Salut chers amis (Hello dear friends)!
We hope you've been enjoying your grammar classes on Ma Petite France.
It is another beautiful day and moment, I welcome you to another episode of French Grammar for Beginners on Ma Petite France.
First were the french subject pronouns otherwise known as personal pronouns, after that we moved on to the uses of some important french verbs that are needed for day-to-day conversation ; (être = to be, avoir = to have & aller = to go).
Through these verbs and their uses, you may have noticed that understanding the culture of a language also helps in the correct use of its grammar. For example, to say "I am fine" in French, it would be wrong to use the verb "être" and then say "Je suis bien". Even though translating that word for word would mean "I am fine", the culture of the language doesn't permit it to be said that way. The French would rather use the verb "aller" and say "Je vais bien" which, if translated word for word, would mean "I am going fine". But, that's just the French way of saying "I am fine".
You can also consider saying one's age. Where the English would say "I am - Je suis", the French would say "J'ai = I have" to say one's age.
For example : I am 10 years old = J'ai 10 ans. If we translate the French version word for word, what we would have is "I have 10 years". It is funny that the French are not their age but they possess their age. Not understanding this kind of culture of the language may lead to a misuse of its grammatical components.
Today, we will just be giving you a short and brainstorming exercise to see how much you've been able to retain from the series of verbs treated.
How best can you translate the following sentences?
I am cold = Je suis froid OR J'ai froid ?
How are you = Comment êtes vous OR Comment allez vous ?
He is a lawyer = Il est avocat OR Il est un avocat ?
How old are you = Quel âge avez-vous OR Quel âge as-tu ?
She is a singer = Elle est chanteur OR Elle est chanteuse ?
Now, go through the previous classes on the use of these 3 verbs and see if you've done well in answering the questions. If you're able to get all correctly, I say bravo. If you missed any, I believe you already know what the right thing is supposed to be.
Kindly drop your questions in the comment box for clarity.
Bonne journée (have a nice day)!
