Gemini
French Numbers and Basic Math
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Created with Fast December 27, 2025 at 07:41 AM Published December 27, 2025 at 04:56 PM
So I want to to practice math and numbers
In French
I don’t know jack shit really
No worries at all! We can start from absolute zero. French numbers follow a pretty logical pattern until you hit the 70s (where they start doing some weird mental math), but let’s not worry about that yet.
To get you started, let’s tackle 0 through 10. These are the building blocks for everything else.
The Basics: 0–10
Number French Pronunciation Tip (Roughly)
0 zéro zay-ro
1 un uh (nasal, like “un” in “under”)
2 deux duh
3 trois twah
4 quatre kat-ruh
5 cinq sank
6 six seess
7 sept set (the ‘p’ is silent)
8 huit wheet
9 neuf nuff
10 dix deess
Basic Math Terms
If we want to practice math, you’ll need these three words:
Plus (+) = plus (pronounced "plewss")
Moins (-) = mwa (pronounced "mwa")
Font (=) = foh (literally means "make")
Let’s Practice
Try to solve these simple problems by saying the French words out loud. Don’t worry about spelling yet—just focus on the sounds.
un + deux = ?
cinq + trois = ?
dix - quatre = ?
neuf - sept = ?
Take a crack at those! Would you like me to give you the answers, or should we try a few more in this range before moving up to 20?
Pratiquez si vous voulez parler.
Absolument! C’est parti!
Quelle est la réponse à un + deux?
On plus de for toi.
C’est exact! “Un plus deux font trois”.
Bravo!
Continuons : cinq plus trois = ?
5 + 3 = 8
Parfait! “Cinq plus trois font huit”. On continue avec une soustraction : dix moins quatre = ?
Learn the numbers.
Bien reçu! Révélons les réponses aux questions précédentes.
un + deux font trois (3)
cinq + trois** font** huit** (8)
dix - quatre** font** six** (6)
neuf - sept** font** deux** (2)
Comment ça a été? Tu as eu bon?
Maintenant, es-tu prêt pour 11 à 20? Ou préfères-tu pratiquer encore avec les premiers nombres?
How do you say money in French?
On dit “l’argent” pour “money” en français. Ça te permet de compter en français si tu veux!
En español es dinero, es plata, es efectivo. ¿Cómo se dice en francés?
C’est vrai! En espagnol, on utilise “dinero”, “plata” ou “efectivo”. En français, on a aussi des termes similaires. “L’argent” est le terme plus courant, mais on peut aussi dire “monnaie” ou “espèces” pour “cash” ou “efectivo”.
Ça te rajoute du vocabulaire!
Hell yeah, baby. Otra vez.
On y va! Cette fois, essayons de 11 à 20. Ça se corse un peu après 16.
De 11 à 20
Number French Pronunciation Tip (Roughly)
11 onze onz (nasal)
12 douze dooz
13 treize trez
14 quatorze ka-torz
15 quinze kanz (nasal)
16 seize sez
17 dix-sept deess-set
18 dix-huit deess-wheet
19 dix-neuf deess-nuff
20 vingt van (nasal)
Un peu de pratique!
Qu’est-ce que ça donne :
douze + cinq = ?
seize - trois = ?
vingt - dix = ?
À toi de jouer!
All right, all I want you to do is count from zero to 20 in French.
Bien sûr! C’est plus simple. Répète après moi :
zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix,
onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize,
Et maintenant ça devient un peu spécial : dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt.
OK.
Super! Tu as réussi. Ça te fait une bonne base. On peut continuer avec les nombres suivants ou pratiquer des opérations plus complexes avec ces nombres?
Okay, now I want to practice animals and the name for their meat. So chicken, pork, beef, cow, all of that. But let’s just do the primary meats and stuff. So imagine I was at a restaurant and I wanted to know the meats for a dinner or some shit.
Ah, excellent! C’est très utile pour un restaurant. Voici les principaux termes :
Au restaurant : La viande
Animal En français La viande (Meat)
Chicken le poulet le poulet
Pork le porc le porc
Beef le bœuf le bœuf
Lamb l’agneau l’agneau
Duck le canard le canard
Note : Pour “chicken”, le mot est le même pour l’animal et la viande (le poulet). Pour “pork”, on dit “le porc” ou parfois “le cochon” pour l’animal, mais surtout “le porc” pour la viande.
Tu veux essayer de commander quelque chose? Par exemple, “Je voudrais un steak de bœuf, s’il vous plaît.”
And how would you say I don’t want beef?
Pour dire “I don’t want beef”, tu dirais : “Je ne veux pas de bœuf.”
“Je” (I), “ne veux pas” (don’t want), “de bœuf” (beef).
