French Intermediate Grammar and Vocabulary Syllabus

What is the passé composé used for, and how is it formed?

The passé composé expresses a completed past action. It is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary (avoir or être) + the past participle of the main verb: J'ai mangé; Il est parti.

How do you form the past participle of regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs?

-er verbs -> -é (parler -> parlé); -ir verbs -> -i (finir -> fini); -re verbs -> -u (vendre -> vendu).

Which verbs use 'être' as the auxiliary in the passé composé, and what agreement rule applies?

Verbs of movement/state change (the DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs, e.g. aller, venir, partir, arriver, naître, mourir, rester) and all reflexive verbs use être. With être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: Elle est allée; Ils sont partis.

What is the imparfait used for, and how is it formed?

The imparfait describes ongoing/habitual past actions, descriptions, and background. It is formed from the nous form of the present, dropping -ons and adding -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient: nous parlons -> je parlais.

Give the passé composé and imparfait first-person forms of 'être' and note the imparfait's irregular stem.

Passé composé: j'ai été. Imparfait: j'étais. 'Être' has the irregular imparfait stem 'ét-': j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.

How do you decide between passé composé and imparfait when telling a story in the past?

Use imparfait for background, description, and ongoing/repeated actions (setting the scene); use passé composé for specific completed events that move the story forward. Example: Il faisait beau (imparfait) quand elle est arrivée (passé composé).

How is the futur simple formed for regular verbs, and what are its endings?

For most verbs, add the endings to the infinitive (dropping the final -e of -re verbs). Endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Example: parler -> je parlerai; finir -> je finirai; vendre -> je vendrai.

What is the futur proche, how is it formed, and how does it differ from the futur simple?

The futur proche expresses a near/planned future and is formed with aller (present) + infinitive: Je vais manger. The futur simple expresses more distant or formal future: Je mangerai. Both mean roughly 'I am going to / will eat'.

Give the irregular futur simple stems for aller, avoir, être, faire, and venir.

aller -> ir- (j'irai); avoir -> aur- (j'aurai); être -> ser- (je serai); faire -> fer- (je ferai); venir -> viendr- (je viendrai). The endings remain regular (-ai, -as, -a, ...).

What is a compound tense, and what two elements form it?

A compound tense is built from an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) plus a past participle. The auxiliary is conjugated in the relevant simple tense; the past participle carries the meaning. Example: passé composé = present auxiliary + participle.

What is the plus-que-parfait, how is it formed, and what does it express?

The plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) expresses an action completed before another past action. It is formed with the imparfait of avoir/être + past participle: J'avais mangé (I had eaten); Elle était partie (she had left).

What is the futur antérieur, how is it formed, and what does it express?

The futur antérieur (future perfect) expresses an action that will be completed before another future action. It is formed with the futur simple of avoir/être + past participle: J'aurai fini (I will have finished) avant midi.

In compound tenses with 'avoir', when does the past participle agree, and with what?

With avoir, the past participle agrees in gender and number with a direct object only when that direct object comes BEFORE the verb: Les pommes que j'ai mangées; Je les ai achetées. Otherwise there is no agreement: J'ai mangé les pommes.

What is the past participle agreement rule for reflexive (pronominal) verbs in compound tenses?

Reflexive verbs use être, but the participle actually agrees with the preceding reflexive pronoun when it is the direct object: Elle s'est lavée (agreement). No agreement if a direct object follows: Elle s'est lavé les mains.

Translate and give the gender: 'bread', 'apple', 'egg', 'water' in French.

bread = le pain (m); apple = la pomme (f); egg = l'œuf (m); water = l'eau (f). Note: un œuf is pronounced with the -f, but des œufs is silent.

What are the French partitive articles used for food/uncountable quantities, and give examples?

The partitive articles express 'some/any': du (m), de la (f), de l' (before vowel), des (plural). Examples: du pain, de la viande, de l'eau, des légumes. After a negative they become 'de': Je ne mange pas de pain.

Give the French words for the three main meals of the day.

le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner). The related verbs are déjeuner (to have lunch) and dîner (to have dinner).

Translate these food items into French with gender: 'meat', 'fish', 'cheese', 'vegetables'.

meat = la viande (f); fish = le poisson (m); cheese = le fromage (m); vegetables = les légumes (m, plural).

Name the French words for four common fruits: strawberry, orange, banana, grape.

strawberry = la fraise (f); orange = l'orange (f); banana = la banane (f); grape = le raisin (m, usually used in the plural: des raisins / du raisin).

What are the French words for the following drinks: water, wine, coffee, milk?

water = l'eau (f); wine = le vin (m); coffee = le café (m); milk = le lait (m).

In a French restaurant, what do you call the menu, the waiter, and the bill?

the menu = la carte (le menu often refers to a fixed-price set meal); the waiter = le serveur / la serveuse; the bill = l'addition (f). Common phrase: L'addition, s'il vous plaît.

Give the French terms for these travel places: airport, train station, hotel, ticket.

airport = l'aéroport (m); train station = la gare; hotel = l'hôtel (m); ticket = le billet (for transport/shows) or le ticket (for metro/bus).

What are the French words for these modes of transport: plane, train, car, bus?

plane = l'avion (m); train = le train (m); car = la voiture (f); bus = le bus / l'autobus (m); coach = le car.

How do you say 'I would like a one-way ticket / a round-trip ticket' in French?

One-way ticket = un aller simple; round-trip ticket = un aller-retour. Example: Je voudrais un aller-retour pour Paris, s'il vous plaît.

Give French travel vocabulary for: luggage, passport, to travel, trip/journey.

luggage = les bagages (m, pl); passport = le passeport (m); to travel = voyager; trip/journey = le voyage (m). A suitcase = la valise (f).

How do you ask 'Where is...?' and 'How much does it cost?' in French for travel situations?

Where is...? = Où est... ? or Où se trouve... ? (Où est la gare ?). How much does it cost? = Combien ça coûte ? or C'est combien ?

What is the French verb 'faire' used with to express many hobbies, and give two examples?

'Faire de' + activity expresses doing a sport/hobby: faire du sport (to do sport), faire de la natation (to swim), faire du vélo (to cycle), faire de la musique (to play music).

How do you say 'to play' a sport versus 'to play' an instrument in French?

For sports/games use jouer à: jouer au football, jouer aux échecs. For musical instruments use jouer de: jouer du piano, jouer de la guitare.

Translate these hobbies into French: reading, cooking, painting, dancing.

reading = la lecture / lire; cooking = la cuisine / cuisiner; painting = la peinture / peindre; dancing = la danse / danser.

How do you express likes and dislikes about hobbies in French, and what follows these verbs?

Use aimer (to like), adorer (to love), détester (to hate), préférer (to prefer) followed by a noun or an infinitive: J'aime la musique; J'adore lire; Je déteste faire le ménage; Je préfère voyager.