Chapitres 3 et 4

La Gaspésie 
The eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula is known for its
enormous limestone rock formation, le Rocher Percé.

La province de Québec
Islande
Groenland
Alaska

CANADA
Québec

États-Unis

Almanac
Population
Over 8 million
Cities
Montreal, Quebec, Laval Les Laurentides 
The Laurentides region, north of Montreal, has spectacular foliage in the fall.
Industries
natural resources,
aerospace, tourism, Le hockey 
pharmaceuticals, Ice hockey is the most
information technology popular sport in Quebec.

Quebec, Canada’s largest

province, is four times the
size of California but nearly
half of its inhabitants live
on less than 1% of the total
land area.

72 soixante-douze
 Le Nord
du Québec 
Wildlife, like the
caribous and
moose, have
adapted to the
conditions of this
harsh landscape.

Les aurores boréales 

In July, you can enjoy the remarkable phenomenon of the
northern lights from the Mount Cosmos Observatory, south
Baie
d’Ungava of Quebec City.

Baie
d’Hudson

Terre-
Neuve

Baie
James
Q U É B EC

Ontario

Gaspé
La ésie Golfe du
u re sp
ntid Ga Saint-Laurent Montréal  is the second
es QUÉBEC largest French-speaking city
nt Nouveau-
e in the world, after Paris.
aur Brunswick
-L Observatoire
int du mont Cosmos
a
Laval S
Montréal Le Saint-Laurent 
You can see a great variety of large
ÉTATS-UNIS sea mammals like whales, dolphins,
and sea lions in this river.

Géo-quiz
Which is the largest French-speaking
city in the world? In Canada?

soixante-treize 73
 Gastronomie
La cipâte aux bleuets 
This traditional pie is made with
a kind of blueberry found in Canada.

Le sirop d’érable 
In early spring, many people go to
La tourtière  a cabane à sucre to enjoy the traditional
This Quebec specialty is a meat hot maple syrup poured onto a bed
pie, usually made from minced of fresh snow and scooped up with
pork and spices. wooden sticks.

Sports La pêche blanche 

This sport was handed
down from the Inuits and
Amerindians. People fish
through holes cut in the
thick ice that covers rivers
and lakes in the winter.

Le canoë 
In the summer, people
enjoy canoeing on the
many waterways that
Quebec has to offer.

Les traîneaux à chiens 

Dogsledding provided transporta-
tion to the Inuits, settlers, and fur
traders for hundreds of years. Today,
“mushing” (traveling on snow with
a dog sled) provides ecoadventures
through the wilderness.

74 soixante-quatorze Chapitres 3–4 

 Online Practice

Fêtes et festivals my.hrw.com

Photo Tour

L’International
de montgolfières  
This festival in Saint-
Jean lasts for ten days. The name Québec comes
You can admire hot air from the Algonquian
balloons of all shapes word Kebec, meaning
and colors here. narrowing of the river.

Le Festival international
de jazz de Montréal 
Jazz musicians from all over the world
participate in over 400 concerts every
summer during this festival.

Le Carnaval de Québec 
This is the biggest winter carnival in the world. Among the
numerous festivities, an ice palace is built for Bonhomme
Carnaval, the mascot of the carnival.

Histoire
Samuel de Champlain,  sent
by the king of France to map the
St. Lawrence River, made the fur trade
flourish and established ties with
native peoples. He founded Quebec
City in 1608.
©Bettmann/CORBIS

Jacques Cartier  explored the

1. Gastronomie: What product is associated with the cabane St. Lawrence River in the 1530s while
à sucre? searching for a route to Asia. He
2. Sports: What sport was handed down from the Inuits? claimed the area for France, landing
3. Fêtes et festivals: Who is Bonhomme Carnaval? on the sites that later became Quebec
4. Histoire: When was Quebec City founded? City and Montreal.

La province de Québec soixante-quinze 75

Comment
est ta
famille?
In this chapter, you will learn to
• ask about and describe people
• ask for and give opinions
• identify family members
• ask about someone’s family

And you will use

• the verb être
• adjective agreement
• more irregular adjectives
• possessive adjectives
• contractions with de
• c’est vs. il/elle est

Que vois-tu sur la photo?

Où sont ces personnes?
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire avec
tes amis?
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire avec
ta famille?

76
 Modes of Communication
Interpretive Interpersonal Presentational

Listen to a girl describing her Interview classmates about Act out a conversation with a
friends. their families. new neighbor.
Read a description of a Write an email to a pen pal Create a poster describing
cartoon character on a about a favorite television your family.
website. character.

La terrasse Dufferin et le château Frontenac, à Québec

Objectifs
• to ask about and
describe people
• to ask for and
give opinions

Mon ami(e) est…

blond blonde roux rousse

timide timide
fort forte

généreux généreuse
intelligent intelligente

grand grande brun brune

petit petite

créatif créative

sportif sportive

78 soixante-dix-huit Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Il/Elle a les cheveux…
Vocabulaire 1 practice

Vocabulaire 1
Il/Elle a les yeux…

châtains blancs

noirs marron

bleus verts

longs courts

D’autres mots utiles

génial(e) awesome marrant(e) funny
gentil(le) kind pénible tiresome
méchant(e) mean sympa(thique) nice
mince thin sérieux/sérieuse serious
gros/grosse fat paresseux/paresseuse lazy

Exprimons-nous!
To ask about people To describe people
Comment est le/la prof de français? Il/Elle est très sympathique.
He/She is very . . .
Il/Elle est comment, Thomas/Séverine?
What is . . . like? Il/Elle n’est ni grand(e) ni petit(e).
He/She is neither . . . nor . . .
Comment sont Rachid et Isabelle? Ils/Elles sont assez marrant(e)s.
They are quite . . .
Ils/Elles sont comment, tes ami(e)s?
What are . . . like?
Vocabulaire et grammaire, Online
pp. 25–27 Workbooks
 Vocabulaire supplémentaire—Les mots descriptifs, p. R11

La province de Québec soixante-dix-neuf 79

D’autres mots utiles Ça veut dire la même chose!
Lisons  M. Lafitte tends to repeat everything he says. Decide
jeune young
what would follow each of his statements in the right column.
âgé(e) elderly
la tête head 1. Corinne est grande. a. Il n’est pas blond.
le nez nose 2. Mon ami est sérieux. b. Elle n’est pas petite.
la bouche mouth 3. Les copines de Marie sont sympas. c. Il n’est pas marrant.
les oreilles (f.) ears 4. Luc n’est pas gentil. d. Ils ne sont pas gros.
5. Sandrine est pénible. e. Elle n’est pas blonde.
6. Paul et Lucien sont minces. f. Elle n’est pas géniale.
7. David a les cheveux noirs. g. Il est méchant.
À la créole 8. Mme Duval a les cheveux roux. h. Elles sont gentilles.

