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<h1>COMPLETE FRENCH GRAMMAR GUIDE</h1>
<h2>Pronouns, Tenses & Negation</h2>
<h2>1. PRONOUNS (COD, COI, EN, Y)</h2>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>KEY PLACEMENT ORDER:</strong> <span
class="highlight">me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en + VERB</span>
</div>
<h3>Direct Object Pronouns (COD)</h3>
<div class="formula">me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Usage:</strong> Replace direct objects (answer "who?" or "what?")
<div class="example">Je vois Marie → Je <span class="highlight">la</span>
vois</div>
</div>
<h3>Indirect Object Pronouns (COI)</h3>
<div class="formula">me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Usage:</strong> Replace indirect objects (answer "to whom?" - with
preposition à)
<div class="example">Je parle à Marie → Je <span
class="highlight">lui</span> parle</div>
</div>
<h3>Pronoun EN</h3>
<div class="main-point">
Replaces: <span class="highlight">Partitive articles (du, de la, des) •
Indefinite articles (un, une, des) • Expressions of quantity • Phrases with
"de"</span>
</div>
<h3>Pronoun Y</h3>
<div class="main-point">
Replaces: <span class="highlight">Places (à, dans, sur, chez) • Things with
"à" • NOT for people with "à"</span>
</div>
<h3>PLACEMENT RULES</h3>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Present Tense:</strong> Subject + pronouns + verb
<div class="example">Je te le donne (I give it to you)</div>
</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Imperative Affirmative:</strong> Verb + pronouns (with hyphens)
<div class="formula">le/la/les → moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur → y → en</div>
<div class="example">Donnez-le-moi! (Give it to me!)</div>
</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Compound Tenses:</strong> Before auxiliary verb
<div class="example">Je l'ai vu (I saw him)</div>
</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>With Infinitives:</strong> Before infinitive
<div class="example">Je vais le voir (I'm going to see him)</div>
</div>
<h2>2. IMPARFAIT (IMPERFECT TENSE)</h2>
<div class="main-point">
<span class="highlight">FORMATION: Nous form of present - ons + imparfait
endings</span>
</div>
<div class="formula">-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Example:</strong> parler → nous parlons → parl- → je parlais, tu
parlais, il parlait...
</div>
<div class="exception">
<strong>ONLY EXCEPTION: ÊTRE</strong><br>
Stem: <span class="highlight">ét-</span> (not from nous sommes)<br>
j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient
</div>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>USAGE:</strong> <span class="highlight">Ongoing past actions •
Habitual past actions • Descriptions • Time and age</span>
</div>
<h2>3. PASSÉ COMPOSÉ</h2>
<div class="main-point">
<span class="highlight">FORMATION: Auxiliary verb (avoir/être) + past
participle</span>
</div>
<h3>DR MRS VANDERTRAMP VERBS (with ÊTRE)</h3>
<div class="verb-list">
<div class="highlight">D</div>evenir → devenu(e) | <div
class="highlight">R</div>evenir → revenu(e) | <div class="highlight">M</div>onter →
monté(e)<br>
<div class="highlight">R</div>etourner → retourné(e) | <div
class="highlight">S</div>ortir → sorti(e) | <div class="highlight">V</div>enir →
venu(e)<br>
<div class="highlight">A</div>ller → allé(e) | <div
class="highlight">N</div>aître → né(e) | <div class="highlight">D</div>escendre →
descendu(e)<br>
<div class="highlight">E</div>ntrer → entré(e) | <div
class="highlight">R</div>entrer → rentré(e) | <div class="highlight">T</div>omber →
tombé(e)<br>
<div class="highlight">R</div>ester → resté(e) | <div
class="highlight">A</div>rriver → arrivé(e) | <div class="highlight">M</div>ourir →
mort(e) | <div class="highlight">P</div>artir → parti(e)
</div>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>AGREEMENT WITH ÊTRE:</strong> <span class="highlight">Past
participle agrees with subject</span>
<div class="example">Il est arrivé / Elle est arrivée / Ils sont arrivés /
Elles sont arrivées</div>
</div>
<h3>COMMON AVOIR VERBS</h3>
<div class="verb-list">
<strong>avoir</strong> → eu | <strong>être</strong> → été |
<strong>faire</strong> → fait | <strong>dire</strong> → dit | <strong>voir</strong>
→ vu<br>
<strong>savoir</strong> → su | <strong>vouloir</strong> → voulu |
<strong>pouvoir</strong> → pu | <strong>prendre</strong> → pris |
<strong>mettre</strong> → mis<br>
<strong>comprendre</strong> → compris | <strong>apprendre</strong> → appris
| <strong>boire</strong> → bu | <strong>lire</strong> → lu<br>
<strong>écrire</strong> → écrit | <strong>ouvrir</strong> → ouvert |
<strong>vivre</strong> → vécu
</div>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>AGREEMENT WITH AVOIR:</strong> <span class="highlight">Past
participle agrees with preceding direct object</span>
<div class="example">La pomme que j'ai mangée (feminine singular - before
verb)</div>
<div class="example">J'ai mangé la pomme (no agreement - after verb)</div>
</div>
<h2>4. NEGATION</h2>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>BASIC STRUCTURE:</strong> <span class="highlight">ne + verb +
pas</span>
</div>
<div class="rule-box">
<strong>Simple Tenses:</strong> Je ne parle pas français<br>
<strong>Compound Tenses:</strong> Je n'ai pas mangé<br>
<strong>With Pronouns:</strong> Je ne le vois pas
</div>
<h3>COMPOUND NEGATIONS</h3>
<div class="verb-list">
<span class="highlight">Ne...jamais</span> (never) | <span
class="highlight">Ne...rien</span> (nothing) | <span
class="highlight">Ne...personne</span> (no one)<br>
<span class="highlight">Ne...plus</span> (no more) | <span
class="highlight">Ne...que</span> (only) | <span
class="highlight">Ne...ni...ni</span> (neither...nor)<br>
<span class="highlight">Ne...aucun(e)</span> (no/not any) | <span
class="highlight">Ne...nulle part</span> (nowhere)
</div>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>PLACEMENT WITH COMPOUND TENSES:</strong> <span class="highlight">ne
+ auxiliary + negation + past participle</span>
</div>
<div class="exception">
<strong>SPECIAL CASES:</strong><br>
• Rien/personne after past participle: Je n'ai vu personne<br>
• Jamais/plus/que between auxiliary and past participle: Je n'ai jamais
mangé<br>
• Personne/Rien as subject: Personne n'est venu / Rien n'est impossible
</div>
<div class="main-point">
<strong>RESPONDING TO NEGATIVE QUESTIONS:</strong> <span
class="highlight">Use "Si" (not "oui") to contradict</span>
<div class="example">"Tu ne viens pas?" → "Si, je viens" (Yes, I am
coming)</div>
</div>
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<p style="text-align: center; color: #666; font-size: 12px;">
<strong>Note:</strong> This document can be saved as HTML and opened in
Microsoft Word.
All highlighted sections represent the most important rules and exceptions
to memorize.
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