Elfinspell: Main Vocabulary with Notes - The French to English translation by Susan Rhoads for the vocabulary used in Contes et Legendes, by H. A. Guerber, Ire Partie. Online text with links to the first use of each word in the book.

All the French words used in with the English definition of each word in a tip box, a page vocabulary, and notes by Susan Rhoads. The French chapter is from Contes et Legendes, I^re Partie; par H. A. Guerber; New York: American Book Company; 1895; pp. 11-15.

How to use this
Vocabulary

ALL THE FRENCH WORDS in the entire book, are defined and conjugated — every one, every time. Each word will be listed, with its meaning in English in every form it is used in this text.

Each main word entry that is underlined is a link. Click on it to be taken to the first time this word was used in the book, Contes et Legendes, in that exact form, or by that exact definition.

If the main entry has not been used in this exact way, it is the main form of the word and is not underlined. In that case, the form of the word which is used in the book will be in an underlined subheading below it that can be clicked on to take you to the sentence where it was used.

Only the forms, conjugations and meanings used in the book are included.

Cognates, words that are the same in both languages, English and French, are listed as well, because unless somebody tells you a word is exactly the same, in spelling and in meaning, in both languages a beginner won't know this. Sometimes the cognate has a different meaning as well.

If a word is similar, like Approcher, I have used the similar word in the defintion, along with a second more common meaning. By emphasizing the similarities, I believe that helps speed vocabulary acquisition and inspires confidence.

This is not a definitive guide in grammar or translation!!! I am a beginner sharing the material I have gleaned on my path of self-study. This includes grammar of which my knowledge started off as very, very basic despite lots of college! The finer points will be overlooked, errors will be made. These will be corrected as soon as I realize that my understanding has been faulty. The meanings are generally those I have found, along with the explanations, that have led me to be able to make sense of — and enjoy — these little stories. The purpose has been to put all that in a rapidly accessible format, so you don't have to spend all day flipping to the back of a book for a vocabulary list and then running to another dictionary or a grammar book for a conjugation with the meaning of that tense.

Since these story books have been the most enjoyable way for me to learn French, and since looking up the words to make sure I am as precise as possible in my translation, then as I do more, and learn more to understand, this page will be corrected.

Any major error I am making, please correct me, so that it doesn't become cumulative.

About this
Vocabulary

The resources used can be found in Comments* below.

If the meaning used at the time the book was written is significantly different in today’s French, that is noted. The modern definition may be included.

NOTE !!! A big, big warning. In French, the infinitive form of the verb does not include the preposition , as in English. Example, from English: the infinitive form of the verb walk, is walk. This is important because prepositions are often used before the infinitive in French, and thinking that ought to be part of the translation will end up making for a great deal of confusion.

Monsieur Bill Thayer enlightened me on this point, and has once again rescued me from the French Grammar Swamp.

About types of verbs: to Toynbee, an older grammarian, verbs are classified as active, neuter, and reflective. In modern dictionaries transitive, intransitive and reflexive are used. (I think reflective makes much more sense, though, since it better explains that the action of the verb “reflects” onto the subject.)

NOTE !!! The distinctions between neuter, transitive and intransitive verbs are not mentioned for these stories. The details and explanations are long, convoluted and intimidating (to me). If knowing this makes a huge difference to you, write me and tell me why, so I might finally understand it clearly. However, if you want to know such a classifiation for any of the verbs here, write me and I will probably refer you to your own dictionary, until I feel that I can discuss the matter intelligently or helpfully.

The past tense is variously called the Definite Past, or the Simple Past, or the Historic Past, or the Narrative Past. The term Definite Past is used here. This is a little less confusing and makes it clear that the action expressed is definitely over, or in the past — e.g., dansai: I danced.

The definite past is rarely used in modern French, unless in text books or historical accounts. Which makes it a very good reason to only read history and fairy tales, since this form is so easy to translate.

On the other hand, the Imperfect Past (called the Perfect in older books), is used all the time today, even in cases where the past tense is appropriate. It expresses an action that was not completed, or was habitual, or even was just considered or intended but not really done — e.g., dansais can mean : I was dancing, or I did dance, or I used to dance, or I thought about dancing.

So just to confuse things for everybody, in modern French the Imperfect is regularly translated like the Definite Past, so dansais can also mean I danced.

NOTE !!! In modern French this word, used as a preposition, has a grave accent (the reverse of an acute accent): à. This is not always so in older French texts.

NOTE !!! Often, When the word à is capitalized, the accent is not included. In that case, differentiating between the preposition and the verb has to be determined by the context.

Here is a modern example of the use of capital “A” on this page, as the preposition, à, without the accent.

(1) à : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. It has several meanings :

For other forms, meanings and uses, see the Main Glossary entry for the word “A”.

(2) a : verb — active indicative present; third person singular, from the verb avoir: have or be, an irregular verb. (He, she, it) has, does have, is having; or (He, she, or it) is, is being.

(i) a peur : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean (He, she, it) has fear, this uses this form of the verb avoir with the meaning of “be”, and the feminine singular noun peur : fear, or fright. It is translated as : (He, she, or it) is afraid, or (He, she, or it) is frightened.

(a) a : used as an auxiliary (helping) verb with other verbs to make the perfect tenses.

(i) a cassé : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. From this form of the irregular verb avoir: have; and cassé, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb casser: break. (He, or it) has broken.

(ii) a goûté : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. From this form of the irregular verb avoir: have; and goûté, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb goûter: taste. (He, or it) has tasted.

(iii) a mangé : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. From this form of the irregular verb avoir: have; and mangé, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb manger: eat. (He, or it) has eaten.

Ai : verb — active indicative present; first person singular, from the irregular verb avoir: have or be, an irregular verb. (I) have, do have, am having; or (I) am, am being.

