Métro 2 Vert Grammar Notes – Index
Module 1
1.
The Indefinite Article: un and une
2.
The Definite Article: le, la and les
3.
Pronouns
4.
The Alphabet and Accents
5.
Days, months, seasons
6.
The Present tense of regular – er verbs
7.
The Present tense of the irregular verb avoir
8.
The Present tense of the irregular verb être
9.
The Present tense of the irregular verb faire
10.
The Present tense of the irregular verb aller
11.
How to say to a place: au/ à la/ aux
12.
Expressing an opinion
13.
The interrogative: asking a question
14.
Question Words.
Module 2
15.
Reflexive Verbs
16.
24 hour clock
17.
Time Expressions
18.
Useful joining words
Module 3
19.
Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his/her
20.
The Comparative: how to say someone is taller/smaller
21.
The Superlative: how to say someone is tallest/smallest
22.
Adjectives: Masculine, Feminine, Plural
23.
The Plural of Nouns
Module 4
24.
How to say some: du/ de la/ de l/ des
25.
Quantities
26.
The Negative: how to say nothing or not anything
27.
The Negative: how to say you don’t do something
Module 5
28.
Verbs: talking about what you are doing in the near future.
29.
Verbs: talking about what you did in the past (Perfect tense with avoir)
30.
Verbs: talking about what you did in the past (Perfect tense with être)
Module 6
31.
The Conditional Tense: how to say I would
32.
Giving instructions: how to say what you have to do.
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Métro 2 Vert - Grammar Note 1 – The Indefinite Article
Translating a into French
1) a is called the Indefinite Article eg. a book; a rubber
2) In French there are 2 words for a
un
with masculine nouns
une
with feminine nouns
3) The dictionary tells us if a word is masculine or feminine
eg.
livre (m)
stylo (m)
règle (f)
gomme (f)
4) Therefore we know it is;
un livre
un stylo
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but
but
une règle
une gomme
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 2 – The Definite Article
1)
We already know about “a” - The Indefinite Article. This refers to any one item,
but not a specific one.
eg.
un livre
This means a (any) book
une gomme
and
*(des livres = some(any) books
2)
a (any) rubber.
des gommes = some(any) rubbers)
The Definite Article is “the”. This does refer to a specific item.
eg.
le livre bleu
la gomme blanche
This means the blue book and the white rubber, not any book and any rubber.
3)
The French word for “the” – the Definite Article depends on whether it is:
Masculine
le
eg.
4)
le lapin gris
= the grey rabbit
Feminine
la
Plural
les
la souris blanche
the white mouse
les chats noirs
the black cats
If the noun begins with a vowel or a silent h, l’ is used instead of le and la.
However les stays the same in the Plural.
eg.
=
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Masculine
l’oiseau jaune
the yellow bird
Feminine
l’araignée noire
the black spider
Plural
les oiseaux jaunes
the yellow birds
Métro 2 Vert – French Grammar Note 3 – Pronouns
1) Pronouns stand in place of nouns. (Nouns are the people or things you are talking
about)
2) This is the order in which we learn pronouns when we learn verbs.
Singular
je
=
I
tu
=
you (when you are talking to a friend or a young person in an
informal situation)
il
=
he/it (a male person or a masculine object eg. le livre)
elle
=
she/it (a female person or a feminine object eg. la gomme)
on
=
you/we (when you are talking in general eg. you/we see too much
violence on television nowadays).
Plural
nous =
we (when you talk about yourself and someone else)
vous =
you (when you are talking to an adult/a stranger in a formal
situation or to more than one person)
ils
they (when you are talking about a group of males or a group
of males and females)
=
elles =
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they (when you are talking about a group of females)
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 4 – The Alphabet and Accents
Here is the French Alphabet. Each letter is followed by a word to help you say it
correctly. the letters which have an asterisk* are the ones you will find trickiest.
a ah
b bay
c say
d day
e euh*
f eff
g j’ai*
h ash*
i ee*
j jee*
k ka
l ell
m em
n en
o oh
p pay
q koo
r rr
s ess
t tay
u oo
v vay
w dooblah vay*
x eeks*
y ee grec*
z zed
There are 5 different French Accents:1) The acute accent (accent aigu) é. This is only found on an “e” and changes the
sound to “ay” eg. cinéma
2) The grave accent (accent grave) can be found on the letters “a”, “u” and “e”, eg.:
J’habite à Aberdeen.
