A Comprehensive Guide to Core French Grammar

Grammar is essential to the beauty and structure of the French language, enhancing clarity and elegance. Many learners fear French grammar, believing it to be overly complex. This article will demystify core French grammar topics, providing basic concepts and examples to ease understanding. Let’s begin!

Nouns

French nouns are either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns often end in consonants, while feminine nouns frequently end in “e.” For example:

Masculine: le livre (the book), un chien (a dog)

Feminine: la maison (the house), une voiture (a car)

Articles

French uses definite and indefinite articles that change with gender and number.

1. Indefinite articles:

Singular: un (masculine), une (feminine)

Plural: des (both genders)

Example: un livre (a book), une table (a table), des livres (books)

2. Definite articles:

Singular: le (masculine), la (feminine)

Plural: les (both genders)

Example: le livre (the book), la table (the table), les livres (the books)

3. Les Articles Partitifs

Du : Masculin singulier.

Example : Je veux du pain.

De la : Féminin singulier.

Example: Elle boit de la soupe.

De l’ : Singulier commençant par une voyelle ou un ‘h’ muet.

Example: Il boit de l’eau.

Des : Pluriel masculin ou féminin.

Example: Ils mangent des fruits.

Verbs in French

Verbs are words that indicate actions, states, or occurrences. They are an essential part of sentences and are conjugated based on the subject, tense, and mood. 

Action Verbs (Verbes d’action)

Action verbs describe physical or mental actions. Examples include:

• Parler (to speak)
• Manger (to eat)
• Penser (to think)

Infinitive (Infinitif)

The infinitive form of a verb is its base form, often translated as “to [verb].” It is used in dictionary entries and when verbs are not conjugated. Examples:

• Aimer (to love)
• Finir (to finish)
• Vendre (to sell)

Verb Groups (Groupes de verbes)

French verbs are divided into three groups based on their endings and conjugation patterns.

1. First Group: Verbs ending in -er (regular)

Example: parler (to speak)

2. Second Group: Verbs ending in -ir (regular)

Example: finir (to finish)

3. Third Group: Verbs ending in -re and irregular verbs

Example: vendre (to sell) – regular

Example: être (to be) – irregular

Conjugation (Conjugaison)

Conjugation involves changing the verb form to match the subject and tense. Here are the present tense conjugations for regular and key irregular verbs:

Regular -er Verb: Parler (to speak)

• Je parle (I speak)
• Tu parles (You speak)
• Il/Elle parle (He/She speaks)
• Nous parlons (We speak)
• Vous parlez (You speak)
• Ils/Elles parlent (They speak)

Regular -ir Verb: Finir (to finish)

• Je finis (I finish)
• Tu finis (You finish)
• Il/Elle finit (He/She finishes)
• Nous finissons (We finish)
• Vous finissez (You finish)
• Ils/Elles finissent (They finish)

Regular -re Verb: Vendre (to sell)

• Je vends (I sell)
• Tu vends (You sell)
• Il/Elle vend (He/She sells)
• Nous vendons (We sell)
• Vous vendez (You sell)
• Ils/Elles vendent (They sell)

Irregular Verb: Être (to be)

• Je suis (I am)
• Tu es (You are)
• Il/Elle est (He/She is)
• Nous sommes (We are)
• Vous êtes (You are)
• Ils/Elles sont (They are)

Irregular Verb: Avoir (to have)

• J’ai (I have)
• Tu as (You have)
• Il/Elle a (He/She has)
• Nous avons (We have)
• Vous avez (You have)
• Ils/Elles ont (They have)

Irregular Verb: Aller (to go)

• Je vais (I go)
• Tu vas (You go)
• Il/Elle va (He/She goes)
• Nous allons (We go)
• Vous allez (You go)
• Ils/Elles vont (They go)

Tenses (Temps)

Tenses are used to indicate the time at which an action occurs. They are divided into several categories based on when the action takes place (past, present, future) and the aspect of the action (simple, continuous, perfect).

Present (Présent)

The present tense describes actions currently happening or habitual actions.

Example: Parler (to speak)

• Je parle (I speak)
• Il parle (He speaks)

Passé Composé

The passé composé indicates a completed action in the past.

Example: Manger (to eat)

• J’ai mangé (I ate)
• Nous avons mangé (We ate)

Imparfait

The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions and sets scenes in the past.

Example: Finir (to finish)

• Je finissais (I was finishing)
• Ils finissaient (They were finishing)

Passé Simple

The passé simple is a literary tense used in formal writing for completed past actions.

