120 Comments
It would me good to be given a list of verb conjugation. Especially for irregular verbs such as 'boire'
when you it says you are shown a new word you hover over it then select conjugate and it will give you a list, everytime...
1693
Since this comment was posted, much has changed. Read the Tips & Notes to get information about how to conjugate verbs. Get used to the idea that you may need to use other resources:
- Dictionaries (Larousse, WordReference, Reverso, etc)
- General information, such as http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/Introduction-To-French-Verbs.htm
- Conjugation web sites, e.g., http://www.conjugation-fr.com/index.html
There are 3 types of verbs (EXCLUDING REFLEXIVE)- ER,IR,RE. END ER. IR. RE JE. E. IS. S TU. ES. IS. S IL. E. IT. - ELLE. E. IT. - ON. E. IT. - NOUS. ONS ISSONS. ONS VOUS. EZ. ISSEZ. EZ ILS. ENT. ISSENT. ENT ELLES. ENT. ISSENT. ENT
REMEMBER THE DIFFERENT VERB ENDINGS AS- E, ES,E ....ONS EZ ENT IS,IS, IT.... ISSONS ISSEZ ISSENT S,S, NOTHING...ONS EZ ENT
Hopefully this helps xxx It took me 15minutes 2 write out
- 697
You need to put it in tables to make it understandable. Just writing the endings out like that, all mushed together, isn't helpful. Sorry you wasted 15 minutes. If you're up to spending more time, put it in a table (or find one already done) and post a screenshot of it.
When I hover over the word, the drop-down box says that "bois" means wood, antler, timber.
Is there a way to differentiate between the meanings without having a pronoun?
The actual verb, to drink, is boire. When conjugated in the present tense first person it is Je bois.
Le bois is also the word for wood. Sounds the same but is totally different.
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not just homophones (words that sound the same), but homonyms (words that are spelled and pronounced the same)
Yes, with the article, it's always the noun (wood), and with a pronoun, it's always the verb. It's not so difficult.
Does "i'm drinking" have the same connotation in french as it does in english? You know, "drinking" used alone means drinking alcohol.
How do you know if they are meaning I drink or I am drinking? Both are accepted as correct, but in English they are two very different thinks. Is there no continuous word form or whatever in French?
In French, we have no problem to guess if it's "I drink" or "I'm drinking", the context always make it clear.
Je bois du thé quand je rentre à la maison = I drink tea when I come home.
Je bois du thé, mais j'ai encore soif = I'm drinking tea but I'm still thirsty.
Je suis en train de boire, yes, = I'm drinking. But don't use it often in French, we never use it unless we are forced to give this precision.
perce-neige- In Quebec we use often this expression : en train de. On the phone, you call me and you want to know what I was doing, I will answer, je suis en train de regarder la télé / I,m watching tv.., more often than je regarde la télé.
It's really difficult to hear what she's saying with "bois." It sounds like "oo-ah" with no beginning consonant at all.
You almost got it. Add a "b" and you almost have it! It's pronounced "bowa" or "boa". (both are correct, "boa" when you speak fast)
The beginning consonant are pronounced softer in French than in English, you have to get your ear trained to that.
I am writing the exact translation the app provides but it keeps saying I am wrong
my answer should have been accepted what do you guys think?"joasdhgifvucnewrfghkrjqleafvhuiydwciuv whiefudhnfcvoiwuhbuyg5btuirnfhiucqh w8e5ltwiug834y2732416726r5t47g8bhuvh73hy8djufh8yrgjviefhuh4uiwiuhiegiuh5uihiufh4uih87yf87dyhuchsiduhcvuhg3874hfuhu4h87u9hfiwuhciuhbvjuhiehrfiugvy8g987ho3q4uigryi32fe anne".
does this mean drinking beer, alcoale or drinking water and coco cola
(sorry my grammer is kinda bad)
so I've been trying to look this word up "bois" I cannot find anything any where that suggests it means "drink". Google translate suggests bois only refers to wood or timber but "boit" is drinks, and does not imply "drink" or anything wood related. this is rather confusing and a bit of clarification would be nice.
French verb "boire":
http://www.verb2verbe.com/conjugation/french-verb/boire.aspx
In the future, don't rely only on Google translate. In this sentence, "bois" is obviously a verb...so, go to Google, type in "French verb bois" and the first link that pops up is this:
http://french.about.com/od/verb_conjugations/a/boire.htm
Hope that helps!
Google translate is horrible sometimes. Especially with languages like french where words can have four different meanings.
Yes, and avoid it for conjugations, it mixes all the conjugations together, not trustable, only for pronounciation, but forvo.com is still better.
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Try Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bois
or WordReference: http://www.wordreference.com/fren/bois
Both would tell you that it can be also a form of "boire".
Did you use the word "bois" by itself or did you use it in a sentence? Even just "je bois" gives Google Translate the correct context to translate it as "drink" instead of "wood."
Don't use google translate for translation, because "Je bois" is not "drink" but "I drink", Google is not trustable for conjugations.
In Spanish you can skip the pronouns, but in French, as in English you can't. "bois" alone doesn't exist, it's either "Je bois" for the verb, or "le bois", "un bois", "les bois", "des bois" for the noun... (wood)
The "b" and the "v" sound are soft in French. It's the reason... just training.
