Core Grammar of French

A few systems unlock French

French can feel like endless rules, but a small number of core systems do most of the work. Learn these and you can understand and build your own sentences, which is exactly what the exam rewards. ⭐⭐ First, every noun has a GENDER, masculine or feminine, and the word for the changes to match: le for masculine, la for feminine, and les for plural. The words for a change too: un for masculine, une for feminine. ⭐ Second, ADJECTIVES AGREE with their noun and usually come AFTER it. So a masculine noun takes the masculine form and a feminine noun the feminine form, as in un chat noir and une maison blanche. ⭐⭐ Third, VERBS change their ending to match who is doing the action. Regular verbs ending in -er follow one pattern: je parle, nous parlons, vous parlez. To make a sentence negative, you wrap ne and pas around the verb: je ne parle pas. This module is that core grammar. Pronunciation and topic vocabulary each have their own module. Nous parlons français ensemble dans cette leçon. ⚠️ Carry one question the whole way through: does this word have the right form to match its noun, or its subject?

Three systems side by side

The three systems that carry most of French. Read across how each one works.

Tap the two correct phrases

Tap the TWO French phrases where the form correctly matches the noun or subject.

• une maison blanche (a white house)
• nous parlons (we speak)
• une chat noir (meant to be a black cat)
• je parlons (meant to be I speak)

Choose the matching form

The noun livre (book) is masculine. Which phrase correctly says the green book, with the right article and adjective agreement?

• le livre vert
• la livre verte
• le vert livre
• la livre vert

The words grammar uses

Six terms this topic turns on. Learn them and the rules read clearly.

Pair each subject with its verb ending

Two true things about French grammar

Select the TWO statements that are true of French.

• An adjective changes its form to agree with the gender of its noun
• A regular -er verb changes its ending to match the subject
• French nouns do not have a gender
• To make a sentence negative you only ever add one word

Getting the forms right for top marks

The strongest answers get the small forms right, because that is what shows real control of French. ⭐⭐ CHECK GENDER FIRST. Before you write the or a, decide if the noun is masculine or feminine, then choose le or la, un or une. Learning each noun with its article saves you here. ⭐ MAKE THE ADJECTIVE AGREE, AND PLACE IT AFTER. Match the adjective to the noun (noir becomes noire for a feminine noun) and remember most adjectives follow the noun: une voiture rouge, not une rouge voiture. ⭐⭐ MATCH THE VERB ENDING TO THE SUBJECT. Ask who is doing the action and pick the ending: je parle, nous parlons, vous parlez. A wrong ending is the commonest slip and the easiest to fix by checking the subject. DO NOT DRIFT INTO PRONUNCIATION OR TOPIC VOCABULARY. Sound-spelling and the topic word lists have their own modules; here, keep the focus on the grammar systems. ⚠️ A note for teachers. The exact Appendix A grammar list for this specification is still to be confirmed against the spec, and a French speaker should review the examples; the core systems taught here are standard GCSE French. Keep the one question to hand: does this word have the right form to match its noun, or its subject?

Build a present-tense verb

Put the steps for making the present tense of a regular -er verb into order.

• Start with the infinitive, for example parler
• Remove the -er to find the stem, parl
• Decide the subject, such as nous
• Add the ending that matches, -ons
• The verb now agrees: nous parlons

Build a French sentence

Build the French for I speak French with my friends. Remember the verb ending must match je, and the adjective idea is not needed here.

The grammar run

Five quick decisions about core French grammar. Three lives.

Dressing for the occasion

Leave French aside for a moment. Think about how one person turns up looking quite different depending on where they are going, even though it is the same person underneath. ⭐ For a job interview they wear something smart; for the gym, sports kit; for a wedding, their best outfit; for a muddy walk, old boots and a coat. The person does not change, but the FORM they take is chosen to fit the occasion. Turn up to the interview in muddy boots and it jars, even though nothing about the person is wrong. ⭐⭐ So there is a core that stays the same, and an outer form that shifts to match the situation. Getting the form to fit is what makes it feel right, and a small mismatch, the wrong shoes with the right suit, is noticed at once. Grammar works the very same way. A word has a core meaning that stays put, but it takes a different outward form to fit what is around it: to fit whether the thing is masculine or feminine, and to fit who is doing an action. Choose the form that matches, and the sentence feels right; mismatch it, and a reader notices immediately. ⚠️ Hold that picture. In the next task you will finish French words by giving each the FORM that fits its noun or its subject.

Finish each French form

With je, the verb parler becomes je _____. With nous, the verb parler becomes nous _____. The word for the with a feminine noun is _____. The word for a with a masculine noun is _____. To make a sentence negative, you wrap ne and _____ around the verb.

Three sentences to fix

Three learners have written some French. For each, choose the correct advice.

• A learner writes je parlons français, meaning I speak French.
• A learner writes une chat noir, meaning a black cat, but chat is a masculine noun.
• A learner wants to say I do not speak and writes je parle, with nothing added.

Explain the core grammar

Explain, in English, the core grammar of French: how gender decides the article, how adjectives agree and where they go, and how a regular -er verb changes its ending to match the subject. Give a short French example for each, and keep the French elision-free.

• Explain that nouns have a gender that decides le or la, un or une
• Explain that adjectives agree with the noun and usually follow it
• Explain how a regular -er verb ending changes for je and nous
• Explain how to make a sentence negative with ne and pas
• Give one short, correct French example