Read through the following discussions, listen to the accompanying tape, and do each exercise. After completing an exercise, check the answer page, and contact me if you have any questions or problems.

The French command form (the imperative) is much like the command form in English. When we are talking to someone, we don't say "You speak" as a command. We simply say "Speak". In French we don't say "Vous allez" as a command. We say "Allez". Note, however, that the verb ends in -ez which is the ending of the vous form of the verb. So, we don't use vous in the command, but we do use the vous form of the verb.

Click on the English equivalents link below to see a collection of French commands. Then submit exercise 10 as a homework assignment. Obviously you already have the answers, so the major objective here is to learn the command forms well, not just copy them and send them in.

On an exam, you will be expected to translate the English command forms into French.

Welcome to a new verb, avoir, which means to have. Study the follwoing conjugation of the verb avoir and commit it to memory.

I have. = J'ai. -- (Notice that the je contracts to j' preceding a vowel.)

You (familiar) have. = Tu as.

He has. = Il a. -- (Again, il, elle, and on will always have the same verb form .)

She has. = Elle a.

One has. = On a.

We have. = Nous avons. -- (The -ons ending is the normal ending for the nous verb form. Nous sommes is the only exception.)

You (formal or plural) have. = Vous avez. -- (The vous form of the verb will almost always take the -ez ending. You will encounter only three verbs this semester whose vous forms do not end in -ez. You have already had Vous êtes.)

They (masc.) have. = Ils ont. -- (And, of course, the ils and elles forms of the verb will be the same.)

They (fem.) have. = Elles ont.

Now review the verbs être and aller, and click below for a verb review worksheet. On this page you will use the verb être to indicate that the person mentioned is a student, the verb aller to indicate that the person is going to class, and the verb avoir to indicate that the person has a book. I have done the je form for you as an example. This page might also appear as an exam page.

Now let's do an exercise to practice the verb avoir. Place the correct form of avoir in each blank, and then give me the English equivalent of your French sentences. Consult the following vocabulary list as needed.

Vocabulary to note:

dans = in, into
mon, ma, mes = my
un cours = a class or course
un jour = a day (Think of journal: an account of the day's activities.)
une semaine = a week
par semaine = per week
mais = but
libre = free
lundi = Monday
le lundi = Mondays, on Mondays
trois = three
un ami, une amie = a friend
tout, tous, toute, toutes = all
beaucoup, beaucoup de = much, many, a lot
chaque = each
samedi = Saturday
le samedi = Saturdays, on Saturdays
combien (de) = how much, how many
pendant = during
une journée = a day
ce = this, that

Here's another exercise for practice with the verb avoir. Once again, put the correct form in the blank, and tell me what the sentence means.

Vocabulary:

Que (qu') = what
tout le monde = everyone (literally, all the world)
un chien = a dog
un poste de télévision = a TV set
mon, ma, mes = my
un ordinateur = a computer
une voiture = a car
votre = your
un cours = a course, a class

*** Homework assignment number 4. Write the French equivalent of the sentences based on sections 10 through 11c, and send you me your results. Feel free to look up anything you need.

This section is extremely important because it introduces us to a regular -er verb. The verbs we have encountered thus far (aller, être, avoir) are irregular verbs. Each form of the verb must be memorized. There is little pattern. Most verbs are regular, however. They follow a specific pattern of endings. And most of the regular verbs are -er verbs, so the pattern we learn with the verb aimer will be used with hundreds of other verbs.

The form aimer is what we call the infinitive, the to like form of the verb. It is not used with the various subject pronouns. Each subject pronoun will require a specific verb ending. The set of endings attached to the verb stem aim- is the conjugation of the verb, and we always have the same conjugation with regular -er verbs. Note the conjugation chart for the verb aimer in the handout.

In regular -er verbs

Je always takes the -e ending. --- J'aime.
Tu always takes the -es ending. --- Tu aimes.
Il and Elle always take the -e ending. --- Il aime. Elle aime.
Nous always takes the -ons ending. --- Nous aimons.
Vous always takes the -ez ending. --- Vous aimez.
Ils and Elles always take the -ent ending. --- Ils aiment. Elles aiment.

When is the infinitive used then? The infinitive is used as a second verb following the conjugated verb. In this section, we will use it following the verb aimer to indicate what people like to do. It is also frequently used after the verb aller to indicate what people are going to do.

Je vais parler français. = I am going to speak French.
Nous allons aller en classe. = We are going to go to class.
Ils vont être en retard. = They are going to be late.
Allez-vous avoir votre livre? = Are you going to have your book.

Etc.

Study my explanation carefully, listen to the tape, and complete exercises exercises 12a, 12b, and 12c.

Now let's practice the verb aimer. Replace the blanks with the correct form of the verb aimer. And again, I'm looking for the English equivalent.

Exercise 12a vocabulary items:

quel / quelle = what, which
un type de = a type of, a kind of
ton, ta, tes = your (familiar)
chinois = chinese
beaucoup = much, many, a lot, very much, etc.
une promenade = a walk
la pêche = fishing
tout, toute, tous, toutes = all
une sorte de = a sorte of, a kind of

Same game. In this exercise you will replace the blanks with the correct form of the verb aimer. Then how about some English equivalents.

