Here are in the table bellow the different direct object pronouns in the French language and their equivalent in English:
Personal pronouns
Direct object pronouns
Pronouns in English
Je
Me, t’
Me
Tu
Te, t’
You
Il, elle, on
Le, la, l’
His, her, its
Nous
Nous
Us
Vous
Vous
You
Ils, elles
Les
Them
To find out wether or not a verb need a direct object pronouns or an indirect object pronouns you can ask yourself the question “qui ?” (who?) or “quoi ?” (what?) after the verb.
For examples:
J’aide mon ami. J’aide (qui ?) mon ami. Je l’aide.
I help my friend. I help (who?) my friend. I help him.
Je mange un fruit. Je mange (quoi ?) un fruit. Je le mange.
I eat a fruit. I eat (what?) a fruit. I eat it.
The following table shows the phrase structure for the main French tenses:
Here are a table with the interrogative determiners and pronouns in French and their equivalent in English:
Français
IPA*
Anglais
Qui
[ki]
Who
Que
[kə]
What
Quoi, à quoi, de quoi
[kwa]
What
Quel, quelle, quels, quelles
[kɛl]
Which or what
Lequel, laquelle
[ləkɛl, lakɛl]
Which or which one
Lesquels, lesquelles
[lekɛl]
Which or which ones
Où
[u]
Where
Quand
[kɑ̃]
When
Comment
[kɔmɑ̃]
How
Combien
[kɔ̃bjɛ̃]
How much/many
Pourquoi
[puʀkwa]
Why
*IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet
As you will see in the examples of this post, having the verb before the subject for asking a question in French will make it more formal, rather than having the subject before the verb will make it more informal.
Qui, Que, Quoi
The interrogative pronouns qui, que, quoi are invariable in French. They can refer to people (qui) or things (que/quoi).
Qui veut aller se promener. Who want to go for a walk.
Que fais tu ? What do you do?
Tu veux faire quoi ? What do you want to do?
“Qui” and “quoi” can also be used with the prepositions “à” and “de”, for examples:
À qui parles tu (formal) ? Who are you talking to?
Tu parles à qui (informal) / À qui tu parles (informal) ? Who are you talking to?
De qui tu parles ? Who are you talking about?
Je ne sais pas de quoi tu parles. I don’t know what you are talking about.
À quoi tu penses ? What are you thinking about?
Quel, Quelle, Quels, Quelles
“Quel, quelle, quels, quelles” are interrogative determiners. They always come before a noun and they agrees with the noun their linked to, like for examples:
Quelles langues parles-tu ? Which languages do you speak?
Quel est ton fruit préféré ? What is your favourite fruit?
Est-ce que
“Est-ce que” is used to ask a yes or no question, such like:
Est-ce que tu as passé une bonne journée ? Did you have a nice day?
It is also used with interrogative pronouns to make a question more polite.
Here are a couple of examples:
Où habites tu (formal) ? Where do you live?
Où est-ce que tu habites (polite/common) ? Where do you live?
Tu habites où (informal/common) ? Where do you live?
D’où est-ce que tu viens (formal) ? Where do you come from?
Tu viens d’où (informal) ? Where do you come from?
Quand pars tu en vacances (formal) ? When do you go on holidays?
Quand est-ce que tu pars en vacances (polite/common) ? When do you go on holidays?
Tu pars quand en vacances (informal/common) ? When do you go on holidays?
Depuis quand tu habites ici (informal) ? For how long have you been living here?
Comment s’est passer ta journée ? How did you day goes?
J’ai passé une très bonne journée. I had a very nice day.
Pourquoi est-ce que tu souris ? Why are you smiling?
Combien ça çoûte (formal) ? How much does it cost?
Ça coûte combien (informal) ? How much does it cost?
Combien de livres est-ce que tu as ? How many books do you have?
Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles
“Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles” are interrogative pronouns, like for examples:
Lequel de ces livres est-ce que tu préfères ? Which one of these books do you prefer?
If you want to exerce yourself with interrogative pronouns in French, you can do it here.
Passé composé and imparfait are the two main past tenses used in spoken French.
Here is how to conjugate and use them:
Passé composé
Form
To conjugate the passé composé, you need to conjugate either the avoir or être auxiliaries in the present tense and add the past participle.
