The French Fluency Formula - Master The Language

THE FRENCH FLUENCY
FORMULA
To my parents Moïse and Tasnime Fazlehoussen
whose love and blessings are with me in whatever I pursue.
And to my wife Tasneem and my wonderful son Mansoor

whose constant love and support made this book possible.
Contents
How it all started
Origins of the French language
Chapter 1: Sounds of the French Language
Alphabet, Diacritics, and Ligatures
Alphabet
Diacritics
Ligatures
Sounds of French vowels
Sounds of French consonants
Liaison
Elision
Chapter 2: Essential Grammar
Second language acquisition
Listening
Importance of Grammar
Comprehensible Input
Creative vocabulary
Reasoning styles: Principles-first versus Applications-first
Articles
Contracted articles
Nouns
Gender
Plurals
Subject pronouns
Numbers
Verbs
How to recognize a verb
Action verbs and stative verbs in French
The infinitive
The three verb groups in French
Verb conjugation
Auxiliary verbs
Moods
Personal moods
Impersonal moods
Tenses
Actions of the present moment
Actions of the past
Sentence structure
Declarative sentence
Imperative sentence
Negation sentence
Compound sentences | Coordinating conjunctions
Complex sentences | Subordinating conjunctions
Interrogative sentence
Adjective
Making adjectives agree
Adjective order
Demonstrative adjectives
Possessive adjectives
Adverbs
Prepositions
Existential clauses
Interjections
Summary
Chapter 3: Advanced Grammar
Pronouns
Stressed pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Personal pronouns
Possessive pronouns
Relative pronouns
Adverbial pronouns
Verb pronominal
Reflexive verbs
Idiomatic verbs
Reciprocal verbs
Passive verbs
Moods
Personal moods
Impersonal moods
Choose between the infinitive or the imperative
Tenses
Actions of the past
Complément d'object direct (COD)
Agreement with COD
Direct object pronouns
Complément d'objet indirect (COI)
Indirect object pronouns
Complément d'objet second (COS)
Active and passive forms
Active voice
Passive voice
Pronoun voice
Useful dialogues
Punctuation in French
Summary
Chapter 4: Language Acquisition Techniques
Second Language Learning (L2)
Language pedagogy
The grammar translation method
Audio-lingual method
The oral approach and situational language teaching
Directed practice
Direct method
Communicative language teaching (CLT)
Language immersion
Silent way
Community language learning
Suggestopedia
Natural approach
Total physical response
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling
Pimsleur method (proprietary)
Form-focused instruction (FFI)
Five language skills
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Cultural awareness
Chapter 5: Smart Practice
Stay motivated
Set SMART goals
Buddy up
Reward yourself
Memorization techniques
Rote learning
Spaced effect
Memory palace or Method of loci
Habit loops
Career opportunities
Solutions
Acknowledgments
References
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How it all started
I n January 2007, a couple of months after I moved to Pune, during the

weekends, I started teaching this wonderful language – French – to
French Language Lovers; not basic French but rather the development
of speaking fluency and pronunciation since I found that French lovers were
not having fluency despite knowing a good amount of vocabulary, mostly
because they were not getting enough Output i.e. communication (spoken or
written).
Thus, « The French Fluency Formula » was born, and this book is
th e result of all these years of Rendez-vous with Indian born French
learners. This book aims to teach you the techniques you can use to build
your fluency and offers different learning strategies which help you
understand how to get the results you want.
« Language is Culture ». A fundamental component for learning a
language is through Cultural Immersion which makes the learning more
enjoyable, therefore mastering French language or any other foreign language
leads to development of intercultural relations which is a way of maximizing
your chances of personal and professional success.
Origins of the French language
If you’re passionate about the French language, you’ll love learning more
about its history.
French is the official language of France and 29 independent nations;
it has to be mentioned that it is also one of the six official languages of the
United Nations. According to a demographic projection by the Université
Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence Universitaire de la
Francophonie, the total number of French speakers will reach approximately
500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050 (Marcoux, 2004). French men
or women have won 12 Nobel Prizes for literature, surpassing any other
country. It is the language of great writers and philosophers such as Molière,
Victor Hugo, Flaubert, Proust, Descartes, Rousseau, Voltaire, Camus, and
Sartre.
Three major texts mark the history of the politics of the French
language. These texts determined the development of the French language
and the generalization of its use and were also decisive factors in the
construction of the French nation.
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts of 1539 made French the
administrative language of the kingdom of France but only for legal
documents and laws. Previously, official documents were written in medieval
Latin, which was the language used by the Roman Catholic Church.
Thereafter, till the French Revolution of 1789, French kings did not
take a position on the language spoken by their subjects. At first, even the
revolutionaries declared the liberty of language for all citizens of the
Republic but this policy was subsequently abandoned in favour of the
imposition of a common language and doing away with the other languages
of France, which were seen to be keeping the peasant masses in
obscurantism. In the 1880s, the Third Republic established free compulsory
primary education and the only language allowed in primary school was
French.
But in the 1950s, for the first time, the French state recognised the
right of the regional languages to exist. A new law allowed teaching of
regional languages in secondary schools, and the policy of repression came to
an end.
Then there was a turnaround again in 1972, President Georges

Pompidou declared that "there is no place for minority languages in a
France destined to make its mark on Europe."
In 1992 the constitution was amended to state explicitly that

« The language of the Republic is French. » (Loi constitutionnelle no 92-
554, 1992)
In 1994, the Toubon Law of the French government was

introduced on 4th August 1994, which mandates the use of the French
language in all official government publications, in all advertisements, in all
workplaces, in commercial contracts, and some other contexts (vingt ans de
la loi Toubon, 1994).
Chapter 1: Sounds of the French Language
R esearch on early language acquisition has revealed that humans learn

first about the sounds of a language, and then move on to how to
speak the language.
In this chapter, the learner must grasp the basic set of speech sounds
of the French language.
At the end of this chapter, you should be familiar with the
pronunciation of French Vowels and Consonants.
Alphabet, Diacritics, and Ligatures
Alphabet
The French alphabet is based on the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet,
uppercase, and lowercase, with five diacritics and two orthographic ligatures.
Letter Sound Diacritics and ligatures

A a Àà, Ââ, Ææ
B bé
C cé Çç
D dé
E euh Éé, Èè, Êê, Ëë
F effe
G gé
H hache
I i Îî, Ïï
J ji
K ka
L elle
M emme
N enne
O o Ôô, Œœ
P pé
Q qu
R erre
S esse
T té
U u Ùù, Ûû, Üü
V vé
W double vé
X ixe
Y i grec Ÿÿ
Z zède
Diacritics
A diacritic is a sign, such as an accent or cedilla, whose main use is to change
the pronunciation of the letters to which they are added.
The usual diacritics are the acute ( ⟨ ´ ⟩ , accent aigu), the grave ( ⟨ ` ⟩ , accent
grave), the circumflex ( ⟨ ˆ ⟩ , accent circonflexe), the diaeresis ( ⟨ ¨ ⟩ , tréma),
and the cedilla ( ⟨ ¸ ⟩ , cédille).
Acute accent or accent aigu (é): over e, indicates uniquely the sound
/e/. An é in modern French is often used where you have a
combination of (e) and a consonant, e.g.: école, été.
Grave accent or accent grave (à, è, ù): over a or u, used primarily to
distinguish homophones: à ("to") vs. a ("has"), ou ("or") vs. où
("where"; the letter ù is used only in this word). Over an e, indicates
the sound /ɛ/; e.g.: mère, père.
Circumflex or accent circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û): over a, e and o,
indicates the sound /ɑ/, /ɛ/ and /o/, respectively. Most often, it
indicates the historical deletion of an adjacent letter (usually an s or a
vowel): château (castle), fête (festival), sûr (sure), dîner (dinner). It
has also come to be used to distinguish homophones: du ("of the") vs.
dû (past participle of devoir " to have to do something (pertaining to
an act)").
Diaeresis or tréma (ë, ï, ü, ÿ): over e, i, u or y, indicates that a vowel is
to be pronounced separately from the preceding one, e.g.: naïve, Noël.
Cedilla or cédille (ç): under c, indicates that it is pronounced /s/ rather
than /k/. Thus, je lance "I throw" (with c = [s] before e), je lançais "I
was throwing" (c would be pronounced [k] before a without the
cedilla). The cedilla is only used before the vowels a, o or u, for
example, ça /sa/; it is never used before the vowels e, i, or y, since
these three vowels always produce a soft /s/ sound (ce, ci, cycle).
Ligatures
The two ligatures œ and æ have orthographic value. For determining
alphabetical order, these ligatures are treated like the sequences oe and ae.
Œ: This ligature is a mandatory contraction of ⟨ oe ⟩ in certain words.
Some of these are native French words, with the pronunciation /œ/ or /
ø/; e.g., sœur (sister), œuvre (work (of art)).
Æ: This ligature is rare, appearing only in some words of Latin and
Greek origin like tænia, ex æquo, cæcum, æthuse.
Sounds of French vowels
In French they are the most challenging to articulate. Take a look at the
following pronunciation chart which shows an identical way to pronounce it
in English:
Letter Sound French English

a, à ahh salade, table father, ladder
e eh je, me, te wet
é ay café pay
è, ê eh père, fête pair
i, ï, î, y ee merci, dîner, typique police, ski
o oh octobre october
u ew sucre, jupe unpack, unlock
ai eh j'ai bed
ei ay abeille get, set
eu, oeu uh coeur sir
oi wa au revoir one
ou uh soupe soup, shoulder, doughnut
Sounds of French consonants
While teaching, I got interesting questions from students regarding
pronunciation wherein they were asking whether there is a general rule for
pronunciation in the French language.
Most final consonants are silent. Usual exceptions are found with the
letters ⟨ c ⟩ , ⟨ f ⟩ , ⟨ l ⟩ , and ⟨ r ⟩. The English word "CaReFuL" is a
mnemonic for this set. (e.g.: arc, hiver, neuf, ciel.)
In addition to that, sharing this ultimate guide on French consonants

by Idahosa Ness (Idahosa, 2019).
Letter Consonant Sound French

"b" or "bb" in beginning or middle of [b] beau, abbesse
words
b
end of word silent plomb
followed by "sor" or "t" [p] absolu
"c" before a, i or y [s] ciel
"cc" before a front vowel (-e, -i, or -y) [ks] accent
-c or -cc before a back vowel (-a, -o, -u) or [k] encore
a cons.
Final [k] parc
c final after -n silent blanc
-ct final [kt], silent direct, respect
-ç with the çédille [s] garçon
-ch [ʃ] blanche
-ch in words of Greek origin [k] Christ
-cqu [k] acquisition
-dor -dd initial or medial [d] doux, addition
d final silent pied
in liaison [t] grand, arbre
-f or -ff initial or medial [f] enfant, effort
F final [f] comparatif
in liaison [v] neuf, heures
-g before a front vowel (-e, -i, or -y) [ʒ] sabotage
-gg before a front vowel (-e, -i, or -y) [gʒ] suggestion
-g or -gg before a back vowel (-a, -o, -u) or [g] grave
a cons.
final silent sang
G in liaison [k] sang, et, eau
-ge before a back vowel (-a, -o, -u) or a [ʒ] pigeon
consonant
-guh before a front vowel (-e, -i, or -y) [g] gigue
-gn [ɲ] compagnon
-gt silent doigt
Initial -h is classified as mute and aspirate - both are always silent but,
-h initial mute allows liaison or elision silent douze_heure
H
-h initial aspirate allows no linking silent tres *hideuse
-h medial silent souhaiter
j -j [ʒ] jardin
found in words of foreign origin only [k] kilo
k
final [k] kodak
-l or -ll initial or medial [l] large, ballet
final [l] ideal
l
-il, -ill, and -ille (but not final -ile) [j] soleil, papillons, famille
In these words and their derivatives [l] mille, tranquille, ville
-m or -mm initial or medial [m] mardi, flamme
m after a nasal vowel silent parfum
in liaison [m] nom_à tiroirs
-n or -nn initial or medial [n] neige, année
n after a nasal vowel silent ensemble
in liaison [n] en_aimant
-p or -pp initial or medial [p] captive, support
final silent trop, trop_en
p
-mpt silent compter
-ph [f] philosophe
-qu initial or medial [k] liqueur
q final [k] cinq
in liaison cinq_enfants
Spoken French makes use of the uvular that is appropriate for dialogue and cabaret
songs.
-r or -rr initial, [r] rapide
r -r or -rr medial or final [r] garage, terrible, hiver
-er, -ier, or -yer final in some nouns and silent foyer (noun)
adjectives
-er in the infinitive verb form [e] parler
-s and -ss initial or medial [s] séance, Debussy
-s medial between vowels [z] maison
-s final silent toujours
-s final in exceptions [s] hélas, lis, fils
s in liaison [z] mes_yeux
-sc before a front vowel (-e, -i, or -y) [s] descendre
-sc before a back vowel (-a, -o, -u) or a [sk] scandale
consonant
-sch initial or medial [ʃ] schéma
-t or -tt initial or medial [t] total, glotte
-t final silent tuot
-t in liaison [t] tout_un
t
-th [t] Thomas
-ti in endings -tion and -tience [sj] attention
-tie when final [ti.ə] sortie
v -v initial or medial [v] souvenir
w -w found in words of foreign origin [v] Wagon
before consonants [ks] texte
before vowels or -h [gz] exemple
x
in numbers [z] deuxieme
in liaison [z] deux_enfants
initial or medial [z] zèle, douze
z final silent chez
final as an exception [z] Berlioz
Liaison
In simple words, liaison in French is the practice of taking the last letter of
one word and linking it to the beginning of the next word. This only happens
when the second word begins with a vowel sound.
Initially, many French learners are not able to watch properly a

French movie or listen to the radio, the reason being that oral comprehension
is so difficult due to liaison. Let us look at the following liaison chart:
Consonants Phonetic French English

f /.v ‿ / neuf ans nine years
d /.t ‿ / grand homme great man
T /.t ‿ / tout homme every man
S /.z ‿ / les enfants the children
Z /.z ‿ / venez ici come here
x /.z ‿ / faux amis false friends
n /.n ‿ / Un ami a friend
p /.p ‿ / un prix trop élevé too high a price
Elision
Elision consists in replacing the final vowel of a word with an apostrophe
when it is placed in front of a word beginning with a vowel or a mute h.
Generally, the following words apply Elision : ce, je, ne, me, te, se, le, la, de,
que, and si.
e.g. : [Je è j’] - J’habite en Inde.]
[Se è s’] - Il s’habille très bien.
Chapter 2: Essential Grammar
D id you know 1000 words cover 85% of anything you are going to
say in daily communication and 3000 words give you 98% of
anything you are going to say in daily conversation – in practice,
this means that you need between 1000 and 3000 words to be fluent in
French which is definitely achievable. Along with Vocabulary, keep in mind
that Grammar is a fundamental means to communicate effectively.
In this chapter, the student will learn the Essential Grammar to get the
required proficiency and fluency in the French language and it will also
establish a firm base for their further study.
Second language acquisition
Let us start by looking at how children learn a language during early
childhood.
Language development in humans is a process starting early in life.
Infants start without knowing a language, yet by 10 months, babies can
distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. Some research has shown
that the earliest learning begins in utero when the foetus starts to recognize
the sounds and speech patterns of its mother's voice and differentiate them
from other sounds after birth. (Graven, MD, & Browne, December 2008, pp.
187–193)
Typically, children develop receptive language abilities before their
verbal or expressive language develops. Receptive language (the ability to
comprehend language) is the internal processing and understanding of
language. As receptive language continues to increase, expressive language
(the ability to communicate) begins to slowly develop.
Listening
A big part of knowing our first language or mother tongue is learned by
imitation and by listening. A child who hears the following phrases "Je t’aime
(I love you)", "Mon nounour (My teddy bear)" can imitate the pronunciation
exactly without realising that some may consist of more than one word. At
this stage of learning, by no means a grammar lesson takes place.
Importance of Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules governing the
composition of clauses, phrases, and words in a natural language. It is a
fundamental means to communicate effectively.
As the child grows older, they develop a set of internalized rules
which constitute its grammar. The vast majority of the information in the
grammar is – at least in the case of one's native language – acquired not by
conscious study or instruction but by hearing other speakers. Much of this
work is done during early childhood. An important point to mention is that:
« LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE LATER IN LIFE USUALLY
INVOLVES MORE EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION. »
Comprehensible Input
When you acquire a language input either by reading or listening, you learn
various aspects of the language without even knowing that you are learning –
that is Comprehensible input which is a language input that can be
understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and
structures in it.
According to Krashen's theory of language acquisition, giving
learners this kind of input helps them acquire language naturally, rather than
learning it consciously.
Using routine classroom language is an example of how teachers can
incorporate comprehensible input into their classrooms. Classroom language
is the routine language that is used regularly in classrooms like giving
instructions of praise, for example, “Sortez vos livres (Take out your books)”
ou “Veuillez vous asseoir (Please sit down)”. Other examples of classroom
language and comprehensible input include:
- Comment dites-vous… (How do you say…)
- Trouvez un partenaire. (Find a partner.)
- Faites la queue. (Form a line at the door.)
- Puis-je aller aux toilettes ? (Can I go to the washroom?)
- Levez la main (Raise your hand.)
Trying to understand the language, which is slightly above their level,

encourages learners to use natural learning strategies such as guessing words
from context and inferring meaning.
Creative vocabulary
According to Chris Lonsdale (Chris, 2013), Language is a creative process –
what do babies do ? say mama, papa, bye-bye – they try to communicate – so
start mixing, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be workable – the
following formula is an effective way to improve one’s vocabulary.
10 Verbs
x
10 Nouns / Pronouns
x
10 Adjectives
è 1000 Possible Sentences
Let us see what this means in practice – using the following vocabulary list,
we can generate 1000 possible sentences, here are some of them:
Sn. Nouns / Pronouns Verbs Adjectives
1 Jean Aimer Beau
2 Charlotte Acheter Belle
3 Il Etre Rouge
4 Cheval Avoir Vert
5 Nous Danser Intéressant
6 Ce Manger Gentil
7 Karine Visiter Fort
8 La France Ecouter Calme
9 Livre Jouer Different
10 Voiture Habiter Nouveau
4 Jean est fort. 4 La France est belle.
4 Ce livre est nouveau. 4 Ce cheval est calme.
4 Jean a un cheval. Etc.
Always keep in mind that vocabulary is the key to communication, as

British linguist David Wilkins famously stated,
«Without grammar, very little can be conveyed;
Without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed».
In general, 1000 words cover 85% of anything you are going to say
in daily communication and 3000 words give you 98% of anything you are
going to say in daily conversation.
“3000 words è You are speaking the language”
Reasoning styles: Principles-first versus Applications-
first
Erin Meyer who is the author of The Culture Map: “Breaking Through the
Invisible Boundaries of Global Business” has defined 2 interesting reasoning
styles (Erin, 2014, pp. 93-96).
Principles-first reasoning (sometimes referred to as deductive
reasoning) derives conclusions or facts from general principles or concepts.
For example, we may start with a general principle like “All men are mortal”
then we move to a more specific principle like “Justin Bieber is a man” hence
this leads us to the conclusion that “Justin Bieber will eventually die.”
Similarly, we may start with the general principle “Everything made of
copper conducts electricity.” Then we show that the old statue of a
leprechaun your grandmother left you is 100 percent copper. Based on these
points, we can arrive at the conclusion, “Your grandmother’s statue will
conduct electricity”. In both examples, we started with the general principle
and moved it to a practical conclusion.
On the other hand, with Applications-first reasoning (sometimes
called inductive reasoning), general conclusions are reached based on a
pattern of factual observations from the real world. For example, if you travel
to your hometown one hundred times during January and February, and you
observe during every visit that the temperature is considerably below zero,
you will conclude that in your hometown winters are cold (and that a winter
visit to your hometown calls for a warm coat as well as a scarf, wool hat,
gloves, and ear warmers). In this case, you observe data from the real world,
and, based on these empirical observations, you draw broader conclusions.
Most people are capable of practicing both principles-first and
applications-first reasoning. But your habitual pattern of reasoning is heavily
influenced by the kind of thinking emphasized in your culture’s educational
structure. As a result, you can quickly run into problems when working with
people who are most accustomed to other modes of reasoning.
Take math class as an example. In a course using the applications-
first method, you first learn the formula and practice applying it. After seeing
how this formula leads to the right answer, again and again, you then move
on to understand the concept or principle underpinning it. This means you
may spend 80 percent of your time focusing on the concrete tool and how to
apply it and only 20 percent of your time considering its conceptual or
theoretical explanation. School systems in Anglo-Saxon countries tend to
emphasize this method of teaching.
By contrast, in a principles-first math class, you first prove the
general principle, and only then use it to develop a concrete formula that can
be applied to various problems. As a French manager once told me, “We had
to calculate the value of Pi as a class before we used Pi in a formula.” In this
kind of math class, you may spend 80 percent of your time focusing on the
concepts or theories underpinning the general mathematical principles and
only 20 percent of your time applying those principles to concrete problems.
School systems in Latin Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal), the
Germanic countries (Germany, Austria), and Latin America (Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina) tend to emphasize this method of teaching.
I felt the full force of the application-first method when I studied
Russian in my American high school. “We walked into Mr. Tarasov’s class
on the first day of school, and he immediately fired questions at us in
Russian. We didn’t understand a thing but gradually we started to
understand, and, after a few lessons, we began to speak, putting words
together any which way we could. Then, with Mr. Tarasov’s guidance, we
began using sentences whose structure we did not understand to create a
conceptual grammatical framework.”
By contrast, in a principle-first language class, learning starts with
understanding the grammatical principles underpinning the language
structure. Once you have a solid initial grasp of the grammar and vocabulary,
you begin to practice using the language. This is the way my husband learned
English in his French school, and ironically, his knowledge of English
grammar is far superior to that of many Americans. The disadvantage is that
students spend less time practicing the language, which many mean they
write it better than they speak it.
In business, as in school, people from principles-first cultures
generally want to understand the why behind their boss’s requests before they
move to action. Meanwhile, applications-first learners tend to focus less on
the why and more on the how.
As a summary, Applications-first: Individuals are trained to begin
with a fact, statement, or opinion and later add concepts to back up or explain
the conclusion, as necessary. The preference is to begin a message or report
with an executive summary or bullet points. Discussions are approached in a
practical, concrete manner. Theoretical or philosophical discussions are
avoided in a business environment.
Principles-first: Individuals are trained to first develop the theory of
a complex concept before presenting a fact, statement, or opinion. The
preference is to begin a message or report by building up a theoretical
argument before moving on to a conclusion. The conceptual principles
underlying each situation are valued.
In the context of this book the same rules apply, many teachers use
application-first method and it works tremendously well – the learners learn
various aspects of the language even without noticing that they are learning –
that is Comprehensible Input which is a language input that can be
understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and
structures in it.
Articles
As a rule, in the French language, almost every common noun is preceded by
an article.
French has three types of articles:
A definite article, corresponding to English “the” – is used with a
noun referring to a specific item when both the speaker and the
audience know what the item is.
An indefinite article, corresponding to English “a/an” – is used with

a noun referring to a non-specific item, or to a specific item when the
speaker and audience do not both know what the item is.
A partitive article, corresponding to English “some” – is used to

indicate an indefinite portion of something uncountable or an
indefinite number of something countable.
Look at the following chart:
Singular Plural
Articles
Masculin Féminin Not applicable
Indefinite un une des
un homme | a man une femme | a woman des livres | some books
Definite le la les
le garcon | the boy la fille | the girl les maisons | the houses
Partitive du de la des
du beurre | some butter de la viande | some meat des pates | some pasta
Contracted articles
They are made up of articles that we studied above with some prepositions
like “à” or “de”.
Preposition Article New form
à le au Je vais (à + le) au marché
à les aux Je m'adresse (à + les) aux étudiants
de le du Elle mange (de + le) du pain

de les des Je te parle (de + les) des enfants de mon voisin
Note that when le, la, les, or l' are placed in front of a verb, they are not
articles but personal pronouns.
e.g. : J’appelle le dentiste è Je l’appelle.
(I call the dentist è I call him)
Vous connaissez Sarah ? è Vous la connaissez ?

