins
Il/elle/on éteint
Nous éteignons
Vous éteignez
Ils/elles éteignent

Peindre, repeindre are conjugated similarly .


44.  Faire - to do , to make

Je fais
Tu fais
Il/elle/on fait
Nous faisons
Vous faites
Ils/elles font

A highly irregular verb. It is a very common verb and many expressions are formed with it . I shall later prepare an exhaustive note on this verb. Pay careful attention to its conjugation .

Défaire   Refaire  ,satisfaire are conjugated similarly.


45.  Fondre -  to melt

Je fonds
Tu fonds
Il / elle / on fond
Nous fondons
Vous fondez
Ils / elles fondent

Pondre , tondre are conjugated  similarly.


46. Joindre - to join

Je joins
Tu joins
Il/elle/on joint
Nous joignons
Vous joignez
Ils/elles joignent

Rejoindre  is conjugated similarly.

47.  Lire - to read

Je lis
Tu lis
Il/elle/on lit
Nous lisons
Vous lisez
Ils/elles lisent

Élire, relire are conjugated similarly.


48.  Mettre - to put on, to keep

Je mets
Tu mets
Il/Elle/on met
Nous mettons
Vous mettez
Ils/elles mettent

Commettre, émettre ,omettre , promettre, remettre, soumettre ,admettre ,permettre are conjugated similarly.


49.  Naître - to be born

Je nais
Tu nais
Il/elle/on naît
Nous naissons
Vous naissez
Ils/elles naissent


50.  Perdre - to lose

Je perds
Tu perds
Ils/elles perd
Nous perdons
Vous perdez
Ils/ elles perdent

51. Plaire - to please

Je plais
Tu plais
Il/elle/on plaît
Nous plaisons
Vous plaisez
Ils/ elles plaisent

Déplaire is conjugated similarly.

52. Prendre - to take

Je prends
Tu prends
Il/elle/on prend
Nous prenons
Vous prenez
Ils/elles prennent

Comprendre, surprendre,éprendre ,reprendre,apprendre are conjugated similarly.


53. Résoudre - to resolve

Je résous
Tu résous
Il/elle/on résout
Nous résolvons
Vous résolvez
Ils/elles résolvent

Absoudre, dissoudre are conjugated similarly.


54. RIRE - to laugh

Je ris
Tu ris
Il/elle/on rit
Nous rions

Vous riez
Ils/elles rient

Sourire is conjugated similarly.


55. Rompre - to break

Je romps
Tu romps
Il/elle/on romp
Nous rompons
Vous rompez
Ils/ elles rompent

Corrompre is conjugated similarly .


56.  Suffire - to be sufficient

Je suffis
Tu suffis
Il/elle/on suffit
Nous suffisons
Vous suffisez
Ils/elles suffisent

57. Suivre - to follow

Je suis
Tu suis
Il/elle/on suit
Nous suivons
Vous suivez
Ils/elles suivent

Poursuivre is conjugated similarly.

58.  Se  taire - to Keep quiet

Je me tais
Tu te tais
Il/elle/on se tait
Nous nous taisons
Vous vous taisez
Ils/elles se taisent

59. Vaincre - to vanquish

Je vaincs
Tu vaincs
Il/ elle/on vainc
Nous vainquons
Vous vainquez
Ils/elles vainquent

Convaincre is conjugated similarly.

60. Vivre - to live

Je vis
Tu vis
Il/elle/on vit
Nous vivons
Vous vivez
Ils/elles vivent

Survivre is conjugated similarly.

Now I am coming to the end.  I have given you almost all the important verbs of French.
I reiterate that while reading a French text or listening to podcast/radio identify the verbs and put them in the proper basket to which they belong. Then only you can master these verbs. For all aspirants to different levels of French Exams, this is a must. Kindly note that my posts are intended for anglophones who need some explanation in French usage and grammar and not for those who want just to have smattering of French conversation . For that purpose, plenty of material is available in net. Expressing correctly in French is really a hard task and don't be under the illusion that by watching some videos , you can attain high proficiency. One has to make great efforts. All depends on why you need French. For motivated learners,  study will be a pleasure.


My next note will deal with two most important verbs which we have not covered. After that we shall move on to other aspects of French verbs which I had mentioned earlier.

Happy learning.

Sayee Jayaraman
11/12/2014

29/01/2015

FRENCH SONG 5 LA VIE EN ROSE LIFE OF HOPE

http://youtu.be/rzeLynj1GYM


FRENCH SONG 5 LA VIE EN ROSE

A BEAUTIFUL LIFE / A LIFE OF HOPE / OPTIMISM


Des yeux qui font baiser les miens,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,
Voila le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

Eyes which kiss mine
A laugh sunk in his mouth
Here is the unaltered picture
Of the man to whom I belong.



Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

When he takes me in his arms,
Speaks in low voice to me,
I see life rosy rosy.
,

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ca me fait quelque chose.

He mumbles words of love
Words in daily language
And that does something to me.





Il est entre dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

He entered into my heart
A slice of happiness
The cause of which I know.

C'est lui pour moi. Moi pour lui
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie.

It is him for me. Me for him.
In his life,
Said he and swore it for life.

Et des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat

And as soon as I  see him
I feel in me
The beating of my heart.

Des nuits d'amour a ne plus en finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des enuis des chagrins, des phases
Heureux, heureux a en mourir.

Nights of love with no end
A great happiness  replacing
The boredom of pain , in stages
Happy happy to death.





Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.


When he takes me in his arms,
Speaks in low voice to me,
I see life rosy rosy.



Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ca me fait quelque chose.


He mumbles words of love
Words in daily language
And that does something to me.




Il est entre dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

He entered into my heart
A slice of happiness
The cause of which I know.



C'est toi pour moi. Moi pour toi
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie.



It is him for me. Me for him.
In his life,
Said he and swore it for life.


Et des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat


And as soon as I  see him
I feel in me
The beating of my heart.

Sayee Jayaraman

Translated on

29/01/2015

FRENCH SONG 4 JE VEUX ZAZ

FRENCH SONG 4 " JE VEUX" ZAZ

I have heard the young ZAZ sing this song with tremendous enthusiasm , energy and feelings. I like a certain attitude of nonchalance towards  bourgeois values and conventions bordering on hypocrisy . The language is simple . Of course the phrase , " crever la main sur le cœur " gave me trouble , in spite of my best dictionaries. I avoided word to word translation to the extent possible and tried to bring out the ideas. It is just testing my own translation skills.

Learners please identify all the verbs , study the tenses , list out the nouns, pronouns , prepositions, adjectives, conjunctions, imperatives , dissect everything and perfect your French Grammar. All after enjoying the music ! Think over the ideas expressed therein .

Bonne écouté !

Happy listening !



Je Veux" " I want "

Donnez moi une suite au Ritz, je n'en veux pas!

Give me a suite in Ritz , I don't want it!

Des bijoux de chez CHANEL, je n'en veux pas!
Donnez moi une limousine, j'en ferais quoi? papalapapapala
Offrez moi du personnel, j'en ferais quoi?
Un manoir a Neufchatel, ce n'est pas pour moi.
Offrez moi la Tour Eiffel, j'en ferais quoi? papalapapapala

The jewelry from CHANEL , I don't want it
Give me a limousine , what will I do with it ? Papalapapapla
Offer me people , what will I do with them ?
A mansion at Neufchâtel , it is not for me.
Offer me Eiffel Tower , what will I do with it?



[Refrain:]
Je Veux d'l'amour, d'la joie, de la bonne humeur, ce n'est pas votre argent qui f'ra mon bonheur, moi j'veux crever la main sur le coeur papalapapapala allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté, oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité.

I want love, joy , good mood, it is not your money that will make me happy , I want to thump on my heart with joy,papalapapapala,let us go together to discover my liberty, forget therefore all your banners   , welcome to my reality.

J'en ai marre de vos bonnes manières, c'est trop pour moi!
Moi je mange avec les mains et j'suis comme ça!
J'parle fort et je suis franche, excusez moi!
Finie l'hypocrisie moi j'me casse de là!
J'en ai marre des langues de bois!
Regardez moi, toute manière j'vous en veux pas et j'suis comme çaaaaaaa (j'suis comme çaaa) papalapapapala

I am fed up with your good manners , it is too much for me !
Me, I eat with my hands and I am like that !
I am speaking strait and I am frank, excuse me!
Hypocrisy is over and I break it,
I am fed up with all doublespeak
Look at me, no way I bear any grudge against you and  I am like that
[Refain x3:]
Je Veux d'l'amour, d'la joie, de la bonne humeur, ce n'est pas votre argent qui f'ra mon bonheur, moi j'veux crever la main sur le coeur papalapapapala Allons ensemble découvrir ma liberté, oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité!

( translation above - repetition )

Translated by Sayee Jayaraman

29/01/2015

http://youtu.be/Tm88QAI8I5A

FRENCH SONG 3 C'EST L'AMOUR EDITH PIAFF

FRENCH SONG 3

C'EST l'AMOUR - EDITH PIAFF

Translation is mine and it is not a word to word translation.
After listening to the song , Students of French language may read the lyrics and its translation which I did purely for pedagogic purposes.


C'est l'amour qui fait qu'on aime.
C'est l'amour qui fait rêver.
C'est l'amour qui veut qu'on s'aime.
C'est l'amour qui fait pleurer...

It's love which makes us love
It's love which makes us dream
It's love which wants us to love
It's love which makes us cry

Mais tous ceux qui croient qu'ils s'aiment,
Ceux qui font semblant d'aimer,
Oui, tous ceux qui croient qu'ils s'aiment
Ne pourront jamais pleurer...

But all who think that they love
Those who pretend to love
Yes all who think that they love
Could never cry

Dans l'amour, il faut des larmes,
Dans l'amour, il faut donner...

In love tears are a must
In love one should give


Et ceux qui n'ont pas de larmes
Ne pourront jamais aimer...
Il faut tant, et tant de larmes
Pour avoir le droit d'aimer...

And those without tears
Will never love
So much and so much of tears
To have the right of love

Mon amour, oh toi que j'aime,
Tu me fais souvent pleurer...

My love , thee whom I love
Often make me cry

J'ai donné, donné mes larmes,
J'ai pleuré pour mieux t'aimer,
J'ai payé de tant de larmes
Pour toujours le droit d'aimer...
Pour toujours... le droit d'aimer !

I gave and gave my tears
Cried to love thee more
Much I paid in tears
To have the right to love for ever
For ever to have the right to love.

Sayee Jayaraman

29/01/2015
http://youtu.be/0Kv6GYyi_4I

FRENCH NOTE 23 THIRD GROUP OF VERBS PRESENT INDICATIVE

FRENCH NOTE 23

THIRD GROUP OF VERBS - PRESENT INDICATIVE


I decided to resume the preparation of French Notes. I would like to deal with the third group of French verbs. In what way the third group of verbs are different from those of the first/second groups?  Simple! The stem for conjugating the verbs are variable. In other words, these verbs are irregular while the first two groups of verbs are regular. When you know the rules of conjugation, you can conjugate any verb of the first two groups , with some slight variation in the first group. But not so in the case of third group . They are highly irregular. You have to learn their conjugations by heart. In this note, let us learn the conjugations of important third group verbs


The third group verbs generally have the following endings except " aller"

-IR, OIR,RE.


I am taking up in all 60 verbs of the third group. If you master them , you will be thorough with almost any other third third group verb for the reason certain verbs form their own sub - groups while conjugating . You should only know which verbs form such sub-groups . This knowledge , will be acquired by practice and also by referring to good dictionaries which guide you in conjugation .

Now let us learn the conjugation of the verbs in the indicative mood / present tense.

1.Aller- to go

Je vais
Tu vas
Il/elle/on va
Nous allons
Vous allez
Ils/elles vont

Note how irregular is this verb! This verb is ubiquitous in French . When you start your French they teach you, " comment allez-vous? , Comment ça va? Je vais bien etc.
The radical is not at all regular . So the verb is highly irregular . Don't say that this verb belongs to the first group by noting its endings.

Now let us take up the verbs ending in -IR.

2. Acquérir - to acquire

J'acquiers
Tu acquiers,
Il/elle/on acquiert
Nous acquérons
Vous acquérez
Ils/elles acquièrent

Note the grave accent in the first/second person plural.
"Conquérir " is conjugated similarly.


3. Bouillir - to boil

Je bous
Tu bous
Il/elle/on bout
Nous bouillons
Vous bouillez
Ils/elles bouillent

4.Courir - to run

Je cours
Tu cours
Il / elle/on court
Nous courons
Vous courez
Ils/elles courent
The verbs, " accourir,parcourir,secourir " are conjugated similarly.

5.Cueillir - to collect

Je cueille
Tu cueilles
Il /elle/on cueille
Nous cueillons
Vous cueillez
Ils/elles cueillent

Accueillir ,recueillir are conjugated similarly.

6.Dormir - to sleep

Je dors
Tu dors
Il/elle/on dort
Nous dormons
Vous dormez
Ils/elles dorment

S'endormir is conjugated similarly.

7. Fuir - to flee

Je fuis
Tu fuis
Il/elle/on fuit
Nous fuyons
Vous fuyez
Ils fuient
S'enfuir is conjugated similarly.


8. Haïr- to hate

Je hais
Tu hais
Il /elle/on hait
Nous haïssons
Vous haïssez
Ils/elles haïssent

9. Mentir - to lie

Je mens
Tu mens
Il/elle/on ment
Nous mentons
Vous mentez
Ils/elles mentent

Démentir is conjugated similarly.

10. Mourir - to die

Je meurs
Tu meurs
Il/elle/on meurt
Nous mourons
Vous mourez
Ils/elles meurent

11. Offrir - to offer

J'offre
Tu offres
Il/elle/on offre
Nous offrons
Vous offrez
Ils/elles offrent

Souffrir is conjugated similarly.

12. Ouvrir - to open

J'ouvre
Tu ouvres
Il/elle/on ouvre
Nous ouvrons
Vous ouvrez
Ils/elles ouvrent

Couvrir,découvrir  are conjugated similarly.

13.  Partir - to leave

Je pars
Tu pars
Il/Elle/on part
Nous partons
Vous partez
Ils/elles partent

Repartir is conjugated similarly.

14. Sentir - to smell
Je sens
Tu sens
Il/elle/on sent
Nous sentons
Vous sentez
Ils /elles sentent
Ressentir is conjugated similarly.

15. Servir- to serve

Je sers
Tu sers
Il/Elle/on sert
Nous servons
Vous servez
Ils/elles servent

Ressortir is conjugated similarly.

16. Tenir - to hold

Je tiens
Tu tiens
Il/elle/on tient
Nous tenons
Vous tenez
Ils/elles tiennent

Abstenir, contenir, détenir , entretenir , maintenir ,obtenir, retenir ,soutenir are conjugated similarly.


17. Venir - to come

Je viens
Tu viens
Il/elle/on vient
Nous venons
Vous venez
Ils/elles viennent

Convenir, devenir,parvenir,revenir, souvenir,prévenir , intervenir. Contrevenir are conjugated
similarly.

18. Vêtir - to dress

Je vêts
Tu vêts
Il/elle/on vêt
Nous vêtons
Vous vêtez
Ils/elles vêtent

Revêtir is conjugated similarly.


