French Essential grammar

Abbreviations used in this guide

Each example below has three parts: the original text, a literal gloss describing how every word works, and a natural translation. The glosses use a few shorthand labels so they stay short. Don't worry about memorising them — this is a reference you can come back to.

Person and number · 1sg / 2sg / 3sg — first / second / third person singular (I, you, he/she/it) · 1pl / 2pl / 3pl — first / second / third person plural (we, you-all, they)

Gender and case · m / f / n — masculine / feminine / neuter · sg / pl — singular / plural · m.sg — combined: masculine singular (and similarly f.pl, n.sg, etc.) · NOM / ACC / GEN / DAT / INS / LOC — grammatical cases (nominative/accusative/genitive/dative/instrumental/locative) — which role the word plays in the sentence

Tense and aspect · PRES — present · PRET — preterite (a finished past event) · IMPF — imperfect (an ongoing or habitual past situation) · FUT — future · PERF — perfect (an action completed with present relevance) · PROG — progressive (action in progress, e.g. am eating) · COND — conditional (would…)

Mood · IND — indicative (regular statement) · SUBJ — subjunctive (uncertainty, wishes, doubts) · IMP — imperative (commands) · INF — infinitive (dictionary form: to go, to eat)

Other · REFL — reflexive (action on oneself: myself, yourself) · PERS — personal a (Spanish only — marks a human direct object) · HON — honorific (extra-polite form, common in Japanese/Korean) · TOP / SUB / OBJ — topic / subject / object markers (Japanese, Korean) · CL — classifier (Chinese, Japanese, Korean — a counter word for nouns) · NEG — negation

Word order (SVO; object pronouns before the verb)

French follows Subject-Verb-Object order, just like English: Marie mange une pomme. Adjectives usually come after the noun (une voiture rouge), though common short adjectives (petit, grand, bon, beau, jeune, vieux) precede it (un petit chien). Adverbs of frequency and manner typically follow the conjugated verb: Il parle bien. Crucially, when an object is a pronoun, it moves BEFORE the conjugated verb: Je le vois (not 'Je vois le'). In compound tenses, pronouns sit before the auxiliary: Je l'ai vu.

• Paul lit un livre. — Paul reads a book.
  Paul is reading a book.
• Je la connais. — I her know.
  I know her.
• Nous leur avons parlé. — We to-them have spoken.
  We spoke to them.

Articles (gendered; partitive du/de la; contractions au/du)

Every noun is masculine or feminine and takes a matching article. Definite: le (m), la (f), l' (before vowel/h), les (plural). Indefinite: un (m), une (f), des (plural). The partitive expresses 'some' of an uncountable: du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural) — used with food, drink, abstract qualities: Je bois du café. After negation, partitives become de: Je ne bois pas de café. The prepositions à and de contract with le/les: à + le = au, à + les = aux, de + le = du, de + les = des. They do NOT contract with la or l'.

• Le chat boit du lait. — The cat drinks of-the milk.
  The cat drinks (some) milk.
• Je vais au marché. — I go to-the market.
  I'm going to the market.
• C'est la maison du voisin. — It's the house of-the neighbor.
  It's the neighbor's house.

Pronouns (subject, object, reflexive, stressed)

Subject pronouns: je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles. Use tu for one familiar person, vous for plural or formal singular. Direct object: me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les. Indirect object (to/for someone): me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur. Reflexive: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. Object pronouns precede the verb. Stressed/disjunctive pronouns (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) appear after prepositions, in isolation, or for emphasis: Avec moi. Moi, je pense que… The pronouns y (there/to it) and en (of it/some) also precede the verb.

• Je te parle. — I to-you speak.
  I'm talking to you.
• Elle le lui donne. — She it to-him gives.
  She gives it to him.
• C'est pour toi. — It-is for you.
  It's for you.

Noun gender and adjective agreement

Every noun has a gender that must be memorized. Common feminine endings: -tion, -té, -ée, -ie, -ure, -ence. Common masculine endings: -age, -ment, -eau, -isme, -ier. Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Typical pattern: add -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for feminine plural. Many adjectives have irregular feminines: beau → belle, vieux → vieille, blanc → blanche, heureux → heureuse, sportif → sportive. Adjectives ending in -e (m) don't change in the feminine (rouge → rouge). Adjectives normally follow the noun, except short common ones (BAGS: Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size).

