Good afternoon friends! Today I will tell you about one of the most commonly used verbs in French - être. This word perfectly shows all the uniqueness, diversity and variability. After all, it can be not only a verb, but also a noun, it can be translated or omitted during translation, it can be read in its entirety or give only one sound.

One thing is for sure: the French verb être is the first word for action that we get to know when we start learning a language.

From this article you will learn:

Subtleties of change

In French speech, unlike Russian, there are practically no utterances without a predicate. Therefore, être often takes the place of an untranslatable predicate. It can be translated (or mean): is, to be, to live, to represent, is, exists.

If after "is" there is a definition, then his face and number should be the same as that of the subject:

Elle est grande. - It is high.

Ils sont grands. - They are tall.

If you want to say an impersonal sentence, then use the pronoun Il as the subject: Il est matin. - Morning.

In all of these examples, "is" is used in the simple present tense. But its conjugation does not occur according to the rules, because it belongs to the third group, that is, it is incorrect. To use it in speech, you need to remember the conjugation tables, the real simple is especially important (first column):

Conjugation of the verb etre

Pay attention to the third time. A verb is used to form Passé compose in French, so in this column you will find the conjugation of avoir with the verb être in the appropriate form été.

If you study the table in more detail, you will see that in all complex tenses, the two-part predicate consists of a variable part, which is always inherent for a given tense and form of the verb être. And you ?
In general, the rules for conjugation are quite simple and not difficult to memorize.

How to ask?

Interrogative sentences using "is, to be" are constructed in the same way as in all other cases:

1. Using the reverse word order: Êtes-vous à la maison? - Are you at home?
2. Using the interrogative phrase est-ce que: Est-ce que tu es marie? - Are you married?
3. Having uttered a statement with an interrogative intonation.

Negation

If you want to get a negative statement, use the rule of two negative particles, which is typical for French speech. The diagram will help you:

Subject. (noun or pronoun) + ne + verb + pas + addition, circumstance.

At the same time, remember the rules for replacing articles (un / une with the preposition de). And, of course, everything related to the fusion of the first and last sounds of a word is appropriate in such phrases. We get this:

Check the result

If you've read my story carefully and looked at the tables, try the following exercise:
Match the conjugated forms of être in Imparfait with the correct pronoun.

a) j ’
b) il
c) elles
d) nous
e) vous

Well, how did it work out? If not, then go back to the first table and find the right time there. If you still have questions, write in the comments, I will definitely answer.

Today I tried to tell you about the importance of être in French and the rules for its use. The basic French course on Skype, designed for 20 weeks, will help you to better master these rules and easily use them in speech.

And here are the answers to the exercise above:

In the new article, you will learn a lot more interesting and useful things about foreign languages ​​in simple words.

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss anything. You will also receive as a gift, completely free of charge, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main plus is that there is Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

I was with you, Ekaterina, a French teacher, I wish you a good day!

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Être verb (to be)

In French, as in all other European languages, you cannot just say:

I am beautiful, he is strange, they are at home, you are at work.

Get used to the fact that any foreigner will say:

I am beautiful, she is strange, they are at home, you are at work.

So called verb to be Is one of the most important verbs in any foreign language.

The British have to be. The Germans have sein.
The Italians have essere. The Frenchêtre - to be.

Conjugation of the verb être (to be).

There are the following pronouns in French:

The negative form of the verb is être (to be).

ne + verb + pas

The interrogative form of the verb être (to be).

How the question will be asked depends on the situation and on who you are contacting.

The best interrogative turnover is the turnover with est-ce que.

Fixed expressions with the verb être (to be).

With the verb être there are a lot of fixed expressions in French that will greatly decorate and enrich your speech at the start of learning French:

• être mal (malade) - to be sick
• être bien - to be healthy
• être libre - to be free
• être pris (e) - to be busy
• être prêt (e) - be ready
• être content (e) - to be content
• être marié (e) - to be married (married)
• être en retard - to be late
• être à l'heure - come on time
• être à la maison - to be at home
• être fatigué (e) - to be tired
• être désolé (e) - to regret
• être sûr (e) - to be confident
• être heureux (heureuse) - to be happy

Agreement

What you should pay attention to. In Russian we say:

I'm healthy, I'm healthy Oh, they are healthy S
i'm busy i'm busy Oh, they're busy S

In the language of grammar, this is called "agreeing an adjective in gender and number." If it's easier, then you need to put the correct endings.

It turns out that:

A man will always speak without ending ,
those. the way it is written in stable expressions
Woman - with an ending-e
They, we - with the ending-s

• I am satisfied. - Je suis content(-) .
• I am pleased . - Je suis content e.
• They are happy. - Ils sont content s.

Exercise 1. Translate from French to Russian.

1. Je suis libre aujourd'hui.
2. Il est sûre qu'elle est mal.
3. Nous sommes désolés qu'il est en retard.
4. Es-tu prise ce soir? - Oui, mais mon ami n'est pas pris.
5. Ma sœur est mariée.
6. Mon frère est marié aussi.
7. Êtes-vous fatigués? - Non, pas du tout.
8. Je suis heureuse que nous sommes à la maison maintenant.
9. Et mon frère est heureux aussi.
10. Ils sont contents que nous sommes prêtes.
11. Elle est toujours à l'heure.
12. Est-t-il bien? - Oui, il est très bien.
13. Où est ton ami? - Il est à la maison maintenant parce qu'il est fatigué aujourd'hui.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian to French.

1. I am at home now.
2. Where is your brother? He is at home now because he is not feeling well.
3. I'm sorry she's late.
4. Are you free tonight? - Yes.
5. They always come on time.
6. Are you married? - Yes. Are you married? - No.
7. They are confident that we are ready.
8. You are now healthy.
9. We're sorry, but we're busy today.
10. We are happy that you are here today.
11. I'm sure he is doing well.
12. They are happy because they are free.
13. I am always free, content and happy.

Exercise 3. Write the desired form of the ETRE verb.

1.Vous _______ monsieur Martin?

2.Elle _____ belle, ma soeur Lucie.

3.Je ____ Francais.

4.Nous _____ touristes russes.

