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An easy beginner's guide to basic French grammar rules

Bonjour à tous ! Whether you're just beginning your French journey or looking to brush up on the basics, mastering French grammar is the key to unlocking effective communication.

If you think French grammar rules are scary and overwhelming, think of it as the foundation of the Tour Eiffel — solid, essential, and ready to support your growing fluency. And to cheer you up: French is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers!

In this guide, we'll explore basic French grammar, from the gendered nature of nouns to verb conjugation. With each rule you learn, you’ll gain the confidence to speak, write, and understand French like a pro. Ready to turn those "je ne sais pas" into "je sais!"? Allons-y !

Nouns and articles in French grammar

Ah, French nouns — those cool little words that carry the weight of meaning in every sentence. But, as with any Romance language, they have a gender — and articles. Yes, that’s a lot of baggage! But don’t panic and keep reading: it’s not as difficult as it sounds!

Gender in French nouns

French nouns are either masculine or feminine. Confusing for an English speaker, right? So, how do you know if a word is masculine or feminine? Excellent question.

There are some general rules to help you in roughly 80% of cases. For example, nouns ending in -e are often feminine (la porte). But because French likes to keep things interesting, there are exceptions to these rules.

To learn all the rules and everything you need to know about gender in French, check this out.

Definite and indefinite articles

In English, we’ve got “the” and “a/an” to deal with, but French likes to add a little more. Meet “le,” “la,” “les,” “un,” “une,” and “des.” The definite articles (“le,” “la,” “les”) are the equivalent of our “the,” while the indefinite articles (“un,” “une,” “des”) are more like “a/an” or “some.”

And, as you might have guessed, the article you use depends on the gender and number of the noun. For example, “the cat” could be “le chat” (if it’s a male cat) or “la chatte” (if it’s a female cat). Oh, and don’t forget plural forms! “Les chats” works for a bunch of cats, regardless of their gender.

French nouns and articles in action

Let’s see how these nouns and articles behave with concrete and common examples.

English	French (masculine)	French (feminine)	French (plural)
The apple	-	La pomme	Les pommes
A cat	Le chat	La chatte	Des chats
The book	Le livre	-	Les livres
A house	-	Une maison	Des maisons
The car	-	La voiture	Les voitures
A teacher	Un professeur	Une professeure	Des professeurs
The dog	Le chien	La chienne	Les chiens
An elephant	Un éléphant	Une éléphante	Des éléphants
The chair	-	La chaise	Les chaises
A flower	-	Une fleur	Des fleurs

 

 

Basic sentence structure in French grammar

Ok, so how do you put all this together to make a sentence? Let’s talk structure! French, like English, follows the classic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. That means sentences typically start with the subject (who or what), followed by the verb (what’s happening), and then the object (who or what is affected).

Simple enough, right? But here’s the twist: while French and English share this structure, word placement can sometimes change when you toss in pronouns, adjectives, and other grammatical elements.

Basic sentences in French

In the examples below, I’ve mixed genders, numbers, and tenses to give you a good sense of how this all fits together:

French	English
Je mange une pomme.	I eat an apple.
Elle aime les chats.	She likes cats.
Nous avons un livre.	We have a book.
Ils regardent la télé.	They watch TV.
Tu as une voiture rouge.	You have a red car.
Il chante une chanson.	He sings a song.
Vous aimez la musique.	You like music.
Elles jouent au tennis.	They (feminine) play tennis.
Vous êtes formidables.	You (all) are awesome.
Nous allons à Paris demain.	We are going to Paris tomorrow.

 

 

Pronouns in French grammar

Pronouns are the stunt doubles of the French grammar world. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, make sure to read this article!

Basically, pronouns stand in for nouns and keep sentences from sounding repetitive. In French, just like in English, they take on different roles, from subjects to objects to possessives.

 

French subject pronouns

Here’s a quick rundown of subject pronouns. Unlike some other languages, for example, Spanish, they’re absolutely essential in French:

Pronoun	Person	Number	English
Je	First person	Singular	I
Tu	Second person	Singular	You (informal)
Il/Elle	Third person	Singular	He/She/It
Nous	First person	Plural	We
Vous	Second person	Plural	You (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	Third person	Plural	They (masc./fem.)

 

 

Object pronouns in French

Object pronouns are the recipients of the action. In French, these pronouns go before the verb.

