French grammar foundations

Build the foundations of a French sentence: choose être or avoir, introduce nouns with the right article, conjugate regular present verbs, and state what does not happen.

Anchor a complete sentence

Begin with the present forms that let you identify someone, describe a condition, and name a possession. The lessons distinguish the jobs of être and avoir before combining them with more elaborate verb groups. Practice one complete sentence, then change the subject and check what must change with it. A familiar phrase is a useful starting point, but explaining its structure lets you create another sentence with the same pattern.

Give nouns a clear reference

Articles help indicate gender, number, and the way a noun is being introduced. Compare a newly mentioned item with a known item and a general category. French often needs an article where English leaves one out, so translating each English word independently can miss part of the noun phrase. Keep the noun’s gender alongside its meaning in your notes and use that information when reading adjective and possessive expressions later.

Turn the foundation into a contrast

Regular present verbs and basic negatives let you explain what happens and what does not happen. Locate the finite verb before placing the negative elements, then read the whole sentence for its intended meaning. Return to a model after a break and rebuild it from an English cue. The next hubs extend these same foundations into questions, practical descriptions, and accounts of past events.

Sources

• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Être
• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Avoir
• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Introduction to determiners
• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Definite articles
• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Regular er verbs
• University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Basic negation