Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Retourner, Arriver, Mourir, Partir. Plus all reflexive verbs. These use être as auxiliary.
D
Devenir — to become
R
Revenir — to come back
M
Monter — to go up
R
Rester — to stay
S
Sortir — to go out
V
Venir — to come
A
Aller — to go
N
Naître — to be born
D
Descendre — to go down
E
Entrer — to enter
R
Rentrer — to return home
T
Tomber — to fall
R
Retourner — to return
A
Arriver — to arrive
M
Mourir — to die
P
Partir — to leave
🗣️ French
Final consonants are usually silent in French
French Pronunciation Rule #1
Silent final consonants — the most important French pronunciation rule
Most final consonants in French are not pronounced. "Vous" = voo. "Beaucoup" = boh-koo. Exception: C, R, F, L are often pronounced (think CaReFuL). The S on plural words is never pronounced.
🗣️ French
Le/La (singular) → Les (plural)
French Articles
Definite articles in French — four forms, one rule
Masculine singular: le. Feminine singular: la. Before a vowel/h: l'. Plural (both genders): les. Indefinite: un (masc), une (fem), des (plural). Partitive: du (masc), de la (fem).
🗣️ French
Adjectives follow nouns in French (usually)
French Adjective Placement
French adjective order — opposite of English, mostly
In English: "a red car." In French: "une voiture rouge" (a car red). Most adjectives follow the noun. Exception — BAGS adjectives go before: Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size (belle, vieille, bonne, petite).
🗣️ French
Imparfait = was ___-ing. Passé composé = did / has done.
French Past Tenses
Two past tenses — when to use which
Passé composé: completed, specific past actions ("I ate"). Imparfait: ongoing, habitual, or background past ("I was eating" / "I used to eat"). Same rule as Spanish preterite/imperfect.
French Noun Gender
French gender: most words ending in -e are feminine. Most ending in consonant are masculine. Many exceptions.
French Noun Gender
Patterns for guessing the gender of French nouns
Feminine endings: -tion, -sion, -ure, -ence, -ance, -ette, -euse, -rice. Masculine endings: -ment, -isme, -age, -eur, -oir. Exceptions everywhere: le silence (m), la main (f), le problème (m). Learn gender with each noun. Memorize: le/un = masculine, la/une = feminine.
French Negation
Negation: ne...pas wraps around the verb. Ne...jamais (never). Ne...rien (nothing). Ne...plus (no more).
French Negation
How to make sentences negative in French
Place ne before the verb and pas (or other negative word) after. Je ne sais pas (I don't know). In spoken French, ne is often dropped: Je sais pas. Passé composé: ne wraps around the auxiliary: Je n'ai pas mangé. Jamais (never), rien (nothing), plus (no longer), personne (no one).
The Subjunctive Mood
Subjunctive triggers: il faut que, vouloir que, bien que, douter que — doubt, wish, necessity, emotion
The Subjunctive Mood
When to use the subjunctive — the mood of uncertainty and emotion
Use subjunctive after expressions of: wish/desire (je veux que tu viennes), necessity (il faut que), doubt (je doute que), emotion (je suis content que), certain conjunctions (bien que, avant que, pour que). Indicators: que + subjunctive. If both clauses have same subject, use infinitive instead.
Direct Object Pronouns
Direct object pronouns: me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les. Go BEFORE the verb in French.
Direct Object Pronouns
Replacing direct object nouns with pronouns — placed before the verb
Je mange la pomme → Je la mange (I eat it). Il voit les enfants → Il les voit. In passé composé, pronoun goes before the auxiliary: Je l'ai mangée (agreement with preceding direct object!). With infinitive: Je veux le manger (before the infinitive).
Depuis with Present Tense
Depuis + present tense = has been doing (still ongoing). J'étudie depuis deux heures = I've been studying for two hours.
Depuis with Present Tense
French expresses ongoing past actions differently from English
English uses past perfect continuous ('I have been studying'). French uses present tense + depuis. J'habite ici depuis cinq ans = I have been living here for five years (and still do). If the action is completed, use passé composé + pendant: J'ai étudié pendant deux heures.
Liaison
Liaison: final consonant normally silent becomes pronounced before a vowel sound. Les enfants = lay-zon-fon.
Liaison
When normally silent consonants are pronounced in French
Liaison is required in certain contexts: determiner + noun (les amis, des enfants), pronoun + verb (nous allons, ils ont), adjective + noun (petit enfant). Forbidden after et. The s or x becomes a /z/ sound, n becomes /n/. Makes French flow as one continuous stream of sound.
Comparative: Il est plus grand que moi (He is taller than me). Elle est moins sportive que lui. Je suis aussi fatigué que toi. Superlative: le/la/les + plus/moins + adjective + de: C'est le plus beau pays du monde. Irregular: bon → meilleur (better), bien → mieux.