#badly...badly is how we copin'

[cornflowersandspoons]

"There will come a Poet whose weapon is his word..."

...or whatever The Oh Hellos said 🙃✨️

How are we copin'???

[queen-scribbles]

On All Counts

For  @pillarspromptsweekly fill 53: Anniversary. This is... not as happy an anniversary as I was hoping for, but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When Tavi didn’t show up for breakfast, Aloth knew exactly where to find her. He also knew to bring something for her to drink and that he would probably want to keep his distance when he found her. Today was not going to be a good day.

He was right on all counts. Despite the early hour, Tavi was already on the training grounds, beating the stuffing--literally--out of a very battered practice dummy. She’d clearly been at it for a while, too. Long enough for her hair--and a line down the back of her shirt--to be damp with sweat.

Aloth watched her for a moment, forearms braced against the railing, and then without preamble., “Perhaps it’s time you took a break.”

One of Tavi’s shoulders flinched, ever so slightly, but she didn’t turn around.  “Nah, I’m fine.”

“Tavi. You and I both know, today of all days, that’s not true,” he said, gentle but frank.

She stopped, hands hanging limp at her sides. After a pair of heartbeats, she sighed heavily and dropped the wooden practice blades at the dummy’s base.  “You win, Aloth.”

If he’d needed any more proof she was definitely not alright, there it was. Aloth knew better than to draw attention to that, and so instead wordlessly held out the waterskin he’d brought as she turned around.

“Thanks,” Tavi nodded breathlessly, crossing the space between them to take it. She leaned against the railing a foot or two downwind from him(Which, much as he loved her, Aloth appreciated) and took a long drink. And then another. She wiped her mouth with the heel of her hand, and then raked her fingers through her hair.

“So,” Aloth began, after a long moment of silently watching her rub the faint scars on her palms, “now that the fighting your memories portion of the morning is behind you, how do you want to spend the rest of the day?”

She shot him a weak but grateful smile and used the tail of her shirt to wipe sweat off her forehead. “Not alone, that’s for fuckin’ sure. Maybe once I’m... not a mess, we can sit in the same room and do our own thing? I know you have a couple new spellbooks you wanted to go through, and I...” She sighed and looked down at her hands. “I need to carve something. Maybe another duck...”

“Tavi...”

Tavi shook her head. “I’ll be fine, city slicker. Thirty years have done a little to dull it. But it still hurts, an’ today I’m gonna let it.”

“Understandable,” he nodded. “I don’t mind, Tavi.” He stepped closer and rested one hand on her shoulder, feeling the lingering warmth of her exertion through her shirt. “Whatever I can do to help.”

She smiled with at least some of her usual mischief. “Aw, thanks, Corfiser. I should hug you for that.”

Aloth gave her a flat look. “Please don’t. Or, perhaps, save that for later.”

Tavi’s smile widened and she ran her fingers through her hair again, dramatically flicking off the sweat. “After I don’t smell like a long day’s work in the hot sun, y’mean? I think I can hold off that long.” She took another swig from the waterskin, mood sobering as she pushed away from the railing. “Seriously, though, Aloth, thank you.”

He nodded as he followed her back toward Brighthollow. “Of course.”

-o-

She hadn’t expected the bath to feel so good. She’d only been out there for an hour tops; it hadn’t been anywhere near the usual workout. It had been more emotion-driven than her usual regimen, though, which was a good way to burn through energy fast. Tavi sighed as she climbed out of the cooling water and reached for a towel. Time heals all wounds the saying went, but this one was proving stubborn. 

Tavi dressed, eschewing boots, and tried very hard not to let her thoughts drift a certain direction--Wonder if Mom would still have the flower shop--without much success. Grabbing a small block of wood and her favorite whittling knife, Tavi headed for Brighthollow’s library--formerly Kana’s room--figuring it was the most likely place to find Aloth and that he’d be waiting for her with his nose in a book.

She was right on all counts. Aloth was there, spellbooks for perusal stacked on the table next to him, reading what looked like a book on either Ixamitl or Readceras. “Sorry for for takin’ so long. It felt really blazin’ good.”

Aloth chuckled as he nudged a chair out for her. “I imagine so. You gave that training dummy quite a beating.”

