Nationalities (Les Nationalités)

The nationalities also change according to the number and gender.

Examples:

A Bruneian boy.
Un garçon Bruneien.

A Bruneian girl.
Une fille Bruneienne.

Thus we generally add "e" at the end of a the nationality to change it to feminine.

To change it to plural just add an 's'.

Example:

Bruneian boys.
Des garçons Bruneiens.

BUT if an "e" or an "s" already exist at the end, so do not make any changes.

Examples:

A French boy.
Un garçon français.

French boys
Des garçons français.

Another examples:

A Swiss boy.
Un garçon suisse.

A swiss girl.
Une fille suisse.


(To be updated...)

Countries (Les Pays)

In French, all countries have a gender either masculine or feminine. All the countries ending with the letter "e" are usually feminine. However, there are some exceptions, example Mexique(Mexico), it is masculine.

All countries carry a definite article.

Example:
France is a beautiful country
(La France est un beau pays)

The countries take prepositions according to their number and gender.

a) Use preposition AUX for plural countries

b) Use preposition AU for masculine countries

c) Use Preposition EN for feminine countries

Examples:

a) I live in United States of America.
J'habite aux États-Unis.

b) They live in Brunei.
Ils habitent au Brunéi.

c) We are in China
Nous sommes en Chine.

Below are lists of countries according to their gender.

MASCULINE COUNTRIES

Brunei = Le Brunéi
Japan = Le Japon
Portugal = Le Portugal
Mexico = Le Mexique
Hungary = Le Hongrie
Pakistan = Le Pakistan
Zaire = Le Zaïre
Morocco = Le Maroc
Canada = Le Canada
Zimbabwe = Le Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka = Le Sri Lanka
Brazil = Le Brésil
Congo = Le Congo
Gabon = Le Gabon
Vietnam = Le Vietnam
Senegal = Le Sénégal
Nigeria = Le Niger
Cambodia = Le Cambodge
Brukina Faso = Le Burkina Faso
Luxembourg = Le Luxembourg
United States = Les États-Unis
Wales = Le pays de Galles

FEMININE COUNTRIES

India = L'Inde
France = La France
China = La Chine
America = L'Amérique
Switzerland = La Suisse
England = L'Angleterre
Belgium = La Belgique
Spain = L'Espagne
Italy = L'Italie
Germany = L'Allemange
Russia = La Russie
Holland = La Hollande
Egypt = L'Égypte
Algeria = L'Algérie
Tunisia = La Tunisie
Mauritania = La Mauritanie
Madagascar = La Madagascar
Australia = L'Australie
Scotland = L'Ecosse
Ireland = L'Irlande
Austria = L'Autriche
Mauritius = La Maurice
Burma = La Birmanie

Tu and Vous

There are two words for "YOU" in French. It is important to know when to use TU and when to use VOUS.

a) Tu pronounced as Tyoo
b) Vous pronounced as Voo.

Tu and Vous came from two verbs - Tutoyer and Vouvoyer.

Tutoyer means to call someone TU.
Vouvoyer means to call someone VOUS.

In formal speech used VOUS when speaking to

1) A person you don't know well.
2) A person you want to show respect to an older person.
3) A person with authority.

Vous is the plural "you". It is always used when you are talking to more than one person or thing. Vous can be used in the singular form to show respect or maintain a certain distance from a person.

In informal speech used TU when speaking to just one person whom you know well. It is used in the singular form to show a certain closeness and informality. Tu is never used in the plural form.

Examples:

1) A friend
2) A relative
3) A colleague
4) A child
5) A pet.

NOTE: As a rule of thumb, use tu when you call that person by his first name. Otherwise use vous.

Definite Articles (Les Articles Définis)

In French, there are four definite articles.

LE -- pronounce (luh) - for masculine singular
LA -- pronounce (la) - for feminine singular
L' -- infront of vowels (a,e,i,o,u & sometimes h)
LES -- pronounce (lay) - for plural

All the four definite articles above can be translated as "the" in English.

Examples:

the ballpen - le stylo
the calculator - la calculatrice
the computer - l'ordinateur
the friends - les amis

Indefinite Articles (Les Articles Indéfinis)

In French there are three indefinite articles.

UN-- pronounce (ah(n))- for masculine singular
UNE --pronounce (ewn)- for feminine singular
DES -- pronounce (day)- for plural

UN and UNE can be translated as "a" or "an" in English. DES can be translated either as "some"or can be left untranslated.

Examples:

a book = un livre
a table = une table
boys = des garçon

TIPS: If you can't memorize the gender of a noun, the best way is by referring your French Dictionary. So get one now!

Contracted Articles (Articles Contractés)

The definite articles in French are Le, La, L' and Les which means "The" in English.

Le is for masculine singular
La is for feminine singular
L' is for vowels
Les is for plural

The definite articles and prepositions À (to/at/in) contract to form the contracted articles.

Examples:

She goes to Paris.
Elle va à Paris.

She is in Nice.
Elle est à Nice.

The preposition À and the definite articles contract in the following manner to form contracted articles. All these contracted articles can be translated as "to the". "at the" or "in the".

À + le -- becomes Au

À + la -- becomes À la

À + l' -- becomes À l'

À + les -- becomes Aux

Examples:

1) She goes to the market
Elle va (à + le) au marché.

Note: the definite article "le" is used on the above example because "marché"(market) is masculine gender and singular.

2) He goes to the station.
Il va (à + la)à la gare.

Note: the definite article "la" is used on the above example because "gare"(station) is feminine gender and singular.

3) We are at the airport.
Nous sommes (à + l') à l'aéroport.

Note: the definite article "l'" is used on the above example because the word aéroport (airport) starts with a vowel.

4) They go to the schools.
Il vont ( à + les) aux écoles.

Note: the definite article "les" is used on the above example because "écoles"(schools) is plural.

Present Yourself (Presentez-vous)

Here are some useful phrases that you can use in presenting yourself to others.

My name is Riyana.
Je m'appelle Riyana.

I am 36 years old.
J'ai trente-six ans.

I live in Brunei at Beribi, Gadong.
J'habite en Brunei à Beribi,Gadong.

I come from Brunei.
Je viens de Brunei.

I am married.
Je suis mariée.

I am single.
Je suis célibataire.

I have two kids.
J'ai deux enfants.

I work with ....
Je travaille à ...

I speak English, French and Spanish.
Je parle anglais, français et espagnol.

I can speak a little French.
Je parle un peu français.