Où habites-tu?
J’ai un frère.
3) The circumflex accent (accent circonflexe) is found on all 5 vowels:
â
ê
î
ô
û
eg. gâteau (cake), fête (festival), île (island), hôpital (hospital), août (Augut (August).
The circumflex often means that the English word adds an s just after the letter with
the circumflex.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 5 – Days, Months and Seasons
*Note that the days and months in French do not begin with capital letters.
les jours de la semaine
lundi
mardi
mercredi
jeudi
vendredi
samedi
diamanche
the days of the week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
les mois de l’année
janvier
février
mars
avril
mai
juin
juillet
août
septembre
octobre
novembre
décembre
the months of the year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
les quatre saisons
au printemps
en été
en automne
en hiver
the four seasons
in spring
in summer
in autumn
in winter
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 6 – The Present Tense of –er Verbs
1) –er Verbs are the biggest group of French Verbs.
2) Most er Verbs are regular. this means they follow a regular pattern.
3) If you learn this Verb Table, it will help you with every other regular er Verb.
4) Take off the er ending and add these endings to the stem jou:jouer = to play
Singular
Plural
je joue
= I play
tu joues = you play (friend)
(young person)
il joue
= he plays
elle joue = she plays
on joue = you/we play (in general)
nous jouons = we play
vous jouez = you play (stranger/s)
(adult/s)
ils jouent
= they plan (m./m. + f.)
elles jouent = they play (f,)
5) You follow exactly the same pattern for all regular er Verbs:aimer
= to like
to love
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écouter
= to listen
écouter
= live
regarder
= to look at
to watch
rester
= to stay
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 7 – The Present Tense of the irregular verb “avoir”
1) “avoir” is an irregular French verb which means “to have”
2) Because it is irregular, it does not follow any regular pattern. Therefore we must
learn the verb table using all the pronouns from Grammar Note 10.
avoir
=
to have
Singular
a’ai
=
I have
tu as
=
you have
il a
=
he/it has
elle a
=
she/it has
on a
=
you/we have
nous avons
=
we have
vous avez
=
you have
ils ont
=
they have
elles ont
=
they have
Plural
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 8 – The Present Tense of the irregular verb “être”
1) “être” is an irregular French verb which means “ to be”
2) Because it is irregular, it does not follow any regular pattern. Therefore we must
learn the verb table using all the pronouns from Grammar Note 10.
être
=
to be
Singular
je suis
=
I am
tu es
=
you are
il est
=
he/it is
elle est
=
she/it is
on est
=
you/we are
nous sommes
=
we are
vous êtes
=
you are
ils sont
=
they are
elles sont
=
they are
Plural
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Métro 2 Vert - Grammar Note 9 – The Present tense of the irregular verb “faire”
1) The verb “faire” means to do or to make.
2) It is an irregular verb just like the 2 irregular verbs we have already learned (“avoir”
= to have and “être” = to be).
3) It does not follow any regular pattern and we must learn the verb table off by heart
using the pronouns from Grammar Note 3.
4) When you take off the –re ending, you are left with the stem fai- Every part of the
verb uses this stem except for ils* and elles*.
faire = to do / to make
Singular
je fais
tu fais
il fait
elle fait
on fait
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Plural
=
=
=
=
=
I do/make
you do/make
he does/makes
she does/makes
you/we do/make
nous faisons
vous faites
*ils font
*elles font
=
=
=
=
we do/make
you do/make
they do/make
they do/make
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 10 – The Present Tense of the irregular verb “aller”
1) The verb “aller” means to go.
2) It is an irregular verb, just like the 3 irregular verbs we have already learned.
