Learning French ( Class 4 )

[ French IV Zip file of mp3s - 23.22 MB ]

61. Personal Pronouns

Subject		Direct Object		Indirect Object		Disjunctives
je	I	me	me	me	to me	moi	me
tu	you	te	you	te	to you	toi	you
il	he	le	him	lui	to him	lui	him
elle	she	la	her	lui	to her	elle	her
nous	we	nous	us	nous	to us	nous	us
vous	you	vous	you	vous	to you	vous	you
ils	they	les	them	leur	to them	eux	them
elles	they	les	them	leur	to them	elles	them

You have already learned the subject pronouns.  They go before the conjugated verb forms.  The Direct and Indirect Object pronouns go before the verb even though in English they go after it.  They also go after the ne in a negative sentence and right before the verb. The disjunctive always go after prepositions, or can be used alone for emphasis.

Sample Sentences: 

J'achète des pantalons.	I buy some pants.
Je les achète.	I buy them.
Je vous donne la boîte.	I give the box to you.
Je vous la donne.	I give it to you.
Après toi.	After you. (familiar)
Nous allons avec elle.	We go with her.
Il ne la quitte pas.	He doesn't leave her.
Il la quitte.	He leaves her.
Je t'aime. or Je vous aime.	I love you.
Elle ne l'aime pas.	She doesn't love him.

When you have more than one pronoun; me, te, nous, or vous come first, then le, la, or les, then lui or leur.  Me, te, le, and la contract to m', t', and l' when they precede a vowel, the same way je does.  In commands, the pronouns go after the verb, connected with a hyphen.  And the pronoun order changes a little too:  Le, la, or les come first; then moi, toi, (Me and te become moi and toi in commands) nous, or vous; then lui, or leur.

If you have pronouns, they go before the complete verb in regular sentences; but after the ne and before the form of avoir in negative sentences.

Nous lui avons parlé.	We spoke to him/her.
Vous en avez écouté trois.	You've listened to three of them.
Je t'ai demandé du pain.	I asked you for some bread.
Il ne l'a pas aimé.	He didn't like it/her/him.
Tu n'y as pas habité.	You didn't live there.
Je ne vous ai pas parlé.	I didn't speak (or haven't spoken) to you.
Nous ne l'avons pas fini.	We didn't finish (or haven't finished)  it.

In the passé composé with avoir, direct object pronouns only must agree in gender and number with the past participle.

Je les ai aimés.	I liked them.
Il l'a regardée.	He watched her.
Elles nous ont écouté(e)s.	They listened to us.

Add an e if the pronoun is feminine, and an s if it is plural.  The l' could mean him or her, so you might not need to put the extra e on the past participle.  The same for nous and vous.  They must have an s because they are plural, but it is unclear as to whether they are masculine or feminine.

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62. Parts of the Body / Les parties du corps

	Standard French	Slang
head	la tête	la caboche / le crâne
hair	les cheveux	les tifs
face	la figure / le visage / la face
forehead	le front
cheek	la joue
ear	l'oreille	les esgourdes
eye/s	l'œil / les yeux	les mirettes
beard	la barbe	la barbouse
mustache	la moustache
mouth	la bouche	la gueule / la boîte
lip	la lèvre
nose	le nez	le blair / le pif
tongue	la langue
tooth	la dent	les crocs
neck	le cou
eyebrows	les sourcils
eyelashes	les cils
chin	le menton
throat	la gorge
skin	la peau
blood	le sang
bone	l'os
shoulder	l'épaule
chest	la poitrine
waist	la taille
belly button	le nombril
back	le dos
heart	le cœur
lungs	les poumons
brain	le cerveau
liver	le foie
kidney	le rein
bladder	la vessie
rib	la côte
arm	le bras
elbow	le coude
wrist	le poignet
fist	le poing
hand	la main
fingers	les doigts
stomach / belly	l'estomac / le ventre	le buffet / le bide
butt	les fesses	les miches
body	le corps
hip	la hanche
leg	la jambe
knee	le genou
foot	le pied	le penard / les arpions
toes	les orteils
ankle	la cheville
thigh	la cuisse
shin	le tibia
calf	le mollet
thumb	le pouce
nails	les ongles
tattoo	le tatouage
piercing	le piercing
blond	blond/e
brunette	brun/e
red-head	roux/rousse
light brown	châtain

 

► To say something hurts or that you have an ache, you can use avoir mal à (body part):

J'ai mal à la tête.  I have a headache.
J'ai mal à l'estomac.  I have a stomach ache.
Elle a mal au bras.  Her arm hurts.
Tu as mal au genou?  Your knee hurts?
Il a mal aux orteils.  His toes hurt.

