In this unit you will learn many nouns concerning everyday life from daily activitiesto common health issues. Since French nouns (for people as well as things) can be either masculine or feminine in gender and singular or plural in number,it is necessary to know a few generalities about the gender and number of nouns and the appropriate articles that precede them.
Le genre et le nombre des noms (Gender andnumber of nouns)
As there is no logical explanation for the gender of objects or things, they simplyhave to be memorized as being masculine or feminine. Nouns that describe people,however, generally match the person’s gender. People of the male sex are masculine.The singular masculine noun is preceded by a masculine article such as le,un and ce.
le/un/ce facteur the/a/this mail carrier
People of the female sex are feminine, except for those few professions that were traditionally male professions, such as le professeur (the teacher, the professor—male or female). However, this rule is oft en disregarded in contemporary French, and many people now say la professeur for a female teacher or professor.Th e singular feminine noun is preceded by a feminine article such as la, une, or cette.
la/une/cette dame the/a/this lady
The definite article le or la preceding each noun in the vocabulary lists tell you whether that noun is masculine (m.) or feminine (f.). Since nouns beginning with vowel sounds are preceded by l’instead of le or la, the gender of such nouns is indicated in parentheses.
l’artiste (m./f.) the male or female artist
l’homme (m.) the man
Often the feminine counterpart of a noun simply requires adding -e or -ne to the masculine noun.
le marié the groom
la mariée the bride
le mécanicien the mechanic (male)
la mécanicienne the mechanic (female)
Whenever the feminine counterpart of a noun diff ers from this pattern in a vocabulary list, the feminine form is also provided.
le conducteur the driver (male)
la conductrice the driver (female)
Most French nouns end in -s in the plural form (pl.) and are preceded by a plural article such as les, des, or ces.
les/des/ces facteurs the/some/these mail carriers
Les étapes de la vie (The stages of life)
Every person’s life evolves in unique but similar stages and is marked by notable moments. French people have a realistic attitude toward life, enjoying happy times (les bons moments) as well as being stoic in bad times (les mauvais moments).
l’adolescence (f.) adolescence
l’âge de raison (m.) grown-up age
l’âge mûr (m.) middle age
le bas-âge infancy
l’enfance childhood
la jeunesse youth
la maturité maturity
la mort death
la naissance birth
le troisième âge senior, older age
L’adolescence est souvent une période d’insécurité.
Adolescence is often a period of insecurity.
Une fois qu’on a soixante ans, on passeau troisième âge.
Once you reach the age of sixty, you become a senior.
La vie conjugale (Married life)
Although unmarried couples living together are not uncommon in France, marriage plays a significant role in the lives of many couples. A civil marriage is necessary and suffi cient in the eyes of the law, but it is oft en accompanied by a religious ceremony.
l’anniversaire de mariage (m.) wedding anniversary
le concubinage cohabitation
le divorce divorce
les fi ançailles (f. pl.) engagement
la grossesse pregnancy
la lune de miel honeymoon
les noces (d’argent, d’or, de diamant) (silver, gold, diamond
anniversary
la publication des bans public announcement (of marriage)
les rapports intimes (m. pl.) intimacy
la rupture breakup
la séparation separation
le second mariage second marriage
l’union civile (f.) civil union
l’union libre (f.) common-law union
les voeux de mariage (m. pl.) marriage vows
Les fiançailles sont souvent suivies de la publication des bans.
The engagement is oft en followed by a publicannouncement of marriage.
Le mariage est un événement important dans la vie.
A wedding is a signifi cant moment in life.
La séparation entre deux personnes mariées finit souvent en divorce.
The separation of two married people oft en endsin divorce.
Le concubinage n’est pas une union légale en France.
Common-law relationships are not legal unionsin France.
la femme wife, woman
le fiancé, la fiancée fiancé(e)
le garçon boy
l’homme (m.) man
la jeune fille young lady
le jeune homme young man
le mari husband
le marié groom
le nouveau-né newborn
les nouveaux-mariés (m. pl.) newlyweds
le tout-petit, la toute-petite toddler
le veuf widower
la veuve widow
Un bébé est adorable.
A baby is adorable.
La mariée était radieuse.
The bride was radiant.
Une fi lle peut être un garçon manqué.
A girl can be a tomboy.
Une fille de roi est une princesse.
A king’s daughter is a princess.
The noun fille means both daughter and girl. Similarly the noun femme means both wife and woman. The double meaning of these words reflects the values of a society where thewoman’s role was to be a wife and the girl’s role was to be a daughter.
Note the various translations for the nouns monsieur and madame.
C’est un monsieur très galant.
He is a gallant gentleman.
Je vous présente Monsieur Petit.
Meet Mr. Petit.
Je ne connais pas cette dame.
I do not know this lady.
Madame Jean est charmante.
Mrs. Jean is charming.
Bonjour, madame.
Hello, ma’am.
Also note the irregular plural forms of monsieur, madame, and mademoiselle.
messieurs sirs, gentlemen
mesdames ladies
mesdemoiselles young ladies, misses
La routine journalière (Daily routine)
People perform certain activities every day. Some activities are good for personal hygiene and physical well-being. Other activities satisfy nutritional needs.
Je prends un bain ou une douche.
I take a bath or a shower.
On fait de l’exercice.
We exercise.
Nous faisons du jogging.
We go jogging.
Elles font la toilette.
They groom themselves.
Tu fais une marche.
You take a walk.
Il fait une promenade.
He takes a walk.
Vous faites du sport.
You play a sport.
Le déjeuner est à midi.
Lunch is at noon.
On a besoin d’un goûter.
We need a snack.
On finit le petit déjeuner.
We are finishing breakfast.
Some basic activities are necessary and give order to people’s lives. Il faut les faire. (We must do them.) Il faut...
acheter les provisions (f. pl.) to buy groceries
envoyer/répondre à des messages (m. pl.) to send/answer messages
faire un coup de téléphone to make a telephone call
faire les devoirs to do homework
faire le dîner to make dinner
faire le lavage to do the laundry
faire le trajet to ride (bus, train)
faire la vaisselle to do the dishes
faire son travail to do one’s work
passer l’aspirateur (m.) to vacuum
suivre des cours to take classes
Il faut mettre la table avant de s’asseoir pour dîner.
We have to set the table before sitting down to eat dinner.
Il faut faire le lit avant de partir au travail.
We have to make the bed before leaving for work.
Il faut faire le ménage chaque semaine.
We have to clean the house each week.
La santé (Health)
In order to perform daily activities, people must stay in shape (en forme) and stay healthy (en bonne santé). Sometimes, however, life is interrupted by minor ailments. Note that many ailments are described using the expression avoir mal à. Remember to use a contraction (au, aux) before a masculine or plural noun.
J’ai mal au dos.
My back hurts.
Ils ont mal aux dents.
They have a toothache.
Elle a mal à la tête.
She has a headache.
Tu as eu mal au coeur?
You had nausea?
L’enfant a mal à la gorge.
The child has a sore throat.
Moi, j’ai mal au ventre.
I have a stomachache.
Nous avons eu une indigestion après avoir trop mangé.
We had indigestion after eating too much.
Il a un virus qui le rend très fiévreux.
He has a virus, which makes him very feverish.
Quelquefois j’ai... Sometimes I have . . .
un abcès an abcess
une allergie an allergy
une angine tonsillitis
un bleu a bruise
une démangeaison an itch
la diarrhée diarrhea
une douleur a pain
une entorse a sprain
de la fatigue fatigue
de la fièvre a fever
une foulure a slight sprain
une otite an inner-ear infection
un refroidissement a cold
un rhume a cold
une toux a cough
de l’urticaire (m.) a rash
Une otite est douloureuse.
An inner-ear infection is painful.
Un virus intestinal donne la diarrhée.
An intestinal virus causes diarrhea.
Je suis allergique au lait.
I am allergic to milk.
C’est l’urticaire qui me donneune démangeaison.
It is this rash that gives me an itch.
Unfortunately, there also are more severe health predicaments in life.
Il est grave de souff rir d’... It is a serious matter when you suff er from . . .
une bronchite bronchitis
une chute a fall
une fracture (de la main, du pied) a fracture (of the hand, of the foot)
une grippe the flu
une infection an infection
une insomnie insomnia
une maladie a sickness
un manque de force lack of strength
un os cassé a broken bone
une pneumonie pneumonia
un rhumatisme rheumatism
une mauvaise santé bad health
un trouble respiratoire respiratory distress
un vertige dizziness
La grippe aviaire est maintenant éradiquée.
Bird fl u is now eradicated.
L’athlète a un os fracturé.
The athlete has a fractured bone.
J’ai le vertige sur un escalier roulant.
I get dizzy on an escalator.
J’ai peur de faire une chute.
I am afraid to fall.
Le genre et le nombre des noms (Gender andnumber of nouns)
As there is no logical explanation for the gender of objects or things, they simplyhave to be memorized as being masculine or feminine. Nouns that describe people,however, generally match the person’s gender. People of the male sex are masculine.The singular masculine noun is preceded by a masculine article such as le,un and ce.
le/un/ce facteur the/a/this mail carrier
People of the female sex are feminine, except for those few professions that were traditionally male professions, such as le professeur (the teacher, the professor—male or female). However, this rule is oft en disregarded in contemporary French, and many people now say la professeur for a female teacher or professor.Th e singular feminine noun is preceded by a feminine article such as la, une, or cette.
la/une/cette dame the/a/this lady
The definite article le or la preceding each noun in the vocabulary lists tell you whether that noun is masculine (m.) or feminine (f.). Since nouns beginning with vowel sounds are preceded by l’instead of le or la, the gender of such nouns is indicated in parentheses.
l’artiste (m./f.) the male or female artist
l’homme (m.) the man
Often the feminine counterpart of a noun simply requires adding -e or -ne to the masculine noun.
le marié the groom
la mariée the bride
le mécanicien the mechanic (male)
la mécanicienne the mechanic (female)
Whenever the feminine counterpart of a noun diff ers from this pattern in a vocabulary list, the feminine form is also provided.
le conducteur the driver (male)
la conductrice the driver (female)
Most French nouns end in -s in the plural form (pl.) and are preceded by a plural article such as les, des, or ces.
les/des/ces facteurs the/some/these mail carriers
Les étapes de la vie (The stages of life)
Every person’s life evolves in unique but similar stages and is marked by notable moments. French people have a realistic attitude toward life, enjoying happy times (les bons moments) as well as being stoic in bad times (les mauvais moments).
l’adolescence (f.) adolescence
l’âge de raison (m.) grown-up age
l’âge mûr (m.) middle age
le bas-âge infancy
l’enfance childhood
la jeunesse youth
la maturité maturity
la mort death
la naissance birth
le troisième âge senior, older age
L’adolescence est souvent une période d’insécurité.
Adolescence is often a period of insecurity.
Une fois qu’on a soixante ans, on passeau troisième âge.
Once you reach the age of sixty, you become a senior.
La vie conjugale (Married life)
Although unmarried couples living together are not uncommon in France, marriage plays a significant role in the lives of many couples. A civil marriage is necessary and suffi cient in the eyes of the law, but it is oft en accompanied by a religious ceremony.
l’anniversaire de mariage (m.) wedding anniversary
le concubinage cohabitation
le divorce divorce
les fi ançailles (f. pl.) engagement
la grossesse pregnancy
la lune de miel honeymoon
les noces (d’argent, d’or, de diamant) (silver, gold, diamond
anniversary
la publication des bans public announcement (of marriage)
les rapports intimes (m. pl.) intimacy
la rupture breakup
la séparation separation
le second mariage second marriage
l’union civile (f.) civil union
l’union libre (f.) common-law union
les voeux de mariage (m. pl.) marriage vows
Les fiançailles sont souvent suivies de la publication des bans.
The engagement is oft en followed by a publicannouncement of marriage.
Le mariage est un événement important dans la vie.
A wedding is a signifi cant moment in life.
La séparation entre deux personnes mariées finit souvent en divorce.
The separation of two married people oft en endsin divorce.
Le concubinage n’est pas une union légale en France.
Common-law relationships are not legal unionsin France.
De l’enfant à l’adulte (From child to adult)
French children and adolescents spend a lot of time with their families (en famille), sharing food and conversation with grown-ups. Kids are included when their parents host family or friends,and they are expected to socialize with people from various age groups.
l’adolescent (e) adolescent
l’adulte (m./f.) adult
le/la célibataire bachelor
le couple couple
la dame lady
la demoiselle young lady
l’enfant (m./f.) child
l’époux (m.), l’épouse (f.) spouse
le fiancé, la fiancée fiancé(e)
le garçon boy
l’homme (m.) man
la jeune fille young lady
le jeune homme young man
le mari husband
le marié groom
le nouveau-né newborn
les nouveaux-mariés (m. pl.) newlyweds
le tout-petit, la toute-petite toddler
le veuf widower
la veuve widow
Un bébé est adorable.
A baby is adorable.
La mariée était radieuse.
The bride was radiant.
Une fi lle peut être un garçon manqué.
A girl can be a tomboy.
Une fille de roi est une princesse.
A king’s daughter is a princess.
