About This Lesson
Use Talking about reading to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?
kess-kuh tew LEE? What are you reading?
B
Je lis un livre court.
zhuh lee uhn LEE-vruh KOOR. I am reading a short book.
A
Tu aimes l'histoire ?
tew EM lees-TWAHR? Do you like the story?
B
Elle est facile à suivre.
el eh fa-SEEL ah SWEE-vruh. It is easy to follow.
A
Où est-ce que tu lis d'habitude ?
oo ESS-kuh tew lee dah-bee-TEWD? Where do you usually read?
B
Je lis d'habitude dans une pièce calme à la maison.
zhuh lee dah-bee-TEWD dah(n)z oon pee-ESS KAHLM ah lah meh-ZOHN. I usually read in a quiet room at home.
A
Ça a l'air calme.
sah ah LEHR KAHLM. That sounds calm.
B
Cela m'aide à profiter de mon temps libre.
suh-LAH MED ah proh-fee-TAY duh mohn TAHN LEE-vruh. It helps me enjoy my free time.Word by Word
Qu'est-ce
In 'Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?', Qu'est-ce introduces the question about what is being read. Its meaning works together with que as part of the full question expression. Use this expression to ask another person what they are doing or reading.
que
In 'Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?', que connects Qu'est-ce with the rest of the question. It does not carry the whole meaning of the question by itself. Use it as part of the question structure Qu'est-ce que + subject + verb.
tu
In 'Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?', tu means you and refers to the person being addressed. It is the subject of lis here. Use tu when speaking directly to one person in an informal context.
lis
In 'Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?', lis means read or are reading. It is the form used with tu here, and its citation form is lire. Use it with the thing being read, as in the dialogue question about what someone reads.
Je
In 'Je lis un livre court.', Je means I and identifies the speaker as the person reading. It is the subject of lis. Use Je before a verb to state what you do or are doing.
un
In 'un livre court', un means a or one and introduces one book. It is the article used before the masculine noun livre here. Use un before a singular masculine noun when introducing one item.
livre
In 'un livre court', livre means book. It is the thing being read in this dialogue. Use it after a word such as un when referring to one book.
court
In 'un livre court', court means short and describes the book. The form court agrees with livre here and follows the noun. Use it to describe a book that is short in length.
aimes
In 'Tu aimes l'histoire ?', aimes means like. It is the form used with tu in this question, and its citation form is aimer. Use aimer with the person or thing that someone likes.
l'histoire
In 'Tu aimes l'histoire ?', l'histoire means the story. The form combines the article l' with histoire and refers to a particular story. Use it as the thing that someone likes or reads.
Elle
In 'Elle est facile à suivre.', Elle means it and refers back to l'histoire, the story. It is the subject being described as easy to follow. Use Elle when referring back to a feminine noun such as histoire.
est
In 'Elle est facile à suivre.', est says that the story has the described quality. It links Elle with facile, and its citation form is être. Use it to connect a subject with a description.
facile
In 'Elle est facile à suivre.', facile means easy and describes the story. It is followed by à suivre in this construction. Use facile à + infinitive to describe an action that is easy to do.
à
In 'facile à suivre', à connects the adjective facile with the action suivre. The complete expression means easy to follow; à does not carry that whole meaning by itself. Use it in the pattern adjective + à + infinitive when the adjective takes this construction.
suivre
In 'facile à suivre', suivre means to follow and refers to following the story. It is the infinitive used after à. Use it after facile à when describing something that is easy to follow.
Où
In 'Où est-ce que tu lis d'habitude ?', Où means where and asks about the place of reading. It introduces a question about location. Use it when asking where an action happens.
est-ce
In 'Où est-ce que tu lis d'habitude ?', est-ce is part of the question structure that asks where the reading happens. Its function comes with Où and que, not by itself. Use it as part of the full question structure Où est-ce que + subject + verb.
d'habitude
In 'tu lis d'habitude', d'habitude means usually and marks a regular reading habit. It appears after lis in this sentence. Use it to say what someone normally does.
dans
In 'dans une pièce calme', dans means in and introduces the place where the reading happens. It is followed by the place expression une pièce calme. Use dans + a place to state where someone is or does something.
