Reviewing words with cards | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Je veux réviser ces mots.

   I want to review these words.

   Je veux

   I want

   réviser

   to review

   ces

   these

   mots

   words

   More detail

   Je veux means “I want” here. veux is the first-person singular present form of vouloir (“to want”): je veux, tu veux, il/elle veut. French commonly places an infinitive after vouloir to name the desired action: Je veux apprendre. — “I want to learn.” réviser is an infinitive meaning “to review” or “to revise.” After veux, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. Example: Je veux réviser. — “I want to review.” ces means “these” here. It is a plural demonstrative determiner placed before the noun. Its singular counterparts include ce before many masculine singular nouns and cette before feminine singular nouns; ces is used for both grammatical genders in the plural. Example: ces livres — “these books.” mots means “words.” It is the plural of mot (“word”); the plural is formed in writing with -s, which is normally not pronounced. Example: un mot — “a word”; des mots — “words.” Together, Je veux + the infinitive réviser expresses the speaker’s desire to review, and ces mots identifies the words as “these words.” The complete utterance means: “I want to review these words.”

2. Utilisons ces cartes de mots.

   Let's use these word cards.

   Utilisons

   let’s use

   ces

   these

   cartes

   cards

   mots

   words

   More detail

   Utilisons is the first-person plural imperative of utiliser (“to use”). It is the form used to propose an action shared by the speaker and at least one other person: Utilisons ce livre. — “Let’s use this book.” The same spelling can also be a present-tense indicative form (“we use”), so the proposal meaning here comes from the utterance’s function and the fixed translation. ces is the plural demonstrative determiner meaning “these” here. It agrees with the plural noun cartes; it does not itself express a number beyond the noun’s plural form. Its singular counterparts include ce before a suitable masculine singular noun, cet before a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel sound, and cette with a feminine singular noun. cartes is the feminine plural of carte, “card.” The singular is une carte; the plural is formed by adding -s, which is generally not pronounced. In ces cartes de mots, it is the main noun of the noun phrase. mots is the plural of the masculine noun mot, “word.” The plural is mots; its final -s is generally silent. In cartes de mots, de links the two nouns: the cards are associated with or intended for words, giving the reusable pattern cartes de + noun for “... cards” related to a subject. Together, Utilisons ces cartes de mots means “Let’s use these word cards.” The shared proposal comes from Utilisons; ces cartes identifies the cards as plural and demonstratively specified; and de mots specifies their relation to words.

3. Je ne me souviens pas de ce mot.

   I can't remember this one.

   Je

   I

   ne … pas

   not

   me

   reflexive marker

   souviens

   remember

   de

   of/about

   ce

   this

   mot

   word

   More detail

   Je is the first-person singular subject pronoun, meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person doing the remembering. A useful contrast is je “I” versus tu “you” for one addressee. ne ... pas surrounds the conjugated verb to make a standard negative clause in French. Here, ne comes before me souviens and pas comes after it; together they give the intended negative meaning. In less formal spoken French, ne is often omitted, but it is present in this fixed sentence. me is the first-person singular reflexive clitic required by the pronominal verb se souvenir. It refers back to the subject Je; here it is not an emphatic English-style “myself.” The related forms change with the subject: je me souviens, tu te souviens, and il/elle se souvient. souviens is the first-person singular present form of se souvenir, “to remember.” The useful construction is se souvenir de + something, using de before what is remembered. The form is not the ordinary non-pronominal verb souvenir; the verb used here is the pronominal expression se souvenir. For example, Je me souviens de cette phrase. means “I remember this sentence.” de introduces the thing remembered after se souvenir. In this construction, it is not best learned as an isolated English “of/about”; memorize the reusable pattern se souvenir de + noun or se souvenir de + clause. ce is a demonstrative determiner meaning “this” here. It is masculine singular because it modifies the masculine singular noun mot; the form is not chosen merely because the noun is singular. Before a vowel sound, the masculine singular form commonly becomes cet, as in cet exemple “this example.” mot is a noun meaning “word.” Its plural is mots, written with a final s that is normally not pronounced. In the fixed sentence, it refers to the word being discussed in the learning context. Together, Je me souviens de ce mot means “I remember this word.” Placing ne ... pas around the verb phrase changes it to the negative: Je ne me souviens pas de ce mot. The complete utterance therefore means “I can't remember this one,” with ce mot supplying the thing that the speaker cannot remember.

4. Regarde la phrase d'exemple.

   Look at the example sentence.

   Regarde

   look

   phrase

   sentence

   d'exemple

   of example

   More detail

   Regarde is the imperative form of regarder (“to look”). It addresses one person with the informal singular tu form; the subject pronoun is normally omitted in this command. Compare Regardez, used for vous (more than one person or a formal singular addressee). Example: Regarde ici. — “Look here.” phrase means “sentence” here. It is a feminine noun: une phrase (“a sentence”), la phrase (“the sentence”). Its plural is phrases. Example: Cette phrase est courte. — “This sentence is short.” d'exemple means “of example” and specifies what kind of sentence is meant. It is de followed by exemple; before a vowel sound, de is written d'. The pattern un/une + noun + d'exemple can identify an example item, as in un mot d'exemple — “an example word.” Together, Regarde gives the command “look,” la phrase identifies the sentence, and d'exemple specifies it as an example sentence. The complete utterance therefore means “Look at the example sentence.”

5. La phrase m'aide à m'en souvenir.

   The sentence helps me remember it.