Example: Parler (to speak)

• Il parla (He spoke)
• Nous parlâmes (We spoke)

Plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait indicates an action that happened before another past action.

Example: Vendre (to sell)

• J’avais vendu (I had sold)
• Vous aviez vendu (You had sold)

Futur Simple

The futur simple describes actions that will happen in the future.

Example: Aller (to go)

• J’irai (I will go)
• Nous irons (We will go)

Futur Proche

The futur proche indicates an action that is going to happen soon.

Example: Aimer (to love)

• Je vais aimer (I am going to love)
• Ils vont aimer (They are going to love)

Futur Antérieur

The futur antérieur describes an action that will have been completed before another future action.

Example: Finir (to finish)

• J’aurai fini (I will have finished)
• Elle aura fini (She will have finished)

These examples cover the main tenses in French, demonstrating how verbs change to convey different times and aspects of actions.

Mood (Humeur)

Moods are verb forms that express the speaker’s attitude towards the action or state. They indicate the manner in which the action is presented.

Indicative (Indicatif)

The indicative mood is used to state facts, describe reality, and make declarations.

Example: Parler (to speak): Je parle français. (I speak French.)

Imperative (Impératif)

The imperative mood is used to give commands, instructions, or requests.

Examples:

• Parler (to speak): Parle plus fort! (Speak louder!)
• Finir (to finish): Finis tes devoirs. (Finish your homework.)

Conditional (Conditionnel)

The conditional mood is used to express hypothetical situations, possibilities, and polite requests. It often translates to “would” in English.

Examples:

• Aimer (to love): J’aimerais voyager. (I would like to travel.)
• Pouvoir (to be able to): Pourriez-vous m’aider? (Could you help me?)

Subjunctive (Subjonctif)

The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, emotion, desire, necessity, or uncertainty. It is often found in dependent clauses introduced by “que.”

Examples:

• Être (to be): Il faut que tu sois là. (It is necessary that you be there.)
• Avoir (to have): Je veux que tu aies ce livre. (I want you to have this book.)

Adjectives (Adjectifs)

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, providing more information about them. They agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the nouns they describe.

Gender and Number Agreement:

French adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

Examples:

• Masculine Singular: un livre intéressant (an interesting book)
• Feminine Singular: une maison intéressante (an interesting house)
• Masculine Plural: des livres intéressants (interesting books)
• Feminine Plural: des maisons intéressantes (interesting houses)

Positioning Rules:

Adjectives in French usually follow the noun they modify. However, some common adjectives, often related to beauty, age, goodness, and size (BAGS), precede the noun.

Examples:

• Following the noun: une voiture rouge (a red car)
• Preceding the noun: un grand homme (a tall man)

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns. They describe whether something has more, less, or the same quality as something else.

Formation:

To form the comparative, use “plus” (more), “moins” (less), or “aussi” (as) before the adjective, followed by “que” (than).

Examples:

• More: plus grand que (bigger than)
• Less: moins cher que (less expensive than)
• As: aussi intelligent que (as intelligent as)

Irregular Examples:

Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms.

Examples:

• Bon (good): meilleur (better)
• Ce gâteau est meilleur que l’autre. (This cake is better than the other.)
• Mauvais (bad): pire (worse)
• Cette situation est pire que la précédente. (This situation is worse than the previous one.)

Adverbs (Les Adverbes)

Placement

Adverbs in French can modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences. Their placement depends on what they modify:

• Verbs: Adverbs usually follow the verb they modify. Example: Elle parle doucement. (She speaks softly.)
• Adjectives or Other Adverbs: Adverbs precede the adjectives or other adverbs they modify. Example: Elle est très intelligente. (She is very intelligent.)
• Sentences: Adverbs modifying entire sentences often appear at the beginning or end of the sentence. Example: Heureusement, il a réussi. (Fortunately, he succeeded.)

Endings

Many French adverbs are formed by adding the suffix -ment to the feminine form of an adjective. If the adjective ends in a vowel, the suffix is added directly to the masculine form.