une
In 'une pièce calme', une means a or one and introduces one room. It is the feminine article used with pièce here. Use une before a singular feminine noun when introducing one item.
pièce
In 'dans une pièce calme', pièce means room. It identifies the place where the speaker usually reads. Use it after dans when referring to a room as a location.
calme
In 'une pièce calme', calme means quiet and describes the room. It follows pièce in this expression. Use it to describe a room or setting with little noise or activity.
la
In 'à la maison', la means the and appears before maison. Together, à la maison means at home; la contributes the definite article before the noun. Use la before a specific feminine noun in this type of phrase.
maison
In 'à la maison', maison means home or house, and the phrase refers to being at home. It follows la in this location expression. Use maison with à la to say that someone is at home.
Ça
In 'Ça a l'air calme.', Ça means that or it and points to the situation just described. The full expression says that the situation seems or sounds calm; this meaning comes together with a l'air. Use Ça as a subject when reacting to a situation or thing.
a
In 'Ça a l'air calme.', a contributes the meaning of has in the expression a l'air. Its citation form is avoir, and it is the form used with Ça here. Use it together with l'air and a description to comment on how something appears.
l'air
In 'Ça a l'air calme.', l'air is part of the expression a l'air calme, meaning seems or sounds calm. The l' is attached to air in this expression. Use a l'air + adjective to describe how something appears.
Cela
In 'Cela m'aide à profiter de mon temps libre.', Cela means it or that and refers to the reading activity or situation. It is the subject of m'aide. Use Cela when referring to an activity, fact, or situation as the subject of a sentence.
m'aide
In 'Cela m'aide à profiter de mon temps libre.', m'aide means helps me. It combines the speaker-focused object form m' with aide, from aider, and introduces the activity that is helped by à profiter. Use aider quelqu'un à + infinitive to say that something helps someone do an activity.
profiter
In 'profiter de mon temps libre', profiter means enjoy or make the most of. It is an infinitive after à in m'aide à profiter. Use profiter de + a thing or period of time to say that you enjoy or make good use of it.
de
In 'profiter de mon temps libre', de links profiter with the time being enjoyed. The full pattern profiter de + noun identifies what someone enjoys or makes the most of. Use it before the relevant thing or period of time.
mon
In 'mon temps libre', mon means my and shows that the free time belongs to the speaker. It comes before temps and agrees with that noun here. Use mon before a singular masculine noun to show possession by the speaker.
temps
In 'mon temps libre', temps means time. Together with libre, it refers to the speaker's free time. Use temps with a describing word such as libre when talking about a period of time.
libre
In 'mon temps libre', libre means free and describes temps. Together, the exact phrase means free time. Use libre after temps here to describe time that is not occupied by another activity.
Grammar Points
avoir l'air + adjectif
La pièce a l'air calme.
lah pee-ESS ah LEHR KAHLM.The room seems quiet.
Avoir l'air signifie « sembler ». L'adjectif décrit le sujet : la pièce a l'air calme.
French Vocabulary
aimes
verb
EM
like
Tu aimes l'histoire ?
calme
adj
KAHLM
quiet; calm
une pièce calme
court
adj
KOOR
short
un livre court
d'habitude
adv
dah-bee-TEWD
usually
tu lis d'habitude
facile
adj
fa-SEEL
easy
Elle est facile à suivre.
histoire
noun
ees-TWAHR
story
l'histoire
l'histoire
lis
verb
LEE
read; am reading
Je lis un livre court.
livre
noun
LEEV-ruh
book
un livre court
Où est-ce que
phrase
oo ESS-kuh
Where
Où est-ce que tu lis d'habitude ?
pièce
noun
pee-ESS
room
dans une pièce calme
Qu'est-ce que
phrase
kess-kuh
What
Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?
suivre
verb
SWEE-vruh
follow
facile à suivre
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
What are you reading?
Show Answer
Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?I am reading a short book.
Show Answer
Je lis un livre court.Do you like the story?
Show Answer
Tu aimes l'histoire ?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
short
Show Answer
courtlike
Show Answer
aimesfollow
Show Answer
suivrebook