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Contents The following Help Topics are available: History of the French Language Letters and Sounds Parts of Speech Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Pronouns Prepositions Articles Conjunctions Interjections Word Formation Phrases Sentences and Clauses Glossary of Terms Appendix of Irregular Verbs Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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History of the French Language The French language as it exists today is the result of a long and complex evolution. Ancient France saw many periods of invasion by different ethnic and linguistic groups: Greeks, Romans, Celts, Franks and other Germanic tribes, and Arabs. The most profound influence was exerted by the Romans and their language: Latin. But over the years, as different peoples entered the country, the words and grammatical structures deriving from Latin evolved to fit the needs and patterns of the developing language. Two examples: the Latin for "farmer" was "agricola"; the French is now "agriculteur." The Latin for "are" (they are) was "sunt"; in French, the word has become "sont." The name, France, actually comes from the name of the Germanic tribe, the Franks, who entered France during late antiquity and gradually became the dominant people. They adopted the late form of Latin being spoken in the country at the time, but added many of their own words, or they changed some of the Latin forms to resemble their own more closely. A French person today could not understand the early forms of French spoken before the 12th century or so without specialized study. See Also: Letters and Sounds Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Pronouns Prepositions Articles Conjunctions Interjections Go to Top of Page

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Letters and Sounds a, à (accent grave) â (accent circonflexe) ai ail au b c ç (cédille) ch d e é (accent aigu) è (accent grave) ê (accent circonflexe) eau er eu ez f g gn h i j k l m n o ou p ph qu r s t u v w x y z

as in father as in yacht as in play as in buy as in boat as in bed before e, i or y as in city or as in camp, cook elsewhere as in sit as in ship as in dandy (long) as in men or (short) as in fur or (silent) at the end of a polysyllabic word as in debut as in ghetto as in ghetto like oh at the end of a polysyllabic word, like eh? or at the end of a one-syllable word, like air as in fur at the end of a word, like eh? as in fork before a, o, u as in get before e or i as in rouge as in companion silent (long) as in machine or (short) as in fit as in rouge (used in foreign words only) as in kind as in label as in master as in no as in forever as in root as in pet as in phrase as in kick as in carrot (but pronounced in the back of the throat) as in sink, as in reason as in cashed No English equivalent; round lips (as if to whistle) and pronounce "he". as in vase as in vase (used in foreign words only) as in axe as in meet as in zinnia

French also has nasalized vowels: [an], [en], [in], [on], [un]: enfant (child), champ (field), dent (tooth), temps (time), vin (wine) bon (good) un (one), brun (brown) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Parts of Speech Parts of speech are the basic building blocks of any language grammar. They include nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and interjections. Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Pronouns Prepositions Articles Conjunctions Interjections See Also: History of the French Language Letters and Sounds Go to Top of Page

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Nouns A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea. Pierre, chien, livre, ciel, intelligence, amour, air, absence (Peter, dog, book, sky, intelligence, love, air, absence) French nouns have gender (feminine or masculine) and number (singular or plural). Proper Nouns Common Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns For the use of definite and indefinite articles with nouns see Articles. For the use of nouns in sentences see Noun Phrases and Noun Clauses. To learn about prefixes, suffixes, and compound nouns see Noun Formation. See Also: History of the French Language Letters and Sounds Go to Top of Page

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Proper Nouns Proper nouns are words used to designate a specific individual, or a specific thing, or a set of specific individuals or things. In writing, proper nouns always begin with a capital letter. Napoléon (Napoleon) L'Espagne (Spain) Les Français (The French) Les Alpes (The Alps) Compare the proper nouns (capitalized) with common nouns: le Président et l'Assemblée Nationale; le président de mon club (the President and the Congress; the president of my club) l'Hôpital Saint Luc; un nouvel hôpital (St. Luke's Hospital; a new hospital) Proper nouns are: First and last names of individuals, dynasties, groups of people, organizations: Joseph Lebrun, les Français, la Croix Rouge (Joseph Lebrun, the French, the Red Cross) Geographical names of countries, cities, rivers, mountains: l'Italie, Rome, le Rhin, les Alpes (Italy, Rome, the Rhine, the Alps) Historical events and holidays: la Prise de la Bastille, Noël (Bastille Day, Christmas) See Also: Nouns Common Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Definite Articles Go to Top of Page www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Common Nouns All nouns, except proper nouns, are common nouns. Nouns are subdivided into countable nouns and noncount nouns. Countable nouns have a singular and a plural and answer the question: "how many?" Combien de leçons étudiez-vous? (How many lessons are you studying?) Another group of common nouns is so called collective nouns. They designate a group or a collection of beings or objects considered as a single unit. la foule, le public, la famille (the crowd, the public, the family) Collective nouns usually have a singular and a plural. la foule, les foules (the crowd, the crowds) la famille, les familles (the family, the families) See Also: Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Singular and Plural Nouns There are two grammatical forms of number: singular and plural. When a word refers to one person (or a group of persons) or one thing (or one group of things), it is singular. When it refers to more than one person, or more than one thing or one group of things, it is plural. Plural Formation For most simple (one-word) nouns, the plural is formed by adding -s to the masculine or feminine singular form of the noun: un homme/des hommes (man); le musée/les musées (museum) Singular nouns ending with s, z, or x remain unchanged in the plural: un pois/des pois (pea); une croix/des croix (cross); un nez/des nez (nose) Nouns ending in -au, -eau, or -eu add an x in the plural: le noyau/les noyaux (pit); le bateau/les bateaux (boat); le jeu/les jeux (game) Exceptions: bleu/bleus, landau/landaus, pneu/pneus Nouns ending in -al form the plural by changing the ending to -aux: un journal, des journaux (newspaper) Exceptions: bal/bals (ball), carnaval/carnavals (carnival), chacal/chacals (jackal), festival/festivals (festival), etc. Nouns ending in -ail add an s at the end: un chandail/des chandails (sweater) Note: Some nouns ending in -ail in the singular form the plural by changing the ending to -aux: bail (lease), corail (coral), émail (enamel), soupirail (trap door), travail (work), vitrail (stained glass). Seven nouns ending in -ou in the singular form the plural by changing the ending to -oux: bijou (jewel), caillou (stone), chou (cabbage), genou (knee), hibou (owl), joujou (toy), pou (louse). Irregular Plural Forms Some nouns have irregular plural forms: le ciel/ les cieux (sky), l'oeil/les yeux (eye), Madame/Mesdames (Madam, Mrs.) Mademoiselle/Mesdemoiselles (Miss) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Monsieur/Messieurs (gentleman, sir) Nouns Used Only in the Plural Some nouns have only plural forms. In general, they represent things or ideas that cannot readily be conceived of as being singular: les archives (archives); les lunettes (eyeglasses); les fiançailles (engagement); les ciseaux (scissors) Nouns used only in the singular are described in the Noncount Nouns topic. In general, words borrowed from foreign languages and now commonly used in French follow the same rule as French words: un opéra/des opéras (opera), un best-seller/des best-sellers (best-seller) Some words have two plural forms, a regular and an irregular form, which may have different meanings: aïeul (grandfather) des aïeux (grandfathers) des aïeuls (forefathers) un oeil (an eye) des yeux (eyes) des oeils* (eyes) le ciel (sky) les cieux (skies) les ciels (skies) [in a painting] * Note: this form is found only in the compound nouns: oeils-de-boeuf, oeils-de-chat, etc. See the following topics for more information: Plural of Proper Nouns Plural of Compound Nouns See Also: Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Plural of Proper Nouns The rules governing the plural of proper nouns are complex and flexible. The plural agreement is made: When the proper noun refers to illustrious families: les Bourbons (the Bourbons), les Stuarts (the Stuarts). Proper nouns referring to other families than those remain singular: Les Dupont sont vos voisins (the Duponts are your neighbors). Proper nouns referring to people of the same artistic or intellectual caliber as the original bearer of the name take the plural form: Les Picassos sont rares (people like Picasso are rare). See Also: Nouns Singular and Plurals Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Plural of Compound Nouns A compound noun is a noun made up of a combination of several elements. The plural form varies according to the combination of those elements. When these elements are variable words (adjectives, nouns, participles), they may take the plural form. When these elements are invariable words (adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, verbs), they are invariable. The following general rules will help: 1. When a compound noun is written as a single word, the word is treated as a single noun and the plural is formed by adding the plural endings: le pourboire/les pourboires (tip) 2. When a compound noun is formed of an adjective + a noun or a noun + a noun, both add the plural endings: le beau-père/les beaux-pères (father-in-law) le chou-fleur/les choux-fleurs (cauliflower) 3. When a compound noun is formed of an adjective + an adjective, both elements add the plural endings: un nouveau-né/des nouveaux-nés (newborn) 4. When a compound noun is formed of a noun + a prepositional phrase, only the noun adds the plural ending: un arc-en-ciel/des arcs-en-ciel (rainbow) 5. When a compound noun is formed of a verb + its object noun, the noun adds the plural ending: un essuie-glace/ des essuie-glaces (windshield wiper) un coupe-papier/ des coupe-papiers (paper-knife) 6. When a compound noun is formed of two invariable components, the plural is the same as the singular: un passe-partout/des passe-partout (master key) See Exceptions of Plural for more information. See Also: Nouns Singular and Plurals Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Noncount Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Noncount Nouns Some nouns have only a singular form. They are referred to as noncount nouns: Nouns used in general to indicate a whole group of similar items: équipement (equipment), courier (mail), argent (money), etc. Nouns of materials: le café (coffee), la glace (ice), l'or (gold), le papier (paper), du bois (wood), l'air (air), l'oxygène (oxygen), etc. Nature: le temps (weather), le brouillard (fog), le feu (fire), etc. See also the use of Partitive Articles with nouns of materials and nature. Abstract nouns: la beauté (beauty), la confiance (confidence), la santé (health), l'odorat (the sense of smell), le goût (taste), etc. Sports, games, and activities: le tennis (tennis), la course (race), le football (soccer), la pêche (fishing), etc. See Also: Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Noun Exceptions Instead of forming their plural with the -aux ending, some nouns ending in -al form their plural with an -s. bal, bals (ball) carnaval, carnavals (carnival) corral, corrals (corral) chacal, chacals (jackal) festival, festivals (festival) See Also: Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Gender of Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Gender of Nouns All nouns -- common nouns and proper nouns -- have a gender. They are either masculine or feminine. Although there are no rules by which the gender of all nouns can be determined, the gender of many nouns can be determined by their meaning or their ending. The gender of other nouns must be learned individually. The best way to memorize the gender of words is to memorize the article when learning a new word. Note: Knowing the gender of every noun is important not only for the noun itself, but for the spelling and pronunciation of the words it influences in a sentence. See Also: Masculine Nouns Feminine Nouns Nouns of Two Genders Gender of Compound Nouns Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Masculine Nouns Generally, nouns referring to male beings are masculine; nouns referring to female beings are feminine. un homme (a man); une fille (a girl) un chat (a cat); une chatte (a female cat) Some endings can indicate gender: Masculine Endings: Normally, nouns with the following endings are masculine: -acle -age -ail -al -as -et -eu/eux -eur -in/ain/ein -is -isme -ment -oir -ou

le miracle (the miracle); le spectacle (the spectacle) le village (the village), le passage (the passage) le travail (work), l'ail (garlic) le cheval (the horse), le journal (the newspaper) le tas (the heap), le bas (the bottom) le cabinet (the cabinet), le paquet (the package) le feu (the fire), le jeu (the game), le sérieux (seriousness) le coiffeur (the hairdresser), le compresseur (the compressor) le pain (bread), le frein (the brake) le radis (the radish), le tapis (the carpet) le racisme (racism), le cyclisme (biking) l'établissement (the establishment), le changement (the change) le devoir (the duty), le pouvoir (the power) le trou (the hole), le fou (the madman)

The gender may also be determined by the meaning of the noun. Nouns which identify the following are masculine: letters of the alphabet colors days of the week, months, seasons, holidays languages metals, chemical products trees, shrubs, bushes flowers, fruits and vegetables not ending in e rivers not ending in e sciences and scholarly disciplines wines, spirits, and cheeses nouns borrowed from English See Also: Gender of Nouns Feminine Nouns Nouns of Two Genders Gender of Compound Nouns Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Feminine Nouns Certain endings indicate that normally the noun is feminine: -ance, -anse, -ence, -ense: la chance (chance), la danse (dance), la patience (patience), la défense (defense) -aine: la semaine (week), la chaîne (chain) Suffixes: -ade, -aie, -aille, -aine, -aison, -ande, -ee, -ence, -esse, -eur, -ille, -ion, -ison, -tion, -ure: la semaine (the week), la jeunesse (youth), la famille (the family), la sensation (the sensation), la torture (torture), etc. Names of disciplines are also feminine: la botanique (botany), la grammaire (grammar) Le droit (law) is an exception. See Also: Gender of Nouns Masculine Nouns Nouns of Two Genders Gender of Compound Nouns Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Nouns of Two Genders There are certain nouns referring to human beings which, although of one gender only, can apply to individuals of either sex (also called nouns of common gender): une connaissance (an acquaintance -man or woman) une personne (a person -man or woman) une recrue (a recruit -man or woman) une sentinelle (a sentry -man or woman) un témoin (a witness -man or woman) une victime (a victim -man or woman) Certain nouns designating a profession or a status traditionally held by men have no feminine equivalent: l'auteur (author) le bourreau (the executioner) le chef (chief, boss) l'écrivain (writer) le guide (guide) l'ingénieur (engineer) le ministre (minister) le peintre (painter) le professeur (professor) le successeur (successor) le tyran (tyrant) Note: there are two ways to indicate that the noun refers to a woman: by using the word femme (woman) or dame (lady): J'ai visité une femme docteur. (I visited a lady doctor.) Cette dame est un tyran. (This lady is a tyrant.) Nouns referring to some living creatures (singular or plural) can refer to beings of one sex or to any member of the species, regardless of sex: les souris [fem.] (mice [of either sex]) les moutons [masc.] (rams/sheep [of either sex]) les poissons [masc.] (fish [of either sex]) les mouches [fem.] (flies [of either sex]) les éléphants [masc.] (elephants [of either sex]) les hommes [masc.] (men and women/humankind) Other nouns keep the same spelling but have a different meaning depending on the gender: un aide (male assistant), une aide (help) le critique (critic), la critique (criticism) le garde (guard person), la garde (protection) le guide (guide person), la guide (rein) le livre (book), la livre (pound) le manche (handle), la manche (sleeve) le moule (mold), la moule (mussel) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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le manoeuvre (manual laborer), la manoeuvre (maneuver) le page (page-boy), la page (page) le pendule (pendulum), la pendule (wall clock) le poste (post), la poste (post office) le physique (physique), la physique (physics) le radio (radio operator), la radio (radio) le tour (turn), la tour (tower) le vase (vase), la vase (silt) le voile (veil), la voile (sail) See Also: Gender of Nouns Masculine Nouns Feminine Nouns Gender of Compound Nouns Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Gender of Compound Nouns Compounds of two nouns take the gender of the first noun: un chou-fleur / le chou; la fleur -- cauliflower Compounds of an adjective and a noun take the gender of the noun: une chauve-souris (a bat): When the compound noun consists of a verb and a complement noun, or of a preposition and a noun, the noun is generally masculine: un porte-plume (pen holder) un abat-jour (a lampshade) un sous-marin (a submarine) See Also: Nouns Proper Nouns Common Nouns Singular and Plural Nouns Noncount Nouns Noun Formation Noun Phrases Noun Clauses Articles Go to Top of Page

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Verbs Basic Verb Forms Auxiliary Verbs Forms of Avoir and Etre Modal Verbs Verb Tenses Negatives Interrogatives Irregular Verbs Mood Active and Passive Voice Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Reflexive Verbs Impersonal Verbs Verb Idioms Linking Verbs Infinitives Participles See Also: 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation History of the French Language Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Basic Verb Forms In French, the infinitive form is quite important as it acts as a guide in determining the verb group. Verbs fall into two main categories: regular verbs and irregular verbs. Regular verbs usually form their tenses in a consistent way. The stem is not changed and the endings are regular. Irregular verbs have inconsistent tense formation with changes in both the stem and ending. They need to be memorized individually. For irregular verbs consult the dictionary and see Appendix of Irregular Verbs. Regular verbs include three major groups based on the infinitive ending: verbs ending in -er, verbs ending in -ir, verbs ending in -re. Note: Verbs with endings -er represent the largest and most dynamic verb group, with over 4000 entries. The Present Participle is the adjectival form: chanter/chantant (singing), courir/courant (running), prendre/prenant (taking). The Past Participle is used in all compound tenses: chanter/chanté (sang), courir/couru (ran), prendre/pris (taken). See Also: Verbs Auxiliary Verbs Forms of Avoir and Etre Verb Tenses Negatives Irregular Verbs Mood Active and Passive Voice Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Reflexive Verbs Impersonal Verbs Verb Idioms Modal Verbs Linking Verbs Infinitives Participles 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Auxiliary Verbs Avoir and être are auxiliary (helping) verbs used to form any of the compound tenses. Most verbs use the auxiliary avoir. Nous avons appris beaucoup de choses. (We have learned many things.) See also Modal Verbs. Etre: Verbs which conjugate with the auxiliary être are: Reflexive/pronominal verbs: Nous nous sommes enfuis avant l'orage. (We ran away before the storm.) The following 14 verbs: aller (to go) arriver (to arrive) descendre (to go down) entrer (to go in) monter (to go up) mourir (to die) naître (to be born) partir (to leave/to go) passer (to pass) rester (to stay) retourner (to return/go back) sortir (to go out) tomber (to fall) venir (to come) Note: Some of these verbs can also be used in transitive constructions, i.e. followed by a direct object complement. In this case, they take avoir as the auxiliary: Compare: Nous sommes sortis. (We went out.) Ils ont sorti la voiture du garage. (They took the car out of the garage.) Some auxiliary verbs have a modal meaning and are used as modal verbs. See Interrogative Sentences. www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Forms of Avoir and Etre Auxiliaries: AVOIR Simple Tenses Indicative

Compound Tenses

Present j'ai tu as il/elle a nous avons vous avez ils/elles ont

Perfect j'ai eu tu as eu il/elle a eu nous avons eu vous avez eu ils/elles ont eu

Simple Past j'eus tu eus il/elle eut nous eûmes vous eûtes ils/elles eurent

Past Anterior j'eus eu tu eus eu il/elle eut eu nous eûmes eu vous eûtes eu ils/elles eurent eu

Imperfect j'avais tu avais il/elle avait nous avions vous aviez ils/elles avaient

Pluperfect j'avais eu tu avais eu il/elle avait eu nous avions eu vous aviez eu ils/elles avaient eu

Future j'aurai tu auras il/elle aura nous aurons vous aurez ils/elles auront

Future Perfect j'aurai eu tu auras eu il/elle aura eu nous aurons eu vous aurez eu ils/elles auront eu

Conditional Present j'aurais tu aurais il/elle aurait nous aurions vous auriez ils/elles auraient

Perfect j'aurais eu tu aurais eu il/elle aurait eu nous aurions eu vous auriez eu ils/elles auraient eu

Imperative www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Present 2nd pers. sing. aie 1st pers. plur. ayons 2nd pers. plur. ayez

Perfect (Rare) 2nd pers. sing. aie eu 1st pers. plur. ayons eu 2nd pers. plur. ayez eu

Subjunctive Present que j'aie que tu aies qu'il ait que nous ayons que vous ayez qu'ils aient

Perfect que j'aie eu que tu aies eu qu'il ait eu que nous ayons eu que vous ayez eu qu'ils aient eu

Infinitives Present avoir

Perfect avoir eu

Participle Present ayant Auxiliaries: ETRE Simple Tenses

Past (ayant) eu Compound Tenses

Indicative Present je suis tu es il/elle est nous sommes vous êtes ils/elles sont

Perfect j'ai été tu as été il/elle a été nous avons été vous avez été ils/elles ont été

Simple Past je fus tu fus il/elle fut nous fûmes vous fûtes ils/elles furent

Past Anterior j'eus été tu eus été il/elle eut été nous eûmes été vous eûtes été ils/elles eurent été

Imperfect j'étais tu étais il/elle était nous étions vous étiez ils/elles étaient

Pluperfect j'avais été tu avais été il/elle avait été nous avions été vous aviez été ils/elles avaient été www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Future je serai tu seras il/elle sera nous serons vous serez ils/elles seront

Future Perfect j'aurai été tu auras été il/elle aura été nous aurons été vous aurez été ils/elles auront été

Conditional Present je serais tu serais il/elle serait nous serions vous seriez ils/elles seraient

Perfect j'aurais été tu aurais été il/elle aurait été nous aurions été vous auriez été ils/elles auraient été

Imperative Present 2nd pers. sing. sois 1st pers. plur. soyons 2nd pers. plur. soyez

Perfect (Rare) 2nd pers. sing. aie été 1st pers. plur. ayons été 2nd pers. plur. ayez été

Subjunctive Present que je sois que tu sois qu'il soit que nous soyons que vous soyez qu'ils soient

Perfect que j'aie été que tu aies été qu'il ait été que nous ayons été que vous ayez été qu'ils aient été

