MICHEL THOMAS FRENCH (ADVANCED) COURSE, 4 CDs
TRANSCRIPT

This is an approximate transcript of the course, since Michel often changed his mind in the middle of a sentence to be translated, or adapted his sentences for the students. The booklet that accompanied Michel's courses was wholly inadequate, so I have written this transcript. I have found it useful, so maybe other people will, too. 

Naturally, it would be foolish to try to learn the language using this transcript, without buying the recordings.

Note that English is my native language, so I don't guarantee that there are no mistakes. Tracks and track times in the recording are shown in brackets. 

Version 2, Jan 15th 2006
Transcribed by JK

CD 1 (75.26)
(1) 3.46
I want it now je le veut maintenant
I don't want them je ne les veux pas
do you want it? le voulez-vous?, est-ce que vous le voulez?
why do you want it now? pourquoi le voulez-vous maintenant?
why don't you want it now? pourquoi ne le voulez-vous pas maintenant?
(2) 2.52
I don't know where it is je ne sais pas où c'est
I don't know what it is je ne sais pas ce que c'est
to explain éxpliquer
can you explain to me what it is? pouvez-vous m'éxpliquer ce que c'est?
what do you want? qu'est-ce que vous voulez?
what do you want to do? qu'est-ce que vous voulez faire?
what do you want to say? qu'est-ce que vous voulez dire?
what do you mean? qu'est-ce que vous voulez dire?
I don't understand what you mean je ne comprends pas ce que vous voulez dire
can explain to me what you mean? pouvez-vous m'éxpliquer ce que vous voulez dire?
that's not what I mean ce n'est pas ce que je veux dire
what do you mean? qu'est-ce que vous-voulez dire?
it means ça veut dire
what does it mean? qu'est-ce que ça veut dire?
I don't understand what it means je ne comprends pas ce que ça veut dire
I want
I'm going
I want it
I don't want it
I want some, I want some of it j'en veux
I don't want any je n'en veux pas
that's not what I mean ce n'est pas ce que je veux dire
I don't know what it means je ne suis pas ce que ça veut dire
(3) 4.00
there are many people here il y a beaucoup de monde ici
(monde is used in a general sense for "a lot of people")
everybody knows where it is tout le monde sait où c'est
nobody knows where it is, nobody can find it personne sait où c'est, personne peut le trouver
but everybody wants to see it mais tout le monde veut le voir
I have it
I don't have it
I want it
I don't want it
I want them
I don't want them
I don't want anything je ne veux rien
I don't want it
I don't want any of it je n'en veux pas
I don't want it
I don't want them
I don't want any je n'en veux pas
(4) 2.03
I don't understand it je ne le comprends pas
I don't understand anything je ne comprends rien
never
I never understand what he wants je ne comprends jamais ce que il veut
I never know je ne sais jamais
I know
I don't know
I don't know anything
I never know
("not...any more" is ne...plus)
I don't know any more je ne sais plus
I don't understand him any more je ne le comprends plus
(5) 4.45
I'm going to see it je vais le voir
to it, there y
I'm going there j'y vais
I would like to go there je voudrais y aller
but I cannot go there now mais je n'y peut pas y aller maintenant
because I'm busy parce que je suis occupé
I'm very busy now je suis très occupé maintenant
I would like to go there je voudrais y aller
with you
with him
with her
with them avec eux
I'm going to see him tonight and I'm going to give him his book je vais le voir ce soir et je vais lui donner son livre
I'm going to see her tonight and I'm going to give her her book je vais la voir ce soir et je vais lui donner son livre
I'm going to tell him je vais lui dire
I'm going to tell her je vais lui dire
Will you tell him voulez-vous lui dire?
can you tell her? pouvez-vous lui dire?
to them leur
will you tell them voulez-vous leur dire
Will you give them the book voulez-vous leur donner le livre
(6) 0.52
the book le livre
the pound la livre
(7) 2.51
to them leur
their leur
to bring apporter
Will you bring them their book voulez-vous leur apporter leur livre
I'm going to send him the money je vais lui envoyer l'argent
I'm going to send her the money je vais lui envoyer l'argent
I'm going to send them money je vais leur envoyer l'argent
I'm going to send the money to him je vais envoyer l'argent à lui
I'm going to send the money to her je vais envoyer l'argent à elle
I'm going to send the money to them je vais envoyer l'argent à eux
(8) 6.20
I'm going to send it to him je vais le lui envoyer
I'm going to send it to her je vais le lui envoyer
(if you have two pronouns that both begin with l- then le, la always comes before lui, leur. Any pronouns that don't begin l- come first, such as vous le "it  - to you"
I'm going to send it to you je vais vous l'envoyer
I'm going to send it to him je vais le lui envoyer
I'm going to send them to her je vais les lui envoyer
I'm going to send them to her je vais les envoyer à elle
I'm going to send them to Paris je vais les envoyer à Paris
I'm going to write a letter to them je vais leur écrire une lettre
I'm going to send themo her
I'm going to send them to him
I'm going to send them to them
will you send it to me voulez-vous me l'envoyer, voulez-vous l'envoyer à moi
I cannot tell it to you now because I don't know it je ne peux pas vous le dire maintenant parce que je ne le sais pas
(9) 3.38
(verbs are in four groups, ending -er, -ir, -re, -oir)
the power le pouvoir
the duty le devoir
that is your duty c'est votre devoir
homework les devoirs
(eighty percent of verbs end -er. Verbs can be thought of as belonging to two groups: -er verbs and non -er verbs)
(10) 3.48
(we'll talk now about -er verbs)
to speak
(we can think of conjugated verbs belonging to two boxes, a long and short box. The long box consists of "we" and "you")
you speak vous parlez
we speak nous parlons
(all others are in the short box. Cut off the -r from the infinitive. They all sound the same, and the final consonant is sounded e.g. je parle, il parle)
I speak je parle
I am ready je suis prêt
I am eating je mange
I don't speak je ne parle pas
to stay
we are staying nous restons
you are staying vous restez
how long are you staying? combien de temps restez-vous?
how long are we staying? combien de temps restons-nous?
(11) 1.19
(for the imperative, just drop vous)
stay! restez!, restez ici!
don't stay! ne restez pas!
we are staying
(for “let's” imperative, just drop nous)
let's stay! restons!
let's stay here! restons ici!
let's speak French! parlons français!
speak French with me! parlez français!
don't speak English now! ne parlez pas anglais maintenant
(12) 4.01
I'm staying
I'm not staying
everybody is staying tout le monde reste
nobody is staying personne reste
my friend is staying mon ami reste
it is ready c'est prêt
it is staying ça reste
it is not staying ça ne reste pas
he is staying il reste
they are staying ils restent
(-ent is silent as the verb ending for "they")
it is special c'est spécial
specially spécialement
normal
normally
possible
possibly
certain certain
certain certainment
(for -ent and -ant words, you must contract)
evident évident 
evidently évidemment
constant constant
constantly constamment
(13) 6.57
to begin
we are starting
let's start!
at what time are we starting? 
at what time are you starting?
start now!
don't start now! Start a little later! ne commencez pas maintenant! Commencez un peu plus tard!
I don't understand
I don't understand anything
I don't understand any more je ne comprends plus
it is ready
it is starting now
everybody is starting
my friend is starting
my friends mes ami
my friends are starting mes ami commencent
my friends are arriving tonight mes ami arrivent ce soir
to leave
we are leaving
let's leave!
at what time are you leaving?
at what time are we leaving?
don't leave
to prepare préparer
he is preparing it il le prépare
they are preparing it ils les préparent
he is not accepting it il ne l'accepte pas
he doesn't accept the condition il n'accepte pas la condition
everybody is ready
everybody is starting
my friends are starting mes amis commencent
my friends are arriving mes amis arrivent
my friends are leaving mes amis partent
they are leaving ils partent
to sell vendre
they are selling it ils le vendent
to wait attendre
they are waiting ils attendent
they are waiting for me ils m'attendent
my friends are waiting for me mes amis m'attendent
wait! Wait a moment! attendez! attendez un moment!
let's wait here! attendons ici!
don't wait! n'attendez pas!
they are waiting for you ils vous attendent
(14) 3.50
(For non -er verbs: don't sound the final consonant of the infinitive stem in the short box, except for "they" forms)
I am waiting j'attends
he is waiting il attend
they are waiting ils attendent
everybody is leaving tout le monde part
I'm leaving je pars
they are leaving ils partent
to sleep
I'm sleeping je dors
he is sleeping il dort
everybody is sleeping tout le monde dort
my friends are sleeping mes amis dorment
she is sleeping elle dort
to serve servir
he is serving the dinner il sert le dîner
they are serving the dinner at seven o'clock ils servent le dîner à sept heures
one is serving the dinner at seven o'clock on sert le dîner à sept heures
(15) 2.16
dinner is being served at seven o'clock on sert le dîner à sept heures
we are very comfortable here on est très confortable ici, nous sommes très confortable ici
we are leaving soon on part bientôt, nous partons bientôt
we are going to leave soon on va partir bientôt, nous allons partir bientôt
(16) 1.11
we are going to start soon on va commencer bientôt, nous allons commencer bientôt, on commence bientôt, nous commencons bientôt
we can start now on peut commencer maintenant; nous pouvons commencer maintenant
we must start on doit commencer; nous devons commencer
(17) 1.31
to feel sentir
I feel it  je le sens
they feel it ils le sentent
he feels it il le sent
(to make a distinction in French between "I feel something" and "I feel fine", "I don't feel well" use "I myself feel")
I feel fine je me sens bien
I don't feel fine je ne me sens pas bien
(18) 3.29
better mieux
I feel better je me sens mieux
(note comparitive and superlative: good-better-best is bon-meilleur-le meilleur but well-better-best is bien-mieux-le mieux)
this wine is better than the other ce vin et meilleur que l'autre
it is the best wine of the house c'est le meilleur vin de la maison
I feel fine je me sens bien
I feel better je me sens mieux maintenant
I feel much better now je me sens beaucoup mieux maintenant
(sentir bon means "to smell", not "to feel good")
it smells good ça sent bon
(19) 1.38
I'm sleeping je dors
he is sleeping il dort
one is sleeping on dort
they are sleeping ils dorment
(for -er verbs, you drop the -r from the infinitive in the short box to leave -e, or -ent for "they". For non -er verbs, the short box is je --s, il --t, ils --ent)
to do
I'm doing je fais
I'm not doing it je ne le fais pas
he is doing it il le fait
one is doing it on le fait
one is not doing it that way on ne le fait pas comme ça
(that also means "it is not being done that way")
(20) 1.25
it is making a big difference that way ça fait une grande différence comme ça
(english nouns ending -ence are the same in French, and are la)
it doesn't make much difference ça ne fait pas beaucoup de différence
how much time combien de temps
I don't have much time je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps
(21) 2.20
it is too late c'est trop tard
you're going too fast vous allez trop vite
it is too much c'est trop
to work travailler
he is working too much il travaille trop
to take prendre
it is taking too much time ça prend trop de temps
it is taking too much time like that ça prend beaucoup trop te temps comme ça
it is much too much c'est beaucoup trop
it is much too much for me c'est baucoup trop pour moi
it is taking much too much time that way 
(22) 1.40
I'm taking it je le prends
he is taking il le prend
(it is not spelled prendt because -t is not added to a "d" or "t")
he doesn't understand me il ne me comprend pas
everybody is waiting for me tout le monde m'attend
my friends are waiting for me mes amis m'attendent
(23) 1.55
(for -ir verbs, in the short box, you drop the consonant that you don't sound. The endings are still -s  and -t, though)
I am sleeping je dors
everybody is sleeping tout le monde dort
my friends are sleeping mes amis dorment
I feel it je le sens
dinner is being served on sert le dîner
(24) 1.32
to put
I'm putting it on the table je le mets sur la table
he is putting it on the table il le met sur la table
where are you putting it? où le mettez-vous?
put the book on the table please mettez le livre sur la table, s'il vous plaît
don't put it here! ne le mettez pas ici!
