Tools for Building Phrases - Part 2
Tools for Building Phrases - Part 2
Locations
“Mon passeport est dans mon sac.” (My passport is in my bag.)
Just like in the English language, you can indicate the location of a particular thing by placing a preposition (such as “dans” or “in”) before the location or the place.
My and Your
“Voici mon mari et voici ma fille.” (This is my husband and this is my daughter.)
Both “my” and “your” have different forms in French depending on the gender of the noun it is referring to and on whether the noun is singular or plural.
When the noun starts with an “h” or other vowel sounds, you should use “mon” and not “ma”, regardless of whether the noun is feminine or masculine.
For the French words of the informal “your” (ton, ta and tes) and his/her (son, sa, ses), you can simply follow the rules for “my”.
Negative Form
“Je ne sais pas.” (I do not know.)
To create a negative sentence in French, you simply need to add “ne” before the verb and “pas” after it.
Plural Form
“Je voudrais deux billets.” (I would like two tickets.)
In written French, nouns in plural form end with an –s but is frequently silent when spoken. The best ways to determine when a spoken French noun is plural is by noticing adjectives (such as “beaucoup de” or “a lot of”), numbers (such as “deux billets” or “two tickets) and plural articles (such as “les” which is the plural form of “the”).
“Je voudrais deux billets mensuels.” (I would like two monthly tickets.)
As discussed above, you need to change an adjective to its plural form when the noun it describes is plural. You can normally do this by adding an–s at the end of the adjective.
Pointing at something
“C’est le bon train.” (That is the right train.)
The simplest way to point at something is to use “c’est” which can be literally translated as “it is”. You can also simply convert a sentence to a question answerable by a yes or a no by changing the period to a question mark. Example: “C’est le bon train?” which means “Is that the right train?”
Locations
“Mon passeport est dans mon sac.” (My passport is in my bag.)
Just like in the English language, you can indicate the location of a particular thing by placing a preposition (such as “dans” or “in”) before the location or the place.
My and Your
“Voici mon mari et voici ma fille.” (This is my husband and this is my daughter.)
Both “my” and “your” have different forms in French depending on the gender of the noun it is referring to and on whether the noun is singular or plural.
| Mon passeport (masc.) | My passport |
| Ma voiture (fem.) | My car |
| Mes bagages (plural) | My luggage |
| Votre passeport (masc.) | Your passport |
| Votre voiture (fem.) | Your car |
| Vos bagages (plural) | Your luggage |
When the noun starts with an “h” or other vowel sounds, you should use “mon” and not “ma”, regardless of whether the noun is feminine or masculine.
For the French words of the informal “your” (ton, ta and tes) and his/her (son, sa, ses), you can simply follow the rules for “my”.
Negative Form
“Je ne sais pas.” (I do not know.)
To create a negative sentence in French, you simply need to add “ne” before the verb and “pas” after it.
Plural Form
“Je voudrais deux billets.” (I would like two tickets.)
In written French, nouns in plural form end with an –s but is frequently silent when spoken. The best ways to determine when a spoken French noun is plural is by noticing adjectives (such as “beaucoup de” or “a lot of”), numbers (such as “deux billets” or “two tickets) and plural articles (such as “les” which is the plural form of “the”).
“Je voudrais deux billets mensuels.” (I would like two monthly tickets.)
As discussed above, you need to change an adjective to its plural form when the noun it describes is plural. You can normally do this by adding an–s at the end of the adjective.
Pointing at something
“C’est le bon train.” (That is the right train.)
The simplest way to point at something is to use “c’est” which can be literally translated as “it is”. You can also simply convert a sentence to a question answerable by a yes or a no by changing the period to a question mark. Example: “C’est le bon train?” which means “Is that the right train?”
| Who | Qui | Qui est-ce? Who is it? |
| What | Qu’est-ce que | Qu-est-ce que c’est? What is it? |
| Which | Quel (masc.) Quelle (fem.) | Lequel(le)? Which one? |
| When | Quand | Quand par le vol? When does the flight leave? |
| Where | Ou | Où est le bar? Where is the bar? |
| How | Comment | Comment êtes-vous venu? How did you get here? |
| How much/ How many | Combien | Combien des billets? How many tickets? |
| Why | Pourquoi | Pourquoi riez-vous? Why are you laughing |