Avoir – to have

The verb avoir is irregular in the present tense. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the -s in the plural pronouns nous, vous, and ils/elles. This -s is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in the plural forms of avoir. This liaison, or linking, is especially important in distinguishing ils ont (they have) from the third person plural of être ils sont (they are).

Avoir is also used as an auxiliary in compound tenses (passé composé with avoir, plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, etc.) Besides ownership, the verb avoir expresses age in French, unlike the English equivalent, which uses the verb ‘to be.’

Listening Comprehension:

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-er verbs (regular) – present tense

There are three major groups of regular verbs in French: verbs with infinitives ending in -er, verbs with infinitives ending in -ir, and verbs with infinitives ending in -re. Since -er verbs are the most numerous, they are considered the first conjugation. To conjugate these verbs, drop the -er from the infinitive to form the stem. Next, add the –er endings to the stem. Different tenses have different endings.

The endings given below (-e, –es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent) are for forming the present tense. The endings (-e, -es, -e, and –ent) are all silent. The only endings that are pronounced are the nous (-ons) and the vous (-ez) endings. The four silent endings form a boot shape in the verb conjugation.

Listen carefully to the following sentences. Note that the pronunciation of each of the verbs is the same even though the conjugations are spelled differently.

Here is a list of common -er verbs:

Je changes to j’ before a verb starting with a vowel or a silent h (ex. j’adore, j’habite). This phenomenon is known as élision. Listen to the following sentences. Can you hear the élision in the first two examples?

Note also that the s in plural pronouns (nous, vous, and ils/elles) is usually silent except when it is followed by a verb that begins with a vowel sound. In such a case the silent s is pronounced as a /z/ and links the pronoun to the verb. This phenomenon is called liaison (‘linking’) and is very characteristic of French. Listen carefully to the sentences below. Which sentences contain examples of liaison?

Listening Comprehension:

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Possessive determiners

forms and uses

The possessive determiners serve to express ownership or possession (hence the name). They are also often called possessive adjectives because they agree in gender and number with the noun they introduce.

Possessive articles, like all articles, must agree with the noun they modify. Thus, if the noun is feminine, the possessive article must be feminine, too. In the following example, the feminine noun famille requires a feminine form – sa. Note that sa has three potential translations in English: ‘his,’ ‘her,’ or ‘its.’ So, how do you know which meaning is intended? Context! Since the following example sentence refers to Tex, we know that sa means ‘his.’

liaison

Do not forget to make the liaison between the plural forms of the possessive determiners and words that begin with a vowel sound. Ma, ta, sa become mon, ton, son in front of feminine nouns beginning with a vowel sound.

Tex continues his introductions:

Listen to the dialogue:

Yes/no questions; Est-ce que… ; N’est-ce pas

questions with intonation

One of the easiest ways to ask a question that may be answered by yes/no is to raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a statement. In a declarative statement, the pitch normally falls. Listen to the following dialogue and pay close attention to the intonation.

questions using ‘est-ce que … ?’

Another way to ask a yes/no question is to place est-ce que before a statement. Note that que becomes qu’ before a vowel.

questions using ‘n’est-ce pas ?’

N’est-ce pas? is added to the end of a yes/no question when the speaker expects an affirmative response.

Listen to the end of the dialogue:

*Si is used to answer ‘yes’ to a negative question.

Basic negation: ne… pas

Basic negation is formed by placing ne … pas around the conjugated verb. Ne becomes n’ in front of a verb starting with a vowel or a mute h.

In compound tenses, like the passé composé, the ne … pas are also placed around the conjugated verb, which is the auxiliary, avoir or être. In the periphrastic future, ne … pas goes around the verb aller.

Note that in spoken French, the ne / n‘ is sometimes dropped. In familiar speech, tu is often pronounced as t’ before a vowel.

Tammy: Tex, t’es (tu es) pas très gentil. Tammy: Tex, you are not very nice.

Introduction to adverbs

An adverb is a word that qualifies the action of the verb, that is, it specifies how or when the action is performed. In English, many adverbs are indicated by the -ly ending. In French, most adverbs end in -ment.

Adverbs answer questions about the action: how? how much? when? and where? While most adverbs in French and English modify verbs, they can also modify other adverbs as well as adjectives.

Adverb vs. Adjective

It is common in non-standard English for speakers to use adjectives in place of adverbs.

• Tex writes good. (instead of ‘well’)
• Aggies talk too slow. (instead of ‘slowly’)

While this alternation is common in English, it is not common in French where adjectives are rarely used in place of the adverb. Remember that adverbs modify verbs (as well as other adverbs and adjectives) and adjectives modify nouns.

Interrogative and exclamative quel

Quel is an adjective. Like any other adjective, it agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies. Remember to make the liaison between quels / quelles and a following word beginning with a vowel (quels animaux).

interrogative quel

Quel is generally translated into English by ‘what’ or ‘which’. It is always followed by a noun or by the verb ‘être’ + noun.

exclamative quel

Quel may also be used for emphasis. In this instance, quel is followed either by an adjective or a noun, and it means ‘what’ or ‘what a’. Note that there is an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.

Introduction to adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. The major differences between adjectives in French and English concern agreement and placement. In French, an adjective is usually placed after the noun it modifies and must agree in gender and number with the noun. In English, an adjective usually comes before the noun it modifies and is invariable, that is, it does not agree.

adjective vs. adverb

It is common in nonstandard English for speakers to use adjectives in place of adverbs.

• Joe-Bob says: “Gee, Tex writes real good.” (instead of: “Tex writes well.“)
• Joe-Bob says “Gosh, Edouard, you walk real slow.” (instead of: “Edouard, you talk slowly.“)

French adjectives are rarely used in place of the adverbial form. Remember that adjectives modify nouns and adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs!

Adjectives: Formation & placement

formation

Adjectives agree in both number and gender with the noun or pronoun they modify. For regular adjectives the masculine form is the base form to which endings are added. The feminine adjective is formed by adding an e. The plural adjective is formed by adding s. Listen to the recorded examples to hear the pronunciation of the different adjective forms:

Note how the singular and plural forms of the masculine adjective sound the same, and the singular and plural forms of the feminine adjective also sound the same.

The adjective takes the masculine plural when the nouns it modifies are of different genders: Tammy et Tex sont petits. (Tammy and Tex are little.)

Irregular adjectives do not follow the rules given above.

placement

In French, most adjectives follow the noun, unlike in English, where the the adjective precedes the noun. Here are some examples of adjectives following the noun:

Note that there is a small group of adjectives that normally precede the noun. Some adjectives can also be placed before or after the noun but changing the position of the adjectives can modify their meaning.

Listen to this dialogue: