Welcome to "French Made Simple". This blog is meant for those interested in the French Language. Why French ? French is a beautiful language. It is an international languages with rich literature. France has made several contributions to human civilization. There are many countries where French is spoken. Knowing an additional language always helps. A new language is a window to another culture and civilization. It opens up fresh vistas. Wish you all a very useful session here!
Sunday, 26 April 2015
BASIC FRENCH COURSE BANGALORE
Today the third session of the Basic French Course was held at the Indian Institute of World Culture . I am publishing a photo of a section of the participants. In all there were 48 participants , though the enrollment comes to 54. You may notice that a mother and her son are in the same class. You may find participants of all ages. Is there any age for learning ? Learning never stops . I was impressed by the tremendous enthusiasm shown by all for Moliere's Language . Today I covered the articulation of all French sounds. The entire class participated. I am immensely happy with the response shown by the learners for learning French . I prepared a set of nine exercises as homework to be completed before the next session . They have been asked to do role playing exercises in subsequent sessions. My emphasis is more on communication without neglecting grammar. I shall publish more photos in due course.
Sayee Jayaraman
26/04/2015
Bangalore .
Sunday, 19 April 2015
BASIC FRENCH COURSE
,, ,CULTURE , BANGALORE
Today my Basic French Course was inaugurated at 9 30 am by Mr. M . K . Ramachandra Chairman MKR Group at the Indian Institute of World Culture, BP Wadia
Road, Basavangudi , Bangalore. There were in all 46 participants who spanned a wide
spectrum of the society covering school/ college students ,IT professionals, retired persons,
housewives, entrepreneurs etc. I was overwhelmed by the response of learners from all walks of life. It is noteworthy that elderly people retain their enthusiasm to learn new things.
To me it was a great pleasure talking to them about French Language. The emphasis of the course is more on speaking and communication. Right from the alphabets, French Sounds,
Greetings, asking name, telling age, numbers and other basic questions , I covered a great
deal of material in two hours. It is a great teaching experience for me. I prepared and distributed seven documents covering basic conversation, vocabulary , 15 verbs, conjugation etc for the use of the learners for study / practice and revision. I look forward to the next session very eagerly. The entire class was made to participate in oral communication.
Sayee Jayaraman
19/04/2015
Bangalore
Sunday, 12 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE-83 " FAIRE" -1
The French verb " faire " is very common. It deserves our attention . In few notes, I will
discuss its various uses.
The basic meaning of " faire" is " to make". But it is used in several ways and you can not
stick to one meaning . I will give you the many ways by which this verb is used along with
English translation .
1. Faire - to make
Maman fait le repas.
Mother makes lunch.
Est-ce que tu sais faire une poupée ?
Do you know how to make a doll ?
2.faire ses besoins - to go to toilet
3. Faire une visite à qqn - to pay a visit to someone
Quand j'étais à Chennai pendant la semaine dernière , j'ai fait une visite à mon ancien
professeur.
When I was in Chennai last week, I paid a visit to my former teacher.
4. Faire une promesse à qqn - to make a promise to someone
Faites attention quand vous faites une promesse à quelqu'un .
Be careful when you make a promise to someone.
5. Faire une farce à qqn - to play a trick on someone
Ne faites pas une farce à Martin . Il est trop intelligent .
Don't play your trick on Martin. He is too intelligent.
6. Faire du bruit - to make a noise ( to cause sensation )
Que Nehru faisait espionner des proches de Subash Chandra Bose a fait du bruit
dans la presse indienne.
That Nehru got the relatives of Subash Bose spied on caused a sensation in Indian press.
7.faire l'école buissonnière - to bunk off school
8. Faire grève - to strike
On fait grève tous les jours en France pour une raison n'importe quelle.
They go on strike everyday in France for some reason or other.
9.faire sa toilette - to wash
Avant de prier, on fait sa toilette selon la coutume dans plupart des traditions.
Before saying prayer, they wash according to the custom in most of the traditions.
10 . To play musical instruments , we use this verb. Learn the following expressions
Faire du violon - to play violin
Faire du piano - to play piano
faire du jazz - to play jazz
That is all for now.
I will continue this topic in several subsequent notes.
Happy learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
12/04/2015
Bangalore
FRENCH NOTE 82 " TROP"
In this note , let me discuss the use of " TROP ".
" TROP " is a French adverb. It means " too much " or excessively.
1. C'est trop loin.
It is too far.
2. Aller trop loin - exaggerate
Tu vas trop loin en jugeant sa compétence .
You are exaggerating while judging his competence.
3. Doing something excessively
Elle mange trop . Comment pourrait- elle réduire son poids ?
She eats too much. How could she reduce her weight ?
4. Trop de temps
Il prend trop de temps pour finir son travail.
He takes too much time for completing his work.
