In the following table you can look at how the different pronouns work with the verb «avoir», "to have".

Transcription

1 1.12 Talking About People (Part 3) Language & Culture Lessons I hope you're enjoying the lessons so far. Grammar is not everyone's favorite topic, but if you take it in bite-sized bits, it can be easy to digest. And it will be rewarding when you start to see patterns emerging in the way the language is structured and really begin to understand the mechanics behind it. Our objective in this lesson is to examine some of the pieces of common French conversations - and you'll notice that many of these words and phrases the same ones that appear in the early lessons of the Interactive Audio Course. Today we're learning how to express ourselves using the verb «avoir» (to have), allowing you to say "I'm tired", "I'm happy" and all the emotions in between. Language Lesson Talking about People Action words in French have to agree with who is doing the action. In addition, we'll also look at how the verb être, "to be", works with descriptions (adverbs and adjectives). The endings of the descriptive words that go with the verb être, to be, has to agree in gender and number (plurals) with the part of the verb you choose. This does not apply to «avoir», to have, the other verb you will be looking at in this lesson. The verb "to have" is widely used in French to describe feelings, states and moods, such as hunger and cold, as well as age, which in English, we normally associate with the verb to be. We used to saying that we hungry. In French we use the verb to have to express hunger, as in: we have hunger. Je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils and elles people pronouns which central to any language. In this module we will explain the uses of the verb to have with these pronouns. Consider the verb avoir and the verb être two of the French language s corner stones, on which many of your expressions will be built. Avoir : To Have In the following table you can look at how the different pronouns work with the verb «avoir», "to have". The same applies in French with avoir and all other verbs. Il a, a he has, is different to avoir: one is adapted to the pronoun il (he) and the other is in neutral form, avoir, to have. This type of conjugation happens throughout the French language, which means you will need to become familiar with the concept and begin to do some memorizing! Most of these changes totally unpredictable! In grammar this principle is referred to as verbs being regular or irregular. For the purposes of this learning program with Rocket French, we recommend that you view all verbs in French as highly random and best stored through repetition and use, to a safe place in your memory bank! «Avoir» with Pronouns Elle a J ai Tu as Il a I have You have (casual) He has

2 Elle a Nous avons Vous avez Ils ont Elles ont We have You have (formal) They have (masculine) They have (feminine) Elle a faim Il a soif She is hungry! He is thirsty! Let s use the above examples to make statements with the verb avoir, to have. You will notice that in French, avoir is often associated with describing states and feelings. The most notable : Thirst Hunger Fear Cold Heat Age Bonne fête Happy birthday You might tell someone that you 29 years old in English in French, you have to think of age as something that you have, as in I have 29 years. You might tell someone about being afraid in a particular situation. In French, you have to think of fear as something that you have, as in I have fear of the dark. Let s look at this principle in more detail with the verb «avoir». In each example, it s a case of substituting what you would normally say in English, using the verb to be, with the verb to have. Avoir (to have) used with Pronouns and Adverbs Person (Pronoun) Action (Verb) Description (Adverb or Adjective) J ai I am 29 ans 29 years old Tu as peur You (casual) afraid Il a froid He is cold

3 Elle a raison She Nous We Vous Ils Elles You (formal, plural) They (masculine) They (feminine) is avons avez ont ont right faim hungry chaud hot faim hungry soif thirsty In summary: Descriptions used with «avoir» (to have) do not change form to agree with gender or plural pronouns. «Avoir» (to have) is often used to express feelings, emotions, age and moods in French. J ai vingt ans Tu as raison! Elle a froid Il a peur Vous avez chaud Ils ont besoin Elle a tort. Nous avons faim! Il a mal. I am twenty years old (I have twenty years). You right! (You have reason) She is cold ( coldness). He is afraid (He has fear). You hot (You have heat). They need (They have need). She is wrong We hungry! He is in pain (he has hurt) Vous avez chaud! You hot! As a last note on the basics about avoir, to have, there will be times when there is a fine line between feelings and states that you want to describe. Let s take the example of feeling tired. You could say the phrase I am tired or I am feeling sleepy depending on the context. In French one phrase uses the verb être and the other, the verb avoir. Notice that being tired in French is one of those adverbs that agree with gender and plural. Why? Because it is part of the exclusive principle that applies only with the verb être! Je suis fatigué Je suis fatiguée Nous sommes fatigués J ai sommeil I am tired (masculine) I am tired (feminine) We tired (plural) I am feeling sleepy (I have sleepiness)

4 Nous sommes fatigués We tired Avoir with Pronouns J ai Tu as Il a Elle a Nous avons Vous avez Ils ont Elles ont I have You have (casual) He has We have You have (formal) They have (masculine) They have (feminine) All verbs change from their neutral form as in «avoir» (to have) to agree with pronouns. «Avoir» (to have) is used to express some feelings, age and moods in French. Descriptions used with avoir do not change form to agree with gender or plural pronouns. Discover new French Words! These audio tracks for all the words in this lesson that you haven t heard yet! Manger Je mange Une idée Un croissant La soif Une bonne idée Avoir soif Ours en peluche Aimer Elle aime La veste En fourrure Très Être fatigué(e) Avoir sommeil Dormir Ils dorment Être en retard Transpirer Il transpire To eat I eat An idea A croissant Thirst A great idea To be (feel) thirsty Teddy bear To love She loves Jacket Fur lined Very To be tired To be (feel) sleepy To sleep They sleeping To be late To sweat He is sweating

5 Boire Il boit Vite To drink He drinks Quickly Culture Café Culture Many travelers gob-smacked at how French cafés always seem to be full! Do the locals never go to work?! Yes the locals do work occasionally, but they just love the café environment. Whether you're catching up with a friend, talking business or meet someone for the first time there's a strong likelihood that you'll end up on the terrasse of a café. Parisienne girls at a 'terrasse d'un café de Paris' A terrasse is the outdoor a of a café. If there is even a hint of sun, the French will be sitting outside to enjoy their food or coffee. Spring, summer, autumn or winter if there's sun then the terrasse will be open. The size of a café terrace will range from a couple tables on a street corner to a tennis court-sized a in the city centre. Cafés typically serve a small selection of hot food, and specialize in tea and coffee. Now if you're the kind of person that likes to order a decaf trim hazelnut latte, or an iced mochaccino with cream and chocolate on top; you might need to re-think your coffee order! In France coffee typically comes in two forms: espresso or café long. Espresso is a small strong shot of coffee, and café long is just regular coffee served black. If you want a coffee with milk, ask for a cappuccino. Pick a café that's packed with locals, sit down and soak up the atmosphere. It's one of the cheapest and most enjoyable ways to absorb the local culture. Libros Media Ltd. - Copyright USA: Page Avenue, PO Box 1261, Fairfax, VA 22038, USA Phone: Asia/Pacific: Ferry Road, Woolston, Christchurch 8023, New Zealand Phone: