Speaking
Now that you know how to greet someone and introduce yourself, it is time to learn some small talk! Today, we are going to cover some common questions that will come up in introductory conversations, like where someone is from and their nationality. An easy way to keep a conversation going is to memorize these questions/statements; that gets the job done, even if you do not have a good grasp of the ins and outs of French grammar just yet.
Note: Some words have brackets, which indicate the translation for a woman. They are usually pronounced by elongating the e. In the case of the ne, it is pronounced like en, as in been.
Where you’re from:
Listen to Track 29
D’où êtes-vous? - Where are you from? (formal)
D’où venez-vous? - Where do you come from? (formal)
Où habitez-vous? - Where do you live? (formal)
Tu es d’où? - Where are you from? (familiar)
Tu viens d’où? - Where do you come from? (familiar)
Où est-ce que tu habites? - Where do you live? (familiar)
Où habites-tu? - Where do you live? (familiar)
Je suis (originaire) de (+ ville) - I am (originally) from (+ city)
Je viens de (+ ville) - I come from (+ city)
J’habite à (+ ville) - I live in (+ city)
Ma ville natale est… - My hometown is…
Age/Marital Status:
Listen to Track 30
J’ai…ans. – I am…years old.
Je suis célibataire (marié[e]) - I am single (married)
Nationality:
Listen to Track 31
Je suis…(+ nationalité) - I am (+ nationality)
africain(e) – African
allemand(e ) – German
américain(e) - American
anglais(e) – English
australien(ne) – Australian
belge – Belgian
canadien(ne) – Canadian
chinois(e) – Chinese
égyptien(ne) – Egyptian
espagnol(e) – Spanish
français(e) – French
indien(ne) – Indian
irlandais(e) – Irish
italien(ne) – Italian
japonais(e) – Japanese
marocain(e) – Moroccan
mexicain(e) – Mexican
néerlandais(e) – Dutch
polonais(e) – Polish
portugais(e) – Portuguese
russe – Russian
sénégalais(e) – Senegalese
suédois(e) – Swedish
suisse – Swiss