5. Irene et Pauline ___ pianistes.

6.Tu ___ programmeur, comme ton pere?

7. Ma famille ____ grande, nous ______ six.

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with pronouns: je, tu, il / elle, nous, vous, ils.

1.__ sommes tous fermiers.

2.__ es professeur de musique?

3.__ suis a Marseille.

4.__ sont à la maison.

5.__ etes acteurs.

The verb avoir (to have).

In Russian we speak:

I (have) a brother, he (has) a new girlfriend, they (have) a house in the village.

Despite the fact that in Russian we say the word "is", do not build such sentences with the verb "to be" from the 1st lesson (I am beautiful, he is smart).

This is a common mistake. The fact is that we are still trying to translate all the phrases verbatim.

The French, like all Europeans, will say:

I have a job, he has new girlfriend, they have House in the village.

All such sentences are always built with the verb avoir (to have).

Conjugated avoir (to have).

Avoir verb - this is one of the most important verbs in French, so its conjugation and pronunciation must be learned by heart at the very beginning!

The negative form of the verb avoir (to have).

Before the verb ne, after the verb pas:

ne + verb + pas

Explanation of where it comes from de - in the audio part.

The interrogative form of the verb avoir (to have).

Fixed expressions with avoir (to have).

With the verb avoir (to have) in French there are a number of fixed expressions that are very useful for colloquial speech:

• avoir de la chance - to be lucky
• avoir du courage - to have courage
• avoir de la patience - to be patient
• avoir du succès - to be successful, to be successful
• avoir peur de - to be afraid
• avoir froid - feel cold
• avoir chaud - feeling hot (in terms of air temperature)
• avoir besoin de - to need something
• avoir raison - to be right
• avoir faim - want to eat, be hungry
• avoir soif - to be thirsty, thirsty
• avoir sommeil - want to sleep
• avoir lieu - to take place, to occur (about the event)
• avoir la grippe - have the flu
• avoir ... ans - to be at the age of ... years

Exercise 1. Translate from French to Russian.

1. Cathy a raison: ils ont les repétitions tous les jours et ils sont fatigués.
2. Mon frère a peur de notre voisine.
3. J'ai froid, et toi? - Moi, j'ai chaud.
4. Notre mère a de la patience.
5. Vous avez faim? - Non, nous n'avons pas faim, nous avons soif.
6. Elle a le petit magasin et elle a de la chance.
7. Elles sont très populaires et elles ont du succès.
8. Je n'ai pas besoin de la voiture.
9. Oui, vous avez raison: il a sommeil.
10. Quel âge a ton père? - Il a soixante ans.
11. Où est Hélène? - Elle est à la maison parce qu'elle a la grippe.
12. Les compétitions sportives ont lieu aujourd'hui.

1. Helen doesn't need a car.
2. Pierre has a small shop, but he is unlucky.
3. Are you hungry? - No thanks, I'm not hungry. But my friend is thirsty.
4. Paul is very popular and has great success.
5. They are right: we are afraid of our neighbor.
6. She wants to sleep because she is tired.
7. Edith is sick with the flu, so she's at home.
8. A holiday is taking place near our house.
9. I feel hot! - Yes? And they are cold!
10. We are not afraid of your dog!
11. They are impatient, so they have problems.
12. She doesn't want to sleep, she wants to eat.
13. We don't need your explanation!
14. Do they want to sleep? - Yes, they want to sleep because they are very tired.
15. Do you need a car? - Yes.

Check your answers

1. Hélène n'a pas besoin de la voiture.
2. Pierre a le petit magasin mais il n'a pas de la chance.
3. Vous avez faim? - Non, merci, je n'ai pas faim, mais mon amie a soif.
4. Paul est très populaire et il a du succès.
5. Ils ont raison: nous avons peur de notre voisin.
6. Elle a sommeil parce qu'elle est fatiguée.
7. Edith a la grippe c "est pour ça elle est a la maison.
8. Il y a une fête près de notre maison.
9. J'ai chaud. - Ah, bon? Et ils ont froid.
10. Nous n'avons pas peur de votre chien.
11. Ils (elles) n'ont pas de la patience c'est pour ça ils ont des problèmes.
12. Elle n'a pas de sommeil, elle a faim.
13. Nous n'avons pas besoin de vos explanations!
14. Ils ont sommeil? - Oui, ils ont sommeil parce qu’ils sont très fatigués.
15. Tu as besoin de la voiture? - Oui.

Exercises for avoir and être

Exercise 7. Insert the verbs "être" or "avoir" in the present tense instead of the blanks. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Camille ... 18 ans; elle ... jeune.

2. Nous ... au sommet du Mont Blanc. La vue ... magnifique, mais nous ... très froid. 3. Lucien ... de la fièvre. Il ... malade.

4. Vous ... soif? Vous voulez un jus de fruits?

5. Les enfants crient et s "agitent. Ils ... fatigués, ils ... sommeil.

Exercise 8. Insert the verb “avoir” instead of the blanks. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Paul… vingt ans.

2. Nous ... une maison de campagne.

3. Les enfants ... sommeil.

4. Vous… envie d "un café?

6. Ils ... trois enfants.

7. On… soif!

8. Tu ... faim?

Exercise 9. Insert the verb “avoir” instead of the blanks. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Je ... un fils. Il s "appelle Thibaud. Il ... huit ans. Il ... un très bon copain qui s" appelle Antoine. Ils… tous les deux les yeux verts et les cheveux roux. La mère d "Antoine et moi, nous ... aussi les cheveux roux. On ... à peu près le même âge: elle ... trente et un ans, moi ... trente-deux ans. Nous ... les mêmes goûts, nous ... les mêmes disques et les mêmes livres Nos enfants ... aussi les mêmes livres, les mêmes jouets et ils ... les mêmes copains.

Exercise 10. Make sentences according to the model. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Ex. Roland Duval - acteur - acteur célèbre. → Roland Duval est acteur, c "est un acteur célèbre.

l. Monsieur Vigne - professeur - excellent professeur.

