French Grammar: The Expression [IL Y A] + Time

… Identify: French Grammar: The Expression [IL Y A] + Time la grammaire française: [il y a] et le temps The expression IL Y A means there is / there are.  But IL Y A  can also be used to tell how long “ago” something happened! Review: LEAF French Grammar: The Expression “IL Y A” […]

French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Basics

… Identify: French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Basics la grammaire française: l’imparfait When speaking about the past in English, you choose which past tense to use depending on the context and the meaning you wish to convey. In French sentences, you choose which past tense you use depending on the meaning you wish to convey. Study: When speaking about the […]

French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Regular and Irregular Verbs

… Identify: French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Regular and Irregular Verbs la grammaire française: l’imparfait des verbes réguliers et irréguliers When speaking about the past in English, you choose which past tense to use depending on the context and the meaning you wish to convey. In French sentences, you choose which past tense you use depending on the meaning you […]

French Grammar : Passé Composé vs. Imperfect Tense

… Identify: French Grammar: Passé Composé vs. Imperfect Tense la grammaire française: le passé composé versus l’imparfait Hier, nous dînions quand Jean a téléphoné. Yesterday we were having dinner when Jean phoned. Je me suis levé, je me suis habillé, et j’ai pris le petit déjeuner. I got up, got dressed and ate breakfast. Ils […]

French Grammar: Verbs that take ÊTRE in Compound Tenses

… Identify: French Grammar: Verbs that take ÊTRE in Compound Tenses la grammaire française: les verbes avec ÊTRE aux temps composés Study: A Compound Tense is a verb form that consists of two parts: (1) the present tense of the auxiliary (or “helper”) verb, followed by (2) the past participle of the main verb (i.e., […]

French Grammar: Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs

Identify: French Grammar: Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs la grammaire française: les verbes réfléchis réciproques Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs in French help us identify actions done by two or more people – to each other! Study: Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs in French help us identify actions done by two or more people – to each other! Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs […]

French Grammar: Infinitive of Reflexive Verbs

Identify: French Grammar: Infinitive of Reflexive Verbs la grammaire française: l’infinitif des verbes réfléchis Reflexive Verbs are a special class of verbs in French. Be sure to review the lesson on Reflexive Verbs first before moving on to this lesson! Whenever reflexive verbs are used in the infinitive with another verb (for example, aimer, aller, […]

French Grammar: Partitive Articles

Identify: French Grammar: Partitive Articles la grammaire française: les articles partitifs You’ll need to learn to use nouns with their correct articles (les articles) if you want to talk about people, places and things! There are three types of articles in French: definite articles (les articles définis), indefinite articles (les articles indéfinis), and partitive articles […]

French Grammar: Passé Composé with Reflexive Verbs

… Identify: French Grammar: Passé Composé with Reflexive Verbs la grammaire française: les verbes réfléchis au Passé Composé Reflexive verbs are used when the subject and object of a verb (action) are the same. The action “reflects back” onto the subject! Study: Reflexive verbs are used when the subject and object of a verb (action) […]

French Grammar: The Past Participle

… Identify: French Grammar: The Past Participle la grammaire française: le participe passé Study: The past participle is the general equivalent of using [-ED] in English. It can be used in a variety of functions including compound tenses and as adjectives with the verb ‘ÊTRE’. To form the past participle for regular verbs, you’ll need to add a new ending to […]