The noun fille means both daughter and girl. Similarly the noun femme means both wife and woman. The double meaning of these words reflects the values of a society where thewoman’s role was to be a wife and the girl’s role was to be a daughter.
Note the various translations for the nouns monsieur and madame.
C’est un monsieur très galant.
He is a gallant gentleman.
Je vous présente Monsieur Petit.
Meet Mr. Petit.
Je ne connais pas cette dame.
I do not know this lady.
Madame Jean est charmante.
Mrs. Jean is charming.
Bonjour, madame.
Hello, ma’am.
Also note the irregular plural forms of monsieur, madame, and mademoiselle.
messieurs sirs, gentlemen
mesdames ladies
mesdemoiselles young ladies, misses
La routine journalière (Daily routine)
People perform certain activities every day. Some activities are good for personal hygiene and physical well-being. Other activities satisfy nutritional needs.
Je prends un bain ou une douche.
I take a bath or a shower.
On fait de l’exercice.
We exercise.
Nous faisons du jogging.
We go jogging.
Elles font la toilette.
They groom themselves.
Tu fais une marche.
You take a walk.
Il fait une promenade.
He takes a walk.
Vous faites du sport.
You play a sport.
Le déjeuner est à midi.
Lunch is at noon.
On a besoin d’un goûter.
We need a snack.
On finit le petit déjeuner.
We are finishing breakfast.
Some basic activities are necessary and give order to people’s lives. Il faut les faire. (We must do them.) Il faut...
acheter les provisions (f. pl.) to buy groceries
envoyer/répondre à des messages (m. pl.) to send/answer messages
faire un coup de téléphone to make a telephone call
faire les devoirs to do homework
faire le dîner to make dinner
faire le lavage to do the laundry
faire le trajet to ride (bus, train)
faire la vaisselle to do the dishes
faire son travail to do one’s work
passer l’aspirateur (m.) to vacuum
suivre des cours to take classes
Il faut mettre la table avant de s’asseoir pour dîner.
We have to set the table before sitting down to eat dinner.
Il faut faire le lit avant de partir au travail.
We have to make the bed before leaving for work.
Il faut faire le ménage chaque semaine.
We have to clean the house each week.
La santé (Health)
In order to perform daily activities, people must stay in shape (en forme) and stay healthy (en bonne santé). Sometimes, however, life is interrupted by minor ailments. Note that many ailments are described using the expression avoir mal à. Remember to use a contraction (au, aux) before a masculine or plural noun.
J’ai mal au dos.
My back hurts.
Ils ont mal aux dents.
They have a toothache.
Elle a mal à la tête.
She has a headache.
Tu as eu mal au coeur?
You had nausea?
L’enfant a mal à la gorge.
The child has a sore throat.
Moi, j’ai mal au ventre.
I have a stomachache.
Nous avons eu une indigestion après avoir trop mangé.
We had indigestion after eating too much.
Il a un virus qui le rend très fiévreux.
He has a virus, which makes him very feverish.
Quelquefois j’ai... Sometimes I have . . .
un abcès an abcess
une allergie an allergy
une angine tonsillitis
un bleu a bruise
une démangeaison an itch
la diarrhée diarrhea
une douleur a pain
une entorse a sprain
de la fatigue fatigue
de la fièvre a fever
une foulure a slight sprain
une otite an inner-ear infection
un refroidissement a cold
un rhume a cold
une toux a cough
de l’urticaire (m.) a rash
Une otite est douloureuse.
An inner-ear infection is painful.
Un virus intestinal donne la diarrhée.
An intestinal virus causes diarrhea.
Je suis allergique au lait.
I am allergic to milk.
C’est l’urticaire qui me donneune démangeaison.
It is this rash that gives me an itch.
Unfortunately, there also are more severe health predicaments in life.
Il est grave de souff rir d’... It is a serious matter when you suff er from . . .
une bronchite bronchitis
une chute a fall
une fracture (de la main, du pied) a fracture (of the hand, of the foot)
une grippe the flu
une infection an infection
une insomnie insomnia
une maladie a sickness
un manque de force lack of strength
un os cassé a broken bone
une pneumonie pneumonia
un rhumatisme rheumatism
une mauvaise santé bad health
un trouble respiratoire respiratory distress
un vertige dizziness
La grippe aviaire est maintenant éradiquée.
Bird fl u is now eradicated.
L’athlète a un os fracturé.
The athlete has a fractured bone.
J’ai le vertige sur un escalier roulant.
I get dizzy on an escalator.
J’ai peur de faire une chute.
I am afraid to fall.
