Contents
French Grammar

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Nouns

   Gender

   Plurals of Nouns

   Definite and Indefinite Articles

Pronouns

   Subject Pronouns

   Direct Object Pronouns

   Indirect Object Pronouns

   Demonstrative Pronouns

   Disjunctive Pronouns

   Indefinite Pronouns

   Interrogative Pronouns

   Possessive Pronouns

   Reflexive Pronouns

   Relative Pronouns

   Pronouns "y" and "en"

Partitive

Adjectives

Adverbs

Comparison

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Numbers

Negative Construction

Interrogatives

Imperative

Sentences

Verbs

   Present Tense

   Imperfect Tense

   Past Participle

   Present Participle (Gerund)

   Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

   Passé Composé

   Pluperfect Tense

   Future Tense

   Present Conditional Tense

   Future Perfect Tense

   Past Conditional Tense

   Present Subjunctive

   Active and Passive Voice

Grammar Pages

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Alphabet and Pronunciation

a, à (accent grave)	as in up
â (accent circonflexe)	as in father
ai	as in play
ail, eil	as in buy
au	as in chore
b	as in bed
c	as in cook, before E, I or Y as in city
ç (cédille)	as in sit
ch	as in ship
d	as in dandy
e	(short) as in men, before a double consonant
	(long) as in fur
	(silent) at the end of a polysyllabic word
é (accent aigu)	as in eh?
è (accent grave)	as in ghetto
ê (accent circonflexe)	as in ghetto
eau	like oh
er	at the end of a polysyllabic word, like eh?
	at the end of a one-syllable word, like air
eu	as in fur
ez	at the end of a word, like eh?
f	as in fork
g	before A, O, U as in get; before E or I as in azure
gn	as in companion
h	silent
i	(long) as in machine
	(short) as in fit
j	as in azure
k	(used in foreign words only) as in kind
l	as in label
m	as in master
n	as in no
o	as in forever
ou	as in root
p	as in pair
qu	as in kick
r	as in carrot (but pronounced in the back of the throat)
s	as in sink; between vowels as in zinnia
t	as in time
u	as in music (use only second sound of vowel: meeusic)
v	as in vase
w	w sound used in foreign words only
x	as in axe
y	as in meet
z	as in zinnia


Nouns

A noun refers to a person, a place, an idea, or an object, for example:  père (father), tour (tower), amour (love).   Only proper nouns are capitalized.

Gender

Plurals of Nouns

Definite and Indefinite Articles


Plurals of Nouns

Plurals are regularly formed, as in English, by adding -s, for example:  le lac (the lake), les lacs (the lakes).

Nouns ending in -eu, -eau and -au usually form the plural with -x, for example:  le bateau (the boat), les bateaux (the boats).

Nouns ending in -al usually form the plural with -aux:  le cheval  (the horse),  les chevaux  (the horses).

Nouns ending in -s, -x, or -z do not change in the plural:  le nez (the nose), les nez (the noses).


Gender

Nouns in French are either feminine or masculine; there is no neuter gender.  The names of countries and abstract and inanimate nouns may be feminine or masculine; these nouns and their articles are best learned together.

Nouns require the article le, la, l', or les.  Nouns naming males are masculine; nouns naming females are feminine.

Nouns ending in  -al, -ment, and -eau are generally masculine (except for eau (water), which is feminine): le cheval (horse), le paiement (payment), le couteau (knife).

Nouns ending  -ance, -ence, -tion, and -ette are feminine:  l'ambiance (atmosphere), la permanence (permanence), l'attention (attention), la serviette (napkin).

Many nouns add -e to the masculine noun to form the feminine:  un ami (male friend), une amie (female friend).

There are nouns that change the -eur masculine ending to -euse for the feminine, for example:  un chanteur (male singer), une chanteuse (female singer).

There are nouns that change the -eur masculine ending to -trice for feminine:  le directeur (male director), la directrice (female director).


Definite and Indefinite Articles

The definite article for masculine singular nouns is le (plural les), for example:  le boucher (the butcher).  The definite article for feminine singular nouns is la (plural les), for example: la bonne (the maid).  Both le and la elide before a noun beginning with a vowel or a mute "h", for example:  l'air (the air), l'homme (the man).  Le and les contract with the preposition à to form au in the singular and aux in the plural.  They contract with the preposition de to form du in the singular and des in the plural.

The indefinite article is un for the masculine singular, une for the feminine singular, for example:  un boucher (a butcher), une bonne (a maid).  Des is used with the plural of both genders to mean "some":  des étudiants (some students).


Partitive

The partitive denotes part of a whole. In English, the partitive is expressed by using some or any in front of the noun.

