FRENCH GRAMMA BASICS

French Grammar Basics

1. Articles

● Definite Articles (Les Articles Définis):

○ Used to specify nouns that are known or specific.
○ Examples: Le (masculine singular), La (feminine singular), Les (plural)
○ Usage: Le livre (the book), La maison (the house), Les enfants (the
children)
● Indefinite Articles (Les Articles Indéfinis):
○ Used for nonspecific or introducing something for the first time.
○ Examples: Un (masculine singular), Une (feminine singular), Des (plural)
○ Usage: Un chat (a cat), Une pomme (an apple), Des livres (some books)

2. Nouns and Gender

● Gender of Nouns (Genre des Noms):

○ Every noun in French has a gender, either masculine or feminine.
○ Examples: Le garçon (the boy - masculine), La fille (the girl - feminine)
● Plural of Nouns (Pluriel des Noms):
○ Formed by adding 's' or 'es' to the singular form.
○ Examples: Les garçons (the boys), Les filles (the girls)

3. Adjectives

● Agreement with Nouns (Accord des Adjectifs):

○ Adjectives agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number
(singular/plural) with the nouns they modify.
○ Examples: Un grand livre (a big book), Une belle fille (a beautiful girl),
Des amis sympathiques (friendly friends)

4. Possessive Adjectives (Adjectifs Possessifs)

● Possessive Adjectives: Indicate possession or ownership.

○ Examples: Mon (my), Ma (my), Mes (my - plural), Ton (your), Ta (your),
Tes (your - plural), Son (his/her/its), Sa (his/her/its), Ses (his/her/its -
plural), Notre (our), Votre (your), Leur (their)
○ Usage: Mon livre (my book), Sa maison (his/her house), Leurs voitures
(their cars)

5. Verbs

● Conjugation of Verbs (Conjugaison des Verbes):

○ Verbs in French change their endings according to the subject (je, tu,
il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles).
○ Examples: Parler (to speak), Finir (to finish), Vendre (to sell)
● Verb Tenses:
 ○ Present Indicative (Présent de l'Indicatif): Used for actions happening
now or regularly.
■ Examples: Je parle (I speak), Tu finis (You finish), Il vend (He
sells)
○ Near Future (Futur Proche): Formed with the verb 'aller' + infinitive of
the main verb.
■ Examples: Je vais parler (I am going to speak), Tu vas finir (You
are going to finish)

6. Pronouns

● Subject Pronouns (Pronoms Sujets):

○ Used to replace nouns as the subject of a sentence.
○ Examples: Je (I), Tu (You), Il/Elle/On (He/She/One), Nous (We), Vous
(You), Ils/Elles (They)
● Object Pronouns (Pronoms Objets):
○ Replace nouns that are the object of a verb.
○ Direct Object Examples: Me, Te, Le/La, Nous, Vous, Les
○ Indirect Object Examples: Me, Te, Lui, Nous, Vous, Leur

7. Word Order

● Basic Sentence Structure (Structure de la Phrase):

○ Subject - Verb - Object (SVO) order in affirmative sentences.
○ Example: Marie lit un livre. (Marie reads a book.)
● Negation (Négation):
○ Place 'ne' before the conjugated verb and 'pas' after it to form negative
sentences.
○ Example: Je ne parle pas français. (I don't speak French.)

8. Questions (Questions):

● Inversion (Inversion):
○ Invert the subject and verb to form questions.
○ Example: Parlez-vous anglais ? (Do you speak English?)
● Est-ce que (Question Forming):
○ Use 'est-ce que' at the beginning of a sentence to form a yes/no
question.
○ Example: Est-ce que tu viens demain ? (Are you coming tomorrow?)