Tavi barked a sharp laugh and dropped into the offered chair. “One of the healthier ways I’ve dealt with this anniversary, trust me. The first couple I got fuckin’ smashed the night before, hopin’ I’d stay passed out or at least drunk a good part of the day. And there was one I started a bar fight.... Three decades has given me plenty of time to develop better copin’ methods.” 

“I’ll say,” Aloth murmured, watching her turn the block of wood in her hands.  “What are you planning to make?”

Tavi stared at the block of wood rather than look him in the eye. “A duck, I told you that.”

He hesitated in the middle of opening one spellbook. “Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked, obviously choosing his words with care. “Given that you didn’t want to spend the day alone specifically so you don’t dwell too much.”

Now she looked at him. “I don’t recall specifyin’ the blazin’ reason, city slicker.”

“Do you really think I don’t know you at least that well, Tavi?” Aloth pointed out. “Also, you mentioned that as a reason last year. I figured it would similarly apply.”

“And you remembered?” Her knife slipped from its first cut, narrowly missing a fingertip. Shit, that would’ve been bad...

“That surprises you?” he returned.

“Considerin’ everything that’s happened--Thaos an’ Stalwart an’ the Eyeless an’ all--I figured it got forgotten for something more important.”

Aloth smiled slightly, smoothing the pages of his spellbook. “That assumes any of those things were or are more important.”

Tavi’s face warmed and she set down the block of wood for a second, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re too sweet sometimes, Corfiser,” she said frankly as she picked the wood back up. “I think I’ll be okay.”

“Alright, if you’re sure. I’m here if you need me.” He turned his attention to his book, only to glance back up a moment later. “And, since you’re going to risk dwelling on them anyway, if you want to talk...”

She nodded, shifting her grip on the knife handle. “I’ll let you know.”

-o-

She made it an hour in, the duck’s head and bill roughly taking shape, before something made her flinch badly enough her knife skidded off the curve she was working and gouged her finger.

“Fuck,” she hissed sharply, before sucking on the wounded digit to slow the bleeding.

“Here, let me,’ Aloth said, pushing aside his book and reaching for her hand.

“It’s not bad,” Tavi muttered. She wiped the finger against her shirt before acquiescing. “I’m more mad at myself for gettin’ distracted than anything.”

“Distracted?” The cut really didn’t look bad; a small knick just below her knuckle that was already starting to bleed again. He was just used to Tavi being more careful and couldn’t help being concerned.

She flinched and wrinkled her nose as he rubbed away the blood. “I... started thinkin’ about my brother.”

“Ah.” To be expected. It was inevitable, really, in his opinion, with the anniversary that she marked today. He was only surprised she hadn’t been thinking about them again. (Maybe she had been.) They were both quiet while Tavi clumsily cut off a piece of her shirt to wrap around her finger and handed it to him. We do have an infirmary. “You didn’t need to-”

“I know,” Tavi interrupted, spreading her hand to make bandaging easier. “Force of habit.”

-o-

She watched him wrap the strip of fabric around her finger, far more dexterously than she would have managed, even using both hands. He tied the ends off with an almost impossibly small knot and let go of her hand. Tavi instead clasped his, running her thumb over his knuckles. 

“I ever tell you how much I like your hands, city slicker?” It was true, but in the moment it was more a desperate attempt to distract herself from her memories.

From the look in his eye, Aloth knew it, too. But he humored her, because of course he did. “You may have mentioned something to that effect before, yes.”

Casius grinning triumphantly, glasses slightly crooked, as he finally mastered a spell. “Well, it’s still true.”

Aloth smiled and gently squeezed her fingers, careful of the injured one. “And I still appreciate it.”

Malachi throwing his head back in a laugh, warm and self-deprecating, as he flubbed the words to the song he’d been singing. Tavi bit her lip. “Good. That’s... good.”

“If I may,” Aloth began, still slightly hesitant to pry even after her many, many reassurances she never minded(not for him), “this year seems worse than last.”

She winced. Trust him to pick up on that. Pure wonder in Khellin’s eyes as he cradled a tiny kitten in his hands, the creature barely old enough to be held by kith. “They never got to fuckin’ grow up, Aloth.” She ran her free hand through her hair in a fierce, jerky motion. “The twins would’ve finally hit adulthood a couple months ago, and Khel.... Khel was just a fuckin’ kid. What kind of copperfucker-” She cut herself off with a shake of her head. Opening up to Aloth was one thing, and she was happy to do that. Unloading on him was completely different, and she wasn’t going to do that. Not about this. “Every year is the same old Hard but getting better and it just... hit me again this time how young they all were. Even my parents, they were... gods, they were barely my age now when they had me, so...” The words trailed off, their implication clear.