The following forms are used in French:

masculine singular:	du or de l'
feminine singular:	de la or de l'
masculine or feminine plural:	des
J'ai du pain (I have some bread). Il prend de la confiture (He takes some jam).


Pronouns

Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns, for example:  il (Michel), vous (Brigitte and Monique).  There are ten families of pronouns in French:

Subject Pronouns

Direct Object Pronouns

Indirect Object Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns

Disjunctive Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

In addition there are the pronouns y and en:

Pronouns "y" and "en"


Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns such as il (he) represent the subject in a sentence.  Subject pronouns are:

Singular

je (j')	I
tu	you  (familiar)
vous	you  (formal)
il, elle, on	he, she, one
Plural

nous	we
vous	you
ils, elles	they


Direct Object Pronouns

Direct object pronouns take the place of the direct object nouns.  While the direct object noun follows the verb, the pronoun is placed in front of it, for example:  Il viole la loi (He breaks the law),  Il la viole (He breaks it).  Direct object pronouns are:

Singular

me (m')	me
te (t')	you  (familiar)
vous	you  (formal)
le (l'), la (l')	him, her, it
Plural

nous	us
vous	you
les	them


Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronouns take the place of the indirect object nouns.  Usually the prepositions à or pour are used with the indirect object noun, for example:  Il parle à Jean (He speaks to John) becomes Il lui parle (He speaks to him).  Indirect pronouns are:

Singular

me (m')	to me
te (t')	to you (familiar)
vous	to you (formal)
lui	to him/her
Plural

nous	to us
vous	to you
leur	to them


Disjunctive Pronouns

Disjunctive pronouns are used after prepositions, for example:  avec moi (with me).  Moi and toi are used in place of me and te as the direct and indirect object pronouns in affirmative commands, e.g., Aidez-moi! (Help me!) and Donnez-le-moi! (Give it to me!). They are also used for emphasis, as in:  Moi, je suis belle  (I for my part am lovely).  They are also used after the expression c'est (it is) and in response to questions: Qui est là? - Moi. (Who's there?  I.)  They are also used with même and mêmes, for example:  Est-ce qu'ils y vont eux-mêmes? (Are they going themselves?).  Disjunctive pronouns are:

Singular

moi	me, I
toi	you  (familiar)
vous	you  (formal)
soi, lui, elle	oneself, him, her, she
Plural

nous	us, we
vous	you
eux, elles	them, they


Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive verbs express an action that acts upon the subject, for example:  Je me lave  (I wash myself).  Reflexive pronouns are placed in front of the conjugated verb.  Reflexive pronouns are:

Singular

me	myself
te	yourself  (familiar)
vous	yourself  (formal)
se	himself, herself, oneself, itself
Plural

nous	ourselves
vous	yourselves
se	themselves


Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership.  They replace a noun and agree in gender and number with the thing possessed rather than with the possessor, for example:  son stylo (his or her pen), le sien (his or hers), sa maison (his or her house), la sienne (his or hers).

Possessive pronouns are:

Singular, Masculine	Singular, Feminine
le mien, la mienne	mine
le tien, la tienne	yours  (familiar)
le vôtre, la vôtre	yours  (formal)
le sien, la sienne	his, hers, its
le nôtre, la nôtre	ours
le vôtre, la vôtre	yours
le leur, la leur	theirs
Plural, Masculine	Plural, Feminine
les miens	les miennes	mine
les tiens	les tiennes	yours (familiar)
les vôtres	les vôtres	yours (formal)
les siens	les siennes	his, hers, its
les nôtres	les nôtres	ours
les vôtres	les vôtres	yours
les leurs	les leurs	theirs


Demonstrative Pronouns

The singular  demonstrative pronouns are masculine:  celui (the one) and feminine: celle (the one).  The plural forms are masculine: ceux (the ones) and feminine:  celles (the ones), as shown in this sentence:  J'aime tes robes et celles de Monique (I like your dresses and those of Monique).

Ce or c', ceci, cela and its contracted form  ça are invariable in form, for example:  C'est juste (That's right), and Ça t'intéresse (That is of interest to you).


Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause and refer to nouns or pronouns in the preceding clause (their antecedents).  Dont (of which), ce que (that which), lequel and its various forms (which), où (where, in which), and qui (who) are the most common relative pronouns:  la fille qui danse (the girl who is dancing).  Qui is used for both persons and things when they are the subject of the relative clause, que when they are the object of the clause.


Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask a question:  qui?, quoi? (who, what), lequel? (which one?), quel? (which?).  Quel and lequel agree in gender and number with the noun they ask a question about. Quel can also be used as an adjective.


Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to persons or objects that are not identified.  The most common indefinite pronouns are:    on (one), quelque chose (something), tout (all), aucun (none), certain (certain one), personne (nobody), plusieurs (several), etc.   On is used a great deal, and stands for an indefinite or global subject, for example:  On dit qu'elle est belle (They say that she's pretty).


Pronouns "y" and "en"

The pronoun y replaces the preposition à (or sur, chez, dans), and its noun-object, for example:  Crois-tu aux fantômes? Oui, j'y crois.  (Do you believe in ghosts. Yes, I believe in them.)  The pronoun en replaces the preposition de and its noun-object, for example:  Est-ce que tu prends des huîtres? Oui, j'en prends. (Do you want to eat some oysters?  Yes, I'll have some of them.)


Adjectives

Adjectives describe or modify nouns and pronouns.  They agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the word(s) they modify.  The feminine is regularly formed by adding an -e to the masculine form; the plural is regularly formed by adding an -s to the singular form:  le grand homme (the tall man), les grands hommes (the tall men); la jolie fille (the pretty girl), les jolies filles (the pretty girls).  There are exceptions, which must be memorized.

Descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun they modify, but some of them always come  before.  There are even some descriptive adjectives that change meaning depending on whether they are placed before or after the noun (when they follow, they have a more literal sense, e.g.: Both une femme pauvre and une pauvre femme can be translated as a poor woman, but the former means a woman with little money, whereas the latter means a woman to be pitied.)


Adverbs

Adverbs, which modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, never change their form.  Adverbs of manner are regularly formed by adding -ment to the feminine form of an adjective: masculine doux  (soft), feminine douce (soft), adverbial form doucement (softly).  But many French adverbs, such as bien (well) and mal (badly), are not directly formed from an adjective.


Comparison

The comparative degree means "more"; the superlative means "most".  For the comparative,  plus que (more) and moins que (less) are used:   Monique est plus grande que sa soeur (Monique is taller than her sister), Jean est moins prudent que tu penses  (John is less prudent than you think).

The superlative is formed by adding the appropriate definite article in front of the comparative:  Paris est la plus grande ville de France  (Paris is the biggest city in France).


Prepositions

Prepositions have invariable forms and are followed by their object, for example: pour toi (for you), sans argent (without money).  The prepositions à, pour, and de can introduce an infinitive:  Rien à faire (nothing to do). In order to express an intention, pour (for, in order to) is used:  On travaille pour vivre (One works in order to live). The preposition de is used to express possession, origin, or quantity:  le chat de Claude (Claude's cat); Il vient de Marseille (He comes from Marseille); un kilo de pommes de terre (a kilo of potatoes).


Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that join two or more words, phrases or clauses together.

Coordinating conjunctions link two phrases or sentences of equal value:  et (and), ou (or),  mais (but), etc. When they link two independent clauses, the verbs in each clause are always in the indicative mood.  Subordinating conjunctions link a subordinate clause with the main clause:  bien que  (although), si (if), quand (when), car (for), comme (as, since), etc.  Subordinating conjunctions can introduce either the indicative or subjunctive mood.


Numbers

Cardinal numbers are used to express precise quantities:  un, deux, trois (one, two, three).

Cardinal numbers from 0 to 20 are:

0	zéro	zero
1	un, une	one
2	deux	two
3	trois	three
4	quatre	four
5	cinq	five
6	six	six
7	sept	seven
8	huit	eight
9	neuf	nine
10	dix	ten
11	onze	eleven
12	douze	twelve
13	treize	thirteen
14	quatorze	fourteen
15	quinze	fifteen
16	seize	sixteen
17	dix-sept	seventeen
18	dix-huit	eighteen
19	dix-neuf	nineteen
20	vingt	twenty
A hyphen is used in numbers from 17 to 99 (except for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60): quatre-vingt-deux (eighty-two). But no hyphen is placed from 100 on: trois cent dix (three hundred and ten).

Ordinal numbers refer to a position in a series:  premier, deuxième, troisième.  Ordinal numbers normally precede the nouns they modify.  They agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

1	premier, première	first
2	deuxième	second
3	troisième	third
4	quatrième	fourth
5	cinquième	fifth
6	sixième	sixth
7	septième	seventh
8	huitième	eighth
9	neuvième	ninth
10	dixième	tenth


Negative Construction
Negative Constructions

The most common negative construction in French is ne + verb + pas: je ne sais pas (I don't know).  The negative construction with a compound verb tense is ne + auxiliary verb + pas + past participle: Je n'ai pas mangé ce matin  (I haven't eaten this morning).  With an infinitive, both parts of the negative expression come first: ne pas oublier (not to forget).  Similar negative constructions are ne...plus (no more), ne...rien (nothing), ne...jamais (never), and ne...personne (no one).  It is best to think of ne as a negative particle without a translation of its own.


