Personal details and contact info

A0 Foundation

Personal details and contact info

Share simple personal details such as age, phone number, email, and city.

Give basic personal details in a short practical exchange.
Spell an email or a phone number slowly and clearly.
Ask another person for the same information politely.

Progress: 0% · Lessons completed 0/23

Name, address, phone number, email: giving and understanding personal details is the heart of every form, registration, and first conversation.

Grammar focus: Asking questions: intonation, est-ce que, and question words · Numbers 0–1000 and how to use them. Work through the explanations and tables below, study the real examples, then lock the structures in with the interactive drills, the writing task, and the speaking task.

Grammar focus

Asking questions: intonation, est-ce que, and question words

French has three ways to ask a yes/no question: rising intonation (Tu viens ?), est-ce que in front of the sentence (Est-ce que tu viens ?), and inversion (Viens-tu ? — more formal). At A0, intonation and est-ce que cover everything you need.

The essential question words

Combine a question word with est-ce que and you can ask almost anything: Où est-ce que tu habites ? Quand est-ce que le train part ?

Question words

French	English	Example
où	where	Où est la gare ?
quand	when	Quand est-ce que tu arrives ?
comment	how	Comment tu t'appelles ?
pourquoi	why	Pourquoi est-ce que tu étudies le français ?
qui	who	Qui est-ce ?
que / quoi	what	Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
combien	how much/many	Ça coûte combien ?

Examples

Est-ce que tu parles anglais ?Do you speak English?
Où est la gare, s'il vous plaît ?Where is the station, please?
Qu'est-ce que c'est ?What is it?
Ça coûte combien ?How much does it cost?
Comment tu t'appelles ?What is your name?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ? — Parce que je vais en France.Why are you learning French? — Because I am going to France.

Watch out

Translating "What is your name?" word by word: "Quoi est ton nom ?"

Use the fixed frame: Comment tu t'appelles ? / Comment vous appelez-vous ?

French asks "how do you call yourself", not "what is your name".

Mixing pourquoi (why) and parce que (because).

Pourquoi asks the question; parce que starts the answer.

They form a pair: Pourquoi… ? — Parce que…

Forgetting the space before ? in French typography.

French writes a space before ?, !, :, ; — Tu viens ?

It is the standard French typographic convention.

Grammar focus

Numbers 0–1000 and how to use them

French numbers are regular until 69, then come the famous combinations: 70 = soixante-dix (60+10), 80 = quatre-vingts (4×20), 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (4×20+10). With numbers you can give your age, your phone number, prices, and times.

The building blocks

Learn 1–16 as single words; 17, 18, 19 are dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. Tens: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante. From 21 onward, "and one" uses et: vingt et un, trente et un — but vingt-deux, vingt-trois join with a hyphen.

Key numbers

Number	French	Number	French
1	un	20	vingt
2	deux	21	vingt et un
3	trois	30	trente
5	cinq	60	soixante
8	huit	70	soixante-dix
10	dix	71	soixante et onze
15	quinze	80	quatre-vingts
16	seize	90	quatre-vingt-dix
17	dix-sept	100	cent
19	dix-neuf	1000	mille

Examples

J'ai vingt ans.I am twenty years old.
Ça coûte quinze euros.That costs fifteen euros.
Il y a soixante-dix étudiants.There are seventy students.
Ma grand-mère a quatre-vingts ans.My grandmother is eighty.
Le billet coûte cent euros.The ticket costs a hundred euros.
Trente et un, trente-deux, trente-trois…Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three…

Watch out

Translating 70, 80, 90 word for word from English.

Memorize the blocks: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.

France keeps the historic base-20 forms; "septante" works in Belgium/Switzerland only.

Writing "vingt-un" or "trente-un".

Use et for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71: vingt et un, soixante et onze.

The et appears only in those "…and one" combinations.

Pronouncing the final consonants of cinq, six, huit, dix before a consonant.

Before a consonant they often drop: six livres "si livres", dix personnes "di personnes".

Number pronunciation changes with what follows; listening practice fixes this fast.

Grammar and usage

Personal details are easier when each sentence gives only one fact at a time.
Numbers become more manageable when they are grouped instead of spoken in one long block.
Counting becomes easier when you attach numbers to pages, objects, or prices instead of saying them in isolation.
Identity language becomes easier when each sentence adds only one new fact.
Vocabulary review becomes stronger when the same item appears in reading, speaking, and writing.

Pronunciation

Pause between groups of numbers so the listener can follow more easily.
Spell letters slowly when you say an email address.
Keep the rhythm even when you count so the sequence stays stable in your mouth.
Keep city names and language names slow enough that each syllable remains clear.
Say the word, then say the whole example phrase so the rhythm stays attached to meaning.

Vocabulary

adresse
address
téléphone
telephone
courriel
email
age
age
zero
zero
dix
ten
numéro
number
compter
to count
nationalité
nationality
ville
city
langue
language
j'habite à
I live in
mot
word
expression
expression
traduction
translation
contexte
context
avec
with
sans
without
d'abord
first
ensuite
then
souvent
often
ensemble
together
parce que
because
tout de suite
right away

Dialogue

Reception

Vous pouvez donner votre numéro de téléphone et votre ville ?

Client

Oui. J'habite a Nantes et je donne mon numéro lentement.

Prof

Compte lentement jusqu'a dix, puis donne ton numéro de salle.

Mina

d'accord. Je compte, puis je répète le numéro plus clairement.

Maya

Je parle anglais et hindi, et j'habite à Paris.

