aites La fête !
F
GRAMMER
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Notes
TOPIC 1: LE FUTUR PROCHE.
Le futur proche is a verb tense used to express actions that are about to happen or are planned
in the near future. It corresponds to “going to” in English.
Unlike le futur simple, le futur proche emphasizes immediacy, intention, or certainty based on
present evidence.
Uses of Le Futur Proche
Le futur proche is used in the following situations:
● To express an action that will happen very soon
● To express a planned or intended action
● To describe a future event based on present evidence
● In spoken and informal French
Le futur proche is very common in conversation, often preferred over le futur simple.
Formation of Le Futur Proche
Le futur proche is formed using:
Present tense of aller + infinitive of the main verb
Conjugation of “aller” in the Present Tense
1. JeVais
2. TuVas
3. Il/Elle/OnVa
4. NousAllons
5. VousAllez
6. Ils/EllesVont
Structure Example
● Je vais manger.
● Nous allons voyager.
● Ils vont commencer le projet.
The main verb always stays in the infinitive and never changes.
Negation in Le Futur Proche
To form the negative, place ne … pas around the conjugated form of aller.
Examples:
● Je ne vais pas sortir. (I am not going to go out.)
● Nous n’allons pas accepter l’offre. (We are not going to accept the offer.)
Time Expressions Commonly Used with Le Futur Proche
● bientôt (soon)
● ce soir (this evening)
● tout à l’heure (shortly)
● maintenant (now)
● dans quelques minutes (in a few minutes)
● aujourd’hui (today)
Summary
Le futur proche is used to express actions that are about to happen or are planned in the near
future. It is formed with the present tense of aller followed by the infinitive of the main verb. It
is especially common in spoken French and is essential for expressing intentions and
immediate future events.
TOPIC 2: LE FUTUR SIMPLE.
Le futur simple is a verb tense used to express actions or states that will take place at a later
time. It corresponds mainly to “will” or “shall” in English. It is a simple tense because it is
formed using a single verb, not an auxiliary.
Uses of Le Futur Simple
Le futur simple is used in the following situations:
● To express an action that will occur in the future
● To express predictions or assumptions about the future
● To express promises or commitments
● To express instructions or rules that apply in the future
● To express future consequences
Formation of Le Futur Simple
Le futur simple is formed by:
Infinitive of the verb + future tense endings
Future Tense Endings
● Je—ai
● Tu—as
● Il/Elle/On—a
● Nous—ons
● Vous—ez
● Ils/Elles—ont
Regular Verbs in Le Futur Simple
● –ER Verbs:The infinitive remains unchanged.
● –IR Verbs:The infinitive remains unchanged.
● –RE Verbs:The final “e” of the infinitive is removedbefore adding the endings.
Irregular Verbs in Le Futur Simple
Some verbs have irregular future stems. The endings remain the same.
1. Être—ser-
2. Avoir—aur-
3. Aller—ir-
4. Faire—fer-
5. Venir—viendr-
6. Tenir—tiendr-
7. Pouvoir—pourr-
8. Vouloir—voudr-
9. Devoir—devr-
10.Savoir—saur-
11.Voir—verr-
12.Envoyer—enverr-
13.Recevoir—recevr-
14.Courir—courr-
15.Mourir—mourr-
Summary
Le futur simple is used to talk about future actions, predictions, promises, and consequences. It
is formed using the infinitive of the verb (or an irregular stem) followed by specific future
endings. Mastery of irregular stems and correct usage is essential for accuracy in formal French.
TOPIC 3: LE CONDITIONNEL PRÉSENT.
Definition
Le conditionnel présent is a verb tense used to express actions or states that would happen
under certain conditions. It often corresponds to “would”, “could”, or “should” in English.
Although it is called a conditional tense, it is closely related to the future tense because it uses
the future stem combined with imperfect endings.
Uses of Le Conditionnel Présent
Le conditionnel présent is used in the following situations:
● To express a hypothetical or conditional action
● To express a polite request or suggestion
● To express advice
● To express wishes or desires
● To express uncertainty or reported information
Formation of Le Conditionnel Présent
Le conditionnel présent is formed using:
Future stem of the verb + imparfait endings
Imparfait Endings Used in the Conditional
● Je—ais
● Tu—ais
● Il/Elle/On—ait
● Nous—ions
● Vous—iez
● Ils/Elles—aient
Regular Verbs in Le Conditionnel Présent
● –ER Verbs:The infinitive remains unchanged.
● –IR Verbs:The infinitive remains unchanged.
● –RE Verbs:The final “e” of the infinitive is removedbefore adding the endings.
Irregular Verbs in Le Conditionnel Présent
The conditional uses the same irregular stems as le futur simple.
1. Être—ser-
2. Avoir—aur-
3. Aller—ir-
4. Faire—fer-
5. Venir—viendr-
6. Tenir—tiendr-
7. Pouvoir—pourr-
8. Vouloir—voudr-
9. Devoir—devr-
10.Savoir—saur-
11.Voir—verr-
12.Envoyer—enverr-
13.Recevoir—recevr-
14.Courir—courr-
15.Mourir—mourr-
Structure of a Conditional Sentence
A conditional sentence has two clauses:
1. The si-clause(the condition)
2. The main clause(the result)
When usingsi(if), the tenses follow a strict pattern.
Si Clause Main Clause
si + imperfect conditional present
Example:
● Si j’avais plus de temps, je lirais davantage.
If I had more time, I would read more.
● Si tuétudies, turéussiras.
If you study, you will succeed.
