french grammar summary

8/7/2019 French Grammar Summary

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Summary ofFrench Grammar

1. THE ALPHABET

a a j ji s esse

b b k ka t t

c c l elle u u

d d m emme v v

e e n enne w double v

f effe o o x iks

g g p p y i grec

h ache q ku z zde

i i r erre

2. THE NUMBERS

0 zro 11 onze 30 trente

1 un 12 douze 40 quarante

2 deux 13 treize 50 cinquante

3 trois 14 quatorze 60 soixante

4 quatre 15 quinze 70 soixante-dix

5 cinq 16 seize 80 quatre-vingts

6 six 17 dix-sept 81 quatre-vingt-un

7 sept 18 dix-huit 90 quatre-vingt-dix

8 huit 19 dix-neuf 100 cent

9 neuf 20 vingt 101 cent un

10 dix 21 vingt et un 1,000 mille


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3. THE APOSTROPHE

Certain one-syllable words ending in a vowel drop, or elide, thevowel when they come before words beginning with a vowelsound.

This dropping of the vowel, or elision, is marked by an apostro-phe. Common cases are:

3.1 The a ofla:je laime I like her (or it)

lheure the hourlamande the almond

3.2 The vowel e in one-syllable words (le, je, se, me, que, etc.):largent the money

jhabite I live

jai I have

3.3 The vowel i in si (if), when it comes before il (he) orils(they):

sil vous plat please (lit., if it pleases you)

3.4 Moi and toi when they come before en are written m and t:Donnez men. Give me some of it (of them).

3.5 A few words like:

aujourdhui today

entracte interlude

4. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

4.1 The forms of the definite article (the) are:


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Singular Plural

Masculine le les

Feminine la les

le garon the boy

la fille the girl

les garons the boys

les filles the girls

Le and la become l before words beginning with a vowel sound.This contraction takes place before most words beginning with h(this h is called mute h). There are a few words where this con-traction does not occur (this h is called aspirate h).lami the friend

le hros the hero

lheure the hour

la hache the ax

4.2 The definite article is used:

a. before a noun used in a general sense, before titles, days of theweek, parts of the body, etc.:lavion the airplane

le dimanche Sunday, Sundays

le Comte . . . Count . . .

Jaime les livres. I like books.

Le fer est utile. Iron is useful.

Lavarice est un vice. Avarice is a vice.

Je vais me laver les mains. Im going to wash my hands.


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b. with names of languages, unless preceded by en:Le franais est difficile. French is difficult.

Elle raconte lhistoire en franais. She tells the story in French.

Note: The article is usually omitted with the name of a languageused immediately after the verb parler.Elle parle franais. She speaks French.

4.3 Unlike English, the definite articles must be repeated beforeeach noun they modify:les portes et les fentres the doors and windows

5. THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

5.1 The forms of the indefinite article (a/an) are:

Singular Plural

Masculine un des

Feminine une des

un homme a manune femme a woman

des hommes men; some men; a few men

des femmes women; some women; a few women

As you can see, des is often used to mean someora few.

5.2 The indefinite article is used:

a. with an adjective:Cest un bon mdecin. He is a good doctor.


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b. + les = aux:Il parle aux garons. Hes talking to the boys.

8. GENDER

All nouns in French, even those that refer to objects, are eithermasculine or feminine. The gender of each noun must be learnedwith the noun.

Nouns referring to males are masculine, and nouns referring tofemales are feminine.

le pre fatherla mre mother

le roi king

la reine queen

There are exceptions. Here are a few: la sentinelle (sentinel), evenif male, and le professeur (teacher) if female or male.

However, you will not often be able to figure out the gender ofthe noun based on its sex, such as when the noun is an inanimateobject or an abstract concept. Nevertheless, there are some gen-

eral rules that will help you to know the gender of a noun in suchcases.

8.1 The following classes of nouns are generally masculine:

a. Nouns ending in a consonant:le parc park

le tarif rate, tariff

le pont bridge


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Exceptions: Nouns ending in -ion and -son are generally feminine.laction action

la raison reason

la conversation conversation

b. Nouns ending in any vowel except mute e:le pari bet, wager

le menu menu

le vlo bicycle

Exceptions: Nouns ending inage.c. Nouns ending in -ment, -age and -ge (note that -age and -geend in mute e):le mnage household

le document document

le mange riding school

lusage usage

d. Names of days, months, seasons, metals, colors, trees, shrubs:le jeudi Thursday

(le) septembre Septemberle printemps spring

lor gold

le plomb lead

le bleu blue

le chne oak

lolivier olive tree

le gent broom (a shrub)

e. The names of parts of speech when used as nouns:le nom noun

le participe participlele verbe verb


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f. Metric weights and measures.le mtre meter

le kilogramme kilogram

le litre liter

Note the contrast with a non-metric measure: la livre (pound).

g. The names of the cardinal points.le nord north

le sud south

lest east

louest west

8.2 The following classes of nouns are generally feminine:

a. Nouns ending in -te, -son, -ion:la dtente dtente

la conversation conversation

la raison reason

Exceptions:le camion truck

le million million

lavion airplane

b. Names of qualities or states of being ending in: -nce, -esse,-eur, -ude:la distance distance

la gentillesse niceness

la largeur width

la douceur sweetness

la gratitude gratitude


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9.2 Nouns ending in -s, -x, -z do not change:le fils the son les fils the sonsla voix the voice les voix the voicesle nez the nose les nez the noses

9.3 Nouns ending in -au or-eu add -x:le chapeau the hat les chapeaux the hatsleau water les eaux watersle jeu the game les jeux the games

9.4 Nouns ending in -al and -ail form the plural with -aux:lhpital the hospital les hpitaux the hospitalsle travail work les travaux works

9.5 Some irregular plurals:le ciel the sky les cieux the heavenslil the eye les yeux the eyesMadame Madam, Mrs., Mesdames Madams

Ms.

Mademoiselle Miss Mesdemoiselles MissesMonsieur Sir, Mr. Messieurs Sirs

le bonhomme the fellow les bonshommes the fellows

10. ADJECTIVES

10.1 Adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in gender andnumber; that is, they are masculine if the noun is masculine,plural if the noun is plural, etc.:Marie et sa sur sont grandes. Marie and her sister are tall.

Pierre est grand. Pierre is tall.


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10.2 The following adjectives have two forms for the masculinesingular:

Masculine Feminine

Before a consonant Before a vowelor mute h

beau bel belle beautiful, handsome

nouveau nouvel nouvelle new

vieux vieil vieille old

un beau livre a beautiful book

un bel arbre a beautiful tree

une belle femme a beautiful woman

10.3 The feminine of adjectives is normally formed by adding -eto the masculine singular:un petit garon a little boy

une petite fille a little girl

a. If the masculine singular already ends in -e, the adjective hasthe same form in the feminine:un jeune homme a young man

une jeune femme a young woman

b. Adjectives ending in -er in the masculine singular change the eto and then add -e:

Masculine Feminine

tranger trangre foreign


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c. Most adjectives ending in -eux in the masculine singularchange this ending to -euse:

Masculine Feminine

heureux heureuse happy

srieux srieuse serious

d. Some adjectives double the final consonant of the masculine

singular form and add -e:

Masculine Feminine

bon bonne good

ancien ancienne former, ancient

gentil gentillenice

gros grossefat

e. Adjectives ending in -eau in the masculine singular change the-au to -lle:

Masculine Feminine

beau belle beautiful

nouveau nouvelle new


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f. There are also a number of irregular feminines:

Masculine Feminine

actif active active

blanc blanche white

doux douce sweet, gentle, soft

faux fausse false

long longue long

vieux vieille old

10.4 The plural of adjectives is regularly formed by adding -s tothe singular:

Singular Plural

Masculine un petit garon a little boy deux petits garons two little boys

Feminine une petite fille a little girl deux petites filles two little girls

a. But if the the adjective ends in -s or-x in the masculine singu-lar, the masculine plural stays the same:

un mauvais garon a bad boy

deux mauvais garons two bad boys

b. Adjectives ending in -au add -x:un nouveau livre a new bookdes nouveaux livres new books


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c. Adjectives ending in -al change to -aux:un homme loyal a loyal mandes hommes loyaux loyal men

10.5 An adjective that modifies nouns of different gender is inthe masculine plural:Marie et Jean sont petits. Marie and Jean are little.

