The Verbs être and avoir, Subject
Pronouns and
Negation
The
Verb
The verb in French is the most important
element of a statement or ques-
tion, since it conveys so much information: the person, the action or state,
and the time of the action.
An infinitive is the unconjugated form of the verb. For example,
to be is an English infinitive. French infinitives
are single words; they do not contain the element to.
Conjugations are the verb forms that belong to particular subjects. I am
and
he is are conjugations of the English
infinitive to be.
The Verbs être (to be) and avoir (to have)
Être (to be) and avoir (to have) are the most common French verbs. It makes
sense to learn them first. You will find être and avoir everywhere: in descriptions, in idiomatic expressions, as linking verbs,
and as helping (aux-
iliary) verbs in compound
tenses.
Like many common French verbs, être and avoir are irregular—with special conjugation patterns. You will begin to learn regular verbs in Chap- ter 3.
Je suis américain. I am American.
Nous avons deux enfants. We have two children.
Être and Subject Pronouns
All verb conjugations in French have six “persons.” Three
are singular, cor- responding to: I,
you (familiar), and he/she/it/one.
Three are plural, corre- sponding to: we, you (pol. singular, and fam. or pol. plural),
and they. The verb être has six different
conjugated forms:
Present Tense of être (to be)
SINGULAR
1st Person je suis I am
2nd Person tu es you are (fam.)
3rd Person il est he/it is
elle est she/it is
on est one is, we/they are
PLURAL
1st Person nous
sommes we are
2nd Person vous êtes you are (pol. s.;
fam./pol.
pl.) 3rd Person ils sont they (m. pl.)
are
elles sont they (f. pl.)
are
Subject
Pronouns
As in English, conjugated forms of French
verbs are preceded by one of the
following:
•
A
common noun (a person,
animal, place, thing, or idea)
•
A proper noun (a name)
•
Or a subject pronoun (a word used in place of a noun)
Subject Pronouns
PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL
je/j’
|
I
|
nous
|
we
|
tu
|
you (fam.)
|
vous
|
you (pol. s.; fam./pol. pl.)
|
il
|
he/it (m.)
|
ils
|
they (m.
pl. or mixed)
|
elle
|
she/it (f.)
|
elles
|
they (f.
pl.)
|
on
|
one/we/they
|
|
|
|
|
1st 2nd 3rd
Gender and Number
Remember that all French nouns
have gender and
number: Every noun
is either masculine or feminine (le livre, la table), and either singular or plural (l’hôtel [m.], les hôtels).
The subject pronoun of a conjugated verb corresponds to the
gender and number of the noun (a
person or thing) that it replaces.
La table est dans le salon. The table is in the living room.
Elle (La table) est dans le salon. It is in the living room.
Context will help you determine the person or object the subject pronoun refers
to.
Uses of Subject Pronouns
Conjugated verb forms in French are always preceded by a noun or a subject
pronoun.
Verb Forms Without Subjects
Verb infinitives, commands (or imperatives;
covered in Chapter 11), and present participles (Chapter 12) do not include a noun subject or a subject pronoun.
•
To avoid
repetition, the subject pronoun often replaces a noun.
Richard est
en ville. Richard is downtown.
Il est au cinéma. He is at the movies.
Mes sœurs sont en voyage. My sisters
are on a trip.
Elles sont à Lille. They’re in Lille.
•
Je (I). In French,
je is capitalized
only when it begins a sentence.
Like the definite articles le and la, je drops (elides) the letter -e before a vowel sound.
It is replaced by an apostrophe and
closed up to the conju- gated verb.
Je suis content; j’ai un I am happy; I have a
new job.
nouveau travail.
Tu and vous (you). Tu (with its verb form)
is always singular. It is used
to speak to one person who is a friend or relative,
to a child, or to a pet. Vous is used to speak to someone
you don’t know well or to anyone with whom you have a relationship of respect, for example, strangers, new acquaintances, salespeople, or professionals. The
plural of both tu and
vous is vous (with its conjugated verb form).
