Going Shopping

Types de magasins

There are many different types of stores where you can shop. Department stores are large stores that carry a variety of goods organized into different categories. Specialty stores exist that may contain only one type of item. Large discount stores contain thousands of different items. In this interactivity, you will learn to say the different types of stores in French, while using the verb faire. Click the player to begin.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

The Verb Faire

The verb faire is an irregular verb. When used by itself it means to do or to make. When used in the expression faire les courses, it means to run errands or go shopping. With the expression faire du shopping, it means to go shopping. Be especially careful with the vous form because it does not have the -ez that is typical of most verbs conjugated with vous.

The phrases in the table below show the conjugation of the verb faire. Familiarize yourself with these phrases and practice your pronunciation by repeating each phrase aloud after the speaker. Click each phrase to hear the pronunciation. Some phrases include both the masculine (m) and feminine (f) gender.

Singular (s)		Plural (p)
French	English	French	English
Je fais	I do	nous faisons	We do
Tu fais	You do	vous faites	You do
Il fait (m)	He does	ils font (m)	They do
Elle fait (f)	She does	elles font (f)	They do
On fait	We do

 

Décrire les vêtements

You already learned vocabulary describing clothing and colors. However, there are many other adjectives used to describe clothing. Clothes can fit too tight, or be baggy. Sometimes when you try on clothes, they are too big, long, or small. If you do not care for a particular clothing item, you may describe it as ugly or simply not your style. In this interactivity, explore additional vocabulary used to describe clothing. Click the player to begin.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Poser des questions

If you walked into a store in the United States, a salesperson would greet you and offer you help. The same is true in France. However, you need to be able to ask this salesperson questions in order to receive the proper assistance. The phrases in the table below show some questions you may need in order to attract the salesperson’s attention in the store. Familiarize yourself with these phrases, and practice your pronunciation by repeating each phrase aloud after the speaker. Click each phrase to hear the pronunciation.

French	English
Excusez-moi, Monsieur	Excuse me, sir
Excusez-moi, Madame	Excuse me, madame
Excusez-moi, Mademoiselle	Excuse me, miss
C’est combien?	How much does it cost?

 

Going Shopping Review

In this non-graded activity, review your knowledge of the verb faire and the phrases used to describe articles of clothing. Click the player to get started.