Infinitives Present être

Perfect avoir été

Participle Present étant

Past (ayant) été

See Also: Verbs Basic Verb Forms Auxiliary Verbs Verb Tenses Negatives Irregular Verbs Mood www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Verb Tenses Present Simple Past (Historic) Imperfect (Imparfait) Future Perfect (Passé Composé) Verbs Conjugated with Etre Past Perfect (Pluperfect) Future Perfect (Future Anterior) Immediate Future (aller+infinitive) Immediate Past (venir+infinitive) Past Anterior Double Compound (Passé Surcomposé) See Also: Verbs 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Present (Présent) Formation of the Present The present of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending (-er, -ir, -re) and adding the following endings: 1st Conjugation (-er) person singular person plural 1st -e 1st -ons 2nd [familiar] -es 2nd [polite;plural] -ez 3rd -e 3rd -ent 2nd Conjugation (-ir) person singular person plural 1st -is 1st -issons 2nd [familiar] -is 2nd [polite;plural] -issez 3rd -it 3rd -issent 3rd Conjugation (-re) person singular person plural 1st -s 1st -ons 2nd [familiar] -s 2nd [polite;plural] -ez 3rd 3rd -ent parler (to speak) choisir (to choose) vendre (to sell) je parle choisis vends tu parles choisis vends il/elle parle choisit vend nous parlons choisissons vendons vous parlez choisissez vendez ils/elles parlent choisissent vendent Notes: Verbs ending in -cer change c to ç before o and a to keep the soft c sound: Le professeur prononce bien. (The professor pronounces clearly.) Nous ne prononçons pas bien. (We do not pronounce well.) See also Use of the Present Tense in Conditional Clauses Meanings of the Present The present tense is used to indicate: 1. that an action is occurring at this precise moment: Il parle au téléphone. (He is speaking on the telephone.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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2. that an action has been occurring for a while and is likely to continue for some time to come: Mon père travaille trop. (My father works too much.) 3. eagerness or anticipation: Je commence mon nouvel emploi. (I am starting my new job.) 4. a veiled order: Tu manges ta soupe tout de suite! (You are eating your soup right away!) 5. emphasis of an action which would normally be expressed in the perfect tense: L'hélicoptère tournait dans le ciel. Tout a coup, il tombe... (The helicopter was going around in the sky. Suddenly, it falls...) 6. an action that will take place in the immediate future: Nous revenons dans dix minutes. (We will be back in ten minutes.) The present tense + depuis + an expression of time expresses an action or event that began in the past and continues in the present, in answer to the question formed with Depuis combien de temps?/Depuis quand? (Since when?): Depuis combien de temps/Depuis quand vivez-vous ici? (Since when have you been living here?) J'habite ici depuis six mois. (I have been living here for six months.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Simple Past /Historic/ (Passé simple) Formation of the Simple Past The simple past of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the respective personal endings: For all -er verbs: -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent For regular -ir and -re verbs: -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent. parler (to speak) je parlai tu parlas il/elle parla nous parlâmes vous parlâtes ils/elles parlèrent

finir (to finish) finis finis Il finit finîmes finîtes finirent

perdre (to lose) perdis perdis perdit perdîmes perdîtes perdirent

Notes: Verbs ending in -cer change c to ç before a to keep the soft c sound. Verbs ending in -ger insert a mute e between g and a to keep the soft g sound. Meanings of the Simple Past The simple past (sometimes referred to as past historic) is used to indicate that an isolated event took place at a given time in the past. The duration of this event may have been brief or lasted a long time, however, it is the occurrence of the event that is important, not the duration. It is the ideal tense for biographies and reports of past events. Napoléon naquit en Corse mais il vécut en France. (Napoleon was born in Corsica, however, he lived in France.) Toulouse-Lautrec vendit des affiches de music-hall. (Toulouse-Lautrec sold music-hall posters.) The past historic is seldom used in spoken French and has been replaced with the perfect (passé composé). However, its use is still recommended in good written style. See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Other Means to Express the Past www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Imperfect (Imparfait) Formation of the Imperfect The imperfect (imparfait) of regular verbs is formed by dropping the -ons ending of the nous (we) form of the present tense and adding: person singular person plural 1st -ais 1st -ions 2nd [familiar] -ais 2nd [polite;plural] -iez 3rd -ait 3rd -aient chanter (to sing) finir (to finish) répondre (to answer) je chantais finissais répondais tu chantais finissais répondais il/elle chantait finissait répondait nous chantions finissions répondions vous chantiez finissiez répondiez ils/elles chantaient finissaient répondaient The imperfect of irregular verbs, with few exceptions, is formed the same way. See also Irregular Verbs. Meanings of the Imperfect The imperfect tense is used: 1. To express continuous, habitual past actions, events, or situations. It is also used to describe the circumstances surrounding a past action or event. Les oiseaux chantaient tous les matins. (The birds sang every morning.) Marie était belle et intelligente. (Mary was beautiful and intelligent.) Le vent soufflait et il pleuvait. (The wind was blowing and it was raining.) 2. To express a physical or mental state or condition in progress in the past when used with verbs: aimer (to love), croire (to believe), desirer (to wish), éspérer (to hope), être (to be), penser (to think), pouvoir (to be able), préférer (to prefer), regretter (to regret), vouloir (to want), savoir (to know): Nous voulions (espérions) aller au théatre. (We wanted (hoped) to go to the theater.) Il préférait lire des romans. (He used to prefer/preferred reading novels.) 3. To express the day, month, time, etc. in the past: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Il était midi. (It was noon.) C'etait jeudi. (It was Thursday.) 4. To describe a situation that was in progress in the past when another isolated event occurred: J'étais avec un ami quand vous m'avez vu. (I was with a friend when you saw me.) Les enfants pleuraient quand nous sommes arrivés. (The children were crying when we arrived.) 5. With conjunctions with the present conditional in sentences with si (if) expressing a condition: Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais beaucoup. (If I were rich, I would travel a lot.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Other Means to Express the Past Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Future (Futur) Future Tense Formation The future tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the endings to the infinitive stem for the 1st and 2nd conjugation and by dropping the final -e before the future ending for the 3rd conjugation. The endings: person 1st 2nd [familiar] 3rd

singular -ai -as -a

person 1st 2nd [polite;plural] 3rd

travailler (to work) je travaillerai tu travailleras il/elle travaillera nous travaillerons vous travaillerez ils/elles travailleront

accomplir (to accomplish) accomplirai accompliras accomplira accomplirons accomplirez accompliront

répondre (to answer) répondrai répondras répondra répondrons répondrez répondront

plural -ons -ez -ont

Notes: Some verbs with infinitive ending in -yer change y to i in the future: employer (to use): J'emploierai, tu emploieras, etc. (I will use, you will use, etc.) Verbs with mute e in the syllable before the infinitive change mute e to è: emmener (to take/to bring) : J'emmènerai, tu emmèneras, etc. (I will take, you will take, etc.) Verbs with mute e like appeler and jeter double the consonant in the future: appeler (to call): j'appellerai, tu appelleras, etc. (I will call, etc.) jeter (to throw): je jetterai, tu jetteras, etc. (I will throw, etc.) Some verbs have irregular stems in the future. Meanings of the Future 1. The future tense expresses an action that will take place in future time: Demain nous quitterons ce pays. (Tomorrow we will leave this country.) It is used after quand (when), lorsque (when), aussitôt que (as soon as), and dès que (as soon as) if the action refers to the future, even though the present tense would be used in English: Donnez-lui ce cadeau de ma part quand vous la verrez. (Give her this present on my behalf when you see her.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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2. It also can be used to convey a moral obligation, an order: Tu ne tueras point. (Thou shalt not murder.) Je vous demanderai de n'en parler à personne. (I will ask you not to mention it to anyone.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Other Ways to Express the Future 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Perfect (Passé Composé) Formation of the Perfect The perfect of most verbs is formed by combining the present tense avoir (or être) and the past participle of the verb. expliquer (to explain) j'ai expliqué tu as expliqué il/elle a expliqué nous avons expliqué vous avez expliqué ils/elles ont expliqué

réagir (to react) j'ai réagi tu as réagi il/elle a réagi nous avons réagi vous avez réagi ils/elles ont réagi

confondre (to confuse) j'ai confondu tu as confondu il/elle a confondu nous avons confondu vous avez confondu ils/elles ont confondu

Meaning of the Perfect The perfect expresses an action or event completed in the past. It does not place any emphasis on the duration of that action or event. In everyday speech, it is used to replace the Past Historic. Nous sommes allés au magasin et nous avons acheté du pain. (We went to the store and bought some bread.) Some verbs have irregular stems. See Irregular Verbs. Past participles of verbs conjugated with avoir agree in gender and number with a preceding direct object (usually a pronoun): Il a cueilli une pomme et l'a mangée. (He picked an apple and ate it.) Il nous a rencontrés en ville. (He met us in town.) The past participle also agrees with an antecedent element which represents a direct object: Voici les vêtements que nous avons achetés. (Here are the clothes that we bought.) However, it does not agree with preceding indirect objects: Nous avons téléphoné à Paul et Marie.Nous leur avons téléphoné. (We telephoned Paul and Marie. We called them.) The past participle of a verb conjugated with avoir remains unchanged before an infinitive with its own direct object: Voici les vêtements que vous avez décidé d'acheter. (Here are the clothes you decided to buy.) Past participles of verbs conjugated with être agree in gender and number with the subject (except for special rules concerning reflexive verbs). Nous nous sommes enfuis avant l'orage. www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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(We ran away before the storm.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Verbs Conjugated with Etre Reflexive Verbs Participles 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Verbs Conjugated with Etre Most verbs expressing motion or change of place, state or condition form the perfect with the present être and the past participle of the verb. Past participles of verbs conjugated with être agree in gender and number with the subject. Nous nous sommes enfuis avant l'orage. (We ran away before the storm.) Some of the verbs conjugated with être are: Infinitive/Past Participle aller/allé arriver/arrivé partir/parti entrer/entré sortir/sorti monter/monté descendre/descendu naître/né mourir/mort passer/passé rentrer/rentré rester/resté retourner/retourné

Translation (to go) (to arrive) (to leave) (to enter) (to go out) (to go up) (to go down) (to be born) (to die) (to go by) (to enter) (to stay/remain) (to return)

tomber/tombé venir/venu revenir/revenu devenir/devenu parvenir/parvenu intervenir/intervenu survenir/survenu

(to fall) (to come) (to come back) (to become) (to reach) (to intervene) (to occur)

Note: The verbs descendre, monter, passer, rentrer, retourner are conjugated with avoir when they are used with a direct object. Compare the difference in meaning when avoir is used: Il est descendu du train. (He got off the train.) Il a descendu ses bagages. (He brought down his luggage.) Je suis retourné en Italie. (I went back to Italy.) J'ai retourné le livre à la bibliothèque. (I returned the book to the library.) Nous sommes sortis. (We went out.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Ils ont sorti la voiture du garage. (They took the car out of the garage.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Perfect Tense Past Perfect Tense Future Perfect Tense Etre and Avoir Participles 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Past Perfect /Pluperfect/ (Plus-que-parfait) Formation of the Past Perfect The pluperfect is formed with the imperfect of avoir or être + past participle of the verb. avoir + past participle j'avais étudié (fini, perdu) tu avais étudié (fini, perdu) il/elle avait étudié (fini, perdu) nous avions étudié (fini, perdu) vous aviez étudié (fini, perdu) ils/elles avaient étudié (fini, perdu) être + past participle j'étais entré/entrée (parti/e, venu/e) tu étais entré/entrée (parti/e, venu/e) il était entré (parti, venu) elle était entrée (partie, venue) nous étions entrés/entrées (partis/ies, venus/ues) vous étiez entrés/entrées (partis/ies, venus/ues) ils étaient entrés (partis, venus) elles étaient entrées (parties, venues) Meanings of the Past Perfect The past perfect (pluperfect or plus-que-parfait) is used: 1. to describe an action that had been totally completed in the past before another past action took place: J'avais soif parce que je n'avais rien bu toute la journée. (I was thirsty because I had not drunk anything all day.) Lorsque j'avais fini mes devoirs, je regardais la television. (When I had finished my homework, I would watch television.) 2. in conjunctions with the conditional perfect, in sentences with si: Si j'avais su que vous étiez malade, je ne serais pas venu. (If I had known you were sick, I would not have come.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Verbs Conjugated with Etre Other Means to Express the Past Participles 1st Conjugation www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Future Perfect (Future Anterior) Formation of the Future Perfect The future perfect is formed with the future of avoir or être + past participle of the verb. avoir + past participle j'aurai étudié (fini, perdu) tu auras étudié (fini, perdu) il/elle aura étudié (fini, perdu) nous aurons étudié (fini, perdu) vous aurez étudié (fini, perdu) ils/elles auront étudié (fini, perdu) être + past participle je serai entré/entrée (parti/e, venu/e) tu seras entré/entrée (parti/e, venu/e) il sera entré (parti, venu) elle sera entrée (partie, venue) nous serons entrés/entrées (partis/ies, venus/ues) vous serez entrés/entrées (partis/ies, venus/ues) ils seront entrés (partis, venus) elles seront entrées (parties, venues) Meanings of the Future Perfect The future perfect is used: 1. To describe an action or event that will have been completed in the future: Nous aurons fini nos lecons d'ici une heure. (We will have finished our lessons one hour from now.) 2. After the conjunctions quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, après que: Dès que nous aurons vu le prix, nous déciderons. (As soon as we (will) have learned the price, we will decide.) 3. To express probability or supposition in the past: Ils sont en retard; il sera arrivé quelque chose. (They are late; something must have happened.) Vous aurez mal entendu. (You must not have heard right.) 4. To describe an action or event that will have been completed in the future before another future action. Nous aurons fini nos leçons quand elle arrivera. (We will have finished our lessons when she gets here.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Immediate Future (Aller + Infinitive) The immediate future is used to indicate that an action is going to take place soon. It is formed with the present of aller (to go) + infinitive of the main verb: Je vais bientôt partir. (I am going to leave soon.) Nos amis vont venir la semaine prochaine. (Our friends will be coming next week.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Future Tense Future Perfect Tense Other Means to Express the Future 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Immediate Past (Venir + de + Infinitive) The immediate past is used to indicate that an action has just taken place. It is formed with the present of venir (to come) + de + infinitive of main verb. Il n'est pas là; il vient de partir. (He is not here; he just left.) Quel bonheur! Je viens de finir mes devoirs. (What a joy! I just finished my homework.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Simple Past Tense Perfect Tense Imperfect Tense Past Anterior Tense Other Means to Express the Past 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Past Anterior The past anterior is used to indicate the occurrence of an isolated event in the past, before another isolated event took place. It is often used with the simple past (historic) or perfect to indicate a close correlation between two actions, without any reference to duration or repetition. The use of such expressions as après que, aussitôt que/dès que, lorsque/ quand emphasizes the logical link which exists between the two actions expressed. Quand il eut fini de chanter, il quitta la scène. (When he had finished singing, he left the stage.) Après qu'il eut quitté la scène, il se reposa. (After he left the stage, he rested.) See Also: Adverbial Clauses of Time Verbs Verb Tenses Simple Past Tense Perfect Tense Imperfect Tense Other Means to Express the Past 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Double Compound (Passé Surcomposé) The double compound is used with the conjunctions quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, and après que, to express an action immediately prior to an action in the perfect tense. Present of avoir + past participle of the relevant auxiliary + past participle of the main verb. Quand on en a eu fini assez de parler, nous nous sommes quittés. (When we had had enough talking, we left each other.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Simple Past Tense Perfect Tense Imperfect Tense Other Means to Express the Past 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Mood Verbs are used to express differences (or moods) in the intention of the speaker or writer. The four moods we shall now discuss are the indicative, the imperative, the conditional, and the subjunctive. Indicative Mood Imperative Mood Subjunctive Mood Conditional Mood See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Indicative Mood The Indicative Mood states facts and expresses certainty or reality. It is expressed by the use of the following tenses: the present, the simple (historic) past, the immediate future, the immediate past, the perfect, the imperfect, the pluperfect, the past anterior, the double compound tense, the future, and the future perfect. It may be a statement or a question. Nous écrivons une lettre. (We are writing a letter.) See Also: Verbs Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Questions Go to Top of Page

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Imperative Mood The imperative mood is used to formulate commands or make requests. Its two tenses are the present imperative and the perfect imperative (the latter is not used in everyday speech). Each tense has three forms (second person singular, first person plural, second person plural): Allons danser. (Let's go dancing!) Soyez gentils! (Be nice!) Present Imperative se repentir (to repent) [reflexive] repens-toi repentons-nous repentez-vous

aimer finir répondre (to love) (to finish) (to answer) aime aimons aimez

finis finissons finissez

réponds répondons répondez

Perfect Imperative The perfect imperative is formed with avoir or être + past participle: aimer (to love) aie aimé ayons aimé ayez aimé

finir (to finish) aie fini ayons fini ayez fini

In an affirmative command, the object pronoun comes directly after the verb and is attached to it by a hyphen. The pronouns me and te change to moi and toi after the verb. Dépêchez-vous! Aidez-moi! (Hurry up! Help me!) With two object pronouns, the placement order is as follows: moi le toi verb + la + lui + y + en les nous vous leur Envoyez-les-nous. (Send them to us.) Note: Moi + en becomes m'en; toi + en becomes t'en. Donnez-m'en. (Give me some.) See Also: Verbs www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Subjunctive Mood The subjunctive mood expresses uncertainty, doubt, wishes, suppositions and conditions that are unreal or contrary to fact: Il est possible que je connaisse cette personne. (It is possible that I know this person.) It is used more frequently in French than in English and enables the speaker to express a variety of attitudes through different verb forms and constructions. The subjunctive normally occurs in dependent clauses introduced by the conjunction que, or another conjunction containing que, or by a relative pronoun (usually qui or que): Habillez cet enfant avant qu'il parte. (Dress this child before he leaves.) Je cherche quelqu'un qui puisse me traduire cette lettre. (I am looking for someone who can translate this letter for me.) See Also: Verbs Verbs Taking the Subjunctive The Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions Present Subjunctive Imperfect Subjunctive Perfect Subjunctive Imperfect Subjunctive Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Negatives Go to Top of Page

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Verbs Requiring Subjunctive The subjunctive is required after verbs expressing commands, demands, desires, permissions, prohibitions, preferences, requests, and wishes: aimer mieux (to prefer) commander (to order) consentir (to consent) craindre (to fear) défendre (to forbid) demander (to ask, demand) désirer (to desire) empêcher (to prevent) exiger (to demand) insister (to insist) interdire (to forbid) ordonner (to order) permettre (to permit) s'étonner (to be surprised) se fâcher (to be upset) se réjouir (to rejoice) souhaiter (to wish) vouloir (to want) Exigez-vous que nous partions? (Are you demanding that we leave?) Mes parents défendent que je devienne artiste. (My parents forbid me to become [that I become] an artist.) The subjunctive is also used after verbs and expressions of feeling, or emotion such as fear, joy, regret, surprise: avoir honte (to be ashamed) avoir peur (to be afraid) être content (to be happy) être désolé (to be sorry) être flatté (to be flattered) être gêné (to be bothered, embarrassed) être malheureux (to be unhappy) être triste (to be sad) Sa mère est triste qu'il ne puisse venir. (His mother is sad that he cannot come.) Nous avons bien honte que notre fils vous ait fait rater votre train. We are embarassed that our son made you miss your train. See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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The Subjunctive after Impersonal Expressions The subjunctive is used after impersonal expressions of doubt, emotion, and opinion. Some of these are: il est bon (it is good) il est dommage (it is too bad, it is a pity) il est douteux (it is doubtful) il est impossible (it is impossible) il est indispensable (it is mandatory) il est possible (it is possible) il est temps (it is time) il convient (it is fitting/proper) il vaut mieux (it is better) il suffit (it is enough) Il est indispensable que tu voies le medecin. (It is mandatory that you see the doctor/you absolutely must see the doctor.) See also Impersonal Verbs. Note: In spoken French, the subjunctive is often avoided as it is considered stylistically heavy. The whole subordinate clause is replaced by an infinitive whenever the main and subordinate clauses share the same subject. Similarly, the subordinate clause can sometimes be replaced with a noun phrase: Nous ne croyons pas que nous puissions vivre avec vous. Nous ne croyons pas pouvoir vivre avec vous. (We do not think that we can live with you.) Je doute qu'il soit sincère. Je doute de sa sincérité. (I doubt whether he is sincere/I doubt his sincerity.) See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood Verbs Taking the Subjunctive Present Subjunctive Imperfect Subjunctive Pluperfect Subjunctive Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Negatives Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Present Subjunctive Verbs in the present subjunctive may express actions that take place in the present or the future: Il faut que tu partes. (You must leave.) The present subjunctive of most verbs is formed by dropping the -ent ending of the third person plural (ils) of the Present Indicative and adding the endings: person singular person 1st -e 1st 2nd [familiar] -es 2nd [polite;plural] 3rd -e 3rd chanter (to sing) finir (to finish) que je chante que je finisse que tu chantes que tu finisses qu'il/elle chante qu'il/elle finisse que nous chantions que nous finissions que vous chantiez que vous finissiez qu'ils/elles chantent qu'ils/elles finissent

plural -ions -iez -ent vendre (to sell) que je vende que tu vendes qu'il/elle vende que nous vendions que vous vendiez qu'ils/elles vendent

See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood Verbs Taking the Subjunctive The Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions Imperfect Subjunctive Pluperfect Subjunctive Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Negatives Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Perfect Subjunctive The perfect subjunctive is formed with the present subjunctive of avoir or être and the past participle. Like the passé composé, it expresses an action that already has taken place. tomber (to fall) que je sois tombé(e) que tu sois tombé(e) qu'il/elle soit tombé(e) que nous soyons tombé(e)s que vous soyez tombé(e)s qu'ils/elles soient tombé(e)s s'amuser (to enjoy oneself) que je me sois amusé(e) que tu te sois amusé(e) qu'il/elle se soit amusé(e) que nous nous soyons amusé(e)s que vous vous soyez amusé(e)s qu'ils/elles se soient amusé(e)s rendre (to return) que j'aie rendu que tu aies rendu qu'il/elle ait rendu que nous ayons rendu que vous ayez rendu qu'ils/elles aient rendu See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood Verbs Taking the Subjunctive The Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions Imperfect Subjunctive Pluperfect Subjunctive Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Negatives Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Imperfect Subjunctive This tense is no longer used in everyday speech, but is common in literature. aimer (to love) que j'aimasse que tu aimasses qu'il/elle aimât que nous aimassions que vous aimassiez qu'ils/qu'elles aimassent finir (to finish) que je finisse que tu finisses qu'il/elle finît que nous finissions que vous finissiez qu'ils/qu'elles finissent vendre (to sell) que je vendisse que tu vendisses qu'il/elle vendît que nous vendissions que vous vendissiez qu'ils/qu'elles vendissent See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood Verbs Taking the Subjunctive The Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions Present Subjunctive Pluperfect Subjunctive Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Negatives Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Pluperfect Subjunctive The pluperfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of être or avoir + the past participle. This is another literary tense. Elle craignait fort que son mari n'eût fait quelque indiscrétion. (She was afraid that her husband had committed some indiscretion.) See Also: Verbs Subjunctive Mood Verbs Taking the Subjunctive The Subjunctive After Impersonal Expressions Present Subjunctive Imperfect Subjunctive Past Perfect Subjunctive Mood Participles Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Conditional Mood The conditional mood is used to express or imply what would happen given certain conditions or suppositions. It is also used to convey other shades of meaning (polite request, guarded statement, etc.). Si je parlais japonais, je visiterais le Japon. (If I spoke Japanese, I would visit Japan.) Its two tenses are the present conditional and the perfect conditional: S'il faisait beau, je marcherais dans le parc. (If the weather were nice, I would walk in the park.) S'il avait fait beau, j'aurais marché dans le parc. (If the weather had been nice, I would have walked in the park.) The conditional is also used in reported speech with a past tense verb: Elle a dit qu'elle viendrait. (She said she would come). Note that the future tense is used for reported speech with a present tense verb: Elle dit qu'elle viendra. (She says that she is coming.) Present Conditional Perfect Conditional See Also: Verbs Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Present Conditional The conditional of regular verbs is formed with the same stem used for the future, and the same endings as those of the imperfect indicative. chanter (to sing) je chanterais tu chanterais il/elle chanterait nous chanterions vous chanteriez ils/elles chanteraient

finir (to finish) je finirais tu finirais il/elle finirait nous finirions vous finiriez ils/elles finiraient

vendre (to sell) je vendrais tu vendrais il/elle vendrait nous vendrions vous vendriez ils/elles vendraient

