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Unit 5: Daily Life & Routines (La Vie Quotidienne)

Now that you can describe your world with adjectives and possessives, let’s bring it into daily motion! This unit is all about talking about time, days, months, and unlocking more verbs so you can discuss your daily routines and schedules.

Lesson 13: What Time Is It? (Quelle heure est-il ?)

Thoughts: Knowing how to tell time is fundamental for daily interactions – making plans, catching a train, or just knowing when the shop opens. French uses both the familiar 12-hour clock and the more official 24-hour clock.

Casual Introduction: “What time is it?” is one of the most common questions you’ll ask or hear. In French, it’s pretty straightforward, but there are a few useful phrases for “half past” and “quarter to” that you’ll want to master. Also, remember that in France, the 24-hour clock is used much more commonly than in English-speaking countries. Good news, as a Czech speaker, you’re likely already very comfortable with the 24-hour system!

Asking for the Time

The most common way to ask “What time is it?” is:

Telling the Time (Il est…)

You start your answer with Il est… (It is…).

Specific Times (Minutes Past the Hour)

You simply state the hour, then the minutes.

“Half past” and “Quarter past/to”

Important Time Markers

The 24-Hour Clock (L’heure officielle)

The 24-hour clock (e.g., 13h for 1 PM, 20h for 8 PM) is standard in French in official contexts, train schedules, TV programs, etc. You’ll hear it constantly.

When speaking, French speakers often use the 12-hour clock with du matin, de l'après-midi, or du soir for clarity, but they convert to the 24-hour number.

Example Dialogues:

Dialogue 1: Ami: Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?) Vous: Il est sept heures et quart. (It’s 7:15.)

Dialogue 2: Collègue: Nous avons une réunion à quelle heure ? (What time is our meeting?) Vous: À quatorze heures trente. (At 14:30 / 2:30 PM.)

Dialogue 3: Maman: Il est quelle heure ? (What time is it?) Enfant: Il est dix heures moins vingt. (It’s 9:40 / 20 to 10.)

Vocabulary Box:

French Phrase English Translation Notes
Quelle heure est-il ? What time is it?  
Il est… It is… Starting phrase for telling time
une heure 1 o’clock Use une for 1 o’clock
deux heures 2 o’clock z liaison for numbers ending in silent s
et demie half past For :30 minutes
et quart quarter past For :15 minutes
moins le quart quarter to For :45 minutes
moins [minutes] minus [minutes] / minutes to For times like 5:50 (6 minus 10)
midi noon 12:00 PM
minuit midnight 12:00 AM
du matin in the morning For 12-hour clock (e.g., 8 AM)
de l’après-midi in the afternoon For 12-hour clock (e.g., 3 PM)
du soir in the evening For 12-hour clock (e.g., 9 PM)

Exercises/Quiz:

  1. Write the time in French (using Il est...):
    • a) 6:00
    • b) 1:30
    • c) 4:15
    • d) 10:45
    • e) 9:50 (use moins)
  2. Convert these 24-hour times to the 12-hour clock with du matin/de l'après-midi/du soir (spoken style):
    • a) 07h00
    • b) 14h00
    • c) 21h00
  3. Answer the question in French:
    • Quelle heure est-il ? (It is 5:20)

Solutions:

  1. a) Il est six heures. b) Il est une heure et demie. c) Il est quatre heures et quart. d) Il est onze heures moins le quart. e) Il est dix heures moins dix.
  2. a) Il est sept heures du matin. b) Il est deux heures de l’après-midi. c) Il est neuf heures du soir.
  3. Il est cinq heures vingt.

Lesson 14: Days of the Week & Months (Les jours et les mois)

Thoughts: Just like telling time, knowing the days of the week and months of the year is crucial for planning, making appointments, and discussing events. French has its own specific vocabulary and customs for dates.

Casual Introduction: If someone asks “When is the party?” or “When do you finish work?”, you’ll need the days and months! Good news: French days and months aren’t capitalized like in English. This is similar to Czech, where you also don’t capitalize days or months!

Days of the Week (Les jours de la semaine)

Days of the week in French are all masculine.

Important Note: Days of the week are not capitalized in French unless they begin a sentence.

To say “on [day]”: Use the definite article le (the masculine singular “the”).

To say “on [specific date]”: Still use le.

Months of the Year (Les mois de l’année)

Months in French are all masculine and are also not capitalized.

Talking About Dates (Les dates)

To say a date, you use the definite article le followed by the number (usually cardinal, not ordinal like “first, second”) and then the month.

Example Sentences:

Vocabulary Box:

French Word English Translation Notes
un jour a day  
une semaine a week  
un mois a month  
une année a year  
Quel jour sommes-nous ? What day is it today?  
Mon anniversaire My birthday  
la fête the party  
un examen an exam  
du [day] au [day] from [day] to [day]  
le [date] [month] on [date] [month] Always le before the date, premier for 1st

Exercises/Quiz:

  1. Write the day of the week in French:
    • a) Sunday
    • b) Wednesday
    • c) Friday
  2. Write the month in French:
    • a) August
    • b) January
    • c) November
  3. Translate these dates into French:
    • a) May 1st
    • b) October 12th
    • c) On Tuesday
    • d) My birthday is July 23rd.

