The Ultimate French Grammar Learning Guide

Author: Camille Chevalier

Here are my clear explanations of French grammar terms used in French such as pronoun, person, mood, tense, voice, agreement, infinitive etc…

Key Takeaways

Understanding Grammar

Grammar is the set of rules that control a language, acting as a framework for words to communicate effectively. In French, grammar helps connect words in a sentence, ensuring clarity and logic in written and spoken interactions.

The Importance of Grammar Terms

Many students struggle with French grammar because they are unfamiliar with the specific terms used to describe sentence elements, such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs. But you canā€™t avoid it: knowing these terms is crucial for mastering French grammar.

Agreement in French Grammar

Agreement in French grammar refers to the way words change form to match other words in gender, number, and tense. This is one of the key concepts and is essential for constructing grammatically correct sentences in French.

The Challenge of Learning French Grammar

French grammar is often seen as more complex than English grammar, requiring years of study. One of the problems is that many French teachers assume students already know grammar terms, which can lead to even more confusion and frustration for learners.

Now letā€™s see all these concepts in depthā€¦

A language is not just made of words. If you memorized plenty of French vocabulary, that wouldnā€™t make you fluent in French. To speak French fluently and eloquently, you also need to know how to arrange that vocabulary so it flows nicely in your sentence. This is when French grammar comes into play.

What is grammar?

What we call grammar in language acquisition is the set of rules which controls the language. In other words, Grammar is a language within the language: itā€™s a way for words to communicate between themselves, and send extra info to your brain. Pretty cool, donā€™t you think?

For example, in English, when you use ā€œHeā€ with a verb in the present, you usually add an S.
He speaks.
This is a grammar rule, more precisely a conjugation rule.
The fact of adding an S to the verb connects these the ā€œheā€ and the verb together: because you added an S, your brain groups ā€œheā€ and ā€œspeaksā€ closely together: no doubt about it, heā€™s the one speaking.
Grammar reinforces the message to your brain.

French grammar features many rules.
And French students spend decades learning them.

Unfortunately, many foreign students have never learned the key words French grammar uses to describe the sentence elements, such as ā€œnouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, agreementsā€ā€¦

These terms describe what you could understand as jobs for the words. And these jobs will determine where the word goes in the sentence, how it is spelled and pronounced.

Many students just think a word is a word. They donā€™t understand the various jobs. Thatā€™s why for many French as a foreign language students, French grammar is so very frustrating!

The shame of not understanding grammar terms

English grammar is rather simple compared to French grammar. Most English speakers have had some grammar school teachings at one point in their studies, but many donā€™t remember it.

Iā€™ve met many extremely intelligent and cultivated English speakers who couldnā€™t point out a direct object in a sentence. Knowledge of formal grammar terms is just not something that is typically insisted upon in the English culture.

However, French grammar is something French people spend at least ten years studying in French school.

The terrible news is that many French teachers just assume grammar is common knowledge. So they start blasting rules full of grammatical terms foreign students donā€™t really understand. And since the students often feel they ā€˜shouldā€™ know them somehow, they donā€™t dare interrupt the class. Then they donā€™t understand anything. They feel ashamed. And they associate French grammar with terrible frustration.

grammar Rules clearly explained

But thereā€™s hope! Once you understand the French grammar terms used by books and French teachers, you will be able to concentrate on the rule itself, and it will all make sense to you. I promise.

French grammar is a wonderful tool. Itā€™s an extra layer of logic which binds words together and will help you ā€“ yes, I mean really help you ā€“ become more fluent and eloquent in French.

Grammar is something you can count on. You donā€™t need to second guess it. One you understand the rule, you apply it. And it works!

By studying French grammar, you will discover a whole new layer to the French language. Chances are that youā€™ll discover a lot about English as well. Grammar is deeply rooted in the French language: French grammar will affect the way a word is spelled, where you place it in the sentence, and often change the pronunciation as well. It really is fascinating!

What follows is a quick overview and recap of what these different French grammar terms mean: all these concepts are clearly and progressively explained in my audiobook French learning method ƀ Moi Paris where I compare French to English grammar, explain everything in English, then provide plenty of examples. The whole learning method is then illustrated by a level-adapted ongoing novel, entirely recorded and translated into English. Check it out!

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I know this is a lot to memorize, but believe me, knowing these terms will be a huge help to understand French (or any language) grammar.

So letā€™s start with a key term in French grammar and explain what an agreement is.

