Offering Ideas

and Issuing

Commands

MASTER THESE SKILLS

• Making proposals

• Giving commands

• Getting there

• Using the pronoun y

• Using idioms

• Using ce + être or il est

In this lesson you’ll learn how to be

persuasive when you make suggestions

and how to use commands to give and

receive directions.

MAKING PROPOSALS

In English, when you want to persuade someone to do something or go

somewhere, you ask, “How about . . . ?” or use the contraction Let’s.

The words that allow you to make suggestions are quite idiomatic and,

therefore, cannot be translated word for word from English to French.

There are several ways to get around this problem.

• Use the subject pronoun on (we, you, they, people, one) to refer to

an indefinite person. On always takes a third person singular verb

(il form) and has several different meanings in English. The active

construction with on is often used in French where the passive is

used in English: Ici on parle français.

Active: We (You, They, People, One) speak(s) French here.

Passive: French is spoken here.

You may use on + the third person singular conjugated form of any

verb to make a suggestion:

On danse? Shall we dance?

Si on allait à la discothèque? What if we went to the discotheque?

• Use avoir envie de + an infinitive to ask what a person feels like

doing: Avez-vous envie d’aller au cinéma? (Do you feel like going

to the movies?)

• Use vouloir + an infinitive to ask if a person wants to do something:

Voulez-vous aller au zoo? Do you want to go to the zoo?

Veux-tu aller au parc? Do you want to go to the park?

• Use the nous form of the verb to express “Let’s . . .”:

Allons à l’aquarium! Let’s go to the aquarium!

Regardons un film! Let’s watch a film!

NOTE

After certain short words ending in a pronounced vowel sound, such as

et (and), ou (or), où (where), and si (if), the form l’on may be used for

pronunciation purposes: si l’on tourne à gauche (if you turn to the left),

la chambre où l’on travaille (the room in which we work).

GIVING COMMANDS

Commands are most useful in directing people to locations. The subject

of a command is understood to be you, because you are being told where

to go or what to do.

There are two ways to say you in French: tu and vous. When tu is the

subject, the command is referred to as the familiar command, because tu

is used when speaking to a friend or family member. When vous is the

subject, the command is referred to as the polite command, as vous is

used when speaking formally. Vous is also the subject of a command

directed to more than one person; it is the only you pronoun that refers

to a plural subject.

To form a command, simply drop the subject pronoun. Use only the

correct conjugated verb form: Finis ton travail!/Finissez votre travail!

(Finish your work!)

The familiar tu command of -er verbs drops the final s from the conjugated

verb

in

both

regular

and

irregular

verbs:

Regarde le panneau! Look at the sign!

Descends du train! Get off the train!

Va à droite! Go to the right!

To make a command negative, put ne . . . pas around the conjugated

verb: Ne va pas à gauche. (Don’t go to the left.)

Irregular verbs follow the same rules as regular verbs except for:

AVOIR (TO HAVE) ÊTRE (TO BE) SAVOIR (TO KNOW)

(tu) aie sois sache

(vous) ayez soyez sachez

(nous) ayons soyons sachons

Commands with Reflexive Verbs

With reflexive verbs, the subject pronoun is dropped but the reflexive

pronoun must be used. In negative commands, the reflexive pronoun

precedes the verb:

Ne te lève pas tôt. Don’t get up early.

Ne vous réveillez pas tard. Don’t wake up late.

Ne nous dépêchons pas. Let’s not hurry.

In affirmative commands, the reflexive pronoun follows the verb and is

attached to it with a hyphen. After the verb, toi is used instead of te:

Lève-toi tôt. Get up early.

Réveillez-vous. Wake up.

Dépêchons-nous. Let’s hurry up.

GIVING AND RECEIVING DIRECTIONS

Here are the most frequently used verbs you will need to give or receive

directions:

DIRECTION TU FORM VOUS FORM

continue continue continuez

cross traverse traversez

get off descends descendez

go va allez

go down descends descendez

go up monte montez

pass passe passez

take prends prenez

turn tourne tournez

walk marche marchez

To give proper directions, you will need the names of the means of transportation.

When explaining the means of transportation a person will

take, you use a definite article (le, la, les): Prends l’autobus. (Take the

bus.) But when saying that someone travels by a certain means of transportation,

be

careful

to

use

the

correct

preposition

as

shown:

Means of Transportation

airplane en avion foot à pied

bicycle à bicyclette/à vélo motorcycle à moto

boat en bateau subway en métro

bus en bus taxi en taxi

car en automobile/en voiture

Je vais au supermarché à pied. I walk to the supermarket.

Il voyage en bus. He travels by bus.

Also use à + definite article (au, à la, à l’, aux) to express where to get

the transportation you need:

Vous allez à l’aéroport et vous prenez l’avion à la porte numéro six.

You go to the airport and you take the plane at gate number six.