(i) J’ai faim : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean I have hunger, this uses this form of the verb avoir with the meaning of “be”, and the feminine singular noun faim : hunger. It is translated as : I am hungry, or I’m hungry.

(ii) J’ai peur : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean I have fear, or fright this uses this form of the verb avoir with the meaning of “to be”, and the feminine singular noun peur : fear, or fright. It is translated as : I am afraid, or I’m frightened.

(iii) J’ai sommeil : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean I have sleepiness, or slumber this uses this form of the verb avoir with the meaning of “be”, and the masculine singular noun sommeil : sleep, or sleepiness, or drowsiness. It is translated as : I am sleepy, or I’m drowsy.

Aimait : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person singular, from the verb aimer: like, or love. (She, He, or It) was loving, or liking; or (she, he, or it) did love, or like; or (she, he, or it) loved, or liked.

Alla : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb aller: go. (He, she, or it) went.

Allez ! : verb — active imperative; second person plural, from the irregular verb aller: go. This is a command, or direct order. Go !

In formal speech, the imperative second person plural is used as a command to either one person (you), or for more than one person (you all). In familiar speech between family and friends the first person imperative of alle is used.

Allons : verb — active imperative; first person plural, from the verb aller: go. A common exclamation. Let us go! or Let’s go ! or Come on ! or Go on !

Amis : masculine noun; plural of ami. Friends, or dears (as in “My dears”).

NOTE !!! In the headers, this adjective is modifying Texte, which is a feminine noun. In this use of anglaise as an adjective, it is not capitalized — unless it is at the beginning of a sentence, or in a title.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Août and Frère are capitalized. Frère Août = Brother August. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of août. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

NOTE !!! A reflexive verb is one whose action is reflected onto the subject of the verb, instead of acting on some other object (something or somebody else besides the subject) in a sentence. They are also called pronominal verbs. Example: S’approchèrent = they brought themselves near, in comparison with Ils approchèrent la maison: They approached the house.

NOTE !!! Most verbs can be used as reflexive verbs along with their non-reflexive use. All it takes is adding the appropriate reflexive (reflective) object pronoun to do this. It (the object pronoun) shows that the action of the verb "reflects" onto the subject of the verb. Sometimes the use of the reflexive form can change the meaning of the verb significantly !!!

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

Apportaient : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person plural, from the verb apporter: bring. (They) were bringing; or (they) did bring; or (they) brought.

Après : preposition — masculine or feminine, singular or plural. After.

Arriva : verb — active indicative past (definite); first person plural, from the verb arriver: arrive, or reach. (He, She, or It) arrived; or (he, she, or it)) reached.

Assis, can also be the conjugation for the past (definite), first person, singular. The meaning is determined by the context of the verb. The use of est, the third person singular, shows that it is being used as a participle in this case.

(1) s’est assis; : verb — passive present indicative; third person; masculine, or feminine; singular. (He, She, or It) has seated (him/her/itself); or sat (him/her/itself) down.

Here, the passive present is formed from est, the active indicative present; third person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb être: be; or have; and s’assis, the past participle; masculine or feminine; singular or plural, of the verb s’asseoir: seat oneself; sit (oneself) down.

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

Attisa : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb attiser: poke, or kindle. (He, she, or it) kindled, or (He, she, or it) kindled.

Au : contraction; masculine; singular of the preposition à + the definite article Le. To the; or At the.

Aussi : adverb — masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Also, or too; [as well].

Avait : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person singular, from the irregular verb avoir: have or be, an irregular verb. (I) have, do have, am having; or (He, she, or It) was having; or (He, she, or It) did have; or (He, she, or It) had.

Avait is from the verb avoir: have or be, and is the indicative imperfect, third singular, and means (He, she, or it) was having; or had; or, was being; or was. Here it is used with the meaning: be.

So then, literally, the translation of the phrase il y avait means It was there. It is usually translated as There was. The longer phrase, Il y avait une fois, means It was there [at] one time, which is commonly translated as: There was a time, or There was once upon a time.

The singular Il is used even when the subject is plural, but the usual translation changes the tense to the commonly used There were. Example: Il y avait trois dindes. . ., literally: It was there three turkeys. . .; or more idiomatically translated: There were three turkeys.

Avant : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Before, or beforehand.

Avez-Vous ? : Interrogative form of the verb (used for a question) — active indicative present; second person plural, from the verb avoir: have; or be, an irregular verb. Do you have? (or Do you all have? or Are you having? or or Have you?

NOTE !!! The meaning of avez can be singular or plural. Vous is used both for one or more than one person in formal or polite conversation. In familiar conversation between friends and family the second person singular may be used : As-tu?

(1) Avez-vous trouvé ? : verb — interrogative form of the active indicative past perfect (or indefinite past); second person; masculine or feminine; plural. From this form of the irregular verb avoir: have; and the past participle; masculine, singular of the verb trouver: find. Have you found? or Have you all found?.

NOTE !!! Because the vous, although the formal second person plural pronoun, is being used to address only one person, the singular form of the participle is used.

There are two main functions of this verb. Here are the ways it is conjugated, and its uses, in this book :

NOTE !!! In this story, both Avril and Frère are capitalized. Frère Avril = Brother April. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of avril. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Beaucoup : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Used with the adverb ne; or n’ to mean : A lot, or much, or very much, or many, or a great deal.

Blonde : feminine adjective; singular, from blond. Blond (pale yellow), or light.

Blondes : feminine adjective; plural; from blond. Blond (pale yellow)or light.

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

Cassé : verb — past participle; masculine; singular, from the verb casser: break. Broken.

(1) a cassé : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. (He, or it) has broken.

Here, the past perfect, also called the indefinite past, is formed from a, the active indicative present; third person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb avoir: have; and cassé, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb casser: break.

(1) Cet : demonstrative adjective — masculine; singular, from ce. This is the form used before words beginning with a vowel or mute H. This, or that.

