# Language Transfer – Introduction to French: Lesson Summaries

Topic summaries for all 40 tracks of the Language Transfer *Introduction to French* course, grouped into 5 thematic parts (the same grouping used for the vocabulary CSVs in this folder).


# Part 1 · Cognates, first verbs & gender (Tracks 1–8)

## Track 1 – French in English; je veux, le/la, gender & -ion nouns
How much French English already contains. First words: **gâteau** (cake), **café** (coffee), **je veux** (I want), **tu veux** (you want). **le/la** = the (gender belongs to the word); **le/la** also = "it" and go *before* the verb (je le veux). Questions by intonation. **-ion** nouns are feminine and identical to English (collection, tradition, confirmation…); **l'** before a vowel.

## Track 2 – -ation → verb -er; un peu
Any **-ation** noun gives a verb by dropping -ation and adding **-er** (/eh/): confirmation→**confirmer**, célébration→**célébrer**, participation→**participer**. French often sounds formal in English (participer = "get involved"). **un peu** (a little). New: visiter.

## Track 3 – quelque chose; recommander/commander; je peux
**chose** (thing), **quelque** (some) → **quelque chose** (something). recommandation→**recommander** (to recommend); drop "re-" → **commander** (to order). **je peux / tu peux** (I/you can) – silent final X. réserver.

## Track 4 – Inversion for questions; fermer; la porte; the "hand" family
Questions by inverting subject and verb: **peux-tu? / veux-tu?**. **fermer** (to close, from old confermer), **la porte** (door). Learn nouns *with* le/la to capture gender. The **la main** (hand) family: (recommander) commander, mander, **demander**, réprimander.

## Track 5 – de; compliquer/expliquer; tard, plus tard; fermer à clé
**de** (of/from – French /də/, not Spanish "de"). **compliquer** (to complicate), **expliquer** (to explain, from explication), dupliquer, **plier** (to fold). **pantalon** (trousers). **tard** (late), **plus tard** (later), **plus** (more). **fermer à clé** (to lock), **clé** (key). à plus tard (see you later).

## Track 6 – je dois; réparer; numbers; la voiture, la machine
**je dois / tu dois** (I/you must, have to – literally "owe", from *debt*). **réparer** (to repair), **comparer**, **préparer**. **trente** (thirty), **euros**. **la voiture** (car), **la machine** (machine). Final consonants stay silent (dois, tard, plus).

## Track 7 – Nasal N/M; maintenant; à temps; train, bus, visite
N and M at the end of a syllable get "swallowed into the nose" (trente, comparer, contempler). **maintenant** (now), **à temps** (on time), **temps** (time). **le train**, **le bus** (S pronounced – exception), **la visite** (visit). de vs **dé** (dice).

## Track 8 – Final -e pronounces the consonant; -ette nouns; "it" before the verb
A final **-e** means you *do* pronounce the preceding consonant (porte, visite, **baguette**). **-ette** nouns are feminine: baguette, **cigarette**, **bicyclette**. The object "it" (le/la) sits before the verb it refers to: **je veux le réparer** (I want to repair it), je dois la réparer. **organiser**; le dîner/le souper (dinner/supper).


# Part 2 · Pronouns, numbers, articles & liaison (Tracks 9–16)

## Track 9 – la fête; provoquer; le/la = him/her; voir; me
**la fête** (party). provocation→**provoquer**; the "voquer" family (invoquer, révoquer). **le/la** also mean **him/her**. **juste** (just). **voir** (to see – an -IR verb). **me** (me), **inviter** (to invite). Object pronouns sit before the verb (je veux la voir).

## Track 10 – un/une; noir; adjectives after the noun; présenter
**un** (a/one, masc.) vs **une** (a/one, fem.). **noir** (black) – adjectives follow the noun: le café **noir**, le chat noir. OI = /wa/. To "introduce" people = **présenter** (from présentation); introduction.

## Track 11 – Numbers 1–3; elle; -aire nouns
**un, deux, trois**. **elle** (she): elle doit, elle veut, elle peut. **à la fête** (to the party), **la fête d'anniversaire** (birthday party), **anniversaire**. Rule -ary → **-aire**: nécessaire, contraire, solitaire.

## Track 12 – il; le portable; te; reflexive "get ready"
**il** (he): il veut. **le portable** (mobile phone). **te** = "you" as an object / "yourself": je dois **me** préparer (get ready), tu dois **te** préparer, **relaxer** (te relaxer = to relax/chill).

## Track 13 – -able words; porter (carry/wear)
**-able** cognates: probable, confortable, **la table**, adorable → **adorer**; inséparable → **séparer**. **porter** = to carry / to wear (from portable). **la barbe** (beard) – porter la barbe = to grow a beard.