5. Ne pas trop aimer QQCH - not to like something much
Je n'aime pas trop cette ville.
I don't like this city much.
6. Ne pas trop savoir - not to be too sure
Je ne sais pas trop son intention .
I am not too sure of his intention .
7. Je n'ai pas trop envie !
I don't really feel like it
8. C'est trop - it's too much !
9. Trop de= beaucoup de
Il y a trop de gens dans cette salle.
There are too many people in this room.
10. Learn the following usages.
Trop de hâte nuit - Haste makes waste
Trop dormir - oversleep
Trop infusé - stewed
Trop manger - overeat
Trop mûr - over ripe
Trop payé - overpaid
Trop peu - too little
Trop sucre - too sweet
Trop tôt - too soon
Trop élèvé-steep
In most of the examples above, " TROP " is placed before an adjective.
For the time being , this is sufficient . There are several other expressions which I will
discuss some other time.
Happy Learning
Sayee Jayaraman
12/04/2015
Bangalore
Friday, 10 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 81 PLEIN -3 MORE EXPRESSIONS
This is the final note on " PLEIN ". I will discuss some expressions containing this word.
1. " le PLEIN " can be used as a noun. It means " solid"
Le plein et le vide = solid and hollow
2. While talking about filling the petrol tank fully , " PLEIN " is used.
Un plein - a full tank
Je ne démarre la voiture qu'avec un plein.
I start the car only with full tank.
3. Battre son plein - to be in full swing
L'évacuation des ressortissants indiens de Sana bat son plein .
The evacuation of Indian Nationals from Sana is in full swing.
La grève de SNCF bat son plein.
The Railway strike is in full swing ( in France)
4. Respirer à pleins poumons - to breath deeply
Le yoga se fait en respirant à pleins poumons .
Yoga is done by taking deep breaths.
5. À pleins bords - full to the brim
Remplissez la verre à pleins bords.
Fill the glass full to the brim.
6 .plein- emplois or plein emplois.
You can write the above expression with or without the hyphen.
The meaning is " full employment " .
Le plein-emploi , c'est un rêve dans les pays en voie du développement .
Full employment is a dream in developing countries.
7. Le plein- air - outdoor sports
This masculine noun is invariable .
Le plein-air est obligatoire dans cette école .
Outdoor sports is compulsory in this school.
8. Le plein- temps
As a noun , this expression means " full time job"
Après sa retraite , elle cherche un plein-temps.
After her retirement , she is looking for a full time job.
9. Plein-temps can be used as an adjective also. ( invariable )
C'est ma secrétaire plein-temps.
This is my full time secretary.
10. Plein- vent, pleins-vents
The above noun refers to certain fruit bearing trees like Apple trees.
The expression may mean " avenue trees".
That is all for " PLEIN "
Happy Learning .
Sayee Jayaraman
11/04/2015
Bangalore.
FRENCH NOTE 80 " PLEIN " -2
In my previous note, I mentioned expressions where " plein" is used as an adjective. You
know very well that French adjectives should agree in number and gender with the noun
which they qualify.
Plein jour
Pleine nuit
But in this note, I will discuss the use of " PLEIN " as an adverb.
When " PLEIN " is adverb , it is invariable.
1. To express " a very large quantity "of a substance contained in a container , we use " PLEIN "
as in the following expression .
" avoir du blé plein son grenier " - to have wheat full in the attic
Why is it adverb ? " PLEIN " in this example qualifies the verb " avoir " .
" to have something full"
Have you understood ?
2. Plein de = beaucoup de= full of ( use "plein de" in spoken French .)
Use " beaucoup de" in written French
Avoir plein d'argent - to have loads of money
Elle a plein d'argent - She has loads of money
Avoir plein d'amis - to have plenty of friends.
J'ai plein d'amis à Chennai .
I have plenty of friends in Chennai.
In the last note, I gave an example ,
Cet homme est plein d'idées efficaces
Suppose you replace " homme" with " femme"
Cette femme est pleine d' idées efficaces.
In these cases, the word " PLEIN " is an adjective . For that reason , for " CETTE femmes ",
we use " pleine ".
3. " PLEIN " as adverb can mean " exactly " or " right "
En plein dans l'œil - right in the eye
En plein sur la table - right / exactly on the table
En plein devant - straight ahead
4. " PLEIN " can be utilized in the sense of " to the maximum "
Tourner à plain - to turn fully
Utiliser une machine à plein - To use a machine to its full capacity
5. Informal use
Mignon tout plein -just too cute
Gentil tout plein - just too kind
6. Faire le plein - to fill the tank
Le PLEIN , s'il vous plâit - Fill it up , please
In the next note, I will discuss all other important expressions containing the word
" PLEIN "
Happy Learning
Sayee Jayaraman
10/04/2015
Thursday, 9 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 79" PLEIN"-1
This is in continuation of my note on beaucoup . Why do students find mastering French
very difficult ? The same word can come under different grammatical categories. Once you
are prepared to examine this in depth, you get a clear idea.