However, if someone is causing you pain, use faire mal (to hurt) plus the indirect pronoun.
Tu me fais mal.  You're hurting me.
Ne lui faites pas mal.  Don't hurt him / her.
► When describing hair color or eye color, you use blonds, châtain, bruns, roux for hair; and bleus, verts, marron, noirs for eyes. Notice that châtain and marron do not agree in gender or number.
Elle a les cheveux roux. Elle est rousse. She has red hair. She is a red-head.
Il a les yeux marron. He has brown eyes.
Combien mésures-tu ? / Combien fais-tu ? How tall are you?
Combien pèses-tu ? How much do you weigh?
Je fais 1m60. I am 1 m 60 cm.
Je pèse 50 kilos. I weigh 50 kilos.

Listen to the l'apparence physique : un copain à moi mp3 and try the cloze (fill-in-the-blank) exercise from French Listening Resources.

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63. Asking Questions 1) Invert the subject and verb form and add a hyphen.  Instead of Vous parlez anglais? use Parlez-vous anglais?  But if you invert il, elle, or on, you must put a t between the verb form (if it ends in a vowel) and the subject for ease of pronunciation.  Parle-il anglais? is incorrect and must become Parle-t-il anglais?  And je is usually only inverted with pouvoir or devoir.  However, if je is inverted with pouvoir, you don't use peux, but puis.  Puis-je ? (pweezh) is Can I?
2)  Add n'est-ce pas ? (ness pah) to the end of the sentence.  It is equivalent to isn't it, don't you, aren't we, won't you, etc.
3)  If the question requires a yes or no answer, put Est-ce que (ess kuh) at the beginning.  It contracts to Est-ce qu' before a word beginning with a vowel, such as elle, il or on.  You can also use interrogative words (quand, comment, où, etc.) at the beginning of the sentence and then add est-ce que.
4) With interrogative words, you can also use inversion:  Quand tes parents partent-ils en vacances ?  Or you can use an interrogative with est-ce que and normal word order:  Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes ici ?
5) Quel / Quelle / Quels / Quelles (which, what) agrees with the noun it modifies.  It precedes the noun or the verb être, it may follow a preposition, and it can be used with inversion or with est-ce que.  Quelle est la date ?  A quelle heure partez-vous ?  Quels bagages est-ce que vous prenez ?  Notice that the forms of quel can also be used in exclamatory sentences.  Quel beau jour !  / Quelle belle journée ! What a beautiful day!
6)  With negative questions, negative expressions remain in their usual place (i.e. around the verb, or verb and subject if inverted).  Tu ne travailles pas ?  Est-ce que te ne travailles pas ?  Ne travailles-tu pas ?  Pourquoi n'as-tu pas travaillé ?
► Asking Questions with the Passé Composé
Only the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the subject pronoun are inverted.  The past participle follows.
A-t-il été surpris ?  Was he surprised?
T'es-tu amusé ?  Did you have fun?

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64. Interrogative Pronouns

To ask about people:
	Long Form	Short Form	Translation
Subject	Qui est-ce qui Qui est-ce qui est venu?	Qui Qui est venu?	Who came?
Direct Object	Qui est-ce que Qui est-ce que tu as vu?	Qui Qui as-tu vu?	Whom did you see?
Object of Preposition	Preposition + qui est-ce que A qui est-ce que tu as parlé?	Preposition + qui A qui as-tu parlé?	Whom did you speak to?
To ask about things:
	Long Form	Short Form	Translation
Subject	Qu'est-ce qui Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé?	No short form	What happened?
Direct Object	Qu'est-ce que Qu'est-ce que tu as fait?	Que Qu'as-tu fait?	What did you do?
Object of Preposition	Preposition + quoi est-ce que De quoi est-ce que tu as parlé?	Preposition + quoi De quoi as-tu parlé?	What did you talk about?