• Adjective (Masculine): lent (slow)
• Feminine Form: lente
• Adverb: lentement (slowly)
• Adjective (Ending in vowel): poli (polite)
• Adverb: poliment (politely)
• Adjective (Ending in -ant or -ent): Change -ant to -amment and -ent to -emment.
• Adjective: constant (constant) → Adverb: constamment (constantly)
• Adjective: évident (evident) → Adverb: évidemment (evidently)

Types

1. Adverbs of Manner (Adverbes de manière): Describe how an action is performed.

Example: bien (well), mal (badly), vite (quickly), lentement (slowly)

2. Adverbs of Place (Adverbes de lieu): Indicate location.

Example: ici (here), là (there), partout (everywhere), dehors (outside)

3. Adverbs of Time (Adverbes de temps): Indicate when an action occurs.

Example: aujourd’hui (today), demain (tomorrow), souvent (often), toujours (always)

4. Adverbs of Frequency (Adverbes de fréquence): Indicate how often an action occurs.

Example: toujours (always), souvent (often), rarement (rarely), jamais (never)

5. Adverbs of Quantity (Adverbes de quantité): Indicate the degree or amount.

Example: beaucoup (a lot), très (very), trop (too much), assez (enough)

6. Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation (Adverbes d’affirmation et de négation): Confirm or deny an action.

Example: oui (yes), non (no), sûrement (surely), ne… pas (not)

7. Interrogative Adverbs (Adverbes interrogatifs): Used to ask questions.

Examples: pourquoi (why), comment (how), quand (when), où (where)

8. Relative Adverbs (Adverbes relatifs): Introduce relative clauses.

Example: où (where), quand (when), pourquoi (why)

Pronouns (Pronoms)

Pronouns are words used to replace nouns to avoid repetition and indicate who is performing an action, who is receiving an action, or to whom something belongs.

1. Personal Pronouns (Pronoms personnels)

Personal pronouns replace specific nouns representing people or things and agree in number, gender, and person.

Subject Pronouns:

• Je (I)
• Tu (You – singular informal)
• Il/Elle/On (He/She/One)
• Nous (We)
• Vous (You – singular formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles (They – masculine/feminine)

Examples:

Je parle. (I speak.)

Nous mangeons. (We eat.)

Direct Object Pronouns:

• Me (me)
• Te (you – singular)
• Le/La (him/her/it)
• Nous (us)
• Vous (you – singular formal/plural)
• Les (them)

Example: Elle les connaît. (She knows them.)

Indirect Object Pronouns:

• Me (to me)
• Te (to you – singular informal)
• Lui (to him/her)
• Nous (to us)
• Vous (to you – singular formal/plural)
• Leur (to them)

Examples: Je lui parle. (I speak to him.)

2. Possessive Pronouns (Pronoms possessifs)

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership and agree with the noun they replace.

Examples: Ces idées sont les nôtres. (These ideas are ours.)

3. Reflexive Pronouns (Pronoms réfléchis)

Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject performs the action on itself. They are used with reflexive verbs.

• Me (myself)
• Te (yourself – singular informal)
• Se (himself/herself/itself)
• Nous (ourselves)
• Vous (yourself – singular formal/yourselves)
• Se (themselves)

Example: Ils se parlent. (They talk to themselves.)

4. Relative Pronouns (Pronoms relatifs)

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, providing more information about a noun.

• Qui (who, that, which)
• Que (whom, that, which)
• Dont (whose, of which)
• Où (where, when)

Example: La personne qui parle est mon ami. (The person who is speaking is my friend.)

5. Interrogative Pronouns (Pronoms interrogatifs)

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.

• Qui (who)
• Que (what)
• Quoi (what)
• Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles (which one)

Example: Qui est là? (Who is there?)

6. Demonstrative Pronouns (Pronoms démonstratifs)

Demonstrative pronouns refer to specific things or people.

• Celui, celle, ceux, celles (this one, that one, these ones, those ones)
• Ceci, cela, ça (this, that)

Example: Celle-ci est ma voiture. (This one is my car.)

7. Indefinite Pronouns (Pronoms indéfinis)

Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things in a general way.

• Quelqu’un (someone)
• Quelque chose (something)
• Personne (no one)
• Rien (nothing)
• Chacun, chacune (each one)
• Tout, tous, toutes (all, everything, everyone)

Example: Rien n’est impossible. (Nothing is impossible.)

8. Adverbial Pronouns (Pronoms adverbiaux)

Adverbial pronouns replace phrases involving prepositions and their objects.

Y (there, to it, to them) replaces phrases with “à” (to, at) when referring to a place or thing.

En (some, any, of it, of them) replaces phrases with “de” (of, from) when referring to quantities or parts.

Example: J’y vais. (I am going there.)

Prepositions (Prépositions)

Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They indicate relationships of direction, place, time, cause, manner, and possession. Here are some common French prepositions and their usage:

Common Prepositions and Examples

1. À (to, at, in)

Example: Je vais à Paris. (I am going to Paris.)