## Track 14 – The porter family; -ité nouns; bien
port words: exporter, importer, **emporter** (take away), transporter, **supporter** (= to *bear/tolerate* – false friend!), **se comporter** (to behave). **bien** (well). Rule -ity → **-ité**: **opportunité, possibilité, nécessité**. **saisir** (to seize).

## Track 15 – Silent -t of doit/veut/peut; liaison; mon/ton
il/elle **doit/veut/peut** end in a silent -t. **tout le monde** (everybody, lit. "all the world"), **le monde** (world). Possessives **mon** (my), **ton** (your) – and liaison: **mon ami** / **ton ami** (the N links to the vowel). **ami** (friend).

## Track 16 – les (them); finir & attendre; puis-je
**les** = them (plural of le/la), pronounced /le/; liaison in **les_inviter**. Verb endings: -ER, -IR (voir, **finir** = to finish), and -RE (**attendre** = to wait for). Irregular question inversion: **puis-je?** (can I?).


# Part 3 · Nouns, negation, the present & être (Tracks 17–24)

## Track 17 – Verb endings ER/IR/RE; plurals; le vs les; liaison
Three infinitive endings: **-ER** (majority; new verbs like **googler, zapper** join it), **-IR** (voir, finir), **-RE** (attendre). Plural nouns add a silent **-s** (portes, amis). **le/la** (it) vs **les** (them); the plural "the" is also **les**. The re-surfacing S is called a **liaison** (les_amis).

## Track 18 – la gare, aller; -age nouns; noun bases
**la gare** (station), **aller** (to go), **la ville** (city). The **-age** ending is masculine: **le village, le garage, le message, le courage, le mariage** (la cage is an exception). A base + ending gives related words: ville/village/villa; **le mari** (husband), **avant** (before), **le cœur** (heart), **la toilette** (toilet).

## Track 19 – envoyer, montrer; je suis; negation ne … pas; manger
**envoyer** (to send), **montrer** (to show), **je suis** (I am), de passage (passing by). Negation is two-part: **ne … pas** – je **ne** veux **pas** (I don't want). **manger** (to eat). Object order: je veux **te le** montrer.

## Track 20 – garer, trouver; keys & house
**garer** (to park), **trouver** (to find). **les clés** (keys), **clé** (key), **la maison** (house). Full negation: je ne peux pas le trouver.

## Track 21 – chercher; ma/ta; femme; notre
**chercher** (to look for / search – no "for" needed). Feminine possessives **ma / ta** (my/your): **ma femme** (my wife; **femme** = woman/wife). **notre** (our, both genders). Monsieur (= mon sieur), Madame (= ma dame).

## Track 22 – essayer (de); où, est; "to be"; question word at the end
**essayer** (to try) → j'essaye/j'essaie; **essayer de** + infinitive. **où** (where), **est** (is): où est… ? / où est-elle? Informal spoken French puts the question word last (elle est où?, tu es où?). **je suis / tu es / il est** – all from "to be." **d'où** (from where), **ici** (here).

## Track 23 – Present of -ER verbs; ne … rien
Present of -ER verbs = drop the -er ending (je/il/elle **mange**, je confirme). **ne … rien** = nothing / not anything (elle ne mange **rien**; **je ne regrette rien**). **regretter** (to regret). In speech the "ne" is often dropped.

## Track 24 – tu form; habiter; mais
The "tu" present adds a silent **-es** (tu **manges**, tu fermes). **habiter** (to live somewhere): où habites-tu? / il n'habite pas ici. **mais** (but) – AI = /eh/.


# Part 4 · The “lost S”, reflexives & question words (Tracks 25–32)

## Track 25 – école, hôpital & the "lost S" pattern; arrêter, étudier
**école** (school), **près de** (near), **hôpital**. Words with S+hard consonant in English drop the S in French (and often gain a circumflex): fête, **forêt** (forest), **bête** (beast), île, tempête. **arrêter** (to stop/arrest), **fumer** (to smoke), arrêter de fumer (to quit), **s'arrêter** (je m'arrête). **étudier** (to study).

## Track 26 – que; je sais; venir; quoi, pourquoi
**que** = what / that. **je sais** (I know), je ne sais pas. **venir** (to come). A question-word at the front forces inversion (que manges-tu?), but **quoi** goes at the end (tu sais **quoi**?) or in "**pourquoi**" (why = "for what").

## Track 27 – F↔P shift; parler, père, le français
Many English **F** = French **P** (for/pour, few/peu, foot/**pied**, father/**père**). **parler** (to speak, je parle), **de quoi** (about what). **mon père** (my father). **le français** (French). aller à pied (to go on foot).

## Track 28 – au / du; ils/elles; poisson, goûter, perdre
**à + le = au** (au revoir, **au bureau**); **de + le = du** (du village). **ils/elles** (they); **ils peuvent** (they can). **poisson** (fish), **goûter** (to taste/try food), **pêcher** (to fish), **perdre** (to lose), la plume (feather/pen).