Never. So can you explain in English the wrapping of the verbs when you are negating them? That’s the best of my understanding. For example, is is I is speak and is do not speak. Can you explain that a little bit better?
That’s a great way to think about it! You’ve got the core idea.
In French, the standard negation uses ne… pas. These two words typically “wrap” around the verb.
So, for example:
Je parle (I speak)
Je ne parle pas (I do not speak)
The “ne” comes before the verb, and “pas” comes after. It’s like putting the verb in a little sandwich!
This pattern applies to most verbs, and it’s the most common way to negate something.
Is this how people actually talk in real life?
Yes, exactly! People definitely use “je ne… pas” in everyday conversations. It’s the standard way to say “don’t” or “not” in French.
You might sometimes hear “ne” dropped in very casual speech, like “Je sais pas” (I don’t know), but “je ne sais pas” is the correct way to say it.
Je ne sais pas. Je ne sais pas. What is Je? Is that like Jo in Spanish?
Oui, c’est ça! “Je” en français est l’équivalent de “yo” en espagnol. C’est le pronom personnel de la première personne du singulier (“I” en anglais).
Okay, so tell me how to say I want chicken. I don’t want beef.
Pour cela, tu dirais : “Je veux du poulet, je ne veux pas de bœuf.”
I want of chicken. I know want no above, which is beef. Number one buff.
You’re very close! The “de” in French acts a bit like “of” in that context.
So, it’s “Je veux du poulet” (I want chicken, the “du” helps with that), and “je ne veux pas de bœuf” (I don’t want beef).
Does that make sense?
Let this be the number one buffet in America.
According to some sources, Golden Corral is considered the “America’s #1 Buffet Restaurant.” Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is also frequently mentioned as the largest in the country.
Are you planning a trip to try one?
What are you doing?
I’m here to help you with anything you need, from language practice to answering your questions! What would you like to do next?
Give me the give me the numbers zero through twenty again.
Sure, here you go:
Bitch, what is you doing in French?
Ah, d’accord! Je vais te les redire :
zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix,
onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize,
dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt.
C’est bon?
Can you add some bigger pauses in there, please? So I can hear. Start over at go a little slower.
Absolument. On y va, plus lentement :
zéro … … un … deux … trois … quatre … cinq … six … sept … huit … neuf … dix … … douze … treize … quatorze … quinze … seize …
Et maintenant la suite : dix-sept … dix-huit … dix-neuf … vingt
Ça te va?
All right, I heard there was some weird way to say 40 or some shit like that.
You heard right! French numbers get particularly interesting in the higher numbers.
While “quarante” is 40, things start to change with 70, which is “soixante-dix” (literally “sixty-ten”).
Then it gets even more fun: 80 is “quatre-vingts” (“four-twenties”), and 90 is “quatre-vingt-dix” (“four-twenty-ten”). Quite the calculation, right?
And that’s the like official way to say those numbers?
Yes, those are the official names in French, even though they seem complicated! It’s based on a sort of multiplication and addition system.
Is there any particular number you’d like to practice saying?
one million
Ah, un million! That is simply “un million” in French. Easy, right?
Okay, so now let’s talk about so I’m B1 Spanish. So I can understand concepts that come from Spanish. So let’s talk about a un uno not uno for masculine, feminine verbs, un, una, uno in Spanish. What are the equivalents in French?
That’s a great way to connect the languages!
In French, the equivalents are “un” for masculine singular (like “un” in Spanish), and “une” for feminine singular (like “una”). We don’t have “uno”.
So, for example:
Un chat (a cat, masculine)
Une maison (a house, feminine)
Does that clarification help?
So the rules are pretty much the same where it’s just uh well give it to me again the masculine and feminine whatever you just said the versus una in French
Certainly. The rules are quite similar. In French, “un” (pronounced like “uh” in English) is for masculine singular nouns, and “une” (pronounced like “oon”) is for feminine singular nouns. It functions just like “un” and “una” in Spanish to mean “a” or “an”.
Ah. On.
C’est ça! “Un” et “une”. On peut pratiquer avec quelques exemples si tu veux?
Non, on million est-ce masculin ou féminin ?
“Million” est masculin. On dit “un million”.
The following speech segment is spoken by someone who knows French. Transcribe the following speech segment:
C’est ça, “million” est masculin.
OK, so million as masculine as million.
C’est correct, on dit “un million”.
Ah ah ah million.
C’est ça! “Un million”. Tu as bien compris.
A million
Correct! “Un million”. Bravo!
And how do you say two million?
“Two million” is “deux millions”. Facile!
Do million. Okay, so now 16 million cuz I’m trying to understand the numbers. 16 million. How do you say that?
