๐ A1 Level โ French for Beginners
Click any chapter to expand it. Inside each chapter you can switch between the Lesson, Flashcards, Quiz and Write in French tabs. ๐ฏ
Lesson 0: Noun Gender
Masculine ๐ vs Feminine ๐ โ Every noun has a gender!
In French, EVERYTHING has a gender โ your car ๐, your table ๐ช, even concepts like love โค๏ธ and freedom ๐๏ธ. Wild, right? Here's how to figure out which is which!
(masculine!)
(feminine!)
(feminine, deal with it!)
โถ๏ธ Pronunciation & Learn More on YouTube
๐ EASY STORY 1 โ "Au Cafรฉ" (At the Cafรฉ) โ Word by Word!
๐ Masculine Noun Endings
๐ Endings โ Masculine
-age-eau-รจme-isme-ment-oir-phone-scope-type๐ Examples
| le garage | the garage (-age) |
| le chรขteau | the castle (-eau) |
| le problรจme | the problem (-รจme) |
| le gouvernement | government (-ment) |
| le miroir | the mirror (-oir) |
| le tรฉlรฉphone | the phone (-phone) |
๐ Categories Always Masculine
๐ Feminine Noun Endings
๐ Endings โ Feminine
-aille-aison-ance-ence-ette-ie-iรจre-ine-ion-ique-ise-tion-ure-ude๐ Examples
| la maison | house (-aison) |
| la chance | luck (-ance) |
| la baguette | ๐ฅ baguette! (-ette) |
| la musique | music (-ique) |
| la solution | solution (-tion) |
| la voiture | the car (-ure) |
๐ Categories Always Feminine
โ ๏ธ Sneaky Exceptions โ Memorize These!
| French | English | Why it's sneaky ๐ค |
|---|---|---|
| le bonheur | happiness | Ends -eur but MASCULINE |
| la couleur | color | Ends -eur but FEMININE |
| le programme | program | Ends -e but MASCULINE |
| le/la professeur | teacher | Changes with person's gender |
๐ง Memory Tricks
-age, -eau, -รจme, -isme, -ment, -oir, -phone, -scope, -type
-aille, -ance, -ence, -ette, -ie, -iรจre, -ique, -ion, -sion, -tion, -ure, -ude
Lesson 1: รtre (To Be)
The most important verb in French!
รtre means "to be." It's THE most common verb in French โ you'll use it every single day. Master this and you're already dangerous! ๐ค๐ช
โถ๏ธ Hear It Out Loud โ Pronunciation Videos
๐ EASY STORY 2 โ "La Famille" (The Family) โ Word by Word!
๐ รtre โ Full Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | French | English | Vibe Check ๐ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | suis | I am | ๐ "Je suis รฉtudiant!" |
| Tu | es | You are (informal) | ๐ซ Text your bestie |
| Vous | รชtes | You are (formal/plural) | ๐คต Boss mode |
| Il | est | He is | ๐ง Talking about him |
| Elle | est | She is | ๐ฉ Talking about her |
| Nous | sommes | We are | ๐ฅ Squad up! |
| Ils | sont | They are (masc/mixed) | ๐จโ๐จโ๐ง Boys or mixed |
| Elles | sont | They are (feminine) | ๐ฉโ๐ฉโ๐ง All-girls group |
IMPORTANT: "Ils" = all-male OR mixed group (even 999 girls + 1 guy ๐). "Elles" is ONLY for all-female groups. French grammar is a bit old-fashioned like that!
๐ญ Adjective Agreement
| Masc. Singular | Fem. Singular | Masc. Plural | Fem. Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beautiful | beau ๐ | belle ๐ | beaux | belles |
๐ฌ Sentence Examples
| French ๐ซ๐ท | English ๐ฌ๐ง |
|---|---|
| Je suis un garรงon | I am a boy |
| Elle est une fille | She is a girl |
| Tu es un garรงon | You are a boy |
| Nous sommes des filles | We are girls |
| Ils sont des garรงons | They are boys |
| Elle est belle ๐ | She is beautiful |
| Il est beau ๐ | He is handsome |
| Elles sont belles ๐ | They are beautiful (fem) |
๐ FULL STORY โ Jean et Claire
Jean et Claire sont frรจre et sลur. Jean dit: "Je suis un garรงon et je suis beau." Claire rรฉpond: "Je suis une fille et je suis belle." Leur maman entre et dit: "Vous รชtes beaux, mes enfants!" Leurs amis arrivent. Ils sont des garรงons et elles sont des filles. Tout le monde rit. "Nous sommes heureux, nous sommes beaux, et nous sommes des amis!"
Jean and Claire are brother and sister. Jean says: "I am a boy and I am handsome." Claire replies: "I am a girl and I am beautiful." Their mom comes in and says: "You are beautiful, my children!" Their friends arrive. They are boys and they are girls. Everyone laughs. "We are happy, we are beautiful, and we are friends!"
Lesson 2: Negative Sentences
How to say "I am NOT..." in French!