(25) 2.27
to start
start now!
don't start!
let's start!
let's not start!
let's wait!
let's not wait!
let's put the book on the table mettons le livre sur la table
on the floor par terre
let's not put it on the floor ne le mettons pas par terre
don't put it on the floor! ne le mettez pas par terre!
(in a positive command, the pronoun goes after the verb)
put it here! mettez-le ici!

(end of recording)

CD 2 (76.07)
(1) 3.47
don't put it there ne le mettez pas là
I am putting it here je le mets ici
we are putting it here nous le mettons ici
don't put it here ne le mettez pas ici
put it here mettez-le ici
don't put it there ne le mettez pas là
put them on the table mettez-les sur la table
don't put them on the floor ne les mettez pas par terre
I'm calling you je vous appelle
you are being called on vous appelles
call me later! appelez-moi plus tard!
don't call me today, call me tomorrow ne m'appeler pas aujourd'hui appelez-moi demain
wait for me! attendez-moi!
(an alternative to this imperative is a polite form using voulez-vous)
Will you wait for me voulez-vous m'attendre?
wait for me!
don't wait for me ne m'attendez pas
(2) 1.39
you have to wait for me vous devez m'attendre
one has to wait for me on doit m'attendre
wait for me
don't wait for me
(3) 3.14
I will do it je le ferai
I have
he has
they have ils ont
to leave
I will leave je partirai
he will leave il partira
they will leave ils partiront
we will leave nous partirons
you will leave vous partirez
(4) 3.56
(there are a few exceptions in the future tense, but they concern stems and not endings. For example -oir verbs contract)
to be able pouvoir
I will be able je pourrai
to have to devoir
I will have to je devrai
we will have to leave soon nous devrons partir bientôt; on devra partir bientôt
I will have it je l'aurai
we will have it nous l'aurons
I will know je saurai
I will tell you later je vais dirai plus tard
I will write to you je vous écrirai
I will do it je le ferai
he won't do it il ne le fera pas
he won't tell you why he won't do it il ne vous dira pas pourquoi il ne le fera pas
(5) 0.55
to put
I will put it here je le mettrais ici
(all English composite verbs ending -mit come from the French mettre)
to commit commettre
to omit omettre
to permit permettre
to submit soumettre
to promise promettre
I promise je promets
I promise you je vous promets
(6) 1.03
I will put it here je le mettrai ici
I will take it je le prendrai
I won't understand him je ne le comprendrai pas
he will sell it il le vendra
he's selling it il le vend
they're selling it ils le vendent
(7) 2.47
to come
I am coming je viens
they are coming ils viennent
they are coming from Vienna ils viennent de Viennes
it is coming ça vient
it is going to come ça va venir
I will come je viendrai
we will come nous viendrons
to come back revenir
I will come back je reviendrai
they will come back soon ils reviendrent bientôt
we will come back soon nous reviendrons bientôt
we are going to come back soon nous allons revenir bientôt
(8) 3.03
to be être
I will be je serai
he will be il sera
they will be ils serent
we will be nous serons
you will be vous serez
(the French verb aller is irregular because it comes from three separate Latin verbs)
I'm going
he is going
they are going ils vent
they're going to be here soon ils vent être ici bientôt
they will be here tonight ils vent être ici ce soir; ils serent ici ce soir
(9) 2.31
it won't be possible to do it that way ce ne sera pas possible de le faire comme ça
it won't be necessary to do it today ce ne sera pas nécessaire de le faire aujourd'hui
it will take too much time that way ça prendra trop de temps comme ça
it will take too much time ça prendra trop de temps 
it's a pleasure to see you ça me fait plaisir de vous voir
I enjoy very much seeing you ça me fait grand plaisir de vous voir
I will enjoy seeing you ça me fera plaisir de vous voir
(this means "I'm looking forward to seeing you")
(10) 2.07
I'm going
he's going
they're going
we are going
you're going
they're going to come with us ils vent venir avec nous
I will go j'irai
he will go il ira
we will go nous irons
they will go ils irent
you will go vous irez
I will go there j'y irais
we will go there tonight nous y irons ce soir
(11) 2.06
(there are three ways in French to express the future tense)
I will call you tomorrow je vous appellerai demain; je vais vous appeller demain; je vous appele demain
I will call you next week je vous appele la semaine prochaine
(12) 2.46
(in the long box, there is a single exception for nous and three exceptions for vous)
we are nous sommes
you are vous êtes
you are doing, you are making vous faites
you are saying, you are telling vous dites
what are you doing? qu'est-ce que vous faites?
what are you saying? qu'est-ce que vous dites?
