Did you know that even native French speakers make lots of mistakes when using their own language? Some grammatical mistakes are so common that they become the new normal.
Idiomatic expressions such as au temps pour moi have been incorrectly spelled autant pour moi for so many decades that most people don’t even know they’re doing it wrong. And don’t get me started on speakers improperly using the conditional case instead of the indicative.
My point is that it’s no big deal to make French mistakes, as long as you can express yourself. As you come closer to fluency, you’ll have time to figure out what mistakes you’re still making and how to address them. And this is exactly what this guide is about.
In this article, we’ll list the most common mistakes people make when learning French, as well as some more advanced French mistakes for experienced students. We’ll cover a wide range of categories, from false friends to gender agreement, pronunciation, and word order. By the end of this guide, you should be better able to spot and correct French mistakes, some of which are very easy to fix.
Table of Contents- Gender and Agreement
- Faux-amis
- Conjugation
- Word Order
- Word Choice
- Pronunciation
- The Most Embarrassing French Mistakes
- Le Mot De La Fin
1. Gender and Agreement
What’s the most common mistake non-native speakers make? Gender agreement, without a doubt!
This is one of those typical French mistakes that allow us to pick out foreign learners, because these are mistakes that natives don’t usually make.
As you probably already know, French nouns—including inanimate objects, ideas, and abstract concepts—are either masculine or feminine.
For example, une chaise (“a chair”) is feminine, while un banc (“a bench”) is masculine.
Why is la route (“the road”) feminine but le trottoir (“the sidewalk”) masculine? It’s just plain arbitrary, but what really matters is: How do you know which gender a noun is?
Feminine endings: Most words ending in -e or -ion
| Masculine endings: Words ending in -age, -ege, -é, -isme + Everything else
|
How can you avoid making gender mistakes? I recommend that you always learn new nouns with their article.
SoleilUn soleil, Le soleil (“A sun”)LuneUne lune, La lune (“A moon”)
2. Faux-amis
The origin of the English language is still fiercely debated among linguists, but you’ve probably noticed that there are many French words in English. If you start digging, you’d be surprised how many you can find! Nearly thirty percent of English words could be of French origin.
In a way, this is really convenient when you learn the language, because you can understand lots of words before you even study them:
- Un prince (“a prince”)
- Une giraffe (“a giraffe”)
- Un régime (“a regime”)
- Une salade (“a salad”)
And the list goes on!
On the other hand, you should be extra careful about “false friends”: Similar words with wildly different meanings. These words might make you really confused when you see the French shopping for pain and poison!
- Un pain (“a loaf of bread”)
- Un poisson (“a fish”)
Want to avoid making inconvenient French word mistakes? Here are some of the trickiest false friends you should keep in mind:
You should not confuse… | With… |
Actuellement – Currently | Actually – En fait / Effectivement |
Effectivement – Actually / Indeed | Effectively – Efficacement |
Eventuellement – Possibly | Eventually – Finalement |
Sensible – Sensitive | Sensible – Raisonnable / Sensé |
Compréhensif – Understanding | Comprehensive – Complet |
Grave – Severe | A grave – Une tombe |
There are also false friends among verbs!
You should not confuse… | With… |
Attendre – To wait | To attend – Assister à |
Demander – To ask | To demand – Exiger |
Achever – To complete / To finish | To achieve – Atteindre |
Décevoir – To disappoint | To deceive – Tromper |
Injurier – To insult | To injure – Blesser |
Prétendre – To claim | To pretend – Faire semblant |
Supplier – To beg | To supply – Fournir |
Retirer – To withdraw | To retire – Prendre sa retraite |
Résumer – To summarize | To resume – Reprendre |
Rester – To stay | To rest – Se reposer |
And of course, beware of faux-amis among nouns!
You should not confuse… | With… |
Le pain – Bread | Pain – La douleur |
Une librairie – A bookshop | A library – Une bibliothèque |
Un store – A blind / A window shade | A store – Un magasin |
Un habit – Clothes | A habit – Une habitude |
Le hasard – Chance | Hazard – Danger |
Une fabrique – A factory | Fabric – Le tissu |
Une issue – An exit | An issue – Un problème |
Le pétrole – Oil | Petrol – L’essence |
Une cave – A cellar | A cave – Une grotte |
Do you want more? Here’s a massive list of the French-English faux-amis.
Nobody likes false friends!
3. Conjugation
This is another set of mistakes French learners make regularly. Conjugation is not the easiest part of French, and has its fair share of traps. Let’s shed some light on the most common offenders.
1 – Reflexive Verbs
Are you familiar with reflexive verbs? They’re the verbs starting with se:
- Se lever (“To stand up”)
- Se souvenir (“To remember”)
For example, to use the verb se dépêcher (“to hurry”), you’d say: Je me dépêche. (“I hurry.”) Literally, this means “I hurry myself.”
Here are some more conjugation examples:
- Elle s’habille. (“She dresses.” – Literally: “She dresses herself.”)
- Nous nous asseyons. (“We sit.” – Literally: “We sit ourselves.”)
A common mistake among students of French is to skip the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) and directly attach the subject to the verb:
Ils dépêchentIls se dépêchent. (“They hurry.”)Vous habillezVous vous habillez. (“You dress.”)
Most of the time, it just sounds incorrect. But in some cases, it can mean something different and lead to misunderstandings:
- Je me lave. (“I wash.”)
- Je lave. (“I clean.”)
2 – Passé Composé: Être or Avoir?
The passé composé is one of the most useful tenses in spoken French. It’s used to express things that happened in the past and are over now. It’s formed using an auxiliary + a conjugated verb.
Présent | Passé composé |
Je pars. (“I leave.”) | Je suis parti. (“I have left.”) |
Je dors. (“I sleep.”) | J’ai dormi. (“I have slept.”) |
But wait… In the first example, we formed it using the auxiliary verb être, while in the second example, we used avoir. How do you know which one to choose?
We generally use avoir, except in these two cases:
1) We use être for all reflexive verbs (those starting with se).
For example: se calmer (“to calm down”)
- Présent: Je me calme. (“I calm down.”)
- Passé composé: Je me suis calmé. (“I have calmed down.”)
2) We also use être for a few other verbs, mostly those that reflect a change of direction, state, or movement.
Some examples:
- venir
- aller
- entrer
- sortir
- arriver
- partir
- tomber
- monter
- rester
- retourner
- descendre
- passer
- → Do you wish there was more information to quench your insatiable thirst for tenses? Then you’re in luck. Head to FrenchPod101.com and check out our Complete Guide on French Conjugation!
4. Word Order
Many common French language mistakes have to do with using the incorrect word order. Here are a few of the errors you should watch out for:
1 – Misplacing Adjectives
French adjectives can be placed before or after the noun they describe, and a common mistake is to place them on the wrong side of the noun.
The majority of French adjectives are placed AFTER the noun:
- Une maison bleue (“A blue house”)
- Un objet bizarre (“A strange object”)
However, some of the most common French adjectives are placed BEFORE the noun:
- Une grande maison (“A big house”)
- Un bel object (“A beautiful object”)
In most cases, if you misplace an adjective, the sentence will simply sound “off.” But it can also create confusion in situations where an adjective’s position changes its meaning:
- Un ancien hôpital (“A former hospital”)
- Un hôpital ancien (“An ancient hospital”)
- → For more information, you may want to check out our article on The 100 Most Useful French Adjectives with examples of where to place them.
2 – Inverting the Verb and Subject When Speaking
Do you know how academic teaching and old-school grammar books keep promoting a weird vintage style that makes you sound like a dusty vinyl? The kind of teaching program that makes you say “Excuse me sir, would you please be so kind so as to fetch me the check, please?” when locals just say “Check please.”
In French, we have various ways to ask questions. One for oral interactions, one for writing only, and one for both. The written form consists of inverting the verb and pronoun, as in:
- Voulez-vous du café ? (“Do you want coffee?”)
- As-tu bien dormi ? (“Did you sleep well?”)
Sadly, many French teachers keep promoting this form without warning their students that they’ll often sound awkward if they use it in oral conversations. The following lines sound much more natural:
- Vous voulez du café ? (This is just as polite, as it also uses the formal vous.)
- Tu as bien dormi ?
- → Do you want to know more about questions? Check out our complete guide on the most useful French questions and how to answer them!
Only if you dress like this guy, should you invert verbs and subjects.
3 – Misplacing Pronouns
To keep it simple, let’s just say that French pronouns have the unpleasant habit of moving around the sentence instead of sticking to the position of what they’re replacing.
- David mange cette pomme. (“David is eating this apple.”)
- David la mange. (“David is eating it.”)
- David parle aux voisins. (“David is talking with the neighbors.”)
- David leur parle. (“David is talking to them.”)
It gets pretty rough when you have multiple pronouns in one sentence. They all need to be in the right place, otherwise the sentence will make no sense.
- Sophie donne une pomme à David. (“Sophie gives an apple to David.”)
- Elle la lui donne. (“She gives it to him.”)
Elle lui donne la.Elle lui la donne.
- → The placement of pronouns is a very complicated topic, so I won’t go too far into the specifics. But feel free to dive into our comprehensive guide on French pronouns on FrenchPod101.com.
5. Word Choice
As you get more and more comfortable with the language, picking the right word for any situation is what will get you from mastery to fluency.
1 – Jour vs. Journée
Here, it’s a matter of time unit versus duration.
In a nutshell, we use jour when we’re talking about a specific moment or counting the days:
- C’est le jour de Noël. (“It is Christmas day.”)
- Je t’appellerai dans deux jours. (“I’ll call you in two days.”)
And we use journée when we’re talking about a duration of time:
- J’ai dormi toute la journée. (“I’ve slept all day.”)
- C’est une très belle journée. (“It’s a very beautiful day.”)
This same rule of thumb applies to An / Année, Matin / Matinée, and Soir / Soirée.