Want to deny something in French? You need TWO little words working together like a tag team: ne and pas. They sandwich your verb! ๐ฅช
โถ๏ธ Hear the Negation in Action
๐ EASY STORY 3 โ "L'รcole" (At School) โ Word by Word!
Think of neโฆpas as a SANDWICH ๐ฅช โ the verb is always the filling in the middle!
๐ค ne โ n' Before Vowels
| Pronoun | Positive โ | Negative โ |
|---|---|---|
| Je | Je suis | Je ne suis pas |
| Tu | Tu es | Tu n'es pas |
| Vous | Vous รชtes | Vous n'รชtes pas |
| Il/Elle | Il est | Il n'est pas |
| Nous | Nous sommes | Nous ne sommes pas |
| Ils/Elles | Ils sont | Ils ne sont pas |
๐ฌ Positive โ Negative
| Positive โ | Negative โ |
|---|---|
| Je suis une femme | Je ne suis pas une femme |
| Vous รชtes une fille | Vous n'รชtes pas une fille |
| Tu es un garรงon | Tu n'es pas un garรงon |
| Il est beau | Il n'est pas beau |
| Nous sommes belles | Nous ne sommes pas belles |
| Ils sont des garรงons | Ils ne sont pas des garรงons |
๐ FULL STORY โ Sibling Drama! ๐
Marie regarde son frรจre Paul. Elle dit: "Tu es un garรงon, mais tu n'es pas malin aujourd'hui." Paul rรฉpond: "Et toi, tu n'es pas charmante non plus!" Leur mรจre arrive et dit: "Vous n'รชtes pas beaux quand vous vous disputez." Le pรจre dit: "Nous ne sommes pas contents." Mais plus tard, ils rient tous ensemble. Marie dit: "Je suis une fille, et je suis belle!" Paul ajoute: "Je suis un garรงon, je suis beau et nous sommes heureux!"
Marie looks at her brother Paul. She says: "You are a boy, but you are not clever today." Paul replies: "And you, you are not charming either!" Their mother arrives and says: "You are not nice when you argue." The father says: "We are not happy." But later they all laugh together. Marie says: "I am a girl, and I am beautiful!" Paul adds: "I am a boy, I am handsome and we are happy!"
Lesson 3: Avoir (To Have)
Possession, numbers, and the "de" rule in negatives!
Avoir means "to have." Together with รชtre, it's THE most important verb in French โ you'll use it for possessions, ages, and even many past tenses later on! ๐ช
โถ๏ธ Hear Avoir Pronounced โ Watch These First!
๐ EASY STORY 4 โ "La Trousse" (The Pencil Case) โ Word by Word!
๐ Avoir โ Full Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | French | English | Watch out! โ ๏ธ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | j'ai | I have | Je + ai โ j'ai (elision!) |
| Tu | as | You have (informal) | tu as, not tu es! |
| Vous | avez | You have (formal/plural) | Sounds like "ah-vay" |
| Il | a | He has | Very short โ just "a"! |
| Elle | a | She has | Same as il โ "a" |
| Nous | avons | We have | Liaison: "nou-zavon" |
| Ils | ont | They have (masc/mixed) | Liaison: "il-zon" |
| Elles | ont | They have (feminine) | Same as ils โ "ont" |
Liaisons! "nous avons" โ say "nou-ZAH-von". "ils ont" โ say "il-ZON". "elles ont" โ say "el-ZON". When a word ends in a consonant and the next starts with a vowel, you link them โ it's called a liaison!
โ
J'ai un livre. โ I have a book.
โ Je n'ai pas de livre. โ I don't have a book.
โ
J'ai des stylos. โ I have pens.
โ Je n'ai pas de stylos. โ I don't have pens.
๐ข Numbers Rule โ No Article Needed!
When you use a number, you drop the article entirely:
| French ๐ซ๐ท | English ๐ฌ๐ง | Note |
|---|---|---|
| J'ai un livre | I have a book | article: un |
| J'ai neuf livres | I have 9 books | number โ no article |
| Nous avons trois cahiers | We have 3 notebooks | number โ no article |
| Vous avez quatre chaises | You have 4 chairs | number โ no article |
๐ฌ Sentence Examples
| French ๐ซ๐ท | English ๐ฌ๐ง |
|---|---|
| J'ai un livre | I have a book |
| Tu as un stylo | You have a pen (informal) |
| Vous avez un stylo | You have a pen (formal) |
| Il a des stylos | He has pens |
| Elle a des tables | She has tables |
| Nous avons un livre | We have a book |
| Ils ont trois cahiers | They have 3 notebooks |
| Je n'ai pas de stylo | I don't have a pen |
| Nous n'avons pas de gants | We don't have gloves |
| Elle n'a pas de sac | She doesn't have a handbag |
๐ Vocabulary Boost
| French ๐ซ๐ท | English ๐ฌ๐ง |
|---|---|
| avoir | to have |
| un livre | a book ๐ |
| un stylo | a pen โ๏ธ |
| un cahier | a notebook ๐ |
| une table | a table |
| un mouchoir | a handkerchief |
| un sac | a handbag ๐ |
| des gants | gloves ๐งค |
| neuf / trois / quatre | 9 / 3 / 4 |
| de | of / any (used in negation) |
๐ FULL STORY โ Pierre, Marie et Luc
Pierre dit : "J'ai un stylo et un cahier." Sa sลur, Marie, rรฉpond : "Moi aussi, j'ai un cahier et une table." Mais leur ami Luc dit : "Je n'ai pas de cahier, je n'ai pas de stylo." Marie dit : "Nous avons des stylos en plus." Luc est content. Il dit : "Merci! Maintenant, j'ai un stylo." Mais plus tard, il perd son stylo. Il dit : "Oh non! Je n'ai pas de stylo encore!"