Now let us take the verbs with ending -OIR

19. S' asseoir - to be seated

Je m'assieds
Tu t'assieds
Il/elle/on s'assied
Nous nous asseyons
Vous vous asseyez
Ils/elles s'asseyent

Note that the above verb is in the pronomial form of which we shall speak letter.

20. Devoir - must

Je dois
Tu dois
Il/elle/on doit
Nous devons
Vous devez
Ils/ elles doivent

Later we shall study the use of the group of verbs , " devoir, pouvoir , falloir, valoir " .
For the time being , I have given only the conjugation .

21.falloir - to be necessary

Il faut

This verb is conjugated only in third person singular .


22.mouvoir - to move

Je meus
Tu meus
Il/Elle/on meut
Nous mouvons
Vous mouvez
Ils/elles m'ouvrent

Promouvoir , émouvoir are conjugated similarly.

23. Pleuvoir - to rain
Il pleut

For obvious reasons , this verb is conjugated only with " il ". It is an impersonal verb.


24. Pouvoir - can

 Je peux
Tu peux
Il/elle/on peut
Nous pouvons
Vous pouvez
Ils/elles peuvent

26. Recevoir - to receive

Je reçois
Tu reçois
Il/elle/on recevoit
Nous recevons
Vous recevez
Ils/elles reçoivent

Concevoir, décevoir  are conjugated similarly.

27. Savoir - to know
Je sais
Tu sais
Il /elle/on sait
Nous savons
Vous savez
Ils/elles savent


28.  Valoir - to be worth

Je vaux
Tu vaux
Il/elle/on vaut
Nous valons
Vous valez
Ils/elles valent

29. Voir - to see

Je vois
Tu vois
Ils/elle/on voit
Nous voulons
Vous voulez
Ils/elles veulent

Revoir,prévoir are conjugated similarly .

30. Vouloir -to want

Je veux
Tu veux
Il/Elle /on veut
Nous voulons
Vous voulez
Ils/elles veulent


That is all for this note. In the next note, I shall take up verbs ending in -RE.


Learning how to conjugate is a must for writing French correctly. These notes appeal to some English knowing learners. My purpose is served by that. I am not competing with others who are posting other learning materials. I welcome all. Each post has its value.

Au revoir

Sayee Jayaraman

29/01/2015

PS   If any inadvertent error has crept in , learners may point out.
No one is infallible.

FRENCH SONG 2 LE PREMIER BONHEUR DU JOUR

FRENCH SONG 2

LE PREMIER BONHEUR DU JOUR

THE FIRST JOY OF THE DAY

A song which I like very much . It is sung by Françoise Hardy . Translation is mine. I have given you the link.Enjoy listening to it.

Le premier bonheur du jour
C'est un ruban de soleil
Qui s'enroule sur ta main
Et caresse mon épaule

The first joy of the day
Is the Sun's band of light,
Encircling your hand
Caressing my shoulder.



C'est le souffle de la mer
Et la plage qui attend
C'est l'oiseau qui a chanté
Sur la branche du figuier

It is the breath of the sea
And the beach waiting for
The bird which sang
On the branch of the fig tree.



Le premier chagrin du jour
C'est la porte qui se ferme
La voiture qui s'en va
Le silence qui s'installe

The first pain of the day
is the door being shut
The car speeding away
When the silence pervades.

Mais bien vite tu reviens
Et ma vie reprend son cours
Le dernier bonheur du jour
C'est la lampe qui s'étein

But very soon you return
And my life resumes its rhythm
The last joy of the day is
When the light is switched off.

Sung by Francoise Hardy

Translated into English by

Sayee Jayaraman
28/01/2015http://youtu.be/nsOoltvk0sk

FRENCH NOTE 22 SECOND GROUP OF VERBS

FRERNCH NOTE 22

As promised, now I shall take up second group of verbs. Remember , the first and second group of verbs are called regular verbs because they follow certain rules in their conjugation. I shall further remind you that we are dealing with verbs in indicative mood in the present tense. Don't forget there are in all twenty tenses and six moods. So it is somewhat like a very long tv serial. While the former is entertaining , this will strain you a little. Don't they say , " No pains , no gains " .? I don't believe in learning by fun or amusement . Learning is hard work . Yes you have to slog.


Second group - I R verbs


The infinitive of these verbs end in IR. First they teach you the conjugation of " FINIR " .

Let me state the rule,

1. Remove the ending IR and get the stem.

2. To the stem add the following to get the respective conjugations.

IS, IS, IT, ISSONS, ISSEZ,ISSENT

Finir-to finish

The Stem will be fin

So following will be the conjugation.

Je finis- I finish or I am finishing

Tu finis

Il/elle/on finit

Nous finissons

Vous finissez

Ils/elles finissent

Further , don't think any verb ending in IR belongs to second group. For example ,

 "Venir"  is not a second  group verb.

What are the other second group verbs ? Voici la liste

Accomplir,agir,avertir,choisir,établir,fournir,garnir,grandir,grossir,guérir,jouir,maigrir,
Munir,nourrir,obéir, punir,refraîchir,ralentir,réfléchir ,remplir,réunir,réussir ,rôtir,rougir,saisir,salir,
Subir,trahir

There are very many which I have not mentioned . As you progress in your French , you will learn them. Once you know generally the verbs of different groups, try to identify such verbs after reading a French text. You can take any text and try it. Remember  using the language is as important as learning the rules of grammar. Mere learning the rules may bore you to the point that you may give up learning your French . So there should be a judicious mix of different types of activities .

Listen to French news from any of the available stations and as you listen jot down the verbs. Then identify their groups. Ok ?

That is all for now. We shall continue later.

Sayee Jayaraman

1/12/2014
28/01/2015

Bangalore
India
tkjcustoms@yahoo.com
Skype id : sayee49

FRENCH SONG 1 " Et si tu n'existsais pas ..... joe Dassin

Joe Dassin has sung this beautiful song . I felt like translating this song into English . Here it is! I am giving a link to YouTube . You may listen to it and enjoy.

Et si tu n'existais pas
Dis-moi pourquoi j'existerais
Pour traîner dans un monde sans toi
Sans espoir et sans regret
Et si tu n'existais pas
J'essaierais d'inventer l'amour
Comme un peintre qui voit sous ses doigts
Naître les couleurs du jour
Et qui n'en revient pas

And if you did not exist
Tell me why would I exist
Dragging in this world without you
With no hope and no regret
And if you did not exist
I would invent love
Like an artist who beneath his fingers sees
The colors of the day being born
Which is gone for ever.

Et si tu n'existais pas
Dis-moi pour qui j'existerais
Des passantes endormies dans mes bras
Que je n'aimerais jamais
Et si tu n'existais pas
Je ne serais qu'un point de plus
Dans ce monde qui vient et qui va
Je me sentirais perdu
J'aurais besoin de toi

And if you did not exist
Tell me why would I exist
The other women asleep under my arms
Whom I never loved.
And if you did not exist
I would be nothing but one more speck
In this world which comes and goes
Lost would I feel
You would I need.

Et si tu n'existais pas
Dis-moi comment j'existerais
Je pourrais faire semblant d'être moi
Mais je ne serais pas vrai
Et si tu n'existais pas
Je crois que je l'aurais trouvé
Le secret de la vie, le pourquoi
Simplement pour te créer
Et pour te regarder

And if you did not exist
Tell me how I would exist
I could pretend to be myself
Which would not be true
If you did not exist
I think I would have found out
The secret of life ,its meaning
Just to create you
For the pleasure of watching.


Et si tu n'existais pas
Dis-moi pourquoi j'existerais
Pour traîner dans un monde sans toi
Sans espoir et sans regret
Et si tu n'existais pas
J'essaierais d'inventer l'amour
Comme un peintre qui voit sous ses doigts
Naître les couleurs du jour
Et qui n'en revient pas



And if you did not exist
Tell me why would I exist
Dragging in this world without you
With no hope and no regret
And if you did not exist
I would invent love
Like an artist who beneath his fingers sees
The colors of the day being born
Which is gone for ever.