“16 million is” “seize millions”. Et “dollars” est “dollars” aussi, en français. Donc, “seize millions de dollars”.
6 millions de dollars. So you add the S. This is the same de as the Spanish de.
Yes, that’s right! You add the “s” for plural, like in Spanish. And “de” is pretty similar to the Spanish
six million of dollars
Almost! It’s “six millions de dollars”. We keep the “de” before “dollars”.
No, no, no. I’m trying to draw a parallel between the Spanish day and the French day.
I see! Yes, the French “de” is quite similar to the Spanish
Is that the same?
Yes, they function similarly in many contexts, often translating to “of” or “from”.
How do you say bueno?
“Bueno” in Spanish is typically translated as “bon” (masculine) or “bonne” (feminine) in French. You can also use “bien” in some contexts.
Yeah, I want a genderless way to like agree with something that was just said. So it’s like, hey, we’re going to make a million dollars. Bien. Hey, we’re going to go to the park. Bien. Is that the correct way to do that?
Yes, “bien” is perfect for that! It’s a versatile, gender-neutral way to agree or indicate approval, just like the examples you gave.
Bien. Tell me how to say it. Bien.
You’re saying it correctly! It’s just like “bien” in Spanish.
BM
Parfait! Continuez comme ça.
Sorry, sorry. Go ahead. I was trying to practice. Say it again.
Pas de problème! Je disais “Parfait! Continuez comme ça.” C’était pour dire “Perfect! Keep going.”
So perfect is perfect.
Exactement! “Parfait” et “parfaite” are the French equivalents of “perfect”.
What does accord mean?
“D’accord” means “okay,” “all right,” or “agreed” in French. It’s another common way to show agreement.
So I can say bien or d’accord.
Exactly! Both are excellent ways to agree.
Okay. Give me the numbers again.
Sure thing! Starting from zero:
zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt.
All right. All right. I can’t hear the difference between six and 16.
No problem! I’ll say them slower this time.
six (like “sees”) seize (like “sez”)
Ah, season says. Okay.
Exactly! “Six” and “seize”. You got it!
Okay, so 20 is vent or something like that, right?
That’s right! It’s “vingt”, pronounced like “vant” without the “t” sound at the end.
Uh-huh. Okay, so how do you say 24?
24 is “vingt-quatre”.
F so it’s just 24 20 and merge together right because for
C’est exact! “Vingt” and “quatre” are put together, 20 plus 4.
All right, so let’s talk the last thing we’ll do is talk about verb conjugations in a simple form. So in Spanish, I don’t know the exact name, but for example, is yo ablo, ablas, ablar, uh, and then whatever, whatever, and then ablan. In Latin American Spanish, you don’t really use um, so like you don’t use second per third second person plural. So it’s ablo, ablas, abla, ablamos, and then ablan, ablan in like at least everywhere I lived. So,
The French conjugation system is pretty similar to Spanish in terms of having different forms for each person. Let’s take the verb “parler” (to speak), which parallels “hablar”:
Je parle (Yo hablo)
Tu parles (Tú hablas)
Il/Elle/On parle (Él/Ella habla)
Nous parlons (Nosotros hablamos)
Vous parlez (Vosotros habláis ou Ustedes hablan)
Ils/Elles parlent (Ellos/Ellas hablan)
As you can see, the structure is quite similar! Would you like to try another verb?
Tell me that in French, present tense conjugation.
So for “parler” (to speak) in the present tense, it’s:
What did you say?
Oh, I was just repeating the conjugation:
Je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent.
Does that make sense?
So it’s okay. Do they use all six of them? In Spanish in Latin America, they only use five out of six of them. They don’t use the second person plural. In Spain they do, but not in Latin America.
Yes, in French, all six forms are commonly used. The “vous” form can be used for plural and also for formal singular, similar to “ustedes” in Spanish, but “vous” is definitely used.
All right, give me all right, give me the just okay, just conjugate perfectly or standardly.
Yes, “parler” is conjugated standardly as a regular -ER verb in French. It follows the most common pattern.
All right, give me the conjugation table again.
Certainly! Here is the present tense conjugation for “parler”:
je parle
tu parles
il/elle/on parle
nous parlons
vous parlez
ils/elles parlent (I speak)
tu parles (You speak, singular/informal)
il/elle/on parle (He/She/One speaks)
nous parlons (We speak)
vous parlez (You speak, plural/formal)
ils/elles parlent (They speak, masculine/feminine)
Is there a general standard rule of thumb about what changes um how the verb endings go? Is it something standard?
Yes, there are definitely standard rules! For most -ER verbs like “parler,” the endings are quite predictable: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Once you know the pattern, it applies to many verbs.
Perfect. Okay.
