Lesson 3: Family, Descriptions, and Colors
Learn to describe yourself and others, talk about your family, and use essential colors and adjectives in French.
Lesson 3: Family, Descriptions, and Colors π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦π¨
Introduction
Welcome to Lesson 3! Now that you've mastered greetings and numbers, it's time to talk about the people in your life and how to describe them. In this lesson, you'll learn:
- Family vocabulary (la famille) πͺ
- Physical descriptions and personality traits π§
- Essential colors (les couleurs) π
- Basic adjective agreement rules π
- Possessive adjectives (my, your, his/her) π¬
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to introduce your family members, describe what people look like, and talk about colors in everyday situations!
Core Concept 1: Family Members (La Famille) π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦
Family is central to French culture, and talking about la famille is one of the first conversation topics you'll encounter. Let's start with the essential family vocabulary:
Immediate Family
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| French | Pronunciation | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| la famille | lah fah-MEE | family |
| le père | luh pehr | father |
| la mère | lah mehr | mother |
| les parents | lay pah-RAHN | parents |
| le frère | luh frehr | brother |
| la sΕur | lah seur | sister |
| le fils | luh feess | son |
| la fille | lah fee-yuh | daughter |
| l'enfant (m/f) | lahn-FAHN | child |
| les enfants | lay zahn-FAHN | children |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
Extended Family
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| French | Pronunciation | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| le grand-père | luh grahn-pehr | grandfather |
| la grand-mère | lah grahn-mehr | grandmother |
| les grands-parents| lay grahn-pah-RAHN| grandparents |
| l'oncle (m) | lohnk-luh | uncle |
| la tante | lah tahnt | aunt |
| le cousin | luh koo-ZAN | cousin (male) |
| la cousine | lah koo-ZEEN | cousin (female) |
| le mari | luh mah-REE | husband |
| la femme | lah fahm | wife |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
π‘ Pronunciation Tip: The word la sΕur (sister) has that tricky "Ε" combination. It sounds like the "u" in "fur" or "sir" in English.
π€ Did you know? The word les parents means "parents" but un parent (singular) can also mean "a relative" in general. Context is everything!
β οΈ Gender Note: Notice how many family words come in pairs - le cousin/la cousine, le grand-pΓ¨re/la grand-mΓ¨re. French nouns have gender, and family members follow biological gender patterns.
Core Concept 2: Possessive Adjectives (Mon, Ma, Mes) π¬
To talk about YOUR family, you need possessive adjectives. These are words like "my," "your," "his," and "her." In French, possessive adjectives must agree with the noun they modify (not the owner!).
"My" (Mon/Ma/Mes)
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Before... | Use | Example |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Masculine noun | mon | mon père (my father) |
| Feminine noun | ma | ma mère (my mother) |
| Plural noun | mes | mes parents (my parents)|
| Vowel sound | mon | mon amie (my friend-f) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
π‘ Important Rule: Before a feminine word that starts with a vowel or silent h, use mon (not ma) to make pronunciation smoother. Example: mon amie (my female friend), not "ma amie."
"Your" (Ton/Ta/Tes - informal) and (Votre/Vos - formal)
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Before... | Informal (tu) | Formal (vous) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Masculine noun | ton frère | votre frère |
| Feminine noun | ta sΕur | votre sΕur |
| Plural noun | tes enfants | vos enfants |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
"His/Her/Its" (Son/Sa/Ses)
Here's where English speakers get confused! French doesn't distinguish between "his" and "her" - it depends on the noun being possessed:
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Before... | Use | Example |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Masculine noun | son | son père (his/her father)|
| Feminine noun | sa | sa mère (his/her mother)|
| Plural noun | ses | ses parents (his/her parents)|
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
Example Context:
- Marie parle de son père = Marie is talking about her father
- Paul parle de son père = Paul is talking about his father
Same word (son) because père is masculine!
π§ Memory Trick: Think "MATCH THE NOUN, NOT THE OWNER." If the thing being possessed is masculine, use mon/ton/son regardless of who owns it.
Core Concept 3: Physical Descriptions (Les Descriptions) π§
Now let's learn how to describe what people look like. These adjectives are essential for everyday conversation.
Basic Adjectives for People
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| grand | grande | tall |
| petit | petite | small/short |
| jeune | jeune | young |
| vieux | vieille | old |
| beau | belle | beautiful/handsome |
| joli | jolie | pretty |
| laid | laide | ugly |
| fort | forte | strong |
| mince | mince | thin/slim |
| gros | grosse | fat/big |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
Hair and Eyes
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| French | Pronunciation | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| les cheveux | lay shuh-VUH | hair |
| blond(s) | blohn | blond |
| brun(s) | bruhn | brown (hair) |
| noir(s) | nwahr | black |
| roux | roo | red/ginger |
| les yeux | lay zyuh | eyes |
| bleu(s) | bluh | blue |
| vert(s) | vehr | green |
| marron | mah-ROHN | brown (eyes) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
π‘ Important: Les cheveux (hair) is always plural in French! You say "my hairs" not "my hair."