In French, besides elision as a method to avoide the sounds of two vowels running together, they also use the “Harmonious T.”, to create euphony, or “prettier” sounds. Instead of using ce, which ends in a vowel, before a word that begins with a vowel — which sounds so ugly to the French ear and looks so ugly to the French eye, a “t” is tossed at the end of ce, yielding cet.

(2) Cette : demonstrative adjective — feminine; singular, from ce. This, or that.

Certainement : conjunction; masculine or feminine; singular or singular. Certainly; surely; most probably; or of course.

Confortable. : masculine or feminine adjective; singular; from chaud. Comfortable, or comfy.

NOTE !!! The active indicative second plural present form is spelled the same way. The difference is the command format. The reflexive pronoun is always used in commands using reflexive verbs.

NOTE !!! The meaning of chauffez can be singular or plural. Vous is used both for one or more than one person in formal or polite conversation. In familiar conversation between friends and family the second person singular may be used : Chauffes-te!

Chercha : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb chercher: seek, or look for. (He, she, or it) sought, or (He, she, it) looked for.

Cherche : verb — active indicative present; first person singular, from the verb chercher: seek; or look for, an irregular verb. (I) look; or (I) do look; or (I) am looking.

Cherchez-Vous ? : Interrogative form of the verb (used for a question) — active indicative present; second person plural, from the verb chercher: seek; or look for. Are you looking? (or Are you all looking? or Are you seeking? or Do you seek? or Seek you?

NOTE !!! The imperative form is spelled the same way. The difference is the question format. The personal pronoun is always used in the question, but not used in the command (unless the verb is used reflexively).

NOTE !!! The meaning of cherchez can be singular or plural. Vous is used both for one or more than one person in formal or polite conversation. In familiar conversation between friends and family the second person singular may be used : Cherches-tu?

Chère : feminine adjective; singular; from cher. Dear; belovedor or expensive !

NOTE!! Some proper names in French do have a gender, but the definite article, La or Le is rarely, if ever, used. Countries, yes, but cities, and individuals, no. La France is correct occasionally, but never Le Paris. L’Allemagne is used, but not Le Bertrand. For more on this see the only book online that addresses this subject intelligently and clearly: French Grammar, by R. Labutte.

Also note that when the article is used with a proper name, it may or not be capitalized, depending on the way in which the name is used: La France when it is the subject noun, but la France, it is the object noun.

NOTE!! In the present text, the article is never used before proper nouns of countries, like France, or proper names of individuals: Robert Canolle [p. 126].

Also, in proper names, like Bertrand du Guesclin and Charles de Bloys, the de and du are not capitalized. But if the definite article is included in the title, it is capitalized: Eustache de La Houssoye; le roi Edoard de l’Angleterre. [p. 44].

The titles of Sir, Count, King, Duchesse, Castle, etc., in proper names are not capitalized and use the article before the title: le roy Charles de France, le chastel Josselin, duc de Lancastre, le duc Charles, messire Guillame Boitel, etc. However, exceptions do occur, as usual, and include: Le Begue , Le Moyne de Betavy [p.126], and Le Baston [p. 115].

See also, the webpage by Prof. T. Daniel Seely, on Notes on Nouns and Noun Phrases. He is less clear on the gender of proper nouns, but more clear on the difference between a proper noun and a proper name. A proper noun is a specific place, person or thing. A proper name is a specific person, place or thing but made up of more than one word, like University of Alaska Southwest. He also points out that a definite article may be a part of a proper name, and capitalized, his example being The Hague, in English, or an example in this text: La Mote de Bron, in French.

Comme : conjunction; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. As; or like; or such as.

NOTE !!! Since commencer is an example of a verb that ends in cer in the infinitive, it shows the rule that when such verbs are conjugated a ç is used, instead of c, before adding endings that begin with a or o. This is to preserve the soft sound of the c in the word. Elementary French, p. 294.

See a nifty page on the difference between the use lay and laid, off site at LousyWriter.com for the reason why you shouldn’t say She laid down on the bed, when it is really “She lay down on the bed.” But you can say “She laid herself down on the bed.”

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

(1) s’est couché : verb — passive present indicative; third person; masculine; singular. (He, or It) has laid (himself, or itself) down; or has laid (him, or itself) on, upon; or has gone to bed.

(1) est couchée : verb — passive present indicative; third person; feminine; singular. (She, or It) has laid down; or has slept; or has (been) put to bed.

There are two main functions of this verb. Here are the ways it is conjugated, and its uses, in this book :

se Coucher : reflexive form of the verb — active infinitive. — Go (oneself) to bed; or lie (oneself) down.

Cueillez ! : verb — active imperative; second person plural, from the verb cueiller: go. This is a command, or direct order. Gather ! or Collect !

Cueillit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb cueillir: collect, or gather. (He, she, or it) collected; or (he, she, or it) gathered.

Dans : preposition — masculine or feminine, singular or plural. In, into, or among.

De : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. It has several meanings :

NOTE !!! In this story, both Décembre and Frère are capitalized. Frère Décembre = Brother December. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of décembre. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Demanda : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb demander: ask; or go ask for. (He, she, or it) asked; or (He, she, or it) asked for.

NOTE !!! Demander does not have the stronger meaning of command or order, like the verb demand does in English. It is quite mild and polite in its meaning.

Demander : verb — infinitive. Ask or asked for; or demand (but with the same forcefulness that the word in English has.

Demeuraient : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person plural, from the verb demeurer: live, or dwell. (They) were living, or dwelling; or (they) did live, or dwell; or (they) lived, or dwelled.

Demeurait : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person singular, from the verb demeurer: live, or dwell. (She, He, or It) was living, or dwelling; or (she, he, or it) did live, or dwell; or (she, he, or it) lived, or dwelled.

