Lots of learners see French grammar as a huge beast that cannot be tamed. To start with, words in French have genders, and there are many tenses, grammatical agreements, rules (exceptions to these rules), and weird spellings...just to name a few difficulties. However, in the same way, you don’t need to memorize the whole dictionary to know a decent amount of vocabulary, you don't need to learn every grammar rule.
This article will help you find articulations in sentences and understand how all the pieces fit together so you can express yourself without having to learn extensive grammar for five years.
Below are a few examples where I have changed one part of a sentence from the above line. Here you can see which part of the sentence you need to change in order to say something totally different, using only a handful of words.
French |
Phonetics |
English |
Le chien mange un biscuit. |
[lÉ ÊjÉÌ mÉÌÊ ÉÌ biskÉ„i]] |
The dog eats a biscuit. |
Mon chien mange un biscuit. |
[mÉÌ ÊjÉÌ mÉÌÊ ÉÌ biskÉ„i] |
My dog eats a biscuit. |
Mon chien a mangé un biscuit. |
[mÉÌ ÊjÉÌ a mÉÌÊe ÉÌ biskÉ„i] |
My dog ate a biscuit. |
Le chien mangera un biscuit. |
[lÉ ÊjÉÌ mÉÌÊÊa ÉÌ biskÉ„i] |
The dog will eat a biscuit. |
Son chien a mangé des biscuits. |
[sÉÌ ÊjÉÌ a mÉÌÊe de biskÉ„i] |
His/her dog ate biscuits. |
Notre chien a mangé son biscuit. |
[nÉtÊÉ ÊjÉÌ a mÉÌÊe sÉÌ biskÉ„i] |
Our dog ate her/his biscuit. |
Mon chien n'a pas mangé son biscuit. |
[mÉÌ ÊjÉÌ na pa mÉÌÊe sÉÌ biskÉ„i] |
My dog didn't eat her/his biscuit. |
Mon chien a mangé son os. |
[mÉÌ ÊjÉÌ a mÉÌÊe sÉÌn- És] |
My dog ate his/her bone. |
Mes chiens ont mangé des biscuits. |
[me ÊjÉÌ ÉÌ mÉÌÊe de biskÉ„i] |
My dogs ate biscuits. |
Mes chiens ne mangeraient que des biscuits. |
[me ÊjÉÌ nÉ mÉÌÊÊÉ kÉ de biskÉ„i] |
My dogs would only eat biscuits. |
Ma chienne ne mange pas de biscuits. |
[ma ÊjÉn nÉ mÉÌÊ pa dÉ biskÉ„i] |
My female dog doesn't eat biscuits. |
Ton chien n'aime pas les biscuits ? |
[tÉÌ ÊjÉÌ nÉm pa le biskÉ„i] |
Your dog doesn't like biscuits? |
As you can see, you can't tell whose biscuit it is because son refers to biscuit and not to the person to whom the biscuit belongs. You have to rely on the context to know what son or sa means.
These two or three letter words (or articles) can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Luckily, these words are among the first ones you will learn!
Now that you know what those mean, try using articles yourself. Practicing will really help you understand and remember how to use them.
To build a sentence in any language, you need a minimum number of elements working together, and you can add some more later on when you feel at ease, such as adjectives.
Some verbs are here to save the day if you’re not familiar with conjugation just yet. You can use the following four verbs to precede (almost) any other verb in its infinitive form:
- Je peux.
- Je veux.
- Je dois.
- Je vais.
French |
Phonetics |
English |
Je peux faire un gâteau. |
[ÊÉ pø fÉÊ ÉÌ gato] |
I can bake a cake. |
Je peux parler à ta soeur. |
[ÊÉ pø paÊle a ta sÉœËÊ] |
I can talk to your sister. |
Je vais nager. |
[ÊÉ vÉ naÊe] |
I go swimming. |
Je vais me faire couper les cheveux. |
[ÊÉ vÉ mÉ fÉÊ kupe le ÊÉvø] |
I am going to have a haircut. |
Je dois aller là-bas. |
[ÊÉ dwa ale laba] |
I have to go there. |
Je dois faire ceci. |
[ÊÉ dwa fÉÊ sÉsi] |
I have to do this. |
Je veux manger. |
[ÊÉ vø mÉÌÊe] |
I want to eat. |
Je veux dormir ici. |
[ÊÉ vø dÉÊmiÊ isi] |
I want to sleep here. |
You can also use adverbs. As adverbs do not change in different contexts, they won't leave you puzzled about how to use them. Just pop one in between two words and you're good to go! Here are twelve common examples:
French |
Phonetics |
English |
un peu |
[ÉÌ pø] |
a little |
encore |
[ÉÌkÉÊ] |
again/still |
très |
[tÊÉ] |
very |
beaucoup |
[boku] |
a lot |
bien |
[bjÉÌ] |
good/well |
mal |
[mal] |
bad |
plus |
[ply, plys] |
more/not anymore |
maintenant |
[mÉÌtnÉÌ] |
now |
ici |
[isi] |
here |
là-bas |
[laba] |
over there |
avant |
[avÉÌ] |
before |
presque |
[pÊÉsk] |
almost |
You will also have to use conjunctions. Here are five ones useful for everyday expressions:
French |
Phonetics |
English |
mais |
[mÉ] |
but |
et |
[e] |
and |
avec |
[avÉk] |
with |
pour |
[puÊ] |
to/for |
donc |
[dÉÌk] |
So |
And some examples of conjuctions in use:
French |
Phonetics |
English |
Je n'ai plus envie, mais peut-être demain. |
[ÊÉ ne ply ÉÌvi, mÉ pøtÉtÊÉ dÉmÉÌ] |
I don't want to anymore, but maybe tomorrow. |
Je veux aller là-bas avec mon père. |
[ÊÉ vø ale laba avÉk mÉÌ pÉËÊ] |
I want to go there with my father. |
Je suis arrivée avant, donc c'est ma place. |
[ÊÉ sÉ„iz- aÊive avÉÌ, dÉÌk sÉ ma plas] |
I arrived first so this is my spot. |
Of course, practice makes perfect! Learn one pattern after another, and don't try to rush. Take your time to repeat these words and create sentences until you master the interrogative form, introducing yourself, and the use of adverbs. Use short sentences and don't try to make everything fit together at once.
Decide what you’d like to learn first. I’d recommend knowing how to introduce yourself and then practice responding to questions.
After using some "pre-made" sentences for a while, you will get used to the patterns and you will be able to adapt them as you wish. Make sure to talk to native speakers and ask them to tell you if they notice anything wrong - that way you don't develop bad habits!
Hopefully after reading this article, you'll realize that French grammar is not as hard as it first looks. You can use a lot of tools to make it easier for yourself, whilst still sounding natural and being able to express very detailed ideas. You might struggle at first, but if you can practice enough with a native speaker, over time it will come more and more naturally. And if you want help mastering these tips, take a lesson with me!