Introduction How to use this dictionary Word classes
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Introduction The Collins Primary French Dictionary is a bilingual dictionary aimed at primary school pupils who are starting to learn French. The dictionary is presented in an easy-to-use format which is intended to be easily accessible to young people of primary school age. The colourful illustrations have been designed to appeal to young learners, encouraging them to engage with the language. The dictionary also provides lots of simple, relevant examples and tips on how to remember words, as well as how to avoid some of the pitfalls of translation. Finally, it features key phrases and information about life in France, making it an invaluable and exciting resource. Access to a dictionary which is pitched at an appropriate level is a vital part of the language-learning process. The content of this dictionary has been carefully selected to reflect current trends in primary education and help young people with acquiring basic language-learning skills. The key aims of the Collins Primary French Dictionary are: • to develop both language skills in French and language-learning skills in general • to cover the four key areas of language attainment: listening, speaking, reading and writing • to reinforce key aspects of the language by the use of notes and feature boxes throughout the entries • to extend cultural awareness by providing information about France, especially where traditions differ from those in Britain The Collins Primary French Dictionary supports language learning in a number of specific ways: • it develops learners’ knowledge of how language works by encouraging them to understand, analyse and use simple aspects of grammar • it develops young people’s individual learning skills by using a wide range of notes that explain things in a simple but interesting way • it enables learners to make comparisons between French and English by encouraging them to explore the similarities and differences between the two languages and cultures • it introduces young learners to all the basic elements of a bilingual dictionary and provides detailed instructions on how to get the most out of using the dictionary
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How to use this dictionary sombre
Il a soixante ans. He’s sixty. soixante et un sixty-one soixante-deux sixty-two soixante et onze seventy-one soixante-quinze seventy-five
French
sixty
English
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soixante NUMBER
soixante-dix NUMBER seventy Il a soixante-dix ans. He’s seventy.
solaire ADJECTIVE solar le système solaire the solar system la crème solaire sun cream le soldat MASC NOUN
soldier le solde MASC NOUN en solde reduced Les baskets sont en solde. The trainers are reduced. les soldes the sales le soleil MASC NOUN
sun au soleil in the sun oleill. Il y a du solei soleil. It’s sunny.
solide ADJECTIVEE strong
sombre ADJECTIVE
dark
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Il fait un peu sombre ici. ici
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The guide word on a right-hand page tells you the last headword you will find on the page. On a left-hand page, the guide word tells you the first headword on the page. The side tab tells you which side of the dictionary you are looking at. The alphabet line shows you which letter you are in. The headword is the word you are looking up. French headwords are in red and are in alphabetical order. The main English translations are in blue. Phrases and examples show you how the headword is used in a sentence. The word class tells you if the headword is, for example, a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb or a pronoun.
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Key phrases are highlighted so that they can be easily found.
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Colourful illustrations make the book fun to use.
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The headword is the word you are looking up. English headwords are in blue and are in alphabetical order. The main French translations are in red. Noun and adjective translations are followed by information on whether they are masculine or feminine. Where a word has more than one meaning, look at each number to make sure you find the meaning you need. Did you know…? notes give you extra information about culture and traditions in French-speaking countries.
cow NOUN la vache fem a big black cow une grosse vache vac ache a che he noire
crab NOUN le crabe mascc
cracker NOUN 1 le cracker r
masc (biscuit) t)) 2 la papillote fem (Christmas cracker)
DID YOU KNOW…?
papillotes are different from crackers in Britain. They consist of a sweet with a joke and a banger wrapped round it, covered in foil. You unwrap them and pull the banger.
crash NOUN l’ accident masc a crash un accident
crawl NOUN 14 4
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Whether a noun is masculine, feminine or plural is shown by the article (le, la, l’, les) before the headword. Other forms of nouns and adjectives, for example feminine and plural forms, are given at the headword. Notes show where a word can belong to more than one word class. Language Tips give you extra information about spelling and grammar in French.
le crawl masc I can do the crawl. Je sais nager le crawl.
crazy ADJECTIVE fou masc folle fem
cream cream can be a noun or an adjective. A NOUN
la crème fem strawberries and cream les fraises à la crème B ADJECTIVE
crème masc, fem, pl (colour) a cream shirt une chemise crème LANGUAGE TIP
Colour adjectives come after the noun in French.
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Word classes Each word in this dictionary belongs to a particular word class, for example, nouns, verbs or adjectives. In this dictionary, abbreviations have been used in some places. These are: pl masc fem
plural masculine feminine
Nouns A noun is a word that is used for talking about a person or thing. Nouns are sometimes called “naming words” because they are often the names of people, places, things and ideas. Examples of nouns are book, child and smile in English, and pomme, cheval and ananas in French. Nouns in English and in French can be singular (only one) or plural (more than one). In French, they can also be masculine or feminine. It’s a very good film. C’est un très bon film. I’m wearing stripy socks. Je porte des chaussettes rayées.