-er verbs with spelling changes in the future have similar changes in the conditional. Some verbs have irregular stems in the conditional. These same verbs have irregular stems in the future. See Irregular Verbs. See Also: Verbs Conditional Mood Mood Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Perfect Conditional The perfect conditional is formed with the present conditional of avoir + past participle. J'aurais mangé cette pomme si vous me l'aviez donneé. (I would have eaten this apple if you had given it to me.) J'aurais fini à temps si vous ne m'aviez pas dérangé. (I would have finished in time if you had not disturbed me.) See Also: Verbs Conditional Mood Mood Participles Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs do not follow the fixed rules for forming the various tenses. They need to be memorized individually. Some of the most commonly used verbs are in the Appendix of Irregular Verbs. See Also: Verbs Verb Formation Forms of Avoir and Etre Verb Tenses Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Negations Negation is formed by ne + verb + negation. The main negation is ne...pas Nous ne payerons pas la note car nous n'avons pas aimé notre dîner. (We will not pay the bill because we did not like our dinner.) The other common negations are: aucun, aucune (no, not one, not an) guère (hardly, scarcely) jamais (never) ni...ni (neither...nor) nul, nulle (no, not any) pas (not) pas du tout (not at all) personne (nobody, no one, not anyone) plus (any longer, no more, not any more) point (not at all) que (only, but only) rien (nothing) Vous n'avez rien à dire. (You do not have anything to say.) Vos histoires ne sont guère amusantes. (Your stories are scarcely funny.) Nous n'avons plus d'argent après ces vacances. (We no longer have any money after this vacation.) In simple and compound tenses, ne precedes the conjugated verb and pronoun objects. The second part of the negation follows the conjugated verb (or the subject pronoun in inverted questions). See: Interrogative Sentences Mes enfants ne sortent jamais seuls. (My children never go out alone.) Je n'ai pas trouvé mon oncle en Amérique. (I did not find my uncle in America.) Et vous, ne l'avez-vous pas trouvé? (And you, didn't you find him?) Personne (no one) and nulle part (nowhere) follow the past participle: Je n'ai vu personne ce soir. www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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(I did not see anyone this evening.) C'est normal, je ne suis allé nulle part. (It is normal, I did not go anywhere.) Aucun(e) (no one) is always used in the singular and precedes the noun it modifies: Mon avocat n'a voulu poser aucune question. (My lawyer didn't want to ask any questions.) With the ni...ni construction, ni precedes the word/words stressed. Dans cette boutique, il n'y avait ni parfum ni maquillage. (In this boutique, there was neither perfume nor makeup.) When an infinitive is negated, both ne and the second element of the negative precede the infinitive. However, personne (no one) and nulle part (nowhere) follow the infinitive. See: Infinitive Phrases. Dans votre cas, il vaut mieux ne rien dire. (In your case, it would be better to say nothing.) Il vaudrait mieux ne parler de ceci à personne. (It would be better not to talk about this to anyone.) Pas may be omitted with the verbs cesser (to stop), oser (to dare), pouvoir (to be able to), and savoir (when meaning to know how) when they are followed by an infinitive: Ma classe ne cesse de me taquiner. (My class does not stop teasing me.) Ici, je ne sais où trouver du bon pain. (Here, I do not know where to find good bread.) See: Modal Verbs Ability Partitive du, de la, de l', and des become de in a negative sentence. Nous avons du pain, mais nous n'avons pas de vin. (We have bread, but we do not have any wine.) See: Articles Partitive Articles After ni...ni, the partitive is omitted: Je ne veux rien, ni viande, ni poisson: juste des légumes. (I want nothing, neither meat nor fish, only vegetables.) See: Declarative Sentences www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Interrogatives 1. The Interrogative may be formed by beginning a sentence with est-ce que (est-ce qu' before a vowel or vowel sound): C'est votre chapeau. (It is your hat.) Est-ce que c'est votre chapeau? (Is it your hat?) 2. A question may also be formed by inverting the subject pronoun and the verb and joining them with a hyphen: Vous quittez le pays. (You are leaving the country.) Quittez-vous le pays? (Are you leaving the country?) If the subject pronoun is il, elle, or on and the verb ends in a vowel, a -t- is inserted between the verb and the pronoun: Elle marche lentement. (She walks slowly.) Marche-t-elle lentement? (Is she walking slowly?) When the subject is a noun, the noun is retained before the inverted verb and pronoun: Le jardin est en fleurs. (The garden is in bloom.) Le jardin est-il en fleurs? (Is the garden in bloom?) Quand and comment are used with either the inversion or est-ce que: Quand faites-vous les courses? Quand est-ce que vous faites les courses? (When are you going to the store?) See Also: Double Object Pronouns Verbs Phrases Sentences and Clauses Go to Top of Page

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Other Means to Express the Future Aller + infinitive (to be going to + infinitive) is another way to express the future. Je vais devenir folle. (I am going to go crazy.) Nous allons avoir une fête pour ton anniversaire. (We are going to have a party for your birthday.) Comment allez-vous passer vos vacances? (How are you going to spend your vacation?) Etre prêt à + infinitive (to be ready to/about to + infinitive) can be used to express a very immediate future: J'étais prête à m'evanouir. (I was about to faint.) Le train est prêt à partir. (The train is about to leave.) See Also: Verbs Future Tense Future Tense Infinitives Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Other Means to Express the Past Avoir l'habitude de + infinitive expresses habitual action in the past: J'avais l'habitude de fumer mais je ne fume plus. (I used to smoke, but I no longer do.) See Also: Verbs Future Tense Future Tense Infinitives Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Active and Passive Voice In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action: L'étudiant achète un livre. (The student buys a book.) The use of the active voice construction is similar to its use in English: subject + verb + direct object In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon: Le livre est acheté par l'étudiant. (The book is bought by the student.) The the use of the passive voice construction is similar to its use in English: subject + form of être + past participle. Since the past participle is conjugated with être, it agrees in gender and number with the subject. Nos ouvriers sont très respectés. (Our workers are well respected.) An active construction with the pronoun on followed by the third person singular of the verb is often used in French as a substitute for a passive construction: Ici on parle anglais. (English is spoken here.) On vendra la maison. (The house will be sold.) For the complete table of passive conjugation see Passive Conjugation. See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Participles 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Verbs can be classified according to the relationship created between who/what performs the action and who/what receives the action. An intransitive verb is a verb whose action is complete in itself and does not affect anything outside of itself (direct or indirect object): Elle marche. (She is walking.) Ils dorment. (They are sleeping.) Transitive verbs give an indication of the object or recipient of the action: Nous buvons du lait. (We are drinking milk.) Ils ferment les yeux. (They close their eyes.) A transitive verb usually has a direct object: Nous peignons un tableau. (We are painting a picture.) Only transitive verbs have passive forms. An intransitive verb does not require an object: Il joue dans le parc. (He is playing in the park.) Many verbs may be used transitively and intransitively: Elle monte à l'étage. (She goes upstairs.) Jacques a monté la valise pour moi. (Jacques took my suitcase upstairs for me.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Direct Objects 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Impersonal Verbs A small number of verbs are used only in the third person singular, masculine. They are called impersonal verbs: Some common impersonal verbs are: Falloir: Il faut se dépêcher. (We need/It is necessary to hurry.) Note: Il does not refer to any thing or person. Idioms composed of faire + noun, or faire + adjective: Il fait beau; il fait du soleil, etc. (The weather is nice; it is sunny, etc.) Verbs used to express weather conditions are always impersonal: Il pleut, il fait froid, il neige, il grêle et il fait froid. (It is raining, it is cold, it is snowing, it is hailing, and it is cold.) Idiom Il s'agit: Il y a un menteur parmi nous, mais il ne s'agit pas de vous. (There is a liar amongst us but it is not you/does not concern you.) Impersonal constructions with être: Il est temps de partir. (It is time to go.) Il est bon de savoir tout faire. (It is good to know how to do anything.) Il est dommage que nous nous voyions si peu. (It is a shame that we see each other so little.) See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Go to Top of Page

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Reflexive Verbs Reflexive verbs require reflexive pronouns. In a reflexive construction, the action is performed by the subject on itself. Therefore the subject and the pronoun object refer to the same person. The reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, like other personal object pronouns, normally precede the verb. Je me lave. (I wash myself.) En vacances, nous nous amusons. (During our vacation, we enjoy ourselves.) In inverted questions and negative sentences, the reflexive pronoun remains before the conjugated verb: Vous levez-vous tôt? (Do you get up early?) Ne vous levez-vous pas tôt? (Don't you get up early?) Some common reflexive verbs: s'acheter (to buy [for] oneself) s'agir de (to be a question of) s'améliorer (to improve [oneself]) s'apercevoir de (to become aware of) s'appeler (to be called) s'arrêter de (to stop) se baigner (to bathe) se blesser (to wound oneself) se bronzer (to get a tan) se changer de (to change) se coiffer (to comb one's hair) se contenter de (to be satisfied with) se coucher (to go to bed) se demander (to wonder, to ask oneself) se depêcher de (to hurry to) se douter de (to suspect) s'endormir (to go to sleep) s'ennuyer de/à (to be bored with) s'étonner de (to be surprised by) se fâcher contre (to get angry with) se plaindre de (to complain about) se plaire à (to like to) se réconcilier (to reconcile) se résigner à (to resign oneself to) se spécialiser en or dans (to specialize in) se taire (to be quiet, to become silent) se tromper (to be mistaken) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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se vanter de (to boast of) Les étudiants d'aujourd'hui se spécialisent dans l'informatique. (Today's students specialize in computer sciences.) Some verbs are always reflexive in French but not usually so in English: s'écrier (to exclaim, to cry out) s'écrouler (to collapse) se fier à (to trust) s'efforcer de (to strive to) s'empresser de (to hasten to) s'en aller (to leave, go away) s'enfuir (to flee) s'évanouir (to faint) se lamenter de (to lament/grieve) se méfier de (to mistrust) se moquer de (to make fun of) se soucier de (to concern oneself about) se souvenir (to remember) Depending on the ending of the infinitive, reflexive verbs belong to different conjugation classes: -er (first conjugation), -ir (second conjugation), -re (third conjugation). See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Reflexive Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Verb Idioms A preposition may combine with a verb to form a new vocabulary item (the same verb with a new meaning). These verb-preposition combinations are discussed under several names: two-part verbs, phrasal verbs, and verb idioms. Some verbs require the preposition à before the infinitive, such as: aider à (to help to) apprendre à (to learn to) s'attendre à (to expect) chercher à (to try to) se décider à (to decide to) encourager à (to encourage to) se mettre à (to begin to) passer du temps à (to spend some time in) se plaire à (to like to) suffire à (to be enough) tenir à (to insist on) Apprenez-moi à parler correctement. (Teach me to speak correctly.) Nous tenons à ce que vous mangiez avec nous. (We insist you eat with us.) Some verbs require the preposition de before the infinitive: achever de (to finish) se contenter de (to be satisfied with) se dépêcher de (to hurry to) se garder de (to take care not to) mériter de (to deserve to) regretter de (to regret) tâcher de (to try to) se vanter de (to boast of) venir de (to have just) Les enfants viennent juste de finir leur soupe. (The children have just finished their soup.) Je me garde de lui dire un secret. (I am careful not to tell him a secret.) Certain adjectives are used as adverbs in some fixed verbal expressions: aller droit (to go straight ahead) parler haut (to speak out loud) parler bas (to speak low) parler fort (to speak loudly) payer cher (to pay dearly) s'arrêter court, s'arrêter net (to stop short) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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travailler dur (to work hard) See Also: Verbs Common Verbs Followed by Infinitives Other Ways to Express the Future Verb Tenses Go to Top of Page

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Modal Verbs Modal verbs incorporate a special meaning component expressing ability, obligation/ advisability, necessity, possibility, and permission/request. In French they are: pouvoir, savoir: to express ability. (also to express permission/request) Les astronautes ont pu aller sur la lune. (The astronauts were able to go to the moon.) Votre enfant est trop jeune pour savoir lire. (Your child is too young to know how to read.) falloir: to express necessity: Il faut me payer tout de suite car j'ai besoin d'argent. (You must pay me right away because I need money.) devoir: to express primarily obligation/advisability: On doit toujours être poli. (One must always be polite.) See the individual topics for details. Ability Permission and Request Necessity Obligation or Advisability Possibility Probability See Also: Verbs Verb Tenses Go to Top of Page

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Ability The verb pouvoir (to be able to, can) expresses ability: Je peux courir vite. (I can run fast.) Nous ne pouvons pas venir, nous sommes malades. (We cannot come, we are sick.) Savoir (to be able to, know how) expresses mental ability or know-how: Je savais lire à l'âge de huit ans. (I knew how to read at the age of eight.) In the passé composé (perfect), savoir means to find out, to learn about something: J'ai su hier que vous veniez. (I learned yesterday that you were coming.) In the conditional, savoir is used in the idiomatic expression: Sauriez-vous me dire où se trouve le château de Versailles? (Would you be able to tell me where the chateau of Versailles is?) Both pouvoir and savoir are Irregular Verbs. See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Permission and Request Pouvoir is also used to express possibility, permissibility: Permissions and requests often take the form of questions: Est-ce que nous pouvons entrer dans cette église? (May we enter this church?) The conditional of pouvoir means might, could: Je pourrais vous rencontrer ce soir. (I could/might meet you tonight.) Idiomatic expressions with pouvoir: Je n'y peux rien. (I can't help it.) Nous n'en pouvons plus. (We are worn out.) See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Necessity Devoir (must/to have to) as well as the impersonal verb falloir (to be necessary) indicate necessity: Nous devons travailler pour gagner un salaire. (We must work to earn a salary.) Il faut manger pour vivre. (One must eat to live.) Falloir and devoir often express the same idea, although falloir is stronger than devoir: Au cinéma, il faut se taire. (At the movies, one should not talk/must not talk.) Au cinéma, vous devez vous taire. (At the movies, you must not talk.) When followed by a noun, falloir means to need: Il nous faut du temps pour écrire ce roman. (We need time to write this novel.) See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Obligation or Advisability The verb devoir (to have to, to be supposed to) expresses primarily obligation: Je dois préparer le repas pour midi. (I must prepare the meal for noon.) In the conditional, devoir means: ought to, should: C'est son anniversaire; je devrais lui téléphoner. (It is his birthday; I should/ought to call him.) Vous nous manquez: vous devriez venir plus souvent. (We miss you: you should visit more often.) When followed by a noun, devoir means to owe: Vous me devez dix francs. (You owe me ten francs.) The expression: faire mieux + de + infinitive is also used to denote advisability: This form is used in the conditional. Vous feriez mieux d'écouter si vous voulez apprendre quelque chose. (You had better listen if you want to learn something.) See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Probability Devoir (must/to have to) also expresses probability or supposition: Ils ne sont pas venus comme prévu; ils doivent être malades. (They did not come as planned; they must be/they probably are sick.) Probability can also be expressed with the use of the following impersonal expressions: Il est probable que (it is probable that) il est fort probable que (it is very probable that) c'est probable (it is probable) Est-il probable qu'ils soient à la réunion? Oui, c'est fort probable. (Is it likely/probable that they will be at the meeting? Yes, it is quite likely.) See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Possibility Pouvoir may also express possibility: Nous pouvons nous voir demain si vous voulez. (We can/it is possible to see each other tomorrow if you want.) In the conditional, it means: might, could: Nous pourrions nous donner rendez-vous. (We could set up an appointment.) The idioms il est possible and il se peut may also be used: Il est possible que je participe à la course. (I may participate in the race.) See Also: Verbs Modal Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Linking Verbs A linking verb is a part of a predicate: Votre fille est bonne élève. (Your daughter is a good student.) See Also: Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Infinitives The infinitive is one of the basic verb forms. The infinitive merely expresses the abstract idea of the action stated by the verb without any other shade of meaning: marcher (to walk), répondre (to answer). The ending (er, ir or re) indicates to which group the verb belongs (knowledge necessary for conjugation). Its two tenses are the present and the perfect. Present Infinitive The present infinitive, formed of the stem + er/ir/re (according to the group) is used to situate the action in the present or future: Nous voulons dormir. (We want to sleep.) [now or later] When an infinitive is negated, both ne and the second element of the negative precede the infinitive. However, personne (no one) and nulle part (nowhere) follow the infinitive. Dans votre cas, il vaut mieux ne rien dire. (In your case, it would be better to say nothing.) Usage: When two verbs follow each other, the second verb must be in the infinitive except when it follows the auxiliary verbs être or avoir: Nous aimons rire et chanter. (We like to laugh and sing.) After the prepositions à (to), de (from), pour (in order to), sans (without): Il commence à neiger. (It is beginning to snow.) Partez sans rien dire. (Leave without saying anything.) See also Prepositions. To replace a whole subordinate clause: Je vous vois rire. = Je vous vois qui riez. (I see you laugh.) To shorten an interrogative clause: Que dire? Que faire? = Qu'est-ce qu'il faut dire? Qu'est-ce qu'il faut faire? (What is one to say? What is one to do?) To replace a noun and its article: Nos chiens adorent courir. = Nos chiens adorent la course. (Our dogs love running.) To replace the imperative in written notices, instructions: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Ouvrir avec soin. (Open with care.) As a noun with an article or other modifier: Le pouvoir corrompt. (Power corrupts). L'homme doit faire son devoir. (Man must do his duty.) Perfect Infinitive The perfect infinitive indicates that, at a given time, an action is/was completed. It is formed with the auxiliary in the infinitive form + the past participle: avoir marché = to have walked. Compare: Merci de m'avoir apporté ce gâteau. (Thank you for having brought this cake.) Je suis contente de vous voir ici. (I am happy to see you here.) It can replace subordinate clauses: Il faut avoir vécu cette expérience pour la comprendre. = Il faut que l'on ait vécu cette expérience pour la comprendre. (This experience must be lived to be understood.) Replacing a noun: Merci de m'avoir aidé. = Merci de votre aide. (Thank you for having helped me. = Thank you for your help.) After pourquoi (why): Pourquoi avoir quitté si vite? = Pourquoi est-ce que vous avez quitté si vite? (Why did you give up so quickly?) After a command or request, to indicate that an action must be completed by a given deadline: Il faut avoir terminé avant ce soir. (We must finish before this evening.) See Also: Verbs Common Verbs Followed by Infinitives Infinitive Phrases Go to Top of Page

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Common Verbs Followed by Infinitives Usually, when a verb is followed by an infinitive a preposition follows the first verb. Certain verbs do not require the preposition and are followed directly by the infinitive. They include such verbs as: aimer (to love) aller (to go) compter (to intend) détester (to detest) entendre (to hear) faire (to do, to make) falloir (to be necessary) oser (to dare) vouloir (to wish/to want) Ma soeur compte me rendre visite cet été. (My sister is planning to visit me this summer.) Voulez-vous écrire un poème? (Do you want to write a poem?) See Also: Verbs Infinitives Infinitive Phrases Modal Verbs Other Ways to Express the Future Go to Top of Page

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Participles The participle is a verbal form showing continuing or completed action. Its three forms are the present participle, the gerund, and the past participle. Present Participle The present participle is formed from the stem of the first person plural (nous) + -ant: aimer aim /ons aimant finir finiss /ons finissant vendre vend /ons vendant There are three irregulars: avoir ayant être étant savoir sachant Usage: The present participle can be used as a noun: le participant un débutant It can be used as an adjective, which agrees in number and gender with the noun or pronoun it describes: Elle est une femme charmante. (She is a charming woman.) As a verb: Se retournant, elle m'a dit... (Turning around, she told me...) Gerund The gerund (the -ing form of the verb in English) is invariable. It is identical to the present participle but is preceded by the preposition en (by/through/while). It is important to distinguish between their uses. Compare: Present participle: Je vous ai vu marchant avec vos amis. (I saw you walking with your friends.) Gerund: Je vous ai vu en accompagnant ma mère à la gare. (I saw you while I was driving my mother to the station.) Usage: To indicate that two actions are going on at the same time: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Nous parlons souvent en marchant. (We often speak while we walk.) To emphasize the means by which a result is achieved: En lisant, on s'instruit. (It is by reading that one learns.) See also Participial Phrases. Past Participle The past participle is formed by adding the following endings to the stem: 1st conjugation aimer aimé 2nd conjugation finir fini 3rd conjugation vendre vendu Irregular verbs will have an irregular participle. Usage: The past participle is used as a verb in all compound tenses where it serves to emphasize the completion of an action. It may agree with the subject or direct object, in gender and number. J'ai terminé mes études. (I have finished my studies.) It can also be used as an adjective to express a state: Leurs devoirs terminés, les enfants vont jouer. (Their homework done, the children go to play.) See Also: Verbs Participial Phrases Verb Tenses Go to Top of Page

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Past Participles The past participle is a verbal form generally used as the second element in a compound tense. Ils sont allés au cinema. They went to the movies. (passé composé) The past participle can also be used as: an adjective: la table est couvert de papiers (the table is covered in papers) Or a noun: un permis de conduire (driver's license) Use the Help program's Back button to return to the topic you were reading.