Interrogatives

Questions can be formed by inverting the subject and verb: Avez-vous entendu le bruit? (Did you hear the noise?).  When inverted, they are connected by a hyphen.  An additional -t is added for ease of pronunciation when the verb ends in a vowel and is followed by il, elle or on: Va-t-il manger? (Is he going to eat?).  Questions can also be formed with est-ce que in front of the subject and verb, without inversion but with rising intonation: Est-ce que tu viens? (Are you coming?).


Imperative

The imperative form is used for commands and requests with tu (familiar you), vous (polite you) or nous (we) as the subject.  It is formed by dropping the subject noun or pronoun and using the present tense form, with an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.  The tu form of all regular ER verbs, however, loses its final s: Mange! (Eat!).  Reflexive and object pronouns are attached by a hyphen to positive commands: Dites-moi! (Tell me!).


Sentences

Sentences are made up of one or more clauses.  A clause consists of a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a predicate (what is said about the noun or pronoun).  The predicate always contains a verb. In this simple sentence:  Le roi règne  (The king rules),  roi is the subject and règne is the predicate.

Adjectives or nouns used along with the verb in order to describe what is being asserted about someone or something are in the predicate position. In the sentence: Le roi est le souverain  (The king is the sovereign),  souverain is a predicate noun. In the sentence: Le roi est bienveillant  (The king is benevolent),  bienveillant is a predicate adjective. Predicate adjectives and nouns agree in number and gender with the nouns or pronouns to which they refer.

Nouns or pronouns which receive the action of the verb or a preposition are called objects. There are direct and indirect objects. The direct object of a verb is a noun or pronoun which receives the action of a verb directly.  In the sentence Le roi aime la reine  (The king loves the queen),  reine is the direct object of the verb.

Some verbs take an indirect object. Nouns that are indirect objects are always preceded by the preposition à.  In the sentence: Le roi donne une perle à la reine (The king gives a pearl to the queen),  une perle is the direct object and (à la) reine is the indirect object.


Verbs

Verbs describe an action, a process or a state of being.  Verbs agree with the person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) of the subject and with its number (singular or plural).

There are two parts to all French verbs: the stem and an ending. The stem and the endings -ER, -IR, -RE, or -OIR  form the infinitive.

When conjugated, verbs indicate tense (present, past, etc.), mood (indicative, subjunctive, etc.), voice (active or passive), person, and number. The rules for the formation of the forms of a verb are different for each of these four groups.

Present Tense

Imperfect Tense

Passé Composé

Past Participle

Present Participle (Gerund)

Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

Passé Simple

Pluperfect Tense

Future Tense

Present Conditional Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Past Conditional Tense

Present Subjunctive

Active and Passive Voice


Present Tense

The present tense is used to express what happens in the present time.  The present tense is regularly formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive and adding a personal ending to the resulting stem: mang-er (to eat), il mang-e (he eats).

The present tense of the first conjugation (-er ending) is formed by removing the -er ending and adding a new ending to the resulting stem: je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent.

monter (to go up)

singular

je	monte
tu  (familiar)	montes
vous (formal)	montez
il, elle, on	monte
plural

nous	montons
vous	montez
ils, elles	montent
The ending for the second conjugation (-ir ending) are: je -is, tu -is, il -it, nous -issons, vous -issez, ils -issent.

remplir (to fill)

singular

je	remplis
tu (familiar)	remplis (familiar)
vous (formal)	remplissez
il, elle, on	remplit
plural

nous	remplissons
vous	remplissez
ils, elles	remplissent
Certain verbs in this group follow a different conjugation pattern: je -s, tu -s, il -t, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent.

courir (to run)

singular

je	cours
tu (familiar)	cours
vous (formal)	courez
il, elle, on	court
plural

nous	courons
vous	courez
ils, elles	courent
The endings for the 3rd conjugation (-re ending) are: je -s, tu -s, il -no ending, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils-ent.

perdre (to lose)

singular

je	perds
tu (familiar)	perds
vous (formal)	perdez
il, elle, on	perd
plural

nous	perdons
vous	perdez
ils, elles	perdent
The endings for the 4th conjugation (-oir ending) are: je -s, tu -s, il -t, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent.

savoir (to know)

singular

je	sais
tu (familiar)	sais
vous (formal)	savez
il, elle, on	sait
plural

nous	savons
vous	savez
ils, elles	savent
These verbs change their root, and must be learned as irregular verbs.