11. POSITION OF ADJECTIVES

11.1 Adjectives usually follow the noun:

un livre franais a French bookun homme intressant an interesting man

une ide excellente an excellent idea

11.2 There are some common adjectives, however, that usuallyprecede the nouns they modify. These are often known as theBAGS adjectives because they are the adjectives that deal withBeauty, Age, Good (and Bad), and Size.

beau beautiful joli pretty

bon good long long

court short mauvais bad

gentil nice, pleasant nouveau new

gros big, fat petit small, little

jeune young vieux old

11.3 The following common adjectives differ in meaning depend-ing on whether they come before or after the noun:


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Before the Noun After the Noun

ancien former ancient

grand great tall

brave worthy brave

cher dear (beloved) expensive

pauvre poor (wretched) poor (impoverished)

propre own clean

mme same himself, herself, itself, very

12. COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

12.1 Most adjectives form the comparative with plus (more) andmoins (less), using que where English uses than. To express as . . .as, use aussi and que.

difficile difficult

plus difficile (que) more difficult (than)

moins difficile (que) less difficult (than)

aussi difficile (que) as difficult (as)

Note that the adjective still has to agree with the noun it is mod-ifying.

Jeanne est plus grande que Robert. Jeanne is taller than Robert.


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12.2 To express the superlative of something, use le (la, les) +plus + adjective to express superiority (the most, -est) and le (la,les) + moins + adjective to express inferiority (the least).

la plus belle the most beautiful la moins belle the least beautiful

le plus joli the prettiest le moins joli the least pretty

12.3 Certain common adjectives have irregular forms in compar-ison:

bon good mauvais bad

meilleur better plus mauvais, pire worse

le meilleur the best le plus mauvais, le pire the worst

13. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

13.1. Possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with thething possessed:

Before Singular Nouns Before Plural

Nouns

Masculine Feminine Masculineand Feminine

mon ma mes my

ton ta tes your (fam.)

son sa ses his, her, its

notre notre nos our

votre votre vos yourleur leur leurs their


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mon chien my dog

sa mre his (or her) mother

ma robe my dress

votre livre your book

leurs crayons their pencils

13.2 Notice that these adjectives agree in gender not with the pos-sessor as in English, but with the noun they modify. For example,son could mean his, her, orits.Jean parle son pre. Jean is talking to his father.

Marie parle son pre. Marie is talking to her father.

13.3 Possessiveadjectivesarerepeatedbeforeeachnounthey modify:mon pre et ma mre my father and mother

leurs livres et leurs stylos their books and pens

13.4 Before a feminine word beginning with a vowel or mute h,the forms mon, ton, and son are used instead ofma, ta, and sa.son histoire his/her story, his/her history

son cole his/her school

13.5 In speaking of parts of the body, the definite article is usuallyused instead of the possessive adjective (except where it might beambiguous):Elle lve la main. She raises her hand.

14. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

14.1 The demonstrative adjective in French stands for both thisand that (plural these and those). Demonstrative adjectives agreewith the nouns they modify in gender and number:

a. Masculine singular: ce orcet

ce: before a consonantcet: before a vowel or mute h


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ce livre this (that) book

cet arbre this (that) tree

cet homme this (that) man

b. Feminine singular: cettecette femme this (that) woman

c. Plural: cesces hommes these (those) men

ces femmes these (those) women

14.2 Demonstrative adjectives must be repeated before each noun:cet homme et cette femme this man and this woman

14.3 When it is necessary to distinguish between this and that, -ciand -l are added to the noun.Donnez-moi ce livre-ci. Give me this book.

Voulez-vous cette robe-l? Do you want that dress (over there)?

Jaime ce livre-ci mais je I like this book but I dont like that book.naime pas ce livre-l.

15. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

A demonstrative pronoun replaces a demonstrative adjective andits noun. Like demonstrative adjectives, they agree in gender andnumber with the nouns they are replacing.

Masculine singular celui this one, that one, the one

Feminine singular celle this one, that one, the one

Masculine plural ceux these, those, the ones

Feminine plural cellesthese, those, the ones


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As with demonstrative adjectives, -ci and -l can be added to thepronoun to make a distinction between the two nouns.Prfrez-vous celui-ci ou celui-l? Do you prefer this one or that one?

Jaime celui-ci. I like this one.

Donne-moi celle de ton frre. Give me your brothers. (calculator[la calculatrice],for example).

Ceux qui sont sur cette tagre Those that are on this shelf are onsont en solde. sale.

16. Y AND EN

Y and en are two important adverbial pronouns in French.

16.1 Y

a. Y is a pronoun meaning therewhich always refers to things orplaces.

It usually replaces + noun but may also replace other preposi-tions such as dans (in), sur (on), orchez (at) + noun.

It can be used to replace a location when the location has already

been referenced and in English it commonly also means toit/them, in it/them, on it/them. Sometimes the equivalent is not ex-pressed in English.

It is placed before the verb.Elle va Paris au printemps. Shes going to Paris in the spring.

Elle y va. Shes going there.

b. Y also forms part of the very common and useful expression ily a, which means there is orthere are:Il y a un train 10 heures. There is a train at 10 a.m.

Il y a trois chats. There are three cats.

Il ny a pas de chats. There are no cats.


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16.2 En

En is a pronoun that generally means some. It is used to replacethe partitive article (orde) + a noun. For more on partitives, seesection 24.

When en replaces a quantity, the quantity expression remains.Also note that in an inversion, en comes before the verb.Nous buvons du th. We drink tea.

Nous en buvons. We drink some.

Je mange beaucoup de fromage. I eat a lot of cheese.

Jen mange beaucoup. I eat a lot of it.Je voudrais une livre et demie I would like a pound and a half ofde champignons. mushrooms

Jen voudrais une livre et demie. I would like a pound and a half.

Vous en voulez un kilo. You want a kilo.

En voulez-vous un kilo? Do you want a kilo?

17. PERSONAL PRONOUNS

The forms of the pronouns depend on how they are used in asentence:

17.1 Subject pronouns:

je/j I

tu you (infml.)

il he, it

elle she, it

on we, one, people, you, they

nous we


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vous you

ils they

elles they

Je suis heureuse. I am happy.

Nous allons au cinma. Were going to the movie theater.

a. Vous and tu

Vous is the pronoun normally used in talking to several people;the plural form ofyou. It is also used in talking to someone youdont know very well or someone who is older than you (vous ismore polite or formal and shows respect).

Tu is the familiar form that is used only when addressing peopleyou know very well (a member of ones family or a close friend;also a child, pet, etc.).

b. Il, elle, ils, and elles are used as pronouns referring to thingsas well as to persons. They agree with the nouns they refer to ingender and number:

O est le livre? Wheres the book?Il est sur la table. Its on the table.

O est la lettre? Wheres the letter?

Elle est sur la table. Its on the table.

O sont les livres et les lettres? Where are the books and letters?

Ils sont sur la table. Theyre on the table.

Notice that ils is used when referring to multiple nouns of differ-ent genders (les livres [m.] et les lettres [f.]). This applies to peo-ple as well as to things. For example, if you are talking about agroup of three girls and one boy, you would use ils.


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Les trois filles et le garon, The three girls and the boy,ils regardent la tlvision. theyre watching television.

17.2 Direct object pronouns

The direct object pronoun takes the place of the direct object ina sentence. Direct object pronouns must agree in gender andnumber with the noun they replace. They come before the verb.

me/m me

te/t you (infml.)

le/l him, it

la/l her, it

nous us

vous you

les them

Je te comprends. I understand you (infml.).

Jaime la robe. I like the dress.Je laime. I like it.

17.3 Indirect object pronouns

An indirect object is the person to whom or for whom an actionis done. It is linked to the verb by the preposition and receivesthe action of the verb indirectly. It comes before the verb. Indi-rect object pronouns look similar to the direct object pronounsexcept in the third persons singular and plural. The word to is al-ways included in the definition.


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me/m to me

te/t to you (infml.)

lui to him, to her

nous to us

vous to you

leur to them

Je parle ma fille. I speak to my daughter.Je lui parle. I speak to her.

17.4 Disjunctive (stressed) pronouns

These pronouns are emphatic and call attention to a person or towhat that person is doing or saying.

They are used: to emphasize a subject pronoun, after preposi-tions, in comparisons, aftercest orce sont, in response to ques-tions (when used alone), and in certain expressions, such as Moinon plus (Neither do/am I, Me neither) and Moi aussi (Me too, Sodo/am I).

moi I, me

toi you (infml.)

soi himself, herself, oneself, itself

lui he, him

elle she, her


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nous we, us

vous you

eux they, them (m.)

elles they, them (f.)

Moi, jai six ans! Im six! (lit., Me, Im six!)

Je viens avec toi. Im coming with you.

Elle est plus intelligente que toi. She is smarter than you.

Cest toi sur la photo? Its you in the picture?-Qui est l? -Moi. -Whos there? -Me.

17.5 Reflexive pronounsIn a reflexive verb, the person or thing does the action to himself,herself or itself. In other words, the one who does the action alsoreceives it. For example: I dress myself. Reflexive pronouns nor-mally precede the verb to turn that verb into a reflexive one.

me myself

te yourself (infml.)se himself, herself, itself, oneself

nous ourselves

vous yourself, yourselves

se themselves

Je lave la voiture. I wash the car.

Je me lave. I wash myself, I get washed.

Jappelle Paul. Im calling Paul.

Je mappelle Paul. My name is Paul. (I am called Paul.)


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Note that many reflexive verbs in French are not reflexive in En-glish.

Reflexive pronouns in the affirmative imperative follow the verband are connected to it with a hyphen. After the verb, toi is usedinstead ofte.Tu tamuses. You are having fun.

Amuse-toi bien! Have fun!

18. POSITION OF PRONOUNS

Apart from disjunctive pronouns (see 17.4 above), personal pro-nouns, as well as y and en, generally precede the verb except inaffirmative commands and requests. Pronouns do precede theverb in negative commands and requests.

18.1 When there are multiple pronouns before a verb, they areplaced in the following order:

me lete la lui y en verbsubjectse l leurpronoun

nous lesvous

Il me le donne. He gives it to me.

Il le lui donne. He gives it to him (to her, to it).

Je ly ai vu. I saw him (her, it) there.

Je leur en parlerai. Ill speak to them about it.

Il y en a trois. There are three of them.


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18.2 In affirmative commands and requests (positive imperative),pronouns are placed after the verb and connected by hyphens.The direct object pronoun precedes the indirect:

me (moi)positive te (toi)imperative le luiform of verb la nous y en

les vousleur

Donnez-le-lui. Give it to him.Donnez-leur-en. Give them some.

Allez-vous-en. Go away./Get out of here.

Donnez-moi le livre. Give me the book.

Donnez-le-moi. Give it to me.

Montrez-moi des pommes. Show me apples.

Montrez-men. Show me some.

crivez-lui la lettre. Write him the letter.

crivez-la-lui. Write it to him.

Note that when moi ortoi are used with en, they become m andt and precede en.Va ten. Go away./Get out of here.

18.3 The pronoun objects precede voici and voil:O est le livre? Wheres the book?

Le voici. Here it is.

Les voil. There they are.

19. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Relative pronouns link the dependent part of a sentence to themain clause. For example, in the sentence, This is the book that I


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read, thatis the relative pronoun that connects the main clause(This is the book) with the dependent clause (that I read).

Although we sometimes omit the relative pronoun in English(Youre eating the dessert [that] I made), it must be used in French.

Relative pronouns can be the subject or direct object of the verb,or the object of a preposition, in the dependent clause.

19.1. As the subject of a verb (can be used for both persons andthings):

qui who, which, that

Lhomme qui est l . . . The man who is there . . .

Voici la dent qui me fait mal. Heres the tooth that hurts me.

19.2. As the object of a verb (can be used for both persons andthings):

que/qu whom, which, that

Lhomme que tu vois . . . The man whom you see . . .

Voici la dent que le dentiste Heres the tooth that the dentist isva marracher. going to pull out.

19.3 As the object of a preposition:

a. For a person

qui whom

Cest la femme pour qui je Shes the woman for whom I work.travaille.

La dame qui vous parlez The woman to whom you arespeaking

sappelle Sophie. is named Sophie.


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b. For a thing

lequel (m. sg.)laquelle (f. sg.) whichlesquels (m. pl.)lesquelles (f. pl.)

Voici la maison dans laquelle Here is the house in which we live.nous habitons.

As you can see, the relative pronoun lequeland its forms agree ingender and number with the nouns to which they refer.

19.4 Sometimes the word o (where) is used as a relative pronoun.It can be used with both places and time.Connaisez-vous lendroit Do you know the place where he lives?o il habite?

Le jour o je suis partie The day (that, when) I left foren vacances . . . vacation . . .

19.5 The relative pronoun dont can take on two meanings:

a. dont (whose)

Dont can take on the possessive meaning ofwhose.Cest le mari dont la femme Thats the husband whose wife is anest actrice. actress.

b. dont (of whom, of which)

Dont is used with verbs or expressions that use the prepositionde, such as parler de (to talk about), avoir besoin de (to need), sesouvenir de (to remember), etc.


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Jai besoin du stylo./Voici le I need the pen./Heres the pen I needstylo dont jai besoin. (lit., of which I have need).

Les enfants dont je parle The children of whom I am talkingsont mes enfants. are my children.

20. INDEFINITE RELATIVE PRONOUNS

ce quice que what

Ce qui and ce que are only used for things (not people) that donot have a prior reference in the sentence. Ce qui is used as thesubject of the dependent clause and ce que is used as the directobject of the dependent clause.

Je vois ce qui est sur la table. I see what is on the table.

Je comprends ce que tu dis. I understand what you are saying./I understand that which you are

saying.

21. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Indefinite pronouns refer to no one or nothing in particular.Some indefinite pronouns in French include:

quelque chose something

quelquun someone

chacun each (one)

un/une autre another

plusieurs several

on one, people, they, you


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ne . . . rien nothing

ne . . . personne no one

nimporte quoi/qui/o anything/anyone/anywhere

Quelquun ta tlphon. Somebody called you.

Chacun ses gots. To each his own.

Pendant lt, on peut nager. During the summer, you can swim/one can swim/people can swim.

Il fait nimporte quoi pour He does anything to make money.

gagner de largent.

22. NOUNS USED AS INDIRECT OBJECTS

A noun used as an indirect object is always preceded by thepreposition :Je donne un livre la jeune fille. Im giving the girl a book.

23. REPETITION OF PREPOSITIONS

The prepositions and de must be repeated before each of their

objects:Je parle au deput et son Im speaking to the deputy and hissecrtaire. secretary.

Voici les cahiers de Jean et Here are Jeans and Mariesceux de Marie. notebooks.

24. THE PARTITIVE

24.1 When a noun is used in such a way as to express or imply anunspecified quantity, it is preceded by the partitive article. Thepartitive very often translates the English someorany. In French,du, de l, de la, and des are the partitive articles.


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The partitive is formed in the following way:

Masculine singular de + le = du

Feminine singular de + la = de la

Masculine and feminine de + l = de lsingular

Masculine and feminine plural de + les = des

Jai de largent. I have some money.Il a des amis. He has some friends.

In many cases, however, the partitive article is used where wedont use someorany in English:A-t-il des amis ici? Does he have friends here?

24.2 De (ord) is used, instead of the partitive article, when:

a. an expression of quantity is used:Jai beaucoup dargent. I have a lot of money.

Combien de livres avez-vous? How many books do you have?

a cote plus/moins de dix euros. That costs more/less than ten euros.

Exceptions: bien (much, many) and la plupart (most, the majority):bien des hommes many men

la plupart des hommes most men

b. the noun is preceded by an adjective:Jai achet de belles cravates. I bought some nice ties.

24.3 The negative of the partitive is pas de/d + noun.Il na pas damis. He has no friends.

Mon ami na pas dargent. My friend hasnt any money.


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25. N EGATION

25.1 A sentence is made negative by placing ne before the verband pas after it:Je sais. I know.

Je ne sais pas. I dont know.

Je ne lai pas vu. I havent seen it.

When placed before a vowel or mute h, ne becomes n.

Also note that multiple object pronouns are placed before the

verb in negative sentences (and negative commands), followingthe same order as discussed in 18.1:Vous le leur donnez. You give it to them.

Vous ne le leur donnez pas. You dont give it to them.

Ne le leur donnez pas. Dont give it to them.

25.2 Other negative expressions include:

ne . . . gure hardly

ne . . . point not (at all) (literary)

ne . . . rien nothing

ne . . . nul, nulle no one, no

ne . . . jamais never

ne . . . personne nobody

ne . . . plus no longer

ne . . . ni . . . ni neither . . . nor

ne . . . que only

ne . . . aucun, aucune no one, none


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Il ne travaille jamais le vendredi. He never works on Fridays.

Je ne mange rien le matin. I eat nothing in the morning.

Il ny a ni chauffage ni eau chaude. There is neither heat nor hot water.