In Haiti, as well as in
Écoutons
the French Indies, the
words often used for Baptiste parle de ses amis. Choisis l’image qui correspond
friend are compère for à chaque description.
a male and commère
for a female.

a. b. c.

d. e. f.

Exprimons-nous!
To ask for an opinion To give an opinion
Comment tu trouves Bastien/Yasmina? Je le/la trouve gentil(le).
I think he/she is . . .
Qu’est-ce que tu penses d’Ousmane/
de Marie? À mon avis, il/elle est timide.
What do you think of . . .? In my opinion, . . .
Vocabulaire et grammaire, Online
pp. 25–27 Workbooks

80 quatre-vingts Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Comment tu trouves…?
Lisons/Écrivons  Regarde l’image et complète la conversation
entre Laure et Karine d’une façon logique.

Vocabulaire 1
Hubert

Pauline
François

Laure Comment tu trouves Pauline?

Karine Je la trouve   1   et   2  .
Laure Et qu’est-ce que tu penses de François?
Karine François? Il est   3   et   4  , mais il est   5  .
Laure Et Hubert?
Karine À mon avis, il est   6  . Et je le trouve   7   aussi.

À mon avis…
Écrivons  An online teen magazine from Montreal is conduct-
ing an opinion survey. Answer the questions below.
1.
Comment tu trouves le professeur de français?
2.
Qu’est-ce que tu penses de Homer Simpson?
Il est comment, ton acteur préféré (your favorite actor)?
3.
Comment est le président des États-Unis (U.S.)?
4.
Comment est ton athlète préféré(e) (your favorite athlete)?
5.

Opinions personnelles
Parlons  Take turns describing your best friend to your partner.
First, tell his or her name and age. Then, give a physical description
and mention some of your friend’s personality traits. Be sure
to also mention some of your friend’s likes and dislikes.
Mon ami(e) s’appelle... Il/Elle a... ans. Il/Elle est...
Modèle

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-un 81

Objectifs
• the verb être
• adjective agreement

The verb être

Like avoir, the verb être is an irregular verb. This means that it does
not follow the pattern of other verbs. You will have to memorize
its forms individually.

être (to be)

je
suis nous
sommes
tu es vous
êtes
z
il/elle/on est ils/elles
sont

Je ne suis pas très sportive.

Est-ce qu’ils sont marrants?
Vocabulaire et grammaire, pp. 28–29 Online
Cahier d’activités, pp. 21–23 Workbooks

Dans la classe de français

Flash Lisons  Complète les phrases avec la forme appropriée du verbe être.

culture 1. Je (es / suis) sympathique.

There are only about 400 2. Le professeur (est / es) créatif.
different last names of
3. Les élèves (sommes / sont) intelligents.
French origin in Quebec.
The most common ones 4. Marine et Jacques (êtes / sont) pénibles.
are Tremblay and Roy. 5. Mes amis et moi, nous (sont / sommes) gentils.
Other common last names
are: Gagnon, Gauthier, 6. Et vous, mademoiselle Leclerc, vous (êtes / est) géniale!
Charbonneau, Lalonde
and Lapointe. The lack of
diversity in last names is
Mes copains
made up by the variety Lisons/Parlons  Danielle is describing herself and her classmates to
of first names, with some a pen pal. Complete her note with the correct forms of the verb être.
old-fashioned French ones
like Ovide, Adélard or
Delima. In Quebec, a child Ma copine Juliette et moi, nous 1 brunes. Juliette 2
may often be given the petite, mais moi, je 3 grande. Elle 4 mince et elle
mother’s maiden name
5 très intelligente. Et Julien et Pierre? Ils 6 bruns
as a first name.
aussi. Pierre 7 génial! Julien 8 un peu timide, mais il
What are some common
last names in your area? 9 super-cool! Et toi? Tu 10 comment?
What is the origin of your
last name?

82 quatre-vingt-deux Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
À l’école Grammaire 1 practice
Parlons Florence always says good things about everyone.
What would she say about the following people?
MODÈLE tu / intelligent → Tu es intelligent.

Grammaire 1
Marie / méchante → Marie n’est pas méchante.
1. Clara / paresseuse 5. Tu / sympathique
2. Jules / gros 6. Nous / intelligents
3. Nous / généreuses 7. Gilbert / marrant
4. Annick et Laure / 8. Vous / gentils
pénibles

On est tous différents!

Écrivons Mélodie is an artist, and she likes drawing her
friends. Write two sentences to describe each of her friends,
including physical descriptions as well as personality traits.

1. Simon 2. Éléa 3. Marius 4. Bernard

Opinions personnelles
Parlons Some say that you are what you do. Using words from
the box, tell what somebody does or likes to do. Feel free to add
other expressions if you’d like. Then, have your classmate f108se_c03gr1004
use
adjectives to describe the person.

aime étudier dessiner le chocolat

les fêtes n’aime pas nager parler

MODÈLE Elle aime beaucoup nager et jouer au base-ball.

Elle est sportive.