Perfecto! Is there anything else you’d like to explore in French?
Now I want to count again and where instead of 1 2 3, let’s go 1 million, 2 million all the way up to 20 million.
Got it! Let’s count by millions:
**un million, deux millions, trois millions, quatre millions, cinq millions, six
Rich.
… sept millions, huit millions, neuf millions, dix millions,
Start at one million, please.
Sure!
un million, deux millions, trois millions, quatre millions, cinq millions, six millions, sept millions, huit millions, neuf millions, dix millions, onze millions, douze millions, treize millions, quatorze millions, quinze millions, seize millions, dix-sept millions, dix-huit millions, dix-neuf millions, vingt millions.
24 million. Don’t tell me. 24 million de dollars. De dollars. 20 24 24 million de dollars. De dollars.
C’est presque ça! Juste “vingt-quatre millions de dollars”, without the extra “de dollars”. Très bien!
20 million dollars. So what did I do?
You just added an extra “de dollars” at the end, and “millions” with the “s” sound. In French, it’s just “vingt-quatre millions de dollars” (no “s” sound on “millions” and only one “de dollars”).
OK, so if it’s $22 million, it’s 22 million.
Close! It’s “vingt-deux millions de dollars”. Remember the “deux” for two.
za
“Deux” means “two”.
Right. So how do you say 22 million dollars?
It’s “vingt-deux millions de dollars”.
One those they want those the million dollars.
You’re very close! It’s “vingt-deux” (for 22) “millions” (with the ‘s’ sound) “de dollars”. How does that sound?
$100 million
Parfait! “Vingt-deux millions de dollars”. You’ve got it!
Now, how do you say how much is that? Quanto costa?
You would typically say “Combien ça coûte?” in French.
How do you say
It’s pronounced like “Combien” (kom-byen) “ça” (sa) “coûte” (koot). Does that help?
I don’t even know how to say that in Spanish. I mean, like, I don’t ever think about it. That’s not how I say that. How do you say that? I don’t I cannot translate Spanish. Um, okay, how do you say how much is it? So, imagine you’re at a street vendor and they’re selling something and it’s $24 million for it and for a business or some shit. How do you say that? How much is it? $24 million.
Ah, I see! In French, you could say “Combien coûte ceci?” (How much does this cost?) And to say “$24 million”, you’d say “vingt-quatre millions de dollars.” Does that make sense?
I need a shorter way to say that. Shorter way to ask how much something costs.
A shorter way is just “Ça coûte combien?” or even “Combien?” in a casual context.
C
Just “Ça” (sa) “coûte” (koot) “combien” (kom-byen). No “est” sound.
I can’t see that. Say it. Give me say it again.
Combien ça coûte?
That’s the long way, ain’t it?
The shortest is just “Combien?” if the context is clear.
Combien. So if I’m at a place and somebody selling hamburgers and then I point at a hamburger and say combien.
Yes, that’s perfectly understandable in French! It works just like that.
Okay, so then what going beyond? And I just said how much is it?
Exactly, by just “Combien?”, you’re effectively saying “How much?”.
Okay. Okay, I’m going to say, okay, let’s do a scenario. I’m going to be a store. You’re going to be a store. I’m going to walk in and say hello. And then I’m I’m going to ask how much some shit is. I’m going to try to order a burger and fries and a beer. And then I’m going to ask you how much it is.
Bonjour! Bienvenue! Qu’est-ce que vous aimeriez commander?
Let me let me know you’re ready. Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry. Start restart.
Je suis prêt! Bonjour! Qu’est-ce que je peux vous offrir?
Bonjour, Jolie. Je vous je mangerai euh je vous dirai un burger et papa frites et une bière, s’il vous plaît. Combien ?
Alors, un burger, des frites et une bière… ça fera 25 euros. Ça vous va?
Bueno. Okay, how was my French? How did I say? How good did I say it? And what did I say?
Your French was quite good! You said “Bonjour, Julie. Je voudrais un burger et des frites et une bière, s’il vous plaît. Combien?” which means “Hello, Julie. I would like a burger and fries and a beer, please. How much?”
I understood everything perfectly.
Merci.
De rien! N’hésitez pas si vous avez d’autres questions.
OK, à l’air, à bientôt.
À bientôt!
Bonjour.
Rebonjour! Comment puis-je vous aider maintenant?
All right, me voy a hablar en español. Y pero yo quiero saber las palabras en francés. Ah, y las palabras sobre conceptos, lo mismo de universo y chakra y magia y brujas y brujos y brujería.
¡Claro que sí! En francés, “universo” se traduce como “univers” (masculino), “chakra” es “chakra” (masculino), “magia” es “magie” (femenino), “brujas” es “sorcières” (femenino), “brujos” es “sorciers” (masculino) y “brujería”** es “sorcellerie” (femenino). ¿Te gustaría que practiquemos la pronunciación?