• un petit garçon intelligent — a small boy intelligent
  a smart little boy
• une petite fille intelligente — a small girl intelligent
  a smart little girl
• des chats noirs — some cats black
  black cats

Verb conjugation (-er, -ir, -re; key irregulars)

French verbs fall into three regular groups by infinitive ending. -er verbs (parler) are the largest and most predictable. -ir verbs split: regular ones like finir add -iss- in plural (nous finissons), while others like partir, sortir follow a different pattern. -re verbs (vendre, attendre) are smaller and mostly regular. Four irregular verbs are essential and used everywhere: être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), faire (to do/make). Memorize their forms early — they also serve as auxiliaries (être/avoir for compound tenses) and as the base of common idioms (faire chaud, avoir faim, aller bien).

• Je suis étudiant ; j'ai vingt ans. — I am student; I have twenty years.
  I'm a student; I'm twenty.
• Nous allons faire les courses. — We go to-do the shopping.
  We're going to do the shopping.
• Ils finissent leurs devoirs. — They finish their homework.
  They're finishing their homework.

Regular present-tense paradigms: parler, finir, vendre

French regular verbs split into three groups by infinitive ending. Here are the full present indicative paradigms of one model verb from each.

parler (to speak) : -er group

finir (to finish) : -ir group (regular, -iss- in plural)

vendre (to sell) : -re group

Key points. For -er verbs, four of the six forms (je, tu, il, ils) sound identical: only the spelling differs, so context and the subject pronoun do all the work in speech. For -ir verbs of the finir type, the plural inserts -iss-, which gives them a clearly different sound (finit /fini/ vs finissent /finis/). For -re verbs, the 3rd singular has no ending at all (il vend), the final -d is silent, and in inversion questions it sounds like a /t/ (Vend-il ? = vɑ̃til). Other useful verbs follow the same paradigms: parler-type covers regarder, écouter, aimer, travailler, habiter, chercher; finir-type covers choisir, réussir, grandir, réfléchir; vendre-type covers attendre, entendre, répondre, perdre, descendre.

• Nous parlons français à la maison. — We speak French at home.
  We speak French at home.
• Vous finissez à quelle heure ? — You (pl) finish at what hour?
  What time do you finish?
• Ils vendent des légumes au marché. — They sell vegetables at the market.
  They sell vegetables at the market.
• J'attends le bus depuis dix minutes. — I wait for the bus since ten minutes.
  I've been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.
• Elle choisit un dessert. — She chooses a dessert.
  She's choosing a dessert.
• Tu travailles trop. — You (sg) work too much.
  You work too much.

Present tense (présent)

The present covers English 'I do', 'I am doing', and 'I have been doing' (with depuis). Regular -er: drop -er, add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent (parle, parles, parle, parlons, parlez, parlent — the last three of singular and the 3pl all sound the same). Regular -ir (finir-type): -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. Regular -re: -s, -s, –, -ons, -ez, -ent. The present is also used for near-future plans (Je pars demain) and for ongoing situations begun in the past with depuis: J'habite ici depuis 2010 = 'I've lived here since 2010.'

• Tu parles français ? — You speak French?
  Do you speak French?
• Elle attend le bus. — She waits the bus.
  She's waiting for the bus.
• J'apprends le français depuis deux ans. — I learn the French since two years.
  I've been learning French for two years.

Past: passé composé (être/avoir + participle) vs imparfait

Passé composé reports completed events: auxiliary (avoir for most verbs; être for ~15 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) + past participle. -er → -é, -ir → -i, -re → -u; many irregulars (faire→fait, voir→vu, prendre→pris). With être, the participle agrees with the subject (Elle est allée). Imparfait describes ongoing/habitual past states or background: drop -ons from nous-present, add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Use imparfait for descriptions ('it was raining', 'I used to…') and passé composé for what happened next.

• J'ai mangé une pomme. — I have eaten an apple.
  I ate an apple.
• Elle est partie tôt. — She is left early.
  She left early.
• Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot. — When I was little, I played at-the football.
  When I was little, I used to play soccer.

Future: futur simple and aller + infinitive

Two ways to talk about the future. The 'futur proche' (near future) = aller (present) + infinitive — used for plans and imminent actions, very common in speech: Je vais manger. The 'futur simple' is a one-word form built on the infinitive (for -re verbs, drop final -e) + endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Irregular stems must be learned: être→ser-, avoir→aur-, aller→ir-, faire→fer-, venir→viendr-, voir→verr-, pouvoir→pourr-. Futur simple is preferred for distant, formal, or hypothetical futures, and is required after quand referring to the future: Quand il arrivera…

• Je vais te téléphoner ce soir. — I go you to-phone this evening.
  I'm going to call you tonight.
• Nous partirons demain matin. — We will-leave tomorrow morning.
  We'll leave tomorrow morning.
• Quand tu seras grand, tu comprendras. — When you will-be big, you will-understand.
  When you're grown up, you'll understand.