Adjectives An adjective is a word that tells you more about a person or thing. Adjectives are often called “describing words” because they describe what something looks, feels or smells like. Examples of adjectives are happy, green and cloudy in English, and grand, noir and formidable in French. I’ve got blue eyes. J’ai les yeux bleus. She’s very smart. Elle est très intelligente.
Verbs A verb is a word that you use for saying what someone or something does. Verbs are often called “doing words” because they talk about an action that someone or something is doing. Examples of verbs are walk, speak and look in English, and regarder, aimer and nager in French. I play the flute. Je joue de la flûte. I don’t understand. Je ne comprends pas.
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Adverbs An adverb is a word that tells you more about how someone does something. Examples of adverbs are slowly, loudly and hungrily in English, and vite and heureusement in French. Our trainers are exactly the same. Nos baskets sont exactement les mêmes. Unfortunately it’s too late. Malheureusement, c’est trop tard.
Pronouns A pronoun is a word you use instead of a noun to refer to someone or something. Examples of pronouns are he, it and theirs in English, and ils and moi in French. He loves dogs. Il aime les chiens. I can’t see them. JJe ne les vois pas. p
Prepositions P i i A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun or noun phrase to some other word in the sentence. Examples of prepositions are under, in and with in English, and sous and dans in French. I’ll do it for you. Je vais le faire pour toi. We’re going to a restaurant. Nous allons au restaurant.
Conjunctions A conjunction is a word that links two words or phrases or two parts of a sentence. Examples of conjunctions are and, but and because in English, and mais and parce que in French. Thanks, but I’m not hungry. Merci, mais je n’ai pas faim. You can have it if you like. Tu peux le prendre si tu veux.
Articles An article is a specific word you use before a noun and/or an adjective. Examples of articles are the, a and an in English, and un, une, le, la, l’ and les in French.
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LANGUAGE TIP
Don’t confuse à with the verb form a. See also au (= à + le) and aux (= à + les). 1 at
a VERB Usee avoir LANGUAGE TIP
Don’t confuse a with the preposition à. 1 has
Elle a beaucoup d’amis. She has lots of friends. LANGUAGE TIP
Sometimes a is used to show that something has happened in the past. Il a joué au football. He played football. 2 is
Il a neuf ans. He is nine years old. il y a there is/there are LANGUAGE TIP
il y a has two translations. Look at the examples. Il y a un bon film à la télé. There’s a good film on TV. Il y a beaucoup de monde. There are lots of people. LANGUAGE TIP
il y a can also mean ago. Elle est partie il y a dix minutes. She left ten minutes ago. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? What’s the matter?
Je suis à la maison. I am at home. Je finis à quatre heures. I finish at 4 o’clock.
French
à PREPOSITION
English
à
2 in
Il est à Paris. He is in Paris. Elle habite au Portugal. She lives in Portugal. Mes grands-parents habitent à la campagne. My grandparents live in the country. au printemps in the spring au mois de juin in June 3 to
Je vais à Paris. I’m going to Paris. Elle va au Portugal. She’s going to Portugal. Cet été je vais à la campagne. I’m going to the country this summer. Il l’a donné à son frère. He gave it to his brother. Je n’ai rien à faire. I’ve got nothing to do. Ce livre est à Paul. This book is Paul’s. 4 by
Il est arrivé à bicyclette. He arrived by bicycle. à pied on foot Je vais à l’école à pied. I walk to school. à … d’ici … from here
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French
English
abandonner
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C’est à dix kilomètres d’ici. It’s 10 kilometres from here. … à l’heure … an hour cent kilomètres à l’heure 100 kilometres an hour À samedi! See you on Saturday! À tout à l’heure! See you later! À bientôt! See you soon! À demain! See you tomorrow!
abandonner VERB 1 to abandon 2 to give up
Je veux abandonner la natation. I want to give up swimming. l’ abeille FEM NOUN
bee l’ abord MASC NOUN d’abord first Je vais rentrer chez moi d’abord. I’ll go home first. l’ abricot MASC NOUN
apricot
absent MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM absente) absent
absolument ADVERB absolutely l’ accent MASC NOUN
accent un accent aigu an acute accent un accent grave a grave accent un accent circonflexe a circumflex
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LANGUAGE TIP
French vowels sometimes have an accent to change their sound. There are three kinds of accents: the acute (école), the grave (mère) and the circumflex (hôtel). See also aigu, grave, circonflexe.
accepter VERB to accept l’ accident MASC NOUN
accident
accompagner VERB to accompany LANGUAGE TIP
There is the word accompany in English, but it is quite a formal word and we will often use something different, such as take. Elle m’accompagne à l’école. She takes me to school. l’ accord MASC NOUN être d’accord to agree Tu es d’accord avec moi? Do you agree with me? D’accord! OK! l’ accordéon MASC NOUN
accordion Hugo joue de l’accordéon. Hugo plays the accordion. l’ accueil MASC NOUN
reception
acheter VERB to buy l’ acné FEM NOUN
acne l’ acteur MASC NOUN
actor un acteur de cinéma a film actor
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actif MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM active) active
J’adore jouer au tennis. I love playing tennis.