## Track 29 – ils veulent / doivent; pour = "in order to"; payer
**ils veulent** (they want), **ils doivent** (they must). **pour** = for / **in order to** (je dois aller à la ville **pour** trouver les clés). **payer** (to pay). "à la" doesn't contract (à la ville).

## Track 30 – ils mangent (silent ENT); oublier; comment t'appelles-tu
"They" present ends in silent **-ent** (ils **mangent**) – audible only via liaison before a vowel (ils_oublient). **oublier** (to forget), un appartement, **comment** (how), **appeler / s'appeler**: **comment tu t'appelles?** (what's your name?), **je m'appelle** (my name is).

## Track 31 – faire; qu'est-ce que; acheter
**faire** (to do). **qu'est-ce que** = "what" (no inversion needed): qu'est-ce que tu veux? **acheter** (to buy) → j'achète (accent when stressed). c'est la vie.

## Track 32 – ce que; penser; parce que; ne … que; que = "than"
**ce que** = "what" when it isn't a question (je sais **ce que** tu veux). **penser** (to think). **parce que** (because). **partir** (to leave), **bientôt** (soon). **ne … que** = only/nothing but (il ne parle **que** français). **que** also = **than** (ma maison est plus **grande que** ta maison). **grande** (big).


# Part 5 · Adjectives, RE verbs, near future & perfect past (Tracks 33–40)

## Track 33 – c'est; -ent/-ant & -al adjectives; ils sont; -ement (-ly); agreement
**c'est** (it is / that is). Cognate adjectives ending **-ent/-ant** (différent, patient, important, arrogant) and **-al** (vital, légal, **idéal**, général) carry over. **ils sont** (they are). **-ement** = **-ly** (généralement, totalement). Adjectives agree: masc **grand/parfait** → fem **grande/parfaite**. **trop** (too). le rendez-vous, la réunion (meeting).

## Track 34 – je/tu fais; ne … jamais; RE-verb present (I/you)
**je fais / tu fais** (I/you do). **ce soir** (tonight), **demain** later. **normalement** (usually). Negation **ne … jamais** (never); **jamais** = never/ever. RE-verb "I/you" adds a silent **-s** with no vowel sound: **j'attends / tu attends** (I/you wait). c'est impossible de le faire.

## Track 35 – perdre & vendre present; encore; ne … plus
Present of RE verbs (singular): drop -re and the preceding consonant – **je perds / il perd**, **je vends / il vend** (**vendre** = to sell). **tout le temps** (all the time), **le temps** (time). **encore** (again/still). **ne … plus** = no longer / not anymore.

## Track 36 – nous & the -ons ending; je me demande; si; comprendre
**nous** (we/us). The "we" ending is **-ons** (nous demandons, nous vendons, nous trouvons) – the same for ER and RE verbs. **je me demande** (I wonder), **si** (if). **comprendre** (to understand). Reflexive: nous nous demandons.

## Track 37 – nous forms & liaison; lui / leur; cuisiner; nous pouvons
"We" forms liaise before a vowel (**nous_oublions, nous_avons**). Indirect objects **lui** (to him/her) and **leur** (to them) – je veux **lui** envoyer un message; je peux **leur** cuisiner quelque chose. **cuisiner** (to cook). **nous pouvons** (we can).

## Track 38 – Future with present; demain, lundi; aller + infinitive
Present + a future word = the future: **demain** (tomorrow), **lundi** (Monday), la lune (moon), **les lunettes** (glasses), les lunettes de soleil (sunglasses). Also **aller + infinitive**: **je vais / tu vas** l'acheter (I'm/you're going to buy it). quelque chose de bien / de **gentil** (something nice). bon voyage.

## Track 39 – il va; the perfect past with avoir (j'ai … -é)
**il va / elle va** (he/she goes). Perfect past = **avoir** + participle: **j'ai mangé** (I have eaten – the most common past in speech), je n'ai **pas encore** mangé (not yet). **avoir**: j'ai, **tu as**, **il a**, **ils ont**. ER participle = drop -er, add **-é** (mangé, cuisiné). **ils vont** (they go). aller/avoir share their irregularities (vais→ai, vont→ont).

## Track 40 – nous avons; déjà, quand; RE participle -u; participle as adjective
**nous avons** (we have), **déjà** (already), **quand** (when). RE-verb participle = **-u** (fondre→**fondu** to melt, perdre→**perdu**, vendre→**vendu**). Word order: je l'ai déjà organisé; quand l'as-tu réparé? The participle also works as an adjective: **je suis perdu** (I'm lost), elle est vendue, c'est recommandé. End of the Introduction to French course.