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-trois 83

 Adjective agreement
1 Adjectives agree in number and gender with the nouns they describe.
Unless an adjective already ends in an unaccented -e, to make most
adjectives feminine, add -e to the masculine singular form.
  unaccented -e, no change
En anglais jeune jeune
In English, adjectives masculine feminine
  add -e
usually come before grand grande
the noun.
Sam is a kind man. 2 To form the feminine of adjectives ending in -eux or -if, make the
Does the spelling of following spelling changes before adding -e.
an adjective in English sérieux → sérieuse
change according to the
sportif → sportive
noun it is describing?
In French, most adjectives
3 These adjectives have irregular feminine forms.
are placed after the noun.
There are a few exceptions long → longue gros → grosse
that you will need blanc → blanche gentil → gentille
to memorize.
bon → bonne mignon → mignonne

4 Adjectives come after the noun unless they describe beauty, age,
goodness, or size.

before    after
Martin est un bon ami et un étudiant sérieux.

5 Unless its singular form already ends in -s (gros), to make an adjective

plural, add -s.

Masculine Feminine
Singular intelligent intelligente
Plural intelligents intelligentes

6 Des becomes de when the adjective comes before the noun.

Est-ce qu’il y a de jeunes professeurs dans ton école?
Vocabulaire et grammaire, pp. 28–29 Online
Cahier d’activités, pp. 21–23 Workbooks

Mon ami Bruno

Lisons  Complète le paragraphe avec la forme appropriée
de chaque adjectif.
Mon ami Bruno n’est ni (grand / grande) ni (petit / petite).
Comme moi (like me), il a les yeux (bleu / bleus). Nous sommes
(brunes / bruns). Il est assez (marrant / marrante). Il n’est pas
(timide / timides)! Bruno est super- (gentil / gentilles). C’est un
très (bonne / bon) copain.

84 quatre-vingt-quatre Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Écoutons
Danielle is describing her friends Michèle (a girl) and Michel
(a boy). Listen to each sentence and say if Danielle is talking
about a) Michèle, b) Michel, or c) if it is impossible to tell.

Grammaire 1
Alain et Amélie
Parlons/Écrivons Alain and Amélie are twins and identical in
every way. Describe Amélie based on these statements about Alain.
MODÈLE Alain est brun.
Amélie est brune aussi.
1. Alain est fort. 5. Alain est créatif.
2. Alain est assez timide. 6. Alain est très généreux.
3. Alain est génial. 7. Alain est un bon élève.
4. Alain est assez grand. 8. Alain est paresseux.

Mes camarades de classe

Écrivons Look at the picture that Monique drew during a camping
trip with friends. Describe each person in the sketch.

Maxime
Sara

Monique

Amadou Anne

Scénario
Parlons Ask your partner to think of a classmate. Guess who he or
she is by asking questions that can be answered with oui or non.
MODÈLE —C’est un garçon?
—Non, c’est une fille.
—Elle est grande? etc.

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-cinq 85

Synthèse
• Vocabulaire 1
• Grammaire 1

Écoutons
Félix is always saying negative things about his classmates.
Listen to each of these statements and decide if Félix is a) likely
or b) unlikely to have said them.

Un peu plus
More irregular adjectives
1. Some adjectives like cool (cool), chic, orange, and marron are
invariable. They never change form.
Les profs sont cool. La mère de Mathieu est très chic.

2. The adjectives beau (beautiful), nouveau (new), and vieux (old) are
Flash irregular. They also come before the nouns they describe.

culture
«Je me souviens»
Masculine Masculine Masculine Feminine Feminine
Singular Singular Plural Singular Plural
(I remember) is the
(before a (before
official motto of Québec.
consonant) a vowel)
It can be seen on auto-
mobiles all over Québec, beau bel beaux belle belles
as the official license
plate proudly displays nouveau nouvel nouveaux nouvelle nouvelles
the motto. Though
Quebeckers are not vieux vieil vieux vieille vieilles
quite sure about what
they are to remember, Mme Boursier a une belle voiture.
most agree that it is to Alain a de vieux posters.
remember their historical
French roots. Vocabulaire et grammaire, p. 30 Online
Cahier d’activités, pp. 21–23 Workbooks
Does your state have a
motto? If so, what does it
mean? Is the state motto Les copains d’Emmanuel
on your family car’s
Lisons  Some of Emmanuel’s instant messages are jumbled.
license plate?
Can you figure out what he’s saying about his classmates?
1. Patricia a… a.  vieille télévision.
2. Thomas a un… b. beaux.
3. Corinne et Emma… c.  de beaux yeux.
4. Caroline est une… d.  nouvel ordinateur.
5. Guillaume et Paul sont… e.  belle fille.
6. Alexandre a une… f.  ont les yeux marron.

86 quatre-vingt-six Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
À l’école de Valentine Application 1 practice
Lisons/Parlons  Valentine is talking about people and things at her
school. Add the appropriate forms of the adjectives in parentheses.
1. Éric et Ali sont . (beau)

Application 1
2. Il y a un élève à l’école. (nouveau)
3. Marielle a les yeux . (marron)
4. Alice a une voiture de sport. (nouveau)
5. Il y a de livres à la bibliothèque. (vieux)
6. Marcel a un ordinateur. (vieux)

Auto-portrait
Écrivons  Use the words in the box below to describe yourself.
Use other adjectives if necessary.

grand mince vieux mignon gentil

généreux fort roux timide cool
ni grand ni petit sportif sympa intelligent beau

Opinions personnelles
Parlons  With a classmate, take turns describing different kids
pictured below and guessing who is being described.

Papoum Anna Gwendoline Christophe Samuel Mariana

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-sept 87

 Culture
Le blason familial
T he blason familial, or family coat of arms, is a symbol
originally used to identify knights in combat. It began to appear
in Europe in the eleventh century and became popular among
the nobility during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
The official elements of a coat of arms are the motto, the
crest, and the shield.

Le blason de l’université McGill, à Montréal

Ton blason
Materials:
• poster board or heavy stock paper
• scissors
• pen or pencil
• crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Create your own blason! Before starting, think about your
favorite subject, hobby, or sport. How would you illustrate it?

Step 5  Choose a crest to

go at the top of the shield.
Step 3  Pick a symbol that Step 6  Create a motto
would best illustrate your of three words in French
Step 1  Choose a shape for favorite subject, hobby, or that describes who you are.
the shield and draw it on the sport. Place it in the middle Place it at the bottom of
poster board. Cut it out. of your shield. the shield.

