French Expression 14 " En vouloir à quelqu'un "

French Expression 14 "En vouloir à quelqu'un "

To hold a grudge against someone

By looking at some expressions , it is not possible to guess its meaning . One such French expression is " En vouloir à quelqu'un ".

Go through the following examples

1. Elle  en veut à son mari .- She holds a grudge against her husband .

Be careful while using this expression . You should conjugate.  " Vouloir " appropriately .
If you want to use a pronoun in the place of " à son mari " , it will be   " lui " and  remember that this pronoun is placed before " en ".

Elle lui en veut  . -  She holds a grudge against him

2. Ne m'en veux  pas . - Don't hold a grudge against me.

3. Pourquoi est-ce que vous m'en voulez ?  Dites-moi.

Why  are you mad at me ? Tell me.

C'est tout pour aujourd'hui .

À bientôt !

T. K. Jayaraman
1/08/2015
Bangalore

Notable French Personality 1 Évariste Galois

Notable French Personality 1

Évariste Galois

Notable French Personality 1

Qui est cet homme de 20 ans ? 

Évariste Galois   , né en 1811 , un jeune mathématicien français est la fondateur de la théorie du groupe .  C'est absurde que ce génie meurt à l'âge de 20 ans après un duel.  Au dernière moment , il dit à son frère ,

" Ne pleure pas , Alfred . J'ai besoin de tout mon courage pour mourir à 20 ans."

T. K. Jayaraman 

31/07/2015

Bangalore

French Expression 13 " Du jour au lendemain "

 French Expression 13

" Du jour au lendemain "- " overnight "

When an event happens shortly after another event or if the happening is abrupt , this French expression comes handy to us. Go through the following examples carefully.

1. Elle a d'habitude de changer son avis au jour du lendemain .

She has the habit of changing her opinion all on a sudden.

2. C'était l'an 1975. Personne ne l'a attendu. .  Du jour au lendemain , Indira  Gandhi proclame un état d'urgence en Inde.

It was the year 1975. None expected it. Overnight , Indira Gandhi proclaims a state of emergency in I dia.

3. Seul Dieu sait ce qui s'est passé entre eux.  Du jour au lendemain ,ils ont cessé de se parler.

God only knows what happened between them. Overnight, they stopped talking  talk to each other.

The literal translation of the expression would be " from a day to the next day " . It only conveys the abruptness of an event. But it is best translated in English in the following ways.

" one fine day ", " overnight " , " all on a sudden "

C'est tout . That is all for now.

À bientôt !

T. K. Jayaraman
31/07/2015
Bangalore.

French Expression 12. " voilà "

French Expression 12 Voilà

A very frequently used expression is " Voilà " . Let us observe how this expression is used by French speakers. Vois = see. This is the imperative of the verb " voir ".  Là = there . The word is derived from these two words. It is used primarily as a presentative expression .

1. Le voilà qui arrive - There he comes !
2. Voilà mon ami Durand ! There you see my friend Durand !

" Voilà " can be preceded by a pronoun as in the first example above or followed by a noun as in the second example to invite somebody's attention to some happening.

We are expecting some person . He is coming . One in the group says. " there he comes "

Le voilà qui arrive !

You can also say " le voilà ".

If the person were a woman , say , " La voilà ". - There she is !

In the case of any noun, remember it should be placed after " Voilà " and not before as is the case with the pronoun. Hope the point is clear.

It is also used while summing up or concluding in the final statement along with " et" as " et voilà ".

" Et voilà , arrive la fin de cet homme misérable "

And thus came the end of that miserable man .

Before making the above statement, the speaker had narrated the story of a man and particularly his end. At the conclusion " Et voilà " is used.Hope you got it.

While " Voici " means  " here is " to denote something nearer to the speaker , "  Voilà "   is used to denote something which is little away from the speaker.

Voici mon ami ! Here is my friend !

Voilà ta mère . Ne pleure pas. - There you see your mother. Don't cry.


There are many more expressions containing " Voilà " . In due course, i intend taking them up. I want these notes as brief as possible.

Voilà pourquoi , je m'arrête . -- That is why  I stop now. ( Voilà pourquoi = C'est pourquoi = that is why )

T. K. Jayaraman
30/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 11 - " Et alors ! " - and then, so what , so

French Expression 11

Et alors ? -  So what ? And then ? So ?

Certain expressions in French can not be understood just by looking into the dictionary meaning of words which occur in the concerned expression . It takes much efforts to understand and appreciate certain expressions and their nuances. One such expression is " Et alors ? "

Observe the following dialogue .

Ravi tells me that he won't be attending your daughter's marriage .

So what ?

In the above dialogue,  by saying " so what ? " , the speaker expresses his feeling that he does not care whether Ravi attends his daughter's wedding or not. It is not of much consequence to him. Now go through the French version of the above dialogue .

