🇫🇷 French Grammar Essentials
📌 Gendered Nouns
In French, every noun is either masculine (le) or feminine (la). There's no shortcut — you need to memorize the gender with each word.
Masculine
le chat (the cat), le livre (the book), le soleil (the sun)
Feminine
la maison (the house), la neige (the snow), la rue (the street)
💡 Tip: Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ure, -ée are usually feminine. Words ending in -ment, -eau, -age are usually masculine.
📌 Subject Pronouns & "Être" (To Be)
The verb être is the most important verb in French. Here's how it conjugates:
| Pronoun | French | English | Être |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Je | I | suis |
| You (informal) | Tu | You | es |
| He/She | Il/Elle | He/She | est |
| We | Nous | We | sommes |
| You (formal/plural) | Vous | You | êtes |
| They | Ils/Elles | They | sont |
💡 Example: "Je suis canadien" = I am Canadian. "Nous sommes à Montréal" = We are in Montreal.
📌 "Avoir" (To Have)
The second most important verb. Used in many expressions where English uses "to be".
| Pronoun | Avoir | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Je | ai | J'ai faim (I'm hungry) |
| Tu | as | Tu as raison (You're right) |
| Il/Elle | a | Elle a 20 ans (She is 20) |
| Nous | avons | Nous avons un chat (We have a cat) |
| Vous | avez | Vous avez l'heure? (Do you have the time?) |
| Ils/Elles | ont | Ils ont soif (They're thirsty) |
💡 Key: "J'ai" uses an apostrophe because "Je" + "ai" contracts. In French, age uses "avoir": "J'ai 25 ans" (I am 25 years old).
📌 Negation
To make a sentence negative in French, wrap the verb with ne...pas:
Positive
Je parle français → I speak French
Negative
Je ne parle pas français → I don't speak French
💡 In conversation: Canadians often drop the "ne" in spoken French: "Je parle pas" is very common in Québécois French.
📌 Asking Questions
Three ways to ask questions in French:
Rising intonation
Tu parles français ? (most casual, very common in Canada)
Est-ce que
Est-ce que tu parles français ? (standard)
Inversion
Parles-tu français ? (formal)
💡 Useful question words: Qui (who), Quoi/Que (what), Où (where), Quand (when), Pourquoi (why), Comment (how), Combien (how much)
📌 Common -ER Verb Conjugation
About 80% of French verbs end in -er. They all follow the same pattern:
| Pronoun | Ending | Parler (to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -e | parle |
| Tu | -es | parles |
| Il/Elle | -e | parle |
| Nous | -ons | parlons |
| Vous | -ez | parlez |
| Ils/Elles | -ent | parlent |
💡 Other common -er verbs: aimer (to like), manger (to eat), travailler (to work), acheter (to buy), chercher (to look for)
📌 Articles: Definite & Indefinite
Definite (the)
le (masc.) / la (fem.) / les (plural) / l' (before vowel)
Indefinite (a/an)
un (masc.) / une (fem.) / des (plural = some)
💡 Example: "J'ai un chien" (I have a dog) vs "J'aime les chiens" (I like dogs — French uses the article with general statements!)
🇬🇧 English Grammar Essentials
📌 Simple Present vs. Present Continuous
Simple Present
I work every day. (regular habits)
Present Continuous
I am working right now. (happening now)
💡 Key: Use simple present for routines and facts. Use present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) for actions happening now or temporary situations.
📌 Articles: A, An, The
a / an
A cat (general). An apple (before vowel sounds).
the
The cat is here (specific, known cat).
💡 Common mistake: "I like the dogs" (wrong for general) → "I like dogs" (correct for general). English drops the article for general statements — the opposite of French!
📌 Subject-Verb-Object Order
English follows a strict SVO word order:
Correct
She (S) eats (V) breakfast (O).
Incorrect
*Breakfast eats she.
💡 For questions: Invert the auxiliary verb: "She is working" → "Is she working?" / "They have arrived" → "Have they arrived?"
📌 Common Prepositions
Time
at 5pm, on Monday, in January / 2026 / the morning
Place
at the store, on the table, in the room
💡 Rule: AT = precise point, ON = surface/day, IN = enclosed space or long period.
📌 Past Tense Basics
Regular
work → worked, play → played, want → wanted
Irregular
go → went, eat → ate, see → saw, have → had
💡 Negative past: Use "didn't" + base form: "I didn't go" (not "I didn't went").
📌 Polite Canadian English
Canadians are known for polite speech. Here are common patterns:
Polite request
"Could you help me?" / "Would you mind opening the window?"
Polite response
"Sorry, eh?" / "No worries!" / "My pleasure!"
💡 Canadian tip: "Sorry" is used very frequently in Canada — even when it's not your fault. It's a social lubricant, not an admission of guilt!