2. Klaus - étudiant - étudiant allemand.

3. Elton John - chanteur - chanteur très connu.

4. Madame Durand - infirmière - infirmière très aimée de ses malades.

5. Patrick - menuisier - menuisier très habile.

Exercise 11. Make sentences according to the model. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Ex. Chagall a peint le plafond de l "Opéra (c" est ... qui) → C "est Chagall qui s peint le plafond de l" Opéra.

1. Le coureur n ° 25 est arrivé le premier de la course. (c "est ... qui)

2. Je n "aime pas la veste noire. Je préfère la veste rouge. (c "est ... que)

3. Dans ce texte, je ne comprends pas ce mot. (c "est ... que)

4. Alain réservera la table au restaurant. (c "est ... qui)

5.On plante les tulipes en automne. (c "est ... que)

6. Victor Hugo a habité dans cette maison pendant dix ans. (c "est ... que)

Conjugation of the verb faire (to do)

Faire verb (to do) in French does not play a very important grammatical role, but with it there are a number of fixed expressions, so it is better to learn its conjugation once and for all.

The negative form of the verb faire (to do).

Before the verb ne, after the verb pas:

ne + verb + pas

The interrogative form of the verb faire (to do).

Fixed expressions with the verb faire (to do).

• faire de la bicyclette - ride a bike
• faire du blé - grow wheat (bread)
• faire du commerce - trade, do business
• faire de la musique - making music
• faire du piаno - play the piano
• faire de la politique - to be involved in politics
• faire du ski - skiing
• faire du tennis - play tennis
• faire du sport - go in for sports
• faire la connaissance avec - meeting someone
• faire attention à - to pay attention to someone, something
• faire plaisir à - to please someone
• faire peur à - scare someone
• faire obstacle à - to hinder something (someone)
• faire du progrès - make progress
• faire un voyage - to travel
• faire ses études à - to study at an educational institution

Weather expressions:

• Il fait beau - Nice weather
• Il fait mauvais - Bad weather
• Il fait du vent - Windy, the wind blows
• Il fait du soleil - Sunny, the sun is shining
• Il fait du brouillard - Foggy, fog

Exercise 1. Read and translate from French to Russian.

1. Qu'est-ce que tu fais? - Je fais la gymnastique.
2. Il est très sportif et il fait de la bicyclette.
3. Elle fait de la musique et moi, je fais du piano.
4. Nous faisons de la politique.
5. Monsieur Delon toujours fait peur à mon frère.
6. Mes amis font du sport: ils font du ski, ils font du tennis et ils font de la bicyclette.
7. Ma sœur est très sympatique: tous les jours elle fait la connaissance avec quelqu'un.
8. Hélène, fais attention, tu peux tomber!
9. Etienne fait ses études à l'Université de Paris et il fait du progrès.
10. Vous faites un voyage tous les mois.
11. Il fait beau aujourd'hui! - Oui, il fait du soleil!
12. Merci pour les pommes, madame Béart! Vous toujours faites plaisir à nous!
13. Oh, il fait mauvais aujourd'hui! Il fait du vent et il fait du brouillard.
14. Nos voisins sont les personnes très désagréable! Surtout Monsieur Bardot. Il fait toujours obstacle à nous quand nous rentrons tard.
15. Nous ne faisons pas du ski, mais nous faisons de la bicyclette.
16. Ma tante fait du commerce.
17. Est-ce que ton frère fait du voyage toutes les semaines? - Oui, il fait du voyage toutes les semaines, parce qu'il fait du commerce.
18. Où est-ce que Marie fait ses études? - Elle fait ses études à la faculté du droit. - Ah, oui? C'est bon! Elle fait du progrès? - Oui, bien sûr!
19. Pourquoi tu ne fais pas la connaissance avec quenlqu'un? - Oh, je ne sais pas.

Check your answers:

1. What are you doing? I have been doing gymnastics.
2. He is very athletic and he rides a bike.
3. She does music, and I play the piano.
4. We are in politics.
5. Monsieur Delon always scares my brother.
6. My friends go in for sports: they ski, play tennis and ride a bike.
7. My sister is very pretty: every day she meets someone.
8. Helen, be careful, you might fall!
9. Etienne is studying at the University of Paris and is making progress.
10. We travel every month.
11. It's a good weather today. Yes, it's sunny today!
12. Thanks for the apples, Madame Bert. You always give us pleasure.
13. Oh, the weather is bad today. Windy and foggy.
14. Our neighbors are very unpleasant people. Especially Mr. Bardo. He always discourages us when we get home late.
15. We don't ski, but we ride a bike.
16. My aunt is in business.
17. Does your brother travel every week? Yes, because he is in business.
18. Where does Maria study? She studies at the Faculty of Law. Truth? Perfectly. Is she doing well? Of course.
19. Why don't you meet anyone? I do not know.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian to French.

1. What is Madame Poole doing? - She plays piano.
2. I don’t ski, play tennis, or do sports.
3. What is your brother doing? - He meets some girl.
4. Where is Kati? - She's riding a bike.
5. Today the weather is good: the sun is shining and there is no fog.
6. Our uncle always gives us pleasure.
7. Do you travel every week? - Yes, because we are in business.
8. Do you study at the university? - Yes, I am a student at the university.
   And are you doing well? - No, I'm not making progress.
9. Today the weather is bad: the wind is blowing and it is foggy.
10. It is not true! I am not scaring your child!
11. Does Paul do music? - No, he does not play music, he goes in for sports.
12. Our grandfather is very serious: he is involved in politics.
13. Where is your uncle? - He is involved in politics and commerce, so now he travels.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que Madam Poule fait? Elle fait du piano.
2. Je ne fais pas du ski, pas du tennis et pas du sport.
3. Qu'est-ce que ton frère fait? Il fait la connaissance avec une fille.
4. Où est Cathy? Elle fait de la bicyclette.
5. Il fait beau aujourd'hui: Il fait du soleil et Il ne fait pas du brouillard.
6. Notre oncle toujours fait plaisir à nous.
7. Est-ce que vous faites un voyage toutes semaines. Oui, on fait un voyage toutes les emaines, parce que nous faisons du commerce.
8. Est-ce que tu fais tes études à l "Université? Oui, je fais mes études à l" Université.
   Et Est-ce que tu fais du progrès? Non, je ne fais pas du progrès.
9. Il fait mauvais aujourd'hui: Il fait du vent et Il fait du brouillard.
10. Ce n "est pas vrai. Je ne fais pas peur à Votre enfant.
11. Est-ce que Paul fait de la musique? Non. Il ne fait pas de la musique. Il fait du sport.
12. Notre grand-père est très sérieux. Il fait de la politique.
13. Où est votre oncle? - Il fait de la politique et du commerce, c "est pour ça il fait un voyage maintenant.

