I can say who I am and where I'm from with the verb être, give a nationality in the masculine and feminine, and ask “Where are you from?”
Je suis… : the verb être
Je suis… : the verb être
Saying who you are and where you're from comes first in any class.
Forms: je suis, tu es, il / elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils / elles sont — see the table.
English says “I'm a student”, but after être a job or a nationality takes no article: Je suis étudiant.
Masculine and feminine: English “Italian” has one form, French has two. Most often you add e (français becomes française); -ien becomes italienne, -ais becomes anglaise, and russe doesn't change. Before the final e the consonant is pronounced, so you hear the difference. The same goes for étudiant — étudiante.
English capitalizes nationalities. French uses a capital only when the word names a person; after être it describes, so it's lowercase: il est français.
Where from: Tu es d'où ? or Vous êtes d'où ? The “from” (de) comes before où: d'où. The answer: Je suis de Lyon.
When you meet someone, say Enchanté ! (a woman says Enchantée !).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Je suis un étudiant” → Je suis étudiant.
• NOT “Elle est italien” → Elle est italienne.
• NOT “Nous êtes de Lille” → Nous sommes de Lille.
• NOT “Il est Français” → Il est français.
The verb être in the present tense
In vous êtes there's a liaison: it's pronounced [vuzɛt].
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suis |
| tu | es |
| il / elle | est |
| nous | sommes |
| vous | êtes |
| ils / elles | sont |
Nationality: masculine and feminine forms
Before the final -e, the consonant is pronounced — you can hear the difference.
| Masculine | Feminine | How it changes |
|---|---|---|
| français | française | + -e |
| allemand | allemande | + -e |
| chinois | chinoise | -ois becomes -oise |
| anglais | anglaise | -ais becomes -aise |
| italien | italienne | -ien becomes -ienne |
| russe | russe | no change |
Lesson notes
Je suis… : the verb être
Saying who you are and where you're from comes first in any class.
Forms: je suis, tu es, il / elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils / elles sont — see the table.
English says “I'm a student”, but after être a job or a nationality takes no article: Je suis étudiant.
Masculine and feminine: English “Italian” has one form, French has two. Most often you add e (français becomes française); -ien becomes italienne, -ais becomes anglaise, and russe doesn't change. Before the final e the consonant is pronounced, so you hear the difference. The same goes for étudiant — étudiante.
English capitalizes nationalities. French uses a capital only when the word names a person; after être it describes, so it's lowercase: il est français.
Where from: Tu es d'où ? or Vous êtes d'où ? The “from” (de) comes before où: d'où. The answer: Je suis de Lyon.
When you meet someone, say Enchanté ! (a woman says Enchantée !).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Je suis un étudiant” → Je suis étudiant.
• NOT “Elle est italien” → Elle est italienne.
• NOT “Nous êtes de Lille” → Nous sommes de Lille.
• NOT “Il est Français” → Il est français.