2 – Pour vs. Par
Many learners confuse pour and par, and for good reasons! It’s not always easy to pick the right one, so let’s summarize what each one is used for:
► POUR
- Intention: C’est pour toi. (“It is for you.”)
- Destination: Nous partons pour le Canada. (“We’re leaving for Canada.”)
- Duration: Nous partons pour deux semaines. (“We’re leaving for two weeks.”)
Here, we could also say: Nous partons pendant deux semaines. - Instead of: Je paye pour toi. (“I’m paying for you.”)
- Percent: Dix pour cent. (“Ten percent.”)
In most cases, if you’re translating a sentence using “for,” you should probably use pour:
- Merci pour ton aide. (“Thank you for your help.”)
- Merci de m’aider. (“Thank you for helping me.”)
► PAR
- During: Ne sortez pas par ce temps. (“Don’t go out with that weather.”)
- To start/end with: Je commence par toi. (“I’m starting with you.”)
- Frequency: Trois fois par mois. (“Three times a year.”)
- Distribution: Deux cookies par personne. (“Two cookies per person.”)
In many cases, you’d translate “by” as par:
- Je le prend par la main. (“I take him by the hand.”)
- Par hasard (“By change”)
Nothing like an awkward party on New Year’s Day! (Le jour de l’an)
3 – Y vs. EN
Ready for more pronouns? There are two that just keep confusing students!
► Y
Y is used to replace:
- à [quelque chose] (“to [something]” / “about [something]”)
- en [quelque chose] (“in [something]”)
This [something] is often a place, but not always, as long as it’s inanimate.
- Je veux aller à Paris. (“I want to go to Paris.”)
= Je veux y aller. (“I want to go there.”)
- Je pense à mon avenir. (“I’m thinking about my future.”)
= J’y pense. (“I’m thinking about it.”)
- Je crois en la science. (“I believe in science.”)
= J’y crois. (“I believe in it.”)
► EN
En is used to replace de(s) ____ (“some ____” / “of ____”)
You’ll see it a lot when talking about quantities.
- J’ai une pomme. (“I have an apple.”)
= J’en ai une. (“I have one.”)
- J’ai deux frères. (“I have two brothers.”)
= J’en ai deux. (“I have two of them.”)
- J’ai beaucoup de cheveux. (“I have lots of hair.”)
= J’en ai beaucoup. (“I have a lot of it.”)
- Il a du temps. (“He has time.”)
= Il en a. (“He has some.”)
4 – C’est vs. Il est
► C’EST
To identify a thing or a person, we use c’est (or the plural ce sont) + noun.
- C’est un livre. (“That’s a book.”)
- Ce sont des amis. (“These are friends.”)
- C’est un cousin. (“He’s a cousin.”)
- C’est Sophie, ma voisine. (“This is Sophie, my neighbor.”)
► IL EST
To describe a thing or a person, we use il est / elle est (ils sont / elles sont in plural) + adjective or profession.
- C’est un livre. Il est cher. (“This is a book. It’s expensive.”)
- Ce sont des livres. Ils sont chers. (“These are books. They are expensive.”)
- C’est un bon ami. Il est très gentil. (“This is a good friend. He’s really nice.”)
- C’est Sophie. Elle est belge. Elle est professeur. (“This is Sophie. She’s from Belgium. She’s a teacher.”)
5 – Connaître vs. Savoir
► Connaître is about knowledge, and it refers to being acquainted with a place or a person:
- Je connais cet endroit. (“I know this place.”)
- Je connais cette personne. (“I know this person.”)
- Je connais cette théorie. (“I know this theory.”)
► Savoir is more like “to know (a fact),” such as things you know by heart or abilities:
- Je sais que tu es là. (“I know that you’re here.”)
- Je ne sais pas ce que je fais. (“I don’t know what I’m doing.”)
- Je sais danser. (“I know how to dance.”)
Je connais le Kung Fu. (“I know Kung Fu.”)
6. Pronunciation
French is full of challenging sounds for foreign students, such as the French guttural [R], the [U], and a collection of difficult nasal sounds. However, these are not what I would call the trickiest aspects of French. They just take time and practice to master.
For now, I’ll focus on three seemingly trivial things that I’ve seen many students struggle with: the final silent letters, the liaisons, and the French words for “more” and “not anymore.” These are some of the most common French pronunciation mistakes, so you should definitely pay attention here.
1 – Final Letters
French words often end with consonants. Some are silent, others are not, and it’s hard to predict whether you should pronounce them or not.
Let’s talk about the CaReFuL letters.
If a French word ends with C, R, F, or L (consonants from the word CaReFuL), the final letter is usually pronounced. Otherwise, the final letter is silent. This rule is not without exceptions, but when in doubt, you can rely on this trick.
Here are some examples of words where the final letter is pronounced:
- Un truc (“A thing”)
- Un dortoir (“A dormitory”)
- Le chef (“The boss”)
- Avril (“April”)
There’s one big exception to the CaReFuL rule: verbs ending with the letters “ER” have a silent R:
- Aimer (“To love”)
- Manger (“To eat”)
- Tuer (“To kill”)
All other consonant letters are usually not pronounced:
- Froid (“Cold”)
- Le poing (“The fist”)
- Un coup (“A hit”)
- Le marais (“The swamp”)
2 – The Art of Liaison
When one word ends with a consonant and the next starts with a vowel sound (but not necessarily a vowel), we sometimes do what we call a liaison (linking). This link between two words is what makes the sentence “flow.”
- Vous avez (“You have”) is pronounced [vou zavé]
- Ils ont (“They have”) is pronounced [il zon]
- Les enfants (From the letter S to the sound [en], we do the liaison)
- Les hommes (Hommes starts with a consonant but with a vowel sound, so we do the liaison)
And sometimes, you don’t make the liaison, as in:
- Les chiens ont aboyé. (“The dogs have barked.”)
We don’t make the first liaison between chiens and ont. However, you link ont and aboyé. It’s pronounced : [Lé chien on taboyé].
- David et Alain (“David and Alain”)
There is never a liaison with et.
→ Everything you need to know about silent letters, liaison, and more, is explained in all its detailed glory in our Full Guide on French Pronunciation!
Il a une liaison. (“He’s having an affair.”)
3 – Plus vs. Plus
Depending on the context, plus means either “more” or “not anymore.”
You generally pronounce the S when it has a positive meaning (more):
- J’ai besoin de plus de temps. (“I need more time.”)
- J’en veux toujours plus. (“I always want more.”)
- Servez-nous plus de vin. (“Serve us more wine.”)
And you don’t pronounce the S when it has a negative meaning (not anymore):
- Je n’en peux plus. (“I can’t take it anymore.”)
- Je ne veux plus dormir. (“I don’t want to sleep anymore.”)
- Il n’est plus là. (“He’s not here anymore.”)
With some exceptions! (It wouldn’t be French, otherwise.)
1) When positive plus is directly followed by an adjective that starts with a consonant sound, the S is not pronounced:
- C’est plus drôle. (“It’s more fun.”)
- C’est plus fort. (“It’s stronger.”)
2) When positive plus is directly followed by an adjective that starts with a vowel sound, the S is pronounced like a [Z]:
- Elle est plus intelligente. (“She’s more intelligent.”)
- C’est plus intéressant. (“It’s more interesting.”)
7. The Most Embarrassing French Mistakes
To finish on a lighter note, here are some of the worst cases of mistranslation that could put you in a shameful situation. Save yourself the embarrassment and try to remember them!
You should not confuse… | With… |
She’s good. – Elle est douée. | Elle est bonne. – She’s really hot. |
Literally, “good” translates to bonne in the feminine form. However, French is full of graphic slang and bonne, in the specific context of describing a woman, actually means “hot,” but in a much more sexual way than its English equivalent. As a result, if you hear your friend’s sister playing the violin and want to say that she’s really skilled, don’t say: Ta soeur est vraiment bonne ! (“Your sister is hot as hell!”) |
You should not confuse… | With… |
I envy you. – Je t’envie. | J’ai envie de toi. – I want you. |
“To envy” simply translates to envier. However, “to want” translates to avoir envie de. The difference is as subtle as it is important! If your friend is showing you his new shirt, describing how nice and cozy it feels, and you comment with J’ai envie de toi, your relationship might take an unexpected turn. |
You should not confuse… | With… |
Preservative – Conservateur | Préservatif – Condom |
This is a prime example of faux-ami, lurking in the dark, waiting to put you in embarrassing situations! When having dinner with your French hosts, you should probably NOT say: Dans mon pays, on met beaucoup de préservatifs dans la nourriture. (“In my country, we put lots of condoms in the food.”) |
Wait, what did you just say?
8. Le Mot De La Fin
In this guide, you’ve learned everything about the most frequent mistakes in French, from common word misplacement to pronunciation, conjugation, and more advanced French mistakes. Did I forget any important topic that you’d like to read about?
It’s no use trying to remember it all, but if you read this article once in a while, try to keep as many as you can in a corner of your mind. Try to spot the mistakes you keep making, so you can work on them prioritarily. Just take it at your own pace. =)
FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings and other free resources to boost your studies and keep your French-learning fresh and entertaining!
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher can help you correct these common mistakes (and more) using assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples. Your teacher can review your own recordings as well, to help you improve your pronunciation.
Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!
About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.
A Complete Guide on Questions in French & How to Answer Them
Just imagine: You’re going out with a group of native French-speakers. This is the perfect opportunity to make friends and practice your French in a real-life situation! But how do you break the ice? What should you say if you run out of topics, or if your French isn’t solid enough to fuel the conversation?
The universal answer is: ask questions! Among countless benefits, being able to ask questions in French will help you avoid awkward silences by keeping the conversation going. It will also make the other person feel like you want to know more about them or value their opinion, thus making you more likeable. Asking questions you’re genuinely interested in opens a world of new information and cultural insight!
Another perk is that you don’t have to talk too much; just sit back and listen. Don’t think about your next question or how to steer the conversation back toward yourself. Just enjoy the ride and dive into whatever the other person has to say.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything about asking questions in French, from the question words to a collection of common topics with comprehensive examples. By the end of this article, you’ll not only know how to ask questions in French, but also how to answer them!
1. Golden Rules of French Questions
Insightful answers can take you a long way!
In our daily lives, we have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, all day long: “Can I have a coffee?” / “At what time is that meeting, again?” / “What’s up, Sophie?” / “Is that seat taken?” / “How much is that product?”
We don’t even think about it, but a hefty portion of our social interactions is based on questions and answers—and this portion grows out of proportion as a foreigner in a strange land, where you need to learn the rules and make sense of unusual things.
Before we go any further, let’s look at the basic rules of how to formulate questions in French.
1 – The 3 French Question Patterns
We’ll start with this simple declarative sentence:
- Tu parles Français. (“You speak French.”)
Here are the three ways you can turn it into “Do you speak French?”
1. Parles-tu Français ?
This is mostly for written French, and it’s unlikely that you’ll hear it in spoken conversations. We simply invert the verb and the pronoun. This pattern only works with pronouns.
2. Est-ce que tu parles Français ?
This works fine in speaking or writing, making it the most polyvalent of the three forms. Est-ce que literally means “Is it that.” So, our sentence would translate to: “Is it that you speak French?”
3. Tu parles Français ?
This is the casual spoken form that you’ll rarely see in writing, and it’s super-easy to form. This is the exact same sentence as the declaration; we simply change the intonation (the pitch goes up at the end).
- → Learn more about these structures in our Complete Guide on French Sentence Patterns. It’s available for free on FrenchPod101.com.
2 – French Question Words
When? / Where? / How? / Why? / How much? / How many? / What?
Let’s have a look at how these questions look in French!
In this table, I will put all possible question forms, but you can usually use any of the three structures.
Quand (“When”) | Quand mangeons nous ? Quand est-ce qu’on mange ? On mange quand ? (“When are we eating?”) |
Où (“Where”) | Tu vas où ? (“Where are you going?”) |
Comment (“How”) | Comment ça marche ? (“How does it work?”) |
Pourquoi (“Why”) | Pourquoi est-ce qu’il fait ça ? (“Why is he doing this?”) |
Combien (“How many,” “How much”) | Combien ça coûte ? (“How much is it?”) |
QueQu’Quoi (“What”) | Que fais-tu ? Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? Tu fais quoi ? (“What are you doing?”) |
- → For more examples of common French questions, don’t forget to stop by our free list of The Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations on FrenchPod101.com.
Comment ça marche ? (“How does it work?”)
2. The 8 Most Common Question Topics
There’s such a wide range of basic French questions and answers that it would be impossible to list them all. But in this section, we’ll go through the most typical questions that you might be asked or want to ask your French pals.
For each topic, you’ll find examples of possible answers so that you can start imagining how you would deal with it yourself. A good exercise is to try and come up with answers of your own, using the vocabulary and structures you’ll learn today.
1 – Personal Information
The French usually don’t go too far with intimate questions when meeting someone for the first time. Questions about marital status, for instance, could be deemed a bit too personal for a first encounter.
That said, here are a few questions you can’t go wrong with:
How old are you?
- Vous avez quel âge ?
- Tu as quel âge ?
► J’ai 32 ans. (“I’m 32.”)
There’s no strict rule about it, but it’s commonly accepted in French etiquette that it’s a bit rude to ask a woman her age, just like you shouldn’t ask about her weight. It may not apply when the other person has no reason to feel insecure about it, but when in doubt, you’d better not ask.
The difference between the casual tu and formal vous is pretty much straightforward.
What’s your name?
- Comment tu t’appelles ? [Casual]
- Tu t’appelles comment ? [Casual]
- Comment vous appelez-vous ? [Formal]
- ► Je m’appelle Sophie. (“My name is Sophie.”)
Do you have brothers and sisters?
- Vous avez des frères et soeurs ?
- Tu as des frères et soeurs ?
- ► J’ai un frère et deux soeurs. (“I have a brother and two sisters.”)
► J’ai une grande soeur et un petit frère. (“I have a big sister and a little brother.”)
J’ai une soeur jumelle. (“I have a twin sister.”)
- → For more vocabulary and sentence structures, make sure to visit our complete guide on How to Introduce Yourself!
2 – Where are You From?
Being a foreigner in France, you’ll often be met with this question. Some people might try to guess, and some will just ask you; it’s bound to spark some interest and follow-up questions.
Asking this question to a French native while in France also works. They’ll answer about their hometown or region, and you may learn about interesting local traditions or exciting dishes!
Where are you from?
- Vous venez d’où ?
- Tu viens d’où ?
- Tu es d’où ?
- Tu es de quelle nationalité ?
Foreign answers
► Je suis Japonais. (“I’m Japanese.”) [Male]
► Je suis Japonaise. (“I’m Japanese.”) [Female]
► Je viens du Japon. (“I’m from Japan.”)
Local answers
► Je viens de Paris. (“I’m from Paris.”)
► Je suis Parisienne. (“I’m a Parisian.”) [Female]
► Je viens d’Alsace. (“I’m from the Alsace region.”)
What country are you from?
- De quel pays venez-vous ?
- Tu viens de quel pays ?
- ► Je suis Russe. (“I’m Russian.”)
► Je viens de Russie. (“I’m from Russia.”)
What city are you from?
- De quelle ville venez-vous ?
- Tu viens de quelle ville ?
- Tu habites dans quelle ville ? (“In what city are you living?”)
- ► Je suis de Toulouse. (“I’m from Toulouse.”)
► Je suis Toulousain. (“I’m a Toulousian.”)
► Je viens de Tokyo. (“I’m from Tokyo.”)
► J’habite à Niigata. (“I’m living in Niigata.”)
Where is it?
- Où est-ce que ça se trouve ? (“Where is it located?”)
- C’est où ? (“Where is it?”)
- C’est par où ? (“Where about is that?”)
- C’est dans quel coin ? (Literally: “In what corner is that?”)
- ► C’est sur la côte ouest. (“It’s on the West coast.”)
► C’est à côté de Londres. (“It’s near London.”)
► C’est près de la frontière Canadienne. (“It’s close to the Canadian border.”)
Tu viens d’où ? (“Where are you from?”)
- → For more country names in French, have a look at our free vocabulary list on FrenchPod101.com.
3 – Do You Speak ___?
Another foreigner-friendly topic. You may want to ask if the other person speaks English, just as you might be asked whether you speak French or not. This question can lead to a few potential follow-ups on studies, travels, and levels of proficiency.
Do you speak [Language]?
- Vous parlez Français ? (“Do you speak French?”)
- Est-ce que tu parles Anglais ? (“Do you speak English?”)
- ► Je parle un peu Français. (“I speak a bit of French.”)
► Je parle Anglais couramment. (“I speak English fluently.”)
► Comme ci comme ça. (“So-so.”)
► J’ai des rudiments de Japonais. (“I have Japanese basics.”)
How long have you been studying French?
- Vous étudiez le Français depuis combien de temps ?
- Tu étudies le Français depuis combien de temps ?
- ► J’ai étudié 2 ans à l’université. (“I studied for two years at the university.”)
► J’ai commencé il y a 6 mois. (“I started six months ago.”)
What languages do you speak?
- Quelles langues parlez-vous ?
- Tu parles quelles langues ?
- Tu parles quelles autres langues ? (“What other languages do you speak?”)
- ► Je parle Espagnol, Polonais et Roumain. (“I speak Spanish, Polish, and Romanian.”)
► Je parle juste Anglais et un peu Français. (“I only speak English and a bit of French.”)
4 – Concerning Hobbies
The French are about working hard but partying harder, and we tend to think that our hobbies define us more than our jobs. As a result, you may be asked about your tastes and favorite artists early in a conversation.
Asking these kinds of questions is a great way to show your interest in the other person and find common ground through shared interests. Following are some ways to ask and answer this type of question in French.
What are your hobbies?
- Quels sont vos loisirs ?
- Tu as quoi comme hobbies ?
- Quel est ton passe-temps préféré ? (“What’s your favorite pastime?”)
- Tu fais quoi pendant ton temps libre ? (“What do you do in your free time?”)
- ► J’aime aller au cinéma. (“I like going to the cinema.”)
► J’adore les jeux vidéos. (“I love video games.”)
► Je fais de la photo et du montage vidéo. (“I do photography and video editing.”)
Do you do sports?
- Vous faites du sport ?
- Tu fais du sport ?
- Tu fais quoi comme sport ? (“What sports are you doing?”)
- ► Je fais de l’escalade et de la plongée. (“I do climbing and diving.”)
► Je joue au Tennis. (“I play tennis.”)
What kind of [entertainment / art] do you like?
- Quel genre de film aimez-vous ? (“What kind of movies do you like?”)
- Tu écoutes quel genre de musique ? (“What kind of music do you listen to?”)
- Quel est ton acteur préféré ? (“Who’s your favorite actor?”)
- ► J’aime les films d’horreur. (“I love horror movies.”)
► J’écoute surtout du Blues et de la Deep House. (“I listen mostly to Blues and Deep House.”)
► Mon acteur préféré est Mads Mikkelsen. (“My favorite actor is Mads Mikkelsen.”)
J’aime la peinture. (“I love painting.”)
- → You’ll find many more words to talk about your hobbies on our free vocabulary list, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation.
5 – Let’s Talk Business
Even though we try to find a healthy balance between work and personal life, our professional dealings still take up an important part of our lives (and many hours during the week). As a result, don’t be surprised if it comes up early in a conversation when meeting strangers.
The French love to complain about their jobs: how they’re working too much for an insufficient salary, how their boss is a jerk and their company is a frustrating disarray. Please, don’t hold it against them!
What is your profession?
- Dans quoi travaillez-vous ? (“In what field are you working?”)
- Tu bosses dans quoi ? (“What’s your job?”)
- Tu fais quoi ? (“What do you do?”)
- Tu fais quoi dans la vie ? (“What do you do?” but literally “What do you do in life?”)
This last one sounds a bit silly and people use it with a smile, but it’s a great way to make sure your question is understood.
If you’re in a bar and you just say Tu fais quoi ? the other person could be caught off guard and answer “Nothing, why?” or “Huh…drinking a beer?”
- ► Je suis programmeur. (“I’m a programmer.”)
► Je bosse dans l’informatique. (“I work in IT.”)
► Je travaille dans l’aviation. (“I work in aviation.”)
► Je travaille à Decathlon. (“I work at Decathlon.”)
What do you study?
- Vous faites des études dans quel domaine ? (“In what field are you studying?”)
- Tu étudies quoi ? (“What are you studying?”)
- Tu étudies où ? (“Where are you studying?”)
- Tu apprends quoi ? (“What are you learning?”)
- ► Je fais des études en sociologie. (“I study sociology.”)
► J’étudie le droit international. (“I study international law.”)
► J’étudie à l’université de la Sorbonne. (“I study at the Sorbonne University.”)
J’étudie les mathématiques. (“I study mathematics.”)
- → You don’t know how to talk about your profession in French? Stop by our free vocabulary list on Jobs.
6 – Do You Like ___?
What better way to get to know someone than to find out what they like and dislike?
As a visitor, you may get the regular questions on how you appreciate the country or city you’re visiting, but you can use the same structure with any topic, from trivial to intimate!
In France, it’s usually fine to say when you don’t like something. Obviously, out of respect for your hosts, you might want to refrain from throwing mud at what they offer, but overall, compared to other countries, we can be rather blunt when expressing our opinion.
How do you like this place?
- Comment trouvez-vous Paris ? (“How do you like Paris?”)
- Comment tu trouves Toulouse ? (“How do you like Toulouse?”)
- Tu aimes Paris ? (“Do you like Paris?”)
- Tu te plais en France ? (“Do you enjoy France?”)
- ► Oui, j’adore Paris. (“Yes, I love Paris.”)
► Oui, mais c’est un peu bruyant. (“Yes, but it’s a bit noisy.”)
► C’est pas mal. (“It’s not bad.”)
► Non, pas trop. (“No, not so much.”)
Do you like that thing?
- Vous aimez la cuisine Française ? (“Do you like French cuisine?”)
- Est-ce que tu aimes le vin rouge ? (“Do you like red wine?”)
- Tu aimes les films avec des gladiateurs ? (“Do you like Gladiator movies?”)
- Est-ce que tu aimes la musique Française ? (“Do you like French music?”)
(It’s okay, you don’t have to say yes. I understand!)
- ► Oui, j’aime beaucoup ! (“Yes, I like it a lot!”)
► Non, je n’aime pas trop. (“No, I don’t really like it.”)
► Non, je déteste ça. (“No, I hate it.”)
► Oui, ça dépend. (“Yes, it depends.”)
(The perfect vague, non-committal answer to get yourself out of trouble!)
7 – Have You Been There?
Other basic French questions to a traveler, visitor, or expat are those about where you’ve been. When people have been to exotic places, they’re usually eager to talk about it and discuss landscapes, climates, and customs. It’s an interesting and safe topic for when you want to know more about someone’s past adventures.
Have you been to this place?
- Êtes-vous allé à Lyon ? (“Have you been to Lyon?”)
- Tu es déjà allé en Ecosse ? (“Have you ever been to Scotland?”)
- Tu as voyagé en Amérique du sud ? (“Have you traveled to South America?”)
- ► Oui, je connais bien. (“Yes, I know it well.”)
► J’y suis allé l’année dernière. (“I went there last year.”)
► J’y suis allé il y a longtemps (“I went there a long time ago.”)
► Non, je n’y suis jamais allé. (“No, I’ve never been there.”)
Have you visited this place?
- Tu as visité le musée du Louvre ? (“Did you visit the Louvre museum?”)
- Tu connais le pont de l’Alma ? (“Do you know the Alma Bridge?”)
- Tu es déjà allé sur les quais de Bercy ? (“Have you ever been to the docks of Bercy?”)
- ► Oui, j’y suis allé une ou deux fois. (“Yes, I have been there a couple of times.”)
► Non, pas encore. (“No, not yet.”)
► Je ne suis pas sûr. (“I’m not sure.”)
8 – How Much?
The final set of basic questions and answers in French you’ll for-sure need are those about costs and prices.
How much is it?
- Combien ça coûte ? (“How much does it cost?”)
- C’est combien ? (“How much is it?”)
- Je vous dois combien ? (“How much do I owe you?”)
- ► 12 euros, s’il vous plait. (“12€ please.”)
► 5 euros, s’il te plait. (“5€ please.”)
How much is this?
- La pinte est à combien ? (“How much is a pint?”)
- Celui-ci coûte combien ? (“How much is this one?”)
- Vous le faites à combien ? (“How much do you ask for this?”)
- ► Une pour 8€, deux pour 15. (“One is 8€, two for 15.”)
► Ça fait 20€, s’il vous plait. (“It will be 20€, please.”)
- → Check out our list of Money-related French Expressions for more on talking about cash and expenses.
Combien ça coûte ? (“How much is it?”)
Le Mot De La Fin
In this guide, you’ve learned the bread and butter of asking questions in French, from the question words to the most common topics, with plenty of examples.
Did we forget any important topic you’d like to learn about? Do you feel ready to get out there and express yourself, using everything you’ve learned today?
A good way to practice is to take each of the questions we’ve covered today and imagine how you would answer them. Maybe you’ll need to do some research on the sentence structures or key words, but it will be a great way to learn how to talk about yourself.
Learning how to talk about personal topics is always worth the time, as you can use this knowledge in any occasion, with your friends or people you’ve just met.
Make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also useful for revisiting new words and practicing their pronunciation.
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice questions and answers in French with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with the pronunciation.
Happy learning!
About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.
Our 2020 Guide on the DELF French Proficiency Test
What is DALF? Does it have anything to do with the alien-friendly 80s sitcom? And what about DELF? Are we talking engine oil and car lubricants? I’m sorry to disappoint, but we’re only referring to the most important French Proficiency tests on the market.
In this article, I’ll explain everything about the DELF & DALF language proficiency exams: what they are, how to sign up, and why you should care. You’ll also learn all the details about the six possible DALF/DELF French exam levels and how to identify yours.
Finally, you’ll have an in-depth look at the structure and content of all four sections of the exam, and more importantly, the best techniques to practice and pass the test yourself!
Ace your DELF or DALF with our collection of pro-tips.
Table of Contents1. What are DELF and DALF?
DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) and DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française) are the two official degrees that certify various levels of proficiency in the French language.
They’re issued by the French Ministère de l’éducation nationale (“Ministry of Education”), valid for life, and recognized worldwide, making them the best choices for validating your French proficiency.
There are six levels of DELF and DALF, ranging from A1 to C2. If you’re not yet at an A1 level, there’s another exam called DILF (Diplôme initial de langue française). Find more details about it right here.
Why Take the Exam?
There are many possible reasons why you’d want to pass a DELF or DALF:
- To get into a renowned French school or university
- To find a job in France
- To apply for a French residence permit
- To request French citizenship
- To get a French training approved within the framework of the CPF, or Compte personnel de formation (“Personal training account”)
Maybe you’ve just spent the last six months studying hard on FrenchPod101.com and want to show the world the extent of your skills.
In that case, DELF might be too much trouble and I’d rather recommend that you take one of our free language portfolio tests. If you’re a Premium PLUS subscriber, just ask your teacher about it and they’ll get you started in no time!
What Do They Look Like?
Depending on the level you’re taking, the DELF and DALF exams can be wildly different. However, each exam consists of four distinct sections:
- Compréhension de l’oral (Listening test)
- Compréhension des écrits (Reading test)
- Production écrite (Writing test)
- Production orale (Speaking test)
Each section is timed and will put your linguistic skills to the test!
You can find detailed information on the examination on the official website of France Education (that you may have seen referred to as CIEP in older articles).
How to Sign Up?
There are many testing centers around the world, and you can usually sign up online. Some of these centers are from the group Alliance Française and also provide specific training for the test, but it’s rather expensive and NOT mandatory.
However, whether you pay for extra training or not, there will be a registration fee to take the exam. Prices vary depending on the center and level, but you can expect it to be in the range of $200.
You can find all approved examination centers outside of France on this official page. It includes contact numbers and email addresses for you, as well.
The first three parts of the test are collective, and the oral exam is individual.
2. A Test for Every Level
Before you can choose the right test for your level, you need to be familiar with the CECRL system (Cadre Européen de référence pour les langues). This classification allows you to define your proficiency level in a foreign language, from A1 for beginners to C2 for experts.
Level | Description | You can: |
A1 DELF A1 | Beginner | Understand and use typical everyday expressions and simple statements about practical needs Introduce yourself to someone Ask questions about someone and answer similar types of questions Have very basic conversations if the other person is talking slowly and deliberately articulating |
A2 DELF A2 | Lower-intermediate | Understand isolated sentences and frequently used expressions from familiar daily situations (personal information, family, shopping, or work interactions) Communicate about common and simple tasks when they don’t require sharing too much information or unfamiliar topics Describe your current environment and express immediate needs |
B1 DELF B1 | Intermediate | Understand the main topics of a conversation in plain language, when it’s about familiar things (work, school, hobbies) Handle most daily interactions when traveling in a French-speaking country Produce simple texts on topics which are familiar or of personal interest Tell about events, experiences, or dreams, describe a hope or goal, and briefly explain a project or an idea |
B2 DELF B2 | Upper-intermediate | Understand the main ideas within a complex text on concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in your field of specialization Communicate spontaneously and effortlessly with a native speaker Express yourself in a clear and detailed manner on a wide range of subjects and explain a point of view on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options |
C1 DALF C1 | Advanced | Understand long and demanding texts and their implicit meaning Talk spontaneously and fluently without searching for your words too much Use the language in an efficient and flexible manner at home, work, or school Express your opinion on complex topics in a clear and structured manner, having full control over the linguistic tools for organizing and articulating your speech |
C2 DALF C2 | Proficient | Understand effortlessly anything you read or hear Summarize facts and arguments from various sources, written or spoken Express yourself spontaneously, very clearly, and fluently, and highlight slight nuances in meaning when talking about complex topics |
3. How to Succeed at DELF B2
In this section, we’ll mainly focus on the B2 DELF tests. This will allow you to get an in-depth look at one level, rather than a vague overview of all possible exams.
