French grammar: all rules from A1 to C2

Every rule in the order you need them, explained in plain English with examples.

Level A1

  1. 1Pronunciation basics
  2. 2Gender of nouns
  3. 3Articles: le, la, les, un, une, des
  4. 4Partitive articles: du, de la, des
  5. 5Plural of nouns and adjectives
  6. 6Subject pronouns, tu / vous and on
  7. 7être and avoir
  8. 8Present tense: -er verbs
  9. 9Present tense: -ir and -re verbs
  10. 10Present tense: key irregular verbs
  11. 11Negation: ne … pas
  12. 12Asking questions
  13. 13Question words
  14. 14Possessive adjectives: mon, ma, mes
  15. 15Demonstratives: ce, cet, cette, ces
  16. 16Adjectives: agreement and position
  17. 17Numbers, time and dates
  18. 18Prepositions with places: à, en, au, chez
  19. 19Near future: aller + infinitive
  20. 20c’est or il est?

Level A2

  1. 21Passé composé with avoir
  2. 22Passé composé with être
  3. 23Imperfect (imparfait)
  4. 24Object pronouns: le, la, lui, leur
  5. 25The pronouns y and en
  6. 26Reflexive verbs (se lever)
  7. 27Simple future (futur simple)
  8. 28Comparatives and superlatives
  9. 29Adverbs: -ment, bien, très, beaucoup
  10. 30Imperative (Viens ! Allons-y !)
  11. 31Other negatives: jamais, rien, personne, plus
  12. 32venir de, être en train de, être sur le point de
  13. 33depuis, il y a, pendant, dans
  14. 34Expressions of quantity
  15. 35tout, toute, tous, toutes
  16. 36Relative pronouns qui and que

Level B1

  1. 37Passé composé or imparfait?
  2. 38Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
  3. 39Present conditional (would)
  4. 40Real conditions: si + present
  5. 41Present subjunctive: forms
  6. 42When to use the subjunctive
  7. 43Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui…
  8. 44Relative pronouns dont and où
  9. 45Order of object pronouns
  10. 46Demonstrative pronouns: celui, celle, ceux
  11. 47Possessive pronouns: le mien, la tienne…
  12. 48Reported speech (discours indirect)
  13. 49The passive voice
  14. 50Gérondif: en + -ant
  15. 51Restriction: ne … que (only)
  16. 52Connectors: parce que, car, donc, pourtant

Level B2

  1. 53Unreal conditions: si + imparfait / plus-que-parfait
  2. 54Past conditional (would have done)
  3. 55Past subjunctive
  4. 56Conjunctions with the subjunctive
  5. 57Future perfect (futur antérieur)
  6. 58Relative pronouns: lequel, auquel, duquel
  7. 59Past participle agreement with avoir
  8. 60Present participle and verbal adjective
  9. 61Causative faire (faire faire, se faire)
  10. 62Emphasis: c’est … qui / c’est … que
  11. 63Concession: même si, quoique, avoir beau
  12. 64Indirect questions
  13. 65Expletive ne (ne explétif)
  14. 66Linking ideas: cause, consequence, contrast

Level C1

  1. 67Passé simple (literary past)
  2. 68Imperfect subjunctive (recognition)
  3. 69Nominalisation
  4. 70Registers: formal, standard, informal
  5. 71Inversion after adverbs and in incises
  6. 72Formal connectors for essays
  7. 73Participial clauses
  8. 74Subjunctive nuances: relatives, superlatives, opinions
  9. 75Adverb position
  10. 76Dislocation: Moi, je… / Ce livre, je l’ai lu

Level C2

  1. 77Literary tenses: passé antérieur and subjonctif plus-que-parfait
  2. 78Spoken French: what really gets said
  3. 79Idiomatic structures
  4. 80Spelling traps and the 1990 reform
  5. 81Regional French: Québec, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa
  6. 82Preposition nuances: en / dans, de / des, à / en