Translated into English by Sayee Jayaraman

28/01/2015
http://youtu.be/abfQQ1hzN9M

FRENCH NOTE 21 MORE FIRST GROUP VERBS

FRENCH NOTE 21


MORE FIRST GROUP VERBS


We have to pay attention to some verbs of the first group whose conjugation , though follows the general rule with regard to endings, show some variation either in spelling or accents.  I shall indicate both the infinitive and conjugation in the present of such of those verbs.

1. Acheter - to buy

J'achète

Tu achètes

Il / elle/ on achète

Nous achetons

Vous achetez

Ils/elles achètent

In what way the conjugation deviates from the rule enunciated in the French Note 19?

Observe the accent of " e" which occurs first in the conjugation except those of first/second person plural. There is grave accent over the first " e" in all the conjugations. You have to remember it.

2. Appeler-to call

J'appelle
Tu appelles
Il/elle/on appelle
Nous appelons
Vous appelez
Ils/elles appellent

Note the doubling of the consonant " l" in respect of all conjugations except in the case of first/ second person plural.

The following verbs are conjugated like " appeler"

S'appeler, rappeler, se rappeler, renouveler

3. Manger- to eat

Je mange
Tu manges
Il/elle/on mange
Nous mangeons
Vous mangez
Ils/elles mangent

Note thé conjugation for " nous"  . After " g" an " e" is inserted. Why ? Suppose , that " e" we're not there , then the " g" would acquire  a hard sound. But we need a soft sound. So an " e"  is inserted. Hope you got the point . Therefore the " g" in mangeons as well as mangez will be pronounced in the same way.

The following verbs are conjugated like " manger"

Arranger, bouger,changer, charger, se charger,corriger,décourager,dégager,déranger,diriger,se diriger,encourager,s'engager,interroger,juger,loger,nager,négliger,neiger,obliger,plonger,ronger,songer, venger,se venger, voyager.

These are all very common verbs. Even at A1level you should know all these verbs. Please refer to a good dictionary and learn their meanings. Please practise the conjugations orally as well as in writing.

4. Commencer - to begin

Je commence
Tu commences
Il/elle/on commence
Nous commençons
Vous commencez
Ils/elles commencent

Just note " Ç " in " commençons " . Guess the reason. If you don't put the cedilla sign, it will make the " c" hard like "k" sound.

The following verbs are conjugated like " commencer"

Annoncer,avancer,déplacer, se déplacer,s'élancer,enfoncer,exercer,forcer,lancer,menacer,
Placer, prononcer,recommencer,renoncer


5.crier -to scream

Je crie
Tu cries
Il/Elle/on crie
Nous crions
Vous criez
Ils/elles crient

Surely this verb follows the general rule.  The stem will be " cri" . But the Larousse Grammar which I follow classifies this under a special grouping. May be this group consists of verbs ending in - ier . The following verbs are similar to " crier" as far as the termination is concerned.

Apprécier,confier,s'écrier ,étudier ,justifier ,lier,oublier,photographier,plier,prier,publier,réfugier.
Remercier,signifier

6.ennuyer -to bore

J'ennuie
Tu ennuies
Il/elle/on ennuie
Nous ennuyons
Vous ennuyez
Ils/elles ennuient

In the above conjugations , the stem is " ennu" for all except for the first/second person plural for which the stem would be " ennuy" . Kindly note. The following verbs are conjugated in a similar manner.

Appuyer,s'ennuyer,nettoyer,se noyer,essuyer

7. Essayer-to try
J'essaye
J'essaie

Tu essayes
Tu essaies
Il/elle/on essaye
Il/elle/on essaie
Nous essayons
Vous essayez
Ils/elles essayent
Ils/elles essaient

Note the variations in spellings excepting for the first/second person plural. You have a choice between two .

S'effrayer,payer,balayer etc are conjugated like this.

8.lever - to raise

Je lève
Tu lèves
Il/elle/on lève
Nous levons
Vous levez
Ils/elles lèvent

Please note the grave accent over the first " e" in all the conjugations except the first/second person plural. The following verbs are conjugated in a like manner.

Se lever,élever,enlever,relever,soulever,amener,emmener,mener,se promener,ramener,crever,geler,peser....


9.jeter -to throw

Je jette
Tu jettes
Il/elle/on jette
Nous jetons
Vous jetez
Ils/elles jettent

Please note the doubling of the consonant " t" in all cases except those of first/second person plural.

Rejeter, projeter,etc are conjugated in a like manner.

10.esperer - to hope

J'espère
Tu espères
Il/elle/on espère
Nous espérons
Vous espérez
Ils / elles espèrent

Note the accents of the second " e" carefully. Grave accent in four cases. Acute accent in two cases. The following verbs are conjugated in a like manner.

Céder ,opérer,posséder,préférer,protéger ,régler,régner,répéter,révéler,sécher,succéder etc

With this I complete the conjugation of first group of verbs in the present tense in the indicative mood. Next I shall take up the second group verbs.

Sayee Jayaraman
27/11/2014
28/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 20 USE OF SIMPLE PRESENT

FRENCH NOTE 20

USE OF PRESENT TENSE IN THE INDICATIVE MOOD

Before proceeding further with more verbs of the first group, let me give a note on the use of present tense in the indicative mood. Most often we use the present tense. Hence it is imperative that we grasp its nuances.


1. Present tense tells us what is happening in the present moment. In English we have the present continuous or progressive tense which is not there in French . Study the following examples.

Je regarde la télé .

I am watching tv.

 Je lis un roman.

I am reading a novel.

Maman fait la cuisine.

Mother is cooking.

Elle prend du petit déjeuner .

She is having breakfast .

Hope you understand.

To emphasize that an action is going on at this moment, you can use the expression,

" être en train de faire quelque chose "

" to be on the point of doing something "

Je suis en train de préparer une leçon .

I am on the point of preparing a lesson.

Remember the above English version does not sound good . Simply use the English continuous tense.

I am preparing a lesson.


2. HABITUAL /ROUTINE ACTIONS

Normally in any language , to express habitual actions we use the present tense. French is no exception.

Le dimanche , je vais au cinéma .

I go to cinema on Sundays.

Note the use of " le dimanche " . When you are habitually doing something on a day, use ," le dimanche, le lundi , le mardi and so on.

The above sentence means that every Sunday you are in the habit of going to cinema.

Hope you got the point.

Je ne fume jamais .

I never smoke.

That means, you don't have the habit of smoking.

À Bangalore , il fait beau toute l'année .

In Bangalore, the weather is fine throughout the year.

Je me réveille à six heures du matin.

I wake up at six o' clock in the morning.

That means everyday you wake up at six, as a habit.

3. EXPRESSING FUTURE BY USING PRESENT

This happens in many language. For example , in English we say,

John, tomorrow , I am coming to your place.

Kids , I am promising you a treat next week , if you get good grades.

Similar use is permitted in French .

Demain, mon père vient de Delhi.

Tomorrow, my father comes from Delhi.

En été , nous allons à Ooty.

We are going to Ooty in summer.

4. HISTORIC PRESENT

For a lively presentation of historical narrative, the present tense is used.

Le père d' Alexandre Dumas meurt alors qu'il n'a que quatre ans. La famille Dumas est assez pauvre. Alexandre arrête tôt ses études pour gagner de l'argent . À vingt ans, il va à Paris et trouve du travail .

En 1589, Henri IV, le père de Louis XIII, devient roi avec l'aide des nobles de Gascogne.

Note that all the verbs in the above narration are in the present tense.

5. UNIVERSAL /SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS

All truths supposed to be universal and scientific truths are normally expressed in the present tense.

L' homme est mortel.

Man is mortal.

