1.5: Communiquer en classe
- Page ID
- 157783
In this section, you will learn:
- the French alphabet and French accent marks
- Numbers 1 to 60
- Useful questions for the classroom
- Common instructions given by a teacher
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
On étudie !
L'alphabet français
Lettres | Exemples |
---|---|
A | comme alligator |
B | comme bison |
C | comme canari |
D | comme dauphin |
E | comme éléphant |
F | comme faon |
G | comme girafe |
H | comme hamster |
I | comme iguane |
J | comme jaguar |
K | comme koala |
L | comme lion |
M | comme mule |
N | comme narval |
O | comme orque |
P | comme panthère |
Q | comme quetzal |
R | comme rat |
S | comme scorpion |
T | comme tigre |
U | comme urial |
V | comme vautour |
W | comme wallaby |
X | comme xérus |
Y | comme yack |
Z | comme zèbre |
- Practice identifying and pronouncing the letters of the French alphabet with this video: French alphabet.
- Listen and sing along to this French alphabet song.
Les signes diacritiques
Here are the important accents and diacritical marks to remember in French. They are important for both spelling and pronunciation:
Signes | Nom | Exemples | Explications |
---|---|---|---|
´ |
accent aigu |
étudiant, marié, café | Indicates that [e] is pronounced like the underlined vowels in day or late, but shorter and crisper. When a French word begins with é is often means that an s would appear at the beginning of the English equivalent: éponge -> sponge; état —> state; étudiante —> student. |
` |
accent grave |
très, à | Indicates that [e] is pronounced like the [e] in the English word pet. For example: très, nièce, père. When it is placed over an a or a u, it does not change the pronunciation, but it does distinguish words. Compare: la (the) vs. là (there); ou (or) vs. où (where); a (has) vs. à (to, at). |
ˆ |
accent circonflexe |
hôpital, âge, île, août, sûr | This mark can appear above any vowel. It indicates that a letter has been dropped from an older version of the word, usually an s. This can help us identify mots apparentés. For example: hôpital (hospital), forest (forêt), fête (feast). L'accent circonflexe can also help distinguish between words with similar spellings: mûr (ripe) vs. mur (wall); sûr (sure) vs. sur (on). |
¨ |
tréma |
naïve, Haïti, égoïste | Indicates that the vowel under it must be pronounced separately from the vowel next to it (without blending) |
¸ |
cédille |
ça, garçon, français | Softens the letter c to be pronounced like an English /s/ instead of a /k/. |
Consonnes | Prononciation | Exemples |
---|---|---|
r | How to pronounce r | raison, arriver, gare |
ç | comme un s en anglais | français, ça, leçon |
h | muet | hôpital, halles, haine |
Voyelles | Exemples |
---|---|
a | aller, banane |
e | Le, ce, de |
i | fini, lit, difficile |
o | Sot, tôt, dos |
u | Tu, chute, rue |
é | étudiant, américain, marché |
è, ê | Mère, fête |
ou | Coupe, fou, poubelle |
oi | Moi, toi, froid, boîte |
au, eau | bureau, faux |
on | Son, ton, Breton |
Pour en savoir plus.
Les numéros 1-60
Let’s learn to count in French!
Chiffres | Nombres | Chiffres | Nombres | Chiffres | Nombres |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | un | 21 | vingt et un | 41 | quarante et un |
2 | deux | 22 | vingt-deux | 42 | quarante-deux |
3 | trois | 23 | vingt-trois | 43 | quarante-trois |
4 | quatre | 24 | vingt-quatre | 44 | quarante-quatre |
5 | cinq | 25 | vingt-cinq | 45 | quarante-cinq |
6 | six | 26 | vingt-six | 46 | quarante-six |
7 | sept | 27 | vingt-sept | 47 | quarante-sept |
8 | huit | 28 | vingt-huit | 48 | quarante-huit |
9 | neuf | 29 | vingt-neuf | 49 | quarante-neuf |
10 | dix | 30 | trente | 50 | cinquante |
11 | onze | 31 | trente et un | 51 | cinquante et un |
12 | douze | 32 | trente-deux | 52 | cinquante-deux |
13 | treize | 33 | trente-trois | 53 | cinquante-trois |
14 | quatorze | 34 | trente-quatre | 54 | cinquante-quatre |
15 | quinze | 35 | trente-cinq | 55 | cinquante-cinq |
16 | seize | 36 | trente-six | 56 | cinquante-six |
17 | dix-sept | 37 | trente-sept | 57 | cinquante-sept |
18 | dix-huit | 38 | trente-huit | 58 | cinquante-huit |
19 | dix-neuf | 39 | trente-neuf | 59 | cinquante-neuf |
20 | vingt | 40 | quarante | 60 | soixante |
Signes arithmétiques
Signes arithmétiques | + (plus) to add | - (moins) to substract | x (fois) to multiply | ÷ (divisé par) to divide | = (font) to give result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exemples | 2 + 2 = 4 deux plus deux font quatre |
4 - 1 = 3 quatre moins un font trois |
5 x 3 = 15 cinq fois trois font quinze |
20 ÷ 4 = 5 vingt divisé par 4 font cinq |
Study the Quizlet vocabulary flashcards. Listen and repeat the French pronunciation.
Il y a
To say there is or there are in French, you say il y a.
Il y a un chien dans la classe. (There is a dog in the classroom.)
Il y a trois arbres dans le jardin. (There are three trees in the garden.)
To ask how many of something there is, there are, you say Il y a combien de… ?
Quelques expressions utiles pour la classe de français
Comment dit-on... ? In order to help us speak as much French as possible in the class, we will be using these valuable classroom expressions. Most of them are questions that you can use to maximize learning (i.e., ask how to say something, what something means, asking someone to repeat, etc.), and some are useful for letting others know when you are having trouble understanding or need help.
Français | Anglais |
---|---|
Comment dit-on/écrit-on ________ en français ? | How do you say/write ________ in French? |
Que veut dire ________ ? | What does ________ mean? |
Je (ne) comprends (pas). | I (don't) understand. |
Je (ne) sais (pas). | I (don't) know. |
J'ai une question. | I have a question. |
Répétez, s’il vous plaît. Répète, s’il te plaît. |
Please repeat. |
Pour en savoir plus.
Les instructions en classe
Here are some typical commands a teacher might give during class. In the first column, the commands are in the plural vous form when the teacher addresses the whole class together. Notice the -ez ending in the verbs. The second column lists the same commands in the singular tu form used when addressing one person. Notice that the endings for tu commands vary from verb to verb. We will learn more about commands - or imperatives -- later on.
avec vous | avec tu | Anglais |
---|---|---|
Étudiez la leçon. | Étudie la leçon. | Study the lesson. |
Répétez, s’il vous plaît. | Répète, s'il te plaît. | Repeat, please. |
Répondez à la question. | Réponds à la question. | Answer the question. |
Dites-le en français, s'il vous plaît. | Dis-le en français, s'il te plaît. | Say it in French, please. |
Pour en savoir plus.