Phrasebook

181 entries

• [Bonjour]Hello / Good dayWeek 1 · Use before about 6pm.
• [Bonsoir]Good eveningWeek 1 · After about 6pm.
• [Au revoir]GoodbyeWeek 1
• [S'il vous plaît]Please (formal)Week 1
• [Merci beaucoup]Thank you very muchWeek 1 · Merci on its own is plenty most of the time.
• [De rien]You're welcomeWeek 1
• [Oui]YesWeek 1
• [Non]NoWeek 1
• [Pardon]Excuse me / sorryWeek 1
• [Madame]Mrs / madamWeek 1 · The safe default for any adult woman.
• [Monsieur]Mr / sirWeek 1
• [Mademoiselle]MissWeek 1 · For young or unmarried women. Madame is safer if you are unsure.
• [Comment ?]What? / Pardon?Week 1 · Asks someone to repeat. Treated as a whole chunk this week.
• [Ça va ?]How are you?Week 1 · Casual and universal. Works as question and answer.
• [Ça va.]I'm fine.Week 1
• [Et vous ?]And you? (formal)Week 1
• [Bonjour,] je m'appelle name.Hello, my name is ___.Week 1
• Un café, [s'il vous plaît].A coffee, please.Week 1 · Swap the noun for anything you want to order.
• — [Ça va ?] — [Ça va, et vous ?]— How are you? — Fine, and you?Week 1
• Je m'appelle…My name is…Week 2
• J'habite à / en…I live in…Week 2 · à before a town, en before many countries — en France.
• J'ai … ans.I am … years old.Week 2 · Literally: I have sixty years.
• un filsa sonWeek 2
• une fillea daughter / a girlWeek 2
• un maria husbandWeek 2
• une femmea wife / a womanWeek 2 · One word does both jobs — context decides.
• un petit-filsa grandsonWeek 2 · un petit-enfant is a grandchild of either sort.
• une petite-fillea granddaughterWeek 2
• la famillethe familyWeek 2 · Feminine — la, and ma rather than mon.
• un ami / une amiea friend (m / f)Week 2 · Add -e for a female friend. It sounds the same.
• le travailwork / jobWeek 2
• à la retraiteretiredWeek 2 · Worth having ready — it comes up constantly.
• Je m'appelle name, j'habite à place.I'm ___, I live in ___.Week 2
• J'ai number ans et je suis à la retraite.I'm ___ and I'm retired.Week 2
• J'ai un fils / deux filles et number petits-enfants.I have ___ and ___ grandchildren.Week 2
• la maisonthe houseWeek 3
• la cuisinethe kitchenWeek 3
• le salonthe living roomWeek 3
• la chambrethe bedroomWeek 3
• la portethe doorWeek 3
• la fenêtrethe windowWeek 3
• la tablethe tableWeek 3
• la chaisethe chairWeek 3
• le painbreadWeek 3
• le cafécoffeeWeek 3
• le théteaWeek 3
• l'eauwaterWeek 3 · Feminine, but la has vanished into l'. The slant is the only cue left — memorise it with the word.
• le vinwineWeek 3
• le fromagecheeseWeek 3
• le caféthe café / bar (the place)Week 3 · Same word as the drink. Context does the work.
• le menuthe set menuWeek 3
• la cartethe list of dishesWeek 3 · À la carte — choosing individual dishes rather than the set menu.
• Où est la cuisine / les toilettes ?Where is ___ / where are ___?Week 3
• Je voudrais un café / du pain.I would like ___.Week 3 · voudrais is the polite would like. Use it and you will always sound courteous.
• L'addition, [s'il vous plaît].The bill, please.Week 3
• [J'ai faim]I'm hungryWeek 4 · Literally: I have hunger.
• [J'ai soif]I'm thirstyWeek 4
• [J'ai froid]I'm coldWeek 4
• [J'ai chaud]I'm hotWeek 4
• Je voudrais réserverI would like to bookWeek 4 · A table or a room. Two verbs in a row — the second stays in its plain form.
• J'ai noun / age.I have ___ / I am ___.Week 4
• Je veux noun.I want ___.Week 4 · Direct. Fine with family, blunt with a waiter.
• Je voudrais noun, [s'il vous plaît].I would like ___, please.Week 4
• je parleto speak (-er group) — jeWeek 5
• je finisto finish (-ir group) — jeWeek 5
• je vendsto sell (-re group) — jeWeek 5
• je suisto be — jeWeek 5
• je aito have — jeWeek 5
• je vaisto go — jeWeek 5
• je faisto do or make — jeWeek 5
• je peuxcan, to be able — jeWeek 5
• je veuxto want — jeWeek 5
• je prendsto take — jeWeek 5
• [je suis]I amWeek 5
• [j'ai]I haveWeek 5
• [je vais]I am going / I'm about toWeek 5
• [vous pouvez]you canWeek 5
• [c'est]it is / that isWeek 5
• [il y a]there is / there areWeek 5 · Three tiny words doing one job. Never dissect it.
• Je parle français.I speak French.Week 5
• Vous pouvez répéter ?Can you repeat?Week 5 · Two verbs in a row — the second stays in its dictionary form.
• Nous allons au café.We are going to the café.Week 5
• Où ?Where?Week 6
• Quand ?When?Week 6
• Comment ?How?Week 6 · Also the polite How are you — literally How do you go.
• Pourquoi ?Why?Week 6
• Qui ?Who?Week 6
• Combien ?How much / how many?Week 6
• Quel / Quelle ?Which? (m / f)Week 6
• [Où est… ?]Where is…?Week 6
• [Où sont… ?]Where are…?Week 6
• [à gauche]on the leftWeek 6
• [à droite]on the rightWeek 6
• [tout droit]straight onWeek 6 · Careful: droit is straight, droite is right. One letter apart.