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Adjectives An adjective is a word that describes (modifies, supplements, adds to, restricts, etc.) a noun or a pronoun. Typically, it follows the noun it modifies. Mon père est un homme intelligent. (My father is an intelligent man.) Il est grand et blond. ( He is tall and blond.) The adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it modifies. un homme gentil (a nice man) une femme gentille (a nice woman) des enfants gentils (nice children) des filles gentilles (nice girls) Adjectives are classified into different groups, according to the way they describe the noun or pronoun. These groups are: demonstrative adjectives descriptive adjectives indefinite adjectives interrogative adjectives possessive adjectives See the individual topics for details. Types of Adjectives Feminine and Masculine Forms Singular and Plural Forms Comparative and Superlative Sequence of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase See Also: Adjective Formation Abstract Nouns Derived from Adjectives Noun Phrases History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Types of Adjectives Adjectives are classified into five major groups: descriptive, possessive, interrogative, demonstrative, and indefinite adjectives. Descriptive adjectives usually indicate a quality, what kind it is: petit, pur, historique, intelligent, rouge (small, pure, historical, intelligent, red) They agree in gender and in number with the noun they modify: un petit enfant (a small child) l'eau pure (pure water) une maison historique (a historical house) des garçons intelligents (intelligent boys) des chapeaux rouges (red hats) Possessive adjectives show possession. They are: masculine *mon *ton *son notre votre leur

feminine ma ta sa notre votre leur

plural mes tes ses nos vos leurs

(my) (your) (his, hers, its) (our) (your) (their)

*Notes: mon, ton, son are also used before a feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel or "mute" h. C'est mon amie. (She is my friend.) C'est ton histoire. (It is your affair.) son, sa, ses, like the rest of the possessives, have the gender of the object possessed, and not of the person who owns it. When it is necessary to differentiate, ...à lui, ...à elle are added. C'est sa chemise à lui. (It is his shirt.) C'est sa chambre à elle. (It is her bedroom.) See Possessive Pronouns and Articles. Interrogative adjectives ask questions about someone or something: The interrogative adjective in French is quel? (which? what?) It agrees in gender and in number with the noun it modifies: singular plural masculine quel quels feminine quelle quelles www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Quel livre lisez-vous? (What book are you reading?) Quelles sont vos robes préférées? (Which are your favorite dresses?) Note: Quel may also be an exclamation, as in: Quel bel animal! (What a beautiful animal!) Quelles journées merveilleuses! (What marvelous days!) Demonstrative adjectives point out someone or something. They are: ce masculine singular cet masculine singular before a vowel or "mute" h cette feminine singular ces plural of both genders ce chapeau (this hat) cet enfant (this child) cet hôpital (this hospital) cette route (this road) ces prunes (these plums) ces oiseaux (these birds) Notes: Demonstrative adjectives precede the nouns and agree with them in gender and number: Cette cathédrale est magnifique. (This cathedral is magnificent.) Ces villages sont perdus dans la campagne. (These villages are lost in the countryside.) The demonstrative adjective is repeated before each noun: Ce printemps et cet été... (This spring and this summer...) Ce pantalon et cette chemise vont bien ensemble. (These trousers and this shirt go well together.) To differentiate between this and that, -ci (this) and -là (that) with hyphens are added to the noun: ce magasin-ci (this store) ce restaurant-là (that restaurant) Indefinite adjectives include English words such as several, certain, such, etc. In French they are: aucun, nul (no, not any) autre (other) certain (certain) chaque (each) même (same) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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plusieurs (several) quelque (some, any) tel (such) tout (all) Numeral adjectives indicate the quantity and the order. Cardinal numeral adjectives indicate the quantity. Ordinal numeral adjectives indicate the order. Compare: Nous avons quatre maisons. (We have four houses.) [quatre = cardinal adjective] Marie est la première fille de la famille. (Mary is the first girl in the family.) [première = ordinal adjective] Cardinal numeral adjectives express the number: deux garçons (two boys), une tasse de thé (one cup of tea), deux cents kilos (two hundred kilos) Ordinal numeral adjectives express the order: quatrième du jour (fourth in the day), vingt-cinquième de la classe (twenty-fifth in the class) Nouns Used as Adjectives There is a special group of nouns used as adjectives of color: des gants marron (brown gloves), des rideaux orange (orange curtains) In English, nouns are frequently used as adjectives: a teapot, a windmill, etc. These imply "used for," "for the purpose of," "intended for," "made from," etc. In French, these nouns are usually placed after the main noun, and joined to it with a preposition which clarifies the relationship. The prepositions used are de, à, and en: un match de football (a soccer game) une machine à laver (a washing machine) un collier en argent (a silver necklace) See Also: Adjectives Feminine and Masculine Forms Singular and Plural Forms Comparative and Superlative Sequence of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase Demonstrative Pronouns Noun Phrases Go to Top of Page

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Feminine and Masculine Forms of Adjectives Gender Agreement Adjectives agree in gender with the noun they modify. Most adjectives form the feminine from the masculine by adding -e, including adjectives ending with é: masculine petit joli français noir élégant âgé

feminine petite jolie française noire élégante âgée

(small) (pretty) (French) (black) (elegant) (old)

Note: adjectives ending in -e have the same masculine and feminine forms: aimable aimable (amiable) difficile difficile (difficult) Adjectives ending in -x form the feminine by changing -x to -se: curieux curieuse (curious) heureux heureuse (happy) Adjectives ending in -f form the feminine by changing -f to -ve: actif active (lively/active) expressif expressive (expressive) fautif fautive (wrong/at fault) Adjectives ending in -er form the feminine by changing -er to -ère. dernier dernière (last) étranger étrangère (foreign) léger légère (light) Some adjectives form the feminine by doubling the final consonant before adding -e: pareil ancien bas bon cruel gentil sot

pareille ancienne basse bonne cruelle gentille sotte

(same, similar) (old/ancient) (low) (good/kind) (cruel) (nice, kind) (silly, foolish)

Most adjectives ending with -eur or -teur form their feminine in -euse or -teuse: un avenir prometteur (a promising future) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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une aventure prometteuse (a promising adventure) However, a few unusual adjectives change -teur into -trice: un agent corrupteur (a corrupting agent) une influence corruptrice (a corrupting influence) Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms: blanc complet doux faux favori frais franc inquiet long public roux sec secret *beau (bel) *fou (fol) *mou (mol) *vieux (vieil) *nouveau (nouvel)

blanche complète douce fausse favorite fraîche franche inquiète longue publique rousse sèche secrète belle folle molle vieille nouvelle

(white) (complete) (soft) (false) (favorite) (cool/fresh) (frank) (worried/uneasy) (long) (public) (reddish) (dry) (secret) (beautiful) (mad, crazy) (soft) (old) (new)

*These five masculine adjectives have an alternative form before a masculine noun beginning with a vowel or a "mute" h. Their feminine singular is formed by doubling the last consonant before adding the usual -e. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

un bel ouvrage (a good work) un fol amour (a crazy love) un mol oreiller (a soft pillow) un vieil hôtel (an old hotel) un nouvel homme (a new man)

See Also: Adjectives Types of Adjectives Singular and Plural Forms Comparative and Superlative Sequence of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase Noun Phrases Gender of Nouns Go to Top of Page

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Singular and Plural Forms of Adjectives Number Agreement Most adjectives (masculine and feminine) agree in number with the noun they modify: un costume ordinaire, des costumes ordinaires (an ordinary suit, ordinary suits) une robe élégante, des robes élégantes (an elegant dress, elegant dresses) If one adjective modifies several nouns, the agreement is made according to the sense. Compare: un homme et une femme aigris (a bitter man and a bitter woman) un homme et une femme aigrie (a man and a bitter woman) When the adjective modifies one or more feminine nouns and one masculine noun, the adjective will be in the masculine plural form: des hommes, des femmes et des enfants fatigués (tired men, women, and children) Formation of the plural: The plural of adjectives is formed by adding s to the singular: une robe blanche (a white dress) des robes blanches (white dresses) Adjectives ending in -s or -x do not change in their plural form: un costume gris, des costumes gris (a gray suit, gray suits) un bébé heureux, des bébés heureux (a happy baby, happy babies) un diplomate anglais, des diplomates anglais (an English diplomat, English diplomats) un champigon mauvais, des champignons mauvais (a bad mushroom, bad mushrooms) Most adjectives ending in -al change to -aux in the plural: un partenaire égal, des partenaires égaux (an equal partner, equal partners) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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un malaise social, des malaises sociaux (a social ill, social ills) un trait national, des traits nationaux (a national trait, national traits) The adjective tout is irregular in the masculine plural: tout notre problème, tous nos problèmes (our entire problem, all our problems) Both masculine forms of beau (bel), fou (fol), mou (mol), nouveau (nouvel) and vieux (vieil) have the same plural form: un nouvel opéra/de nouveaux opéras (a new opera/new operas) un vieil ouvrage/de vieux ouvrages (an old work/old works) Exceptions: Although some adjectives deviate from the normal pattern of agreement, some adjectives are partially or totally outside the general agreement rules. They fall into the following categories: Nouns used as adjectives of color: Nous portons des chaussures marron. (We are wearing brown shoes.) Certain adjectives used as adverbs to modify a verb: A l'usine, les ouvriers travaillent dur et parlent bas. (At the factory, the workers work hard and speak softly (in a low voice).) However, adjectives used with the verbs être (to be), devenir (to become), sembler (to seem), paraître (to seem), rester (to remain/to stay) agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Nous restons immobiles durant le concert. (We remain motionless during the concert.) Avec tout ce bruit, nous devenons fous. (With all this noise, we are going crazy.) When placed before a noun, the words demi, nu, excepté, compris, supposé, and vu do not agree in gender or number. Vu les circonstances, ne partons pas. (In view of the circumstances, let's not leave.) Some adjectives are invariable: kaki, snob, sterling, rococo. The adjective grand when used as part of a compound feminine noun (singular or plural) does not vary in gender or number. In such cases, its meaning is "great" (or sometimes "main"): ma grand-mère (my grandmother). See Also: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Comparative and Superlative Comparative and superlative adjective forms are formed only from descriptive adjectives. They enable us to express various degrees of comparison between things, actions, etc. There are three degrees of comparison: equality, inferiority, and superiority. Formation of Comparative and Superlative The comparative and superlative form as follows: Comparative: aussi...que (as...as) plus...que (more...than) moins...que (less...than) Superlative: le (la, les) plus... (the most...) le (la, les) moins... (the least...) Comparative Degree Comparative of equality: Aussi...que (as...as) is used to express a comparison of equality. Elle est aussi grande que son frère. (She is as tall as her brother.) Comparative of superiority: plus...que (more...than) Il est plus fort que sa soeur. (He is stronger than his sister.) Comparative of inferiority: moins...que (less...than) Elle est moins forte que son frère. (She is not as strong as her brother.) Notes: Que (than) introduces the second element in the comparative construction. Comparative forms agree in number and gender with the nouns they describe. Ces filles sont plus intelligentes que ces garçons. (These girls are smarter than these boys.) Superlative Degree Positive superlative: le (la, les) plus ... (the most...) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Jean-Marc est le plus doué de la classe. (Jean-Marc is the most gifted student in the class.) Negative superlative: le (la, les) moins... (the least...) Robert est le moins intelligent de la classe. (Robert is the least intelligent in the class.) Notes: The second element of a comparison may be a noun, a disjunctive (prepositional) pronoun, an adverb, or a clause. The superlative forms of the adjectives agree in number and gender with the noun they describe. Les éléphants sont les animaux les plus gros d'Afrique. (Elephants are the biggest animals in Africa.) When it is necessary to express an extremely high degree (vs. the highest degree), the adjective (or adverb) should be preceded by an adverb such as: bien or fort (very), extraordinairement (extraordinarily), infiniment (infinitely), etc. Nous avons été infiniment touchés par votre gentillesse. (We have been deeply touched by your kindness.) Exceptional Forms of Comparative and Superlative: A small number of adjectives do not follow the regular rules of formation of comparatives and superlatives: adjective meaning

comparative superlative meilleur (-e, -s,-es)le (la, les) meilleur, bon (good) (better) (the best) pire (-s) le (la, les) pire (-s) mauvais (bad) (worse) (the worst) moindre (-s) le (la, les) moindre (-s) petit (small/slight) (lesser) (the least) See Also: Adjectives Types of Adjectives Feminine and Masculine Forms Singular and Plural Forms Sequence of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase Noun Phrases Coordinate Conjunctions Definite Articles Comparative and Superlative Adverbs

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Sequence of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase Most adjectives have a clearly defined position in a sentence. The majority of descriptive adjectives follow the noun they modify. du vin rouge (red wine), un fromage délicieux (a delicious cheese) Some short descriptive adjectives usually precede the noun: beau (beautiful), bon (good), mauvais (bad), court (short), long (long), gentil (nice, kind), vilain (ugly), gros (big), jeune (young), vieux (old), joli (pretty), nouveau (new), petit (small), grand (big) Quelle vilaine grenouille! (What an ugly frog!) C'est vraiment un bel homme. (He really is a handsome man.) Adjectives denoting origin (geographical, historical, religious, etc.) are placed after the noun: un artiste espagnol (a Spanish artist) la période élizabéthaine (the Elizabethan period) la religion musulmane (the Muslim religion) Indefinite adjectives precede the noun they modify: Nous avons plusieurs amis. (We have several friends.) The indefinite adjective autre (other) may follow any of the determiners: Cet autre étudiant est intelligent. (That other student is intelligent.) The adjective tout precedes both the noun and the article: tout le village (the whole village) tous les pays (all the countries) When more than one adjective describes a noun, each adjective is placed in its normal position. Two adjectives in the same position are joined by et. une longue histoire intéréssante (a long, interesting story) un chat calme et doux (a calm and gentle cat) Adjectives with Different Meanings Some adjectives have different meanings depending on their position: ancien (former/ancient) un ancien théatre (a former theater) un théatre ancien (an ancient theater) brave (good-hearted/brave) un brave fils (a good-hearted son) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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un fils brave (a brave son) certain (undefined/definite) un certain changement (a certain change) un changement certain (a definite change) cher (beloved/expensive) une chère femme (a dear woman) un poisson cher (an expensive fish) dernier (last of a series/the one before this) le dernier mois (the last month) le mois dernier (last month) honnête (honest/virtuous) un honnête homme (an honest man) un homme honnête (a virtuous man) grand (great/tall) un grand homme (a great man) un homme grand (a tall man) même (same/very, exact) la même chose (the same thing) la chose même (the very thing) pauvre (wretched/penniless) les pauvres artistes (the wretched artists) les artistes pauvres (the penniless artists) propre (own/clean) mon propre bureau (my own office) mon bureau propre (my clean office) sale (nasty/dirty) un sale chien (a nasty dog) un chien sale (a dirty dog) seul (one only/alone) un seul représentant (the only representative) un représentant seul (representative only) triste (wretched/sad) un triste type (a wretched/sorry guy) un type triste (a sad guy) Articles are not used before cardinal adjectives, except for fractions: trois oiseaux et vingt papillons (three birds and twenty butterflies) les deux tiers du fromage bleu (two-thirds of the blue cheese) Cardinal numbers precede ordinal numbers: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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les cinq premiers passagers (the first five passengers) Note: Most of the rules above may be broken for stylistic effect. See Also: Adjectives Types of Adjectives Feminine and Masculine Forms Singular and Plural Forms Comparative and Superlative Forms Noun Phrases Go to Top of Page

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Adverbs Adverbs are words used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Il marche lentement. (He is walking slowly.) Adverbs are invariable: they never change their form. A great many French adjectives can be turned into adverbs by adding -ment to the masculine form of the adjective: poli, poliment (polite, politely) utile, utilement (useful, usefully) Adverbial Expressions Adverbial expressions are formed by combining prepositions with other words such as: Preposition + noun or phrase: à droite (to the right), d'avance (in advance/early), par hasard (by chance), etc. Preposition + adjective en général (generally), par conséquent (consequently), d'ordinaire (ordinarily), etc. Preposition + adverb au moins (at least), d'ailleurs (nevertheless), du moins (at least), etc. Preposition + adjective + noun de bon appétit (heartily), à tout prix (at any cost), de bon coeur (willingly), etc. Some common expressions are formed with two or more words: et ainsi de suite (and so on and so forth), tant bien que mal (rather badly, so-so), etc. See Also: Types of Adverbs Classified by Meaning Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Position of Adverbs Adverb Formation Adverbial Clauses History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Types of Adverbs As a general rule, French adverbs should be memorized as vocabulary items. However, they can also be grouped into seven broad categories, although the same adverb may belong to different categories with different meanings. Those classifications are: Adverbs of manner: All adverbs ending in -ment (the equivalent of English -ly): facilement (easily), etc., ainsi (thus), bien (well), exprès (on purpose), plutôt (rather), volontiers (willingly), etc. Adverbs of time: d'abord (firstly), alors (then), auparavant (previously), jadis (a long time ago), enfin (finally), etc. Adverbs of quantity: à peine (hardly), davantage (more), guère (scarcely), tant/tellement (so much), etc. Adverbs of place and direction: ailleurs (elsewhere), çà et là (here and there), nulle part (nowhere), partout (everywhere), etc. Adverbs of affirmation: assurément (assuredly), sans aucun doute (without any doubt), vraiment (indeed), etc. Adverbs of negation: The main adverbs of negation are non (no) and ne...pas (not...). Non is used on its own to express a negation, whether the sentence is affirmative or negative. Ne expresses a negative idea on its own and is used in connection with other suitable words or expressions such as: ne...guère (hardly): Il ne me parle guère. (He hardly speaks to me). ne...jamais (never): Elle ne lui parle jamais. (She never talks to him). ne...personne (not...anyone): Nous n'avons vu personne. (We saw no one). ne...plus (not...anymore): Vous ne fumez plus? (You no longer smoke?) Note: In colloquial French, ne is often omitted: Je fume plus. (for je ne fume plus, I no longer smoke). This is, however, incorrect. See Negatives and Indefinite and Negative Pronouns for additional information. Adverbs of doubt: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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peut-être (maybe), vraisemblablement (in all probability), sans doute (probably), etc. Interrogative Adverbs They are: combien? (how much, how many?) comment? (how?) où? (where?) d'où? (from where?) pourquoi? (why?) quand? (when?) To form questions, interrogative adverbs are used with inversion of the following subject and predicate as well as with est-ce-que: Comment faites-vous cette soupe? or Comment est-ce que vous faites cette soupe? (How do you make this soup?) When the subject of the verb is a noun (as opposed to a pronoun), inverted questions are formed as follows: Comment le cuisinier fait-il cette soupe? (How does the cook make this soup?) With quand, comment, combien and où, questions can also be formed with the simple inversion of the subject and the verb: Comment vont tes parents? (How are your parents?) Où est le paradis? (Where is heaven?) With pourquoi, the inversion is always necessary: Pourquoi ne voyagez-vous pas en Chine? (Why don't you travel to China?) Pourquoi Papa doit-il travailler? (Why must Dad work?) See Interrogative Sentences. Conjunctive Adverbs They join independent clauses and behave both as conjunctions and adverbs: Elle a couru à la gare. Toutefois, c'etait trop tard. (She rushed to the station. Nevertheless, it was too late.) J'ai fait de mon mieux. Toutefois, j'ai râté l'examen. (I tried to do my best. However, I failed the exam.) C'est mon écrivain préféré. D'ailleurs, mon professeur l'aime bien aussi. www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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(He is my favorite writer. Besides, my teacher also likes him.) See Also: Adverbs Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Position of Adverbs Adverbial Clauses Adverb Formation En and Y Go to Top of Page

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Comparative and Superlative Degrees of Adverbs The comparative of equality (as...as) is aussi..que. The comparative of inferiority (less) is moins...que. The comparative of superiority (more) is plus...que. Je parle aussi franchement que toi. (I speak as frankly as you.) Tu parles moins franchement que lui. (You speak less frankly than he.) Elle parle plus franchement que nous. (She speaks more frankly than we do.) Superlative (the least) is le moins; superlative (the most) is le plus. C'est Paul qui nous téléphone le moins souvent. (Paul is the one who calls us the least.) C'est Rosalie qui nous rend visite le plus souvent. (Rosalie is the one who visits us the most.) Notes: The preposition de (alone or combined with the various forms of the definite article) may follow the superlative adverb to mean in or of: Le champagne est le vin français le mieux connu du monde. (Champagne is the best-known French wine in the world.) The article with superlative adverbs is always le. Sais-tu qui joue le mieux? (Do you know who plays the best?) Irregular Forms of Comparison A few adverbs have irregular comparatives and superlatives: Adverb Comparative Superlative beaucoup (much) plus (more) le plus (the most) bien (well) mieux (better) le mieux (the best) plus mal (worse)le plus mal (the worst) mal (badly) pis* (worse) le pis* (the worst) peu (little) moins (less) le moins (the least) * Note: in everyday speech, pis is now rarely used. Alain conduit mieux que Robert. (Alan drives better than Robert.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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C'est toi qui chantes le plus mal. (It is you who sings the worst.) See Also: Adverbs Types of Adverbs Position of Adverbs Adverbial Clauses Adverb Formation Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Go to Top of Page

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Position of Adverbs Although the position of adverbs is not absolutely fixed and can vary for stylistic reasons, some general rules apply: An adverb modifying a verb, in the present tense, is placed directly after the verb: Nous marchons rapidement. (We are walking fast.) In compound tenses, the position of the adverb varies. Most adverbs follow the past participle: Nous sommes partis immédiatement. (We left immediately.) Some common adverbs such as bien (well), mal (badly), souvent (often), toujours (always), déjà (already), and encore (again), as well as adverbs of quantity, usually precede the past participle. This is particularly true for adverbs of time and place: Nous avons beaucoup mangé au restaurant. (We ate a lot at the restaurant.) Nous nous sommes souvent vus. (We often saw each other.) Adverbs modifying an adjective or another adverb generally precede: Ce roman est vraiment fascinant. (This novel is really fascinating.) Some adverbs, when placed at the beginning of a sentence, may change their meaning and/or require a change in word order. Compare: Ma mère a peut-être raison. (My mother may be right.) Peut-être ma mère a-t-elle raison. (My mother may be right.) See Also: Adverbs Types of Adverbs Adverbial Clauses Adverb Formation Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Go to Top of Page

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Pronouns A pronoun is a word used in place of one or more nouns. The pronoun allows one to refer to a noun or an expression without repeating it. Les touristes aiment voyager; ils vont partout. (Tourists like to travel; they go everywhere.) Pronouns can be grouped into six distinct categories: personal, demonstrative, possessive, relative, interrogative, and indefinite. Each pronoun fulfills a specific role. All suitable agreements (gender and number) must be made as appropriate. See Also: Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns En and Y Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Double Object Pronouns History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Personal Pronouns Personal pronouns indicate the performer(s) or the recipient(s) of an action. The subject pronoun replaces the subject of the sentence. Joséphine aime jouer du piano. Elle aime jouer du piano. (Joséphine likes to play the piano.) (She likes to play the piano.) The direct object pronoun replaces a direct object noun and answers the question whom?, what? Nous mangerons des petits pains au chocolat. Nous les mangerons. (We will eat chocolate buns. We will eat them.) The indirect object pronoun replaces an indirect object noun and answers the question to whom? J'écris des lettres à mes cousins. Je leur écris des lettres. (I write letters to my cousins. I am writing them letters.) The reflexive pronoun refers the action back to the subject: Je me suis fait mal avec le marteau. (I hurt myself with the hammer.) The possessive pronoun shows possession: J'ai vu ta mère, voici la mienne. (I saw your mother, here is mine.) Ne touche pas ce livre, c'est le mien! (Do not touch this book; it's mine!) The disjunctive, or prepositional, pronoun must be used when the verb and the recipient of the action are linked by a preposition: Venez avec moi en Amérique! (Come with me to America!) C'est à eux de faire les courses. (They have to do the shopping.) General chart of personal pronouns: Subject Direct Object Indirect Object Disjunctive Possessive Reflexive le mien la mienne je (j') me/m' me/m' moi me (m') les miens les miennes le tien la tienne te (t') tu te/t' te/t' toi les tiens les tiennes www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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il

le/l'

lui

lui

elle

la/l'

lui

elle

nous

nous

nous

nous

vous

vous

vous

vous

ils

les

leur

eux

elles

les

leur

elles

le sien la sienne les siens les siennes le sien la sienne les siens les siennes le nôtre la nôtre les nôtres le vôtre la vôtre les vôtres le leur la leur les leurs le leur la leur les leurs

se

se

nous vous se se

See Also: Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Elision Go to Top of Page

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Subject Pronouns Subject pronouns refer to the subject of the verb. Singular je (j') tu (you [familiar]) il (he) elle (she) on (one, someone, you, we, they)

Plural nous (we) vous (you [formal]) vous (you, plural) ils (they, masculine) elles (they, feminine)

