French Basic Grammar and Vocabulary Syllabus

Basic Grammar and Vocabulary syllabus — full chapter and topic list

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

1. 1

   Nouns and Articles

   3 topics

   • Understand gender of nouns
   • Learn definite and indefinite articles
   • Practice with simple sentences
2. 2

   Pronouns and Verbs

   3 topics

   • Learn subject pronouns
   • Introduction to regular verbs
   • Practice conjugation in present tense
3. 3

   Basic Vocabulary

   3 topics

   • Learn numbers 1-100
   • Familiarize with days of the week
   • Learn common colors

Basic Grammar and Vocabulary flashcards for French

22 of 50 cards from the Basic Grammar and Vocabulary deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In French, what grammatical feature does every noun have, and what are the two possibilities?

   Every French noun has a grammatical gender: it is either masculine (masculin) or feminine (feminin), regardless of whether it refers to a living thing.

2. What is the typical ending that often signals a feminine noun in French?

   Nouns ending in -e are often feminine (e.g., la table, la porte), though this is a tendency, not an absolute rule.

3. Give the gender of these nouns: 'livre' (book), 'maison' (house), 'chat' (cat).

   le livre = masculine; la maison = feminine; le chat = masculine (feminine form: la chatte).

4. Why is it important to learn a French noun together with its article?

   Because the article (le/la/un/une) reveals the noun's gender, which determines agreement of articles, adjectives, and pronouns. Memorizing 'la table' rather than just 'table' encodes the gender.

5. What are common noun endings that usually indicate a masculine noun in French?

   Endings such as -age, -ment, -eau, -isme, and -eur (for things) are usually masculine (e.g., le fromage, le gouvernement, le bureau).

6. What are the three French definite articles (meaning 'the'), and when is each used?

   le (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), and l' (before a vowel or silent h). The plural definite article for all genders is les.

7. What are the French indefinite articles (meaning 'a/an' and 'some')?

   un (masculine singular), une (feminine singular), and des (plural, meaning 'some' or unspecified plural).

8. Translate using correct articles: 'the friend (m.)', 'a friend (f.)', 'the students'.

   the friend (m.) = l'ami; a friend (f.) = une amie; the students = les etudiants.

9. What happens to the definite articles le and la before a word starting with a vowel or silent h?

   Both le and la contract to l' (e.g., l'ami, l'ecole, l'homme). This process is called elision.

10. What is the difference in meaning between 'le chat' and 'un chat'?

    'le chat' = 'the cat' (a specific, known cat, definite article); 'un chat' = 'a cat' (any unspecified cat, indefinite article).

11. What is the basic word order of a simple French declarative sentence?

    Subject + Verb + Object (SVO), the same basic order as English (e.g., Je mange une pomme = I eat an apple).

12. Translate the simple sentence: 'The girl has a dog.'

    La fille a un chien.

13. How do you form a simple negative sentence in French?

    Place 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after it: sujet + ne + verbe + pas (e.g., Je ne parle pas = I do not speak). Before a vowel, ne becomes n'.

14. Make this sentence negative: 'Il mange une pomme.'

    Il ne mange pas de pomme. (Note: in the negative, the indefinite article un/une/des typically becomes 'de'.)

15. What are the French subject pronouns for the singular persons (I, you, he, she, one)?

    je (I), tu (you, informal), il (he/it), elle (she/it), on (one/we, informal).

16. What are the French subject pronouns for the plural persons (we, you, they)?

    nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils (they, masculine or mixed), elles (they, all feminine).

17. What is the difference between 'tu' and 'vous' in French?

    'tu' is informal singular 'you' (used with friends, family, children). 'vous' is formal singular 'you' OR plural 'you' (used for politeness or addressing more than one person).

18. When do you use 'ils' versus 'elles' for 'they'?

    Use 'elles' only when every member of the group is feminine. Use 'ils' for an all-masculine group OR any mixed-gender group (even one male makes it 'ils').

19. What does the pronoun 'on' mean and how is it commonly used?

    'on' means 'one', 'people', or informally 'we'. It always takes the same verb form as il/elle (third-person singular), e.g., On parle francais = We speak French.

20. What are the three groups (conjugation classes) of French regular verbs, identified by their infinitive endings?

    1st group: verbs ending in -er (e.g., parler); 2nd group: verbs ending in -ir like finir; 3rd group is irregular. Most French verbs are -er verbs.

21. What is an infinitive, and give an example in French?

    An infinitive is the base, unconjugated form of a verb (the 'to ___' form in English). Examples: parler (to speak), finir (to finish), aimer (to like/love).

22. To conjugate a regular -er verb in the present tense, what do you do with the infinitive?

    Remove the -er ending to find the stem, then add the endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.

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