25.3 Although both oui and si meanyes, si is used to contradict anegative statement:Vous buvez du vin? You drink wine?

Oui. Yes.

Vous ne buvez pas de vin? You dont drink wine?

Si. Yes, I do.

26. QUESTIONS

In spoken French, questions are often formed simply by raisingyour voice to indicate that the sentence is a question. There is nochange in sentence form.Vous tes libre? Are you free?/Youre free?

There are several other ways to ask a question in French:

26.1 Questions with pronoun subjects:

There are two ways of asking a question with a pronoun subject:

a. Place the pronoun after the verb:Parlez-vous franais? Do you speak French?

b. Place est-ce que (is it that) before the sentence:Est-ce que je parle trop vite? Am I talking too fast?

Est-ce que vous parlez franais? Do you speak French?

26.2 Questions with noun subjects:

When a question begins with a noun, the pronoun is repeatedafter the verb. The letter t is inserted between the subject pro-


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noun and the verb in the 3rd person singular form when the verbends with ane and after the verb a (has).Votre frre parle-t-il franais? Does your brother speak

French?

Votre sur a-t-elle quitt la maison? Has your sister left the house?

26.3 Questions introduced by interrogative words:

The common interrogative words are:

combien how many/how muchquand when

comment how

o where

pourquoi why

que what

qui who/whom

a. In questions which begin with an interrogative word, the orderis usually interrogative word + verb + pronoun subject:Comment allez-vous payer? How are you going to pay?

Que dsirez-vous? What would you like?

b. However, in everyday, informal speech, French speakers willoften simply place the question word at the end of the sentenceand raise their voice to indicate that it is a question.Vous allez o? Where are you going?

c. A question word can also be used with est-ce que:Comment est-ce que vous allez payer? How are you going to pay?


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27. A DVERBS

Adverbs are usually placed after verbs in the present and othersimple tenses. In the pass compos and other compoundtenses, adverbs of quality (bien), quantity (beaucoup), and fre-quency (toujours) are placed between the auxiliary verb and thepast participle. For more on verbs, see sections 2834.Il marche lentement. He walks slowly.On a bien mang dans ce restaurant. We ate well in this restaurant.

27.1 Most adverbs are formed from the adjectives by adding

-ment to the feminine form. If the adjective ends in e in the mas-culine form, just add -ment to the adjective.

froid cold froidement coldly

certain certain certainement certainly

naturel natural naturellement naturally

facile easy facilement easily

27.2 Adjectives that end in -ent and -ant add -emment or -am-ment to form the adverbs.

intelligent intelligent intelligemment intelligently

constant constant constamment constantly

27.3 However, there are many adverbs which must be learnedseparately. See 27.58 for some lists of common adverbs.

vite quickly mal badly


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27.4 Adverbs are compared like adjectives (see section 12):

loin far plus loin farther le plus loin the farthest

bien well mieux better le mieux the best

mal badly pire worse le pire the worst

27.5 Some common adverbs of place include:

ici here

l there

ct at the side

de ct aside

devant before, in front of

derrire behind

dessus on top

dessous underneath

dedans inside

dehors outside

partout everywhere

nulle part nowhere

loin far

prs near

o where


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y there

ailleurs elsewhere

l-haut up there

l-bas over there

27.6 Some common adverbs of time:

aujourdhui today

demain tomorrow

hier yesterday

avant-hier the day before yesterday

aprs-demain the day after tomorrow

maintenant now

alors then

avant before

autrefois once, formerly

tt early

bientt soon

tard late

souvent often

ne . . . jamais never

toujours always, ever


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longtemps long, for a long time

encore still, yet

ne . . . plus no longer, no more

nouveau again

27.7 Adverbs of manner:

bien well

mal ill, badly

ainsi thus, so

de mme similarly

autrement otherwise

ensemble together

fort much, very

volontiers willingly

surtout above all, especially

exprs on purpose, expressly

27.8 Adverbs of quantity or degree:

beaucoup much, many

assez enough

ne . . . gure not much, scarcely

peu little


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plus more

ne . . . plus no more

moins less

encore more

bien much, many

trop too, too much, too many

tellement so much, so many

28. AUXILIARY OR HELPING VERBS

In French, the auxiliary verbs are avoir (to have) and tre (to be), al-though they are both also used as main verbs. Auxiliary verbs areused with other verbs to help express tenses or moods of verbs.Elle est americaine. She is American.

Elle est alle chez le mdecin. She went to the doctors.

Nous avons le livre. We have the book.

Nous avons lu le livre. We read the book.

Avoir and tre are conjugated in the present indicative as follows:

avoir tre

je/j ai suis

tu as es

il/elle/on a est

nous avons sommes

vous avez tes

ils/elles ont sont


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29. THE INFINITI VE

French verbs are divided into three groups depending on theirending in the infinitive form or the form they appear in the dic-tionary. The infinitive is expressed in English with to: to do, to be,to have, to want, etc.

Group Verb Ending: Example:

First Conjugation (I) -er parler (to speak)

Second Conjugation (II) -ir finir (to finish)Third Conjugation (III) -re vendre (to sell)

30. PARTICIPLES

30.1 The present participle:

The present participle indicates an action closely related to theaction of the main verb of the sentence.

a. It is formed by adding -ant to the stem of the verb at the firstperson plural.

nous finissons finissant finishing

nous allons allant going

nous buvons buvant drinking

Some verbs have irregular present participles, such as tre (tant)and avoir (ayant).


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b. The present participle can be used as an adjective or verb.When used as an adjective, it must agree with the noun it is mod-ifying.

However, the present participle is most commonly used with en.In this sense, it describes two actions taking place simultaneouslyor how something is done.une histoire intressante an interesting story

Sachant cela, je ne fume plus. Knowing this, I dont smokeanymore.

Il dne en regardant la tlvision. He is having dinner while watching

the television.Cest en apprenant ces verbes Its by memorizing these verbs thatpar cur que vous les saurez. youll know them.

30.2 The past participle:

a. The past participle of regular verbs is formed the following ways:

Infinitive Past Participle

I parler parl-

II finir fin-i

III vendre vend-u

b. However, many past participles are irregular and have to bememorized. For example:


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Infinitive Past Participle

avoir (to have) eu

tre (to be) t

savoir (to know) su

faire (to do) fait

pouvoir (can, to be able) pu

vouloir (to want) voulu

c. Agreement (in gender and number):

When a verb is conjugated with avoir, there is usually no agree-ment:Jai couru. I ran.

Ils ont vendu la maison. They sold the house.

However, if a direct object pronoun precedes the verb, the pastparticiple must agree in gender and number with direct object

pronoun:La pice que jai vue hier The play I saw yesterday was bad.tait mauvaise.

Avez-vous vu le livre quil Have you seen the book he bought?a achet?

Avez-vous donn la chemise Did you give the shirt to Charles? Charles?

Non, je lai donne Claire. No, I gave it to Claire.


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When using tre to conjugate verbs, such as with reflexive (selaver) and intransitive verbs expressing movement (aller, venir),the past participle agrees with the subject:Marie est arrive hier. Marie arrived yesterday.

Jean et Pierre se sont levs. Jean and Pierre got up.

Ils sont arrivs. They arrived.

Nous sommes rentrs trs tard. We came back very late.

Elle sest lave. She washed herself.

31. THE IN DICATIVE

Note that the following points describe regular conjugations.There, however, are a number of verbs with irregular present (andother) tense conjugations. For more information on irregularverbs, please see the verb charts at the end of this summary.

31.1 Present tense (prsent)

For regular verbs, the present tense is formed by taking the -er,-ir, or-re off the infinitive and adding the following endings:

-er verbs -ir verbs -re verbs

-e -is -s

-es -is -s

-e -it - (no ending added)

-ons -issons -ons

-ez -issez -ez

-ent -issent -ent


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parler (to speak) finir (to finish) vendre (to sell)

parle finis vends

parles finis vends

parle finit vend

parlons finissons vendons

parlez finissez vendez

parlent finissent vendent

This tense has several English translations:je parle I speak, I am speaking, I do speak

ils finissent they finish, they are finishing, they do finish

31.2 The imperfect tense (imparfait) is formed by dropping the-ons of the present nous form and adding -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions,-iez, -aient.

The imperfect expresses a continued or habitual action in thepast. It also indicates an action that was happening when some-

thing else happened:Je me levais sept heures. I used to get up at seven oclock.

Il dormait quand Jean est entr. He was sleeping when Jean entered.