 
► Use of Inversion when Subject is Noun:
a. With qui and quoi, inversion pattern is regular.
Qui Marie a-t-elle vu?  Whom did Marie see?
De quoi Marc a-t-il besoin?  What does Marc need?

b. With que, the noun subject must be inverted directly.
Que veut Jean?  What does Jean want?
Que font les autres?  What are the others doing?

c.  However, if the sentence contains more than a subject and verb, or if the verb is in a compound tense (such as the passé composé), the short form is not used.
Qu'est-ce que Luc veut faire aujourd'hui?  What does Luc want to do today?
Qu'est-ce que les autres ont fait?  What did the others do?
► Verb Agreement:
a. Interrogative pronouns are usually masculine singular.
Les voitures font du bruit.  Qu'est-ce qui fait du bruit? Cars make noise. What makes noise?
Les enfants sont arrivés.  Qui est arrivé? The children arrived. Who arrived?

b.  Exception:  when qui is followed by a conjugated form of être, the verbs agrees with the noun that follows.
Qui étaient Les Trois Mousquetaires? Who were the three Musketeers?
► Qu'est-ce que (or qui) vs. Quel:
a. Qu'est-ce que c'est que is used to ask for a definition, and quel asks for specific information.
Qu'est-ce que c'est que le camembert?  What is "camembert"?
Quel est le problème?  What is the problem?

b. When followed by a conjugated form of être, quel is used if être is followed by a noun and qu'est-ce qui is used if être is followed by anything other than a noun.
Quelle est la date?  What is the date?
Qu'est-ce qui est bon?  What is good?

► Written vs. Spoken French with Questions

In spoken French, inversion and the use of est-ce que are usually dropped, but they must be used in written French. Additionally, some forms are contracted or the word order may differ. It's also very common to use qui c'est qui in place of qui or qui est-ce qui.

Written forms	Spoken forms	Translation
Parlez-vous français ? Est-ce que vous parlez français ?	Vous parlez français ?	Do you speak French?
Comment l'avez-vous appris ? Comment est-ce que vous l'avez appris ?	Vous l'avez appris comment ?	How did you learn it?
Quand es-tu arrivé ? Quand est-ce que tu es arrivé ?	Quand t'es arrivé ? T 'es arrivé quand ?	When did you arrive?
De quoi parlent-ils ? De quoi est-ce qu'ils parlent ?	De quoi ils parlent ? Ils parlent de quoi ?	What are they talking about?
Pourquoi me regardes-tu ? Pourquoi est-ce que tu me regardes ?	Pourquoi tu me regardes ?	Why are you looking at me?
Qui t'a dit ça ? Qui est-ce qui t'a dit ça ?	Qui c'est qui t'a dit ça?	Who told you that?

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65. Forms of Lequel

Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the adjective quel and the noun it modifies.  It expresses Which one? as a question, but which in a statement (usually preceded by a preposition).

	Adjective		Pronoun
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Masculine	Quel livre lis-tu?	Quels livres lis-tu?	Lequel lis-tu?	Lesquels lis-tu?
Feminine	Quelle page lis-tu?	Quelles pages lis-tu?	Laquelle lis-tu?	Lesquelles lis-tu?

 

Lequel contracts with à and de in the plural and masculine singular forms:

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	à + lequel = auquel	à + lesquels = auxquels
	de + lequel = duquel	de + lesquels = desquels
Feminine	à + laquelle = à laquelle	à + lesquelles = auxquelles
	de + laquelle = de laquelle	de + lesquelles = desquelles

Voilà le portrait sans retouche de l'homme auquel j'appartiens. - That's the unaltered portrait of the man to which I belong. [Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose]
Et des amours desquelles nous parlons. - And the loves about which we talk. [by Jean-Denis Bredin]

► You can also use another preposition + form of lequel to translate preposition + which: on which, to which, in which, etc.

La table sur laquelle j'ai mis la bouteille est là-bas. - The table on which I put the bottle is over there.
Le bâtiment dans lequel j'habite est très vieux. - The building in which I live is very old.

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66. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns join sentences together.  These words signal a relative clause which explains the noun, called the antecedent.   If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause (a verb immediately follows), use qui.  If the relative pronoun is the direct object of the clause (subject + verb follows), use que. If the verb of the dependent clause requires the preposition de, use dont to replace it. Also use dont to mean whose.  Qui, que, and dont can all mean that or who, depending on the sentence. If the antecedent is a place or time, use où to mean where or when. When there is no specific antecedent, ce is added as an artificial one before que, qui or dont; but it can refer to only things, not people.  Ce qui, ce que and ce dont generally mean what.