(“avoir” = to have, “être” = to be and “faire” = to do/make)
3) It does not follow any regular pattern and we must learn the verb table off by heart
using all the pronouns from Grammar Note 3.
aller = to go
Singular
je vais
tu vas
il va
elle va
on va
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Plural
=
=
=
=
=
I go
you go
he goes
she goes
you/we go
nous allons
vous allez
*ils vont
*elles vont
=
=
=
=
we go
you do
they go
they go
Métro 2 Vert – French Grammar Note 11 – How to say to a place – au/à la/à l’/aux
1) The little preposition à in French means at or to.
2) When you use à with the definite article la (f.) or l’ (m. or f.), no changes occur.
eg. Je vais à la piscine. = I am going to the swimming pool.
Je vais à la plage. = I go to the beach.
Je reste à la maison. = I stay at home.
Je vais à l’ hôpital. = I am going to the hospital.
3) However when à is used with the definite article le (m.) or les(pl.), changes occur.
We must learn these changes.
eg. Je vais (à le) *au cinéma = I go to the cinema.
Je vais (à le) *au parc. = I do to the park.
Je vais (à le) *au McDo. = I go to McDonalds.
Je vais (à le) *au collège = I go to school.
Je vais (à le) *au terrain de sport = I go to the sports field.
*You can see that when à is followed by le it changes to au.
Also when à is followed by les it changes to aux.
eg. Je vais (à les) aux magasins = I go to the shops.
4) Sometimes other prepositions are used to mean to:en
Je vais en ville = I go (in) to town.
chez
Je vais chez mon copain/ma copine = I go to my friend’s house (m./f.)
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 12 – Expressing an opinion
1) When you express an opinion in French it means you are describing what you
think about something. This means what you are saying or writing becomes more
interesting and you will improve your grade.
Positive phrases/Positive opinions
C’est
super
excellent
extra
génial
cool
fantastique
formidable
intéressant
utile
o.k.
pas mal
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
It’s
Super
excellent
great
great
cool
fantastic
fantastic/terrific
interesting
useful
okay
not bad/okay
Nagative phrases/Negative opinions
C’est
ennuyeux
fatigant
nul
inutile
moche
=
=
=
=
=
It’s
boring
tiring
useless/rubbish
useless/of no use
terrible
2) Use these opinions as much as possible.
eg.
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J’aime aller à la plage (parce que), c’est génial =
I like going to the beach (because), it’s great.
Je n’aime pas aller à la campagne (parce que), c’est ennuyeux. =
I don’t like going to the country (because), it’s boring.
Métro Vert 2 – Grammar Note 13 – The Interrogative: asking a question
In French there are 3 different ways to use the interrogative. This just means to ask a
question:1) by raising your voice at the end of the question.
eg. Tu as un animal?
Tu parles français?
Tu as des frères et des soeurs?
2) by adding Est-ce que to the beginning.
eg. Est-ce que tu as un animal?
Est-ce que tu parles français?
Est-ce que tu as des frères et des soeurs?
3) by changing the order of the first 2 words and putting a hyphen in between
them.
eg. As-tu un animal?
Parles-tu français?
As-tu des frères et des soeurs?
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 14 – Question Words
Try to learn this list of question words so that you can use them yourself and also
understand when someone else uses them.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Comment?
Où?
Quel/Quelle?
Combien?
Qui?
Que?
Qu’est-ce que c’est?
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
How? (What?) Pardon?
Where?
Which? What?
How many? How Much?
Who?
What?
When?
1) Comment t’appelles-tu?
Comment ça s’écrit?
=
=
What is your name?
How do you spell that?
2) Où habites-tu?
Où vas-tu?
=
=
Where do you live?
Where are you going?
3) Quel âge as-tu?
Quelle est la date do ton
anniversaire?
=
What age are you?
=
What is the date of/When is your birthday?
4) Il y a combien de personnes
dans ta famille?
=
Ça fair combien?
=
How many people are in your family?
How much is that?
5) Qui a les yeux bleus?
Who has blue eyes?
=
6) Que fais-tu après le collège? =
What do you do after school?
7) Quand vas-tu en vacances? =
When do you go on holiday?
8) Qu’est-ce que c’est?
What is this?