What is an Agreement in French Grammar?

In French grammar, some words are said to ā€œagreeā€ with each other.

In English, when you add an ā€œsā€ to the 3rd person singular (as in ā€œshe singSā€œ), you apply a subject-verb agreement. In other words, you make the verb and the subject agree ā€“ or match ā€“ to say ā€œhey, this verb is working with this subject !!ā€

Grammar reinforces the link between these two words: it makes an extra connection in your brain.

Agreements are not very common in English. But they are very common in French grammar. You will have to change some words or parts of words (like the endings of verbs or French adjectives) to match other French words related to them.

In French, words have a language of their own: they speak to each other. You could say that grammar is the inner language of the wordsā€¦

Letā€™s see an example of word agreements in French:

La fille blonde est assise.
The blond girl is sitting.

  1. The noun ā€œfilleā€ is feminine singular. Because of this, I chose ā€œlaā€, not ā€œleā€.
  2. I wrote a silent ā€œeā€ at the end of the adjective ā€œblond ā€“> blondeā€.
  3. I conjugated my verb ā€œto beā€ to the ā€œisā€ form to match the subject (the girl: 3rd person singular).
  4. I also wrote an ā€œeā€ at the end of ā€œassiseā€ to match the gender of girl.

So, there are all types of agreements:

  1. an article agreement (la),
  2. an adjective agreement (blonde),
  3. a subject/verb agreement (est)
  4. and finally a past-participle agreement (assise).

The fact that Iā€™m talking about a feminine word ricochets throughout the French sentence!
In English, the fact that my subject is feminine doesnā€™t change anything at all.

So grammar is a point where French and English differ quite a bit.
Hence, itā€™s totally normal that an English-speaking student learning French need some gentle guidance and time to get accustomed to this new layer of thinking they need to add to speak French!

Now letā€™s see different category of words in French grammar.

Essential French Grammar Terms You Have To Know

There are five essential terms which are always repeated in French grammar: verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.

If you want to understand your French grammar class, you have to understand what these terms mean.

What is a Verb?

A verb indicates an action.

It can be:

  1. physical (to walk, to run, to go),
  2. mental (to think, to laugh),
  3. or a condition (to be, to have).

A verb is ā€œconjugatedā€ to match (we also say to agree with) its subject: he does, she has, the dogs wereā€¦

Would you like to know how to conjugate a French verb? Here is an article about the French verb ĆŖtre with audio. I also invite you to browse the French verb category of this blog, where you will find many free French verb lessons.

What is a Noun?

A noun is the name of a person, an animal, a thing, a place, an ideaā€¦

Nouns can be common nouns: man, dog, cup, home, loveā€¦

Or they can be proper nouns: Mary, Paris, Franceā€¦

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun replaces one or several nouns.

When you speak of John, instead of repeating his name over and over, you use the pronoun ā€œheā€.

ā€œHimā€, ā€œhisā€ are other kinds of pronouns, although they also refer to Paul.

You will choose the correct pronoun according to its role in the sentence. Each word in a sentence has a job. Grammar will explain to you the different kinds of jobs, and how a word is to behave.

For example:

  1. ā€œheā€ is used to replace a noun subject of the verb,
  2. ā€œhimā€ for an object pronoun,
  3. and ā€œhisā€ for a possessive pronoun.

French pronouns tend to be complicated for English students, because students often donā€™t really ā€œunderstandā€ pronouns in English: they donā€™t know the different jobs pronouns can do! Iā€™ve written a free blog lesson about French pronouns which I invite you to read for more info.

French pronouns are explained in depth and progressively, with many examples in my French audiobook learning method ƀ Moi Paris level 3.

What is an adjective?

An adjective describes a noun or a pronoun in different ways:

  1. A descriptive adjective indicates a quality: tall, blond, intelligent.
  2. A possessive adjective shows possession: my book, their dogs.
  3. A demonstrative adjective points out a noun: this book, that dog.
  4. An interrogative adjective asks a question about a noun: what book, which dog?

French adjectives follow very different rules than their English counterparts.
Most descriptive adjectives go after the noun in French, when they go before the noun in English.

Une fille blonde.
A blond girl.

French adjectives will agree in what we call gender and number with the noun they modify, and this will affect both their writing and their pronunciation. This too will take some training and getting used to :-)

What is an adverb?

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb (well, very, soon).

Many adverbs end in ā€œlyā€ in English (happily) and in ā€œmentā€ in French (heureusement).

