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Grammar · -aître verbs

Verbs ending in -aître, such as connaître, meaning to know (personally), are conjugated irregularly.

Formation

connaître  /kɔ.nɛtʁ/ (koh-nehtr)	to know
je connais /kɔ.nɛ/ (koh-neh)	I know
tu connais /kɔ.nɛ/ (koh-neh)	you know
il connaît /kɔ.nɛ/ (koh-neh)	he knows
nous connaissons /kɔ.nɛ.sɔ̃/ (koh-neh-soh(n))	we know
vous connaissez /kɔ.nɛ.se/ (koh-neh-say)	you know
ils connaissent /kɔ.nɛs/ (koh-nehs)	they know
connu  /kɔ.ny/ (koh-new)	known

Supplementary vocabulary · Related words

The noun la connaissance /kɔ̃.ne.sɑ̃s/ (koh⁽ⁿ⁾-nay-sah⁽ⁿ⁾s) means knowledge or acquaintance:

Michel a une bonne connaissance des animaux.^{Michel has a good knowledge of animals.}

Faire la connaissance de quelqu'un.^{To become acquainted with someone/to get to know someone.}

The derived adjective connu /kɔ.ny/ (koh-new) means known or famous and the derived noun le connu means the known or a well-known person. Likewise, inconnu /ɛ̃.kɔ.ny/ (a⁽ⁿ⁾-koh-new) means unknown or strange and l'inconnu (m) means stranger:

Pour procéder méthodiquement, il faut aller du connu à l’inconnu.^{To proceed methodically, we must go from the known to the unknown.}

Le hurling est un sport inconnu en dehors de l’Irlande.^{The sport of hurling is unknown outside Ireland.}

L’inconnu au bar m’a souri.^{The stranger at the bar smiled at me.}

Supplementary vocabulary · Other -aître verbs

(upload audio)
apparaître	/a.pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to appear
comparaître	/kɔ̃.pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to appear before an official		Il a comparu devant le maire.	He appeared before the Mayor.
disparaître	/dis.pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to disappear		La douleur a complètement disparu.	The pain has completely disappeared.
méconnaître	/me.kɔ.nɛtʁ/	to not recognize, to be unaware of		Le médecin a méconnu la nature de cette maladie.	The doctor did not recognize the nature of this sickness.
disparaître	[[:Media:Fr-disparaître.ogg|]]	to disappear
naître	[[:Media:Fr-naître.ogg|]]	to be born1
paraître	/pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to appear, to seem		L'acteur a paru sur l'écran. Il paraît 40 ans.	The actor appeared on screen. He seems forty.
réapparaître	/ʁe.a.pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to reappear		Lorsque la terre est réapparue, ce a été à l’entrée du détroit de Magellan.	When land reappeared, it was at the entrance of the Strait of Magellan.
reconnaître	/ʁǝ.kɔ.nɛtʁ/	to recognize		Je l’ai reconnu à sa démarche.	I recognized his walk.
repaître	/ʁə.pɛtʁ/	to feed, to eat		Il faut repaître ces animaux. Les cerfs sortent le soir des bois pour repaître.	It is necessary to feed these animals. The deer come out of the woods in the evening to eat.
reparaître	/ʁǝ.pa.ʁɛtʁ/	to reappear, to come out again		Le soleil reparaît sur l’horizon.	The sun reappears on the horizon.

¹Naître has an irregular past participle (né) and takes être as its auxiliary verb in perfect tenses.

Grammar · To know · Savoir

savoir  /sa.vwaʁ/ (sah-vwahr)	to know
je sais /sɛ/ (seh)	I know
tu sais /sɛ/ (seh)	you know
il sait /sɛ/ (seh)	he knows
nous savons /sa.vɔ̃/ (sah-voh(n))	we know
vous savez /sa.ve/ (sah-vay)	you know
ils savent /sav/ (sahv)	they know
su /sy/ (sew)	known

Usage notes · Connaître and savoir

Connaître is used to say that you know someone, or are acquainted with someone or something:

Ce chien connaît bien son maître.^{This dog knows its master.}

Ce cheval connaît le chemin.^{This horse knows the way.}

Savoir is used to say that you know a fact or piece of information:

Il est difficile de savoir si elle ment.^{It's difficult to know if she's lying.}

Savoir is also used to say that you know how to do something:

Savez-vous nager?^{Do you know how to swim?}

Examples

(upload audio)
Cet enfant ne connaît pas encore ses lettres.		This child does not know his letters.
Je ne connais cette personne que de nom.		I know this person only by name.
Il connaît sa faiblesse.		He knows his weakness.

