Kilo Lingo

French · Chapter 1

Introduction to French

2 grammar primers, 1 story milestone.

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  1. Lesson 1 · Introduction

    Introduction to French

    Read this first. The orientation: how French works, what it costs in hours, what the apps get wrong, and how to use this curriculum.

  2. Lesson 2 · Vocabulary

    First words for sentences

    A pronoun, a few verbs, the things they act on. Enough to build a real French sentence by the end.

    1êtreto beverb
    3jeIpronoun
    11tuyou (informal singular)pronoun
    18faireto do, to makeverb
    25toutall, every, quite, everythingdeterminer
    45voirto seeverb
    57bongood, right, okay (adjective and interjection)adjective
    58icihereadverb
    65chosethingnoun
    82trèsveryadverb

  3. Lesson 3 · Grammar primer

    Word order in French

    Subject, verb, object - and the moments French bends the English order.

  4. Lesson 4 · Vocabulary

    More people, more words

    Subject pronouns for everyone else, plus the rest of the vocabulary you need for your first story.

    4avoirto haveverb
    14ilhe, it (masculine)pronoun
    27direto say, to tellverb
    34nouswe, uspronoun
    35elleshe, her, it (feminine)pronoun
    54commelike, as, such as, howconjunction
    84aussialso, too, as well, as (comparison)adverb

  5. Lesson 5 · Read a story

    Your first story in French

    Every word in this story comes from the lessons you've just finished. No lookups required.

  6. Lesson 6 · Vocabulary

    French articles

    The definite, indefinite, and partitive articles in one place: le / la / un / des / du / de. The next lesson covers when to use which, including the partitive that English doesn't have.

    2deof, frompreposition
    7lethe (masculine singular)definite-article
    9lathe (feminine singular)definite-article
    12una, an (masculine)indefinite-article
    28dessome, of the (plural indefinite and partitive article; also contraction of de + les)indefinite-article
    39dusome, any (masculine); of thepartitive-article

  7. Lesson 7 · Grammar primer

    French articles: when to use which

    Definite vs indefinite vs partitive - including du / de la / des, the article English speakers consistently drop and shouldn't. Plus the elision rules (l'eau, d'un) that make the difference between French that sounds native and French that sounds wrong.