Passé Composé

The passé composé  describes actions or states of being that may have lasted a certain time in the past but are now over:  It is the tense most used in everyday French for past actions.  The passé composé is a compound tense and is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle of the main verb, for example:  J'ai mangé à la maison (I ate at home).


Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense describes an action that was ongoing at the same time as other actions went on or occurred: J'ATTENDAIS le bus quand j'ai vu Madeleine (I WAS WAITING for the bus when I saw Madeleine).  It is formed on the stem of the first person plural (nous = we) form of the present tense.  All four conjugations add the same personal endings: (je -ais, tu -ais, il -ait, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -aient).

montrer (to show)

singular

je	montrais
tu (familiar)	montrais
vous (formal)	montriez
il, elle, on	montrait
plural

nous	montrions
vous	montriez
ils, elles	montraient


Past Participle

As part of a compound verb form, the past participle is always used with an auxiliary verb: Il a chanté (He sang), Elle est venue (She came). When used alone, it has the force of an adjective, agreeing in gender and number with the word it modifies: une fille gâtée (a pampered girl).

For -ER verbs, the past participle consists of the ending -é added to the stem: manger - mangé (eaten).

For -IR verbs, -i is added to the stem: finir - fini (finished).

For -RE verbs, -u is added to the stem: entendre - entendu (understood).

The participles of verbs in -OIR are irregular: savoir - su (known).

There are some exceptions to these rules. Irregular past participles are best memorized, e.g.:

mettre - mis (put); offrir -  offert (offered); prendre - pris (taken); boire - bu (drunk), etc.


Present Participle (Gerund)

The present participle corresponds to the English -ing form of the verb. It is most often used as an adjective: un jeu amusant (an amusing game).  The present participle is formed by adding the ending -ant to the stem of the 1st person plural of the present tense: nous donnons (we give) - donnant (giving).  The present participle is also found in a construction called the gerund, which in French consists of the preposition en with a present participle: en dansant (while dancing).


Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

There are two auxiliary verbs in French: avoir (to have) and être (to be).  Both are irregular.  Most verbs are conjugated with avoir. All compound tenses of reflexive verbs are formed with être, as are intransitive verbs describing movement or some change of condition: aller (to go), entrer (to enter), venir (to come), mourir (to die), etc.  Auxiliary verbs are used in conjunction with other verbs to form compound tenses, but they can also stand alone.


Passé Simple

The passé simple tense describes an action begun and then terminated once and for all in the past.  It is used as a literary tense. The passé simple is formed by dropping the infinitive ending  and adding the following endings to the stem:

Group with -ER ending: je -ai, tu -as, il -a, nous -âmes, vous -âtes, il -èrent

parler (to speak)

singular

je	parlai
tu (familiar)	parlas
vous (formal)	parlâtes
il, elle, on	parla
plural

nous	parlâmes
vous	parlâtes
ils, elles	parlèrent
Groups with -IR and -RE ending: je -is, tu -is, il -it, nous -îmes, vous -îtes, ils -irent

choisir (to choose)

singular

je	choisis
tu (familiar)	choisis
vous (formal)	choisîtes
il, elle, on	choisit
plural

nous	choisîmes
vous	choisîtes
ils, elles	choisirent
Group with -OIR ending: je -us, tu -us, il -ut, nous -ûmes, vous -ûtes, ils -urent

There are many irregular forms in this group:

recevoir (to receive) - je reçus; savoir (to know) - je sus.


Pluperfect Tense

This compound tense describes an action completed prior to another action in the past: Quand je suis arrivé tout le monde AVAIT FINI de manger (When I arrived everybody HAD FINISHED eating).  The pluperfect tense is formed with the imperfect of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle.


Future Tense

The future tense describes actions in the future: J'achèterai cette robe (I will buy this

dress).  It is formed by adding personal endings to the complete infinitive for -ER and -IR verbs:

je -ai, tu -as, il -a, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ont:

manger (to eat)

singular

je	mangerai
tu (familiar)	mangeras
vous (formal)	mangerez
il, elle, on	mangera
plural

nous	mangerons
vous	mangerez
ils, elles	mangeront
For -OIR and -RE verbs, the -oi and -e of the infinitives are omitted: recevoir (to receive), je recevrai (I will receive), je rendrai (I will give back).  There are many irregular forms of the future tense.


Present Conditional Tense

The present conditional tense describes an action which is possible but not a fact: je DONNERAIS de l'argent si j'en avais (I WOULD GIVE some money if I had any).  It is formed by adding personal endings to the infinitive: je -ais, tu -ais, il -ait, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -aient.

partir (to leave)

singular

je	partirais
tu (familiar)	partirais
vous (formal)	partiriez
il, elle, on	partirait
plural

nous	partirions
vous	partiriez
ils, elles	partiraient
Verbs with infinitives ending in -RE lose the -e before adding the conditional endings:

prendre (to take), je prendrais (I would take).


