Articles Index
French Past Imperative - Impératif passé
The French past imperative gives a command for something that must be done before a certain time.
French Subjunctive - Le subjonctif
French students tend to agree that the subjunctive is the most difficult French verb form - here are over a dozen pages of lessons and info on the French subjunctive to help you learn all about it.
Fickle French Adjectives
There are a number of French adjectives which have different meanings depending on where they are placed. Generally speaking, when the adjective precedes the noun, it has a figurative or subjective meaning, whereas the adjective which follows the noun has a literal or objective meaning.
Imperfect Subjunctive - French Literary Tense
The French imperfect subjunctive (imparfait du subjonctif) is a literary verb form used in formal writing, such as literature, journalism, and history. Like all literary verb forms, you really only need to be able to recognize it, not use it.
French Negative Adjectives
French negative adjectives, sometimes called indefinite negative adjectives, are made up of two parts which surround the verb: ne aucun, ne nul, ne pas un.
Devoir vs Falloir
The French verbs devoir and falloir can be confusing because they both express obligation and necessity, but in different ways. In addition, each verb has a different meaning when followed by a noun.
French Infinitive - L'infinitif
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb, sometimes called the name of the verb. We usually learn French verbs in the infinitive, since that is what you start with in order to conjugate them.
French Comparative Adverbs
Comparatives express relative superiority or inferiority; that is, that something is more or less than something else. In addition, comparatives can say that two things are equal.
English Singulars and French Plurals
Nouns are not always singular in both French and English. Here is a list of words that are singular or uncountable in English but plural or countable in French.
French Possessive Pronouns - Pronoms possessifs
Possessive pronouns are the words which replace nouns modified by possessive adjectives. In French there are different forms of possessive pronouns depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
-E_ER - French Stem-Changing Verbs
French stem-changing verbs are conjugated with the same endings as regular -ER verbs but have two different radicals or stems. Verbs that end in -e_er and -é_er have an accent addition or change in the stem of certain conjugations.
French Present Participle - Le participe présent
The French present participle is the verb form that ends in -ant and is far less common than its English counterpart. The French present participle may be an adjective, gerund, noun, or verb.
French Exclamative Adjectives - Adjectifs exclamatifs
The French exclamative adjective, quel, is placed in front of a noun to express admiration, astonishment, indignation, or another strong sentiment about that noun.
Passé composé - French Compound Past Tense
The passé composé is the most common French past tense, often used in conjunction with the imperfect (imparfait) and used to express actions completed in the past.
French Interrogative Adjectives - Adjectifs interrogatifs
Interrogative adjectives ask the question which. The French equivalent of which, quel, must be used whenever there is more than one noun that you are choosing between.
French Exclamative Adverbs - Adverbes d'exclamation
Exclamative adverbs are placed in front of clauses to indicate shock, disbelief, awe, or some other strong emotion felt by the speaker. There are five French exclamative adverbs: comme, que, qu'est-ce que, ce que, and combien.
French Past Tenses - Passé composé vs Imperfect
During the first year of French study, every student becomes aware of the troublesome relationship between the two main past tenses: imperfect and passé composé. This lesson compares and contrasts the usage of these two French verb tenses.
Advanced French Past Tenses
The difference between the two main French past tenses, the passé composé and the imperfect, is a constant struggle for many French students. In this advanced lesson, you will learn about the particularities of certain verbs, including those that are usually in the imperfect and those that have different meanings depending on which tense is used.
French Imperative Mood
Learn how to give commands with the French imperative.
French Passive Voice
Voice is a grammatical term which indicates the relationship between a subject and verb. In the passive voice, the action described by the verb is being done to the subject by an agent.
French Verb Conjugation
Conjugation refers to the five possible inflections of a verb: Person, Number, Mood, Tense, and Voice. Once you've made a choice from each of these five, you have a conjugation or inflection.
French Indefinite Pronouns - Pronoms indéfinis
French indefinite pronouns, sometimes called affirmative indefinite pronouns, are unspecific and are used in place of nouns. Learn all about French indefinite pronouns like autre, d'autres, certain, chacun, and tout.
Être verbs - French Auxiliary Verbs
Learn which French verbs use être to form the passé composé and the other compound tenses.
French Past Participle
The participe passé is the French equivalent of the -ed form of English verbs. It is used in compound tenses, in the passive voice, and as an adjective.
French Grammar and Pronunciation Glossary
A bilingual glossary of grammar terms (French and English), with links to related lessons and resources.