I don't understand what you're saying je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites
tell me! dites-moi!
don't tell me, I don't want to know it ne me dites pas, je ne veux pas le savoir
don't tell it to me ne me le dites pas
don't tell it to him ne le lui dites pas
don't tell it to her ne le lui dites pas
(13) 2.03
(the key to the short box is the sound of the 1st person je)
nobody knows where it is personne sait où c'est
everybody wants to see it tout le monde veut le voir
nobody can find it personne peut le trouver
everything must be ready today tout doit être prêt aujourd'hui
(whereas the key to the long box is the infinitive of the verb)
nobody knows
we know nous savons
(14) 2.50
(prendre, comprendre, apprendre, rependre all lose -d- in nous, vous, ils)
we understand nous comprenons
you understand vous comprenez
do you understand? comprenez-vous?
do you understand it? le comprenez-vous?
do you understand me? me comprenez-vous?
we are taking it nous le prenons
why don't you take it? parce que ne le prenez-vous pas?
they take ils prennent
they don't understand it ils ne le comprennent pas
(15) 1.59
(there are three irregular verbs in French)
I have j'ai
he has il a
they have ils ont
I go je vais
he's going il va
they're going ils vent
we have nous avons
you have vous avez
we are going nous allons
you are going vous allez
I am je suis
he is il est
they are ils sont
we are nous sommes
you are vous êtes
where are they? où sont-ils?
they are not there ils ne sont pas là
(là also means "to be in, to be home")
they are not in ils ne sont pas là
he's not in il n'est pas là
(16) 1.04
(faire is also irregular in the "they" form)
they are ils sont
they have ils ont
they are going ils vont
they are doing, making ils font
they are doing it ils le font
they are not doing it ils ne le font pas
they are not in ils ne sont pas là
(17) 4.03
(for the past tense, use avoir. So, "I bought it" becomes "I have bought it")
(-er verbs now end é, both sound the same)
I spoke j'ai parlé
he spoke il a parlé
did you speak? avez-vous parlé?
we didn't speak with him nous n'avons pan parlé avec lui
when did you speak with him? quand avez-vous parlé avec lui?
did you buy something? avez-vous acheté quelque chose?
what did you buy? qu'est-ce que vous avez acheté?
he prepared a dinner il a preparé un dîner
the film has started le film a commencé
(18) 2.31
already déjà
still, still more encore
I would like another cup of coffee je voudrais encore une tasse de café
a little more encore un peu
not yet pas encore
we haven't started yet nous n'avons pas encore commencé
the film has started le film a commencé
the film has started already le film a commencé déjà
ago il y a
ten minutes ago il y a dix minutes
two days ago il y a deux jours
(19) 6.32
I have it
I don't have it
I have them
I don't have them
I have some, I have some of it j'en ai
I don't have any je n'en ai pas
(in the past tense, all the pronouns come before the verb)
I bought it je l'ai acheté
I didn't buy it je ne l'ai pas acheté
I bought them je les ai acheté
I didn't buy them je ne les ai pas acheté
I bought some for you j'en ai acheté pour vous
I didn't buy any today because I didn't find any je n'en ai pas acheté parce que je n'en ai pas trouvé
how many did you buy of them? combien en avez-vous acheté?
where did you buy them? où les avez-vous acheté?
to forget oublier
I forgot where I bought them j'ai oublié où je les ai acheté
at what time did you call? à quelle heure avez-vous appelé?
at what time did you call me? à quelle heure m'avez-vous appelé?
she called me this morning elle m'a appelé ce matin
why did you call me? pourquoi m'avez-vous appelé?
why didn't you call me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas appelé?
I called them je les ai appelé
I called him je l'ai appelé
I called her je l'ai appelé
I called you je vous ai appelé
I didn't call you je ne vais ai pas appelé
to ask
I asked you je vous ai demandé
I didn't ask you je ne vous ai pas demandé
why did you ask me? pourquoi m'avez-vous demandé?
why didn't you ask me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas demandé?
(20) 3.14
(-re verbs take -u in past tense)
I sold it je l'ai vendu
why did you sell it? pourquoi l'avez-vous vendu?
why didn't you sell them? pourquoi ne les avez-vous pas vendu?
he sold them il les a vendu
we sold some nous en avons vendu
I waited j'ai attendu
I waited for you je vous ai attendu
you didn't wait for me vous ne m'avez pas attendu
why didn't you wait for me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas attendu?
(-ir verbs take -i in the past tense)
we finished nous avons fini
at what time did you finish? à quelle heure avez-vous fini?
he slept il a dormi
we slept well nous avons bien dormi
bad, badly mal
he slept very badly il a mal dormi
(21) 1.49
(instead of avoir, you can use a construction involving être)
he prepared the dinner il a preparé le dîner
dinner is prepared le dîner est preparé
he sold it il l'a vendu
everything is sold tout est vendu
nothing is sold yet rien est vendu encore
one served  the dinner on a servi le dîner
dinner is served le dîner est servi
(22) 3.24
(a few verbs are a regular in the past tense.For example comprendre etc becomes compris etc)
understood compris
service included service compris
service is included le service est compris
service is not included le service n'est pas compris
did you understand? avez-vous compris?
did you understand it? est-ce que vous l'avez compris?
did you understand me? m'avez-vous compris?
why did you not understand me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas compris?
I understood you je vous ai compris
I understood you well je vous ai bien compris
I understood you very well je vous ai très bien compris
(prendre becomes pris)
I took them je les ai pris
I took some of it j'en ai pris
why did you take them? pourquoi les avez-vous pris?
why didn't you take them? pourquoi ne les avez-vous pas pris?
(apprendre becomes appris)
I learned j'ai appris
I learned something today j'ai appris quelque chose aujourd'hui
(j'ai appris also means "I found out")
(23) 2.48
(mettre becomes mis)
where did you put it? où l'avez-vous mis?
where did you put them? où les avez-vous mis?
