French for Beginners Read Online Free

changing the period to a question mark.  Example: “C’est le bon train?” which means “Is that the right train?”
    Questions
Who
Qui
Qui est-ce?
    Who is it?
What
Qu’est-ce que
Qu-est-ce que c’est?
    What is it?
Which
Quel (masc.)
    Quelle (fem.)
Lequel(le)?
    Which one?
When
Quand
Quand par le vol?
    When does the flight leave?
Where
Ou
Où est le bar?
    Where is the bar?
How
Comment
Comment êtes-vous venu?
    How did you get here?
How much/ How many
Combien
Combien des billets?
    How many tickets?
Why
Pourquoi
Pourquoi riez-vous?
    Why are you laughing?
     
    Some
    “Je voudrais  des pommes, du pate et de l’eau.” (I would like some apples, some pate and some water.)
    There are three words for “some” in the French language.  They are used depending on the gender of the noun “some” is referring to and on whether the noun is singular or plural. “Du” is used for masculine and singular nouns.  “De (la)” is used for feminine and singular nouns.  “Des” is used for plural nouns.
    Somebody’s
    “Le chambre de Marie”  (Marie’s room)
    To specify that something is owned by somebody, you can use “de” (of) in front of the noun.
    The
    “Je prends les escargots, le bifteck et la tarte Tatin.” (I will have the snails, the steak and the tarte Tatin.)
    In the French language, “the” has three counterpart words that are used depending on the gender of the noun it refers to and whether the noun is singular or plural.  “Le” is used for masculine and singular nouns. “La” is used for feminine and singular nouns. “Les” is used for plural nouns.
    “L’hotel près de la gare n’est pas cher.” (The hotel near the train station is not expensive.)
    Both “le” and “la” is changed to “l’” when they are used before a noun that starts with an “h” or a vowel.
     
    Yes or No Questions
    “Ici?” (Here?)
    The easiest way to pose a question answerable by yes or no is to build a statement and then increase the intonation of the statement just like what you would do in English when asking a question.  This simple rule can also be used even with just one word.
    Importance of Liaisons
    Because word liaisons are very common in the French language, non-native French speakers often have difficulty in transcribing oral sentences into written words and vice versa. Word liaisons in French have two primary characteristics:
The pronunciation of a word starts with the silent consonant of the word that precedes it. The succeeding word normally begins with the letter H or a vowel.
Liaised consonants are pronounced differently. The most common consonants that experience a change in pronunciation include:
    D – sound changed to /t/
    F – changed to /v/
    S – changed to /z/
    X – changed to /z/
    The consonants g, n, p, r, t, and z are also liaised but are still pronounced in the same way.
    Word liaisons in the French language also have three different categories. These are:
Liaisons obligatoires or Required Liaisons – the words that fall under this category are usually linked either by the sense or function of the words. These words can fall under any of the following pairings:
Pronoun + verb, example: vous avex /vuzavé/
Article + noun
Adjective + noun, example: bon ami /bonεmi/
Number + noun, example: très occupé /trεzokuhpé/
2 different single-syllable prepositions, example: chez eux /shεzuh/
    French language experts believe that Required Liaisons are the easiest to remember for non-native French speakers who are still learning the intricacies of the language.
     
Liaisons interdites or Forbidden Liaisons – this may sound like the title of some cheesy old movie, but it actually refers to letters that cannot be pronounced at all no matter how hard the speaker tries. These letters are often found on the following placements:
After mentioning a person’s full name. Example : Thomas est parti /toma-εy-parti/ (rough translation: Thomas left)
After the preposition et /εt/ (and).