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#1
Hello, How do you say in French, «that guy is a know-it-all»? Thankyou
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#3
What about a «know-it-all»? You can say that in English without the «Mister.» Can you call someone «un je-sais-tout» without the Monsieur? (If you were talking about a woman, for instance.)
Last edited: Mar 5, 2010
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#4
I would say «Madame je-sais-tout», but I suppose «Celle-là, alors, une vraie je-sais-tout!» would work…
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#5
I would not say or write «je-sais-tout» not preceded by «un Monsieur» ou «une Madame». I suppose in a more casual speech «un/une je-sais-tout» is possible, but it is not the proper way of saying it.
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#6
Bonsoir,
Je suis d’accord avec LuliWR. C’est la tournure habituelle en FR.
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«know-it-all«: examples and translations in context
| Fire master, strategist, know-it-all, chef. | Maître du feu, stratège, je-sais-tout, cuistot. |
| That’s the definition of being a know-it-all. | C’est la définition d’un je-sais-tout. |
| Romero is a know-it-all and a hypochondriac. | Romero est un monsieur je-sais-tout et un hypocondriaque. |
| No one likes a know-it-all, Linus. | Personne n’aime les monsieur je-sais-tout, Linus. |
| And one of them a know-it-all… who can’t keep his trap shut. | Dont un monsieur-je-sais-tout qui ne peut pas se la fermer. |
| And when I do, it’s as a bit of a know-it-all. | Et dans ce cas, on me voit comme Monsieur-je-sais-tout. |
See how “know-it-all” is translated from English to French with more examples in context
By
Last updated:
January 28, 2022
Pssst, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
You know those people who say “you know?” at the end of every sentence?
I’m one of those people.
There are times when I’ll even say “you know what I mean?”
I know, I know. I can’t help it!
Occasionally, I’ll come across a person who responds, “No, I do not know what you mean,” with a deadpan expression, but for the most part I’m able to get away with this verbal quirk of asking a question that isn’t really a question with little pushback.
So imagine my delight when I learned that French has not just one but two verbs that mean “to know”: savoir and connaître.
If you want to make your French sound fluent, or at least pretty bomb.com, getting to know the subtle, non-obvious differences between words is an absolute must.
By mastering the use of these two verbs, you’ll allow your French speaking to flourish. You’ll be able to talk about what you know, who you know, your abilities, what you’ve found out…the list goes on. Not to mention, there are lots of common expressions that allow you to further your usage of both words in conversation.
Your writing and reading comprehension will improve, too.
Know what I mean?
If not, you will soon!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
The various uses of savoir
Savoir, which means “to know,” has two connotations in the present tense and one in the perfect past tense. Here they are.
1. To know how to do something
In this case, the conjugated form of savoir is followed by the infinitive of the verb that describes what it is that one can do.
Je sais nager. (I know how to swim.)
Marie sait conduire. (Marie knows how to drive.)
2. To have knowledge of (regarding a situation, a state of being, a state of affairs)
In this case, savoir is used in conjunction with a subordinate clause. Quick grammar refresher: a subordinate clause is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought.
Je sais où tu habites. (I know where you live.)
Je ne sais pas quand la fête commence. (I don’t know when the party starts.)
3. In the passé composé (perfect past), meaning “to find out” or “to learn”
J’ai su qu’il a menti. (I found out that he lied.)
The various uses of connaître
Connaître, which also means “to know,” also has two connotations in the present tense and one in the perfect past tense. Let’s go through them one by one.
1. To know a person personally
Je connais Michel. (I know Michel.)
Marie et Paul connaissent Martine. (Marie and Paul know Martine.)
2. To be familiar with a person, place or thing
Je connais Paris. (I am familiar with Paris.)
This is understood to mean “I have been to Paris.”
Je connais ce film. (I am familiar with this film.)
Likewise, this is understood to mean “I have seen this film.”
3. In the passé composé, meaning “to meet (for the first time)” or “to become acquainted with”
J’ai connu Michel à Paris. (I met Michel in Paris.)
Another thing you need to know (see what I did there?) is that connaître cannot be followed by a clause or the infinitive form of a verb. Rather, connaître is used with a direct object.
Either/or: savoir or connaître
In French, there are certain cases in which the choice between savoir or connaître is up to you. Talk about a good deal! There are two instances where this is the case.
1. If you’re talking about knowing (or having) a piece of information
Je sais son adresse and Je connais son adresse both mean “I know his/her address.”
Nous savons déjà sa réponse and Nous connaissons déjà sa réponse both mean “We already know his answer.”