Step 2  Choose colors for Step 4  Pick one or two

the background. other symbols to go on either
side of the shield.

f108se_c03cul013a
Research the coat of arms of the following French royal families:
2st pass
the Capets, the Valois, and the Bourbons. Do these coat of arms have
3/16/6
something in common? What is it? Why?
drevino

88 quatre-vingt-huit Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Online Edition

Culture
En famille
Imagine you’re an exchange student
staying with a French family. Which of
the following would you expect to do:
a.
help yourself to the fridge and
be able to snack whenever
you like?
b. eat dinner in front of any one
of the three TV sets?
c. spend Sunday with your family?

Les courses en famille

Idinner
f you stay with a French family, you’ll notice that children usually have
every evening with their parents. Except for the goûter, they don’t
eat between meals. The family will most likely have dinner in the dining
room. Some families might watch the 8 o’clock news together while
eating dinner around the dinner table. Boys and girls help with grocery
shopping, meal preparation, cooking, and setting or clearing the table.
French teenagers rarely have parties at home; they meet their friends
at a café or at a movie theatre. They usually go out on Wednesday
afternoons, since school ends early that day, and on Saturday nights.
Sunday is often spent with the family.

ET Toi?
1. Do you always have lunch or dinner 2. Do American students usually go out
with your family? on Wednesdays and on Saturdays?

Your city’s coat of arms

D o you know if your city has a coat of arms? If so,
what are the symbols and why were they chosen?
What do they mean? You may find some information
at the town hall of your city. Then, you may also go
to your neighborhood library or on the Internet to do
some research on your family’s name and see if it has
ever been associated with a coat of arms. Un blason familial

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-neuf 89

Objectifs
• to identify family
members
• to ask about
someone’s
family

Une famille québécoise

Voilà
ma famille,
les Michaud.

mon grand-père ma grand-mère

Victor Odile

ma mère mon père ma tante mon oncle ma tante

Nathalie Yves Agnès André Jocelyne

ma sœur C’est moi, mon frère ma cousine ma cousine mon cousin

Aurore Vincent! Guillaume Perrine Claire Maxime

mon chien mon chat

Boris Nikita

90 quatre-vingt-dix Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Ma tante Agnès Vocabulaire 2 practice
est divorcée et
remariée.

Vocabulaire 2
Voilà tante Agnès avec Arnaud et Sophie,
Voici Charles, le mari de ma tante. le fils et la fille de Charles.

D’autres mots utiles

les parents parents
l’enfant (m./f.) child
les grands-parents grandparents
les petits-enfants grandchildren
le petit-fils grandson
la petite-fille granddaughter
le neveu nephew
la nièce niece
la femme wife
la belle-mère stepmother

Perrine avec son beau-père, son

demi-frère et sa demi-sœur.

Exprimons-nous!
To identify family members
Qui c’est, ça? Ça, c’est la cousine de Mathieu.
Who is that? This is Mathieu’s . . .

Ça, ce sont les frères de Youssef.

These are Youssef’s . . .
Vocabulaire et grammaire, Online
pp. 31–33 Workbooks
 Vocabulaire supplémentaire—La famille, p. R9

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-onze 91

 Écoutons
Clothilde décrit sa famille. Regarde l’arbre généalogique
(family tree) et décide si les phrases sont a) vraies ou b) fausses.

Flash Pierre Hélène

culture
The Festival d’été, held
for 2 weeks every July,
is a major festival that
families in Quebec attend.
The festival features music Luc Céline Lucienne Henri
concerts, outdoor specta-
cles, and works of art
displayed in different
places all over the city.
Another festival that
celebrates families is the
Fêtes de la famille du Martin Philippe Monique Clothilde Samuel
quartier Saint-Émile
which also features plays
for children, jalopy races, La famille de Clothilde
and soccer tournaments.
Parlons  Réponds aux questions suivantes d’après l’arbre
Does your community
have family festivals? généalogique de Clothilde (Activité 21).
If so, when? What kinds 1. Comment s’appelle le neveu de Céline?
of activities are available
at such an event? 2. Comment s’appellent les cousines de Martin?
3. Qui est l’oncle de Clothilde?
4. Comment s’appelle le mari d’Hélène?
5. Qui est la tante de Clothilde?
6. Qui est le frère de Martin?
7. Qui est le cousin de Philippe?
8. Qui sont les enfants de Lucienne?

Devinettes
Lisons/Écrivons  Qui sont les personnes suivantes?
Le fils de ma tante, c’est mon cousin.
MODÈLE
1. La mère de ma mère, c’est ma .
2. Le fils de mon beau-père et de ma mère, c’est mon .
3. Les frères de ma mère, ce sont mes .
4. Le père de mon père, c’est mon .
5. La sœur de mon fils, c’est ma .
6. Les fils et les filles de mes enfants, ce sont mes .
7. Le fils de mon frère, c’est mon .

92 quatre-vingt-douze Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

Exprimons-nous!
To ask about someone’s family To respond
Tu as des frères et des sœurs? Non, je suis fils/fille unique.
Do you have brothers and sisters? No, I’m an only child.
Tu as combien de frères et de sœurs? J’ai deux sœurs et un demi-frère.

Vocabulaire 2
How many . . . do you have? I have . . . and . . .

Je n’ai pas de frères mais j’ai une sœur.

I don’t have any . . . but . . .
Vous êtes combien dans ta famille? Nous sommes cinq.
How many people are there in your family? There are . . . of us.
Tu as un animal domestique? Oui, j’ai trois chats et un chien.
Do you have a pet? Yes, I have . . .
Vocabulaire et grammaire, Online
pp. 31–33 Workbooks

Un portrait de famille
Écrivons Imagine que tu es Ronan et que tu as pris (took) cette
photo. Décris ta famille.

branché(e) hip
chouette cool/nice
un(e) gamin(e) a kid
un(e) a brother/
frangin(e) a sister
mes vieux my parents
mamie grandma
papi grandpa

Interview
Parlons Ask three of your classmates the questions below.
Based on their answers, see if there are any similarities between
their families and yours. Report your findings to the class.
1. Vous êtes combien dans 3. Tu as des frangines?
ta famille? 4. Est-ce que tu as
2. Comment s’appelle un animal domestique?
ton père? Et ta mère?