Ravi me dit qu'il ne peut pas assister au mariage de votre fille.

Et alors ?

Another example

Demain il faut être à la classe à 9 heures .

Et alors ?

Tomorrow you should be in the class at 9 am .

And then ?

Can you make out that the student who is irritated with the teacher's order reacts by asking " and then ? ".

One more example

Ton comportement ne me plaît pas , Martin.
Et alors ?

I don't like your behavior , Martin .
So ?

The expression " et alors ? ( so ) means  that Martin does not care when the speaker tells him that he does not like his behavior .

I think I have conveyed the sense of " et alors " to you. Please listen carefully when native French talk to each other ( films, YouTube videos etc ) and from the contexts understand the use of this expression .

À bientôt !

T. K. Jayaraman
29/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 10 " du coup " - so, therefore

French Expression 10 " du coup " - so, therefore"

Informal Expression!

Have you noticed that when French nationals speak , they very often use the expression " du coup" at the beginning of a sentence. What does it mean ? Simple ! It means so, therefore, consequently , hence  and so on.  There is another word for it " donc". But I hear more of  " du coup" and less of " donc ". Go through the following examples.

Je suis fatigué . Du coup, je ne vais pas au bureau.

I am tired. So , I am not going to the office.

Il pleut à verse. Du coup, je peux pas du tout sortir .

It is pouring. Therefore, I can not at all go out.

Elle a oublié son porte- monnaie . Du coup, je lui ai prêté de l'argent .

She forgot her purse. So , I lent her money .

There are several idiomatic expression in French containing the word " coup " . In course of time, I will deal with each of them.

Il y a beaucoup d'expressions contenant le mot " coup". Si je les explique d'un seul coup, vous vous ennuierez . Du coup, je m'arrête .

There are many expressions containing thé word " coup". If I explain all of them in one go,you will get bored. So, I stop myself.

À bientôt !

T.K. Jayaraman
29/07/2015
Bangalore

French Note 85 - " de" preposition

 


FRENCH NOTE 85 - De - preposition

This is a continuation of the previous note 84. Let us observe the different ways in which the preposition "de" is used in French language.

1. Possession

C' est la voiture de mon ami.

This is my friend 's car.

Où est la maison du professeur ? ( de +le= du)

Where is the professor 's house ?

2. Expressing the contents of a container.

Apportez ce sac de pommes de terre .

Bring  that potato bag ?

Donnez-moi un verre d'eau ?

Give me a glass of water ?

3. Telling age

Alice est une fille de 20 ans.

Alice is a twenty year old girl.

4. Qualification / in the sense of an adjective

Ce fou de Jean vient.

That mad John is coming .

5. In French names , the nobility is expressed after the preposition "de"

Charles de Gaulle

Jean d'Ormesson

Madame de Sévigny

6. Introducing a complement after a verb.

Le patron nous empêche de parler pendant le travail.

The boss prevents us from talking during work.

C'est tout !

T. K. Jayaraman
28/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 9 - En avoir marre de - To be fed up with -

French Expression 9

" En avoir marre de "- to be fed up with

Today  I am dealing with a popular / colloquial expression in French. Quite useful in your daily conversations. This expression is an exact equivalent of the English expression " to be fed up with "

J'en ai marre de tes conseils , Maman.

I am fed up with your advice, Mum.

Sometimes young girls talk to their mothers like that.

On en a marre des promesses du gouvernement .

We are fed up with the promises of the government .

J'en ai marre de résoudre ce problème .

I am fed up with solving this problem.

Remember to conjugate " avoir " suitably. After the preposition " de" you may either use a noun , a thing with which you are fed up or the infinitive of a verb indicating some action with which you are fed up.

Hope the use of this expression is clear to you.

Bonne journée !

Vous n'en avez pas marre de moi ?

You are not fed up with me ?

T. K. Jayaraman
27/07/2015
Bangalore 

French Expression 8 " être fatigué (e) " - to be tired

French Expression 8 " être fatigué "- to be tired

How to express the fact that one is tired. Very easy. Use the expression " être fatigué( e)"

" fatigué" means tired. It is an adjective.

Jean dit , " Je suis fatigué "

John says , " I am tired "

Hélène dit, " Je suis fatiguée "

Helen says " I am tired"


Note the difference between the two statements though the meaning is same . Why that extra " e " when Helen makes the statement . When a girl makes the statement , the adjective " fatigué " should agree in number and gender with the subject . Hence " fatiguée ". We are adding an " e" - marker of feminine gender in French.

Nous sommes fatiguées. ( when nous refers to a group of females )

Nous sommes fatigués . ( when nous refers to a group of males  or a mixed group)

Ils / elles sont fatigué(e)s

Some more examples

Comme je suis fatigué , je vais dormir .