Conjugation of 1st group verbs

All verbs of the first group in French have an ending-er
Letter r never pronounced at the end

All you need to do to put the verb in the desired form is to remove the ending-er

For example:

The phrase "need" is a useful phrase in French, often seen, sounds likeil faut... His denial is "not necessary" -il ne faut pas.

Must speak. - Il faut parler.
You need to do this. - Il faut faire ça.
You don't need to do this. - Il ne faut pas faire ça.

I speak French. - Je parle français.
Do you speak French? - Est-ce que tu parles français?
No, I don't speak French. - Non, je ne parle pas français.

I believe that ... - Je trouve que ...
I think French is a difficult language. - Je trouve que le Français est difficile.
No, I don't think French is a difficult language. - Et moi je ne trouve pas que le Français est difficile.
I find that French is not a difficult language. - Je trouve que le Français n "est pas difficile.

Verbs that begin with a letterhand with a vowel, conjugate in the same way. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the spelling and pronunciation for the pronoun I - the spelling merges, tk. 2 vowels or vowel and letterhaccording to the rules they cannot stand together.

I love you. - Je t "aime.
I do not love you. - Je ne t "aime pas.
Who do you love? - Qui tu aimes? Qui est-ce que tu aimes?
Why don't you help me? - Pourquoi tu ne m "aides pas?
Who are you helping? - À qui tu aides?
Where do you live? - Où tu habites?
Who do you live with? - Avec qui tu habites?

Practice putting the necessary endings in verbs and double-check yourself on the siteles-verbes.com :

Travailler - work
Regarder - watch
Demander - ask, ask
Acheter - buy
Chercher - search

Sorry, can I help you? - Est-ce que je peux vous aider?

The verb to be able -pouvoir- the verb of the next lesson, but you can train on it now :)

3rd group verb prendre (to take)

Another popular colloquial verbprendre- take.

This is a verb of the 3rd group, but in order for you to be able to use its stable expressions now, we give it in this lesson:

I take an apple. - Je prends une pomme.
I take a skirt for my sister. - Je prends une jupe pour ma sœur.

The first place where knowledge of this verb is useful is transport. We say "I go by bus", "I fly by plane", and the French have absolutely for all modes of transport must use the verbtake: taketrain,takeunderground,takeplane, etc.

prendre l "avion - to fly (by plane)
prendre l "autobus (le tram, le métro) - take the bus, (tram, metro)
prendre le train - take a train, go by rail

I'm flying tomorrow. - Je prends l'avion demain.
He does not fly by plane. He travels by train. - Il ne prend pas l "avion. Il prend le train.
What are you driving tomorrow (what are you taking)? - Qu "est ce que tu prends?

3rd group verb comprendre (to understand)

Knowledge of the verbprendre- taking will help you to communicate without problems on the topic of transport, but the following verb will help you understand everything without any problems -comprendre.

All you have to do is just add the prefixcom-... You already know the rest:

You understand everything? - Est-ce que tu comprends tout?
I do not understand anything. - Je ne comprends rien.
Good luck! - Bonne chance!

1. What are you looking for?
2. Where she lives?
3. She works with her mom.
4. They are having dinner at a restaurant with colleagues.
5. I'm watching TV at home tonight.
6. What are you doing tomorrow morning?
7. You live in a big house.
8. I love my job very much, it is interesting.
9. Do you speak french? No, I don't speak French. I'm studying French.
10. Why are you learning French if you live in Russia?
11. He invites me to go to work with him.
12. I believe (find) that you work very hard.
13. Are you busy today? - Not at all. I only work in the morning. I have breakfast in the morning, and then I’m free all day. When do you dine? “I’m not having lunch. I'm just having dinner.
14. Why are you learning French? - Because I work and live in France.
15. I start working at 9 o'clock.
16. I don’t think it’s difficult. I think it's boring.
17. I walk straight ahead. Then I turn left.
18. They ask where the Louvre is located.
19. What do you think about it?
20. From time to time we take the subway (take the subway).
21. We have breakfast at home.
22. We have lunch at work.
23. We are having dinner at a restaurant.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que tu cherches?
2. Où est-ce qu'elle habite?
3. Elle travaille avec maman.
4. Ils dînent au restaurant avec leurs collegues.
5. Ce soir je regarde la télé à la maison.
6. Qu'est-ce que vous faites demain matin.
7. Tu habites dans une grande maison.
8. J'aime bien mon travail, il est très interessant.
9. Est-ce que vous parlez Français? Non, je ne parle pas Français, j'apprends le Français.
10. Pourqoui est-ce que tu apprends le Français quand tu habite en Russie?
11. Il me propose d’aller au travail avec lui.
12. Je trouve que tu travailles trop.
13. Est-ce que tu es pris aujourd'hui? - Pas du tout. Je travaille seulement le matin. Je prends le petit déjeuner et après je suis libre toute la journée. Et quand est-ce que tu dejeunes? - Je ne dejeune pas. Je dîne, c'est tout.
14. Pourqoui est-ce que tu apprends le Français? Parce que je travaille et j'habite en France.
15. Je commence à travailler à neuf heures.
16. Je ne crois pas que c'est difficile. Je crois que c'est ennuieux.
17. Je vais à pied tout droit. Ensuite je tourne à gauche.
18. Ils demandent où se trouve le Louvre?
19. Qu'est-ce que tu en penses?
20. De temps en temps on prend le métro.
21. On a le petit déjeuner à la maison.
22. On déjeune au travail.
23. On dîne au restaurant.

Verbs of 2 and 3 groups.

