THE FAMILIAR FORM:

In English, if you want to tell a stranger to listen you say Listen; if you want to tell your mother to listen, you also say Listen. In French, you do not use the same form; to tell your mother to listen, you use this familiar form (fam). Compare the regular form and the familiar form.

To use the familiar form in the command in French you remove the vowel sound at the end of the verb:

> Listen & repeat:

Dansez! (Dance!) becomes :
Danse! (Dance!) (familiar form)

Use the familiar form only when the command is followed by (fam) 

Note : The familiar form is used when speaking to ONE person only. Someone you are very close to (a parent, a relative, a friend of long standing) and when speaking to a small child.

We obtain the familiar form by dropping the final vowel sound. Listen to these commands in the regular form and in the familiar form. Listen to it again hide the French and translate orally using both the Polite form & the familiar form.

> Listen to the polite and the familiar forms :

• Look! Regardez! > Regarde!
• Listen! Écoutez! > Écoute!
• Swim! Nagez! > Nage!
• Study! Étudiez! > Étudie!
• Speak! Parlez! > Parle!
• Walk! Marchez! > Marche!
• Stop! Arrêtez! > Arrête!
• Sing! Chantez! > Chante!
• Dance! Dansez ! > Danse!
• Ask! Demandez! > Demande!
• Eat! Mangez! > Mange!
• Start! commencez! > commence!
• Work! Travaillez! > Travaille!
• Stay! Restez! > Reste!
• Come in! Entrez! > Entre!

previous | next