Verbs
AVOIR |
to have |
j'ai |
nous avons |
tu as |
vous avez |
il/elle/ont a |
ils/elles ont |
ALLER |
to go |
je vais |
nous allons |
tu vas |
vous allez |
il/elle on va |
ils/elles vont |
FAIRE |
to do |
je fais |
nous faisons |
tu fais |
vous faites |
il/elle/on fait |
ils/elles font |
ÊTRE |
to be |
je suis |
nous sommes |
tu es |
vous êtes |
il/elle/on est |
ils/elles sont |
The Preposition À |
to, in, at |
à + le |
au |
à + les |
aux |
à + la |
à la |
Negation |
add "ne (n')" before, and pas after |
Conjugation of Verbs
-ER |
je -e |
nous -ons |
tu -es |
vous -ez |
il/elle/on -e |
ils/elles -ont |
-IR |
je -is |
nous -issons |
tu -is |
vous -issez |
il/elle/on -it |
ils/elles -issent |
-RE |
je -s |
nous -ons |
tu -s |
vous -ez |
il/elle/on -it |
ils/elles -ent |
First find the stem of the word, then add the correct ending
Position of Adjectives
In French, most adjectives come after the noun. However, some very common French adjectives come before the noun. For example: |
petit(e) |
grand(e) |
joli(e) |
beau/bel/belle |
nouveau/nouvel/nouvelle |
vieux/vieil/vieille |
Imperative form
Vous répétez! -> |
Répétez! |
Tu regardes le livre. -> |
Regarde le livre. |
Notice that if the tu form ends in -es (this includes all er verbs), you also drop the s from the ending of the verb. |
To give a negative instruction, just use ne... pas either side of the verb in the usual way. |
Remember that aller also drops the -s from the tu ending of the verb.
Ordinal numbers
To change a regular number into an ordinal number, you usually just add -ième to the normal number. |
The word for 'first', premier (première) is an exception.
It is the only ordinal to have a masculine and feminine form.
Talking about pastimes
Use jouer à... to talk about games you play. |
Use jouer de... to talk about musical instruments you play. |
Use faire de... to talk about most other sports and recreational activties that you do. |
à + la = à la |
de + la = de la |
à + l' = à l' |
de + l' = de l' |
à + le = au |
de + le = du |
à + les = aux |
de + les = des |
When faire de and jouer de are used negatively, just use de (d') instead of de la, du, (de l') or des.
Tu fais de la boxe? -> Non, je ne fais pas de boxe.
Tu joues du violon? -> Non, je ne joue pas de violon.
Which or what?
The word quel(le)(s) means 'which' or 'what' and is always followed by a noun. |
It can also be used in exclamations to mean 'What (a)...!' |
Qu'est-ce que is another way of saying 'what', but: |
-it is only used in questions |
-it is always linked to a conjugated verb, not a noun. |
Examples: |
Tu joues de quel instrument? |
Which instrument do you play? |
Qu'est-ce que tu fais le weekend? |
What are you doing on the weekend? |
Notice that qu' is used if que is followed by a vowel.
|
|
There is, there are
Il y a means both 'there is' and 'there are'. |
The negative form is il n'y a pas (de)... |
(n' is used because y is a vowel in French.) |
Voilà can also be used to mean 'there is' or 'there are', but only when you are pointing out someone or something. |
Possessive Adjectives
Masculine |
Feminine |
Plural |
English |
Mon |
Ma |
Mes |
My |
Ton |
Ta |
Tes |
Your |
Son |
Sa |
Ses |
His/Her/Its |
Nôtre |
Nôtre |
Nos |
Our |
Vôtre |
Vôtre |
Vos |
Your |
Leur |
Leur |
Leurs |
Their |
1). The possessive agrees with the noun, not the subject.
2). If a noun starts with a vowel and is feminine, use mon, ton, son form.
3). 's in English = Use "of" in French (de)
eg. Bob's dad = Pere de Bob
Irregular Adjectives
Invariable adjectives: Adjectives that don't change. For example: |
cool |
super |
orange |
marron |
Adjectives that don't add an extra 'e' for feminine as they already end in 'e'. For example: |
bizarre |
adorable |
horrible |
timide |
rouge |
Irregular adjectives: Adjectives that change irregularly. |
Type of noun |
Adjective |
masc. sing. |
beau nouveau vieux |
masc. sing starting with vowel sound |
bel nouvel vieil |
fem. sing. |
belle nouvelle vieille |
masc. pl. |
beaux nouveaux vieux |
fem. pl. |
belles nouvelles vielles |
Other examples: australien, vietnamien, mignon, affectueux, dangereux, généreux, studieux, spacieux, nul, violet, blanc |
These adjectives are regular for masc. sing. and mask. plural but at fem. sing. they double the last letter and then add an 'e'. At fem. plural, they add an 's' to their fem. plural form (except blanc which changes into blanche for fem.sing.) |
masc. sing. |
australien |
masc. plural |
australiens |
fem. sing. |
australienne |
fem. plural |
australiennes |
N'est-ce pas?
N'est-ce pas is used to confirm what you've just said is correct. There is no single English equivalent. |
Time
The expressions 'am' and 'pm' are not used in France. Instead, 24-hour clock times are widely used. However, if the time is on the hour, people sometimes use the 12-hour clock times and add the words: |
du matin (in the morning) |
de l'après-midi (in the afternoon) |
du soir (in the evening). |
Notice that to say what time it is, you use il est, not c'est.
Ne... jamais
You can use ne... jamais the same way to say what never happens. For example: |
Je ne fais pas de babysitting. |
I don't babysit. |
Je ne fais jamais de babysitting. |
I never babysit. |
After ne... jamais (as with ne... pas), de la, de l', du and des change to de.
Reminders
Oui is not the only way to say 'yes' in French. If you're answering 'yes' to a negative question, you use si instead of oui. |
Using the definite article le before a day of the week shows that the event always happens on that day of the week. |
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