Why B2? Because this is the most common level they ask for when you’re looking for a job, and the minimum you should have when applying for a French university or school.
However, keep in mind that the structure, if not the timings, remains the same for all levels. Similarly, the Pro-Tips and How to Practice sections apply to most levels of DELF or DALF. Here’s the information you’ll need for your French DELF exam preparation:
1 – The Listening Test
Duration: 30 minutes, three exercises for a total of 25 points.
The Test
In this test, you’ll listen to two recorded documents. They can be conversations, interviews, news broadcasts, conferences, or recordings from the radio or TV shows.
- Before listening to the first document, you’ll have one minute to read the questions. Then, you’ll hear the document one single time (around two minutes). At the end of the recording, you have three minutes to answer the questions.
- Before listening to the second document, you’ll have one minute to read the questions. Then, you will hear the document for the first time (up to six minutes) and you’ll have three minutes to start answering the questions. Finally, you’ll hear the document for the second time and you’ll have five minutes to complete your answers.
Pro-Tips
- Make the most of the short time you’re given to read the questions. In the heat of the moment, this one minute feels like seconds. But knowing the questions in advance will help you focus on the specific information you have to extract from the recordings.
- Don’t get tricked and stay very alert. Don’t jump to conclusions too fast. The French DELF B2 exam is rather advanced, and appearances can be deceiving. If you hear the exact words of a question in the recording, it’s probably a trap and you should be careful about what’s really being said.
- Don’t worry about writing in flawless French, as long as you’re clear and accurate. The most important part of this text is to prove you’re a good listener, not a good writer.
How to Practice
- You should ideally practice a few minutes every day, with French radio, TV, movies, series, or directly with native speakers if you have this luxury. Podcasts can also be a good idea!
- Any listening exercise on FrenchPod101.com can be valuable practice to sharpen your ear.
- Check online for examples of DELF recordings, starting with the website of France Education International, the official DELF ministry.
When you come well-prepared for your listening exam!
2 – The Reading Test
Duration: around 1 hour, two to three exercises for a total of 25 points.
The Test
In this test, you’ll be given two written documents along with questions to test your comprehension. You have one hour in total to read the texts and answer all the questions.
- The first document will be informational, such as a news article or an essay about an aspect of French culture or values.
- The second document will be an opinion article on a controversial topic.
Pro-Tips
- Read the text very carefully before reading the questions, so you can get a first impression without any bias. Then quickly write down the main topics and ideas.
- Only then, read the questions and make sure you understand them perfectly before you read the text once again in this new light.
- Finally, answer the questions in the suggested order, always asking yourself why you’re answering that way (and not differently).
- It’s important that you keep coming back to the text to question your answers and make sure you’re still on track.
- Answer the question fully but concisely. You shouldn’t need more than a couple of sentences to prove your comprehension of the texts.
- Stay alert and be prepared for multi-part questions or word play. Some idiomatic expressions might trick you into answering the wrong question.
How to Practice
- It’s important that you practice by reading a wide variety of material, from blogs to newspaper articles, essays, or novels.
- Reading about politics, movie reviews, or heated internet debates are some ways to prepare yourself for the second text.
- Read some actual DELF tests to get a good idea of what to expect in terms of length and difficulty. You can find some French DELF B2 exam sample papers and more resources on the official website.
You can always find a minute to read some French!
3 – The Writing Test
Duration: around 1 hour, one writing exercise for a total of 25 points.
The Test
In this test, you’ll have to take a stand on a controversial topic. You can be asked to support a given topic, or to write against it, and justify your opinion. Your text will be based either on a short text, letter, or article, or just a few sentences describing the situation and what you need to write.
You have one hour to write your text with a minimum of 250 words.
Pro-Tips
- Make sure you’ve read the instructions very carefully and understand them fully.
- Remember that you’re not likely to be asked for your opinion, but rather to take a stand following some specific guidelines. For example: Write a letter explaining that you hate chocolate and why it should be forbidden. It doesn’t matter that you personally love chocolate; you’ll still have to write against it!
- Adapt your text to the target audience. Who’s writing? To whom? And why? If you’re pretending to write for a news website, you won’t use the same style as if you were writing a letter of complaint. The structure and style should match the type of text you’re writing.
- Write a quick outline of your text before you begin writing. Gather examples you can use to support and organize your arguments.
- Re-read your text very carefully, focusing on grammar, conjugation, and words agreeing in gender and number. Don’t forget about the punctuation.
How to Practice
- Reading is an effective way to improve your grammar and vocabulary, and get familiar with the most common sentence structures. You’ll have to focus your reading on opinion pieces and reviews to get used to the style, and to learn the kind of vocabulary and connecting phrases these texts use.
- Of course, writing is also great; but you’ll need to get feedback from a native speaker. There are some online communities where you can post your work and request feedback on websites like HiNative.
- If you’re a Premium PLUS subscriber, you can use MyTeacher and send your practice texts to your tutor for a detailed and comprehensive review.
- Read the instructions of actual B2 DELF tests to know what to expect. See how long it takes you to come up with your ideas and outline, and how comfortable you are writing 250 words within the rest of the hour.
Will there ever be a better time to start writing your memoir in French?
4 – The Speaking Test
Duration: around 50 minutes, including the preparation, for a total of 25 points.
The Test
In this test, you’ll have to present and defend an opinion, based on a short document provided to you.
You’ll have thirty minutes to read the document and prepare for a ten-minute oral speech.
Once you’ve told your piece, you’ll then discuss it with two examiners for ten more minutes. They’ll ask you questions to start a dialogue, and you’ll have to not only react to their solicitations, but also take initiatives in the exchange.
Pro-Tips
- Read the document carefully, as many times as it takes to be sure you perfectly understand what it says, as well as its implications.
- Decide whether you want to support the idea or argue against it, and what your take on the issue will be.
- Write a list of arguments and examples, in the form of bullet points. Remember you only have thirty minutes of preparation, and you shouldn’t try to write the whole script of your ten-minute speech.
- You may want to use some quotes from the text to make sure you don’t go completely off the rails. You can use these quotes to support the idea or contradict it.
- You can illustrate your opinion using examples from current events or knowledge from any source you’ve read or heard from. Using concrete words, details, and examples keeps people more interested than abstract concepts and ideas do.
- Try not to scatter yourself too much. You may want to articulate your speech around the classic triad of thesis, antithesis, synthesis.
How to Practice
- Check some official DELF tests to see what you should expect, the kind of texts they provide, and what you would talk about in your ten-minute speech. It’s the best way to practice in “real” test conditions.
- Practice your listening as much as possible. It’s often considered easier to make a statement than to understand one, and you’ll have to understand many questions from the two examiners.
- Practice speaking with natives as often as you can. Talking to random strangers is the best way to get out of your comfort zone and get used to different accents, speeds, and styles.
- If you don’t have native speakers available, try to practice with other learners or even alone. In that case, make sure to record yourself and try to correct your own mistakes. Speaking often, even to yourself, will make you more comfortable over time.
- And of course, if you’re using MyTeacher, you can send recordings to your tutor and get some great feedback on your grammar and pronunciation!
Conquer your French audience with well-crafted arguments!
4. Le Mot De La Fin
In this guide, you’ve learned everything about the French proficiency tests DELF and DALF, from the reading exam and essay-writing, to the listening test and oral speech.
Did I forget any practical information you need to get ready for your DELF exam? Do you feel ready to start practicing and rise to the challenge?
A good exercise to practice is to pick one of the official DALF or DELF French examinations and just do it, from A to Z. It’s gonna take a few hours, for sure, but only then will you know exactly what to expect, and how you should get ready for it!
FrenchPod101.com also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings, and free resources to boost your studies and keep your French-learning fresh and entertaining!
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. You can have your private teacher help you practice for your upcoming DELF exam, using personalized exercises and recorded audio samples; your teacher can also review your recordings to help improve your pronunciation.
Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!
About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.
Speak from Day 1 – The Top 10 French Sentence Patterns
What’s the best way to learn a foreign language? To speak it as early as you can! Are you going to achieve this by stuffing yourself with tedious grammar rules, barren conjugation tables, or endless vocabulary lists? Not likely.
A smarter approach is to quickly pick up on the most common and useful French sentence patterns—the kind that will allow you to communicate effectively in most day-to-day situations with your local friends or colleagues. Sure, it won’t allow you to express subtle thoughts on complicated topics. But it should cover a wide range of interactions and help you practice on a regular basis without being frustrated when you can’t say something as vital as “I like cheese.”
In this article, you’ll learn everything about the 10 most useful French sentence patterns, from making the most basic statement to asking questions, as well as expressing what you want or what you’ve done. And I promise you that once you’re comfortable with just these 10 basic French sentence patterns, you’ll be able to communicate more efficiently than after a hundred pages of grammar books!
Table of Contents- A is B
- It Is
- I Want
- I Need To
- I Like, I Love
- I’m Doing it Right Now
- I’ve Just Done It
- I’m Going to Do It
- Asking Questions
- Asking for Permission
- Le Mot De La Fin
Be the architect of your French sentences!