Je mange des choses qui sont bonnes.	I eat things that are good.	qui is subject
Je mange des choses que j'aime.	I eat things that I like.	que is object
C'est ce que je disais.	That's what I said.	no antecedent
La femme dont le mari est mort...	The woman whose husband is dead...	whose
Voici ce dont j'ai besoin.	Here is what I need.	avoir besoin is followed by de
C'est un restaurant où on sert du poisson.	It's a restaurant where they serve fish.	restaurant is a place

Dont can also be translated as including or of which. Sept morts, dont 6 civils, dans l'attentat. Seven dead, including six civilians, in the attack.

► After verbs of declaration or opinion (dire, affirmer, prétendre, jurer, déclarer, reconnaître, avouer, penser, croire), you do not need to use a relative pronoun or to repeat the subject. As long as the subject is the same in both clauses, you can replace que + subject + conjugated verb with the infinitive.

Je pense que je peux le faire. = Je pense pouvoir le faire. I think that I can do it.
Elle dit qu'elle le connais. = Elle dit le connaître. She says that she knows him.
Vous avouez que vous avez menti. = Vous avouez avoir menti. You admit that you lied.

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67. Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns translate to the one(s), or that/those when replacing a noun.  There are four forms, but they are not often used alone.  De, qui, que, dont and -ci or -là usually follow them.

	Masc.	Fem.
Singular	celui	celle
Plural	ceux	celles

 

Donnez-moi mon billet et celui de Guillaume.  Give me my ticket and William's. (or: the one of William)
Il porte ses propres livres et ceux de sa sœur.  He is carrying his own books and his sister's. (or: those of his sister)
Quelles fleurs aimes-tu, celles-ci ou celles-là?  Which flowers do you like, these (ones) or those (ones)?
Ceux qui travaillent dur réussissent.  Those who work hard succeed.
C'est celui dont je parle.  That's the one I'm talking about.

The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that) and ça (this/that) refer to indefinite things or ideas.

J'aime ça.  I like that.
Prenez ceci.  Take this.

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68. To Read, To Say / Tell, & To Laugh

lire-to read		dire-to say/tell		rire-to laugh
lis	lisons	dis	disons	ris	rions
lis	lisez	dis	dites	ris	riez
lit	lisent	dit	disent	rit	rient

The past participles are: lu, dit and ri, and all three are conjugated with avoir.

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69. Disjunctive Pronouns

1. As mentioned above, disjunctives are mostly used after prepositions and can only replace people, not things.  However, if the preposition is à, there are two possible rules:

à + person = indirect pronoun

à + person + à = disjunctive pronoun, in these cases:

se fier à	to trust
s'habituer à	to get used to
s'intéresser à	to be interested in
penser à	to think about
rêver à	to dream about

2. They can also be used alone, to emphasize a subject, with être à (to belong to) or in compound subjects.

Moi, j'ai faim.  Me, I am hungry.
Ses amis et lui, ils aiment manger.  His friends and he, they like to eat.
Ce livre est à moi !  That book is mine!

3. They can be added to -même to mean -self.

elle-même = herself

4. They are also used with ne...que.

Ce n'est que lui.  It's only him.

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70. Y & En

Y and en are both pronouns that go before the verb.  Y (ee) means it or there.  En (awn) means some or some (of them), or of it.  They replace prepositional phrases.  In French, the phrases will begin with à (or any contraction of it), en, sur, sous, chez, devant, derrière, dans, etc. for y; and de (or any contraction of it) or a number for en.  They cannot replace people unless the person is introduced with an indefinite article, partitive, number or quantity.  Sometimes y and en have no direct translation in English. Remember that they go before the verb, except in a command, in which they follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen.  The -er verbs also add the -s they lost when forming the you (familiar) command.

Sample Sentences

Do you want some apples?	Voulez-vous des pommes?
Do you want some?	En voulez-vous?
I have three sisters.	J'ai trois sœurs.
I have three (of them).	J'en ai trois.
It is in the drawer	Il est dans le tiroir.
It is there.	Il y est.
I am going to Detroit.	Je vais à Détroit.
I am going there.	J'y vais.
I am going to go to Atlanta.	Je vais aller à Atlanta.
I am going to go there.	Je vais y aller.
Answer the telephone!	Répondez au téléphone !
Answer it! (formal)	Répondez-y !
Stay there! (familiar)	Restes-y !
Don't stay there! (familiar)	N'y reste pas.