Il parlait souvent de cela. He often spoke about that.

31.3 The future tense (futur simple) is formed by adding the end-ings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the full infinitive (or the irregu-lar future stem) of the verb. It indicates a future action:Je me lverai tt. Ill get up early.

Il arrivera demain. Hell arrive tomorrow.

Je le vendrai demain. Ill sell it tomorrow.


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31.4 The simple past tense (pass simple), or past definite, is usedonly in formal written French. It expresses an action begun andended in the past. It is formed by adding to the root the endings-ai, -as, -a, -mes, -tes, -rent for -er verbs; the endings -is,-is, -it, -mes, -tes, -irent for-ir verbs; and for all other verbs ei-ther these last or-us, -us, -ut, -mes, -tes, -urent.Le roi fut tu. The king was killed.

Les soldats entrrent dans la ville. The soldiers entered the city.

31.5 The past tense (pass compos) is formed by adding the pastparticiple to the present indicative ofavoir ortre. Most verbs

use avoir to form the pass compos. Intransitive verbs that ex-press movement and reflexive verbs use tre.

Some common intransitive verbs that use tre include:

aller (to go) partir (to leave) rester (to stay)

venir (to come) sortir (to go out) retourner (to go back)

monter (to go up) natre (to be born) revenir (to come back)

descendre (to go down) mourir (to die) tomber (to fall)

arriver (to arrive) entrer (to enter)

The pass compos is used to indicate a past action which hasbeen completed.Je me suis lev tt. I got up early.

Il ne ma rien dit. He didnt tell me anything.

Jai fini mon travail. I finished my work/I havefinished my work.

Lavez-vous vu? Have you seen him?/Did you seehim?

Ils sont arrivs. They arrived.


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31.6 The pluperfect or past perfect tense (plus-que-parfait) isformed by adding the past participle to the imperfect ofavoir ortre. It translates the English past perfect, and it refers to an ac-tion that happened before another point of reference in the past.Il lavait fait. He had done it.

Lorsque je suis revenu, il tait parti. When I came back, he had gone.

31.7 The past anterior tense (pass antrieur) is formed byadding the past participle to the simple past ofavoir ortre. It isused for an event that happened just before another event. It isused mostly in literary style.

Ds quil eut dn, il sortit. As soon as he had eaten, he wentout.

Quand il eut fini, il se leva. When he had finished, he got up.

31.8 The future perfect tense (futur antrieur) is formed byadding the past participle to the future ofavoir ortre. It trans-lates the English future perfect and indicates an action that willhappen before another point of reference in the future:Il aura bientt fini. He will soon have finished.

Sometimes it indicates probability:

Il le lui aura sans doute dit. No doubt he must have told him.Il aura t malade. He probably was sick.

Je me serai tromp. I must have been mistaken.

32. THE CONDITIONAL

The conditional is used to express hypothetical states or actions.Sometimes it expresses probability or conjecture.

32.1 The conditional is formed by adding the endings -ais, -ais,-ait, -ions, -iez, -aient to the infinitive. It translates the Englishwouldorshould:


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Je le prendrais si jtais votre I would take it if I were you.place.

Je ne ferais jamais une chose I would never do such a thing.pareille.

Verbs that are irregular in the future tense have the same irregularstems in the conditional, such as aller (ir-) ortre (ser-).

32.2 The conditional perfect is formed by adding the past partici-ple to the conditional ofavoir ortre. It translates the Englishwould have:

Si javais su, je ny serais If I had known, I would neverjamais all. have gone there.

Si javais eu assez dargent, If I had had the money,je laurais achet. I would have bought it.

33. THE IMPERATIVE

The imperative (limpratif) is used to give a command or a di-rective and to make requests.

For information on reflexive verbs and the use of pronouns in theimperative, see 17.5 and 18.2.

33.1 The imperative of most verbs is formed like the tu, nous andvous forms of the present indicative tense (without the correspond-ing subject pronouns). In the verbs of the first conjugation (-erverbs), however, the second person singular (tu) loses the final s:

donner (to give) finir (to finish) vendre (to sell)

Donne. (infml.) Give. Finis. (infml.) Finish. Vends. (infml.) Sell.

Donnez. Give. Finissez. Finish. Vendez. Sell.

Donnons. Lets give. Finissons. Lets finish. Vendons. Lets sell.


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Traversons le pont. Lets cross the bridge.

Choisissez un chapeau. Choose a hat.

Attends une minute. Wait a minute.

33.2 Imperatives of tre and avoir:

tre (to be) avoir (to have)

Sois. ( infml.) Be. Aie. ( infml.) Have.

Soyez. Be. Ayez. Have.

Soyons. Lets be. Ayons. Lets have.

Sois lheure. Be on time.

Ayons plus de patience. Lets be more patient.

For other verbs that have irregular imperative forms, see the verbcharts at the end of this summary.

33.3 The negative form of the imperative:

The negative form of the imperative is formed in the same way asin the present indicative by placing ne before the verb and pasafter.Ne dansez pas! Dont dance!

Ne parle pas! Dont speak!

34. VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE INFINITIVE

34.1 Many verbs can be followed by the infinitive without a pre-ceding preposition:Je vais parler Jean. I am going to talk to Jean.

Jaime parler franais. I like to speak French.

Je ne sais pas danser. I dont know how to dance.Il faut acheter des clous. We have to buy nails.


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34.2 There are a good amount of verbs, however, that require thepreposition before the infinitive:Japprends parler franais. I am learning to speak French.

Je laiderai le faire. Ill help him do it.

Il commence sinquiter. He is starting to get worried.

34.3 Some verbs must be followed by de plus the infinitive:Il leur a demand de fermer la porte. He asked them to shut the door.

Elle a dcid de faire un voyage. She decided to take a trip.

35. THE SUBJUNCTIVE

The indicative makes a simple statement; the subjunctive indicatesa certain attitude or mood toward the statementuncertainty, de-sire, emotion, etc. The subjunctive is used in subordinate clauseswhen the statement is unreal, doubtful, indefinite, subject to somecondition, or is affected by will or emotion.

The verbs in the subjunctive are generally used in a dependentclause introduced by the word que/qu (that). When the indepen-dent part of the sentence contains any of the above emotions,uncertainties or other subjunctive conditions, the verb in the de-

pendent clause is in the subjunctive.

OnlytwosubjunctivetensesareusedineverydayFrench:thepresentandpast. The imperfectandpluperfect mostlyappear in literature.

35.1 Present Subjunctive:

a. Drop the -ent of the third person plural present indicative andadd -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. For irregular stems in the presentsubjunctive, see the verb charts following the summary.


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parler (to speak) finir (to finish) vendre (to sell)

je parle je finisse je vende

tu parles tu finisses tu vendes

il parle il finisse il vende

nous parlions nous finissions nous vendions

vous parliez vous finissiez vous vendiez

ils parlent ils finissent ils vendent

Je veux que tu viennes avec moi. I want you to come with me.

b. The irregular verbs avoir and tre:

avoir (to have) tre (to be)

jaie je sois

tu aies tu sois

il ait il soitnous ayons nous soyons

vous ayez vous soyez

ils aient ils soient

35.2 Imperfect Subjunctive:

As noted above, the imperfect and the pluperfect subjunctive arenot used today in conversational French. They do, however, ap-pear in literature.


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To form the imperfect subjunctive, drop the ending of the firstperson singular of the past definite (simple past) and add -sse,-sses, -t, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent, putting a circumflex () over thelast vowel of the third person singular:

donner (to give) finir (to finish) vendre (to sell)

je donnasse je finisse je vendisse

tu donnasses tu finisses tu vendisses

il donnt il fint il vendtnous donnassions nous finissions nous vendissions

vous donnassiez vous finissiez vous vendissiez

ils donnassent ils finissent ils vendissent

35.3 Past Subjunctive:

The past subjunctive is used when the action in the subordinateclause has taken place before the action in the main clause.

Add the past participle to the present subjunctive ofavoir (ortre):

avoir (+ donner [to give]) tre (+ aller [to go])

jaie donn je sois all

tu aies donn tu sois all

etc. etc.

Il est dommage quil nait pas Its a shame he didnt get more votes.

obtenu plus de voix.


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35.4 Pluperfect Subjunctive (see note in 35.2 on the imper-fect and pluperfect subjunctive):

Add the past participle to the imperfect subjunctive ofavoir (ortre):

avoir (+ donner) tre (+ aller)

jeusse donn je fusse all

etc. etc.