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=
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 15 – Reflexive Verbs
1) Some verbs are called Reflexive verbs because they add me/te/se in front of the
verb. In English it is like saying myself/yourself/himself + herself.
2) You already know:
Je m’appelle John
Comment tu t’appelles?
Elle s’appelle Sarah?
=
=
=
I call myself John.
What do you call yourself?.
She calls herself Sarah.
*me/te/se drop their e and put in an (apostrophe) ‘ in front of a vowel.
3) Here are some more Reflexive Verbs which behave in exactly the same way:
a) Je me réveille à sept
heures
=
Tu te réveille à quelle
heure?
=
Il se réveille à huit heures =
I waken (myself) up at 7 o’clock.
What time do you waken (yourself) up.
He wakens (himself) up at 8 o’clock.
b) Je me lève
=
I get (myself) up.
c) Je me douche
=
I get (myself) showered.
d) Je m’habille
=
I get (myself) dressed.
e) Je me lave
=
I get (myself) washed.
f) Je me lave les dents
=
I brush my teeth.
g) Je me couche
=
I go to bed.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 16 – The 24 hour Clock
1. The 24 Hour Clock is necessary in English and in French:
a) for bus, train and plane timetables.
b) for digital clocks and digital watches.
c) for opening and closing times of various places eg. leisure centres.
2. The Hours are easy because you keep counting up to 24:
01.00 = une heure (1 am)
02.00 = deux heures (2 am)
03.00 = trois heures (3 am)
04.00 = quatre heures (4 am)
05.00 = cinq heures (6 am)
06.00 = six heures (6 am)
07.00 = sept heures (7 am)
08.00 = huit heures (8 am)
09.00 = neuf heures (9 am)
10.00 = dix heures (10 am)
11.00 = onze heures (11 am)
12.00 = douze heures
(midday) (12 am)
13.00 = treize heures (1 pm)
14.00 = quatorze heures (2 pm)
15.00 = quinze heures (3 pm)
16.00 = seize heures (4 pm)
17.00 = dix-sept heures (5 pm)
18.00 = dix-huit heures (6 pm)
19.00 = dix-neuf heures (7 pm)
20.00 = vingt heures (8 pm)
21.00 = vingt et un heures (9 pm)
22.00 = vingt-deux heures (10 pm)
23.00 = vingt-trois heures (11 pm)
24.00 = vingt-quatre heures (midnight) (12 pm)
3. The Minutes also keep counting, just like in English, up to 59.
02.05 = deux heures cinq
02.10 = deux heures dix
02.15 = deux heures quinze
02.20 = deux heures vingt
02.25 = deux heures vingt-cinq
02.30 = deux heures trente
02.35 = deux heures trente-cinq
02.40 = deux heures quarante
02.45 = deux heures quarante-cinq
02.50 = deux heures cinquante
02.55 = deux heures cinquante-cinq
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(5 past 2)
(10 past 2)
(¼ past 2)
(20 past 2)
(25 past 2)
(½ past 2)
(25 to 3)
(20 to 3)
( ¼ to 3)
(10 to 3)
(5 to 3)
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 17 – Time Expressions
Time expressions say when or how often you do something. They also make your
speaking and writing more interesting.
Here is a list of time expressions with examples of where to use them:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Le matin je me lève à sept heures
L’après-midi je fais mes devoirs
Le soir je regarde la télé
Le week-end je vais au cinéma
Le samedi je me lève à dix heures
Normalement je me couche à
onze heures
7) Je vais souvent au cinéma
8) Quelquefois je mange du pain grillé
9) D’abord je fais mes devoirs
10) Puis je regarde la télé
11) Ensuite je prends le dîner
12) Aujourd’hui je vais chez ma copine
Sophie
13) Cet après-midi je vais en ville
14) Ce soir je vais au cinéma
15) Demain je vais au club des jeunes
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=
=
=
=
=
In the morning I get up at 7 o’clock.
In the afternoon I do my homework.
In the evening I watch the T.V.
At the weekend I go to the cinema.
On Saturdays I get up at 10 o’clock.
=
=
=
=
=
=
Normally I go to bed at 11 o’clock.
I often go to the cinema.