2. If you’re talking about knowing something by heart (having it memorized)
Elle sait cette chanson par cœur and Elle connaît cette chanson par cœur both mean “She knows this song by heart.”
A note about the negative: Using the verbs savoir and connaître in negative constructions is nothing fancy—ne pas savoir or ne pas connaître are sufficient.
Depending on the context, however, the verb ignorer, which is “to not know” as in “to be unaware of” can be used instead to take things to the next level:
Je ne parle pas des choses que j’ignore. (I don’t talk about things that I’m unaware of.)
Common expressions with savoir
There are several French expressions and turns of phrase that contain the verb savoir. Let’s take a look, shall we?
On ne sait jamais (you never know)
This optimistic expression is used to convey the possibility that something good might happen, even if it is slight.
— Je ne gagnerai jamais au loto. (I will never win the lottery.)
— On ne sait jamais. (You never know.)
Qui sait (who knows) ?
Sometimes people do things that cannot be explained and sometimes things happen for no reason. This expression is a great response when someone asks you “why?” nonetheless.
Va savoir (who knows)
Like the preceding expression, this one also means “who knows.” This rhetorical expression is used in those cases where it is really impossible to know what’s up.
— À quoi pense-t-elle ? (What is she thinking about?)
— Va savoir. (Who knows?)
Sans le savoir (without knowing [it])
This expression is used to convey an inadvertence.
Marie a mangé le gâteau entier sans le savoir. (Marie ate the entire cake without knowing it.)
Savoir bien (to be well aware of [something])
You’ll often see or hear Je sais bien. Use this phrase in those moments when you feel like everyone around you is telling you what to do or giving you unsolicited advice and you just want them to shut up (pardon my French).
— Tu dois te laver les mains avant de manger. (You have to wash your hands before eating.)
— Je sais bien. (I’m well aware.)
Tu sais quoi (you know what) ?
This casual expression is great to use right before telling a story or an anecdote, or before sharing unsolicited information.
— Tu sais quoi ? (You know what?)
— Quoi ? (What?)
— Je pense que je vais me teindre les cheveux. (I think I’m going to dye my hair.)
Croire tout savoir (to believe/think one knows everything)
We all have know-it-alls in our lives. Use this expression to describe (or vent about) them.
Caroline est fatigante. Elle croit tout savoir. (Caroline is annoying. She thinks she knows everything.)
Common expressions with connaître
French also has quite a few expressions and turns of phrase that contain the verb connaître. Here are some worth knowing.
Connaître la célébrité (to become popular)
This expression can be used to describe anything, from a person to a restaurant, who/that has become popular.
David Foenkinos a connu la célébrité grâce à son roman “La Délicatesse.” (David Foenkinos has become popular thanks to his novel “Delicacy.“)
Connaître ses limites (to know one’s limits)
This expression is used to describe how much one can tolerate, be it alcohol or five hours of sleep.
Je connais mes limites. Je dois me coucher. (I know my limits. I have to lie down.)
Connaître la musique (to know what’s up)
This expression is used in situations when one has seen or experienced something before and/or is used to something and can therefore predict an outcome.
Je connais la musique; Charlotte va se fâcher si elle doit rester toute seule à la maison. (I’ve seen it before; Charlotte will be upset if she has to stay home all alone.)
En connaître un rayon (to be knowledgeable about a subject)
Use this expression to describe that friend of yours who is an amateur (lover) of wine and has an encyclopedic knowledge of vineyards.
Il est caviste donc il en connaît un rayon sur le vin. (He is a wine merchant so he knows a lot about wine.)
Connaître une expansion (to experience growth)
This expression is used to describe growth. The growth being referred to here is not physical growth but rather that which is related to an emotional, professional or financial situation.
Le secteur des médias connait une expansion très rapide. (The media industry is expanding very quickly.)
Connaître ses classiques (to have common references, which is to say good cultural literacy)
In the context of one’s French-learning adventure, this expression can be used when you have a good number of French cultural references (acquired through films, books and music, for example) under your belt.
Marie habite en France depuis dix ans donc elle connaît ses classiques. (Marie has lived in France for ten years so she has her classics straight.)
Getting to know savoir and connaître even better
If you feel your skills in distinguishing between savoir and connaître are still lacking, here are a couple of ways you can work on them.
- Listen. Listening to French radio shows in the form of podcasts is great for French learners of all stripes, and especially advanced learners. Resources like this can attune your ears to the differences between verbs like savoir and connaître, whose connotations may vary according to context. A show like “La Tête au Carré,” which explains cutting-edge scientific research in layman’s terms, is great for this. You dig?
- Quiz yourself. Getting to know savoir and connaître is all about practice. Quizzes are a great way to see if you can make out the difference on the fly. I recommend this one and this one to get things started.
