Months & Days in French

Grammar

What is a noun?

Les noms or les substantifs (nouns) are naming words. 

They refer to people (la fille), places (la France), animals (le chat), objects (la table) and concepts (l’amour). A noun can be a subject or an object in a sentence. They are often followed by an article and can be described by adjectives. And sometimes, to avoid repetition, nouns can be replaced by pronouns.

There are several categories of nouns in French: they can be proper or common, countable or uncountable as well as abstract or concrete.

Like in English, nouns can be singular or plural in French, however, unlike English French nouns have gender like, masculine or feminine.

Gender of French nouns

In French, nouns can be masculine (masculins) or feminine (feminins). We can sometimes recognise a noun’s gender by its ending, but the only way to be sure is to always learn nouns together with their article (le/un or la/une).

Some of the examples are- l’homme (the man), le chien (the dog), le tableau (the board), le travail (the work), le chêne(the oak tree)  (masculine)

la femme (the woman), la danseuse (the dancer), la librairie (the book shop), la cuisine (the kitchen), la France (the France) (feminine)

What is a verb?

Les verbes (verbs) are doing words or action word. They express an action performed by the subject of the sentence (a noun or a pronoun). In addition to the physical actions, verbs can also describe processes, concepts, states and thoughts.     

Some typical French action verbs includes:-  courir(to run), danser (to dance), sauter (to jump), chanter (to sing), écrire (to write), lire (to read), etc. Some typical stative verbs in French are être (to be), devenir ( to become), paraître (to appear), rester  (to stay) etc.

L’infinitif

L’infinitif (the infinitive) is the basic form of the verb. Like the participles, it is a non-conjugated form of the verb, which means that it does not express a tense, person or number.

 French infinitives have four possible endings: -er (parler) (to speak), -ir (finir) (to finish), -re (prendre) (to take) or -oir (voir) (to see). In French there are numerous verbs and phrases that are always followed by the infinitive.

Examples:

Marc amie chanter les chansons anglaises. (Marc likes to sing English songs.)

La mére va au magasin pour acheter une robe. (The mother is going to market to buy a dress.)

What is an article?

In French, nouns are almost always preceded by an article or a determiner. This indicates the gender of the noun (masculine or feminine) and its number (singular or plural).

There are two types of articles: definite articles (articles définis) (le, la, les) and indefinite articles (article indéfinis) (un, une, des).

When to use the indefinite article in French

In French, the indefinite articles (articles indéfinis) are un (masculine singular), une (feminine singular) and des (plural for both genders). We use this in the following cases:

• to talk about something non-specific:-
  Example: Sara est une amie de Samir. (Sara is a friend of Samir.) (one of many)
• in an introductory capacity to mention something for the first time in a text:-

Example: Sara a un vélo (Sara has a bicycle)

When to use the definite article in French

The French definite articles (articles définis) are le in the masculine singular, la in the feminine singular, l’ for singular nouns that start with a vowel, and les in the plural (both genders). They correspond to the English article THE.

We use this in the following cases:

• to talk about a specific person or thing:-
  Example: Sara est l’ami de Samir. (Sara is the friend of Samir.)
• to refer to a person or thing that has already been mentioned or is already known to the listener/reader:-
  Example: Le vélo est gris. (The bicycle is grey.)
• And after the verbs like, aimer (to like), adorer (to love), préférer (to prefer), détester (to hate)
  What is a preposition?

Prepositions (les prépositions) are small linking words that link elements of a sentence together. They indicate the relationships between words.

In French, there are simple prepositions (à, chez, etc.) as well as longer prepositional phrases (d’après, près de etc.).

Example:

Viens-tu chez moi? (Are you coming to my place ?)

Mon oncle travaille prés de Lyon. (My uncle works near Lyon.)