" PLEIN" is such a word.
1. PLEIN as Adjective .
The word " PLEIN" refers to a state of fullness.
1. A thing which is solid ( not hollow ) can be described by using this adjective .
Une porte pleine - a solid door
en bois plein - in solid wood
2. A round form can be described using this adjective .
La façade de ce bâtiment s'est construite en forme pleine.
3. When a container is filled completely , it is full. In that case this adjective can be used.
Ce seau est plein. Videz-le .
This bucket is full. Empty it.
4. Plein (e) de + nom - This structure means " full of ( something )
Cet homme est plein d'idées efficaces pour améliorer la vente.
This man is full of effective ideas for improving the sales.
Cette lettre est pleine de fautes grammaticaux.
This letter is full of grammatical mistakes.
5. Note the following expressions using " plein".
En plein jour - in broad daylight
En pleine nuit - in the middle of the night
En plein été - in the middle of the summer
En plein hiver - in the middle of the winter
En plein soleil - in full son
En pleine lumière - in full sunlight
En pleine obscurité - in complete darkness
En plein vol - in full flight
En plein essor - blooming
Avoir pleine conscience de QQCH - to be fully aware of something
Rest I will continue in my subsequent notes.
Happy Learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
10/04/2015
Bangalore
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 78 " BEAUCOUP "
One student requested me to explain the difference between the above mentioned words.
This note is meant for that . I shall take up each of them .
BEAUCOUP
1.This word is an adverb. You know that adverb modifies a verb. The English equivalent
would be " much". It expresses the intensity or the importance of an action conveyed
by a verb.
Elle lit beaucoup .
She reads much.
2. It can indicate the quality of an adjective expressed by the pronoun " le ". Study the
the following example carefully.
Elle n'est plus belle.
Elle l'était beaucoup autrefois .
She is no longer beautiful .
Formerly, she was.
In the second sentence the pronoun " le" represents the adjective " belle". It is a
neutral pronoun.
3. " BEAUCOUP " can be used as a noun to mean many people.
Beaucoup sont riches dans cette ville.
Many are rich in this city.
4. The word. " BEAUCOUP " can be placed before certain adverbs of quantity
to intensify the effect of such adverbs.
Beaucoup plus
Beaucoup moins
Beaucoup mieux
Beaucoup trop
Une voiture beaucoup plus chère
A more expensive car
Un problème beaucoup moins difficile
A much less difficult problem.
5. " Beaucoup de " is a very common adverbial expression of quantity. " a lot of "
J'ai acheté beaucoup de livres .
I bought a lot of books.
Beaucoup de femmes travaillent aujourd'hui .
These days many women work.
If " beaucoup de " is followed by a singular noun , the verb should be conjugated
accordingly .
Beaucoup d' eau a passé sous les ponts.
Much water has flown under the bridges.
6. " de beaucoup " is an expression which is equivalent to " by far, greatly "
This expression can be used with a verb, a comparative or superlative adjective.
Study the following sentences
Les Africains courent de beaucoup plus rapide que les autres.
Africans run ,by far, faster than others.
Elle est de beaucoup plus belle que sa sœur .
She is greatly more beautiful than her sister.
À mon avis, Sivaji Ganesan est le meilleur acteur indien, de beaucoup .
In my opinion, Sivaji Ganesan is the best Indian actor ,by far.
Merci beaucoup !
Rest in subsequent notes.
Sayee Jayaraman
9/04/2015
Chennai
FRENCH NOTE77. " AGREEMENT WiTH DIRECT OBJECT- PAST PARTICIPLE - PRONOMINAL VERBS
We come across certain verb forms in French like the following.
se laver
Se brosser
Se raser
Se couper
Se coiffer
The verbs having the above forms in infinitive are known as pronominal verbs in French .
The French term would be , " Les verbes pronominaux " . Why are they called like that ?
The " se" represents a personal pronoun which depends on the subject. According to the
subject " se" changes to one of the following forms. "Me, te. Se, nous vous , se ". These six
pronouns can be either Direct Object Pronouns ( COD) or Indirect Object Pronouns ( COI)
depending on the verb and the context.The purpose of this note is very limited.
In certain cases of passé composé of these verbs, the past participle agrees in number
and gender with the direct object ( COD= Complément d' Objet Direct ) when it is
placed before the past participle . We shall study few such cases .
1. Se Laver - To wash oneself
Je me suis lavé (e)
Tu t'es lavé (e)
Il s'est lavé .
Elle s'est lavée .
Nous nous sommes lavé (e)s
Vous vous êtes lavé(e)s
Ils se sont lavés .
Elle se sont lavées .