(Do you know Sarah ? è Do you know her?)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right article:
1. Aujourd’hui, c’est ... 01 Janvier 2020. 6. Voudrais-tu acheter ... livres ?

2. Voici ... voiture de mon cousin. 7. Je voudrais ...eau s’il vous plait.
3. ... fleurs rouges sont toujours magnifiques. 8. Vous avez ... sucre ?
4. ... fille vient tout juste de m’appeler. 9. Achète ... fruits pour ce soir.
5. Je voudrais être ... pompier. 10. Nous allons ... centre commercial ce soir.
11. Elle vient ... sud de la France.
Nouns
A noun is a kind of word that is usually the name of some specific thing such
as a person, animal, object, place, or idea. French noun has grammatical
gender, either masculine or feminine – you will see more in the next section,
Gender.
Proper nouns are specific names and begin with an upper case
(capital) letter in languages that use the Roman alphabet. Examples of proper
nouns are Dieu, God, Paris, London, Jean, Octobre, Mozart, Mr. George,
Ocean Atlantique, etc.
Common nouns are general names. Examples of common nouns are
table, chaise, terre, eau, air, feu, etc.
Gender
It is important to mention that French nouns have a gender; they can be
masculine or feminine, that is usually the first thing that a French learner
experiences. The wide question asked by learners is how to know whether a
noun is masculine or feminine?
A noun's gender is not always predictable from its form, but certain
patterns exist, take a look at the following points:
Names that describe living beings with male gender are masculine,
while names that describe living beings with female gender are
feminine. e.g.: un homme, une femme, un lion, une lionne.
Sounds ending in -e tend to be feminine e.g.: une étoile, une voiture –

whereas the rest tend to be masculine. e.g.: un ballon, un stylo.
Some endings, such as -sion, -tion, -aison and -ité e.g.: une liaison, la
spiritualité – occur almost exclusively with feminine nouns, while
others, such as -aire and -isme. e.g.: le milliardaire, un organisme –
occur almost exclusively with masculine ones.
While certain exceptions need to be learned individually, I would
personally recommend that this learning usually comes with practice.
Plurals
The plural is normally formed by adding “-s” to the singular (masculine and
feminine), and an important point to mention here is that when a noun is a
plural, therefore the noun’s article takes its plural form “les/des”.
e.g. : Un homme – des hommes (La femme – les femmes)
There are different cases of exceptions in plurals, look at the following

points:
4 ending with -s, Words ending in -s, -x or -z in
-x, -z the singular do not change
ð no changes form in the plural.
e.g. : Un bus, des bus.
Un prix, des prix.
Un nez, des nez.
4 ending with -al Words ending in -al usually

ð -aux form their plural in -aux.
e.g. : Un cheval, des chevaux.
Un signal, des signaux.
4 ending with - Some words ending in -ail

ail form their plural with -aux:
ð -aux corail, bail, émail, soupirail,
travail, vantail, et vitrail.
e.g. : Un corail, des coraux.
4 ending with - Words ending in -au, -eau, -eu

au, or -œu form their plural by
-eau, -eu et -œu adding a final -x.
ð -x e.g. : Un cadeau, des cadeaux.
Un cheveu, des cheveux.
(Note here that in english Hair doesnt
have plural form).
4 ending with - Most words ending with -ou
ou follow the normal plural rule
ð -s by adding a final -s, except:
e.g. : Un bijou, des bijoux.
Un genou, des genoux.
Un joujou, des joujoux.
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right article undefinite or definitie based
on its gender and number:
1. ... incubateur 6. ... médaille 11. ... chevaux

2. ... bioindicateur 7. ... culture 12. ... pommes
3. ... vérificateur 8. ... médecine 13. ... voix
4. ... bateau 9. ... terre 14. ... Livres
5. ... fromage 10. ... femme 15. ... amis
Subject pronouns
Subject Pronouns “Je, Tu, Il, Elle, On, Nous, Vous, They” corresponding
respectively to the English “I, You, He, She, It, We, You, They” are used to
perform the action expressed by the verb.
These help sentences to be fluid by eliminating the need to repeat the
same noun. Note that the subject pronouns are followed by their verb.
Subject
French English
Pronoun
1st person singular Je J'aime le chocolat I love chocolate
2nd person singular Tu Tu es belle you are beautiful
3rd person singular - masculine Il Il voyage demain he is travelling tomorrow
3rd person singular - feminine Elle Elle va au marché she is going to the market
3rd person singular - neutral On On habite en Inde we are living in India
1st person plural Nous Nous partons en vacances we are leaving for vacations
2nd person plural Vous Vous êtes jeunes you are young
3rd person plural - masculine Ils Ils sont forts they are strong
3rd person plural - feminine Elles Elles sont à la maison they are at home
Try it yourself
- Choose the correct answer:
Which of these does “Ils”' replace? Is "tu" familiar or formal?
mon père et ma mère Formal

mes grands-parents Familiar
ma cousine
Which of the below is plural? Which version is masculine/mixed?
Je, Tu, Il, Elle Ils

Nous, Vous, Ils, Elles Elles
Numbers
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. This
sub-chapter will provide tips on how to master French numbers.
№ French English № French English
0 zéro zero 10 dix ten
1 un one 11 onze eleven
2 deux two 12 douze twelve
3 trois three 13 treize thirteen
4 quatre four 14 quatorze fourteen
5 cinq five 15 quinze fifteen
6 six six 16 seize sixteen
7 sept seven 17 dix-sept seventeen
8 huit eight 18 dix-huit eighteen
9 neuf nine 19 dix-neuf nineteen

20 vingt twenty 30 trente thirty
21 vingt-et-un twenty-one 31 trente-et-un thirty-one
22 vingt-deux twenty-two 32 trente-deux thirty-two
23 vingt-trois twenty-three 33 trente-trois thirty-three
24 vingt-quatre twenty-four 34 trente-quatre thirty-four
25 vingt-cinq twenty-five 35 trente-cinq thirty-five
26 vingt-six twenty-six 36 trente-six thirty-six
27 vingt-sept twenty-seven 37 trente-sept thirty-seven
28 vingt-huit twenty-eight 38 trente-huit thirty-eight
29 vingt-neuf twenty-nine 39 trente-neuf thirty-nine
40 quarante forty 50 cinquante fifty
quarante-et-
41 forty-one 51 cinquante-et-un fifty-one
un
42 quarante-deux forty-two 52 cinquante-deux fifty-two
forty-
43 quarante-trois 53 cinquante-trois fifty-three
three
quarante- cinquante-
44 forty-four 54 fifty-four
quatre quatre
45 quarante-cinq forty-five 55 cinquante-cinq fifty-five
46 quarante-six forty-six 56 cinquante-six fifty-six
forty-
47 quarante-sept 57 cinquante-sept fifty-seven
seven
forty-
48 quarante-huit 58 cinquante-huit fifty-eight
eight
49 quarante-neuf forty-nine 59 cinquante-neuf fifty-nine

60 soixante sixty 70 soixante-dix seventy
soixante-et-
61 soixante-et-un sixty-one 71 seventy-one
onze
62 soixante-deux sixty-two 72 soixante-douze seventy-two
sixty- seventy-
63 soixante-trois 73 soixante-treize
three three
soixante- soixante-
64 sixty-four 74 seventy-four
quatre quatorze
65 soixante-cinq sixty-five 75 soixante-quinze seventy-five
66 soixante-six sixty-six 76 soixante-seize seventy-six
sixty- soixante-dix- seventy-
67 soixante-sept 77
seven sept seven
sixty- soixante-dix- seventy-
68 soixante-huit 78
eight huit eight
soixante-dix-
69 soixante-neuf sixty-nine 79 seventy-nine
neuf
80 quatre-vingts eighty 90 quatre-vingt-dix Ninety
81 quatre-vingt-un eighty-one 91 quatre-vingt-onze ninety-one
82 quatre-vingt-deux eighty-two 92 quatre-vingt-douze ninety-two
83 quatre-vingt-trois eighty-three 93 quatre-vingt-treize ninety-three
84 quatre-vingt-quatre eighty-four 94 quatre-vingt-quatorze ninety-four
85 quatre-vingt-cinq eighty-five 95 quatre-vingt-quinze ninety-five
86 quatre-vingt-six eighty-six 96 quatre-vingt-seize ninety-six
87 quatre-vingt-sept eighty-seven 97 quatre-vingt-dix-sept ninety-seven
88 quatre-vingt-huit eighty-eight 98 quatre-vingt-dix-huit ninety-eight
89 quatre-vingt-neuf eighty-nine 99 quatre-vingt-dix-neuf ninety-nine

one eight
100 cent 800 huit-cents
hundred hundred
one
nine
101 cent-un hundred 900 neuf-cents
hundred
one
two one
200 deux-cents 1000 mille
hundred thousand
two
two
201 deux-cent-un hundred 2000 deux-mille
thousand
one
three
ten
300 trois-cents hundred 10.000 dix-mille
thousand
one
three one
310 trois-cent-dix hundred 100.000 cent-mille hundred
ten thousand
four one
400 quatre-cents 1.000.000 un-million
hundred million
five deux- two
500 cinq-cents 2.000.000
hundred millions million
six one
600 six-cents 1.000.000.000 un-milliard
hundred billion
seven deux- two
700 sept-cents 2.000.000.000
hunded milliards billion
Note that in 1990, The French Academy introduced a spelling reform that simplified the writing of not
too large numbers. All compound adjectives are united by a hyphen: trois-cent-vingt-quatre.
The trick for learning numbers is that first, you must learn the following
essential patterns to do the rest of the counting:
First Pattern : 1 to 9 – (un à neuf)
Second Pattern : 11 to 19 – (onze à dix-neuf)
Then learn the ten-number series:

10 (dix),
20 (vingt),
30 (trente),
40 (quarante),
50 (cinquante),
60 (soixante),
70 (soixante-dix),
80 (quatre-vingts),
90 (quatre-vingt-dix),
100 (cent).
That’s all you must remember – the formula is that 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80
series go with the First pattern, the remaining 70 and 90 use the Second
Pattern.
Assuming you have learned by heart the two essential patterns mentioned
above, let us see what this means in practice:
Example 1: table 30 (trente)

ð The formula would be 30 + first pattern series:
Trente Trente-et-un Trente-deux
Trente-trois Trente-quatre Trente-cinq
Example 2: table 50 (cinquante)

Cinquante Cinquante-et-un Cinquante-deux
Cinquante-trois Cinquante-quatre Cinquante-cinq
Example 3 : table 180 (cent quatre-vingts)

Cent quatre-vingts Cent quatre-vingt-un Cent quatre-vingt-deux
Cent quatre-vingt-trois Cent quatre-vingt-quatre Cent quatre-vingt-cinq
Example 4 : table 70 (soixante-dix)

ð The formula would be 70 + second pattern series:
Soixante-dix Soixante-et-onze Soixante-douze
Soixante-treize Soixante-quatorze Soixante-quinze
Example 5 : table 90 (quatre-vingt-dix)
ð The formula would be 90 + second pattern series:
quatre-vingt-dix quatre-vingt-onze quatre-vingt-douze
quatre-vingt-treize quatre-vingt-quatorze quatre-vingt-
quinze
Verbs
A verb – from the Latin verbum meaning word – is a word that in syntax
conveys an action (marcher, courir, lire, apprendre), an occurrence
(devenir), or a state of being (être, exister). A verb can be a sentence by itself,
such as, Do! (Faites) and Drive! (Conduisez)
How to recognize a verb

Verbs always come after a Subject which could be a noun or pronoun.
e.g.: Nous partons en vacances bientôt.
(We are going on vacation soon.)
Vous habitez dans une très belle ville.

(You live in a very beautiful city.)
Action verbs and stative verbs in French

We can categorise French verbs into two main categories: action verbs (les
verbes d’action) and stative verbs (les verbes d’état).
Les verbes d’action or action verbs are verbs that express an action
the subject has taken or performed. An important point is that the direct and
indirect object complement specifies the action of the verb.
Here are a few examples – and the list is not exhaustive: courir, manger,
chanter, parler, travailler, partir, dormir, entendre, tomber, recevoir, finir,
partager, marcher
e.g.: Il partage son gâteau d’anniversaire avec ses amis.
(He shares his birthday cake with his friends.)
Jean marche très vite.

(Jean walks very fast.)
Les verbes d’état or stative verbs are verbs that express a state or a
change of state. They have neither a direct object complements nor an
indirect object complement. They express no action, do not imply duration,
and only describe a condition.
The stative verbs in French are être, paraître, sembler, devenir,
demeurer, rester, as well as the verbal expressions avoir l’air and passer
pour.
e.g.: Je suis informaticien de formation.
(I am IT engineer by education)
Son père avait l'air heureux avec sa nouvelle coupe de cheveux.

(His father looked happy with his new haircut.)
The infinitive
The infinitive is a non-conjugated form of a verb or default mode of the verb.
Its equivalent in English is the term "to" followed by a verb. Note that the
infinitive is an impersonal mode, it means that it is not preceded by a
grammatical person or subject pronouns i.e. je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils,
elles.
e.g. : Voir, c’est croire !
(To see is to believe !)
The three verb groups in French

French verbs are conventionally divided into three conjugations with the
following grouping:
1st Group: all verbs ending with -ER except ALLER.
Particularity: this is the most regular group because the stem
does not change during the conjugation, e.g.: AIMER: aim-e;
aim-ons; aim-ent).
2nd Group: all verbs ending with -IR

This is a regular group. Those verbs always use a double stem. One
for the singular and the second one for plural persons, e.g.: FINIR:
fin-is; finiss-ons).
3rd Group: all verbs under this group are irregular, they are the most
complicated and they can be divided into many INFINITIVE sub-
categories:
- verbs in -IR like MOURIR

- verbs in -OIR like RECEVOIR
- verbs in -OIRE like BOIRE
- verbs in -RE like RENDRE
- verbs in -AÎTRE like CONNAÎTRE
- verbs in VRIR/-FRIR like COUVRIR, OFFRIR
- ALLER even though it terminates with -ER
Verb conjugation
There are two steps to conjugate a verb in French, first find the stem or the
radical which is the smallest part of the verb which does not change in the
conjugation, then add its corresponding ending.
«TO CONJUGATE A VERB, THE PRINCIPLE IS : STEM + ENDING = CONJUGATED FORM.

»
First group
A. Drop the -er from the infinitive to form the stem.
e.g. : aimer è aim
B. Add the first group endings to the stem e, es, e, ons, ez, ent.
e.g. : j'aime, tu aimes, il aime, nous aimons, vous aimez, ils aiment
Second group
A. Drop the -ir from the infinitive to form the stem.
e.g. : finir è fin
B. Add the second group endings to the stem is, is, it, issons, issez,
issent.
e.g. : je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent
Third group
All verbs under this group are irregular and they can be divided into many
INFINITIVE sub-categories:
Verbs in -IR like DORMIR, PARTIR:

e.g. : je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment
Verbs in -OIR like VOIR:

e.g. : je vois, tu vois, il voit, nous voyons, vous voyez, ils voient
Verbs in -OIRE like BOIRE:
e.g. : je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils boivent
Verbs in -RE like ATTENDRE:
e.g. : j'attends, tu attends, il attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils attendent
Verbs in -AÎTRE like CONNAÎTRE:
e.g. : je connais, tu connais, il connaît, nous connaissons, vous connaissez, ils
connaissent
Verbs in -VRIR/-FRIR like COUVRIR, OFFRIR:
e.g. : je couvre, tu couvres, il couvre, nous couvrons, vous couvrez, ils
couvrent
These are also called “COCOS” verbs, they are 3rd group
verbs however their conjugation rules follow the rule of 1st
group verb: Couvrir, ouvrir, cueillir, offrir, souffrir,
accueillir, recueillir, entrouvrir, découvrir, recouvrir,
redécouvrir, rouvrir.
All other Irregular verbs:
- ALLER : je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont
- DEVOIR : je dois, tu dois, il doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils doivent
- FAIRE : je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font
- SAVOIR : je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils savent
- VOULOIR : je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent
- POUVOIR : je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent
- PRENDRE : je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils

prennent
- VENIR (+ all the derived of verb "venir" or "+enir" like revenir, devenir, parvenir) :
je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent
Please take note that the third group part of the conjugation is called “dead
conjugation” because it no longer produces new verbs. Indeed, when a new
verb is created, especially because of the evolution of human activity, it
usually belongs to the first group (e.g.: délocaliser - scotcher ....) or more
rarely to the second group (e.g.: alunir). Some verbs of the third group even
tend to disappear in favor of synonyms that are easier to conjugate: résoudre
est souvent remplacé par solutionner, et clore par clôturer.
Auxiliary verbs
Auxiliary verbs, also called helping verbs, add practical or grammatical
meaning to the clauses wherein they appear. They typically help express
grammatical tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
Auxiliary verbs usually accompany a main verb and they are among
the most frequently occurring verbs in the French language.
Auxiliaries are powerful, let me narrate one of my student’s learning
experience – she was eager to learn the language and in the initial days I
recommended her to learn the Auxiliary table in Present, Past & Future tense
along with some basic prepositions – to my great surprise soon she started
making small sentences on her own – hard work always pays off !
Two auxiliaries’ verbs
In French, there are two auxiliaries: Avoir et Être. These two verbs do not
belong to any group because their role in conjugation is different. This is why
they are classified as auxiliaries.
“Avoir” is a very important verb that can stand alone in all its tenses.
It refers to the concept of ownership and denote linguistic possession
in a broad sense.
e.g. : J’ai cinq maisons. (I have five houses)
Nous avons de la famille en France.

(We have family in France)
“Être” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses. It can be

used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses.
e.g. : Je suis à la maison. (I am at home)
Vous êtes en France ? (You are in France?)
Semi-auxiliary verbs
In addition to the auxiliaries Avoir and Être, certain verbs followed by an
infinitive can be used to express certain nuances of time, probability, aspect.
They are called semi-auxiliaries – seven verbs are generally defined
as being semi-auxiliaries – these are "Aller, Venir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir,
Vouloir, Faire".
We can group semi-auxiliaries into four categories:
Aller and Venir: when followed by an infinitive, they are used to
modify the temporal value. We speak of “temporal verbal
periphrasis”.
- We thus obtain Le Futur Proche (the near future)
e.g. : Je vais partir. (I am going to leave.)
- and Le Passé Récent (the recent past)

e.g. : Je viens de partir. (I have just left.)
Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir: these verbs are used to

modalize the verb to the infinitive that follows it. We speak of
“modal verbal periphrasis”.
- Devoir – indicates a necessity and sometimes a probability

e.g. : Je dois travailler. (I must work.)
- Pouvoir – denotes a possibility

e.g. : Il ne peut pas écrire. (He could not write.)
- Savoir – indicates competency

e.g. : Il sait lire. (He can read.)
- Vouloir – is about to wish, need, crave, demand, or desire

e.g.: Il veut partir en voyage. (He wants to travel.)
Faire: literally means “to do” or “to make”. It is important to note that
Faire is found in many idiomatic expressions with various meanings.
e.g. : Il fait son travail. (He does his job.)
Il fait chaud. (It’s hot.)
When followed by an infinitive, it modifies the meaning to signify
that the action is not done by the subject but by someone else. We
speak of “factual verbal periphrasis”.
e.g. : Il fait relire ses œuvres. (He made his work reread.)
Se Faire: in the pronominal form followed by an infinitive, Se Faire

gives a passive meaning to a sentence. The subject does the action.
We speak of “passive verbal periphrasis”. Here is an example of this
kind of construction:
e.g. : Il s'est fait renvoyer de l'école. ( He got kicked out of school.)
Auxiliaries and semi-auxiliaries in the present tense

In order to master the French language, one must know the following chart
by heart:
Avoir (to have) Aller (to go) Devoir (must)
indicates an
obligation
j'ai je vais
tu as tu vas je dois
il / elle / on a il / elle / on va tu dois
nous avons nous allons il / elle /on doit
vous avez vous allez nous devons
ils / elles ont ils / elles vont vous devez
ils / elles doivent
Etre (to be) Faire (to do) Falloir (must)
indicates a need
or a necessity
je suis je fais -
tu es tu fais -
il / elle /on est il / elle /on fait il faut
nous sommes nous faisons -
vous êtes vous faites -
ils / elles sont ils / elles font -
Pouvoir (can | may) Savoir (to know) Vouloir (to want)
je peux je sais je veux

tu peux tu sais tu veux
il / elle /on peut il / elle /on sait il / elle /on veut
nous pouvons nous savons nous voulons
vous pouvez vous savez vous voulez
ils / elles peuvent ils / elles savent ils / elles veulent
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right auxiliary verb:
1. Tu ... 21 ans 2. Tu ... un chocolat ? 3. Je ... étudiante
4. Nous ... maries 5. Vous ... français 6. Il ... faire ces devoirs
7. Elle ... deux enfants 8. Je ... au marché 9. Vous ... de quoi je parle ?
10. Je … 2 oranges 11. Il … intelligent 12. Pourquoi vous … savoir ?
13. Ils … a l’école 14. Nous … indiens 15. Il … négocier rapidement
16. Il … bien son travail 17. Je … son nom 18. On … faire nos devoirs
19. Comment … il ? 20. Je ne … pas 21. Comment ca … ?
Moods
The grammatical mood is a grammatical feature of verbs, used for signalling
modality which is a system of linguistic options that allows for expressing a
speaker's general intentions as well as the speaker's belief as to whether the
proposition expressed is true, obligatory, desirable, or actual.
For each mood, there are several tenses, and in French there are seven moods
divided into two categories:
Personal moods for which the verb is conjugated using the
grammatical persons i.e. Je, Tu, Il, etc.
Impersonal mood which in contrast does not use the grammatical
persons.
Personal moods
There are four personal moods:
- The indicative expresses a factual statement.

e.g. : J’aime. (I like.)
- The imperative expresses an order.

e.g. : Fais le. (Do it.)
- The subjunctive expresses a wish or a will.

e.g. : Que Dieu vous bénisse. (God bless you.)
- The conditional expresses a condition.

e.g. : Je serais ravi de vous rencontrer.
(I would love to meet you.)
Indicative mood
The indicative is used to make factual statements. There are eight indicative
tenses and they are the most frequently used in French: (for more details,
refer to the Tenses section under Essential Grammar.)
Simple tense Compound tense
Présent Passé composé
Imparfait Plus-que-parfait
Passé simple Passé antérieur
Futur Simple Futur antérieur
Impersonal moods
The impersonal moods are three in number:
The infinitive
The participle
The gerund.
All other moods (except Indicative) are covered in the Advanced Grammar
chapter.
Tenses
In grammar, Tense is a form of a verb which tells us about the time of an
action.
Actions of the present moment

Here is a map that shows different tenses about an action in the present
moment.
«TO CONJUGATE A VERB, THE PRINCIPLE IS:

STEM + ENDING = CONJUGATED FORM. »
Le Présent (Simple Present Tense)

The Présent Tense is used for actions in a time which are happening now, and
to show habit or generalization. In English, it is equivalent to the simple
present tense.
e.g. : J'aime la langue française.
(I like the French language)
Il finit son travail à 18 heures

(He finishes his work at 6 p.m.)
è How to conjugate
1st Group:
A. Drop the -er from the infinitive to form the stem.
e.g. : aimer è aim
B. Add the first group endings to the stem e, es, e, ons,

ez, ent.
e.g. : j'aime, tu aimes, il aime, nous aimons, vous aimez, ils aiment
2nd Group:
A. Drop the -ir from the infinitive to form the stem.
e.g. : finir è fin
B. Add the second group endings to the stem is, is, it, issons,
issez, issent.
e.g. : je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent
3rd Group: As most of them are irregular verbs, refer to the Third
Group sub-chapter under Verbs è Verb Conjugation for better
comprehension.
1st Group 2nd Group 3rd Group (random Infinitive)

Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Dormir (to sleep)
j'aime je finis je dors

tu aimes tu finis tu dors
il aime il finit il dort
nous aimons nous finissons nous dormons
vous aimez vous finissez vous dormez
ils aiment ils finissent ils dorment
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Présent tense.
- Acheter
- Envahir
- Partir
Le Passé Composé (Simple Past/Present Perfect Tense)
The Passé Composé is the most used past tense in French language. it
originally corresponded in function to the English present perfect, but is now
used mainly as the equivalent to the simple past, its main uses are:
Explain a punctual fact.
e.g. : Hier, je suis allé au cinéma.
(Yesterday I went to the cinema.)
Indicate a unique event in the past.

e.g. : Brusquement, le taxi s’est arrêté.
(Suddenly, the taxi stopped.)
Describe a completed action or one finished at an exact moment in

the past.
e.g. : J’ai fini mes études en 2010.
(I finished my studies in 2010.)
Explain an action in a limited or exact period in the past.

e.g. : J’ai fait du jogging dimanche dernier.
(I went jogging last Sunday.)
è How to conjugate
«THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ IS A COMPOUND TENSE,
MEANING YOU NEED TWO COMPONENTS TO CONJUGATE A VERB. »
1. A helping verb (Avoir or Être) conjugated in the present tense

4 Avoir (to have) – is the most commonly used helping verb – the passé
composé is formed by the auxiliary verb, usually, the Avoir auxiliary,
followed by the past participle. The construction is parallel to that of the
present perfect in English.
4 Être (to be) – The verbs that use Être as an auxiliary verb are intransitive
verbs that usually indicate motion or change of state – The following is a list
of verbs that use être (for intransitive usage) as their auxiliary verbs in passé
composé:
These common verbs use Être as a helping verb when

conjugated in the passé compose
Devenir Sortir Descendre Rester Passer

Revenir Venir Entrer Aller
Mourir Arriver Rentrer Monter
Retourner Naitre Tomber Partir
The above is commonly remembered using the acronym DR and

MRS VANDERTRAMP. In addition to these, the following verbs are
conjugated with the auxiliary être:
Décéder
Passer
In addition to the above verbs, all reflexive/pronominal verbs use
Être as their auxiliary verb. A reflexive/pronominal verb indicates that the
subject exerts an action on itself.
e.g. : Se lever – Je me lève tous les matins à 6h.
2. Forming the past participle of the verb you want to conjugate

Once you know what helping verb to use, all you need to do is add the past
participle of the verb you want to conjugate. Most French verbs are regular
and forming their past participle is easy; Simply use the formula below:
To form the past participle for first-group verbs -ER and Aller too,
drop the -er and then add -é.
e.g. : parler (to speak) - er + é = parlé (spoken)
arriver (to arrive) - er + é = arrivé (arrived)
manger (to eat) - er + é = mangé (eaten)
To form the past participle for second-group verbs -IR, drop the -ir
and then add -i.
e.g. : finir (to finish) - ir + i = fini (finished)
choisir (to choose) - ir + i = choisi (chosen)
grandir (to grow up) - ir + i = grandi (grown up)
To form the past participle for third-group verbs -RE verbs, drop the -
re and then add -u.
e.g. : pendre (to hang) - re + u = pendu (hung or hanged)
vendre (to sell) - re + u = vendu (sold)
entendre (to hear) - re + u = entendu (heard)
attendre (to wait) - re + u = attendu (waited)
Some irregular verbs won’t match any of these patterns, if that’s the
case, you need to look up the individual past participle conjugation.

Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Courrir (to run)
j'ai aimé j'ai fini j'ai couru

tu as aimé tu as fini tu as couru
il a aimé il a fini il a couru
nous avons aimé nous avons fini nous avons couru
vous avez aimé vous avez fini vous avez couru
ils ont aimé ils ont fini ils ont couru
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Passé composé tense.
- Manger
- Choisir
- Connaitre
L’Imparfait (Past Continuous Tense)
The Imparfait tense is a verb form that combines past tense (a reference to a
past time) and imperfective aspect (a reference to a continuing or repeated
event or state). It is the equivalent to the past continuous tense “was
walking”, or It can have meanings similar to the English “used to walk”.
è How to conjugate
The Imparfait is very easy to conjugate in French as MOST verbs
categories follow the same pattern of conjugation.
1. Take the “nous” form of the verb in the Présent tense.
e.g. : Nous aimons
2. Drop the -ons ending to form the stem

e.g. : aim
3. Add the following endings: ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient.
Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Faire (to do)
j'aimais je finissais je faisais

tu aimais tu finissais tu faisais
il aimait il finissait il faisait
nous aimions nous finissions nous faisions
vous aimiez vous finissiez vous faisiez
ils aimaient ils finissaient ils faisaient
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Imparfait tense.
- Donner, Soutenir, Prendre.
Le Passé Composé versus L’Imparfait

Master the difference between these two tenses with the explanations and
examples below:
Passé composé Imparfait
è Explain a punctual fact. è Describe an action in the past
e.g.: Hier, je suis allé au cinéma. (with no precise time/date).
e.g.: Dans sa jeunesse, elle jouait de la
guitare.
è Indicate a unique event in the past. è Explain a habit in the past.

e.g.: Brusquement, le taxi s’est arrêté. e.g.: Toujours, nous faisions de longues
promenades.
è Describe a completed action or one è Describe an incomplete action

finished at an exact moment in the or on-going action in the past.
past. e.g.: En 1976, il faisait ses études de
e.g.: J’ai fini mes études en 2010. psychologie à Paris .
è Explain an action in a limited or è Explain an action in the past

exact period in the past. with no specific timeline or
e.g.: J’ai fait du jogging dimanche dernier. duration.
e.g.: Dans mon enfance, je faisais de la
natation.
To give you an idea of how these tenses work together and separately, here
are three similar stories using Imparfait and Passé Composé tense
individually, and then both together.
Histoire à l’imparfait
Quand j'étais petit, je voulais devenir When I was little, I wanted to become
sapeur-pompier pour sauver le a firefighter to save the world. The
monde. Le Noël suivant je venais de following Christmas I had just
recevoir un set de pompier complet received a full firefighter set from
de la part du Père Noel, j’étais si Santa Claus; I was so happy!
content !
Histoire au passé composé

Quand j’ai montré le cadeau à mes When I showed the gift to my friends,
amis, ils ont été ébahis par une telle they were amazed by such generosity.
générosité. This is how we all played together all
C’est ainsi que tous ensemble, nous day.
avons joué toute la journée.
Histoire aux temps passés
mélangés
Quand j'étais petit, je voulais devenir When I was little, I wanted to become
sapeur-pompier pour sauver le a firefighter to save the world. The
monde. Le Noël suivant je venais de following Christmas I had just
recevoir un set de pompier complet received a complete firefighter set
de la part du Père Noel. J’étais si from Father Christmas. I was so
content que j’ai montré le cadeau à happy that I showed the gift to my
mes amis qui ont été ébahis par une friends who were amazed by such
telle générosité. C’est ainsi que tous generosity. This is how we all played
ensemble, nous avons joué toute la together all day.
journée.
Le Passé Simple (Simple Past Tense)
The Passé Simple is the equivalent to the Passé Composé in meaning. It is
used mainly in literature and formal speech.
e.g. : Il mangea et but, puis se recoucha.
(He ate and drank, then went back to bed.)
è How to conjugate
The peculiarity of Passé Simple is to have four types of endings. The
most difficult are verbs from the 3rd group.
1st Group: Passé Simple in -a for all verbs in the 1st group ending
with
-er and for the verb Aller: -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent
2nd Group: Passé Simple in -i for verbs of the 2nd group ending with
-ir and for certain verbs of the 3rd group: -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -
irent
3rd Group: Passé Simple in -u for certain verbs of the 3rd group: -us,
-us, -ut, -ûmes, -ûtes, -urent.
Passé Simple in -in for the verbs tenir (to hold) and venir (to come) as
well as their derivatives: -ins, -ins, -int, -înmes, -întes, -inrent.

Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Venir (to come)
j'aimai je finis je vins

tu aimas tu finis tu vins
il aima il finit il vint
nous aimâmes nous finîmes nous vînmes
vous aimâtes vous finîtes vous vîntes
ils aimèrent ils finirent ils vinrent
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Passé Simple tense.
- Appeler
- Réussir
- Devoir
Le Futur Simple (Future Tense)
Le Futur Simple is the equivalent to the future tense in English. It is used to
express future events with the modality either of probability (what the
speaker expects to happen) or intent (what the speaker plans to make
happen).
e.g. : Nous inviterons les médias demain.
(We will invite the media tomorrow.)
è How to conjugate
The Futur Simple is NOT formed by dropping the last two letters off
the infinitive form of the verb like the other tenses, but is formed by
appending the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb: -ai, -as, -
a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Vouloir (to want)
j'aimerai je finirai je voudrai

tu aimeras tu finiras tu voudras
il aimera il finira il voudra
nous aimerons nous finirons nous voudrons
vous aimerez vous finirez vous voudrez
ils aimeront ils finiront ils voudront
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Futur Simple tense.
- Demander
- Agir
- Falloir
Le Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect Tense)
Le Futur Antérieur corresponds to the English future perfect tense. It is used
to describe an event that is expected or planned to happen before the time of
reference in the future, such as “will have + past participle” in the English
sentence.
e.g. : J'aurai fini d'ici demain.
(I will have finished by tomorrow.)
Nous aurons pris cette décision avec prudence.

(We will have taken this decision with caution.)
è How to conjugate
It is formed using the Futur Simple form of avoir or être as an
auxiliary, followed by the past participle of the main verb (refer to the section
Passé Composé on how to choose Avoir or Être).
Futur antérieur using Avoir

Aimer (to like) Finir (to finish) Prendre (to take)
j'aurai aimé j'aurai fini j'aurai pris

tu auras aimé tu auras fini tu auras pris
il aura aimé il aura fini il aura pris
nous aurons aimé nous aurons fini nous aurons pris
vous aurez aimé vous aurez fini vous aurez pris
ils auront aimé ils auront fini ils auront pris
Futur antérieur using Être

Arriver (to arrive) Mourir (to die) Partir (to leave)
je serai arrivé je serai mort je serai parti

tu seras arrivé tu seras mort tu seras parti
il sera arrivé il sera mort il sera parti
nous serons arrivés nous serons morts nous serons partis
vous serez arrivés vous serez morts vous serez partis
ils seront arrivés ils seront morts ils seront partis
Note that when we use Être, the past participle must agree with the number and gender e.g. we must
say: elles seront arrivées.
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Futur Antérieur tense.
- Travailler
- Grandir
- Entendre
Le Passe Récent (Recent Past Tense)
Passé Récent tense is used to describe something that has just happened.
e.g. : Ils viennent juste de manger au restaurant.
(They just ate at the restaurant.)
è How to conjugate
It is formed using the Present Tense of the verb venir, followed by the
preposition de, and the verb's infinitive:
« PRESENT TENSE OF VENIR + DE + INFINITIF »

je viens d'aimer je viens de finir je viens de faire

tu viens d'aimer tu viens de finir tu viens de faire
il vient d'aimer il vient de finir il vient de faire
nous venons d'aimer nous venons de finir nous venons de faire
vous venez d'aimer vous venez de finir vous venez de faire
ils viennent d'aimer ils viennent de finir ils viennent de faire
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verb in Passé Récent.
- Etudier
Le Futur Proche (Near Future Tense)

Le Futur Proche is used to express an action that is going to take place in the
near future. It is the equivalent to the English “going to + infinitive.”
e.g. : Nous allons faire une surprise.
(We are going to make a surprise.)
è How to conjugate
It is formed using the Present Tense of the verb Aller, followed by the
verb's infinitive:
« PRESENT TENSE OF ALLER + INFINITIF »
je vais aimer je vais finir je vais faire

tu vas aimer tu vas finir tu vas faire
il va aimer il va finir il va faire
nous allons aimer nous allons finir nous allons faire
vous allez aimer vous allez finir vous allez faire
ils vont aimer ils vont finir ils vont faire
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verb in the Futur Proche tense.
- Reunir
Actions of the past

These points will be explored in the Advanced Grammar chapter.
Sentence structure
Take a look at the following chart:
Type of Sentence Formula French English
Declarative Subject + Verb + Tu aimes la langue You like the
Sentence Object française. French language.
Imperative Sentence 1. Verb Ouvre! Open!
2. Verb + Object Ouvre la fenêtre! Open the window!
Negation Sentence Subject + ne + Verb + Je ne suis pas I am not Italian.

pas + Object Italien.
Compound Coordinating Il est jeune et beau. He’s young and handsome.
Sentences conjunctions
Mais, Ou, Et, Donc,
Or, Ni, Car
Complex Sentences Subordinating Nous savons qu’ils We know they love France.
conjunctions aiment la France.
Que
Interrogative 1.Closed-ended (see corresponding (see corresponding sub-
Sentence question sub-chapter.) chapter.)
2. Open-ended
question
3. Partial question
Declarative sentence
The most common type of sentence in French is the declarative sentence; It is
used to express a simple expression stating a fact.
e.g. : Je suis français. (I am french.)
Il aime le chocolat. (He likes chocolate.)
La nature est belle. (Nature is beautiful.)
When you start learning a language, it is recommended that you start

with the declarative sentence which is the most common of all sentence
types.
To make the sentence declarative – the French language follows the
second-most common word order which is Subject + Verb + Object – SVO
is a sentence structure where the subject comes first, the verb second, and the
object third.
e.g. : Sarah est une adolescente. (Sarah is a teenager.)

è Subject: Sarah – Verb: est – Object: une adolescente.
Il écoute la musique. (He is listening to the music.)
è Subject: Il – Verb: écoute – Object : la musique.
Imperative sentence
The imperative is used to express an order, it can also be used to give advice
or make a suggestion, whereas, in writing, the order expressed using the
infinitive makes the tone softer.
e.g. : Viens nous voir ! (Come to see us !)
Ne viens pas chez nous ! (Dont come to our house !)
è How to form the imperative:

The imperative present is formed without the subject pronoun and
using only the three following grammatical persons:
Grammatical Person 1st Group 2nd Group 3rd Group

Aimer Finir Prendre
2nd person singular aime finis prends

aimons finissons prenons
1st person plural aimez finissez prenez
2nd person plural
These three conjugated forms are very close to the conjugated forms
of the verb in the present indicative, but without the “s” at the end of the 2nd
person singular for the verbs of the 1st group – except in front of "EN" and
"Y" where we keep the "s" for a sound reason, e.g.: Vas-y!, Cueilles-en!.
e.g. : Finissez vos devoirs (Finish your homework)
Allons-y ! (Let’s go)
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Imperative Present.
- Manger et Réussir
Negation sentence
When we want to say that something is not true or is not the case, we can use
negative words, phrases, or clauses. In French, the usual way to express
simple negation is to employ two words.
As a general rule, the adverb ne … pas is the most commonly used,
and in most cases, the two elements of an adverb of negation are usually
placed on either side of the verb or the auxiliary, however, when the verb is
in the infinitive, the two elements are placed before the infinitive. Now let’s
have a look at the following chart to see the other variants:
Negative Adverb English Usage
ne … pas not Sarah n’aime pas les
sucreries. Try it yourself
(Sarah does not like sweets.)
ne … pas not, do not Je vous demande de ne pas Negate the
me déranger. (I ask you not below sentences
to disturb me.)
using the
Ne pas entrer. (Do not enter.) following:
ne … plus no more, no longer Il ne joue plus au tennis. ne...pas, ne
(He no longer plays tennis.)
ne … guère hardly La situation n'était guère
plus,
favorable il y a 5 ans de cela. ne...jamais,
(The situation was hardly ne...ni...ni
favorable 5 years ago.)
ne … jamais never Elle ne conduit jamais la nuit.1. Tu connais cette
(She never drives at night.)
personne ?
ne … ni … ni neither … nor Adèle n'aime ni le sport ni la
musique. (Adèle likes2. Jean aime les
neither sport nor music.) sucreries.
ne … que only Jean n’aime que Zoé. 3. Il a compris cette
(Jean only likes Zoé.)
ne … personne no one, nobody, Je ne connais personne de ce fois.
anyone, anybody nom la. 4. Je veux chanter et
(I don't know anyone by that
danser.
name.)
ne … rien nothing Il n'avait rien gagné de cette5. Elle conduit sa
expérience. voiture.
(He had gained nothing from
this experience.)
ne … pas encore not yet Le train n'est pas encore
arrivé sur le quai 21.
(The train has not yet arrived
on platform 21.)
ne … pas beaucoup not much Le patron ne l'aime pas
beaucoup. (The boss doesn't
like him very much.)
ne … nulle part nowehere Ce chemin ne nous mène
nulle part. (This path is
leading us nowhere.)
Compound sentences | Coordinating conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are words that connect two or more grammatically
equivalent words or phrases to create Compound Sentences, sentences in
which neither clause is subordinate to the other.
In the English language, the best way to remember the seven
coordinating conjunctions is by using the acronym FANBOYS (For And Nor
But Or Yet So), similarly in French the following mnemonic phrase "Mais,
Ou, Et, Donc, Or, Ni, Car" has been taught and used by French children to
help them remember their language's most common coordinating
conjunctions. Let us see the usage of each of them:
French English Usage
Conjunctions
mais but Nous sommes sortis, mais elle est
restée à la maison.
(We went out, but she stayed at home)
ou or Les clients peuvent payer en espèces
ou par carte de debit. (Customers can
pay in cash or by debit card.)
et and Il est jeune et beau. (He’s young and
handsome.)
donc therefore, so Les outils sont rouillés et doivent donc
être changés. (The tools are rusted and
must therefore be changed.)
or however, yet Marianne m'attendait, or je ne l'ai pas
vue. (Marianne was waiting for me,
however I didn't see her.)
ni neither, nor Elle n'aime ni l'un ni l’autre.
(She neither likes either.)
car because Je me sens bien car j'ai bien dormi.
(I feel good because I slept well.)
Complex sentences | Subordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions are conjunctions that join an independent clause
and a dependent clause; This makes a complex sentence.
The most common subordinating conjunction in French is que (that) –
which introduces a noun clause and connects it to its parent clause.
e.g.: Je vois que tu parles bien français, et que tu as même écris un livre.
(I see that you speak good French and that you even wrote a book.)
Here is a list of a commonly used subordinating conjunctions.
French Subordinating
English
conjunctions
à condition que provided that
à mesure que as (progressively)
à moins que unless
à supposer que assuming that
afin que so that
au cas où in case
aussitôt que as soon as
bien que although
dans la mesure où in as much as / in sofar as
de peur que for fear that
depuis que since
des fois que sometimes
dès que as soon as
encore que even though
étant donné que given that
histoire que story that
jusqu’à ce que until
lorsque when
maintenant que now that
malgré que despite
même si even if / though
parce que because
pendant que while
pour autant que as long as
pour que so that
pourvu que provided that
puisque since
quand when
quand bien même even though / if
quoi que whatever, no matter what
si if
si bien que so that
si jamais if ever
si tant est que provided that
sitôt que as soon as
tandis que while, whereas
une fois que once
vu que seeing as / that
Interrogative sentence
In French, there are three ways to ask a question:
1. Closed-ended question
2. Open-ended question
3. Partial question with "Quel"
Along with it, it is important to denote how we convey formality, let us see
each of them:
The familiar form (Informal) or Registre Familiar, this form can be
used with friends or family.
The standard form or Registre Standard, this form can be used with
everyone, in shops, at work, etc. It is the most used form.
The formal form or Registre Formel, this form can be used in a

formal situation.
Closed-ended Question
Typically, closed questions will have a one-word answer, such as “OUI” or
“NON”.
The familiar form
Using intonation, you can ask something with a querying tone
followed by a question mark (?).
e.g. : Tu arrives bientôt ?
(You're arriving soon ?)
The standard form
You can form a question by starting with the prefix Est-ce que which
is the equivalent of Do you or Is it that.
e.g. : Est-ce que tu as faim ?
(Are you hungry ?)
Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ?
(Do you speak English?)
The formal form
Using inversion, it is when the questions are marked by switching the
verb with the subject, thus changing the word order pattern from SVO
(Subject + Verb + Object) to VSO (Verb + Subject + Object. An
important point to note here that there has to be a hyphen between the
verb and the subject to connect them.
e.g. : Tu parles français. → Parles-tu français ?
(Do you speak French ?)
Vous avez mangé les biscuits. → Avez-vous mangé les biscuits?

(Have you eaten the biscuits ?)
Open-ended Question
Open-ended questions are those which require more thought and more than a
simple one-word answer, therefore we are going to use an interrogative word,
such as what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether,
how, how much. In French respectively, these are quoi, qui, quand, où, qui,
qui, qui, pourquoi, si, comment, combien.
The familiar form
The formula is: Subject + Verb + Interrogative Word +
Object.
e.g. : Tu sais combien ça coûte ?
(Do you know how much it costs?)
The standard form
The formula is: Interrogative Word + Est-ce-que + Subject
+ Verb + Object.
e.g. : Quand est-ce que je recevrai mon cadeau?
(When I will receive my gift?)
The formal form
The formula is: Interrogative Word + Verb + Subject +
Object.
e.g. : Quand recevrai-je mon cadeau ?
(When will i receive my gift ?)
Partial question with "Quel"

Like any French adjective, the interrogative adjective Quel agrees in gender
and number with the noun (thing/person) to which it relates.
The familiar form
The formula is: Subject + Verb + Quel + Noun.
e.g. : Tu peux me dire quelle (feminine-singular) heure il est s'il te plaît ?
(Can you tell me what time it is please ?)
The standard form

The formula is: Quel + Noun + Est-ce que + Subject +
Verb.
e.g. : Quelles (feminine-plural) prestations additionnelles est-ce que je peux
offrir à mes clients ?
(What extra services can I offer my customers ?)
The formal form

The formula is: Quel + Noun + Verb + Subject
e.g. : Quelle (feminine-singular) destination préférez-vous
pour les vacances ?
(Which vacation destination do you prefer?)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right interrogative word:
1. ... a acheté ce livre ? 6. ... il ne vient pas ? parce qu’a il a déjà

2. ... heure est-il ? un rendez-vous important
3. Je vais acheter une voiture ? ... ? 7. ... penses-tu ?
4. ... veulent-ils partir ? Après le 8. Les tomates, ... ça coute monsieur ?
déjeuner. 9. ... se trouve la Moldavie ?
5. ... vous voulez manger aujourd’hui ? 10. ... on dit « femme » en anglais ?
Adjective
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun. For example, colours, shapes,
and sizes are all adjectives. All French adjectives agree with the nouns they
describe in terms of number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or
feminine).
Making adjectives agree
An adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
French adjectives, therefore, have four forms:
Masculine Singular is an adjective's basic form, which is listed in
dictionaries.
e.g. : un grand garçon. (a big boy.)
Feminine Singular is normally formed by adding -e to the basic form.

e.g. : une grande fille. (a tall girl.)
Masculine Plural is normally formed by adding -s to the masculine

singular.
e.g. : des grands garçons. (big boys.)
Feminine Plural is formed by adding -s to the feminine singular.

e.g. : des grandes filles. (big girls.)
Adjective order
The adjectives which describe color, form, religion and nationality are
generally are placed after the noun, whereas short adjectives such as beau,
joli, double, jeune, vieux, petit, grand, gros, mauvais, demi, bon, nouveau are
placed before the noun.
e.g. : Des étudiants indiens habitent en France.
(Indian students live in France.)
Elle a acheté une grande voiture.
(She bought a big car.)
Note that while learning a new adjective, it would be recommended to use a good dictionary due to its
numerous exceptions.
Here is a list of the most common adjectives.

