Lesson 20

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Read and translate the dialogue. Determine if the following statements fit its content. Answer C’est juste (It’s right) or C’est faux (It’s wrong):

Exercise 2. Listen to the recording of the dialogue several times. Fill in the blanks in the sentences by recalling what you have heard:

1. Je voudrais avec et c’est tout.
2. Je n’ pas faim.
3. Avez-vous des pizzas ? — Il n’y a pas , Madame, prenez une tarte aux pommes.
4. Je n’aime pas . Je prendrai du chocolat.
5. Avec crème ? — Oui, avec un peu , mais sans sucre.
6. Un café avec , un chocolat chaud avec .
7. téléphoner à André. Est-ce qu’il y a un téléphone dans le bistrot ? Mon portable ne marche pas.

8. un téléphone dans le bistrot. Il est près de l’entrée. Vous avez une carte téléphonique ?
9. Malheureusement je n’ai pas .
10. Prends carte ou portable, si tu veux.
11. Merci, c’est gentil de part.
12. Ça combien ? — Cinq euros, Monsieur. Voilà l’addition.
13. . Gardez la monnaie.

Grammar

Partitive Article

There are three types of articles in French: definite, indefinite and partitive (we talked about the first two in lesson 16 and lesson 17).

The partitive article is used before uncountable nouns, i. e. the nouns that indicate objects that cannot be counted, or abstract concepts. In English, we use some or any in its place, but it is not used the same way. The partitive article has the following forms: masculine — du, feminine — de la; before vowels and mute h (but not before *h) — de l’. For example:

The partitive article indicates that it is not the whole object that is taken or meant, but an indefinite quantity or part of the whole. Compare:

Tu veux du thé ? — Would you like some tea?

Note that when referring to one portion of something (of tea, coffee, etc.), the numeral one is used, for example:

Je veux un thé. — I want a cup of tea.

Thus, the partitive article is a “substitute” for the indefinite article with uncountable nouns.

Note that the plural form of the partitive article does not exist, and this is quite understandable: uncountable nouns do not change in number. Compare:

In case of “des chocolats”, the word chocolats is not an uncountable noun, des here is the indefinite article in the plural form.

Replacing the indefinite and partitive articles with the preposition de in negation

Remember that in negation the indefinite and partitive articles are replaced by the preposition de, which appears as d’ before vowels and mute h (but not before *h), for example:

The definite article keeps its place in the negation, e.g:

Exercise 3. Highlight the sentences with the partitive article in the dialogue.

Exercise 4. Fill in the blanks in the sentences by adding the appropriate article.

1. J’aime café.
2. Je prends thé avec sucre.
3. Paul prend chocolat avec crème.
4. Les enfants mangent bonbons.
5. Ils aiment bonbons.

Exercise 5. Put the verb in the negative form, not forgetting to substitute the article where it is necessary.

The expression il faut

In French it is very common to use the expression il faut (it’s necessary to, you have to, one must). It consists of the pronoun il (literally he) and the 3^rd person singular of the verb falloir (to be necessary, to have to, to need to, must). The pronoun il is not translated here, the expression is impersonal; it is used the same way as we use “it”, for example, in the phase: it is dark. The grammar requires it. The infinitive verb is used after il faut (in the negative form — il ne faut pas), for example:

Il faut attendre que le feu soit au vert. — You have to wait for the light to turn green.
Il faut traverser la rue au feu vert. — One must cross the street on a green light.
Il ne faut pas attendre Pierre. — We should not wait for Pierre.
Il ne faut pas traverser la rue au feu rouge. — We must not cross the street on a red light.
Est-ce qu’il faut attendre Pierre ? Faut-il attendre Pierre ? — Should we wait for Pierre?

Note that the verb falloir is used only in the 3^rd person singular and not in any other forms.

Exercise 6. Change the sentences using the expression il faut.

Possessive Adjectives Denoting a Single Possessor

In French, there are possessive adjectives, i.e. adjectives that denote an object belonging to a person and answer the question whose? — my (your, his, her, its, our, their) (not mine etc.). Note that the possessor of the object in this case is thought of as a person designated by a pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they).

Remember French possessive adjectives that mean that the possessor of an object is one person (not a group of persons):

As you can see, these possessive adjectives have number and, in the singular form, gender.

French possessive adjectives are placed before nouns denoting the object that they possess and agree with these nouns in gender and number, e.g:

C’est mon portable. — This is my mobile phone.
C’est ta carte. — This is your card.
Ce sont mes amis. — These are my friends.
Ce sont ses amies. — These are her/his friends.

