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However, neither the presence nor absence of such designation should be regarded technical support as affecting the legal status of any trademark. Claire Dimeo 2 contents 5 the essentials 17 transport 29 in the home 41 at the shops 59 day-to-day 71 leisure 83 sport 97 health 111 planet earth 121 celebrations and festivals introduction In order to make sure that vocabulary and phrases are presented in a way that’s clear and easy to understand, we have followed certain policies when translating: 1) The grammatical gender of French nouns has been indicated using the articles “le” (masculine) or “la” (feminine). All nouns which have the article “l’” have been shown with their gender, for example: year l’année f All plural translations have been marked with the gender of the singular noun, as well as the plural marker, for example: trainers les baskets fpl 3 Feminine forms of nouns have been shown with the masculine form as the main translation: salesperson le vendeur / la vendeuse 2) The polite form “vous” (you) has been used throughout the text as this is always safe to use, even if a bit formal at times, for example: How are you? Comment allez-vous ? Remember that if you are addressing an older person or someone you have just met, you use “vous”. However, if you are speaking to children, or those you know well, you can use “tu”. French people may invite you to use “tu” with them: Shall we call each other “tu”? On se tutoie ? 3) In general, the masculine form of adjectives only has been shown for vocabulary items and in phrases, for example: annoyed mécontent I’m tired. Je suis fatigué. However, in some cases both forms are shown: I’m married/divorced. (man) Je suis marié / divorcé. I’m married/divorced. (woman) Je suis mariée / divorcée. Remember that, in French, the adjective often changes depending on whether the noun it describes is masculine or feminine. Often the adjective only adds an “e” to the end, so “content” becomes “contente” and “fatigué” becomes “fatiguée”. However, there are some adjectives that take different endings in the feminine form, or don’t change at all. The adjective form also changes if you are talking about a person or object in the singular or in the plural. Usually, the plural form of the adjective is formed by adding “-s” (for masculine nouns) or “-es” (for feminine nouns) to the end of the word. The girls are tired. Les filles sont fatiguées. 4 the essentials | l’essentiel blue red bleu rouge green yellow vert jaune white blanc black noir French_Standalone_01_The Essentials.indd 5 16/04/19 6:26 pm the basics | l’essentiel Hello. Good evening. See you tomorrow. Bonjour. Bonsoir. À demain. Hi! Good night. See you on Saturday. Salut ! Bonne nuit. À samedi. Hello again! Goodbye. Have a good day! Rebonjour ! Au revoir. Bonne journée ! Good morning. Bye! Have a good evening! Bonjour. Salut ! Bonne soirée ! Good afternoon. See you soon. Bonjour. À bientôt. Yes. Thank you. I’m sorry. Oui / Si. Merci. Je suis désolé. No. No, thanks. OK! Non. Non merci. D’accord ! I don’t know. Excuse me. You’re welcome. Je ne sais pas. Excusez-moi. De rien. please Sorry? I don’t understand. s’il vous plaît Pardon ? Je ne comprends pas. about you | à votre sujet How old are you? When is your birthday? My birthday is on… Quel âge avez-vous ? Quelle est votre date Mon anniversaire d’anniversaire ? est le… May I ask how old you are? I’m … years old. Where are you from? Puis-je demander J’ai … ans. D’où venez-vous ? votre âge ? 6 French_Standalone_01_The Essentials.indd 6 16/04/19 6:26 pm Where do you live? British I have a partner. Où habitez-vous ? britannique J’ai un compagnon / une compagne. I’m from... Are you married? Je viens… (to a man) I’m single. Êtes-vous marié ? Je suis célibataire. ... the UK. ... du Royaume-Uni. Are you married? I’m widowed. (man) (to a woman) Je suis veuf. I live in... Êtes-vous mariée ? J’habite à… I’m widowed. (woman) Are you single? Je suis veuve. I’m... Êtes-vous célibataire ? Je suis… Do you have any I’m married/divorced. children? Scottish (man) Avez-vous des enfants ? écossais Je suis marié / divorcé. I have ... children. English J’ai … enfants. anglais I’m married/divorced. (woman) I don’t have any Irish Je suis mariée / children. irlandais divorcée. Je n’ai pas d’enfants. Welsh gallois family and friends | la famille et les amis This is my... son boyfriend Voici mon / ma… le fils le copain These are my... daughter girlfriend Voici mes… la fille la copine husband parents fiancé/fiancée le mari les parents mpl le fiancé / la fiancée wife partner father l’épouse f le compagnon / le père la compagne 7 French_Standalone_01_The Essentials.indd 7 16/04/19 6:26 pm mother daughter-in-law/ cousin la mère stepdaughter le cousin / la belle-fille la cousine brother le frère son-in-law/stepson friend le beau-fils l’ami m / l’amie f sister la sœur brother-in-law/ colleague stepbrother le collègue / grandfather le beau-frère la collègue le grand-père sister-in-law/ neighbour grandmother stepsister le voisin / la grand-mère la belle-sœur la voisine grandson uncle baby le petit-fils l’oncle m le bébé granddaughter aunt child la petite-fille la tante l’enfant m father-in-law/ nephew teenager stepfather le neveu l’adolescent m / le beau-père l’adolescente f niece mother-in-law/ la nièce stepmother la belle-mère general health and wellbeing | le bien-être How are you? How is he/she? Very well, thanks, and Comment allez- Comment va-t-il / you? vous ? elle ? Très bien, merci, et vous ? How’s it going? How are they? Comment ça va ? Comment vont-ils / Fine, thanks. elles ? Bien, merci. 8 French_Standalone_01_The Essentials.indd 8 16/04/19 6:26 pm Great! He/She is... afraid Super bien ! Il / Elle est… effrayé So-so. They are... relaxed Comme ci comme ça. Ils / Elles sont… détendu Not bad, thanks. happy I’m bored. Pas mal, merci. heureux Je m’ennuie. Could be worse. excited I feel... On fait aller. excité Je me sens… Not great. calm He/She feels... Pas terrible. calme Il / Elle se sent… I’m tired. surprised They feel... Je suis fatigué. surpris Ils / Elles se sentent… annoyed well I’m hungry/thirsty. mécontent bien J’ai faim / soif. angry unwell I’m full. en colère indisposé Je n’ai plus faim. sad better I’m cold. triste mieux J’ai froid. worried worse I’m warm. inquiet pire J’ai chaud. I am... Je suis… work | le travail Where do you work? What’s your occupation? I’m self-employed. Où travaillez-vous ? Quel est votre Je travaille à mon métier ? compte. What do you do? Que faites-vous Do you work/study? I’m unemployed. dans la vie ? Est-ce que vous Je suis au chômage. travaillez / étudiez ? 9 French_Standalone_01_The Essentials.indd 9 16/04/19 6:26 pm I’m still at school. dentist lawyer Je suis encore à le dentiste / l’avocat m / l’école. la dentiste l’avocate f I’m at university. doctor mechanic Je suis à l’université. le médecin / le mécanicien / la médecin la mécanicienne I’m retired. Je suis à la retraite. driver nurse le conducteur / l’infirmier m / I’m travelling. la conductrice l’infirmière f Je voyage. electrician office worker I work from home. l’électricien m / l’employé de bureau Je travaille de chez l’électricienne f m / l’employée de moi.