Sylvie, tu es étudiante? Sylvie, are you a student?
Pardon,
Madame, vous êtes Excuse me, Ma’am, are you
la mère de Sylvie? Sylvie’s mother?
Attention les enfants! Vous Children!
Are you
ready?
êtes prêts?
Do as the Natives Do
As you
get to know a native speaker of French, a good rule of thumb for the nonnative
is to wait until your new friend addresses you with tu, before
start- ing to use tu with him or her.
•
Il and ils;
elle and elles.
The English subject
pronouns he, she, it (singu-
lar), and they (plural) are
expressed by il or ils (for masculine nouns)
and elle or elles (for feminine nouns).
Elles sont formidables! They (fem. persons or
things)
are fantastic!
Il est drôle. He/It (The puppy[?]) is funny.
The plural ils (they, m. pl.) refers
to any group that includes
at least one masculine noun.
Voilà Marie,
Anne et Patrick. There’s Marie,
Anne, and Patrick.
—Ils sont en retard! —They’re late!
•
On. The subject pronoun
on (third-person singular) is used in French to convey the English indefinite
subjects one, we, people, and they.
Alors, on est d’accord? O.K., so we agree?
Le matin, on est en bonne In the morning,
they (we, people)
forme. feel good.
Modern
speech often replaces nous (we) by on. The adjective can be spelled in the singular or the plural.
Vous êtes fatigués? You’re tired?
—Oui, on est très fatigué(s)! —Yes, we’re all (everybody’s) (—Oui, nous sommes très very tired!
fatigué[e]s!)
Exercise 2.1
Complete
the sentences, translating the subject pronouns
that precede the forms of
être. Make sure you understand the meaning of each sentence.
EXAMPLE: (We) Nous sommes fatigués.
1.
(You, pl.) êtes
en ville?
2.
(I) suis
à la maison.
3.
(They, f.) sont
au travail.
4.
(We) sommes
très sympathiques!
5.
(You, sing.) es architecte?
6.
(I) suis
grand et beau.
7.
(They, m.) sont français.
8.
Les Américains
sont en voyage. (They) sont
dans le train.
9.
(Georges and Marilyn, you) êtes drôles!
Exercise 2.2
Complete
each of the sentences with the correct form of être. Focus on meaning.
EXAMPLE: L’homme est beau. La femme est belle aussi.
1.
Le parfum de France.
2.
Ils médecins. Elle dentiste.
3.
Les touristes du Portugal?
4.
Les frères de Paul riches!
5.
Le vieil hôtel excellent.
6.
Nous les
amis de Robert.
7.
Les chaussures en cuir (leather).
8.
La dame et le monsieur suédois.
9.
Je de
Lyon. Vous aussi,
vous de France?
Uses of être
As you know, être is
the equivalent of to be in English.
Nous sommes français. We’re French.
Tu es au restaurant? You’re (Are you) at the restaurant?
•
Être is often
followed by an expression of location (using
a preposition) or a descriptive
adjective.
Marianne est à la campagne. Marianne is in the country. Nous sommes en voiture. We are in the
car.
•
When a form of être is
followed by an adjective, the
adjective agrees with the subject of the sentence
in gender and number.
Les roses rouges sont belles. Red roses are beautiful.
Mon appartement est assez grand. My apartment is rather large.
•
The French definite article (le/la/les) or indefinite article (un/une/des) is omitted after
forms of être for
simple (unmodified) identification of nationality, religion, or profession.
Je suis dentiste. I’m
a dentist.
Elles sont protestantes? Are they (f.) Protestant?
Chantal
est sénégalaise. Chantal is Senegalese.
Adjectives of religion, such as protestant(e)(s), and nationality, for ex-
ample, sénégalais(e), are not capitalized in French.