Sometimes I eat toast.
First of all I do my homework.
Then I watch the T.V.
Next I have my evening meal.
Today I am going to my friend Sophie’s
house.
This afternoon I’m going into town.
This evening I’m going to the cinema.
Tomorrow I’m going to the youth club.
=
=
=
=
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 18 – Useful Joining Words
Joining words make sentences longer. They make your speaking and writing more
interesting.
Here is a list of useful joining words with examples of where to use them:
1) Je me lève à sept heures et je me couche à onze heures
= I get up at 7 o’clock and I go to bed at 11 o’clock.
2) J’aime les films d’action mais je n’aime pas les films d’amour
= I like action films but I do not like love films.
3) Je m’habille. Puis je mange mon petit déjeuner.
= I get dressed. Then I eat my breakfast.
4) Je me lève. Puis je me lave. Ensuite je m’habille
= I get up. Then I get washed. Next I get dressed.
5) Après le collège je rentre à la maison
= After school I go home.
6) Alors, je n’aime pas les films avec des monstres
= Well then/Well now/ I do not like films with monsters.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 19 – Possessive Adjectives
a) My/Your/His/Her are called possessive adjective because they tell us who
possesses/owns something or someone.
b) The word you use in UfrenchU depends on whether the something or someone is
masculine, feminine or plural.
Masculine
Feminine
Plural
my
mon père
my father
ma mère
my mother
mes parents
my parents
your
ton père
your father
ta mère
your mother
tes parents
your parents
son père
his/her father
sa mère
his/her mother
ses parents
his/her parents
his/her
c) You use:
mon/ton/son
ma/ta/sa
mes/tes/ses
in front of masculine nouns:
in front of feminine nouns:
in front of plural nouns:
mon/ton/son père
ma/ta/sa mère
mes/tes/ses parents
d) *Remember his and her are both the same word in French:
son père
sa mère
ses parents
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=
=
=
his/her brother
his/her sister
his/her parents
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 20 – The Comparative – How to say someone is
taller/smaller
a) This is called the comparative because you are comparing two things.
b) The words you use in French to help you compare are:
plus ---------que
eg.
1) Paul est plus grand que Marc
= Paul is taller than Marc.
2) Mon père est plus grand que ma mère
= My father is taller than my mother.
3) Marie est plus petite que Sophie
= Marie is smaller than Sophie.
4) Ma mère est plus petite que mon père
= My mother is smaller than my father.
c) *You will notice that in English you often add the letters er to form the
Comparative.
d) *The rule in French never changes but there is a change if the word in English is
bigger.
eg.
Mon chien est plus intelligent que ton chien
= My dog is more intelligent than your dog.
e) *You will notice that the word more is added in English with bigger words. You
would never say intelligenter.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 21 – The Superlative – How to say someone is
tallest/smallest
a) This is called the superlative because they are the tallest/smallest of a group.
b) The words you use in French to help you form the superlative are le/la plus
eg.
1) Paul est le plus grand
=
Paul is the tallest.
2) Mon père est le plus grant
=
My father is the tallest.
3) Marie est la plus petite
=
Marie is the smallest.
4) Ma mère est la plus petite
=
My mother is the smallest.
c) *You will notice that in English you add the word the and often add the letters est to
form the Superlative.
d) *The rule in French never changes but there is a change if the word in English is
bigger:
eg.
Mon chien est le plus intelligent
=
My dog is the most intelligent.
e) *You will notice that the word most is added in English with bigger words. You
would never say the intelligentest.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 22 – Adjectives – Masculine, Feminine and Plural
1) Most French adjectives change to agree with the nouns they are describing. As you
have already learned, most adjectives add e in the feminine.
eg.
masculine
noir
grand
timide
*Some already end in e
feminine
noire
grande
timide
2) When describing Plural Nouns, most adjectives add s to their masculine and
feminine singular form.