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine +e Masculine Feminine +es
+s
petit petite petits petites
vert verte verts vertes
intéressant intéressante intéressants intéressantes
froid froide froids froides
grand grande grands grandes
noir noire noirs noires
sale sale sales sales
agréable agréable agréables agréables
jeune jeune jeunes jeunes
cassé cassée cassés cassées
bas basse bas basses
bon bonne bons bonnes
gros grosse gros grosses
italien italienne italiens italiennes
beau belle beaux belles
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right adjective:
1. La voiture est (blanc) 6. Il est sérieux, elle est …

2. Le cartable est (noir) 7. Jean est rêveur, Sophie est …
3. La (nouveau) maison est très (joli). 8. Nous sommes sportifs, elles sont
4. La brise est (doux) surtout le matin …
5. (Joyeux) fêtes à vous tous ! 9. Je suis français, elle est
10. Mon garçon est mignon, votre
fille est …
Demonstrative adjectives
When specifying people or objects, we use ce, cette, cet, ces.
Look at the following chart:
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Not applicable
ce, cet (this that) cette (this, that) ces (these, those)
ce livre, cet ami cette personne ces voitures, ces disques
e.g. : J'aime ce film. (I like this movie.)
Il m'a acheté cette chemise. (He bought me this shirt.)
Cet homme n’est pas sympa. (This man is not nice.)
Note that Cet is used in front of a noun (or adjective) that begins with a vowel or mute “h”.
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right demonstrative adjective:
1. ... étudiants viennent de l’Allemagne.

2. ... est un animal domestique.
3. J’ai beaucoup aimé ... film.
4. ... maison a un charme unique.
5. Il faudra régler ... problème au plus vite
Possessive adjectives
The possessive adjectives are used to indicate the possessor of the noun they
determine. They are inflected to agree with their noun in gender and number.
Singular Plural
Possessive
adjectives Masculine Not
Feminine
Before vowel or -h applicable
ma
mon (amie) mes (amis)
my (copine)
your (singular,
familiar) ton ta tes
his, her, its son sa ses
our notre notre nos
your (plural,
formal) votre votre vos
their leur leur leurs
e.g. : Je cherche mon sac et mes clés.

(I am looking for my bag and my keys.)
Je connais ses frères et sa sœur.

(I know his brothers and sister.)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the right possessive adjective:
1. (my) ami mange ce soir à la maison.

2. Elle va diner au restaurant avec (his) copain.
3. (our) nouveaux voisins viennent de déménager.
4. (your) cartable est tout neuf.
5. Tous (our) meilleurs vœux de bonheur !
Adverbs
Adverbs are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, verbs, or clauses. In
French, most adverbs are derived from an adjective by adding the suffix -
ment which is analogous to the English suffix -ly.
The basic rule to form an adverb is to add -ment to the feminine
singular form of the relative adjective.
e.g. : Heureux è Heureuse è Heureusement. (Fortunately)
When an adjective end with a vowel, simply add -ment to its

masculine form.
e.g. : Facile è Facilement. (Easily)
Some adverbs are formed with the suffix -ement.

e.g. : Intense è intensément. (Intensely)
When the adjective ends with -ant or -ent, so its adverb ends with -
amment or -emment.
e.g. : Courant è Couramment. (Fluently)
Evident è Evidemment. (Obviously)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the correct adverbs:
1. Ils ont (gentil) répondu non à mon invitation.

2. Il faudra (patient) attendre votre tour.
3. Les soldats font (courageux) leur devoir de la patrie.
4. Sabine marche (avec grace) sur le podium.
5. (Joyeux) les enfants préparent le sapin de Noel.
List of common adverbs.
Adverb French English Adverb French English

actuellement currently là there
ainsi thus, so largement greatly, well
après afterwards lentement slowly
assez enough loin far
aussi also longtemps a long time
aussitôt straight away lors de during
autant as many / as much maintenant now
autrefois in the past mal badly, wrongly
autrement differently, otherwise malheureusement unfortunately
avant-hier on the day before même even
yesterday
beau, bel, belle nicely (in expressions) moins less, least
beaucoup (de) much, many néanmoins nevertheless
bien well parfois sometimes
bientôt soon partout everywhere
cependant however peu little
certainement certainly peut-être perhaps
certes admittedly, of course plus more
ci-dessous below plutôt rather
combien (de) how much, how many pourquoi why
comment how pourtant yet
complètement completely près close
davantage more, longer presque almost
debout standing, up puis then
dedans inside quelque approximately
en dehors de outside, apart from quelquefois sometimes
déjà already récemment recently
au delà de beyond seulement only
demain tomorrow si yes, so, however, as
désormais from now on souvent often
devant ahead, in front surtout above all
doucement gently, quietly tant so much
également also, equally tantôt sometimes
encore again, still tard late
enfin at last, finally tellement so much, so many
ensemble together tôt soon, early
ensuite then, next toujours still, always
environ about tout very, quite
facilement easily très very
fort strongly trop too many, too much
heureusement fortunately vite quickly
hier yesterday vraiment really, truly
ici here, now y to it, there
Prepositions
A preposition is a word or group of words to connect people or things, to
show direction, location, or time, or to express relationship with an object. It
typically joins a complement object – which is a word, phrase, or clause –
that is necessary to complete the meaning of a given expression.
In the context of rapidly acquiring the French fluency, the book
addresses the common list of prepositions – though this list is not exhaustive,
it does provide a good and viable basis to strengthen your language.
Preposition English Usage
à at, in, to Je vais à Mumbai.
(I am going to Mumbai)
à + le è au Maman est au marché.

(Mom is at the market)
à + les è aux Un enfant aux yeux bleus.

(A child with blue eyes)
à cause de because of Le pique-nique a été reporté à cause
de la pluie.
due to (The picnic has been postponed due
to the rain.)
après after On se retrouve après le déjeuner.
(See you after lunch)
avant before Avant de venir, je vous téléphone.
(Before coming, I’ll call you)
avec with J'adore me balader avec les enfants.
(I love to walk with children)
chez at/to ...'s Mireille est chez son amie.
house/place; (Mireille is at her friend's house.)
from/at ...'s
Je suis chez le dentiste.
(I'm at the dentist’s.)
contre against Le pays a voté contre la proposition
de loi.
(The country voted against the bill)
dans in(side) Le film commence dans 10 minutes.
(The movie starts in 10 minutes.)
de of, from Il est de Mangalore.
(He is from Mangalore.)
de + le è du C'est la voiture du consul.

(It’s the consul’s car)
de + les è des C’est le cadeau des professeurs.

(It’s the gift from the teachers.)
depuis since, from J'étudie le français depuis deux ans.
(I am studying French since two
years.)
derrière behind Le restaurant est derrière le bâtiment.
(The restaurant is behind the
building)
devant in front of, Devant ma maison, il y a un
outside (the supermarché.
front of) (In front of my house, there is a
supermarket)
en in Il est en classe. (He is in class)
entre between, among J'ai installé un hamac entre deux
arbres dans le jardin.
(I set up a hammock between two
trees in the garden.)
envers/vers towards/around L'attitude du chef envers ses
employés est exemplaire.
(The boss's attitude towards his staff
is exemplary.)
La photo du village a été prise vers

1900.
(The photograph of the town was
taken around 1900.)
environ about, C’est à soixante kilomètres environ.
approximately (It’s about sixty kilometres away.)
hors ex(cluding) Garder hors de la portée des enfants.
(Keep out of the reach of children.)
jusqu'à as far as, up until Il a jusqu'à dix heures pour envoyer

son travail.
(He has up to ten hours to send his
work.)
Malgré despite Malgré l'embouteillage, nous
sommes arrivés à temps.
(Despite the traffic jam, we arrived
on time.)
par by, through, per Le contrat a été signé par les deux
parties
(The contract was signed by both
parties)
La route passe par la forêt.

(The road passes through the forest.)
Il y a deux desserts par personne.

(There are two desserts per person)
pendant during Pendant mon séjour en Allemagne.
(During my stay in Germany)
pour for, to Il faut une heure pour faire cuire le
gâteau.
(It takes one hour to bake the cake.)
sans without Je bois toujours mon thé sans sucre.
(I always drink my tea without
sugar.)
sauf except Tous les invités sont sortis de la
pièce sauf un.
(All the guests left the room except
one.)
selon according to, Selon le journal, la grève est
depending on terminée.
(According to the newspaper, the
strike is over.)
sous under(neath), Un gilet de sauvetage se trouve sous
below votre siège.
(A life jacket can be found below
your seat.)
sur on La nourriture est déjà sur la table.
(The food is already on the table)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions:
1. Je fais de la natation ... plusieurs années.

2. Nous allons ... la campagne la semaine prochaine.
3. Vous voulez ... thé?
4. Le chat est caché … la table.
5. ... de rentrer a la maison, il faudra acheter ... pain.
6. L’exposition est ouverte ... 8h ... 20h.
7. Le match de rugby est l'Angleterre ... la France.
8. Le produit doit être utilisé ... les instructions du fabricant.
9. Le professeur a éclairé ses élèves ... le sujet.
10. La route passe ... la forêt
11. Le fil commencera ... 10mn.
12. Le restaurant est ... le bâtiment de la mairie.
13. Les élèves sont ... classe de dixième.
14. L'avion a entamé sa descente ... l'aéroport.
15. L'attitude du chef...ses employés est exemplaire.
16. /Le directeur a travaillé dans l'entreprise ... dix ans.
17. Je bois toujours mon thé … sucre.
18. Tous les invités sont sortis de la pièce ... un.
19. ... l'embouteillage, nous sommes arrivés à temps.
20. L’aéroport est fermé à cause du cyclone.
21. Je rentre chez moi ce soir.
Existential clauses
In French, the equivalent of the English existential clause “there is” is
expressed with “il y a”. The verb may be conjugated to indicate tense, but
always remains in the third person singular.
e.g. : Dans 1h il y a combien de minutes ?
(In 1 hour there are how many minutes ?)
Il y a une grande demande.

(There is a great demand.)
Il y aura quinze invités ce soir.

(There will be fifteen guests tonight.)
This construction is also used to express the passage of time since an

event occurred, like the english “ago” or “it has been”.
e.g. : Je l'ai vu il y a cinq jours.
(I saw him five days ago.)
Il y a bien longtemps de cela.

(a long time ago.)
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime !

(I have loved you so long !)
Interjections
The Interjection is a big name for a little word. Interjections are short
exclamations like Oh là là!, Zut! or Miam miam!, they have no real
grammatical value but we use them quite often, usually more in speaking
than in writing.
When interjections are inserted into a sentence, they have no
grammatical connection to the sentence. An interjection is sometimes
followed by an exclamation mark (!) when written.
Interjections for:
Annoying situations
Aïe ! = Expressing a pain: Ouch !
Pronounced like "eye".
Ouïe ! Ouille ! = Ouch! Ow!

Pronounced "oo-y".
Holà ! = Hey! Whoa!

As in "Whoa! Hold your horses, be careful, etc."
Ouf ! = Expressing relief: Phew!

Oups ! = Borrowed from English oops: Oops!
Zut ! = Damn, Blast!
Merde ! = Shit! Crap!

Vulgar word.
Noises
Boum ! = sound of explosion: Boom! Bang!
Pan ! = sound of a gun: Bang!

Food
Miam miam ! = Yum yum!
Beurk ! Berk ! = Yuk!
Handy words
Ho ! = Whoa! Easy!
Ho mon Dieu ! = Oh my God !
Hé ! Used to express surprise; eh
Hein ? = huh, hey, eh, what?

Bon ! = Right, so, well, etc.
Ben... = Alternative form of bien Well

Bof... = so what, never mind, whatever, meh
Euh... = expressing hesitation, reflection, confusion, or doubt:
er, um, uh;
Du tout = not at all
C'est ça ; C'est cela oui... = yeah, right!
Mais bien sûr = yeah, right! as if!
Chouette ! = Exclamation when one learns of something
pleasing
D’accord = sure!, OK!, of course!, naturally!
à vos marques, prêts, partez = on your mark, get set, go!
à tes souhaits = bless you (said after a sneeze)
point final = period, full stop
attention ! = look out! watch out! careful!
échec et mat = checkmate
motus et bouche cousue = mum's the word
mille mercis = thank you very much, thanks a million
à un de ces quatre = see you, later
Summary
This chapter has presented Essential Grammar intending to give a
fundamental knowledge of French grammar, with emphasis on clear and
concise speaking and writing using core principles. The range of grammar
covered in this chapter alone is enough to get you closer to fluency.
Starting to learn a new language can be overwhelming and with all of

the options out there, learners have got a great number of opportunities, for
example – take part in group learning, immerse yourself in TV, music, and
movies, memorize a few key phrases, travel to France or any Francophone
country, leverage the power of the internet to create value in your study as
there are numerous sites or connected apps which help you practice with a
virtual language partner.
« Do make mistakes, learn quickly, and move forward » – making

mistakes while studying helps you learn better – making mistakes when
learning a language is not only necessary, it is a good sign.
The next chapter Advanced Grammar focuses on the complex rules of

grammar and its structure, like Direct and Indirect Object Sentences,
Subjunctives, etc.
Chapter 3: Advanced Grammar
A s the famous adage says « There is no good in life except gaining

knowledge. » – in this chapter, the grammar topics will expand and
deepen what was learned in the previous chapter and refresh the
rules for those who want to strengthen their French grammar.
At the end of this chapter, you should be familiar with many other
aspects of French grammar, like different types of Pronoun, Subjunctive,
Direct and Indirect object complement, etc.
Pronouns
Stressed pronouns
Stressed pronouns are used to reinforce a noun or pronoun, note that they
always refer to a person.
Subject Pronoun Stressed Pronoun English
1st person singular Je Moi me
2nd person singular Tu Toi you
3rd person singular - masculine Il Lui him
3rd person singular - feminine Elle Elle her
3rd person singular - neutral On Soi one[self]
1st person plural Nous Nous us
2nd person plural Vous Vous you
3rd person plural - masculine Ils Eux them
3rd person plural - feminine Elles Elles them
Let us now look at the rules of their application.
Substitution of the pronoun subject
e.g. : Marie : Moi j'aime la natation, et toi Jean et Karine qu'est-
ce que vous préférez ?
(I like swimming, and you Jean and Karine what do you prefer?)
Jean : Moi, j’adore jouer au tennis. (I love to play tennis.)
Karine : Comme lui, j’aime aussi le tennis.

(Like him, I also like tennis.)
After the preposition - à, avec, chez, de, entre, par, pour.

e.g. : Pour moi, Nadal est vraiment le meilleur joueur du tournoi.
(Nadal is really the best player of the tournament.)
Nous fêterons l’anniversaire de Karine chez toi.

(We will celebrate Karine's birthday at your place.)
Soi – this pronoun should be used in a general and neutral way.

e.g. : La confiance en soi est importante.
(Confidence in oneself is important.)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the right stressed pronouns:
1. Je pense beaucoup à ...
2. Je parle de ...
3. Annie est plus grande que ....
4. Nous sommes garés devant ...
5. Chacun pour ... et Dieu pour tous
Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are a special kind of French pronoun which can only be
used with Pronominal Verbs – they indicate that the subject exerts an action
on itself (refer to the Verb Pronominal section for more elaboration.)
Here is the list of the French reflexive pronouns:
Subject Reflexive English
Pronoun Pronoun
1st person singular je me – m’ myself
2nd person singular tu te – t’ yourself
3rd person singular - masculine il himself
3rd person singular - feminine elle se – s’ herself
oneself
3rd person singular - neutral on
itself
1st person plural nous nous ourselves
yourself
2nd person plural vous vous
yourselves
3rd person plural - masculine ils
se – s’ themselves
3rd person plural - feminine elles
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the right reflexive pronouns:
1. Ils (s’endormir) ... vite après la fête.

2. Elle (s’habiller) … très bien.
3. Les enfants doivent (se coucher) … de très bonne heure.
4. Nous (se retrouver) ... après dix ans.
5. Le diner termine, vous pourrez (se détendre) ... dans le salon.
The demonstrative pronoun is one that takes the place of a noun, an activity,
or a situation.
Demonstrative Singular Plural
pronouns Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
Simple celui, ce, c', celle ceux celles
cela, ça, ceci
Complex celui-ci, celui- celle-ci, ceux-ci, celles-ci,
là celle-là ceux-là celles-là
Note that celui-ci and celui-là, ceci specify the closest object we are referring to, and cela specifies the
farthest object.
e.g. : Ces livres sont très beaux, je vais choisir celui-ci.
(These books are very beautiful; I will choose this one.)
Ce chat est mignon. Lequel ? celui-ci ou celui-là ?

(This cat is cute. Which one? This one or that one?)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the following demonstrative pronouns: ceci,
celles, ce, celle-là
1. Quelles sucreries préfères-tu ? Je préfère ... qui sont rouges.

2. La robe noire est superbe, non je veux ....
3. ... plat est succulent.
4. ... est très bien, félicitations !
5. Retenez bien ...
Interrogative pronouns are used to interrogate the identity of people or
objects. They can replace a name preceded by an interrogative determinant or
allow a complete subordinate proposition in reference to the verbal group.
Look at the following charts:
Interrogative
pronouns Person Thing
Subject qui ? qui est-ce qui ?

Direct object qui ? que ?
qu'est-ce que ?
After a preposition qui ? quoi ?
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
lequel laquelle lesquels lesquelles
auquel à laquelle auxquels auxquelles
duquel de laquelle desquels desquelles
e.g. : Lequel partira avant minuit ?

(Which one will leave before midnight?)
Que fais-tu ? (What do you do?)
De quoi parlent-ils ? (What are they talking about ?)

Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the following interrogative pronouns:
Laquelle, Qui, Que, Quelle
1. ... langue parle-t-elle ?

2. ... aimerait il séduire ?
3. ... est ce qui se passe là-bas ?
4. ... pourrait bien nous aider ?
5. De toutes tes amies, ... est la plus gentille ?
Indefinite pronouns
The indefinite pronoun is used to designate people or things in an imprecise,
uncertain, indeterminate way.
e.g. : Quelqu’un a pris mon stylo. (Someone took my pen.)
Tout est bien qui finit bien ! (All's well that ends well)
List of some indefinite pronouns:

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
aucun aucune certains certaines
chacun chacune les uns les unes
l'un l'une les autres les autres
l'autre l'autre d'autres d'autres
un autre une autre les mêmes les mêmes
le même la même n'importe n'importe
n'importe n'importe lesquels lesquelles
lequel laquelle quelques-uns quelques-unes
nul nulle tous toutes
pas un pas une
plus d'un plus d'une
quelqu'un quelqu’une
tout toute
Some indefinite pronouns are invariable
Masculine Singular Masculine or Feminine Plural
personne plusieurs
rien
je ne sais qui /quoi beaucoup
n'importe qui /quoi d'aucuns
quelque chose peu
qui
quoi la plupart
quiconque bon nombre
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blank with the following indefinite pronouns: Quelqu’un,
Tous, Plusieurs
1. ... vient de frapper à la porte.

2. J’ai invité ... mes amis pour mon anniversaire.
3. ... de mes amis sont installés en France.
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are a category of pronouns used to designate the three
types of grammatical person.
Personal Pronouns
st Je
1 person singular
2nd person singular Tu
3rd person singular - masculine Il
3rd person singular - feminine Elle
1st person plural Nous

2nd person plural Vous
3rd person plural – masculine Ils
3rd person plural – feminine Elles
Personal pronouns may also take different forms depending on number,

grammatical or natural gender, case, and formality.
e.g. : J’ai croisé Suzy, elle allait à son travail.
(I met Suzy, she was going to work.)
Le ministre a reçu notre lettre ce matin. Nous espérons qu'il répondra bientôt.
(The minister received our letter this morning. We hope he will respond soon.)
Summary table of personal pronouns:

Personal Function
Pronouns
Person Subject Reflexive Direct object Indirect object Stressed
Singular 1st Je Me moi
2nd Tu Te toi
3rd Il Se le/en lui/y lui
Elle la/en elle
On En soi
Plural 1st Nous
2nd Vous
3rd Ils se les/en leur/y eux
elles elles
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the correct personal pronouns:
1. Je ... aime
2. Tu ... vois ce soir ?
3. Le Père Noel ... a répondus !
4. ... est ... qui ai organisé cet évènement.
5. Est-ce que tu aimes les pommes ? (replace les pommes)
Possessive pronouns
The possessive pronoun is used to designate one or more objects as well as
the owner(s) of this object. Note that this pronoun is always composed of two
words (a determinant and a pronoun).
Possessive Singular Plural
1st person singular le mien la mienne les miens les miennes
2nd person singular le tien la tienne les tiens les tiennes
3rd person singular le sien la sienne les siens les siennes

1st person plural le nôtre la nôtre les nôtres
2nd person plural le vôtre la vôtre les vôtres
3rd person plural le leur la leur les leurs
e.g. : Je te donne ma gomme car j’ai perdu la tienne.

(I am giving you my eraser because I lost yours.)
Cette voiture est aussi ancienne que la vôtre.

(This car is as old as yours.)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronouns:
1. Est-ce que c'est votre téléphone, monsieur ? Oui, c'est ...

2. Voici notre voiture. Voici ...
3. Est-ce qu’il a pris ses clefs ? Non, ce ne sont pas ...
4. Votre maison est plus grande que ...
5. Ce n’est pas mon vélo, c’est ...
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to create relative subordinate sentences. These
pronouns are always placed at the beginning of the relative subordinate.
Relative Singular Plural

Simple qui, que, quoi, dont, où, quiconque
Complex auquel, à laquelle, de auxquels, auxquelles,
duquel, laquelle, desquels, desquelles,
lequel laquelle lesquels lesquelles
e.g. : Parmi ces produits, il faut nous dire lesquels vous préférez.
(Among these products, you must tell us which ones you prefer.)
L'immeuble auquel il fait référence est ancien.

(The building to which he refers is old.)
Do not confuse relative pronouns with interrogative pronouns:

Qui is a relative pronoun introducing a relative subordinate
proposition.
e.g. Les étudiants qui ont besoin d'un visa doivent se rendre à l'ambassade.
(Students who require a visa must go to the embassy.)
Qui is an interrogative pronoun used in an interrogative sentence.
e.g. : Qui a besoin d'un visa ?
(Who needs a visa?)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronouns:
1. J'aime l'Allemagne, c'est le pays ... je voudrais vivre.
2. La bande dessinée ... tu m'as emprunté était intéressante.
3. Tout ce ... vous parlez est intéressant.
4. L'appartement ... j'habite à 5 chambres.
5. Nous irons au collège ... tu as fini tes études.
Adverbial pronouns
The French adverbial pronouns Y and EN usually replace different types of
complements in a sentence, which are Direct Object Complement or Indirect
Object Complement.
Pronoun Y has two distinct uses:
It acts as indirect-object pronoun used with things introduced by the
preposition à.
It is used to replace a spatial prepositional phrase.

e.g. : Je vais à Londres. → J'y vais.
(I am going to Londres. → I am going there.)
Est-ce que tu habites dans cet appartement ? - Non, je n'y

habite plus. (Do you live in this apartment? - No, I don't live there
anymore.)
It is used idiomatically with certain verbs, without replacing anything.

e.g. : Il doit y avoir une erreur.
(There must be a mistake.)
Pronoun EN has the following uses:

It acts as indirect-object pronoun used with things (including
infinitives) introduced by the preposition de.
It is also sometimes used in the same way with people.

e.g. : Je parle du film. → J'en parle. (I am talking about the movie. → I am talking
about it.)
Je parle de Myriam. → J'en parle. ou Je parle d’elle. (I am talking about

Myriam. → I am talking about her.)
Here also it is used to replace a spatial prepositional phrase introduced

by de.
e.g. : Je viens de l’Inde → J'en viens.
(I come from India. → I come from there.)
It is the direct-object pronoun used to replace indefinite direct objects:

Introduced by the partitive article (including the plural
indefinite article)
e.g. : J'ai bu du jus d'orange. → J'en ai bu.
(I drank some apple juice. → I drank some.)
Introduced by de when the verb is negated

e.g. : Je n'ai pas vu de promotions. → Je n'en ai pas vu. (I haven't seen
any promotions. → I haven't seen any)
Introduced by a numeral (including the singular indefinite

article) or a plural expression (d'autres, certains, quelques)
e.g. : J'ai mangé une pomme. → J'en ai mangé une. (I ate an apple. → I
ate one.)
J'ai mangé quelques pommes. →J'en ai mangé quelques-unes.