Vocabulary · Phone calls

(upload audio)
le téléphone	/te.le.fɔn/ (tay-lay-fohn)	telephone
le téléphone portable le téléphone mobile le mobile	/te.le.fɔn pɔʁ.tabl/ (tay-lay-fohn pohr-tahbl) Fr-le téléphone mobile.ogg /mɔ.bil/ (moh-beel)	mobile phone

Usage notes · Téléphoner and appeler

Téléphoner (à) is used to say that you are calling (to) someone. In French, you call to someone, so the verb is used with indirect, and not direct, objects:

Je téléphone à Jacques.^{I'm calling Jacques.}

J'ai téléphoné à mon ami.^{I called my friend.}

Appeler is also used:

J'ai appelé Marcel sur son mobile.^{I called Marcel on his mobile.}

Grammar · To say · Dire

Dire , meaning to say or to tell, is conjugated irregularly.

Formation

dire  /diʁ/ (deer)	to say
je dis /di/ (dee)	I say
tu dis /di/ (dee)	you say
il dit  /di/ (dee)	he says
nous disons /di.zɔ̃/ (dee-zoh(n))	we say
vous dites  /dit/ (deet)	you say
ils disent /diz/ (deez)	they say
dit  /di/ (dee)	said

The related verb redire /ʁə.diʁ/ (ruh-deer) means to repeat, to restate, or to retell. The related phrase vouloir dire /vu.lwaʁ diʁ/ (voo-lwahr deer) means to mean.

Examples

(upload audio)
Il a dit son nom.		He said his name.
« Je m'appelle Paul, » dit-il.		"My name is Paul," he said.
Je vais dire un secret.		I'm going to say a secret.
Georges ne dit pas la vérité.		Georges does not tell the truth.
Il ne faut pas le redire.		You don't have to say it again.
Je t'ai déjà dit, mais je le redis à toi.		I've already told you, but I'll tell you again.
Il va redire tout ce qu’on lui dit.		He's going to retell all that we say to him.

Supplementary grammar · Verbs conjugated similarly to dire

The following verbs are conjugated like dire, except that the second person plural form is -dissez, not -dites.

(upload audio)
contredire	/kɔ̃t.ʁə.diʁ/	to contradict		Il a essayé de me contredire, il n’y a pas réussi.	He tried to contradict me, he has not succeeded.
interdire	/ɛ̃.tɛʁ.diʁ/	to forbid, to ban		Il est interdit d’interdire. Une obligation imprévue m’interdit ce plaisir.	It is forbidden to forbid. An unforeseen obligation prevents me that pleasure.
médire	/mediʁ/	to slander, to speak badly of		Vous médisez de tout le monde. Il médit de son prochain.	You speak badly of everyone. He speaks ill of his neighbor.
prédire	/pʁediʁ/	to predict, to foretell		Les chercheurs ont prédit l'éclipse. Les prophètes ont prédit la venue de Jésus-Christ.	The scientists predicted the eclipse. The prophets foretold the coming of Jesus Christ.
dédire	/de.diʁ/	to go back on, to retract

maudire^{to curse} /mo.diʁ/ is also conjugated in this way, except that the third person plural is maudissent.

Vocabulary · Mail · Le courrier

(upload audio)
la poste	/pɔst/	post office
le courrier	/ku.ʁje/	mail		Le courrier n’est pas encore arrivé. Répondez-moi par courrier. Les heures du courrier sont changées.	The mail has not arrived yet. Answer me by mail. The mail hours are changed.
la lettre (d’affaires, d’amour, de recommandation, d’avis, de condoléance)	/lɛtr(ə)/	(business, love, recomendation, notification, condolence) letter		J'ai mis la lettre à la poste.	I put the letter in the post.
la boîte aux lettres la boite aux lettres	/bwa.to.lɛtʁ/	mailbox		J'ai mis ta missive dans la boite aux lettres.	I put your letter in the mailbox.
cacheter (une lettre, un paquet)	/ka.ʃə.te/	to seal (a letter, a parcel)		Elle cachète toutes ses lettres avec de la cire.	She seals all her letters with wax.
fermer (une lettre)	/fɛʁ.me/	to close (a letter)
envoyer (une lettre)	/ɑ̃.vwa.je/	to send (a letter)		Je vais envoyer le paquet par le chemin de fer.	I will send the package by railroad.
recevoir (une lettre)	/ʁəs.vwaʁ/	to receive (a letter)
ouvrir (une lettre)	/u.vʁiʁ/	to open (a letter)
décacheter (une lettre)	/de.kaʃ.te/	to unseal (a letter)
répondre (à une lettre)	/re.pɔ̃dʁ/	to answer, to respond (to a letter)		Je lui ai écrit deux fois, il ne m’a pas répondu.	I wrote to him twice, he did not answer.