Masculine
grand
petit
timide
bleu
Singular
Feminine
grande
petite
timide
bleue
Plural
Masculine
grands
petits
timides
bleus
Feminine
grandes
petites
timides
bleues
3) Adjectives which end in s in the masculine singular do not change in the masculine
plural.
gris
grise
gris
grises
4) Adjectives which end in x in the masculine singular also do not change in the
masculine plural but x changes to se in the feminine.
ennuyeux
paresseux
ennuyeuse
paresseuse
ennuyeux
paresseux
ennuyeuses
paresseuses
5) Adjectives ending in f in Masculine change the f to ve in the Feminine.
sportif
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sportive
sportifs
sportives
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 23 – The Plural of Nouns
1) To talk about more than one of something, you need to use the plural.
2) In English most nouns are made plural by adding s.
eg.
one brother
one pencil
two brothers
two pencils
3) The same applies in French with most nouns.
eg.
un frère
un crayon
deux frères
deux crayons
4) But words which already end in s stay the same.
eg.
une souris (one mouse)
un bras (one arm)
deux souris (two mice)
deux bras (two arms)
5) Words which end in –ou, -au, and –eu add x.
eg.
un genou (one knee)
un oiseau (one bird)
un bateau (one boat)
un neveu (one nephew)
deux genoux (two knees)
deux oiseaux (two birds)
deux bateaux (two boats)
deux neveux (two nephews)
6) Words which end in l, take off the l then add ux
eg.
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un animal (one animal)
un cheval (one horse)
deux animaux (two animals)
deux chevaux (two horses)
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 24 – How to Say “some”: du/de la/de l’/des
1) We don’t always use “some” in English but in French it is always necessary.
2) In French the words for “some” are formed: by joining de with le/la/l’/les (which are
the words for the)
eg.
the
some
Masculine
le pain/l’orangina
du pain/de l’orangina
Feminine
la confiture/l’eau
de la confiture/de l’eau
Plural
les céréales
des céréales
3) We could translate these sentences as:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Je mange du pain
Je bois de l’orangina
Je mange de la confiture
Je bois de l’eau
Je mange des céréales
=
=
=
=
=
I eat (some) bread.
I drink (some) orangina.
I eat (some) jam.
I drink (some) water.
I eat (some) cereal.
4) Notice how in English, we don’t always use the word “some”.
5) Notice how de + la = du (du pain) and de + les = des (des céréales).
6) Notice how de + l’ or de + l’ just stay the same (de la confiture/de l’orangina/de
l’eau).
7) But if you make this negative the du/de la/des all cecome de: and de l’ becomes d’:
eg.
Je ne mange pas de pain
=
Je ne mange pas de confiture =
Je ne bois pas d’orangina
=
Je ne bois pas d’eau
=
Je ne mange pas de céréales =
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I don’t eat (any) bread.
I don’t eat (any) jam.
I don’t drink (any) orangina.
I don’t drink (any) water.
I don’t eat (any) cereal.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 25 – Quantities
1) We know that there are 1000 grams in a kilogram.
2) The French use the same system when talking about weights:1 kg
500g
250g
200g
100g
=
=
=
=
=
un kilo
cinq cent grammes
deux cent cinquante grammes
deux cents grammes
cent grammes
3) Here are some more words for quantities:un demi-kilo
un litre
un demi-litre
une livre
=
=
=
=
half a kilogram
a litre
half a litre
a pound
4) We must also learn the words for the containers in which food and drink are sold:un sachet
un paquet
une bouteille
une boîte
une douzaine
=
=
=
=
=
a sachet/a small bag
a packet
a bottle
a box/a tin/a can
a dozen
5) When these words are used in French they are usually followed by the word de or
d’(if the food or drink begins with a vowel a/e/i/o/u)
un kilo de bananes
un litre de lait
un paquet de sucre
une boîte de chocolats
une boîte de coca
une bouteille d’eau
une douzaine d’oeufs
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=
=
=
=
=
=
=
1 kg of bananas
a litre of milk
a packet of sugar
a box of chocolates
a can of coca-cola
a bottle of water
a dozen eggs
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 26 – The Nagative: How to say nothing or not
anything
1) In French if you want so say nothing or not anything you use ne-----rien.
2) Ne goes in front of the verb and rien goes after the verb:Je ne mange rien.
Je ne bois rien.