In all the above cases, the pronouns and the subjects are one and the same. The subject
performs the action on itself. The subject acts on itself. Such verbs are called Reflexive
verbs . They are one category of Pronominal verbs in French . In the above cases, all the
pronouns are COD. They are placed before the past participle . Therefore , the past participle
agrees in number and gender with COD. Since the COD and the subject represent the
same person , we may say the past participle agrees in number and gender with the subject.
Now study the following sentences.
Je me suis lavé les mains. - I washed my hands.
Elle s'est lavé les mains. - She washed her hands.
Nous nous sommes lavé les mains. - We washed our hands.
In all the above sentences , the past participle remains invariable . Why ?
Kindly note that in the above sentences, in each case, there is a COD. ( les mains )
Since the COD comes after the past participle " lavé", there is no agreement and
the past participle remains invariable.
When the COD is replaced by the Direct Object Pronoun " LES ", the above sentences
can be written by replacing " les mains " by " les" . Remember now the position of " les" .
It should be placed before the auxiliary verb . In that case, it is before the past participle .
When the COD is placed before the past participle, the past participle agrees in number
and gender with the COD. Have a look at these sentences.
Je me les suis lavées .
Elle se les est lavées .
Nous nous les sommes lavées .
Have you understood ?
But how to know if the verb has a COD ? There is a way. Conjugate the sentence
with " avoir" as auxiliary verb by removing the personal pronoun and put a question " Quoi
or Qui . See If it makes sense and a reply is received.
J'ai lavé quoi ? Les mains .
Therefore COD exists and it is " les mains ".
Now observe the following sentences.
1. Il s' est brossé les dents. - He brushed his teeth.
In the above sentence , the COD is " les dents". It comes after the past participle.
Hence , no agreement .
Il se les est brossés.
In the above sentence " les" is COD.
Therefore , there is agreement with past participle as it comes before the past participle.
2. Il s'est rasé .
He shaved himself.
In the French sentence " se " is COD.
There is agreement .
3. Il s'est rasé les cheveux . - He shaved his hair.
In the above sentence , the COD is " les cheveux "
Therefore , there is no agreement as the COD is after the past participle.
Il se les est rasés .
In the above sentence , COD is " les" . It comes before the past participle.
Hence there is agreement .
4. Elles se sont coiffées . - They f) hair dressed themselves..
In the above sentence , the COD is " se ".
I recall the method of finding out COD which I mentioned earlier.
Elles ont coiffé qui ?
Eux-mêmes = se
Therefore , there is agreement as COD is before past participle.
5. Elle s'est coupée les doigts. - She cut her fingers.
In the above sentence , COD is " les doigts " . Since it is placed after the past participle,
there is no agreement .
But replace " les doigts" by " les".
Elle se les est coupés .
Since the COD is now before the past participle, there is agreement .
In this note, I have given you examples of REFLEXIVE VERBS. In the next note,
I will take up " RECIPROCAL VERBS " to examine the question of agreement .
Learners get confused over this subject. It is a little tricky one for the non francophones.
Please study slowly and assimilate . Try to do exercises from standard grammar books.
Happy learning !
Please point out inadvertent errors , if any.
Sayee Jayaraman
08/04/2015
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 76 " LUI, LEUR"
In this note , we will learn the use of INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS in FRENCH .
Study the following sentences.
Je parle à mon ami.
I talk to my friend.
Je lui parle.
I talk to him.
À mon ami = lui= to him
Elle donne un cadeau à sa sœur .
She gives a gift to her sister.
Elle lui donne un cadeau.
She gives a gift to her. ( She gives her a gift )
À sa sœur = lui = to her
Vous avez téléphone à vos parents.
You telephoned your parents.
You telephoned them.
Vous leur avez téléphoné.
À vos parents = leur = to them.
In the above examples , kindly observe that the verbs take an object preceded by
the preposition " à". In other words , all the objects are indirect. Therefore, we require
indirect object pronouns to replace the indirect objects. It can easily. be seen
that the indirect object pronouns in French are " LUI and LEUR ".
" Lui" means " to him" or " to her "
" Leur" means " to them ".
The position of the INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS is also immediately before the verb
as in the case of DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS.
There is one important difference between direct object pronouns and indirect object
pronouns . Indirect object pronouns can be used only for PERSONS. But DIRECT OBJECT
Pronouns can refer to either persons or things in French .
Hope you have grasped this topic.
Happy Learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
07/04/2015
Chennai
FRENCH NOTE 75 " me te, se, nous, vous , se" as Direct / Indirect PRONOUNS
Use of " me , te, se, nous , vous , se ".
This note is prepared on the request of a learner who has an exam tomorrow . I am trying my
best to make him / others understand .
How to say in French ,
You are looking at me.
Simple
Tu me regardes.
" me" in the above French sentence means the same as " me " in English . A strange
coincidence. In the French sentence " me " is a direct object.