Passé composé = avoir or être (in the present tense) + past participle
Pronoms personnels
Avoir (to have)
Être (to be)
Aller (to go)
Je, j’
ai eu
ai été
suis allé
Tu
as eu
as été
es allé
Il, elle, on
a eu
a été
est allé
Nous
avons eu
avons été
sommes allé
Vous
avez eu
avez été
êtes allé
Ils, elles
ont eu
ont été
sont allé
Pronoms personnels
1er groupe
2ème groupe
3ème groupe
Parler (to talk)
Finir (to finish)
Prendre (to take)
Je, j’
ai parlé
ai fini
ai pris
Tu
as parlé
as fini
as pris
Il, elle, on
a parlé
a fini
a pris
Nous
avons parlé
avons fini
avons pris
Vous
avez parlé
avez fini
avez pris
Ils, elles
ont parlé
ont fini
ont pris
Use
We use the passé composé when we talk about an action in the past.
For example:
J’ai fini mes devoirs hier. I finished my homework yesterday.
On est allé à Paris l’année dernière. We went to Paris last year.
We use the avoir auxiliary with most verbs to conjugate the passé composé but some verbs need the être auxiliary, like verbs of motion and stative verbs in the list bellow:
Verbes
Verbs
Naître/Mourir
To be born/To die
Aller/Venir
To go/To come
Revenir/Retourner/Rentrer
To come back/To go back
Monter/Remonter/Descendre/Redescendre
To climb/To go down
Arriver/Partir/Repartir
To arrive/To leave
Entrer/Sortir
To go in/To go out
Apparaître
To appear
Rester
To stay
Tomber/Retomber
To fall
For example:
Je suis resté là-bas deux heures. I stayed there for two hours.
Être is also used with reflexive verbs, for instance:
Je me suis réveillé à 8h. I woke up at 8am.
The past participle ends in “é” for the verbs belonging to the first group like “parler”. For the second group like “finir”, it ends in “i”. It is more complicated for verbs belonging to the third group. Since they have different endings, you need to learn the past participle by heart.
The good thing is that some of the verbs belonging to the third group have the same ending.
For example:
Verbs which have a past participle ending in “u“, such as vouloir, pouvoir, savoir, connaître, voir, croire, devoir, entendre, vendre, lire: voulu, pu, su, connu, vu, cru, dû, entendu, vendu, lu.
Verbs which have a past participle ending in “is“, such as prendre, apprendre, comprendre: pris, appris, compris.
L’imparfait
Form
To conjugate the imparfait you need to take out of the infinitive the ending of the infinive and add the following endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
It is easier with verbs of the first group since you always taken out -er and add the ending of the imparfait like parler = je parlais
For the verbs of the second group you need to add iss like finir = je fin- iss – ais = je finissais
Lastly, for the verbs of the third group and for auxiliaries you need to learn them.
Pronoms personnels
Avoir (to have)
Être (to be)
Aller (to go)
Je, j’
avais
étais
allais
Tu
avais
étais
allais
Il, elle, on
avait
était
allait
Nous
avions
étions
allions
Vous
aviez
étiez
alliez
Ils, elles
avaient
étaient
allaient
Pronoms personnels
1er groupe
2ème groupe
3ème groupe
Parler (to talk)
Finir (to finish)
Prendre (to take)
Je, j’
parlais
finissais
prenais
Tu
parlais
finissais
prenais
Il, elle, on
parlait
finissait
prenait
Nous
parlions
finissions
prenions
Vous
parliez
finissiez
preniez
Ils, elles
parlaient
finissaient
prenaient
Use
We use the imparfait to talk about our memories like for example:
Quand j’étais jeune, j’avais un chat. When I was young, I had a cat.
Or to talk about something repetitive, like:
Il y a 5 ans, tous les samedis matin j’allais à la boulangerie acheter des croissants. 5 years ago, every Saturday morning I was going to the bakery to buy some croissants.
Besides, we use the imparfait to describe a situation in the past. For instance:
Je dormais (imparfait/description) quand mon chien m’a réveillé (passé composé/action). I was sleeping when my dog woke me up.
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This is why when you learn new vocabulary in French, it can be good for you to learn the words with their articles to learn their gender at the same time.
Partitive articles
Partitive articles in French are articles that we use to replace the use of the preposition à or de, plus a definite article. It is a contraction that appears only with the masculine and the plural.