Rami

Moi, je viens de Lyon et j'apprends le français pour le travail.

Coach

Un mot apprend mieux quand il revient dans un contexte simple et utile.

Learner

Je retiens mieux une expression quand je la place dans ma propre phrase.

Coach

aujourd'hui, on réutilise adresse et téléphone dans une petite situation de numbers et identity.

Learner

Je commence avec une phrase courte, puis j'ajoute un détail simple pour rendre la réponse plus utile.

Coach

Très bien. Garde la structure stable et vérifie si chaque mot a une fonction claire.

Learner

d'accord. Je répète encore la phrase, puis je la change legerement pour parler de ma propre situation.

Reading

Mini registration note

Amina remplit une petite fiche avec son nom, son age, sa ville et son téléphone.

Elle répète les chiffres lentement pour vérifier que l'information est correcte.

Les nombres servent partout: en classe, dans les horaires, dans les prix et dans les numéros importants. Quand on les relie a un objet reel, ils cessent d'être abstraits et deviennent plus rapides a reconnaitre.

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.

Le vocabulaire reste plus longtemps quand il apparait dans un petit contexte, pas dans une liste separee de toute situation. On peut noter la traduction, mais il faut aussi garder une phrase modèle ou une image concrete.

Which details does Amina give?
Why does she repeat the digits slowly?
Where do numbers appear according to the text?
Why is it useful to connect numbers to real objects or situations?

Practice studio

Turn this lesson into active recall: drill the vocabulary with spaced repetition, then test yourself on meaning and comprehension.

Writing task

Write a short contact card with your name, city, phone, and one language you speak. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.

0 words0 / 24 target words used

adresse
téléphone
courriel
age
zero
dix
numéro
compter
nationalité
ville
langue
j'habite à
mot
expression
traduction
contexte
avec
sans
d'abord
ensuite
souvent
ensemble
parce que
tout de suite

Speaking task

Say your city and phone number in small number groups, then ask for another person s city. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.

Practice and drills

Pattern transfer

Take the model « Trente et un, trente-deux, trente-trois… » (Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three…) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Take the model « J'ai vingt ans. » (I am twenty years old.) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Take the model « Il y a soixante-dix étudiants. » (There are seventy students.) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Write your adapted sentences down, then read each one aloud twice: once slowly for accuracy, once at natural speed.

Active recall

Close the lesson and write the three structures you just studied, each in one fresh example of your own.
Run the exercises in the practice studio below until you score at least 80 %.
Tomorrow, before the next lesson, redo only the items you missed today.

Production

Do the writing task below in one sitting, without a dictionary on the first draft; allow yourself one revision pass afterwards.
Record yourself doing the speaking task, listen once, and redo only the sentence that broke down.
Compare your output against the answer key, then read the corrected versions aloud once so the repair becomes active.

Answer key

Exercise 1: soixante-dix — Il y a soixante-dix étudiants.
Exercise 2: quinze — Ça coûte quinze euros.
Exercise 3: un — Trente et un, trente-deux, trente-trois…
Exercise 4: Pourquoi — Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ? — Parce que je vais en France.
Exercise 5: Où — Où est la gare, s'il vous plaît ?
Exercise 6: Qu'est-ce que — Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
Exercise 7: vingt — J'ai vingt ans.
Exercise 8: combien — Ça coûte combien ?
Quiz — How do you say “address” in French? → adresse. « adresse » means “address”.
Quiz — Pick the French for “nationality”. → nationalité. « nationalité » means “nationality”.
Quiz — Which French expression means “city”? → ville. « ville » means “city”.
Quiz — Which French expression means “ten”? → dix. « dix » means “ten”.

Common mistakes and repair

Translating "What is your name?" word by word: "Quoi est ton nom ?"

Use the fixed frame: Comment tu t'appelles ? / Comment vous appelez-vous ?

French asks "how do you call yourself", not "what is your name".

Mixing pourquoi (why) and parce que (because).

Pourquoi asks the question; parce que starts the answer.

They form a pair: Pourquoi… ? — Parce que…

Forgetting the space before ? in French typography.

French writes a space before ?, !, :, ; — Tu viens ?

It is the standard French typographic convention.

Translating 70, 80, 90 word for word from English.

Memorize the blocks: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.

France keeps the historic base-20 forms; "septante" works in Belgium/Switzerland only.

Writing "vingt-un" or "trente-un".

Use et for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71: vingt et un, soixante et onze.

The et appears only in those "…and one" combinations.

Pronouncing the final consonants of cinq, six, huit, dix before a consonant.

Before a consonant they often drop: six livres "si livres", dix personnes "di personnes".

Number pronunciation changes with what follows; listening practice fixes this fast.

Review and next steps

Asking questions: intonation, est-ce que, and question words — watch for: Translating "What is your name?" word by word: "Quoi est ton nom ?" Fix: Use the fixed frame: Comment tu t'appelles ? / Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Before the next lesson, rebuild « Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? » from its English (Do you speak English?) without looking, then check every ending and accent.
Numbers 0–1000 and how to use them — watch for: Translating 70, 80, 90 word for word from English. Fix: Memorize the blocks: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.
Before the next lesson, rebuild « J'ai vingt ans. » from its English (I am twenty years old.) without looking, then check every ending and accent.

Coaching notes

Practice with real information first, then switch to an imaginary profile for flexibility.
Keep a calm pace; clear contact details matter more than speed.
Practice short number groups first, then longer sequences like page numbers or phone fragments.
Prepare one short profile for formal situations and one simpler version for casual practice.
Keep only the words you expect to reuse this week on your active list.

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