As if sensing how close she was to floundering, Aloth squeezed her hand again. “I know it’s hard,” he said softly, then paused. “If it would help... I believe I owe you a hug from earlier?”

Tavi laughed shakily. “Right on all counts. It is, you do, and it would.”

The two of them stood as one, releasing their clasped hands so Aloth could wrap his arms around her shoulders, and Tavi hers around his waist. She leaned into the hug, appreciating how close he held her, his hand rubbing her back.

Tavi’s gaze landed on the wooden block, Casius’ voice floating out of the past. “You haven’t called me duckling in forever, Tav.”

That’s because you’re dead, she retorted silently, even knowing the memory it came from. All of you, and I’ll never get you back. She turned and buried her face in the side of Aloth’s neck, her grip instinctively tightening. “I’m really glad I have you today,” she mumbled, the words muffled even further by his shirt. She leaned back far enough to meet his eye. “I mean, I”m always glad I have you, city slicker, I just... it’s extra nice on days like this.”

Aloth kissed her forehead. “I knew what you meant, Tavi.”

“Good.” She leaned into the hug for one last squeeze, then stepped back and picked up the half-carved duck. She was pretty sure she could finish it now. The ghosts were still there, probably always would be, but she wasn’t facing them alone. She snuck a glance at Aloth, his lips moving silently as he resumed reading the spellbook, and smiled to herself. Hard as it was, today would be a good day.

-------------------------------------------

i was trying to come up with something fun and fluffy for either these two or Ederity, I swear.  But none of the ideas I got cooperated in the fleshing out stage. And then this struck, and it was more cooperative, so... hurt/comfort Taviloth it is, i guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh, and now that I’ve got them roughly nailed down, at the time of the fire...

Tavi’s parents were early-mid 80s

Tavi was 28

Casuis and Malachi were 19

Khellin was 13

SUFFER WITH ME

do you see why i decided to not kill khel?i’m not that mean

Also now I wanna have him show up at Caed Nua post-Deadfire so Tavi gets him back in canon but we’ll see

[spectrumscribe]

Day by day.

It’s okay to slow down and just take things day by day, but sometimes Donnie forgets that. 

Luckily, Mikey doesn’t.

(have some short b-team hurtcomfort fic, because i don’t write nearly enough comfort or bonding for these two.)

Donnie stares at the messy, somewhat delirious notes in front of him; his own writing getting increasingly incoherent with each page, until the very final one, which reads only BUILD/HIJACK BIGGEST RADIO TOWER, CALL OTHER ME???

He groans softly, and lets his head sink to the disaster of a lab table. Putting his hands on top of his skull, he feels his elbow bump something hard and cool, and his gut jerks as he realizes it’s probably one of his multiple empty mugs about to meet a unmerciful death.

A quiet “whoop!” is heard, but no shattering porcelain.

Donnie raises his head, wondering if he’s finally tired enough he’s started hallucinating.

Mikey is standing beside the table, seemingly having materialized out of thin air like he sometimes does- holding the mug and giving Donnie an exasperated look.

“You know, we have exactly ten mugs in total,” Mikey says, setting the mug on the table. “and I’m pretty sure you’ve got eight of them in here. Which is probably not the best sign for your caffeine intake levels.”

Donnie blinks sluggishly. His brain is awake, sure, but only on the inside. Outside input isn’t going in, and it takes him a full moment to comprehend what his brother has just said to him.

“...I thought I only had five?” He says, glancing around at his work station. There’s a... few more cups than he thought.

Mikey laughs, not unkindly, and drags a stool around the corner of the table to sit down. “I think you only got five brain cells right now, Dee. When’s the last time you slept? Or... ate, or drank something that wasn’t coffee?”

Donnie tries to remember, marginally successful.

“Around.... six?”

“Is that six tonight- which was hours ago- or six yesterday morning?”

Donnie’s head hurts. “...what time is it?”

Mikey gives him a grimace. “Woo, you’re really out of it tonight. What’s got you all tangled up like this?”