Solutions:

  1. a) dimanche, b) mercredi, c) vendredi
  2. a) août, b) janvier, c) novembre
  3. a) le premier mai b) le douze octobre c) le mardi d) Mon anniversaire est le vingt-trois juillet.

Lesson 15: More Regular Verbs: -ir and -re (Les verbes en -ir et -re)

Thoughts: You’ve mastered -er verbs, the biggest group! Now, let’s learn the patterns for the other two main groups of regular verbs: those ending in -ir and those ending in -re. This will give you a powerful command over a vast number of French verbs.

Casual Introduction: Remember how much fun it was to learn that -er verbs mostly follow one simple rule? Well, French has two other common “regular” families of verbs: -ir verbs and -re verbs. While they have different endings, they are just as predictable once you know their patterns. Learning these will open up many more ways to talk about your daily actions!

Grammar Spotlight: Regular -IR Verbs

Regular -ir verbs are the second largest group. They generally follow this pattern:

  1. Take the infinitive verb (e.g., finir - to finish, choisir - to choose).
  2. Drop the -ir ending to find the stem.
    • finir -> stem: fin-
    • choisir -> stem: chois-
  3. Add the correct ending to the stem:

Regular -IR Verb Endings (Present Tense)

Subject Pronoun Ending Example: Finir (to finish) Pronunciation Notes
Je -is Je finis The ‘s’ is silent
Tu -is Tu finis The ‘s’ is silent
Il / Elle / On -it Il finit / Elle finit / On finit The ‘t’ is silent
Nous -issons Nous finissons Sounds like ‘iss-ohn’ (pronounced ‘ss’ and nasal ‘on’)
Vous -issez Vous finissez Sounds like ‘iss-ay’
Ils / Elles -issent Ils finissent / Elles finissent Sounds like ‘iss’ (silent ‘ent’)

Notice the difference from -er verbs: The nous, vous, and ils/elles forms of -ir verbs have a distinct -iss- sound!

Let’s try another one: Choisir (to choose)

Grammar Spotlight: Regular -RE Verbs

Regular -re verbs are the smallest group of regular verbs, but they are also very common. Their pattern is unique:

  1. Take the infinitive verb (e.g., attendre - to wait, vendre - to sell).
  2. Drop the -re ending to find the stem.
    • attendre -> stem: attend-
    • vendre -> stem: vend-
  3. Add the correct ending to the stem:

Regular -RE Verb Endings (Present Tense)

Subject Pronoun Ending Example: Attendre (to wait) Pronunciation Notes
Je -s J’attends The ‘s’ is silent (like “attand”)
Tu -s Tu attends The ‘s’ is silent (like “attand”)
Il / Elle / On (no ending) Il attend / Elle attend / On attend The last consonant of the stem is pronounced (like “attand”)
Nous -ons Nous attendons Sounds like nasal ‘on’ (from Unit 1!)
Vous -ez Vous attendez Sounds like “ay”
Ils / Elles -ent Ils attendent / Elles attendent The ‘ent’ is silent (like “attand”)

Notice the pattern: The je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles forms of -re verbs often sound the same and end with the consonant of the stem!

Let’s try another one: Vendre (to sell)

Vocabulary Box:

French Verb (Infinitive) English Translation Conjugation Group
finir to finish -ir
choisir to choose -ir
grandir to grow -ir
réussir to succeed -ir
attendre to wait -re
vendre to sell -re
répondre to answer -re
perdre to lose -re

Example Sentences:

Exercises/Quiz:

  1. Conjugate the verb grandir (to grow) for the following pronouns:
    • a) Je __
    • b) Nous __
    • c) Elle __
    • d) Ils __
  2. Conjugate the verb répondre (to answer) for the following pronouns:
    • a) Tu __
    • b) Vous __
    • c) On __
    • d) Elles __
  3. Translate these sentences into French:
    • a) We are waiting for the train. (le train - m)
    • b) You (informal) finish quickly. (vite - quickly)
    • c) They (feminine) choose a dress. (une robe - f)
    • d) I sell my car.

Solutions:

  1. a) grandis, b) grandissons, c) grandit, d) grandissent
  2. a) réponds, b) répondez, c) répond, d) répondent
  3. a) Nous attendons le train. b) Tu finis vite. c) Elles choisissent une robe. d) Je vends ma voiture.

Key Takeaways for Unit 5: Daily Life & Routines

You’ve significantly expanded your ability to talk about daily life and routines by mastering time, dates, and the other major regular verb patterns. You’re building a solid foundation for more complex conversations! Keep practicing these new structures and vocabulary.