French adverbs are invariable, which means they (almost) never agree with another word. But there are rules for where to place them in the sentenceā€¦

Il parle bien franƧais. (Bien is the adverb)
He speaks French well.

The Secret To Learning French Grammar Efficiently šŸ”

As you now understand, the very first thing is to understand the French grammar terms: what is a noun? A pronoun? An adverb?

Then, you need to learn how to recognize them in a sentence, and sometimes figure out their specific job (is it a descriptive adjective? A demonstrative, possessive, interrogative adjective?

Then, and only then, you can concentrate on learning the rules which control them.

Now that you know these essential grammar terms, let me explain more grammatical words you will certainly come across during your French language studies.

5 Grammar Terms Useful For French Verbs

Letā€™s start with French grammar terms closely related to verbs.

What is a Subject?

In grammar, we call ā€˜subjectā€™ the person or thing that does the action of the verb.

There is an easy way to find the subject of a sentence.

  1. First, find the verb.
  2. Then ask: ā€œwho + verbā€ or ā€œwhat + verbā€.
  3. The answer to that question will be your subject.

A subject is a noun or a pronoun (here is my free lesson about French subject pronouns). A subject can be a person, a thing, a place, an ideaā€¦

Examples:

  1. I paint.
    Who paints?
    I paint.
    ā€œIā€ is the subject.
  2. Camille is teaching French.
    Who is teaching?
    Camille is teaching.
    ā€œCamilleā€ is the subject.
  3. What is happening to Camille?
    Whatā€™s happening?
    What is happening.
    ā€œWhatā€ is the subject (This one was trickier, wasnā€™t it? I told you: grammar is like a game!!)
  4. Was freedom won easily?
    What was won?
    Freedom was won.
    ā€œFreedomā€ is the subject.

What is a Person?

In grammar, the term ā€˜personā€™ refers to the different pronouns used to conjugate a verb. I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

They are divided between singular and plural (for this concept, read my French blog article on gender and number).

  1. I is the first person singular
  2. You is the second person singular
  3. He and she are the third person singular
  4. We is the first person plural
  5. You is the second person plural (when itā€™s more than one person)
  6. They is the third person plural

What is a Verb Conjugation?

The conjugation is the way a subject changes a verb so they match.

In English, the conjugation of verbs is quite simple. The verbs donā€™t change much (I, you, we, they speak ā€“ he, she, it speakS) except for the verb to be (I am, you are, he is).

It is not so in French, where the verb form changes with almost each different person.
Je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent.

The way French verbs are written, and their pronunciations are also very different, this is why itā€™s important to study your French verb conjugations with audio.

French Verb Audio Drills

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What is the Infinitive of a Verb?

The infinitive is the form of the verb before it is being conjugated. Itā€™s the basic verb name: ā€œto speakā€.

In English, the infinitive is usually preceded by ā€œtoā€: ā€œto studyā€, but not always (example: ā€œcanā€.)

In French, there is no ā€œtoā€ before the verb. The infinitive form is shown by the last two or three letters, usually ā€œerā€, ā€œirā€ or ā€œreā€ that will also determine the conjugation pattern of the verb if the verb is regular.

What is a Regular Verb and an Irregular French Verb?

Some French verbs are called ā€œregularā€ because they follow a predictable conjugation pattern (such as adding an ā€œsā€ to the 3rd person singular in English). Here is my lesson about how to conjugate French regular ER verbs in the present tense.

Some French verbs are called ā€œirregularā€ because their conjugation pattern is not predictable (like the verb ā€œto beā€ in English).

Letā€™s move on to more advanced French grammar terms you will run into when studying how to conjugate a French verb.

French Grammar Terms ā€“ Intermediate French Conjugation

What is an Auxiliary Verb in French?

An auxiliary verb is a verb used to conjugate another verb. For example: I have washed the dishes.

Used this way, the auxiliary verb (have) loses its own meaning (to have = possession), itā€™s just a way to change the time frame of the action of the main verb (in my example ā€œto washā€).

The auxiliary verbs in French are ā€œavoirā€ (to have) and ā€œeĢ‚treā€ (to be).

You absolutely need to know their conjugations and pronunciations inside out, not only because youā€™ll frequently use them as ā€œto haveā€ and ā€œto beā€, but also because since they are auxiliary verbs, youā€™ll constantly use them to conjugate other verbs to build various French tenses.

