Language Phrase Books

76. Colloquial Expressions

Il faut + infinitive (it is necessary, one must) Il faut tourner à gauche. It is necessary to turn left. Il faut faire les devoirs. One must do homework. Il lui faut aller à l'école. He must go to school.

Il reste (there remains) Il reste une chambre. There is one room left. Il n'en reste plus. There are no more left. Il me reste trois jours. I have three days left.

Il vaut mieux + infinitive (it is better) Il vaut mieux prendre le bus. It is better to take the bus. Il vaut mieux apprendre les langues que la politique. It's better to learn languages than politics.

Il s'agit de (it's a question of, it's a matter of, it's about) De quoi s'agit-il? What's is about? Il ne s'agit pas de ça! That's not the point! Il s'agit de ton avenir. It's a matter of your future.

Avoir beau (although, despite the fact, however much) J'ai beau étudier cette langue, je ne la parle pas. Although I study this language, I don't speak it. Il a beau faire froid, nous sortirons. Although is it cold, we will go out.

77. False Cognates

Abus is used to mean excess or overindulgence, and usually not abuse. Disposer means to arrange or to have available, not to dispose of. Une injure is an insult, not an injury. Actuel and actuellement mean current and currently. Avertissement is a warning, not an advertisement. Une recette is a recipe, not a receipt. Fournitures refers to supplies, not furniture. Original means new or innovative, while originel refers to origins. Humeur means mood, not humor. Formel is used to mean strict, not formal.

79. Adverbs

To form an adverb, simply take the feminine form of an adjective and add -ment to the end. If the masculine form ends in -e, you just add the -ment to that. Adjectives ending in -ent or -ant take the endings -emment and -amment.

Note: Some adverbs such as actuellement (currently, now) and éventuellement (possibly, perhaps) can be deceiving.

Note: Adverbs are placed right after the verb in a simple tense. Adverbs of opinion and time usually go at the beginning or end of the sentence. When peut-être and sans doute begin a sentence or clause, they are usually followed by que. With the passé composé, most adverbs are placed between the auxiliary verb and past participle. In negative sentences, pas precedes the adverb, except with peut-être, sans doute, sûrement, and probablement. Adverbs of time and place generally follow the past participle.

80. Forms of Tout

As a pronoun, tout can be used alone; it then means everything and is invariable. Tout va bien. Everything's fine. Je ne peux pas tout faire. I can't do everything.

It can also reinforce the subject as in: Ils sont tous là. They are all here.

Tout can also be used with direct object pronouns. The forms of tout follow the verb in a simple tense and go between the auxiliary and past participle in a compound tense.

Je les ai toutes. I have them all. Je ne les ai pas tous eu. I didn't have them all.

Note: The s of tous is pronounced when tous is a pronoun.

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