Note that the masculine forms mon, ton, son are used before feminine words beginning with a vowel or mute h (but not with *h), for example:

C’est mon amie. — This is my friend.
C’est ton école. — This is your school.
Racontez son histoire. — Tell her/his story.

The French words amie, école, histoire in these examples are feminine nouns.

The silent s in the possessive adjectives mes, tes, ses becomes pronounced as [z] if the following word begins with a vowel or mute h (but not with *h), for example:

mes amis [mezami]
ses habitudes [sezabityd]

Note that French possessive adjectives agree in person with the possessor of the object. Here are some examples:

Je prends mon livre. — I’m taking my book.
(the possessor is denoted by the 1^st person singular pronoun — I)
Tu aimes ta ville. — You love your city.
(the possessor is denoted by the 2^nd person singular pronoun — you)
Je cherche mes amis. — I’m looking for my friends.
(the possessor is denoted by the 1^st person singular pronoun — I)
Tu lis tes livres. — You’re reading your books.
(the possessor is denoted by the 2^nd person singular pronoun — you)

Exercise 7. Translate into French:

Verbs of Group III

Memorize a few more frequently used verbs of group III (see the beginning in lesson 17; see also lesson 18, lesson 19):

Note that the verbs savoir and connaître express different meaning of “to know”. Remember that connaître is always followed by a noun and it is about people and places, in most cases:

Exercise 8. Translate using a dictionary if necessary:

Cardinal numbers from 1 to 10

Cardinal numbers answer the question combien ? (how many?). They come before nouns, for example: J’ai deux robes bleues. — I have two blue dresses.

Memorize the numbers from 1 to 10:

Here are some examples:

deux amis [døzami] — two friends, trois hivers [trwazivɛ:r] — three winters;
six pommes [sipɔm] — six apples, huit *hors-d’œuvre [ɥiɔrdœ:vr] — eight appetizers;
neuf ans [nœvã] — nine years, neuf heures [nœvœ:r] — nine hours, but: neuf écoles [nœfekɔl] — nine schools.

French cardinal numbers are invariable words. The exception is the number un that has the feminine form une, and also the numbers vingt (twenty) and cent (hundred) that you will meet later.

Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers indicate the position or order of something in relation to other numbers. They are formed from cardinal numbers by adding the suffix -ième, for example: sept (seven) — le septième, la septième (the seventh). Exception: un m., une f. (one) — le premier, la première (the first).

Memorize ordinal numerals while observing their spelling and pronunciation:

Ordinal numbers come before a noun, agreeing with it in gender and number, and are used with a definite article, for example:

La première question est difficile. — The first question is difficult.
Je vois les premières fleurs. — I see the first flowers.

Exercise 9. Translate writing the numbers in words:

Mastering the language subtleties

I. Remember the following set expressions with the verb avoir:

However, note that if you mention what it is that you want to eat, the verbs manger, prendre etc. are used, for example:

Je veux manger une pomme. — I want to eat an apple.

II. The forms je voudrais (I would like to), vous voudriez (you would like to) are conditional in origin (you will know more later, in lesson 31), they are commonly used as polite formulas, e.g:

Vous voudriez du thé ? — Would you like some tea?
Non, merci, je voudrais du café. — No, thanks, I’d like some coffee.
Vous voudriez ? — What would you like?

The expressions si vous voulez, si tu veux are also polite formulas, you may translate them as please, e.g.:

Prends mon portable, si tu veux. — Take my mobile phone, please (or: if you want/like).

III. The expression d’accord (agreed) is widely used in colloquial speech like the English Ok, all right.

Exercise 10. It’s time to make sure you have learned the vocabulary and grammar of this lesson. Translate:

Let’s laugh and enrich our vocabulary

Text I

Vocabulary

Exercise 11. Read and translate Text I. Determine if the following statements match its content and write C’est vrai (It’s true) or C’est faux (It’s not true):

Text II

Vocabulary

Exercise 12.

a) Read and translate Text II. Choose from the menu what you would order for yourself. Write down and learn what you have chosen — it will come in handy when you are abroad and come to a restaurant for lunch or dinner!

b) Now look at what is usually on the breakfast buffet. Choose what you like and memorize the appropriate French words. Not all hotels abroad have a buffet, and you may have to address the waiter in French!

Text III

Vocabulary

Exercise 13. Read and translate Text III. Choose the statements that match its content and write C’est juste (It’s right) or C’est faux (It’s wrong):