I have a problem here with the translation of this sentence , if someone tells me " je bois du lait" does it mean " i drink milk" which is a habit or " i am drinking milk" AT THE MOMENT , how can i differentiate what the french person wants to say ?
lama- je bois et je suis en train de boire, but both are accepted in French to say the same. En train de boire means at this moment, now.
if you can write je suis mange for "i am eating", why not "je suis bois" for i am drinking?
- 1693
You cannot write "je suis mange" at all, ever! French does not have a present continuous tense -- only simple present. That being the case, "je bois" may be translated as either "I drink" or "I am drinking". In French, if you want to emphasize that the action is taking place in this very moment, you may use the "en train de", e.g., Je suis en train de boire (I am drinking). The expression is not translated literally.
First I had impression that all French infinitives end on -r. Are there many that end on -e? Like boire, lire...
Hi Romana, there are three group of ending verbs: 1) -er mang-er; 2) -ir fin-ir, regular verbs; 3) -ir irregular verbs; -oir sav-oir; -reboi-re.
French is a strange language. Most of the letters at the end of French words are silent
Quick question Are the words for alcohol and water feminine? Because here it uses de l' , and not de, for some.
Hi Bridget, the French laguage has three conjugation groups according to the final of the infinitive:
1° group ER aimer
2° group IR finir
3° group all the other verbs OIR, RE, the verb ALLER and the verbs in IR like sentir.
The first group includes the 90% of the French verbs , all regulars, also the verbs of the second group are regulars.
The third group is the group of the exeptions and of the irregular verbs. The root of the irregulars never change but the endings gets different. There is about thirty verbs in "ir" ( p.p. ending -ant), thirty in "oir" and around a hundred in "re".
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Yes it is irregular :) Well spotted ! ie ...
- boire : to drink |
3me (boire/croire etc - irregular for plural.) |
wiktionary ;
leFigaro
Présent :
. je bois |
tu bois |
il boit |
elle boit |
on boit
. nous buvons | vous buvez | ils boivent | elles boivent
'avoir' + bu | Passé composé Recent-Current Past | ie. ai/as/a/avons/avez/ont
>3e verbe ~re pattern
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I often also use http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/french/verb/ to look up verbs.
If you hold your "Ctrl" key down and press the light gray writing, it will open this link up in a different tab on your browser.
Another favorite one for me is http://www.audiofrench.com/verbs/verbes_index.htm - which has audio as well !
Also you can check out the thread I am making on verbs specially for duolingo at Verbs Present - Word List.
I am just an ordinary learner of french, like you - and I still have a long way to go.
I know we are a mixed community, and some of us are more friendly and relevant than others. May I congratulate you on your response to someone who was trying to distract you. Your were polite and to the point. Keep on asking great questions like you are. I am so glad you have chosen to study French :)
Your fellow friend and learner, roo :)
I have a cousin that speaks only french so im trying to learn so I can talk to him so thanks for your help
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Keep asking questions and reading, and doing things on duolingo, and you will get there :) Also it is good to read the tips and notes - and is actually often better to read them 'after' you do an exercise especially - as they can make more sense and stay in your mind better.
You can also check out the "Tips and Notes" as you go through the exercise. You will see them in the top left corner - and clicking on it gives you a drop down window.
Yet another thing I do, is have a separate window open - with the notes I have created that helped me get through the task, the ones I have created on my learning loom - here They give me background information on the topic of the task at hand.
And then the next best thing to learn quickly - is to do at least one exercise a day - every day (and more when you have time). And maintain your daily streak rating.
And to go back and review your work, when any of the tasks lose their gold, and do the exercise until it turns gold again.
So welcome aboard to this fantastic learning journey :)
If you find someone's answer very helpful you can give a lingot to him/her.
Along with giving it to people, you can change the appearance of the owl and you can get extra lessons, such as flirting.
context. You don't get much of it on duolingo but you will in real life.
Can you use this phrase to imply that you are drinking alcohol, like you can in English?
- 1693
Context will influence it. If you are talking about alcohol and you say "je bois", it would be understood as drinking alcohol. But the verb "boire" is used to say "drink" any liquid.
Does anyone know if bois means like, alcohol drinking or just regular drinking like OJ or something
- 1693
"Boire" just means "to drink". It is not exclusively about alcohol. Je bois de l'eau (I drink water), Je bois du lait (I drink milk), Je bois de l'alcool (I drink alcohol).
Rosetta stone routinely uses "je bois du lait" and "je bois du l'eau" .. "I drink milk" and "I drink water". After 1st disc they have not mentioned Alcohol.
PERCE NEIGE I have a question?How do you say my friend will not drink alcohol
I didnt add a period and it said it was wrong when the onlt thing wrong was that there was no period at the end of the sentence
I answred with i am drinking It says i got it wrong ? Id like to know.why ?
I type Je bois - the computer answer says "You are wrong - it is Je bois". Oh well...
In terms of passé compasse, saying I drink water "je bois l'eau" and I am drinking are both the same since they are both present tense. But what about past tense
I've done this twice and gotten it right both times but it's still saying I'm wrong...
I miss typed and it did not except it even though it had excepted lots of other ones where I had miss typed
I think it is inappropriate to be telling people the word for alcohol I know a few children who use this and it is very inappropriate
voice recognition very poor. Hmmm... I just made an unusual sound but it shows that I pronounce the words correctly. Bad...
Couldn't it also be 'I drink' since the French dont have different tenses like English does?
I haven't been practicing because the woman drives me crazy. Since I started practicing today I have done lots of mistakes as a result of the woman's awful pronunciation. Is there another person at DL that can speak French better than this woman?
It was a little confusing................................................................
