Understanding Vocabulary in Context While Reading French Texts

1. Context Clues:

   • Look at the words around you.
   • For example, if you see "il pleut" (it is raining), you can guess that "mouillé" (wet) relates to rain.

2. Word Formation:

   • Get to know common beginnings and endings of words.
   • For instance, "happy" in French is "heureux". When you add a certain ending, it becomes "happiness", which translates to "bonheur".

3. Types of Words:

   • Adjectives: These are words that describe things.
     • For example, "grand" means big.
     • So, "un grand arbre" means a big tree.
   • Verbs: These are action words.
     • For instance, "manger" means to eat and is often used in conversations.

4. Examples:

   • Take this sentence: "Je vais à la bibliothèque" (I am going to the library).
   • It shows how subjects (who is doing the action) and verbs (the action) work together.

5. Grammar Recognition:

   • Pay attention to grammar, like how subjects and verbs match.
   • For example, "Les filles mangent" means "The girls eat", while "Le garçon mange" means "The boy eats".

Using these tips, you can improve your understanding of vocabulary when reading French texts!