ATS 1061 French Introductory 1 Week 1 / Semaine 2 Presented by Jessica Chakowa

Reminder/Rappel Check the Unit Guide and Moodle regularly Read and print your Grammar notes before Seminar Revise your notes, learn verbs and vocabulary each week Listen to audio tracks used in class See you tutor during consultation time if needed Buy your books Work regularly in your Workbook Be on time and attend to your allocated classes

The polite form vous The polite form vous is used to address someone you don’t know or someone you respect because of his age or his hierarchical status. Eg. Bonjour M.Leclerc, comment allez-vous?   NB: Be careful vous is also used when addressing a group of people (2 or more) Eg. Vous comprenez? The verb vouvoyer is used to describe a situation where vous is used when addressing someone. Eg. Je vouvoie mon directeur.

The informal form tu The informal form Tu is used when addressing someone you are familiar with: friend, relatives, pets… Tu is also used when addressing people of the same group age or colleagues Eg. Comment vas-tu? When addressing a child or people younger than you, even if you don’t know them, it is appropriate to use tu Eg. Comment t’appelles-tu? The verb tutoyer is used to describe a situation where tu is used when addressing someone Eg. On se tutoie? Shall we use “tu”?

L’article et le nom An article is a small word used to introduce a noun. Indefinite articles: a lecture theatre, an exam, some students Definite article : the teacher (s) In French all nouns have genders (masculine or feminine) and numbers (singular or plural) and the article will change accordingly

Les articles indefinite articles definite articles masculine singular feminine singular masculine, feminine or mixed-gender plural un = a / an une = a / an des = some le (l’) = the la (l’) = the les = the  

Les articles indéfinis Indefinite articles are used to identify a person or thing. un = “a” or “an” in front of a singular masculine noun: un étudiant = a (male) student un livre = a book une = “a” or “an” in front of a singular feminine noun: une étudiante = a (female) student une porte = a door des = “some” in front of a plural noun (masculine, feminine or mixed): des étudiants / des amphithéâtres = some students (male or mixed) / some lecture theatres des étudiantes / des fenêtres = some students (female) / some windows NB. The article “some” can often be dropped in English where “des” must be retained in French: Il y a des fenêtres dans l’amphithéâtre = There are (some) windows in the lecture theatre

Les articles définis Definite articles are used to specify a person or thing. le = “the” in front of a singular masculine noun starting with a consonant. le garçon (the boy) / le cours (the class)   la = “the” in front of a singular feminine noun starting with a consonant. la fille (the girl) / la salle (the room) l’ = “the” in front of a singular masculine or feminine noun starting with a vowel l’étudiant = the (male) student / l’étudiante = the (female) student l’université (f)

les = “the” in front of a plural masculine, feminine or mixed noun: les étudiants = the students (male or mixed) les étudiantes = the students (female) Les examens (m) = the exams Les vacances (f) = the holiday N.B. In French, unlike in English, definite articles are also used to introduce a generic or abstract noun: La France est un beau pays = France is a beautiful country J’étudie le français = I’m studying French

Exercice Compléter par un article défini ou indéfini 1) Mon portable est sur ……… table. 2) Je cherche ……… pharmacie. 3) Voici ………. bon restaurant. C’est …… restaurant « le Gourmand » 4) ……….. professeurs de Monash sont très occupés. 5) Paul a ………… amis allemands. 6) ………. livre de français s’appelle Alter Ego.

Exercice Compléter par un article défini ou indéfini 1) Mon portable est sur la table. 2) Je cherche une pharmacie. 3) Voici un bon restaurant. C’est le restaurant « le Gourmand » 4) Les professeurs de Monash sont très occupés. 5) Paul a des amis allemands. 6) Le livre de français s’appelle Alter Ego.

Le genre des noms a) Nouns that refer to males are usually masculine; nouns that refer to females are usually feminine (ex : un homme / une femme) b) Sometimes the ending of a noun is a clue for its gender Masculine : -eau, -isme, -ment (bateau, journalisme, monument) Feminine : -ence, -ion, -ie, -ure, -té (différence, addition, librairie, lecture, université) c) Nouns borrowed from other languages are usually masculine. They are not capitalized: un coca, un hamburger  

d) Names of languages are masculine and are not capitalized e) Day of the week, seasons are masculine f) Some nouns that refer to people can be changed from masculine to feminine by adding -e to the noun ending  un ami/une amie, un étudiant/une étudiante g) Many nouns that ends in –e have only one form, used to refer to both male and females. Sometimes the gender is indicated by the article : un touriste/une touriste NB: Sometimes even the article is the same for both masculine and feminine (un professeur, un docteur, une personne…)

Exercices Compléter avec l’article défini approprié …… lundi …… bureau …… femme …… anglais …… solution …… livre …… violence …… journaliste …… rupture …… pâtisserie …… garçon …… faculté …… brushing …… pilote ....... romantisme

Exercice Compléter avec l’article défini approprié le lundi le bureau la femme l’ anglais la solution le livre la violence le journaliste la rupture la pâtisserie le garçon la faculté le brushing le/la pilote le romantisme

Le pluriel des noms a) Most French nouns are made plural by adding an –s to the singular form: un livredes livres une portedes portes NB: French uses the masculine plural when the gender is mixed: des étudiants = some students (male or mixed) des étudiantes = some students (female)  

b) Nouns ending in –s, –x or –z in the singular do not change in the plural: un cours (a course)des cours un choix (a choice)des choix un nez (a nose)des nez c)Most nouns ending in –eu, –au, –eau or –œu are made plural by adding –x to the singular form:   un cheveu (a hair)des cheveux un joyau (a jewel)des joyaux un bureau (an office)des bureaux un vœu (a wish)des vœux

d) Most nouns ending in –al are made plural by replacing –al with –aux: un journal (a newspaper)des journaux un cheval (a horse)des chevaux e) Some nouns ending in –ail are made plural by adding –s to the singular form; others by replacing –ail with –aux: un détail (a detail)des détails un vitrail (a stained-glass window)des vitraux f) Some nouns have a completely irregular plural form: un oeil (an eye)des yeux

Exercice Donnez le pluriel des noms suivants: un animal un bureau un portail un travail un mois un jeu un manteau une noix un Français une Française

Exercice Donnez le pluriel des noms suivants: un animal des animaux un bureau des bureaux un portail des portails un travail des travaux un mois des mois un jeu des jeux un manteau des manteaux une noix des noix un Français des Français une Française des Françaises

La négation “Ne” is before the verb and “pas” after the verb: The negation is usually express with “ne...pas”. “Ne” is before the verb and “pas” after the verb: Je parle russe → je ne parle pas russe   If a verb is followed by an infinitive, ne and pas surround the conjugated verb Il aime étudier → Il n’aime pas étudier

Il/elle a ils/elles ont Le verbe avoir  j’ai nous avons tu as vous avez Il/elle a ils/elles ont Eg. J’ai trente-trois ans.  

Learning tools Collins WordUp French app : bilingual dictionary with audio functionality, allows you to record and compare your voice Quizlet interactive flashcards : create your own flashcards to learn verbs and vocabulary http://quizlet.com/20167292/le-vocabulaire-de-la-semaine-flash-cards/

Cultures and Linguistics School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics Jessica Chakowa School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics Faculty of Arts Monash University 5th Floor West, W526 Building 11, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton Ph: +61 (3) 990 58690 Email: jessica.chakowa@monash.edu http://arts.monash.edu.au/french/