Basic prices, weather, and discoveries | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic price, weather, and discoveries..

EN → FR / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Basic prices, weather, and discoveries to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

C'est combien ?

seh kohm-BYAN How much is this?
B

Tu habites où ?

tew ah-BEET OO Where do you live?
A

Il fait beau.

eel feh BOH The weather is nice.
B

Il pleut maintenant.

eel pluh meh(n)-tuh-NAHN It is raining now.
A

J'ai oublié mon téléphone.

zhay oo-blee-AY mohn tay-lay-FOHN I forgot my phone.
B

Je l'ai trouvé.

zhuh lay troo-VAY I found it.

Word by Word

C'est In "C'est combien ?", "C'est" means “is this/it” as part of asking the price of something. It is the contraction of "ce" and "est". Reuse the pattern "C'est ... ?" when identifying or asking about something.
combien In "C'est combien ?", "combien" asks how much something costs. It appears at the end of this price question. Use "combien" to ask about an amount or price.
Tu In "Tu habites où ?", "Tu" means “you” when speaking directly to one person. It is the subject of "habites" here. Use "Tu" when asking one person a familiar or informal question.
habites In "Tu habites où ?", "habites" means “live” and describes where the person lives. This exact form is used with the subject "Tu"; its citation form is "habiter". Reuse the pattern "Tu habites ... ?" to ask one person where they live.
où In "Tu habites où ?", "où" means “where” and asks for a place. It comes at the end of this spoken question. Use "où" when asking about a location.
Il In "Il fait beau" and "Il pleut maintenant", "Il" is the impersonal subject used in these weather expressions. Here it does not refer to a particular man. Use "Il" in common weather patterns such as "Il fait ..." and "Il pleut ...".
fait In "Il fait beau", "fait" helps express the weather, so the whole expression means that the weather is nice. This exact form is used after the impersonal subject "Il". Reuse the weather pattern "Il fait ..." with a weather description.
beau In "Il fait beau", "beau" describes pleasant or nice weather. Its meaning comes from the complete weather expression "Il fait beau", not from "beau" alone. Use "beau" in this expression when commenting that the weather is pleasant.
pleut In "Il pleut maintenant", "pleut" means “is raining”. This exact form is the form of "pleuvoir" used with the impersonal subject "Il". Use the pattern "Il pleut ..." to say that rain is falling.
maintenant In "Il pleut maintenant", "maintenant" means “now” and shows that the rain is happening at the present time. It comes after the weather statement here. Use "maintenant" to specify that something is happening now.
J'ai In "J'ai oublié mon téléphone", "J'ai" means “I have” and helps form the past expression with "oublié". It is the contraction of "Je" and "ai". Reuse "J'ai" before a past participle to describe something you have done or experienced.
oublié In "J'ai oublié mon téléphone", "oublié" means “forgotten” and describes forgetting the phone. It is the past participle of "oublier" used after "J'ai". Reuse the pattern "J'ai oublié ..." with the thing that was forgotten.
mon In "mon téléphone", "mon" means “my” and shows that the phone belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes directly before "téléphone". Use "mon" before a noun when referring to one thing as yours.
téléphone In "mon téléphone", "téléphone" means “phone”, the object that the speaker forgot. It follows the possessive word "mon". Reuse "téléphone" when talking about a phone in everyday situations.
Je In "Je l'ai trouvé", "Je" means “I” and is the subject of the sentence. It identifies the person who found something. Use "Je" to say what you do or what happens to you.
l'ai In "Je l'ai trouvé", "l'ai" combines "l'" meaning “it” with "ai", the form of “have” used after "Je". Together with "trouvé", it refers to the thing that was found. Reuse the pattern "Je l'ai ..." when referring to an already-mentioned object with a past action.
trouvé In "Je l'ai trouvé", "trouvé" means “found” and describes locating the previously mentioned object. It is the past participle of "trouver" used after "l'ai". Reuse the pattern "Je l'ai trouvé" when telling someone that you located something.

Grammar Points

Il fait + adjectif / Il pleut

Il fait beau. Il pleut maintenant.

eel feh BOH. eel pluh meh(n)-tuh-NAHN

The weather is nice. It is raining now.

French uses il in weather expressions, even though il does not refer to a specific person.

avoir + participe passé

J'ai oublié mon téléphone. Je l'ai trouvé.

zhay oo-blee-AY mohn tay-lay-FOHN. zhuh lay troo-VAY

I forgot my phone. I found it.

The passé composé uses avoir plus a past participle. l' replaces the previously mentioned téléphone.

French Vocabulary

beau adj
BOH nice
C'est combien ? phrase
seh kohm-BYAN How much is this?

Asking the price of something.

combien adv
kohm-BYAN how much
habites verb
ah-BEET live
Il fait beau. phrase
eel feh BOH The weather is nice.

A common expression used to describe nice weather.

J'ai oublié mon téléphone. phrase
zhay oo-blee-AY mohn tay-lay-FOHN I forgot my phone.
Je l'ai trouvé. phrase
zhuh lay troo-VAY I found it.
maintenant adv
meh(n)-tuh-NAHN now
où adv
OO where
oublié verb
oo-blee-AY forgot
pleut verb
PLUH is raining
téléphone noun
tay-lay-FOHN phone

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

How much is this?

Show AnswerC'est combien ?

Where do you live?

Show AnswerTu habites où ?

The weather is nice.

Show AnswerIl fait beau.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

now

Show Answermaintenant

how much

Show Answercombien

is raining

Show Answerpleut

nice

Show Answerbeau