French Grammar

• What do reflexive verbs describe?


  Activities where the action is reflected back onto the subject of the verb
• How is the idea of 'self' conveyed in reflexive verbs?

  By using reflexive pronouns
• What is the French translation of "to wash (oneself)"?

  se laver
• What are the reflexive pronouns in French for each subject pronoun?


  • je: me
  • tu: te
  • il/elle: se
  • nous: nous
  • vous: vous
  • ils/elles: se
• What is the present tense form of "I wash myself" in French?

  Je me lave
• What is the French verb for "to be"?

  être
• What is the first person singular form of "to be" in French?

  Je suis
• What is the French verb for "to go"?

  aller
• What is the first person singular form of "to go" in French?

  Je vais
• What is the French verb for "to want"?

  vouloir
• What is the first person singular form of "to want" in French?

  Je veux
• What is the French verb for "to have"?

  avoir
• What is the first person singular form of "to have" in French?

  J'ai
• What is the French verb for "to do/make"?

  faire
• What is the first person singular form of "to do/make" in French?

  Je fais
• What is the perfect tense used to describe?

  A single, completed action in the past or an action that took place over a defined period of time
• What is the French translation of "I played/I have played"?

  J'ai joué
• What are the two parts that make up the perfect tense?

  1. The auxiliary verb (the present tense of AVOIR or ÊTRE)
  2. The past participle (e.g., donné, parlé, sorti, fait)
• How do you form the past participle of regular -ER verbs?


  By replacing -er with -é
• What is the past participle of "manger"?

  mangé
• How do you form the past participle of regular -IR verbs?


  By replacing -ir with -i
• What is the past participle of "finir"?


  fini
• How do you form the past participle of regular -RE verbs?

  By replacing -re with -u
• What is the past participle of "vendre"?

  vendu
• What are some examples of irregular verbs that take AVOIR in le passé composé?

  • avoir: eu
  • lire: lu
  • être: été
  • mettre: mis
  • boire: bu
  • ouvrir: ouvert
  • connaître: connu
  • pouvoir: pu
  • courir: couru
  • prendre: pris
  • croire: cru
  • devoir: dû
  • recevoir: reçu
  • dire: dit
  • voir: vu
  • écrire: écrit
  • vouloir: voulu
  • faire: fait
• What are the verbs that use être as their auxiliary verb in le passé composé?

  • Mourir: mort
  • Retourner: retourné
  • Sortir: sorti
  • Venir: venu
  • Arriver: arrivé
  • Naître: né
  • Descendre: descendu
  • Entrer: entré
  • Revenir: revenu
  • Tomber: tombé
  • Rester: resté
  • Aller: allé
  • Monter: monté
  • Partir: parti
• What must the past participle do in relation to the subject in the passé composé with être?

  It must agree with the subject
• What is the past participle of "partir" when referring to a female subject?

  partie
• What is the near future tense used to express?

  An action that is going to happen
• How do you form the near future tense in French?

  By using the appropriate part of the verb ALLER + infinitive
• What is the first person singular form of "I am going" in French?

  Je vais
• What is the simple future tense used to express?

  An action that will happen in the future
• How do you form the simple future tense for regular verbs?

  By adding endings onto the infinitive
• What are the endings for the simple future tense?

  • ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont
• What is the simple future tense form of "parler" for "I will talk"?

  Je parlerai
• What is the simple future tense form of "vendre" for "I will sell"?

  Je vendrai
• What are the irregular verbs that change their infinitive to take an irregular stem in the future tense?

  • être: ser-
  • devoir: devr-
  • savoir: saur-
  • avoir: aur-
  • aller: ir-
  • pouvoir: pourr-
  • vouloir: voudr-
  • venir: viendr-
  • faire: fer-
  • recevoir: recevr-
  • voir: verr-
  • courir: courr-
• What is the future tense form of "aller" for "I will go"?

  J'irai
• What is the future tense form of "vouloir" for "we will want"?

  Nous voudrons
• What is the future tense form of "voir" for "they will see"?

  Ils verront