Des : contraction of De + Les. In this case, it means ; “Of the”, or “from the”.

Here, it is the contraction of De, the preposition (masculine or feminine; singular or plural) and Les, the definite article, (masculine; plural).

(1) avaient disparu : verb — active indicative pluperfect; third person; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. (They) had (been) vanished; or (They) had (been) disappeared.

Disparut : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb disparaître: disappear; or vanish. (He, she, or it) disappeared; or (he, she, or it) vanished.

Dit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb dire: say, or tell. (He, she, or it) said, or (He, she, or it) told.

Donna : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb donner: give. (He, she, or it) gave.

Donnez ! : verb — active imperative; second person plural, from the verb donner: give. This is a command, or direct order. Give !

Droite : feminine noun; singular. The right (the direction, or the right side).

Des : contraction of De + Le. In this case, it means ; “Of the”, or “from the”.

Here, it is the contraction of De, the preposition (masculine or feminine; singular or plural) and Le, the definite article, (masculine; singular).

Elle : personal pronoun (subject) — third person singular; femnine;. She, or It.

Elle is a conjunctive subject personal pronoun. This means that it is used as the subject of the verb being used in a phrase, or sentence. Example : Elle est fatiguée, : she is tired.

“Personal pronouns are divided into two classes, conjunctive and disjunctive.

“Conjunctive pronouns are used as subject, direct object, and indirect object of a verb expressed. In all other cases the personal pronoun has the disjunctive form.” Elementary French, p. 192.

En : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. In; or into.

s’Endormir : verb — infinitive. Fall asleep (oneself); or go to sleep (oneself).

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

En : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. In; or into.

Entra : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb entrer: enter, or come in. (He, she, or it) entered, or (He, she, or it) came in.

(1) est entré : verb — passive present; third person; masculine; singular. (He, or it) has entered; gone in.

Here, the passive present is formed from From est, the passive indicative present; third person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb être: be, or have, in perfect tenses; and entré, the masculine past participle; singular of the verb entrer: enter; go in.

Envoyez ! : verb — active imperative; second person plural, from the irregular verb envoyer: send. This is a command, or direct order. Send !

Est : verb — active indicative present; third person singular, from the verb être: be, an irregular verb. (He, she, it) is; or (He, she, or it) is being.

Et : conjunction; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. And, also, or too.

For the first time et is used in this story outside of the page titles see this text entry for et.

Étaient : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person plural, from the irregular verb être: be, an irregular verb. (They) were; or (they) were being.

Était : verb — active indicative imperfect; third person singular, from the irregular verb être: be, an irregular verb. (I) have, do have, am having; or (He, she, or It) was; or (He, she, or It) was being.

There are two main functions of this verb. Here are the ways it is conjugated, and its uses in this book :

(a) ai faim : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean (I) has fear, this uses the meaning of ai, the present indicative; first person singular form of the verb avoir in the sense of be, and the noun faim : hunger. It is translated as : (I) am hungry, or (I) am hungry.

(1) suis fatiguée : verb — passive present; first person; feminine; singular. (I) am tired; weary; fatigued; overworked; or (I) am (being) fatigued, overworked.

Fatiguer : verb — infinitive. Fatigue or tire (out); or overwork; make weary.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Frévrier and Frère are capitalized. Frère Frévrier = Brother February. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of frévrier. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Firent : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person plural, from the irregular verb faire: do, or make. (They) made; or (they) did.

Une Fois : expression. Once; or Once upon a time; or, literally, one time; or, literally, one time.

Forcée : verb — past participle; feminine; singular, from the verb forcer: force. As a participle it is translated as : Forced; or compelled.

(1) suis forcée : verb — passive present; first person; feminine; singular. (I) am forced; compelled; or (I) am (being) forced; compelled.

From suis, the passive indicative present; first person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb être: be; and forcée, the feminine past participle; singular of the verb forcer: force.

NOTE !!! In the headers, this is an adjective modifying Texte, which is a feminine noun. In this use of française as an adjective, it is not capitalized — unless it is at the beginning of a sentence, or in a title.

Frappa : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb frapper: rap; or knock; or strike; hit. (He, she, or it) rapped; or (He, she, or it) knocked; or (He, she, or it) struck, or hit.

In this story, frère is capitalized, as the title of a specific person. Example: Frère Mai = Brother May. Mai is capitalized because it is his proper name and title here, since he is a personification of the month of mai. Neither word is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Fruits : masculine noun; plural of fruit. Fruits, or fruit, which is also the plural representing more than one in English.

Goûta : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb goûter: taste. (He, she, or it) said, or (He, she, or it) tasted.

Goûté : verb — past participle; masculine, singular, from the verb goûter: taste. Tasted.

(1) a goûté : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. (He, or it) has tasted.

Here, the past perfect, also called the indefinite past, is formed from a, the active indicative present; third person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb avoir: have; and goûté, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb goûter: taste.

Il : personal pronoun (subject) — third person singular; masculine;. He, or It.

Il is a conjunctive subject personal pronoun. This means that it is used as the subject of the verb being used in a phrase, or sentence. Example : Il est fatigué : he is tired.

Ils is a conjunctive subject personal pronoun. This means that it is used as the subject of the verb being used in a phrase, or sentence. Example : Ils sont fatiguées : they are fatigued.

This notation of I plus ^re makes this the ordinal number abbreviation, for first. In French, the full word is première. Just as in English, we use 1, or I, plus ^st, to make 1^st, or I^st, as an abbreviation for first.

J’ : personal pronoun (subject) — first person singular; masculine or feminine. This is the elided (shortened) form of Je. I.

Elision, occurs when a word, (usually a two letter word,) that ends in a vowel comes before a word that starts with a vowel. The French then drop that end vowel from the first word and join it with an apostrophe to the following word. This is done because the sound is felt to be more harmonious, or euphonious to the ear. It is also frequently done in other languages, like Greek and Italian.

