Presenting and identifying · French grammar A1

First exchanges: Bonjour, je m’appelle…#

Use

The first exchanges of a conversation are learnt as set phrases: a greeting, the name, where one is from, how one is, and the age. They are built on être (je suis, tu es), on avoir for the age, and on s’appeler for the name, whose forms are studied later.

Bonjour, je m’appelle Claire Martin.Hello, my name is Claire Martin.
Tu t’appelles comment ? — Hugo. Et toi ?What’s your name? — Hugo. And you?
Vous êtes d’où, monsieur ? — Je suis de Montréal.Where are you from, sir? — I’m from Montreal.
Quel âge as-tu ? — J’ai dix ans, et ma sœur a sept ans.How old are you? — I’m ten, and my sister is seven.
Comment ça va ? — Très bien, merci. Et vous ?How are you? — Very well, thank you. And you?
Enchanté, madame Leroy.Pleased to meet you, Mrs Leroy.

Bonjour is said to anyone, at any time of day; salut (“hi”) only to a friend. Enchanté is written enchantée when a woman says it. The question is returned with Et toi ? to a friend and Et vous ? to a stranger.

Difference from English

English asks the name with what; French asks it with comment (“how”) or quel (Quel est votre nom ?), never with quoi. The age is given with avoir: “I am ten” is j’ai dix ans. In “Where are you from?”, from is left at the end; in French, de comes before où and the two are written d’où.

Common mistakes

~~Quoi tu t’appelles ?~~ → Comment tu t’appelles ?The name is asked with comment.
~~Je suis dix ans.~~ → J’ai dix ans.The age is given with avoir.
~~Tu es de où ?~~ → Tu es d’où ?Before où, de becomes d’.

→ See also: Asking a question (A1)

Practise

“Presenting and identifying: bonjour, être, c'est”, Introducing yourself: Bonjour, je suis Anna “Presenting and identifying: bonjour, être, c'est”, Who, where, how: qui, où, comment, quel âge

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Presenting: c’est, ce sont, voici, voilà, il y a#

Use

C’est is used to present a person or a thing: C’est Marc. Before a plural noun, the careful form is ce sont; in speech, c’est is often used there too. Voici is used for what is near, voilà for what is farther away; in speech, voilà is used for both. Il y a is used to say that something exists or is somewhere: it translates “there is” and “there are”, and it is invariable.

C’est mon professeur de musique.That’s my music teacher.
Ce sont les amis de Léa.They are Léa’s friends.
Voici ma chambre, et voilà la salle de bains.Here is my bedroom, and there is the bathroom.
Il y a trois chambres dans l’appartement.There are three bedrooms in the flat.

The negative of il y a is il n’y a pas de: Il n’y a pas de boulangerie dans ce village. The negative of c’est is ce n’est pas.

Common mistake

~~Il y sont des chats.~~ → Il y a des chats.Il y a is formed with avoir and does not change before a plural noun.

Practise

“Presenting and identifying: bonjour, être, c'est”, This is, here is: c'est, ce sont, voici, voilà “Prepositions of place and time: dans, à, en, chez, the clock”, There is, there are: il y a

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He, she or it is: c’est or il est#

Use

Both c’est and il est (elle est) can translate “he is”, “she is” or “it is”. Il est and elle est are followed by an adjective, or by a job or a nationality without an article: Il est boulanger. C’est is followed by a noun with an article or a determiner: C’est un serveur, C’est mon frère. With no particular noun in mind, c’est + adjective makes a general comment: C’est cher.

Elle est médecin.She is a doctor.
C’est un médecin très connu.He is a very well-known doctor.
J’aime ta robe : elle est très belle.I like your dress: it is very beautiful.
Paris en été ? C’est magnifique !Paris in summer? It’s wonderful!

Difference from English

“He is a teacher” has an article in English and none in French: il est professeur. When the job has an article, as it does when an adjective is added, c’est is used: c’est un serveur très gentil.

Common mistake

~~Il est un acteur.~~ → Il est acteur. / C’est un acteur.After il est, a job is used without an article.

In short

Form	Followed by	Example
je m’appelle, je suis	a name	Je m’appelle Hugo.
je suis de	a town	Vous êtes d’où ?
j’ai	the age, with ans	J’ai dix ans.
c’est, ce sont	article or determiner + noun; a name	C’est un acteur.
il est, elle est	adjective; job or nationality without article	Elle est anglaise.
voici, voilà	what is shown	Voilà le bus !
il y a	what exists, singular or plural	Il y a des pommes.

Practise

“Presenting and identifying: bonjour, être, c'est”, c'est vs il est

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