French Grammar

Personal subject pronouns (je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles) including the formal 'vous' and impersonal 'on'. Essential foundation for verb conjugation.

Grammatical gender (masculine/feminine) of French nouns. Patterns include -tion/-sion (f), -ment (m), -age (m), -ure (f), with many exceptions to memorize.

Regular plural formation by adding -s (often silent). Special rules for words ending in -au/-eau (→-x), -al (→-aux), and irregular plurals like œil→yeux.

Definite articles (le, la, l', les) that agree in gender and number with the noun. L' is used before vowels and silent h.

Indefinite articles (un, une, des) meaning 'a/an' (singular) or 'some' (plural). Des becomes de/d' before adjectives preceding nouns.

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des) express unspecified quantities ('some'). Critical for food/drink contexts. Become de/d' after negation or expressions of quantity.

The irregular verb 'être' (je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont). Used for identity, origin, professions, and with adjectives.

The irregular verb 'avoir' (j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont) and idiomatic expressions (avoir faim, soif, froid, chaud, peur, raison, tort, besoin de).

Present tense conjugation of regular verbs ending in -er (parler, manger, habiter, travailler). The largest verb class (~90% of French verbs). Endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Present tense conjugation of regular -ir verbs with -iss- expansion (finir, choisir, réussir, rougir). Endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

Present tense conjugation of regular verbs ending in -re (attendre, vendre, répondre, descendre). Endings: -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent (no ending for il/elle).

Irregular verb 'aller' (je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont). Used for motion and to form near future (aller + infinitive).

Irregular verb 'venir' (je viens, tu viens, il/elle vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils/elles viennent). Also covers related verbs: devenir, revenir, tenir.

Highly irregular verb 'faire' (je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font) with many expressions: faire du sport, faire la cuisine, il fait beau.

Modal verb 'pouvoir' expressing ability or permission (je peux, tu peux, il/elle peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils/elles peuvent). Used with infinitive.

Modal verb 'vouloir' expressing desire (je veux, tu veux, il/elle veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils/elles veulent). Polite form: je voudrais.

Modal verb 'devoir' expressing obligation (je dois, tu dois, il/elle doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils/elles doivent). Also means 'to owe'.

Two verbs for 'to know': savoir (je sais, tu sais...) for facts and skills (+ infinitive), connaître (je connais...) for familiarity with people, places, things.

Irregular verb 'prendre' (je prends, tu prends, il/elle prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils/elles prennent). Also: apprendre, comprendre, surprendre.

Verbs with reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous, se): se lever, se coucher, s'appeler, se laver, s'habiller. Pronoun agrees with subject.

Basic negation with ne...pas surrounding the conjugated verb. Ne becomes n' before vowels. In spoken French, 'ne' is often dropped.

Expression 'il y a' for 'there is/there are' (invariable). Negative: il n'y a pas de. Question: Est-ce qu'il y a...? / Y a-t-il...?

Adjective agreement: add -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for feminine plural. Most adjectives follow the noun. Written changes often not pronounced.

Adjectives that precede the noun (BANGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size): beau, joli, jeune, vieux, nouveau, ancien, bon, mauvais, grand, petit, gros.

Adjectives with irregular feminine forms: beau→belle, nouveau→nouvelle, vieux→vieille, blanc→blanche, long→longue, and special forms before vowels: bel, nouvel, vieil.

Possessive adjectives agree with the possessed noun: mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses, notre/nos, votre/vos, leur/leurs. Use mon/ton/son before feminine nouns starting with vowel.

Demonstrative adjectives: ce (m), cet (m before vowel/h), cette (f), ces (pl) meaning 'this/that/these/those'. Add -ci/-là for distinction: ce livre-ci, ce livre-là.

Prepositions for location: à (at/to), de (from), dans (in/inside), sur (on), sous (under), devant (in front of), derrière (behind), entre (between), chez (at someone's place).

Prepositions with geographical names: en (fem countries/continents), au (masc countries), aux (plural), à (cities). From: de/d' (fem/vowel), du (masc), des (plural).

Mandatory contractions: à + le = au, à + les = aux, de + le = du, de + les = des. No contraction with la or l'.

Question words: qui (who), que/quoi (what), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why). Three ways to ask: intonation, est-ce que, inversion.

Question words for quantity: combien (de) (how much/many), quel/quelle/quels/quelles (which/what). Quel agrees in gender and number with the noun.

Cardinal numbers 0-100. Note: soixante-dix (70), quatre-vingts (80), quatre-vingt-dix (90). Un becomes une before feminine nouns.

Ordinal numbers: premier/première (1st), then add -ième: deuxième, troisième, etc. Note: cinquième (5th), neuvième (9th). Agree in gender/number.