Le serpent est venimeux .

Snakes are poisonous .

La terre tourne autour du soleil.

Earth revolves around the sun.

Hope I made my point clear.


To be continued.

Sayee Jayaraman

27/11/2014
27/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 19 AUXILIARY VERBS ÊTRE /AVOIR

FRENCH NOTE 19 -ÊTRE /AVOIR


French Auxiliary Verbs " être " and " avoir"


You won't find the two most important verbs under any of the normal three groups of French verbs.
They are a class unto themselves. When you join a French class,even in the beginning , they introduce these two verbs. They are so fundamental to French language like " to be" and " to have" in English.

These two verbs have an important role to play in French grammar. Let us talk something about each of them.


ÊTRE -TO BE


As you know , the above is the infinitive form of the verb. But in conjugation ,this verb in different tenses and moods, takes various forms which do not reassemble each other. In other words, " être "  is one of the most irregular verbs of French . The conjugation in the present / indicative mood is as follows.

Je suis
Tu es
Il / elle est
Nous sommes
Vous êtes
Ils/elles sont

I am reminded of Shakespeare ' s Hamlet, his basic question , " to be or not to be".
The well known French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre authored a philosophical treatise
entitled " l'Étre et le Néant " ( Being and nothingness ).  The subject of " being " is of great philosophical interest with which we are not concerned here. I just mentioned it in passing.

" être " indicates  the existence of something. That is its basic meaning. But here we are interested its use in normal communication.

You are using this verb to tell your profession and nationality .

Je suis avocat.

Je suis professeur .

Elle est infirmière .

Please note the absence of definite article before the profession .

Je suis indien.

Il est américain .

Elle est française .

Nous sommes espagnols.

Remember that there is no need to put capital letter for nationality unlike in English. But when you want to say French nationals ,you should say , " LES FRANÇAIS ". In the above examples , the words are adjectives .

The verb "être" can be used to indicate possession.


Cette maison est à moi.

This house is mine.
This house belongs to me.

Cette voiture est à Jean .
This car belongs to John.

ÊTRE +À+NOUN/TONIC PRONOUN

Remember the above structure to use the verb correctly to indicate possession.


Further if you want to express your location , you can use this verb.

ÊTRE +À+PLACE

Maintenant, mon père est à Londres.

Now my father is in London.

For expressing the date and time , we use this verb.

Aujourd'hui , c'est le 11 décembre 2014.

Nous sommes le 11 décembre 2014.

There are two ways of telling the date as mentioned above.

Quelle heure est-il ?

What time is it ?

Il est 7 heures .


It is 7am.


This verb is also called a copulative verb as it connects a subject with its attribute.

Marie est grande.

Marie is tall.

Subject+être + attribute


In several impersonal expressions , " être " is used.

Il est facile.....
Il est difficile ...
Il est impossible
Il est probable ....


There are hundreds of idiomatic expressions involving " être" . In the course of my postings here, surely I will be touching on them.

At the end, I am explaining its role as an auxiliary verb.


I had already mentioned in my French Note 17 about tenses in simple and composite forms.
All composite forms conjugate with the help of one of the auxiliary verbs , either , " être" or " avoir". Certain verbs conjugate only with " être ".

The conjugation in composite forms will be taken up later.

In my next note I shall take up " avoir"

Happy learning .

Sayee Jayaraman

11/12/2014
26/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 18 - CONJUGATION OF THE VERBS OF THE FIRST GROUP - SIMPLE PRESENT

 FRENCH NOTE 18

CONJUGATION OF VERBS OF THE FIRST GROUP - SIMPLE PRESENT

I am going to take up the following verb to teach you the rule. Where certain verbs deviate from the general rule , I shall point out. In French , for every rule , there will be exceptions. You can never say you are 100% correct. Don't worry. If you some mistakes while learning, heavens will not fall!.


PARLER-    To speak


1. Remove the ending -ER from the infinitive form

2. You get the stem - PARL

3. Add the following endings to the stem. E, ES, E, ONS , EZ, ENT

Je parlE

Tu parlES

Il /Elle/on parlE

Nous parlONS

Vous parl EZ

Ils / Elles parl ENT

The above conjugation would mean

I speak
You speak
He /she / one speaks
We speak
You speak
They speak

The first three conjugations are for the singular first, second and third person. The rest are for plural.

Now you can conjugate the following verbs using this rule.

Regarder, écouter ,apporter,arriver ,cacher,chercher,commander,comparer,continuer, coûter ,demander,détester ,donner,employer,expliquer ,féliciter,fermer,gagner,garder,goûter,habiter,hésiter,inviter,jouer,laisser,louer,manquer,oublier,participer,passer,penser,préparer ,prêter ,prier,proposer,quitter,rembourser ,remercier,ressembler,souhaiter,travailler,trouver, voler,aider,aimer, ajouter,bavarder,briller,casser,compter,couper,crier,danser,déjeuner ,dessiner dîner,échouer ,embrasser,enseigner,entourer ,entrer,épouser,étudier ,frapper,fumer,gâter,gronder,ignorer,laver,marcher,monter,montrer,nommer,pardonner,peigner,pleurer,porter,poser, pousser

Why do I give the above list ?

Anyone preparing for or intending to attain A1 proficiency level should know the above verbs. Kindly make efforts to learn the meaning and use of the above verbs. Their conjugation follows the rule explained above.

In the next note, we shall study the conjugation of some first group verbs which slightly violate the rule. Ok ?

To be continued

Sayee Jayaraman
25/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 17 - TWENTY TENSES / CONJUGATION

FRENCH NOTE 17

THE TWENTY TENSES / CONJUGATION

The idea of this note is not to frighten you. You should know what are the tenses of the French verbs. You may not be using all of them.  In the last note , we studied about the six moods. In this note we shall relate the tenses to these six moods.
TEMPS SIMPLE

We talked about the indicative mood.  Remember there are four simple tenses in French .
They are
1. Present
2.imperfect
3. Simple past
4. Simple future

In French , the terminology for the above would be
1.présent simple
2. Imparfait
3. Passé simple
4. Futur simple


Why do we call them using the term " simple "?

For the reason that these tenses are expressed by using only one word of the verb. For example  , the simple present of the verb " parler" would be expressed in the following manner.

Je parle
Tu parles
Il / elle/ on parle
Nous parlons
Vous parlez
Ils/elles parlent

So you understood the reason for using the word " simple" .

So there are four simple tenses in the indicative mood. We are going to learn about their use in great depth. Simple past is used mainly in literary texts. The other three tenses are very frequently used in daily life both in speech and writing . We shall devote much time on them.

TEMPS COMPOSÉ

There are certain tenses which use the simple tenses of auxiliary verbs and the passé participe of the relevant verb to form compound tenses as in English . Suppose you say, " I have completed it "

" have completed " is an example of compound tense. It has got two components. First component is that of auxiliary verb " have" and the second component is the past participle of the relevant verb " to complete".
For example,
Je suis allé , tu es allé , nous avons parlé. These are examples of compunc tenses . In French , they are known as passé composé .



In French , such tenses are called " temps composé ".

Have you understood ?

For each simple tense, there is a corresponding compound tense. Hence there will be four compound tenses.  In all for the indicative mood, there will be 8 tenses. Let me list out their names in French . In future it is better we use the French name . Wherever possible , I shall give you the English names also.

1. Passé composé
2. Plus que parfait
3. Passé Antérieur
4.Futur Antérieur


Now I shall list out the other tenses without explaining in detail for all the other moods.

The conditional mood has two tenses. 1)  le conditionnel présent 2) le conditionnel passé

The subjunctive mood has four tenses , two simple and two composé . They are
1. Subjonctif présent 2. Subjonctif imparfait 3.subjonctif passé 4. Subjonctif plus que parfait
The first  two are simple tenses and the other two are composé.