Where to Go

to the airport à l’aéroport (m.)

to the bus stop à l’arrêt (m.) de bus

to the gate à la porte

to the platform au quai

to the station à la gare

to the taxi stand à l’arrêt (m.) de taxi

to the terminal au terminal

to the track à la voie

To give or receive adequate directions you also need the prepositions

and prepositional and adverbial phrases below showing location and

direction.

Giving and Receiving Directions

above dessus

alongside le long de

at à

at the bottom of au fond de

at the top of en haut de

at home à la maison

downtown en ville

far (from) loin (de)

from de

in the country à la campagne

in the direction of dans la direction de

nearby à proximité/près (de)

on the other side de l’autre côté

outside dehors

straight ahead tout droit

that way par là

this way par ici

to à

to the left à gauche

to the right à droite

underneath dessous

In English, when we give directions, we often refer to the number of

blocks a person has to walk. In French, a block is un pâté de maison,

which is a block of houses between two streets. To express how many

streets a person must pass, you would say: Prenez la troisième rue. (Take

the third street.)

Getting There

Understanding and giving directions is an important survival skill for those

traveling abroad. Should you get lost and find yourself in need of instructions,

the following sentences will prove useful. The blanks can be filled in

with

proper

names

or

a

tourist

attraction,

store,

sporting

event,

etc.

I’m lost. Je me suis perdu(e) [égaré(e)].

Can you tell me how to get to . . . ? Pouvez-vous me dire comment

aller . . . ?

Where is (are) . . . ? Où se trouve(nt) . . . ?

Being able to follow directions that are given to you will be of utmost

importance whether you are lost or simply looking for a place that you

can’t seem to locate:

It’s (Is it) far away.(?) C’est loin.(?)

It’s (Is it) nearby.(?) C’est tout près.(?)

It’s (Is it) this way.(?) C’est par ici.(?)

It’s (Is it) that way.(?) C’est par là.(?)

It’s (Is it) straight ahead.(?) C’est tout droit.(?)

Turn right (left) at the light. Tournez à droite (gauche) au feu.

Stop! Arrêtez!

Follow me. Suivez-moi.

It would be better to take (definite Il vaudrait mieux prendre (le, la, l’

article + means of transportation). + means of transportation).

And if you are far from your destination:

Is it to the north? C’est au nord? Is it to the east? C’est à l’est?

Is it to the south? C’est au sud? Is it to the west? C’est à l’ouest?

USING THE PRONOUN Y

The adverbial pronoun y (pronounced ee) means “there” when the place

has already been mentioned. Y can also mean “it,” “them,” “in it/them,”

“to it/them,” or “on it/them.” Y usually replaces the preposition à + the

noun object of the preposition but may also replace other prepositions of

location or position, such as chez, dans, en, sous, or sur + noun:

Je vais à Paris. I’m going to Paris.

J’y vais. I’m going there.

Il répond au téléphone. He answers the phone.

Il y répond. He answers it.

Nous restons à l’hôtel. We are staying in the hotel.

Nous y restons. We are staying in it.

Sometimes y is used in French but is not translated into English:

Vous allez au restaurant? Are you going to the restaurant?

—Oui, j’y vais. —Yes, I am going there.

Vous répondez au courrier? Are you answering the mail?

—Oui, j’y réponds. —Yes, I am.

The pronoun y is used to replace a preposition (à, en, dans) + noun of

place or location.

Tu vas à l’aéroport? Are you going to the airport?

—Oui, j’y vais. —Yes, I’m going there.

Le restaurant est dans la gare? Is the restaurant in the station?

—Oui, il y est. —Yes, it is.

Never use y to replace à + a person. Indirect object pronouns are used for

this purpose. They will be explained in greater detail in Chapter 10:00.

Positioning Y

In simple sentences, y is placed before the verb to which its meaning is

tied. When there are two verbs, y is placed before the infinitive:

Tu y vas. You are going there.

Tu n’y vas pas. You aren’t going there.

Tu veux y aller? Do you want to go there?

Tu ne veux pas y aller? Don’t you want to go there?

N’y va pas! Don’t go there!

The only time y follows the verb is in an affirmative command: Allez au

carnaval. (Go to the carnival.) Allez-y. (Go there.)

Affirmative familiar commands retain the final s from the conjugated

verb before y to prevent the clash of two vowel sounds. A liaison is made

between the final consonant of the verb and y: Va au parc d’attractions.

Vas-y. (vah-zee) (Go to the amusement park. Go there.)

In compound tenses, y is placed before the conjugated helping verb:

J’ai dormi une fois sous les étoiles. I once slept under the stars.

J’y ai dormi une fois. I once slept there.

J’ai dormi sous une tente. I slept in a tent.

J’y ai dormi. I slept there.

Il était allé en France. He had gone to France.

Il y était allé. He had gone there.

Nous serons rentrés à Paris. We will have returned to Paris.

Nous y serons rentrés. We will have returned there.

Elle aurait pensé à ses vacances. She would have thought

about her vacation.

Elle y aurait pensé. She would have thought

about them.