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-treize 93

Objectifs
• possessive adjectives
• contractions with de

Possessive adjectives
1 Here are the possessive adjectives in French. Notice that the possessive
adjectives agree in gender and number with what is possessed.

Masculine Feminine Plural

Singular Singular

my mon ma mes

your (tu) ton ta tes

En anglais
his/her/its son sa ses
In English, there are
two ways to express our notre notre nos
possession.
your (vous) votre votre vos
That is David’s sister.
That is his sister. their leur leur leurs
How many different
Mon père est petit. Ses frères sont sportifs.
possessive adjectives can
you think of in English?
2 For singular nouns beginning with a vowel, use the masculine form
In French, possessive
of the possessive adjective, even if the thing possessed is feminine.
adjectives tell not only
to whom things belong Ça, c’est mon amie, Claudine.
but also the gender of
the thing possessed. 3 Another way to indicate possession is with the preposition de.
De/D’ plus a person’s name is used in the same way as ‘s in English.
J’aime bien le frère d’André. I really like André’s brother.
Vocabulaire et grammaire, pp. 34–35 Online
Cahier d’activités, pp. 25–27 Workbooks

Chez moi
Lisons  Choose the correct possessive adjective in each case.
Voilà (mon / ma) frère Olivier. Il adore faire du sport. Ça, c’est
(nos / notre) chat Zola. Il est gentil. Voilà (son / mon) grand-père
Raoul et (ma/ mon) grand-mère Thérèse. Voilà (ses / mes) petits
frères Adrien et Romain. Ils sont pénibles!

Écoutons
Denise and Christophe are showing each other family photos.
Tell whether each statement refers to someone in a) Denise’s
family or b) Christophe’s family.

94 quatre-vingt-quatorze Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Dans ma famille Grammaire 2 practice
Lisons/Écrivons  Fernand is asking Élodie about her family.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate possessive adjective.
—Élodie, vous êtes combien dans   1   famille?

Grammaire 2
—Nous sommes sept:   2   père,   3   mère,

  4   petit frère et   5   trois sœurs.
—Comment s’appelle   6   frère?


—Il s’appelle Olivier.
—Elles sont comment,   7   sœurs?

—  8   sœurs sont belles et super-gentilles!

Mon journal
Écrivons  Écris un paragraphe pour décrire les membres de ta famille.
Dis aussi ce que chaque personne aime ou n’aime pas faire.

Scénario
Parlons  You and a friend are cleaning out your garage.
Before throwing anything away, your friend asks to whom
each item belongs. Respond by telling which family member
owns each item.
—Est-ce que c’est le ballon de ton frère?
MODÈLE
—Non, ce n’est pas son ballon. C’est le ballon
de mon neveu.

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-quinze 95

 Contractions with de
1 De contracts with the definite article le to form du.
de + le → du
Le bureau du professeur est marron.

2 De contracts with the definite article les to form des.

de + les → des
Comment est le père des sœurs Lebrun?

3 When de appears before la or l’, there is no contraction.

de + la → de la
de + l’ → de l’
Ils sont comment, les frères de la copine de Guy?
Elle est comment, la mère de l’ami de Charles?
Vocabulaire et grammaire, pp. 34–35 Online
Cahier d’activités, pp. 25–27 Workbooks

Les nouveaux voisins

Lisons/Parlons  M. Robert and Mlle Lebrun are talking about
the new people who moved into their neighborhood. Complete
Flash their exchanges with du, de la, de l’, or des.
culture
In February, Quebeckers
M. Robert Il est comment, le père   1   frères Dubois?
Mlle Lebrun Il est grand et brun.
celebrate the Carnaval
de Québec. This carnival, Mlle Lebrun  t la mère   2   amie de Clarisse Duchesne,
E
which began in 1894,
lasts the two weeks before
comment elle s’appelle?
Lent and is the world’s M. Robert Elle s’appelle Colette Leroy.
largest winter carnival.
Families can participate Mlle Lebrun  omment elle s’appelle, la sœur   3  
C
in activities like canoe and frères Martin?
dogsled races, a snow
bath, ice fishing, snow M. Robert Elle s’appelle Alice.
rafting, a soapbox derby
race, and skating with M. Robert Il est comment, le frère   4   garçon blond?
Bonhomme Carnaval Mlle Lebrun Il est roux et pénible!
(the mascot of the carni-
val). The carnival is famous Mlle Lebrun La grand-mère   5   fille blonde,
for its ice palace, night elle est comment?
parades, and international
ice sculpture show. M. Robert Elle est très gentille!
Do you know of any
other carnivals that take M. Robert Et le père   6   garçon roux, comment
place just before Lent? il s’appelle ?
Mlle Lebrun Il s’appelle M. Bonnet.

96 quatre-vingt-seize Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Devinettes
Lisons/Écrivons  Complete the following riddles with du, de la,
de l’, or des. Then supply the answer to each riddle.
1. La mère père de ma sœur, c’est .

Grammaire 2
2. La fille sœur de mon père, c’est .
3. Le père frère de mon père, c’est .
4. Le frère fille de ma tante, c’est .
5. Le mari mère de mes cousins, c’est .
6. La mère frères de ma cousine, c’est .

C’est à qui?
Parlons/Écrivons  Your friend Aimée is organizing
a garage sale. Tell to which of Aimée’s family
members each of these items belongs.
—C’est la radio du grand-père
MODÈLE
le grand-père
d’Aimée.

1. la sœur 2. les parents 3. le frère

4. la grand-mère 5. les cousins 6. l’oncle

Scénario
Parlons  Bring a family picture or a picture of a famous family to share
with your classmate. Your classmate will ask you about the people in
the picture. Answer by saying who they are and by describing them.
—C’est qui, le garçon blond?
MODÈLE
—C’est…
—Il est comment?
—Il est… mais très…

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-dix-sept 97

Synthèse
• Vocabulaire 2
• Grammaire 2

On rappe!
Listen to the song Comment est-il? Write four family members
mentioned in the song. Write one description you heard for each
­family member you picked.