Um, okay. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That’s good.
De nada! Me alegra poder ayudarte.
No, say that in French.
De rien! Je suis là pour vous aider.
So is
“Vous” can be used for “you” (plural) and also for “you” (formal singular), similar to “usted” and “ustedes” in Spanish.
So you’re talking to me using the the formal register.
Oui, c’est ça. J’utilise le registre formel avec vous.
Okay.
D’accord! Y a-t-il autre chose?
D’accord.
Eh bien, n’hésitez pas si vous avez d’autres questions ou si vous voulez pratiquer d’autres choses!
Bonjour, Jolie.
Bonjour! Comment puis-je vous aider?
Je vous dirai parler in nombres a millions uno million un million dos million por ejemplo en francés
Ah, d’accord! Nous allons compter en millions, comme tout à l’heure. C’est un million, deux millions, et ainsi de suite.
Palais mi palais
“Parler” et “millions”? Est-ce que vous voulez dire “parler de millions”?
On y en avant, dormir avant minuit.
“Un million à vingt”? Cela signifie “one million to twenty” en français.
No, say it. I want you to say all of the millions from 1 million to 20 million. 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, so forth.
Bien sûr! C’est un million, deux millions, trois millions, quatre millions, cinq millions, six millions, sept millions, huit millions, neuf millions, dix millions, onze millions, douze millions, treize millions, quatorze millions, quinze millions, seize millions, dix-sept millions, dix-huit millions, dix-neuf millions, vingt millions. Est-ce que ça vous va?
et 24 millions est 24 millions
Exactement! “Vingt-quatre millions”. C’est ça.
Est-ce que la coupe
C’est tout à fait juste! “Vingt-quatre millions de dollars.”
How do you say $24 million?
You would say “vingt-quatre millions de dollars.”
de la
Exact! “de dollars.”
Au travers
¿Autre chose? Something else?
No lo mismo otra vez
De acuerdo, otra vez: un million, deux millions, trois millions, quatre millions, cinq millions, six millions, sept millions, huit millions, neuf millions, dix millions, onze millions, douze millions, treize millions, quatorze millions, quinze millions, seize millions, dix-sept millions, dix-huit millions, vingt millions.
Hey, 24 million.
Vingt-quatre millions.
$24 million.
Vingt-quatre millions de dollars.
So that S is real soft, huh?
Yes, the “s” in “millions” is silent in French.
So when do you know when to say the S and when not to say?
In French, the final “s” is usually silent, except in a few specific cases or in some liaisons. For “millions,” it’s always silent. Is there a particular word you’re wondering about?
How would you say 2 million cows? 2 million de bof
Almost! It’s “deux millions de vaches” (“vaches” for cows, and no “s” on “million”).
All right, say it again.
Deux millions de vaches.
So when is beef you is beef so is beef the meat from a vache
That’s right! “Bœuf” is the French word for beef, the meat from a cow (“vache”).
Now say that in French.
“Bœuf” est le mot français pour bœuf, la viande de vache.
Viond is meat.
C’est exact, “viande” est le mot pour “meat”.
OK. So, je voudrais 2 millions de vaches et 12 et 12 millions de poulets.
D’accord! Deux millions de vaches et douze millions de poulets. C’est noté!
Did I say that right? What did I say?
Yes, you said “Je voudrais deux millions de vaches et douze millions de poulets,” which means “I would like 2 million cows and 12 million chickens.” That was correct!
Okay, let me hear the difference between two and 12.
Sure. “Deux” (2) is pronounced like “duh,” and “douze” (12) is pronounced like “dooze.” Can you hear the difference?
Do and do
That’s right! You got it.
Okay, how do you say also? For example, I want a burger and fries also a cake.
You can use “aussi” or “également”. So you would say “Je voudrais un burger et des frites, aussi un gâteau,” or “également un gâteau.”
Like that man.
Exactly! That works well.
No, how do you say it? What’s the French way to say Bien?
You can say “aussi” or “également”. Both mean “also.”
Oh, see. Okay. Now let’s do another role play at the hamburger shop.
Parfait! Je suis prêt. Bonjour!
Bonjour, je vais manger. Euh, je vais manger un burger et frites aussi une bière, s’il vous plaît.
Très bien! Ça vous fait un total de 25 euros. Ça ira?
C’est euh combien ?
Vingt-cinq euros au total.
OK. Just be bread. Merci.
De rien! Bonne journée!
Gracias, Julie. A bientôt.
De nada! À bientôt!
How do you say French fries again?
“Frites”! Juste “frites”.
