Grammar Reference

French alphabet, nasal vowels, silent letters, liaison

Can recognize French sounds and understand basic pronunciation rules

Accent marks: é, è, ê, ë, ç and their pronunciation effects

Can correctly write and read French accent marks

When and how to link words (liaison) and drop vowels (elision: l', j', qu')

Can apply basic liaison and elision rules in spoken and written French

Definite articles: le, la, l', les

Can use definite articles to refer to specific things and general concepts

Indefinite articles: un, une, des

Can use indefinite articles to introduce new items and people

Partitive articles: du, de la, de l', des for uncountable nouns

Can use partitive articles to talk about food, drinks, and uncountable quantities

Masculine and feminine noun gender rules and patterns

Can identify common gender patterns in French nouns

Regular (-s) and irregular (-aux, -eaux) plural formation

Can form regular and common irregular plurals of French nouns

Subject pronouns: je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles

Can use subject pronouns correctly, including the tu/vous distinction

Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

Can use stressed pronouns after prepositions and for emphasis

The versatile pronoun 'on' — we, one, they, people

Can understand and use 'on' in its various meanings in everyday French

Question words: qui, que, quoi, où, comment, quand, pourquoi, combien

Can ask basic questions using French question words

Present tense of être (to be) and avoir (to have) — the two essential verbs

Can conjugate être and avoir and use them for identity, age, possession, and sensations

Regular -er verb conjugation: parler, manger, habiter

Can conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense

Regular -ir verb conjugation: finir, choisir pattern

Can conjugate regular -ir verbs (finir type) in the present tense

Common irregular verbs: aller, faire, prendre, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir, connaître

Can conjugate the most common irregular French verbs in the present tense

Near future with aller + infinitive: je vais manger

Can express future plans and intentions using aller + infinitive

Past tense with avoir: j'ai mangé, tu as parlé

Can talk about past events using passé composé with avoir

Past tense with être: je suis allé(e), verbs of movement

Can use passé composé with être for movement/change verbs and agree the participle

Commands and requests: mange!, mangez!, mangeons!

Can give commands, make requests, and suggest activities using the imperative

Reflexive verbs: se lever, s'appeler, se laver

Can use reflexive verbs to describe daily routines and introduce oneself

Modal verbs: pouvoir, vouloir, devoir + infinitive

Can express ability, desire, and obligation using modal verbs

Adjective agreement in gender and number: masculine/feminine, singular/plural

Can make adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe

Adjective placement: before or after the noun (BAGS rule)

Can place adjectives correctly before or after the noun

Possessive adjectives: mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses, notre/nos, votre/vos, leur/leurs

Can express possession using possessive adjectives correctly

Frequency adverbs: toujours, souvent, parfois, jamais

Can describe how often activities happen using frequency adverbs

Quantity adverbs: beaucoup, peu, trop, assez, très

Can express quantities and degrees using French quantity adverbs

Place prepositions: à, dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, entre, en face de

Can describe locations and give directions using place prepositions

Prepositions with countries and cities: en France, au Japon, à Paris

Can say where people live and travel using correct country/city prepositions

Time prepositions: à, en, dans, pendant, depuis, de...à

Can express when events happen using time prepositions

Basic SVO word order in French sentences

Can construct basic French sentences with correct word order

Negation: ne...pas, ne...plus, ne...jamais, ne...rien

Can make sentences negative using ne...pas and other negation forms

Forming questions: intonation, est-ce que, inversion

Can ask yes/no and information questions using three methods

There is / there are: il y a

Can express existence and quantity using il y a

Distinguishing c'est and il est constructions

Can correctly choose between c'est and il/elle est in descriptions

Counting from 0 to 100: spelling, pronunciation, and patterns

Can count from 0 to 100 and understand French number patterns

Telling time: il est trois heures, midi, minuit

Can tell time and ask for the time in French

Days of week, months, seasons, and dates

Can name days, months, seasons, and express dates

Simple comparisons: plus...que, moins...que, aussi...que

Can make simple comparisons between people, places, and things

Basic conjunctions: et, ou, mais, parce que, donc, alors

Can connect ideas using basic French conjunctions