Y and en can also replace a phrase or clause, especially with verbs that require à or de after them:

I think a lot about these stories.	Je réfléchis beaucoup à ces histoires.
I think about them a lot.	J'y réfléchis beaucoup.
He obeyed the rules.	Il a obéi aux règles.
He obeyed them.	Il y a obéi.
We don't need this book.	On n'a pas besoin de ce livre.
We don't need it.	On n'en a pas besoin.
She's using the computer.	Elle se sert de l'ordinateur.
She's using it.	Elle s'en sert.

Notice y and en don't go after the verb in negative commands. Treat them like pronouns.  Ne or Je plus y or en all contract to N'y, J'y, N'en, and J'en.  When you have a conjugated verb plus an infinitive (vais and aller), the y or en go in between the two verbs.

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71. To See, To Believe, & To Write

Verbs take a direct object if they do not need a preposition to connect it to the noun.  Verbs that take indirect objects use prepositions after the verb.  Voir-to see (vwahr) and croire-to believe (krwahr) take a direct and écrire-to write (ay-kreer) takes an indirect.

voir-to see		croire-to believe		écrire-to write
vois (vwah)	voyons (vwah-yohn)	crois (krwah)	croyons (krwah-yohn)	écris (ay-kree)	écrivons (ay-kree-vohn)
vois	voyez (vwah-yay)	crois	croyez (krwah-yay)	écris	écrivez (ay-kree-vay)
voit	voient (vwah)	croit	croient (krwah)	écrit	écrivent (ay-kreev)

The past participles are: vu, cru, and écrit.

You can sometimes tell if a verb takes a direct or indirect object by using the verbs in English.  We say "I see her" or "She believes him" or "He writes to them."   In French, it would be "Je la vois" (direct), "Elle le croit" (direct) and "Il leur écrit." (indirect)  But don't always count on English to help you out.  Téléphoner (à) and obéir (à) both take indirect objects in French but you can't tell that in English.  In this case, you can tell by the à that follows the infinitive.

Writing Vocabulary

writing	l'écriture (f)	question mark	le point d'interrogation	"at" sign (@)	l'arobase (f)
punctuation	la ponctuation	exclamation point	le point d'exclamation	asterisk	l'astérisque (m)
period	le point	quotation marks	les guillemets (m)	brackets	le crochet
comma	la virgule	parentheses	la parenthèse	slash	la barre
colon	les deux points (m)	apostrophe	l'apostrophe (f)	uppercase	majuscule
semi-colon	le point-virgule	hyphen	le trait d'union	lowercase	minuscule

When typing in French, you must leave an extra space before a punctuation mark that has two components, such as a colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.

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72. Animals

ant	la fourmi	giraffe	la girafe	pig	le cochon
antelope	l'antilope	goat	la chèvre	pigeon	le pigeon
antenna	l'antenne	goose	l'oie (f)	pike	le brochet
bat	la chauve-souris	gorilla	le gorille	pony	le poney
beak	le bec	grasshopper	la sauterelle	puppy	le chiot
bear	l'ours (m)	hamster	le hamster	rabbit	le lapin
bee	l'abeille (f)	hare	le lièvre	raccoon	le raton laveur
bird	l'oiseau (m)	hen	la poule	rat	le rat
blackbird	le merle	herring	la hareng	rooster	le coq
bull	le taureau	hoof	le sabot	salmon	le saumon
butterfly	le papillon	horn	la corne	scale	l'écaille (f)
calf	le veau	horse	le cheval	scorpion	le scorpion
cat	le chat	hummingbird	le colibri	sea gull	la mouette
caterpillar	la chenille	iguana	l'iguane	seal	le phoque
cheetah	le guépard	insect	l'insecte (m)	shark	le requin
chicken	le poulet	jellyfish	la méduse	sheep	le mouton
chimpanzee	le chimpanzé	kitten	le chaton	shrimp	la crevette
claw	la griffe	ladybug	la coccinelle	slug	la limace
cockroach	le cafard	lamb	l'agneau (m)	snail	l'escargot (m)
cod	la morue	lark	l'alouette (f)	snake	le serpent
cocoon	le cocon	lion	le lion	sparrow	le moineau
cow	la vache	lizard	le lézard	spider	l'araignée (f)
crab	le crabe	lobster (spiny)	la langouste	squid	le calamar
crayfish	l'écrevisse (f)	louse	le pou	squirrel	l'écureuil (m)
crocodile	le crocodile	mackerel	le maquereau	starfish	l'étoile de mer
crow	le corbeau	mole	la taupe	swallow	l'hirondelle (f)
deer	le cerf	monkey	le singe	swan	le cygne
dog	le chien	mosquito	le moustique	tadpole	le têtard
donkey	l'âne (m)	moth	le papillon de nuit	tail	la queue
dragonfly	la libellule	mouse	la souris	tiger	le tigre
duck	le canard	mule	le mulet	toad	le crapaud
eagle	l'aigle (m)	mussel	la moule	trout	la truite
eel	l'anguille (f)	nest	le nid	tuna	le thon
elephant	l'éléphant (m)	nightingale	le rossignol	turkey	le dindon
feather	la plume	octopus	la pieuvre	turtle	la tortue
fin	la nageoire	ostrich	l'autruche	wasp	la guêpe
fish	le poisson	owl	le hibou	weasel	la belette
flea	la puce	ox	le bœuf	whale	la baleine
fly	la mouche	oyster	l'huître (f)	wing	l'aile (f)
fox	le renard	parrot	le perroquet	wolf	le loup
frog	la grenouille	partridge	la perdrix	worm	le ver
gill	la branchie	penguin	le pingouin	zebra	le zèbre