You know what? I think that just about covers it!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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Examples of using
You know it all
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Do you know how many words there are in the French language? Come on, have a guess.
Most French dictionaries list around 60,000. But Le Grand Robert, one of the most prominent resources, gathers more than 100,000 words for a total of 350,000 different meanings.
Sounds overwhelming? Keep in mind that even native French speakers know merely a fraction of that! To start having basic conversations, you only need a few hundred basic French words for beginners.
Further down the line, you’ll be considered “proficient” in French upon reaching around 5,000 words. That’s only about 5% of the whole collection.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! In this article, we’ll list all of the French beginner words that will allow you to handle many everyday situations, whether you want to talk, listen, or both.
You only need a few words to start a conversation and make friends.
Table of Contents
- Pronouns
- Verbs
- Numbers
- Nouns
- Conjunctions
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Le mot de la fin
1. Pronouns
Let’s start our list of beginner French words with the most useful pronouns you should learn as you begin your studies.
At first, all you’re gonna need are the personal subject pronouns (“she,” “you,” “we,” and so on). As you move forward, you’ll quickly add some more to your arsenal.
- → To learn all about this topic, from the general rules to the 10 main categories of French pronouns, make sure to visit our complete guide on FrenchPod101.com.
1 – Personal Subject Pronouns
Personal subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence.
- Sophie parle français. (“Sophie speaks French.”)
- Elle parle français. (“She speaks French.”)
| Person | French pronoun | English |
| 1st person sg. | je, j’ | I |
| 2nd person sg. | tu / vous | you (casual / formal) |
| 3rd person sg. | il, elle, on | he, she, one |
| 1st person pl. | on / nous | we (casual / formal) |
| 2nd person pl. | vous | you |
| 3rd person pl. | Ils, elles | they |
2 – Impersonal Pronouns
When a sentence doesn’t have a clear subject, let’s stay vague and impersonal:
ça, ce, c’ (“it”)
- Ça fait mal. (“It hurts.”)
- Ce n’est pas vrai. (“It is not true.”)
- C’est important. (“It is important.”)
il (“it”)
- Il est temps. (“It’s time.”)
- Il pleut. (“It’s raining.”)
3 – Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs. For example:
- se lever (“to stand up”)
- se promener (“to stroll”)
- s’habiller (“to get dressed”)
| Person | French pronoun | Example |
| 1st person sg. | me, m’ | Je me lève. (“I stand up.”) |
| 2nd person sg. | te, t’ | Tu te lèves. (“You stand up.”) |
| 3rd person sg. | se, s’ | Elle s’habille. (“She gets dressed.”) |
| 1st person pl. | nous | Nous nous préparons. (“We’re getting ready.”) |
| 2nd person pl. | vous | Vous vous rasez. (“You shave.”) |
| 3rd person pl. | se | Ils se promènent. (“They are strolling.”) |
4 – Interrogative Pronouns
- Qui ? (“Who?”)
Qui est là ? (“Who’s there?”)
- Où ? (“Where?”)
Où es-tu ? (“Where are you?”) - Quand ? (“When?”)
On commence quand ? (“When do we start?”)
- Quoi ? (“What?”)
On fait quoi ce soir ? (“What are we doing tonight?”)
- Pourquoi ? (“Why?”)
Pourquoi tu ris ? (“Why are you laughing?”)
5 – Indefinite Pronouns
- tout (“everything”)
- rien (“nothing”)
- quelque chose (“something”)
- tout le monde (“everybody”)
- personne (“nobody”)
- quelqu’un (“somebody”)
Elle se réveille. (“She wakes up.”)
2. Verbs
Here’s a list of the 50 most useful French verbs for beginners. Of course, depending on whether you’re studying, visiting, or working in France, you might have different needs. But this is a good place to start in any case!
- → For all the information you’ll need on regular verb groups (-ER and -IR), irregular verbs, and reflexive verbs, be sure to have a look at our full article on FrenchPod101.com.
| être | to be |
| avoir | to have |
| aller | to go |
| vouloir | to want |
| pouvoir | to be able to / can |
| devoir | to have to / must |
| falloir | to be necessary |
This verb is only conjugated in the third person, with the impersonal pronoun il (“it”). In this case, it means “it is necessary that.”