1. A is B
First on our French sentence list is how to describe something or someone, using nouns or adjectives to give it substance. To do this, we simply use the verb être (“to be”). You can find details about its conjugation right here.
- Paul est mon ami. (“Paul is my friend.”)
- Ce vin est un Saint Emilion. (“This wine is a Saint Emilion.”)
- Julie est ma copine. (“Julie is my girlfriend.”)
- Bastien était mon patron. (“Bastien was my boss.”)
- Les tomates sont des fruits. (“Tomatoes are fruits.”) – But are they, really? The jury is still out.
Now, here’s how it looks when we describe something or someone using an adjective:
- Paul est beau. (“Paul is handsome.”)
- Cette journée est importante. (“This day is important.”)
- Julie est très gentille. (“Julie is really kind.”)
- Bastien était jeune. (“Bastien was young.”)
- Cette voiture est neuve. (“This car is brand-new.”)
- → Learn many more useful adjectives in our article about the Top 100 most common French adjectives. It’s available for free on FrenchPod101.com.
Les tomates sont des légumes. (“Tomatoes are veggies.”)
2. It Is
Now that we’ve talked about “A is B,” there won’t be anything shockingly difficult here. But it is such a common French sentence structure that we need to see it in more detail.
C’est (“it is”) uses the verb être, and it can be used in a wide range of situations to describe either a thing, a situation, or an action.
- C’est super ! (“It’s great!”)
- C’est très intéressant. (“It’s very interesting.”)
- C’est gentil, merci. (“It’s kind, thank you.”)
- C’est assez dangereux. (“It’s rather dangerous.”)
- C’est trop tard. (“It’s too late.”)
- → Learn even more adjectives and their pronunciation in our free list of The 50 Most Common French Adjectives!
3. I Want
Anyone will tell you how important it is that you know what you want, but how do you talk about it in French? Let’s find out.
We use the verb vouloir (“to want”), and it works very similarly to how it does in English, with the indicative mood for something you WANT and the subjunctive mood for something you WOULD LIKE.
- Je veux (“I want”)
- Je voudrais (“I would like”)
You’ll find the full conjugation table for vouloir right here.
- Je veux un café. (“I want a coffee.”)
- Je veux te voir. (“I want to see you.”)
- Je veux que tu sois là. (“I want you to be there.” Literally: “I want that you would be there.”)
- Elle voudrait une bière. (“She would like a beer.”)
- Je voudrais venir demain. (“I would like to come tomorrow.”)
- Je voudrais que tu chantes. (“I would like you to sing.” Literally: “I would like that you would sing.”)
And let’s not forget “I don’t want,” as the French have no problem saying they don’t want something!
- Je ne veux pas venir. (“I don’t want to come.”)
Je ne veux pas venir. (“I don’t want to come.”)
4. I Need To
What’s more important than the things you want? The things you need!
Expressing your needs is something you’re likely to do on a daily basis: at work (I need more time; I need a new computer; I need friendlier customers), at home (I need a nap; I need to wash the dishes; I need an enormous fondue savoyarde and a bottle of pinot noir), or with friends (I need a beer; I need a cigarette; I need to kiss that girl tonight).
There are several ways to express your needs:
- J’ai besoin de (“I need,” or literally “I have need of”)
J’ai besoin + Nominal | J’ai besoin d’un café. (“I need a coffee.”) |
J’ai besoin + Infinitive verb | J’ai besoin de boire un café. (“I need to drink a coffee.”) |
- Je dois (“I must,” “I need to”)
Je dois + Infinitive verb | Je dois boire un café. (“I need to drink a coffee.”) |
- Il me faut (“I need”)
This one doesn’t really have a literal translation. It uses the verb falloir (“to have to”), conjugated with il (“he”). In a sentence like this, il is used as an impersonal pronoun, just like in the sentence Il pleut (“It rains”).
Il me faut + Nominal | Il me faut un café. (“I need a coffee.”) |
Technically, you could also say: Il me faut boire un café, but it’s overly sophisticated and would make people smile. You can use it in writing, though.
Here are some more French sentence examples for expressing needs:
- J’ai besoin de me reposer. (“I need to rest.”)
- Je dois te parler. (“I need to talk to you.” / “I must talk to you.”)
- Il me faut plus de temps. (“I need more time.”)
- Nous avons besoin d’une réponse. (“We need an answer.”)
- Il nous faudrait une nouvelle télé. (“We would need a new TV.”)
- → Make sure to visit our vocabulary list on the Top 10 Sentence Patterns for Beginners, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101.com.
J’ai besoin de dormir. (“I need to sleep.”)
5. I Like, I Love
Our desires and needs being satisfied, let’s talk about things we love.
The main thing you should know about “I like” and “I love” in French, is that we have one verb for both. You heard me: aimer can translate as “like” or “love,” depending on the context, and we have different ways to express them.
J’aime bien (“I like”)
Literally: “I like well,” this is for what you find quite enjoyable. You’re not crazy about it or ready to do anything to have it. You just like it, plain and simple.
- J’aime bien la bière, mais je préfère le cidre. (“I like beer, but I prefer cider.”)
- J’aime bien ce film. (“I like this movie.”)
J’aime (“I like” / “I love”)
This is the gray area. You can use aimer for things you “love” or “like” in English. It’s often in the middle, but not always; you’ll sometimes have to read the situation to find out.
- J’aime le fromage. (“I like cheese.”)
Here, I’m not saying it’s my favorite thing and I love it so much, but it’s stronger than j’aime bien.
- Je t’aime. (“I love you.”)
J’adore (“I love”)
When j’aime isn’t enough—when you’re talking about something you’re really fond of, like one of your favorite foods or a movie you could watch over and over—then you could use the verb adorer.
- J’adore la tartiflette ! (“I love tartiflette!”)
- J’adore cet album. (“I love this album.”)
What about people?
When it comes to people, should you say j’aime or j’aime bien? The answer is rather simple:
- Family, best friend, and romantic partner: J’aime.
- Friends and acquaintances: J’aime bien.
Here are a few examples to help you make sense of it:
- J’aime mes parents. (“I love my parents.”)
- Elle aime Nicolas. (“She loves Nicolas.” / “She’s in love with Nicolas.”)
- J’aime bien Kévin, il est sympa. (“I like Kévin, he’s nice.”)
J’aime les croissants. (“I like croissants.”)
6. I’m Doing it Right Now
This French sentence construction uses a verb equivalent to the English participle: verb + ING, in sentences like “I’m eating” or “She’s sleeping.”
In many cases, you could simply use the indicative present:
- Je mange. (“I’m eating.”)
- Elle dort. (“She’s sleeping.”)
But if you want to stress the fact that this is an ongoing process, the structure is a little bit more complicated. For this, we use: être en train de (literally: “to be in the process of”).
- Je suis en train de manger. (“I’m eating now.”)
- Elle est en train de dormir. (“She’s sleeping now.”)
- Nous sommes en train d’emménager. (“We are moving in now.”)
And before you ask, it doesn’t mean that I’m eating in the train or she’s sleeping in a train. None of this has to do with the railway network!
7. I’ve Just Done It
Another hugely popular French sentence pattern is Je viens de (“I’ve just”). Literally, it means “I come from” / “I’m coming from,” and indeed, you’re just “coming from” this last action, in a way.
- Je viens de dormir. (“I’ve just slept.”)
- Je viens de manger. (“I’ve just eaten.”)
You can make it even more immediate by adding juste (“just”) or even tout juste (literally: “all just”).
- Je viens juste de dormir. (“I’ve just slept now.”)
- Je viens tout juste de manger. (“I’ve just eaten right now.”)
8. I’m Going to Do It
Similarly, you’ll want to know how to talk about something you’re about to do. Luckily, there won’t be anything complicated here, as this sentence is formed exactly like in English, with the verb aller (“to go”).
- Je vais dormir. (“I’m going to sleep.”)
- Elle va manger. (“She’s going to eat.”)
- Nous allons bientôt partir. (“We’re going to leave soon.”)
Just like in English, it has this double meaning of “I’m about to” and “I’m moving toward,” but with context, it never creates any confusion.
In spoken French, this structure is very often used to talk about the future, much more often, actually, than the future tense itself. As a result, this might be the most important pattern on this list!
- → Do you need some verbs to use with patterns #6, #7, and #8? Make sure to check out our List of the 50 Most Common French Verbs with audio recordings!
Je viens de me lever. (“I’ve just got out of bed.”)
9. Asking Questions
Especially as a foreigner, we can’t stress enough the importance of learning how to form questions.
Whether you’ll be looking for a place, a person, or a word, chances are you’re gonna spend a lot of time asking questions. Let’s see the most popular French patterns for that.
We’ll start from this simple declarative sentence:
- Tu aimes les chats. (“You love cats.”)
There are mainly three ways to turn this into “Do you love cats?”
- Aimes-tu les chats ?
- Est-ce que tu aimes les chats ?
- Tu aimes les chats ?
#1 is barely ever used in spoken French, but is popular in writing.
#2 and #3 are equally common, and you should ideally master both. There’s not much difference in meaning, except that #2 makes clear from the start that you’re gonna ask a question, while #3 only expresses it at the end (thanks to the intonation).
- Aimes-tu les chats ?
Nothing difficult here. We’re simply inverting the verb and the pronoun.
It would be the same with any verb or pronoun, but it only works when the subject is a pronoun.
- Voulez-vous du vin ? (“Do you want wine?”)
- Allons-nous dormir ? (“Are we going to sleep?”)
- Est-elle partie ? (“Is she gone?”)
- Mange-t-il ici ? (“Is he eating here?”)
Did you notice this weird t- in the last sentence? We use it with the pronouns that start with a vowel sound, such as il, elle, ils, and elles, to make the sentence flow smoothly and avoid having an awkward transition from vowel to vowel.
