Most Common Words Flashcards
(70 cards)
de
de | preposition | 1. of, from, by, than, in, with. 2. It can also be used to link two nouns together, indicating possession, or a characteristic of someone or something. | 1. Je reviens de New York. (I am coming back from New York.) 2. Le chien de Marie. (Marie’s dog.) 3. Une tasse de café. (A cup of coffee.)
que
que | conjunction, relative pronoun | 1. that, 2. which, 3. who, 4. whom | “Je pense que tu as raison.” (I think that you are right.), “La personne que je vois souvent.” (The person who I often see.), “Le livre que j’ai lu.” (The book that I read.)
à
à | preposition | 1. to, at, in (indicating direction, location, or time) 2. of (in certain expressions) 3. by (used before an infinitive) |
Examples:
1. Je vais à Paris. (I’m going to Paris.)
2. Nous sommes à la maison. (We’re at home.)
3. Il est à l’école. (He is in school.)
4. C’est la voiture à Jean. (It’s Jean’s car.)
5. J’apprends à lire. (I’m learning to read.)
qui
qui | pronoun | 1. who, that (used in referring to a person previously mentioned) 2. which, that (referring to a thing or animal previously mentioned) |Examples:
- La femme qui parle est mon professeur. (The woman who is speaking is my teacher.)
- Le livre qui est sur la table est à moi. (The book that is on the table is mine.)
qu’
qu’ | contraction | it’s a contraction of “que” in French, commonly used before a vowel or an h; it can be used in different contexts and can mean “that”, “what”, “whom”, “which”, “than” | Examples:
- Ce qu’elle veut (What she wants)
- Plus facile qu’il pense (Easier than he thinks)
- L’homme qu’elle aime (The man whom she loves)
du
du | preposition/article | ‘of the’, ‘from the’, or ‘some’; used as a masculine singular article formed from “de + le” | Examples: “Du matin jusqu’au soir” (From morning to evening). “Du pain” (Some bread). “Le nom du père” (The name of the father).
des
Des | Article | It is a French indefinite article and it implies a plural quantity. In English, it is equivalent to ‘some’ or ‘any’. Also, it’s used before a noun in plural form with an unspecified quantity. | Examples: Des pommes - Some apples, Des livres - Some books, J’ai des amis - I have some friends.
d’
d’ | Preposition | The French preposition ‘d’ is a contraction of ‘de’, which can mean ‘of’, ‘from’, ‘by’, or ‘about’, depending on the context. It is used before a word beginning with a vowel or a mute h. | Examples: d’amour (of love), d’homme (of man), d’ici (from here)
en
en | preposition | 1. in, on, at (indicating place or position); 2. while, during, by (indicating an action happening at the same time as another action); 3. as, for (indicating an action’s purpose or function) |
Examples:
1. Nous habitons en France. (We live in France.)
2. En marchant, j’ai rencontré un ami. (While walking, I met a friend.)
3. J’ai acheté un cadeau en souvenir de Paris. (I bought a gift as a souvenir from Paris.)
Additionally, “en” can also be a pronoun used in replacement of a quantity, it translates to “some,” “of them,” or “about them.”
Example:
1. Il y a des pommes? Oui, j’en ai acheté. (Are there apples? Yes, I bought some.)
pour
Pour | Preposition | 1. For (intended to be given to) 2. To (used to express destination or direction) 3. Around/about (in expressions of time) | Examples: 1. J’ai un cadeau pour toi (I have a gift for you). 2. Je pars pour Paris (I am leaving for Paris). 3. Je vais au marché pour huit heures (I’m going to the market for eight o’clock/about eight o’clock).
ce
ce | demonstrative pronoun | this or it when referring to a masculine singular noun; it is used to point out a particular referenced item. |
Examples:
1. Ce livre. (This book.)
2. Ce est mon ami. (This is my friend.)
3. Je lis ce. (I read this.)
4. Ce chat est noir. (This cat is black.)
Note: “ce” can be followed by “est” (is) or “sont” (are) to form “c’est” or “ce sont” respectively. This is usually used when pointing out or introducing something or someone. For instance, “C’est mon amie” (This is my friend).
