French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 4
Je suis étudiantI'm a student
Here is French's big challenge for an English speaker: GENDER. Every noun is masculine or feminine, and the article follows — le/un (m), la/une (f). But beware: in French the gender is almost NOT predictable from the ending (le travail is masculine, la femme feminine), so learn each word WITH its article. And, as in Spanish, after être the profession goes WITHOUT an article: Je suis étudiant, not "je suis un étudiant". Mike, of course, adds the extra "un".
Dialogue
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Et toi, Camille ?— And you, Camille?
- LucasJe suis étudiant. Et toi, Camille ?I'm a student. And you, Camille?
- CamilleJe suis étudiante. Elle est professeur.I'm a student. She is a teacher.
- LucasElle est médecin ?Is she a doctor?
- CamilleNon, elle est professeur. Il est médecin.No, she's a teacher. He is a doctor.
Dialogue
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Mike et le « un » de trop— Mike and the Extra "un"
- LucasMike, tu es étudiant ?Mike, are you a student?
- MikeOui ! Je suis un étudiant.Yes! I'm "a" student. (wrong: no article with a profession after être)
- CamilleMike, « Je suis étudiant » !Mike, "Je suis étudiant"! (drop the un — professions take no article here)
- MikeAh ! Je suis étudiant. Merci, Camille.Ah! I'm a student. Thanks, Camille.
Vocabulary
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- étudiant/e
nounstudent
- professeur (m)
nounteacher
- médecin (m)
noundoctor
- travail (m)
nounjob, work
- homme (m)
nounman
- femme (f)
nounwoman
- il
pronounhe
- elle
pronounshe
- un
art.a, an (m)
- une
art.a, an (f)
- le / la
art.the (m / f)
Grammar
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Gender and articles: un/une, le/la
Explanation
In French, every noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. The article changes with the gender. "Un/une" means a/an: un homme (m), une femme (f). "Le/la" means the: le travail (m), la femme (f). The trap for an English speaker is that English has no gender — and in French the gender is almost NOT predictable from the word's shape: le travail ends in -ail and is masculine, la femme ends in -e and is feminine, yet médecin (no -e) can refer to a woman. The only safe method: learn each noun WITH its article. Don't think "femme", think "une femme".
Examples
- un homme, une femmea man, a woman
- le travail, la villethe job, the city
- C'est un professeur. Il est médecin ? Non, elle est médecin.He's a teacher. Is he a doctor? No, she is a doctor.
Grammar
i
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After être, the profession takes no article
Explanation
Here is a simple rule that traps every English speaker. In English you say "I am A student", with "a". In French, NO: after the verb être, the job or role is said WITHOUT an article. You say Je suis étudiant, Elle est professeur, Il est médecin — never "je suis un étudiant". It is exactly like Spanish and Portuguese. The logic: here the job describes who you are, it is not "one object among others". So you drop the un/une. This is Mike's classic mistake, translating word for word from English.
Examples
- Je suis étudiant. (pas « un étudiant »)I'm a student. (not "un étudiant")
- Elle est professeur. Il est médecin.She is a teacher. He is a doctor.
- Tu es professeur ? Oui, je suis professeur.Are you a teacher? Yes, I am a teacher.
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