Examples of French tenses using auxiliary verbs:

  1. Jā€™ai chanteĢ ā€“ le passeĢ composeĢ using the auxiliary verb avoir
  2. Je suis alleĢe ā€“ le passeĢ composeĢ using the auxiliary verb ĆŖtre
  3. Jā€™avais chanteĢ ā€“ le plus-que-parfait
  4. Jā€™aurai chanteĢ ā€“ le futur anteĢrieur
  5. Tu serais alleĢe ā€“ le passeĢ du conditionnel

The various past and future tenses of the Indicative mood are explained in depth in my French audiobook learning method ā€“ Upper Intermediate level.

ƀ Moi Paris Audiobook Method

A new approach to learning both traditional and modern French logically structured for English speakers.

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What is a Tense?

A tense indicates when the action of the verb is taking place: now, in the past or in the future.

  1. A simple tense consists of only one verb form (ie: ā€˜I speakā€™).
  2. A compound tense consists of one or more auxiliary verb + a main verb (ie: ā€˜I am speakingā€™, ā€œI have been thinkingā€™).

You need to memorize that in French grammar, the adjective ā€œsimpleā€ doesnā€™t mean ā€œeasyā€ but means ā€œNOT compoundā€ ā€“ using only one verb, not an auxiliary + a verb.

Grammar Term: what is a Mood?

The mood indicates the position of the subject towards the verb.

Is the subjectā€¦

  1. making a statement (indicative mood = lā€™indicatif, the most common mood)
  2. giving a command or order (imperative mood = lā€™impeĢratif)
  3. describing a condition or the possibility of something (conditional mood = le conditionnel)
  4. expressing doubt, unlikelihood or subjectivity (French subjunctive mood = le subjonctif, a mood very rare in English but quite common in French)

The mood will affect the conjugation of the verb.

Note that there are also impersonal moods in French, which are invariable, meaning they always use the same form, the verb doesnā€™t change according to who is speaking.

  1. Adjectival form of the verb (the participle = le participe)
  2. Nominal form = the name of the verb (the infinitive = lā€™infinitif)

What is a Voice?

The voice (ā€œla voixā€ in French) indicates the relationship between the subject and the verb.

There are three voices in French:

  1. The subject performs the action of the verb (the active voice, la voix active).
    This is the most common voice.
    Je lave le chien = I am washing the dog.
  2. The subject performs the action on itself (the pronominal voice, la voix pronominale/reflexive).
    This voice is very common in French, not so much in English.
    Je me lave = I am washing (myself).
    In English, itā€™s unlikely youā€™d say that. Youā€™d probably say ā€œI am taking a shower/ a bathā€ā€¦
  3. The action is being performed onto the subject ā€“ by a third party (the passive voice = la voix passive).
    Le chien est laveĢ par le toiletteur = The dog is being washed by the dog groomer.

What are Affirmative and Negative Sentences?

A negative sentence is a sentence whose verb is negated with the word ā€œnotā€ and an affirmative sentence isā€¦ the contrary :-)

In French, the regular way to negate a verb is to use ā€œne + verb + pasā€.

However, there are other negative words such as rien, jamais, personneā€¦ More about the French negative.

What are Declarative and Interrogative Sentences?

  • A declarative sentence makes a statement. It is the most common way of speaking.
  • An interrogative sentence asks a question.

How to ask questions in French and the many French interrogative expressions, as well as interrogative adjectives, have been studied in my French Audiobook ƀ Moi Paris Intermediate as well as in Secrets of French Conversation.

I understand this list may be a bit overwhelming. There are limits to what I can explain in one lesson: in my downloadable audiobook method, I introduce all these concepts gradually and logically, I take my time to explain them thoroughly with plenty of examples in English and in French, and then every point of the method is illustrated within an ongoing bilingual novel: you learn the theory, and you learn through practice.

I post new articles every week, so make sure you subscribe to the French Today newsletter ā€“ or follow me onĀ Facebook, TwitterĀ andĀ Pinterest.

Please react! Leave a comment, make a suggestion, share this articleā€¦ Your engagement really encourages me to create more free French lessons!

Author: Camille Chevalier

Camille Chevalier

Born and raised in Paris, I have been teaching today's French to adults for 25+ years in the US and France. Based on my students' goals and needs, I've created unique downloadable French audiobooks focussing on French like it's spoken today, for all levels. Come to Paimpol and enjoy an exclusive French immersion homestay with me in Brittany.

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