|
| faire | to do |
| dire | to say / to tell |
| parler | to talk / to speak |
| aimer | to like / to love |
| mettre | to put / to place |
| remettre | to put back |
| poser | to put down / to ask |
| prendre | to take / to catch / to capture |
| donner | to give |
| savoir | to know |
| entendre | to hear |
| voir | to see |
| demander | to ask / to request |
| répondre | to answer / to reply |
| chercher | to look for |
| trouver | to find / to discover |
| retrouver | to regain / to meet up |
| rendre | to return / to give back / to make |
| venir | to come |
| passer | to pass / to go / to come |
| croire | to believe / to think |
| montrer | to show |
| commencer | to begin / to start |
| continuer | to continue / to keep going |
| penser | to think |
| comprendre | to understand / to include |
| rester | to stay / to remain |
| attendre | to wait |
| partir | to leave |
| arriver | to arrive / to happen |
| suivre | to follow |
| revenir | to come back |
| connaître | to know |
| compter | to count |
| permettre | to permit / to allow |
| s’occuper | to take care of |
| sembler | to seem |
| lire | to read |
| écrire | to write |
| devenir | to become / to turn into |
| décider | to decide |
| tenir | to hold |
| porter | to carry / to wear |
Just add a few tenses and you can talk about anything!
3. Numbers
As a beginner, you really won’t need much as far as counting and numbers go. In most situations, you can get by with only small numbers; I’d not go further than 1 to 10 for now.
- → Should you need more digits, you could check out our article on French numbers. You’ll find everything you need to count from zero to infinity! It’s available for free on FrenchPod101.com.
- 0 Zéro
- 1 Un
- 2 Deux
- 3 Trois
- 4 Quatre
- 5 Cinq
- 6 Six
- 7 Sept
- 8 Huit
- 9 Neuf
- 10 Dix
4. Nouns
As a beginner, your basic French vocabulary arsenal should consist of the most common nouns in various categories. Knowing these alone will allow you to communicate basic ideas in a pinch.
French nouns can be masculine or feminine, and you can generally determine which gender a word is based on the ending. However, because you don’t want to think about it in the middle of a conversation or get tricked by exceptions, the best way to learn nouns is to always use the article.
TrainUn train (“A train”)VoitureUne voiture (“A car”)
In the following list, I’ll mention the article for each word. In case the plural is irregular, I will include that as well. For every other word, the general rules apply.
- Un train, des trains (“Train, trains”)
- Une voiture, des voitures (“Car, cars”)
- Un mois, des mois (“Month, months”)
For more information on the gender and plural of French nouns, we just happen to have a detailed article on FrenchPod101.com.
1 – Time
| une heure | an hour |
| une minute | a minute |
| un jour | a day |
| un mois | a month |
| un an / une année | a year |
An is mainly used with numbers, as in:
|
| un lundi | Monday |
| un mardi | Tuesday |
| un mercredi | Wednesday |
| un jeudi | Thursday |
| un vendredi | Friday |
| un samedi | Saturday |
| un dimanche | Sunday |
| un matin | morning |
| un midi | noon |
| un après-midi | afternoon |
| un soir | evening |
| une nuit | night |
2 – Places
| un monde | world |
| un pays | country |
| un endroit | place |
| une mer | sea |
| une forêt | forest |
| une montagne | mountain |
| un magasin | shop |
3 – Technology & Internet
| un téléphone | phone |
| un écran | screen |
| un ordinateur | computer |
| internet | internet |
4 – Home
| une maison | house |
| une porte | door |
| une fenêtre | window |
| une cuisine | kitchen |
| une chambre | bedroom |
| des toilettes | toilets / restroom |
5 – City & Transport
| une voiture | car |
| un bus | bus |
| un train | train |
| un avion | plane |
| un taxi | taxi / cab |
| un vélo | bicycle |
| une ville | city |
| une rue | street |
| une avenue | avenue |
| une route | road |
6 – People
| une mère | mother |
| un père | father |
| Maman | Mom |
| Papa | Dad |
| une femme | woman / wife |
| un homme | man |
| un mari | husband |
| un frère | brother |
| une sœur | sister |
| une famille | family |
| une copine | girlfriend |
| un copain | boyfriend |
| un fils | son |
| une fille | daughter |
| un ami | friend |
7 – Body
| une tête | head |
| un œil / des yeux | eye / eyes |
| une bouche | mouth |
| un nez | nose |
| une oreille | ear |
| des cheveux | hair |
| un bras | arm |
| une main | hand |
8 – Food
| une table | table |
| une assiette | plate |
| un verre | glass |
| de l’eau | water |
| un fruit | fruit |
| un légume | vegetable |
| un café | coffee |
| du pain | bread |
9 – Work & Studies
| un étudiant | student |
| une école | school |
| un docteur | doctor |
| un vendeur | salesman / vendor / seller |
| un professeur | professor |
10 – Conversation
| une question | question |
| une réponse | answer |
| un mot | word |
| une phrase | phrase / sentence |
| une idée | idea |
There is always a bit of time to review vocabulary lists.