I forgot where I put them j'ai oublié où je les ai mis
to admit admettre
to omit omettre
to permit permettre
to promise promettre
(promettre becomes promis)
I promise you je vous ai promis
I did not promise you je ne vous ai pas promis
you promised me vous m'avez promis
I promised him je lui ai promis
it is promised c'est promis
(24) 5.18
(three more: faire becomes fait, dire becomes dit, écrire becomes écrit)
he is doing it il le fait
he did it il l'a fait
(English -ct verbs come from French)
the fact le fait
the object l'objet
the subject le sujet
he is doing it il le fait
he did it il l'a fait
it is done c'est fait
I didn't do it je ne l'ai pas fait
why did you do it? pourquoi l'avez-vous fait?
why didn't you do it? pourquoi ne l'avez-vous pas fait?
he did it il l'a fait
it is done c'est fait
he didn't do it il ne l'a pas fait
he told me il m'a dit
I told you je vais ai dit
I didn't tell you je ne vous ai pas dit
you told me vous m'avez dit
why didn't you tell me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas dit?
I wrote to you je vous ai écrit
why didn't you write to me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas écrit?
why didn't you call me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas appelé?
it is written c'est écrit
one told me on m'a dit
(in English, this would be "I was told")
I called you this morning je vous ai appelé ce matin
why didn't you buy them? pourquoi ne les avez-vous pas acheté?
(25) 4.05
I was j'étais
I had j'avais
I was very busy j'étais très occupé
he was here to il était ici
they were ils étaient
who was there? qui était là?
nobody was there personne était là
I was there j'étais là
I was very busy j'étais très occupé
it was ready c'était prêt
I was there but it wasn't ready yet j'étais là mais ce n'était pas prêt encore
last night hier soir
who was there with you last night? qui était là avec vous hier soir?
yes I was there but nobody was there oui j'étais là mais personne était là
we were nous étions
you were vous étiez
(26) 1.23
(whenever  you have -ais in the short box, the full set of endings are always -ais -ait -aient (short) -ions -iez (long) )
I had j'avais
he had il avait
they had ils avaient
we had nous avions
you had vous aviez
we had a plane nous avions un avion
(27) 0.42
everything is sold tout est vendu
everything was sold tout était vendu
everything will be sold tout sera vendu
( because after any form of avoir or être, you always dive i.e. use -é -i -u! )
(28) 1.19
I would like je voudrais
he would like il voudrait
they would like ils voudraient
everybody would like to see it tout le monde voudrait le voir
my friends would like to go there mes amis voudraient y aller
we would like nous voudrions
you would like vous voudriez
(29) 1.09
(-rais, -rait, -raient, -rions, -riez express "would" and can be used with any verb)

(end of recording)

CD 3 (74.12)
(1) 3.11
("will" and "would" use the same contractions, i.e. "I will have" j'aurai "I would have" j'aurais)
I will have j'aurai
he will have il aura
they will have ils aurent
we will have nous aurons
you will have vous aurez
I would have j'aurais
he would have il aurait
they would have ils auraient
we would have nous aurions
you would have vous auriez
I would have it je l'aurais
we would have it nous l'aurions
we would have them nous les aurions
we would have brought them nous les aurions acheter
I was j'étais
he was il était
he had il avait
he would have il aurait
he will have il aura
(2) 2.48
(-oir verbs in the past tense end -u e.g. voir becomes vu)
I saw it je l'ai vu
if I had seen it si je l'avais vu
if I had seen it I would have bought it si je l'avais vu, je l'aurais acheté
(savoir becomes su)
if I had known it si je l'avais su
I would have told you je vous aurais dit
if I had known it, I would have told you si je l'avais su, je vous aurais dit
if you had told me, I would have seen it and I would have bought it si vous m'aviez dit, je l'aurais vu et je l'aurais acheté m'aviez
(3) 3.19
he wouldn't wait il n'attendrais pas
you wouldn't wait vous n'attendrions pas
we wouldn't wait nous n'attendrions pas
(so "would" is -rais etc, and "would have" is therefore aurais etc)
he would sell it il le vendrait
he would have sold it il l'aurait vendu
I did it je l'ai fait
I didn't do it je ne l'ai pas fait
why did you do it? pourquoi l'avez-vous fait?
why didn't you do it? pourquoi ne l'avez-vous pas fait?
I told you je vous ai dit
I didn't tell you je ne vous ai pas dit
you didn't tell me vous ne m'avez pas dit
why didn't you tell me? pourquoi ne m'avez-vous pas dit?
(4) 2.07
was était étions étiez
had avait avions aviez
would have aurais aurions auriez
I was busy j'étais occupé
he was not here il n'était pas ici
who was there last night? qui était là hier soir?
nobody was there personne était là
I was there with my friend but you were not there j'étais là avec mon ami mais vous n'étiez pas là
I was very busy and I didn't have the time to do it j'était très occupé et je n'avais pas le temps de le faire
(5) 1.58
(avoir becomes eu, savoir becomes su, pouvoir becomes pu, devoir becomes du, voir becomes vu)
did you see? avez-vous vu?
did you see it? l'avez-vous vu?
where did you see me? où m'avez-vous vu?
I was there last night but I didn't see you j'étais là hier soir mais je ne vous ai pas vu
where were you? où étiez-vous?
