Say your name, nationality, language background, and one simple personal detail.
Progress: 0% · Lessons completed 0/23
Who you are, where you are from, what you do: with the subject pronouns and the verb être you can build your complete self-introduction.
Grammar focus: Subject pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles · The verb être (to be) in the present tense. Work through the explanations and tables below, hear the structures in the dialogue, then lock them in with the interactive drills, the writing task, and the speaking task.
Grammar focus
Every conjugated French verb needs a subject. The subject pronouns are: je (I), tu (you, informal), il (he/it), elle (she/it), on (one/we, informal), nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils (they, masculine or mixed), elles (they, all feminine).
Je becomes j' before a vowel sound: j'aime, j'habite. And on, though it means « we » in everyday speech, conjugates like il/elle: on parle = nous parlons in meaning, but the verb stays singular.
Ils covers any group containing at least one masculine noun; elles is only for groups that are entirely feminine.
Writing "je aime" or "je habite".
Elide before a vowel sound: j'aime, j'habite.
French avoids two vowel sounds in a row; the elision is mandatory, not optional.
Conjugating on like nous ("on allons").
On takes the il/elle form: on va, on parle, on est.
On is grammatically third person singular even when it means "we".
Using elles for a mixed group.
One masculine member makes the group ils.
French grammatical gender rules treat mixed groups as masculine.
Grammar focus
Être is the most used verb in French. You need it to say who you are, what you do, where you are, and what something is like: Je suis étudiant. Elle est française. Nous sommes à Paris.
Use être for identity (Je suis Nirmal), nationality and profession (Elle est indienne, il est professeur — no article before the profession), description (C'est grand !), and location (Nous sommes au bureau).
Watch the pronunciation: the -s in suis, es, sommes, êtes, sont is silent, and tu es and il est sound identical — context tells them apart.
| Présent | |
|---|---|
| je | suis |
| tu | es |
| il/elle | est |
| nous | sommes |
| vous | êtes |
| ils/elles | sont |
Mixing up es / est because they sound the same.
tu es (you are), il/elle est (he/she is) — match the form to the subject in writing.
The pronunciation is identical; only the spelling shows the person.
Adding an article before professions: "Je suis un étudiant."
Drop the article after être + profession: Je suis étudiant.
French states professions like adjectives, without un/une.
Using être for age: "Je suis 20 ans."
Age uses avoir: J'ai 20 ans.
French "has" years rather than "being" them — a fixed pattern to memorize.
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Claire. Et vous ?
Hello! My name is Claire. And you?
Enchanté. Moi, c'est Nirmal.
Nice to meet you. I am Nirmal.
Vous êtes d'où, Nirmal ?
Where are you from, Nirmal?
Je viens d'Inde, de Calcutta. Et vous ?
I come from India, from Kolkata. And you?
Je suis française, de Lyon. Vous habitez ici maintenant ?
I am French, from Lyon. Do you live here now?
Oui, j'habite à Paris depuis six mois. J'apprends le français.
Yes, I have been living in Paris for six months. I am learning French.
Votre français est déjà très bon !
Your French is already very good!
Merci, c'est gentil. Je pratique tous les jours.
Thank you, that is kind. I practise every day.
Nina s'appelle Nina. Elle habite à Paris et elle parle anglais.
Leo parle français et il aime les petits dialogues simples.
Dans une première rencontre, on n'a pas besoin de longues phrases. On dit bonjour, on donne son nom, puis on pose une petite question à l'autre personne. Cette alternance simple aide la conversation a rester naturelle.
Quand on parle de son identite, il suffit de choisir deux ou trois informations stables: son nom, sa ville, sa langue ou sa nationalité. Avec ces détails, un petit profil personnel devient déjà utile et memorable.
Parler au debut ne veut pas dire parler longtemps. Il faut d'abord tenir une phrase complete avec une bonne respiration. Une petite pause entre deux idées rend la production plus claire et donne du temps pour choisir le bon mot.
Turn this lesson into active recall: drill the vocabulary with spaced repetition, then test yourself on meaning and comprehension.
Write four short lines to introduce yourself in French. Add one follow-up question after your self-introduction so the exchange can continue naturally. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.
Introduce yourself and ask Comment tu t'appelles ? Introduce yourself, pause, then ask the same question back to an imaginary partner. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.
Writing "je aime" or "je habite".
Elide before a vowel sound: j'aime, j'habite.
French avoids two vowel sounds in a row; the elision is mandatory, not optional.
Conjugating on like nous ("on allons").
On takes the il/elle form: on va, on parle, on est.
On is grammatically third person singular even when it means "we".
Using elles for a mixed group.
One masculine member makes the group ils.
French grammatical gender rules treat mixed groups as masculine.
Mixing up es / est because they sound the same.
tu es (you are), il/elle est (he/she is) — match the form to the subject in writing.
The pronunciation is identical; only the spelling shows the person.
Adding an article before professions: "Je suis un étudiant."
Drop the article after être + profession: Je suis étudiant.
French states professions like adjectives, without un/une.
Using être for age: "Je suis 20 ans."
Age uses avoir: J'ai 20 ans.
French "has" years rather than "being" them — a fixed pattern to memorize.
Train the vowel contrasts and accent-mark habits that absolute beginners need first.
Target one of the most common beginner pronunciation problems with rounded-vowel drills.
Use ultra-short dictation to connect French sound, spelling, and first useful sentence frames.
Build short interaction confidence with opening lines, follow-ups, and polite repair phrases.
Keep the rescue phrases, polite formulas, and clarification moves that make beginner French usable.