Donnie’s eyes drift back down to his infuriatingly useless notes.

“There’s still mutants running around New York,” Donnie says, feeling even tireder talking about it. “and I’ve got...” He thinks about the frozen figure up against the wall, and how badly he’s neglected Timothy the past months. Years. “They all still need a retromutagen, and there’s... not enough to go around anymore. I have to figure out how to make it stretch, what little I’ve managed to get my hands on, but...”

Mikey’s hands enter his vision, gently moving the papers so the newer, messier ones are easier to see.

“Not going to well?” Mikey observes, brushing a thumb over Donnie’s throwaway idea of contacting their space clone selves.

Donnie nods miserably. He’s unsure of the time, and doubly unsure of when he last made any real progress with the problem. He’s been keeping rough track of every new mutant that pops up somewhere in New York, and while the numbers are a mere fraction of the full population of the city, it’s still a lot of mutants. The Shredder drained so many of the caches of mutagen through the city, and since they lost contact with Bishop and the Utrom, Donnie’s been stuck with hoarding what little he’s still in possession of.

It’s not enough. It has to be but it’s not. There’s just too many mutants to reverse and not enough mutagen for effective retromutagen batches. And even with all those nameless people out there in need of his help- incorrect, he could name them all if he wanted to, its just that it’s terrifying to put faces and lives to all those mutants- he’s still got his family to look out for. Mutagen has medical uses for them, it’s brought his brothers back from the brink of death or worse before, and if he gives it all up for people they don’t even know, just before someone suffers another life-threatening injury...

That will be his fault, for not making the scant stock of mutagen he has last long enough to fix everything and everyone.

“I can see you burning through those five brain cells, Donnie, like right this second.”

Donnie sighs, and rubs at his aching temples. Headaches are his true weakness, even if he usually powers through them regardless. “What do you want, Mikey? I’m... very busy.”

“You’re half dead, that’s what you are,” Mikey says, gently elbowing Donnie’s side. When Donnie just grumbles, Mikey throws an arm around his shell and says, “Come on, take a break. Eat a snack. Take a nap. You can’t save the whole world in a night, gotta get a little R&R first.”

Donnie snorts. “We’ve literally saved the world in a night before, sometimes less. Look, you might not get it, but I can’t stop, okay? This isn’t something I can just walk away from and not feel like a...”

“Do not say failure,” Mikey says, very suddenly serious. His arm is tight on Donnie’s shell, and Donnie can feel the intense scrutinizing he’s being given. “We had a bazillion talks about that- no quitter talk!”

“Then why are you telling me to quit?” Donnie asks.

“I’m not! I’m just saying you need to take it easy for a bit, before you bust something important because you didn’t take care of it right.”

“You’re talking like I’m a car.”

“Raph called himself a ‘finely tuned fight engine’ or something one time. Turtle bodies are close enough that they gotta be cleaned and fed and left to pass out somewhere quiet sometimes.”

Donnie stubbornly doesn’t answer. He has work to do, important work, and walking away from it even just to get food feels wrong. He has to do this, he needs to be doing something to fix the world. The retromutagen is something he can make, can use to fix other peoples’ lives. If he’s not working on that, or something else...

He doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Mikey’s arm squeezes him, drawing Donnie sideways for a hug.

“Hey, you know it’s okay to slow down, right?” Mikey says in a soft voice. “Just until you stop lookin’ so cross-eyed.”

“Can’t,” Donnie says belligerently. Mikey doesn’t get it. He can’t get it. “I can’t.”

“...I know you got your way of copin’ with stuff, Dee, but sometimes you have to just take it day by day, alright? Some stuff takes a little extra time, and you have to make sure you don’t burn yourself out before that time is up.”

“And how would you know that?” Donnie says, because far as he’s ever really known, Mikey has hardly a patient bone in his body.

His brother hums.

“Dimension-X, bro.”

Donnie lifts his head, giving a mildly startled look to Mikey, who gives a wane smile in return.