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=
=
I eat nothing. / I do not eat anything.
I drink nothing. / I do not drink anything.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 27 – The Nagative: How to say you don’t do
something
1) In French if you want to say you don’t do something, you use ne-----pas.
2) Ne goes in front of the verb and pas goes after the verb:Manges-tu de la viande?
Non, je ne mange pas *de viande.
=
=
Do you eat (any) meat?
No, I do not eat (any) meat.
Bois-tu du lait?
Non, je ne bois pas *de lait.
=
=
Do you drink (any) milk?
No, I do not drink (any) milk.
*Remember in Grammar Note 24, we learned that du/de la/de l’/des change to de in
a negative sentence.
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 28 – Verbs – The Near Future
1) You use the Near Future Tense to talk about what you are going to do.
2) In French you use the verb aller = to go, just as you do in English.
je vais
tu vas
il va
Elle va
on va
=
=
=
=
=
I am going/I go
you are going/you go or Are you going/Do you go?
he is going/he goes
she is going/she goes
we are going/we go
nous allons
vous allez
ils vont
elles vont
=
=
=
=
we are going/we go
you are going/you go or Are you going/Do you go?
they are going/they go
they are going/they go
3) In French and English, the verb aller (to go) is followed by the Infinitive:
Je vais aller à Paris
Tu vas voir un film?
Il va monter la Tour Eiffel
Elle va manger un croissant
On va faire du shopping
=
=
=
=
=
I’m going to go to Paris.
Are you going to see a film?
He is going to climb the Eiffel Tower.
She is going to eat a croissant.
We are going to do some shopping.
Nous allons jouer au basket
Vous allez faire une promenade?
Ils/Elles vont aller en ville
=
=
=
We are going to play basketball.
Are you going to go for a walk?
They are going to go into town
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Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 29 – The Perfect Tense with avoir
1) You use the Perfect Tense to talk about the past.
2) The Perfect Tense is made up of 2 parts:Part 1 – The Auxilliary (helper) verb – avoir or être
Part 2 – The Past Participle
3) Most verbs use avoir as their Auxilliary (just like English):j’ai
tu as
il a
elle a
on a
=
=
=
=
=
I have
you have/Did you?
he has
she has
we have
nous avons
vous avez
ils ont
elles ont
=
=
=
=
we have
you have/Did you?
they have
they have
4) To make the Past Participle or er verbs, take off the er and add é:acheter – acheté
manger – mangé
aimer – aimé
regarder – regardé
habiter – habité
parler – parlé
5) Some verbs have Irregular Past Participles, and don’t follow any rule:avoir – eu
boire – bu
voir – vu
lire – lu
faire - fait
écrire - écrit
6) Look at these useful Past Perfect sentences:a) J’ai acheté des souvenire
b) Tu as mangé un croissant?
=
=
c) Il/Elle a bu un coca
=
d) On a vu la tour Eiffel
e) Nous avons lu des magazines
f) Vous avez fait du shopping?
=
=
=
g) Ils/Elles ont écrit des cartes
postales
=
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I (have) bought some souvenirs.
Did you eat/Have you eaten a
croissant?
He/She has drunk/He/She drank a
coke
We have seen/We saw the Eiffel Tower
We (have) read some magazines
Did you do/Have you done some
shopping?
They have written/They wrote some
postcards.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 30 – The Perfect Tense with être
1) You use the Perfect Tense to talk about the past.
2) The Perfect Tense is made up of 2 parts:Part 1 – The Auxilliary (helper) verb – avoir or être
Part 2 – The Past Participle
3) Only a small number of verbs use être as their Auxilliary:je suis
tu es
il est
elle est
on est
=
=
=
=
=
(I am)
(you are/Are you?)
(he is)
(she is)
(we are)
nous sommes
vous êtes
ils sont
elles sont
=
=
=
=
(we are)
(you are/Are you?)
(they are)
(they are)
*Although these are all the English meanings of the verb être, we don’t actually use
these meanings when être is being used as an Auxilliary Verb for the Past Tense.
4) The verbs which use être are very important and we must learn them well. Most of
them are er verbs, which we know have a special rule to make the Past Participle.
