French Grammar Guide: Simple Rules & Examples

French Grammar Overview

Master French grammar through our straightforward approach. Our guide breaks down complex French language structures into digestible pieces, focusing on essential elements. Each grammar concept is presented with a translation, helping you understand how French sentences work in practice. Use this overview alongside your French course or as a quick reference for daily practice.

Essential Grammar Points

Personal Pronouns

Number	Subject	Direct Object	Indirect Object	Reflexive
Singular	je, tu, il/elle/on	me, te, le/la	me, te, lui	me, te, se
Plural	nous, vous, ils/elles	nous, vous, les	nous, vous, leur	nous, vous, se

Usage Notes:

“On” commonly replaces “nous” in informal speech
“Vous” serves as both plural and formal singular
Object pronouns usually come before the verb: “Je le vois”

Articles

Type	Masculine	Feminine	Plural	Before Vowel
Definite	le	la	les	l'
Indefinite	un	une	des	-
Partitive	du	de la	des	de l'

Special Rules:

Use partitive articles for uncountable nouns: “du pain,” “de la confiture”
Articles contract with “à” and “de”: “au,” “aux,” “du,” “des”

Gender and Number

Common Patterns:

Feminine forms often add -e:

petit → petite
grand → grande

Plural usually adds -s:

livre → livres
table → tables

Notable Exceptions:

Masculine words ending in -e: le livre, le monde
Words ending in -s, -x, -z don’t change in plural
Special plurals: -al → -aux (journal → journaux)

Verb Conjugation

Present Tense Regular Patterns

-ER Verbs (using “parler” - to speak)

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	je parle	nous parlons
2nd	tu parles	vous parlez
3rd	il/elle parle	ils/elles parlent

-IR Verbs (using “finir” - to finish)

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	je finis	nous finissons
2nd	tu finis	vous finissez
3rd	il/elle finit	ils/elles finissent

-RE Verbs (using “vendre” - to sell)

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	je vends	nous vendons
2nd	tu vends	vous vendez
3rd	il/elle vend	ils/elles vendent

Common Irregular Verbs

Verb	Present Tense Conjugation
être	suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont
avoir	ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont
aller	vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont
faire	fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font
pouvoir	peux, peux, peut, pouvons, pouvez, peuvent
vouloir	veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent
dire	dis, dis, dit, disons, dites, disent

Tenses

Present (Présent)

Form	Usage	Example
Simple	Current actions, habits	Je mange une pomme
Progressive	Current actions	Je suis en train de manger

Past Tenses

Tense	Formation	Usage	Example
Passé Composé	avoir/être + participle	Completed actions	J’ai mangé
Imparfait	stem + endings	Ongoing past, habits	Je mangeais
Plus-que-parfait	avoir/être (imparfait) + participle	Before another past action	J’avais mangé

Être vs Avoir:

Most verbs use avoir
Key verbs using être (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP):
- Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester, Sortir
- Venir, Arriver, Naître, Descendre
- Entrer, Retourner, Tomber, Rentrer
- Aller, Mourir, Partir

Future Tenses

Tense	Formation	Usage	Example
Futur Simple	infinitive + endings	Future events	Je mangerai
Futur Proche	aller + infinitive	Near future	Je vais manger

Subjunctive Mood

Common Triggers:

Il faut que (it is necessary that)
Je veux que (I want that)
Je souhaite que (I wish that)
Bien que (although)
Avant que (before)

Formation:

Remove -ent from ils/elles form of present tense
Add subjunctive endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

Essential Concepts

Negation

Basic structure: ne + verb + pas

Je ne mange pas
Je n’ai pas mangé

Other negative expressions:

ne… jamais (never)
ne… plus (no more)
ne… rien (nothing)
ne… personne (nobody)

Question Formation

Three methods:

Intonation: Tu vas au cinéma?
Est-ce que: Est-ce que tu vas au cinéma?
Inversion: Vas-tu au cinéma?