Modal verbs I can, I want, I know I must ... Verbs of movement.

These are the questions that came up after Lesson 4.

Apprendre - Learn
J "apprends le français. - I'm learning French.
Quelle langue tu apprends? - Which language do you learn?

Most group 2 verbs have an ending-ir
In this case, the letterr is clearly pronounced

For conjugation, you need to remove the ending-rand add the desired ones depending on the ending pronoun.

Quand est-ce que vous finissez le travail? - When do you finish work?
Quand est-ce que vous finissez travailler? - When do you finish working?

It is better to learn verbs of movement at once and in one group:

Où est-ce que vous allez? - Where do you go?

The phrase "How are you" is built with the verballer.

Comment ça va? - How are you (How is it going)?
Comment vas tu? - How are you (How are you going)?
Je vais très bien. - I'm doing well (I'm going very well).
Comment allez-vous? - How are you doing (How are you going)?
Je n "y vais pas. - I'm not going there.
Je reste à la maison. - I'm staying home.
When will you come? - Quand est-ce que tu viens?
I'll be back. - Je reviens.
When will you be back? - Quand est-ce que tu reviens?
Who will you return with? - Avec qui est-ce que vous revenez?
He will not return. - Il ne revient pas.

Group 3 verbs have an ending-oiror-endre

Let's consider the main verbs:pouvoir(can),vouloir(want),devoir(should).

Pouvoir - Can

I can help you. - Je peux t'aider.
I can help you? - Est-ce que je peux t'aider?

Vouloir - Want

What would you like? - Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?
I want you. - Je te veux.
I want to sleep with someone. - Je veux coucher avec quelqu'un.
I want to study at the university. - Je veux faire mes études à l’université.

The polite phrase "I would like to"- Je voudrais...

I want coffee. - Je voudrais un café.

To better understand the difference between Je veux and Je voudrais, remember the following:

If you are talking about a strong desire in life, about a goal,
then you use turnoverJe veux- I want.

If you are talking about everyday wishes (I want to drink, I want to sleep, I want to ask, I want to rest), then you use the turnoverJe voudrais
or fixed expressions with the verb avoir.

Devoir - Must, must be

As in Russian, in French, the order of the verbs in such sentences is as follows:

Modal verb + regular verb

I have to go. - Je dois partir.
I have to learn French. - Je dois apprendre le français.
We have to end this. - Nous devons (on doit) finir ça.
We must finish. - Il faut finir.

In French, as in German, Spanish and Czech, there are 2 verbs "to know"!

If you don’t know something, then it’s better to immediately learn the phrase:

Je ne sais pas. - I do not know.

Savoir - Know, be able to

I know that I know nothing. - Je sais que je ne sais rien.
I can drive a car. - Je sais conduire la voiture.
I can read French. - Je sais lire en français.
Can you draw. - Tu sais dessiner.

Connaître - To know someone, to be with someone familiar

If you know someone, for example, I know Uncle Petya and Aunt Marusya (you know them), then you will use the verbconnaître.

But if you know where they live, what they eat for breakfast and where they take out the garbage, then you will use the verbsavoir!

Exercise 1. Translate from Russian to French.

1. You are leaving? - Yes, we are going on vacation.
2. Who are you going on vacation with? - I'm going with a friend.
3. When do you leave? - We leave on Friday morning.
4. When are you coming back? - We return in a week, next Friday.
5. We are traveling by train.
6. Are you coming with us?
7. We go to the restaurant every Saturday.
8. What time will you come?
9. She will come tomorrow night.
10. What are you driving? - We are flying by plane.
11. We are going to the cinema. Are you coming with us?
12. Are you going on vacation this year? - No, we are not going on vacation this year. We stay at home.
13. When will you come to me?
14. Why do they visit us so often / rarely?
15. What do you suggest?
16. What are you talking about!
17. Where should I sit? Where to put the laptop?
18. Wait, I'm busy. I'm writing a letter.
19. I assure you that you are very beautiful.

Check your answers:

1. Est-ce que vous partez? Qui, nous partons en voyage, en vacances.
2. Avec qui est-ce vous partez en vacances? Je pars avec un ami.
3. Quand est-ce que vous partez? Nous partons vendredi matin.
4. Quand est-ce que vous revenez? - On revient dans une semaine, vendredi prochain.
5. Nous prenons le train.
6. Est-ce que tu vas avec nous?
7. On va au restaurant tous les samedis.
8. A quelle heure est-ce que tu viens?
9. Elle vient demain soir.
10. Qu'est-ce que vous prenez? - On prend l'avion.
11. Nous allons au cinema. Tu vas avec nous?
12. Est-ce que vous partez en vacances cette année? - Non, nous ne partons pas en vacances sette année. Nous restons à la maison.
13. Quand est-ce que tu viens chez moi?
14. Pourquoi est-ce qu ’lls vont si souvent / rarement chez nous?
15. Qu'est-ce que tu proposes?
16. Qu'est-ce que tu dis?
17. Où est-ce que je peux prendre ma place? Où est-ce que je peux mettre mon notebook?
18. Attends, je suis pris. J'écris une lettre.
19. Je te dis que tu es très belle.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian to French.

1. Can you tell me when we go on vacation?
2. Why don't you want to help me?
3. Can you do it one more time slowly?
4. You have to tell me this.
5. How should I know?
6. First you go straight and then you have to turn left.
7. You can ask me if you want.
8. They should come tomorrow.
9. What should I do?
10. Why can't I have a quiet lunch?
11. She wants to live in a big house.
12. Do you think she wants to work here?
13. Mom, can I go to a friend?
14. Would you like to get coffee? - Yes, willingly.
15. Sorry, we don't have coffee. We can only offer tea.
16. We are going on vacation in 2 weeks. You have to buy tickets.
17. Would you like something to drink?
18. You must send this letter by tomorrow.
19. We want to leave very early because we are always late.
20. You are sick. You should go to the doctor.
21. Where can I leave my belongings?
22. What do you want to do today?
23. Want to see our house?
24. I want to lose weight. I have to lose 5 pounds by the summer.
25. I cannot work because I am sick.
26. They cannot come because they are very busy.
27. Can you tell me about my responsibilities?