peuple
peuple | noun | 1. the people or citizens of a country or community considered collectively 2. a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc. | Examples: ‘Le peuple français’ means ‘The French people.’ ‘Les peuples indigènes’ means ‘Indigenous peoples.’
leur
leur | pronoun | 1. Their (used to indicate possession by people or things mentioned previously). 2. Them (used as an indirect object). |
1. Leur maison est grande (Their house is big).
2. Je leur ai donné des bonbons (I gave them some candies).
voici
Voici | Preposition | It translates to “here is” or “here are” in English. It’s used to present, introduce, or point to something or someone. | Examples: ‘Voici mon ami’ (Here is my friend), ‘Voici le livre que tu cherches’ (Here is the book you are looking for)
c’
c’ | pronoun | it is a contracted form of ‘ce’ often referring to ‘this’ or ‘it’ when used immediately before a verb starting with a vowel or silent ‘h’. | Examples: C’est la vie (That’s life), C’etait un bon film (That was a good movie), C’est important (It’s important)
au
au | preposition | at the, to the, in the | Example 1: J’habite au Canada - I live in Canada. Example 2: Je vais au cinéma - I’m going to the cinema.
arriva
“arriva” is not a standalone word in the French language. However, it could be an incorrectly spelled or a misconstrued form of “arrive”, which is the present tense of the verb “arriver”. Here is the correct description for “arrive”:
arrive | verb | to reach a place, especially at the end of a journey | Examples: “Nous arrivons à Paris ce soir.” (We are arriving in Paris this evening.), “Il arrive à la maison.” (He is arriving at home.)
par
par | preposition | 1. By (indicating the means, manner, authorship, or instrumentality of an action). 2. Per (indicating the rate or proportion of a quantity) 3. Through or via (indicating the route or trajectory of an action). |
Examples:
1. “Cette lettre a été écrite par mon frère.” (This letter was written by my brother.)
2. “Il a gagné par dix votes” (He won by ten votes.)
3. “Je suis passé par la boulangerie pour acheter du pain.” (I went through the bakery to buy some bread.)
était
était | verb | Was (past form of “être” - to be) | Examples: Elle était à Paris la semaine dernière (She was in Paris last week). Le magasin était fermé quand je suis arrivé (The shop was closed when I arrived).
leurs
Leurs | Pronoun | English Definition: 1) Theirs, 2) Their (when followed by plural noun) | Examples: 1) Le livre est le leur (The book is theirs), 2) Ce sont leurs livres (These are their books)
se
se | reflexive pronoun | 1. Himself, herself, itself, themselves when the subject and the object of the verb are the same. 2. Each other, one another when the action is mutual between subjects. | 1. Il se regarde dans le miroir (He is looking at himself in the mirror). 2. Ils se parlent (They are talking to each other).
son
son | possessive adjective | his, her, its | Examples:
1. C’est son livre = This is his book/her book/its book.
2. Son chien est gentil = His dog is nice/ Her dog is nice/ Its dog is nice.
s’
s’ | Reflexive Pronoun | S’ is a reflexive pronoun used in French referring back to the subject in the sentence. It is generally used before a verb to indicate that the subject is performing the action to itself. It may translate to ‘oneself’, ‘himself’, ‘herself’, or ‘itself’ in English, depending on the context. | Example: “Il s’appelle Jean” translates to “He calls himself Jean” or “His name is Jean.” Another example: “Elle s’habille” translates to “She dresses herself”.
lui
Lui | Pronoun |
- Him/Her: It is a third person singular indirect object pronoun that can be used for both male and female nouns. It translates to ‘him’ or ‘her’ in English, depending on the context.
Example: Je parle à lui. (I am speaking to him / her.)
- To Him/To Her: It can also be used as a disjunctive pronoun to mean ‘to him’ or ‘to her’ when referring to a previously mentioned person.
Example: Je lui donne le livre. (I give the book to him / her.)
