Intro:
Before you begin
Step 1:
Get by with basic French grammar and pronunciation
Step 2:
Learn "the basic functions" phrases
Step 3:
Work with simple conversation
Step 4:
Ask a few questions
Step 5:
Understand the magical maybe
Step 6:
Go deeper into the verb forest

2torial #0665: Learn2 Get By In French C'est what? French is spoken by almost 200 million people in the world--in Europe, the Carribean, South America, and Africa. It can also sound baffling when compared with English. However, francophones take great pride in their language and any attempt at communicating with the local way of speaking is appreciated. What does "get by" mean? It refers to a basic, functional ability to arrange food, shelter and transport, and to share basic info about your past. Although mastering this 2torial may not get you any linguistic achievement awards, it will be a step closer to understanding the local cultures and languages of French speakers all over the world. And you'll avoid being a part of the unsightly crowd that floods the streets of Paris in August, who assume that English is spoken worldwide and make no attempt to communicate in the native tongue. Oh, yes, and one suggestion: Be ready to make mistakes. This is possibly the most difficult lesson to learn. Charlie Parker, one of the best Western musicians of this century, said it very well: "If you don't make mistakes, you're not trying hard enough!" Feeling nervous and awkward with your first language attempts is natural--but "getting by" simply takes patience and an interest in your surroundings. A hotelier will already be prepared for your room inquiries, a taxi driver will know you want to go somewhere, and a waiter will anticipate that you want a meal. And those exchanges that fall in between, well, that's where the confusion and the fun come in. Get by with basic French grammar and pronunciation   Some basic grammar You, formal: In English, there's only one way to say you In French, use vous (voo) unless the person is a child or a friend, then use tu.   Negative: pas usually replaces the adverb not in French as in pas de pain (no bread), pas de probléme (no problem), or pas bien (not good).   In French, all nouns have gender, and the adjectives attached to them reflect that. In the lists of Steps 2-6, the masculine form of nouns and adjectives come first, followed by a slash and the feminine form. Some basic pronunciation The French use gutteral and nasal sounds much more than the American ear is accustomed. As a foreigner in a francophone country, give yourself time to hear the types of sounds in the language, instead of focusing only on words and meanings. and listen to the way words are pronounced. Regarding the pronunciation guides in Steps 2-6, keep in mind that not all native sounds are possible to duplicate in print. For instance:   The U sound in l'autobus is deep and comes from way back in the bottom of the throat. The closest english equivalent is in the word fuel; therefore this deep U sound will be represented by the letters UE in the tutorial.   Otherwise, the U sound will be represented by OO and is pronounced as in moon or fool.   AH is pronounced the way you would say the sound ah.   OE should be pronounced as in big toe.   The ZYUH sound is closest to the g in orange, but it's softer, and the sound is drawn out a bit.   Equal stress is placed on all syllables unless written in both upper and lower case letters. In that case, stress is placed upon the uppercase letters. Nasal sounds are tricky to duplicate at first. These "hidden sounds" are kept way up at the back of the nose and above the soft palette (roof of the mouth). Although somewhat of a challenge, nasal sounds are necessary for correct pronunciation. They are written in parentheses as a reminder to "tuck them away" and speak them with less emphasis. When in doubt, don't pronounce the final consonant if it's the last letter in the word. Otherwise, please read the pronunciation guides as you would in English. Remember, they should help you recall the sound of the word, rather than teaching you how to say the word. Learn "the basic functions" phrases This section includes greetings, questions about food, lodging, and transport, and finally, numbers. If you need information from someone, be polite! Use a formal greeting when asking a stranger a question--it'll set the tone for a courteous exchange. English French Pronunciation My name is Je m'appelle... zyuh ma PELL you (formal) vous voo you (informal) tu too What is your name? Comment vous vous appellez KOH mo voo voo ZA pell ay me moi mwah yes oui wee no non no(n) hello (day) bonjour bo(n) zyoor hello (evening) bonsoir bo swa good-bye au revoir oh (r)eh vwahr excuse me excusez-moi ess KYOO zay MWAH sir Monsieur mih SEE YUH madame Madame mah DAM (younger) Mademoiselle ma mwah ZELL Do you understand? Est-ce que vous comprenez? ESS kuh voo comb pruh NAY I don't understand. Je ne comprends pas. zyuh nuh comb prah(n) PAH I don't speak French. Je ne parle pas français. zyuh nuh parl PAH frahn SAY I am (American). Je suis américain. zyuh swee za mer ee ca(n) The United States Les Etats-Unis lay ZEH tah ZUE nee It is necessary that... Il faut que... eel FOE kuh you understand (il faut que) vous me compreniez voo muh comb pruh NYAY I leave je parte zyuh pahr I find je trouve zhuh troov I go j'aille zha ee When? Quand? kah(n) Do you have... Avez-vous... ah vay vooz I would like... Je voudrais... zyuh voo dray to eat manger mah(n) zyay a hotel room une chambre-à- louer uen shahmbr ah loo ay water de l'eau duh lo I'm... Je suis... zyuh swee... lost perdu pear DOO sorry désolé DAY zoe lay sick malade mah lahd hungry J'ai faim zyay fa(n) thirsty J'ai soif zyay swahf Where is... Où est... oo ay the bathroom la toilette lah twah LET the taxi le taxi luh tax see the train station la gare lah gahr the bus l'autobus loe toe BUES the road to... la route à... lah root ah Please wait. Attendez, s'il vous plaît. at ton DAY see voo play Can you help me please? Aidez-moi, s'il vous plaît ay day MWAH see voo play Help! Au secours! oh say COOR many beaucoup boe KOO duh very much (a lot) beaucoup boe KOO How much?(How many) Combien (de)? comb bee ye(n) (duh) money l'argent lahr zyah(n) numbers 1-10 1 un/une uh(n)/uen(nuh) 2 deux duh 3 trois trwah 4 quatre cat(ruh) 5 cinq sank 6 six seess 7 sept set 8 huit oo weet 9 neuf nuff 10 dix deess twenty vingt va(nt) one hundred cent saw(nt) one thousand mille meel

Work with simple conversation

Many language learners get hung up on French because its sounds are so phonetically different from English. Instead of reading words as you would in English, listen to the native rhythm of the language. Does it sound like someone speaking with a mouthful of baguette and brie? Or a secret agent in a spy movie that you've seen? Then go with that feeling and image, and practice it. Here are some words that will fill in the gaps.

English	French	Pronunciation
I'm from	Je vien de...	zyuh vee EH(n) duh
How are you?	Comment allez vous?	KOE moh TAL ay VOO
How's it going?	Comment ça va?	KOE mo(n) sah vah
I'm fine (all's well).	Ça va bien.	sah vah bee YE(n)
friend	ami/amie	ah mee/ah mee(yuh)
How do I...	Comment est-ce que je...	KOE mo(n) ESS kuh zyuh
I need to...	J'ai besoin de...	zyay beh ZWAH(n) duh
it is	c'est	say
I have	j'ai	zyay
You're welcome	de rien	duh ree EH(n)
good	bon	bo(n)
bad	mauvais	mo VAY
left	gauche	go sh
right	droite	dr' waht
straight	tout droite	too dr' waht
big	grand/grande	grah(n)/grahn (duh)
small	petit/petite	peh TEE? peh TEET
I'm tired.	Je suis fatigué.	zyuh swee FAHT tee gay
I like the...	J'aime le/la/les...	zyehm luh/lah/lay
I like the bread.	J'aime le pain.	zyehm luh pa(n)
I like the wine.	J'aime le vin.	zyehm luh va(n)
I like the cheese.	J'aime le fromage.	zyehm luh froe mazh
I like her.	je l'aime.	zyuh LEM
I like him.	je l'aime.	zyuh LEM
I like it.	J'aime le mien.	zyehm luh mee EH(N)
her	elle	ell
him	lui	louie
mine	le mien	luh mee EH(N)
today	aujourd'hui	oh zyoor DWEE
tommorow	demain	duh MA(N)
yesterday	hier	ee yehr
bread	le pain	luh pa(n)
wine	le vin	luh va(n)
cheese	le fromage	luh froe mazh
The weather's nice	Il fait beau	eel fay BOE
The weather's not nice	Il fait mauvais	eel fay mo VAY
beach	la plage	lah plahj
mountains	les montagnes	lay moan tahn(yuh)
bedroom	la chambre	lah shahmbr(uh)
to sleep	dormir	dor MEER