In modern writing, there is no space between the elided word, with its apostrophe and the word following it. This can vary in older texts, and in other languages.

J’ is a conjunctive subject personal pronoun. This means that it is used as the subject of the verb being used in a phrase, or sentence. Example : J’ ai faim : I am hungry.

Jamais : adverb of negation; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. With a verb is must be used with the adverb ne; or n’. If a verb is not used in the phrase, it can be used along to make a negative statement. It means : Never, or (not) ever.

(1) Ne . . . jamais : Ne is an adverb of negation, too. When combined with jamais, in a phrase, with a verb, it means : Not ever, or never.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Janvier and Frère are capitalized. Frère Janvier = Brother January. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of janvier. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Jaunes : masculine, or feminine adjective; plural; from jaune. Yellow, or golden.

Je : personal pronoun (subject) — first person singular; masculine or feminine; . I.

Je is a conjunctive subject personal pronoun. This means that it is used as the subject of the verb being used in a phrase, or sentence. Example : Je suis fatiguée : I am tired.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Juillet and Frère are capitalized. Frère Juillet = Brother July. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of juillet. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Juin and Frère are capitalized. Frère Juin = Brother June. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of juin. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

L’ : definite article — masculine or feminine; singular. It is the elided or shortened form for either La, or Le. The gender it represents is determined by the gender of the noun it is modifying. The meaning doesn’t change, it always means : The.

Whether feminine or masculine, the meaning doesn’t change — it always means The, since common nouns in English are neuter — so there is no distinction in translation between masculine and feminine forms of either articles or nouns in French.

NOTE !!! Although this shortened form of Le, or La may be feminine or masculine, depending on the noun it modifies, it is always singular.

In L’, the vowel, e or a is dropped. This happens when the word is followed by a noun beginning with a vowel or a silent h. This is done because the French, like some other nations, didn’t like say 2 vowels together, thinking it sounded awkward and ugly. The word for this process is called elision.

When pronouncing the word, then, you would say both together — Le-di-tion, for L’Édition, etc.

The French adore elision, and do it in all sorts of places, which makes oral French really, really hard to understand to beginning listeners trying to learn the lingo. Practically every word in the language sounds like it starts with L.

Also, the article, whether la, le, les, un, une, or unes, etc., is regularly used in French, not like in English, where it is often omitted.

NOTE !!! This word is singular only, never plural. In Spanish, “las” is the feminine plural, but not in French. Les is the plural for both genders in French.

(1) Les : definite article; masculine, or feminine; plural of La or Le. The.

NOTE !!! La without a grave accent: La, is a different word entirely !!! When the accent on this word is omitted when the whole word is capitalized in a title, the meaning must be determined from the context.

NOTE !!! This word is singular only, never plural. In Spanish, las is the feminine plural, but not in French. Les is the plural for both genders in French.

(2) Les : definite article; masculine, or feminine; plural of La or Le. The.

Les : definite article — masculine or feminine, definite article; plural of Le or La. The.

Ma : possessive adjective; first person singular; masculine or feminine, from mon. My.

NOTE !!! The gender of the subject cannot be determined from the use of this adjective. The gender is determined by the noun it is modifying. If you are a guy, and want to say I ate my soup, in French, it would be Je mangea ma soupe, not Je mangea mon soupe. This becomes a big problem when the subject has not been identified before, either as a male or a female.

This is also true in English, though, since our possessive adjective My, also is genderless. It just seems more confusing in French because of the gender forms applied to almost every other word in the sentence but this.

An example of this linguistic quirk in the French language is in the text on this site, the Chronicle of Du Guesclin. In the Preface by the anonymous author, starting with the phrase “En ma pensées” (In my thoughts), he or she uses ma and mon throughout it, depending on the noun modified. It is impossible to determine whether the author was a man or a woman because he never tells us his name.

NOTE !!! This is one of the two letter words that is never elided. M’ is a different word entirely.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Mai and Frère are capitalized. Frère Mai = Brother May. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of mai. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Mangé : verb — past participle; masculine, singular, from the mildly irregular verb manger: eat. Eaten.

(1) a mangé : verb — active indicative past perfect; third person; masculine; singular. (He, or it) has eaten.

Here, the past perfect, also called the indefinite past, is formed from a, the active indicative present; third person singular, (masculine or feminine) form of the auxiliary (helping) irregular verb avoir: have; and mangé, the masculine past participle; singular, of the verb manger: eat.

Mangea : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb manger: eat. (He, she, or it) said, or (He, she, or it) ate.

NOTE !!! Since manger is an example of a verb that ends in ger in the infinitive, it shows the rule that when such verbs are conjugated a e is added after the g, before the endings are added. This is to preserve the soft sound of the g in the word. Elementary French, p. 294.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Mars and Frère are capitalized. Frère Mars = Brother March. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of mars. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Merci : Exclamation [interjection]; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Thank you; or thanks.

The correct meaning of this word is determined by the context, and in this case by the plural definite article: Les, before Mois, tells us that months is meant here.

Mon : possessive adjective; first person singular, masculine or feminine, singular. My.

NOTE !!! In most cases, Mon is used with masculine nouns. But . . . since Ma, the feminine form, is never used before a word starting with a vowel or mute ‘h’, then Mon is used in this case.

NOTE !!! The gender of the subject cannot be determined from the use of this adjective. The gender is determined by the noun it is modifying. If you are a guy, and say I ate my soup, in French, it would be Je mangea ma soupe, not Je mangea mon soupe. This becomes a big problem when the subject has not been identified before, either as a male or a female.

An example of this quirk in the French language is in the text on this site, the Chronicle of Du Guesclin. In the Preface by the anonymous author, starting with the phrase “En ma pensées” (In my thoughts), he or she uses ma and mon throughout it, depending on the noun modified. It is impossible to determine whether the author was a man or a woman because he never tells us his name.