Mikey is still smiling, even as he talks about something that draws a stress-line in that smile. “You guys got there in a few seconds your time, but I was there for like, months or shit. D-X has all sorts of stuff to do pretty much twenty-four seven, but... I didn’t know when you guys were gonna show up. First while rolled by and I had to figure out how to budget my energy, or I would’ve ended up turtlechow for somethin’. So-” He says, and Donnie can visibly see Mikey putting brighter emotions back into his expression. “-if I can figure out how to be patient for an undefined pickup date, then you can be patient until your brain is all recharged. Okay? Come eat leftovers. We had curry and burnt toast, since it was me an’ Leo’s turn to cook tonight.”

Donnie wants to refuse on automatic, because walking away from one of the last relatively normal and straight forward parts of his life is hard. But...

Curry sounds nice, even with burnt toast as a side.

His stomach, Donnie realizes, has been in such a tight knot of hunger for so long, he hadn’t noticed it until Mikey mentioned food.

Donnie finally relents, slumping into the sideways hug that’s actually right out holding him up at this point. “Okay, curry sounds good. Thank you.”

Mikey beams, smug and pleased. “And then you’re taking a shower, and then sleeping. At least seven hours, no less. I think you went twenty-four without bein’ horizontal even once. Again.”

“I have important work.”

“Yeah and your self-pampering is part of that, which has been super neglected, you workaholic. Put some energy into restoring your energies, ‘kay?”

Donnie huffs, smiles, and nods.

“Atta boy!” Mikey crows. He gives Donnie one last squeeze and then stands up from his stool. “And now we go follow through with that stuff, and then we set an alarm for when your government mandated vacation time is up.”

“I wasn’t aware we had a government,” Donnie says bemusedly, standing with twin cracks to his cramping knees. Ow. “Or... vacation hours, for that matter.”

“It’s the dictator government of ‘take better care of yourself, idiot’,” Mikey says imperiously, reaching out and tugging on Donnie’s arm. “I’m the dictator and I’m dictating you go take a fuckin’ shower while I reheat food.”

“I thought Leo was the resident dictator,” Donnie says. “Or Raph, possibly.”

“They like to think they’re the dictators, but Leo’s actually just a tator and Raph’s just a dick. Two halves but not whole! Me though? I’m the whole package.”

“And what does that make me in this hypothetical government equation?”

“The judge or jury or someone who needs to take a shower and eat real food.”

“That’s court, Mikey, not the ruling figures of a country.”

“Blah blah blah- less smart talk more taking care of yourself, go go go.”

“I’m going,” Donnie grouses, but his lips are curling on the ends as his brother drags him from his lab by the hand, and he doesn’t glance back at his temporarily halted work.

A shower, two servings of curry and one of slightly charred toast later, with the addition of bean bags and a G-rated oldie-but-goodie movie turned on, Donnie’s frayed nerves settle down as he does.

Mikey takes up the bean bag beside him as Donnie does, and Donnie has barely enough energy left to shoot a grateful smile at his brother before his eyes slide shut.

As Donnie falls asleep completely, Mikey stealthily takes the t-phone out of his brother’s belt, and adds an extra two hours to the alarm setting. Seven hours isn’t going to cut it for those deep bags under his bro’s eyes, and Mikey knows the small sabotage will be forgiven.

If he’d let Donnie go to his room, his genius brother would have found a little gadget somewhere in there to tinker with instead of actually sleeping. So, movie marathon it is, while Donnie heads into a good, well deserved sleep.

Not a bad arrangement. Mikey doesn’t mind watching movies, or stepping up to give his brother a little extra push towards functionality.

He knows Donnie’s work is important, and that he can’t really do anything to help- but Mikey also knows that Donnie will run himself into the ground if he keeps going at things like this, and knows what it feels like when you can’t stop going full-tilt at a problem until its solved.

Warm food and a good sleep can fix that, though. Or at least give you a fresh perspective whenever you wake up again. Dimension-X taught him that, and he figures that this time around, he can be the one to pass knowledge onto someone.

Mikey slumps a little further into his bean bag, comfy as can be; listening to Donnie start whistling through his little tooth gap as he breathes, and smiling to himself as the movie hits the first major plot point.

[languagesarelit]

French in 300 Words

This is inspired by this post by funwithlanguages because it’s such a great concept and I thought it would be helpful to make it in French. Also if there are any mistakes or anything you’d like to add please help me because I am still just learning!