(I ate some apple. → I ate some.)
Introduced by another expression of quantity (usually an

adverb + de)
e.g. : J'ai vendu beaucoup de jus d'orange. → J'en ai vendu beaucoup.
(I sold a lot of apple juice. → I sold a lot.)
It is used idiomatically with certain verbs, without replacing anything.

e.g. Il en veut à Preeti.
(He is resentful of Preeti.)
Verb pronominal
Pronominal verbs indicate that the subject exerts an action on itself. We
recognize them by the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se which
stand before the verb. Every student who starts learning French must have
noticed the verb pronominal s'appeler which is commonly used.
e.g. Comment t'appelles-tu ? (What is your name ?)
Je m’appelle Mourtaza. (My name is Mourtaza)
Keep in mind that English doesn’t have an equivalent of pronominal verb,

let’s see these aspects in both the languages.
The literal translation of “Je me lève” in English would be “I'm getting
up myself”, which sounds inappropriate and we are more likely to say
“I'm getting up” – the term “myself” is understood by default.
Now with In French, without the reflexive pronoun the meaning of
the same sentence would be “Je leve | I lift” which makes it
completely meaningless in the context of “getting up”.
è How to conjugate
To conjugate pronominal verbs in the present tense, you need to pay
attention to both the pronoun and the verb form. The verb is conjugated
normally as per their infinitive with the addition of the reflexive pronouns
me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
1st Group
Se raser (to shave oneself)
je me rase
tu te rases
il se rase
nous nous rasons
vous vous rasez
ils se rasent
There are four classifications of pronominal verbs – Let us see each of them
in detail.
Reflexive verbs
Here the subject exerts an action on itself (physically, mentally, etc )
e.g. : Je me couche tard la nuit. (I go (myself) to bed late at night.)
Il s''arrête brusquement. (He stops (himself) suddenly.)
Here is a list of common reflexive verbs:

- s'asseoir, to sit (down)
- s'appeler, to be called
- s'arrêter, to stop
- se brosser, to brush
- se coucher, to go to bed
- s'habiller, to get dressed
- se laver, to wash
- se lever, to get up
- se promener, to take a walk
- se réveiller, to wake up
Idiomatic verbs
With an idiomatic verb, the subject does not exert the expressed action and is
followed by a preposition.
e.g. : Ils s’entendent bien avec leur voisin.
(They get along well with their neighbor.)
Here is a list of common idiomatic verbs:

- s'amuser, to have fun
- se dépêcher, to hurry
- s'endormir, to fall asleep
- s'ennuyer, to be bored
- s'entendre, to get along
- se fâcher, to get angry
- se marier, to get married
- se passer, to happen
- se reposer, to rest
- se sentir, to feel
- se souvenir de, to remember
- se taire, to be silent
- se tromper, to make a mistake
- se trouver, to be (situated)
Reciprocal verbs
With a reciprocal verb, the subject constituents exert an action on each other.
e.g. : Les enfants se parlent pendant la récréation.
(Children talk to each other during recreation.)
Here is a list of common reciprocal verbs:

- s’adorer, to adore one another / each other
- s’aimer, to love one another
- s’apercevoir, to see one another
- s’appeler, to call one another
- se battre, to fight with one another
- se chercher, to look for one another
- se comprendre, to understand one another
- se connaître, to know one another
- se croiser, to cross, pass one another
- se détester, to hate one another
- se dire, to tell one another
- se disputer, to argue with one another over/about
- s’écrire, to write to one another
- s’embrasser, to kiss one another
- s’entendre, to get along, agree with one another
- se parler, to talk to one another
- se promettre, to promise one another
- se quereller, to quarrel with one another
- se quitter, to leave one another
- se regarder, to look at one another
- se rencontrer, to meet one another
- se sourire, to smile at one another
- se voir, to see one another
Passive verbs
Passive pronominal verbs are used when the subject is inanimate.
e.g. : Les voitures se sont bien vendues cette année.
(The cars sold well this year.)
Tout s'oublie avec le temps.
(Everything is forgotten over time.)
Try it yourself
- Fill in the blanks with the conjugated pronominal verb:
1. Je pense qu’ils (s’aimer) ... bien.

2. Prend un bain chaud et tu (se sentir) ... relaxé.
3. Il (se réveiller) ... tard le week-end.
Moods
Grammatical mood is a grammatical feature of verbs, used for signalling
modality which is a system of linguistic options that allows for expressing a
speaker's general intentions as well as the speaker's belief as to whether the
proposition expressed is true, obligatory, desirable, or actual.
For each mood, there are several tenses, and in French there are seven moods
divided in 2 categories:
Personal moods for which the verb is conjugated using the
grammatical persons i.e. Je, Tu, Il, etc.
Impersonal mood which in contrast does not use the grammatical
persons.
Personal moods
There are four personal moods:
The indicative expresses a factual statement.
The imperative expresses an order.
The subjunctive expresses a wish or a will.
The conditional expresses a condition.
Le mode indicatif
The indicative is used to make factual statements. There are eight indicative
tenses and they are the most frequently used in French: (for more details,
refer to the Tenses section under Essential Grammar.)

Présent Passé composé
Passé simple Passé antérieur
Futur Simple Futur antérieur
Le mode impératif
The imperative mood is used to express an order, it can also be used to give
advice or make a suggestion, whereas in writing, the order expressed using
the infinitive makes the tone softer.
We find in this mood two tenses: the present and the past.
Present Past
The present imperative serves to express an order, give The imperative past is rarely
advice or make a suggestion used.
Impératif présent
The imperative present is formed without the subject pronoun and using only
the three following grammatical persons:
Grammatical Person 1st Group 2nd Group 3rd Group

Aimer Finir Prendre
(to like) (to finish) (to take)
2nd person singular aime finis prends

aimons finissons prenons
1st person plural aimez finissez prenez
2nd person plural
These three conjugated forms are very close to the conjugated forms
of the verb in the present indicative, but without the “s” at the end of the 2nd
person singular for the verbs of the 1st group – except in front of "EN" and
"Y" where we keep the "s" for a sound reason, e.g.: Vas-y!, Cueilles-en!.
e.g. : Finissez vos devoirs (Finish your homework)

Allons-y ! (Let’s go)
Impératif passé
The past imperative expresses the anteriority of an order that has not yet
taken place. Note that its usage is extremely rare. It is formed using the
imperative present form of avoir or être as an auxiliary verb, followed by the
past participle of the main verb.
1st Group 2nd Group 3rd Group
Rentrer (to return) Finir (finish) Devoir (have to)
sois rentré aie fini aie dû

soyons rentrés ayons fini ayons dû
soyez rentrés ayez fini ayez dû
e.g. : Sois rentré avant demain ! (Be back before tomorrow !)

Je suis désolé que vous ayez dû rester plus longtemps.
(I am sorry you had to stay longer)
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Imperative Présent.
- Chanter, Réagir, Venir.
Le mode subjonctif
The subjunctive is a grammatical mode expressing a thought or imagined fact
(opinion, unreal fact, or an uncertainty), in contrast to the indicative, which is
supposed to relate the real facts.
e.g. : Il est possible qu’il vienne. (incertitude hence using subjunctive)
(He may come. (uncertainty))
Il est certain qu'il viendra. (certitude hence using indicative)

(It is certain that he will come. (certainty))
Qu'il soit prêt à l'heure ! (Let him be ready on time !)
To form the subjunctive, we add "que" before the verb which makes
the sentence subordinate
« SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + QUE + VERB IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE. »
Four tenses exist in the subjunctive but only the Subjunctive Present
and Past are used orally. The Subjunctive Imparfait and the Plus-que-parfait
are only used in the narrative.
Simple tenses Compound tenses
Present Past
The present subjunctive is used to express a thought Same as present subjunctive, only tenses
or imagined fact (opinion, unreal fact, or an differ.
uncertainty.
Mainly used in literature to express past action. Mainly used in literature to express past
action.
Subjonctif présent
When the verb of the main clause is in present tense and expresses doubt,
uncertainty, willpower, desire, defence, necessity, possibility, impossibility,
or a feeling, then the present subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause.
e.g. : Il est temps que vous le fassiez.
(It's time for you to do it.)
Je suis content que vous ayez réussi.
(I am glad you did it.)
Je veux que tu viennes avec moi.

(I want you to come with me.)
Il faut qu'il aille le voir.

(He has to go see him tomorrow.)
Je souhaite qu'il vienne m'en parler.

(I want him to come and tell me about it.)
Il est important que vous fassiez une séance de sport.

(It is important that you do a workout.)
Here are a list of verbs or expressions which uses subjunctive.
What it expresses Verbs or Expressions English

Desire, Wish aimer que like/love that
apprécier que appreciate that
désirer que desire that
vouloir que to want that
souhaiter que to wish that
Doubt douter que doubt that
il est douteux que it is doubtful that
Emotions & Sentiments être content que be glad that
être désolé que be sorry that
être étonné que be amazed that
être fâché que to be angry that
être furieux que be furious that
être heureux que be glad that
être ravi que be delighted that
être surpris que be surprised that
être triste que be sad that
il convient que It suits that
il est bon que it is good that
Order consentir à ce que consent that
exiger que require
ordonner que order that
il est obligatoire que it is mandatory that
il faut que it is necessary that
il ne faut pas que you do not have to
Uncertainty attendre que wait for
il est regrettable que it is unfortunate that
il semble que it seems like
proposer que suggest that
Prohibition défendre que defend that
interdire que prohibit that
s’opposer à ce que oppose that
refuser que refuse that
Possibility, Impossibility il est possible que It's possible that
il est impossible que it is impossible that
Improbability il est improbable que it is unlikely that
Other Feelings il est essentiel que it is essential that
il est important que it is important that
il est juste que it's just that
il est nécessaire que it is necessary that
il est rare que it is rare that
il est préférable que it is better that
il est utile que it is useful that
il est temps que it's time to
il suffit que it is sufficient that
il vaut mieux que it's better that
recommander que recommend that
s’attendre à ce que expect that
tenir à ce que hold on to that
è How to conjugate
In Subjonctif Présent, all verbs (except few irregular) have the same
endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. – except the verbs of the 2nd group have
a -ss- which is added between stem and the ending.
Here are the endings of the subjunctive present:
Person Verbs of the 1st group Verbs of the 2nd group Verbs of the 3rd group
que je stem + e stem + isse stem + e
que tu stem + es stem + isses stem + es
qu'il/elle/on stem + e stem + isse stem + e
que nous stem + ions stem + issions stem + ions
que vous stem + iez stem + issiez stem + iez
qu'ils/elles stem + ent stem + issent stem + ent
Person jouer obéir Rire

que je joue obéisse rie
que tu joues obéisses ries
qu'il/elle/on joue obéisse rie
que nous jouions obéissions riions
que vous jouiez obéissiez riiez
qu'ils/ells jouent obéissent rient
Auxiliaries "Avoir" and "Être" are irregular.
Person Avoir Être
que je aie sois
que tu aies sois
qu'il ait soit
que nous ayons soyons
que vous ayez soyez
qu'ils aient soient
other irregular verbs.

alller faire pouvoir
stem aill- | all- fass- puiss-
…que je aille fasse puisse
…que tu ailles fasses puisses
…qu’il/elle aille fasse puisse
…que nous allions fassions puissions
…que vous alliez fassiez puissiez
…qu’ils/elles aillent fassent puissent
savoir valoir vouloir
stem sach- vaill- | val- veuill- | voul-
…que je sache vaille veuille
…que tu saches vailles veuilles
…qu’il/elle sache vaille veuille
…que nous sachions valions voulions
…que vous sachiez valiez vouliez
…qu’ils/elles sachent vaillent veuillent
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Subjuntive Présent.
1. Il veut que je (aller) ... à la banque demain,

2. Donc il faut que tu (venir) ... à l’heure.
3. Il est en retard et j’ai peur qu’il ne (pouvoir) ... partir à temps.
4. Ils veulent qu'elle (être) ... heureuse.
5. Quoi que tu (faire) ..., ce sera parfait.
Subjonctif passé
When the verb of the main clause is in present or in the future tense, we use
the past subjunctive to express a completed action that occurred before
another action.
e.g. : Coupe les oignons en 2 après qu'ils aient été positionnés à la main. (Cut the onions in
half after they have been positioned by hand.)
Je suis heureux qu'il ait été le premier à venir.

(I am glad he was the first to come.)
è How to conjugate
The Subjonctif Passé is formed using the Subjonctif Présent form of avoir or
être as an auxiliary verb, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Person Auxiliary (avoir) Past Participle (finir)
que j' aie fini
que tu aies fini

qu'il ait fini
que nous ayons fini
que vous ayez fini
qu'ils aient fini

Person Auxiliary (être) Past Participe (venir)
que je sois venu
que tu sois venu
qu'il soit venu
que nous soyons venus
que vous soyez venus

qu'ils soient venus
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Subjuntive Past.
1. Tu penses qu'il (manger) ... ... ?

2. Je souhaiterais que nous (êtes) ... plus nombreux.
3. Je suis très heureux que vous le (faire) ...
Subjonctif imparfait
When the verb of the main clause is in imparfait tense, we use the Subjonctif
Imparfait to express a past action.
The Subjonctif Imparfait is mainly used in literature and has almost
disappeared from everyday language.
e.g. : The sentence in Subjonctif Présent : Je veux que tu viennes.
è In Subjonctif Imparfait it becomes: Je voulais que tu vinsses.
The sentence in Subjonctif Présent : Il est nécessaire qu'il parle.

è In Subjonctif Imparfait it becomes: Il était nécessaire qu'il parlât.
è How to conjugate
1st Group: It is formed using the (il) form of the Passé Simple as a
stem, followed by the Subjonctif Imparfait ending.
2nd Group: Drop the final letter of the (il) form of the Passé Simple as
a stem, followed by the Subjonctif Imparfait ending.
3rd Group: Drop the final letter of the (il) form of the Passé Simple as
a stem, followed by the Subjonctif Imparfait ending.
Person 1st group verb 2nd group verb 3rd group verb
que je stem + sse stem + isse stem + e
que tu stem + sses stem + isses stem + es
qu'il/elle/on stem + ^t stem + isse stem + e
que nous stem + ssions stem + issions stem + ions
que vous stem + ssiez stem + issiez stem + iez
qu'ils/elles stem + ssent stem + issent stem + ent
Person Chanter Finir Faire

que je chantasse finisse Fisse
que tu chantasses finisses Fisses
qu'il/elle/on chantât finît Fît
que nous chantassions finissions fissions
que vous chantassiez finissiez fissiez
qu'ils/ells chantassent finissent fissent
Person Avoir Etre
que je eusse fusse
que tu eusses fusses
qu'il/elle/on eût fût
que nous eussions fussions
que vous eussiez fussiez
qu'ils/ells eussent fussent
Subjonctif plus-que-parfait
When the verb of the main clause is in Imparfait tense, we use the Subjonctif
Plus-que-parfait to express a completed action that occurred before another
action. This is mainly used in literature and no longer used orally. Note that it
has the same value as the Subjonctif Passé, but it indicates a notion of
anteriority.
e.g. : Il ne pensait pas que tu eusses cueilli toutes les fleurs.
(He didn't think you would have picked all the flowers.)
è How to conjugate
The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is formed using the Subjonctif
Imparfait form of avoir or être as an auxiliary verb, followed by the past
participle of the main verb.
Person Auxiliary (avoir) Past Participle (finir)
que j' Eusse fini
que tu Eusses fini
qu'il Eût fini
que nous Eussions fini
que vous Eussiez fini
qu'ils eussent fini

Person Auxiliary (être) Past Participle (venir)
que je Fusse Venu
que tu Fusses Venu
qu'il Fût Venu
que nous fussions Venus

que vous fussiez venus
qu'ils fussent venus
Le mode conditionnel
The conditional mood is used in sentences to express a proposition whose
validity is dependent on some condition, possibly counterfactual. Let us see
its main uses:
Actions subject to conditions
e.g. : S'il avait le temps, il lirait ce livre.
(If he had time, he would read this book.)
Polite request
e.g. : Pourriez-vous me passer le sucre ?
(Could you pass me the sugar ?)
Hypothetical expression
e.g. : Travailler dans l'informatique me conviendrait.
(Working in IT would suit me.)
Imaginary expression
e.g. : Moi je serais le pompier et toi tu serais la police.
(I would be the firefighter and you would be the police.)
Future expression but in the past
e.g. : Il a dit qu'il cuisinerait le diner
(He said he would cook dinner.)
The conditional has only two tenses: the present and the past. (for
more details, refer to the Tenses section under Advanced Grammar.)
Impersonal moods
The impersonal moods are three in number:
The infinitive
The participle
The gerund.
Le mode infinitif
The infinitive is a non-conjugated form of a verb or default mode of the verb.
Its equivalent in English is the term "to" followed by a verb. Note that the
infinitive is an impersonal mode , it means that it is not preceded by a
grammatical person or subject pronouns i.e. je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils,
elles.
e.g. Verb “Avoir” (to have)
Verb “Être” (to be)
The following point outlines major aspects of Infinitive use:
Verbs in the infinitive are classified into three groups:
(refer to the Verbs in Essential Grammar for more details)
- 1st Group: all verbs ending with -ER except ALLER.

- 2nd Group: all verbs ending with -IR.
- 3rd Group: here are all the irregular verbs.
After the following prepositions – à, dans, par, pour, en, vers, avec,
de, sans, sous – the verb is always in the present or past infinitive.
e.g. Les étudiants sont en train de préparer leurs devoirs. (Students are preparing
their homework.)
When two verbs follow each other, the second is always in the
infinitive.
e.g. Elle va prendre le bus pour aller au travail.
(She will take the bus to work.)
There are two tenses in this mood: present and past.

Past
Present
The past infinitive indicates a notion of
The present infinitive is the base form found in the dictionary. anteriority.
L’infinitif présent
The present infinitive is the base form found in the dictionary.
e.g. : Lire, Faire, Voir, Aimer (To read, To do, To see, To love)
L’infinitif passé
The past infinitive indicates a notion of anteriority. It is formed simply by
adding the auxiliaries "Avoir " and "Être" in front of the past participle.
e.g. : Après avoir hésité, il est finalement venu.
(After hesitating, he finally came.)
Après être partis de leur maison, nous sommes allés faire un tour. (After leaving
their house, we went for a walk.)
Le participe
The mains use of the participle are:
To express simultaneity
e.g. : La petite fille chante et danse.
(The little girl sings and dances.)
è La petite fille chante en dansant.

(The little girl sings while dancing.)
To express a cause (in the beginning of a sentence)

e.g. : Etant donné la hausse spectaculaire des prix du carburant.
(Due to hike in fuel prices in recent years.)
To express a anteriority using (Ayant / Étant + participe

passé)
e.g. : Le Conseil ayant donné son accord, la Commission peut adopter le
règlement.
(The Council having given its approval, the Commission may adopt the
Regulation)
Etant un homme de la parole, il aimait à s'exprimer avec précision.

(Being a man of his word, he liked to express with precision.)
Replace a subordinating conjunction

e.g. : C’est le maire qui signe les permis de construire.
(It is the mayor who signs the building permits.)
è C'est le maire signant les permis de construire.
(It is the mayor signing the building permits.)

Present Past
The present participle ends in -ant. It has a verbal value in the The past participle serves to form the
sentence. compound tenses of verbs.
Le participe présent
The basic rule for constructing the present participle is to take the verb in the
first grammatical person plural i.e. “nous” of the present indicative and
replace the ending -ons by -ant.
e.g. : fatiguer ==> nous fatiguons ==> fatiguant (tiring)
The present participle can be transformed into a verbal adjective

which also ends in -ant but which agrees with the noun or pronoun to which it
refers.
e.g. : Le professeur a en face de lui des élèves souriants.
(The professor has smiling pupils in front of him.)
Try it yourself
- Make the below verbs in Present Participle.
- Avoir et Être
Le participe passé
The first use of the past participle is to allow the construction of verbs in
compound tenses with the auxiliaries "Avoir" and "Être". It is mainly used to
express an action in the past tense.
e.g. : Il a couru pour arriver à l'heure.

(He ran to get there on time.)
Unlike the present participle which is quite simple in its formation

since it always ends with -ant, the past participle has different endings
depending on the verb.
To form the past participle for first-group verbs -ER and Aller too,
drop the -er and then add -é.
e.g. : parler (to speak) - er + é = parlé (spoken)
arriver (to arrive) - er + é = arrivé (arrived)
manger (to eat) - er + é = mangé (eaten)
To form the past participle for second-group verbs -IR, drop the -ir
and then add -i.
e.g. : finir (to finish) - ir + i = fini (finished)
choisir (to choose) - ir + i = choisi (chosen)
grandir (to grow up) - ir + i = grandi (grown up)
To form the past participle for third-group verbs -RE verbs, drop the -
re and then add -u.
e.g. : pendre (to hang) - re + u = pendu (hung or hanged)
vendre (to sell) - re + u = vendu (sold)
entendre (to hear) - re + u = entendu (heard)
attendre (to wait) - re + u = attendu (waited)
Some irregular verbs won’t match any of these patterns, if that’s the
case, you need to look up the individual past participle conjugation.
Try it yourself
- Make the below verbs in Past Participle.
- Manger et Vendre
Past participle agreement
The agreement of the past participle is indeed one of the greatest difficulties
of the French Language – let us see the agreement rules for each context:
The past participle conjugated with the auxiliary "Être"
agrees in gender and number with the subject.
e.g. : Les filles sont venues au cinéma.
(The girls came to the movies.)
è agreement takes places (venues) – the verb is written with an -es to
agree with “Les filles”.
If the Complément d'object direct (COD) is placed after the

verb or it does not exist, the past participle conjugated with
the auxiliary "Avoir" remains invariable (i.e.: no agreement).
e.g. : Elle a mangé un sandwich. (She ate a sandwich.)
è No agreement
The agreement takes place when Complément d'object direct

(COD) is placed before the verb.
e.g. : Les parents ont acheté des chocolats pour Noel.
(Parents bought chocolates for Christmas.)
è No agreement here as the COD is after the verb.
Ils les ont achetés hier. (They bought them yesterday.)

è “les” is a direct object pronoun which replace “des chocolats”, and it
is placed before the verb hence agreement takes place – the verb is
written with an -s to agree with the direct object “les chocolats.”
The agreement takes place when the sentence is introduced by

a relative pronoun.
e.g. : Voici les chocolats que les parents ont achetés.
Here are the chocolates that the parents bought.
è “que” is a relative pronoun hence agreement takes place – the verb is
written with an -s to agree with the direct object “les chocolats.”
With reflexive verbs, generally the agreement takes place.

e.g. : Elles se sont regardées pendant quelques instants.
They looked at each other for a few moments.
è the verb is written with an -es to agree with the subject “elles.”
Le mode gérondif
The gerund indicates that two actions are done at the same time, it is used
with another verb to indicate the simultaneity of two actions done by the
same subject. It must be preceded by "en" during its formation.
e.g. : La petite fille chante et danse è La petite fille chante en dansant.
(The little girl sings and dances è The little girl sings while dancing.)
Note that the gerund mood is an impersonal mode, it means that it is not preceded by a grammatical
person or subject pronouns i.e. je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles.

Present Past
The past gerund is the past participle
The present gerund is the present preceded by "en".
participle preceded by "en". It introduces a notion of anteriority. It is
rarely used.
Le gérondif présent
The Present Gerund is formed with “en” followed by the present participle.
Note that the Present Gerund is invariable.
e.g. : Il est venu en chantant.
(He came singing.)
En riant, la vie est plus facile.

(Life is better when you're laughing)
Le gérondif passé
The Past Gerund is formed with “en” followed by the auxiliary avoir or être
in the Present Gerund, and the Past Participle.
e.g. : En ayant révisé, c'est plus facile.
(Having revised, it's easier.)
En étant venu, on se rend mieux compte du travail à faire.

