French Grammar Rules

Every A1 grammar point taught in Fréquence's course, as its own page: the rule, worked examples, and pronunciation for each. Start anywhere, or follow them in course order.

• Greetings & Introductions

  Essential phrases for meeting people: with phonetic pronunciation for every phrase.

• The French Alphabet & Pronunciation

  Learn the 26 letters, accents, and the key sounds that make French unique.

• Numbers 0–100

  Count in French from zero to a hundred: with pronunciation for every number.

• Colors & Basic Descriptions

  Describe objects with colors and simple adjectives: with pronunciation for each.

• Days, Months & Seasons

  Learn the days of the week, months of the year, and four seasons.

• Telling the Time

  Ask and tell the time in French, from exact hours to quarter-past and half-past.

• Family Members & Common Nouns

  Core vocabulary: family, body parts, home, food: with grammatical gender.

• Definite Articles: le, la, l', les

  Every French noun has a gender. The article you use reveals it.

• u vs ou: The Two Vowels English Speakers Confuse

  Train your ear on French's most famous vowel trap: u (/y/) vs ou (/u/).

• Je me présente

  The verb être, subject pronouns, nationalities & professions: say who you are.

• Silent Final Consonants & the CaReFuL Rule

  Most French final consonants are silent — learn the four letters that usually aren't.

• Tu as quel âge ? (Le verbe avoir)

  The verb avoir, age expressions, and idiomatic avoir expressions for daily use.

• Comment poser des questions ? (Yes/No Questions)

  3 ways to ask yes/no questions in French and the most important question words.

• Ma famille (Possessives & Family)

  All possessive adjectives + complete family vocabulary with pronunciation.

• Les pronoms toniques (Stressed Pronouns)

  Moi, toi, lui, elle, and more: the pronouns you use after c'est, after prepositions, and to insist.

• Mon quotidien (Regular -ER Verbs)

  Learn the most common verb group in French: regular -ER verbs. One pattern = hundreds of verbs.

• Regular -IR Verbs: finir, choisir, réussir

  Learn the deuxième groupe (second group) of regular French verbs (-IR verbs, finir pattern) with their -iss- plural stem.

• Elision: j', l', qu'

  Vowel-initial words swallow the E of je, le, la, and que — learn when and why.

• Regular -RE Verbs: vendre, attendre, répondre

  Learn the troisième groupe (third group) of regular French verbs (-RE verbs). Key feature: il/elle form has NO ending.

• Ma routine (Frequency Adverbs & Daily Time)

  Say how often you do things and describe your daily routine using frequency adverbs and time expressions.

• Reflexive Verbs: se lever, se coucher, s'appeler

  Learn the full reflexive verb system with me/te/se/nous/vous/se, verbs you already use in daily routine.

• J'aime / Je n'aime pas (Negation & Preferences)

  Express what you like and dislike using negation ne...pas and preference verbs.

• Quelle heure est-il ? (Time & Schedule)

  Tell the time, talk about your schedule, and use key question words quand and à quelle heure.

• Les articles (Definite & Indefinite)

  Master French articles: le/la/l'/les and un/une/des, when to use each, and noun gender patterns.

• é vs è vs e: The Three E-Sounds

  Spot which of the three e-sounds a word uses from its accent — or lack of one.

• Ma ville (Aller + Contractions)

  The irregular verb aller and how à contracts with le/les to form au/aux.

• Pour aller à… ? (Directions & Imperative)

  Give and understand directions in French using imperative forms and key direction vocabulary.

• Les adjectifs (Agreement & Position)

  Adjective gender/number agreement, position rules (before/after noun), and irregular forms.

• Ce, cette, ces: Demonstrative Adjectives

  Pointing at things: this/that and these/those with ce, cet, cette, ces.

• Les vêtements: Clothing Vocabulary

  Learn ~30 essential clothing items and practise colour + clothing agreement.

• Décrire une personne: Physical Descriptions

  Vocabulary for describing hair, eyes, height, build, and age — and the two sentence patterns that go with them.

• The French R: Position & Practice

  Learn where the French R is produced in the mouth, and practice it in different word positions.

• Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? (Faire + Expressions)

  The irregular verb faire and its many idiomatic expressions for activities and weather.

• Vouloir, Pouvoir & Devoir (Modal Verbs)

  The three key modal verbs + infinitive: want to, can/be able to, must/have to.

• Savoir vs Pouvoir: Know How vs Be Able To

  Master the crucial distinction between savoir (learned skill) and pouvoir (circumstantial ability).

• Les articles partitifs (Partitive Articles & Food)

  Use du/de la/de l'/des to express an unspecified quantity, and learn core food vocabulary.

• Nasal Contrast: an / on / in

  Train your ear on French's three main nasal vowels, an, on and in, which run through food words like pain, vin, viande and jambon.

• Au marché (Quantities & Shopping)

  Express quantities, ask prices, and have a complete shopping conversation in French.

• Au restaurant (Ordering & Menu)

  Navigate a French restaurant from start to finish: reading the menu, ordering, and paying.

• Mon appartement (Il y a & Home Vocabulary)

  Describe your home using il y a, room names, and furniture vocabulary.

• Word-Final Tension: -ille (ville vs fille)

  The same -ille spelling hides two different sounds — and one common exception to watch for.

• Où est le chat ? (Prepositions of Place)

  Describe where things and people are using French prepositions of place.

• Mes loisirs (Jouer à / Jouer de)

  Talk about sports and instruments using jouer à (sports/games) vs jouer de (instruments).

• Quel temps fait-il ? (Weather & Seasons)

  Talk about weather using impersonal verbs, describe the seasons, and connect weather to activities.

• H muet vs h aspiré

  Neither h is pronounced — but one type allows elision and liaison, and the other blocks them.

• Le verbe prendre (Prendre & its family)

  The irregular verb prendre: conjugation, uses, and related verbs apprendre and comprendre.

• Les prépositions de transport (en/à)

  Use EN with motorised vehicles and À with non-motorised transport: the key rule for getting around.

• Un voyage en France (Travel & Countries)

  Plan a trip using travel vocabulary and learn the correct prepositions for countries and cities.

• Les grands nombres: 100 à 10 000

  Numbers from 100 to 10,000: cent/cents agreement, mille (invariable), prices in euros and centimes, years, and phone numbers read in pairs.

• Venir & le passé récent (I just did...)

  Learn the irregular verb venir and use it to talk about things you just did with venir de + infinitive.

• Intonation of Yes/No Questions

  Turn any statement into a yes/no question just by raising your pitch at the end.

• Le passé composé (avec avoir)

  Your first past tense: avoir + past participle, for -ER verbs and three common irregulars, plus talking about when and how it was.

• Le passé composé (avec être)

  16 verbs of movement and state change use ÊTRE as auxiliary in passé composé: the past participle agrees with the subject.

• Le futur proche (Going to...)

  Talk about future plans using aller + infinitive, the most common way to express future in spoken French.

• Au téléphone: Phone Conventions

  The formulaic phrases every French phone call uses: opening, asking who's calling, asking someone to repeat, and ending.

• Le corps et la santé: Body Parts and Health

  Learn ~18 body part words and practise a doctor/pharmacy scenario using avoir mal à.

• Les émotions et les sensations (Feelings & Expressions)

  Express how you feel using avoir expressions, se sentir, and avoir l'air + adjective.