French Grammar

Gender

Articles

French articles are more frequent than English.

indefinite articles: un m, une f.

definite article: le m la f, l'; les p;

definite article this: ce, cette, ces these

du, de la, des before uncountable nouns or a nonspecific number of nouns.

occupation: articles not required, except in c'est, ce sont sentences

cousin, cousine regardless of the parental side or elder and younger.

Nouns

Adjectives

BAGS adjectives precede before nouns

quel, quelle - to express appreciation on the attributes

agree with the gender and amount of the described
adj f normally ends in -e sometimes the sound changes a bit

Adj p usually adds s to singular

-eux m and mp ending -> -euse f ending, -euses fp ending

compare - plus ... que more adj than; moins ... que less adj than

aussi ... que as adj as.

most - le, la, les plus + adj

tous les deux both mp and toutes les deux both fp.

Adverbs

Adverbs seem to often follow the verbs, before the adjectives.

-ment is like "-ly" in English.

tout meaning "very, so" before adjectives other than seul.

Pronouns

je; mon my m, ma my f, mes my p; à moi to me -> me myself, me; le mien mine;

il, elle; son his, her m, sa his, her f, ses his, her p; à lui -> lui; à elle -> lui; le him, it m, la her; se himself, herself.

ils, elles; les them; se themselves; à eux -> leur; à elles -> leur; le leur, la leur theirs, les leurs theirs p,

nous we; notre our, nos our p; à nous -> nous ourselves, us; le nôtre, la nôtre ours, les nôtres ours p.

vous you p and formal settings or with strangers; votre your, vos your p; à vous -> vous yourselves, you; le vôtre, la vôtre yours, les vôtres yours p.

se each other

this one, that one; these ones, those ones

use c'est when un, ma, ... needed before the noun

use il, elle est when a noun or an adj immediately follows

me, te, nous, vous; le, la, les; lui to him, her, it, leur to them, all precede verbs.

en precedes verbs to replace mentioned nouns after du, de la, des; beaucoup de; trop de, plein de, combien de; as long as it's not a person.

y precedes verbs to replace any mentioned nouns that comes after a=, as long as it's not a person.

qui who, that, followed by the verb @@.

que that, not followed by the verb.

lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles.

Verbs types

common irregular verbs present tense

-er verbs present tense

-ir verbs - many have -ss- for ils, elles; nous; vous forms.

-re verbs

Verbs

Action to someone

verbs preceded by reflexive pronouns

verbs with objects

je form without s in the end

verbs followed by a=.

verbs followed by de.

il faut du, de la, des you need something in general.

Preposition

à.

en

dans

de.

chez at someone's place

avec with

sur

derrière behind

devant in front of

après after

près near

loin far

Conjunctions

parce que because, and a= cause de because of.

Numbers

Negation

ne n' before a vowel, sometimes omitted in spoken French + verb + pas.

passé composé être.

pas can be replaced with jamais never, rien nothing, plus any more

Question

Yes or no questions

Ask for or offer help.

Question with avoir about il, elle.

quel

where?

qui who?

Command

tu forms.

You can also directly use the vous form

Negation requires the vous and te.

for reflective se + verbs - "verb hyphen" format

When giving command with le, la, les him, it m; her, it f; them.

Subordination