35.5 Infinitive vs. subjunctive

In order for the subjunctive to be used, the subjects of the inde-pendent or main clause and the dependent or subordinate clausemust be different. If they are the same, the infinitive is used.

Subjunctive Je veux que tu sois l. I want you to be there.

Infinitive Je veux tre l. I want to be there.

35.6 Uses of the subjunctive:

a. After verbs of command, request, permission, etc.:Je tiens ce que vous y alliez. I insist on your going there.

b. After expressions of approval and disapproval, necessity, etc.:Il nest que juste que vous le lui Its only fair that you tell him that.disiez.

Il faut que vous fassiez cela. You have to do that.


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c. After verbs of emotion (desire, regret, fear, joy, etc.):Je voudrais bien que vous Id like you to come with us.veniez avec nous.

Je regrette que vous ne Im sorry you cant come.puissiez pas venir.

d. After expressions of doubt, uncertainty, denial:Je doute que jy aille. I doubt that Ill go there.

Il est possible quil ne Its possible that he may not be able topuisse pas venir. come.

e. In relative clauses after expression like il faut:Il me faut quelquun qui I need someone to do that.fasse cela.

f. In adverbial clauses after certain conjunctions denoting pur-pose, time, concessions, etc.:Je viendrai moins quil Ill come unless it rains.ne pleuve.

Asseyez-vous en attendant Sit down until its ready.que ce soit prt.

g. In utterances expressing a wish or command:Quils sen aillent! Let them go away!

Dieu vous bnisse! God bless you!

Vive la France! Long live France!


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36. FORMS OF THE REGULAR VERBS

A. CLASSES I, II, III


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Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Past(pass

Past

Imperfect

Infin

itive

Participles

Indicativ

e

Subjunctive*

compos)

Subjunctive

Indicative

-erending

parlant

parl+e

parl+e

jai+parl

quejaie+parl

parl+ais

parler

parl

es

es

tuas

quetuaies

ais

(tosp

eak)

e

e

ila

quilait

ait

ons

ions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

ez

iez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

ent

ent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

-irending

finissant

fin+is

finiss+e

jai+fini

quejaie+fini

finiss+ais

finir

fini

is

es

tuas

quetuaies

ais

(tofinish)

it

e

ila

quilait

ait

issons

ions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

issez

iez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

issent

ent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

-reen

ding

vendant

vend+s

vend+e

jai+vendu

quejaie+vendu

vend+ais

vendr

e

vendu

s

es

tuas

quetuaies

ais

(tose

ll)

-

e

ila

quilait

ait

ons

ions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

ez

iez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

ent

ent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

*Like

thepastsubjunctive,

thepresentsubjunctiveverbisgenerallyprecededbyqueorqu+theappropriatepronoun,asinIlfautquejeparte

andJeveuxquilquittelamaison.


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Futu

re

C

onditional

Past

Perfect

Future

Perfe

ct

Conditional

P

erfect

Imperative

javais+parl

parler+ai

jaura

i+parl

parler+ais

jaurais+parl

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

parle

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

parlons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

parlez

javais+fini

finir+ai

jaura

i+fini

finir+ais

jaurais+fini

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

finis

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

finissons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

finissez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

javais+vendu

vendr+ai

jaura

i+vendu

vendr+ais

jaurais+vendu

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

vends

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

vendons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

vendez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient


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Futu

re

C

onditional

Past

Perfect

Future

Perfe

ct

Conditional

P

erfect

Imperative

javais+plac

placer+ai

jaura

i+plac

placer+ais

jaurais+plac

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tu

aurais

place

ilavait

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

plaons

vousaviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

placez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

ilsauraient

javais+mang

manger+ai

jaura

i+mang

manger+ais

jaurais+mang

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tu

aurais

mange

ilavait

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

mangeons

vousaviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

mangez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

ilsauraient


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C. VERBS ENDING IN -ER WITH CHANGES IN THE STEM

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Past(pass

Past

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

compos)

Subjunctive

Indicative

acheter

1

achetant

achte

achte

jai+achet

quejaie+achet

achet+ais

(tobuy)

achet

achtes

achtes

tuas

quetuaies

ais

achte

achtes

ila

quilait

ait

achetons

achetions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

achetez

achetiez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

achtent

achtent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

appeler

2

appelant

appelle

appelle

jai+appel

quejaie+appel

appel+ais

(tocall)

appel

appelles

appelles

tuas

quetuaies

ais

appelle

appelle

ila

quilait

ait

appelons

appelions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

appelez

appeliez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

appellent

appellent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

payer

3

payant

paie

paie

jai+pay

quejaie+pay

pay+ais

(topay)

pay

paies

paies

tuas

quetuaies

ais

paie

paie

ila

quilait

ait

payons

payions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

payez

payiez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

paient

paient

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

prfrer

4

prfrant

prfre**

prfre

jai+prfr

quetuaies

prfr+ais

(toprefe

r)

prfr

prfres

prfres

tuas

quetuaies

ais

prfre

prfre

ila

quilait

ait

prfrons

prfrions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

prfrez

prfriez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

prfrent

prfrent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

1Verbslikeacheter:mener,amener,emmener,se

promener,lever,selever,lever

2Ve

rbslikeappeler:serappeler,jeter

3Verbslikepayer:essayer,employer,ennuyer,essuyer,nettoyer(Seenotebelow.)

4Verbslikeprfrer:esprer,r

pter,c

lbrer,co

nsidrer,suggrer,protger

Verbsendingin-ayermayuseioryinthepresent

(exceptfornousandvousforms),

thefuture,a

ndtheconditional,asinpayer,essayer.

Verbsendingin-oyer,-uyerchangeytoi(asinessuyer,ennuyer,employer,nettoyer).T

hesech

angesareindicatedbytheuseofitalics.

**N

otethechangefrom

tointheje,tu,i

l/elle/on,andilsformsofverbslikeprffer.


60/81

Futu

re

C

onditional

Past

Perfect

Future

Perfe

ct

Conditional

P

erfect

Imperative

javais+achet

achter+ai

jaura

i+achet

achter+ais

jaurais+achet

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

achte

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

achetons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

achetez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

javais+appel

appeller+ai

jaura

i+appel

appeller+ais

jaurais+appel

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

appelle

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

appelons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

appelez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

javais+pay

paier/payer+ai

jaura

i+pay

paier/payer+ais

jaurais+pay

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

paie

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

payons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

payez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

javais+prfr

prfrer+ai

jaura

i+prfr

prfr+ais

jaurais+prfr

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

prfre

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

prfrons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

prfrez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient


61/81

D. VERBS ENDING IN -OIR

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Past(pass

Past

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

compos)

Subjunctive

Indicative

recevoir1

recevant

reois

reoive

jai+reu

quejaie+reu

recev+ais

(torece

ive)

reu

reois

reoives

tuas

quetuaies

ais

reoit

reoive

ila

quilait

ait

recevons

recevions

nousavons

quenousayons

ions

recevez

receviez

vousavez

quevousayez

iez

reoivent

reoivent

ilsont

quilsaient

aient

1

Verbsli

kerecevoir:devoir(dois,doive,d).


62/81

Futu

re

C

onditional

Past

Perfect

Future

Perfe

ct

Conditional

P

erfect

Imperative

javais+reu

recevr+ai

jaura

i+reu

recevr+ais

jaurais+reu

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tu

aurais

reois

ilavait

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

recevons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

recevez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient


63/81

E. VERBS ENDING IN -NDRE

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Past(pass

P

ast

Imperfect

Infinitiv

e

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

compos)

S

ubjunctive

Indicative

craindre1

craignant

crains

craigne

jai+craint

q

uejaie+craint

craign+ais

(tofear)

craint

crains

craignes

tuas

q

uetuaies

ais

craint

craigne

ila

q

uilait

ait

craignons

craignions

nousavons

q

uenousayons

ions

craignez

craigniez

vousavez

q

uevousayez

iez

craignent

craignent

ilsont

q

uilsaient

aient

teindre2

teignant

teins

teigne

jai+teint

q

uejaie+teint

teign+ais

(toexting

uish)

teint

teins

teignes

tuas

q

uetuaies

ais

teint

teigne

ila

q

uilait

ait

teignons

teignions

nousavons

q

uenousayons

ions

teignez

teigniez

vousavez

q

uevousayez

iez

teignent

teignent

ilsont

q

uilsaient

aient

1Verbslike

craindre:plaindre(topity).Thereflexiveform,seplaindre,meanstocomplain,andinthecompoundtensesisconjugatedwithtre.

