Je lis des livres
The English phrase "I read books" is translated into French as Je lis des livres.
This phrase is used to express the general habit or action of reading books.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "I read some books" because des is the plural indefinite article. In the phrase Je lis des livres, the verb lis is the first-person singular conjugation of lire (to read) in the present tense.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to specify that you are reading a single book instead of multiple books, change des livres to un livre to say Je lis un livre.
Did you know?
- The term livres can be a homonym in French, meaning both 'books' and 'pounds' (the currency or the unit of weight).
- The word lis in the phrase is a homograph that can also mean 'lily', a flower, due to its Latin roots in 'lilium'.
- While lire is the standard word for reading, French has a specific casual verb bouquiner that refers exclusively to reading books for pleasure.
Examples in context
- Je lis des livres.I read books.This sentence is a simple way to state the action.Tatoeba #1811648 by Rovo, translation #1001623 by Nihonkage
- Je lis des livres à haute voix avec grand plaisir.I read books aloud with great pleasure.This sentence shows how to express reading aloud with pleasure.Tatoeba #5125954 by gege_veggie, translation #5126227 by strangeanalyst
- Je lis des livres chaque jour.I read books every day.This sentence shows how to express reading books on a daily basis.Tatoeba #13706912 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13706909 by frpzzd
- Je bouquine tous les soirs avant de dormir.I read books every night before sleeping.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are talking about their hobbies.
- EmmaQu'est-ce que tu fais pendant ton temps libre ?What do you do in your free time?
- LucasJe lis des livres et je fais du sport.I read books and I do sports.
- EmmaC'est super ! Quel genre de livres ?That's great! What kind of books?
- LucasJe lis des livres de science-fiction.I read science fiction books.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries des, je, lis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