The imperative mood has two tenses. Present and past . The second one is composé .

The infinitive mood has two tenses present and past.

The participle mood has also two tenses.

In all if you add up there will be twenty tenses , ten simple and ten composé .

In subsequent notes we shall learn the conjugation of verbs for each tense and how to use them. More than learning the rules of conjugation , you have to understand the nuances in using French verbs. It is going to be a time consuming job. Don't be in a hurry . I have my own way of introducing topics at the right time. Don't say I have not covered this or that . I shall cover everything at the appropriate time. The purpose of this note is to give you only a broad picture of tenses in French

Next we shall deal with present tense formation and use for all the Verb groups.

Sayee Jayaraman
26/11/2014

FRENCH NOTE 16 -SIX MOODS OF FRENCH VERBS

                                                        FRENCH NOTE 16 - SIX MOODS OF FRENCH VERBS


Shall we continue ? Remember still we are in the introductory stage. I am giving you an outline. In depth treatment , follows later.

SIX MOODS

INDICATIVE

In French they call , " modes " . There are six of them. Most of the time we communicate what is happening , a factual situation. The mood of communication is called " indicative " .
When you say , " Krishna est avocat " or " Elle est indienne " , these are factual statements.
As far as the verbs in these statements are concerned, they are said to be in indicative mood.Do not mix up mood with tense. They are two different categories relating to verbs. The indicative mood can be in different tenses. Present, past , future etc.

CONDITIONAL

Sometimes while communicating , we express hypothetical or imaginary situations. If I were a billionaire , what would I do ? Were I the prime minister of my country , what would happen? If Cleopatra ' s nose were shorter, how the course of history would have changed and all sorts of such stuff. To express the consequences of such hypothesis or conditions, we use the conditional mood.


SUBJUNCTIVE

When we have to express our doubts, wish, feelings, will, fear etc, what we convey are mainly in the realm of our mind , they may or may not happen. In those cases, we employ the subjunctive mood. A very detailed treatment will follow .

IMPERATIVE

Many a time we request, order or command. Do this , don't do this , come at once etc.
In such circumstances, we use the imperative mood. While studying , conjugation of verbs we will learn them.

N'ayez pas peur -don't be afraid

Asseyez-vous-sit down

Faites ce que vous voulez - Do what you want

The above sentences are in imperative mood.


PARTICIPLE  MOOD

There are two participles . One is the present participle and the other past. The present participle has an ending, -" ANT". It is normally invariable except when it is used as adjective.

Courant très vite, il est tombé dans une fossé.

Running fast, he fell into a ditch.

En regardant la télé , je mange.

While watching tv, I eat.

Est-ce que vous avez entendu parler des oiseaux chantants ?

Have you heard of singing birds ?

Observe that in the above sentences, the present participle has been used in all the possible ways.

The past participle is used for expressing the various past tenses.  They are always conjugated either with " être " or " avoir ". Since we are going to have a very detailed treatment , I am not explaining it here.


INFINITIVE MOOD

At the beginning of the note , I mentioned about the infinitive. It is something like a master key. It just indicates the action. When you don't know the correct conjugation , you just mumble the infinitive, people will understand your intentions. " manger , manger " . They will understand that you want to eat. It has various functions which in due course I shall deal with.



Rest in subsequent posts.

Sayee Jayaraman
23/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 15 - FRENCH VERBS- INTRODUCTION

French Note 15.    

                                   FRENCH   VERBS


I want to do notes on French verbs systematically . The following will be the plan.


1. The three groups

2. The three voices

3. The six moods

4. The twenty tenses

5. The model verbs


While dealing with the subject , there may be overlapping of topics. But I shall try my best to ensure absolute clarity.

Let us start with the three groups.

When we name a verb in English , we mention it's form as infinitive . Examples are

To be, to have, to do, to make , to go, to come etc.

Similarly in French , we first learn the infinitive form. By identifying the infinitive form we broadly group French verbs into three categories. You may call them verbs of First group. Second Group and Third group.

All verbs whose infinitive form end in -ER belong to the first group. Fortunately , these are maximum in French. There are around 10000 first group verbs. Whenever new verbs are added, they will always be in the first group. In recent times, the following new verbs were added to French ."informatiser, positiver, scannériser etc".

The second group of verbs end in - IR.  Example " FINIR ". There are around 300 verbs belonging to the second group. In 20th century only two new verbs were added to this group. They are " amerrir , alunir ".( to land in sea , to land in moon)Remember that the present participle of the second group of verb will end in - issant .


The third group of verbs may have any of the following endings.

" IR" ," OIR" ," RE"

The present participle of the third group of verbs will end in " ANT". They are around 200 in number. All the irregular verbs belong to this group. The most prominent among them are
Devoir, dire, faire etc. Generally students find this group of verbs difficult to master.


THREE VOICES

1. Active voice

Rama  aime Sita.

Rama aime  qui ?

Sita


Elle écrit une lettre.

Elle écrit quoi ?

Une lettre.


You already know about active voice in English. It is the same thing in French also.

When you ask a question like who or what , the answer you get is a direct object.

Any sentence will have a subject and a verb. The subject performs an action and the action i

Is indicated by the verb. When you put the question who or what like,

Rama loves who ?

Sita

She writes what?

A letter

You get the direct object.

In such cases, the verbs are in ACTIVE VOICE.


2. PASSIVE VOICE

Sita est aimée par Rama.

Une lettre est écrite par elle.

The examples in active voice have been written in another way by mentioning the action suffered by the subject and the agent of the action mentioned after " par"

Sita is loved by Rama.

A letter is written by her.

Now you understood the passive voice form of the verb.


3. PRONOMINAL VOICE

Observe the following sentences , paying special attention to the verb forms.

Elle se lève.

Elle s'habille.

Alice et Marie se parlent .Alice and Marie talk to each other.


Le livre , " le  suicide francais " écrit par Éric Zemmour se vend bien.

The book " the French suicide" by Eric Zemmour is being sold well.



The "se" in the first two sentences refer to " Elle ". The verb under such circumstances is called a reflexive verb.

In the third sentence " se " refers to Alice and Marie. The verb acts on each of them . In other words , action is done by both. Both talk. Hence the verb is known as reciprocal verb.

In the last sentence,  the verb has a meaning of passive voice. The sentence means , " the book , " the French suicide " by Eric Zemmour is being sold well "

All these verbs are grouped under Pronomial verb because of the pronom " se" which will change according to the person of the subject, first , second , third ,as well as number.
This is just an introduction. Later we will study these in depth. I wanted you to learn that the pronomial verbs fall into three groups.



More will follow in subsequent notes.

Sayee Jayaraman

22/01/2015

FRENCH NOTE 14 IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH ," MANQUER "

FRENCH NOTE 14    IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH , " MANQUER "

In this note , I would like to explain certain idiomatic expressions which contain " manquer" or" manqué " , manque etc.


1.  MANQUER LA COCHE:  " le coche " means coach , a mode of transportation in olden days.

The English equivalent would be " to miss the bus " . In other words , when you miss some good opportunity , you miss the bus. This French idiom can be used in that sense.

Vous auriez obtenu ce poste, si vous aviez assisté à  l'entretien.Vous avez manqué le coche cette fois.

You would have got that post if you had attended the interview.  This time , you missed the bus.

2. MANQUER À SA PROMESSE

This expression means,  " not keeping one's promise"

Méfiez-vous de celui qui manque à sa promesse.

Beware of one who does not keep his promise.

3. NE PAS MANQUER D' AIR

This expression means " to have the nerve " or " to have the cheek "

Après m'avoir trompé sur le prix, il ne manque pas d'air pour me demander mon aide.

After having overcharged me, he has the cheek to request my help.

4. MANQUER D'ARGENT -short of money

Elle a abandonné le cours à l'université  comme son père manque d' argent .

