How to use the verb 'to be' in French
The verb 'to be' is Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. in French.
Êٰ is the most frequently used verb in French and it can be used in lots of different ways, including describing people and things, giving opinions and saying where you are.
How to form 'êٰ'
Êٰ is an irregular verb. Regular verbs follow the same pattern, but irregular verbs don’t.
If you want to say 'I am' in French, you say:
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – I am
The form of êٰ changes as the person doing the verb changes.
French | English |
---|---|
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | You are |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | He is |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | She is |
Asking questions using 'êٰ'
To change a statement into a question, you add a question mark.
When writing the question in French, you leave a space between the final word and the question mark.
When you are asking the question, you stress the end of the sentence by saying the last syllable in a higher pitch. This is called rising intonation.
Can you hear the difference between these statements and questions?
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – You are happy
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – Are you happy?
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – You are tired
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – Are you tired?
When can I use 'êٰ'?
Describing yourself
You can use the verb to describe yourself.
Remember when describing somebody in French, the spelling of some adjectives can change depending the person you are describing.
For example, if the person you are describing is female, you will need the feminine form of the adjective.
If the person is male, you will need the masculine form of the adjective.
You can learn more about this in French grammar: Adjectives.
Form of adjective | French | English |
---|---|---|
masculine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am happy (boy) |
feminine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am happy (girl) |
masculine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am tall (boy) |
feminine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am tall (girl) |
masculine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am short (boy) |
feminine | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am short (girl) |
Describing others
You can also describe other people.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – He is happy
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – She is happy
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – He is tall
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – She is tall
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – He is small
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – She is small
Describing things
A useful word to use when describing things is c'est (it is). This is formed using the word for 'it' ce (it) followed by est (is) from the verb êٰ.
Did you notice how ce becomes c' when it appears before a vowel? This makes it easier to say.
- ce + est = c'est
You can use c'est to say what something is.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s an apple
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s a dog
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s a horse
You can say something is yours.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s my apple
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s my cap
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s my dog
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s my horse
You can ask where something is.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – Where is my book?
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s here
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – It’s there
Key French words
French | English |
---|---|
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | a cat |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | a horse |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | a dog |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | tired |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | big / tall |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | happy |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | a book |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | small / short |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | an apple |
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | sad |
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