2. De (of, from, about)

Example: Je viens de France. (I come from France.)

3. En (in, to, by)

Example: Il va en voiture. (He goes by car.)

4. Dans (in, inside)

Example: Les clés sont dans le tiroir. (The keys are in the drawer.)

5. Sur (on, upon)

Example: Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.)

For more, refer to preposition blog on La Forêt.

Conjunctions (les connecteurs)

Conjunctions are words that connect clauses, sentences, or words. There are two main types: coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions (Connecteurs de coordination)

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or independent clauses of equal syntactic importance. The most common French coordinating conjunctions are:

1. Et (and)

Example: Elle aime les chats et les chiens. (She likes cats and dogs.)

Example: Nous mangeons et nous buvons. (We eat and we drink.)

2. Mais (but)

Example: Il veut venir, mais il ne peut pas. (He wants to come, but he can’t.)

Example: C’est cher, mais c’est bon. (It is expensive, but it is good.)

3. Ou (or)

Example: Tu veux du thé ou du café? (Do you want tea or coffee?)

Example: Il faut choisir, partir ou rester. (You have to choose, leave or stay.)

4. Donc (therefore, so)

Example: Il pleut, donc je reste à la maison. (It’s raining, so I stay at home.)

Example: Tu es fatigué, donc tu devrais te reposer. (You are tired, so you should rest.)

5. Ni (neither, nor)

Example: Ni toi ni moi ne savons la réponse. (Neither you nor I know the answer.)

Example: Elle ne mange ni viande ni poisson. (She eats neither meat nor fish.)

6. Car (because, for)

Example: Je ne viens pas, car je suis malade. (I am not coming because I am sick.)

Example: Il est heureux, car il a réussi. (He is happy because he succeeded.)

7. Puis (then)

Example: Il a fini ses devoirs puis il est sorti. (He finished his homework, then he went out.)

Example: Nous avons mangé, puis nous avons regardé un film. (We ate, then we watched a movie.)

Subordinating Conjunctions (Conjonctions de subordination)

Subordinating conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. They introduce subordinate clauses that cannot stand alone. Common French subordinating conjunctions include:

1. Parce que (because)

Example: Il est resté à la maison parce qu’il était malade. (He stayed home because he was sick.)

Example: Je l’aime parce qu’il est gentil. (I love him because he is kind.)

2. Quand (when)

Example: Quand il arrive, nous commencerons. (When he arrives, we will start.)

Example: Je suis heureux quand tu es ici. (I am happy when you are here.)

3. Si (if)

Example: Si tu viens, appelle-moi. (If you come, call me.)

Example: Si j’avais su, je serais venu. (If I had known, I would have come.)

4. Comme (as, since, because)

Example: Comme il pleuvait, nous sommes restés à l’intérieur. (As it was raining, we stayed inside.)

Example: Comme tu es là, tu peux m’aider. (Since you are here, you can help me.)

5. Bien que (although)

Example: Bien qu’il soit tard, il travaille encore. (Although it is late, he is still working.)

Example: Bien qu’elle soit fatiguée, elle continue. (Although she is tired, she continues.)

6. Pour que (so that)

Example: Il travaille dur pour qu’il puisse réussir. (He works hard so that he can succeed.)

Example: Parle plus fort pour que tout le monde t’entende. (Speak louder so that everyone can hear you.)

7. Avant que (before)

Example: Finis tes devoirs avant que tu sortes. (Finish your homework before you go out.)

Example: Avant qu’il parte, donne-lui le livre. (Before he leaves, give him the book.)

8. Afin que (in order that)

Example: Je lui explique afin qu’il comprenne. (I explain to him in order that he understands.)

Example: Écrivez cela afin que vous ne l’oubliez pas. (Write that down in order that you don’t forget it.)

To Sum Up…

With practice, mastering French grammar is achievable, enhancing both beauty and fluency. For a deeper dive into the language, explore La Forêt—your gateway to fluent French. French grammar, with its unique structure and rules, is integral to the language’s elegance and precision. 

While it may initially seem challenging, breaking it down into manageable parts, such as nouns, verbs, tenses, moods, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions, makes it more approachable. Understanding casual speech and exclamations also adds to conversational fluency. 

By consistently practicing and utilizing resources like La Forêt, you can master French grammar and enjoy the rich expressiveness of the language. Embrace the learning journey, and let the beauty of French unfold in your communication.