5. Conjunctions
There’s a LOT to say and explain about conjunctions, but luckily, you don’t need to use many of them when you start learning French.
- → Later on, though, have a look at our complete guide on French conjunctions to learn everything about how to list things, express conditions, state consequences, and much more.
- et (“and”)
Un chat et un chien (“A cat and a dog”) - ou (“or”)
De l’eau ou du vin (“Water or wine”) - si (“if”)
Si tu veux venir (“If you want to come”)
- parce que (“because”)
Je mange parce que j’ai faim. (“I eat because I’m hungry.”)
- mais (“but”)
Un peu mais pas trop (“A bit, but not too much”)
- pour (“for” / “to” / “so that”)
J’apprends le français pour voyager. (“I learn French to travel.”)
C’est pour toi. (“It’s for you.”)
- par (“by” / “out of” / “with” / “using” / “through”)
Je suis aidé par un expert. (“I’m helped by an expert.”)
Je passe par Paris et Bordeaux. (“I go through Paris and Bordeaux.”)
Un chat et un chien (“A cat and a dog”)
6. Adjectives
French adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. In this table, you’ll find both genders in the format [ Masculine – Feminine ], as they can get quite irregular. If you see only one, it just means that the masculine and feminine forms are identical.
Plurals, on the other hand, are rather predictable and follow the general rules of the French plural.
- → You might want to check out a more detailed article on French adjectives for more grammar info and examples.
| bon – bonne | good / right / correct |
| mauvais – mauvaise | bad / wrong / incorrect |
| facile | easy |
| difficile | difficult / hard |
| nouveau – nouvelle | new |
| cher – chère | expensive |
| grand – grande | large / big / tall / great / major |
| gros – grosse | big / fat |
| petit – petite | small / little |
| long – longue | long |
| court – courte | short |
| rapide | fast / quick |
| lent – lente | slow |
| chaud – chaude | hot / warm |
| froid – froide | cold |
| premier – première | first |
| dernier – dernière | last / final / latest |
| même | same |
| autre | other |
| différent – différente | different |
| seul – seule | only / alone / lonely |
| meilleur – meilleure | best / better |
| pire | worst |
| beau – belle | handsome / beautiful |
| moche | ugly |
| fort – forte | strong / high / important |
| gentil – gentille | nice / kind |
| fou – folle | crazy / mad |
| content – contente | glad |
| malade | sick / ill |
| important – importante | important |
| noir – noire | black |
| blanc – blanche | white |
| bleu – bleue | blue |
| rouge | red |
| sucré – sucrée | sweet |
| salé – salée | salty |
| délicieux – délicieuse | delicious |
Cette tarte est délicieuse ! (“This tart is delicious!”)
7. Adverbs
If you need a reminder on what adverbs are, how they’re formed, and where to place them in a sentence, I would recommend a pit stop at our extensive article on French adverbs.
1 – When
| tard | late |
| tôt | early |
| bientôt | soon |
| hier | yesterday |
| aujourd’hui | today |
| demain | tomorrow |
| avant | before |
| après | after |
2 – How Often
| jamais | never |
| trop | too much |
| souvent | often |
| toujours | always |
| peut-être | maybe |
| aussi | as well / too / also |
3 – Where
| ici | here |
| là | there |
| partout | everywhere |
| dedans | inside |
| dehors | outside |
4 – How
| bien | well |
| mal | badly / poorly |
| vite | quickly |
5 – How Much
| vraiment | truly / really |
| tout | all / everything |
| rien | nothing |
| beaucoup | many / much / a lot |
| seulement | only |
| peu | little / few |
| très | very / really |
| plus | more |
| moins | less |
Il a très faim ! (“He’s really hungry!”)
8. Le mot de la fin
In this guide, you’ve learned more than 200 of the most useful French words for beginners: pronouns, verbs, nouns, adjectives, and all that jazz. As you keep learning French, you might find it handy to have them all conveniently gathered in one place.
Can you think of any more words you might need to know as you start your language learning journey? Let us know in the comments and we’ll get back to you!
Make sure to explore FrenchPod101.com, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn more basic French words and structures. Our vocabulary lists are another great way to learn and review the pronunciation of new words.
Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal 1-on-1 coaching with your own private teacher. They can help you practice with beginner words and more. In addition to providing you with assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples, your teacher will review your work and help improve your pronunciation.
Happy learning on FrenchPod101!
About the Author: Born and bred in rainy Northern France, Cyril Danon was bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the world. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.