sit	assis	to bark	aboyer
lie down	couche-toi	to growl	grogner
shake	donne la patte	to pant	haleter
dog/cat food	les croquettes	to whine/whimper	gémir
leash	la laisse	to drool	baver
collar	le collier	to meow	miauler
to take/let dog out	sortir le chien	to scratch	griffer
to climb on	grimper sur	to pounce on	se jeter sur

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73. Plaire & Manquer

plaire-to please, enjoy				manquer-to miss, be lacking
plais		plaisons		manque		manquons
plais		plaisez		manques		manquez
plaît		plaisent		manque		manquent

The past participle of plaire is plu.  To say that someone likes something, you have to switch the subject and object around, so that literally it translates to "something or someone pleases."  As a reflexive verb, se plaire means to enjoy being somewhere.  Faire plaisir à can also be used to mean "to delight or to like."

Cette chienne plaît à Dominique.  Dominique likes this dog.  (Literally:  This dog is pleasing to Dominique.)
Ça t'a plu?  Did you like it?
Ils se plaisent à Londres.  They enjoy being in London.
Cela me fait plaisir de vous revoir.  I am happy to see you again.

Manquer has several meanings: to miss, to lack, or to regret the absence (miss).  The last meaning uses inverted word order just like plaire.  Manquer à means "to fail to do."

Elle a manqué le train.  She missed the train.
Vous manquez de courage.  You lack courage.
Tu me manques.  I miss you.  (Literally:  You are missing to me)
Ils ont manqué aux devoirs.  They failed to do the homework.

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74. Pluperfect (Past Perfect)

This compound tense is used for flashbacks or anything that had happened before the time of the narration.  It's formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or être and the past participle of the main verb.  This tense is comparable to the passé composé.

Imperfect of avoir or être
avais	avions		étais	étions
avais	aviez		étais	étiez		+ past participle
avait	avaient		était	étaient

Je n'avais pas fini mon travail quand il est arrivé.  I had not finished my work when he arrived.
Vous aviez faim parce que vous n'aviez pas du tout mangé.  You were hungry because you hadn't eaten at all.
Nous avions manqué le rendez-vous parce que le bus était en retard. We had missed the meeting because the bus was late.

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75. Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular, such as someone or something.

someone/body	quelqu'un	each	chacun(e)
something	quelque chose (de + adjective)	not one, none	aucun(e)
some	quelques-uns / quelques-unes	anything	n'importe quoi
somewhere	quelque part	anyone	n'importe qui
several	plusieurs	anywhere	n'importe où
some...others	certains...d'autres	any time	n'importe quand
another	un(e) autre	nowhere	nulle part

Do not confuse chacun with chaque (each, every).  Chacun is a pronoun and replaces a noun, while chaque is an adjective that describes a noun.

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76. Subjunctive Mood

If a sentence expresses a subjective statement of opinion, the subjunctive mood is used rather than the indicative.  The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses introduced by the word que.  The main clause must express personal opinions or feelings and have a different subject from the dependent clause.  If the two subjects are the same, the infinitive is used.