Have you understood ?
How do I know ?
Tu regardes qui ?
Tu ME regardes.
So " me" is a direct object of the verb " regarder " .
But study another sentence given below.
Tu me parles.
You are talking to me.
Therefore in the French sentence given above , " me" means " to me" . Therefore
" me" in the French Sentence is an INDIRECT OBJECT . Why ?
The verb " parler " in the above French sentence is taking an indirect object.
Parler normally is followed by " à " which is a preposition .
It is always talking to someone.
So " me" is actually " to me " in English .
So the same pronoun " me" is DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN in the first sentence
and INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN in the second sentence.
That depends on the verb only.
" Regarder" is transitive verb with direct object in French.
Regarder qqn -Looking at someone
But
" parler " is used as a verb which takes an indirect object . For verbs taking indirect
object, there will be a preposition after the verb and before the indirect object.
Parler à qqn - talking to somebody
So the French. " me" = " to me" in English .
Conclusion
Depending on the verb " me" is a Direct Object Pronoun or Indirect Object Pronoun.
Similarly , " te, se,nous, vous, se " are both Direct and INDiRECT object pronouns
depending on the verb.
They may mean
Me(m') ( to) me ,
Te ( t'). ( to) you
Se ( s') To himself, to herself ( se is used only in pronomial verbs)
Nous. (to) us, ourselves
Vous (To ) You ,Yourself
Se ( s' ). ( to) them , themselves ,to each other
Now study the following examples
1. Elle te parle .
She speaks to you.
" te" is Indirect Object Pronoun.
2. Elles se parlent .
They talk to each other. ( to themselves )
Here " se" is an Indirect Object Pronoun.
3. Elle nous parle.
She speaks to us .
Here. " nous" is an Indirect Object Pronoun.
4. Elle vous parle.
She speaks to you.
Here " vous " is an Indirect Object Pronoun.
5. Elle se parle.
She talks to herself.
Here " se" is an Indirect Object Pronoun.
6. Elle me regarde.
She watches me.
7. Elle te regarde.
She watches you.
8. Elle se regarde.
She watches herself.
9. Elle nous regarde.
She watches us.
10. Elle vous regarde.
She watches you.
11. Elles se regardent .
They watch each other ( themselves )
It is easy to see that in the sentences from 6 to 11, where the verb is " regarder"
all the object pronouns are DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS.
Hope you understood the basics of the use of these six pronouns. Remember they
can be used only for persons and not things. They are both direct object pronouns and i
Indirect object pronouns depending on the verb.
While using direct object, the question of agreement with past participle when the
direct object comes before the past participle arises . That requires a separate note.
First master this note.
Happy Learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
07/04/2015
Chennai
FRENCH NOTE 74 DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS CONTINUATION
1. Place of direct object pronoun in the case of compound tenses like passé composé.
In such cases , the direct object pronoun will be placed before the auxiliary verb. Study the
following examples.
1. Elle a écrit une lettre.
Elle l'a écrite .
Please note that " une lettre" is replaced by " la". It is placed before the auxiliary verb " a".
Further when the auxiliary verb is preceded by a direct object, the past participle will agree
in number and gender with the direct object. That is the reason for " écrite " in the second
sentence given above. " une lettre " is replaced by " la" which is singular feminine noun.
Therefore the passé participe agrees in number and gender with the direct object. So we
add a " e" to " écrit" . " écrit becomes " écrite "
2. Le gendarme a tué les criminels.
Le gendarme les a tués.
3. Jean a acheté les chemises rouges.
Jean les a achetées .
2. Place of Direct object pronoun if one of the verbs is in the form of infinitive.
When one of the verbs is in infinitive form , the direct object pronoun is placed before the
infinitive. Study the following examples.
1. Je veux acheter une voiture.
Je veux l'acheter .
2. J'aime appeler mes amis.
J'aime les appeler .
3. Elle adore lire les romans de Tolstoy.
Elle adore les lire.
Kindly note in the above sentences the DIRECT OBJECTS are the objects of the verbs
in infinitive form. Hope this point is clear to you.
3. DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS IN THE CASE OF IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
a) IMPERATIVE. AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES
In the case of imperative affirmative sentences , the DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS
are placed after the verb. Study the following examples.
Donnez ce livre
Donnez- le.
Porte cette chemise
Porte- la.
Lisons ces journaux
Lisons - les.
b) IMPERATIVE NEGATIVE SENTENCES
In the case of imperative negative sentences, the DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS
are placed before the verb as per the general rule. Study the following examples.
Ne prenez pas ce livre.
Ne le prenez pas.
Ne gênez pas votre mère .
Ne la gênez pas.
4. Place of DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS in the case of Interrogative sentences ( questions )
In the case of questions also , the DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS are placed before the verb.
Study the following examples.
Aimez-vous cette femme ?
L'aimez-vous ?