Telling time (Quelle heure est-il? Il est une heure. Il est deux heures.), days of the week, months, expressing dates. Uses le + day for habitual actions.

Adverbs of frequency (toujours, souvent, parfois, rarement, jamais) and time (aujourd'hui, demain, hier, maintenant, puis, d'abord, ensuite, enfin).

Adverbs of place: ici (here), là/là-bas (there), près (near), loin (far), dedans (inside), dehors (outside), partout (everywhere), quelque part (somewhere).

Quantity expressions followed by de (no article): beaucoup de, peu de, trop de, assez de, un peu de, plus de, moins de. Also très, trop, assez with adjectives.

Stressed/disjunctive pronouns (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) used after prepositions, for emphasis, in comparisons, and with c'est.

Direct object pronouns (me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les) replace direct objects. Placed before the conjugated verb. Le/la become l' before vowels.

Indirect object pronouns (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) for 'to/for someone'. Placed before verb. Lui = to him/her, leur = to them.

Common coordinating conjunctions: et (and), ou (or), mais (but), donc (so/therefore), car (because/for), ni...ni (neither...nor), or (now/yet - literary).

Compound past tense with auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participle. Most verbs use avoir. DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs and reflexives use être (participle agrees with subject).

Common verbs with irregular past participles: faire→fait, être→été, avoir→eu, prendre→pris, mettre→mis, voir→vu, dire→dit, écrire→écrit, lire→lu, boire→bu.

Verbs using être as auxiliary (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP: devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, rentrer, tomber, retourner, arriver, mourir, partir). Participle agrees with subject.

Reflexive verbs always use être in passé composé. Participle agrees with reflexive pronoun (if it's the direct object). Je me suis levé(e), tu t'es couché(e).

Pronoun 'y' replaces à + place or à + thing (not people). Means 'there' or 'to/about it'. Placed before verb. Common: j'y vais, on y va, il y a.

Pronoun 'en' replaces de + noun (partitive, quantity, origin). Means 'some/any/of it/from there'. J'en veux, j'en ai trois, j'en viens.

Extended negation patterns: ne...jamais (never), ne...rien (nothing), ne...personne (nobody), ne...plus (no longer), ne...que (only), ne...ni...ni (neither...nor).

Past tense for habitual actions, descriptions, ongoing states. Formed from nous stem + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Only irregular: être (j'étais).

Immediate future formed with aller + infinitive. Expresses planned or imminent actions. Je vais manger, tu vas partir, on va voir.

Immediate past formed with venir de + infinitive. Expresses actions just completed. Je viens de manger = I just ate.

Comparative forms: plus...que (more than), moins...que (less than), aussi...que (as...as). Irregular: meilleur (better), mieux (better-adverb), pire (worse).

Basic relative pronouns: qui (subject - who/which/that), que/qu' (direct object - whom/which/that). Qui is followed by verb, que by subject+verb.

Commands using tu, nous, vous forms without subject. Tu form of -er verbs drops final -s (parle! but finis!). Irregulars: être (sois), avoir (aie), savoir (sache).

Order of multiple object pronouns: me/te/se/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur + y + en. Je te le donne. Il me l'a dit.

Future tense formed with infinitive + avoir endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont). Irregular stems: être→ser-, avoir→aur-, aller→ir-, faire→fer-, venir→viendr-.

Conditional formed with future stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient). Used for polite requests, hypotheticals, and reported speech.

Contrast between tenses: imparfait for background, habits, descriptions; passé composé for completed actions, events. Often used together in narratives.

Subjunctive mood for wishes, doubts, emotions, necessity after que. Formed from ils stem + -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Irregular: être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, savoir.

Expressions requiring subjunctive: il faut que, vouloir que, aimer que, avoir peur que, avant que, pour que, bien que, jusqu'à ce que, à moins que.

Past-before-past tense: imperfect of avoir/être + past participle. Used for actions completed before another past action. J'avais mangé quand il est arrivé.

Superlative forms: le/la/les plus/moins + adjective (+ de). Irregular: le meilleur (the best), le pire (the worst). Position follows adjective rules.

Additional relative pronouns: où (where/when), dont (whose/of which/about which). Dont replaces de + noun. Le livre dont je parle = The book I'm talking about.

Passive formed with être + past participle (agrees with subject). Agent introduced by par. Le livre est lu par les étudiants. Can be avoided with on.

Reported speech with verbs like dire, demander, répondre. Changes: que for statements, si for yes/no questions, question words remain. Tense shifts apply.

Faire + infinitive for having something done. Je fais réparer ma voiture = I'm having my car repaired. Se faire + infinitive for things done to oneself.