First Verbs

to be - être

there is - il y a

to have - avoir

to make / do - faire

to go - aller

to want - vouloir

to be able to / can - pouvoir

to need - avoir besoin

to think - penser

to know - savoir (a fact or how to do something) or connaître (a person, place, or thing)

to say - dire

to like - aimer

to speak - parler

to learn - apprendre

to understand - comprendre

Conjunctions

that (as in “I think that...”) - que

and - et

or - ou

but - mais

because - parce que

though - bien que

so (meaning “therefore”; e.g. “I wanted it, so I bought it”) - donc

if - si

Prepositions

of - de

to - à

from - de

in - dans / en (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

at - à

with - avec

about - sur

like - comme

before - avant

after - après

during - durant

Question Words

who - qui

what - que

where - où

when - quand

why - pourquoi

how - comment

how much - combien

which - quel(le/s/les)

Adverbs

a lot - beaucoup

a little - un peu

well - bien

badly - mal

only - seulement

also - aussi

very - très  

too ( as in “too tall”) - trop

so (as in “so tall”) - si / tellement (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

so much - si / tellement / tant (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

more - plus

less - moins

as...as - aussi... que...

best - mieux

worst - pire

now - maintenant

then - alors

here - ici

there - y / là (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

maybe - peut-être  

always -  toujours

usually - d’habitude / normalment / habituellement

often - souvent

sometimes - parfois / quelquefois

never - jamais

today - aujourd’hui

yesterday - hier

tomorrow - demain

soon - bientôt  

almost - presque

already - déjà  

still - encore / toujours (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

enough - assez

Adjectives

Since French has grammatical gender, adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe. Most adjectives are made feminine by just adding the letter “e” and most are also made plural by adding the letter “s”. 

the - le (m.s.), la (f.s.), l’ (singular; used when the next word starts with a vowel or the letter h), or les (p.)

a / an - un (m.) or une (f.)

this & that - ce (m.), cet (m.; used when the next word starts with a vowel or the letter h), or cette (f.)

good - bon(ne/s/nes)

bad - mauvais(e/es)

all - tout (m.s.), toute (f.s.), tous (m.p.), or toutes (f.p.)

no - zéro

many - beaucoup de

few - quelques

other - autre

same - même  

different - différent(e/s/es)

enough - assez

one - un(e)

two - deux

first - premier (m.), première (f.)   

second (in an order) - deuxième 

second (like “another”; e.g. “she was like my second mother) - second(e)

last - dernier (m.), dernière (f.)

easy - facile

hard - difficile

early - tôt

late - en retard

important - important(e/s/es)

interesting - intéressant(e/s/es)

fun (about an activity) - amusant(e/s/es)

fun (about a person) - drôle(s) or marrant(e/s/es)

boring - ennuyeux (m.), ennuyeuse (s) (f.)

beautiful - beau (m.s.), bel (m.s.; used when the next word starts with a vowel or an h), belle (f.s.), beaux (m.p.), belles (f.p.)

big - gros(se/ses) or grand(e/s/es) (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

small - petit(e/s/es)

happy - heureux (m.), heureuse(s) (f.) 

sad - triste(s)

busy - occupé(e/s/es)

excited - enthousiamé(e/s/es)

tired - fatigué(e/s/es)

ready - prêt(e/s/es)

favorite - préféré(e/s/es) (more common) or favori(te/s/tes)

new - nouveau (m.s.), nouvel (m.s.; used when the next word begins with a vowel or an h), nouvelle (f.s.), nouveaux (m.p.), nouvelles (f.p.)

right (meaning “correct”) - bon(ne/s/nes)

to be right - avoir rasion

wrong - mauvais(e/s/es)

to be wrong - avoir tort

true - vrai(e/s/es)

Pronouns

I - je

you (singular and informal) - tu

he - il

she - elle

one / we - on

we - nous

you (formal or plural) - vous

they - ils (when all male or mixed), elles (when all female)

Nouns

Since French has grammatical gender, it is easier to learn nouns as “the [noun]” with “the” in the correct gender. This will help you remember the gender of each noun.

everything - tout

something - quelque chose

nothing - rien

everyone - tout le monde

someone - quelqu’un

no one - personne (when used in the negative. Here is a link to help understand how to use it.)