USING IDIOMS

In English, you use idioms and idiomatic expressions all the time without

even realizing that you are doing so. An example will help you

understand exactly how an idiom works. When you say, “She fell head

over heels for him,” you do not mean, in a literal sense, that she fell

head-first and tripped over her feet. To someone who doesn’t speak

English well, this sentence would be extremely confusing. But a native

speaker instinctively and immediately understands the underlying meaning

of

this

phrase—that

she

really

liked

him

a

lot.

Idioms occur in every language, are generally indigenous to that

specific language, and do not translate well from one language to the

next. If a French speaker were to say, Elle a du chien, that would mean

that she is attractive, even though the literal translation of the sentence

is, She has some dog.

Use these idioms to express your opinions and accentuate the positive:

still/all the same/ tout de même

nevertheless

as for me de ma part

in my opinion à mon avis

of course bien entendu/bien sûr

OK d’accord

on the contrary au contraire

really/utterly tout à fait

to tell the truth à vrai dire

without a doubt sans doute

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

If you would like to persuade someone to do something, positive reinforcement

is likely to work. Reinforce your opinions by using the words and

expressions below to help you convince even the most stubborn among us:

It’s a good idea! C’est une bonne idée!

It’s extraordinary! C’est extra!

It’s great! C’est chouette!

It’s important! C’est important!

It’s interesting! C’est intéressant!

It’s magnificent! C’est magnifique!

It’s marvelous! C’est merveilleux!

It’s super! C’est super!

COMPLAINTS

If you have persuaded someone to go along with you and the person is

not satisfied, you could expect to hear one of these phrases:

It’s boring! C’est embêtant!/C’es ennuyeux!/

C’est la barbe!

It’s disgusting! C’est dégoûtant!

It’s awful! C’est affreux!

It’s horrible! C’est horrible!

It’s ridiculous! C’est ridicule!

It’s unpleasant! C’est désagréable!

Combine an idiom with a positive or negative expression to form a stronger

sentence: À mon avis, c’est magnifique. (In my opinion, it’s magnificent.)

USING CE + ÊTRE OR IL EST

The pronoun ce (c’ before a vowel) (it, he, she, this, that, these, those) is

most frequently used with the verb être (to be): C’est or Ce sont. Ce

replaces il, elle, ils, and elles as the subject of the sentence in the following

constructions:

• Before a modified noun:

C’est une église. It’s a church.

C’est un musée intéressant That’s an interesting museum.

Ce sont de bons films These are good movies.

But:

Il est docteur [unmodified]. He’s a doctor.

• Before a name: C’est Marie. (It’s Marie.)

• Before a stress pronoun: C’est moi. (It is me.)

• Before a superlative: C’est la plus jeune fille.

(She’s the youngest girl.)

• In dates: C’est le trois mai. (It is May 3rd.)

• Before a masculine singular adjective that refers to a previously

mentioned idea or action:

Il est important. He is important.

—C’est évident. —That’s obvious.

Je peux vous aider? Can I help you?

—Ce serait inutile. —That would be useless.

• Before an adjective + à + infinitive:

C’est bon à savoir. That’s good to know.

C’est impossible à faire. That’s impossible to do.

Use il est in the following constructions:

• To express the hour of the day: Il est deux heures. (It’s two o’clock.)

• With an adjective before de + infinitive:

Il est bon de manger. It’s good to eat.

Il est facile de danser. It’s easy to dance.

• With an adjective before a clause beginning with que: Il est

important que je travaille. (It is important that I work.)

When pronouns refer to a preceding noun, il and elle are used:

Luc est mon frère. Luke is my brother. He is very friendly.

Il est très aimable.

J’adore cette cathédrale. I adore this cathedral. It is sensational.

Elle est sensationnelle.

Some adjectives can be used in impersonal expressions using il est +

adjective + de or c’est + adjective + à: Il est impossible de comprendre

son accent. (It’s impossible to understand his accent.) The following

adjectives are often used in impersonal expressions:

difficult difficile fair juste

doubtful douteux fun amusant

easy facile good bon

essential essentiel important important

impossible impossible scary effrayant

interesting intéressant surprising étonnant

nice gentil unfair injuste

necessary nécessaire urgent urgent

possible possible useful utile

NOTE

Although the English versions of the following sentences are identical,

they have two different meanings in French:

Il est intéressant de lire. It is interesting to read.

(Reading, in general, is interesting.)

C’est intéressant à lire. It is interesting to read.

(The material is interesting to read.)

TIME’S UP!

Without looking back, see if you can do the following:

1. Use on to suggest going to a restaurant.

2. Use the nous command to propose going to the zoo.

3. Ask where the Eiffel Tower (la tour Eiffel ) is.

4. Using an affirmative command, tell someone to go three blocks.

5. Using a negative command, tell someone not to go straight ahead.

6. Tell a friend to wake up early.

7. Using y, tell someone to go there.

8. Give a positive reason for going to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral.

9. Say that in your opinion, it’s great.

10. Give a negative reaction toward going to the theater.