Check your answers:

1. Est-ce que tu peux me dire, quand est-ce que nous partons en vacances?
2. Pourquoi tu ne veux pas m'aider?
3. Tu peux répéter ça lentement encore une fois?
4. Tu dois me dire ça.
5. Comment je peux savoir?
6. D "abord, tu prends tout droit, ensuite tu dois tourner à gauche.
7. Tu peux me demander, si tu veux.
8. Ils doivent venir demain.
9. Qu'st-ce que je dois faire?
10. Pourquoi je ne peux pas déjeuner tranquillement?
11. Elle veut vivre dans une grande maison.
12. Qu'est-ce que tu penses, est-ce qu'elle veut travailler ici?
13. Maman, est-ce que je peux aller chez mon ami?
14. Voudriez-vous prendre un café? - Oui, volontiers.
15. Désolés, on n'a pas de café, on peut vous offrir seulement du thé.
16. Dans quinze jours nous partons en vacances. Tu dois acheter les tickets.
17. Voudriez-vous boire quelque chose?
18. Tu dois envoyer cette lettre avant demain.
19. Nous voulons partir très tôt, parce que nous sommes toujours en retard.
20. Tu es malade. Tu dois aller chez le médecin.
21. Où est-ce je peux laisser mes affaires?
22. Qu'st-ce que vous voulez faire aujourd "hui?
23. Voudriez-vous voir notre maison?
24. Je veux maigrir. Je dois perdre 5 kilos avant l'été.
25. Je ne peux pas travailler parce que je suis malade.
26. Ils ne peuvent pas venir parce qu’ils sont très prises.
27. Pourriez-vous me raconter sur mes devoirs?

Past tense.

The past tense in French is formed in several ways.

Auxiliary verb avoir + past tense verb

1st group verbs

Verbsfirst groupform the past form very simply:
the ending-erchange to-é

I'm talking. - Je parle.
I spoke to him yesterday. - J "ai parlé avec lui hier.
He believes that Paris is a city of lovers. - Il trouve que Paris est une ville pour les amoureux.
He always believed that Paris was the city of lovers. - Il a trouvé que Paris est une ville pour les amoureux.
They have been living in Paris for 10 years. - Ils habitent à Paris depuis dix ans.
Before that, they lived in Moscow. - Avant ils ont habité à Moscou.
She loves You! - Elle t'aime!
She always loved you. - Elle a toujours t'aimé .
We help our parents. - Nous aidons / on aide à nos parents.
We've helped our parents all our lives. - Nous avons aidé / on a aidé à nos parents toute la vie.

Practice putting the following verbs in the past tense:

Travailler - Work
Regarder - Watch
Demander - Ask, ask
Acheter - Buy
Déjeuner - Dine
Gagner - Make money, win

Je gagne beaucoup d "argent. - I make a lot of money (I make good money).
J'ai gagné beaucoup d "argent. - I made good money.
L'équipe de la France a gagné aujourd "hui. - France won today.

2nd group verbs

Past tense for verbs2nd groupeven easier:

just remove the ending-r

For example, the verbfinir- finish:

I finish work at 20.00. - Je finis travailler à huit heures du soir.

I finished later today. - J "ai fini plus tard aujourd" hui.

There are often some exceptions in French, so it's best if you just learn the past tense for the most common colloquial verbs:

• Take -prendre - pris- took

We were traveling by train. - Nous avons pris le train.

• To speak, to say -dire - dit- said

He always says that he is right. - Il toujours dit qu'il a raison.

And yesterday he told me that he was wrong. - Hier il m "a dit qu'il n" a pas raison.

• Put -mettre - mis- put

• Promise - promettre -promis- promised, promised

I promise I will do everything. - Je promets que je fais tout.

You promised! - Mais tu as promis!

• Write -écrire - écrit- wrote. Describe -décrire - décrit- described

What are you writing? - Qu "est-ce que tu écris?

Have you already sent your Email? - Est-ce qu "elle a déjà écrit un courriel?

Group 3 verbs

Past tense for verbs3rd groupeasier to learn once and for all

vouloir - voulu

I wanted to sleep. - J "ai voulu dormir.

pouvoir - pu

Could you find a hotel closer to the center and not near the train station? - Est-ce que tu as pu trouver un hôtel pas près de la gare, mais près du center?

devoir - dû

They're late. - Ils sont en retard.
What time was the train supposed to arrive? - À quelle heure est-ce le train a du arriver?
What time were they supposed to be here? - À quelle heure ils ont du être là?

savoir - su

I did not know. - Je n'ai pas su.

connaitre - connu

I knew Monsieur Delon very well. - J'ai connu Monsieur Delon très bien.
I didn't know Monsieur Delon. - Je n'ai pas connu Monsieur Delon.

For mandatory memorization:

Être- to be: I was - j "aiété
Avoir- have: I had -j'ai eu
Faire- to do: i did -j "ai fait

Auxiliary verb être + past tense verb

Verbêtre(to be) in the past tense is used for all verbs of motion.

aller - to go - allé (e)
I'm going to the university. - Je vais à l'université.
I went to university. - Je suis allé à l'université.

All verbs that require an auxiliary verb in the past tenseêtre(to be) it is necessary to agree in gender and number: he left, she leftA, they leftAND.

Il est allé au cinéma. - He went to the movies.
Ils sont allésà Venise. - They went to Venice.

If you are talking about one man - the verb ending-é .
If about several (m, m + f) - the ending of the verb-és.

Elle est alléeau cinéma. - She went to the movies.
Florence et Barbara sont alléesau cinéma. - Florenc and Barbara went to the movies.

If we are talking about a woman - the ending at the verb-ée.
If about women, then the ending of the verb-es.

Venir - être venu (e)

If you are talking about one man - venu, if about several (m, m + f) - venus.
If about a woman - the ending in the verb-e: venue.
If about women - the ending in the verb-es: venues.