- Est-ce que tu aimes les chats ?
Est-ce que literally means “is it that.” So, our sentence would translate to: “Is it that you love cats?” It’s invariable regardless of the verb or subject, and it works with anything, not just pronouns.
- Est-ce que vous voulez du vin ? (“Do you want wine?”)
- Est-ce que nous allons dormir ? (“Are we going to sleep?”)
- Est-ce qu’elle est partie ? (“Is she gone?”)
- Est-ce qu’il mange ici ? (“Is he eating here?”)
- Tu aimes les chats ?
This one is really straightforward. Simply take the declarative sentence and end it with an interrogation mark. We don’t use it in formal writing, but very often in spoken French with the right intonation.
Of course I love cats. Who could resist these eyes?
Now, what if I want to ask questions about What, Where, When, How, or Why?
Let’s take a look at each of the three forms with the simple sentence: Tu manges. (“You eat.”)
“What are you eating?” | Que manges-tu ? | Qu’est-ce que tu manges ? | Tu manges quoi ? |
“Where are you eating?” | Où manges-tu ? | Où est-ce que tu manges ? | Tu manges où ? |
“When are you eating?” | Quand manges-tu ? | Quand est-ce que tu manges ? | Tu manges quand ? |
“How are you eating?” | Comment manges-tu ? | Comment est-ce que tu manges ? | Tu manges comment ? |
“Why are you eating?” | Pourquoi manges-tu ? | Pourquoi est-ce que tu manges ? | Pourquoi tu manges ? |
And last but not least, here’s how you can stress a question, like you would do in English with “Right?” or “Isn’t it?”
- Tu aimes les chats, non ?
- Tu aimes les chats, n’est-ce pas ?
- Tu aimes les chats, hein ?
This is a declarative phrase, followed by a short question. Non ? is probably the most common.
- → For more question examples, don’t forget to stop by our free list of The Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversation! It’s free on FrenchPod101.com.
10. Asking for Permission
And finally, going to France, you might want to work on your first impression by following the well-known French etiquette.
Luckily, being polite isn’t rocket science, and with only a few set French phrases, you’ll get through any daily situation! These phrases are:
- “Can I ____?”
Just like we explained in section #9, there are three ways you can ask this question. The first one is only for written French, while the other two are equally common. We use the verb pouvoir (“can”).
1. Puis-je avoir un verre d’eau ? (“Can I have a glass of water?”)
2. Est-ce que je peux avoir un verre d’eau ?
3. Je peux avoir un verre d’eau ?
- “Please”
S’il vous plaît (“please”) literally means: “If it pleases you.” It might sound very fancy, but it’s actually the simplest way we have to say “please.” With vous (formal “you”), it’s the formal way to address strangers, the elderly, or business partners.
S’il te plaît (“please”) uses tu (casual “you”), and it’s the casual form to address kids, family, friends, or colleagues.
For example, in a restaurant:
- Je peux avoir un verre d’eau, s’il vous plaît ? (“Can I have a glass of water, please?”)
And if you’re visiting a friend:
- Je peux avoir un verre d’eau, s’il te plaît ? (“Can I have a glass of water, please?”)
10 French sentence patterns, endless possibilities.
11. Le Mot De La Fin
In this guide, you’ve learned everything about the most useful French sentence patterns, from basic French sentences to questions, polite requests, and expressing what you love or want.
Did we forget any important pattern you would like to know about? Do you feel ready to start talking to random strangers using everything you’ve learned today?
Make sure to explore FrenchPod101.com, as we have plenty of free resources for you to practice your grammar and learn new words. The vocabulary lists are also a great way to review the words and learn their pronunciation.
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice talking about French sentence patterns with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with the pronunciation.
About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.
100 Must-Know French Adverbs
Could you imagine a novel written without any adverbs? It would feel terribly bland and boring, devoid of flavor and lacking substance. You wouldn’t have characters walking awkwardly or talking softly; they couldn’t stare suspiciously or ambiguously. They could only gaze upon the world with flat eyes.
Luckily, writers as well as speakers have a wide collection of adverbs at their disposal to spice things up. French adverbs describe where, when, how, and much more. They can express the feelings and perspective of the speaker and make any description tremendously more lively and colorful, just like adjectives do in their own way—starting with this very sentence!
French adverbs are not particularly tricky, but they still hold a few secrets which we’ll unfold together. In this article, we’ll cover French adverb placement, their formation, and most importantly, we’ll give you an extensive list of the 100 most useful French adverbs to know.
Table of Contents- French Adverbs User Manual
- The 100 Most Useful French Adverbs
- How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French
Can you feel the magic of adverbs washing over you?
1. French Adverbs User Manual
1 – What are they?
Adverbs are a type of word that works together with a verb, an adjective, or another adverb to change its meaning or make it more precise. Basically, they describe verbs, adjectives, or fellow adverbs.
Here are some examples of French adverbs:
- Doucement (“Softly”)
- Sérieusement (“Seriously”)
- Furieusement (“Furiously”)
And here’s how they combine with the verb parler (“to speak”):
- Je parle doucement. (“I speak softly.”)
- Je parle sérieusement. (“I speak seriously.”)
- Je parle furieusement. (“I speak furiously.”)
With just one word, you completely change the tone of the sentence and create a whole different mood.
2 – What are they made of?
In French, just like in English, adverbs are often based on adjectives. More specifically, they’re based on the feminine form of the adjective.
Do you remember how French adjectives have masculine and feminine forms? If not, be sure to check our previous article on the 100 Must-Know French Adjectives!
Here’s an example of the masculine vs. feminine forms of French adjectives:
- Doux / Douce (“soft”)
- Sérieux / Sérieuse (“serious”)
Now, here’s how to go about forming French adverbs from adjectives:
Feminine adjective + ment = Adverb
- Douce (“Soft”) >> Doucement (“Softly”)
- Sérieuse (“Serious”) >> Sérieusement (“Seriously”)
- Rapide (“Quick”) >> Rapidement (“Quickly”)
Then, like in English, there are a few exceptions to this rule.
Adjectives ending with -i are formed like this: Masculine adjective + ment = Adverb
|
Adjectives ending with -ent or -ant are formed with: Masculine adjective – nt + mment = Adverb
|
And of course, there are the rebellious ones that don’t follow any rules:
- Bon (“Good”) >> Bien (“Well”)
- Mauvais (“Bad”) >> Mal (“Badly”)
Finally, many common adverbs in French are not created from adjectives. You’ll find plenty of them in our list.
What are these mysterious adverbs? Let’s find out!
3 – Where do they live?
Now, where do adverbs go in French sentences? Luckily, this is very similar to English.
When adverbs modify verbs, they usually come AFTER the verb.
- Je parle doucement. (“I speak softly.”)
- Elle mange lentement. (“She eats slowly.”)
- Nous travaillons sérieusement. (“We work seriously.”)
When adverbs modify adjectives or adverbs, they come AFTER the verb and BEFORE the adjective / adverb.
- C’est vraiment bien. (“It’s really good.”)
- Il est souvent absent. (“He’s often absent.”)
- Ils sont plutôt intelligents. (“They are rather intelligent.”)
- →Make sure to visit our vocabulary list on the Must-Know Adverbs to Connect Your Thoughts, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101.com.
2. The 100 Most Useful French Adverbs
1. French Adverbs of Time (When?)
1
Tard “Late” | C’est trop tard. “It is too late.” |
2
Tôt “Early” | Je me lève tôt. “I wake up early.” |
3
Bientôt “Soon” | Nous arriverons bientôt. “We will arrive soon.” |
Bientôt literally means “Well early.” |
4
Déjà “Already” | Tu as déjà mangé ? “Have you eaten already?” |
5
Hier “Yesterday” | Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis hier. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday.” |
6
Aujourd’hui “Today” | Il fait beau aujourd’hui. “It’s sunny today.” |
Why is this word so weird? It has a long and interesting story, but to keep it short: Au + jour + de + hui, literally means “on the day of today.” Hui isn’t used anymore and originally comes from the Latin word hodie. |
7
Demain “Tomorrow” | Il va pleuvoir demain. “It’s going to rain tomorrow.” |
8
Longtemps “A long time,” “Long” | Ça ne prendra pas longtemps. “It won’t take long.” |
Longtemps is simply the combination of long (“long”) + temps (“time”). |
9
Longuement “At length” | Ils en ont parlé longuement. “They talked about it at length.” |
10
Brièvement “Briefly” | Je vais expliquer brièvement les règles. “I will briefly explain the rules.” |
11
Maintenant “Now” | Nous partons maintenant. “We leave now.” |
12
Avant “Before” | C’était mieux avant. “It was better before.” |
13
Après “After” | J’irai après le travail. “I will go after work.” |
14
Encore “Again,” “Still” | Ils reviendront encore et encore. “They will come back again and again.” Elle vit encore à cette adresse ? “She still lives at this address?” |
15
Enfin “At last” | J’ai enfin terminé ! “I’ve finished at last!” |
16
Ensuite “Then” | On va ensuite le mettre au four. “Then, we’re going to put it in the oven.” |
Another quick tip for this one: une suite means “sequel” or “follow-up.” |
17
Précédemment “Previously” | Revenons sur les problèmes mentionnés précédemment. “Let’s go back to the previously mentioned issues.” |
18
Actuellement “Currently” | Vous ne pouvez actuellement pas acheter ce produit. “You can’t currently buy this product.” |
This is what we call a “false friend.” Although it looks like the English word “actually,” it has a different meaning. “Actually” would translate to en fait. To make things even more confusing, “currently” comes from the same root as couramment which has yet a different meaning (“commonly”). I think I need an Aspirin! |
19
Dernièrement “Lately” | Je fume beaucoup dernièrement. “I smoke a lot, lately.” |
Dernièrement comes from the word dernier (“last”) but it doesn’t mean “lastly.” This would be enfin or finalement. |
20
Soudain “Suddenly” | Il a soudain arrêté de fumer. “He has suddenly stopped smoking.” |
21
Alors “Then” | Il a alors commencé à boire. “He then started drinking.” |
J’ai enfin terminé ! (“I have finished, at last!”)