VOULOIR + infinitif (to want to do something)

To say 'I want to + verb', conjugate vouloir (irregular) and follow it with an infinitive. Vouloir is one of the most useful verbs in everyday French and works the same way as English 'want to'.

The second verb stays in the infinitive: never conjugate both. Negative: place ne...pas around vouloir, infinitive untouched: Je ne veux pas partir. Question by inversion: Veux-tu venir ? Note the register: 'tu veux + inf' is direct and very common with friends, while in service contexts (shops, restaurants) people use the politer 'je voudrais + inf' (see separate section). To say 'I want someone else to do X', French uses the subjunctive: Je veux que tu viennes (not 'I want you to come' word-for-word). Common pitfall for English speakers: don't insert 'to' or 'de' between vouloir and the infinitive: Je veux aller, not 'Je veux à aller'.

• Je veux manger quelque chose. — I want to-eat something.
  I want to eat something.
• Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire ce soir ? — What want-you to-do this evening?
  What do you want to do tonight?
• Nous voulons aller au cinéma. — We want to-go to the cinema.
  We want to go to the cinema.
• Ils ne veulent pas partir. — They not want not to-leave.
  They don't want to leave.
• Elle veut apprendre l'espagnol. — She wants to-learn the Spanish.
  She wants to learn Spanish.
• Tu veux un café ? — Want-you a coffee?
  Do you want a coffee?

ALLER + infinitif (futur proche, going to do something)

The futur proche ('near future') is built with aller in the present + infinitive. It corresponds closely to English 'going to + verb' and is the most common way to talk about the future in spoken French.

Use it for plans, intentions, and predictions based on present evidence: Il va pleuvoir (look at the sky). It works for both immediate and slightly more distant plans: Je vais te téléphoner dans cinq minutes / la semaine prochaine. Negation wraps aller, not the infinitive: Je ne vais pas sortir. Object pronouns sit between aller and the infinitive: Je vais le faire. Compare with the futur simple (Je partirai), which sounds more formal, more distant, or more committed: in everyday speech the futur proche is preferred. A frequent learner error is conjugating both verbs (Je vais pars). The second verb must remain an infinitive.

• Je vais appeler ma mère. — I go to-call my mother.
  I'm going to call my mother.
• Il va pleuvoir. — It goes to-rain.
  It's going to rain.
• Nous allons déménager le mois prochain. — We go to-move next month.
  We're going to move next month.
• Est-ce que tu vas venir à la fête ? — Are-you going to-come to the party?
  Are you going to come to the party?
• Ils vont gagner le match. — They go to-win the match.
  They're going to win the match.
• Je ne vais pas faire ça. — I not go not to-do that.
  I'm not going to do that.

AVOIR / ÊTRE + participe passé (passé composé paradigm)

The passé composé is the everyday past tense for finished events. It is built with the present of avoir or être plus the past participle.

Choosing the auxiliary. Most verbs use avoir. A small set of intransitive 'motion and state-change' verbs use être, plus all reflexive verbs. The être verbs are often memorized as a list: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, retourner, devenir, passer (when intransitive).

Forming the participle.

Conjugation pattern with avoir (manger).

Conjugation pattern with être (aller). Here the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, like an adjective.

Negation surrounds the auxiliary: Je n'ai pas mangé. In questions by inversion, only the auxiliary inverts: As-tu mangé ? Compare with the imparfait for ongoing or habitual past situations: J'ai mangé une pomme (one finished event) vs Je mangeais des pommes tous les jours (a habit).

• J'ai mangé au restaurant. — I have eaten at the restaurant.
  I ate at the restaurant.
• Elle est allée à la boulangerie. — She is gone-fem to the bakery.
  She went to the bakery.
• Nous avons pris le train. — We have taken the train.
  We took the train.
• Avez-vous vu le film ? — Have-you seen the film?
  Have you seen the film?
• Elles sont arrivées hier. — They (fem) are arrived-fem-pl yesterday.
  They arrived yesterday.
• Je n'ai pas fini mon travail. — I not-have not finished my work.
  I haven't finished my work.

