French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 5
D'où viens-tu ?Where are you from?
Last chapter of the level: saying where you come from. We keep the verb être and add de: Je suis de France, Tu es de Chine. Watch out for de + the masculine country: de + le Japon gives du Japon (never "de le"). Then come the nationalities, and here GENDER returns: a man is français, a woman is française; américain becomes américaine. Mike, who is a man, proudly announces "Je suis américaine" — the feminine form. We give him back the extra -e. Finally, aussi ("me too") to join in with what the other person says.
Dialogue
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Tu es de quelle ville ?— Which city are you from?
- CamilleLucas, tu es de France ?Lucas, are you from France?
- LucasOui, je suis de France. Et toi ?Yes, I'm from France. And you?
- CamilleJe suis de Chine. Lui, il est du Japon.I'm from China. Him, he's from Japan.
- LucasDu Japon ? Quelle ville ?From Japan? Which city?
Dialogue
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Mike et le -e de trop— Mike and the Extra -e
- LucasMike, tu es de quel pays ?Mike, which country are you from?
- MikeJe suis américaine !I'm American! (wrong: américaine is feminine, but Mike is male)
- CamilleToi, tu es un homme : « Je suis américain » !You're a man: "Je suis américain"! (drop the -e for the masculine)
- MikeAh ! Je suis américain. Et toi aussi, Lucas ?Ah! I'm American. And you too, Lucas?
- LucasNon ! Moi, je suis français.No! Me, I'm French.
Vocabulary
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- de
prepositionfrom, of
- pays (m)
nouncountry
- France
nounFrance
- français / française
adj./n.French
- ville (f)
nouncity, town
- américain / américaine
adj./n.American
- Japon (m)
nounJapan
- Chine (f)
nounChina
- où
adverbwhere
- aussi
adverbtoo, also
Grammar
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Saying where you come from: être + de (+ du)
Explanation
To state your origin, take être and add de: Je suis de France, Tu es de Chine. "De" means from. To ask, put où at the end: Tu es d'où? — and before a vowel, de becomes d' (Tu es d'où). Now the trap: de + the MASCULINE country contracts to du. Japon is masculine, so you say Il est du Japon, never "de le Japon". France and Chine are feminine, so no contraction: de France, de Chine. Remember the pair: de + le → du.
Examples
- Je suis de France. Tu es de Chine.I'm from France. You're from China.
- Il est du Japon. (de + le → du)He's from Japan. (de + le → du)
- Tu es d'où ? — Je suis de Paris.Where are you from? — I'm from Paris.
Grammar
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Nationality agreement, and "aussi"
Explanation
Nationalities are adjectives: they agree with the person. A man says Je suis français, américain; a woman says Je suis française, américaine. The basic rule: add -e for the feminine (and the final consonant, silent in the masculine, starts to sound). As with the professions in chapter 4, you put NO article: Je suis américain, not "un américain". Mike's mistake: he's a man but takes the feminine form "américaine". Finally, aussi means too/also and goes after what it supports: Moi aussi ("me too"), Je suis français aussi.
Examples
- Il est français. Elle est française.He's French. She's French.
- Je suis américain. (homme) / Je suis américaine. (femme)I'm American. (man) / I'm American. (woman)
- Moi aussi, je suis de Paris.Me too, I'm from Paris.
Culture
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Tu ou vous ? Et la biseTu or vous? And la bise
In French, "vous" is not only the plural: it is also the polite "you", for a single person you do not address with tu. Choosing between tu and vous, and greeting properly, says a lot about the relationship. Here is what you need so as not to slip up from the very first bonjour.
Tu for closeness, vous for respect
You say tu to family, friends, children, and among young people or close colleagues. You say vous to a stranger, an older person, a shopkeeper, a teacher, or in any professional setting. When in doubt, start with vous: it is always polite, never offensive. It is often the older or higher-status person who offers to switch to tu: "Shall we use tu with each other?"
La bise: greeting with cheek kisses
Among friends and family, people often greet with "la bise": you brush the other person's cheek while making a little kiss sound, one to four times depending on the region. At work or with a stranger, you shake hands instead. A simple guide: if you would say vous to the person, offer your hand; if you would say tu, la bise is likely. And no one will hold a little hesitation against you — even the French get the number of bises wrong.
That completes level 1: you can greet, thank, introduce yourself, state your role and where you come from — and choose between tu and vous. Well done, and see you soon for what comes next!
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