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In this lesson, we will study the imperative, the relative pronouns “qui” and “que,” as well as vocabulary related to cooking.
Listen carefully to the dialogue and take notes.
I. Key Phrases and Vocabulary
1.Key phrases
2. Let’s start by learning some words related to kitchen utensils.
- La marmite – The pot
- Le gant de cuisine – The oven mitt
- La poêle – The frying pan
- Le couteau – The knife
- La cuillère – The spoon
- La fourchette – The fork
- La tasse – The cup
- L’assiette – The plate
- La brosse – The brush
- Le bol – The bowl
II. GRAMMAR
1. Now let’s study the conjugation of the verb ‘to put’.
The verb ‘to put’ is used in various meanings such as to place, to insert, to add, to wear, to put on, to mail, to hang, to tidy up, etc. When this verb appears, let’s think about in which sense it is being used.
Mettre :
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | je mets (I put) | nous mettons (we put) |
| 2nd person | tu mets (you put) | vous mettez (you put) |
| 3rd person | il met (he puts) | ils mettent (they put) |
| elle met (she puts) | elles mettent (they put) |
| Additional Forms | |
|---|---|
| Imperative | Mets ! (Put!) |
| Mettons ! (Let’s put!) | |
| Mettez ! (Put!) | |
| Past | j’ai mis (I put) |
| Imperfect | je mettais (I was putting) |
| Future | je mettrai (I will put) |
2. Placement of Pronouns in French Imperative Sentences
The placement of pronouns in the imperative form (used for giving orders or making requests) involves specific rules that differ somewhat from other verb forms. Here’s a breakdown using your examples to illustrate:
- Positive Imperative:
- When using affirmative commands, object pronouns are placed after the verb and are connected by a hyphen. For instance, in the sentence “Vas-y en métro. C’est plus rapide.” (‘Go there by metro. It’s faster.’), the pronoun “y” is placed after the verb “vas” and connected with a hyphen. This construction follows the general pattern: verb + pronoun.
- Another example is “Passe-moi le sel.” (‘Pass me the salt.’), where “moi” follows “passe” and is linked by a hyphen.
- Negative Imperative:
- In negative commands, object pronouns precede the verb. This is similar to their placement in non-imperative forms. For example, in “Ne le mets pas dans le frigo.” (‘Don’t put it in the fridge.’), the pronoun “le” is placed before the verb “mets”.
- The general structure for negative commands is: ne + pronoun + verb + pas.
🔷 Exercice : Transform according to the example.
Ex. Tu en prends encore ? → Prends-en encore !
- Vous y ajoutez le sucre.
- Vous ne le servez pas trop.
- Tu la coupes en deux.
- Tu ne le mets pas au four.
3. The relative pronouns qui and que .
- Qui:
- “Qui” is used as a subject pronoun and means “who, that, which.” It refers to the subject of the clause it introduces.
- Example: “Prends le bol qui est sur la table.” (Take the bowl that is on the table.)
- Here, “qui” refers to “le bol” and is the subject of “est sur la table” (is on the table).
- Que:
- “Que” is used as an object pronoun and translates to “whom, that, which.” It refers to the object of the clause.
- Example: “Prends le bol que j’ai acheté hier.” (Take the bowl that I bought yesterday.)
- In this sentence, “que” refers to “le bol” and is the object of “j’ai acheté hier” (I bought yesterday).
Additional examples: 3. Qui as Subject:
- “La fille qui parle avec Jamel est belle.” (The girl who is talking with Jamel is beautiful.)
- “Qui” relates back to “la fille” and introduces “parle avec Jamel” where it acts as the subject.
- Que as Object:
- “La fille que tu m’as présentée est belle.” (The girl whom you introduced to me is beautiful.)
- Here, “que” relates back to “la fille” and is the object of the verb in the clause “tu m’as présentée” (you introduced to me).
- “La fille que tu m’as présentée est belle.” (The girl whom you introduced to me is beautiful.)