As I am tired, I am going to sleep.

I hope this simple phrase is clear to you now.

Est-ce que vous êtes fatigué(e)s ?
Are you tired ?
Je vous laisse maintenant.
I leave you now.

T. K. Jayaraman
26/07/2015
Bangalore

FRENCH NOTE 84 ON " DE" - Preposition.

 French Note on " De " -preposition

Every student of French language should have a clear understanding of the use of the preposition " de ". It is worthwhile to spend some time on it.

The basic meaning of this preposition is " of " or " de ".

Let us see the different contexts in which " de " is used in French.

1. A starting point or origin in space.

On arrive de Delhi.

We are arriving from Delhi . ( De = from )

2. Expressing cause

Elle souffre de l'estomac .

She suffers from stomach problem .

3. Expressing a method or use of instrument

Je pousse la porte du pied. ( du = de + le )

I push the door  with foot.

4. Expressing Agent in passive voice .


Le professeur est respecté de tous.

The teacher is respected by all.  ( note the use of " de" in the sense of " by" in English.)

5. Expressing manner of doing something

Martin parle d' une façon impolie. ( de + une= d'une)

Martin talks in an impolite manner.

6. Expressing duration

On s'est habitué à travailler de nuit.

We are used to working in the night.

7. Expressing progressions in the following expressions

De jour en jour - day by day

De temps en temps - from time to time

De temps en temps, elle me demande de l'argent.

I will continue this subject in another note.

Happy learning .

T. K. Jayaraman

French Expression 7 Être + à + noun/ stressed pronoun

 French Expression 7

Être à + noun / stressed pronoun

Today let us learn how to express possession by using " être ". It is very simple. All learners of French Language should know this.  Observe the following sentences.

Ce livre est à moi.

This book is mine. / This book belongs to me.

Ce cravate est à toi.

This tie is yours./ This tie belongs to you.

Est-ce que ce stylo est à vous ?

Does this pen belong to you ?/ is this pen yours ?

Ces voitures sont à Pierre.

These cars belong to Peter.

Hope you remember the tonic / stressed pronouns of French. They are as follows.

Moi. Toi lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

C'est tout.

Happy learning !

T. K. Jayaraman
26/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 6 - " Avoir tort " - to be wrong "

French Expression 6 " avoir tort " - to be wrong

Today's expression is " avoir tort "  It means to be wrong. It is opposite of the expression " avoir raison "

The word " tort" (m)  itself means " error " or wrong. Those who do Law will know that they have to study a subject. known as " law of torts ". " Tort" means an actionable civil wrong. When the municipal corporation leaves a road with a wide hole uncovered and you get hurt, you may sue the corporation for a civil wrong . Let us use this expression now.

Vous  avez tort en invitant ce professeur à faire un discours . À mon avis, il ne peux pas de tout communiquer avec clarté .

You are wrong in inviting this professor to speak. He can not at all communicate with clarity.

Do you know the saying ,

" Les absent ont toujours tort "

Those who are absent are always wrong .

Boris Vian  says.

" Les prophètes ont toujours tort d'avoir raison".

Prophets are always wrong in being right .

Jean Giraudoux  in a play,

"Je suis toujours contre moi quand les autres ont tort."

I am always  furious against myself when others are wrong. ( a literal translation )

C'est tout !

Happy learning !

T. K. Jayaraman
25/07/2015
Bangalore 

French Expression 5 " avoir raison " - to be right

French Expression - 5


" avoir raison " is the expression which means to be right

 Martin ,  multipliez 17 par 7 .
 109,monsieur  
 Tu n'as pas raison , Martin.
 La réponse correcte , c'est 119.

Martin ,multiply 17 by 7.
It is 109 , sir.
You are not correct , Martin.
The correct answer is 119.

Les indiens sont multilingues.
Indians are multilingual .

Vous avez raison
You are right.

Hope you understood the use of this French expression.

T.K. Jayaraman
24/07/2015
Bangalore.

French Expression 4 " avoir chaud "

French Expression 4 " avoir chaud "

In this expression , the word " chaud " is an adverb. The expression is equivalent to saying in English " to feel warm " . It is used when you feel warm because of weather conditions.

Aujourd'hui, j'ai chaud ici.

Today I feel warm here.

Je veux sortir de cette chambre. J'ai chaud.

I want to get out of this room. I feel warm.

You already know that while talking about weather, for the question,

"Quel temps fait-il ?" , a possible reply would be , " il fait chaud ". It means , " it is warm ".

When an object has a higher temperature , we say,

C'est  chaud .  It is hot. ( Chaud is adjective but used in masculine in expression with C 'est)

In all the other expressions, " chaud " is an adverb and it is invariable. When " chaud" is an adjective

it has two forms , " chaud, chaude" depending on the noun which it qualifies , masculine  or feminine

singular.

