French Language Core Grammar Syllabus

Core Grammar syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Core Grammar in French Language, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Nouns and Articles

   4 topics

   • Grammatical Gender of Nouns
   • Definite and Indefinite Articles
   • Partitive Articles
   • Plural Formation
2. 2

   Adjectives

   4 topics

   • Agreement in Gender and Number
   • Adjective Placement (Before vs After Noun)
   • Comparatives and Superlatives
   • Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives
3. 3

   Pronouns

   5 topics

   • Subject and Stressed Pronouns
   • Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns
   • The Pronouns Y and En
   • Relative Pronouns (qui, que, dont, ou)
   • Pronoun Order in a Sentence
4. 4

   Present Tense Verbs

   3 topics

   • Regular -er, -ir, -re Verbs
   • Key Irregular Verbs (etre, avoir, aller, faire)
   • Reflexive (Pronominal) Verbs
5. 5

   Past Tenses

   4 topics

   • Passe Compose with avoir and etre
   • The Imparfait
   • Passe Compose vs Imparfait
   • Plus-que-parfait
6. 6

   Future and Conditional

   4 topics

   • Futur Proche
   • Futur Simple
   • Present Conditional
   • Past Conditional and Hypotheses
7. 7

   The Subjunctive

   3 topics

   • Forming the Present Subjunctive
   • Triggers and Expressions Requiring Subjunctive
   • Subjunctive vs Indicative
8. 8

   Negation and Questions

   3 topics

   • Basic Negation (ne...pas)
   • Other Negative Forms (jamais, rien, personne)
   • Forming Questions (intonation, est-ce que, inversion)
9. 9

   Prepositions and Adverbs

   3 topics

   • Prepositions of Place and Time
   • Prepositions with Countries and Cities
   • Forming and Placing Adverbs

Core Grammar flashcards for French Language

20 of 52 cards from the Core Grammar deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is grammatical gender in French, and what are the two genders?

   Every French noun has an inherent grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. Gender is a property of the noun itself (not natural sex) and it controls the form of articles, adjectives, and pronouns that accompany it (e.g., le livre is masculine, la table is feminine).

2. Name three common noun endings that usually indicate a MASCULINE noun in French.

   Endings such as -age (le fromage), -ment (le gouvernement), -eau (le bureau), -isme, -eur (for machines/agents), and -phone/-scope tend to be masculine. These are tendencies, not absolute rules (e.g., la plage, la page are exceptions).

3. Name three common noun endings that usually indicate a FEMININE noun in French.

   Endings such as -tion/-sion (la nation), -té (la liberté), -eur (abstract qualities: la couleur), -ette (la fillette), -ance/-ence (la connaissance), and -ie (la magie) tend to be feminine, with some exceptions.

4. List the French definite articles and when each is used.

   le (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), l' (before a vowel or mute h, either gender), and les (plural, both genders). Definite articles mean 'the' and are also used for general/abstract statements: J'aime le café (I like coffee in general).

5. List the French indefinite articles and their meanings.

   un (a/an, masculine singular), une (a/an, feminine singular), and des (some/any, plural). Example: un livre, une pomme, des livres.

6. In a negative sentence, what happens to un, une, and des?

   After a negation, un/une/des typically change to de (or d' before a vowel): J'ai un chien → Je n'ai pas de chien; Il y a des pommes → Il n'y a pas de pommes. (Exception: after être, the article is kept — Ce n'est pas un livre.)

7. What are the partitive articles in French and what do they express?

   The partitive articles are du (masculine), de la (feminine), de l' (before a vowel/mute h), and des (plural). They express an unspecified quantity/'some' of an uncountable noun: Je bois du café, Je mange de la soupe, Il achète des épinards.

8. How is the partitive article formed, and how does it change after a negation?

   The partitive is de + definite article: de + le = du, de + la = de la, de + l' = de l', de + les = des. After a negation it reduces to de/d': Je mange du pain → Je ne mange pas de pain.

9. What is the general rule for forming the plural of most French nouns, and give the main exceptions.

   Most nouns add -s (le livre → les livres). Exceptions: nouns ending in -s, -x, -z stay unchanged (le bras → les bras); nouns in -au/-eau/-eu add -x (le bateau → les bateaux); most nouns in -al change to -aux (le cheval → les chevaux).

10. How do you form the plural of nouns ending in -al and -ail? Give examples.

    Most -al nouns become -aux (un animal → des animaux; un journal → des journaux). Most -ail nouns just add -s (un détail → des détails), but a few become -aux (un travail → des travaux).

11. State the rule of agreement in gender and number for French adjectives.

    Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. The default feminine adds -e and the default plural adds -s: un petit chat → une petite chatte → des petits chats → des petites chattes.

12. How is the feminine of an adjective typically formed, and what happens if it already ends in -e?

    Add -e to the masculine form (grand → grande). If the masculine already ends in a silent -e, the feminine is identical (rouge → rouge). Some endings change: -eux → -euse (heureux → heureuse), -f → -ve (actif → active), -er → -ère (cher → chère).

13. When an adjective describes two nouns of different genders, which gender is used for agreement?

    The masculine plural prevails. If any noun in the group is masculine, the adjective takes the masculine plural form: Le garçon et la fille sont intelligents.

14. Where are most French adjectives placed relative to the noun?

    Most descriptive adjectives (color, shape, nationality, longer adjectives) come AFTER the noun: une voiture rouge, un livre intéressant, un homme français.

15. Which short, common adjectives are placed BEFORE the noun in French? (Give the memory aid.)

    A small set placed before the noun, often remembered as BAGS: Beauty (beau, joli), Age (jeune, vieux, nouveau), Goodness (bon, mauvais), Size (grand, petit, gros). Example: une belle maison, un vieux château.

16. Give an example where an adjective's meaning changes depending on whether it comes before or after the noun.

    Placement can change meaning: un ancien professeur (a former teacher) vs un professeur ancien (an old/aged teacher); un grand homme (a great man) vs un homme grand (a tall man); ma propre chambre (my own room) vs une chambre propre (a clean room).

17. How do you form the comparative of superiority, equality, and inferiority with adjectives in French?

    Superiority: plus + adjective + que (plus grand que). Equality: aussi + adjective + que (aussi grand que). Inferiority: moins + adjective + que (moins grand que). Example: Marie est plus grande que Paul.

18. How is the superlative of an adjective formed in French?

    Use the definite article + plus/moins + adjective, agreeing with the noun: le/la/les plus (or moins) + adjective. Example: le garçon le plus intelligent de la classe; la plus grande ville. Note the article repeats when the adjective follows the noun.

19. What are the irregular comparative/superlative forms of bon and bien?

    bon (good) → meilleur (better) → le meilleur (the best). bien (well) → mieux (better) → le mieux (the best). Do NOT say 'plus bon'. Example: Ce gâteau est meilleur; Elle chante mieux.

20. List the French possessive adjectives for a singular masculine, singular feminine, and plural possessed noun.

    my: mon/ma/mes; your(sing.): ton/ta/tes; his/her/its: son/sa/ses; our: notre/notre/nos; your(pl./formal): votre/votre/vos; their: leur/leur/leurs. They agree with the thing possessed, not the possessor.

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