Courses for absolute beginnersFrench words

*Salut !* Welcome to the basic French course! Let's start with some useful expressions such as greetings or saying thank you. "Bonjour" is the most commonly used French greeting. It is usually used in daylight. When it's getting dark, consider switching to *good evening* instead - "Bonsoir". "Salut" is the informal French greeting you can use with family and friends, but not with your boss or teacher. It works for both saying hello and goodbye. Then there's "coucou", the super casual greeting you'll hear everywhere in France!

*Gender* In French, all nouns are either *masculine* or *feminine*. In indefinite forms, masculine nouns use "un" and feminine nouns use "une". Also, have you ever heard the French phrase "ça va ?" ("Comment ça va ?" in its long form). It's their way of saying 'How are you ?' and you'll hear it many times a day in France. When someone greets you with a "ça va ?", respond smoothly with "ça va, et toi ?" ('I'm well, and you?'). It's a casual exchange used in daily interactions.

*The verb to be* In French, you can introduce yourself using the verb *to be*, like this: "Je suis Anna." - I am Anna. Now have a look at the present tense of the verb *to be* "être": "je suis" "tu es" "il est" "elle est" "on est" "nous sommes" "vous êtes" "ils sont" "elles sont" "C'est beau !" Use "c'est" when you want to say 'it is' or 'that is' in French. It's made of "ce", which means 'this' or 'it,' and "est", which is 'to be' in the third person form. Like saying "C'est formidable!" for 'It's wonderful'!

*Definite Articles* In English, the only definite article is the, whereas in French there are three of them: "la, le" and "les." *Please note, 'le' and 'la' change to ' l' ' before a noun beginning in a vowel or an h (the h is silent in French).* For example: l'homme (le + homme) meaning 'the man'. Use "la" for feminine nouns, "le" for masculine nouns, and "les" for the plural forms.

*Let's introduce yourself!* We'll explore some simple phrases to talk about ourselves. What's your name? Where are you from? What language do you speak?

*Verbs* English verbs don't change that much. For example, we say *I run, you run, he runs*, and so on. However, French verbs change *according to the person we're talking about.* But don't worry! Good news is that the pronunciation for the first, second, and third persons singular is usually the same. At least in the case of regular verbs. Let's look at the verb *to speak* - "parler" in the first three persons singular. They are all pronounced the same, although written differently: "je parle" "tu parles" "il/elle parle" Easy, right? Let's practice!

*Adjectives* In French, adjectives can *change depending on the gender and number of the noun they describe.* When describing *feminine nouns*, it's common to add an *-e* at the end of the adjective. For example: "Gabriel est espagnol." Gabriel is Spanish. "Sarah est espagnole." Sarah is Spanish. However, some adjectives don't follow this rule and instead change completely. For example, the adjective 'beautiful' has a masculine form, which is either 'beau' or 'bel' (if located before a noun starting with a vowel), and its feminine form is "belle".

*The plural forms of the verb ´parler´* Similar to English, *French nouns change when they're made plural.* There are several ways to form plural nouns, depending on the words involved. The simplest way is by adding an * -s *, just like in English. The indefinite article is "des" and the definite article is "les". Example: "un croissant - des croissants" Now, back to verbs! Let's learn to conjugate the verb "parler" in the plural: "Nous parlons" "Vous parlez" "Ils / Elles parlent"

*Tell us what you like* "Aimer" is a French *regular verb* meaning *to like* or *to love.* "j’aime" "tu aimes" "il/elle aime" "nous aimons" "vous aimez" "ils/elles aiment" In French, using "aimer" alone means *to love.* If you want to say you like someone, you add words like "bien" or "beaucoup" to "aimer." For example: "J'aime bien ce film." means 'I like this movie.'

*To have & to go* Most French verbs change really predictably; these are regular verbs. However, some verbs just do their own thing and don't follow typical patterns. *A good example is the verbs 'to be' and 'to go'.* Let's take a look at them in the singular form. TO HAVE: "AVOIR" "j'ai" "tu as" "il / elle a" TO GO: "ALLER" "je vais" "tu vas" "il / elle va"

*Using two verbs in one sentence* In French, you can use two verbs in one sentence, just like in English. Only one of them is conjugated and the other one remains in its infinitive form. So, for example, if you want to say *I like to run,* only the verb "aimer" (to like) would be conjugated: "J’aime courir."

*Do you live in France?* When referring to the place where you live, in French, we typically use the preposition "à" for cities and "en" for countries: "J'habite à Paris." (I live in Paris.) "J'habite en France." (I live in France.) However, there are some countries for which we use the preposition "au" when the country's name is masculine. For instance, "au Maroc" for Morocco, "au Mexique" for Mexico, or "au Portugal" for Portugal.

*My Family* In French, possessives function differently from English. *They change based on the gender of the word which is following them.* For example, the word 'my' will differ depending on whether you're referring to your mother (feminine) or your father (masculine). Take a closer look: "mon père" - my father "ma mère" - my mother "ton frère" - your brother "ta sœur" - your sister "son fils" - his / her son "sa fille" - his / her daughter

*An extra -s* If you're talking about a plural noun, add *-s* to the adjective too. "La femme est contente." The woman is happy. "Les femmes sont contentes." The women are happy. Even possessives change in plural! "mes frères" - my brothers "tes sœurs" - your sisters "ses parents" - his / her parents

*French 'de'* "De" in French has various meanings. You can use it when: - you want to say that *something belongs to someone:* "le chat de Paul" - Paul's cat - it also allows you to say *'of'* - "une tasse de café" - cup of coffee - it can also be translated as *'from'* when you want to say where you come from. - "Je suis de Paris." - I'm from Paris.

*Numbers* Let´s learn first ten numbers in French. "un" - one "deux" - two "trois" - three "quatre" - four "cinq" - five "six" - six "sept" - seven "huit" - eight "neuf" - nine "dix" - ten As you can see, the word for *number one* is *the same as the indefinite article.* It also changes based on gender, just like the indefinite article: in the masculine, it's *'un'* - "un chien" (one dog), while in the feminine, it changes to *'une'* . "une pomme" (one apple)

*Talk about things you do* It's time to learn to talk about things you do, like your job or simply what your plans are for tonight. Remember, in French, "à" and "le" are never used together. Instead, they combine into "au". For example: "Tu vas au restaurant." ( 'au' is a combination of 'à' meaning 'in', and 'le' as a definite article.)

*Plural forms of the verbs to have and to go* Let's learn to conjugate the verbs *to have* and *to go* in plural: TO HAVE - "AVOIR" : "nous avons" "vous avez" "ils/elles ont" TO GO - "ALLER" : "nous allons" "vous allez" "ils/elles vont" Let's practice!

*French negation* To form a sentence with French negation, the *basic structure* is as follows: *ne + verb + pas.* "J’aime apprendre le français." - I like learning French. "Je n’aime pas apprendre le français." - I do not like learning French. Negation can alter the articles. Definite articles like "le, la, l'," or "les" remain unchanged by negation. However, when using indefinite articles such as "un, une," and "des," they transform into "de" or "d’" after a French negation. "J'ai un chien." - I have a dog. "Je n'ai pas de chien." - I don't have a dog. Notice that the *ne shortens to n’ when it precedes a vowel.*