Notes: On (one) is often used in place of nous. Chez nous, on mange du pain tous les jours. (At home, we eat bread every day.) Il (he) can also be used as an impersonal pronoun in certain expressions: Il faut manger pour vivre. (One needs to eat to live.) To reinforce the subject pronoun (for emphasis), disjunctive (prepositional) pronouns may be used: Moi, je dois partir immediatement. (As for me, I must leave immediately.) When two subject pronouns are linked by et (and) or ou (or), two disjunctive (prepositional) pronouns are used. Lui et moi irons à Paris. (He and I will go to Paris.) With the verb être, c' (elided ce) often replaces it, he, she: C'est un ami. (He is a friend.) In comparisons, after expressions such as plus ...que (more than), moins... que (less than), aussi...que (as...as), the prepositional pronoun is used: Ma soeur est plus gentille que toi. (My sister is nicer than you are.) Vous êtes aussi drôles qu'eux. (You are as funny as they are.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Object Pronouns www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Object Pronouns Object pronouns fall into two categories: 1. Direct object pronouns replace the direct object complement. They answer the question: qui/quoi? (whom/what? ): Nous rencontrons nos cousins souvent. Nous les rencontrons souvent. (We often meet our cousins. We often meet them.) 2. Indirect object pronouns replace the indirect object complement. They answer the question: à qui/à quoi? (to whom/to what?): Nous écrivons à nos parents. Nous leur écrivons. (We write to our parents. We write to them.) Note: Verbs that take an indirect object in English do not necessarily take an indirect object in French. Position of Object Pronouns Object pronouns, direct or indirect, including reflexive pronouns, normally precede the verb. Je vous comprends très bien. (I understand you very well.) Nous l'avons rencontré. (We met him.) Ne m'as tu pas vu hier? (Didn't you see me yesterday?) In an affirmative command, the object pronoun comes directly after the verb and is attached to it by a hyphen. The pronouns me and te change to moi and toi after the verb. Dépêchez-vous! Aidez-moi! (Hurry up! Help me!) See Imperative Mood and Elision. When an object or reflexive pronoun is used with an infinitive construction, the pronoun precedes the verb of which it is the object: Il voulait m'embrasser. (He wanted to kiss me.) Ne voulez-vous pas lui parler? (Don't you want to talk to him?) Object pronouns precede voici and voilà: Nous voici enfin arrivés. (Here we are at last.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Direct Object Pronouns Direct object pronouns replace a direct object noun. They answer to the question whom? what? Their forms are: me (m') (me) te (t') (you) [familiar] le (l') (him, it) [masculine] la (l') (her, it) [feminine] nous (us) vous (you) les (them) Nous achèterons des fraises au marché. Nous les achèterons au marché. (We will buy strawberries at the market. We will buy them at the market.) J'ai rencontré des artistes à Paris. Je les ai rencontrés à Paris. (I met artists in Paris. I met them in Paris.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Imperative Mood Infinitives Participles Elision Go to Top of Page

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Indirect Object Pronouns The indirect object pronoun replaces an indirect object noun and answers the question to whom? Indirect object pronouns are: me (m') ([to] me) te (t') ([to] you [familiar]) lui ([to] him, it [masculine]) lui ([to] her, it [feminine]) nous ([to] us) vous ([to] you) leur ([to] them) See Elision. Notes: Me, te, nous, vous are both direct and indirect pronouns. They are also reflexive pronouns. Some verbs that take an indirect object in English do not necessarily take an indirect object in French: écouter (to listen to), chercher (to look for), payer (to pay for) and regarder (to look at). Parlez, je vous écoute. (Speak, I am listening to you.) Other verbs take an indirect object in French: obéïr (à), désobéïr (à), répondre (à), téléphoner (à), etc... Nous lui téléphonerons à une heure. (We will call her at one o'clock.) See Prepositions and Verbs followed by preposition à in Verb Idioms. Note the use of the indirect object with falloir (to be necessary) and manquer (to miss): Il me faut du papier pour écrire. (I need/it is necessary that I have/paper to write.) Il leur manque un crayon. (They are missing a pencil.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Disjunctive pronouns are: moi (me), toi (you, fam.), lui (him/it), elle (she/it), nous (us), vous (you, sing. Formal, or you pl.), eux (them, masc. pl.), elles (them, fem. pl.). They are used: After a preposition: Adressez-vous à eux. (Speak to them.) As an emphatic reinforcement to the corresponding subject pronoun: Nous, nous sommes certains que vous avez raison. (As for us, we are certain that you are right.) To replace the corresponding subject pronoun in constructions involving a coordinating conjunction: et (and), mais (but), ni (neither/nor), ou (or): Ni vous ni moi ne savons rien de cette histoire. (Neither you nor I know anything about this matter.) In reply to a question: Qui a pris ma voiture? Moi! Je devais aller à la banque. (Who took my car? Me! I had to go to the bank.) To indicate possession with à if the verb is être and the subject is a noun, a personal or demonstrative pronoun: Ce parapluie est à moi. Il est à moi. (This umbrella is mine. It is mine.) Used after c'est and c'était (referring to things as well as people): C'est moi. (It's me.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Double Object Pronouns When more than one object pronoun is used in a sentence, their placement order before the verb is as follows: me te se + nous vous se

le (l') la (l') les

+

lui + y or en + verb leur

Le marchand me le vend. (The storekeeper sells it to me.) Nous le lui vendons. (We are selling it to him.) Leur en avez-vous vendu? (Did you sell them any?) Ils ne te l'ont pas vendu. (They did not sell it to you.) Note: Le, la or les precede lui and leur: Nous le lui avons souvent dit. (We told it to him often.) Nous la lui avons donnée. (We gave it to her.) After the verb, the placement order is as follows:

verb

+

moi toi le lui + la nous les vous leur

+ y + en

Va le lui montrer. (Go show it to him.) Envoyez-les-nous. (Send them to us.) Note: Moi + en becomes m'en; toi + en becomes t'en. Donnez-m'en. www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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(Give me some.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Imperative Mood Infinitives Participles En and Y Go to Top of Page

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En and Y En functions as an object pronoun. It is used with expressions of quanity that contain de (beaucoup de, peu de, assez de, etc.): Nous n'avons pas assez de crayons. Nous n'en avons pas assez. (We do not have enough pencils. We do not have enough of them.) Replaces "de, d', du, de la, de l', or des + thing" Avez-vous besoin de votre chapeau? (Do you need your hat?) Oui, j'en ai besoin. (Yes, I need it.) Functions as a partitive (some or any) when it replaces "the partitive article + noun": J'ai d'argent; en avez-vous? (I have money; do you [have it]?) Replaces "de + the name of a place". Je suis revenu de New York. J'en suis revenu. (I returned from New York. I returned from there.) There are also a variety of idiomatic expressions that employ en. En is always expressed in French even though it may not have any English equivalent: As-tu assez d'argent? Oui, j'en ai assez. (Do you have enough money? Yes, I do.) There is no agreement of the past participle with en: Ma grand-mère m'a raconté de belles histoires. Elle m'en a raconté. (My grandmother told me nice stories. She told me some.) En precedes voici and voilà. Avez-vous des bonbons? En voilà! (Do you have any candy? Here is some.) Y: The object pronoun y always refers to previously mentioned things or places. It generally replaces à + noun, but it can also replace other prepositions (other than de) such as chez (at), dans (in), en (in), sous (under) or sur (on) + noun. It commonly means to it/them, in it/them, etc. Nos amis sont chez nous. Ils y sont. (Our friends are at our house. They are there/in it.) Y may also replace à + clause : www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Nous devons penser à ce que nous devons faire. Nous devons y penser. (We must think about what we need to do. We must think about it.) Y can also act as an adverb when meaning "there", but its placement in the sentence follows the rules of an object pronoun. Mon livre est-il sur la table? Oui, il y est. (Is my book on the table? Yes, it's there.) Voulez-vous venir ici? Oui, j'y viens. (Would you like to come here? Yes, I am coming [there].) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Reflexive Pronouns Verb se laver (to wash): Person 1st 2nd 3rd

Singular je me lave tu te laves il/elle/on se lave

Plural nous nous lavons vous vous lavez ils/elles/se lavent

The subject and the object pronoun refer to the same person(s) or thing(s): Le matin, nous nous réveillons et nous nous lavons. (In the morning, we wake [ourselves] up and wash [ourselves].) It is important to use the reflexive pronoun which matches the subject pronoun. Compare: Nous nous coiffons tous les jours. (We comb our hair everyday.) Nous te coiffons tous les jours. (We comb your hair everyday.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Imperative Mood Infinitives Participles Reflexive Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Possessive Pronouns Possessive pronouns are used to replace a "noun phrase" containing a possessive adjective. They indicate ownership. Their English equivalents are: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs. Since they replace nouns which vary in gender and number, they have different forms to indicate these variations. In French, they agree in gender with the being or the thing owned, not the owner's gender. Regarde cette valise! C'est la mienne. [valise = suitcase, fem. sing.] (Look at the suitcase! It is mine.) Regarde ces souliers! Ce sont les miens. [souliers = shoes, masc. pl.] (Look at the shoes! They are mine.) Possessive Pronouns masc., sing le mien le tien le vôtre le sien le nôtre le vôtre le leur

fem., sing. la mienne la tienne la vôtre la sienne la nôtre la vôtre la leur

masc., pl. les miens les tiens les vôtres les siens les nôtres les vôtres les leurs

fem., pl. les miennes les tiennes les vôtres les siennes les nôtres les vôtres les leurs

meaning (mine) (yours) [fam.] (yours) [polite] (his/hers/its) (ours) (yours) (theirs)

Notes: The articles le, la, les combine in the normal way with à and de (See Contraction of Prepositions with Article). Quand je pense à de bons dîners, je ne pense pas aux vôtres mais aux miens. (When I think about good meals, I do not think about yours, but mine.) The possessive pronouns nôtre, vôtre take the circumflex accent on the o. No accent is required on the possessive adjective. See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Adjectives www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative pronouns are used to formulate direct or indirect questions. With the exception of dont, they are identical to the relative pronouns. They can be combined with a preposition which is placed in front of the pronoun (except for que). Some are formed of one word (single), others are made up of two words welded together: Single interrogative pronouns: qui...? (who, whom) [referring to persons only] que...? (what?) [referring to things only] quoi...? (with/for/on what?) Qui ira avec moi en France? (Who will be going to France with me?) Avec qui irez-vous en voyage? (With whom will you go on a trip?) Single interrogative pronouns do not carry any information on gender or number. Qui and quoi can be used on their own or with a preposition: Qui est le meilleur élève de la classe? (Who is the best student of the class?) Avec quoi ferez-vous cette robe? (With what will you make this dress?) Compound interrogative pronouns combine the matching article and the pronoun in one word. They vary in gender and in number with the thing(s) or being(s) they refer to. They are: Singular (which one?) Plural (which ones?) Masculine lequel lesquels Feminine laquelle lesquelles The above pronouns combine with à and de in the same way as the similar relative pronouns to form: auquel, auxquels, auxquelles, duquel, desquels, desquelles. Il y a deux chiens noirs à la ferme; duquel parlez-vous? (There are two black dogs at the farm; which one are you talking about?) Compound interrogative pronouns can be used on their own or with prepositions: Vous avez plusieurs amis: avec lequel sortez-vous ce soir? (You have several friends: with which one are you going out tonight?) It is necessary to distinguish between direct questions and indirect questions, as the word order is affected. Compare: Où sommes-nous? (Where are we?) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Je me demande avec quoi je servirai ce poisson. (I wonder with what I will serve this fish.) In a direct question the verb is followed by the pronoun/inversion. In an indirect question there is no inversion. In French, it is possible and quite common to begin a question with qui est-ce qui (when referring to persons) or qu'est-ce qui (with impersonal verbs) or qu'est-ce que (when referring to things): Qui est-ce qui m'a pris mes clefs? (Who took my keys?) Qu'est-ce qui se passe aujourd'hui? (What is happening today?) Qu'est-ce que tu veux? (What do you want?) In common language, these structures can be used with prepositions except when they replace que: De quoi est-ce que vous parlez? instead of De quoi parlez-vous? (What are you talking about?) Où est-ce que vous allez? instead of Où allez-vous? (Where are you going?) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Adjectives Go to Top of Page

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Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified persons or things. Some have no singular form; others have no plural. They can be divided into two groups: Negative Pronouns A group of pronouns referring to none: aucun, aucune (no one) nul, nulle (none) pas un, pas une (not a single one) personne (no one, nobody) rien (nothing) Notes: These pronouns are usually used with the negative particle ne. The verb in the sentence must be in the singular. Personne n'a chanté. (No one sang.) Pronouns referring to one or more: autrui (every fellow human) chacun, chacune (each one, each person) le même (the same one) l'un, les uns (one, some) l'autre, les autres (some, the others) n'importe qui (anyone, whatever) n'importe quoi (anything, whatever) plus d'un, plus d'une (more than one) quelqu'un, quelqu'une (someone), quelques-uns, quelques-unes (some) qui que (whoever) quiconque (whosoever) quoi que (whatever) tel, telle (such a), tels, telles (such) tout, toute (everything, everyone), tous, toutes (all) tout le monde (everybody) Notes: The correct gender and number agreements must be made where appropriate. L'autre (voiture) est belle. Les autres (voitures) sont belles. (The other [car] is nice. The other [cars] are nice.) The pronoun certains, certaines (some) is used in the plural form only. Certains parlent mal de vous. (Some [people] are saying bad things about you.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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L'un, l'autre are often used in the same sentence to make a distinction between two persons, things, etc. Les ouvriers utilisent deux méthodes: l'une est bonne, l'autre mauvaise. (The workers are using two methods: one is good, the other is bad.) Qui que and quoi que must be followed by the subjunctive verb form. Quoi que tu fasses, tu ne réussiras pas. (Whatever you do, you will not succeed). Quiconque (whoever) is always masculine singular: Quiconque est absent ne sera plus invité. (Whoever is absent will never be invited again.) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Relative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Relative Pronouns Relative pronouns are used to introduce subordinate (or relative) clauses. They represent the noun-phrase introduced in the preceding clause (antecedent). La fille qui parle avec vous est ma soeur. (The girl who is talking to you is my sister.) La fille (antecedent) qui (relative pronoun) parle avec vous est ma soeur. A relative pronoun may serve as subject, direct object, or object of a preposition. With the exception of quoi, all pronouns can refer to things or beings. They fall into two categories: single (one word), and compound (two word). Single relative pronouns do not vary according to the gender or number of the antecedent. qui (who, whom, which, that): Avez-vous un bateau qui puisse traverser la Manche? (Do you have a boat that/which can cross the English Channel?) Ce qui (what, that which): Nous ne savons pas ce qui s'est passé. (We do not know what happened.) que (that, which, whom): Le travail que je fais me plaît. (I like the work [that] I do.) Ce que, ce qu': This form is often used in neutral constructions when the gender or number of the thing(s) referred to is not clearly defined: Ce que j'ai vu m'a beaucoup plu. (I liked [all that] what I saw.) quoi (with which, on which, or any other preposition + which): De quoi parlez-vous? (What are you talking about?) Sur quoi dois-je poser mon verre? (On what can I place my glass?) Quoi refers to things only and must be preceded by a preposition. dont (of which, of whom, whose, whom, which): Notre voisin, dont le fils est docteur, est charmant. (Our neighbor, whose son is a doctor, is charming.) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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La ville dont vous parlez n'existe pas. (The city of which you are talking does not exist.) où (where, in which, on which): Nous allons visiter le château où ils habitent. (We are going to tour the castle in which they live.) Compound relative pronouns combine the pronoun quel and the relevant form of the definite article. They vary in gender and in number with the thing(s) or being(s) they refer to. They are: Singular (which one?) Plural (which ones?) Masculine lequel lesquels Feminine laquelle lesquelles They are normally used in constructions involving a preposition: à, pour, sans, etc. The above pronouns combine with à and de to form: auquel, auxquels, auxquelles, duquel, desquels, desquelles. L'homme auquel je pense est parti. (The man I am thinking of has gone.) A laquelle de ces deux filles parlez-vous? (To which [one] of these girls are you talking?) See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Double Object Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Indefinite and Negative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Compound and Complex Sentences Types of Adjectives Go to Top of Page

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Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative pronouns single out the noun they replace. They fall into two categories: simple pronouns (one word) or compound (two words). Simple demonstratives must be accompanied by a relative clause which provides additional information about the noun they refer to, with or without a preposition. Nous avons deux familles; celle de mon père et celle de ma mère. (We have two families; that of my father and that of my mother.) With the exception of ce (neutral), they vary according to the number and gender of the noun they represent: Singular (this one, that one, the one) Masculine celui, ce (neutral form) Feminine celle

Plural (these, those, the ones) ceux celles

Voici des chocolats; prenez celui que vous préférez. (Here are some chocolates; take the one you prefer.) Voici des chocolats; prenez ce que vous preférez. (Here are some chocolates; take whichever you prefer.) Compound demonstrative pronouns are formed by combining simple demonstrative pronouns with -ci and là. Singular (this one, that one, the one) Masculine celui-ci, celui-là Feminine celle-ci, celle-là Neutral ceci, cela/ça

Plural (these, those, the ones) ceux-ci, ceux-là celles-ci, celles-là

NOTE: -ci is used to indicate "the latter"; -la indicates "the former". Lamartine et Balzac étaient écrivains: Celui-ci était romancier et celui-là était poète. (Lamartine and Balzac were writers. The latter was a novelist and the former a poet.) Note: ceci and cela/ça (neutral) are considered masculine for the purpose of gender agreement; ça replaces cela in familiar French: Ça a bien marché! (It went well). See Also: Pronouns Personal Pronouns Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Articles An article is a word placed before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to a specific person or thing or to an unspecified person or thing. There are two types of articles: definite articles and indefinite articles. The definite article refers to the specific object or person: Le livre sur la table est intéresssant. (The book on the table is interesting.) La pomme que je mange est délicieuse. (The apple I am eating is delicious.) The indefinite article refers to an unspecified person or thing: Il y a un livre sur la table. (There is a book on the table.) Donnez-moi une pomme. (Give me an apple.) French nouns are rarely used without an article. There are, however, quite a few exceptions to this rule. See Also: Indefinite Articles Definite Articles Omission of the Article Contraction of Prepositions with Articles Partitive Articles Elision History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Indefinite Articles There are three forms of the indefinite article: un, une, des Masculine Feminine singular un une plural des des The indefinite article des has no direct English equivalent, but may mean "some" or "any." Because des is used with both masculine and feminine plural nouns, it does not indicate the gender of the noun. Therefore it is best to memorize new nouns with the appropriate singular article. Je mange un abricot. (I eat an apricot.) Il y a des poires sur la table. (There are pears/some pears on the table.) Voulez-vous des fraises? (Would you like some strawberries?) See Also: Articles Contraction of Prepositions with Articles Definite Articles Omission of the Article Elision Go to Top of Page

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Definite Articles The definite article developed historically from a word meaning "this". It indicates a specific person or thing. The definite article has four forms corresponding to the English "the": le before a singular masculine noun: le garçon (the boy) la before a feminine singular noun: la fille (the girl) l' before a singular noun of either gender beginning with a vowel or a "mute" h: l'avion (the plane), masculine noun; l'automobile (the car), feminine noun, l'hôpital (the hospital), masculine noun les before a plural noun of either gender: les avions (the planes); les automobiles (the cars); les hôpitaux (the hospitals) In French the article is expressed before each noun, even though it may be omitted in English. The definite article is used: with nouns used in a general or abstract sense: Les Français aiment le fromage. (The French like cheese.) Tous les étudiants ont un livre d'anglais. (All the students have an English book.) with names of languages, except after parler: Il possède le russe parfaitement. (He knows Russian perfectly.) Nous parlons danois couramment. (We speak Danish fluently.) in place of possessive adjectives with parts of the body when the possessor is clear: Je me brosse les dents. (I brush my teeth.) with titles of rank or profession followed by a name: l' empereur Napoléon (Emperor Napoleon) le docteur Vermot (Doctor Vermot) with proper nouns that are modified: le New York d'aujourd'hui (today's New York) with days of the week in a plural sense: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Le dimanche, je vais à l'eglise. (On Sundays, I go to church.) with names of seasons and colors, except after en: L'hiver, je fais du ski. (In winter, I ski.) Préferez-vous le violet ou le rose? (Do you prefer the color purple or pink?) with names of countries, rivers, mountains, etc.: La Loire est un fleuve calme. (The Loire river is calm.) in common expressions of time and place: le jour, la nuit, l'année dernière, à la maison, à l'usine. (in the daytime, at night, last year, at home, at the factory) with dates: Noël est le vingt-cinq décembre. (Christmas is on December 25.) with nouns of weights and measures: Les cigarettes coûtent vingt francs le paquet. (Cigarettes cost twenty francs a pack.) Le ruban vaut trente francs le mètre. (The ribbon is costs thirty francs a meter.) See Also: Articles Contraction of Prepositions with Articles Indefinite Articles Omission of the Article Elision Go to Top of Page

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Omission of Articles The indefinite article is omitted in the following cases: after être and devenir with names of occupations, religions, creeds, etc. Son frère est musicien. (His brother is a musician.) Il espère devenir catholique. (He hopes to become a Catholic.) However, the article is used when the noun is introduced by c'est: C'est un docteur très connu. (He is a well-known doctor.) after the exclamatory adjectives quel, quelle, quels, quelles: Quelle vie! (What a life!) Quel gros problème! (What a big problem!) after comme (as): Je travaille comme assistant. (I work as an assistant.) before the numbers cent et mille: Je vois mille étoiles dans le ciel; cent brillent. (I see a thousand stars in the sky and one hundred are shining.) after ni in the expression ni...ni (neither...nor): Je n'ai ni voiture ni bicyclette. (I have neither car nor bicycle.) in numerical titles of monarchs: Louis quatorze (Louis XIV) (Louis the Fourteenth) See Also: Articles Contraction of Prepositions with Articles Indefinite Articles Definite Articles Elision www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Contraction of Prepositions with Articles Contractions with the definite article: The prepositions à and de contract with le and les as follows: à + le = au au magasin (at the store) à + les = aux aux magasins (at the stores) de + le = du du magasin (of the store) de + les = des des magasins (of the stores) See Also: Articles Indefinite Articles Definite Articles Omission of the Article Phrases with "De" Elision Go to Top of Page