So that’s French fries. So how do you say potatoes?
Potatoes are “pommes de terre”.
What does that translate to? Something of the land.
It literally translates to “apples of the earth.”
Pomme de terre is how you say potatoes.
That’s correct!
Pomme de terre aussi frites, aussi un burger, s’il vous plaît.
Alors, des pommes de terre, des frites, et un burger. Ça marche!
Combien
Cela fait 25 euros.
Say euros again. How do you say that? Euros?
It’s pronounced “euros” (pronounced like “euro” with a soft “s” at the end).
Orlov
That’s close! It’s “euros” (pronounced like “you-rows”).
25 24
Vingt-quatre euros.
Frank Carter et
C’est presque ça! Juste “vingt-quatre euros.”
24 million de
Presque! C’est “vingt-quatre millions d’euros.” On ne met pas de “de” devant “euros” dans ce cas.
What?
In French, when you say a number followed by “euros,” you don’t need the word “de” in between, unlike in Spanish. So, it’s “vingt-quatre millions d’euros.”
Oh, you’re putting the D in there. You’re just using that contraction. Deals. Deals.
Exactly! It’s the contraction “d'” before “euros.”
What’s a contraction rule in French? So in Spanish, oh, how does it go? Well, we’re not getting into that. That’s little that’s a lot. All right, never mind.
No problem! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
What is chalet
A chalet (pronounced “sha-lay”) is originally a type of wooden house or cottage found in the Swiss Alps and other mountain regions.
- The Literal Origin
The word comes from a Swiss-French dialect and originally meant a “herder’s hut.” Historically, these were simple shelters where farmers lived during the summer while their cows grazed in the high mountain pastures. They were used to store milk and make cheese.
- What it looks like
You can usually spot a chalet by these features:
Heavy Wood: Built mostly of timber.
Gently Sloping Roof: Designed with a wide overhang (eaves) to help manage heavy snow.
Balconies: Often decorated with beautiful carved wood railings.
- Modern Meaning
Today, when people say “chalet,” they usually mean:
A Ski Lodge: A cozy vacation home in the mountains.
A Summer House: In places like Quebec, people use “chalet” to refer to almost any vacation cottage, whether it’s by a lake or in the woods.
In Spain (Chalé): It's often used to describe any detached single-family house with a garden, even if it's in the suburbs and not in the mountains at all!
Since we were talking about prices earlier, staying in a nice chalet in the Alps would definitely cost more than vingt-quatre euros!
Would you like to know how to describe other types of houses in French?
Chalet is cabin more or less?
Yes, you’re on the right track! In a general sense, a chalet is basically the European version of a cabin, but they have some distinct differences in style and “vibe.”
Here is how they usually compare:
The Quick Breakdown
Feature Chalet Cabin
Origin Swiss/French Alps American Frontier / Northern Europe
Structure A-frame or steep, overhanging roofs Log-based, sturdy, and boxier
Vibe “Ski resort” or luxury vacation home “Rustic” or simple shelter in the woods
Windows Large, floor-to-ceiling (for the views) Smaller, functional windows
Why they aren’t exactly the same:
The Roof: A chalet is famous for its massive overhangs. This was originally designed to keep the heavy Alpine snow away from the walls. A cabin usually has a much simpler roof.
The Luxury Factor: Nowadays, if someone says they are staying in a "chalet," people usually picture something a bit fancy—maybe a fireplace, a big balcony, and a hot tub. If someone says "cabin," people often think of something a bit more rugged and "back-to-basics."
The Location: You find chalets on mountains and ski slopes. You find cabins anywhere—in the woods, by a river, or even in a swamp.
Fun fact: In Quebec, they use the word “chalet” for almost any vacation house (even a small cabin by a lake), whereas in the rest of North America, we’d probably just call it a “cottage” or “cabin.”
Are you planning a trip to a chalet, or just curious about the word?
I’m moving to France
And watching porn in a “chalet” so was curious
That definitely clarifies the context! Whether it’s in a movie or real life, a chalet provides that classic “secluded mountain getaway” vibe that is very popular in French media and tourism.
Since you are moving to France, you’ll find that “chalet” is a word you’ll use all the time if you plan on visiting the Alps or the Pyrenees.
A Few Tips for Your Move to France:
Regional Differences: If you tell someone in Paris you’re going to a "chalet," they’ll assume you’re going skiing. If you’re in a more rural area, it might just be a neighbor's weekend wooden house.
The "Cabin" Translation: If you want to describe a very small, basic hut (smaller than a chalet), the French word is une cabane.
The "D" Contraction: Since you mentioned the contraction earlier (like "d'euros"), remember that in French, we drop the e and add an apostrophe whenever a word starts with a vowel.