(By coming, we are better aware of the work to be done.)
Try it yourself
- Make the below verbs in Present and Past gerund.
- Negocier et Commercer
Choose between the infinitive or the imperative
We have seen that both the imperative and the infinitive can be used to
express an order, advice, instruction, procedure or prohibition, however,
these two modes have particular nuances which make the use of one or the
other sometimes more appropriate in certain contexts, depending in particular
on the type of writing and its intention.
Text in the infinitive is impersonal, neutral, distant, less prescriptive
than the imperative – the use of the infinitive is more suited to safety
notices, user guide, technical indications, very short instructions, or
general instructions.
e.g. : - Avant d’ouvrir, couper le courant.
- Avant de partir, fermer la porte.
- À conserver au frais.
- Ne pas nourrir les animaux.
- Ne rien laisser dans la salle.
The imperative mode evokes a more personal tone, closer to the
audience. It is more suitable for giving instructions or advice to follow
personally. It is used in particular in forms in which an explicit
request is made to answer specific questions, such as a job
application, and in the text of safety posters whose style is direct,
sometimes familiar, and accompanied by an illustration. The cooking
recipes are often imperative.
e.g. : - Ajoutez 50 ml de jus d’orange.
- Portez toujours votre équipement de sécurité.
- N'oubliez pas de remplir le verso du formulaire de demande d'emploi.
Tenses
Actions of the past
Here is a map that shows different times that exist in relation to an action of the past.
Le Passé antérieur
The Passé Antérieur expresses an action prior to the Passé Simple hence it is
used in conjunction with the Passé Simple to emphasise the order of events.
In English, it is the equivalent to the pluperfect tense. Note that this tense is
rarely used today.
è How to conjugate
The Passé Antérieur is formed using the Passé Simple form of avoir
or être as an auxiliary verb, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
(refer to the Passe Composé in Essential Grammar section on how to choose
avoir or être)
e.g. : Dès qu'il eut fini de parler, il partit.
(As soon as he finished speaking, he left.)
Lorsqu'il eut éteint une à une toutes les lampes, elle dormit.
(When he had put out all the lamps one by one, she slept.)
Verbs which go with Avoir

Aimer (to like) Finir (finish) Prendre (to take)
j'eus aimé j'eus fini j'eus pris

tu eus aimé tu eus fini tu eus pris
il eut aimé il eut fini il eut pris
nous eûmes aimé nous eûmes fini nous eûmes pris
vous eûtes aimé vous eûtes fini vous eûtes pris
ils eurent aimé ils eurent fini ils eurent pris
Verbs which go with Être

Arriver (to arrive) Mourir (To die) Partir (to leave)
je fus arrivé je fus mort je serai parti

tu fus arrivé tu fus mort tu seras parti
il fut arrivé il fut mort il sera parti
nous fûmes arrivés nous fûmes morts nous serons partis
vous fûtes arrivés vous fûtes morts vous serez partis
ils furent arrivés ils furent morts ils seront partis
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Passe anterieur.
- Declarer, Applaudir, Permettre
Le Plus-que-parfait
Le Plus-que-parfait is used to refer actions that took place before a certain
point in the past. In English it is the equivalent of Past Perfect tense.
è How to conjugate
We form the Plus-que-parfait using the imparfait forms of avoir or
être as auxiliary verbs, followed by the past participle of the main verb. (refer
to the Passe Composé in Essential Grammar section on how to choose avoir
or être)
e.g. : Je me suis réveillé tard car j'avais travaillé toute la nuit d'hier.
(I woke up late because I had worked all night yesterday.)

j'avais aimé j'avais fini j'avais pris

tu avais aimé tu avais fini tu avais pris
il avait aimé il avait fini il avait pris
nous avions aimé nous avions fini nous avions pris
vous aviez aimé vous aviez fini vous aviez pris
ils avaient aimé ils avaient fini ils avaient pris
1st Group 2nd Group 3rd Group (random

Infinitive)
j'étais arrivé j'étais mort j'étais parti

tu étais arrivé tu étais mort tu étais parti
il était arrivé il était mort il était parti
nous étions arrivés nous étions morts nous étions partis
vous étiez arrivés vous étiez morts vous étiez partis
ils étaient arrivés ils étaient morts ils étaient partis
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Plus-que-parfait.
- Jouer, Ceuillir, Prevoir
Le Conditionnel présent
The Conditional Présent is used in conditional sentences to express a
proposition whose validity is dependent on some condition, possibly
counterfactual. (for more details refer to the earlier sub-chapter Advanced
Grammar > Moods > Personal moods > Le mode conditionnel).
è How to conjugate
The present conditional is formed based on the simple future but with the
endings of the imparfait.
Person Verb of 1st group Verb of 2nd group Verb of 3rd group
Je stem + erais stem + irais stem + rais
Tu stem + erais stem + irais stem + rais
il/elle/on stem + erait stem + irait stem + rait
Nous stem + erions stem + irions stem + rions
Vous stem + eriez stem + iriez stem + riez
ils/ells stem + eraient stem + iraient stem + raient

j'aimerais je finirais je prendrais

tu aimerais tu finirais tu prendrais
il aimerait il finirait il prendrait
nous aimerions nous finirions nous prendrions
vous aimeriez vous finiriez vous prendriez
ils aimeraient ils finiraient ils prendraient
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Conditionnel present.
- Parler, Guerir, Coudre
Le Conditionnel passé
The Conditional Passé is used mainly to:
Make a supposition
e.g. : Il paraît qu'il aurait terminé son examen dans moins de deux heures. (It
seems that he would have finished his exam in less than two hours.)
To express remorse or regret over some achievement.

e.g. : J’eusse dû te le dire plus tôt.
(I should have told you earlier.)
Conditionnel passé première forme

è How to conjugate
The conditional past first form is formed using the conditional
présent forms of avoir or être as auxiliary verbs, followed by the past
participle of the main verb. (refer to the Passe Composé in Essential
Grammar section on how to choose avoir or être). – This is the most used
form of conditional.

j'aurais aimé j'aurais fini j'aurais pris

tu aurais aimé tu aurais fini tu aurais pris
il aurait aimé il aurait fini il aurait pris
nous aurions aimé nous aurions fini nous aurions pris
vous auriez aimé vous auriez fini vous auriez pris
ils auraient aimé ils auraient fini ils auraient pris

Infinitive)
je serais arrivé je serais mort je serais parti

tu serais arrivé tu serais mort tu serais parti
il serait arrivé il serait mort il serait parti
nous serions arrivés nous serions morts nous serions partis
vous seriez arrivés vous seriez morts vous seriez partis
ils seraient arrivés ils seraient morts ils seraient partis
Note that when the verb of the main clause is introduced by a “si”, then the
conditional passé is used in the subordinate clause.
e.g. : Si tu avais su, tu ne serais pas venu.
(If you had known, you would not have come.)
Si tu en avais eu l'occasion, tu serais parti.

(If you had the opportunity, you would have left)
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Conditionnel passé première
forme.
- Aller et Devoir
Conditionnel passé deuxième forme

The conditional past second form is formed using the imparfait of the
subjunctive forms of avoir and être as auxiliary verbs, followed by the past
participle of the main verb. (refer to the Passe Composé in Essential
Grammar section on how to choose avoir or être).
This form is more used in writing. Be careful to put the accent
circumflex on the "eût" and the "fût" otherwise it will be considered as the
passe antérieur.
e.g. : S'il avait su, il eût pris ses lunettes de soleil.

(If he had known, he would have taken his sunglasses.)

Infinitive)
j'eusse aimé j'eusse fini j'eusse pris

tu eusses aimé tu eusses fini tu eusses pris
il eût aimé il eût fini il eût pris
nous eussions aimé nous eussions fini nous eussions pris
vous eussiez aimé vous eussiez fini vous eussiez pris
ils eussent aimé ils eussent fini ils eussent pris

Infinitive)
je fusse arrivé je fusse mort je fusse parti

tu fusses arrivé tu fusses mort tu fusses parti
il fût arrivé il fût mort il fût parti
nous fussions arrivés nous fussions morts nous fussions partis
vous fussiez arrivés vous fussiez morts vous fussiez partis
ils fussent arrivés ils fussent morts ils fussent partis
Try it yourself
- Conjugate the below verbs in the Conditionnel passé deuxième
forme.
- Pouvoir et Vouloir
Complément d'object direct (COD)
The direct object complement directly specifies the action of the verb. It
cannot be moved or deleted; its role is essential for understanding the
sentence. The COD is placed behind the verb except in the case where it is
put in the form of a pronoun.
e.g. : Claire mange une pomme.
(Claire is eating an apple.)
Guillaume attend sa mère.

(Guillaume is waiting for his mother.)
To find the COD, the right question to ask yourself is QUOI? or

QUI? right after a verb. We thus obtain a sentence composed as follows:
Sujet + Verbe + « Quoi »
ð Le chat mange une souris : il mange QUOI è une souris
Sujet + Verbe + « Qui »

ð Paul regarde sa mère : il regarde QUI è sa mère
All verbs cannot have a COD. Traditionally, verbs are distinguished into
two groups:
a group for action verbs where the verb truly carries the action done
by the subject.
another group which are the stative verbs which are used to describe a
state or a way of being of the subject.
Only action verbs can have a COD. Here are some stative verbs: être,
devenir, paraître, sembler, demeurer, rester, avoir l'air, passer pour...
Agreement with COD

Knowing how to recognize the COD is essential in the conjugation because
the agreement rule is indeed one of the greatest difficulties of the French
Language (for more details refer to the earlier sub-chapter Advanced
Grammar > Moods > Impersonal moods > Le participe > Past participle
agreement).
Direct object pronouns
To avoid repeating nouns in a series of sentences or when answering
questions Direct object pronouns are the words that replace the COD and
they are placed in front of the verb.
Direct Object English Usage

Pronouns
me, m’ me Tu m'aimes. (You
love me)
te, t’ you Je t'aime. (I love you)
le, l’ him, it Je le mange. (I am
eating it.)
la, l’ her, it Il la voit. (He sees
her)
nous us Elle ne nous voit pas
(She doesn't see us)
vous you Le voisin vous aide
beaucoup.
The neighbour helps
you a lot.
les them Je les mets à votre
disposition.
I put them at your
disposal.
Try it yourself
- Find the COD and replace it by the right pronoun
1. J'aime bien ta chemise ! Où tu as acheté ta chemise ?
2. Mon vélo ! Tu vois mon vélo ?
3. Tu aimes les grenadelles ? Non, je n’aime pas les grenadelles.
4. Je trouve ce collier très joli, et toi comment tu trouves ce collier ?
5. Pour demain tu prends la voiture ? Oui je prends la voiture demain.
Complément d'objet indirect (COI)
The indirect object complement specifies the action of the verb. Unlike the
direct object complement which directly designated the action, here, the COI
is introduced by a preposition – à, de, pour, en – which means that the
complement is not directly related to its verb. It cannot be moved or deleted,
which confirms its essential role in understanding a sentence.
It is usually found after a verb when it is preceded by a preposition (à,
de, pour, en).
When replaced by a pronoun, it is placed before the verb. Note that in
the case where the COI is placed before the verb, unlike the COD, no
agreement must be made with the verb.
To find the COI, we ask the question QUOI or QUI with the
preposition just after the verb: A QUOI ? / DE QUOI ? ou A QUI ? / DE
QUI ?
Sujet + Verbe + « A Quoi »
ð Il ne pense qu'à sortir è il pense A QUOI ?
Sujet + Verbe + « De Quoi »

ð Il parle de ses vacances è il parle DE QUOI ?
Sujet + Verbe + « A Qui »

ð Il téléphone à ses parents è il téléphone A QUI ?
Sujet + Verbe + « De Qui »

ð Je crois en lui è je crois EN QUI ?
Indirect object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns are the words that replace the indirect object, and in
French, they can only refer to a person or other animate noun. The French
indirect object pronouns are:
Indirect Pronouns English Usage

me, m’ me Elle me parle doucement.
(She speaks to me softly.)
te, t’ you Viens, je t'achète une glace.
(Come on, I'll buy you an ice
cream)
lui him, her Elle parle à Jean. è Elle lui
parle. (She talks to Jean è She
talks to him)
nous us Ils nous préparent la fête.
(They are preparing the party for
us.)
vous you Je vous donne le pain.
(I am giving you the bread.)
leur them Je leur ai donné mon
approbation.
I gave them my approval.
Try it yourself
- Find the COI and replace it by the right pronoun
1. Jean écrit une carte postale a son professeur.
2. J'achète des gâteaux aux enfants.
3. Je rends le livre a ton ami.
4. Tu achètes le livre.
5. Tu as donne le jean ?
Complément d'objet second (COS)
The COS indicates who is going to benefit the action exerted by the subject,
it is always followed by a COD or COI – that is why it is called complement
object second because there is already a COD or COI in the sentence which is
in the first position. We identify a COS by asking one of the following
questions after the verb:
« à qui » , « à quoi » or «de qui », « de quoi »
The answer to this question is the COS of the verb, provided that this
verb already has a COD or COI.
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Roméo écrit une lettre. Roméo écrit une lettre. Marie parle de son match de tennis à
à Juliette. ses amies.
(Romeo writes a letter) (Romeo writes a letter (Mary speaks to her friends about her
to Juliette) tennis match)
Une lettre is complément à Juliette is complément de son match de tennis is
d'objet direct (COD). d'objet indirect (COI). complément d'objet direct (COD).
à ses amies = complément d'objet
second (COS).
Try it yourself
- Find the COS and replace it by the right pronoun
1. Tu achètes le livre à Patrick.
2. Tu as donne le jean aux voisins ?
3. J'ai emprunté son vélo à ma sœur.
Active and passive forms
The category of the voice indicates how the subject takes part in the action.
There are three types of voices:
Active voice
When the subject performs the action denoted by the verb, the sentence is in
the active voice.
e.g. : Le chat mange la souris.

(The cat eats the mouse.) è The cat (subject) is doing the eating (verb).
Jean poste la lettre.

(Jean mail the letter.) è Jean (subject) is doing the mailing (verb).
Passive voice
On the other hand, when the subject is acted upon by the verb, the sentence is
in the passive voice.
The subject undergoes the action expressed by the verb which is
performed by an agent called “Complément d’agent” – this agent is usually
introduced by the prepositions par or de.
e.g. : La souris est mangée par le chat.

(The mouse is eaten by the cat.)
La lettre est postée par Jean.

(The letter is mailed by Jean.)
è How to Conjugate the French Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed with a conjugated form of verb "Être "
followed by the past participle.
è How to Avoid the French Passive Voice

The French passive voice has a slightly formal or literary tone and is
used less frequently than in English. There are several alternatives to the
passive voice (besides the active voice):
To focus on the performer, use “c'est”:
e.g. : Ce livre a été écrit par un enfant.
è C'est un enfant qui a écrit ce livre.
This book was written by a child.

è It's a child who wrote this book.
Make a use of “On”

e.g. : Ce livre a été écrit en 1927.
è On a écrit ce livre en 1927. (This book was written in 1927.
Try it yourself
- Make the following sentences in active/passive forms

1. Le chat mange la souris.
2. Sarah a trouvé une belle robe.
3. Le château a été vendu par le roi.
4. Les plats sont préparés par ma mère.
5. La fête a été organisée par l’université.
Pronoun voice
Here the action of the verb is performed on the subject by an agent, note that
the pronoun voice is formed with the personal reflective pronoun "se".
In French, the two principal voices are the active voice and the
passive voice. Some grammarians classify the pronoun voice in the passive
voice with an agent complement "se".
e.g. : Il se promène dans son jardin.
(He walks in his garden.)
We speak of a reflexive pronoun voice when the subject and the pronoun are
the same person. In the opposite case, we speak of reciprocal pronominal
voice.
e.g. : Il s'est regardé dans la glace.
(He looked at himself in the mirror - reflexive)
Pierre et Paul se sont regardés dans la glace.

(Pierre and Paul looked at each other in the mirror -
reciprocal).
Useful dialogues
This section teaches us to have a dialogue in the most common situations in
daily life, with the most diverse interlocutors, from the most formal to the
most familiar.
Formal Form Familiar Form
(Informal)
1. Se 4 Bonjour, je m’appelle 4 Salut, moi c’est
présenter Monsieur Legrand et vous ? David et toi ?
4 Heureux(se) de faire 4 Bonjour David, moi
votre connaissance, et c’est Pierre.
permettez-moi de me
présenter, je suis Madame
Picard.
4 Enchanté(e) de faire
votre connaissance
4 Ravi(e) de faire votre
connaissance
2. Présenter 4 Je vous présente ma 4 Je te présente Avni
quelqu’un nièce. qui vient de l’Inde.
4 Je voudrais vous 4 J’aimerais te
présenter le nouveau présenter Julie.
directeur pour l’éducation. 4 Tu connais Valérie ?
3. Demander 4 Pourriez-vous me 4 Comment tu

à quelqu’un donner votre nom et votre t’appelles toi ?
de se numéro de téléphone ? 4 Quel est ton
présenter. 4 À qui ai-je l'honneur ? prénom ?
4 Comment vous appelez-
vous ?
4 Quel est votre nom ?
4. Demander 4 Comment allez-vous ? 4 Comment ça va ?
des nouvelles à 4 Vous allez bien ? 4 Tu vas bien ?
quelqu’un 4 Ça va ?
4 Coucou, quoi de
neuf ?
5. Répondre 4 Je vais bien merci. 4 Ça va bien, merci,
après une 4 Bien, merci, et vous ? et toi ?
demande de 4 Je vais très bien,
nouvelles merci.
4 Ça va !
6. Se quitter 4 Au revoir monsieur. 4 Salut.
4 Au revoir madame. 4 A plus.
4 Au plaisir de vous revoir 4 Bisous.
4 Mes amitiés à vos 4 A bientôt / A plus
parents. tard.
4 A demain / A lundi.
4 A un de ces quatre.
7. Formules de 4 Le matin jusqu’à midi : Bonne journée !
souhait 4 L’après-midi : Bon après-midi ! Bonne fin de
journée !
4 Avant de se coucher : Bonne nuit !
4 Avant le départ de quelqu’un en voyage : Bon
voyage !
4 Avant ou pendant une situation délicate : Bon
courage !
4 Avant une situation source d’espoir : Bonne
chance !
4 Vœux de début d’année : Bonne année !
4 Pour un anniversaire : Bon anniversaire ! Joyeux
anniversaire
4 Pour une fête : Bonne fête !
4 En portant un toast à l’apéritif : À votre santé !
4 Lorsqu’une personne éternue : À vos souhaits !
4 Pour souhaiter un agréable déjeuner ou dîner :
Bon appétit !
4 Pour souhaiter des vœux a quelqu’un qui se marie
: Tous mes vœux de bonheur.
4 Pendant les périodes festives : Joyeuse Paques !
Joyeux Noel !
8. Formules de Merci ! Merci beaucoup ! Merci !
remerciements Merci à vous. Merci à toi.
Merci de tout cœur. C’est gentil !
Je vous remercie C’est très gentil de ta
infiniment. part.
C’est très gentil de votre
part.
C’est très aimable à vous.
9. Réponse aux Avec plaisir ! Il n'y a pas de quoi.
remerciements Je vous en prie ! Je t’en prie !
Ce n'est rien !
De rien !
10. S’excuser Pardon ! Pardon !
Excusez-moi ! Excuse-moi !
Pardonnez-moi Pardonne-moi
Veuillez m'excuser !
Je vous prie de m'excuser !
11. Carte Postale
Cher Tonton,
Je vous envoie un petit bonjour des

Seychelles.
Il fait très beau. L'hôtel est juste en

face de la plage et je nage tous les Jean Marie Leblanc
jours. 21, Place Saint-Michel,
75006 Paris, France
Demain je vais aller faire un tour
dans la ville, donc j'en profiterais
pour acheter des souvenirs.
A bientôt.
Bises
Cher neveu,
Je suis content que tu

t’amuses bien.
Aujourd’hui à Paris Il
Hilton Seychelles
fait gris avec une averse,
Resort & Spa
mais il fait toujours bon.
Mahé, Seychelles
Très bon séjour et mon
bonjour à toute la
famille.
A bientôt.
12. Lettre administrative
Prénom NOM
Adresse
Code Postal Ville
Téléphone
Courrier
Paris, le 10 Mai 2020
Nom de l’entreprise/institution
Objet : Demande de bourse
Madame, Monsieur,
Actuellement en formation linguistique, je souhaite parfaire

mon niveau d’anglais et vivre une expérience unique en
m’immisçant dans la culture anglaise. J’ai le niveau suffisant pour
comprendre et participer à une conversation en milieu
professionnel.
Je tiens à votre entière disposition pour tout renseignement

complémentaire, et je vous remercie par avance de l’attention que
vous pourrez porter à ma demande.
Dans cette attente, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur,

l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Signature
13. Lettre de motivation pour emploi

Prénom NOM
Adresse
Code Postal Ville
Téléphone
Courrier
Paris, le 10 Mai 2020
A l’attention de M. Legrand
Directeur des Ressources Humaines
Nom de l’entreprise
Objet : Candidature pour le poste d’Architecte informatique
Madame, Monsieur,
Votre annonce au sein de votre entreprise a retenu toute mon

attention et je me porte donc candidat pour ce poste. Titulaire d'un
Master universitaire en informatique, je suis
passionné d'informatique depuis mon enfance et une carrière dans
ce milieu était pour moi une vocation. De ce fait je prends un réel
plaisir à exercer et réalise donc du très bon travail jusqu'alors
fortement apprécié pas mes supérieurs.
Fort de mon expérience de plus de quinze ans dans différents

domaines de l’informatique, je possède une grande connaissance
des différents langages de programmation et du Cloud. Sociable,
j'aime travailler en collaboration avec le chef de projet et j'apprécie
le travail en équipe. A l'écoute, rigoureux, précis et bilingue
anglais, je veille à répondre aux attentes de l'entreprise et je fais un
travail très minutieux.
Je suis persuadé que mon savoir-faire sera très apprécié par

votre entreprise et que je saurai répondre à vos besoins, aussi
j'espère que vous me donnerez l'opportunité d'intégrer votre
entreprise.
Enfin je vous joins mon curriculum vitae pour vous apporter

des renseignements supplémentaires et je me tiens à votre
disposition pour convenir d'un entretien.
Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de

mes salutations distinguées.
Signature
14. Formules de politesse
Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de
mes salutations distinguées.
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes
salutations distinguées.
Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, l’assurance de mes
sentiments les meilleurs.
Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Directeur, l’expression
de mon profond respect.
Nous vous prions de croire, Monsieur, à l’expression de
nos sentiments les plus dévoués.
Veuillez croire, Madame, à l’assurance de mes
salutations distinguées.
Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, à mes cordiales
salutations / mes sentiments distinguées.
Dans cette attente, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame,
Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Avec nos remerciements anticipés.
Bien cordialement.
15. Dialogue – Présentations

Mehdi : Bonsoir Pierre !
Pierre : Bonsoir Mehdi, comment vas-tu ?
Mehdi : Très bien, merci et toi ?
Pierre : Bien. Je voudrais te présenter ma fiancée Marie.
Mehdi : Enchanté, Marie. Comment allez-vous ?
Marie : Bien, et vous-même ?
Mehdi : Bien. Comment s’est passé votre voyage ?
Marie : Ça va, ça a été fatiguant au début mais là je vais mieux.
Zoe : Coucou, salut tout le monde !
Mehdi : Je vous présente mon épouse Zoe, je vous laisse faire
connaissance.
16. Dialogue – Chez le médecin

Médecin : Bonjour Monsieur, en quoi puis-je vous aider ?
Monsieur : Bonjour docteur, j’ai le nez qui coule beaucoup.
Médecin : Bien, je vais vous examiner. Couchez-vous sur la table svp.
Monsieur : D’accord.
Médecin : Ouvrez la bouche, tirez la langue, dites ahhh… Montrez-
moi vos oreilles, et maintenant votre nez. Respirez un bon coup, je
vais vérifier vos poumons. Je vois ce que c’est.
Monsieur : Qu’est-ce que c’est docteur ?
Médecin : Simplement un gros rhume, quoi ! je vous fais une
ordonnance.
Monsieur : Merci docteur !
17. Dialogue – A la pharmacie