French - le français

English - l’anglais (m.)

thing - chose

person - la personne

place (meaning a location) - l’endroit (m.) or le lieu (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

time (as in “a long time”) - le temps

time (as in “I did it 3 times”) - la fois

friend - l’ami(e)

woman - la femme

man - l’homme (m.)

money - l’argent (m.)

country - le pays

(name of your home country; the United States) - les États-Unis

city - la ville

language - la langue

word - le mot

food - la nourriture or l’aliment (m.) (Here is a link to help understand how to use them)

house - la maison

store - le magasin

office - le bureau

company - l’entreprise (f.)

job - le travail

work (as in “I have a lot of work to do”) - le travail

problem - le problème

question - le question

idea - l’idée (f.)

life - la vie

world - le monde

day - le jour

year - l’an (m.), l’année (f.) (Here is a link to help understand difference and use)

week - la semaine

month - le mois

hour - l’heure (f.)

mother, father, parent - la mère, le père, le parent

daughter, son, child - la fille, le fils, l’enfant (either gender)

sister, brother - la sœur, le frère 

wife, husband - la femme, le mari

girlfriend, boyfriend - la copine, le copain

More Verbs

to work (as in a person working) - travailler

to work (meaning “to function”, e.g. “the TV works”) - marcher

to see - voir

to use - utiliser

to believe - croire

to practice - pratiquer

to seem - sembler

to come - venir

to leave - partir

to return (aka “to go back”) - retourner

to give - donner

to take - prendre

to bring - apporter

to look for - chercher

to find - trouver

to get (meaning “to obtain”) - obtenir

to receive - recevoir

to buy - acheter

to try - essayer

to start - commencer

to stop (doing something) - arrêter

to finish - finir

to continue - continuer

to wake up - se réveiller

to get up - se lever

to eat - manger

to eat breakfast - prendre le petit-déjeuner

to eat lunch - déjeuner

to eat dinner - dîner

to happen - arriver

to feel - se sentir

to create (aka “make”) - faire

to cause - causer

to meet (meeting someone for the first time) - faire la connaissance de

to meet (meaning “to bump into”) - rencontrer

to meet (an arranged meeting) - retrouver

to ask (a question) - demander (use the phrase “poser des questions” to say “to ask questions”)

to ask (aka “request”) - demander

to wonder (meaning “to be amazed”) - s’émerveiller

to wonder (meaning “to reflect”) - réfléchir

to wonder (meaning “to ask oneself”) - se demander

to reply - répondre

to mean - vouloir dire

to read - lire

to write - écrire

to listen - écouter

to hear - entendre

to remember - se souvenir or se rappeler (Here is a link to help understand difference and use)

to forget - oublier

to choose - choisir

to decide - décider

to be born - naître

to die - mourir

to kill - tuer

to live - vivre or habiter (meaning to live on a street or in a house, etc)

to stay - rester

to change - changer

to help - aider

to send - envoyer

to study - étudier

to improve - améliorer   

to hope - espérer

to care (meaning to worry) - s’inquiéter

Phrases

hello - bonjour

goodbye - au revoir

thank you - merci

you’re welcome - de rien

excuse me (to get someone’s attention) - s’il vous plaît or excusez-moi (either could also be followed by monsieur or madame)

sorry - Je suis désolé(e)

it’s fine (response to an apology) - Ce n’est pas grave.

please - s’il vous plaît (formal or plural), s’il te plaît (informal and singular)

yes - oui  

no - non

okay - okay

My name is - Je m’appelle

What’s your name? - Comment tu t’appelles?

Nice to meet you. - enchanté (if you’re male you’d say this) or enchantée (if you’re female you’d say this)

How are you? - Comment ça va?

I’m doing well, how about you? - ça va bien, et toi? (change toi to vous to be more formal)

Sorry? / What? (if you didn’t hear something) - quoi? (very informal), comment?, or Je n’ai pas entendu. Vous pouvez répéter s’il vous plaît (most polite)

How do you say _____? - Comment dit-on ____?

What does _____ mean? - Qu’est-ce que le mot ____ veut dire?

I don’t understand. - Je ne comprends pas.

Could you repeat that? - Vous pouvez répéter s’il vous plaît? (formal) or Tu peux répéter s’il te plaît? (informal)

Could you speak more slowly, please? - Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît?

Well (as in “well, I think...”) - donc

Really? - Vraiment?

I guess that - Je suppose que

It’s hot. (talking about the weather) - Il fait chaud. 

It’s cold. (talking about the weather) - Il fait froid.