•
With nouns that are modified (accompanied
by an adjective or other descriptor), use the indefinite subject pronoun ce (c’est.../ce sont...). With
c’est
and ce sont, articles or
possessive adjectives (Chapter 10) are always used before a noun. At times, the context
will identify the person.
C’est un professeur d’histoire. He’s/She’s a history teacher.
Ce sont mes amies françaises. These/Those are my French
friends.
C’est le médecin de mon fils. He’s/She’s/That’s my son’s doctor.
•
When you use c’est or
ce sont to describe
nationalities, be sure to include the article and capitalize
the noun of nationality.
Voici Bill. C’est un Américain. Here’s Bill. He’s an American.
Ce sont des Suisses, de Lausanne. They’re Swiss, from Lausanne.
Exercise 2.3
Translate these sentences into French.
1. I am in the garden.
.
2.
The red flowers are beautiful.
.
3.
They (f.) are on (sur) the table.
.
4.
We are in front of
(devant) the library.
.
5.
Charles is a
teacher. He’s young and intelligent.
.
6.
You’re (m., fam.) sad and tired?
I’m (f.) sorry!
!
7.
Marie-Laure is in
the car. She’s late!
!
8.
You’re (pol.) from (du) Canada?
?
9.
People (On) are nice in this neighborhood (ce quartier).
.
10. Sara and Patrick are on a trip. They are in (à) Montreal.
.
Expressions with être
Numerous fixed expressions use the verb
être.
être à l’heure/en retard/en avance (to be on time/late/early) être d’accord (avec) (to agree [with])
être de retour (to be back [from a trip or outing])
être en coton/en cuir/en briques... (to be made of cotton/leather/brick . . . ) être en train de/d’ + inf. (to be [in the midst of] doing [s.th.])
être en vacances (to be on vacation)
être prêt(e) (à + inf. (to be ready [to do s.th.])
être sur le point de/d’ + inf. (to be about to [do s.th.])
Nous sommes
en train de We are (in the midst of) travailler. working.
Je suis tout à fait d’accord! I agree completely!
(I couldn’t
agree more!)
Les chaussures sont en cuir. The shoes are (made of) leather.
Vous êtes en vacances en août? Avraecayotiuonon in August?
Attention, Annie!
Tu es déjà Careful, Annie!
You are already
en retard! late!
Quelle
heure est-il?
Learn Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?) as a
fixed expression.
Quelle heure est-il? What time is it?
—Il est deux heures. —It’s two o’clock.
Je suis de Bruxelles, mais Sylvie I’m
from Brussels, but Sylvie is
est de Paris. from Paris.
Claude est professeur, donc il Claude
is a teacher, so he’s on
est en vacances. vacation.
Nous sommes parfois mécontents. We are
sometimes
unhappy. Tu es un peu fatiguée? Are you a little tired?
Les repas sont trop chers ici. The
meals are too expensive here.
Exercise 2.7
Translate the words in parentheses to
complete the sentences.
1.
(sometimes, very) Je suis heureuse.
2.
(here, today) Il est ?
3.
(now) Tu es au travail ?
4.
(today, a little) , nous sommes en retard.
5.
(rather) Les livres sont chers dans
cette librairie.
6.
(often) Elles sont au café.
7.
(always) Nous sommes à l’heure.
8.
(but, very)
Sylvie est petite, Sylvain est grand.
Negation with ne... pas
To make a sentence negative in French, ne is placed before a conjugated verb and
pas after the verb.
Ne becomes n’ before a vowel or vowel sound.
Je ne suis
pas français. I am not French.
Elle n’est pas
à l’université. She isn’t
at the university. Nous ne
sommes pas catholiques. We aren’t Catholic.
Exercise 2.8
Answer each of the questions using a
complete sentence with the negative of être.
Remember, ne becomes n’ before
a vowel sound.
1.
Arlette est vieille?
Non, .
