French Language Course Notes
Basic French Pronunciation
Vowels
A: Like 'a' in "father" (pas, la)
E: Unaccented 'e' often silent at end of words
É: Like 'ay' in "say" (café, été)
È, Ê: Like 'e' in "set" (mère, fête)
I, Y: Like 'ee' in "see" (si, stylo)
O: Like 'o' in "go" (mot, gros)
U: No English equivalent; rounded lips saying "ee" (tu, rue)
OU: Like 'oo' in "food" (vous, jour)
Nasal Vowels
AN, EN, EM: Nasalized 'ah' (dans, enfant)
IN, AIN, EIN: Nasalized 'eh' (vin, pain)
ON, OM: Nasalized 'oh' (bon, nom)
UN, UM: Nasalized 'uh' (un, parfum)
Consonants
Most similar to English but notable differences:
R: Guttural sound from back of throat
H: Always silent
Final consonants: Often silent (except C, R, F, L)
Essential Grammar
Nouns and Gender
All nouns are masculine or feminine
No neutral gender
Common feminine endings: -e, -ion, -té, -ence, -ance
Common masculine endings: -age, -ment, -eau, -isme
Articles
Definite: le (m), la (f), les (plural)
Indefinite: un (m), une (f), des (plural)
Partitive: du, de la, des (some/any)
Contraction with prepositions: à + le = au, de + le = du
Present Tense Conjugation
-ER verbs: parler (je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles
parlent)
-IR verbs: finir (je finis, tu finis, il/elle finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles
finissent)
-RE verbs: vendre (je vends, tu vends, il/elle vend, nous vendons, vous vendez,
ils/elles vendent)
Common irregulars: être, avoir, aller, faire
Adjectives
Agree in gender and number with nouns
Usually placed after nouns
Common feminine formation: add -e
Common plural formation: add -s
Essential Vocabulary
Greetings and Politeness
Bonjour: Hello/Good day
Au revoir: Goodbye
Merci: Thank you
S'il vous plaît: Please
Excusez-moi: Excuse me
Comment allez-vous?: How are you? (formal)
Comment ça va?: How are you? (informal)
Numbers
1-10: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix
11-20: onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt
Tens: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-
vingt-dix
100: cent, 1000: mille
Time Expressions
Days: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche
Months: janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre,
novembre, décembre
Aujourd'hui: Today
Demain: Tomorrow
Hier: Yesterday
Basic Conversation
Introducing Yourself
Je m'appelle...: My name is...
Je suis...: I am...
J'habite à...: I live in...
Je viens de...: I come from...
Enchanté(e): Nice to meet you
Question Formation
Inversion: Parlez-vous français?
Est-ce que: Est-ce que vous parlez français?
Intonation: Vous parlez français?
Question words: Qui? (who), Quoi? (what), Où? (where), Quand? (when), Comment?
(how), Pourquoi? (why)
Negation
Basic pattern: ne + verb + pas
Je ne parle pas français: I don't speak French
Other negatives: ne...jamais (never), ne...plus (no more), ne...rien (nothing)
Cultural Notes
Formal vs. Informal Address
Vous: Formal "you" (plural and formal singular)
Tu: Informal "you" (singular, friends, family)
When in doubt, use vous until invited to use tu
French Customs
Greet with "Bonjour" before any interaction
Cheek kisses (la bise) as greeting between friends
Meal structure: entrée (starter), plat principal (main), dessert
Formal dining etiquette still important
Regional Variations
Accents vary across France and Francophone countries
Vocabulary differences in Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland
Cultural practices differ throughout Francophone world