Past Conditional Tense

This compound tense describes a possible action which might have taken place after another action in the past: J'AURAIS EU de l'argent si je n'avais pas perdu ma bourse (I WOULD HAVE HAD some money if I hadn't lost my purse).  It is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the conditional tense and the past participle.


Present Subjunctive

The subjunctive is used when a statement is doubtful, when it is perceived through a strong emotion, or when it follows an impersonal expression: Il faut que tu viennes (It is mandatory that you come, you have to come).  The subjunctive almost always occurs in

subordinate clauses introduced by "que" (that): Je regrette qu'elle soit malade (I'm sorry

that she's sick).  The present subjunctive is regularly formed by adding personal endings

to the stem of the first person plural ("we") verb form: je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -ent, but many verbs have irregular subjunctive forms.

penser (to think)

singular

je	pense
tu (familiar)	penses
vous (formal)	pensiez
il, elle, on	pense
plural

nous	pensions
vous	pensiez
ils, elles	pensent


Active and Passive Voice

In the active voice the subject is in control of the action which is expressed by the verb:

Georges mange le poisson (George eats the fish). In the passive voice the subject is acted  upon: Le poisson est mangé par Georges (The fish is eaten by George).  The passive voice is formed with être and a past participle; the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.


Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect (futur antérieur) is a compound tense describing an action that will be

carried out in the future prior to another future action: Il viendra dans une semaine quand tu SERAS PARTI pour la montagne (he will come in a week after you WILL HAVE LEFT for the mountains).  It is used both in conversation and in formal writing.  The future perfect is formed by the future tense of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle.


Grammar Pages

Number

Person

Gender

Elision

1st Conjugation

2nd Conjugation

3rd Conjugation

Passive Voice


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 Plurals of 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

Adjectives

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Verbs (including participles in specific instances) agree with the subject of the sentence in number:

Nous portons des chaussures noires.

(We are wearing black shoes.)

Portons is 1st person plural present tense of the verb porter and agrees in number (and in gender) with the personal pronoun nous.

See

Verbs

Active and Passive Voice

Past Participle

Present Participle (Gerund)

Passive Voice


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 (je, me, moi, le mien, nous, le nôtre). Second person refers to whomever is being spoken to (tu, te, toi, le tien,vous, le vôtre). Third person refers to the entity being spoken about (il, elle, le, la, lui, le sien, ils, elles, les, leur, eux, elles, le leur, se).

See

   Subject Pronouns

   Direct Object Pronouns

   Indirect Object Pronouns

   Disjunctive Pronouns

   Possessive Pronouns

   Reflexive Pronouns

Verbs are inflected (receive different endings) to agree with the person of the subject:

parler (to talk)	singular	plural
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

Passive Voice


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

Gender

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, participles, and pronouns. They agree in gender and in number with the noun.

See

Adjectives

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Past Participle

Present Participle (Gerund)

Pronouns

Passive Conjugation


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 indicated by an apostrophe.

Elision occurs in the following circumstances:

1.	The e of the pronouns je, me, te, se, le, ce, and the a of 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. (Ill 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! (Dont open the door!)

4.	The e of conjunctions lorsque (when) and puisque (since) is elided before the personal pronouns and the indefinite articles:

Puisqu'on ne peut pas partir... (Since we cannot leave...)

5.	The e of presque (almost) and quelque (some) is elided only in the words quelqu'un, quelqu'une:

quelquune de mes publications... (a certain one of my publications...)

6.	The i of si (if) is elided only before the pronouns il, ils:

S'il peut... (If he can...)