Gerund formed with en + present participle (-ant). Expresses simultaneity, manner, or condition. En parlant, en mangeant. Tout en emphasizes simultaneity.

Impersonal constructions with il: il faut, il est + adjective + de, il semble que, il paraît que, il vaut mieux, il s'agit de. Some trigger subjunctive.

If-then constructions: Si + present → future/imperative (real), Si + imparfait → conditionnel (unreal present). Si jamais, au cas où.

Past subjunctive formed with subjunctive of avoir/être + past participle. Used for past actions in subjunctive contexts. Je suis content qu'il soit venu.

Past conditional formed with conditional of avoir/être + past participle. Used for hypotheticals about the past, regrets. J'aurais voulu, il serait venu.

Third conditional: Si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé. For contrary-to-fact past situations. Mixed conditionals also possible.

Relative pronouns with prepositions: lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles (which), contracted with à (auquel) and de (duquel). Ce qui, ce que, ce dont for abstract references.

Present participle (-ant) used as adjective (agreeing) or verbal (invariable). Distinguished from gerund (en + -ant). Étant donné que, sachant que.

Past infinitive: avoir/être + past participle. Used after après (après avoir mangé), with some verbs, and in certain expressions. Shows completed action.

Emphatic constructions: c'est...qui/que for focus, ce qui/que...c'est for cleft sentences. Moi, je... and other fronting patterns.

Future perfect: future of avoir/être + past participle. Used for actions completed before another future action, or for probability about the past.

Complex conjunctions: bien que, quoique (although - subj), afin que, pour que (so that - subj), tandis que, alors que (while/whereas), dès que, aussitôt que (as soon as).

Ne...que meaning 'only' (not truly negative). Combinations: ne...plus que, ne...jamais que. Sans + infinitive/noun without negation in dependent clause.

Formation: feminine adjective + -ment (lentement, doucement). Exceptions: -ant→-amment, -ent→-emment. Irregulars: bien, mal, vite. Position rules.

Literary past tense for completed actions in narratives. Used in formal writing, literature, history. Three patterns: -er→-ai, -ir/-re→-is/-us. Many irregular forms.

Literary pluperfect: passé simple of avoir/être + past participle. Used after quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que in literary texts for immediate anteriority.

Literary subjunctive for past hypotheticals and formal sequence of tenses. Based on passé simple stem + -sse, -sses, -^t, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent. Rare in modern usage.

Complex tense agreement in subordinate clauses. Literary vs modern usage. Shifts in indirect speech. Future-in-past, conditional perfect, hypothetical sequences.

Formal impersonal constructions: il appert que, il échoit à, il incombe à, il ressort que. Administrative and legal language patterns.

Formal subject-verb inversion after certain adverbs (ainsi, aussi, à peine, peut-être, sans doute) and in relative clauses. Stylistic emphasis.

Converting verbs/adjectives to nouns for formal style: développer→développement, possible→possibilité. Common in academic and journalistic writing.

Formal vocabulary and constructions: auprès de, nonobstant, en dépit de, moyennant, eu égard à. Full ne retention, subjunctive preference, formal pronouns.

Pronominal verbs with different meanings: se passer (happen vs do without), se rendre (go vs realize), se mettre à (start), s'en prendre à (blame), s'y connaître (be expert).

Phonetic linking rules: required liaisons (article+noun, subject+verb), forbidden liaisons (et+vowel, singular noun+adj), optional liaisons for register.

Literary subjunctive: imperfect subjunctive of avoir/être + past participle. Used for past hypotheticals in literary texts. Extremely formal register.

Extremely rare compound tense: conditional of avoir + eu/été + past participle. Regional usage (primarily Swiss, Belgian) for emphasis in past hypotheticals.

Non-negative 'ne' in formal style after avant que, à moins que, de peur que, empêcher que, comparisons (plus que), and verbs of fearing.

Archaic vocabulary and constructions found in literature: point (ne...point), céans, naguère, moult, icelle, féal. Recognition and stylistic use.

Colloquial and informal French: omission of 'ne', 'on' for 'nous', question with intonation, verlan, truncation (resto, sympa), fillers (genre, quoi, tu vois).

Differences across French-speaking regions: Belgian (septante, nonante), Swiss (huitante), Québécois (char, blonde, pogner), African French vocabulary and structures.

Stylistic constructions: litote (understatement), hyperbole, chiasmus, anaphora. Question rhétorique, sentence fragmenting for effect, suspense construction.

Advanced connectors for argumentation: en revanche, néanmoins, toutefois, par ailleurs, en outre, force est de constater, il n'en demeure pas moins, toujours est-il que.

Bureaucratic and legal French: passive constructions, nominalization, technical terms, formal closings, fixed expressions in official documents.