Verb drill
Casual French reductions: restore the full form in 8 short drills
Recognise t’as, t’es and negatives with no ne, then restore their full written forms. Eight drills help you keep the meaning and choose the register.
- B1
- 8 answers
- Checked all at once
- Accents count
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Keep the full expression beside the casual form: t’as → tu as, t’es → tu es, je sais pas → je ne sais pas. Recognise the shorter forms in conversation and restore full spelling for a careful email. Keep the person, time and negative meaning the same.
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| Full form | Casual representation | What changed? |
|---|---|---|
| Tu as compris ? | T’as compris ? | The vowel of tu is lost before as. |
| Tu es prêt ? | T’es prêt ? | The vowel of tu is lost before es. |
| Je ne viens pas. | Je viens pas. | Ne is omitted; pas keeps the negative meaning. |
| Je suis là. | Chuis là. | This spelling represents a compressed spoken je suis. |
The spellings t’as and chuis are useful recognition labels. Listen to a whole phrase to hear how a speaker actually says it. In particular, chuis represents more than simply removing ne: it concerns the sounds of je suis. Keep those changes separate when practising.
What are the common casual reductions in spoken French?
Use the casual sentence in brackets as your cue. Complete the sentence with full standard spelling. In the negative items, restore ne or n’ and keep pas. Keep tu where the cue uses tu: changing to vous is a separate choice about the relationship.
1 · Eight full forms for careful writing
- le temps ? (T’as le temps ? → forme complète)
- disponible demain ? (T’es disponible demain ? → forme complète)
- Je . (Je sais pas. → ajoute ne)
- Je encore répondu. (J’ai pas encore répondu. → forme complète)
- Il disponible. (Il est pas disponible. → forme complète)
- Nous venir. (Nous pouvons pas venir. → forme complète)
- Nora demain. (Nora vient pas demain. → forme complète)
- Je la question. (Je comprends pas la question. → forme complète)
When should you use casual reductions in French?
- Nora
T’as un moment ?
Have you got a moment?
- You
Oui, je suis disponible.
Yes, I’m available.
Bonjour Nora, as-tu un moment pour discuter demain ?
Hello Nora, have you got a moment to talk tomorrow?
A careful written message can keep tu with someone you already address that way.
A fuller reply fits naturally beside a friend’s reduced question. Choose a pace you can say clearly. For a recognition session, take one short recorded exchange, write its full meaning and listen again for the shorter sequence. Then try a fresh example with the same construction.