l’ activité FEM NOUN
activity
English
affiche
l’ actrice FEM NOUN une actrice de cinéma a film actress les actualités FEM PL NOUN
news Je regarde les actualités tous les soirs. I watch the news every night. l’ addition FEM NOUN 1 sum 2 bill
L’addition, s’il vous plaît! Can we have the bill, please?
adhésif MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM adhésive) le ruban adhésif sticky tape l’ adjectif MASC NOUN
adjective ‘grand’ est un adjectif. ‘grand’ is an adjective.
admettre VERB 1 to admit
J’admets que j’ai eu tort. I admit I was wrong. 2 to allow
Les chiens ne sont pas admis dans le restaurant. Dogs are not allowed in the restaurant. l’ adolescent MASC NOUN l’ adolescente FEM NOUN
teenager
adorable ADJECTIVE lovely
adorer VERB to love Elle adore le chocolat. She loves chocolate.
l’ adresse FEM NOUN
address LANGUAGE TIP
The French word has only one d, and an extra e. mon adresse électronique my email address l’ adulte MASC/FEM NOUN
adult une chambre pour deux adultes et un enfant a room for two adults and a child l’ adverbe MASC NOUN
adverb ‘Beaucoup’ est un adverbe. ‘Beaucoup’ is an adverb. l’ adversaire MASC/FEM NOUN
opponent l’ aérobic MASC NOUN
aerobics Je fais de l’aérobic. I do aerobics. l’ aéroport MASC NOUN
airport les affaires FEM PL NOUN 1 things
Va chercher tes affaires! Go and get your things! Rangez vos affaires! Put your things away! 2 business
un homme d’affaires a businessman l’ affiche FEM NOUN
poster
French
actress
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English
affreux affreux MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM affreuse) awful
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Be careful! The French word agenda does not mean the same as the English word agenda. l’ agent MASC NOUN un agent de police a police officer l’ agneau MASC NOUN
africain MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM africaine) African
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LANGUAGE TIP
(PL les agneaux)
lamb
l’ Africain MASC NOUN l’ Africaine FEM NOUN
African l’ Afrique FEM NOUN
Africa
agacer VERB to get on somebody’s nerves Tu m’agaces! You’re getting on my nerves! l’ âge MASC NOUN
age Écrivez votre nom et votre âge. Write down your name and age. Tu as quel âge? How old are you? Quel âge a-t-elle? How old is she?
âgé MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM âgée) old l’ agence FEM NOUN
agency une agence de voyages a travel agency une agence immobilière an estate agent’s l’ agenda MASC NOUN
diary Elle note tous ses rendez-vous dans son agenda. She makes a note of all her appointments in her diary.
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l’ agrafeuse FEM NOUN
stapler
agréable MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM agréable) nice l’ agriculteur MASC NOUN l’ agricultrice FEM NOUN
farmer
ai VERB Usee avoir J’ai deux chats. I have two cats. LANGUAGE TIP
Sometimes ai is used to show that something has happened in the past. J’ai oublié mon livre. I’ve forgotten my book. l’ aide FEM NOUN
help
aider VERB to help Tu peux m’aider? Can you help me?
aïe EXCLAMATION Ouch!
aigu MASC ADJECTIVE un accent aigu an acute accent
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needle l’ ail MASC NOUN
garlic Je n’aime pas l’ail. I don’t like garlic. l’ aile FEM NOUN
wing une aile de poulet a chicken wing
aimable MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM aimable) nice l’ aimant MASC NOUN
magnet
aimer VERB 1 to love
Elle aime ses enfants. She loves her children. Je t’aime. I love you. 2 to like
Tu aimes le chocolat? Do you like chocolate? J’aime bien ce garçon. I like this boy. J’aime bien jouer au tennis. I like playing tennis. J’ai mis un J’aime sur ta photo. I liked your photo.
aîné MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM aînée) C’est mon frère aîné. He’s my big brother. l’ aîné MASC NOUN l’ aînée FEM NOUN
oldest child C’est l’aîné. He’s the oldest child. C’est l’aînée. She’s the oldest child. l’ air MASC NOUN
air Tu as l’air fatiguée. You look tired.
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l’ aire de jeux FEM NOUN
playground
ajouter VERB to add l’ alarme FEM NOUN
alarm l’ alcool MASC NOUN
alcohol Je ne bois pas d’alcool. I don’t drink alcohol.
French
l’ aiguille FEM NOUN
English
aller
l’ Algérie FEM NOUN
Algeria
algérien MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM algérienne) Algerian l’ Algérien MASC NOUN l’ Algérienne FEM NOUN
Algerian l’ alimentation FEM NOUN
groceries le rayon alimentation the grocery department l’ allée FEM NOUN 1 path
les allées du parc the paths in the park 2 drive
5, allée Saint-Exupéry 5 Saint-Exupéry Drive l’ Allemagne FEM NOUN
Germany
allemand MASC NOUN, MASC ADJECTIVE (FEM allemande)
German l’ Allemand MASC NOUN l’ Allemande FEM NOUN
German
aller aller can be a verb or a noun. A VERB
to go Je vais à Londres. I’m going to London.
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