Monsieur : masculine noun; singular. A title of respect, or polite address. Sir, or Mister.

NOTE !!!! Usually this word, like other titles of rank, is not capitalized unless it is at the beginning of a sentence or in the title of a book.

Moyenne : feminine adjective; singular; from moyen. Medium, middle-sized; or middle.

N’ : adverb — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. The elided form of Ne. This is a word of negation. It means No, or Not. It is never used alone. It is only used with a verb. Two words of negation are necessary to make a negative statement when a verb is in the phrase. The words commonly used with ne to make negation are: pas, jamais, plus, que, point, guère, rien, personne. The meaning changes with each combination. All the other words, except que can be used, without Ne, only if there is no verb in the sentence, and still imply negation. (Elementary French, pp. 183-4.). See below. No, or not.

(1) N’ . . . pas : Pas is an adverb of negation, too. When combined with n’ in a phrase, with a verb, it means : No, or not.

(a) N’est pas : N’, Ne and Pas are adverbs of negation. Both are usually necessary with a verb, to make a statement of negation. When used in a phrase together, it means : No, or not. When combined with the est, the active indicative present; third person singular, from the irregular verb être : to be, it means : (He, She or It) is not, or He’s not; or She isn’t, or, also, in questions: Is it not.

Ne : adverb — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. It means No, or Not. It is never used alone. It is only used with a verb. Two words of negation are necessary to make a negative statement when a verb is in the phrase. The words commonly used with ne to make negation are: pas, jamais, plus, que, point, guère, rien, personne. The meaning changes with each combination. All the other words, except que can be used, without Ne, only if there is no verb in the sentence, and still imply negation. (Elementary French, pp. 183-4.). See below. No, or not.

(1) Ne . . . jamais : Jamais is an adverb of negation, too. When combined with ne in a phrase, with a verb, it means : Not ever, or never.

Nous : reflexive pronoun (object) — first person; masculine or feminine; plural. Ourselves.

(1) Nous promener : idiomatic expression reflexive pronoun (object) — first person; masculine or feminine; plural and the infinitive form of reflexive verb se promener: walk; or take a walk. The subject pronoun, also nous, is implied). We take (ourselves for) a walk; we walk (ourselves).

A reflexive pronoun is a personal (object) pronoun that is used with a reflexive (or pronominal) verb. It tells you that object of the action of a reflexive verb is the subject. The subject pronoun is still used with the reflexive pronoun, but it is always before the object or reflexive pronoun. Example : Il S’assit, He seated (himself), or he sat (himself) down. See Elementary French, p. 273).

NOTE !!! Nous can also be a subject pronoun. Which is really confusing when used with the reflexive pronoun. Nous nous asseyons, We seated ourselves.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Novembre and Frère are capitalized. Frère Novembre = Brother November. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of novembre. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

NOTE !!! In this story, both Octobre and Frère are capitalized. Frère Octobre = Brother October. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of octobre. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Oh : Exclamation [interjection]; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Oh.

NOTE !!! Ou with a grave accent: Où, is a different word entirely !!! When the accent on this word is omitted when the whole word is capitalized in a title, the meaning must be determined from the context.

Où : indefinite pronoun; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Where.

NOTE !!! Ou without a grave accent: Ou, is a different word entirely !!! When the accent on this word is omitted when the whole word is capitalized in a title, the meaning must be determined from the context.

NOTE !!! The use of the singular articles, L’, or Le, or Un, will mean that only one bear is referred to. The use of the plural article, les, means more than one bear is meant. The same is true for other plural or singular modifiers: de, des, son or ses, etc.

Here, ouverte, which is a past participle, is being used as an adjective. It is from the irregular verb ouvrir: open.

Ouvrit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb ouvrir: open. (He, she, or it) opened.

Par : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. This word has many meanings :

Partez ! : verb — active imperative; second person plural, from the verb partir: leave, or depart. This is a command, or direct order. Leave ! or Depart!

Partit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb partir: depart, or leave. (He, she, or it) departed, or (He, she, or it) left.

Pas : adverb of negation; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. With a verb is must be used with the adverb ne; or n’. If a verb is not used in the phrase, it can be used alone to make a negative statement. It means : No, or not.

(1) N’ . . . pas : N̵ is an adverb of negation, too. When combined with pas, in a phrase, with a verb, it means : No, or not.

Passa : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb passer: pass, or go by. (He, she, or it) passed, or (He, she, or it) went by.

se Percher; : reflexive form of the verb — active infinitive. — Perch (oneself).

Périt : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb périr: perish, or die. (He, she, or it) perished; or (he, she, or it) died.

(a) a peur; : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean (He, she, it) has fear, this uses the meaning of a, the present indicative; third person singular form of the verb avoirin the sense of be, and the noun peur : fear, or fright. It is translated as : (He, she, or it) is afraid, or (He, she, or it) is frightened.

(b) ai peur; : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean (I) has fear, this uses the meaning of a, the present indicative; first person singular form of the verb avoirin the sense of be, and the noun peur : fear, or fright. It is translated as : (I) am afraid, or (I) am frightened.

Plus : adverb of comparison; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. More.

Pour : preposition — masculine or feminine, singular or plural. For; or in order to.

Précédent : feminine adjective; singular; from precedent. Preceding, or previous.

Prit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb prendre: take or get. (He, she, or it) took, or (He, she, or it) got.

In the headers and footers of the pages, this refers to the general site plan of this website: Elfinspell.

(1) Nous promener : idiomatic expression reflexive pronoun (object) — first person; masculine or feminine; plural and the infinitive form of reflexive verb se promener: walk. (The subject pronoun, also nous, is implied). We take (ourselves) for a walk.

