Names of Countries in French: Masculine Feminine Articles

Masculine Feminine Definite Articles with the Names of Countries in French

When evoking the names of countries in French, you will usually use a definite French masculine, feminine or plural article (le / la / les) to go with it.

It means that when speaking about a specific country, let’s take France and Germany for example, you will need to say ” l’Allemagne” but not “Allemagne” and “la France” and not just “France”. Example:

  • A: Quel est le nom du pays à l’est de la France ? What’s the name of the country east of France ? 
  • B: C’est l’Allemagne. It’s Germany. 

However if you are interested in expressing in French the idea of going to a country, city or continent (Eg. Je suis à Paris, Je vais en Russie, Je vis aux Etats-Unis), you should check the “à”, “en” and “aux” lesson.

When Use the Definite Article ?

In general, you must use a definite article in front of the names of countries, continents, mountains, seas, lakes and rivers. Some of the frequent usage examples:

 

Continue reading “Names of Countries in French: Masculine Feminine Articles”

Lesson 11: Asking For Information

In this lesson you will learn how to approach people in the street and ask politely for information. You will learn the vocabulary related to travel and you will also be introduced to the French conditional. The content of this lesson corresponds to A2 CEFR level of French. Enjoy !   Asking for information = demander des renseignements

Dialogue

[responsivevoice voice=”French Female” buttontext=”Listen to this”]

Excusez-moi, je suis perdu. Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il-vous-plaît ?  
Bien sûr ! Comment je peux vous aider ?
Pourriez-vous me montrer sur la carte où je suis?
Nous sommes ici, à cet endroit.
D'accord. Merci beaucoup.

[/responsivevoice] Continue reading “Lesson 11: Asking For Information”

French Grammar: Different Tenses Present, Past, Future Tenses

How well do you know the French Present, Past, Future Tenses ?

One of the efficient ways to assimilate grammar is to use it in a meaningful context.

Read the story of a person who lives in France. Choose the appropriate form of the verb. The present, past and the future tenses are used. This exercise is useful not only to check your knowledge of the different forms of different important French verbs, it is also an example of how to speak about you: where you are from, what your nationality is, what your work is, what you did in the past and what you would like to do in the future. 

Continue reading “French Grammar: Different Tenses Present, Past, Future Tenses”

French Adjectives 2 Plurals

coffee-cream

The French adjectives can also have a plural form which can also be masculine or feminine. Here are the rules that you need to apply:

Adding ” -s” to the adjective

They agree in number and gender, as usual. Normally, all you need to do is to add ” s” to the adjective in the singular.

Singular Plural
Masculine un étudiant américain des étudiants américains
Feminine une étudiante américaine des étudiantes américaines

Continue reading “French Adjectives 2 Plurals”