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Partitive Articles The partitive article, in the singular form, is the equivalent of "some" in a statement, or "any" in a negative or interrogative sentence. It refers to a noun that cannot be divided into countable units. du pain (some bread), de l'air (some air), de la force (some strength) Generally, the partitive is de + definite article. Like the article, the partitive article varies according to the gender and number of the noun that follows. Its various forms are: du: used before masculine singular nouns: du beurre (some butter) Nous avons du travail à faire. (We have some work to do.) de la: used before feminine singular nouns beginning with a consonant: de la confiture (some jam) Voulez-vous de la salade? (Would you like some salad?) de l': used before any singular noun beginning with a vowel or a "mute" h: de l'aspirine (some aspirin) Donnez-nous de l'argent. (Give us some money.) des: used before all plural nouns: des livres (some books), des maisons (some houses), des hôtels (some hotels), des écoles (some schools) Note: The partitive may not be omitted in French even though it may be omitted in English, and it is repeated before each noun: Nous voulons de la viande et de la salade. (We want meat and salad.) Partitive du, de la, de l', and des become de in a negative sentence. Nous avons du pain, mais nous n'avons pas de vin. (We have bread, but we do not have any wine.) After ni...ni, the partitive is omitted: Je ne veux rien, ni viande, ni poisson: juste des légumes. (I want nothing, neither meat nor fish, only vegetables.) See Also: Articles www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Prepositions Prepositions are words (or groups of words) that relate two elements in a sentence. These elements can be nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, etc. A preposition consisting of a single word is a simple preposition. A preposition made up of several words is a compound preposition (or a prepositional phrase). Prepositions are invariable, i.e., they do not change (as for gender or number). Mastering the proper use of French prepositions can be difficult, as the same preposition may have a variety of meanings. Verbs should be memorized with the appropriate following preposition when required; some verbs do not require a preposition. Use of Prepositions Prepositions may take different roles: A preposition used with a noun to modify a noun is the equivalent of an adjective: un verre à vin (a wine glass) un verre de vin (a glass of wine) See Nouns Used as Adjectives. A preposition used with a noun to modify a verb is the equivalent of an adverb: Nous marchons avec hâte. (We are walking hurriedly.) Prepositions used before infinitives: When a verb follows a preposition, the infinitive form is used: Nous sommes contents de rentrer chez nous. (We are happy to get home.) Il est facile de manger du gâteau. (It is easy to eat cake.) Il se résigne à partir. (He is resigned to leaving.) Some verbs require the preposition à before the infinitive, such as: aider à (to help to) apprendre à (to learn to) s'attendre à (to expect to) chercher à (to try to) se décider à (to decide to) encourager à (to encourage to) se mettre à (to begin to) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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passer du temps à (to spend some time in) se plaire à (to like to) suffire à (to be enough to) tenir à (to insist on) Apprenez-moi à parler correctement. (Teach me to speak correctly.) Some verbs require the preposition de before the infinitive: accuser de (to accuse of) achever de (to finish) se contenter de (to be satisfied with) se dépêcher de (to hurry to) se garder de (to take care not to) mériter de (to deserve to) regretter de (to regret) tâcher de (to try to) se vanter de (to boast of) venir de (to have just) Les enfants viennent juste de finir leur soupe. (The children have just finished their soup.) Je me garde de lui dire un secret. (I am careful not to tell him a secret.) Some expressions are introduced by the preposition à: to indicate characteristics: une maison au toit rouge (a house with a red roof) to describe means of transportation: à pied (on foot), à cheval (on horseback) with time expressions meaning until: à demain (see you tomorrow), à lundi (till Monday) and other time expressions: à temps (in time), à l'instant (right away) with expressions of position, direction, or location: à droite (on the right), à côté de (next to), à la campagne (in the country), à l'étranger (abroad) and many other expressions: à mon avis (in my opinion) à cause de (because of) au courant de (informed about) à force de (by repeated efforts of) à propos de (concerning) à vrai dire (to tell the truth), etc. Some expressions introduced by the preposition de: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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d'abord (first), d'ailleurs (besides), de bonne heure (early), du côté de (in the direction of, near), de mon côté (on my part), de la part de (on behalf of), de rien/il n'y a pas de quoi (don't mention it/you are welcome), de temps en temps (from time to time) Some common expressions introduced by the preposition en: en haut (upstairs), en bas (downstairs), en arrière (in the back), en avant (in front), en fait (in fact), en face de (opposite), en famille (as a family, within the family), en plein air (in the open air/outdoors), en tout cas (in any case), en ville (in town), en train/avion/automobile (by train/plane/car) Some common expressions introduced by the preposition par: par ici (this way), par là (that way), par exemple (for example), par hasard (by chance), par jour/semaine/ mois, etc. (a day/week/month, etc.) Other common prepositions: autour de (around): Le soleil tourne autour de la terre. (The sun revolves around the earth.) chez (at the place/house of): Il fait bon chez moi. (It feels good at my place.) dans (in): Il est interdit de fumer dans ce train. (It is forbidden to smoke in this train.) en (in, in time): Le plombier répare l'évier en une heure. (The plumber fixes the sink in one hour.) sans (without): Il est difficile de vivre sans argent. (It is difficult to live without money.) See Also: Simple Prepositions Compound Prepositions Phrases with "De" Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Verb Idioms History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Simple Prepositions Simple prepositions consist of one word. They are used to relate two elements in a sentence. Le professeur entre dans la classe. (The professor enters the classroom.) Ma mère pense souvent à moi. (My mother often thinks of me.) Some common simple prepositions: à (to, at, in) après (after) avant (before) avec (with) chez (at, at the house/place of) contre (against) dans (in, into, within) de (of, from, by) depuis (since, for) derrière (behind) devant (in front of) en (in, into, as) entre (between) malgré (despite) par (by, through) parmi (among) pendant (during) pour (for) sans (without) sauf (except) selon (according to) sous (under) sur (on) vers (toward) See Also: Prepositions Compound Prepositions Phrases with "De" Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Verb Idioms Go to Top of Page

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Compound Prepositions Compound prepositions consist of more than one word. Il y a un beau jardin autour de la maison. (There is a beautiful garden around the house.) Je n'ai pas fini mon travail en dépit de mes efforts. (I did not finish my work in spite of my efforts.) Je n'ai pas téléphoné de peur de vous réveiller. (I did not call so as not to wake you.) Some common compound prepositions: à cause de (because of) à côté de (next to, beside) à droite, à gauche (to the right, to the left) à force de (by means of, by repeated efforts) à part (aside from) à partir de (beginning with) à propos de (about, concerning) à travers (through, across) afin de (in order to) au bas de (at the bottom of) au bout de (at the end of, after) au fond de (at the bottom of) au lieu de (instead of) au milieu de (in the middle of) au sujet de (about, concerning) au-dessous de (below, beneath) au-dessus de (above, over) autour de (around) avant de (before) du côté de (in the direction of, on the side of) en arrière de (behind, backwards) en face de (across, opposite) grâce à (thanks to) jusqu'à (until) loin de (far from) près de (near) quant à (as for) See Also: Prepositions Simple Prepositions Phrases with "De" Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Verb Idioms www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Conjunctions Conjunctions are composed of one or more words, are invariable, and are used to link words or phrases of equal grammatical status (coordinating conjunctions): Nous achetons un billet et nous allons au cinéma. (We buy a ticket and we go to the movies.) Words or phrases of unequal status but closely related, one being the main clause, and the other, the subordinate clause (subordinating conjunctions): Mon grand-père marche jusqu'à ce qu'il soit fatigué. (My grandfather walks until he is tired.) Notes: French conjunctions may take on a different meaning based on their context. There is a close relationship between conjunctions, prepositions and even adverbs. Similar words may be found in more than one of these categories. après (after = preposition) après (afterwards = adverb) après que (after = conjunction) In most cases, the compound conjunction consists of the preposition, or the adverb, followed by que, the most common subordinating conjunction. See Also: Coordinate Conjunctions Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions Subordinate Conjunctions History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Coordinate Conjunctions Coordinate conjunctions are invariable words or expressions used to join two elements of equal grammatical status. Sophie est belle et intelligente. (Sophie is beautiful and intelligent.) They can be grouped in broad categories according to the relationships between the elements they join together. Time: comme (as), lorsque (when), quand (when), etc. Cause/consequence: ainsi (so/thus), aussi (so, also, therefore), car (for), donc (therefore), en effet (indeed), etc. Constraint/restriction/exclusion: cependant (yet), neánmoins (nevertheless), pourtant (however), quoique (although), sinon (except/if not), soit...soit (either...or), etc. See Also: Conjunctions Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions Subordinate Conjunctions Compound and Complex Sentences Go to Top of Page

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Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions If only two elements (two words, two phrases, two clauses) are joined by a coordinate conjunction, no comma is needed before the conjunction: Il a dit qu'il était fatigué et qu'il rentrait chez lui. (He said that he was tired and [he] was going home.) If three or more units are joined, commas separate them: Hommes, femmes, et enfants sont bienvenus. (Men, women, and children are welcome.) or (Men, women and children are welcome.) English allows both ways. See Also: Conjunctions Coordinate Conjunctions Subordinate Conjunctions Go to Top of Page

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Subordinate Conjunctions Unlike coordinate conjunctions, subordinate conjunctions link clauses of unequal status but closely related. Je veux bien vous parler un instant bien que je sois pressé. (I will talk to you even though I am in a hurry.) They can be grouped into several broad categories according to the relationship they create between the clauses they link together: Relationship of time: alors que (as/while), à mesure que (as), après que (after), aussitôt que (as soon as), avant que (before), cependant que (while), depuis que (since), dès que (as soon as), en attendant que/jusqu'à ce que (until), maintenant que (now that), pendant que (while), sitôt que (as soon as), tant que (so long as), etc. See Adverbial Clauses of Time. Relationship of restriction/exclusion: afin que (so that), attendu que (bearing in mind that), de manière que (so that), parce que (because), sans que (without), sauf que (except that), selon que (depending), vu que (in view of the fact that), tandis que (whereas), etc. See Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect and Adverbial Clauses of Conditions. Comparison: ainsi que (as), autant que (so far as), comme si (as though), d'autant plus que (all the more so that), de même que (in the same way as), non moins que (no less than), etc. See Comparative and Superlative Adverbs, Comparative and Superlative Adjectives, and Adverbial Clauses of Comparison. Special remarks on the conjunction que: Que is a conjunction in its own right; however, it is also used in familiar speech as the shortened version of other conjunctions: afin que (so that), avant que (before), de manière que (so that), etc. Donne-moi la note que je te paie. (Give me the bill so that I can pay you.) Que is used almost systematically as an "alternative" to avoid the repetition of an already used subordinating conjunction. Compare: Reste avec moi jusqu'a ce que le soleil se lève et que la pluie s'arrête. and Reste avec moi jusqu'à ce que le soleil se lève et jusqu'à ce que la pluie s'arrête. (Stay with me until the sun rises and the rain stops.) See Conjunctive Adverbs. Use of the Subjunctive Form after Subjunctive Conjunctions www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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A large number of subordinating conjunctions require the verb following the subordinating conjunction to be in the subjunctive mood. These subordinating subjunctions can be classified as follows: Conjunctions expressing time: avant que, jusqu'à ce que (until); avant que (before) Conjunctions expressing purpose: afin que, pour que, de façon que (so that) Conjunctions expressing condition: à condition que, pourvu que (provided that); à moins que (unless) Conjunctions expressing concession: bien que, encore que, quoique (although) Conjunctions expressing negation: sans que (without) Conjunctions expressing doubt, fear: de crainte que, de peur que (for fear that) Note: To avoid using the subjunctive form, which can be stylistically heavy, it is possible to replace a conjunction with a preposition with the same meaning and an infinitive phrase, when the subject in the main clause and in the subordinate clause is the same. If the subject is not the same, the subjunctive form must be used. A preposition containing de is often used. Nous attendons le docteur afin que nous puissions le remercier. Nous attendons le docteur afin de pouvoir le remercier. (We are waiting for the doctor so that we can thank him, i.e., to thank him.) Elle n'a rien mangé de peur de qu'elle grossisse. Elle n'a rien mangé de peur de grossir. (She did not eat for fear that she may get fat, i.e. of getting fat.) Note: à moins que, avant que, de peur que, de crainte que are generally followed by ne before the verb in the positive sentence. Partez à moins que je ne vous téléphone. (Leave unless I phone you.) See Verbs That Require Subjunctive and Subjunctive after Impersonal Expressions. See Also: Conjunctions Coordinate Conjunctions Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions Subordinate Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Interjections Interjections are invariable words or expressions used to give an emotive value (feeling, mood, command, etc.) in the stream of speech. Some words imitate sounds (onomatopoeias); others may be modifications of blasphemous expressions (oaths). Interjections should be used sparingly and properly with sensitivity to their social and linguistic context. In print, they are followed by an exclamation mark. Common French interjections grouped by the feeling they may convey: Appreciation: Bon! (Good!), Chic! (great!), Enfin! (at last!), Hip hip hourra! (hip hip hooray!) Disappointment: Bah! (too bad!), Bof! (what the heck!), Flûte! (darn!), Zut! (darn!) Encouragement: Vas-y!/Allez! (Go on!), Courage! (courage!) Greeting: Salut! (hi!), Adieu! (Good-bye!), Allô! (hello there!), etc. Relief: Enfin! (at last!), Ouf! (phew!) Sadness/Pain: Aïe! Ouïlle! (ouch!), Oh là là! (oh dear!) Surprise: Ah! (Oh!), Bonté divine! (good gracious!), Sapristi! (gosh!), Tiens! (well!), etc. Warning: Attention/Gare! (careful!/watch out!), Au secours! (help!), Chut! (quiet!), Ho! (hey!), Holà! (watch out!), Zut alors! (blast!), Bonté divine! (Good gracious!) Some common oaths: Nom de Dieu!/Sacrebleu!/Ventrebleu! (by God!), Parbleu! (of course!) (Most oaths containing bleu, a deformation of Dieu (God) are now old fashioned.) Some modern versions include: Nom de nom! (in the name of a name! = Good God) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Nom d'une pipe! (in the name of a pipe! = Good God) Nom d'un chien! (in the name of a dog! = Good God/Damn!) Some common onomatopoeias: badaboum, boum, boum... noisy and spectacular fall, clac... sharp noise or slap, drelin-drelin... small bell, toc-toc... knock on the door, tic-tac... clock, Vlan!... bang, etc. Some French animals sounds: cui-cui... chirping bird, miaou... cat, cocorico... cock crowing, hi-han... donkey, meuh... cow, ouah ouah... dog, etc. Dans la maison silencieuse, on entendait seulement le tic-tac de l'horloge. (In the silent house, one could only hear the tick-tock of the clock.) See Also: Interrogative Pronouns Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Word Formation Words with new meanings can be formed from other words by adding a series of letters in front of the word (prefix), at the end of the word (suffix)or making a compound word. See the topics listed below for details: Prefixes and Suffixes Noun Formation Adjective Formation Adverb Formation Verb Formation See Also: Phrases History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Prefixes and Suffixes Prefixes are added at the beginning of the word: poser (to put, to install, to pose) pro-: proposer (to put forward) entre-: entreposer (to store) Suffixes are added at the end of the word: -able: discuter (to discuss): discutable (debatable) -ade: bousculer (to shove): bousculade (crush) See Also: Prefixes Suffixes Word Formation Go to Top of Page

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Prefixes Prefixes are added at the beginning of a word stem; while suffixes are added at the end of the word stem (or root). These additions form a word with a different meaning. Use the Help program's Back button to return to the topic you were reading.

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Prefixes A prefix is a letter or series of letters that cannot stand on its own, but which creates a new word when added in front of some word. Here is a list of common prefixes with their meanings: a co contre de in pré trans bi inter post pré re semi anti peri

opposite with against from in or un(as a negative) before trans, through, across twice between after in advance again half against around

amoral (immoral) coexister (to coexist) contre-attaquer (counterattack) décharger (to discharge) inégal (unequal) préavis (forewarning) transatlantique (transatlantic) bipède (two-footed) intervenir (to intervene) post-scriptum (postscript) prédire (to forecast) revoir (to see again) semi-nomade (seminomad) anticommuniste (anticommunist) périscope (periscope)

See Also: Word Formation Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Suffixes Prefixes are added at the beginning of a word stem; while suffixes are added at the end of the word stem (or root). These additions form a word with a different meaning. Use the Help program's Back button to return to the topic you were reading.

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Suffixes A suffix is a series of letters with no meaning of their own. Added to the end of a word, a suffix creates a new word. Most suffixes are added to a noun, a verb, or an adjective. The list of French suffixes is extensive. Some common suffixes are listed below: Suffixes added to verbs: -able: discuter (to discuss): discutable (disputable) -ade: bousculer (to shove): bousculade (rush) -ment: loger (to house): logement (lodging) -ence: adhérer (to adhere): adhérence (adhesion) -age: trier (to sort): triage (classification) -ible: lire (to read): lisible (readable) -aison: incliner (to bend): inclinaison (inclination) -ance: venger (to avenge): vengeance (vengeance) Suffixes added to nouns: -aille: fer (iron): ferraille (scrap-iron) -aire: million (million): millionaire (millionaire) -é: âge (age): âgé (aged) -eux: courage (courage): courageux (brave) -ier: fruit (fruit): fruitier (fruit seller) -iste: dent (tooth): dentiste (dentist) -ude: www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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plat (flat): platitude (platitude) -ique: chimie (chemistry): chimique (chemical) -u: barbe (beard): barbu (bearded) Added to a noun, -ier designates people who have a relationship with the base word: barbe (beard), barbier (barber); prison (jail), prisonnier (prisoner). Suffixes added to adjectives: -âtre: vert (green): verdâtre (greenish) -eur: ample (ample): ampleur (width) -if: tard (late): tardif (tardy) -té: bon (good): bonté (goodness) -esse: gentil (kind): gentillesse (graciousness) Some French suffixes have equivalent suffixes in English: French -tion -able -isme -iste -ice -eur -oire

English -tion -ible -ism -ist -ess -or -ory

Examples opération (operation) incroyable (incredible) feminisme (feminism) socialiste (socialist) actrice (actress) vendeur (vendor) migratoire (migratory)

See Also: Word Formation Prefixes Go to Top of Page

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Noun Formation See the topics below for information on noun formation. Nouns Derived from Verbs Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns Diminutive Nouns Augmentative Nouns Abstract Nouns Compound Nouns See Also: Nouns Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Formation of Masculine and Feminine Nouns French nouns fall into two distinct gender categories: masculine and feminine. Because the gender of the noun affects the adjectives and other determiners associated with it, it is most important to identify the gender of nouns. Genders can often be determined by the ending of the word. masculine un directeur un acteur un électricien un cousin un chien un ouvrier un époux un Américain

feminine suffixes une directrice une actrice une électricienne une cousine une chienne une ouvrière une épouse une Américaine

(director) (actor, actress) (electrician) (cousin) (dog) (worker) (spouse) (American)

See Also: Nouns Gender of Nouns Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Diminutives Some French diminutives are: -et (masc.) jardin (garden): jardinet (small garden) -ette (fem.) maison (house): maisonnette (little house) fille (girl): fillette (little girl) -in blond (blond): blondin (blondish) -iller mordre (to bite): mordiller (to nibble) -oter neiger (to snow) neigeoter (to snow lightly) Sometimes diminutives connote a bad quality or contempt. -ailler crier (to shout): criailler (to screech) -âsser rêver (to dream): rêvasser (to daydream) See Also: Nouns Augmentatives Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Augmentatives The suffix -issime indicates a high degree. riche (wealthy), richissime (very wealthy) On dit que la reine d'Angleterre est richissime. (It is said that the Queen of England is extremely wealthy.) Words ending in -on often have an augmentative quality: balle (bullet, small ball); ballon (balloon, large ball); mille (thousand); million (million). This is especially true for words borrowed from Italian. See Also: Nouns Diminutives Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Nouns Derived from Verbs Nouns derived from verbs often refer to people who engage in a particular activity. Some of them are formed by adding -eur (masculine), -euse (feminine) to the stem of -er verbs: chanter (to sing); un chanteur (masc.), une chanteuse (fem.) ( a singer) fumer (to smoke); un fumeur (masc.), une fumeuse (fem.) (a smoker) Others are formed by using the gerund form of an -er verb: mendier (to beg); un mendiant (masc.), une mendiante (fem.) (a beggar) See Also: Nouns Verbs Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Abstract Nouns Many abstract nouns are formed from adjectives by adding suffixes: -té: bon (good): bonté (goodness, kindness) beau (beautiful): beauté (beauty) -eur: pâle (pale): pâleur (pallor, paleness) rond (round): rondeur (roundness) grand (tall): grandeur (height, greatness) -esse: robuste (robust): robustesse (strength) -ise: gourmand (greedy): gourmandise (greediness) See Also: Nouns Adjectives Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Compound Nouns Compound nouns are made up of a combination of variable words and invariable words. The formation of the plural can be complex. Some of these combinations follow: ADJECTIVE + NOUN: grand-mère (grandmother) PREPOSITION + NOUN: arrière-pensée (ulterior motive) sous-vêtement (undergarment) VERB + NOUN: cure-dent (toothpick) abat-jour (lampshade) NOUN + NOUN: autoroute (highway) wagon-lit (sleeping car) See Also: Nouns Plural of Compound Nouns Gender of Compound Nouns Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Adjective Formation Many adjectives are derived from verbs. discuter (to discuss): discutable (debatable) lire (to read): lisible (readable) Many adjectives are derived from the present participle. brûler (to burn): brûlant (burning hot) fortifier (to fortify): fortifiant (fortifying) Other adjectives are derived from the past participles of verbs. passer (to pass; to fade): passé (faded) éloigner (to remove): éloigné (distant) See Also: Adjectives Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Adverb Formation A great many French adjectives can be turned into adverbs by adding -ment to the masculine form of the adjective: poli, poliment (polite, politely); utile, utilement (useful, usefully) If the masculine singular adjective ends in a consonant, -ment is added to the feminine singular: doux/douce, doucement (soft, softly); secret/secrète, secrètement (secret, secretly) Some adjectives ending in -e change the -e to -é before adding -ment: énorme, énormément (enormous, enormously); précis, précisément (precise, precisely) Adjectives ending in -ant and -ent change their ending to -amment and -emment: constant, constamment (constant, constantly); récent, récemment (recent, recently) Some of the most frequently used adverbs have forms different from the adjectives: Adjective bon (good) mauvais (bad) meilleur (better) moindre (lesser) petit (small)

Adverb bien (well) mal (badly) mieux (better) moins (less) peu (little)

See Also: Adverbs Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Verb Formation Prefixes are used to form verbs from 'root' verbs. Root verb: poser (to put, to install, to pose) Variations: déposer (to deposit/to leave for storage) proposer (to put forward) entreposer (to store) reposer (to rest) See Also: Verbs Word Formation Prefixes Suffixes Go to Top of Page

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Sentences and Clauses Sentences A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. It begins with a capital letter and closes with a punctuation mark. The main grammatical parts of a sentence are the subject and the predicate. Les gendarmes arrêtent les voleurs. (The policemen are arresting the robbers.) Gendarmes is the subject; arrêtent les voleurs is the predicate. Sentences are classified by types (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative) and by number of subjects and predicates (simple sentences and compound or complex sentences). Declarative Sentences Imperative Sentences Interrogative Sentences Exclamatory Sentences Compound and Complex Sentences To form grammatically correct sentences, certain parts of speech (verbs, nouns, pronouns) must agree with each other in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second or third). They also agree in gender. Votre fille est bonne musicienne. (Your daughter is a good musician.) Musicienne is part of the predicate and has the same number and gender as fille, the subject of the sentence. The linking verb être (to be) is in the singular. Compare with the masculine plural form: Ces garçons sont de mauvais musiciens. (These boys are poor musicians.) The most common forms of the subject are nouns and pronouns. The predicate consists of a verb of action (or of a state of being) and any modifiers, plus any direct or indirect object (or attributes, in the case of a verb of a state of being). Clauses A clause consists also of a subject and a verb; some (independent) clauses can stand by themselves as sentences. Subordinate clauses, introduced by a subordinate conjunction, serve as part of a sentence but do not express a complete thought and cannot stand by themselves. They are subordinate to the main clause: Il fait beau. (The weather is nice). [independent clause] www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Quand nous sommes arrivés, il faisait beau. (When we arrived, the weather was beautiful.) ["when we arrived" is the subordinate clause.] Subordinate clauses include: noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverbial clauses. See Also: Declarative Sentences Imperative Sentences Interrogative Sentences Exclamatory Sentences Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Subordinate Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Phrases Go to Top of Page

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Subject The subject is the topic of the sentence. The predicate is what is said about the subject: Nous sommes sortis. (We went out.) Nous is the subject and sommes sortis is the predicate. Use the Help program's Back button to return to the topic you were reading.

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Predicate The predicate of the sentence is what is said about the subject. The predicate always contains a verb. Votre fille est bonne élève. (Your daughter is a good student.) Use the Help program's Back button to return to the topic you were reading.