NOTE !!! Nous can also be a subject pronoun. Which is really confusing when used with the reflexive pronoun. Nous nous asseyons, We seated ourselves. Here, in the text, the subject is indicated in Allons, which is preceding the reflexive pronoun. Allons! Nous Promener. Come lets's take a walk!

Que : interrogative pronoun, or conjunction, or adverb, or relative pronoun. All of which are masculine or feminine; single or plural. It has several meanings and functions :

(1) Que : As an interrogative pronoun — subject or object. In a question it means : What?

(a) Aussi vite que que possible : expression of comparison using Aussi, an adverb, and Que as a conjunction of comparison. “As quickly as possible;” or “as fast, or rapidly as possible.”

Quelques : indefinite adjective; masculine or feminine; plural from quelque. Some, or a few.

Quelqu’un : indefinite pronoun — masculine; singular. Formed from the elided indefinite adjective; masculine; singular, quelque: some; or a few; and the indefinite article; masculine; singular, un: one; or an. Someone, or Somebody, or anybody.

Qui : interrogative pronoun, or relative pronoun. All of which are masculine or feminine; single or plural. It has several meanings and functions :

(1) Qui : As a relative subject pronoun of a verb or preposition. Who; or that.

Recevait : irregular verb — active indicative imperfect; third person singular, from the verb recevoir: receive, or get. (He, She, or It) were receiving, getting or (he, she, or it) did receive, did get; or (he, she, or it) received, got.

Répéta : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb répéter: ask; or say again. (He, she, or it) repeated; or (He, she, or it) said again.

Répondit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb répondre: answer, or reply. (He, she, or it) answered, or (He, she, or it) replied.

Repondre : irregular verb — active infinitive. Respond; or reply; or answer.

Retourna : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb retourner: return; or go back. (He, she, or it) returned; or (He, she, or it) went back.

While most verbs can act be made to act reflexively by adding the reflexive pronoun, there are some verbs that are only used reflexively.

(The reflexive object pronouns are: Se (including S’), me, te, nous, and vous.)

se Réveiller; : reflexive form of the verb — active infinitive. Wake (oneself); or awaken (oneself); or revive (oneself).

Rien : indefinite pronoun; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Nothing.

(1) Ne . . . rien : Ne is an adverb of negation, too. When combined with rien in a phrase, with a verb, it means : Nothing, or not anything.

S’ : reflexive pronoun (object) — third person; masculine or feminine; singular or p;ural. This is the elided (shortened) form of Se. Himself, Herself, Itself, or Themselves.

Although se is third person singular or plural, the conjugation of the reflexive verb and the subject pronoun, if included, will often tell you how many individuals are meant by the se. Example : Ils s’assirent : They seated (themselves).

In modern writing, there is no space between the elided word, with its apostrophe and the word following it. This can vary in older texts, and in other languages.

NOTE !!! S’ is never an elided form of Sa, which is one of the two letter words that is never elided. It is a different word entirely.

Sa : possessive adjective; third person singular; feminine, from son . His, hers, or its.

Son : NOTE !!! Sa is never used before a word starting with a vowel or mute ‘h’, because it is not a happy sound to the French ear. In this case, as with assiette in the story above, Son, which is usually used with masculine nouns, is used here instead. It still means His, her, or its.

NOTE !!! The gender of the subject cannot be determined from the use of this adjective. The gender is determined by the noun it is modifying. So to say Bertrand eats his soup, in French, would be Bertrand mange sa soupe, not Bertran mange son soupe. This becomes a big problem when the subject has not been identified before, either as a male or a female.

NOTE !!! Sa is one of the two letter words that is never elided. S’ is a different word entirely.

Sauta : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb sauter: leap, or jump; or jump over. (He, she, or it) looked; or (He, she, or it) jumped up, or leapt; or jumped over.

Se : reflexive pronoun (object) — third person; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Himself, Herself, Itself, or Themselves..

NOTE !!! In this story, both Septembre and Frère are capitalized. Frère Septembre = Brother September. Both words are capitalized here because it is his proper name and title. Here, he is a person, being the personification of the month of septembre. Neither frère nor the month is capitalized normally. The months, and the days of the week, are not capitalized in French.

Ses : possessive adjective; third person singular; masculine or feminine,, from son. This is used before plural nouns. His, hers, or its.

NOTE !!! This is used before plural nouns. Son and Sa are used before singular nouns. It is still one person (him, her, or it) that possesses the noun.

NOTE !!! The gender of the subject cannot be determined from the use of this adjective. The gender is determined by the noun it is modifying. So to say Bertrand eats his soup, in French, would be Bertrand mange sa soupe, not Bertran mange son soupe. This becomes a big problem when the gender of the subject has not been identified before, as either a male or a female.

Seule : feminine adjective; singular, of seul. Alone; only; or a single one.

(a) J’ai sommeil; : idiomatic expression. Although, it could mean (I) have sleepiness, this uses the meaning of ai, the present indicative; first person singular form of the verb avoirin the sense of be, and the noun sommeil : sleepiness, or drowsiness, or sleep. It is translated as : (I) am sleepy, or (I) am drowsy.

Son : possessive adjective; third person singular; masculine or feminine. His, hers, or its.

NOTE !!! In most cases, Son is used with masculine nouns. But . . . since Sa, the feminine form, is never used before a word starting with a vowel or mute ‘h’, then Son is used in this case.

NOTE !!! The gender of the subject cannot be determined from the use of this adjective. The gender is determined by the noun it is modifying. So to say Bertrand eats his soup, in French, would be Bertrand mange sa soupe, not Bertran mange son soupe. This becomes a big problem when the gender of the subject has not been identified before, as either a male or a female.

Sont : verb — active indicative present; third person plural, from the verb être: be, an irregular verb. (They) are; or (They) are being.

