La grammaire
Grammar with purpose.
High-friction French grammar explained through patterns, real examples and short exercises, from past tenses to the subjunctive after opinions.
31 guides
PracticeTen grammar quizzes with every answer explainedSee all quizzes →
Past tenses Les temps du passé
- Passé Composé vs ImparfaitPassé composé or imparfait? Learn the difference with clear rules, timelines, signal words, verb changes like savoir and connaître, and…Les temps du passé
- Être or Avoir in the Passé ComposéÊtre or avoir in the passé composé? The full list of être verbs, the six verbs that take both, pronominal verbs, agreement and practice.Le passé composé
- Past Participle AgreementWhen does the French past participle agree? Clear rules for être, avoir and pronominal verbs, common mistakes and practice with answers.L'accord du participe passé
- The Plus-que-parfaitHow to form and use the French plus-que-parfait with the passé composé and imparfait, in reported speech and si clauses. With practice.Le plus-que-parfait
- Depuis, Pendant and Il y aDepuis, pendant or il y a? How to talk about time in French, the tense each one needs, plus pour, en and dans, with practice and answers.Exprimer la durée
Future, conditional and moods Les modes
- Futur Proche vs Futur SimpleFutur proche or futur simple? How to form both French future tenses, when natives use each one, the “quand + future” rule and practice…Le futur
- The ConditionalThe French conditional (conditionnel présent) explained: how to form it, irregular stems, its six main uses, si clauses, the past…Le conditionnel
- The SubjunctiveThe main triggers for the French subjunctive, the expressions that never take it, how to form it, irregular verbs and practice with answers.Le subjonctif
- The ImperativeHow to form the French imperative, the irregular verbs, where pronouns go (donne-le-moi), negative commands, and polite alternatives to…L'impératif
- The GerundThe French gerund (en + present participle): how to form it, its uses, tout en, the same-subject rule, and why “I like swimming” is not…Le gérondif
- The Passive VoiceThe French passive explained: être + past participle in every tense, agreement, par or de, why “I was given” doesn’t work, and the…La voix passive
- Reported SpeechHow to report what someone said in French: tense changes, reported questions with si and ce que, orders with de + infinitive, time words…Le discours indirect
- Il Faut vs DevoirIl faut or devoir? How to express obligation in French, the meanings of devoir, “must not” vs “don’t have to”, should and should have,…L'obligation
Pronouns Les pronoms
- Object PronounsFrench direct and indirect object pronouns explained: le, la, les vs lui, leur, the verbs that trip up English speakers, word order and…Les pronoms compléments
- The Pronouns Y and EnWhat the French pronouns y and en replace, where they go, y vs lui, en with quantities, everyday expressions like vas-y, and practice.Les pronoms y et en
- Relative PronounsWhen to use qui, que, dont and où in French, plus lequel and ce qui / ce que, with simple tests, common mistakes and practice with answers.Les pronoms relatifs
- Reflexive VerbsFrench reflexive verbs explained: the pronouns, the passé composé with être, agreement, reciprocal verbs, verbs that change meaning, and…Les verbes pronominaux
- PossessivesFrench possessive adjectives and pronouns explained: mon, ma, mes, why “sa mère” can mean his mother, mon amie, leur vs leurs, le mien…Les possessifs
Nouns, articles and adjectives Le groupe nominal
- Masculine or Feminine?How to guess if a French noun is masculine or feminine: reliable endings, the main exceptions, words that change meaning with gender,…Le genre des noms
- Partitive Articles: Du, De la, DesWhen to use du, de la, de l' and des in French, why it’s “j’aime le café” but “je bois du café”, and the rules after negations and…Les articles partitifs
- Adjective PlacementWhere do adjectives go in French? The general rule, the BAGS adjectives that go before the noun, bel, nouvel, vieil, and adjectives that…La place de l'adjectif
- Comparatives and SuperlativesHow to compare in French: plus, moins, aussi and autant, comparing nouns and verbs, superlatives (le plus, le moins), irregular forms,…La comparaison
- Bon vs Bien, Meilleur vs MieuxBon or bien? Meilleur or mieux? The difference between French adjectives and adverbs of “good” and “well”, c’est bon vs c’est bien, and…Bon, bien, meilleur, mieux
- Tout, Toute, Tous, ToutesTout, toute, tous or toutes? How tout works as an adjective, a pronoun and an adverb, how to pronounce tous, common expressions and…Tout, toute, tous, toutes
- C'est vs Il estC’est or il est? The rules for professions, nationalities, adjectives, people and ideas, with the most common mistakes and practice with…C'est ou il est ?
Sentences and spelling La phrase
- NegationFrench negation explained: ne… pas, plus, jamais, rien, personne, que and aucun, where each word goes, pas de, negation in speech and…La négation
- Asking QuestionsThe three ways to ask a question in French (intonation, est-ce que, inversion), question words, quel vs qu’est-ce que, polite indirect…Poser des questions
- Prepositions With PlacesÀ, en, au or aux? How to say “in” and “to” with French cities, countries, continents and Canadian provinces, plus “from” (de, du, des)…Les prépositions de lieu
- Savoir vs ConnaîtreSavoir or connaître? The difference between the two French verbs for “to know”, with rules, conjugations, past meanings and practice.Savoir ou connaître
- French AccentsThe five French accents explained: what é, è, ê, ç and ë do, how they change pronunciation and meaning, accents on capitals, and how to…Les accents