Adjective Agreement

Type	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural
Regular	petit	petite	petits	petites
-eux ending	heureux	heureuse	heureux	heureuses
-al ending	normal	normale	normaux	normales

Position: Most adjectives come after the noun:

une voiture rouge
un livre intéressant

Common adjectives that come before:

beau/belle (beautiful)
petit(e) (small)
grand(e) (big)
jeune (young)
vieux/vieille (old)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Agreement Errors

Wrong	Right	Rule
Le petit fille	La petite fille	Gender agreement
Les chat noir	Les chats noirs	Plural agreement

Verb Selection

Wrong	Right	Rule
J’ai allé	Je suis allé	Use être with movement verbs
Je suis mangé	J’ai mangé	Use avoir with most verbs

Preposition Usage

Expression	Meaning	Example
à + le = au	to/at the	Je vais au cinéma
de + le = du	of/from the	Je viens du cinéma
en	in (feminine countries)	Je vis en France
au	in (masculine countries)	Je vis au Canada

Pronunciation Tips

Silent letters:

Final consonants often silent (except c, r, f, l)
Silent ‘h’ at beginning of words
Final ’e’ usually silent unless needed for pronunciation

Liaison:

Required between article and noun: les‿amis
Required between number and noun: deux‿enfants
Required between subject pronoun and verb: nous‿avons

Sentence and Grammar Structure with Examples

Bonjour. ▶︎

Good morning.

Bonsoir. ▶︎

Good evening.

Que veux-tu? ▶︎

What do you want?

Que veux-tu manger? ▶︎

What do you want to eat?

Que veux-tu boire? ▶︎

What do you want to drink?

Que veux-tu faire? ▶︎

What do you want to do?

Je veux ceci. ▶︎

I want this.

Je veux quelque chose. ▶︎

I want something.

Je veux boire quelque chose. ▶︎

I want to drink something.

Je veux manger quelque chose. ▶︎

I want to eat something.

Je veux faire quelque chose. ▶︎

I want to do something

C'est bien. ▶︎

It is good.

C'est d'accord. ▶︎

It is OK.

C'est mauvais. ▶︎

It is bad.

Tu vas le faire? ▶︎

Will you do it?

Tu vas manger? ▶︎

Will you eat?

Tu vas conduire? ▶︎

Will you drive?

Je vais faire ça. ▶︎

I will do this.

Je vais manger quelque chose. ▶︎

I will eat something.

Je vais conduire. ▶︎

I will drive.

Tu le veux? ▶︎

Do you want it?

Tu veux quelque chose? ▶︎

Do you want something?

Tu veux manger? ▶︎

Do you want to eat?

Tu peux le faire? ▶︎

Can you do it?

Tu peux faire quelque chose? ▶︎

Can you do something?

Quand vas-tu le faire? ▶︎

When will you do it?

Tu veux le voir? ▶︎

Do you want to see it?

Je peux le voir? ▶︎

Can I see it?

Je veux le voir. ▶︎

I want to see it.

Je veux voir ce film. ▶︎

I want to see this movie.

Je peux le voir. ▶︎

I can see it.

Je ne le vois pas. ▶︎

I do not see it.

Je veux l'avoir. ▶︎

I want to have it.

Quand puis-je le voir? ▶︎

When can I see it?

Je veux rester ici. ▶︎

I want to stay here.

Je veux manger ici. ▶︎

I want to eat here.

Nous restons ici. ▶︎

We are staying here.

Combien de temps ça va prendre? ▶︎

How long will it take?

Je comprends. ▶︎

I understand.

Je ne comprends pas. ▶︎

I do not understand.

Je ne te comprends pas. ▶︎

I do not understand you.

Tu comprends? ▶︎

Do you understand?

Tu me comprends? ▶︎

Do you understand me?

Tu peux me comprendre? ▶︎

Can you understand me?

Je ne peux pas te comprendre. ▶︎

I cannot understand you.

Je suis désolé. ▶︎

I am sorry.

Je suis désolé, je ne le veux pas. ▶︎

I am sorry, I do not want it.

Je ne peux pas le trouver. ▶︎

I cannot find it.

Où puis-je le trouver? ▶︎

Where do I find it?

Je ne sais pas où il est. ▶︎

I do not know where it is.

Je veux le trouver. ▶︎

I want to find it.

Tu sais où il est? ▶︎

Do you know where it is?

Je l'ai. ▶︎

I have it.

J'ai de la nourriture. ▶︎

I have food.