Here are in the table bellow the 4 partitive articles in the French language:
Genres
à + article défini
de + article défini
Masculin
à + le = au
de + le = du
Féminin
à + la = à la
de + la = de la
Pluriel
à + les = aux
de + les = des
For examples:
Je vais au supermarché (le supermarché). I go to the supermarket.
Tu vas à la gare (la gare). You go to the train station.
Il mange une tarte aux pommes (les pommes). He eats an apple pie.
Je joue du piano (le piano). I play the piano.
Je joue de la guitare (la guitare). I play the guitar.
Le ballon des enfants (le ballon de les enfants). The children’s ball.
Le and la in front of a word starting with a vowel or a silent h will change in l’. In the same way, de, du, will change in d’. The reason for that is to avoid a double vowel sounds.
Est-ce que tu te souviens de l’histoire (instead of de la histoire)? Do you remember the story?
Je me suis tromper d’étage (instead of du étage). I got to the wrong stair.
When we talk about an indefinite quantity we either use du (masculin) and de la (féminin) depending on the gender but not des (pluriel). For examples:
Je bois del’eau et du café. I drink water and coffee.
When we play a sport or a music instrument like:
Je joue du piano et je fais de la natation. I play the piano and I swim.
Sometimes when we talk about an indefinite quantity and after adverbs of quantity, we use “de” without an article like:
Je lis beaucoup de livres. I read a lot of books.
Tu as plus d’énergie que lui. You have more energy than him.
We also use “de” instead of “du, d’, de la, des” in negative phrases. For examples:
Le commerçant ne vend pas de poires. The vendor don’t sell pears.
Je n’ai pas de chat. I don’t have a cat.
Also, some expressions don’t need an article like:
J’ai besoin de temps. I need time.
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Here are in the table bellow the demonstrative determiners and pronouns in French:
Genre
Déterminants démonstratifs
Pronoms démonstratifs (forme simple)
Pronoms démonstratifs (forme composée)
Masculin
Ce, cet
Celui
Celui-ci, celui-là
Féminin
Cette
Celle
Celle-ci, celle-là
Pluriel
Ces
Ceux, celles
Ceux-ci, ceux-là, celles-ci, celles-là
Neutre
–
Ce, c’
Ça, ceci, cela
Determiners are used in front of a noun while pronouns replace a noun.
The dialogue bellow is an example which illustrates the use of the three different types of demonstrative determiners and pronouns in the French language.
Person A: Quelle est ta photo préférée ? What is your favourite photo?
Person B: J’aime beaucoup cette photo (déterminant démonstratif féminin), c’est celle (pronom démonstratif simple féminin) que je préfère. I really like this photo, it’s my favourite one.
Person A: Pardon, laquelle ? Sorry, which one?
Person B: Celle-ci (pronom démonstratif composée féminin). This one.
Ci vs là
The composed form with -ci is used with someone ou something which is close to the person who talk rather than the form ending in -là is used with someone or something which is far from the one who talk. For examples:
Celui-ci, celle-ci. This one.
Celui-là, celle-là. That one.
Ceux-ci, celles-ci. These ones.
Ceux-là, celles-là. Those ones.
Cet
Also, we use “cet” in front of a masculine noun starting with a vowel or a silent “h” like for examples:
Cet homme. This man.
Cet indice. This clue.
Ce, c’, ça, ceci, cela
First, “ce” and “c’” are only used with “être” in French with all other verbs we use “ça“.
Also, “c’” is used instead of “ce” in front a word starting with a vowel like for examples:
C’est une très belle forêt. This is a beautiful forest.
Ce sont de très beaux arbres enfants. These are beautiful trees.
J’adore ça. I love this.
“Ça” is widely used by French speakers, although “ceci” and “cela” are sometimes used to replace “ça” in formal conversation or in written French. For examples:
Je préfère ça (informal). I prefer this.
Je préfère ceci (formal/written). I prefer this.
Je parle de ça (informal). I am talking about that.
Je parle de cela(formal/written). I am talking about that.
If you want to practise with exercises, you can do it here.
Find my other articles about the French pronouns here.
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Here are the main things you need to know about the present tense in French:
Auxiliaries
In the French language we have two auxiliaries, “avoir” (to have) and “être” (to be).