Conduit - il cette voiture ?
La conduit- il ?
I think by now you have understood the Direct Object Pronouns clearly. In the next post,
let us discuss INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS . If I had omitted any important points
in respect of DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS, kindly let me know .
Happy learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
07/04/2015
Chennai.
Monday, 6 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 73 DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS
Let us continue our study of French pronouns. You already know that the words " le, la ,les
L' "are known as direct articles., I made elaborate notes on French Direct Articles. These
same words are capable of playing the role of object pronouns ( direct) . This note is all
about that point.
1. Je mets ce livre sur la table.
I keep this book on the table.
Je mets quoi ? I keep .... What?
Ce livre . This book
Ce livre ( this book) is the Direct Object of the verb "mettre" ( Keep ) conjugated as
" mets" in this sentence.
The Direct Object of the verb in this sentence can be replaced by " LE".
In other words " LE" is the DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN.
There is another terminology " DIRECT OBJECT COMPLEMENT ".
A complement completes the sense of a verb by giving some more precise information .
Ask the question "QUOI or QUI " to get the DIRECT OBJECT.
Now the above sentence can be written using DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN.
Je LE mets sur la table.
I keep it on the table.
Why " LE" ?
Easy to understand . The noun " LIVRE" is masculine singular . So " LE".
Have you got it ?
Note the position of " LE". It is placed before the verb unlike the practice in English.
We never say " I it keep on the table".
But in French , that is the correct order while using DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS.
The following examples will perfect your understanding of DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS.
1. Elle lit un livre
She reads a book.
Elle le lit.
She reads it.
Un livre = le
2. Elizabeth adore Richard.
Elizabeth adores Richard.
Elizabeth l'adore.
Elizabeth adores him.
Richard = le
3. Martin porte une chemise rouge.
Martin wears a red shirt.
Maritin la porte.
Martin wears it.
Une chemise rouge = la
4. La mère réprimande sa fille.
The mother reprimands her daughter.
La mère la réprimande .
The mother reprimands her.
Sa filled= la
5. Thomas sort les voitures du garage.
Thomas takes out the cars from the garage.
Thomas les sort du garage.
Thomas takes them out from the garage.
Les voitures = les.
Important points.
1. Remember that DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS in FRENCH can represent persons as well
as nouns other than persons.
2. They are placed immediately before the verb.
When the verb takes different forms like composite tenses, infinitives etc we will study
in subsequent notes. How to use the direct object pronouns in respect of questions
and imperative sentences ? We will learn them in subsequent posts with several examples.
Happy learning !
Please point out inadvertent errors, if any.
Sayee Jayaraman
07/04/2015
Chennai
.
FRENCH NOTE 72 SUBJECT PRONOUNS
A learner requested me to prepare notes on PRONOMS. They are known as pronouns in
English. For acquiring a thorough mastery over French , you should learn how to use the
pronouns correctly . I require several notes to explain them to a novice.
Why pronouns ? Are not nouns good enough to give us headache ?
Read the following .
Peter is 14. Peter is tall. Peter plays football . Peter's father is a doctor. Peter's mother is an
advocate. Peter has two sisters. Peter's elder sister is 19. Peter's younger sister is 9.
Stop! Enough of this blessed Peter !
It is you telling me to stop getting tired of the repetition of the name " PETER" like a
mantra.
When the noun PETER is repeated 8 times in these two lines , how boring it is !
So , repetition of a noun is to be avoided. The device invented for that is " pronoun".
A PRONOUN is put in the place of a noun. There are infinite number of nouns.
But pronouns are in limited number. So learning them is fairly easy. Use pronouns and
rewrite the above sentences.
Peter is 14. He is tall. He plays football . His father is a doctor . His mother is an advocate.
He has two sisters. His elder sister is 19. His younger sister is 9.
In the above version , we used the noun PETER only once. Wherever PETER is mentioned
we substituted it with " he " and for PETER' S with his. Of course " he" is a pronoun
and " his" is a possessive adjective . With the use of these, our sentences have become
more elegant.
Now you are ready to learn French pronouns. In this note, I deal with the easiest of them
which all of you know. They are subject pronouns. These pronouns come in the place
of nouns in a sentence as subjects. Generally they come at the beginning of a sentence.
They are
Je - I First person singular
Tu - you ( singular, informal) second person singular
Il - he - third person singular masculine
Elle - she - third person singular feminine
Nous - we - First person plural
Vous - you ( formal, plural). - second person plural / formal
Ils - they ( masculine ) - third person masculine plural
Elles - they ( feminine ) - third person feminine plural
See how they are used.
" Je " is used in all statements / questions involving first person singular as SUBJECT.
Je mange du pain.
I eat bread.
Je suis indien.
I am an Indian.
Je suis avocat.
I am an advocate.
" tu" is used with very close people . Family members / intimate friends.
