Lessons for English speakers
Learn to read French
A short, active path into reading French: decode real words before revealing their sound, learn the silent endings and the joins between words, follow where the pieces of a sentence sit, and read a small story before opening your first book.
13 core sections · ≈ 34 min + 3 optional lookups · ≈ 51 min with everything
Verbs and stories
3 sections8
Having, going, and “there is”
≈ 2 min
What you'll learn
- avoirah-vwahr“to have” is the second verb worth recognising on sight.
- French has states rather than being them: j'ai faimzhay fa(n)“I am hungry” — literally, I have hunger.
- After the negation, a / some flatten to plain deduh.
- One French present covers both English presents, and an order drops the person word.
avoir — to have
| French | English |
|---|---|
| j'aizhay | I have |
| tu astew ah | you have |
| il aeel ah / elle ael ah | he has / she has |
aah“has” is one letter long and is a whole verb — easy to read straight past.
Two words squeezed into one
de“of” + le
du ventdew vah(n)“some wind”
de le is never written
de + les
des oiseauxday-zwah-zoh“some birds”
feminine words escape the squeeze: de la pluieduh lah plwee“some rain”. After the negation everything flattens to plain de.
Going, there-is, and the small words of place
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je vaiszhuh veh · tu vastew vah | I go · you go |
| il y aeel yah | there is; there are — the same for one thing or many |
| dansdah(n) | in; into |
| avecah-vek | with |
English has two presents — “I go”, “I am going” — and French has one. There is no French word for “am” here; looking for one is the mistake to avoid.
Come with me!
Viens avec moi !
vya(n) ah-vek mwah
An order drops the person word: just viens. moimwah“me” is the heavy form used after avec.
Have, go, and there is
- J'ai faim.
French has this state rather than being it.
Show answer +Hide answer −
“zhay fa(n).” — I am hungry. - Il y a du vent.
Three words, one meaning — and a squeeze.
Show answer +Hide answer −
“eel yah dew vah(n).” — There is wind. - Je n'ai pas de maison.
What happens to une inside the sandwich?
Show answer +Hide answer −
“zhuh neh pah duh meh-zoh(n).” — I do not have a house.