English	French direct pronoun	French indirect pronoun
Me	Me	Me
You (singular/informal)	Te	Te
Him/Her/It	Le/La	Lui
Us	Nous	Nous
You (plural/formal)	Vous	Vous
Them	Les	Leur

 

 

Object pronouns in action

Now, let’s see how they behave in sentences:

French	English
Je te vois.	I see you (a bit Big Brother…)
Il nous parle.	He speaks to us.
Elle le regarde.	She watches him/it.
Nous leur donnons un cadeau.	We give them a gift.
Ils me connaissent.	They know me.
Vous les aimez.	You like them.
Je lui téléphone.	I call him/her.
Tu m'écoutes.	You listen to me.
Elle nous envoie une lettre.	She sends us a letter.
Il vous attend.	He’s waiting for you.

 

 

Possessive pronouns in French

In French, possessive pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Here they are:

English	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural (masc./fem.)
My	Mon	Ma	Mes
Your (singular/informal)	Ton	Ta	Tes
His/Her/Its	Son	Sa	Ses
Our	Notre	Notre	Nos
Your (plural/formal)	Votre	Votre	Vos
Their	Leur	Leur	Leurs

 

 

Possessive pronouns in action

Let’s see these possessive pronouns in action:

French	English
C’est mon livre.	This is my book.
Elle mange sa pomme.	She eats her apple.
Ce sont leurs amis.	These are their friends.
Où est votre voiture?	Where is your car?
Nous aimons notre professeur.	We like our teacher.
Il a perdu son chapeau.	He lost his hat.
Tu adores tes parents.	You love your parents.
Ils dorment beaucoup.	They sleep a lot.
Je vois ton jardin de ma maison.	I see your garden from my house.
Elle trouve ses clés.	She finds her keys.

 

 

French verbs and their conjugation

Verbs are the engines of French sentences; they make everything move! While mastering French verbs takes time, you can communicate in most situations by learning the main verbs and tenses. So, fear not! We’ll keep it simple and focus on the basics.

Regular verbs in French

French verbs are divided into regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns, so they’ll be your meilleurs amis. The regular verbs in French typically end in -er, -ir, or -re.

Present tense conjugation of regular -er verbs in French

Here’s how to conjugate a regular -er verb like "parler" (to speak) in the present tense:

Subject	Conjugation
Je	parle
Tu	parles
Il/Elle	parle
Nous	parlons
Vous	parlez
Ils/Elles	parlent

 

 

Present tense conjugation of regular -ir verbs in French

Next up, regular -ir verbs, like "finir" (to finish):

Subject	Conjugation
Je	finis
Tu	finis
Il/Elle	finit
Nous	finissons
Vous	finissez
Ils/Elles	finissent

 

 

Present tense conjugation of regular -re verbs in French

And last but not least, the -re verbs like "vendre" (to sell):

Subject	Conjugation
Je	vends
Tu	vends
Il/Elle	vend
Nous	vendons
Vous	vendez
Ils/Elles	vendent

 

 

Common irregular verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire)

Irregular verbs are the rebels of French grammar: they had their own revolution! Indeed, they don’t follow the regular rules. But knowing the main ones is crucial because they’re some of the most frequently used verbs in the language.

You’ll find a long list of the most common ones in this article, but below are a few examples.

Present tense conjugation of être (to be)

Let’s start with to be (or not…): "être":

Subject	Conjugation
Je	suis
Tu	es
Il/Elle	est
Nous	sommes
Vous	êtes
Ils/Elles	sont

 

Present tense conjugation of avoir (to have)

"Avoir" is another superstar of French grammar:

Subject	Conjugation
Je	ai
Tu	as
Il/Elle	a
Nous	avons
Vous	avez
Ils/Elles	ont

 

Present tense conjugation of aller (to go)

Going somewhere? "Aller" is your go-to verb (pun intended).

Subject	Conjugation
Je	vais
Tu	vas
Il/Elle	va
Nous	allons
Vous	allez
Ils/Elles	vont

 

 

Present tense conjugation of faire (to do/to make)

And finally, "faire," a verb you’ll use for everything you do or make, from making breakfast to doing your homework:

Subject	Conjugation
Je	fais
Tu	fais
Il/Elle	fait
Nous	faisons
Vous	faites
Ils/Elles	font

 

 

Basic verb tenses in French

Present

The présent is used for actions happening now or habitual actions. For example:

French	English
Je mange un tacos.	I am eating a French tacos (if you have no idea what this questionable food is, check out this article)
Il parle anglais.	He speaks English.
Nous étudions le français.	We study French.
Elles regardent la télévision.	They’re watching TV.
Tu joues au football.	You play soccer.
Je travaille à la maison.	I work from home.
Vous écoutez de la musique.	You’re listening to music.
Il chante une chanson.	He sings a song.
Nous aimons le chocolat.	We love chocolate (who doesnt?)
Elles visitent Montréal.	They visit Montréal.

