Identical to dwelling renovations, suffixes can rework your French vocabulary from “bland and shaky” to “sturdy and colourful.”
Particularly, they let you rapidly purchase new phrases based mostly in your present vocabulary, since French suffixes are added to nouns, verbs and adjectives.
They’re additionally nice for brevity. For instance, it’s a lot much less of a mouthful to say une poissonnerie
(a fish market) than un endroit où se trouve du poisson en vente
(a spot the place one finds fish on the market).
And, as a result of suffixes in French are derived from Latin or Greek like their English counterparts, many French and English suffixes are the identical (apart from minor variations in spelling).
Mainly, your French studying comprehension and writing will rapidly enhance when you study extra suffixes.
Beneath, I’ve put collectively a listing of frequent ones that you just’re sure to return throughout irrespective of the place you might be in your French studying journey.
On y va !
(Let’s go!)
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1. -able
Sort of suffix: adjectival (i.e., the suffix turns phrases into adjectives)
Gender: impartial
Use: can solely be added to verbal stems—that’s, verbs minus their -er, -ir or -re endings. Denotes the chance or skill to be accomplished.
Instance:
laver
(wash) + -able → lavable
(washable)
Cette chemise est lavable à l’eau chaude.
(This shirt will be washed in scorching water.)
2. -age
Sort of suffix: nominal (i.e., the suffix turns phrases into nouns)
Gender: masculine
Use: refers back to the “motion or results of X-ing” or the “state of being a(n) X”
Instance:
esclave
(slave) + -age → esclavage
(the state of being a slave or, extra succinctly, slavery)
L’esclavage est horrible.
(Slavery is horrible.)
3. -ain(e)/-ais(e)/-ois(e)/-éen(e)
Sort of suffix: nominal or adjectival
Gender: including e to the suffix makes it female
Use: describes somebody or one thing by their place of birth (i.e., a diminutive noun)
Examples:
An individual, place or factor from la Jamaïque
(Jamaica) is jamaïcain
/ jamaïcaine
(Jamaican).
Il y a un nouveau restaurant jamaïcain dans le quartier.
(There’s a new Jamaican restaurant within the neighborhood.)
Be aware: Jamaïcain will also be spelled as jamaïquain
, though this spelling isn’t as widespread.
An individual, place or factor from la France
(France) is français
/ française
(French).
Sa femme est française.
(His spouse is French.)
J’ai une voiture française.
(I’ve a French automobile.)
An individual, place or factor from le Danemark
(Denmark) is danois
/ danoise
(Danish).
An individual, place or factor from l’Europe
(Europe) is européen
/ européene
(European).
4. –aire
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: impartial
Use: added to phrases to convey a relationship or connection to the bottom phrase (e.g., career, high quality or attribute)
Instance:
volonté
(drive or will) + -aire → volontaire
(voluntary)
Elle est volontaire ici depuis deux ans.
(She’s been a volunteer right here for 2 years.)
5. -al/-ale
Sort of suffix: adjectival
Gender: -al is masculine, whereas -ale is female
Use: signifies a relationship or attribute shared with the foundation phrase
Instance:
nation
(nation) + -ale → nationale
(nationwide)
C’est une compétition nationale.
(It’s a nationwide competitors.)
6. -ance
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: female
Use: signifies a state, high quality or motion
Instance:
ignorer
(ignore) + -ance → ignorance
(ignorance)
L’ignorance n’est pas une excuse.
(Ignorance will not be an excuse.)
7. -ant/-ante
Sort of suffix: verbal (i.e., varieties a verb) and adjectival
Gender: -ant is masculine, whereas -ante is female
Use: varieties current participle verbs and adjectives
Instance:
étudier
(research) + -ant → étudiant
(scholar)
Je suis étudiant.
(I’m a scholar.)
8. -ateur/-atrice
Sort of suffix: nominal or adjectival
Gender: -ateur is masculine, whereas -atrice is female
Use: signifies actors or brokers
Examples:
dévaster
(devastate) + -ateur → dévastateur
(one thing that devastates or is devastating, as in un ouragan dévastateur
or “a devastating hurricane”)
Elle a une maladie dévastatrice.
(She has a devastating sickness.)
ventiler
(ventilate) + -ateur → ventilateur
(a fan)
J’ai besoin d’un ventilateur pour cette pièce.
(I would like a fan for this room.)
Be aware: On this phrase, we see the phrase vent
(wind), which is a pleasant addition to your weather-related French vocabulary.
9. -eau/-elle
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: -eau is masculine, whereas -elle is female
Use: has a diminutive perform
Examples:
Un petit lapin
(a little bit rabbit, as in a younger one) will be condensed to un lapineau
(a little bit rabbit).
Le lapineau a perdu sa mère.
(The younger rabbit misplaced its mom.)
Une petite rue
(a little bit road) will be shortened to une ruelle
(a little bit road or alley).
J’ai entendu un hurlement dans une ruelle.
(I heard a scream in an alley.)
10. -é
Sort of suffix: nominal, verbal or adjectival
Gender: impartial
As a suffix, this acute accent can carry out many roles, corresponding to:
Forming the previous participle
This suffix is used to assemble the previous participle of -er verbs, the place -é replaces the -er.
The previous participle of manger
(eat) is mangé
(ate).
J’ai mangé tard.
(I ate late.)
La viande, mangée par les mouches, est dans la poubelle.
(The meat, eaten by the flies, is within the trash.)
Forming adjectives
If the foundation is a noun, the suffix -é will be added to provide an adjective that signifies “possessing X” or “resembling X.”
Le sens
refers to sense (as in frequent sense) or purpose, so the adjective sensé
refers to one thing or somebody affordable or possessing sense/purpose.