2. Vous êtes acteur (actrice)?
.
3.
Nous sommes en retard? .
4.
Tu es à la maison? .
5.
Léon et Chantal
sont de retour? .
6.
Tes sœurs sont d’accord? .
7.
Georges est en
train de danser? .
8.
Je suis trop fière? .
The Verb
avoir (to have)
Avoir most often expresses
ownership or possession.
Present Tense of avoir (to have)
SINGULAR
1st j’ai I have
2nd tu as you have (fam.)
3rd il/elle/on a he/she/it/one has, we have
PLURAL
1st nous avons we have
2nd vous avez you have (pol. s.; fam./pol. pl.)
3rd ils/elles ont they have
Tu as un chat? Do you have a cat?
—Non, mais j’ai un perroquet. —No, but I have a
parrot. Nous avons de bons amis. We have good friends.
Nos amis ont du
temps Our friends have time today.
aujourd’hui.
Ne... pas
de... with avoir
In negative
sentences with avoir and also with most
other verbs, the indefi-
nite article un/une/des becomes de/d’ after the negation ne... pas. The form d’ is used before vowel sounds.
The noun that follows de/d’ can be singular or plural.
Michel a une bicyclette. Michel has a bicycle.
Marlène n’a pas de bicyclette Marlène
doesn’t have a bicycle,
et je n’ai pas de voiture. and I don’t have
a car.
Nous n’avons pas de bagages. We have no luggage.
Vous n’avez pas d’amis? You don’t
have (any) friends?
More
About Definite and Indefinite Articles with ne... pas
The definite article le/la/les is always retained after ne... pas.
Je n’ai pas les bonnes adresses. I don’t have
the right addresses. Tu n’as pas le livre d’Antoine? Don’t you have Antoine’s book?
The indefinite article un/une/des is never dropped after
the negation of the verb être.
Ce n’est pas un vin rouge. This isn’t a red wine. It’s white.
Il est blanc.
Ce ne
sont pas des touristes. Those aren’t tourists.
Il y a... (There is . .
. , There are . . . )
The expression il y a (there is,
there are) points out people, ideas,
or objects.
Il y a is
invariable (does not change) in the plural.
Il y a des problèmes dans There are problems in this
ce document. document.
Il y a un médecin dans la salle? Is there a doctor in the room (hall)?
Il y a une
touriste devant There’s
a tourist in front of
le musée. the museum.
Il y a des arbres dans le parc. There are trees in the park.
The negative
of il y a is
il n’y a pas de/d’, followed by a singular
or plu- ral noun.
Il n’y a
pas d’arbres dans There aren’t
any trees in my
mon jardin. garden (yard).
Il n’y a
pas de restaurant ouvert? Isn’t there
an open restaurant
(a restaurant that’s open)?
Exercise 2.9
Translate each sentence into French using a
form of the verb avoir.
1.
I have a red
bicycle (vélo, m.). .
2.
Arthur has a new friend (f.). .
3.
You (fam.) have a lot of homework (devoirs)?
?
4.
They (f.) don’t have a garden. .
5.
I don’t have friends
here. .
6.
Simon and Annie
have an old car. .
7.
We don’t have bicycles. .
8.
There are too many
tourists in town. .
9.
There’s a difficult
problem in class. .
Expressions
with avoir
The verb avoir occurs
in numerous idiomatic expressions. Many ideas con- veyed with expressions using
avoir relate to feelings
or sensations. They often have English equivalents that use the verb
to be.
avoir... ans (to be . . . years old) avoir chaud (to be warm, hot) avoir froid (to be cold)
avoir faim (to be hungry) avoir soif (to be thirsty) avoir sommeil (to be sleepy) avoir envie de (to feel like)
avoir besoin de (to need [to])
avoir peur (de) (to be afraid [of])
avoir honte (de) (to be ashamed [of]) avoir mal (à) (to have a
pain, a[n] -ache) avoir raison (to be right)
avoir tort (to be wrong) avoir l’air (de) (to seem)
avoir l’habitude de (to be accustomed, used to) avoir de
la chance (to be lucky)
avoir lieu (to take place [an event])
J’ai vingt ans. I am
twenty years old.