Exercise 12b vocabulary:

Il parle. = He speaks, talks
dimanche = Sunday
le matin = the morning
On fait. = One does.
boire = to drink
bon/bonne = good
un café = a coffee, a café
dormir = to sleep
jusqu'à = until
une église = a church
jouer = to play
regarder = to watch, to look at
lire = to read
un journal = a newspaper
faire = to do, to make

This one is going to be trickier. Using what you have already learned and the following vocabulary items, write the French equivalent of the English sentences. Use the formal in each case.

Exercise 12c vocabulary:

On pose des questions. = One asks questions.
Vous êtes d'accord. = You agree. You are in agreement.
Vous nommez. = You name.
une autre = another
cuisiner = to cook
dîner = to dine, to have dinner
un/une camarade de chambre = a roommate
meilleur, meilleure = better, best
écouter = to listen to
un petit ami = a boyfriend
une petite amie = a girlfriend
en été = in summer
dormir tard = to sleep late
faire une promenade = to take a walk
chanter = to sing
danser = to dance
votre, vos = your
vos grand-parents = your grandparents
votre mère = your mother
skier = to ski
jouer aux cartes = to play cards
jouer au tennis = to play tennis

*** Homework assignment number 5. Write the French equivalent of the sentences based on sections 12a through 13, and send you me your results. Feel free to look up anything you need.

Ah! Once again we are plagued by the gender situation in French. Just as we had different words for the articles (the, a, an, some) for masculine, feminine, and plural nouns, we also have different words for the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their). For some possessive adjectives, there are three different French words; for others there are two.

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Your (familiar) (same pattern as mon, ma, mes)

His/Her (French uses the same word for his and her. Context will tell you which it will be in English.) -- (Again, same pattern as mon, ma, mes)

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You have already encountered most of the vocabulary used in exercise 14a, but let me call your attention to the following:

We have also already seen most of the exercise 14b vocabulary, but note the following:

Elle donne. = She gives.
un cahier = a notebook
voici = here is, here are
devoirs = assignments, homework
pour = for
aujourd'hui = today
S'il vous plaît. = Please. (literally, If it pleases you.)
réponses = responses, answers
Ils parlent. = They speak, talk.
n'est-ce pas? = isn't he, isn't she, aren't you, aren't they, aren't we, etc.
un/une camarade = a friend, comrade
un/une camarade de classe = a classmate
sympathique = nice, likeable
vrai - true

There are only a few new vocabulary items in exercise 14c.

*** Homework assignment number 6. Write the French equivalent of the sentences based on section 14, and send you me your results. Feel free to look up anything you need.

 15 a. The weather. Quel temps fait-il?

Weather expressions in French are a marvelous example of expressions that don't have word-for-word equivalents in the two languages. French doesn't ask literally "What is the weather like?". It asks "What weather makes it?"

Quel = what, which
temps = weather
il fait = it makes, it does

And most of the answers will also involve "Il fait ...." So it makes or does some kind of weather in French. It makes hot. It makes cold. Etc. We will be using the following vocabulary items in our weather discussions.

Il fait. = It makes, it does.
beau = beautiful
bon = good
mauvais = bad
chaud = hot
froid = cold
frais = cool
le soleil = the sun
du soleil = some sun, sunny
le brouillard = the fog
du brouillard = some fog, foggy
le vent = the wind
du vent = some wind, windy
il y a = there is, there are
des nuages = some clouds
le ciel = the sky
couvert = covered
Il pleut. = It rains, it's raining.
Il neige. = It snows, it's snowing.

Study these weather expressions.

Then be prepared to write the French weather expressions from the English equivalents.

The verb faire (to make, to do) is our fourth major irregular verb. Again, you need to commit the following verb forms to memory.

Je fais.

Tu fais.

Il fait.

Elle fait.

On fait.

Nous faisons.

Vous faites.

Ils font.

Study the verb faire and work on exercise 15b. Note the following vocabulary items:

une chose = a thing
ensemble = together
en été = in summer
quand = when
passer = to spend
la mer = the sea
au bord de la mer = at the seashore
sur = on
la plage = the beach
pendant = during
pendant que = while
faire de la voile = to go sailing (literally, to do some sailing)
seulement = only
surtout = especially
toujours = always
tout le monde = everyone (literally, all the world)
rester = to stay
la maison = the house
à la maison = at home, at the house
faire le ménage = to do the housework
puis = then
un jeu = a game (des jeux = some games)

Monday = lundi
Tuesday = mardi
Wednesday = mercredi
Thursday = jeudi
Friday = vendredi
Saturday = samedi
Sunday = dimanche

Monday, January 19 = lundi le dix-neuf janvier

Tuesday, February 14 = mardi le quatorze février

Wednesday, March 21 = mercredi le vingt et un mars

Thursday, April 12 = jeudi le douze avril

Friday, May 15 = vendredi le quinze mai

Saturday, June 30 = samedi le trente juin

Sunday, July 4 = dimanche le quatre juillet

*** Homework assignment number 7. Write the French equivalent of the sentences which include materials from the entire lesson and send you me your results. Feel free to look up anything you need. Items from the final sections of the lesson are grouped at the end of the assignment.