Ask a few questions

These are the phrases that'll get you some answers, and at first, you may not understand the answers. But be patient, and remember: Je ne comprend pas and Je ne pas parle le Français will often help you through.

English	French	Pronunciation
slowly	lentement	LAH(n) tuh MAH(n)
please repeat	Répétez, s'il vous plaît.	REH peh TAY see voo PLAY
Who?	Qui?	kee
What?	Quoi?	kwah
Where?	Où?	oo
Why?	Pourquoi?	poor kwah
How?	Comment?	koe MAH(n)
Which?	Quel?	kel
What's that?	Qu'est-ce que c'est?	Kes kuh SAY?

Understand the magical maybe

These are the words that will keep conversation going. How? If you've temporarily lost the meaning of a conversation, they help conceal your non-comprehension. The French-speaker will continue to speak, and you'll continue to benefit from hearing their accent and recognizing some of their vocabulary. Who cares if you didn't get all that they said, if you both walk away happy.

English	French	Pronunciation
maybe	peut-être	puh TET (ruh)
nothing	rien	ree EH(n)
no matter	n'importe	NA(m) port

Go deeper into the verb forest

There are three types of verb endings: -ir, -er, and -re. Avoir (to have) and être (to be) are irregular verbs, which means they are conjugated differently. Here they are in the present tense:

English	French	Pronunciation
to have	avoir	a vwahr
I have	j'ai	zhay
you have (sing)	tu as	too ah
he/she has	il/elle a	eel/ell ah
we have	nous avons	noo zah voe(n)
you have (pl)	vous avez	voo sah vay
they have	ils/elles ont	eel/ell zoe(n)
to be	etre	EH truh
I am	je suis	zyuh swee
you are (sing)	tu es	too ay
he/she is	il, elle est	eel/ell eh
we are	nous sommes	noo sum
you are (pl)	vous êtes	voo zet
they are	ils/elles sont	eel /ell soe(n)

Below are three examples of regular verb conjugations, one for each type of verb ending, all in the present tense:

English	French	Pronunciation
to eat	manger	mah(n) ZYAY
I eat	je mange	zyuh mah(n)zh
you eat (sing)	tu manges	too mah(n)zh
he/she eats	il/elle mange	eel/ ell mah(n)zh
we eat	nous mangeons	noo mah(n) ZYOE( n)
you eat (pl)	vous mangez	voo mah(n) ZYAY
they eat	ils/elles mangent	eel/ell mah(n) (zyuh)
to hold	tenir	teh NEER
I hold	je tiens	zyuh tee EH(n)
you hold (sing)	tu tiens	too tee EH(n)
he/she holds	il/elle tien	eel/ell tee EH
we hold	nous tenons	noo teh no(n)
you hold (pl)	vous tenez	voo teh nay
they hold	ils/elles tiennent	eel/ell tee EN (nuh)
to take	prendre	prahn druh
I take	je prends	zyuh prah(n)
you take (sing)	tu prends	too prah(n)
he/she takes	il/elle prend	eel/ell prah(n)
we take	nous prenons	noo prehn oe(n)
you take (pl)	vous prenez	voo preh NAY
they take	ils/elles prennent	eel/ell prehn(nuh)

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