• Partir - être parti (e)
  I left ... - Je suis parti ...
• Arriver - être arrivé (e) - to arrive, to arrive
  I arrived ... - Je suis arrivé ...
• Entrer - enter
  I entered ... - Je suis entré ...
• Sortir - go out
  I went out ... - Je suis sorti ...
• Monter - to climb
  I got up ... - Je suis monté ...
• Passer - pass
  I passed (by something) ... - J "ai passé ...
• Rester - to stay
  I stayed ... - Je suis resté ...

Naître - né (e) - to be born

When were you born? I was born on November 5th. - Quans est-ce que vous êtes né? Je suis née le 5 novembre.

Mourir - mort (e) - to die

Steve Jobs died in 2011. - Steve Jobs est mort en deux milles onze.

Turnover "just" (arrived, bought ...)

If you want to say that you have just done something (I just finished, I just got undressed), then in this case you need to use the following construction:

pronoun + verb venir + de + verb infinitive

I just finished reading a book (I finished reading the book). - Je viens de lire ce livre.
I have read this book. - J "ai lu ce livre.

Exercise 1. Translate from Russian to French. Avoir + verbs of the first group.

1. What did you say to him?
2. Why didn't you work yesterday?
3. I had a good breakfast.
4. We visited Spain.
5. I've been looking for my keys all day.
6. They bought a house.
7. She worked every weekend.
8. We are going to a restaurant today. I made a reservation.
9. Why didn't you do anything yesterday?
10. What did you eat in the morning?
11. What have you decided?
12. We visited the Louvre yesterday.
13. I spent the whole evening yesterday with the children.
14. They were watching TV.
15. I worked all day. I'm tired and I want to rest.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que tu lui as dit?
2. Pourqoui tu n'as pas travaillé hier?
3. J'ai bien eu le petit déjeuner.
4. Nous avons visité l'Espagne.
5. J'ai cherché mes clés pendant toute la journée.
6. Ils ont acheté une maison.
7. Elle a travaillé tous les week-ends.
8. On va au restaurant aujourd'hui. J'ai résérvé la table.
9. Pourqoui tu n'as fait rien hier?
10. Qu'est-ce que tu as mange ce matin?
11. Qu'est-ce tu as décidé?
12. On a visité le Louvre hier.
13. Je suis resté avec les enfants hier soir.
14. Ils ont regardé la télé.
15. J'ai travaillé toute la journée. Je suis fatigué et je veux me reposer.

In French, as in many European languages, there is a verb "to be, is", which in the present tense, as a rule, is not translated into Russian.
If in the Russian language sentences like “The house is big”, “The woman is very beautiful”, “She is sick” do without the verb, then in French the so-called bundle will appear - the verb “etre”. It is about this linking verb that we will talk about in this lesson.

The verb "etre" is conjugated by person and number.

Personal pronouns

To correctly conjugate this verb, see the table of French personal pronouns. As in Russian, in French there are three persons (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and two numbers (singular and plural) of pronouns. There is no neuter gender in French - only masculine and feminine.

Note that there is no single pronoun in French for both masculine and feminine plurals.
There is a pronoun for each gender in the plural.

Conjugate the verb "Etre" (listen)

So, now let's conjugate the verb "etre". This verb has six different forms - for each pronoun.

* nasal sounds are indicated by the transcription signs given in lesson 4. The rest of the transcription sounds are indicated by Russian sounds.

It is important to note that when pronouncing the phrase "Vous êtes" there is a so-called binding: [vuzet]. Phrases "Il est" and "Elle est" are also pronounced together: [tue] and [ile].

To form negation in French, the turnover is used "Ne ... pas", wherein "Ne" must come before the verb, and "Pas"- after.

For example: tu n'es pas malade(You are not sick).

As you noticed, the letter "e" before another vowel is shortened and replaced by the apostrophe "’ ".

To ask a question, you can use not one, but three ways!

• The first - you need to swap the subject and predicate, in this case, the pronoun and the desired form of the verb "etre". In this case, a dash will be written between these two words.

For example:
Es-tu malade?[etu malad] (Are you sick?)

Est-il malade?[ethyl malad] (Is he sick?)

Notice that the letter "t" before the vowel becomes pronounced.

• The second method is the easiest. There is no need to change places, it is enough to add the intonation of the question to the sentence. Of course, this method is popular for colloquial speech.
• Finally, to ask a question in French, you can use the popular phrase "Est-ce que"[eskyo]. It is not translated into Russian, but it allows you to preserve the direct word order of the French sentence.

For example:
Est-ce qu'il est malade?[Eskilie Malad] - Is he sick?

Est-ce que vous êtes malades?[eskyo vuzet malad] - Are you sick?

Note that the vowel "e" before the pronoun "il" is dropped again.

But where did the “s” ending in the word “malade” come from, you ask. This is another feature of the French language - reconciliation ... In Russian we do the same thing, we say "I am sick", "he is sick", "we are sick". In French, the masculine gender does not receive any endings, the ending "e" is added to the feminine gender, the ending "s" is added to the plural.
For example:
Il est intelligent [il ɛ̃telizhɑ̃]... - He is smart.

Elle est intelligente [element]... - She's smart.Elles sont intelligentes [el sɔ̃ ɛ̃telizhɑ̃]... - They are smart. (about women)

Please note that the final unpronounceable consonant "t" in the feminine gender is pronounced due to the added letter "e".

Are you ready to build on the past? Do a couple of exercises!

Lesson assignments

Exercise 1. Use the desired form of the verb "etre".

1. Il ... fatigué (tired).
2. Je… étudiante (student).
3. Ma chambre (my room)… grande (large).
4. Ils ... charmantes.
5. Est-ce que tu… médecin? (doctor).
6. Nous… sûrs (sure).
7. Elle ... désolées (sad).
8. Il ... marié (married).
9.… -nous en retard?
10. Elle… brune (brunette).

Exercise 2. Compose questions to sentences using the inversion or turnover "Est-ce que".

1. Tu es mariée (married).
2. Il est libre (free).
3. Vous êtes prêts.
4. Elle est triste (sad).
5. Nous sommes malades.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences by matching adjectives with pronouns.

1. Ills sont…. (content - happy).
2. Elle est ... (fatigué).
3. Elles sont…. (fort).
4. Il est ... (grand).
5. Ills sont ... (médecin).