1st Conjugation

Present Infinitive	Past Infinitive
chanter (to sing)	avoir chanté
Present Participle	Past Participle
chantant	ayant chanté
	Present	Passé Composé
je	chante	ai	chanté
tu	chantes	as	chanté
il/elle	chante	a	chanté
nous	chantons	avons	chanté
vous	chantez	avez	chanté
ils/elles	chantent	ont	chanté
	Imperfect	Pluperfect
je	chantais	avais	chanté
tu	chantais	avais	chanté
il/elle	chantait	avait	chanté
nous	chantions	avions	chanté
vous	chantiez	aviez	chanté
ils/elles	chantaient	avaient	chanté
	Future	Future Perfect (Future Anterior)
je	chanterai	aurai	chanté
tu	chanteras	auras	chanté
il/elle	chantera	aura	chanté
nous	chanterons	aurons	chanté
vous	chanterez	aurez	chanté
ils/elles	chanteront	auront	chanté
	Passé Simple	Past Anterior
je	chantai	eus	chanté
tu	chantas	eus	chanté
il/elle	chanta	eut	chanté
nous	chantâmes	eûmes	chanté
vous	chantâtes	eûtes	chanté
ils/elles	chantèrent	eurent	chanté
	Present Subjunctive	Past Subjunctive
je	chante	aie	chanté
tu	chantes	aies	chanté
il/elle	chante	ait	chanté
nous	chantions	ayons	chanté
vous	chantiez	ayez	chanté
ils/elles	chantent	aient	chanté
	Imperfect Subjunctive	Pluperfect Subjunctive
je	chantasse	eusse	chanté
tu	chantasses	eusses	chanté
il/elle	chantât	eût	chanté
nous	chantassions	eussions	chanté
vous	chantassiez	eussiez	chanté
ils/elles	chantassent	eussent	chanté
	Present Conditional	Past Conditional
je	chanterais	aurais	chanté
tu	chanterais	aurais	chanté
il/elle	chanterait	aurait	chanté
nous	chanterions	aurions	chanté
vous	chanteriez	auriez	chanté
ils/elles	chanteraient	auraient	chanté
	Present Imperative	Past Imperative
tu	chante	aie chanté
nous	chantons	ayons chanté
vous	chantez	ayez chanté


2nd Conjugation

Present Infinitive	Past Infinitive
finir (to finish)	avoir fini
Present Participle	Past Participle
finissant	ayant fini
	Present	Passé Composé
je	finis	ai	fini
tu	finis	as	fini
il/elle	finit	a	fini
nous	finissons	avons	fini
vous	finissez	avez	fini
ils/elles	finissent	ont	fini
	Imperfect	Pluperfect
je	finissais	avais	fini
tu	finissais	avais	fini
il/elle	finissait	avait	fini
nous	finissions	avions	fini
vous	finissiez	aviez	fini
ils/elles	finissaient	avaient	fini
	Future	Future Perfect (Future Anterior)
je	finirai	aurai	fini
tu	finiras	auras	fini
il/elle	finira	aura	fini
nous	finirons	aurons	fini
vous	finirez	aurez	fini
ils/elles	finiront	auront	fini
	Passé Simple	Past Anterior
je	finis	eus	fini
tu	finis	eus	fini
il/elle	finit	eut	fini
nous	finîmes	eûmes	fini
vous	finîtes	eûtes	fini
ils/elles	finirent	eurent	fini
	Present Subjunctive	Past Subjunctive
je	finisse	aie	fini
tu	finisses	aies	fini
il/elle	finisse	ait	fini
nous	finissions	ayons	fini
vous	finissiez	ayez	fini
ils/elles	finissent	aient	fini
	Imperfect Subjunctive	Pluperfect Subjunctive
je	finisse	eusse	fini
tu	finisses	eusses	fini
il/elle	finît	eût	fini
nous	finissions	eussions	fini
vous	finissiez	eussiez	fini
ils/elles	finissent	eussent	fini
	Present Conditional	Past Conditional
je	finirais	aurais	fini
tu	finirais	aurais	fini
il/elle	finirait	aurait	fini
nous	finirions	aurions	fini
vous	finiriez	auriez	fini
ils/elles	finiraient	auraient	fini
	Present Imperative	Past Imperative
tu	finis	aie fini
nous	finissons	ayons fini
vous	finissez	ayez fini