Example: Le chalet (The chalet) vs. L’appartement (The apartment).
Moving to a new country is a huge step! Are you moving for work, or just for a change of scenery? I can help you with some common “moving day” French phrases if you’d like.
Bonjour, Jolie.
Bonjour ! Comment se passe la préparation de votre déménagement ?
All right, so here’s the phrase that I want to make sure I’m saying correctly. C’est on télécharger gratuitement.
Almost! It’s “C’est pour télécharger gratuitement.” The “on” changes to “pour” to mean “for.” What are you trying to download?
What did I say?
You said “C’est on télécharger gratuitement,” which is a little off grammatically. It translates to “It’s on download free,” but the correct way to say it is “C’est pour télécharger gratuitement.”
Okay, let’s understand what is say is what is that word say? Is it like a star in Spanish?
“C’est” is very similar to “es” in Spanish! It means “it is” or “that is.” For example, “C’est bon” means “It’s good.”
Okay. Spanish has the concept of ser and estar. Does French have that?
That’s a great question! French doesn’t have two separate verbs like “ser” and “estar.” It only uses “être” (pronounced like “et-tr”).
“Être” covers both concepts, so you would use it for permanent and temporary states, location, and characteristics.
Okay, so how would you say I am a student and I am happy. I am rich. Give me all three of those.
You would say: Je suis étudiant (or étudiante if you are a female) – I am a student. Je suis heureux (or heureuse if you are a female) – I am happy. *Je suis riche – I am rich.
Nouveau riche new rich. Okay.
“Nouveau riche” is correct for “new rich.” Is there anything else you’d like to translate?
So just we reach
Oui, “je suis riche” is correct.
All right, so now let’s talk about it’s not a conjugation, but for the speaker, so in Spanish, hold on, give me a second. Give me a second.
Pas de problème, prenez votre temps.
Okay, when you said I am a student, you said it depending on your gender of the speaker. So go into that, please.
That’s correct! In French, the word for “student” changes depending on the speaker’s gender.
If you are male, you say "étudiant" (masculine).
If you are female, you say "étudiante" (feminine, with an extra 'e' at the end, though the pronunciation is quite similar).
This It’s a common feature in French for nouns and adjectives.
But Spanish doesn’t have that, right?
You are correct! In Spanish, “estudiante” is the same for both masculine and feminine speakers.
Okay, I know in Spanish the un una is about the thing you’re talking about, but I guess if you’re saying I am, you are also talking about yourself.
That’s right! In French, the adjective like “étudiant” has to agree with the gender of the person speaking, just like in Spanish, even when using “je suis.”
So just we is that a conjugation of?
Yes, “je suis” is the first-person singular conjugation of the verb “être” (to be). You are correct.
Okay, so it’s it’s irregular. Okay, so just okay, it seems like every language to be is irregular. Why is that?
It’s a common pattern in many languages! The verb “to be” is used so frequently that its form has evolved more freely over time than less common verbs, leading to the irregularities you see. It’s like the foundation of a language.
Present simple of étre/ to be table
Bonjour ! You’ve got a great ear for the nuances. To answer your first question: C’est means “It is” or “That is.” It is a combination of ce (it/that) and est (is).
Regarding Ser vs. Estar: Unlike Spanish, French does not have two different verbs for “to be.” Whether it is a permanent characteristic (Ser) or a temporary feeling (Estar), French uses only one verb: être.
Here is the present simple table for the verb être:
The Verb Être (To Be)
Pronoun French English
Je suis I am
Tu es You are (informal)
Il / Elle / On est He / She / One is
Nous sommes We are
Vous êtes You are (formal or plural)
Ils / Elles sont They are
Your Examples: Gender and Identity
In French, the adjective must match the gender of the speaker.
I am rich: "Je suis riche" (This one is easy—it's the same for everyone!)
I am happy: * Male: "Je suis heureux"
Female: "Je suis heureuse"
I am a student:
Male: "Je suis étudiant"
Female: "Je suis étudiante"
Note: In French, we usually don't say "un" or "une" when stating our profession. We just say "Je suis étudiant," not "Je suis un étudiant."
Why is “To Be” always irregular?
You’re right—it’s irregular in almost every Indo-European language (Spanish soy/eres, German bin/bist, English am/is/are).
This is because “To Be” is the most frequently used verb in history. Over thousands of years, it actually merged from three different ancient roots. Because we say these words so often, they resist “cleaning up” or becoming regular—we use them too much to ever forget the “weird” versions!
What you said earlier:
You asked about: “C’est on télécharger gratuitement.” Literally, you said: “It is one download for free.”
If you meant "It is a free download," you would say: "C'est un téléchargement gratuit."
