1. Considering the sentences structure in English is subject + verb+ object.

Is there a
possibility in the French language that the verb comes before the subject in a
sentence?
The imperative sentence is an example of a sentence without a subject, that starts with
a verb. For example: Viens ici! Arrête de parler! This type of sentence is used to give
advice, orders, or instructions.

Also, “la phrase infinitive” is an example of a sentence that does not follow the typical
sentence structure rule of subject+verb+object or sujet+verbe+complement or sujet +
prédicat. This type of sentence is introduced by a verb in its infinitive form, for example:
“Nager, quelle bonheur!” There is no subject or conjugated verb, also known as the
“prédicat” in French. This type of sentence is mostly use for the construction of sayings,
of rules, or instructions.

2. Since in the French language the morphology is based on gender of words

masculine or feminine how do we identify that a word belongs to which group?
For example: Why do we say la lune not le lune?
In French, the origin of the word can at times determine the gender of the word. But, as
I am not an expert in that domain, I would prefer to not venture into it.

Generally, the type of word can generate its gender, for example, “un père” “une mère”
or you can add an “e” to certain noun to make it feminine, “un enseignant” – “une
enseignante”.

For some other words, there are some rules that applied (but with some exceptions at
times).
 Generally, nouns that end in -tion (une définition, une information), in -ade, (une
parade), in -esse (une promesse, une messe), in -ie (la vie), in -ette (une cigarette,
une bicyclette) … are generally feminine;
 Generally, nouns that end in -ail (le travail), in -al (le journal), in -ment (le
gouvernement), in -eu (le neveu) … are generally masculine.
 Names of months, days of the weeks, seasons, trees are generally masculine: (le
mardi, le pommier, le printemps…);
 Names of shops and brands of cars are mostly feminine: (la boulangerie, la
boucherie… une Peugeot, une Porsche…);

Basically, in French it is a matter of learning the rules or just reading and practising to
discover and learn the gender of words. It just “sounds” better to say “la lune” instead
of “le lune”.

3. In English there is basically three main tenses of verb. Compare to the English
language how many tenses there are in french. Provide at least two examples and its
use.
In French, there are different modes of verbs and in each mode that are different
tenses. The modes are: Indicative, conditional, subjunctive, imperative, infinitive,
participle and gerund. Not all modes have the same number of tenses. The basic tenses
are present and past. So, if you take the indicative mode, which is the one most
commonly used, for presentation of reality and facts; it consists of 8 tenses, which I will
give in French: le présent, l’imparfait, le passé simple, le future simple, le passé
composé, le plus-que-parfait, le passé antérieur et le futur antérieur.

The present tense is used to present actions taking place right now in the present.
However, it can be used in the construction of the past and future as well. For example:
Past: Je viens de terminer mon devoir.
Futur: Je vais faire du shopping demain.

The imperfect tense (of indicative) is used to describe events of the past. For example:
Quand j’étais petite, j’allais à la plage tous les jours.

4. Based on the Syntax rules how many types of clauses are there and what they are
called?
In French, clause is called “proposition”. It is a sentence or a part of a sentence that
consists of a verb. Therefore, the number of conjugated verbs in a sentence refers to the
number of “proposition” or clause in a sentence.

There are mainly 3 types: independent clause (proposition indépendante), principal

clause (proposition principale) and subordinated clause (proposition subordonnée).

5. What was the biggest challenge to you when learning the French language.
As a French teacher, the biggest challenge is not really learning the language but maybe
teaching it. The types of questions you get from learners. For example, why a word is
feminine and not masculine. Some questions do not have answers, it is a matter of
learning and practicing it. A language is not just about learning the rules; one needs to
practice it, needs to speak it.

Still, I can still say that a challenge can be the expressions used. Living and teaching in
Quebec right now, I am discovering expressions that are different from the ones I am
used to. It’s a challenge if students ask questions and I do not have the answers readily,
but it’s mostly interesting to learn more and discover a whole new French language.

6. What message would you have for the young generation learning the French?
Read, watch French movies, documentaries, go out and interact in French. Don’t think
too much about the learning the rules by heart, in times you’ll get it, just try to live it!!