2Verbslike

teindre:peindre(topaint);

teindre(todye).


64/81

Futu

re

C

onditional

Past

Perfect

Future

Perfe

ct

Conditional

P

erfect

Imperative

javais+craint

craindr+ai

jaura

i+craint

craindr+ais

jaurais+craint

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

crains

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

craignons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

craignez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient

javais+teint

teindr+ai

jaura

i+teint

teindr+ais

jaurais+teint

tuavais

as

tuauras

ais

tuaurais

teint

ilava

it

a

ilaura

ait

il

aurait

nous

avions

ons

nous

aurons

ions

n

ousaurions

teignons

vous

aviez

ez

vousaurez

iez

vousauriez

teignez

ilsavaient

ont

ilsauront

aient

il

sauraient


65/81

F. COMPOUND TENSES OF VERBS CONJUGATED WITHTRE

Past(p

ass

Past

Past

Future

Conditional

compos)

subjunctive

Perfect

Perfect

Perfect

jesuisa

ll(e)

quejesoisall(e)

jtaisall(e)

jeseraiall(e

)

jeseraisall(e)

tuesall(e)

quetusoisall(e)

tutaisall(e)

tuserasall(e)

tuseraisall(e)

ilestall

quilsoitall

iltaitall

ilseraall

ilseraitall

elleest

alle

quellesoitalle

elletaitalle

elleseraalle

elleseraitalle

nousso

mmesall(e)s

quenoussoyonsall(e)s

noustionsall(e)s

nousserons

all(e)s

nousserionsall(e)s

voustesall(e)(s)

quevoussoyezall(e)(s)

voustiezall(e)(s)

vousserezall(e)(s)

vousseriezall(e)(s)

ilssont

alls

quilssoientalls

ilstaientalls

ilsserontalls

ilsseraientalls

ellessontalles

quellessoientalles

ellestaientalles

ellesseronta

lles

ellesseraientalles


66/81

G. COMPOUND TENSES OF REFLEXIVE VERBS (ALLREFLEXIVE VERBS ARE CONJUGATED WITH TRE)

Past(p

ass

Past

Past

Future

Conditional

compo

s)

subjunctive

Perfect

Perfect

Perfect

jemesu

islev(e)

quejemesoislev(e)

jemtaislev(e)

jemeserailev(e)

jemeseraislev(e)

tutesle

v(e)

quetutesoislev(e)

tuttaislev(e)

tuteseraslev

(e)

tuteseraislev(e)

ilsestle

v

quilsesoitlev

ilstaitlev

ilseseralev

ilseseraitlev

ellesestleve

quellesesoitleve

ellestaitleve

elleseseraleve

elleseseraitleve

nousno

ussommes

quenousnoussoyons

nousnoustions

nousnousse

rons

nousnousserions

lev(e

)s

lev(e)s

lev(e)s

lev(e)s

lev(e)s

vousvoustes

quevousvoussoyez

vousvoustiez

vousvousserez

vousvousseriez

lev(e

)(s)

lev(e)(s)

lev(e)(s)

lev(e)(s)

lev(e)(s)

ilssesontlevs

quilssesoientlevs

ilsstaientlevs

ilsseserontlevs

ilsseseraientlevs

ellessesontleves

quellessesoientleves

ellesstaientleves

ellesseseron

tleves

ellesseseraientleves


67/81

H. INFREQUENTLY USED AND LITERARY TENSES(CLASSES I, II, III)

PastDefinite

1

PastAn

terior2

ImperfectSubjunctive

3

parlai

finis

perdis

eusparl

eusfini

eusperdu

parlass

e

finisse

perdisse

parlas

finis

perdis

eusparl

eusfini

eusperdu

parlass

es

finisses

perdisses

parla

finit

perdit

eutparl

eutfini

eutperdu

parlt

fint

perdt

parlmes

finmes

perdmes

emesparl

emesfini

emesperdu

parlass

ions

finissions

perdissions

parltes

fintes

perdtes

etesparl

etesfini

etesperdu

parlass

iez

finissiez

perdissiez

parlren

t

finirent

perdirent

eurentparl

eurentfini

eurentperdu

parlass

ent

finissent

perdissent

1Usedin

formalnarrativeonly.

Ininformalconve

rsationandwriting,usethepasttense(ja

iparl,etc.).

2Usedin

literarystyleonly,afterquand,

lorsque,

aprsque,anddsqueforaneventthathappenedjustbeforeanother

event.E

xample:Aprsquileutdn,ilsortit.(A

ssoonashehadeaten,hewentout.)

3ThatIspoke,thatImightspeak,etc.

Thistenseis

infrequentlyfoundinordinaryconversa

tion,

butisusedfairlyoftenin

literaryworks.

Alloth

erregularverbsuseeither-er,-ir,or-reendings,dependingontheconjugation

towhichtheybelong.

Thepast

definite

formsofirregularverbsmustbememoriz

ed.


68/81

Pas

tPerfectSubjunctive

4

quejeusseparl

quejeussefini

quejeusseperdu

quetueussesparl

quetueussesfini

quetueussesperdu

quiletparl

quiletperdu

quiletfini

quenouseussionsparl

quenouseussionsfini

quenouseussionsperdu

quevouseussiezparl

quevouseussiezfini

quevouseussiezperdu

quilseussentparl

quilseussentfini

quilseussentperdu

4ThatIhadspoken,t

hatImighthavespoken,e

tc.

Apredominantlyliterarytense.


69/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjun

ctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

acqurir

acqurant

acquiers

acquir

e

acqur+ais

acquerr+ai

acqu

err+ais

avoir

acquis

acquiers

acquir

es

ais

as

ais

acquiers

(toacquire)

acquiert

acquir

e

ait

a

ait

acqurons

acquri

ons

ions

ons

ions

acqurons

acqurez

acquri

ez

iez

ez

iez

acqurez

acquirent

acquir

ent

aient

ont

aient

aller

allant

vais

aille

all+ais

ir+ai

ir+ais

tre

all(e)(s)

vas

ailles

ais

as

ais

va

(togo)

va

aille

ait

a

ait

allons

allions

ions

ons

ions

allons

allez

alliez

iez

ez

iez

allez

vont

aillent

aient

ont

aient

(s)asseo

ir

asseyant

assieds

asseye

assey+ais

asseyer+ai

assey

er+ais

tre

assis(e)(s)

assieds

asseyes

ais

oras

orais

assieds-toi

(tosit

assied

asseye

ait

assira

assirait

[down])

asseyons

asseyions

ions

orons

orio

ns

asseyons-nous

asseyez

asseyiez

iez

assoirez

assoi

riez

asseyez-vous

asseyent

asseyen

t

aient

ont

aient

37. FREQUENTLY USED IRREGULAR VERBS

The correct auxiliary verb is indicated in italics below each verb.For compound tenses, use the appropriate form of the auxiliaryverb + past participle.


70/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

avoir

ayant

ai

aie

av+ais

aur+ai

aur+ais

avoir

eu

as

aies

ais

as

ais

aie

(tohave)

a

ait

ait

a

ait

avons

ayons

ions

ons

ions

ayons

avez

ayez

iez

ez

iez

ayez

ont

aient

aient

ont

aient

battre

battant

bats

batte

batt+ais

battr+ai

battr+ais

avoir

battu

bats

battes

ais

as

ais

bats

(tobeat)

bat

batte

ait

a

ait

battons

battions

ions

ons

ions

battons

battez

battiez

iez

ez

iez

battez

battent

battent

aient

ont

aient

Thereisavariantformo

ftheconjugation

ofsasseoirbasedonthepresentparticipleas

soyantandfirstpersonsingularassois,

butitisratherarchaicandisrarelyused.

The

rearealsotwovariantformsforthefuturestem

:assir-andassoir-.

Assir-istheform

mostfrequentlyused.