She gave up her university course as her father is short of money.

5. Manquer de délicatesse - lacking tact or refinement

Ceux qui manquent de délicatesse ne peuvent pas réussir à la diplomatie.

Those who are tactless can not be successful in diplomacy .


6. MANQUER DE POT - to be unlucky

En  dépit d' un doctorat en math, il est en chômage . Il manque de pot.

In spite of a doctorate in mathematics, he is unemployed. He is unlucky .


7. LES MOTS ME MANQUENT- words fail me

Je ne sais pas comment exprimer ma reconnaissance. Les mots me manquent.

I don't know how to express my gratitude . Words fail me.


8. NE PAS EN MANQUER UNE

The meaning of the above idiom is " to commit a stupidity or gaffe always "

Au cours de son inaugural leçon , le prof n'en manquait pas une. Il a dit que Kant était Français .

During the inaugural lesson, the professor committed a stupidity. He said that Kant was a Frenchman.



9. NE PAS MANQUER DE QQN -not to allow someone to escape without being revenged

Or being taught a lesson

Si quelqu'un fait du mal à un éléphant , on dit que cet animal ne manque pas de lui.

If somebody harms an elephant , it is said that the animal never fails to take revenge.


10. " GARÇON MANQUÉ" means a tomboy

Jeanne d' Arc était un véritable garçon manqué.

Jane of Arc was a real tomboy.

11. LE MANQUE--lack, want, shortage, defect, emptiness(used as a noun )

Âpres la mort de son épouse , il éprouve un manque.

After the death of his wife, he feels a void.


That is all.

My notes on " MANQUER" are concluding. Hope all these notes were useful to you.
My next subject will be a series of notes on  ,FRENCH VERBS.

Bonne journée

Sayee Jayaraman
21/05/2015

FRENCH NOTE 13 MORE EXPRESSIONS WITH , " MANQUER "

French Note 13.  More expressions with " MANQUER "

Now let me continue my note on the verb " MANQUER"

3. Let me explain the use of " MANQUER DE"now.

In English we have the word " lack" . Lacking in something ? You know it.

" manquer de" is exactly the same as lacking in something.

When you don't have something in sufficient quantity , you lack that.

English synonyms for lack are absence, dearth, deficiency, deprivation,famine,insufficiency ,need,paucity, privation, scarcity, shortage, want.

The French word has more or less the same meaning.

Now go through the following sentences


Nous manquons de bons professeurs pour enseigner le français .

We do not have sufficient number of good teachers to teach French.

We suffer from dearth of good teachers to teach French.

Ce plat que vous avez préparé manque de sel .

The dish that you prepared has not sufficient quantity of salt.

On manque de savoir-faire pour fabriquer  cette machinerie en notre pays.

We  have dearth of technical know how in our country to manufacture this machinery.


When people do not possess certain desirable quantities, we can use this verb.


Malgré sa richesse, cet homme manque de gentillesse .

In spite of his wealth, this man lacks kindness.

4. Now let me introduce to another useful construction, " MANQUER+DE+ INFINITIVE OF A VERB"

Sometimes you are about to do something but actually you don't do it. In other words , you narrowly miss doing something either for good or bad. Such situations can be expressed using the above construction. Kindly study the following examples carefully.

Grâce à l'avertissement d'un inconnu , j'ai manqué de tomber dans un puits.

Thanks to the warning of an unknown person,  I missed falling into a well.

Cette homme , en pratiquant quelques rituels bizarres , a manqué devenir fou.

This man by practising some strange rituals became almost mad.

See the absence of " de " before " devenir" .

Omission of " de " is permitted. You can as well use the construction , " manquer+ infinitive.


5. " NE+ PAS MANQUER  + INFINITIVE "

When you ensure not to miss or forget to do something , you can use the above construction.

Je ne manque pas de regarder certains émissions de la France Culture.

I don't miss watching certain programmes of France Culture.

Ne manquez pas de visiter oncle Tom , quand vous vous trouverez à Londres.

Don't fail to visit Tom uncle when you are in London.


6. Remember that we can use the verb intransitively without any objects.

When you want to say that something failed or is not successful you can use the verb intransitively.

La première fois, un attentat sur Rajiv Gandhi a manqué.

An attempt on Rajiv Gandhi failed in the first time.
                            Or

A first attempt on Rajiv Gandhi failed.


Le patron est strict  envers les personnes qui manquent très souvent.

The boss is strict towards the persons who are absent very often.

So this verb can be used in the sense of " absenting "


7. " SE MANQUER "

When somebody fails in his/ her suicide attempt we can use the pronominal form of the verb.

Cette actrice s'est manquée .

This actress failed in her suicide attempt.

When we miss a meeting or appointment , the pronominal form can be used.

Nous nous sommes manqués de cinq minutes.

We missed each other by five minutes.

In my next post, I shall deal with idiomatic expressions containing this verb.

Hope this note is useful to you.

Bonne journée !

Sayee Jayaraman

22/01/2015

French Note 12 - Use of the verb , " MANQUER", Transitive / intransitive use, how to say " I miss you " in French.

French Note 12

Now I felt I should write a very detailed note on the French verb "MANQUER "
This verb is a very tricky one. For many , it must be confusing . If you want to use it correctly , then be prepared to spend some time .

1. This verb is about the idea of missing something or somebody. However the verb can be used transitively, intransitively , as a pronominal one and therefore learning its correct use poses problem. As usual , I shall give you suitable examples and explanation for a better comprehension.


Use of " MANQUER"as a transitive verb.

You  all know about transitive verbs. Such verbs have direct objects. In other words , there is no preposition after the verb. The object word is just put after the verb. Now observe the following examples.

J' ai eu  un rendez-vous avec mon prof à 11heures du matin.  Je me suis rendu chez lui en retard par dix minutes.  Alors, je l'ai manqué.

I had an appointment with my professor at 11am. I reached his place late by ten minutes.
Therefore I missed him.

Understand that this missing is missing an appointment . Please do not confuse this with missing your close friends or dear ones. On that point , we will come later.


Pierre  est venu aujourd'hui . Il a manqué son père que deux jours parce qu'il est parti pour Londres .

Peter came today. He missed his father just by two days because he left for London .


When one misses his train or flight or any other transport or misses an appointment with someone ,the verb , " manquer" can be used  transitively.

À cause d'embouteillage , elle s'est rendue en retard à l'aéroport . Hélas ! Elle a manqué son vol .

Due to traffic jam, she reached the airport late. Alas,she missed the flight.


Puisqu'il restait dans l'hôpital pour un moi, il a manqué son école .

As he was in the hospital for a month , he missed his school.

J' ai manqué du mariage de mon cousin car le billet pour Chennai n'était pas disponible .

I missed  my cousin's wedding as the ticket to Chennai was not available .

2. Using , " MANQUER À"


Suppose your father has gone abroad , say , for a period of few months.

Won't you miss him.?In that case , you should use the structure , " manquer à". But using it is tricky , because English way of saying it is different. In any case , observe the following
sentences.

Cette homme manque à son fils.

The son misses that man.

Il lui manque.

He misses him.

Elle manque à Martin.

Martin misses her.

Hélène manque beaucoup à  Paul.

Paul misses Helen much.

In all the above sentences, the subject is the thing missed and the indirect object is the person who is missing . So while translating into English you have to be very careful. Suppose you want to tell me,

I miss you very much

Then say

Tu me manques beaucoup .

If I have to ask you " do you miss me? "

Est-ce que je te manque  ? - Will be the correct way.

In other words, "  je te manque"  means " you miss me "

Hope you understood .

If somebody fails to keep his word, then you can use the expression ,

" manquer à sa parole"


C'est choquant que mon patron ait manqué à sa parole en me refusant une promotion qu'il avait promis , il y a trois ans.