Tu es fou.
You are mad.
Tu as quel âge ?
How old are you ?
Jean est grand. Il fait du foot.
John is tall. He plays football
Alice habite Bangalore. Elle est infirmière .
Alice lives in Bangalore . She is a nurse.
Nous allons faire du tennis.
We are going to play tennis.
Vous êtes venus ici quand ?
You ( Plural) came here. when ?
Ils sont étudiants.
They are students.
They are actresses.
Elles sont actrices.
Hope you understood the use of subject pronouns . In the next note , we will learn object
pronouns. Generally students find them more confusing . But in my view, they are also
simple. By doing plenty of exercises and with writing practice you can perfect your
knowledge of all types of pronouns.
Rest in subsequent notes.
Happy learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
06/04/2015
Chennai
FRENCH NOTE 71 TIME EXPRESSIONS 9
Let me continue the note on " TIME EXPRESSIONS" in French . There are five words
in this note.
1. Auparavant - Formerly,previously , before ( d,abord)
This is an adverb of time. Actually , the word consists of the following components.
Au + par + avant
Une semaine auparavant , mon ami est allé en France.
Before a week , my friend went to France .
Je veux vous aider, mais expliquez votre problème auparavant .
I want to help you, but explain your problem first.
Auparavant , les gens étaient très polis.
Formerly, people were more polite.
2. Jadis - Formerly, before,long ago
This is also an adverb of time . It is mainly used in literary passages. In other words ,
" Registre Soutenu".
Il y avait un palais ici jadis.
There was a palace here ,longtime ago.
Jadis, les Indiens portent des vêtements indiens avec des cravates.
In olden days , Indians wore Indian dress with ties.
3. Parfois - sometimes, on occasions ( adverb of time ), occasionally
This word is normally used in written French .
Parfois , on va au restaurant chinois .
Sometimes , we go to the Chinese restaurant .
Est-ce que vous fumez? Parfois, oui.
Do you smoke ? Yes, sometimes.
4. Autrefois - formerly , once upon a time ( adverb of time )
Autrefois, l'Inde était très riche .
Once upon a time , India was very rich.
Elle a été autrefois une excellente nageuse .
She was formerly an excellent swimmer.
5. Une nuit blanche - sleepless night
This is French Idiom which means , " a sleepless night ".
En apprenant la nouvelle de l'accident d'avion, ils passaient une nuit blanche, car ses
parents étaient dans l'avion qui s'est écrasé .
On learning the news of air crash, they spent a sleepless night as their relatives were in the
plane which crashed.
That is all in this note.
Happy learning . Point out inadvertent errors , if any.
Sayee Jayaraman
6/04/2015
Chennai
Friday, 3 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 70 FRENCH IDIOMS
For a change , let me take up some French Idioms in this note. Of course neither French Grammar nor I will part with each other. After sometime , I will revert to grammar.
1. Casser trois pattes à un canard - c'est extraordinaire
The literal translation of this French Idiom is " to break three legs of a duck". What does it mean? A duck has only two legs. If one can break three legs of a duck, it is something extraordinary or miraculous . It does not happen in the normal course. Generally this idiom is used negatively, like ," ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard ". The rough English equivalent would be , " nothing to write home about ". A banal thing.
J'ai écouté le discours du Prime Ministre lors du jour de l'indépendance . Ça ne casse pas à trois pattes à un canard .
I heard the Prime Minister's speech on Independence Day. Nothing extraordinary.
Hope you got it ?
2. Couper les cheveux en quatre - to split hairs , se donner au mal inutilement
The literal meaning of this idiom would be , " to cut hairs into four ". The best English equivalent would be " to split hairs ". This expression is used when one is very meticulous about something when it is not necessary. Sometimes lawyers have a tendency to argue by splitting hairs. They would take some word in a legal text and give bizarre interpretations.
Expliquez ce que vous voulez dire clairement sans couper les chevreaux en quatre.
Explain what you mean clearly without splitting hairs.
Got it ?
3. Y aller par quatre chemins - to beat around the bush, aller droit au but
When you don't express something directly or do not come to the point but go about it in a roundabout manner, we say you are beating around the bush. This expression is the French equivalent . The literal meaning of the idiom would be " to go there by four paths". If you have a straight route, why do you take so many routes to reach your goal ?
Si vous n'acceptez pas ma proposition, dites moi franchement . N'y allez. pas par quatre chemins.
If you do not accept my proposal tell me frankly. Don't beat around the bush.
4. Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre - se surestimer , to bite off more than one can chew
Sometimes we overestimate our capacity and try to do more than what we are capable. The English idiom would be, " to bite off more than one can chew". The literal meaning of the French idiom would be, " to have eyes bigger than the stomach ". Easy to understand. Our eyes see a large quantity of food. But whatever we see can not be eaten and digested.