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Declarative Sentences (Statements) Declarative sentences usually describe an action or event, or give some information. In a declarative sentence, the subject and the predicate have normal word order: The subject precedes the predicate: Son frère est bon pianiste. (Her brother is a good pianist.) Her brother is the subject: is a good pianist is the predicate. Van Gogh est un peintre connu. (Van Gogh is a known painter.) Van Gogh is the subject; is a painter is the predicate. See Also: Sentences and Clauses Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Imperative Sentences(Commands) Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Phrases Go to Top of Page

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Imperative Sentences (Commands) Imperative sentences usually consist of the predicate only; the subject is omitted: Ouvrez la porte! (Open the door!) Repondez au professeur! (Answer the teacher!) Attention! (Watch out!) Ne pas fumer! (No smoking!) See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Phrases Imperative Mood Infinitives Go to Top of Page

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Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Exclamatory sentences begin with an exclamatory phrase: Quelle magnifique maison! (What a gorgeous house!) Comme vous dansez bien! (How well you dance!) See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Imperative Sentences (Commands) Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Phrases Interrogative Pronouns Interjections Go to Top of Page

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Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Interrogative sentences express a question and end with a question mark: Avez-vous aimé le dernier livre de Simone de Beauvoir? (Did you like the last book of Simone de Beauvoir?) An interrogative sentence can be expressed with a tag question. The tag question consists of a short phrase added to the end of a statement. It has two parts separated by a comma: Vous êtes bien docteur, n'est-ce-pas? (You really are a doctor, aren't you?) L'examen était difficile, non? (The exam was difficult, wasn't it?) Many questions begin with either an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb. See Interrogatives and Tag Questions for details. See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Imperative Sentences (Commands) Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Phrases Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative Adverbs Go to Top of Page

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Tag Questions Tag questions consist of a short phrase added to the end of a statement. They have two parts separated by a comma. Vous êtes docteur, n'est-ce-pas? (You're a doctor, aren't you?) Elle est arrivée en retard, non? (She arrived late, didn't she?) See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Imperative Sentences (Commands) Compound and Complex Sentences Subordinate Clauses Phrases Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative Adverbs Go to Top of Page

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Compound and Complex Sentences Compound sentences have two or more independent clauses. Clauses are usually joined together by a comma followed by a conjunction (et [and], mais [but], ou [or]). They may also be joined by a semicolon or a colon: Nous ne savons pas où elle est et nous ne l'avons pas vue depuis hier. (We do not know where she is and we have not seen her since yesterday.) Complex sentences are made up of an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses: Si j'avais plus de temps, je suivrais un cours d'art. (If I had more time, I would take an art course.) See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Imperative Sentences (Commands) Subordinate Clauses Phrases Coordinate Conjunctions Subordinate Conjunctions Relative Pronouns Go to Top of Page

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Phrases A phrase is a group of words functioning as a single part of speech: Noun Phrases Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases See Also: Nouns Adjectives Verbs Word Formation History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Noun Phrases A noun or pronoun and words modifying it constitute a noun phrase: Son enfant de quatre ans est un petit garçon très heureux. (Her four-year-old child is a very happy little boy.) La vieille femme se leva. (The old lady stood up.) Robert était une personne très généreuse. (Robert was a very generous person.) Il veut acheter la meilleure voiture possible. (He wants to buy the best possible car.) The words enfant, femme, personne, and voiture are the nouns. They are modified by articles, adjectives, and adverbs. Il cherche quelque chose de nouveau et d'intéressant. (He is looking for something new and interesting.) Quelque chose is a pronoun and the main element of the noun phrase here, de nouveau et d'interessant are used to modify it. See Also: Phrases with "De" Abstract Noun Phrases Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Nouns Adjectives Articles Go to Top of Page

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Abstract Noun Phrases In a noun phrase, a verbal idea can be changed to a noun. The noun becomes the center of the construction. Compare: mon amitié avec Marie (my friendship with Mary) (I 'm Mary's friend.) son mouvement lent (his slow movement) (He moves slowly.) sa promotion rapide (her rapid promotion) (She was promoted rapidly.) The abstract noun phrase functions as a verbal idea within another sentence: Son refus à cette offre d'emploi ne plaît pas à sa famille. (His family doesn't like his rejection of that job offer.) Je n'ai pas compris une chose, la rupture soudaine de ses fiançailles. (I could not understand one thing, her sudden breaking-off of her engagement.) Certains croient à l'existence de soucoupes volantes. (Some people believe in the existence of flying saucers.) See Also: Phrases with "De" Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Nouns Adjectives Articles Go to Top of Page

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Phrases with "De" De is a preposition used to express a relationship between nouns: le livre de ma soeur (the book of my sister) (my sister's book) une somme d'argent (a sum of money) une histoire de guerre (a war story) (a story about war) une chanson d'amour (a love song) (a song about love) See Also: Noun Phrases Abstract Noun Phrases Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Nouns Adjectives Articles Prepositions Go to Top of Page

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Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases An appositive (or appositional) phrase may be considered a form of adjective clause. The apposition is a noun (or sometimes a pronoun) that, by itself or accompanied by an attribute (adjective), is joined to another noun in order to better describe it. An appositive (or appositional) phrase is a phrase that, referring to a noun, specifies it. An appositive phrase may be considered a changed form of an adjective clause. La petite fille, la seule dans l'autobus, oublia de descendre à son arrêt. (The little girl, the only one in the bus, forgot to get out at her stop.) The phrase the only one in the bus is the appositive phrase. Single nouns can function as appositives: Voltaire, poète, penseur, moraliste, eut une très grande influence sur ses contemporains. (Voltaire, poet, thinker, moralist, had a great influence on his contemporaries.) Each of the nouns "poet," "thinker," "moralist" is an appositive, or, as is often said, "a noun in apposition" with the subject, Voltaire. See Also: Noun Phrases Abstract Noun Phrases Phrases with "De" Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Nouns Adjectives Articles Go to Top of Page

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Participial Phrases Participial phrases function as adjectives, modifying nouns or pronouns. The present participle indicates an action simultaneous with the action in the main clause. The main clause and the participial phrase have the same actor (person performing the action). Une personne voyageant à l'étranger a besoin de documents. (A person traveling to foreign countries will need documents.) Nous avons entendu une voix, mendiant. (We heard a voice, begging.) The passive form of the verb is called the past participle. It is often used as an adjective: Nous marchions le long du sentier couvert de boue. (We were walking along the path covered with mud.) Notice that the masculine singular form of the past participle (couvert) shows that it modifies "path," and not "we." See Also: Noun Phrases Phrases with "De" Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Infinitive Phrases Absolute Construction Nouns Verbs Participles Go to Top of Page

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Infinitive Phrases The infinitive phrase may function as a noun, an adjective or an adverb. The infinitive verb is often preceded by a preposition. As an adverb: Afin d'apprendre le français, nous devons nous exercer chaque jour. (In order to learn French, we must practice every day.) Pour apprendre l'anglais, vous devez vous exercer chaque jour. (To learn English, you must practice every day.) As an adjective: Le docteur a laissé des instructions de donner des médicaments toutes les quatre heures. (The doctor left instructions to give medication every four hours.) As a subject of the sentence: Pour vous, arroser le jardin chaque jour n'est pas nécessaire. (For you, to water the garden every day isn't necessary.) Demander plus d'argent serait une erreur. (To ask for more money would be wrong.) In French, the infinitive phrase is often translated into English with a gerund phrase (which serves as a noun): Voter à chaque election est très important. (Voting in every election is very important.) See Also: Noun Phrases Phrases with "De" Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Participial Phrases Absolute Construction Verbs Infinitives Go to Top of Page

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Absolute Construction An absolute construction contains a subject unchanged from its full sentence form. Compare: Les bras levés, il s'approcha de moi. (With arms up, he came near me.) with: En levant les bras, il s'approcha de moi. (Raising his arms, he came near me.) The first construction is the absolute construction. Unlike English, French allows the absolute construction only if the subject is the same in the main clause or sometimes if the subject is clearly shown in both sentences. Therefore in: "His book now a bestseller, he felt happy," the absolute construction "His book now a bestseller" will have to be translated into French with a complete subordinate clause: Maintenant que son livre est un bestseller, il est heureux. (Now that his book is a bestseller, he is happy.) or: Son livre étant un bestseller, il etait heureux. (His book having become a bestseller, he was happy.) However, if an absolute construction is formed with a past participle, then the past participle can have a subject of its own and does not refer to the subject of the main clause: Mes amis étant partis, je commençais à étudier. (My friends having left, I began to study.) See Also: Noun Phrases Phrases with "De" Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrase Verbs Infinitives Go to Top of Page

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Subordinate Clauses Subordinate clauses serve as part of a sentence but do not express a complete thought and cannot stand by themselves. They are subordinate to the main clause. Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison See Also: Sentences and Clauses Declarative Sentences(Statements) Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) Imperative Sentences (Commands) Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Adjectives Nouns Adverbs Go to Top of Page

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Sequence of Tenses in Subordinate Clauses Main Clause Subordinate Clause (Indicative or Conditional) Different subjects in each clause (Indicative mood) 1. Anteriority 2. Simultaneity 3. Posteriority Present Perfect Indicative Present Indicative Future Indicative Je pense qu'il est venu qu'il vient qu'il viendra (I think he has come he is coming he will come) Future Perfect Indicative Present Indicative Future Indicative Je penserai qu'il est venu qu'il vient qu'il viendra (I shall think he has come he is coming he will come) Perfect Pluperfect Indicative Imperfect Indicative Present conditional J'ai pensé qu'il était venu qu'il venait qu'il viendrait (I thought he had come he was coming he would come) Simple Past Pluperfect Indicative Imperfect Indicative Present Conditional Je pensai qu'il était venu qu'il venait qu'il viendrait (I thought he had come he was coming he would come) Imperfect Pluperfect Indicative Imperfect Indicative Present Conditional Je pensais qu'il était venu qu'il venait qu'il viendrait (I thought he had come he was coming he would come) Same subject in each clause Present Perfect Infinitive Present Infinitive Present Infinitive Je pense être venu venir venir (I think I have come I am coming I shall come) Future Perfect Infinitive Present Infinitive Present Infinitive Je penserai être venu venir venir (I shall think I have come I am coming I shall come) Perfect Perfect Infinitive Present Infinitive Present Infinitive Jai pensé être venu venir venir (I thought I had come I was coming I would come) Simple Past Perfect Infinitive Present Infinitive Present Infinitive Je pensai être venu venir venir (I thought I had come I was coming I would come) Imperfect Perfect Infinitive Present Infinitive Present Infinitive Je pensais être venu venir venir (I thought I had come I was coming I would come) See Also: Subordinate Clauses Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Adjective Clauses Adjective clauses (also called relative clauses) have the same function that adjectives or appositions have in a sentence. They specify a preceding noun, noun phrase, or pronoun. Relative clauses are linked to the main clause with relative pronouns. Gérard, qui est mon cousin, est venu me voir. (Gérard, who is my cousin, came to see me.) (qui est mon cousin/adjective clause). See Also: Subordinate Clauses Noun Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adjectives Relative Pronouns Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Noun Clauses Noun clauses have the same function that a noun, used as a subject or an object, has in a sentence. The verb in the main clause usually expresses mental activity or state and speech: croire (to believe), conseiller (to advise), noter (to notice), etc. Il est bien connu que le meilleur vin est produit en France. (It is a well known fact that the best wine is produced in France.) Noun clauses must be linked to the main clause with que (that) and take the indicative if they express a real and certain situation, or the subjunctive if they express an unreal, uncertain or possible condition: Indicative: Je sais que le meilleur vin est produit en France. (I know that the best wine is produced in France.) Subjunctive: Je pense que le meilleur vin soit produit en France. (I think that the best wine is produced in France.) When taking the conditional, a noun phrase can also point to something that is likely to happen in the future. Je pense que tu devrais faire la vaisselle. (I think you ought to do the dishes.) See Also: Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Nouns Coordinate Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Adverbial Clauses Adverbial clauses, like the adverb, modify the predicate of the main clause. Du fait qu'il fait mauvais, ne sortons pas. (Since the weather is bad, let's not go out.) They are classified in four groups: clauses of comparison, clauses of conditions, clauses of cause and effect, and clauses of time. See Also: Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adverbs Coordinate Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Adverbial Clauses of Time Clauses of time, also called temporal clauses, establish a relation of time with the main clause. The action in the main clause may happen at the same time as the adverbial clause. The indicative mood is used. The following conjunctions may be used in such clauses: quand (when), lorsque (when), après que (after), tant que (while), aussitôt que (as soon as), dès que (as soon as), or avant que (before). Quand tu n'es pas là, je suis triste. (When you are not here, I am sad.) When the action in the main clause is completed after the action in the adverbial clause, the verb in the adverbial clause is in the indicative mood: Dès qu'il fut parti, tout le monde pleura. (As soon as he left, everybody cried.) If the subject of the main clause and that of the temporal clause are the same, this type of adverbial clause can also be expressed as follows: Après + perfect infinitive Après avoir acheté des bananes, nous les avons mangées. (After we had bought the bananas, we ate them.) When the action indicated in the main clause is completed before the one indicated in the temporal clause, the verb in the temporal clause is expressed in the subjunctive mood and is preceded by the conjunction avant que (before): Je suis arrivé avant qu'il parte. (I arrived before he left.) See Also: Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adverbs Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect The following conjunctions are used in such clauses: parce que (because), comme (as), du fait que (since), tant que (as long as, since), depuis que (since), maintenant que (now that): Du fait que qu'il fait mauvais, ne sortons pas. (Since the weather is bad, let's not go out.) See Also: Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adverbs Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Clauses of conditions (also called conditional clauses) follow conjunctions si (if), même si (even if), à moins que (unless), au cas où (in case that), à condition que (on condition that), pourvu que (provided that), vu que (given that): Même si j'avais su que vous donniez une fête, je ne serais pas venue. (Even if I had known that you were giving a party, I would not have come.) The tense in the subordinate clause may vary based on the tense used in the main clause. See Also: Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adverbs Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Adverbial Clauses of Comparison Clauses of comparison are usually introduced by comparative words like comme (as), tant (as much), etc.: Comme toi, j'aime cuisiner. (Like you, I love to cook.) See Also: Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbial Clauses of Cause and Effect Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Subordinate Clauses Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Adjective Clauses Noun Clauses Compound and Complex Sentences Phrases Sentences and Clauses Adverbs Conjunctions Subjunctive Mood Go to Top of Page

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Grammar Pages Number Person Gender Elision 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation See Also: History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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Number There are two numbers in French: singular and plural. Most nouns in French have singular and plural forms: la famille, les familles (the family, the families) See Number of Nouns: Singular and Plural Noncount Nouns Plural of Compound Nouns Plural of Proper Nouns Pronouns also have singular and plural forms: le mien (mine [singular, masculine]) les miens (mine [plural, masculine]) See Pronouns Adjectives and articles agree with nouns in number (and also in gender). See Singular and Plural Forms of Adjectives Articles Verbs agree with the subject in number: Nous portons des chaussures marron. (We are wearing brown shoes.) Portons is 1st person plural, present tense of the verb porter and agrees in number with the personal pronoun nous. See Verbs 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Participles See Also: Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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Person Grammatical person indicates the relationship of speaker or writer to the rest of the sentence. First person refers to the speaker or to the speaker group. Second person refers to whomever is being spoken to. Third person refers to the entity being spoken about. See Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Disjunctive (Prepositional) Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Verbs are inflected (receive different endings) to agree with the person of the subject: parler (to talk) 1st person je parle, nous parlons 2nd person tu parles, vous parlez 3rd person il/elle parle, ils/elles parlent See Verbs 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation See Also: Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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Gender There are two genders in French: masculine and feminine. All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. Although there are no rules by which the gender of all nouns can be determined, the gender of many nouns can be determined by their meaning or their ending. The gender of other nouns must be learned individually. The best way to memorize the gender of words is to memorize the article when learning a new word. See Masculine Nouns Feminine Nouns Nouns of Two Genders Gender of Compound Nouns Knowing the gender of every noun is important not only for the noun itself, but for the spelling and pronunciation of the words it influences in a sentence: adjectives, articles, verbs, and pronouns. They agree in gender and in number with the noun. See Feminine and Masculine Forms of Adjectives Articles Indefinite Article Definite Article Participles Verbs Pronouns See Also: Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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Elision Elision in French occurs when the final vowel of a word is dropped before another word beginning with a vowel. This term includes words beginning with mute h. The fact that the vowel has been elided is usually indicated by an apostrophe. Elision occurs in the following circumstances: 1. The e of the pronouns je, me, te, se, le, and usually ce (the rules for elision here are more complex); and sometimes the a of the pronoun la are elided before a verb beginning with a vowel or mute h: Il m'avait vu. (He had seen me.) Je t'en donnerai. (I'll give you some.) 2. The e of the definite article le and la is elided before a noun or adjective beginning with a vowel or mute h: l'autre homme (the other man) 3. The e of de, ne, que and jusque is elided before a vowel or mute h: N'ouvrez pas la porte! (Don't open the door!) 4. The e of conjunctions lorsque (when) and puisque (since) is elided before the personal pronouns, prepositions and the indefinite articles: Puisqu'on ne peut pas partir... (Since one cannot leave...) 5. The e of presque (almost) and quelque (some) is elided only in the words presqu'île and quelqu'un/quelqu'une: Quelqu'une de mes publications... (One of my publications...) 6. The i of si (if) is elided only before the pronouns il, ils: s'il peut... (if he can...) See Also: Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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1st Conjugation Present Infinitive chanter (to sing) Present Participle chantant Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive) avoir chanté Past Participle chanté Present je chante tu chantes il/elle chante nous chantons vous chantez ils/elles chantent Perfect (Passé Composé) je ai chanté tu as chanté il/elle a chanté nous avons chanté vous avez chanté ils/elles ont chanté Imperfect je chantais tu chantais il/elle chantait nous chantions vous chantiez ils/elles chantaient Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) je avais chanté tu avais chanté il/elle avait chanté nous avions chanté vous aviez chanté ils/elles avaient chanté Future je chanterai tu chanteras il/elle chantera nous chanterons www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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vous chanterez ils/elles chanteront Future Perfect (Future Anterior) je aurai chanté tu auras chanté il/elle aura chanté nous aurons chanté vous aurez chanté ils/elles auront chanté Simple Past (Historic) je chantai tu chantas il/elle chanta nous chantâmes vous chantâtes ils/elles chantèrent Past Anterior je eus chanté tu eus chanté il/elle eut chanté nous eûmes chanté vous eûtes chanté ils/elles eurent chanté Present Subjunctive je chante tu chantes il/elle chante nous chantions vous chantiez ils/elles chantent Perfect Subjunctive je aie chanté tu aies chanté il/elle ait chanté nous ayons chanté vous ayez chanté ils/elles aient chanté Imperfect Subjunctive je chantasse tu chantasses il/elle chantât nous chantassions vous chantassiez ils/elles chantassent Pluperfect Subjunctive je eusse chanté tu eusses chanté www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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il/elle eût chanté nous eussions chanté vous eussiez chanté ils/elles eussent chanté Present Conditional je chanterais tu chanterais il/elle chanterait nous chanterions vous chanteriez ils/elles chanteraient Perfect Conditional je aurais chanté tu aurais chanté il/elle aurait chanté nous aurions chanté vous auriez chanté ils/elles auraient chanté Present Imperative (tu) chante (nous) chantons (vous) chantez Perfect Imperative (tu) aie chanté (nous) ayons chanté (vous) ayez chanté See Also: Grammar Pages Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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2nd Conjugation Present Infinitive finir (to finish) Present Participle finissant Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive) avoir fini Past Participle fini Present je finis tu finis il/elle finit nous finissons vous finissez ils/elles finissent Perfect (Passé Composé) je ai fini tu as fini il/elle a fini nous avons fini vous avez fini ils/elles ont fini Imperfect je finissais tu finissais il/elle finissait nous finissions vous finissiez ils/elles finissaient Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) je avais fini tu avais fini il/elle avait fini nous avions fini vous aviez fini ils/elles avaient fini Future je finirai tu finiras il/elle finira nous finirons www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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vous finirez ils/elles finiront Future Perfect (Future Anterior) je aurai fini tu auras fini il/elle aura fini nous aurons fini vous aurez fini ils/elles auront fini Simple Past (Historic) je finis tu finis il/elle finit nous finîmes vous finîtes ils/elles finirent Past Anterior je eus fini tu eus fini il/elle eut fini nous eûmes fini vous eûtes fini ils/elles eurent fini Present Subjunctive je finisse tu finisses il/elle finisse nous finissions vous finissiez ils/elles finissent Perfect Subjunctive je aie fini tu aies fini il/elle ait fini nous ayons fini vous ayez fini ils/elles aient fini Imperfect Subjunctive je finisse tu finisses il/elle finît nous finissions vous finissiez ils/elles finissent Pluperfect Subjunctive je eusse fini tu eusses fini www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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il/elle eût fini nous eussions fini vous eussiez fini ils/elles eussent fini Present Conditional je finirais tu finirais il/elle finirait nous finirions vous finiriez ils/elles finiraient Perfect Conditional je aurais fini tu aurais fini il/elle aurait fini nous aurions fini vous auriez fini ils/elles auraient fini Present Imperative (tu) finis (nous) finissons (vous) finissez Perfect Imperative (tu) aie fini (nous) ayons fini (vous) ayez fini See Also: Grammar Pages Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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3rd Conjugation Present Invendutive vendre (to sell) Present Participle vendant Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive) avoir vendu Past Participle vendu Present je vends tu vends il/elle vend nous vendons vous vendez ils/elles vendent Perfect (Passé Composé) je ai vendu tu as vendu il/elle a vendu nous avons vendu vous avez vendu ils/elles ont vendu Imperfect je vendais tu vendais il/elle vendait nous vendions vous vendiez ils/elles vendaient Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) je avais vendu tu avais vendu il/elle avait vendu nous avions vendu vous aviez vendu ils/elles avaient vendu Future je vendrai tu vendras il/elle vendra nous vendrons www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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vous vendrez ils/elles vendront Future Perfect (Future Anterior) je aurai vendu tu auras vendu il/elle aura vendu nous aurons vendu vous aurez vendu ils/elles auront vendu Simple Past (Historic) je vendis tu vendis il/elle vendit nous vendîmes vous vendîtes ils/elles vendirent Past Anterior je eus vendu tu eus vendu il/elle eut vendu nous eûmes vendu vous eûtes vendu ils/elles eurent vendu Present Subjunctive je vende tu vendes il/elle vende nous vendions vous vendiez ils/elles vendent Perfect Subjunctive je aie vendu tu aies vendu il/elle ait vendu nous ayons vendu vous ayez vendu ils/elles aient vendu Imperfect Subjunctive je vendisse tu vendisses il/elle vendît nous vendissions vous vendissiez ils/elles vendissent Pluperfect Subjunctive je eusse vendu tu eusses vendu www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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il/elle eût vendu nous eussions vendu vous eussiez vendu ils/elles eussent vendu Present Conditional je vendrais tu vendrais il/elle vendrait nous vendrions vous vendriez ils/elles vendraient Perfect Conditional je aurais vendu tu aurais vendu il/elle aurait vendu nous aurions vendu vous auriez vendu ils/elles auraient vendu Present Imperative (tu) vends (nous) vendons (vous) vendez Perfect Imperative (tu) aie vendu (nous) ayons vendu (vous) ayez vendu See Also: Grammar Pages Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Passive Conjugation Present Invendutive être aim-é, -ée, -és, -ées (to be loved) Present Participle étant aim-é, -ée, -és, -ées Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive) avoir été aim-é, -ée, -és, -ées Past Participle ayant été aim-é, -ée, -és, -ées Present je suis aimé (-ée) tu es aimé (-ée) elle est aimée il est aimé nous sommes aimés (-ées) vous êtes aimés (-ées) elles sont aimées ils sont aimés Perfect (Passé Composé) je ai été aimé (-ée) tu as été aimé (-ée) elle a été aimée il a été aimé nous avons été aimés (-ées) vous avez été aimés (-ées) elles été aimées ils ont été aimés Imperfect je étais aimé (-ée) tu étais aimé (-ée) elle était aimée il était aimé nous étions aimés (-ées) vous étiez aimés (-ées) elles étaient aimées ils étaient aimés Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) je avais été aimé (-ée) tu avais été aimé (-ée) elle été aimée il été aimé nous avions été aimés (-ées) vous aviez été aimés (-ées)