71/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

boire

buvant

bois

boive

buv+ais

boir+ai

boir+ais

avoir

bu

bois

boives

ais

as

ais

bois

(todrink)

boit

boive

ait

a

ait

buvons

buvions

ions

ons

ions

buvons

buvez

buviez

iez

ez

iez

buvez

boivent

boivent

aient

ont

aient

conclure

concluant

conclus

conclue

conclu+ais

conclur+ai

conclur+ais

avoir

conclu

conclus

conclues

ais

as

ais

conclus

(toconclude)

conclut

conclue

ait

a

ait

concluons

concluions

ions

ons

ions

concluons

concluez

concluiez

iez

ez

iez

concluez

concluent

concluent

aient

ont

aient

conduire

conduisant

conduis

conduise

conduis+aisconduir+ai

conduir+ais

avoir

conduit

conduis

conduises

ais

as

ais

conduis

(todrive,

conduit

conduise

ait

a

ait

tolead)

conduison

s

conduisions

ions

ons

ions

conduisons

conduisez

conduisiez

iez

ez

iez

conduisez

conduisent

conduisent

aient

ont

aient

connatre

connaissant

connais

connaisse

connaiss+aisconnatr

+aiconnatr+ais

avoir

connu

connais

connaisses

ais

as

ais

connais

(toknow)

connat

connaisse

ait

a

ait

connaisson

s

connaissions

ions

ons

ions

connaissons

connaissez

connaissiez

iez

ez

iez

connaissez

connaissen

t

connaissent

aient

ont

aient


72/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

courir

courant

cours

coure

cour+ais

courr+ai

courr+ais

avoir

couru

cours

coures

ais

as

ais

cours

(torun)

court

coure

ait

a

ait

courons

courions

ions

ons

ions

courons

courez

couriez

iez

ez

iez

courez

courent

courent

aient

ont

aient

croire

croyant

crois

croie

croy+ais

croir+ai

croir+ais

avoir

cru

crois

croies

ais

as

ais

crois

(tobelieve)

croit

croie

ait

a

ait

croyons

croyions

ions

ons

ions

croyons

croyez

croyiez

iez

ez

iez

croyez

croient

croient

aient

ont

aient

cueillir

cueillant

cueille

cueille

cueill+ais

cueiller+

ai

cueiller+ais

avoir

cueilli

cueilles

cueilles

ais

as

ais

cueille

(togather,

cueille

cueille

ait

a

ait

topick)

cueillons

cueillions

ions

ons

ions

cueillons

cueillez

cueilliez

iez

ez

iez

cueillez

cueillent

cueillent

aient

ont

aient

devoir

devant

dois

doive

dev+ais

devr+ai

devr+ais

avoir

d

dois

doives

ais

as

ais

notused

(toowe,

doit

doive

ait

a

ait

ought)

devons

devions

ions

ons

ions

devez

deviez

iez

ez

iez

doivent

doivent

aient

ont

aient


73/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

dire

disant

dis

dise

dis+ais

dir+ai

dir+ais

avoir

dit

dis

dises

ais

as

ais

dis

(tosay,

dit

dise

ait

a

ait

totell)

disons

disions

ions

ons

ions

disons

dites

disiez

iez

ez

iez

dites

disent

disent

aient

ont

aient

dormir

dormant

dors

dorme

dorm+

ais

dormir+

ai

dormir+ais

avoir

dormi

dors

dormes

ais

as

ais

dors

(tosleep)

dort

dorme

ait

a

ait

dormons

dormions

ions

ons

ions

dormons

dormez

dormiez

iez

ez

iez

dormez

dorment

dorment

aient

ont

aient

crire

crivant

cris

crive

criv+ais

crir+ai

crir+ais

avoir

crit

cris

crives

ais

as

ais

cris

(towrite)

crit

crive

ait

a

ait

crivons

crivions

ions

ons

ions

crivons

crivez

criviez

iez

ez

iez

crivezs

crivent

crivent

aient

ont

aient

envoyer

envoyant

envoie

envoie

envoy+ais

enverr+a

i

enverr+ais

avoir

envoy

envoies

envoies

ais

as

ais

envoie

(tosend)

envoie

envoie

ait

a

ait

envoyons

envoyions

ions

ons

ions

envoyons

envoyez

envoyiez

iez

ez

iez

envoyez

envoient

envoient

aient

ont

aient


74/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

tre

tant

suis

sois

t+ais

ser+ai

ser+ais

avoir

t

es

sois

ais

as

ais

sois

(tobe)

est

soit

ait

a

ait

sommes

soyons

ions

ons

ions

soyons

tes

soyez

iez

ez

iez

soyez

sont

soient

aient

ont

aient

faillir

faillant

notused

notused

notused

faillir+ai

faillir+ais

notused

avoir

failli

as

ais

(tofail)

a

ait

ons

ions

ez

iez

ont

aient

faire

faisant

fais

fasse

fais+ais

fer+ai

fer+ais

avoir

fait

fais

fasses

ais

as

ais

fais

(todo,

fait

fasse

ait

a

ait

tomake)

faisons

fassions

ions

ons

ions

faisons

faites

fassiez

iez

ez

iez

faites

font

fassent

aient

ont

aient

falloir

nopres.part.

ilfaut

ilfaille

ilfallait

ilfaudra

ilfaudrait

notused

avoir

fallu

(tobe

necessary,

must[used

onlywithil])

UsedinsuchexpressionsasIlafaillitomber(Henearlyfell[lit.,hefailedtofall]).


75/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

fuir

fuyant

fuis

fuie

fuy+ais

fuir+ai

fuir+ais

avoir

fui

fuis

fuies

ais

as

ais

fuis

(toflee)

fuit

fuie

ait

a

ait

fuyons

fuyions

ions

ons

ions

fuyons

fuyez

fuyiez

iez

ez

iez

fuyez

fuient

fuient

aient

ont

aient

har

hassant

hais

hasse

hass+ais

har+ai

har+ais

avoir

ha

hais

hasses

ais

as

ais

has

(tohate)

hait

hasse

ait

a

ait

hassons

hassions

ions

ons

ions

hassons

hassez

hassiez

iez

ez

iez

hassez

hassent

hassent

aient

ont

aient

lire

lisant

lis

lise

lis+ais

lir+ai

lir+ais

avoir

lu

lis

lises

ais

as

ais

lis

(toread)

lit

lise

ait

a

ait

lisons

lisions

ions

ons

ions

lisons

lisez

lisiez

iez

ez

iez

lisez

lisent

lisent

aient

ont

aient

mettre

mettant

mets

mette

mett+ais

mettr+ai

mettr+ais

avoir

mis

mets

mettes

ais

as

ais

mets

(toput,

met

mette

ait

a

ait

toplace)

mettons

mettions

ions

ons

ions

mettons

mettez

mettiez

iez

ez

iez

mettez

mettent

mettent

aient

ont

aient


76/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

mourir

mourant

meurs

meure

mour+ais

mourr+a

i

mourr+ais

tre

mort(e)(s)

meurs

meures

ais

as

ais

meurs

meurt

meure

ait

a

ait

mourons

mourions

ions

ons

ions

mourons

mourez

mouriez

iez

ez

iez

mourez

meurent

meurent

aient

ont

aient

mouvoir

mouvant

meus

meuve

mouv+ais

mouvr+ai

mouvr+ais

avoir

m

meus

meuves

ais

as

ais

meus

(tomove)

meut

meuve

ait

a

ait

mouvons

mouvions

ions

ons

ions

mouvons

mouvez

mouviez

iez

ez

iez

mouvez

meuvent

meuvent

aient

ont

aient

natre

naissant

nais

naisse

naiss+ais

natr+ai

natr+ais

tre

n(e)(s)

nais

naisses

ais

as

ais

nais

(tobeborn)

nat

naisse

ait

a

ait

naissons

naissions

ions

ons

ions

naissons

naissez

naissiez

iez

ez

iez

naissez

naissent

naissent

aient

ont

aient

ouvrir

ouvrant

ouvre

ouvre

ouvr+ais

ouvrir+a

i

ouvrir+ais

avoir

ouvert

ouvres

ouvres

ais

as

ais

ouvre

(toopen)

ouvre

ouvre

ait

a

ait

ouvrons

ouvrions

ions

ons

ions

ouvrons

ouvrez

ouvriez

iez

ez

iez

ouvrez

ouvrent

ouvrent

aient

ont

aient

Mouvoirisseldomu

sedexceptincompoundslikemouvoir(tomove[emotionally]).


77/81

Pres.&Past

Present

Present

Imperfect

Infinitive

Participles

Indicative

Subjunctive

Indicative

Future

Conditional

Imperative

partir

partant

pars

parte

part+ais

partir+ai

partir+ais

tre

parti(e)(s)

pars

partes

ais

as

ais

pars

(toleave,

part

parte

ait

a

ait

todepart)

partons

partions

ions

ons

ions

partons

partez

partiez

iez

ez

iez

partez

partent

partent

aient

ont

aient

plaire

plaisant

plais

plaise

plais+ais

plair+ai

plair+ais

avoir

plu

plais

plaises

ais

as

ais

plais

(toplease,

plat

pl

french grammar summary

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