Pierre says: "I have a pen and a notebook." His sister Marie replies: "Me too, I have a notebook and a table." But their friend Luc says: "I don't have a notebook, I don't have a pen." Marie says: "We have extra pens." Luc is happy. He says: "Thank you! Now I have a pen." But later he loses his pen. He says: "Oh no! I don't have a pen again!"
๐ What's a Demonstrative Adjective?
In English you say this / that / these / those.
In French it all collapses into just 4 words โ and they depend on the noun's gender & number. Easy once you know the trick! ๐ฏ
๐๏ธ The Magic 4
| Word | Use whenโฆ | Example | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| ce ๐ | Masculine singular | ce livre | this book |
| cette ๐ | Feminine singular | cette table | this table |
| cet ๐ฟ | Masculine + vowel/h | cet homme | this man |
| ces ๐ | ALL plurals | ces livres / ces tables | these books / tables |
๐ง Memory Trick
Think of cet as a bridge โ masculine words don't like vowel crashes, so ce puts on a t as a buffer: ce + t โ cet arbre ๐ณ
And ces is easy โ plural = add an S, just like in English these! โ
โจ C'est & Ce sont
๐ซ Making It Negative
Just wrap neโฆpas around the verb โ like always!
| โ Affirmative | C'est un sac. | This is a bag. |
| โ Negative | Ce n'est pas un sac. | This is not a bag. |
| โ Plural | Ce sont des livres. | These are books. |
| โ Neg. Plural | Ce ne sont pas des livres. | These are not books. |
๐ Examples in Action
๐ Story Time โ Word by Word
A family walks around the house pointing at everything ๐
๐ Vocabulary Boost
very
handsome / beautiful
good (feminine)
a handbag ๐
a watch โ
doors ๐ช
windows ๐ช
walls ๐งฑ
a car ๐
a tree ๐ณ
Hear the pronunciation of ce, cet, cette, ces in real sentences
๐ฌ Search on YouTube๐ Ce sont + des = These are!
You already know C'est (This is) for singular things.
For plural things, switch to Ce sont desโฆ โ and you're done! ๐
๐ซ Classroom Examples
๐ง Quick Rule
| Singular | C'est un stylo. | This is a pen. |
| Plural | Ce sont des stylos. | These are pens. |
๐ก C'est โ Ce sont | un/une โ des
๐ Classroom Vocabulary
a notebook ๐
a pen โ๏ธ
a pencil ๐๏ธ
a chair ๐ช
an eraser ๐งฝ
the classroom ๐ซ
๐ Story Time โ Word by Word
A classroom comes alive ๐ซ
Practice "Ce sont desโฆ" with classroom objects
๐ฌ Search on YouTubeโ 3 Ways to Ask a Question in French!
French has 3 methods to form questions. You only need to master one to get by โ but knowing all 3 makes you sound like a pro! ๐ฏ
1๏ธโฃ Est-ce que โ The Easy Way
Just slap Est-ce que at the front โ the rest stays the same! ๐ก
โ ๏ธ Before a vowel: Est-ce que โ Est-ce qu' (e.g. Est-ce qu'ilโฆ, Est-ce qu'elleโฆ)
With รtre ๐ต
With Avoir ๐ก
2๏ธโฃ Inversion โ The Fancy Swap
Swap the verb and subject pronoun, connect them with a hyphen!
Il a โ A-t-il ? | Elle a โ A-t-elle ?
AVOIR โ Inversion
รTRE โ Inversion
3๏ธโฃ Direct Method โ Just Raise Your Voice! ๐๏ธ
Keep the sentence exactly the same โ just make your voice go UP at the end. Works great in casual conversation!
โ ๏ธ Numbers + Negation = No de rule!
Normally negation changes un/une/des โ de. But with numbers, the article stays!
๐ค La Ponctuation
Question mark โ
Exclamation mark โ
Full stop .
Comma ,
๐ Story Time โ Word by Word
A classroom is full of questions! โ๐ซ
How to use Est-ce que and Inversion to ask questions in French
๐ฌ Search on YouTubeA1.1 โ Coming Soon
More chapters will be added here as you progress through your French lessons. Keep going! ๐ช๐ซ๐ท