Giáo trình động từ tiếng Pháp - Part II Using Verbs Correctly with Questions, Commands, and

Chapter 10

Correctly Using Often Misused Verbs

in Daily Conversation

In This Chapter

Knowing the verbs connaître and savoir

Identifying the differences between jouer à and jouer de

Forming expressions with avoir

Understanding how to use faire

Every language has different ways of saying things and of expressing yourself that can’t

be translated into another language word for word. French is no exception. For instance

the phrases How are you doing? or How are you? are expressed in French not by the verbs

faire (to do, to make) or être (to be), but by the verb aller (to go). To ask these questions in

French, you say Comment allez-vous? or Comment vas-tu?

In this chapter, I focus on some verbs that have the same meaning in English, but different

usage in French. You want to make sure you use the right verb so that people know what

you’re talking about. I also cover two common verbs: avoir (to have) and faire (to do, to

make) and how you can correctly utilize these verbs in your conversations. (You can also

check out Chapter 23, which focuses on ten often-misused verbs.)

Knowing the Difference between

Connaître and Savoir

French has two verbs that mean to know. One is connaître, and the other is savoir. Even

though the English language translates them the same, the French language uses them in

different circumstances. In this section, I show you how to use each verb. Both verbs are

irregular.

connaître (to know)

je connais nous connaissons

tu connais vous connaissez

il/elle/on connaît ils/elles connaissent

Je connais Aix-en-Provence. (I know Aix-en-Provence.)

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