Ses propos sont sensés.
(His remarks are affordable.)
Forming nouns
The suffix -é will be added to nouns to indicate “the state of X.”
In French, un guardian
denotes not solely a mom or a father, however a relative basically. La parenté
refers to kinship, (household) relationship or relatedness.
Quel est ton lien de parenté avec elle ?
(What’s your relationship to her?)
11. -ée
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: impartial
This multipurpose suffix will be added to nouns or verbs to make new nouns with completely different meanings.
“A __ful of” one thing:
Une poignée
(a fistful) derives from un poing
(a fist).
J’ai mangé une poignée de dates ce matin.
(I ate a fistful of dates this morning.)
Results of an motion, function:
Une donnée
(a bit of information or data) comes from the verb donner
(give).
La société stocke ses données sur un serveur.
(The corporate retains its information on a server.)
A location:
Une entrée
(an entrance) derives from the verb entrer
(enter).
L’entrée du bâtiment est ouverte.
(The constructing’s entrance is open.)
Time period:
Une matinée
(the morning hours) comes from le matin
(the morning).
J’ai lu toute la matinée.
(I learn all morning.)
12. -erie
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: female
Use: denotes “a specialty in X.” In lots of instances, it additionally denotes “a spot that sells X.”
Examples:
Une poissonnerie
(a fish market) is a spot that makes a speciality of or sells du poisson
(fish).
J’ai acheté ce flet dans une poissonnerie.
(I purchased this flounder at the fish market.)
Une bijouterie
(a jewellery retailer) is a spot that makes a speciality of or sells des bijoux
(jewellery).
Jean a acheté un cadeau pour sa femme dans une bijouterie.
(Jean purchased a gift for his spouse at a jewellery retailer.)
13. -esse
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: female
Use: signifies a high quality or state of being
Instance:
jeune
(younger) + -esse → jeunesse
(youth; younger folks)
La jeunesse a des problèmes.
(The youth have issues.)
14. -et/-ette
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: -et is masculine, whereas -ette is female
Use: has a diminutive perform, making the noun smaller. Consider this suffix as synonymous with un petit X
(a little bit X).
Examples:
Un petit garçon
(a little bit boy) will also be known as un garçonnet
(a little bit boy).
Le garçonnet court docket après le ballon.
(The little boy is working after the ball.)
Une petite fille
(a little bit lady) will also be known as une fillette
(a little bit lady).
La fillette porte une gown jaune.
(The little lady is carrying a yellow costume.)
15. -eur/-eresse
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: -eur is masculine, whereas -eresse is female
Use: signifies an individual or factor that performs a particular motion
Instance:
agir
(act) + -eur → acteur
(actor)
Joe est un mauvais acteur.
(Joe is a nasty actor.)
16. -if/-ve
Sort of suffix: adjectival
Gender: impartial
Use: turns a noun into an adjective that embodies the noun’s traits
Instance:
créer
(create) + -if → créatif
(inventive)
C’est un motif très créatif.
(It’s a very inventive design.)
17. -isme
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: masculine
Use: refers to doctrines, ideologies or perception techniques. It’s added to adjectival stems that always finish in -iste.
Examples:
Une doctrine nationaliste
(a nationalist doctrine) will be condensed to nationalisme
(nationalism).
Le nationalisme est en pleine croissance en France.
(Nationalism is spreading rapidly in France.)
Une doctrine socialiste
(a socialist doctrine) will be shortened to socialisme
(socialism).
Le socialisme est un système politique et économique.
(Socialism is a political and financial system.)
18. -issime
Sort of suffix: adjectival
Gender: impartial
Use: has an augmentative perform, making the adjective stronger. Consider -issime as synonymous with the adjectives très
(very) and extrêmement
(extraordinarily).
Examples:
Très grand
(very large) will be merely put as grandissime
(very large).
La maison du Charles est grandissime.
(Charles’ home is very large.)
Très grave
(very severe) will be shortened to gravissime
(very severe).
La maladie est gravissime.
(The sickness is very severe.)
19. -iste
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: impartial
Use: refers to nouns that conform to sure doctrines or faculties of thought
Instance:
Somebody or one thing (e.g., a e book) that adheres to the doctrine of fascisme
(fascism) is fasciste
(fascist).
Le gouvernement de Benito Mussolini était fasciste.
(Benito Mussolini’s authorities was fascist.)
20. -ite
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: impartial
Use: signifies {that a} noun takes on a sure high quality. If utilized to an individual, it might probably denote a follower of a sure perception or faith.
Examples:
curieux
(curious) + -ite → curiosité
(curiosity)
Sa curiosité est sans fin.
(His curiosity is with out finish.)
bouddhisme
(Buddhism) + -ite → bouddhiste
(Buddhist)
J’ai toujours voulu être bouddhiste.
(I’ve all the time needed to be a Buddhist.)
21. -tion, -ation, -ition
Sort of suffix: nominal
Gender: female
Use: signifies an motion, course of or state
Instance:
traduire
(translate) + -tion → traduction
(translation)
J’ai terminé la traduction.
(I completed the translation.)
Now that you just’ve seen a few of the extra frequent suffixes in French, you may take issues to the following stage by exposing your self to genuine French media on a language studying platform like FluentU.
The place to Follow French Suffixes
Beneath are some sources on French suffixes that can maintain you forward within the vocabulary recreation.
And that’s only the start. Now, it’s as much as you to remain forward!
Obtain:
This weblog submit is out there as a handy and transportable PDF that you just
can take anyplace.
Click on right here to get a duplicate. (Obtain)
And yet one more factor…
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