Personal pronouns
Avoir
Être
Je, j’
Ai
Suis
Tu
As
Es
Il, elle, on
A
Est
Nous
Avons
Avez
Vous
Avez
Êtes
Ils, elles
Ont
Sont
Examples:
J’ai 40 (quarante) ans. I am 40 years old.
Elle a un téléphone. She has a phone.
Nous avons faim. We are hungry.
Ils sont grands. They are tall.
Il est à la maison. He is at home.
1st group
There are three groups of verbs in French. The infinitive of French verbs from the first one ends in –er like: parler, manger, penser, aimer, regarder, acheter, etc.
The endings at the present tense are the following: –e, –es, –e, –ons, –ez, –ent.
To conjugate them you have to take out the ending of the infinitive (-er) and add the endings at the present tense like bellow:
Personal pronouns
Parler (to talk)
Manger (to eat)
Je, j’
Parle
Mange
Tu
Parles
Manges
Il, elle, on
Parle
Mange
Nous
Parlons
Mangeons
Vous
Parlez
Mangez
Ils, elles
Parlent
Mangent
Examples:
Je parle anglais. I speak English.
Je mange une banane. I eat a banana.
2nd group
The infinitive of French verbs from the second group ends in –ir like: finir, réussir, choisir, etc. The endings at the present tense are the following: –is, –is, –it, –issons, –issez, –issent.
Personal pronouns
Finir (to finish)
Choisir (to choose)
Je, j’
Finis
Choisis
Tu
Finis
Choisis
Il, elle, on
Finit
Choisit
Nous
Finissons
Choisissons
Vous
Finissez
Choisissez
Ils, elles
Finissent
Choisissent
Examples:
Je finis mes devoirs. I finish my homework.
Il choisit un livre. He chooses an book.
3rd group
Verbs from the third group are irregular verbs, so you have to learn their ending by heart: aller, pouvoir, faire, savoir, voir, prendre, comprendre, apprendre, vouloir, devoir, croire, dire, dormir, partir, connaître, se souvenir, etc.
Personal pronouns
Aller (to go)
Pouvoir (to can)
Je, j’
Vais
Peux
Tu
Vas
Peux
Il, elle, on
Va
Peut
Nous
Allons
Pouvons
Vous
Allez
Pouvez
Ils, elles
Vont
Peuvent
Examples:
Je vais au supermarché. I go to the supermarket.
Je peux conduire. I can drive.
Modal verbs
The modal verbs in the French language are: aller (go), devoir (must/have to), faire (do), falloir (need/have to), laisser (leave), pouvoir (can), savoir (know), venir (come), vouloir (want).
It might be easier, especially for beginners, to start by learning how to conjugate the modal verbs first because you can form a lot of different phrases by adding the infinitive to modal verbs, like for example:
Je dois partir. I need to go.
Nous pouvons apprendre. We can learn.
Present progressive
We form the present progressive with « être » at the present tense, plus « en train de », plus the infinitive verb.
Présent progressif = Être (conjugué au présent) + en train de + verbe à l’infinitif
We form the negative by using “ne” and “pas” in French. Here is in the table below the structure of the negative form for the main French tenses:
Temps
Forme affirmative
Formenégative
Negative Form
Présent
Je parle
Je ne parle pas
I do not talk
Passé composé
J’ai parlé
Je n’ai pas parlé
I did not talk
Imparfait
Je parlais
Je ne parlais pas
I was not talking
Futur proche
Je vais parler
Je ne vais pas parler
I am not going to talk
Futur simple
Je parlerai
Je ne parlerai pas
I will not talk
Also, the “ne” becomes “n’” when it is in front of a vowel or a silent h like for examples:
Je n’ai pas parlé. I did not talk.
Nous n’habitons pas là. We do not live there.
Negative form with “aucun.e.s”, “jamais”, “personne”, “plus” and “rien”
We don’t use the word “pas” to form the negative with the words aucun.e.s (none), jamais (never), personne (nobody), plus (anymore) and rien (nothing).
Je n’ai aucune idée. I have no idea.
Elle ne boit jamais de café. She never drinks coffee.
Vous ne parlez à personne. You don’t talk to anybody.
Nous ne regardons plus la télé. We don’t watch tv anymore.
Je ne pense à rien. I am not thinking about anything.
Absence of the “ne” in spoken French
Often French speakers don’t pronounce the “ne” in spoken French like for example:
Je sais pas. I don’t know.
Nevertheless, in written French, you have to write it.
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