Mon animal domestique

Écrivons  Jessica et Luc parlent de leurs animaux domestiques.
Complète leurs phrases avec des adjectifs possessifs.
—Il a quel âge,   1   chien, Luc?


—   2   chien? Je n’ai pas de chien mais j’ai trois chats.

—C’est cool! Ils s’appellent comment,   3   chats?

—Athos, Porthos et Aramis. Tu as des chats?

—Non, mais   4   sœur a un chien et un serpent.

—Whoa! Est-ce que   5   parents aiment les animaux?

—Oui,   6   parents adorent les animaux!

Un peu plus
C’est versus Il/Elle est Fais le bon choix
1. Use c’est Écrivons  Fill in the blanks with c’est,
• with a person’s name,
il est, or elle est.

C’est Norbert. 1. Monique? très belle.
• with an article/possessive adjective + a noun 2. un petit garçon.

C’est une élève. 3. Et M. Poiret, roux?

C’est mon père. 4. Comment tu trouves Mia?
• with an article + a noun + an adjective.
sympa, non?

C’est un homme intelligent.
5. Ça, mon cousin Jacques.
6. très intelligent, ton frère!
To form a negative sentence, use the expression
ce n’est pas.
Je l’adore!
2. Use il est/elle est Écrivons  Write an e-mail to your
• with an adjective by itself
Canadian pen pal about your favorite
celebrity or your favorite character

Elle est blonde.
from a famous television show. Be sure
Vocabulaire et grammaire, p. 36 Online to describe the person or character
Cahier d’activités, pp. 25–27 Workbooks
in detail.

98 quatre-vingt-dix-huit Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Qui est Caillou? Application 2 practice
Lisons/Écrivons  You’re surfing the Web to buy your five-year-old
Quebecois cousin a video of his favorite cartoon, Caillou. Read
about Caillou and answer the questions that follow.

Application 2
Description des personnages
Caillou est un petit garçon de Caillou aime beaucoup sa maman et
4 ans. Il est adorable, innocent, son papa. Ils sont très sympathiques
enjoué, curieux, et il aime et affectueux et aiment
beaucoup les aventures. faire les aventures avec
Il a une sœur qui Caillou. Grand-maman
s’appelle Mousseline. est artiste et elle aime
Elle a 2 ans. Caillou a un la nature. Grand-papa
chat qui s’appelle Gilbert. est très marrant!

1. Quel âge a Mousseline? 3. Comment est Caillou?

2. Comment s’appelle
f108se_c03ap2013aa 4. Comment est Grand-papa?
2ndlepass
chat de Caillou?
3/2/6
cmurphy

Comment est ta famille?

Parlons  You and your partner are describing your families to
each other. Take turns reading the questions below and answering
them. You can describe your real family or an imaginary one.
— Tu as combien de frères et de sœurs?
—
— Comment s’appelle ta mère?
—
— Elle est comment?
—
— Elle a les yeux bleus?
—
— Tu as un animal domestique?
—

La province de Québec quatre-vingt-dix-neuf 99

Télé-roman

STRATÉGIE

Separating essential from non-essential information A story told on screen

often provides information essential to understanding the plot as well as informa-
tion that is not essential, but which may contribute to learning more about the
character. In this episode, Yasmina and Adrien tell each other about their families
but they are also on a small mission. After you watch the episode, write down
the essential information needed to understand the plot and the non-essential
information that the two discuss. Does the list give you any clues as to what will
happen next or help you to learn more about the characters?

Au café, Yasmina a trouvé un cahier avec une adresse…

Yasmina Regardez! Il y a des initiales Yasmina Oh! Je sais où c’est. Mon Adrien Moi, je t’accompagne
et une adresse. oncle et ma tante habitent près de là. si tu veux.
On y va?

Adrien et Yasmina traversent un parc…

Yasmina Dis, Adrien, on peut se reposer un peu? Yasmina Tu as des sœurs et des frères?
Je suis crevée. Adrien J’ai un frère. Il s’appelle Tristan.
Adrien Oui, moi aussi.

100 cent Chapitre 3 • Comment est ta famille?

 Visit Us Online
my.hrw.com
Online Edition

Télé-roman
Adrien  Et ça, c’est ma mère. Elle est Yasmina  Tiens! Bonjour, tante Zora! Tante Zora  Oh là là! Mon mari
très sportive. Tante Zora  Salut, Yasmina! Ça va? m’attend! Bon alors, à bientôt, toi.

Adrien et Yasmina reprennent la route…

Adrien et Yasmina arrivent chez la personne La personne ouvre la porte et Adrien et Yasmina
au cahier mystérieux. sont surpris.

As - t u c o m p r i s ?
1. What do Yasmina and Adrien decide 4. Whom do they see at the park?
Prochain épisode:
Who do you think opens
to do at the beginning of the episode? 5. Where are they at the end of the door at the end?
2. What do they talk about at the park? the episode? What makes you
3. Does Adrien have any brothers think so?
or sisters?

La province de Québec cent un 101

 Lecture et
écriture
S t r a t é g i e pour lire Avant la lecture
Using genre to set expectations  Consider the genre Look at the following text. What type of
of a text before you read it. The genre can tell you what reading do you think this is? What should
kind of writing to expect. Some examples of different you expect to find in this type of reading?
genres are short story, novel, poem, essay, and play. Make a list.

Toute la famille
de Pierre Lozère
Toute la famille se réveille1, Toute la famille se réveille,
ouvrez ! ouvrez ! les volets2 ouvrez ! ouvrez ! les volets
toute la famille se réveille toute la famille se réveille
la journée peut commencer 20 la journée peut commencer

5 Papa fait sa gymnastique Grand-père est parti à pied6

un, deux, trois, quatre, un, deux, trois, quatre,
Maman met de la musique la confiture est brûlée7
les enfants attrapent3 le chat ! les enfants attrapent le chat !