● Si nousfinissonstôt, nouspartonsmaintenant.
If we finish early, we leave now.
● Si vousavezun problème,parlezau professeur.
If you have a problem, speak to the teacher.
Important rule:
Never use the conditional after “si”.
Negation in Le Conditionnel Présent
Negation is formed in the usual way, with ne … pas around the conjugated verb.
● Je ne voudrais pas partir maintenant.
(I would not like to leave now.)
● Nous ne ferions pas cela.
(We would not do that.)
Summary
Le conditionnel présent is used to express hypothetical actions, politeness, advice, wishes, and
uncertainty. It is formed using the future stem of a verb combined with imperfect endings.
Correct use of irregular stems and conditional sentence structures is essential for accurate and
formal French.
TOPIC 4: LES PRONOMS PERSONNELS.
Definition
Les pronoms personnels are words used to replace a noun (a person, animal, or thing) in order
to avoid repetition. They agree with the noun they replace in person, number, and sometimes
gender.
French personal pronouns are divided into several categories depending on their grammatical
function.
Subject Pronouns — Pronoms Personnels Sujets
Subject pronouns replace thesubjectof a verb. They indicatewho performs the action.
Person Singular Plural
1st Je Nous
2nd Tu Vous
3rd Il / Elle / On Ils / Elles
Notes
● Jebecomesj’before a vowel or silent h.
● Tuis an informal singular.
● Vousis formal singular or plural.
● Onoften replacesnousin spoken French.
Examples
● Je parle français.
● Elle étudie la chimie.
● Nous partons demain.
Direct Object Pronouns — Pronoms d’objet Direct
They replace adirect object, which answers the questionqui ?orquoi ?after the verb.
Person Singular Plural
1st Me Nous
2nd Te Vous
3rd Le / La Les
The pronoun is placedbefore the verb.
3.4 Examples
● Je vois le film → Jelevois.
● Elle appelle Marie → Ellel’appelle.
● Nous lisons les livres → Nousleslisons.
Indirect Object Pronouns — Pronoms d’objet Indirect
They replace anindirect object, introduced byà, and answer the questionà qui ?
Person Singular Plural
1st Me Nous
2nd Te Vous
3rd Lui Leur
Examples
● Je parle à Paul → Jeluiparle.
● Elle écrit à ses parents → Elleleurécrit.
Reflexive Pronouns — Les Pronoms Réfléchis
Reflexive pronouns change according to the subject of the verb.
Subject Pronoun Reflexive Pronoun
Je Me
Tu Te
Il / Elle / On Se
Nous Nous
Vous Vous
Ils / Elles Se
Important note:
● me, te, sebecomem’, t’, s’before a vowel or silenth.
General Structure:
Reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb
Negative Form with Reflexive Pronouns
In negative sentences, ne … pas surrounds both the reflexive pronoun and the verb.
Example:
● Je ne me lave pas.
● Elle ne s’est pas réveillée.
Summary
Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject and object of a verb are the same. They are used
with reflexive verbs and change according to the subject. Reflexive verbs are common in French
and require special attention in compound tenses, particularly for agreement rules.
TOPIC 5: LES NEGATIONS.
Definition
Negation in French is used todeny, contradict, orlimitthe meaning of a verb, an adjective, a
noun, or an entire sentence.
Standard French negation is usually formed withtwo elements, placed around the verb.
Basic Negation:ne … pas
The most common form of negation is:
ne + conjugated verb + pas
Examples
● Jenecomprendspas.
● Ellen’aimepasle café.
● Nousnepartonspasaujourd’hui
Placement of Negation
1. Simple Tenses
○ In simple tenses,neis placed before the verb andpasafter the verb.
○ Jene parle pasfrançais.
1. Compound Tenses (Passé Composé)
○ In compound tenses, the negation surrounds theauxiliary verb.
○ Structure:
ne + auxiliary + pas + past participle
Negation with Infinitives
When a negation applies to an infinitive, both elements of the negation are placedbefore the
infinitive.
● Je préfèrene passortir.
● Il prometde ne jamaismentir.
Other Common Negative Expressions
French has many negative structures besidesne … pas. Each expresses a different meaning.
1. ne … jamais(never)
○ Je ne mange jamais de viande.
2. ne … plus(no longer / no more)
○ Elle ne travaille plus ici.
3. ne … rien(nothing)
○ Je ne vois rien.
○ Il n’a rien dit.
4. ne … personne(nobody)
○ Je ne connais personne.
○ Elle n’a vu personne.
5. ne … aucun(e)(not any)
○ Il n’a aucune idée.
○ Elle ne fait aucun effort.
6. ne … nulle part(nowhere)
○ Je ne vais nulle part.
Negation of Nouns:ne … pas de
When a noun is negated,un, une, desusually becomede.
Examples
● J’ai un stylo → Jen’ai pas destylo.
● Elle mange des fruits → Ellene mange pas defruits.
Exception:
● With the verbêtre, the article doesnotchange.
○ C’est un problème → Cen’est pas unproblème.
Double Negatives
In French,double negatives are grammaticaland often required.
Example:
● Jenevoispersonne.
● Ellenefaitrien.
Negation with Object Pronouns
Object pronouns are placedbetween ne and the verb.
● Jene levoispas.
● Ellene leurajamaisparlé.
Summary
French negation is most commonly formed withne … pas, but many other negative
expressions exist to convey different meanings such asnever,nothing, orno longer. Correct
placement depends on tense, verb form, and sentence structure. Mastery of negation is
essential for accurate and formal French.
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Notes