Supplementary grammar · To send · Envoyer

Formation

envoyer  /ɑ̃.vwa.je/ (ah(n)-vwah-yuhay)	to send
j'envoie /ɑ̃.vwa/ (ah(n)-vwah)	I send
tu envoies /ɑ̃.vwa/ (ah(n)-vwah)	you send
il envoie /ɑ̃.vwa/ (ah(n)-vwah)	he sends
nous envoyons /ɑ̃.vwa.jɔ̃/ (ah(n)-vwah-yuhoh(n))	we send
vous envoyez /ɑ̃.vwa.je/ (ah(n)-vwah-yuhay)	you send
ils envoient /ɑ̃.vwa/ (ah(n)-vwah)	they send
envoyé /ɑ̃.vwa.je/ (ah(n)-vwah-yuhay)	sent

The verb renvoyer /ʁɑ̃.vwa.je/ (rah⁽ⁿ⁾-vwah-y^uhay), meaning to resend or to send back, is conjugated in the same way as envoyer.

Examples

(upload audio)
Je vais envoyer le paquet par le chemin de fer.		I will send the package by railroad.

Usage notes · Renvoyer

Supplementary grammar · -cevoir verbs

Verbs ending in -cevoir, such as recevoir, meaning to receive, are conjugated irregularly.

Formation

recevoir  /ʁə.sv.waʁ/ (ruh-sev-wahr)	to receive
je reçois /ʁə.swa/ (ruh-swah)	I receive
tu reçois /ʁə.swa/ (ruh-swah)	you receive
il reçoit /ʁə.swa/ (ruh-swah)	he receives
nous recevons /ʁə.sv.ɔ̃/ (ruh-sev-oh(n))	we receive
vous recevez /ʁə.sv.e/ (ruh-sev-ay)	you receive
ils reçoivent /ʁə.swav/ (ruh-swahv)	they receive
reçu  /ʁǝ.sy/ (ruh-sew)	received

Other -cevoir verbs

(upload audio)
apercevoir	/a.pɛʁ.sǝ.vwaʁ/	to see, to glimpse, to catch sight of
concevoir	/kɔ̃səvwaʀ/	to conceive, to understand		C'est un ouvrage bien conçu. Cette femme a passé l’âge de concevoir.	It is a well-designed book. This woman was too old to conceive.
décevoir	/de.sǝ.vwaʁ/	to disappoint, to deceive		Il m’a déçu par sa manière d’agir.	He disappointed me by his actions.
percevoir	/pɛʁ.sǝ.vwaʁ/	to perceive
repercevoir	/ʁə.pɛʁ.sə.vwaʁ/	to reperceive

Examples

(upload audio)
Odette répond à toutes les lettres qu’elle reçoit.		Odette answers all the letters that she receives.
Je conçois bien ce que vous me dites.		I understand what you say.
C’est une chose difficile à concevoir.		It is hard to conceive.
Tous ses espoirs ont été déçus.		All his hopes were dashed.

