Identity and relationships (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Identity and relationships vocabulary
Understanding how to talk about yourself, your family, and your relationships is fundamental to French communication. This vocabulary will help you describe who you are, what you look like, and how you relate to others around you.
Essential vocabulary table
Personal information and identity
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| adolescent/adolescente | teenager | Adjective agrees with gender |
| adulte | adult | Same form for masculine/feminine |
| âge (m) | age | Always masculine |
| identité (f) | identity | Always feminine |
| personnalité (f) | personality | Always feminine |
| génération (f) | generation | Always feminine |
| nom (m) | name/surname | Always masculine |
Notice how some words like adulte have the same form for both masculine and feminine, while others like adolescent/adolescente change their ending to agree with gender. This pattern appears throughout French vocabulary.
Family relationships
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| famille (f) | family | Always feminine |
| mère (f) | mother | Always feminine |
| père (m) | father | Always masculine |
| frère (m) | brother | Always masculine |
| sœur (f) | sister | Always feminine |
| fils (m) | son | Silent 's' at the end |
| fille (f) | daughter/girl | Context determines meaning |
| mari (m) | husband | Always masculine |
| femme (f) | woman/wife | Context determines meaning |
| enfant (m/f) | child | Can be masculine or feminine |
Physical appearance
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| grand/grande | tall, big | Adjective agreement required |
| petit/petite | short, small | Adjective agreement required |
| jeune | young | Same form for both genders |
| vieux/vieille | old | Irregular adjective agreement |
| cheveux (mpl) | hair | Always masculine plural |
| yeux (mpl) | eyes | Always masculine plural |
| visage (m) | face | Always masculine |
Pay special attention to vieux/vieille - this is an irregular adjective with a completely different feminine form, unlike regular adjectives that just add an 'e'.
Emotions and personality
French emotion and personality vocabulary requires careful attention to gender agreement. Most adjectives follow predictable patterns, but some remain unchanged regardless of gender.
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| heureux/heureuse | happy | Adjective agreement required |
| triste | sad | Same form for both genders |
| calme | calm, quiet | Same form for both genders |
| sympa/sympathique | nice, kind | 'Sympa' is informal |
| intelligent/intelligente | intelligent | Adjective agreement required |
| ennuyeux/ennuyeuse | boring | Adjective agreement required |
Relationships and social connections
Understanding relationship vocabulary is essential for expressing how people connect with each other in French society.
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ami/amie | friend | Gender agreement required |
| copain/copine | friend/boyfriend/girlfriend | Context determines meaning |
| couple (m) | couple | Always masculine |
| mariage (m) | marriage | Always masculine |
| se marier | to get married | Reflexive verb |
| amour (m) | love | Always masculine |
| confiance (f) | confidence, trust | Always feminine |
The word copain/copine can mean either "friend" or "boyfriend/girlfriend" depending on context. Listen for clues like "mon copain" (usually boyfriend) versus "un copain" (usually just a friend).
Nationality and origin
Nationality adjectives in French follow specific rules that differ from English conventions.
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| français/française | French | Adjective agreement required |
| anglais/anglaise | English | Adjective agreement required |
| allemand/allemande | German | Adjective agreement required |
| américain/américaine | American | Adjective agreement required |
| européen/européenne | European | Adjective agreement required |
Unlike English, nationality adjectives are not capitalised in French unless they refer to a person as a noun (un Français = a French person, but une voiture française = a French car).
Example sentences
Present tense examples
Present Tense Usage Examples:
- Ma mère est très sympathique et travailleuse. (My mother is very kind and hard-working.)
- J'ai deux frères et une sœur. (I have two brothers and one sister.)
- Mon copain a les cheveux bruns et les yeux verts. (My boyfriend has brown hair and green eyes.)
- Nous sommes une famille française qui habite à Lyon. (We are a French family who lives in Lyon.)
Past tense examples
Past Tense Usage Examples:
- Hier, j'ai rencontré la nouvelle copine de mon frère. (Yesterday, I met my brother's new girlfriend.)
- Mes grands-parents étaient très heureux de nous voir. (My grandparents were very happy to see us.)
- Elle s'est mariée avec son meilleur ami l'année dernière. (She married her best friend last year.)
- Quand j'étais petit, j'étais très timide. (When I was little, I was very shy.)
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Mastering the grammar rules for identity and relationship vocabulary requires understanding several key concepts that affect how words change and sound.
Adjective agreement
Remember that descriptive adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe. This is a fundamental rule that affects most descriptive words in French.
Agreement pattern:
- Un homme grand (a tall man)
- Une femme grande (a tall woman)
- Des hommes grands (tall men)
- Des femmes grandes (tall women)
Pronunciation notes
Key pronunciation rules:
- Yeux is pronounced "yuh" - the 'x' is silent
- Cheveux is pronounced "shuh-vuh" - the 'x' is silent
- Vieux becomes vieil before a masculine noun starting with a vowel (un vieil homme)
Possessive adjectives
When talking about family, the possessive adjective must match the gender of the noun being possessed, not the gender of the possessor.
Possessive adjective rules:
- Mon père (my father) - masculine
- Ma mère (my mother) - feminine
- Mes parents (my parents) - plural
The adjective agrees with what is being possessed, not who possesses it.
Translation practice
Translation Exercise:
French to English:
- Ma sœur est plus jeune que moi mais elle est très intelligente.
- Les grands-parents de mon ami sont allemands et très sympathiques.
English to French: 3. My brother has a new girlfriend and they are very happy together. 4. She is a tall woman with brown hair and blue eyes.
Answers:
- My sister is younger than me but she is very intelligent.
- My friend's grandparents are German and very kind.
- Mon frère a une nouvelle copine et ils sont très heureux ensemble.
- C'est une femme grande avec les cheveux bruns et les yeux bleus.
Key Points to Remember:
- Family vocabulary forms the foundation for talking about relationships - learn the basic terms first (mère, père, frère, sœur)
- Physical descriptions require careful attention to adjective agreement - practise with grand/grande, vieux/vieille
- Emotion vocabulary helps express feelings about relationships - start with heureux/heureuse, triste, and sympa
- Nationality adjectives must agree with gender and are not capitalised in French (unlike English)
- Many relationship terms have both masculine and feminine forms (ami/amie, copain/copine) - choose the correct one based on the person you're describing