Je doute que Marc soit là.  I doubt that Marc is here. (shows judgment and opinion)
Je veux venir.  NOT: Je veux que je vienne.  (use infinitive, same subject)

To form the subjunctive, use the ils/elles form of the present indicative tense.  This is also the form for the ils/elles form of the subjunctive.  For je, tu, il/elle, drop the -ent and add -e, -es, and -e.  Nous and vous use the imperfect forms.

-e	-ions
-es	-iez
-e	-ent

Conjugations in the Subjunctive

avoir		être		faire		aller
aie	ayons	sois	soyons	fasse	fassions	aille	allions
aies	ayez	sois	soyez	fasses	fassiez	ailles	alliez
ait	aient	soit	soient	fasse	fassent	aille	aillent
vouloir		pouvoir		savoir		pleuvoir
veuille	voulions	puisse	puissions	sache	sachions
veuilles	vouliez	puisses	puissiez	saches	sachiez
veuille	veuillent	puisse	puissent	sache	sachent	pleuve

These verbs and conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive:

Verbs	Verbal Expressions	Conjunctions
douter	il faut que	avant que
suggérer	il vaut mieux que	pour / afin que
vouloir	il est important que	jusqu'à ce que
proposer	il se peut que	à moins que
avoir peur	il est possible que	bien que / quoique
regretter	il est temps que	sans que
craindre	c'est dommage que	en attendant que
être content(e)/triste/désolé(e)/surpris(e), etc.
penser/croire/trouver (negative and interrogative forms only)

Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.
Il est content que nous soyons là. He's happy that we are here.
Est-ce que vous pensez qu'elle puisse le faire ? Do you think that she can do it?
Il faut que je fasse la vaisselle. I have to do the dishes.
Elle sera là jusqu'à ce que vous partiez. She will be there until you leave.

► However, douter, jusqu'à ce que, à moins que, and bien que / quoique use the subjunctive whether there is a change in subject or not.  And when using avant before an infinitive, the construction is avant de + infinitive.  Note, also, that the subjunctive is not used with espérer or il est probable, although the subjunctive may be used with these words in other Romance languages.

► The word ne is used after certain conjunctions (most notably avant que and à moins que) that take the subjunctive, but this does not make the phrase negative:
Finissez le travail avant que la classe ne se termine. Finish the work before class ends.

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77. Falloir & Valoir

Falloir (to be necessary) and valoir (to be worth) are two very common impersonal verbs used in several phrases and situations. Their conjugations are:

imperfect	il fallait	il valait
present perfect	il a fallu	il a valu
present	il faut	il vaut
future	il faudra	il vaudra
conditional	il faudrait	il vaudrait

Falloir can be translated as must, have to, be required to, etc. It can be followed directly by an infinitive, or a subject and the subjunctive mood.
Il faut rester à la maison aujourd'hui. You must stay at home today.
Il faut pas le faire ! You must not do it!
Il faut qu'il parte à 8h. He must leave at 8.

In addition to worth, valoir mieux is used in translating "it's better."
Ça ne vaut pas la peine. It's not worth it.
Il vaut mieux en rire qu’en pleurer. It's better to laugh about it than cry.

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78. Adverbs

bien	well	quelquefois	sometimes
mieux	better	toujours	always
mal	badly	vite	quickly
peu	little	donc	therefore
déjà	already	encore	yet
bientôt	soon	quelque part	somewhere
ici	here	maintenant	now
là	there	tôt	early
dedans	inside	tard	late
dehors	outside	peut-être	maybe
souvent	often	jamais	(n)ever
d'habitude	usually	nulle part	nowhere

To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end.  If the masculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that.  Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant take the endings -emment and -amment.

Masculine	Feminine	Adverb
naturel	naturelle	naturellement
heureux	heureuse	heureusement
lent	lente	lentement
facile	facile	facilement
probable	probable	probablement
intelligent	intelligente	intelligemment
brillant	brillante	brillamment
récent	récente	récemment

Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and éventuellement (possibly, perhaps) can be deceiving. 

A Few Irregular Adverbs

vrai	vraiment
gentil	gentiment
profond	profondément
bref	brièvement
précis	précisément

Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense.  Adverbs of opinion and time usually go at the beginning or end of the sentence.  When peut-être and sans doute begin a sentence or clause, they are usually followed by que.  With the passé composé, most adverbs are placed between the auxiliary verb and past participle.  In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb, except with peut-être, sans doute, sûrement, and probablement.  Adverbs of time and place generally follow the past participle.

