Salut mes merveilleux lecteurs!
The verb of the day is Boire. I am writing this post in the same format as the first post of this challenge. Again, if you find any correction, please do not hesitate to point out. I am a French language learner, not a teacher. I'd appreciate the courteous and constructive feedback. With that, let's drink the glass of knowledge! I have divided the post into these main sections:
- Pronunciation Link
- Meaning of this Verb
- Conjugation of the verb in different tenses and moods
- Let's write a little French with this verb
- Commonly used phrases with this verb
- Proverb with this verb
- Appearance of this verb in any song or textbook
Pronunciation Link
Here comes a YouTube link for rescue of non-native french speakers. Click here to learn pronunciation of "Boire."
Meaning of the Verb
This verb means "drink." I selected this verb because I know the importance of water in our lives. What if we are exploring the beauty of France, and suddenly, we are thirsty. We wouldn't want to die; hence, the verb "boire" would come to our rescue at that crucial time :) Of course, this was my very poor attempt at adding a little humor in our mission to learn French. If it worked, "Thankyou!" If it didn't, then," Forgive me, I am only human."
Conjugation of this verb in various tenses and moods
1. Indicatif – Generally, Indicatif is used to state facts.
- Présent – It is similar to Present tense of English. We use this form to express facts, conditions, habits, and routine.
I write whenever I can.
You don't like drama.
We love reading books.
They have money, but they do not have a heart.
Je bois
(Subject) drink(s) or is/are/am drinkingTu bois Il boit Nous buvons Vous buvez Ils boivent
- Passé Composé – It resonates with Present Perfect and Past forms of English language. This form is utilized to a talk about the actions that were completed in the past, and we wish to draw the attention towards its results.
He did not go to the office today.
I did not have the courage at that moment.
J’ai bu (Subject) drank (once), I have drunk Tu as bu Il a bu Nous avons bu Vous avez bu Ils ont bu
- Imparfait – Imparfait form is used to write about description, habit, and actions that occurred simultaneously in the past.
He was having a rough day.
I used to ride a bicycle in the rain.
Je buvais (Subject) was drinking/ used to drink Tu buvais Il buvait Nous buvions Vous buviez Ils buvaient
- Plus-que-parfait – This is the French version of “Past perfect” of English language. If you are narrating an incident that occurred in the past, and I you wish to include a detail that happened even before the time of that incident, you use plus-que-parfait form.
He had practiced his speech in front of the mirror before he went in front of a huge audience.
J’avais bu (Subject) had drunk Tu avais bu Il avait bu Nous avions bu Vous aviez bu Ils avaient bu
- Passé simple – Similar to Passé Composé, Passé simple is used to describe completed actions in the past and the actions that were interrupted in the past. Being same as Passé Composé, its examples are similar to Passé Composé.
While I was in Bali, I admired nature for hours.
Je bus (Subject) drank Tu bus Il but Nous bûmes Vous bûtes Ils burent
- Passé antérieur – This is same as Past Perfect of English language. This form is mostly used in literature.
After my grandfather had worked for sixty years, he started gardening.
J’eus bu (Subject) had drunk Tu eus bu Il eut bu Nous eûmes bu Vous eûtes bu Ils eurent bu
- Futur – Futur is same as Future tense of English language. This form comes into picture when we are either expressing an intended action in the future or making an assumption in both present and future. Also, it may be used to make a polite request.
You will never write a song.
Would Irine help me with the song?
If you ask her, you will know.
Je boirai (Subject) will drink Tu boiras Il boira Nous boirons Vous boirez Ils boiront
- Futur antérieur – Remember future perfect tense? Futur antérieur is its brother :) When you are imagining or considering something to happen in the future or something that might have happened in the past, you use this form.
By the time we'll reach, they will have hidden the evidence. (Crime investigation drama kicking in!)
J’aurai bu (Subject) will have drunk/ will had drunk Tu auras bu Il aura bu Nous aurons bu Vous aurez bu Ils auront bu
- Future proche – Future Proche form is used to describe an event or action that is either definite to occur in a short while or planned to happen in the future.
My sister is getting ready in a minute.
Je vais boire (Subject) is/are/am drinking/about to drink Tu vas boire Il va boire Nous allons boire Vous allez boire Ils vont boire
- Conditionnel – This mood is used to express statements of possibility and condition.
- Présent – If we wish to express a possibility about present or future from a past point of view, then this would be my choice of sentence form.
Drashti thought that she might go on a vacation to Paris.
If she went to Paris, she could become a model.
Arun, could you stop teasing me?
Je boirais (Subject) would drink Tu boirais Il boirait Nous boirions Vous boiriez Ils boiraient
- Passé – Imagine that you are telling about an incident that happened in the past, where you expressed a possibility, then this is the form you need to be using. Of course, it is confusing, but don't worry. Hopefully, sample sentences will help in making it understandable.
My grandfather would have sorted our problems if we had asked him.
*Tip – Use Conditionnel Passé in that part of the sentence that indicates a result of the action.
J’aurais bu (Subject) would had drunk/ would have drunk Tu aurais bu Il aurait bu Nous aurions bu Vous auriez bu Ils auraient bu
- Passé - forme alternative – This form is used in literary formats of writing. Not my cup of tea! The same thought can be expressed by using above form.