J’ai faim et
j’ai mal à la tête. I am hungry,
and I have a
headache.
Nous avons de la chance! Les We are lucky! The Olympic games
jeux Olympiques ont lieu
ici. are taking
place here.
Elle a tort; je
n’ai pas sommeil. She is wrong; I am not sleepy. Nous n’avons pas envie de danser. We don’t feel like dancing.
Avoir... ans: Asking Someone’s Age
Learn Quel âge avez-vous? or Quel
âge as-tu? (How old are you?) as a fixed expression. You will learn more about question
forms in Chapter 3.
Quel âge avez-vous? How old are
you?
—J’ai vingt-neuf ans. — I’m twenty-nine.
Exercise 2.11
Translate the sentences into French, using
idiomatic expressions with avoir.
1.
I’m cold, and I’m sleepy.
.
2. He’s twenty-five (vingt-cinq) years old.
.
3. We need a new apartment.
.
4. She’s lucky in (à) Las Vegas!
!
• Adjectifs (Adjectives)
In the following list, the
feminine forms of adjectives are
shown only if the
adjective changes.
agréable (pleasant) joli(e) (pretty)
ancien(ne) (old; former) long(ue) (long)
bleu marine (navy blue) ma, mon, mes (my) confortable (comfortable) privé(e) (private) extérieur(e) (outside) propre (clean)
fin(e) (fine, delicate) simple (simple)
gris(e) (gray) spacieux (-euse) (spacious)
intérieur(e) (inside, interior)
• Adverbes (Adverbs)
assez (de) (rather;
enough) en général (generally) aussi (also) toujours (always)
beaucoup de (a lot of) très (very) encore (still, yet)
• Prépositions (Prepositions)
avec (with) devant (in front of) dans (in)
Exercise 2.13
Translate the phrases into French.
1.
a modern kitchen
2.
a pleasant apartment
3.
some roomy closets
4.
a navy blue armchair
5.
in front of the
big window
6.
an old mirror
Reading Comprehension
La maison de Jean-Pierre
Ma maison
est grande et assez vieille,
avec beaucoup de fenêtres. Les ri- deaux devant les fenêtres sont longs
et épais. Les murs intérieurs sont peints en blanc; l’extérieur de la maison
est gris. La terrasse est jolie; il y a encore des fleurs. Dans le foyer, il y a une glace ancienne
et une table en bois. La salle
à manger est simple, avec une table
et six chaises; le tapis
est rouge et bleu
marin. Notre cuisine est spacieuse; ses murs
sont jaunes et ses
placards sont
blancs.
Le frigo est assez grand; la cuisinière et le four sont toujours
propres. Dans le salon,
il y a des fauteuils confortables et un piano.
Moi, je n’ai pas
de salle de bains privée, mais ma chambre
est très agréable; elle est bleue et
blanche et ensoleillée. En général, mon ordinateur, mes livres, mes ca- hiers, mes crayons, mes stylos, etc.,
sont dans la bibliothèque à côté.
épais(se)
|
thick
|
ses
|
its
|
peint(e) en (blanc)
|
painted (white)
|
moi
|
me, myself
|
en bois
|
wooden
|
ensoleillé(e)
|
sunny, bright
|
six
|
six
|
mon, mes
|
my
|
Questions
After you read the selection, answer the
questions in French.
1. La maison est vieille ou moderne?
.
2. La cuisine est petite ou grande?
.
3. Où (Where) est le piano?
.
4. Jean-Pierre a une salle de bains privée?
.
5. Il a une chambre obscure (dark)?
.
6. Où est l’ordinateur de Jean-Pierre?
.