Be careful about the expression , " Elle est chaude " . When " Elle " refers to a person, it has

it has a sexual connotation . ( she is horny ).

The expression " avoir eu chaud " is idiomatically used to mean " to have a narrow escape "

Hier, la famille Vincent a eu chaud dans l'autoroute 7.

Yesterday , the Vincent family had a narrow escape in highway 7,

Hope it is clear.

T.K.Jayaraman
24/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 4 - avoir envie de - to want, to feel like

French Expression 4

" avoir envie de "

1.  The most common use of this expression will be when you like to express your desire to do something. In that case the structure of the phrase will be:

Avoir envie de + infinitive form of the relevant verb - to feel like doing something

Go through the following examples

J'ai envie de prendre du thé .

I feel like having tea.


Elle a envie d'aller au cinéma .

She wants to go to cinema.

As-tu envie de dormir ? Tu baîlles ?

Do you feel like sleeping ? You are yawning ?

2. The expression can be followed by a noun. When you desire an object, you may use this expression.

Avoir envie de + quelque chose - to desire/ want something

J'ai envie d'une cravate noire.

I want a black tie.


3. Be careful while using this expression. After the preposition "de" ,if you put the name of a person / stressed pronoun , it will have a sexual connotation .

Avoir envie de + quelqu'un

To desire somebody ( sexually)

Elle a envie de lui .

She wants him.

Hope you understood the use of this common expression.

Happy learning.

T.K. Jayaraman
24/07/2015
Bangalore

French Expression 3 - être amoureux / amoureuse de qqn- to be in lové with somebody

French expression 3- être amoureux / amoureuse de qqn - to be in love with somebody

English language uses the phrase " to fall in love ". Some learners of French language have a tendency to say " tomber en amour " , a sort of literal translation. This is not the

correct way of putting it in French. What is acceptable to French are the following expressions.

"  être amoureux de / amoureuse de quelqu'un "

    "To be in love with somebody "

    " tomber amoureux / amoureuse de quelqu'un "

     " to fall in love with somebody "

Mathilde est amoureuse de Martin .

Mathilde is in love with Martin.

Jean est amoureux de Carla.

John is in love with Carla.

Mathilde est tombée amoureuse de Martin.

Mathilde fell in love with Martin.

Jean est tombé  amoureux de Carla.

John fell in love with Carla.

You know why amourux and amoureuse are used though the meaning is the same. These words are adjectives and they have to be in agreement with the gender and number of the nouns which they qualify .

The idea of this note is that while using French language  one should avoid " anglicisme ".

T. K. Jayaraman
23/07/2015
Bangalore

FRENCH EXPRESSION 2 AVOIR BESOIN DE - TO BE IN NEED OF

FRENCH EXPRESSION 2

AVOIR BESOIN DE - TO BE IN NEED OF


A very useful French expression which you can use in everyday life. Whenever you are in need of something or somebody , this expression is handy. A necessity can be expressed by employing this expression. Remember that after the preposition " de " ,  a noun or pronoun follows. This noun or pronoun will be the thing / person which / of whom you are in need .The following examples illustrate the use of this expression.

1.  - " Pierre , est- ce que tu as besoin de l'argent ?"

     -   " Non Papa , j'en ai assez maintenant "

         Peter , do you need money ?

          No dad, I have enough of it.

2.   J' ai besoin d' une voiture .

      I need a car.

3.   Elle a besoin de son père pour lui conseiller dans son projet.

      She needs her father to advise her on her project .


4. Vous avez besoin d'un régime équilibré.

    You need a balanced diet.

5.  Pour apprendre, on a besoin d'un esprit ouvert.

     To learn , one needs  an open mind.

      Happy learning !

      T. K. Jayaraman

       23/07/2015

       Bangalore 

French Expression 1 - Avoir faim-to be hungry

This post is meant for all beginners who are interested in learning French. I take up one expression in each post. The series will continue.

The expression for today is " avoir faim ".

This expression means " to be hungry " . Please remember that we should not translate word by word from French to English and vice versa . While using the above expression , conjugate the verb " avoir " according to the subject of the sentences which you are constructing. Study the following examples.

1. Tu ne manges pas ? Tu n'as pas faim ?

    You are not eating ?  Are you not hungry ?

2. J'ai faim. Je veux manger.

     I am hungry. I want to eat.

3. Les enfants ont faim. Il faut préparer vite le petit- déjeuner .

    Children are hungry.

4. Quand j'ai faim, je ne peux pas dormir.

    When I am hungry ,I can not sleep.

5. Cet homme a toujours faim.

    This man is always hungry.

T.K. Jayaraman
23/07/2015
Bangalore