Take off the er and add é:*aller *rentrer -
allé
rentré
*arriver *retourner -
arrivé
retourné
*monter - monté
*These verbs sometimes add on letters after the é:- e is added if a female is the subject.
- s is added if more than 1 person are the subjects, eg.:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Je suis allé(e) à Disneyland
Tu es monté(e) la tour Eiffel?
Il est allé à Paris
Elle est arrivée à Londres
On est rentré en Écosse
Nous sommes rentré(e)s
Vous êtes retourné(e)s en
avion?
h) Ils sont allés au Parc Astérix
i) Elles sont allées en France
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=
=
=
=
=
=
=
I went to Disneyland.
Did you go up the Eiffel Tower?
He went to Paris.
She arrived in London.
We arrived home in Scotland.
We arrived home.
Did you return by plant?
=
=
They went to Astérix Park.
They went to France.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 31 – How to say “I would like…..”
1) To say you “would” do something, you use the part of the verb called the
conditional.
2) The verb vouloir (=to want) is used in the conditional tense, but we translate this as
would like not would want.
3) If a second verb follows the verb vouloir, we use the *Infinitive, eg.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Je voudrais *aller au cinéma
Je voudrais *jouer au tennis
Je voudrais *voir les monuments
Je voudrais *acheter des souvenirs
=
=
=
=
I would like to go to the cinema.
I would like to play tennis.
I would like to see the sights.
I would like to buy souvenirs.
4) Sometimes you simply want to say that you would like something, eg.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Je voudrais une glace
Je voudrais un coca
Je voudrais un chocolat chaud
Je voudrais un croissant
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=
=
=
=
I would like an ice-cream.
I would like a coca-cola.
I would like a hot chocolate.
I would like a croissant.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 32 – Giving Instructions: Saying what you have to
do
1) In French we use Il faut + the infinitive when we want to say:You have to do something/It is necessary to do something.
eg.
a) Il faut aller en ville
b) Il faut faire les devoirs
c) Il faut acheter du pain
d) Il faut visiter les monuments
e) Il faut faire du shopping
f) Il faut acheter des souvenirs
=
=
=
=
=
=
g) Il faut tourner á droite
h) Il faut boire de l’eau
=
=
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You have to go to town.
It is necessary to do homework.
You have to buy some bread.
It is necessary to visit the sights.
You have to do some shopping.
It is necessary to buy some
souvenirs.
You have to turn right.
It is necessary to drink some water.
Métro 2 Vert – Grammar Note 33 – How to say what you like and don’t like doing
1) The verb aimer = to like
j’aime
tu aimes
il aime
elle aime
on aime
=
=
=
=
=
I like
you like
he likes
she likes
we like
nous aimons
vous aimez
ils aiment
elles aiment
=
=
=
=
we like
you like
they like
they like
2) If we want to say we like doing something we use aimer + the infinitive of the next
verb eg.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
J’aime faire du VTT.
Tu aimes faire du canoë?
Il aime faire de la natation.
Elle aime faire de la planche à voile.
On aime faire de la randonnée.
Nous aimons faire de l’escalade.
Vous aimez jouer au tennis?
Ils aiment jouer au volley.
Elles aiment aller à la pêche.
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
I like doing mountain-biking.
Do you like going canoeing?
He likes going swimming.
She likes going windsurfing.
We like going hiking.
We like going climbing.
Do you like playing tennis?
They like playing volleyball.
They like going fishing.
3) It is useful to be able to ask someone if they like doing something:a) When asking a friend or a young person:Tu aimes faire de la natation?
Tu aimes jouer au foot?
=
=
Do you like going swimming?
Do you like playing football?
b) When asking one adult in a formal situation or lots of people:Vous aimez aller à la pêche?
Vous aimez jouer au basket?
=
=
Do you like going fishing?
Do you like playing basketball?
4) To say you don’t like doing something, you put n’ in front of the verb aimer and pas
after it:Je n’aime pas jouer au foot.
Il/Elle n’aime pas faire du vélo.
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=
=
I don’t like playing tennis.
He/She doesn’t like cycling.