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elles avaient été aimées ils avaient été aimés Future je serai aimé (-ée) tu seras aimé (-ée) elle sera aimée il sera aimé nous serons aimés (-ées) vous serez aimés (-ées) elles seront aimées ils seront aimés Future Perfect (Future Anterior) je aurai été aimé (-ée) tu auras été aimé (-ée) elle aura été aimée il aura été aimé nous aurons été aimés (-ées) vous aurez été aimés (-ées) elles auront été aimées ils auront été aimés Simple Past (Historic) je fus aimé (-ée) tu fus aimé (-ée) elle fut aimée il fut aimé nous fûmes aimés (-ées) vous fûtes aimés (-ées) elles furent aimées ils furent aimés Past Anterior je eus été aimé (-ée) tu eus été aimé (-ée) elle eut été aimée il eut été aimé nous eûmes été aimés (-ées) vous eûtes été aimés (-ées) elles eurent été aimées ils eurent été aimés Present Subjunctive je sois aimé (-ée) tu sois aimé (-ée) elle soit aimée il soit aimé nous soyons aimés (-ées) vous soyez aimés (-ées) elles soient aimées ils soient aimés Perfect Subjunctive www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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je aie été aimé (-ée) tu aies été aimé (-ée) elle ait été aimée il ait été aimé nous ayons été aimés (-ées) vous ayez été aimés (-ées) elles aient été aimées ils aient été aimés Imperfect Subjunctive je fusse aimé (-ée) tu fusses aimé (-ée) elle fût aimée il fût aimé nous fussions aimés (-ées) vous fussiez aimés (-ées) elles fussent aimées ils fussent aimés Pluperfect Subjunctive je eusse été aimé (-ée) tu eusses été aimé (-ée) elle eût été aimée il eût été aimé nous eussions été aimés (-ées) vous eussiez été aimés (-ées) elles eussent été aimées ils eussent été aimés Present Conditional je serais aimé (-ée) tu serais aimé (-ée) elle serait aimée il serait aimé nous serions aimés (-ées) vous seriez aimés (-ées) elles seraient aimées ils seraient aimés Perfect Conditional je aurais été aimé (-ée) tu aurais été aimé (-ée) elle aurait été aimée il aurait été aimé nous aurions été aimés (-ées) vous auriez été aimés (-ées) elles auraient été aimées ils auraient été aimées Present Imperative (tu) sois aimé (-ée) (nous) soyons aimés (-ées) (vous) soyez aimés (-ées) www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Perfect Imperative (tu) aie été aimé (-ée) (nous) ayons été aimés (-ées) (vous) ayez aimés (-ées) See Also: Grammar Pages Appendix of Irregular Verbs Go to Top of Page

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Appendix of Irregular Verbs Aller (to go): Compound tenses use être Present Participle: allant Past Participle: allé Present vais vas va allons allez vont Future je (j) irai tu iras il/elle ira nous irons vous irez ils/elles iront

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Indicative Simple Past Imperfect allai allais allas allais alla allait allâmes allions allâtes alliez allèrent allaient Conditional Present Subjunctive Imperative irais aille irais ailles va irait aille irions allions allons iriez alliez allez iraient aillent

S'asseoir (to sit): Compound tenses use être Present Participle: asseyant Past Participle: assis Present Indicative Simple Past m'assieds m'assis t'assieds t'assis s'assied s'assit nous asseyons nous assîmes vous asseyez vous assîtes s'asseyent s'assirent Future Conditional je m'assiérai m'assiérais tu t'assiéras t'assiérais il/elle s'assiéra s'assiérait nous nous assiérons nous assiérions vous vous assiérez vous assiériez ils/elles s'assiéront s'assiéraient

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Imperfect m'asseyais t'asseyais s'asseyait nous asseyions vous asseyiez s'asseyaient Present Subjunctive m'asseye t'asseyes s'asseye nous asseyions vous asseyiez s'asseyent

Imperative assieds-toi asseyons-nous asseyez-vous

Boire (to drink): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: buvant Past Participle: bu je tu il/elle nous vous

Present Indicative bois bois boit buvons buvez

Simple Past bus bus but bûmes bûtes

Imperfect buvais buvais buvait buvions buviez

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ils/elles boivent Future je boirai tu boiras il/elle boira nous boirons vous boirez ils/elles boiront

burent buvaient Conditional Present Subjunctive boirais boive boirais boives boirait boive boirions buvions boiriez buviez boiraient boivent

Imperative bois buvons buvez

Conduire (to drive): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: conduisant Past Participle: conduit Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect conduis conduisis conduisais conduis conduisis conduisais conduit conduisit conduisait conduisons conduisîmes conduisions conduisez conduisîtes conduisiez conduisent conduisirent conduisaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je conduirai conduirais conduise tu conduiras conduirais conduises il/elle conduira conduirait conduise nous conduirons conduirions conduisions vous conduirez conduiriez conduisiez ils/elles conduiront conduiraient conduisent je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Imperative conduis conduisons conduisez

Connaître (to know): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: connaissant Past Participle: connu Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je connais connus connaissais tu connais connus connaissais il/elle connaît connut connaissait nous connaissons connûmes connaissions vous connaissez connûtes connaissiez ils/elles connaissent connurent connaissaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je connaîtrai connaîtrais connaisse tu connaîtras connaîtrais connaisses il/elle connaîtra connaîtrait connaisse nous connaîtrons connaîtrions connaissions vous connaîtrez connaîtriez connaissiez ils/elles connaîtront connaîtraient connaissent

Imperative connais connaissons connaissez

Courir (to run): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: courant Past Participle: couru je tu

Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect cours courus courais cours courus courais www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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il/elle nous vous ils/elles

court courons courez courent Future je courrai tu courras il/elle courra nous courrons vous courrez ils/elles courront

courut courait courûmes courions courûtes couriez coururent couraient Conditional Present Subjunctive courrais coure courrais coures courrait coure courrions courions courriez couriez courraient courent

Imperative cours courons courez

Craindre (to fear): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: craignant Past Participle: craint Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect crains craignis craignais crains craignis craignais craint craignit craignait craignons craignîmes craignions craignez craignîtes craigniez craignent craignirent craignaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je craindrai craindrais craigne tu craindras craindrais craignes il/elle craindra craindrait craigne nous craindrons craindrions craignions vous craindrez craindriez craigniez ils/elles craindront craindraient craignent je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Imperative crains craignons craignez

Croire (to believe): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: croyant Past Participle: cru Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je crois crus croyais tu crois crus croyais il/elle croit crut croyait nous croyons crûmes croyions vous croyez crûtes croyiez ils/elles croient crurent croyaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je croirai croirais croie tu croiras croirais croies il/elle croira croirait croie nous croirons croirions croyions vous croirez croiriez croyiez ils/elles croiront croiraient croient

Imperative crois croyons croyez

Cueillir (to pick): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: cueillant Past Participle: cueilli www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect cueille cueillis cueillais cueilles cueillis cueillais cueille cueillit cueillait cueillons cueillîmes cueillions cueillez cueillîtes cueilliez cueillent cueillirent cueillaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je cueillerai cueillerais cueille tu cueilleras cueillerais cueilles il/elle cueillera cueillerait cueille nous cueillerons cueillerions cueillions vous cueillerez cueilleriez cueilliez ils/elles cueilleront cueilleraient cueillent je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Imperative cueille cueillons cueillez

Devoir (to have to/to owe): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: devant Past Participle: dû je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Present Indicative dois dois doit devons devez doivent

Simple Past dus dus dut dûmes dûtes durent

Imperfect devais devais devait devions deviez devaient

Dire(to say): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: disant Past Participle: dit je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Future devrai devras devra devrons devrez devront

Present dis dis dit disons dites disent Future je dirai tu diras il/elle dira nous dirons vous direz ils/elles diront

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Conditional devrais devrais devrait devrions devriez devraient

Present Subjunctive doive doives doive devions deviez doivent

Indicative Simple Past Imperfect dis disais dis disais dit disait dîmes disions dîtes disiez dirent disaient Conditional Present Subjunctive dirais dise dirais dises dirait dise dirions disions diriez disiez diraient disent

Imperative dois devons devez

Imperative dis disons dites

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Dormir (to sleep): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: dormant Past Participle: dormi Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect dors dormis dormais dors dormis dormais dort dormit dormait dormons dormîmes dormions dormez dormîtes dormiez dorment dormirent dormaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je dormirai dormirais dorme tu dormiras dormirais dormes il/elle dormira dormirait dorme nous dormirons dormirions dormions vous dormirez dormiriez dorrniez ils/elles dormiront dormiraient dorment je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Imperative dors dormons dormez

Ecrire ( to write): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: écrivant Past Participle: écrit Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je (j) écris écrivis écrivais tu écris écrivis écrivais il/elle écrit écrivit écrivait nous écrivons écrivîmes écrivions vous écrivez écrivîtes écriviez ils/elles écrivent écrivirent écrivaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je (j) écrirai écrirais écrive tu écriras écrirais écrives il/elle écrira écrirait écrive nous écrirons écririons écrivions vous écrirez écririez écriviez ils/elles écriront écriraient écrivent

Imperative écris écrivons écrivez

Envoyer (to send): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: envoyant Past Participle: envoyé je (j) tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Present Indicative envoie envoies envoie envoyons envoyez envoient

Simple Past envoyai envoyas envoya envoyâmes envoyâtes envoyèrent

Imperfect envoyais envoyais envoyait envoyions envoyiez envoyaient

Eteindre(to extinguish): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: éteignant Past Participle: éteint www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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je (j) tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Future enverrai enverras enverra enverrons enverrez enverront

Conditional enverrais enverrais enverrait enverrions enverriez enverraient

Present Subjunctive envoie envoies envoie envoyions envoyiez envoient

Imperative envoie envoyons envoyez

Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect éteins éteignis éteignais éteins éteignis éteignais éteint éteignit éteignait éteignons éteignîmes éteignions éteignez éteignîtes éteigniez éteignent eteignirent éteignaient Future Conditional Pres je (j) éteindrai éteindrais éteigne tu éteindras éteindrais éteignes éteins il/elle éteindra éteindrait éteigne nous éteindrons éteindrions éteignions éteignons vous éteindrez éteindriez éteigniez éteignez ils/elles éteindront éteindraient éteignent je (j) tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Faire (to do/to make): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: faisant Past Participle: fait Present fais fais fait faisons faites font Future je ferai tu feras il/elle fera nous ferons vous ferez ils/elles feront

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Indicative Simple Past Imperfect fis faisais fis faisais fit faisait fîmes faisions fîtes faisiez firent faisaient Conditional Pres ferais fasse ferais fasses fais ferait fasse ferions fassions faisons feriez fassiez faites feraient fassent

Falloir (to be necessary [impersonal only]): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: None Past Participle: fallu Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect il faut il fallut il fallait Future Conditional Present Subjunctive il faudra il faudrait qu'il faille Lire (to read): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: lisant Past Participle: lu www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Present Indicative Simple Past lis lus lis lus lit lut lisons lûmes lisez lûtes lisent lurent

Imperfect lisais lisais lisait lisions lisiez lisaient

Mettre (to put): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: mettant Past Participle: mis Future je lirai tu liras il/elle lira nous lirons vous lirez ils/elles liront

Conditional lirais lirais lirait lirions liriez liraient

Pres lise lises lise lisions lisiez lisent

lis lisons lisez

Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je mets mis mettais tu mets mis mettais il/elle met mit mettait nous mettons mîmes mettions vous mettez mîtes mettiez ils/elles mettent mirent mettaient Future Conditional Pres je mettrai mettrais mette tu mettras mettrais mettes mets il/elle mettra mettrait mette nous mettrons mettrions mettions mettons vous mettrez mettriez mettiez mettez ils/elles mettront mettraient mettent Mourir (to die): Compound tenses use être Present Participle: mourant Past Participle: mort Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect meurs mourus mourais meurs mourus mourais meurt mourut mourait mourons mourûmes mourions mourez mourûtes mouriez meurent moururent mouraient Future Conditional Pres je mourrai mourrais meure tu mourras mourrais meures meurs il/elle mourra mourrait meure nous mourrons mourrions mourions mourons vous mourrez mourriez mouriez mourez ils/elles mourront mourraient meurent je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

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Naître (to be born): Compound tenses use être Present Participle: naissant Past Participle: né Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect nais naquis naissais nais naquis naissais naît naquit naissait naissons naquîmes naissions naissez naquîtes naissiez naissent naquirent naissaient Future Conditional Pres je naîtrai naîtrais naisse tu naîtras naîtrais naisses nais il/elle naîtra naîtrait naisse nous naîtrons naîtrions naissions naissons vous naîtrez naîtriez naissiez naissez ils/elles naîtront naîtraient naissent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Ouvrir (to open): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: ouvrant Past Participle: ouvert Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je (j) ouvre ouvris ouvrais tu ouvres ouvris ouvrais il/elle ouvre ouvrit ouvrait nous ouvrons ouvrîmes ouvrions vous ouvrez ouvrîtes ouvriez ils/elles ouvrent ouvrirent ouvraient Future Conditional Pres je (j) ouvrirai ouvrirais ouvre tu ouvriras ouvrirais ouvres ouvre il/elle ouvrira ouvrirait ouvre nous ouvrirons ouvririons ouvrions ouvrons vous ouvrirez ouvririez ouvriez ouvrez ils/elles ouvriront ouvriraient ouvrent Plaire (to please): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: plaisant Past Participle: plu je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles je tu il/elle nous

Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect plais plus plaisais plais plus plaisais plaît plut plaisait plaisons plûmes plaisions plaisez plûtes plaisiez plaisent plurent plaisaient Future Conditional Pres plairai plairais plaise plairas plairais plaises plais plaira plairait plaise plairons plairions plaisions plaisons www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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vous plairez plairiez ils/elles plairont plairaient

plaisiez plaisent

plaisez

Pleuvoir (to rain [impersonal only]): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: pleuvant Past Participle: pluil pleut Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect il plut il pleuvait Future il pleuvra

Conditional Present Subjunctive il pleuvrait qu'il pleuve

Pouvoir (to be able to [can]): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: pouvant Past Participle: pu Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect peux pus pouvais peux pus pouvais peut put pouvait pouvons pûmes pouvions pouvez pûtes pouviez peuvent purent pouvaient Future Conditional Present Subjunctive je pourrai pourrais puisse tu pourras pourrais puisses il/elle pourra pourrait puisse nous pourrons pourrions puissions vous pourrez pourriez puissiez ils/elles pourront pourraient puissent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Rire (to laugh): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: riant Past Participle: ri je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Present Indicative Simple Past ris ris ris ris rit rit rions rîmes riez rîtes rient rirent

Imperfect riais riais riait riions riiez riaient

Savoir( + avoir) to know: Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: sachant Past Participle: su je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Future rirai riras rira rirons rirez riront

Conditional Pres rirais rie rirais ries ris rirait rie ririons riions rions ririez riiez riez riraient rient www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Present Indicative Simple Past je sais sus tu sais sus il/elle sait sut nous savons sûmes vous savez sûtes ils/elles savent surent Future Conditional Pres je saurai saurais sache tu sauras saurais saches il/elle saura saurait sache nous saurons saurions sachions vous saurez sauriez sachiez ils/elles sauront sauraient sachent

Imperfect savais savais savait savions saviez savaient sache sachons sachez

Sentir (to feel/smell): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: sentant Past Participle: senti Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect sens sentis sentais sens sentis sentais sent sentit sentait sentons sentîmes sentions sentez sentîtes sentiez sentent sentirent sentaient Future Conditional Pres je sentirai sentirais sente tu sentiras sentirais sentes sens il/elle sentira sentirait sente nous sentirons sentirions sentions sentons vous sentirez sentiriez sentiez sentez ils/elles sentiront sentiraient sentent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Servir (to serve): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: servant Past Participle: servi Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect sers servis servais sers servis servais sert servit servait servons servîmes servions servez servîtes serviez servent servirent servaient Future Conditional Pres je servirai servirais serve tu serviras servirais serves sers il/elle servira servirait serve nous servirons servirions servions servons vous servirez serviriez serviez servez ils/elles serviront serviraient servent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

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Sortir ( + être) to go out: Compound tenses use être Present Participle: sortant Past Participle: sorti Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect je je sors tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

sortis tu sors

sortais sortis sortais il sort sortit sortait nous sortons sortîmes sortions vous sortez sortîtes sortiez ils sortent sortirent sortaient Future Conditional Pres je sortirai sortirais sorte tu sortiras sortirais sortes sors il/elle sortira sortirait sorte nous sortirons sortirions sortions sortons vous sortirez sortiriez sortiez sortez ils/elles sortiront sortiraient sortent Suivre (to follow): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: suivant Past Participle: suivi Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect suis suivis suivais suis suivis suivais suit suivit suivait suivons suivîmes suivions suivez suivîtes suiviez suivent suivirent suivaient Future Conditional Pres je suivrai suivrais suive tu suivras suivrais suives suis il/elle suivra suivrait suive nous suivrons suivrions suivions suivons vous suivrez suivriez suiviez suivez ils/elles suivront suivraient suivent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Valoir (to be worth): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: valant Past Participle: valu je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles je tu il/elle

Present Indicative Simple Past vaux valus vaux valus vaut valut valons valûmes valez valûtes valent valurent Future Conditional Present vaudrai vaudrais vaille vaudras vaudrais vailles vaudra vaudrait vaille

Imperfect valais valais valait valions valiez valaient Subjunctive

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nous vaudrons vaudrions valions vous vaudrez vaudriez valiez ils/elles vaudront vaudraient vaillent Venir (to come): Compound tenses use être Present Participle: venant Past Participle: venu Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect viens vins venais viens vins venais vient vint venait venons vînmes venions venez vîntes veniez viennent vinrent venaient Future Conditional Pres je viendrai viendrais vienne tu viendras viendrais viennes viens il/elle viendra viendrait vienne nous viendrons viendrions venions venons vous viendrez viendriez veniez venez ils/elles viendront viendraient viennent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Vivre (to live): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: vivant Past Participle: vécu Present Indicative Simple Past je vis vécus tu vis vécus il/elle vit vécut nous vivons vécûmes vous vivez vécûtes ils/elles vivent vécurent Future Conditional Pres je vivrai vivrais vive tu vivras vivrais vives il/elle vivra vivrait vive nous vivrons vivrions vivions vous vivrez vivriez viviez ils/elles vivront vivraient vivent

Imperfect vivais vivais vivait vivions viviez vivaient vis vivons vivez

Voir (to see): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: voyant Past Participle: vu je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

Present Indicative Simple Past vois vis vois vis voit vit voyons vîmes voyez vîtes voient virent Future Conditional Pres

Imperfect voyais voyais voyait voyions voyiez voyaient

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je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

verrai verras verra verrons verrez verront

verrais verrais verrait verrions verriez verraient

voie voies vois voie voyions voyons voyiez voyez voient

Vouloir (to want): Compound tenses use avoir Present Participle: voulant Past Participle: voulu Present Indicative Simple Past Imperfect veux voulus voulais veux voulus voulais veut voulut voulait voulons voulûmes voulions voulez voulûtes vouliez veulent voulurent voulaient Future Conditional Pres je voudrai voudrais veuille tu voudras voudrais veuilles veuille il/elle voudra voudrait veuille nous voudrons voudrions voulions veuillons vous voudrez voudriez vouliez veuillez ils/elles voudront voudraient veuillent

je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles

See Also: Verbs 1st Conjugation 2nd Conjugation 3rd Conjugation Passive Conjugation Grammar Pages Go to Top of Page

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Contents | Previous Topic | Next Topic | Glossary

Glossary A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z A Ability Absolute Construction Abstract Nouns Abstract Noun Phrases Active and Passive Adjective Clauses Adjective Formation Adjectives Adverb Formation Adverbial Clauses Adverbial Clauses of Cause Adverbial Clauses of Comparision Adverbial Clauses of Conditions Adverbial Clauses of Time Adverbs Appendix of Irregular Verbs Appositive Noun and Adjective Phrases Articles Auxiliary Verbs B Basic Verb Forms C Common Nouns Common Verbs Followed by Infinitives Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Compound and Complex Sentences Compound Prepositions Conditional Mood Conjunctions Contraction of Prepositions and Articles Coordinate Conjunctions D Declarative Sentences Definite Articles Demonstrative Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns Double Compounds (Passé Surcomposé Double Object Pronouns E www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Elision En Exceptions of Plural Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations) F Feminine and Masculine Adjectives Feminine Nouns First (1st) Conjugation Forms of Avoir and Etre Future Future Perfect G Gender Gender of Compound Nouns Gender of Nouns H History of the French Language I Immediate Future Immediate Past Imperative Mood Imperative Sentences (Commands) Imperfect Imperfect Subjunctive Impersonal Verbs Indefinite Articles Indefinite Pronouns Indicative Mood Indirect Object Pronouns Infinitive Phrases Infinitives Interjections Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Irregular Verbs J K L Letters and Sounds Linking Verbs M Masculine Nouns Modal Verbs Mood N Necessity www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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Negatives Negative Pronouns Noncount Nouns Noun Clauses Noun Formation Noun Phrases Nouns Nouns of Two Genders Number Number of Nouns O Object Pronouns Obligation or Advisability Omission of Article Other Ways to Express the Future Other Ways to Express the Past P Participial Phrases Participles Partitive Articles Parts of Speech Passive Conjugation Past Anterior Past Subjunctive Perfect Perfect Conditional Permission and Requests Person Personal Pronouns Phrases Phrases with "De" Pluperfect (Past Perfect) Pluperfect Subjunctive Plural of Compound Nouns Plural of Proper Nouns Possessive Pronouns Possibility Prefixes Prefixes and Suffixes Prepositional (Disjunctive) Pronouns Prepositions Present Present Conditional Present Subjunctive Probability Pronouns Proper Nouns Punctuation with Coordinate Conjunctions Q Questions www.transparent.com/personal/connect

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R Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive Verbs Relative Pronouns S Second (2nd) Conjugation Sentences and Clauses Sequence of Adjectives Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses Simple Past (Historic) Simple Prepositions Singular and Plural Adjectives Singular and Plural Nouns Subject Pronouns Subjunctive after Impersonal Expressions Subjunctive Mood Subordinate Clauses Subordinate Conjunctions Superlative Adjectives Suffixes T Tag Questions Third (3rd) Conjugation Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Types of Adjectives Types of Adverbs U V Verb Formation Verb Idioms Verbs Verbs Conjugated with Etre W Word Formation X Y Y Z See Also: History of the French Language Go to Top of Page

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