Le client : Bonjour Monsieur, mon docteur m’a donné cette
ordonnance.
Le pharmacien : D’accord, donnez la moi pour que je puisse vérifier.
Le client : Vous savez, je n’aime pas avaler des comprimés.
Le pharmacien : Ah bon ! donc je vais vous donner des gélules et
pour la toux du sirop.
Le client : Super, merci beaucoup !
Le pharmacien : Donc, voici vos médicaments – les gélules il faudra
les prendre avant le repas, deux fois par jour – et le sirop, une cuillère
à soupe trois fois par jour.
Le client : D’accord monsieur.
Le pharmacien : Et n’hésitez pas à m’appeler si vous avez des
questions supplémentaires.
Le pharmacien : Vous payez comment ? En espèces ou par carte
bancaire ?
Le client : Par carte bancaire s’il vous plait.
Le pharmacien : Voici le reçu monsieur. Je vous souhaite un prompt
rétablissement.
Le client : Merci monsieur, bonne journée.
18. Dialogue – la bibliothèque

Monsieur : Bonjour Madame, je voudrais savoir si vous avez des
livres sur Napoléon ?
Bibliothécaire : Bien-sûr, est-ce que vous êtes membre Monsieur ?
Monsieur : Non pas encore, pourriez-vous me donnez les modalités
pour devenir membre s’il vous plait.
Bibliothécaire : Nous avons 3 abonnements différents selon vos
envies :
- Lire : Emprunt de livres et livres numériques a 25€ / an
- Lire et écouter : Emprunt de CD musicaux en bibliothèque
a 59€/an.
- Lire, écouter et voir : Emprunt de CD musicaux et de
DVD en bibliothèque a 100€ / an
Bibliothécaire : Lequel vous préférez ?
Monsieur : Je vais prendre l’abonnement « Lire et écouter ».
Bibliothécaire : D’accord Monsieur. Voici votre carte d'abonné.
Merci et bonne journée.
19. Dialogue – Pour aller à l’aéroport

Le réceptionniste : Bonjour Madame.
La cliente : Bonjour Monsieur, pour aller à l’aéroport Charles de
Gaulle, s’il vous plait ?
Le réceptionniste : A 100 mètres de l’Hôtel, vous trouverez une
station tout près d’ici.
La cliente : C’est très gentil de votre part, merci beaucoup.
Le réceptionniste : A votre service et bon voyage.
20. Dialogue – A l’aéroport

Marie : Bonjour, Madame.
L’employée : Bonjour, votre passeport et votre ticket
d’embarquement, s’il vous plaît.
Marie : Les voilà.
L’employée : Voyons, c’est le vol pour Paris. Oh, malheureusement
l’avion a une heure de retard.
Marie : Ce n’est pas possible.
L’employée : Oui, c’est à cause des conditions météo. Mais ne vous
inquiétez pas, on peut faire l’enregistrement.
Marie : C’est très bien !
L’employée : Les bagages, s’il vous plaît. Voyons, vous avez
seulement un bagage à main.
Marie : Oui, seulement celui-ci. C’est un voyage d’affaires pour une
journée.
L’employée : Pour le bagage vous ne devez rien payer, il est inclus
dans le prix du billet. Tout va bien. Voilà votre ticket
d’embarquement et votre passeport. Vous pouvez vous rendre à la
porte deux. Bon voyage !
Marie : Merci.
21. Dialogue – Au marché

Le marchand : Bonjour madame, vous désirez ?
La cliente : Je voudrais deux kilos de tomates.
Le marchand : Voilà madame, est-ce que vous désirez autre chose.
La cliente : Je vais prendre aussi un kilo de pommes et un kilo
d’oranges.
Le marchand : Voilà, ça vous fera 20 euros au total.
La cliente : D’accord voici un billet de 50 euros.
Le marchand : Et voilà 30 euros.
22. Dialogue – C’est les vacances

Papa : Coucou les enfants, j’ai une surprise pour vous. Devinez quoi ?
Les enfants : On part au cinéma ce vendredi ?
Papa : Mieux encore, nous partons en vacances sur la côte d’Azur la
semaine prochaine.
Les enfants : Yepee ! Et où allons-nous habiter ?
Papa : J’ai réservé un chalet tout près de la plage.
Maman : Ça c’est une très bonne surprise. Les enfants, allez préparer
vos valises des maintenant, et surtout n’oubliez pas vos maillots de
bain.
Les enfants : merci papa ! merci maman !
23. Dialogue – Au restaurant
Serveur : Bonsoir, une table pour deux personnes ?
André : Oui, nous sommes deux.
Serveur : Voici une table près de la fenêtre. Installez-vous. Voici le
mien.
Serveur : Vous avez choisi ?
André : Comme entrée, je prendrais une salade niçoise.
Valérie : Pour moi, une salade de chèvre chaud.
Serveur : Très bien, et en plat principal ?
André : Pour moi, un Lasagne.
Valérie : Moi je voudrais les maccheroncini.
Serveur : C’est noté. Merci.
24. Dialogue – A la poste
Jeanne : Bonjour monsieur, j’aimerais envoyer ce colis à Hambourg
en Allemagne.
Le postier : Oui bien sûr, vous voulez le service rapide ou le service
normal ?
Jeanne : Le service rapide, il coute combien ?
Le postier : Le service rapide vous coutera 30 euros, et le service
normal 20 euros.
Jeanne : Si je prends le service rapide, quand mon colis arriverait à
destination ?
Le postier : Dans 2 jours madame.
Jeanne : Donc je prends le service rapide.
Le postier : Je vous prie de remplir l’adresse complète en lettres
capitales.
Jeanne : Voici 30 euros, merci monsieur. Au revoir.
Le postier : Merci madame, bonne journée.
25. Dialogue – Cours de langues étrangères

José : Bonjour madame, je viens pour me renseigner sur les cours de
langues étrangères.
La secrétaire : Bien sûr, asseyez-vous s’il vous plait – je vous montre
la brochure.
José : Je vois que vous proposez des cours de Français, d’Anglais et
d’Espagnol – dites-moi un peu plus sur la duration du cours de
Français.
La secrétaire : Seriez-vous intéressé par un cours intensif qui
commence la semaine prochaine.
José : Oui, et les horaires ?
La secrétaire : Le cours se déroulera du lundi au vendredi de 15h à
17h pendant 3 mois.
José : Vous n’avez pas des cours dans la matinée ?
La secrétaire : Nous en avons mais les cours ne commenceront que le
mois prochain.
José : D’accord, et est-ce que je peux garder la brochure ?
La secrétaire : Bien sûr.
José : Merci madame, et à bientôt.
La secrétaire : A bientôt monsieur, bonne journée.
Punctuation in French
Le point (.)
This indicates the end of declarative or imperative sentences that are
not questions or exclamations.
e.g. : Tout est bien qui finit bien.
La virgule (,)
Separates a series of words.
e.g. : On nous a servis des croissants tout chauds, des pains au chocolats, et du
café.
While using coordinating conjunctions, the sentence must be

separated by a comma placed before the conjunction. (Et, Donc,
Ensuite, Mais, Puis, etc)
e.g. : Je me suis brossé les dents, puis je me suis couché.
Le point-virgule (;)
Used to link two related independent clauses, provided they are not
already joined by a coordinating conjunction.
e.g. : Le pneu de vélo est crevé ; heureusement je sais le réparer.
Les deux-points (:)

Used after a clause to add additional detail (Lists, Explanations,
Quotations)
e.g. : Nous avons besoin de trois types de soutien : économique, moral et
politique.
Les points d'interrogation (?) et d'exclamation (!)
Used to indicate an interrogative clause or exclamative clause.
e.g. : Pourquoi mon fils a-t-il tant de devoirs ?
Les points de suspension (...)

Indicates that the sentence is incomplete (intentionally or not).
e.g. : Un jour, nous partirons faire le tour du monde…
Les parenthèses ( ), les crochets []

Provide extra information that clarifies the sentence.
e.g. : Dans certaines professions, les plus techniques (Technicien en Informatique,
Gestion Informatisée, etc.), la formation peut durer plus de deux ans.
Les guillemets (« »)
Used to frame a quote.
e.g. : « Être ou ne pas être... », Hamlet, Acte III, scène 1ère, William Shakespeare.
Le tiret (—)
Indicates that the reader should pay attention to the sentences between the dashes.
e.g. : « Cette personne — par ailleurs charmante — a toute mon estime. »
Summary
I would like to end this chapter with the following saying « The best action is
the one which you have to force yourself to do. » thus the conclusion is, to
master the French language one has to go through hard work – everyone
knows that hard work is the key to success in whatever discipline one is
practicing.
The number of topics in this chapter provides clear guidance necessary

to enable the learner to achieve proficiency in the French language – so does
the previous chapter Essential Grammar which covers the basic elements that
serve as a foundation for further learning – remember, language acquisition
takes time; so relax, practice as much as you can – and, above all, enjoy the
process!
The next chapter discusses Language Acquisition Techniques to help

you understand how to get the results you want; and chapter five takes into
account a set of Smart Practices to help you fulfil your goals and maintain
consistency.
Chapter 4: Language Acquisition Techniques
T he chapter is designed to help learners understand how Language

Acquisition, Language Pedagogy, and Five Language Skills works, it
will help them determine the best method to master the French
language for effective communication.
At the end of this chapter, you should be familiar with Language
Acquisition, Language Pedagogy, and Five Language Skills.
Second Language Learning (L2)
First language acquisition refers to the way children learn their native
language. Second language refers to any language learned in addition to a
person's first language, including the learning of third, fourth, and
subsequent languages. It is also called second-language learning, foreign
language acquisition, and L2 acquisition (Susan M. Gass, 2008).
Language development and processing begins before birth. It has
been seen that babies can recognize their mother's voice from as early as a
few weeks old. Throughout the first year of life, infants are unable to
communicate with language. Instead, infants communicate with gestures.
When children reach about 15–18 months of age, language
acquisition flourishes. There is a surge in word production resulting from
the growth of the cortex. Infants begin to learn the words that form a
sentence and within the sentence, the word endings can be interpreted.
Elissa Newport and colleagues (1999) found that humans learn first about
the sounds of a language, and then move on to how to speak the language.
This shows how infants learn the end of a word and know that a new word
is being spoken. From this step, infants are then able to determine the
structure of a language and word (Saffran, Aslin, & Newport, 1996).
Language pedagogy
An introduction to the many methods of teaching languages which will help
the students on what is needed and what will work best in their situation.
There are three principal views:
1. The structural view treats language as a system of structurally related

elements to code meaning.
The grammar translation method

This method instructs students in grammar and provides vocabulary with
direct translations to memorize. Despite being the least effective method
of teaching, this method is still the most used method all over the world in
language teaching. That is unsurprising since most language proficiency
books and tests are in the format of grammar–translation method.
Audio-lingual method
This method is called also Army Method or New Method. Here the
students are taught a language directly, without using the students' native
language to explain new words or grammar in the target language. This
method is based on the principles of behavior psychology.
2. The functional view sees language as a vehicle to express or
accomplish a certain function, such as requesting something.
The oral approach and situational language teaching
The oral approach was developed from the 1930s to the 1960s by British
applied linguists such as Harold Palmer and A.S. Hornsby. This method
focuses on a core set of basic vocabulary items that occur frequently, and
it was assumed that mastery of these would greatly aid reading
comprehension along with grammar control. The main proposed benefit
was that such theoretically based organization of content would result in a
less-confusing sequence of learning events with better contextualization
of the vocabulary and grammatical patterns.
Directed practice
Directed practice has students repeat phrases. This method is used by
U.S. diplomatic courses. It can quickly provide a phrasebook-type
knowledge of the language. Within these limits, the student's usage is
accurate and precise. However, the student's choice of what to say is not
flexible.
3. The interactive view sees language as a vehicle for the creation and
maintenance of social relations, focusing on patterns of moves, acts,
negotiation and interaction found in conversational exchanges. This view
has been fairly dominant since the 1980s.
Direct method
The direct method, sometimes also called natural method, is a method
that refrains from using the learners' native language and just uses the
target language. The direct method operates on the idea that second
language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as this
is the natural way humans learn any language: a child never relies on
another language to learn its first language, and thus the mother tongue is
not necessary to learn a foreign language.
Communicative language teaching (CLT)

Communicative language teaching, also known as the Communicative
Approach, emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal
of learning a language.
This approach evolved as a prominent language teaching method around
late nineties and gradually replaced the previous grammar-translation
method and audio-lingual method. (Warschauer & Kern, 2000) The
emergence of CLT led to the re-examination of the language teaching
objectives, core curriculum and classroom strategies. As a result, the
teachers started emphasizing on the importance of communication,
pronunciation and fluency in language learning and stopped focusing on
the grammatical aspects.
Language immersion
Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a technique used in
bilingual language education in which two languages are used for
instruction in a variety of topics. It works best when you are living in a
targeted language country.
Silent way
The Silent Way is a discovery learning approach, invented by Caleb
Gattegno in the late 1950s. The teacher is largely silent, giving more
space for the students to explore the language. Students are responsible
for their own learning and are encouraged to express themselves;
beginners talk about what they see, more advanced students talk about
their lives and what they think. The role of the teacher is not to model the
language but to correct mistakes by giving sensitive feedback.
Community language learning

This method is based on the counseling approach in which the teacher is
seen as a counselor. It emphasizes the sense of community in the learning
group, encourages interaction as a vital aspect of learning, and it
considers as a priority the students’ feeling and the recognition of
struggles in language acquisition. There is no syllabus or textbook to
follow and it is the students themselves who determine the content of the
lesson.
Suggestopedia
Suggestopedia was a method that experienced popularity especially in
past years, with both staunch supporters and very strong critics, some
claiming it is based on pseudoscience.
Natural approach
The natural approach is a language teaching method developed by
Stephen Krashen and Tracy D. Terrell. They emphasise on the learner
receiving large amounts of comprehensible input. The Natural Approach
can be categorized as part of the comprehension approach to language
teaching. (see Comprehensible Input under Chapter 2)
Total physical response

In total physical response (TPR), the instructor gives the students
commands in the target language and the students act those commands
out using whole-body responses. This can be categorized as part of the
comprehension approach to language teaching.
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling was developed by
Blaine Ray, a language teacher in California, in the 1990s. At first it was
an offshoot of Total Physical Response that also included storytelling, but
it has evolved into a method in its own right and has gained a large
following among teachers.
Pimsleur method (proprietary)
Pimsleur language learning system is based on the research of and model
programs developed by American language teacher Paul Pimsleur. It
involves recorded 30-minute lessons to be done daily, with each lesson
typically featuring a dialog, revision, and new material. Students are
asked to translate phrases into the target language, and occasionally to
respond in the target language to lines spoken in the target language. The
instruction starts in the student's language but gradually changes to the
target language.
Form-focused instruction (FFI)
As suggested by the name, focuses on the forms of words and their
meanings. Basically, this method of learning second language draws
learner attention towards not only communication and fluency, but
grammar, pragmatics, spelling, pronunciation and punctuation as well
(Long, 1991).
Therefore, the linguistics recommended that the grammar and
communication teaching should not be done in isolation and they should
progress side by side. In addition to this Long (1997) also suggested that
learners need both communication Communicative language teaching
(CLT) and Form Focused Instruction (FFI) to obtain a high level of
proficiency and form-oriented instructions to avoid errors.
The combination of CLT and FFI must be highly regarded when it
comes to language learning because it will help the learner to gain full
command over that language (Form Focused Instruction (FFI) Vs
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), 2012).
Five language skills
In order to master a language for effective communication, one needs to be
skilled in all the five language skills which are Listening, Speaking,
Reading, Writing, and Cultural Awareness.
Listening
According to Oxford Living Dictionaries, to listen is to give attention to
sound or action. When listening, one is hearing what others are saying, and
trying to understand what it means. The act of listening involves complex
affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes.
Affective processes include the motivation to listen to others.
Cognitive processes include attending to, understanding, receiving,
and interpreting content and relational messages.
Behavioral processes include responding to others with verbal and
nonverbal feedback.
Listening is a fundamental means through which we learn new
information – now by taking only into consideration the difficulties of
acquiring Listening skills, the following mind map shows efficient solutions
for both, teacher and student.
Speaking
A spoken language is a language produced by articulate sounds, and much of
its meaning is determined by the context; Now being able to communicate
effectively in that context is perhaps the most important desire of language
learners. It is the exchange of information or ideas between the sender and
receiver. One of the most effective ways to help learners to improve their
spoken is through Storytelling, especially with children.
Reading
Reading enhances the learner's language by discovering a new wider range of
vocabulary and grammar. With Reading the linguistic journey becomes
interesting in exploring the cultural expressions and idioms of the targeted
language. Similar to Listening skills, Reading is a means of acquiring new
information.
Writing
Writing is a medium of human communication that involves the
representation of a language with symbols. It complements and extends the
capacities of spoken language by enabling the creation of durable forms of
speech that can be transmitted across space (e.g., correspondence) and stored
over time (e.g., libraries or other public records). It has also been observed
that the activity of writing itself can have knowledge-transforming effects
since it allows humans to externalize their thinking in forms that are easier to
reflect on and potentially rework.
Cultural awareness
Cultural awareness is the ability to experience, share, and understand cultural
diversity in the world. Cross-cultural understanding is a process by means of
which different cultural beliefs, behaviours, perspectives, traditions, and
values can be shared and comprehended. Your ability to speak one or two
foreign languages, coupled with extensive cultural awareness and overseas
travel experience, will eventually enhance your competitiveness when it
comes to taking advantage of global economic integrity. Absent cultural
awareness and international connections, your future career prospects will be
limited. (Li, 2015).
« LANGUAGE IS CULTURE »
It is well known that Language is the main medium through which
culture is expressed. A fundamental component for learning a language is
through Cultural Immersion, in other words, a foreign language lesson is a
cultural journey into the worlds of fashion, gastronomy, the arts, architecture,
and science. Language teachers have realized the need of integrating cultural
traditions in their syllabus which makes students more engaged.
Chapter 5: Smart Practice
A t the beginning of learning a language, the learner is full of

optimism and enthusiasm however there is a risk of losing that
sense of optimism and enthusiasm due to the lack of motivation and
eventually cessation of the learning activities. Motivation is a key factor here.
On the other hand, Memorization plays a vital role in the learning
process – most people won't memorize all the resources in any book, at least
not without years of practice hence this chapter will guide you on a well-
structured path to acquire both vocabulary and grammar without much effort.
Stay motivated
Learning a second language is exciting and beneficial at all ages. It offers
practical, intellectual and many aspirational benefits, however, it takes time
and dedication – and the primary factor contributing whether a learner will
succeed or not is Motivation.
At the commencement of any second language learning, the learner
thinks that he will do the utmost to learn and communicate effectively in the
target language, however, without motivation the learner may simply give up
before even trying.
When the learner pursues a learning activity for the pure enjoyment of
it – for example with regard to language learning, he wishes to connect with
people with various cultures, access to the worlds of fashion, gastronomy,
and arts, etc. – that is called Intrinsic Motivation.
On the other hand – the learner is learning the language for his career growth
or to find meaningful employment – it is called Extrinsic Motivation which is
rewards-based and determined by external factors.
Set SMART goals

Goals setting along with motivation are an important aspect of achieving the
desired result that the learner envisions. An effective way to set goals is to
use SMART which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant,
and Time-Bound.
Keep in mind that having clarity in mind is important for setting a
goal, and for the mind to responds best and immediately the goals are written
in the present tense which makes them more believable. Goals should be set
within a 3 to 6 months timeframe.
Now with regard to language learning, take a look at the following
goal assuming we are in the month of January:
It is the last day of the month of May. I can speak and write confidently about
myself and someone else for 5 minutes using the Présent, Passé composé, and
Futur Simple tenses in French. I can confidently ask questions using the
following interrogative words : quoi, qui, quand, où, qui, qui, qui, pourquoi,
comment et combien
Specific as it focuses on specific tenses and specific interrogative words.
Measurable as it focuses on 3 tenses and 10 interrogatives words.
Ambitious as it focuses on Speaking and Writing which are fundamental
means through which we learn new information.
Realistic as the goal was set in the month of January and has to be
achieved by the month of May.
Time-Bound as the goal's deadline is the last day of the month of May.
Buddy up
When a student starts learning a language, the first thing he must do is to pair
up with a language partner. Connect with people is easier now as
advancements in technologies have afforded us the ability to communicate no
matter where we are in the world.
Meeting new people who know another language can be life-changing
and full of extraordinary adventures. Personally, this led me to make friends
on several continents, to visit cities or even entire countries.
Reward yourself
Children aren't the only ones who love rewards - adults too!
Using rewards as a source of motivation is one of the most effective
tools in achieving goals, but also one of the least used. For example, once you
reach a milestone, treat yourself to a night at the movies or special food, or
buy that new top that has caught your eye.
Remember that rewards and motivation go hand in hand. Whether it is
a gold star reward, a congratulatory note, or a prize, the next time you feel
stuck or in need of help, reward yourself.
Memorization techniques
Learning a language requires memorisation and considerable effort and
regular work on your part, both inside and outside the classroom - here are
some of the best techniques available to make your linguistic journey
enjoyable and persistent.
Rote learning
Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. The idea is
that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the more
one repeats it. Rote methods are routinely used when fast memorization is
required, such as learning one's lines in a play or memorizing a telephone
number.
Rote learning is widely used in the mastery of foundational
knowledge. Examples of school topics where rote learning is frequently used
include phonics in reading, the periodic table in chemistry, multiplication
tables in mathematics, anatomy in medicine, cases or statutes in law, basic
formulae in any science, etc.
By definition, rote learning eschews comprehension, so by itself, it is
an ineffective tool in mastering any complex subject at an advanced level.
For instance, one illustration of rote learning can be observed in preparing
quickly for exams, a technique which may be colloquially referred to as
"cramming".
Spaced effect
Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909) was a German psychologist who
pioneered the experimental study of memory and is known for his discovery
of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect. His most important findings
were in the areas of forgetting and learning curves. Look at the forgetting
curve which shows how a memory of new information decays in the brain,
with the fastest drop occurring after 20 minutes and the curve leveling off
after a day (The Spacing Effect: How to Improve Learning and Maximize
Retention).
The good news is that there is a way to slow down the process of
forgetting. We need only to recall or revisit the information after we
originally come across it. Going over the information later, at intervals, helps
us remember a greater percentage of the material. Persistence will allow us to
recall with 100% accuracy all that we want to remember.
The learning curve is the inverse. It illustrates the rate at which we
learn new information. When we use spaced repetition, the forgetting curve
changes:
As you can see on the graph above, the reminders are planned in the
next 24 hours, then in 10days, 30days and 60days.
According to Paul Pimsleur, the recall interval published in the paper were: 5
seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days,
25 days, 4 months, and 2 years.
Note that spaced effect method is extremely efficient to acquire new
vocabulary in second language learning.
Memory palace or Method of loci
The method of loci (plural of Latin locus for place or location) is a method of
memorizing information by placing each item to be remembered at a point
along an imaginary journey. the information can then be recalled in a specific
order by retracing the same route through the imaginary journey.
This method produces good results by using creative visualization,
let’s say you want to memorize the following fruits using Memory Palace
technic: Citron (lemon), Pomme (apple), Citrouille (pumpkin)
Here is how it works:
1. To start with let us take “your home” which acts as a
Memory Palace.
2. Associate a mental image with each item, specific to a
location in your house. Note that while associating, try to
exaggerate to amplify the visualization.
- Citron associated with the kitchen.
- Citrouille associated with the living room.
- Pomme associated with the bedroom.
3. Plan the whole route.
- As the visualisation of the house starts, once you enter
the kitchen a person dressed as Citrus or Citron
welcomes you, he brings a lemon to your mouth and
as you squeeze on the lemon, you suck the juice and
taste its bitter sweet taste.
- Now while walking into the living room, there is a
Hallowen party going on with all persons having a
Citrouille in their hands.
- Finally, when you enter your bedroom, you see a
giant Pomme tree growing in your room.
4. After you have associated mentally all your items around the
house, when you try to recall your fruit list, all you have to do
is visualise your kitchen - you will see the Citron welcoming
you, along with the experience of having the lemon in your
mouth. When you visualise your bedroom, you will see
around, a view of an apple tree in your bedroom, and so on.
For example, with regard to language learning, you can grow your
Preposition vocabulary faster by associating each Preposition to a location in
your house:
e.g. : Le chat est caché sous le lit.
(The cat is hidden under the bed.)
Habit loops
Make it a habit to use French language when you communicate with your
superiors, bilingual colleagues, or friend – In The Power of Habit: why we do
what we do and how to change – author Charles Duhigg is going to take us
through the science of habit formation process, and the habit changing
process (Duhigg, 2012, pp. 13-19,51,92).
In the early 1990s, the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
researchers discovered that Basal Ganglia – a golf ball sized lump of tissue
toward the center of the skull – is responsible for storing habits.
Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking
for ways to save effort. This effort-saving instinct is a huge advantage as an
efficient brain allows us to stop thinking constantly about basic behaviors,
such as walking and choosing what to eat, so we can devote mental energy to
inventing spears, irrigation systems, and, eventually, airplanes and video
games.
Habit formation process within our brains is a three-step loop.
First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic
mode and which habit to use, then there is the routine, which can be physical
or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain
figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future.
Over time, this loop — cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward —
becomes more and more automatic. The cue and reward become intertwined
until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges.
To understand the power of cravings in creating habits, consider how
exercise habits emerge. In 2002 researchers at New Mexico State University
wanted to understand why people habitually exercise. They studied 266
individuals, most of whom worked out at least three times a week. What they
found was that many of them had started running or lifting weights almost on
a whim, or because they suddenly had free time or wanted to deal with
unexpected stresses in their lives. However, the reason they continued—why
it became a habit—was because of a specific reward they started to crave.
In one group, 92 percent of people said they habitually exercised
because it made them “feel good”—they grew to expect and crave the
endorphins and other neurochemicals a workout provided. In another group,
67 percent of people said that working out gave them a sense of
“accomplishment”—they had come to crave a regular sense of triumph from
tracking their performances, and that self-reward was enough to make the
physical activity into a habit
If you want to start running each morning, it’s essential that you
choose a simple cue (like always lacing up your sneakers before breakfast or
leaving your running clothes next to your bed) and a clear reward (such as a
midday treat, a sense of accomplishment from recording your miles, or the
endorphin rush you get from a jog). But countless studies have shown that a
cue and a reward, on their own, aren’t enough for a new habit to last. Only
when your brain starts expecting the reward—craving the endorphins or
sense of accomplishment—will it become automatic to lace up your jogging
shoes each morning. The cue, in addition to triggering a routine, must also
trigger a craving for the reward to come.
In this book context, what do you crave for ?