   La phrase

   the sentence

   m'aide

   helps me

   m'en souvenir

   remember it

   More detail

   La phrase means “the sentence” here. phrase is a feminine singular noun, so it appears with the definite article la. Une phrase d'exemple means “an example sentence”; that is a useful related expression, while the fixed sentence itself says only “the sentence.” m'aide is the present-tense form of aider with a third-person singular subject: la phrase aide. The initial m' is the elided form of me, meaning “me”; the vowel is omitted before aide. French commonly uses aider quelqu'un à + infinitive for “help someone do something.” Example: Cette méthode m'aide à comprendre. — “This method helps me understand.” m'en souvenir contains the pronominal infinitive se souvenir, “to remember,” with the reflexive pronoun changing according to the subject: me souvenir is used with “I.” The verb is normally used with de: se souvenir de quelque chose. Here, en replaces de plus the thing remembered, so the expression means “remember it” in this context. The exact thing is not named in this sentence; en refers to something understood from the context. Example: Je veux m'en souvenir. — “I want to remember it.” Together, La phrase m'aide à m'en souvenir has the pattern [subject] aider [person] à + infinitive: “The sentence helps me remember it.” La phrase is the thing providing help, m' identifies the person receiving help, and à m'en souvenir states what that help makes easier.

6. Essaie une autre carte et regarde d'abord la phrase d'exemple.

   Try another card and check the example first.

   Essaie

   try

   une autre

   another

   carte

   card

   regarde

   look at; check

   d'abord

   first

   phrase d'exemple

   example sentence

   More detail

   Essaie is the 2nd-person singular imperative of essayer (“to try”). The imperative addresses one person informally and has no written subject here: Essaie cette carte. — “Try this card.” The form is essaie, not the infinitive essayer. une autre means “another” here. autre agrees in number with the noun it describes, but its form is the same for masculine and feminine singular: un autre livre / une autre carte. The feminine singular article une agrees with carte; it does not by itself state a numerical count. carte is a feminine noun meaning “card” in this learning context. Its plural is cartes: J’ai deux cartes. — “I have two cards.” regarde is the 2nd-person singular imperative of regarder (“to look at; to check”). Like Essaie, it addresses one person informally and has an understood tu: Regarde la phrase. — “Look at the sentence.” Here, the intended sense is “check” the example sentence. d’abord is an adverb meaning “first” or “at first,” depending on context. In this utterance it orders the checking action: check the example sentence first. For example, Lis d’abord la question. means “Read the question first.” phrase d’exemple means “example sentence.” phrase is a feminine noun meaning “sentence” or, in some contexts, “phrase.” d’exemple is the shortened form of de exemple and identifies the sentence as an example. Compare une phrase courte — “a short sentence.” Together, Essaie une autre carte gives “Try another card.” The coordinated imperative regarde d’abord la phrase d’exemple adds “check the example sentence first.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Try another card and check the example first.”

7. Je vais essayer la carte suivante maintenant.

   I will try the next card now.

   Je vais

   I am going to

   essayer

   try

   carte

   card

   suivante

   next

   maintenant

   now

   More detail

   Je vais introduces the near future with the present form vais of aller, followed by an infinitive: Je vais essayer = “I am going to try” / “I will try.” The subject Je is first-person singular. Compare Je vais lire = “I am going to read.” essayer is the infinitive “to try.” After vais, French uses the infinitive, not a finite form. The same verb can be used in a simple present form such as j’essaie (“I try” or “I am trying”), but that is a different construction. carte is a feminine singular noun meaning “card” here. Its article is la in la carte; the noun itself is carte. A useful plural form is les cartes (“the cards”). suivante means “next” here and agrees with the feminine singular noun carte. Its base form is suivant; the feminine form adds -e: une carte suivante. In this sentence, the adjective follows the noun: la carte suivante = “the next card.” maintenant means “now” and indicates the time of the action. It can be placed at the end, as here, or at the beginning: Maintenant, je vais essayer la carte suivante. (“Now I am going to try the next card.”) Together, Je vais essayer expresses a planned or imminent action, la carte suivante identifies the object being tried, and maintenant places the action in the present moment. The complete utterance means: “I will try the next card now.”

8. Lis d'abord la phrase, puis dis le mot.

   Read the sentence first, then say the word.

   Lis

   read

   d'abord

   first

   phrase

   sentence

   puis

   then

   dis

   say

   mot

   word

   More detail

   Lis is the imperative of lire (“to read”) for one person addressed with tu. The imperative gives a direct instruction. Compare Lisez for a formal singular addressee or for several people. Example: Lis ce livre. — “Read this book.” d'abord means “first” or “first of all” and marks the action that should happen before the next one. Example: Écoute d'abord. — “Listen first.” la phrase means “the sentence.” Phrase is a feminine noun, so the definite article is la; this gender belongs to the noun, not to the imperative Lis. Example: La phrase est courte. — “The sentence is short.” puis means “then” and links a later step to an earlier one. It is close in function to ensuite, also meaning “then/afterwards.” Example: Lis, puis écris. — “Read, then write.” dis is the imperative of dire (“to say” or “to tell”) for one person addressed with tu. Its spelling is different from lis, although both are short tu imperatives. Example: Dis la vérité. — “Tell the truth.” le mot means “the word.” Mot is a masculine noun, so the definite article is le. Example: Ce mot est nouveau. — “This word is new.” The full pattern is Lis ... , puis dis ...: two instructions in sequence. Lis d'abord la phrase means “Read the sentence first”; puis dis le mot means “then say the word.” Together, the utterance means: “Read the sentence first, then say the word.”