French Language Core Grammar Syllabus

Why do we say 'son livre' for both 'his book' and 'her book' in French?

Possessive adjectives agree with the gender/number of the possessed noun, not the possessor. Since 'livre' is masculine, it is son livre regardless of whether the owner is male or female. Context clarifies the owner.

When is 'mon/ton/son' used before a feminine noun instead of 'ma/ta/sa'?

Before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h, the masculine forms mon/ton/son are used for euphony: mon amie (not ma amie), ton école, son histoire.

List the French demonstrative adjectives and their uses.

ce (masc. sing. before consonant), cet (masc. sing. before vowel/mute h), cette (fem. sing.), ces (plural). They mean 'this/that' or 'these/those': ce livre, cet homme, cette femme, ces enfants.

How do you distinguish 'this' from 'that' when using demonstrative adjectives in French?

Add the suffixes -ci (here/this) or -là (there/that) to the noun: ce livre-ci (this book) vs ce livre-là (that book); cette maison-là (that house).

List the French subject pronouns.

je (I), tu (you, informal), il (he/it), elle (she/it), on (one/we, informal), nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils (they, masc./mixed), elles (they, fem.).

List the French stressed (disjunctive) pronouns and one use of them.

moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles. Used after prepositions (avec moi), for emphasis (Moi, je pense que...), in short answers (Qui? Lui.), and after c'est (C'est moi).

List the French direct object pronouns.

me/m', te/t', le/l', la/l', nous, vous, les. They replace a directly-affected noun: Je vois Marie → Je la vois; Il mange les pommes → Il les mange.

List the French indirect object pronouns and explain what they replace.

me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur. They replace 'à + a person': Je parle à Paul → Je lui parle; Je donne le livre aux enfants → Je leur donne le livre. (lui = to him/her; leur = to them.)

Where are object pronouns placed in relation to the verb in a normal (affirmative, non-imperative) sentence?

Object pronouns go immediately BEFORE the conjugated verb (or before the infinitive if there is one): Je le vois; Je vais le voir; Je ne le vois pas. In the passé composé they precede the auxiliary: Je l'ai vu.

What does the pronoun Y replace, and give an example.

Y replaces 'à + a thing/place' or an expression of location. It means 'there' or 'to/about it': Je vais à Paris → J'y vais; Je pense à mon travail → J'y pense. It is placed before the verb.

What does the pronoun EN replace, and give examples.

EN replaces 'de + noun', partitive/indefinite quantities, or expressions with de: Je bois du café → J'en bois; Il a trois livres → Il en a trois; Je parle de mes vacances → J'en parle. It means 'some/any/of it/of them'.

When must you keep a quantity word after using EN?

When EN replaces a quantified noun, the number or quantity expression is retained at the end: Tu as combien de frères? — J'en ai deux. Il y a beaucoup de monde → Il y en a beaucoup.

Explain the uses of the relative pronouns 'qui' and 'que'.

qui is the SUBJECT of the relative clause (followed by a verb): L'homme qui parle. que is the DIRECT OBJECT (followed by a subject): Le livre que je lis. qui is never elided; que becomes qu' before a vowel.

Explain the uses of the relative pronouns 'dont' and 'où'.

dont replaces 'de + noun' (whose, of which, of/about whom): Le livre dont je parle; L'homme dont la voiture est rouge. où means 'where' (place) or 'when' (time): La ville où j'habite; Le jour où il est parti.

How do you decide between qui and que in a relative clause? Give the test.

Check what directly follows the pronoun. If a VERB follows, use qui (it's the subject): la femme qui chante. If a SUBJECT (noun/pronoun) follows, use que (it's the object): la femme que je connais.

State the standard order of multiple object pronouns before the verb in French.

The order is: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en. Example: Il me le donne; Je le lui donne; Il y en a. (First column reflexive/1st-2nd person, then direct, then indirect, then y, then en.)

How does pronoun order change in the affirmative imperative?

In the affirmative imperative, pronouns follow the verb joined by hyphens, direct before indirect, and me/te become moi/toi: Donne-le-moi! Donnez-nous-en! But in the negative imperative, normal pre-verbal order returns: Ne me le donne pas.

Give the present-tense endings for regular -ER verbs (like parler).

Drop -er and add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. parler → je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent.

Give the present-tense endings for regular -IR verbs (like finir).

Drop -ir and add: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. finir → je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent (note the -iss- in plural forms).

Give the present-tense endings for regular -RE verbs (like vendre).

Drop -re and add: -s, -s, (nothing), -ons, -ez, -ent. vendre → je vends, tu vends, il vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent.

Conjugate ÊTRE (to be) in the present tense.

je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont.

Conjugate AVOIR (to have) in the present tense.

j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont.

Conjugate ALLER (to go) in the present tense.

je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont.

Conjugate FAIRE (to do/make) in the present tense.

je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font.

What is a reflexive (pronominal) verb, and how is it conjugated in the present?

A reflexive verb takes a reflexive pronoun matching the subject (me, te, se, nous, vous, se), where the action reflects back on the subject: se laver → je me lave, tu te laves, il se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent.

How do you form the passé composé, and which auxiliary is used most often?

passé composé = auxiliary (avoir or être) in the present + past participle. Most verbs use avoir: J'ai mangé, Elle a fini, Nous avons vendu.

Which verbs use ÊTRE as the auxiliary in the passé composé?

Reflexive verbs and a set of intransitive motion/state-change verbs (often remembered as DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP): aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, retourner, devenir, revenir, and their compounds. Example: Elle est allée; Je me suis levé.

What is the agreement rule for the past participle with ÊTRE verbs (non-reflexive) in the passé composé?

With être as auxiliary, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the SUBJECT: Elle est allée; Ils sont partis; Elles sont arrivées; Nous sommes venus.

What is the past-participle agreement rule with AVOIR in the passé composé?

With avoir, the past participle agrees with a PRECEDING direct object (not the subject). If a direct object comes before the verb, agree with it: La pomme que j'ai mangée; Je les ai vus. Otherwise no agreement: J'ai mangé la pomme.

Give the past participle endings for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs.

-er → -é (parler → parlé); -ir → -i (finir → fini); -re → -u (vendre → vendu). Example: J'ai parlé, tu as fini, il a vendu.

How is the imparfait formed, and what are its endings?

Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons to get the stem, and add: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. parler (nous parlons) → je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, nous parlions, vous parliez, ils parlaient. (Only être is irregular: stem ét-.)

When do you use the imparfait versus the passé composé?

Imparfait describes ongoing/habitual/background past actions, descriptions, and states ('was doing', 'used to do'): Il pleuvait, je lisais souvent. Passé composé expresses completed, specific past events ('did', 'has done'): Hier, il a plu; J'ai lu ce livre. They often combine: Je lisais quand le téléphone a sonné.