Suis : verb — active indicative present; first person singular, from the verb être: be, an irregular verb. (I) am; or (I) am being.

(1) suis fatiguée : verb — passive present; first person; feminine; singular. (I) am tired; weary; fatigued; overworked; or (I) am (being) fatigued, overworked.

Sur : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. On, or upon.

Tomba : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb mber: fall. (He, she, or it) fell.

Toujours : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Always; forever; all the time; or still.

Tourna : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb urner: turn; or go back. (He, she, or it) turned..

Se Tourna : reflexive use of the verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb se tourner: turn oneself. (He, she, or it) turned (himself, herself, itself)..

NOTE !!! This is an irregular adjective. It is placed before the article, possessive adjective, and/or the noun in a phrase, instead of afterwards, as in ute ma soupe : all my soup.

NOTE !!! It is also irregularly conjugated in the plural: (us, as in us les ours : All the bears; or every bear.

Très : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Very; (very) much; greatly, or highly.

Trop : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Too; or too much; or too many.

Trouva : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb trouver: find. (He, she, or it) found.

Trouvé : past participle; masculine or feminine; singular, or plural from the verb trouver: find. Found.

(a) Avez-vous trouve ? : interrogative form of the — active indicative past perfect (indefinite past); third person; masculine; singular. Have you found? or Have you been found?

NOTE !!! Because the vous, although the formal second person plural pronoun, is being used to address only one person, the singular form of the participle is used.

Un : indefinite article or cardinal number; masculine; singular. This word has two meanings, which are often used interchangeably : the number One; or the indefinite article a, or An.

In a list of numbered items, it is easy to see that the number Un, or one, is meant; the rest of the time it can mean either a, or an.

Une : indefinite article, or cardinal number; feminine; singular from Un. This word has two meanings, which are often used interchangeably : the number One; or the indefinite article a, or An.

In a list of numbered items, it is easy to see that the number Un, or one, is meant; the rest of the time it can mean either a, or an.

(2) Une : cardinal number; masculine; singular; of Un. One — the cardinal number.

Vain : masculine adjective; singular. Vain, or empty (as in an empty promise); or useless.

Vais : verb — active indicative present; first person singular, from the verb aller: go, an irregular verb. (I) go; or ((I) do go; or(I) am going.

Vers : preposition — masculine or feminine; singular or plural. To (in the direction of); or towards.

Versèrent : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person plural, from the transitive use of the verb verser: pour, or spill. (They) poured; or (they) spilled.

Violettes : noun or adjective — feminine; plural of from violet. It has several meanings :

Visita : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the verb visiter: visit, or call on, or upon. (He, she, or it) visited; or (He, she, or it) called on, or call upon.

Vit : verb — active indicative past (definite); third person singular, from the irregular verb voir: see. (He, she, or it) saw.

Vite : adverb; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. Quickly, fast, swiftly, or rapidly.

Vocabulaire : masculine noun; singular. Vocabulary, word list, glossary, or lexicon.

In French, the word is not used in the sense of a word list with definitions, as in this book by Guerber and other English books. In French, this would be called a Lexique, or Glossaire.

Here, this link will take you to the cumulative Vocabulary with all the French words translated into English, for the entire book. There is a smaller vocabulary list for only the words used in a specific story at the bottom of its page.

Vos : possessive adjective; second person plural; masculine or feminine, from mon. This is used before plural nouns Your.

Note !!! The second person plural is used, before plural nouns, in formal (or unfriendly) conversation, even though it may be referring to one person only, as in pour votre sœur, above. In informal conversation between friends only, you can use ta, the second person singular, for your.

This is also true in English, though, since our possessive adjective We, also is genderless. It just seems more confusing in French because of the gender forms applied to almost every other word in the sentence but this.

Votre : possessive adjective; second person singular; masculine or feminine, from mon. This is used before singular nouns . Your.

Note !!! The second person plural is used, before singular nouns, in formal (or unfriendly) conversation, even though it may be referring to one person only, as in pour votre sœur, above. In informal conversation between friends only, you can use ta, the second person singular, for your.

Voulez-Vous ? : Interrogative form of the verb (used for a question) — active indicative present; second person plural, from the irregular verb Vouloir: want; or wish, or be willing. Are you wanting? (or Are you all wanting? or Are you wishing/ willing? or Do you want? or Wish you?

NOTE !!! The meaning of Voulez can be singular or plural. Vous is used both for one or more than one person in formal or polite conversation. In familiar conversation between friends and family the second person singular may be used : Veux-tu?

Y : personal object pronoun; masculine or feminine; singular or plural. It is usually translated as : There.

From Elementary French, p. 204 — “The Pronoun Y is used to take the place of the preposition à (sometimes en and dans) and an object pronoun when the pronoun refers to a thing (rarely when it refers to a person). This occurs with all the various meanings of à, , at, in, etc.; . . . Observe that y often translates There.”

Comments

* The Vocabulary is newly created for this text, from all the words used in Guerber’s primers. The vocabulary provided by H. A. Guerber has been used often for the brief definitions. A second meaning has been added that is more commonly used in today's English speech that can be found in the usual modern French Dictionaries. The exact copy of Guerber's dictionary will have its own page at some point.

The best resource for beginner French students that I have found and explains grammar far better than any other I have found is the text Elementary French. by Fred Davis Aldrich, Irving Lysander Foster, and Claude Roulé, Revised Edition; Boston: Ginn And Company; 1922. The edition was written because all their ex-students who had gone to France in WWI had written them for copies of the first edition. Clearly they thought it was the most hopeful resource for them in at that time. Rightly so, too.

When that failed, as it frequently did, Bill Thayer, an expert in modern French, and not only bilingual, well-read, and wise but kind, very patient, and clear in his explanations, who pitched in with his help.

The handy-dandy code for the Tip Boxes, is the creation of Eric Bosrup: a javascript code called overlib.