Martin , vous avez à achever quatre projets maintenant . À mon avis, vous avez les yeux plus gros que le ventre.
Martin , you have four projects to complete now. In my view, you are biting off more than you can chew.
Got it ?
5. Y aller avec le dos de la cuiller - to mince words,
N'y aller pas avec le dos de la cuiller - to make no bones about something, agir brutalement
Normally one uses the right side of a spoon. No one uses the wrong side. In that case , you don't do the job wholeheartedly. When you bluntly say something to another, it causes mental pain. To express such situations you can use the idiom," n'y aller pas avec le dos de cuiller". The literal meaning of the idiom would be ," not to go there with the spoon in the wrong way". Without mincing words, you tell what you feel bluntly.
Faites attention à votre travail au bureau. Le nouveau patron n'y va pas avec le dos de la cuiller en vous jugeant .
Pay attention to your work in the office. The new boss does not mince words while judging you.
Hope you got the meaning of these idioms.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Mme. Véronique JEANSEN , a very good friend of mine for her encouragement in my French Studies. Her regular letters to me are of great educational value. I hope to receive her valuable suggestions in future also. She lives in Reims , France .
Happy learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
3/04/2015
Thursday, 2 April 2015
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Mr. T K Jayaraman , IRS ( Retd) and presently French Trainer will be conducting a Basic French Course at the Indian Institute of World Culture BP Wadia Road Basavangudi Bangalore -04 from 18/04:2015 to 19/05/2015 on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 30 am to 11 30 am for a total duration of 20 hours covering everyday French and basic grammar. The course fee will be ₹ 1050 / - only. Interested persons may please contact the Honarary Secretary of IIWC in the following numbers.
080-26678581
9036788567
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
FRENCH NOTE 69 USE OF CECI AND CELA
The last note on Demonstrative Pronouns.
" CECI and CELA" are also demonstrative pronouns which are neutral and not associated with any gender, masculine or feminine. In English , they are equivalent to " THIS and THAT". They refer to an idea or object. They do not refer to a person. The following sentences illustrate their uses.
1. Veux-tu ceci ou cela?
You want this or that ?
2. Ceci est à lui. Cela est à elle.
This is his . That is hers.
3. Ceci explique cela.
This one explains that
One thing explains the other
4. Cela te plaît ?
You like it ?
5. Sans cela
Otherwise
6. Comment cela?
How's that ?
7. Qui cela ?
Who is / was that ?
8. Quand cela ?
When is / was that ?
9. Où cela ?
Where is / was that ?
10. C'est cela même .
Exactly
11. Cela m'est égal .
It is the same to me.
12. Tu vois ceci ?
Do you see this ?
I have covered demonstrative pronouns exhaustively in these notes. As for " Ce", in the beginning , I have covered it in my French Notes. Those who missed them , may visit my French blog .
frenchmadesimple.blogspot.com
Learners are welcome to suggest topics which I had not covered so far in my blog.
Inadvertent errors may be pointed out.
Happy learning .
Sayee Jayaraman
2/04/2015
FRENCH NOTE 68 USE OF " ÇA"
In this note, let us learn the use of a very informal demonstrative pronoun. " Ça ".
" Ça " means " that " in an informal way. It is used in all familiar expressions. It means the same as " Cela"
You already know the following expressions taught in elementary classes. Let me enumerate
them with their English equivalents.
1. Ça va ? Oui, ça va.
How do you do ? I am fine
2. Comment ça va ?
How do you do ?
Ça va bien.
I am ok.
Ça va comme ça .
Not bad
Oh, comme ci comme ça.
So-so
3. C'est ça .
That is it.
4. Qu'est-ce que c'est ça?
What is that ?
5. C'est comme ça .
It is like that.
6. Pas de ça
Out of question
7. Ça alors
My goodness .
8.C'est toujours ça
It is always like that
9. Ça y est .
That's it , got it
10.Ah ça non
Definitely not
11. Ça ne me plaît pas
I don't like it
12. Elle travaille dur . Pour ça , elle mérite une appréciation .
She works hard . For that she deserves appreciation .
13. Il est venu m'aider. Sans ça , je n'aurais pas pu fini ce projet.
He came to my help. Without it, I could not have finished the project.
14. Il a beaucoup de problèmes de l'argent . Malgré ça , il est calme et sans souci .
He has a lot of financial problems. In spite of that, he maintains his calm and does not worry.
15. À part ça , quoi de nouveau ?
Apart from that , what else ?
16. Il ne manquait plus que ça .
That's all we needed.
You can master these expressions only by frequent study and use. Remember my English translations are not literal or word to word. If you read French fiction, you can easily grasp the meanings of these expressions from the context.
In my next note, I will take up " Ceci , Cela".
Happy learning !
Point out inadvertent errors ,if any.
Sayee Jayaraman
2/04/2015
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