π‘ Special Note: For brown eyes, use marron (invariable - never changes). For brown hair, use brun(e).
Adjective Agreement Rules π
French adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number:
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Type | Masculine | Feminine |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Singular | Il est grand | Elle est grande |
| | (He is tall) | (She is tall) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| Plural | Ils sont grands | Elles sont grandes |
| | (They are tall-m)| (They are tall-f) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
Basic Pattern:
- Masculine β Feminine: Add -e (grand β grande)
- Singular β Plural: Add -s (grand β grands)
- Feminine Plural: Add -es (grand β grandes)
β οΈ Exception Alert: Some adjectives already end in -e in masculine form, so they don't change for feminine: jeune (young) stays jeune for both genders.
β οΈ Irregular Adjectives:
- beau β belle (beautiful)
- vieux β vieille (old)
- roux β rousse (red-haired)
Core Concept 4: Colors (Les Couleurs) π
Colors are adjectives too, so they follow the same agreement rules!
Essential Colors
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Masculine | Feminine | Pronunciation | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| rouge | rouge | roozh | red |
| bleu | bleue | bluh | blue |
| vert | verte | vehr | green |
| jaune | jaune | zhohn | yellow |
| noir | noire | nwahr | black |
| blanc | blanche | blahn/blahnsh | white |
| gris | grise | gree/greez | gray |
| orange | orange | oh-RAHNZH | orange |
| rose | rose | rohz | pink |
| violet | violette | vee-oh-LAY(T) | purple |
| marron | marron | mah-ROHN | brown |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
β οΈ Special Cases:
- Orange and marron NEVER change (invariable). You say des yeux marron (brown eyes), not "marrons."
- Blanc β blanche has a big change from masculine to feminine
Using Colors in Sentences
Pattern: Article + Noun + Adjective (color comes AFTER the noun)
- le chat noir = the black cat (masculine singular)
- la voiture rouge = the red car (feminine singular)
- les chaussures blanches = the white shoes (feminine plural)
- les stylos bleus = the blue pens (masculine plural)
π§ Memory Device: Think "NOUN-COLOR" order. In English we say "blue sky," but in French it's le ciel bleu (the sky blue).
Detailed Example 1: Introducing Your Family π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦
Let's see how all these pieces fit together in a real conversation:
Marie introduces her family:
Marie: Voici ma famille. (Here is my family.) π
Marie: Mon père s'appelle Jean. Il est grand et fort. Il a les cheveux bruns et les yeux verts. (My father's name is Jean. He is tall and strong. He has brown hair and green eyes.)
Marie: Ma mère s'appelle Sophie. Elle est petite et jolie. Elle a les cheveux blonds et les yeux bleus. (My mother's name is Sophie. She is short and pretty. She has blond hair and blue eyes.)
Marie: J'ai un frΓ¨re et une sΕur. Mon frΓ¨re s'appelle Luc. Il est jeune - il a dix ans. (I have a brother and a sister. My brother's name is Luc. He is young - he is ten years old.)
Marie: Ma sΕur s'appelle Claire. Elle a les cheveux roux et les yeux verts. (My sister's name is Claire. She has red hair and green eyes.)
Breaking It Down:
β Possessive adjectives: mon pΓ¨re, ma mΓ¨re, mon frΓ¨re, ma sΕur β Physical descriptions: grand, fort, petite, jolie, jeune β Hair and eye colors: cheveux bruns, yeux verts, cheveux blonds β Agreement: All adjectives match the gender of the person described
Detailed Example 2: At a CafΓ© - Describing Someone β
Situation: You're meeting a friend at a cafΓ©, but you don't see them yet. You call to describe someone sitting near you.
Vous: AllΓ΄? Je suis au cafΓ©. (Hello? I am at the cafΓ©.)
Ami: Tu vois une femme avec des cheveux noirs? (Do you see a woman with black hair?)
Vous: Oui! Elle a les cheveux noirs et longs. Elle porte un pull rouge. (Yes! She has black and long hair. She is wearing a red sweater.)
Ami: C'est ma sΕur! (That's my sister!)
Vous: Ah bon? Elle est très belle! (Really? She is very beautiful!)
Key Vocabulary:
- un pull = a sweater (pronounced "pull" like in English)
- porter = to wear
- avec = with
- long(s)/longue(s) = long
π Cultural Note: In France, it's common to describe what someone is wearing (clothing colors) to identify them in a crowd!
