Reference · module 2
Who I am
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Être — to be
Say who you are and where you are from.
- Être means to be, and it is irregular: je suis, tu es, il est, elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont. The first three are the ones you need from day one.
- French never drops this verb. Where Russian says я студент, French says je suis étudiant, and where Russian says он дома, French says il est à la maison.
- To say where you are from, use être de: je suis de Moscou, il est de Berlin. Before a vowel de becomes d': Tu es d'où ? — Where are you from?
The mistake you are about to make
Je suis un étudiant.
Je suis étudiant.
English needs a: I am a student. French drops the article before a job or status after être: je suis étudiant, elle est médecin.
Un, une, le, la
Use the right article for masculine and feminine nouns.
- Every French noun is masculine or feminine, and the article shows which. Un livre is a book, une table is a table. Learn each new noun together with its article.
- Un and une mean a, any one. Le and la mean the, a specific one: le livre, la table. Before a vowel both become l': l'ami, l'école.
- In the plural there is one article for both genders: les livres, les tables. The final s is usually silent, so les is what tells you it is plural.
The mistake you are about to make
le école
l'école
English the never changes, so le looks fixed. Before a vowel French contracts it: l'école, l'ami.
Nationalities and jobs
Describe people by nationality and job, with the right ending.
- Most adjectives add -e for a woman: il est français, elle est française. The added e often makes a silent consonant heard: françai(s) versus français-e.
- Nationality adjectives are written with a small letter: il est russe, elle est allemande. Only the people as a noun get a capital: les Français.
- C'est introduces a noun with its article: c'est un ami, c'est Marie. Il est or elle est goes with an adjective or a bare job: il est canadien, elle est médecin.
The mistake you are about to make
Elle est Française.
Elle est française.
English capitalises French in every use. French only capitalises the noun for the people; the adjective after est is lower case.