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79. Tools & Hobbies

tools	les outils	chisel	le ciseau
toolbox	la boîte à outils	measuring tape	le mètre
hammer	le marteau	chainsaw	la tronçonneuse
screwdriver	le tournevis	file	la lime
nail	le clou	do-it-yourself	le bricolage
screw	la vis	handicrafts	l'artisanat
wrench	la clé	embroidery	la broderie
adjustable wrench	la clé à molette	cross-stitch	le point de croix
bolt	le boulon	needlework	la couture
nut	l'écrou (m)	needle	l'aiguille (f)
pliers	les pinces (f)	thread	le fil
saw	la scie	painting	peindre
blade	la lame	jewelry making	faire des bijoux
handle	le manche	gardening	le jardinage
anvil	l'enclume (f)	knitting	le tricot
clamp / vise	l'étau (m)	photography	la photographie
shovel	la pelle	woodworking	la menuiserie
pick axe	la pioche	pottery	la poterie
drill	la perceuse	drawing	le dessin
drill bit	la mèche	cooking	la cuisine

Other expressions related to hobbies/leisure time:

bavarder - to chat
bronzer - to tan
faire la grasse matinée - to sleep in late
faire la sieste - to take a nap
faire une pause - to take a break
faire une promenade - to take a walk
faire un tour - to go out for a while
prendre un bain de soleil - to sunbathe
prendre un verre - to go out for a drink
se détendre - to relax
se reposer - to rest

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80. False Cognates

Les faux-amis or false cognates are a common pitfall among language students.  The following are some common words that you may be deceived by:

Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse.
Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of.
Une injure is an insult, not an injury.
Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently.
Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement.
Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt.
Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture.
Original means new or innovative.
Humeur means mood, not humor.
Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.

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Déjeuner du matin Jacques Prévert Il a mis le café Dans la tasse Il a mis le lait Dans la tasse de café Il a mis le sucre Dans le café au lait Avec la petite cuiller Il a tourné Il a bu le café au lait Et il a reposé la tasse Sans me parler Il a allumé Une cigarette Il a fait des ronds Avec la fumée Il a mis les cendres Dans le cendrier Sans me parler Sans me regarder Il s'est levé Il a mis Son chapeau sur sa tête Il a mis Son manteau de pluie Parce qu'il pleuvait Et il est parti Sous la pluie Sans une parole Et moi j'ai pris Ma tête dans ma main Et j'ai pleuré.

Breakfast Jacques Prévert He put the coffee In the cup He put the milk In the cup of coffee He put the sugar In the café au lait With the coffee spoon He stirred He drank the café au lait And he set down the cup Without a word to me He lit A cigarette He made smoke-rings With the smoke He put the ashes In the ashtray Without a word to me Without a look at me He got up He put His hat upon his head He put his raincoat on Because it was raining And he left In the rain Without a word And I, I took My head in my hand And I cried.

Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from Paroles by Prévert

Le Corbeau et le Renard Jean de la Fontaine Maître corbeau, sur un arbre perché, Tenait en son bec un fromage, Maître renard, par l'odeur alléché, Lui tint à peu près ce langage: < Que vous êtes joli !  que vous me semblez beau ! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte à votre plumage, Vous êtes le phénix des hôtes de ces bois.>> A ces mots, le corbeau ne se sent pas de joie; Et pour montrer sa belle voix, Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie. Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: < Apprenez que tout flatteur Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute. Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage sans doute.>> Le corbeau, honteux et confus, Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.

The Crow and the Fox Jean de la Fontaine Master Crow perched on a tree, Was holding a cheese in his beak. Master Fox attracted by the smell Said something like this: "Well, Hello Mister Crow! How beautiful you are! how nice you seem to me! Really, if your voice Is like your plumage, You are the phoenix of all the inhabitants of these woods." At these words, the Crow is overjoyed. And in order to show off his beautiful voice, He opens his beak wide, lets his prey fall The Fox grabs it, and says: "My good man, Learn that every flatterer Lives at the expense of the one who listens to him. This lesson, without doubt, is well worth a cheese." The Crow, ashamed and embarrassed, Swore, but a little late, that he would not be taken again.