J’eusse bu (Subject) would had drunk/ would have drunk Tu eusses bu Il eût bu Nous eussions bu Vous eussiez bu Ils eussent bu
- Subjonctif – This mood of expressions focuses on various emotions, such as doubt, a fear, subjectivity, hope.
- Présent – If the main part of the sentence is in present form, then the part after que, expressing emotions, will be in subjonctif présent form. Confused? Well, hopefully sample sentences will clear the air.
I am happy that my readers like my blog.
que je boive that (Subject) drink(s) or is/are/am drinking que tu boives qu’il boive que nous buvions que vous buviez qu’ils boivent
- Imparfait –If the main part of the sentence is in past form, then the part after que, expressing emotions, will be in subjonctif imparfait form. However, this form is used in literary docs. For ordinary usage, subjonctif passé is our guy.
que je busse that (Subject) drank or that (Subject) was/were drinking que tu busses qu’il bût que nous bussions que vous bussiez qu’ils bussent
- Plus-que-parfait – Again, this form is also used in literary documents.
que j’ eusse bu (Subject) would drink/ drank que tu eusses bu qu’il eût bu que nous eussions bu que vous eussiez bu qu’ils eussent bu
- Passé – If main part of the sentence is in past form, then the part after que, expressing emotions, will be in subjonctif passé form. Other than this, if we are expressing emotions about somebody's past, then too, we use this form.
He is afraid that he received love from everybody only for his money.
que j’aie bu that (Subject) drank or that (Subject) was drinking que tu aies bu qu’il ait bu que nous ayons bu que vous ayez bu qu’ils aient bu
- Impératif – This mood is utilized to give orders.
- Présent – There is nothing to explain here. This form is utilized in giving orders.
Drive me to the airport!
Sit with me!
Don't talk to me!
bois Drink! buvons Let's drink! buvez Drink!
Let's Write a little French with this Verb
Indicatif
Présent
I do not drink enough water.Je ne bois pas assez d'eau.
Passé Composé
I drank only three glasses water yesterday.
J'ai bu seulement trois verres d'eau, hier.
Imparfait
I used to drink about 8 glasses water when I was in school.
Je buvais approximativement huit verres d'eau quand j'étais à l’école.
Plus-que-parfait
I had dunk very little before I fell sick.
Futur
I will drink a lot of water from tomorrow.
Je boirai beaucoup d'eau à partir de demain.
Futur antérieur
By the time I'll be 40, I will have probably made drinking a habit.
Au moment où je serai quarante ans, j'aurai probablement fait boire une habitude.
Future proche
I am going to drink 3 glasses of water in a minute.
Je vais boire trois verres d'eau dans une minute.
Conditionnel
Présent
My mom thought that I might never drink the required quantity.
Ma mère a pensé que je ne boirais jamais la quantité nécessaire.
Passé
If I had not discontinued taking care of my health after school, I would have drunk sufficient water even today. (Not sure, if its structure is correct. If any native English speaker has a example of conditional past tense, please suggest.)
Subjonctif
Présent
It is important to me that I drink sufficient quantity of water.
Passé
I wish that I had drunk water instead of beer.
Impératif
Présent
Anku, calm yourself and drink water!
Anku, calmes-toi et bois de l'eau!
Commonly used phrases with this verb
Two of my favorite phrases are:
- ne plus boire d'alcool -- be on the wagon
- achever de boire -- drink up
Proverbs using this verb
quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire -- If you wish to say that once you take the first step, there is no going back or once you make your bed, you must lie in it, then this proverb can help in delivering the message and making you look fancy ;)
Appearance of this verb in any song or famous textbook
I found many drinking songs, but they had very difficult French, so after a while, when I came across a children's song, I was ecstatic. Click here to navigate to the source and translation of the song.
Bon appétit
Chanson enfantine
Bon appétit le matin
N'est pas signe de chagrin,
Il faut boire et bien manger
Pour garder bonne santé.
Bon appétit le midi
N'est pas signe de souci,
Il faut boire et bien manger
Pour garder bonne santé.
Bon appétit le soir
N'est pas signe de désespoir,
Il faut boire et bien manger
Pour garder bonne santé.
Sources: http://ouicestca.com/, http://french.about.com/, https://francais.lingolia.com, https://www.laits.utexas.edu, http://www.languagerealm.com, http://www.mamalisa.com/
ok, let's have a drink on this note! cheers
ReplyDeleteTina from The Sunny Side of Life
Excellent thought. Let's go!
Deleteholy cow - I managed the pronunciation and the first paragraph and then drowned in French - I don't think I'll ever be a linguist! Leanne @ cresting the hill
ReplyDeleteAwww, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. If I hadn't taken a French language class, I would have been discouraged at first, too. Learning a new language takes a lot of effort, time, research, and dedication. I am sure you devote all these attributes to your posts because your posts show your knowledge and commitment :)
DeleteHey Ankita, you have again hit the bullseye...and now I am getting more and more eager to read your next blog.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a positive feedback! Thanks, Ankit!
DeleteGood keep up with the good work. :) Though I have no special interests in French, I can recommend this to my friends
ReplyDeleteB - The Eye of the Beholder
Thanks, The Solitary Writer :)
DeleteI love the use of the cartoons! Great idea, and very educational :)
ReplyDeleteB is Brainy
I'm feeling highly motivated by the kind of words of encouragement of this amazing community of Bloggers. Thanks a lot!
Delete