French Confusing Pairs

Front 1

en
Que penses-tu de mon idée? Qu'en penses-tu?

Back 1

replaces de + noun
ex: What do you think of my idea?

Front 2

y
J'ai assisté à la réunion. J'y ai assisté.

Back 2

replaces à + noun
Ex: I attended the meeting.

Front 3

retourner (être retourné)


Je veux retourner au Canada.

Back 3

to go back, ie to return where the speaker is not


I want to go back to Canada (not in Canada right now).

Front 4

rentrer (être rentré)

Back 4

to go home, come home

Front 5

revenir (être revenu)


Je viens de revenir au Canada.

Back 5

to come back, ie to return to where speaker is


I just came back to Canada (where I am right now).

Front 6

rendre

Back 6

to give something back

Front 7

rapporter

Back 7

to return to a store

Front 8

partir (être parti)
sortir (être sorti)
quitter

Back 8

to leave (opposite of arrive)
to go out, exit (opposite of enter)
to leave a person

Front 9

tous les matins
toute la matinée

Back 9

every morning
all morning

Front 10

la bise
le bisou

Back 10

kiss (platonic, on the cheek)
kiss (romantic)

Front 11

encore


pas encore

Back 11

again
another
even


not yet

Front 12

toujours

Back 12

always
anyhow
still

Front 13

déjà

Back 13

already
yet (positive sense)

Front 14

plus
Il y en a plus (yan a ploos).
Il y en a plus (yan a ploo).

Back 14

more (pronounce s)
no more (silent final s)


There is some more.
There is none left.

Front 15

jouer à
jouer de

Back 15

to play (a sport)
to play (a musical instrument)

Front 16

dont
C'est la dame dont j'ai parlé.
duquel
Le cinema près duquel on a mangé

Back 16

which, that (replaces de if it is the only preposition)
That's the woman that I talked about.
which, that (replaces de as part of phrase, like près de)
The theater near which we ate.

Front 17

lequel/laquelle
auquel/à laquelle
duquel/de laquelle

Back 17

which (relative pronoun, inanimate object)
which + a
which + de

Front 18

que
J'ai acheté le livre que ma sœur a écrit.
qui
Je cherche l'artiste qui étudie à Paris.
Je vois une femme avec qui je tra

Back 18

that (direct object), followed by pronoun
I bought the book that my sister wrote.
that, who (subject or indirect obj), followed by verb
I am looking for the artist who studies in Paris.
I see a woman I work with."

Front 19

C'est + adjectif + à + infinitif.

C'est bon à savoir.

C'est facile à faire.

Ma voiture est difficile à vendre.

Il est + adjectif + de + infinitif.

Il est bon d'étudier.

Il est/c'est difficile de vendre des voitures.

Back 19

It/that is + adjective + to +infinitive (real subject).

That's good to know.

That's easy to do.

My car is hard to sell.

It is + adjective + to + infinitive (dummy subject)

It is good to study.

It is hard to sell cars.