Comptez en français

Before we go any further preparing our virtual trip to France, we need to learn to count in French. Counting in a new language is one of the most essential skills you can learn. So let’s get started with Alexa, who will pronounce each number for you. You may need to watch the video a few more times to practice.

Tout le monde ensemble! Comptons jusqu’à 20.

Très bien! Now, a little exercise to help you identify numbers 1-20.

Bravo! Let’s learn more with Alexa.

Compter jusqu’a 100

Moving beyond 20

The numbers 21-69 are straight forward, but what happens at 70? Take a look: 60+10!  Soixante-dix. And so begin your math exercises, en français! 

70-99

For 70-79, you’re really saying 60 + #.  So , for the number 74, for example, you’re actually saying 60 + 14 = soixante-quatorze.  Eccentric, I know, but great for developing math skills.  Notice, too, that you get to use multiplication next. 80 = 4 x 20. And for the 90s, put it all together: 90 = 4 x 20 + 10 Take a look: 

Beyond 100

To count beyond 100, do some more math. For example:

137 – cent trente-sept

454 – quatre cent cinquante-quatre

And Beyond!

1000 = mille

1999 = mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

2005 = deux mille cinq

2024 = deux mille vingt-quatre

Le Numéro de téléphone, l’adresse, et la prononciation

à Vous! Quel est votre numéro de téléphone à la française?

Pour aller plus loin

Quel est votre numéro de téléphone à la québecoise?

Quel est votre adresse?

___________________________________________

Les noms

Le masculin – le féminin

Le singulier – le pluriel

This brings up an important issue: what to count? We count nouns, of course! You remember what a noun is:  a person, place or thing.

In French nouns have a gender, either masculin or feminine, a rather curious notion for anglophones.  Some nouns are gendered obviously: a woman is a feminine noun, a boy is a masculine noun. The gender of a word in French can sometimes be identified by its ending – sometimes the ending might change according to gender, such as étudiant or étudiante. The best place to start with this rule is that most feminine nouns in French end in ‘e’.  Other nouns you have to memorize, such as a cell phone, un portable. It’s best to memorize the gender of each noun as you learn it.  Let’s explore this notion of gender a bit further.

Nouns can be either singular (just one) or plural (more than one). Plurals are often shown just by adding an s to the end, but of course, there are irregular plurals, exceptions which tend to follow a few guidelines. The noun endings influence how a plural form is constructed:

Most nouns ending in –eau or -eu add an –x in the plural.

la  femme, une femme (feminine noun)     les femmes. des femmes (plural feminine noun)     –      la chaise, une chaise (feminine noun)   les chaises, des chaises (plural feminine noun)

le garçon, un garçon (masculine noun)      les garçons, des garçons (plural masculine noun), l’homme, un homme (masculin noun). les hommes, des hommes  –   le stylo, un stylo (masculine noun)   les stylos, des stylos (plural masculine noun). Note that the l’ is used before a vowel or a silent h.

l’, le, la, and les are definite articles: the woman/women, the chair/chairs, the boy/boys, the man/the men, the pen/the pens

un, une, and des are indefinite articles : a woman/some women, a table/some tables, a boy/some boys, a pen/some pens

Note the difference in prononciation between le / les and de / des.

Let’s practice

Now, let’s count some common objects using the expression “Combien de … ?” We will answer with “Il y a … ”

Combien de femmes est-ce qu’il y a dans la class?  Il y a _____ femmes dans la salle de classe.

Combien d’hommes? Il y a _____ hommes dans la salle de classe.

Combien de chaises? Il y a _____ chaises dans la salle de classe.

Combien de professeurs? Il y a  …

Combien d’étudiants en totale?  (Attention! Un groupe d’hommes + femmes = on emploie le masculin.)

Il y a ____ étudiants dans la salle de classe.

Combien de chiens ? Attention! Il n’y a pas de chiens dans la salle de classe.