Toute la famille se réveille, 25 Toute la famille se réveille,

10 ouvrez ! ouvrez ! les volets ouvrez ! ouvrez ! les volets
toute la famille se réveille toute la famille se réveille
la journée peut commencer la journée peut commencer
1. wakes up  2. shutters  3. catch  4. starts 
Papa démarre4 la voiture 5. jam  6. went for a walk  7. burned

un, deux, trois, quatre,

15 Grand-mère fait des confitures5
les enfants attrapent le chat !

102 cent deux Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Practice
my.hrw.com
Online Edition

Compréhension
Match each family member with the sentence that best
describes him or her.

Lecture et écriture
1. papa a. Il/Elle aime préparer à manger.
2. maman b. Il/Elle est sportif.
3. le fils ou la fille c. Il/Elle est petit(e) et pénible.
4. grand-mère d. Il/Elle aime sortir.
5. grand-père e. Il/Elle aime écouter la radio.

Après la lecture
1. Compare the list you made in Avant la lecture with what
you noticed while reading the poem. Is the poem different
from what you expected? Does this poem remind you of the
way songs are written? Why?
2. How is this family’s routine similar to or different from your
family’s routine?

blonde

maman mince

S t r a t é g i e pour écrire
intelligente
Graphic organizers can help you remember
details that you might otherwise forget. You Rédaction
can draw a square containing the thing you
Begin each caption by giving your family
wish to describe, then draw lines extending out
member’s name and his or her relationship
from the square to its characteristics.
to you. Then describe that person’s appearance
and personality.
Portrait de famille
Create a portrait of your family or of an imaginary one. Correction
Draw, cut out magazine pictures, or find photos of Read each caption to make sure that you have
four family members. Write a caption for each image. all the required information. Read the captions
Tell who each person is and what he or she is like. again to check for spelling, punctuation, and
adjective agreement.
Plan
Draw four squares with lines extending out Application
from each square. Write thef108se_c03lec002a
names of family Mount your images and captions on poster
members in the squares and theirpass
2nd relationship board and display your family portrait in class.
to you (maman). Then, write adjectives
02/01/06 Read your classmates’ posters. Can you
to describe them on the lines (blonde,
cmurphy guess which family belongs to each of
mince, intelligente). your classmates?

La province de Québec cent trois 103

Chapitre 3

Describe the people and pets in the photos. Be sure to use

at least two adjectives to describe each person or animal.

Vocabulaire 1
• to describe people
• t o ask for and give
opinions
pp. 78–81

a. b. c. d.

Write complete sentences using the elements given. Make all the
appropriate changes.
Grammaire 1 1. ton frère / toi / être / vous / grand / très / et
• the verb être
• adjective 2. grand / blond / être / moi / et / je
agreement 3. mince / Emma / être / mignon / et
Un peu plus
4. professeur / être / comment / d’anglais / le
• more irregular
adjectives 5. ils / gros / pas / être / ne
pp. 82–87 6. Alicia / être / et / gentil / et /intelligent / Jeanne
7. être / Eva / être / elle / marrant / timide / mais
8. avoir / je / frère / trois / pénible / beau / mais

Réponds aux questions suivantes.

Vocabulaire 2 1. Vous êtes combien dans ta famille?
• to identify family
members 2. Comment s’appelle ta mère?
• to ask about 3. Elle est comment?
someone’s family 4. Tu as des frères ou des sœurs?
pp. 90–93
5. Comment s’appellent tes grands-parents?
6. Ils/Elles sont comment?
7. Tu as un chien ou un chat?
8. Comment il est?
9. Comment sont tes amis?
10. Comment tu trouves le professeur de français?

104 cent quatre Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

 Online Assessment
my.hrw.com
Complète la conversation entre Luc et Annick avec la forme
Chapter Self-test
appropriée de l’adjectif possessif.

Luc Vous êtes combien dans (ta / notre) famille?

Annick Nous sommes cinq: (ma / votre) grand-mère, Grammaire 2

Prépare-toi pour l’examen

(mon / son) père, (ma / ta) mère, (mon / notre) • possessive
frère et moi. adjectives
• contractions
Luc Quel âge a (mon / ton) frère?
with de
Annick Il a vingt ans. Il étudie à l’université. (Leur / Son) Un peu plus
université est à Montréal. • c’est versus
il/elle est
Answer the following questions. pp. 94–99

1. Who is Bonhomme Carnaval? Where can you see him?

2. What family festival is celebrated in August in Quebec? Culture
3. What is the official motto of Quebec? • Comparaisons
p. 89
• Flash culture
Listen to Marie-France speaking about her family. Indicate if the pp. 82, 86, 92, 96
following statements are a) true or b) false.

1. Marie-France a cinq ans. 3. Sa mère est belle et sportive.

2. Son chien est très gros. 4. Son frère s’appelle Valentin.

You’re talking with a classmate about your family. First read the
instructions for each exchange. Then, create a dialogue using
the expressions you’ve learned in this chapter and the previous
chapters.

Student A: Ask your classmate if he/she has siblings.

Student B: Answer that you have two brothers and one sister. Ask your
classmate the same question.
Student A: Answer that you have one brother. Ask your classmate to
describe his/her sister.
Student B: Say that your sister is tall with blond hair and green eyes. Ask
how your classmate’s brother is.
Student A: Say that your brother is four years old and that he is ­
annoying.
Student B: Ask your classmate if he/she has pets.
Student A: Say that you don’t have pets. Ask your classmate about pets.
Student B: Answer that you have one dog and two cats.

La province de Québec cent cinq 105

 Grammaire 1 Résumé: Grammaire 1
• the verb être
• adjective agreement The verb être is irregular.
Un peu plus
• more irregular être (to be)
adjectives je suis nous sommes
pp. 82–87
tu es vous êtes
z
il/elle/on est ils/elles sont

Adjectives agree in number and gender with the nouns they describe.
To make most adjectives feminine, add -e to the masculine form.
To make most adjectives plural, add -s to the singular form.
Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms:
blanc (blanche), bon (bonne), gentil (gentille), gros (grosse),
mignon (mignonne), long (longue)
Adjectives that end in -eux become -euse in the feminine forms.
Adjectives that end in -if become -ive in the feminine forms.

