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### The verb dire

The verb **dire** (to say, to tell) is a highly common irregular **-re** verb. Notice that its **vous** form is exceptionally irregular: it ends in **-tes** instead of the usual **-ez**.

| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| **je** | je dis |
| **tu** | tu dis |
| **il / elle / on** | il dit |
| **nous** | nous disons |
| **vous** | vous dites |
| **ils / elles** | ils disent |

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### The verb lire

The verb **lire** (to read) is another irregular **-re** verb. Unlike **dire**, its **vous** form is regular (**vous lisez**), but it adds an **s** to the stem for all plural pronouns.

| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| **je** | je lis |
| **tu** | tu lis |
| **il / elle / on** | il lit |
| **nous** | nous lisons |
| **vous** | vous lisez |
| **ils / elles** | ils lisent |

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### Reading and Literature

When talking about literature and print media, you will often use words like **un roman** (a novel), **un auteur** (an author), or **la presse** (the press).

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You can also describe reading material as **passionnant** (fascinating).

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### Telling vs. Narrating

While **dire** means "to tell" (like telling the truth or a secret), the regular **-er** verb **raconter** means "to tell" in the sense of narrating a story.

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### Poetry and Tales

Finally, let's look at a few more literary formats like **un conte** (a tale) or **un poème** (a poem). Here we can see both **dire** and **lire** used together, including the irregular **vous dites** form.

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Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Knowing facts vs. familiarity (savoir, connaître)

Question	Answer
I am telling the truth.	Je dis la vérité.
the magazine	le magazine
fascinating	passionnant
Are you reading this fascinating magazine?	Est-ce que vous lisez ce magazine passionnant ?
He is reading a magazine and he says nothing.	Il lit un magazine et il ne dit rien.
the novel	le roman
the author (m)	l'auteur
We are reading a novel by this author.	Nous lisons un roman de cet auteur.
the press	la presse
They never read the press.	Ils ne lisent jamais la presse.
to tell / to recount	raconter
Our teacher says that this author tells a beautiful story.	Notre professeur dit que cet auteur raconte une belle histoire.
What are you reading?	Qu'est-ce que tu lis ?
the text	le texte
What do you say about this fascinating text?	Qu'est-ce que vous dites de ce texte passionnant ?
I am going to tell the truth.	Je vais dire la vérité.
They are reading a story to their children.	Elles lisent une histoire à leurs enfants.
You never tell the truth.	Tu ne dis jamais la vérité.
We always say hello.	Nous disons toujours bonjour.
I am reading a novel by this French author.	Je lis un roman de cet auteur français.
They say that they are going to tell this story.	Ils disent qu'ils vont raconter cette histoire.
the voice	la voix
You read a text with a calm voice.	Tu lis un texte avec une voix calme.
the tale	le conte
the poem	le poème
A grandfather reads a tale and says a poem.	Un grand-père lit un conte et dit un poème.
A journalist reads the press with a strong voice.	Un journaliste lit la presse avec une voix forte.
You say a poem and the child reads a tale.	Vous dites un poème et l'enfant lit un conte.
to ask (for) / to require / demand	demander
I ask the waiter for the time.	Je demande l'heure au serveur.
He asks the price.	Il demande le prix.
the meaning, the sense	le sens
What is the meaning of this word?	Quel est le sens de ce mot ?
This text has a clear meaning.	Ce texte a un sens clair.

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