Detailed Example 3: Shopping for Clothes πποΈ
Situation: You're in a clothing store and want to ask about items in different colors.
Vous: Bonjour! Je cherche un pantalon. (Hello! I'm looking for pants.)
Vendeur: Quelle couleur? (What color?)
Vous: Vous avez un pantalon noir? (Do you have black pants?)
Vendeur: Oui, bien sΓ»r. Et nous avons aussi des pantalons bleus et gris. (Yes, of course. And we also have blue and gray pants.)
Vous: Et cette chemise? Elle est disponible en blanc? (And this shirt? Is it available in white?)
Vendeur: Oui, nous avons des chemises blanches, roses et jaunes. (Yes, we have white, pink, and yellow shirts.)
Shopping Vocabulary:
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| French | Pronunciation | English |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
| un pantalon | uhn pahn-tah-LOHN| pants |
| une chemise | ewn shuh-MEEZ | shirt |
| un pull | uhn pull | sweater |
| une robe | ewn rohb | dress |
| une jupe | ewn zhewp | skirt |
| des chaussures(f)| day show-SEWR | shoes |
| je cherche | zhuh shehrsh | I'm looking for |
| quelle couleur? | kell koo-LEUR | what color? |
+------------------+------------------+------------------------+
Detailed Example 4: Complete Mini-Story π
La Famille Martin (The Martin Family)
Je m'appelle Thomas Martin. J'ai une grande famille. Mon père s'appelle Robert. Il est vieux mais très fort. Il a les cheveux gris et les yeux marron. Ma mère s'appelle Anne. Elle est petite et mince. Elle a les cheveux blonds et courts.
J'ai deux sΕurs. Ma petite sΕur s'appelle Emma. Elle a sept ans. Elle est trΓ¨s jolie avec ses cheveux roux et ses yeux verts. Elle porte toujours des vΓͺtements roses!
Ma grande sΕur s'appelle Julie. Elle a vingt-trois ans. Elle est grande et belle. Elle a les cheveux bruns et longs. Ses yeux sont bleus.
Mes grands-parents habitent avec nous. Mon grand-père aime porter des pulls noirs. Ma grand-mère adore les robes violettes.
Le dimanche, toute la famille porte des vΓͺtements blancs pour aller Γ l'Γ©glise. C'est notre tradition!
Translation:
My name is Thomas Martin. I have a big family. My father's name is Robert. He is old but very strong. He has gray hair and brown eyes. My mother's name is Anne. She is short and thin. She has short blond hair.
I have two sisters. My little sister's name is Emma. She is seven years old. She is very pretty with her red hair and green eyes. She always wears pink clothes!
My big sister's name is Julie. She is twenty-three years old. She is tall and beautiful. She has long brown hair. Her eyes are blue.
My grandparents live with us. My grandfather likes to wear black sweaters. My grandmother loves purple dresses.
On Sundays, the whole family wears white clothes to go to church. It's our tradition!
Vocabulary from the Story:
- court(s)/courte(s) = short (length)
- toujours = always
- les vΓͺtements = clothes
- habiter = to live
- aimer = to like/love
- adorer = to adore/love
- dimanche = Sunday
- toute la famille = the whole family
- l'Γ©glise = church
Common Mistakes β οΈ
Mistake 1: Wrong Possessive Agreement
β WRONG: Ma pΓ¨re est grand (using feminine "ma" with masculine "pΓ¨re") β CORRECT: Mon pΓ¨re est grand
Why? The possessive adjective must match the gender of the NOUN (père is masculine), not the gender of the speaker.
Mistake 2: Forgetting Adjective Agreement
β WRONG: Ma mΓ¨re est grand (masculine adjective with feminine noun) β CORRECT: Ma mΓ¨re est grande
Why? Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe. Add -e for feminine.
Mistake 3: Plural Hair
β WRONG: Il a un cheveu noir (singular hair) β CORRECT: Il a les cheveux noirs (plural hair)
Why? In French, les cheveux is always plural when talking about someone's hair on their head.
Mistake 4: Color Word Order
β WRONG: Une rouge robe (color before noun, like English) β CORRECT: Une robe rouge (color after noun)
Why? Most French adjectives, especially colors, come AFTER the noun.
Mistake 5: Making Invariable Colors Agree
β WRONG: Des chaussures marrons (making marron plural) β CORRECT: Des chaussures marron
Why? Marron and orange never change form, even in plural.
Mistake 6: Confusing Son/Sa/Ses with His/Her
β WRONG: Marie's father = SA pΓ¨re (thinking "her" = sa) β CORRECT: Marie's father = SON pΓ¨re
Why? Use son because père is masculine, regardless of whether Marie (female) owns it.