 

 

Past (passé composé)

The passé composé is a pretty simple tense, and your go-to past tense for actions that have been completed. Technically, you can use passé simple as well, but it’s rare to hear it in conversations. You’’ find it in many books, however.

Passé composé is formed with "avoir" or "être" plus the past participle of the verb.

French	English
J’ai mangé un tacos.	I ate a French tacos (and how was it?)
Il a parlé anglais.	He spoke English.
Nous avons étudié le français.	We studied French.
Elles ont regardé la télévision.	They watched TV.
Tu as joué au football.	You played soccer.
J’ai travaillé à la maison.	I worked from home.
Vous avez écouté de la musique.	You listened to music.
Il a chanté une chanson.	He sang a song.
Nous avons aimé le chocolat.	We loved chocolate.
Elles ont visité Montréal.	They visited Montréal.

 

 

Future

The future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen. It’s as easy as adding endings to the infinitive form of the verb, see below:

French	English
Je mangerai un tacos.	I will eat a French tacos (are you sure?)
Il parlera anglais.	He will speak English.
Nous étudierons le français.	We will study French.
Elles regarderont la télévision.	They will watch TV.
Tu joueras au football.	You will play soccer.
Je travaillerai à la maison.	I will work from home.
Vous écouterez de la musique.	You will listen to music.
Il chantera une chanson.	He will sing a song.
Nous aimerons le chocolat.	We will love chocolate (it’s about time!)
Elles visiteront Montréal.	They will visit Montréal.

 

 

French grammar rules for adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives in French usually follow the noun they describe, unlike in English. They also need to agree with the noun in gender and number. For example, “a small house” is "une petite maison" (feminine singular), but “small houses” would be "de petites maisons" (feminine plural). 

As for adverbs, they typically go right after the verb. So, “He speaks quickly” becomes "Il parle rapidement."

 

 

Negation in French grammar

In French, negation is a two-part affair. You’ll sandwich the verb in "ne...pas" to say something isn’t happening. For example, “I don’t know” is "Je ne sais pas." There are also other forms like "ne...jamais" (never) and "ne...rien" (nothing).

Below are a few examples:

French	English
Je ne parle pas anglais.	I don’t speak English.
Il ne mange jamais de légumes.	He never eats vegetables — If you like veggies though, check out these vegetables in French.
Nous ne savons rien.	We know nothing.
Elles ne voient personne.	They don’t see anyone.
Tu ne fais pas tes devoirs.	You don’t do your homework.
Je n’aime pas le café.	I don’t like coffee.
Il ne va jamais à la plage.	He never goes to the beach.
Nous ne regardons rien.	We’re watching nothing.
Vous ne parlez pas fort.	You don’t speak loudly.
Elles ne dansent jamais.	They never dance.

 

 

How to formulate questions in French

French questions can be formed in several ways. The simplest is just using intonation, like in English. You can also use "est-ce que" before a statement to turn it into a question. Finally, there’s inversion, where you flip the subject and verb: "Parles-tu français?" (Do you speak French?)

Common question words include:

• Qui (who)
• Quoi (what)
• Où (where)
• Quand (when)
• Pourquoi (why)
• Comment (how)

 

French	English
Où habites-tu ?	Where do you live? — Learn how to ask where someone’s from in French in this article.
Comment ça va ?	How are you? — Learn other ways to say this in French.
Pourquoi étudies-tu le français ?	Why are you studying French?
Quand partons-nous ?	When are we leaving?
Qui est-ce ?	Who is it?
Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?	What are you doing?
Où est la gare ?	Where is the train station?
Comment s’appelle-t-il ?	What is his name?
Pourquoi ne viens-tu pas ?	Why aren’t you coming?
Quand est ton anniversaire ?	When is your birthday?

 

 

We’ve covered basic French grammar rules, but remember that learning is a journey — one that’s best taken with patience, practice, and maybe some cheese and a glass of wine! 

And when you get discouraged, tell yourself that you’re not just learning rules; you’re unlocking a whole new way to express yourself.

So, keep exploring and keep learning with our French blog, and your French skills will take off in no time!

Author: Vincent

Published on: 2024-10-28 12:00:49