JE VOUDRAIS + infinitif (would like to, polite)

Vouloir in the conditional gives the polite form je voudrais ('I would like'). It softens a request and is the standard phrase in shops, restaurants, and any service interaction. The full conditional paradigm:

Follow with either an infinitive ('I would like to + verb') or a noun ('I would like a + noun'). Compare the registers:

Another common politeness alternative is j'aimerais + infinitif ('I would love to'), which sounds slightly warmer or more enthusiastic: J'aimerais visiter Paris. To say 'I'd like you to do X', use the subjunctive after que: Je voudrais que tu viennes. Pitfall: don't translate 'I would like to know' as 'Je voudrais à savoir'. No preposition: just Je voudrais savoir.

• Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. — I would-want a coffee, if it you pleases.
  I'd like a coffee, please.
• Je voudrais réserver une table pour deux personnes. — I would-want to-reserve a table for two persons.
  I'd like to book a table for two.
• Nous voudrions visiter le musée demain. — We would-want to-visit the museum tomorrow.
  We'd like to visit the museum tomorrow.
• Voudriez-vous quelque chose à boire ? — Would-want-you something to-drink?
  Would you like something to drink?
• Elle voudrait savoir le prix. — She would-want to-know the price.
  She'd like to know the price.
• J'aimerais voyager au Japon. — I would-love to-travel in Japan.
  I'd love to travel in Japan.

ÊTRE EN TRAIN DE + infinitif (progressive, in the middle of doing)

Unlike English, French has no dedicated -ing form for the present progressive. The simple present already covers it: Je mange = both 'I eat' and 'I am eating'. When you specifically want to stress that an action is in progress right now, French uses the periphrasis être en train de + infinitif ('to be in the middle of doing').

Use it to emphasize the in-progress aspect (similar to English 'right now' or 'in the middle of'): Ne me dérange pas, je suis en train de travailler. For background information ('it was raining when I arrived'), French prefers the imparfait (Il pleuvait quand je suis arrivé) and rarely uses 'être en train de' in the past, though it is possible: J'étais en train de cuisiner.

A simpler everyday alternative is just to add an adverb like maintenant (now), là (right now, very common in speech), or actuellement (currently) to the simple present:

Common pitfall: don't say 'Je suis lisant' on the model of English 'I am reading'. French does have a gerund (en lisant = while reading), but it is not a present-progressive equivalent.

• Je suis en train de travailler, rappelle-moi plus tard. — I am in train of to-work, call back me later.
  I'm working right now, call me back later.
• Elle est en train de préparer le dîner. — She is in train of to-prepare the dinner.
  She's preparing dinner.
• Qu'est-ce que tu es en train de faire ? — What are-you in train of to-do?
  What are you doing right now?
• Nous sommes en train de regarder un film. — We are in train of to-watch a film.
  We're watching a film.
• Les enfants dorment maintenant. — The children sleep now.
  The children are sleeping now.
• Je lis un roman en ce moment. — I read a novel right-now.
  I'm reading a novel at the moment.

POUVOIR + infinitif (can, to be able to)

To say 'I can do X', conjugate the irregular verb pouvoir and follow it with an infinitive. Pouvoir covers both ability ('I am able to') and permission ('I am allowed to'), and in the conditional it becomes a polite request ('could you...').

In questions, the inverted 1sg form is special: puis-je (not 'peux-je') in formal style. In everyday speech, use 'est-ce que je peux' or 'je peux' with rising intonation.

Past and conditional forms.

Note a subtlety: 'je pouvais' describes a general past ability, while 'j'ai pu' implies the action was actually carried out. Compare: Je pouvais nager à cinq ans (I knew how to swim at age five) vs J'ai pu finir à temps (I managed to finish in time).

For 'cannot', wrap pouvoir in ne...pas: Je ne peux pas venir. Pitfall: don't confuse pouvoir (can, allowed/able) with savoir (to know how). For a learned skill like swimming or playing piano, French often prefers savoir: Je sais nager (I know how to swim) rather than Je peux nager (which sounds more like 'I'm allowed to swim' or 'I'm currently able to swim').

• Je ne peux pas venir ce soir. — I can not come this evening.
  I can't come tonight.
• Tu peux m'aider ? — Can-you to-help me?
  Can you help me?
• Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? — Could-you (formal) to-repeat, please?
  Could you repeat that, please?
• Nous avons pu finir à temps. — We have been-able to-finish on time.
  We managed to finish on time.
• Elle peut parler trois langues. — She can to-speak three languages.
  She can speak three languages.
• Est-ce que je peux entrer ? — Can-I to-enter?
  May I come in?