I didn't see you je ne vous ai pas vu
(6)1.48
(the three steps on the diving board are: at the top "would have" aurais (conditional), in the middle "had" avais (perfect past tense) and at the bottom "have" ai (past tense) )
I had j'avais
I would have j'aurais
I saw it je l'ai vu
had avais aviez avions
would have aurais auriez aurions
I saw it je l'ai vu
if I had seen it si je l'avais vu
I would have seen it je l'aurais vu
and I would have told you why I didn't buy it at je vous aurais dit pourquoi je ne l'ai pas acheté
(7) 1.31 
he told me that you wouldn't do it il m'a dit que vous ne le feriez pas
I had j'avais
if you had told it to me, I would have known it si vous me l'aviez dit, je l'aurais su
(8) 5.55
(with a handful of French verbs, you don't dive from the low diving board. e.g. "I was" is not "I have been" but j'étais)
we were nous étions
you were vous étiez
I had j'avais
I would have j'aurais
if I had had si j'avais eu
I was j'étais
been été
summer été
summer fashion mode d'été
summer dress mode d'été
I had been j'avais été
if I had been there, I would have seen it si j'avais été là, je l'aurais vu
you would have seen it if you had been there last night vous l'auriez vu si vous aviez été là hier soir
(of course, you don't "dive" after a handle verb)
you can vous pouvez
I could je pouvais
they could ils pouvaient
nobody could wait personne pouvait attendre
we could nous pouvions
you could vous pouviez
was était étiez étions
had avait aviez azions
could pouvait pouviez pouvions
(9) 1.30
had to (i.e. must) devais devions deviez
he had to wait il devait attendre
one had to wait on devait attendre
we had to wait nous devions attendre
I wanted je voulais
(10) 4.33
he had to wait il devait attendre
(don't confuse "had" and "had to")
you have to wait vous devez attendre
(and, "you have to wait" = "you must wait", but "you don't have to wait" is not "you mustn't wait" but "you don't need to wait")
to need avoir besoin
you don't have to wait vous n'avez pas besoin d'attendre
you don't have to give it to him vous n'avez pas besoin de le lui donner
you don't have to need to give it to me vous n'avez pas besoin de me le donner
(11) 1.39
("Will" usually expresses the future, but not always)
Will you tell me? voulez-vous me dire?
when will you tell me? quand me dirais-vous?
(12) 2.53
was
had
could pouvais pouviez pouvions
had to devais deviez devions
wanted voulais vouliez voulions
I didn't want to do it je ne voulais pas le faire
he didn't want to tell me il ne voulais pas me dire
I knew je savais
I didn't know je ne savais pas
nobody knew where it was, nobody could find it personne savais où c'était personne pouvait le trouver
was
had
could
wanted
had to
knew
(these are the few cases where you don't dive)
(13) 2.24
(that applies to the simple past. For "had" of course you must dive)
I knew where it was je savais où c'était
if I had known where it was I would have told it to you si j'avais su où c'était, je vous l'aurais dit
I wanted to buy it je voulais l'acheter
(vouloir becomes voulu)
if I had wanted to have it, I would have bought it si j'avais voulu l'avoir, je l'aurais acheté
(14) 3.49
(there is one more handle: aller. In the past, use ais)
I was going j'allais
I was going to do it j'allais le faire
I wasn't going to tell you je n'allais pas vous dire
I didn't know you were going to come today je ne savais pas que vous alliez venir aujourd'hui
you didn't tell me that you were going to be here this afternoon vous ne m'avez pas dit que vous alliez être ici cet après-midi
we were going to leave today nous allions partir aujourd'hui
(15) 1.58
if you had called me this morning and if you had told me that you were going to arrive today, I would have waited for you and we would have had dinner si vous m'aviez appelé ce matin et si vous m'aviez dit que vous alliez arriver aujourd'hui, je vous aurais attendu et nous aurions diné
(16) 3.08
I am going to do it je vais le faire
I was going to do it j'allais le faire
we are going to do it nous allons le faire
we were going to do it nous allions le faire
you are going to do it vous allez le faire
you were going to do it vous alliez le faire
he is going to do it il va le faire
he wasn't going to do it il n'allais pas le faire
we are going to leave nous allons partir
we were going to leave nous allions partir
you didn't tell me that you were going to arrive today vous ne m'avez pas dit que vous alliez arriver aujourd'hui
(17) 5.00
(so the w-ing tenses "I was (go)ing, they were (go)ing - can be used with any verb. In French, the -ing verb is an -ais, -ait verb)
I am staying je reste
I was staying je restais
we were staying here nous restions ici
he is waiting for me il m'attend
he was waiting for me il m'attendait
we were waiting for you nous vous attendions
we are waiting for you nous vous attendons
he is leaving il part
he was leaving il partait
we were leaving nous partions
(the w-ing tense is used more in French than in English. The w-in tense expresses a straight line in the past, e.g. "I was doing it" je le faisais)
I was doing it je le faisais
I was telling it je le disais
to read lire
I was reading je lisais
to write écrire
I was writing j'écrivais
I was doing it je le faisais
(in French, this straight line could also be a broken line, meaning in English "I used to do it" or "I did it repeatedly (every day, very often) )
I used to do it je le faisais
I did it (continuous line) je l'ai fait
I did it every day (broken line) je le faisais tous les jours
I did it often (broken line) je le faisais très souvent
he prepared it this morning il l'a preparé ce matin
he prepared it (every day), he used to prepare it il le preparais
(18) 3.03
(-er verbs can usually be guessed from the English equivalent. -ir verbs are a closed book - no new verbs will ever be added, the same for -oir verbs)
(19) 2.49
(-ir verbs have two branches. The one we have been using is finished - no new verbs will be added. The other branch is "living", implying going, becoming, growing, getting - i.e. movement. e.g. finir "to go to the end" or "to finish". These are conjugated differently from other -ir verbs - you just drop the -r from the infinitive)
I finish je finis
he is finishing il finit
(-ss- is used in all the plurals)
we finish nous finissons
you finish vous finissez
they finish ils finissent
(20) 2.26
(will now give some French -ir verbs. Try to work out what they mean)
to grow (grow big) grandir
the child is growing l'enfant grandit
the children are growing les enfants grandissent
to blush, turn red rougir
you are blushing! vous rougissez!
