Learn French, lesson by lesson
Avoir besoin de means “to need.” Like many expressions with avoir, it literally translates to “to have need of.” Structure Example IPA English avoir besoin de + noun J’ai besoin d’aide. [ʒe bə.zwɛ̃ dɛd] I need help. avoir besoin de + infinitive J’ai besoin de dormir. [ʒe bə.zwɛ̃ də dɔʁ.miʁ] I need to sleep. Avoir … Read more
French has nine subject pronouns. Choosing the right one matters — especially the distinction between tu (informal you) and vous (formal/plural you), covered in the next lesson. French IPA English Note je / j’ [ʒə] I j’ before vowel tu [ty] you (informal) one person il [il] he / it (m.) also impersonal elle [ɛl] … Read more
Both tu and vous mean “you,” but they signal different levels of formality. Using the wrong one can seem rude or overly familiar. When in doubt, use vous — it’s never offensive. When to Use Tu Tutoyer [ty.twa.je] = to use tu: Family — Tu viens dîner, maman? Close friends — Tu vas bien? Children … Read more
C’est [sɛ] (this is / it is) and ce sont [sə sɔ̃] (these are) are essential for identifying and describing things or people. C’est is a contraction of ce + est. In spoken French, c’est is often used even for plural. C’est + Article + Noun C’est un livre. [sɛ.tœ̃ livʁ] — It’s a book. … Read more
Definite articles are words meaning “the” in English—they refer to specific things or general categories. In French, every noun has a gender (masculine or feminine), and the article must match. Unlike English, which has just one word “the,” French has four forms: le, la, l’, and les. Choosing the right form depends on the noun’s … Read more
Indefinite articles mean “a,” “an,” or “some” in English. They’re used when talking about non-specific items—”a book” (any book), not “the book” (a specific one). French has three indefinite articles that must match the gender and number of the noun: un (masculine), une (feminine), and des (plural). Article IPA Gender/Number English un [œ̃] Masculine singular … Read more
Partitive articles express an unspecified quantity of something you can’t count individually — “some” or “any” in English. They’re used for things like food, drinks, and abstract concepts. English often omits “some,” but French always requires these articles. There are only three partitive forms: du, de la, and de l’. The Partitive Articles Article IPA … Read more
In French, when the prepositions à (to, at) and de (of, from) are followed by the definite articles le or les, they merge into contracted forms. These contractions are mandatory — you cannot say à le or de les. This lesson focuses on these grammatical contractions that combine prepositions with definite articles. The Contractions Preposition … Read more
In French, every noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. This affects articles, adjectives, and pronouns. While some patterns help predict gender, many nouns must be memorized with their articles. Why Gender Matters Gender determines which article and adjective forms to use: le livre [lə livʁ] — the book (masculine) la table [la tabl] — … Read more