π Confused Pairs
Pair 1: Brun vs. Marron (Brown)
- Brun(e) = brown HAIR only
- Marron = brown EYES, brown objects
Examples:
- Il a les cheveux bruns β
- Il a les yeux marron β
- Une table marron β (a brown table)
Pair 2: Petit vs. Jeune
- Petit(e) = small/short (physical size)
- Jeune = young (age)
Examples:
- Mon frère est petit = My brother is short
- Mon frère est jeune = My brother is young
Pair 3: Grand vs. Gros
- Grand(e) = tall/big (height, size)
- Gros(se) = fat/big (volume, weight)
Examples:
- Mon père est grand = My father is tall
- Le chat est gros = The cat is fat
Pair 4: Mon vs. Ma before Vowels
- Before consonants: mon/ma follow normal rules
- Before vowels: always mon (even for feminine words)
Examples:
- Ma sΕur β (consonant sound)
- Mon amie β (vowel sound, even though amie is feminine)
Key Takeaways π―
β Family vocabulary is gendered - learn masculine and feminine forms together
β Possessive adjectives (mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses) agree with the NOUN, not the owner
β Adjectives must agree with nouns in gender and number (add -e for feminine, -s for plural)
β Colors are adjectives and follow the same agreement rules, EXCEPT orange and marron which never change
β Hair (les cheveux) is always plural in French
β Most adjectives, especially colors, come AFTER the noun in French
β Use brun(e) for brown hair, marron for brown eyes
β Physical descriptions combine multiple elements: size, hair color, eye color, personality
π§ Try This: Create Your Family Portrait
Write 5 sentences describing members of your family (or friends if you prefer):
- Start with possessive adjective + family member
- Add physical description (grand/petit, etc.)
- Describe hair color
- Describe eye color
- Add one personality trait or what they wear
Example: Mon frère est grand et fort. Il a les cheveux noirs et les yeux marron. Il porte toujours un pull bleu.
π Further Study
TV5Monde - French Family Vocabulary: https://apprendre.tv5monde.com/en/exercises/a1-beginner (Interactive exercises for family terms and descriptions)
Duolingo French Course - Family Unit: https://www.duolingo.com/course/fr/en (Practice possessive adjectives and family vocabulary)
French Learning Resources - Colors and Adjectives: https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjectives/ (Detailed grammar explanations with examples)
π Quick Reference Card
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β LESSON 3 QUICK REFERENCE - FAMILY & COLORS β
β βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ£
β FAMILY CORE WORDS: β
β β’ le pΓ¨re/la mΓ¨re = father/mother β
β β’ le frΓ¨re/la sΕur = brother/sister β
β β’ le fils/la fille = son/daughter β
β β’ les grands-parents = grandparents β
β β
β POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES ("my"): β
β β’ mon + masculine noun (mon pΓ¨re) β
β β’ ma + feminine noun (ma mΓ¨re) β
β β’ mes + plural noun (mes parents) β
β β’ mon + vowel sound, even if feminine (mon amie) β
β β
β DESCRIPTION ADJECTIVES: β
β β’ grand(e) = tall | petit(e) = short β
β β’ jeune = young | vieux/vieille = old β
β β’ beau/belle = beautiful | joli(e) = pretty β
β β
β HAIR & EYES: β
β β’ les cheveux (always plural) = hair β
β β’ blond(s), brun(s), noir(s), roux/rousse = blond, brown, β
β black, red hair β
β β’ les yeux = eyes β
β β’ bleu(s), vert(s), marron = blue, green, brown eyes β
β β
β ESSENTIAL COLORS: β
β β’ rouge = red | bleu(e) = blue | vert(e) = green β
β β’ jaune = yellow | noir(e) = black | blanc/blanche = white β
β β’ orange, marron = NEVER change (invariable) β
β β
β ADJECTIVE AGREEMENT: β
β β’ Masculine β Feminine: add -e (grand β grande) β
β β’ Singular β Plural: add -s (grand β grands) β
β β’ Colors come AFTER nouns (une robe rouge) β
β β
β KEY SENTENCE PATTERNS: β
β β’ Mon [family] s'appelle [name] = My [family] is called... β
β β’ Il/Elle est [adjective] = He/She is [adjective] β
β β’ Il/Elle a les cheveux [color] = He/She has [color] hair β
β β’ Il/Elle porte un/une [clothing] [color] = He/She wears... β
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Congratulations! You now have the vocabulary and grammar to describe your family, talk about physical appearances, and use colors in French. In the next lesson, we'll explore food, ordering at restaurants, and expressing preferences. Keep practicing! π