Supplementary vocabulary · Computers and the Internet

(upload audio)
Computer hardware
l'ordinateur (portable) (m)	/ɔʁ.di.na.tœʁ/	(laptop) computer		Elle est sur l’ordinateur.	She is on the computer.
l'écran (d'ordinateur) (m)	/e.kʁɑ̃/	(computer) screen, monitor
le clavier	/klavje/	keyboard
la souris	/su.ʁi/	mouse
l'imprimante (f)	/ɛ̃.pʁi.mãt/	printer		Cette imprimante est dotée de cartouches couleur ; elle peut imprimer en couleur.	This printer has color cartridges and can print in color.
le CD-ROM	/se.de.ʁɔm/	CD-ROM		Ce CD-ROM contient un dictionnaire très complet.	This CD-ROM contains a comprehensive dictionary.
la disquette	/dis.kɛt/	floppy disk
Computer software
le software		software
l’information (f)	/ɛ̃.fɔʁ.ma.sjɔ̃/	information
le logiciel	/lɔ.ʒi.sjɛl/	software (program)		C’est un logiciel très facile d’utilisation.	The software is easy to use.
le programme la programmation	/pʁɔ.ɡʁam/ /pʁɔ.ɡʁa.ma.sjɔ̃/	program programming		L’ordinateur refuse d'ouvrir ce programme. Ce programme résoud tous mes problèmes !	The computer refuses to open this program. This program solves all my problems!
le document	/dɔkymɑ̃/	document
le fichier	/fi.ʃje/	file
Computer use
utiliser	/y.ti.li.ze/	to use
taper (un texte)	/ta.pe/	to type (a text)
sauvegarder (un fichier)	/sɔv.ɡaʁ.de/	to save (a file)
exécuter	/ɛɡ.ze.ky.te/	to run, to carry out
cliquer	/klike/	to click		Tu dois cliquer sur le bouton rouge.	You must click (on) the red button.
allumer	/a.ly.me/	to turn on
éteindre	/e.tɛ̃dʁ/	to turn off (to extinguish)
The Internet
aller sur Internet		to go on the Internet		Il est allé sur Internet pour lire le journal.	He went on the Internet to read the newspaper.
le modem	/modˈɛm/	modem
la connexion	/kɔ.nɛk.sjɔ̃/	connection
connecter	/ko.nɛk.te/	to connect		Je vais connecter l'ordinateur au réseau informatique.	I will connect the computer to the computer network.
le site (Web)	/sit/ /sit wɛb/	(web) site		Je suis en train d’étudier le langage HTML pour concevoir mon site Web perso.	I am studying HTML to design my personal website.
l'e-mail (m)	/i.mɛl/	e-mail
télécharger	/te.le.ʃaʁ.ʒe/	to download, to upload		Elle a téléchargé le ficher.	She downloaded the file.
transmettre	/tʁɑ̃s.mɛtʁ/	to transmit

Supplementary grammar · To call · Appeler

Appeler means to call or to call out.

Appeler is also used to say what your name is. Je m'appelle... literally means I call myself…, but in English you would say My name is…. Appeler is a regular -er verb, but is also stem changing.

Formation

appeler  /ap(.ə).le/ (ahp(uh)-lay)	to call
j'appelle /a.pɛl/ (ah-pehl)	I call
tu appelles /a.pɛl/ (ah-pehl)	you call
il appelle /a.pɛl/ (ah-pehl)	he calls
nous appelons /ap(.ə).lɔ̃/ (ah-puh-loh(n))	we call
vous appelez /ap(.ə).le/ (ah-puh-lay)	you call
ils appellent /a.pɛl/ (ah-pehl)	they call
appelé /ap(.ə).le/ (ah-play)	called

Rappeler /ʀa.ple/ (rah-play), meaning to call back, recall, or remind, is conjugated in the same way as appeler. The reflexive form se rappeler means to remember.

Related words

The related masculine noun l'appel /a.pɛl/ means call or appeal:

J'ai entendu votre appel.^{I heard your call.}

Les femelles blattes produisent des phéromones lors de l'appel du mâle.^{The female cockroach produce pheromones during the call of the male.}

The noun le rappel /ʀa.pɛl/ means reminder or recall:

Cet ambassadeur a obtenu son rappel.^{The ambassador has received his recall.}

Il a obéi par la crainte du rappel.^{He obeyed by the fear of the recall.}

J’ai été obligé de lui faire un discret rappel pour l’amener à me rembourser.^{I was obliged to make a discreet reminder to him to reimburse me.}

Examples

(upload audio)
J'ai appelé son nom.		I called out her name.
Appelle-moi ce soir.		Call me this evening.
Nous devrons appeler un médecin.		We should call a doctor.
Elle a appelé à l'aide.		She called out for help.
Ton père t’a téléphoné. Peux-tu le rappeler ?		Your father telephoned. Can you call him back?
Rappelle-moi à mon rôle.		Remind me of my role.
Je ne me le rappelle pas.		I don't remember that/it/him.

Exercises

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