Easy Learning French Conversation

BON À SAVOIR!

To say that you don’t have to do something, use je ne suis pas obligé de, not il ne faut pas que je which means I mustn’t.

To say what you have to do, you can also use je dois (I must) and then the verb in the infinitive. dois comes from devoir which you can find out about here (#litres_trial_promo).

I must…

When you want to say that you should or ought to do something, use il faudrait que (I should) and then the verb in the subjunctive. Like faut, faudrait comes from the verb falloir, but faudrait is the conditional. To find out more about the conditional and the subjunctive, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I should…

To ask what someone has to do or when, how, why or where they have to do it, put qu’ (what), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), où (where) and so on at the beginning of the sentence, before est-ce qu’il faut que (do you have to). Remember that the verb after il faut que is in the subjunctive. To find out more about the subjunctive, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

Do you have to…?

LISTEN OUT FOR (#ulink_ecdae380-6061-5be6-aba8-d7db8aa04cd9)

Here are some key phrases which you are likely to hear in conversation.

Lifestyle Tips

• The polite you(vous) is used to address people whom you don’t know. It’s also a way of showing respect to someone who’s older than you, or, at work, to someone who’s higher up in the hierarchy. People who work together on a daily basis usually say tu to each other, (se tutoyer – to saytuto each other) but it is safer to wait a little before taking that step. Many people do not like to be addressed as vous, because they think it’s too formal. They will usually suggest you call them tu, saying tu peux me tutoyer or on peut se tutoyer. You can make the first move and ask On se tutoie?, if you think that the other person will be more comfortable using the tu form.

• When meeting someone for the first time, you usually shake hands (serrer la main à quelqu’un), whether it’s a man or a woman. In business relations, at business appointments or at negotiations, shaking hands is very common. Men who are on friendly terms usually shake hands, while women kiss on both cheeks (se faire la bise). Men also kiss female friends and in some cases other men, for instance when they belong to the same family. Bear in mind that habits may be different depending on where you are in France, which is why French people themselves often get confused; for instance, the number of kisses you give someone to say hello varies from one area to another!

• The words ami and copain (and the feminine forms amie and copine) can either mean friend or boyfriend/girlfriend. If someone uses mon copain for instance, they could be either be talking about a male friend or their boyfriend. The expressions petit(e) ami(e) and petit(e) copain/copine can also be used to mean boyfriend and girlfriend. To say my partner, use mon compagnon for a man and ma compagne for a woman.

• French people socialize in cafés and restaurants as British people do, but it is probably more common in France than in Britain to invite people, be it for coffee (pour prendre le café), for the apéritif (pour prendre l’apéritif or, more informally l’apéro) or for dinner (pour le dîner). Traditionally, le café or l’apéritif are ways of getting to know people more, while le dîner (and lunch, le déjeuner) are an opportunity for people who already know each other well, or families, to spend time together.

Getting there (#ulink_e0dedc76-4f9a-51e0-9365-d8af82a52d98)

Bon voyage! – Have a good trip! (#ulink_0cd64482-c3c6-578c-9a01-b29df91a61db)

If you’re going to be travelling to and around French-speaking countries and cities, the phrases in this unit will help you ask for directions, find out how to get to places and buy tickets in easy, everyday French.

TALKING ABOUT YOUR PLANS (#ulink_8ab9ccf0-ffe8-507c-a328-348fd31b36dc)

When you’re travelling around, you will probably want to talk about what you’re going to do. Use je vais (I’m going to) or on va (we’re going to) before the verb. These come from the verb aller. For more information on aller, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I’m going to…

BON À SAVOIR!

Use normalement or si tout va bien (if all goes well) at the beginning of a sentence to talk about a plan that might have to be changed.

I’ll…

If you want to talk about what your plans are, you can use j’ai l’intention de (I’m planning to).

I’m planning to…

I hope to…

SAYING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO (#ulink_ee20bd00-ff72-53c3-acc8-cd9b39baaaae)

If you want to say that you have to do something in French, such as buy a ticket, catch a train and so on, you use il faut que (I have to) or il faudrait que (I ought to) followed by the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I have to…

I ought to…

Another way of saying what you have to do is to use je dois (I must) followed by the infinitive.

I must…

SAYING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO (#ulink_74742726-4118-50e7-b70f-4f69218490f7)

When you are using some kind of transport in France, you may well need to say what you would like to do in French. You can use je voudrais (I’d like) with the infinitive. This comes from the verb vouloir. For more information on vouloir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I’d like to…

The most direct way of saying what you want to do is using je veux (I want) or je souhaite (I wish) with the infinitive. veux is from the verb vouloir and souhaite is from the verb souhaiter. For more information on vouloir and -er verbs like souhaiter, see here (#litres_trial_promo) and here (#litres_trial_promo).

I want to…

If you want to say that you feel like doing something, say j’ai envie de (I feel like). This is slightly stronger than j’ai bien envie de (I quite fancy). ai comes from the verb avoir. For more information on avoir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I feel like…

MAKING SUGGESTIONS (#ulink_e129491b-5a4f-54e3-9e0f-921aa03f8668)

You may wish to make a suggestion to your colleagues or friends in French. One way of doing this is to use on pourrait (we could). This comes from the verb pouvoir. For more information on pouvoir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

We could…

BON À SAVOIR!

If you want to ask someone what they think of a particular suggestion, use Qu’est-ce que tu en dis? or Qu’est-ce que vous en dites? (What do you say?).

I can… if you like

If you want to ask someone if they would like to do something, use Tu veux…?, or Tu voudrais…? (Would you like…?) if you know the person well or Vous voulez…? if you’re talking to several people. These all come from the verb vouloir. For more information on vouloir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

Would you like to…?

Another way of making suggestions in French is to ask Pourquoi ne pas…? (Why don’t…?), which is often shortened to Pourquoi pas…? in spoken French.

Why don’t…?