3rd Conjugation

Present Infinitive	Past Infinitive
vendre (to sell)	avoir vendu
Present Participle	Past Participle
vendant	ayant vendu
	Present	Passé Composé
je	vends	ai	vendu
tu	vends	as	vendu
il/elle	vend	a	vendu
nous	vendons	avons	vendu
vous	vendez	avez	vendu
ils/elles	vendent	ont	vendu
	Imperfect	Pluperfect
je	vendais	avais	vendu
tu	vendais	avais	vendu
il/elle	vendait	avait	vendu
nous	vendions	avions	vendu
vous	vendiez	aviez	vendu
ils/elles	vendaient	avaient	vendu
	Future	Future Perfect (Future Anterior)
je	vendrai	aurai	vendu
tu	vendras	auras	vendu
il/elle	vendra	aura	vendu
nous	vendrons	aurons	vendu
vous	vendrez	aurez	vendu
ils/elles	vendront	auront	vendu
	Passé Simple	Past Anterior
je	vendis	eus	vendu
tu	vendis	eus	vendu
il/elle	vendit	eut	vendu
nous	vendîmes	eûmes	vendu
vous	vendîtes	eûtes	vendu
ils/elles	vendirent	eurent	vendu
	Present Subjunctive	Past Subjunctive
je	vende	aie	vendu
tu	vendes	aies	vendu
il/elle	vende	ait	vendu
nous	vendions	ayons	vendu
vous	vendiez	ayez	vendu
ils/elles	vendent	aient	vendu
	Imperfect Subjunctive	Pluperfect Subjunctive
je	vendisse	eusse	vendu
tu	vendisses	eusses	vendu
il/elle	chantît	eût	vendu
nous	vendissions	eussions	vendu
vous	vendissiez	eussiez	vendu
ils/elles	vendissent	eussent	vendu
	Present Conditional	Past Conditional
je	vendrais	aurais	vendu
tu	vendrais	aurais	vendu
il/elle	vendrait	aurait	vendu
nous	vendrions	aurions	vendu
vous	vendriez	auriez	vendu
ils/elles	vendraient	auraient	vendu
	Present Imperative	Past Imperative
tu	vends	aie vendu
nous	vendons	ayons vendu
vous	vendez	ayez vendu


Passive Voice

Present Infinitive	Past Infinitive
être aim-é -ée, -és, -ées (to be loved)	avoir été aim-é -ée, -és, -ées
Present Participle	Past Participle
étant aim-é -ée, -és, -ées	ayant été aim-é -ée, -és, -ées
	Present	Passé Composé
je	suis	aimé	ai	été	aimé
tu	es	aimé	as	été	aimé
elle	est	aimée	a	été	aimée
il	est	aimé	a	été	aimé
nous	sommes	aimés	avons	été	aimés
vous	êtes	aimés	avez	été	aimés
elles	sont	aimées	ont	été	aimées
ils	sont	aimés	ont	été	aimés
	Imperfect	Pluperfect
je	étais	aimé	avais	été	aimé
tu	étais	aimé	avais	été	aimé
elle	était	aimée	avait	été	aimée
il	était	aimé	avait	été	aimé
nous	étions	aimés	avions	été	aimés
vous	étiez	aimés	aviez	été	aimés
elles	étaient	aimées	avaient	été	aimées
ils	étaient	aimés	avaient	été	aimés
	Future	Future Perfect (Future Anterior)
je	serai	aimé	aurai	été	aimé
tu	seras	aimé	auras	été	aimé
elle	sera	aimée	aura	été	aimée
il	sera	aimé	aura	été	aimé
nous	serons	aimés	aurons	été	aimés
vous	serez	aimés	aurez	été	aimés
elles	seront	aimées	auront	été	aimées
ils	seront	aimés	auront	été	aimés
	Passé Simple	Past Anterior
je	fus	aimé	eus	été	aimé
tu	fus	aimé	eus	été	aimé
elle	fut	aimée	eut	été	aimée
il	fut	aimé	eut	été	aimé
nous	fûmes	aimés	eûmes	été	aimés
vous	fûtes	aimés	eûtes	été	aimés
elles	furent	aimées	eurent	été	aimées
ils	furent	aimés	eurent	été	aimés
	Present Subjunctive	Past Subjunctive
je	sois	aimé	aie	été	aimé
tu	sois	aimé	asies	été	aimé
elle	soit	aimée	ait	été	aimée
il	soit	aimé	ait	été	aimé
nous	soyons	aimés	ayons	été	aimés
vous	soyez	aimés	ayez	été	aimés
elles	soient	aimées	aient	été	aimées
ils	soient	aimés	aient	été	aimés
	Imperfect Subjunctive	Pluperfect Subjunctive
je	fusse	aimé	eusse	été	aimé
tu	fusses	aimé	eusses	été	aimé
elle	fût	aimée	eût	été	aimée
il	fût	aimé	eût	été	aimé
nous	fussions	aimés	eussions	été	aimés
vous	fussiez	aimés	eussiez	été	aimés
elles	fussent	aimées	eussent	été	aimées
ils	fussent	aimés	eussent	été	aimés
	Present Conditional	Past Conditional
je	serais	aimé	aurais	été	aimé
tu	serais	aimé	aurais	été	aimé
elle	serait	aimée	aurait	été	aimée
il	serait	aimé	aurait	été	aimé
nous	serions	aimés	aurions	été	aimés
vous	seriez	aimés	auriez	été	aimés
elles	seraient	aimées	auraient	été	aimées
ils	seraient	aimés	auraient	été	aimés
	Present Imperative	Past Imperative
tu	sois aimé	aie été aimé
nous	soyons aimés	ayons été aimés
vous	soyez aimés	ayez été aimés