french acceleration

pouvoir

To be able to; can.

vouloir

To want.

devoir

To have to; must.

être

To be.

avoir

To have.

qui

Who/that/which; used as the subject of the verb.

que

Whom/that/which; used as the direct object of the verb.

dont

Of which/whose/about which; used for possession.

où

Where/when; used for place or time.

direct object pronouns

Le, la, l’, les; used to replace direct objects.

lui

To him/her; replaces à + person.

leur

To them; replaces à + people.

imparfait

Used for background, ongoing, or habitual actions.

passé composé

Used for completed, specific events.

ce qui

What; used as the subject of the verb.

ce que

What; used as the object of the verb.

present subjunctive

Formed by taking 'ils' form, dropping -ent, and adding endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.

past subjunctive

Formed by subjunctive of avoir/être + past participle.

subjunctive expressions

Il faut que, bien que, à condition que.

future simple tense

Formed by using the infinitive (minus -e for -re) + endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.

past infinitive

Formed by infinitive avoir/être + past participle.

French gerund

Formed by en + present participle (stem + -ant).

argument connectors

Pour commencer, de plus, cependant, en conclusion.

BAGS

Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size; adjectives placed before the noun.

adjective agreement

Agreement of adjectives according to gender and number.

avoir expressions

Avoir faim, avoir soif, avoir besoin de, avoir peur de, avoir raison/tort.

Infinitif présent → Base, unconjugated verb (parler, finir, vendre). Used after another verb (Je veux manger), as a noun (Fumer est interdit), or in impersonal instructions.

Infinitif passé → Infinitive avoir or être + past participle (avoir mangé, être allé). Used to express an action completed before another action, often after après (Après avoir mangé, il est parti).

Participe présent → Nous form stem + -ant (parlant, finissant). Describes something happening at the same time, or works as an adjective. Not preceded by en.

Participe passé → The “-ed” form in English sense (mangé, fini, vendu). Used in compound tenses (j’ai mangé), as an adjective (une lettre écrite), and in passive voice.

Gérondif → en + participe présent (en mangeant). Expresses simultaneous actions or the manner/means of doing something (Il étudie en écoutant de la musique).

Présent simple → Conjugated verb in present tense (je parle, tu finis). Expresses current actions, general truths, and habitual actions.

Futur simple → Infinitive + endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) (je parlerai). Expresses a future action, often formal or certain.

Plus-que-parfait → avoir/être in imparfait + past participle (j’avais mangé). Expresses an action completed before another past action (J’avais déjà mangé quand il est arrivé).

Subjonctif présent → Ils form stem, drop -ent + endings (-e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent) (que je parle). Used after expressions of doubt, emotion, necessity, desire in present/future contexts (Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs).

Subjonctif passé → Subjonctif of avoir/être + past participle (que j’aie parlé, que je sois allé). Expresses doubt, emotion, or necessity about an action completed in the past (Je doute qu’il ait fini).