Giáo trình động từ tiếng Pháp - Part VI The Part of Tens - Chapter 22 pptx

Part VI
The Part of Tens
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In this part . . .
T
his part is similar to one in every other For Dummies
book. Here I include some great information in a nut-
shell that doesn’t necessarily fit anywhere else in this
book. In this part, I include two chapters with fun informa-
tion that you can quickly absorb. Chapter 22 looks at ten
verbs that are used the French way. Chapter 23 looks at
ten verbs that are often frequently mixed-up between
French and English.
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Chapter 22
Ten Verbs Used the French Way
In This Chapter
ᮣ Distinguishing transitive from intransitive verbs
ᮣ Making sense of the prepositions
I
f you’ve ever tried to translate something from one language to another, you probably
didn’t translate literally or word for word. If you did translate literally, you probably
noticed something that didn’t quite jive in the translation. That’s because every language
has a way of saying things that’s unique to that language and therefore different in other
languages.
French is no different. In this chapter, I help you avoid pitfalls regarding ten verbs that are
used transitively in English but intransitively in French and vice versa. This means that some
verbs are followed by a direct object in one language but not in the other, and some verbs
take a preposition in one language but not in the other.
Transitive verbs are followed by a
direct object, whereas

intransitive verbs aren’t. (Chapter 1 gives you the complete lowdown
on the differences between transitive and intransitive verbs.) This chapter looks more
closely at ten common verbs that you may use in everyday conversation. (Please know that
this list isn’t exhaustive; I only list ten of the most common.) I start first with verbs that are
transitive in French, but intransitive in English, and then move to the intransitive French
verbs (and transitive English verbs).
Attendre (To Wait For)
The first French transitive verb that comes to mind is attendre (to wait for). (In English this
verb is intransitive.) Think of the preposition
for as being built into the verb itself and there-
fore making any other preposition unnecessary.
Nous attendons le train. (We are waiting for the train.)
Ils attendent le professeur. (They are waiting for their professor.)
Chercher (To Look For)
The verb chercher (to look for) is another verb that’s transitive in French and intransitive in
English. In French you say
Je cherche les clés, which is literally I’m looking the keys, but in
good English is
I’m looking for the keys. The preposition for is built into the verb. You also
use the verb
chercher to mean to pick up someone. So don’t panic if someone says, Je vais
chercher mes enfants à l’école.
This statement doesn’t necessarily mean that I am going to
look for my children in school
in the sense that they are lost in the school — instead it means
I’m picking them up.
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Écouter (To Listen To)
Écouter (to listen to) is also transitive in French but intransitive in English. Notice that
the following example doesn’t use a preposition between the verb

écouter and the
noun, unlike in English where you use the preposition
to.
Il écoute la radio. (He is listening to the radio.)
Nous écoutons le president. (We are listening to the president.)
Payer (To Pay)
When you go shopping, how do you pay for your purchases? How do you pay for your
movie ticket or even the grocery bill? In French, the verb
payer (to pay) is transitive
and doesn’t need a preposition (like
for) after it like it does in English.
Tu paies les provisions. (You are paying for the groceries.)
Nous payons les billets d’avion. (We are paying for the plane tickets.)
However, don’t use the verb
payer to mean to pay a visit to someone; instead use the
verb
rendre visite à (see Chapter 23).
Regarder (To Look At, To Watch)
The last French transitive verb that I cover in this chapter is the verb regarder (to look
at, to watch
). In French, this verb is always followed by the direct object, regardless of
how you translate it in English.
Il regarde les oiseaux. (He is looking at the birds.)
Regarder also means to watch, and in that sense, it’s transitive in both English and
French.
Vous regardez le match. (You are watching the game.)
Je regarde la télé. (I’m watching television.)
Demander (To Ask)
The first intransitive French verb (but transitive English verb) that I cover is demander
(to ask). With this verb and the following four verbs in this chapter, you follow the

verb with the preposition
à in French. When you ask someone a question, use the verb
demander à followed by the person.
Les étudiants demandent au professeur d’expliquer la leçon. (The students ask
the professor to explain the lesson.
)
Elle demande à ses parents si elle peut sortir. (She asks her parents if she can
go out.
)
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Part VI: The Part of Tens
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However, don’t use the verb demander à when you want to ask a question; use the
verb
poser (to put, to ask) followed by the noun une question (a question). The person
to whom you are asking the question is still indirect with this verb. The following
examples clarify this construction.
Il pose une question. (He is asking a question.)
Il pose une question au directeur. (He is asking a question to the director.)
Obéir (To Obey)
You also add the preposition à to the verb obéir (to obey). In French, you must say to
obey
to someone, and therefore the person is the indirect object instead of the direct
object. In English, the person is the direct object. The fact that you’re obeying some-
thing rather than someone doesn’t change the structure of the verb. You still need the
preposition
à.
Les enfants obéissent à leurs parents. (The children obey their parents.)
Nous obéissons à la loi. (We obey the law.)
Permettre (To Allow)

The same rule applies to the verb permettre (to allow). That is to say that in French,
you allow
to someone to do something, and therefore you need the preposition à
before the noun. This verb is intransitive in French but transitive in English.
Le directeur permet aux employés de partir tôt. (The director allows the employees
to leave early.
)
Mme Meneau permet à sa fille de sortir avec Mathieu. (Mrs. Meneau allows her
daughter to go out with Mathieu.
)
Répondre (To Answer)
Another verb that you use differently in French than in English is the verb répondre
(to answer). In French, you answer to someone as well as to a question.
Tu réponds à la question. (You answer the question.)
Nous répondons à notre entraîneur. (We are answering our coach.)
Téléphoner (To Telephone, To Call)
When you call someone, you actually call to someone in French. This meaning is con-
veyed by the verb
téléphoner, followed by the preposition à, and then followed by
either a person or a place.
Je téléphone à mes amis. (I am calling my friends.)
Ils téléphonent à leurs parents. (They call their parents.)
Nous téléphonons au bureau. (We’re calling the office.)
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Chapter 22: Ten Verbs Used the French Way
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Part VI: The Part of Tens
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