It is shocking that my boss failed to keep his word by refusing me promotion promised three years back.


Hope you understood.

This note has become lenthy. Now it is midnight . I shall continue in my subsequent notes.
Good night as well as Bonne journée !

Sayee Jayaraman

20/01/2015

French Note 11- false friends - faux amis

French Note 11

FALSE FRIENDS---FAUX AMIS


Today I am giving you a note on " false friends " . What is it all about ?

Many words of French bear a striking resemblance to certain words of English . But these friends who reassemble are not used in the same sense in both the languages. Therefore , they are not really friends. You have to be very careful in using such words. I am giving you an old fashioned proverb,

"What is sauce for goose , is not sauce for gander"


Actuel -  This is a French word.

Actual - This is an English word.


Do these words reassemble ? No doubt , excepting for the fourth letter , the words are one and the same.

The meaning of the French word is current , topical . It is an adjective . Study the following sentences.

François Hollande  est le président actuel de la France.

François Hollande is the current president of France .

Hope you got it.

On the other hand , the English word means real or true or factual.

What I told you is an actual event . Don't think it is a figment of my imagination .

Ce que je vous ai dit, c'est un événement réel . N'en pensez pas que ce sois le fruit de mon imagination .

For current events in French TVs and Radio , they use the word, " actualité "

Actuellement is the adverb. It means " at present " or presently . Never use it to mean actually.

Actuellement , le parti Congress a moins de cinquante sièges dans le parlement .

At present, Congress party has less than fifty seats in the parliament .


Next French word is " adéquat " . The English word will be , " adequate "

The meaning of the French word is appropriate . It is an adjective .

Sa réponse aux questions de son patron est adéquat .

His reply to his boss' s questions is appropriate .


Quand j'essaie de le provoquer, sa réaction est merveilleusement adéquate .

When I try to provoke him, his reaction is surprisingly appropriate .

Remember , never use degrees of comparison for " adéquat ".

Something is appropriate or not. No question of more appropriate or less appropriate .

The English word " adequate "means sufficient .

He has adequate means for decent living.

Il a de quoi vivre bien.
Il a assez de moyens pour vivre bien.


The next French word will be " assister" and the corresponding English word , " to assist "

When you use the verb " assister" without any preposition , it is a direct transitive verb.

The structure of the verb will be

Assister qqn dans qqc= helping someone in something


J' assiste mon frère dans son projet.

I help my brother in his project .

Assister is also used as an indirect transitive verb used with preposition .

Assister à qc=  to be present at something, to watch something , to be a witness to something, to take part in something

Est- ce que vous aller assister au mariage de Nicolas ?

Are you going to attend the marriage of Nicolas?

Je n'aime jamais assister à un match de cricket.

I never like to watch a cricket

Hier , j'ai assisté à un accident horrible près de mon bureau.

Yesterday , I was witness to a horrible accident near my office.


As far as the English word is concerned, it is used in the same way the French word is used transitively without preposition . In the sense of helping

I assisted my professor in editing an article for the college magazine .


I shall post several notes on this topic. Kindly tell me if you find this helpful.

Bonne journée !

Sayee Jayaraman
18/01/2015

French Note 9 - " use of quoi " as a relative pronoun

                                 French Made Simple
French Note 9
Now I have to explain the use of " quoi " as  a relative pronoun. Remember that these sentences are not questions . The structure will be as follows.

Preposition +Quoi

1.  Je n' arrive pas à comprendre en quoi cet homme croit.

I am not able to understand in what this man believes.


2. J' espère que vous sachiez de quoi il s'agit , le discours du prof.

I hope  you know what the speech of the professor is about.

3.  Il est difficile à deviner en quoi cet objet est fait.

It is difficult to guess of what this object is made.


4. Dites moi avec quoi on peut casser cette pierre.

Tell me with what one can break this stone.

5. À quoi je pense maintenant, personne ne peut deviner.

What I am thinking of, none can guess.

6. Sur quoi je peux compter à ce moment difficile , seul Dieu le sait.

On what I can count at this difficult time, only God knows it.


So these examples would make the usage clear to you. Note the prepositions used along with " quoi". They depend on the verb. Don't forget that " quoi " does not refer to persons. It refers only to things and ideas.


That is all for the time being.

Happy learning.

Sayee Jayaraman
13/01/2015

French Note 10 - Idiomatic expressions using " quoi"

French Note 10


Mastering idioms  is the most difficult part of learning a language.Listen to the following example.

A woman goes to her friend' s house on invitation. Her son was also invited. The host asks the guest , " Where is David ? "

She replies, " He is outstanding ."

What she meant was that he was standing outside perhaps talking to an acquaintance.

The word , " outstanding " means something else. In any case , it does not mean " standing outside "

The point which I would like to make is that one should work hard to master a foreign language.

Revenons à nos moutons ! ( let us come to the point)

In this note , I am going to explain the use of certain idiomatic expressions using the word " quoi".


1. Merci mille fois pour ce beau cadeau .

Il n'y a pas de quoi.

My profuse  thanks for this beautiful gift !

You are welcome.

So when someone thanks you for something , you can use this expression.

" il n'y a pas de quoi "

Don't ask me to do a word to word translation into English . You know well that idiomatic expressions are used as such and we have no license to change them as we please.


2. Martin se hâte vers le médecin de donner un médicament qu'il vient d'acheter pour sa maman.

Le médecin lui dit, " À quoi bon ? Elle est déjà morte!"


Martin rushes towards the doctor to give a medicine which he has just bought for his mother.

The doctor tells him , " What is the use ? She is already dead "

So you got the meaning of " À quoi bon ?"


3. Quoi de neuf ?

What  news ?

When you meet someone , you can use this phrase , just for exchanging pleasantries .


4. " avoir de quoi + infinitive

The above expression means that one has the necessary means to do a thing.

Study the following examples.

Heureusement , Gérard  a de quoi vivre confortablement après sa retraite.

Fortunately, Gerard has sufficient means to live comfortably after his retirement .

Nous avons de quoi achever ce projet avant la date limite.

We have sufficient resources to complete this project before the deadline.


5." Il n' y a pas de quoi + infinitive

The above expression is very useful . It means " there is nothing to ....."

Study these examples.

Il n' y a pas de quoi être très fier de votre résultat dans l'examen .
Vous avez reçu des notes un peu plus de la moyenne de la classe.

There is no reason for you to be so proud of your result in the examination .
You have received slightly more than the average marks of the class.


Elle sait son boulot. Il n' y'a pas de quoi se moquer de ce qu'elle fait.

She knows her job. There is nothing to mock at what she is doing.


6. Il n'y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat.

The literal meaning of the above expression is

No use whipping a cat.

It means what you are doing will have no useful effect. Don't we say in English,

" flogging a dead horse "


7. Bien ou quoi ?

The above expression means , " comment tu vas ? "

An informal expression.

8.À quoi jouez- vous?

What are you aiming at ?

What are your intentions ?

What are you up to?


9. Je - ne-sais-quoi

The above expression means literally , " I don't know that"

But it also means something one feels or knows but can not define .

" something undefinable " some elusive quality "

Ma femme a dépensé beaucoup d'argent en achetant des robes, des livres, des CDs et
je -ne-sais-quoi.

My wife spent a lot of money by buying dress. books. CDs and I don't know what else .

Now study the following example,

Quand on se trouve dans cette église , on se sent un je-ne-sais-quoi de divin.

When we are in this church, we feel something divine.

Tout le monde qui reste  dans cette maison, y éprouve un je-ne-sais-quoi d'épouvantable.

Everybody who stays in that house experiences something horrible there.

Note the structure " je - ne - sais - quoi + adjective" in the last two examples.

Hope you have so far followed.

That is all for the time being.

Happy learning !

Bonne journée !

Sayee Jayaraman

13/01/2015