2. French Adverbs of Frequency (How Often?)
22
Jamais “Never” | Je n’oublierai jamais. “I will never forget.” |
23
Parfois “Sometimes” | Elle mange parfois dehors. “She sometimes eats outside.” |
24
Rarement “Rarely” | Je vais rarement au cinéma. “I rarely go to the cinema.” |
25
Trop “Too much” | J’ai trop mangé… “I’ve eaten too much…” |
It’s also very common to use trop with the meaning of “so,” either in a positive or negative context: C’est trop bien ! (“It’s so good!”) C’est trop chiant… (“It’s so annoying…”) |
26
Souvent “Often” | Tu fais souvent la fête ! “You often have parties!” |
27
Habituellement “Usually” | Il se couche habituellement vers minuit. “He usually goes to bed around midnight.” |
Habituellement comes from une habitude (“a habit”), and describes something that happens routinely. We use it almost like “usually” for anything that keeps repeating until it becomes predictable. |
28
Généralement “Generally,” “Usually” | Ils commencent généralement à l’heure. “They usually start on time.” |
29
Couramment “Commonly,” “Fluently” | C’est l’option la plus couramment utilisée. “This is the most commonly used option.” Vous parlez couramment Allemand. “You speak German fluently.” |
30
Toujours “Always” | Je t’aimerai toujours. “I will always love you.” |
31
Tout le temps “All the time” | Elle a tout le temps faim en ce moment. “She’s always hungry lately.” |
32
Quotidiennement “Daily” | Il s’entraîne quotidiennement. “He’s training daily.” |
33
Mensuellement “Monthly” | Vous serez prélevé mensuellement. “You will be charged monthly.” |
34
Fréquemment “Frequently” | J’ai fréquemment envie d’un gros kebab. “I frequently want a big kebab.” |
35
Peut-être “Maybe” | Elle viendra peut-être ce soir. “Maybe she’ll come tonight.” |
This weird contraption is the combination of peut (from the verb pouvoir, meaning “can”) and the verb être (“to be”). It literally means “can be” or “may be.” Quite fitting, right? |
36
Aussi “As well,” “Too,” “Also” | Tu veux venir aussi ? “Do you also want to come?” |
37
Egalement “As well,” “Too,” “Also” | Tu viendras également ? “Will you come as well?” |
This is a slightly more sophisticated version of aussi, but they have the same meaning, really. |
38
Même “Same” | On a tous les deux la même coiffure. “We both have the same haircut.” |
Il s’entraîne quotidiennement. (“He trains daily.”)
3. French Adverbs of Place (Where?)
39
Ici “Here” | Tu viens souvent ici ? “Do you come here often?” |
40
Là “There” | Tu peux le mettre là. “You can put it there.” |
41
Partout “Everywhere” | Je veux voyager partout ! “I want to travel everywhere!” |
42
Nulle part “Nowhere” | Ce chemin ne mène nulle part. “This road is going nowhere.” |
43
Quelque part “Somewhere” | Si on continue de marcher, on arrivera quelque part. “If we keep walking, we’ll end up somewhere.” |
44
Ailleurs “Somewhere else” | Si on ne peut pas rester ici, on ira ailleurs. “If we can’t stay here, we’ll go somewhere else.” |
45
Dedans “Inside” | Tu vois ce qu’il y a dedans ? “Do you see what’s inside?” |
46
Dehors “Outside” | Les enfants sont allés jouer dehors. “The kids have gone outside to play.” |
47
En haut “Up,” “Above” | Elle a marché tout en haut de la montagne. “She walked all the way up the mountain.” |
48
En bas “Down,” “Below” | Elle est revenue en bas pour camper. “We went back down to camp.” |
49
Dessus “Over,” “On” | Les ingrédients sont écrits dessus. “The ingredients are written on it.” |
50
Dessous “Under,” “Below” | Il est enterré en dessous de ce rocher. “It is buried under this rock.” |
51
Loin “Far” | Nous avons marché plus loin que prévu. “We have walked farther than planned.” |
52
Près “Close” | Le prochain camp est près du sommet. “The next camp is close to the summit.” |
53
Autour “Around,” “Round” | Asseyez-vous autour du feu. “Gather round the fire.” |
54
Là-bas “Over there” | Nous y arriverons avant midi. “We will get there before noon.” |
Ils marchent loin. (“They walk far.”)
4. French Adverbs of Manner (How?)
55
Bien “Well” | On mange bien ici ! “We eat well here!” |
56
Mal “Badly,” “Poorly” | Ce texte est mal traduit. “This text is poorly translated.” |
57
Doucement “Softly,” “Quietly” | Parlez doucement, les enfants sont couchés. “Speak softly, the kids are sleeping.” |
58
Lentement “Slowly” | Je pédale lentement car je suis fatigué. “I pedal slowly because I’m tired.” |
59
Vite “Quickly” | Je pédale plus vite quand je suis en forme. “I pedal faster when I’m in good shape.” |
60
Rapidement “Fast,” “Quickly,” “Shortly” | Dis moi si je parle trop rapidement. “Tell me if I speak too fast.” |
61
Calmement “Calmly,” “Quietly” | J’attends calmement mon tour. “I quietly wait for my turn.” |
62
Joyeusement “Joyfully,” “Happily” | Elle souriait joyeusement. “She was smiling joyfully.” |
63
Facilement “Easily” | Tu apprends facilement de nouvelles langues. “You easily learn new languages.” |
64
Litttéralement “Literally” | Il y a littéralement des centaines d’adverbes ! “There are literally hundreds of adverbs!” |
65
Simplement “Simply,” “Just” | Tu peux simplement le démonter avec cet outil. “You can simply disassemble it with this tool.” Je veux simplement t’aider. “I just want to help you.” |
66
Gentiment “Gently” | Demande-moi gentiment. “Ask me nicely (gently).” |
67
Heureusement “Luckily” | Heureusement, l’histoire se termine bien. “Luckily, the story ends well.” |
Beware of another false friend! Heureusement comes from heureux (“happy”), but it doesn’t mean “happily.” This would be joyeusement or volontiers. |
68
Poliment “Politely” | On lui a demandé poliment de partir. “We politely asked him to leave.” |
69
Brusquement “Suddenly” | Le sentier s’arrête brusquement. “The trail suddenly stops.” |
70
Naturellement “Naturally” | Nous cherchons naturellement un autre chemin. “We naturally look for another way.” |
71
Précisemment “Precisely” | Nous marchions depuis précisément une heure. “We were walking for precisely one hour.” |
72
Parfaitement “Perfectly” | Je savais parfaitement où nous allions. “I knew perfectly well where we were heading.” |
73
Sérieusement “Seriously” | Nous pensons sérieusement à revenir sur nos pas. “We’re seriously considering backtracking.” |
74
Ainsi “As well as,” “Thus,” ? | On pourrait ainsi trouver notre chemin. “It would allow us to find our way.” |
This one is tough to translate. It often means “as a result,” but in a more subtle way… So subtle that it could often be omitted in most translations. |
Je m’excuse poliment. (“I politely apologize.”)
5. French Adverbs of Quantity and Degree (How Much? To What Extent?)
75
Vraiment “Truly,” “Really” | J’ai vraiment faim ! “I’m really hungry!” |
76
Plutôt “Rather” | Tu ne veux pas plutôt reprendre un verre ? “Won’t you rather have another drink?” |
77
Assez “Enough” | Tu ne crois pas que tu as assez bu ? “Don’t you think you’ve been drinking enough?” |
78
Tout “All,” “Everything” | Je veux tout essayer. “I want to try everything.” |
79
Rien “Nothing” | Tu n’as encore rien vu. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” |
80
Surtout “Especially” | J’aime surtout le vin. “I especially love wine.” |
Quick tip: Surtout literally means “above all.” |
81
Beaucoup “Many,” “Much,” “A lot” | Tu en bois beaucoup. “You drink a lot of it.” |
82
Seulement “Only” | J’en ai bu seulement quatre verres. “I only had four glasses.” |
83
Presque “Almost” | Tu as presque fini la bouteille. “You almost finished the bottle.” |
84
Quasiment “Almost” | La seconde bouteille est quasiment pleine. “The second bottle is almost full.” |
85
Peu “Little,” “Few” | Il en reste peu. “There is little left.” |
86
Très “Very,” “Really” | Le fromage aussi est très bon ! “The cheese is very good as well!” |
87
Nettement “Clearly” | C’est nettement meilleur avec du pain. “It’s clearly better with bread.” |
88
Carrément “Totally” | Ah oui, j’avais carrément oublié. “Oh yes, I totally forgot.” |
89
Absolument “Absolutely” | Tu dois absolument essayer. “You absolutely need to try.” |
90
Franchement “Frankly,” “Really,” “Truly” | C’est franchement délicieux. “It’s really delicious.” |
91
Certainement “Certainly,” “Probably” | Celui-ci est certainement mon préféré. “This one is certainly my favorite.” |
92
Extrêmement “Extremely” | Il est extrêmement cher. “It’s extremely expensive.” |
93
Terriblement “Terribly,” “Badly” | J’en ai terriblement envie. “I badly want it.” |
94
Combien “How,” “How much,” “How many” | Tu sais combien ça coûte ? “Do you know how much it cost?” |
95
Plus “More” | J’en commanderai plus la prochaine fois. “I will order more next time.” |
96
Davantage “More” | J’en commanderai davantage tout à l’heure. “I will order more later.” |
This is the sophisticated version of plus. Both have very similar meanings. |
97
Moins “Less” | Je dépenserais moins, si j’étais toi. “I would spend less, if I were you.” |
98