French Word of the Day

to dry (oneself)

Paul se sèche le visage avec une serviette.
Paul dries his face with a towel.

sugar-free

Elle cherche un boisson sans sucre.
She’s looking for a sugar-free drink.

to try on, to try to

J’essaie la chemise. J’essaie de confectionner une chemise.
I’m trying on the shirt. I’m trying to make a shirt.

A PREPOSITION PROPOSITION
In French, a verb’s meaning can change considerably depending upon the preposition that follows it. Today’s example shows how verbs and prepositions can get together to form entirely different ideas. This is also a good time to remind ourselves that French verbs do not always take the same prepositions as their English counterparts.

a dandelion

Elle a vu plusieurs pissenlits pendant qu’elle se promenait le chemin.
She saw several dandelions while she was walking the path.

adj., none, not any, not a single

Used as an adjective to express the idea of none at all:
Savez-vous la limite de vitesse? Non, je n‘ai aucune idée.
Do you know the speed limit? No, I don’t have any idea.

Used at the beginning of a sentence:
Aucun livre n‘était dans le sac à dos.
Not a single book was in the backpack.

THE GRAMMAR
Whether used at the beginning or elsewhere in the sentence, aucun comes directly before the word it describes and ne must precede the verb. It can also be used as a one-word reply to a question:

• Vous n’avez vraiment aucune idée? (You really have no idea?)
• Aucune! (None at all!)

to have a snack

Cassons la croûte avant de nous coucher.
Let’s have a snack before going to bed.

to reserve a room

Nous devrions réserver une chambre trois mois à l’avance.
We should reserve a room three months in advance.