For instance, if you want to practice French each morning
ð Cue: Seeing a poster of the Eiffel Tower after you wake
up will trigger the routine.
ð Routine: You open your favourite French book or listen
up some podcast.
ð Craving: Migrating to France or Career Prospect.
ð Reward: Sense of accomplishment.
But that’s not enough. For a habit to stay changed, people must
believe change is possible. And most often, that belief only emerges with the
help of a group, says Duhigg.
Groups create accountability and belief — key ingredients in helping
us stick with new habits. Thus, if you want to write more, consider joining a
writing group. If you want to run more, consider joining a running club. The
more positive reinforcement you can surround yourself with, the easier it will
be to make difficult changes.
Career opportunities
K nowing French is a real source of opportunities in the national or

international job market. A bilingual or multilingual profile will
always stand out from the stack of CVs that an HR Department can
receive. Those candidates are considered to be multitasking and undeniable
asset for competitiveness.
One can explore the many opportunities of becoming an interpreter,
a lexicographer, a teacher, a technical writer, or a translator.
There are many other avenues to explore for those who wish to
combine their language expertise and interest in politics or a passion for a
particular cause: UN, WHO, European Union, or Médecins Sans Frontières.
More fulfilling opportunities would be in the field of Journalism,
Tourism, and Hospitality sector in the Film Industry.
Solutions
Articles
1. Aujourd’hui, c’est le 01 Janvier 2020. 6. Voudrais-tu acheter des livres ?

2. Voici la voiture de mon cousin. 7. Je voudrais de l’eau s’il vous plait.
3. Les fleurs rouges sont toujours 8. Vous avez du sucre ?
magnifiques. 9. Achète des fruits pour ce soir.
4. Une fille vient tout juste de m’appeler. 10. Nous allons au centre commercial ce
5. Je voudrais être un pompier. soir.
11. Elle vient du sud de la France
Nouns
1. Un - L'incubateur 6. Une - La médaille 11. Des - Les chevaux

2. Un - Le bioindicateur 7. Une - La culture 12. Des - Les pommes
3. Un - Le vérificateur 8. Une - La médecine 13. Des - Les voix
4. Un - Le bateau 9. Une - La terre 14. Des - Les Livres
5. Un - Le fromage 10. Une - La femme 15. Des - Les amis
Pronouns subject
Which of these does “Ils” replace? All Is "tu" familiar or formal? Familiar
Mon père et ma mère Formal
Mes grands-parents Familiar
Ma cousine
Which of the below is plural? Which version is masculine/mixed?

2nd option 1st option
Je, Tu, Il, Elle Ils
Nous, Vous, Ils, Elles Elles
Auxiliary
1. Tu as 21 ans 2. Tu veux un 3. Je suis étudiante

chocolat ?
4. Nous sommes 5. Vous êtes 6. Il faudra faire ces
maries français devoirs
7. Elle a deux enfants 8. Je vais au marché9. Vous savez de quoi je
arle ?
10. Je veux 2 oranges 11. Il est intelligent 12. Pourquoi tu veux
savoir ?
13. Ils vont à l’école 14. Nous sommes 15. Il faut négocier
indiens rapidement
16. Il font bien son 17. Je sais son nom 18. On va faire nos devoirs
travail
19. Comment est il ? 20. Je ne sais pas 21. Comment ca va ?
Tenses – Présent
Acheter Envahir Partir

j'achète j'envahis je pars
tu achètes tu envahis tu pars
il achète il envahit il part
nous achetons nous envahissons nous partons
vous achetez vous envahissez vous partez
ils achètent ils envahissent ils partent
Tenses – Passé composé
Manger Choisir Connaitre

j'ai mangé j'ai choisi j'ai connu
tu as mangé tu as choisi tu as connu
il a mangé il a choisi il a connu
nous avons mangé nous avons choisi nous avons connu
vous avez mangé vous avez choisi vous avez connu
ils ont mangé ils ont choisi ils ont connu
Tenses – Imparfait
Donner Soutenir Prendre

je donnais je soutenais je prenais
tu donnais tu soutenais tu prenais
il donnait il soutenait il prenait
nous donnions nous soutenions nous prenions
vous donniez vous souteniez vous preniez
ils donnaient ils soutenaient ils prenaient
Tenses – Passe simple
Appeler Réussir Devoir

j'appelai je réussis je dus
tu appelas tu réussis tu dus
il appela il réussit il dut
nous appelâmes nous réussîmes nous dûmes
vous appelâtes vous réussîtes vous dûtes
ils appelèrent ils réussirent ils durent
Tenses – Futur simple
Demander Agir Falloir

je demanderai j'agirai -
tu demanderas tu agiras -
il demandera il agira il faudra
nous demanderons nous agirons -
vous demanderez vous agirez -
ils demanderont ils agiront -
Tenses – Futur anterieur
Travailler Grandir Entendre
j'aurai travaillé j'aurai grandi j'aurai entendu
tu auras travaillé tu auras grandi tu auras entendu
il aura travaillé il aura grandi il aura entendu
nous aurons nous aurons nous aurons
travaillé grandi entendu
vous aurez vous aurez vous aurez
ils auront ils auront ils auront
Tenses – Passe recent & Futur Proche
Passe récent - Etudier Futur proche - Réunir

je viens d'étudier je vais réunir
tu viens d'étudier tu vas réunir
il vient d'étudier il va réunir
nous venons d'étudier nous allons réunir
vous venez d'étudier vous allez réunir
ils viennent d'étudier ils vont réunir
Sentence structure – Imperatif
Imperatif Present - Manger Imperatif Present - Reussir

mange réussis
mangeons réussissons
mangez réussissez
Sentence structure – Négatif
1. Tu ne connais pas cette personne.

2. Jean n’aime plus les sucreries.
3. Il n’a pas compris cette fois.
4. Je ne veux ni chanter ni danser.
5. Elle ne conduit jamais sa voiture.
Sentence structure – Interrogatif
1. Qui a acheté ce livre ? 6. Pourquoi il ne vient pas ? parce qu’a il a déjà un

2. Quelle heure est-il ? rendez-vous important
3. Je vais acheter une voiture ? 7. A quoi - Que penses-tu ?
laquelle ? 8. Les tomates, combien ça coute monsieur ?
4. Quand veulent-ils partir ? Après le 9. Ou se trouve la Moldavie ?
déjeuner. 10. Comment on dit « femme » en anglais ?
5. Qu’est-ce que vous voulez manger
aujourd’hui ?
Adjectives
1. La voiture est blanche 6. Il est sérieux, elle est sérieuse

2. Le cartable est noir 7. Jean est rêveur, Sophie est rêveuse
3. La nouvelle maison est très jolie. 8. Nous sommes sportifs, elles sont sportives
4. La brise est douce surtout le matin 9. Je suis français, elle est française
5. Joyeuses fêtes à vous tous ! 10. Mon garçon est mignon, votre fille est mignonne
Adjectives démonstratifs
1. Ces étudiants viennent de l’Allemagne.
2. C’est un animal domestique.
3. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce film.
4. Cette maison a un charme unique.
5. Il faudra régler ce problème au plus vite.
Adjectives possessifs
1. Mon ami mange ce soir à la maison.

2. Elle va diner au restaurant avec son copain.
3. Nos nouveaux voisins viennent de déménager.
4. Ton cartable est tout neuf.
5. Tous nos meilleurs vœux de bonheur !
Adverbs
1. Ils ont gentiment répondu non à mon invitation.
2. Il faudra patiemment attendre votre tour.
3. Les soldats font courageusement leur devoir de la patrie.
4. Sabine marche gracieusement sur le podium.
5. Joyeusement les enfants préparent le sapin de Noel.
Prépositions
1. Je fais de la natation depuis plusieurs années.
2. Nous allons à la campagne la semaine prochaine.
3. Vous voulez du the ?
4. Le chat est caché sous la table.
5. Avant de rentrer a la maison, il faudra acheter du pain.
6. L’exposition est ouverte de 8h à 20h.
7. Le match de rugby est l'Angleterre contre la France.
8. Le produit doit être utilisé selon les instructions du fabricant
9. Le professeur a éclairé ses élèves sur le sujet.
10. La route passe par la forêt
11. Le fil commencera dans 10mn.
12. Le restaurant est derrière le bâtiment de la mairie.
13. Les élèves sont en classe de dixième.
14. L'avion a entamé sa descente vers l'aéroport.
15. L'attitude du chef envers ses employés est exemplaire.
16. Le directeur a travaillé dans l'entreprise pendant dix ans.
17. Je bois toujours mon thé sans sucre.
18. Tous les invités sont sortis de la pièce sauf un.
19. Malgré l'embouteillage, nous sommes arrivés à temps.
20. L’aéroport est fermé à cause du cyclone.
21. Je rentre chez moi ce soir.
Stressed pronouns
1. Je pense beaucoup à elle.
2. Je parle de lui.
3. Annie est plus grande que toi.
4. Nous sommes gares devant eux.
5. Chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous
Reflexive pronouns
1. Ils s’endorment vite après la fête.
2. Elle s’habille très bien.
3. Les enfants doivent se coucher de très bonne heure.
4. Nous nous retrouvons après dix ans.
5. Le diner terminé, vous pourrez vous détendre dans le salon.
1. Quelles sucreries préfères-tu ? Je préfère celles qui sont rouges.
2. La robe noire est superbe, non je veux celle-là.
3. Ce plat est succulent.
4. C’est très bien, félicitations !
5. Retenez bien ceci.
1. Quelle langue parle-t-elle ?
2. Qui aimerait il séduire ?
3. Qu’est ce qui se passe là-bas ?
4. Qui pourrait bien nous aider ?
5. De toutes tes amies, laquelle est la plus gentille ?
Indefinite pronouns
1. Quelqu'un vient de frapper á la porte.
2. J’ai invité tous mes amis pour mon anniversaire.
3. Plusieurs de mes amis sont installés en France.
Personal pronouns
1. Je t’aime
2. Tu la vois ce soir ?
3. Le Père Noel nous a répondus !
4. C’est moi qui ai organisé cet évènement.
5. Est-ce que tu les aimes ?
Possessive pronoms
1. Est-ce que c'est votre téléphone, monsieur ? Oui, c'est le mien.
2. Voici notre voiture. Voici la nôtre.
3. Est-ce qu’il a pris ses clefs ? Non, ce ne sont pas les siennes.
4. Votre maison est plus grande que la leur.
5. Ce n’est pas mon vélo, c’est le sien.
Relative pronoms
1. J'aime l'Allemagne, c'est le pays où je voudrais vivre.
2. La bande dessinée que tu m'as emprunté était intéressante
3. Tout ce dont vous parlez est intéressant.
4. L'appartement que j'habite à 5 chambres.
5. Nous irons au collège où tu as fini tes études.
Pronominal verbe
1. Je pense qu’ils (s’aimer) s’aiment bien.
2. Prend un bain chaud et tu (se sentir) te sentiras relaxé.
3. Il (se réveiller) se réveille tard le week-end.
Impérative Mode
Chanter Réagir Venir
chante réagis viens

chantons réagissons venons
chantez réagissez venez
Subjunctive présent
1. Il veut que je aille à la banque demain,
2. Donc il faut que tu viennes à l’heure.
3. Il est en retard et j’ai peur qu’il ne puisse partir à temps.
4. Ils veulent qu'elle soit heureuse.
5. Quoi que tu fasses, ce sera parfait.
Subjunctive past
1. Tu penses qu'il ait mangé ?
2. Je souhaiterais que nous ayons été plus nombreux
3. Je suis très heureux que vous le ayez fait.
Present Participle
Avoir Etre
ayant étant
Past Participle
Manger Vendre
mangé vendu
mangée vendue
mangés vendus
mangées vendues
ayant mangé ayant vendu
Gerund
Present Gerund Past Gerund
en négociant en ayant négocié
en commerçant en ayant commercé
Tenses – Passe anterieur.

Déclarer Applaudir Permettre
j'eus déclaré j'eus applaudi j'eus permis

tu eus déclaré tu eus applaudi tu eus permis
il eut déclaré il eut applaudi il eut permis
nous eûmes déclaré nous eûmes applaudi nous eûmes permis
vous eûtes déclaré vous eûtes applaudi vous eûtes permis
ils eurent déclaré ils eurent applaudi ils eurent permis
Tenses – Plus-que-parfait
Jouer Ceuillir Prevoir
j'avais joué j'avais cueilli j'avais prévu
tu avais joué tu avais cueilli tu avais prévu
il avait joué il avait cueilli il avait prévu
nous avions joué nous avions cueilli nous avions prévu
vous aviez joué vous aviez cueilli vous aviez prévu
ils avaient joué ils avaient cueilli ils avaient prévu
Tenses – Conditionnel present

Parler Guérir Coudre
je parlerais je guérirais je coudrais
tu parlerais tu guérirais tu coudrais
il parlerait il guérirait il coudrait
nous parlerions nous guéririons nous coudrions
vous parleriez vous guéririez vous coudriez
ils parleraient ils guériraient ils coudraient
Conditionnel passé première forme.

Aller Devoir
je serais allé j'aurais dû
tu serais allé tu aurais dû
il serait allé il aurait dû
nous serions allés nous aurions dû
vous seriez allés vous auriez dû
ils seraient allés ils auraient dû
Conditionnel passé deuxième forme.

Pouvoir Vouloir
j'eusse pu j'eusse voulu
tu eusses pu tu eusses voulu
il eût pu il eût voulu
nous eussions pu nous eussions voulu
vous eussiez pu vous eussiez voulu
ils eussent pu ils eussent voulu
Complément d’objet direct COD

1. J'aime bien ta chemise ! Où tu as acheté ta chemise ?
è Où tu l’as acheté ?
2. Mon vélo ! Tu vois mon vélo ?
è Tu le vois ?
3. Tu aimes les grenadelles ? Non, je n’aime pas les grenadelles.
è Non, je ne les aime pas.
4. Je trouve ce collier très joli et toi comment tu trouves ce collier?
è et toi comment tu le trouves ?
5. Pour demain tu prends la voiture ? ! oui je prends la voiture demain.
è oui je la prends demain.
Complément d’objet indirect COI

1. Jean écrit une carte postale a son professeur.
è Jean vous écrit une carte postale.
2. J'achète des gâteaux aux enfants.
è Je leur achète des gâteaux.
3. Je rends le livre a ton ami.
è Je lui rends le livre.
4. Tu achètes le livre.
è Oui je l’achète.
5. Tu as donne le jean ?
è oui je l’ai donné.
Complément d’objet second COS

1. Tu achètes le livre à Patrick.
è Oui je le lui achète.
2. Tu as donne le jean aux voisins ?
è Oui je le leur ai donné.
3. J'ai emprunté son vélo à ma sœur.
è Je l’ai lui emprunté.
Actif et Passif
1. Le chat mange la souris.
è La souris est mangée par le chat.
2. Sarah a trouvé une belle robe.
è Une belle robe a été trouvée par Sarah
3. Le château a été vendu par le roi.
è Le roi a vendu le château.
4. Les plats sont préparés par ma mère
è Ma mère a préparé les plats.
5. La fête a été organisee par l’université.
è L’université a organisé la fête.
Acknowledgments
I owe a debt of gratitude to the many people who have generously given their
approval to share some part of their work in this book:
Idahosa Ness, Founder of Mimicmethod.com

Erin Meyer, Author of The Culture Map
Duhigg Charles, Author of The Power of Habit
Chris Lonsdale, Founder of How to learn any language in six months
Brewalan, Founder of Leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr
Each of them has made this book interesting to write and making it a useful
resource.
I would like to thank my parents, Moise and Tasnime, whose love and
blessings are with me in whatever I pursue. Similarly, thanks to my wife
Tasneem and my wonderful son Mansoor, whose constant love and support
made this book possible.
Finally, my thanks go to all my students being the people who inspired me to
take up this project and supported me in completing it.
If you find this book useful, please spread the word. Tell your friends. Leave
an Amazon review. Every little bit helps. Thank you!
References
Ali, i. A. (n.d.). Nahjul-Balagha.
Bilash, D. O. (n.d.). Comprehensible Input. Retrieved from sites.educ.ualberta.ca:
https://sites.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/Best of Bilash/comprehensibleinput.html
Brewalan. (n.d.). Les temps et la conjugaison. Retrieved from leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr:
https://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/frlestemps.php
Chris, L. (2013, November 20). How to learn any language in six months. Retrieved from
TEDxLingnanUniversity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0yGdNEWdn0&t=13m30s
Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power Of Habit. Random House Books.
Erin, M. (2014). The Culture Map. PublicAffairs.
Form Focused Instruction (FFI) Vs Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). (2012, May 15).
Retrieved from www.acquiringl2.wordpress.com:
https://acquiringl2.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/form-focused-instruction-ffi-vs-communicative-
language-teaching-clt/
French grammar. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_grammar
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title=Category:French_interjections
French orthography. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_orthography
Graven, S. N., MD, & Browne, J. V. (December 2008). Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews.
Guess, D. (1969). A functional analysis of receptive language and productive speech: acquisition of
the plural morpheme. Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1311037/
Idahosa, N. (2019, December 9). French Pronunciation: The Ultimate Guide. Retrieved from
www.mimicmethod.com: https://www.mimicmethod.com/french-pronunciation-ultimate-
guide/#French_Silent_Letters
Language pedagogy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_pedagogy
Li, L. (2015). Scholarly Information Discovery in the Networked Academic Learning Environment.
Chandos Publishing.
Listening skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from coggle.it: https://coggle.it/diagram/XHNJVgkB19qWz-
Mf/t/listening-skills?present=1
Loi constitutionnelle no 92-554. (1992, Juin 25). Retrieved from www.sénat.fr:
http://www.senat.fr/evenement/revision/92-554.html
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www.ledevoir.com: https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-
demain
Method of Loci. (n.d.). Retrieved from artofmemory.com:
https://artofmemory.com/wiki/Method_of_Loci
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Saffran, J. R., Aslin, R. N., & Newport, E. L. (1996, December 13). Statistical learning by 8-month-old
infants. Retrieved from www.bcs.rochester.edu:
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Routledge.
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vingt ans de la loi Toubon. (1994, August 4). Retrieved from www.culture.gouv.fr:
https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Sites-thematiques/Langue-francaise-et-langues-de-
France/Politiques-de-la-langue/20-ans-de-la-loi-Toubon

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THE FRENCH FLUENCY

And to my wife Tasneem and my wonderful son Mansoor

I n January 2007, a couple of months after I moved to Pune, during the

Then there was a turnaround again in 1972, President Georges

In 1992 the constitution was amended to state explicitly that

In 1994, the Toubon Law of the French government was

R esearch on early language acquisition has revealed that humans learn

Letter Sound Diacritics and ligatures

Letter Sound French English

In addition to that, sharing this ultimate guide on French consonants

Letter Consonant Sound French

Initially, many French learners are not able to watch properly a

Consonants Phonetic French English

Trying to understand the language, which is slightly above their level,

Always keep in mind that vocabulary is the key to communication, as

An indefinite article, corresponding to English “a/an” – is used with

A partitive article, corresponding to English “some” – is used to

à les aux Je m'adresse (à + les) aux étudiants

de le du Elle mange (de + le) du pain

Vous connaissez Sarah ? è Vous la connaissez ?

1. Aujourd’hui, c’est ... 01 Janvier 2020. 6. Voudrais-tu acheter ... livres ?

Sounds ending in -e tend to be feminine e.g.: une étoile, une voiture –

There are different cases of exceptions in plurals, look at the following

4 ending with -al Words ending in -al usually

4 ending with - Some words ending in -ail

4 ending with - Words ending in -au, -eau, -eu

1. ... incubateur 6. ... médaille 11. ... chevaux

mon père et ma mère Formal

Which of the below is plural? Which version is masculine/mixed?

Je, Tu, Il, Elle Ils

№ French English № French English

№ French English № French English

№ French English № French English

Then learn the ten-number series:

Example 1: table 30 (trente)

Example 2: table 50 (cinquante)

Example 3 : table 180 (cent quatre-vingts)

Example 4 : table 70 (soixante-dix)

How to recognize a verb

Vous habitez dans une très belle ville.

Action verbs and stative verbs in French

Jean marche très vite.

Son père avait l'air heureux avec sa nouvelle coupe de cheveux.

The three verb groups in French

2nd Group: all verbs ending with -IR

- verbs in -IR like MOURIR

«TO CONJUGATE A VERB, THE PRINCIPLE IS : STEM + ENDING = CONJUGATED FORM.

Verbs in -IR like DORMIR, PARTIR:

Verbs in -OIR like VOIR:

- PRENDRE : je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils

Nous avons de la famille en France.

“Être” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses. It can be

Vous êtes en France ? (You are in France?)

- and Le Passé Récent (the recent past)

Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir, and Vouloir: these verbs are used to

- Devoir – indicates a necessity and sometimes a probability

- Pouvoir – denotes a possibility

- Savoir – indicates competency

- Vouloir – is about to wish, need, crave, demand, or desire