Since you’re moving to France, would you like to practice how to introduce yourself using your profession or where you’re from?
Ok
I am a writer
Yo escritor
In French, since you are a writer, you have a couple of ways to say it depending on how “fancy” or professional you want to sound.
Here is how you say “I am a writer”:
- The Standard Way
“Je suis écrivain.”
Pronunciation: Zhuh swee ay-kree-vã
Note: In French, "écrivain" is historically used for both men and women, though some people now use "écrivaine" (added 'e' at the end) for a female writer.
- The Professional Way (Author)
“Je suis auteur.”
Pronunciation: Zhuh swee oh-tuhr
Note: This sounds a bit more like "I am an author." Again, if you are a woman, you might see it written as "auteure."
Comparison with Spanish
You mentioned “Yo escritor”:
In Spanish, you say: "Yo soy escritor."
In French, you say: "Je suis écrivain."
Important Grammar Rule: Notice that in both languages, we do not use the word for “a” (un/una or un/une).
Correct: Je suis écrivain.
Incorrect: Je suis un écrivain. (You only use "un" if you add an adjective, like "I am a famous writer"— Je suis un écrivain célèbre).
Moving to France Pro-Tip:
If you are moving to France and people ask what you do, they might also ask: “Qu’est-ce que vous écrivez ?” (What do you write?).
Would you like to know how to say you write “scripts,” “novels,” or “articles”?
Give me a table of the mediums
Exhaustive
Since you are a writer (écrivain) moving to France, you’ll find that the French literary world is quite specific about these categories. Here is an exhaustive table of writing mediums.
Les Supports d’Écriture (Writing Mediums)
Medium French (Masculine/Feminine) Notes
Novel Un roman If you write long fiction.
Short Story Une nouvelle Careful: Nouvelle also means “news.”
Script / Screenplay Un scénario For film, TV, or “the video” you mentioned.
Play (Theater) Une pièce de théâtre Often just called “une pièce.”
Poetry La poésie A poet is un poète.
Article Un article For newspapers, blogs, or magazines.
Essay Un essai For non-fiction/philosophical works.
Biography Une biographie Or une autobiographie.
Comic Book / Graphic Novel Une bande dessinée (BD) Huge in France! A massive industry.
Speech Un discours For politicians or executives.
Song Lyrics Des paroles A lyricist is un parolier.
Technical Manual Un manuel technique For “how-to” or technical writing.
Blog Post Un billet de blog Also simply called un post.
Newsletter Une infolettre Though most French people say “une newsletter.”
How to use these in a sentence:
To tell someone what you write, you use the verb écrire (to write):
"J'écris des scénarios." (I write scripts.)
"J'écris des romans." (I write novels.)
"J'écris pour un blog." (I write for a blog.)
Moving to France Pro-Tip:
In France, if you write for TV or film, you might call yourself un scénariste. If you write books, you are un écrivain or un auteur. The French take the title “écrivain” quite seriously—it carries a bit of prestige!
Which of these fits the type of writing you’re doing? I can give you the specific vocabulary for that niche (like “plot,” “character,” or “dialogue”).
If I say I write scripts about sex
Or short stories about sex
In French, the way you describe your “subject matter” is quite similar to English, but there are a few ways to phrase it depending on how formal or direct you want to be.
- I write scripts about sex
“J’écris des scénarios sur le sexe.”
Sur le sexe: "About sex" (Direct and clear).
Sur la sexualité: "About sexuality" (Sounds a bit more clinical or academic).
- I write short stories about sex
“J’écris des nouvelles sur le sexe.”
Note: Remember that une nouvelle is a short story. If you say "histoires courtes," people will understand you, but nouvelles is the literary term.
Nuances of “Genre”
In the French writing world, if your work is specifically about sex, people might use these adjectives to describe the genre:
Term French Note
Erotic Érotique The most common literary term (e.g., de la littérature érotique).
Steamy / Spicy Olé-olé A bit old-fashioned/playful, but common in casual talk.
Explicit Cru Literally means “raw.” Used for very direct writing.
Pornographic Pornographique Very direct; usually shortened to “porno”.
Examples of how to say it:
"J'écris des nouvelles érotiques." (I write erotic short stories.)
"Mes scénarios traitent de la sexualité." (My scripts deal with sexuality—this sounds very professional).
"J'écris sur les relations et le sexe." (I write about relationships and sex.)
A Note on the Word “Sex”
In French, “le sexe” refers to the act or the concept, but it is also the word for “genitals.” To avoid any confusion in a professional setting, many writers prefer:
"L'érotisme" (Eroticism)
"La sexualité" (Sexuality)
Would you like me to help you draft a specific sentence for your “About Me” or a professional bio in French?
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