to turn pale pâlir
you are going pale vous pâlissez
to grow old vieillir
he is growing old il vieillit
they are growing old ils vieillissent
to grow young again, rejuvenate rajeunir
(21) 2.12
to land atterir
we are landing in a few minutes nous atterissons dans quelque minutes
to land on the water (seaplane) amerrir
to land on the moon alunir
(in French you don't literally say "land on the water" or "land on the moon" since it is not logically possible)
(22) 4.32
(now talking about a family of verbs ending -vrir e.g. ouvrir or -frir e.g. offrir. They behave as -er verbs, except the past participle. e.g. ouvert means "open" and "opened")
I opened it je l'ai ouvert
it is open, it is opened c'est ouvert
(also couvert "covered", découvert "discovered", offert "offered")
I offered it to you je vous l'ai offert
I offered it je l'ai offert
I offered it to him je le lui ai offert
(23) 3.29
(use of tu - it is in the short box and follows the sound of "I", except for three verbs where it follows the sound of "he")
you have tu as
you are going tu va
you are tu es
(tu as an object is te)
what are you saying? qu'est-ce que tu dis?
I am telling you je te dis
(24) 3.07
I'm doing it je le fais
I don't do it je le fais pas
(for "I have been doing it for/since", use present tense plus depuis "since")
he has been working here for a long time il travaille ici depuis longtemps déjà
(25) 2.08
if you had been here last night he would have seen it and you would have bought it si vous aviez été ici hier soir, vous l'auriez va et vous l'auriez acheté
everything his sold tout est vendu
everything was sold tout était vendu
everything will be sold tout sera vendu
everything would be sold tout serais vendu
everything would have been sold tout aurait été vendu
(26) 1.25
(will now give three master keys to unlock the door to 19 tenses. Key #1: -ing. I am waiting, I have been waiting, I was waiting, I will be waiting (I will wait), I would be waiting (I would wait) )

(end of recording)

CD 4 (76.28)
(1) 6.36
(note that in English, you can use -ing by itself or after a preposition, without expressing a tense, e.g. "he left without saying a word, seeing is believing voir c'est croire, understanding everything is forgiving everything tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner, leaving is dying a little partir c'est mourir un peu)
(2) 5.53
(Key #2: -r- will or would have)
(Key #3: two diving towers, to have and to be, after which there is no place else but to dive)
(these are the nineteen cases)
he is selling the house il vend la maison
he was selling the house il vendait la maison
he sold the house il a vendu la maison
he has been selling the house for a long time il vend la maison depuis longtemps
the house is sold la maison est vendu
the house was sold la maison était vendu
the house has been sold la maison a éte vendu
he will sell the house il vendra la maison
he is going to sell the house il vais vendre la maison
the house will be sold la maison sera vendu
the house is going to be sold la maison va être vendu
he would sell the house il vendrait la maison
the house would be sold la maison serait vendu
if I had sold the house si j'avais vendu la maison
if the house had been sold si la maison avait été vendu
he would have sold the house il aurait vendu la maison
the house would have been sold la maison aurait été vendu
he will have sold the house il aura vendu la maison
the house will have been sold la maison aura été vendu
(3) 1.29
we would be very busy noun serions très occupé
he would be ready nous serions prêts
we would have been ready nous aurions été prêts
(4) 4.34
(for some French verbs, you dive from the être tower, not the avoir tower. For verbs of coming and going, use être)
I went to see it je suis allé le voir
we went nous sommes allé
he went il est allé
they went ils sont allé
you went vous êtes allé
where did you go? où êtes-vous allé?
I didn't go je ne suis pas allé
he came with us il est venu avec nous
he came back il est revenu
we came back nous sommes revenu
at what time did you come back? à quelle heure êtes-vous revenu?
they came back ils sont revenu
he didn't come back yet il n'est pas encore revenu
(5) 6.43
(actually, there is a going group and a coming group. The going group is aller "to go", sortir "to go out", partir "to leave")
we went out last night nous sommes sorti hier soir
where did you go? où êtes-vous allé?
he left a few minutes ago il est parti il ya a quelque minutes
(the going group is venir, revenir, retourner, arriver)
we arrived nous sommes arrivé
at what time did you arrive? à quelle heure êtes-vous arrivé?
he didn't arrive yet il n'est pas encore arrivé
(there's a third group which includes going and coming, e.g. entrer)
he came in il est entré
(and also rentrer to re-enter (i.e. the home) )
at what time did you come home last night? à quelle heure êtes-vous rentré hier soir?
he didn't come home yet il n'est pas encore rentré
(also monter to go up, come up)
I went up je suis monté
we went up nous sommes monté
they came up ils sont monté
(also descendre to go down, come down)
I went down je suis descendu
he came down il est descendu
(and one more which is neither coming nor going, rester to stay)
I stayed je suis resté
how long did you stay? combien de temps êtes-vous resté?
we didn't stay long, we left right after dinner nous ne sommes pas resté longtemps, nous sommes parti toute suite après le dîner
and we went to the cinema et nous sommes rentré très tard
(6) 1.38
(monter expresses any motion  up: bringing up, carrying up etc. In any sense except "going up", "coming up", monter uses avoir. This also applies to descendre)
the bellboy went up and he brought up my suitcase le garçon est monté est il a monté ma valise
he came down il est descendu
and he brought down my suitcase et il a descendu ma valise
(7) 6.14
to lift up lever
I'm lifting it up je le lève
I'm getting up je me lève
we are getting up nous nous levons
you're getting up vous vous levez
he is getting up il se lève
they are getting up ils se lèvent
she is getting up elle se lève
everybody is getting up tout le monde se lève
nobody is getting up personne se lève
it is getting up ça se lève
you are getting up tu te lèves
heavy lourd
I cannot lift it up because it's too heavy je ne peux pas le lever parce que c'est trop lourd
Will you lift it up please? voulez-vous le lever s'il vous plaît?