Some adjectives like cool, chic, orange, and marron are invariable.
They never change forms.
The adjectives beau (beautiful), nouveau (new), and vieux (old) have
special forms.

Résumé: Grammaire 2
Grammaire 2
• possessive adjectives French possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with what
• contractions with de is possessed.
Un peu plus They are: m
 on, ton, son, ma, ta, sa, mes, tes, ses, notre, votre, leur,
• c’est versus il/elle est nos, vos, leurs
pp. 94–99
Contractions with de: de + le = du
de + les = des
When de appears before la or l’, there is no contraction.
Use c’est with a person’s name, with an article plus a noun,
with an article, plus a noun, plus an adjective.
Use il est/elle est with an adjective by itself.

The r sound
The French r is quite different from the Jeux de langue
American r. To pronounce the French r, keep Mon père est maire, mon frère est masseur,
the tip of your tongue pressed against your ma tante est sœur et mon cousin est frère.
lower front teeth. Arch the back of your
tongue upward, almost totally blocking the Dictée
passage of air in the back of your throat. Écris les phrases de la dictée.

106 cent six Chapitre 3    •    Comment est ta famille?

Résumé: Vocabulaire 1 PRACTICE FRENCH WITH
HOLT MCDOUGAL APPS!
To ask about and describe people
âgé(e) elderly le nez nose
beau (belle) handsome, beautiful noir(e) black

Prépare-toi pour l’examen

blanc (blanche) white nouveau (nouvelle) new
bleu(e) blue les oreilles (f.) ears
blond(e) blond paresseux (paresseuse) lazy
bon/bonne good pénible tiresome/difficult
la bouche mouth petit(e)/grand(e) short/tall
brun(e)/châtain dark-haired/chestnut, light brown roux (rousse) red-headed
court(e)/long (longue) short/long sérieux (sérieuse) serious
créatif (créative) creative sportif (sportive) athletic
fort(e) strong la tête head
généreux (généreuse) generous timide shy
génial(e) fantastic/awesome vert(e) green
gentil(le) kind Comment est/sont…? What is/are . . . like?
Il/Elle a les cheveux/yeux... He/She has . . . hair/eyes. Il(s)/Elle(s) est/ What is/are . . . like?
intelligent(e) smart sont comment…?

jeune/vieux (vieille) young/old Il/Elle est très… He/She is very . . .

marrant(e) funny Ils/Elles sont assez… They are quite . . .

marron brown Il/Elle n’est ni…ni… He/She is neither . . . nor . . .

méchant(e)/sympathique mean/nice To ask for and give an opinion ........... see page 80
mince/gros(se) thin/fat

Résumé: Vocabulaire 2
To identify family members
le beau-père stepfather le mari husband
la belle-mère stepmother la mère/ma mère mother/my mother
le chat cat le neveu nephew
le chien dog la nièce niece
le/la cousin(e) cousin l’oncle uncle
le demi-frère half-brother les parents (m.) parents
la demi-sœur half-sister le père father
divorcé(e) divorced la petite-fille granddaughter
un/une enfant (m./f.) child le petit-fils grandson
la famille family les petits-enfants (m.) grandchildren
la femme wife la sœur sister
la fille/le fils daughter/son la tante aunt
le frère brother Voici…/Voilà… Here is/are . . ./There is/are . . .
la grand-mère grandmother Ça, c’est/ce sont… This is/These are . . .
le grand-père grandfather Qui c’est, ça? Who is that?
les grands-parents (m.) grandparents To ask about someone’s family ........ see page 93

La province de Québec cent sept 107

 Listen as Isabelle and Pauline talk about their families and
decide who’s talking: a) Isabelle or b) Pauline.

La famille d’Isabelle La famille de Pauline

You’re thinking about getting a pet. Read these advertisements,

and then answer the questions that follow with: a) the cat,
b) the dog, or c) both.

EN DIRECT DES REFUGES

César
Beau chien noir et marron de 6 ans. Yeux marron. Je ne
peux pas le garder parce que mon père est allergique.
Idéal pour famille avec enfants ou chats. Sociable, docile,
très intelligent. Déjà vacciné. Il adore jouer à la balle.
Contacter Lise Girard au 418-555-4625.

Un minou adorable!
Chaton gris et blanc aux yeux bleus. 3 mois.
Petit, gentil, très mignon, un peu timide. Déjà
vacciné. Aime beaucoup les enfants. Si vous
voulez l’adopter, téléphonez à
Guy Brassard au 418-555-1359.

1. Which pet likes children?

2. Which pet is shy?
3. Which pet likes to chase balls?
4. Which pet is smart?
5. Which pet has blue eyes?
6. Which pet needs a new home because of a family
member’s allergies?

108 cent huit Chapitres 1–3

 Online Assessment
my.hrw.com
Your family is being considered for a reality show. The staff Cumulative Self-test
wants to know everything about your family so they can decide
if you’d be right for the show. Work with a classmate to create
a conversation in which a staff member interviews you about
your family: how many of you there are, each person’s age, a

Révisions cumulatives
description, and what each person likes and dislikes.

Look at the painting and write a short narrative, in French, about

this family. Imagine who the different family members are and
describe them in detail. Then, discuss what you think the family
is celebrating. How do you know?

Massicotte, Edmond-Joseph. Le Traditionnel Gâteau des Rois, 1926. Lithograph. 20.8 x 31 cm.
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. 69.402.
Le traditionnel gâteau des Rois d’Edmond-Joseph Massicotte

Imagine that you’re shooting a short film at school and you’re

looking for talent. Write ads describing what kind of people
you’re looking for (man, woman, boy, girl, tall, etc.) Don’t forget
to mention if you’re looking for specific personality traits.

Les nouveaux voisins  A new family has moved into your
neighborhood, and you notice they have a son about your age. First, introduce
yourself and find out about the son’s likes and dislikes. Then, ask about his
family members. Act out your conversation for the class.

Révisions cumulatives cent neuf 109