Answer 1.
1.est
2.suis
3.est
4.sont
5.es
6.sommes
7.sont
8.est
9.sommes
10.est Answer 2.
1. Est-ce que tu es mariee? - Es-tu mariée?
2. Est-ce qu'il est libre? - Est-il libre?
3. Est-ce que vous êtes prêts? - Êtes-vous prêts?
4. Est-ce que elle est triste? - Est-elle triste?
5. Est-ce que nous sommes malades? - Sommes-nous malades? Answer 3.
1. contents
2.fatiguée
3.fortes
4. grand
5.médecins

Remember that everything that you learn must be spoken aloud, listening to the voice acting of both the lesson itself and the answers to the exercises. Do not be afraid if you are not yet strong in the reading rules - just repeat after the announcer and return to the French phonetics course.
The pronunciation will pick up by itself in the process of working with the French language.

  Listen to an audio lesson with additional explanations

In French, as in all other European languages, you cannot just say:

I am beautiful, he is strange, they are at home, you are at work.

Get used to the fact that any foreigner will say:

I am there is beautiful, she there is strange, they there is at home, you there is at work.

So called verb to be Is one of the most important verbs in any foreign language.

The British have to be. The Germans have sein.
The Italians have essere. The French have être to be.

Conjugation of the verb être (to be)

There are the following pronouns in French:

Negative form of the verb être (to be)

Before the verb - ne, after the verb - pas:

ne + verb+ pas

Interrogative form of the verb être (to be)

How the question will be asked depends on the situation and on who you are contacting.

The best interrogative turnover is with est-ce que.

Fixed expressions with the verb être (to be)

There are a lot of fixed expressions with the verb être in French, which will greatly decorate and enrich your speech at the start of learning French:

In an amicable way, verb to be You will always use with:

• nouns- "who? what? ": je suis femme au foyer (I am a housewife), il est un chômeur (he is unemployed), c" est ma soeur (this is my sister), c "est mon mari (this is my husband), c" est notre maison (this is our house) ;
• adjectives- "which? which? what? ”: elle est gaie (she is cheerful), il est riche (he is rich), la maison est vieille (old house);
• adverb- "how?": C "est compliqué (this is difficult), c" est intéressant (this is interesting), c "est bien / bon (this is good), c" est mauvais / mal (this is bad);
• or when answer the question “ where? ": il est dans le parc (he's in the park), je suis à la maison (I'm at home), mon mari est au travail (my husband is at work), ils sont en vacances (they are on vacation).

Agreement

What you should pay attention to. In Russian we say:

I'm healthy, I'm healthy a they are healthy NS,
i'm busy i'm busy a they are busy NS.

In the language of grammar, this is called agree on an adjective in gender and number... If it's easier, then you need to put the correct endings.

It turns out that:

a man will always speak without ending
(i.e. the way it is written in stable expressions),
woman - with the ending -e,
they, we - with the ending -s.

Je suis content (-). - I'm happy.
Je suis contente. - I am pleased.
Ils sont contents. - They are happy (men, m + f).
Elles sont contentes. - They are happy (women).

As a summary of what you need to learn in this tutorial:

• verb conjugations to be and the cases when it should be in a sentence,
• negation: before the verb - ne, after the verb - pas,
• question: turnover est-ce que,
• agreement:
  - the man says without ending,
  - woman - with the ending -e,
  - men - with the ending -s,
  - women - with the ending -es.

That's all!

Additionally, learn words from the lesson and from the exercises, see additional grammar topics on the site, listen to the phonetic course and, most importantly, start speaking and use the knowledge from this lesson now in your life.

Être is one of the most irregular verbs of all French verbs. If the verbs had a gender, it would be feminine - there is no logic in its conjugation;), and he inherited this property from his Latin roots. But he also has a burdened heredity: the conjugation of être is based on not one (!!), but as many as three Latin verbs. Three, Karl! Well, okay, maybe not three - two and a half. But not one!

This explains why être has such different foundations at different times. Well, really - who can say that these are conjugations of the same verb: je suis, je serai, je fus, j "ai été ?! That's right - nobody.

But I'll explain everything to you now! :) And everything will become clear.

Since there is no need to talk about the logic of conjugation here, we have no choice but to plunge into the etymology of être - only it will give us the key to understanding and memorizing its conjugation.

In the classical Latin language there was an equally irregular verb "to be", which in the infinitive sounded like this: esse. After the fall of Rome and the flourishing of popular Latin, it became the verb essere. Already something familiar, right? (In Italian, it has survived to this day in this form). After some centuries, this verb acquired almost your final look. This is how it was recorded in the second edition of the Dictionary of the French Academy of the 1664 edition:

For about a thousand years from essere he turned into estre... But by this time the letter "s" in this position had long ceased to be read, so the spelling reform consolidated this fact in the spelling of the letter: in the next, 3rd edition of the dictionary of the French Academy of 1740, this word had already acquired its modern spelling. Circumflex reminds of the fact that the letter "s" that fell out once stood nearby.

We have dealt with the infinitive. Let's take a look at the conjugation. Here is the present indicative mood.

It immediately becomes clear where the legs grow from. There are even forms that have not changed at all. The same Latin verb gave in modern French subjonctive (je sois), future tense (je serai) and conditionnel (je serais).

The perfect form of the verb esse - fui - provided the basis for the conjugation of être in the passé simple. Let's compare the ancient form of the verb with the modern one:

Well, it's clear where the dog rummaged.

And finally, another Latin verb - stare - left its traces in the conjugation être. Its meaning is to stand, and not only in the sense of being in an upright position, but in general to be - quite close in meaning to esse. This verb gave the basis for three conjugations in Old French:

• in imparfait: j "estois (in modern French j" étais),
• in the present participle: estant (today it is étant),
• and in the past participle: esté (modern été)

This verb - stare (to stand) - by the way, is very tenacious. It came to all our languages ​​from Proto-Indo-European and, as a result, is present in the same meaning in many languages ​​from this family: in English it is stand, in German stehen, in Italian without change - stare, and even in Russian it is “to stand” - catch the similarities? Even the word "stop" has the same roots!