How to Form the Plural in French - Part 2 of 4

Those who grow up speaking English have it fairly easy when it comes to forming the plural of words (talking about more than one of a certain thing). Most of the time we just add s.

There are exceptions, though, which can make English a complicated language to learn.

Here are some examples of irregular plurals:
man > men
mouse > mice
deer > deer

Just as there are different ways to show the plural in English, there are also different ways to show the plural in French.

One of the commonest of these is to add x instead of s at the end of a word. Here are some examples in French:

chapeau = hat
chapeaux = hats

manteau = coat
manteaux = coats

Can you think of some other French words that form the plural by adding the letter x?
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How to Form the Plural in French - Part 1 of 4

Thankfully for those English speakers who are trying to learn French, the most common way to form the plural (showing more than one of something) in French is also the easiest! It is the same as in English, just add s!

Before we get too excited, though, there are some other things we need to remember!

The final s that we add in English is pronounced. It can be pronounced like s, as in cups, or like z, as in birds, but it is spoken aloud to let the listener know that the speaker is referring to more than one of a particular thing.

French isn't quite so obvious. The final s is added, yes, but this s is not usually pronounced. French lets you know the noun is plural by the article (like the or a in English) that goes with it, either les or des.

The English equivalent would be either the, which doesn't tell how many in English, or some or any, which also doesn't necessarily say a lot about quantity: "I would like some orange juice, please."

les = the
des = some, any

la tasse (la TAS) = the cup
les tasse (lay TAS) = the cups

une tasse (eeoon* TAS) = a cup, one cup
des tasses (day TAS) = some cups, any cups

Paul veut une tasse de café. Avez-vous des tasses?
= Paul wants a cup of coffee. Do you have any cups?

So remember to use les or des to show the plural when you are speaking.

*This French u sound can be tricky to pronounce! Hold your tongue and teeth like you are saying "ee" and your lips like you are saying "oo" in food.
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Forming the Negative in French - ne...pas

To form the negative in French, we usually use two little words, ne and pas. We place ne in front of the verb and pas after the verb. English mostly gets by with one word, not. For example:

French - je vais - je ne vais pas
English - I am going - I am not going

We can see that ne and not are very similar; both can make the sentence negative. But where does this extra little word "pas" come from?

The word "pas" in French also has another meaning. It is a noun that means "step," as in to take a step forward. If you are a ballet fan, you have heard of the expression "pas de deux" used to describe a dance for two people.

Linguists tell us that the use of "pas" as a negative came from people using pas in its original meaning of a step.

Just as in English we might say "I am not walking one step," in French the expression at one time was "je ne march pas," with the meaning of "I am not walking a step."

This use of "pas" became extended to apply in other cases also, and so evolved into the present day use of "pas" in most negative sentences.

This process of turning a noun into a grammatical word is called "grammaticalization" by those who study the history and evolution of languages. The French use of "pas" is just one example of this.

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French Adjectives - Agreement in Colour Words

French colour words, like other adjectives, must change their forms depending on whether the nouns they are describing are masculine (le/un words) or feminine (la/une words) and singular or plural.

Eg. le crayon noir (the black pencil)
      les crayons noirs (the black pencils)
      la chaussure noire (the black shoe)
      les chaussures noires (the black shoes)

Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine Plural
vert	verts	verte	vertes
noir	noirs	noire	noires
violet	violets	violette	violettes
brun	bruns	brune	brunes
gris	gris	grise	grises
bleu	bleus	bleue	bleues
blanc	blancs	blanche	blanches

The colours below are the same whether they are masculine or feminine.

Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine Plural
rouge	rouges	rouge	rouges
jaune	jaunes	jaune	jaunes
rose	roses	rose	roses
orange	oranges	orange	oranges

Can you translate the colours in the chart above?

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French Adjectives - Agreement in Number and Gender

French adjectives can change their forms depending on whether the nouns they describe are masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Usually the feminine form adds “e” to the masculine adjective. This can change the pronunciation of the adjective by causing the final consonant to be pronounced.


Eg.: The dog is small.
     ms Le chien est petit. (puh-TEE)

The mouse is small.
     fs La souris est petite. (puh-TEET)


The plural form adds “s.” This “s” is almost never pronounced.

Eg.: The dogs are small.
     mp Les chiens sont petits. (puh-TEE)

The mice are small.
     fp Les souris sont petites. (puh-TEET)

In English, the adjective doesn't change,but in French it must agree in number (singular or plural) and in gender (masculine or feminine) with the noun that it is describing. Remember this when you are using any French adjective, especially colour words.

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Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

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aller = to go

Aller means to go in French. Aller is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow a particular pattern when it is conjugated. Take some time to memorize this important verb!

I go = je vais
you go = tu vas
he goes = il va
she goes = elle va
we go = nous allons
you go = vous allez
they go = ils vont, elles vont

For more information on aller, look for the free slideshow at nallenart.org.
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