When you want to learn someone's name, you can ask him or her:
Long before you learned any grammar rules in your native language, you had learned to speak beautifully. As a child, you added vocabulary little by little, figured out how to put sentences together, and discovered how to imitate the sounds of the language. As you begin to Break the French Barrier, you will learn—right from the start— some useful vocabulary, expressions, and tips about pronunciation… all before you learn any grammar rules. For a little bit, you will have to be willing to leave some of your questions unanswered. Never fear, however! By the end of this book, all of your questions will be covered. These first ten steps will get you speaking French right away.
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
(What is your name?)
Je m’appelle Marie.
(My name is Mary.)
Je m’appelle Paul.
(My name is Paul.)
You can also ask someone to tell you who another person is. Here are some possible questions you might ask:
Comment s’appelle votre professeur ?
Mon professeur s’appelle Madame Durand.
What’s your teacher’s name?
My teacher’s name is Mrs. Durand.
Comment s’appelle votre mère ?
Ma mère s’appelle Anne.
What’s your mother’s name?
Comment s’appelle votre ami ?
Mon ami s’appelle André.
What is your friend’s name?
Comment s’appelle le président ?
Le président s’appelle Pierre.
What is the name of the president?
Here are some common French names
| Column 1(subtitle) | Column 2(subtitle) | Column 3(subtitle) | Column Title(subtitle) | Column Title(subtitle) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Row Title 1 | Agathe | Charlotte | Leila | Martin | Philippe |
Row Title 1 | Alice | Clément | Louis | Mélanie | Sébastien |
Row Title 1 | Antoine | Françoise | Louise | Michel | Sophie |
Row Title 1 | Catherine | Isabelle | Lucas | Nathalie | Stéphane |
Row Title 1 | Charles | Jean | Lucie | Nicolas | Zoë |
EXERCICES
Exercices de prononciation
These five French vowel sounds are so important to learn! Unlike English vowel sounds, which tend to drag on, French vowel sounds are short and crisp. Oftentimes, English speakers think that French speakers talk so fast. This observation is made, in part, because the sounds of the vowels are shorter.
In order to feel at ease with these new sounds, practice them frequently with the help of your teacher or the online recording.
a
e
é
è
ê
a
This letter sounds like the “a” when you sing the notes “la-la-la.”
Répéter (repeat!): ananas, garage, madame, papa, salade, plage, chat, rat, cage, mariage, banane, canard, malade
e
This letter sounds like the vowel sound in the English word “pearl.”
ce, le, petit, revenir, me, te, appartement, tenir, menace, se, chemin, cheval, regarder, lever, jeter, menu
Attention
At the end of words that have more than one syllable, the “e” is silent girafe, madame, Anne, petite, bonne, service, jolie, mariage, tigre, pharmacie, programme
Target language text body.
é
This accent gives the “e” a different sound, which is a little like the “ay” in the English word “day.” It is a shorter sound, though, cut off more quickly than in English.
pépé, été, mené, séparé, précédé, partagé, bébé, hébété, réparé, téléphoné, café, étudié
è or ê
These letters sounds like “e” in the word “egg.” The vowel “e.” The vowel “e” followed by 2 consonants also sounds like the “e” in “egg.”
tête, fillette, frère, merci, progrès, verbe, mère, père, fenêtre, espère, celle, très, élève, rêve, espoir