Negation (ne...pas, ne...jamais, ne...rien)

French negation wraps the conjugated verb in two pieces: ne (n' before vowel) before the verb, and a second word after it. Pas = not (default); jamais = never; rien = nothing; plus = no longer/no more; personne = nobody; aucun(e) = not any. In compound tenses, both parts surround the auxiliary: Je n'ai pas mangé. Personne, however, follows the participle: Je n'ai vu personne. After negation, indefinite and partitive articles (un, une, des, du, de la) become de: Je n'ai pas de voiture. In informal speech, the 'ne' is often dropped: J'sais pas.

• Je ne fume pas. — I not smoke not.
  I don't smoke.
• Il n'a rien dit. — He not-has nothing said.
  He didn't say anything.
• Nous ne sortons jamais le lundi. — We not go-out never the Monday.
  We never go out on Mondays.

Questions (intonation, est-ce que, inversion, wh-)

Three registers for yes/no questions. (1) Intonation — keep statement order, raise pitch: Tu viens ? (informal). (2) Est-ce que at the start, no other changes: Est-ce que tu viens ? (neutral). (3) Inversion — verb-subject with a hyphen: Viens-tu ? (formal); in 3rd person singular ending in a vowel, insert -t-: A-t-il fini ? Question words (qui, que, où, quand, pourquoi, comment, combien) combine with these: Où est-ce que tu vas ? / Où vas-tu ? / Tu vas où ? 'Qu'est-ce que' = 'what' as direct object; 'qu'est-ce qui' = 'what' as subject.

• Vous parlez anglais ? — You speak English?
  Do you speak English?
• Est-ce qu'elle arrive bientôt ? — Is-it that-she arrives soon?
  Is she arriving soon?
• Pourquoi as-tu fait ça ? — Why have-you done that?
  Why did you do that?

Plural of nouns

The default plural marker is -s, which is written but not pronounced: un livre → des livres. Nouns ending in -s, -x, -z don't change: un nez → des nez. Nouns ending in -au, -eau, -eu take -x: un bateau → des bateaux. Most nouns in -al become -aux: un cheval → des chevaux (exceptions: bal, festival → -als). Most in -ou take -s, but seven take -x (bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou). Since the plural ending is usually silent, listeners rely on the article (le/les, un/des) to detect number — so the article carries critical information.

• un enfant → des enfants — a child → some children
  a child → children
• un journal → des journaux — a newspaper → some newspapers
  a newspaper → newspapers
• un gâteau → des gâteaux — a cake → some cakes
  a cake → cakes

Reflexive verbs (se laver, s'appeler)

A reflexive verb conjugates with a reflexive pronoun that matches its subject: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. Many describe daily routines or actions done to oneself: se lever (get up), se laver (wash oneself), se brosser les dents (brush teeth), s'habiller (get dressed), se coucher (go to bed). Others are inherently reflexive in form but not in meaning: s'appeler (be called), se souvenir (remember), s'amuser (have fun). In the passé composé, reflexives ALWAYS use être as auxiliary, and the participle generally agrees with the subject: Elle s'est levée tôt.

• Je m'appelle Marie. — I myself-call Marie.
  My name is Marie.
• Nous nous levons à sept heures. — We ourselves get-up at seven hours.
  We get up at seven.
• Ils se sont couchés tard. — They themselves are gone-to-bed late.
  They went to bed late.

Elision and liaison

Elision: certain one-syllable words ending in -e or -a drop that vowel and take an apostrophe before a word starting with a vowel or mute h: le + ami → l'ami; je + ai → j'ai; ne + est → n'est; que + il → qu'il; si + il → s'il (only with il/ils). Liaison: a normally silent final consonant is pronounced and linked to the next word when it starts with a vowel/mute h. Common obligatory liaisons: after determiners (les_amis, mon_ami, un_homme), pronouns (nous_avons, vous_êtes), and short adjectives before a noun (petit_ami). The s and x become /z/, d becomes /t/, f becomes /v/ in 'neuf ans/heures'.

• J'aime l'hiver. — I-like the-winter.
  I like winter.
• Nous avons (nou-z-avons) un grand appartement. — We have a big apartment.
  We have a big apartment.
• S'il te plaît. — If-it to-you pleases.
  Please.