• [à côté de]next toWeek 6
• [en face de]oppositeWeek 6
• [près de]near toWeek 6
• [loin de]far fromWeek 6
• [je cherche…]I'm looking for…Week 6
• Ça coûte combien ?How much does it cost?Week 6
• [C'est combien ?]How much is it?Week 6 · The shorter, more common version. Both are polite.
• [C'est trop cher]It's too expensiveWeek 6
• Quelle heure est-il ?What time is it?Week 6
• à quelle heure ?At what time?Week 6
• ouvert / ouverteopenWeek 6
• fermé / ferméeclosedWeek 6
• Je cherche la gare.I'm looking for the station.Week 6
• Où se trouve la pharmacie ?Where is the pharmacy?Week 6 · Literally where does the pharmacy find itself. Slightly more formal than Où est, and very common on the street.
• Ça coûte combien ?How much does it cost?Week 6
• J'ai parléI spokeWeek 7 · parler → parlé
• J'ai faitI did / I madeWeek 7 · faire → fait
• J'ai vuI sawWeek 7 · voir → vu
• J'ai prisI took / I had (food or drink)Week 7 · prendre → pris. J'ai pris un café is what you say for I had a coffee.
• J'ai mangéI ateWeek 7 · manger → mangé
• J'ai buI drankWeek 7 · boire → bu
• J'ai achetéI boughtWeek 7 · acheter → acheté
• [hier]yesterdayWeek 7
• [ce matin]this morningWeek 7
• [hier soir]last nightWeek 7 · Literally yesterday evening.
• [la semaine dernière]last weekWeek 7
• [Hier], j'ai mangé au café.Yesterday I ate at the café.Week 7
• Je suis allé / allée à Paris.I went to Paris.Week 7 · Pick your form once and stick to it — it should become automatic.
• Qu'est-ce que vous avez fait [hier] ?What did you do yesterday?Week 7 · Worth learning whole. It is the question you will be asked most often.
• etandWeek 8
• maisbutWeek 8
• parce quebecauseWeek 8
• alorsso / thenWeek 8
• doncso, thereforeWeek 8 · Slightly firmer than alors — it draws a conclusion.
• d'abordfirstWeek 8
• puisthenWeek 8
• aprèsafterwardsWeek 8
• enfinfinallyWeek 8
• Je vais infinitive.I'm going to ___.Week 8
• clause, mais / parce que / alors, clause…, but / because / so, …Week 8 · Any two clauses you already know, joined.
• D'abord … puis … après … enfin …First … then … afterwards … finally …Week 8 · The story spine. Hang anything you like on it.
• le sportsportWeek 9
• la musiquemusicWeek 9
• la lecturereadingWeek 9 · The verb is far more natural here than the noun.
• le jardinagegardeningWeek 9
• la cuisinecookingWeek 9 · The same word as kitchen, from Week 3. Context decides.
• le voyagetravelWeek 9
• la photographiephotographyWeek 9
• le cinémacinema, filmWeek 9
• la téléTVWeek 9
• la promenadea walkWeek 9 · French makes a walk rather than going for one.
• je aimeto like or love — jeWeek 9
• je adoreto adore — jeWeek 9
• je détesteto hate — jeWeek 9
• je préfèreto prefer — jeWeek 9 · The é becomes è in je, tu, il and ils — but stays é in nous and vous.
• Je vais bienI feel wellWeek 9 · The same aller as to go. French uses it for how you are.
• Je vais malI feel unwellWeek 9
• [avoir mal à …]to have a pain in…Week 9
• le médecinthe doctorWeek 9 · Masculine whoever the doctor is.
• malade / maladeillWeek 9 · Spelled the same either way — only the style differs here, to remind you it is still agreeing.
• fatigué / fatiguéetiredWeek 9
• [je me repose]I'm restingWeek 9 · One grey chunk. The me belongs to the verb, and reflexive verbs are a topic for later.
• à la tête…in the headWeek 9
• à la main…in the handWeek 9
• à la jambe…in the legWeek 9
• au ventre…in the stomachWeek 9 · au = à + le
• au dos…in the backWeek 9
• au bras…in the armWeek 9
• aux dents…in the teethWeek 9 · aux = à + les, so both words take the plural underline.
• [je pense que…]I think that…Week 9
• [je trouve que…]I find that…Week 9
• [à mon avis]in my opinionWeek 9
• le problèmethe problemWeek 9 · Masculine, despite the -e ending. One to remember.
• J'aime / adore / déteste / préfère le sport.I like / adore / hate / prefer ___.Week 9
• J'ai [mal à] la tête.I have a headache.Week 9
• [À mon avis,] [c'est] intéressant.In my opinion, it's interesting.Week 9
• [je ne comprends pas]I don't understandWeek 10
• [plus lentement, s'il vous plaît]more slowly, pleaseWeek 10
• [répétez, s'il vous plaît]repeat, pleaseWeek 10
• Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ?What does that mean?Week 10
• Comment on dit … ?How do you say…?Week 10 · Point at the thing and say this. It works every time.
• alorsso, well thenWeek 11 · To start a sentence.
• doncso, thereforeWeek 11 · To draw a conclusion.
• ensuitethen, nextWeek 11 · To put ideas in order.
• brefin shortWeek 11 · To wrap up when you have run out of road.
• [en fait]actually, in factWeek 11 · To correct yourself gently, without stopping.
• [je veux dire]I meanWeek 11 · To clarify, or to buy another whole second.