J'ai de l'eau. ▶︎

I have water.

J'ai une voiture. ▶︎

I have a car.

Tu l'as? ▶︎

Do you have it?

Tu veux l'avoir? ▶︎

Do you want to have it?

Pourquoi tu ne l'as pas? ▶︎

Why do you not have it?

Je te le donnerai. ▶︎

I will give it to you.

Peux-tu me le donner? ▶︎

Can you give it to me?

Quand puis-je l'avoir? ▶︎

When can I have it?

J'en ai besoin. ▶︎

I need it.

J'ai besoin de repos. ▶︎

I need rest.

J'ai besoin d'eau. ▶︎

I need water.

Je n'en ai pas besoin. ▶︎

I do not need it.

J'en ai besoin maintenant. ▶︎

I need it now.

En as-tu besoin? ▶︎

Do you need it?

Quand en as-tu besoin? ▶︎

When do you need it?

Je peux l'apporter. ▶︎

I can bring it.

Dois-je l'apporter? ▶︎

Should I bring it?

Dois-je apporter à manger? ▶︎

Should I bring food?

Peux-tu l'apporter? ▶︎

Can you bring it?

Peux-tu apporter de l'eau? ▶︎

Can you bring water?

À quelle heure dois-je l'apporter? ▶︎

At what time should I bring it?

À quelle heure dois-je venir? ▶︎

At what time should I come?

À quelle heure en as-tu besoin? ▶︎

At what time do you need it?

À quelle heure arriveras-tu? ▶︎

At what time will you arrive?

Combien de temps vas-tu rester? ▶︎

How long will you stay?

Nous resterons deux heures. ▶︎

We will stay for two hours.

Pourrais-tu le faire, s'il te plaît? ▶︎

Could you please do it?

Pourrais-tu le faire pour moi, s'il te plaît? ▶︎

Could you please do it for me?

Je veux te dire quelque chose. ▶︎

I want to tell you something.

Quand me le diras-tu? ▶︎

When will you tell me?

Je veux que tu me le dises. ▶︎

I want you to tell me.

Je veux y aller. ▶︎

I want to go there.

Où veux-tu aller? ▶︎

Where do you want to go?

Je ne peux pas y aller. ▶︎

I cannot go there.

Je n'ai pas le temps. ▶︎

I have no time.

Je suis occupé. ▶︎

I am busy.

J'étais occupé. ▶︎

I was busy.

J'attends. ▶︎

I am waiting.

Pourrais-tu attendre, s'il te plaît? ▶︎

Could you wait, please?

Je voudrais acheter ceci. ▶︎

I would like to buy this.

Je voudrais acheter une voiture. ▶︎

I would like to buy a car.

Je voudrais le voir. ▶︎

I would like to see it.

Je voudrais le faire. ▶︎

I would like to do it.

Je l'aime. ▶︎

I like it.

Je ne l'aime pas. ▶︎

I don't like it.

J'aime cette nourriture. ▶︎

I like this food.

J'aime cette voiture. ▶︎

I like this car.

C'est cher. ▶︎

This is expensive.

C'est bon marché. ▶︎

This is cheap.

Elle est belle. ▶︎

She is beautiful.

Cette voiture est belle. ▶︎

This car is beautiful.

Je suis prêt. ▶︎

I am ready.

Es-tu prêt? ▶︎

Are you ready?

Tout sera prêt bientôt. ▶︎

Everything will be ready soon.

C'est possible. ▶︎

It is possible.

C'est impossible. ▶︎

It is impossible.

J'ai une question. ▶︎

I have a question.

Je voudrais te poser une question. ▶︎

I would like to ask you a question.

C'est ici. ▶︎

It is here.

Ce n'est pas ici. ▶︎

It is not here.

Je ne l'ai pas. ▶︎

I do not have it.

Je me sens bien. ▶︎

I feel good.

Comment te sens-tu? ▶︎

How do you feel?

Je dois me dépêcher. ▶︎

I need to hurry.

Peux-tu te dépêcher? ▶︎

Can you hurry?

C'est important. ▶︎

It’s important.

C'est cassé. ▶︎

It’s broken.

Cette voiture est en panne. ▶︎

This car is broken.