can you lift it up? pouvez-vous le lever?
lift it up! levez-le!
don't lift it up, it is very heavy ne le levez pas, c'est très lourd
I'm getting up je me lève
get up please! levez-vous!
don't get up ne vous levez pas
I'm going to get up soon je vais me lever bientôt
we are going to get up soon nous allons nous lever bientôt
one is going to get up on va se lever
(8) 2.12
to hurry se dépêcher
I'm hurrying je me dépêche
to be in a hurry être pressé
I'm in a hurry je suis pressé
I'm hurrying because I am in a hurry je me dépêche parce que je suis pressé
we are hurrying because we are in a hurry nous nous dépêchons parce que nous sommes pressé
hurry up because we are in a hurry dépêchez-vous parce que on est pressé
(9) 4.02
to ask
I'm asking you je vous demande
I was asking you je vous demandais
I asked you je vous ai demandé
to call
to call back rappeler
Will you call me back voulez-vous me rappeler
I call you back later je vous rappelle plus tard
I call you back tomorrow je vous rappelle demain
I'm going to call you back je vais vous rappeler
I will call you back je vous rappelerais
to remember se rappeler
I don't remember je ne me rappelle pas
to ask
I'm asking you je vous demande
I ask myself, I wonder je me demande
I was wondering why je me demandais pourquoi
I asked you je vous ai demandé
(10) 3.53
(reflexive verbs always dive from the être tower)
I lifted it up je l'ai lever
I got up je me suis levé
(this applies even when you make a non-reflexive verb reflexive)
to tell
I say to myself je me dis
I told you je vous ai dis
I said to myself that it cannot be done that way je me suis dit que ça ne peut pas faire comme ça
I'm hurrying je me dépêche
I was hurrying je me dépêchais
I hurried je me suis dépêché
we hurried nous nous sommes dépêché
I wondered why je me suis demandé pourquoi
(11) 3.42
(the subjunctive tense isn't used as much in English as much as in French, e.g. you must be here. It is absolutely necessary that you be here. The subjunctive expresses doubt or uncertainty. It is always used after certain expressions implying doubt e.g. c'est nécessaire que, il faut que)
(12) 3.12
I must ask you il faut que je vous demande
(all -er verbs are the same as the present in the short box. In the long box, they end -ions -iez)
you must say il faut que vous restiez
we must leave now il faut que nous partions mantenant
you must start now il faut que vous commenciez maintenant
we must stay here il faut que nous restions ici
he must stay il faut que je reste
(13) 4.57
I'm speaking je parle
I'm leaving je part
(so in the short box, -er verbs sound the final consonant and non -er verbs don't. In subjunctive, all verbs sound the final consonant in the short box, following the form of  "they")
it is necessary that I leave il faut que je parte
I must wait il faut que j'attende
I must finish il faut que je finisse
we must finish il faut que nous finissions
you must finish il faut que vous finissiez
it is necessary that you put it on the table here il faut que vous le mettiez sur la table ici
he must put it here il faut qu'il le mette ici
I must tell you il faut que je vous dise
I must read it il faut que je le lise
I must write to you il faut que je vous écrive
you must write to me il faut que vous m'écriviez
(14) 4.28
(in English, whenever you say "I want you to" or "do you want me to", in French you say "I want that you..." followed by the subjunctive)
I want you to stay here with me je veux que vous restiez ici avec moi
what do you want me to tell you? qu'est-ce que vous voulez que je vous dise?
I would like you to tell me je voudrais que vous me disiez
I want you to read it je veux que vous le lisiez
I want you to write to me je veux que vous m'écriviez
they come ils viennent
do you want me to come with you? est-ce que vous voulez que je vienne avec vous?
at what time do you want me to leave? à quelle heure voulez-vous que je porte?
where do you want me to put it? où voulez-vous que je le mette?
they take ils prennent
do you want me to take it? voulez-vous que je le prenne?
(15) 8.22
(there are four one-syllable exceptions, where "they" is not the key to the subjunctive)
I am je suis
that I be que je sois
that we be que nous soyons
at what time do you want me to be here tonight? à quelle heure voulez-vous que je sois ici ce soir?
I would like you to be ready je voudrais que vous soyez prêt
I have j'ai
that I have que j'aie
that we have que j'ayons
to be sois soyez soyons
to have aie ayez ayons
I go je vais
that I go j'aille
do you want me to go there with you? voulez-vous que j'y aille avec vous
at what time do you want me to go there? à quelle heure voulez-vous que j'y aille
that we go nous allions 
that you go nous alliez
I would like you to go there with me je voudrais que vous y alliez avec moi
to be
to have
to go aille allions alliez
that I do je fasse
that we do nous fassions
what do you want me to do? que'st-ce que vous voulez que je fasse?
what do you want me to tell you? qu'est-ce que vous voulez que je vous dise?
why don't you want me to do it? pourquoi ne voulez-vous pas que je le fasse?
what do you want me to tell him? qu'est-ce que vous voulez que je lui dise?
I don't want you to do it je ne veux pas que vous le fassiez
why don't you want me to do it?
(16) 2.59
(two more exceptions: savoir becomes sache, sachions, sachiez)
I must know it il faut que je le sache
we must know it il faut que nous le sachions
I would like you to know it je voudrais que vous le sachiez
(the other is pouvoir which becomes puisse. This comes from the old form puis, only used now in the question puis-je? "can I, may I?")
it's important that he may see it c'est important qu'il puisse le voir
(17) 2.22
(past subjunctive is very easy - just use avant que..., or:)
before I leave avant que je parte
I left je suis parti
before I left avant que je sais parti
before we start avant que nous commencions
before we started avant que nous ayons commencé
(18) 3.12

(end of recording)