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Vocabulary

French Vocabulary by Topic

Vêtements et accessoires (Clothing and accessories)

Pendentif     Pendant

Ceinture       Belt

Chemise       Shirt

Robe             Dress

 Jupe            Skirt

Jeans            Jeans

Boucle          Earring

Articles de toilette (Toiletries)

Peigne                       Comb                                                                                 

Savon                        Soap

Shampooing            Shampoo

Se maquiller            Make up

Miroir                       Mirror

Brosse à dents        Toothbrush

 Dentifrice               Toothpaste

Le corps humain (The human body)

Œil                      Eye

Affronter           Face

Main                  Hand

Cœur                 Heart

Bouche              Mouth

Oreille               Ear

Membres de la famille (Family Members)

Garçon           Boy

Fille                 Girl

Père                Father

Mère              Mother

Enfant            Child

Sœur              Sister

Quelques magasins spécialisés (A few specialized shops)

Pharmacie          Chemist shop

Fleuriste              Florist

Librairie               Book store

Restaurant          Restaurant

Pâtisserie             Pastry shop

Habitations et chambres (Habitations and rooms)

Salle de bain             Bathroom

Chambre double      Doubl-room

Bâtiment                   Building

Auberge                    Hostel

Cuisine                      Kitchen

Meubles et gadgets à la maison (Furniture and gadgets at home)

Baignoire                       Bath-tub

Lit                                    Bed

Télévision                       Television

Téléphone mobile        Mobile phone         

 Réfrigérateur                Refrigerator

La ville (The city)

Feu de circulation       Traffic light

Arbre                             Tree

Bibliothèque                Library                   

Route                            Road

Université                    University

Appartement               Apartment

Nourriture et boissons (Food and Drinks)

Petit-déjeuner           Breakfast

Pain                             Bread

Lait                               Milk

Salade                          Salad

Eau                              Water

Sucre                           Sugar

Ustensiles et appareils de cuisine (Utensils and Apparatus in the Kitchen)

Four de cuisson              Baking oven

Couverts                          Cutlery

Bouteille                          Bottle

Bouilloire                         Kettle

Plaque                              Plate

Fruits (Fruits)

Pomme               Apple

Banane               Banana

Fraise                  Strawberry

Cerise                  Cherry

Pastèque             Watermelon

Légumes (Vegetables)

Carotte                               Carrot

Pomme de terre               Potato

Épinard                               Spinach

Tomate                               Tomato

Oignon                                 Onion

En classe (In the classroom)

Livre                           Book

Chaise                        Chair

Tableau noir             Blackboard

Tableau                     Table

Porte                         Door

Matières d’études à l’école (Subjects of study at school)

Algèbre                    Algebra

Biologie                    Biology

Anglais                      English

Histoire                    History

Art                             Art

Musique                   Music

 Sports et jeux (Sports and Games)

Football                        Football

Natation                       Swimming

Surf                               Surfing

Dansant                        Dancing

Randonnée                  Trekking

Insectes et animaux (Insects and Animals)

Fourmi                    Ant

Éléphant                 Elephant

Voler                       Fly

Poisson                  Fish

Chat                        Cat

Oiseau                    Bird

Moyens de transport (Means of Transport)

Voiture                       Car

Bus                              Bus

Avion                          Aeroplane

Motocyclette            Motor cycle

Taxi                             Taxi

Former                       Train

Mots de vocabulaire

 (VOCABULARY Words)

What Is the DELF Exam?

France’s national Ministry of Education grants the internationally recognized French Language Proficiency Certificate known as the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF or Diploma of French Language Studies). The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a framework used in second language learning worldwide, defines a scale of language proficiency that is the basis for a number of independent evaluations.

Six Levels of Language Proficiency

TEF EXAM

 TEF CANADA    

                                                                                                                              Validity: 2 years

• TEF is an international reference test awarded by the CCI Paris Ile-de-France. The Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) measures your level of French language knowledge and skills.
• TEF is officially recognized by the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
• Required for permanent residency applications to Canada
• Accredited centres: Af Ahmadabad, Af Bhopal, Af Bombay, Af Chandigarh, Af Madras, Af Hyderabad, Af Lucknow.

TEF QUÉBEC

• Validity: 2 years
• TEF is an international reference test awarded by the CCI Paris Ile-de-France. The Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) measures your level of French language knowledge and skills.
• TEF is officially recognised by the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration
• Required for permanent residency applications to Québec
• Accredited centres: Af Bhopal, Af Bombay, Af Madras, Af Lucknow.

Certifications

 At French German Gurus Overseas, we prepare our students for internationally recognized certifications like:

• DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française): A certification awarded by the French Ministry of Education, recognized worldwide.
• DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française): For students who have reached a more advanced level (C1, C2).
• TEF Canada (Test d’évaluation de français): For students who required for permanent residency applications to Canada.
• TEF QUÉBEC (Test d’évaluation de français): For students who Required for permanent residency applications to Québec.

We offer preparatory classes for these exams, including A1, A2, B1, B2 levels.