Tapis Volant 1 Grammar Slides Unit 9 to 12

What is a complément d'objet direct (COD)?

A direct object pronoun that goes BEFORE the verb and replaces a noun (e.g. Je connais Eric → Je le connais)

What is the French direct object pronoun for "me"?

me

What is the French direct object pronoun for "you" (singular)?

te

What is the French direct object pronoun for "him"?

le

What is the French direct object pronoun for "her"?

la

What is the French direct object pronoun for "us"?

nous

What is the French direct object pronoun for "you" (plural)?

vous

What is the French direct object pronoun for "them"?

les

Where does the direct object pronoun go in a French sentence?

Before the verb

Translate: "I know him." (using a direct object pronoun)

Je le connais.

Translate: "You are looking for her." (using a direct object pronoun)

Vous la cherchez.

Translate: "We listen to her." (using a direct object pronoun — vowel elision)

Nous l'écoutons.

Translate: "She looks at them." (using a direct object pronoun)

Elles les regardent.

What is the infinitive and meaning of the verb "préférer"?

préférer — to prefer

Conjugate "préférer" for je

je préfère

Conjugate "préférer" for tu

tu préfères

Conjugate "préférer" for il/elle

il/elle préfère

Conjugate "préférer" for nous

nous préférons

Conjugate "préférer" for vous

vous préférez

Conjugate "préférer" for ils/elles

ils/elles préfèrent

What is special about the nous and vous forms of "préférer" compared to other forms?

The nous and vous forms keep the accent aigu (é): préférons, préférez — while the other forms change to accent grave (è): préfère, préfères, préfère, préfèrent

What must adjectives agree with in French?

The gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe

Where do most adjectives go in a French sentence?

After the noun they describe

Give an example of a French adjective that comes AFTER the noun.

e.g. Je suis un(e) élève australien(ne). / une chemise rouge / une fille mignonne

Which types of adjectives come BEFORE the noun in French?

Common adjectives with one or two syllables (e.g. grand, petit, gros, beau/belle)

Give two examples of adjectives that come BEFORE the noun.

un gros chien, un grand garçon / un petit lapin, une belle fille

Do adjectives of colour go before or after the noun in French?

After the noun (e.g. un tee-shirt gris, une casquette noire)

What is the rule for capitalisation of nationalities in French?

No capital letter when used as an adjective; capital letter when used as a noun

Translate: "He is Australian." (adjective — no capital)

Il est australien.

Translate: "I like Australians." (noun — capital)

J'aime les Australiens.

What do the prepositions au, à la, à l', and aux mean when describing someone?

They mean "with the" and are used to describe physical features or clothing (e.g. la fille aux cheveux blonds)

Translate: "the girl with the blond hair"

la fille aux cheveux blonds

Translate: "the teacher with the red glasses"

le professeur aux lunettes rouges

When do you use "être" vs "avoir" when describing a person?

Use être for general descriptions (e.g. Elle est petite.) and avoir for body parts (e.g. Elle a les cheveux longs.)

Translate: "She has long hair."

Elle a les cheveux longs.

Translate: "They have green eyes."

Ils ont les yeux verts.

Translate: "She is short."

Elle est petite.

What is the infinitive and meaning of "acheter"?

acheter — to buy

Conjugate "acheter" for je

j'achète

Conjugate "acheter" for tu

tu achètes

Conjugate "acheter" for il/elle

il/elle achète

Conjugate "acheter" for nous

nous achetons

Conjugate "acheter" for vous

vous achetez

Conjugate "acheter" for ils/elles

ils/elles achètent

What spelling change occurs in "acheter" for most forms?

An accent grave (è) is added: achète, achètes, achète, achètent — except nous achetons and vous achetez

What is the infinitive and meaning of "vendre"?

vendre — to sell

Conjugate "vendre" for je

je vends

Conjugate "vendre" for tu

tu vends

Conjugate "vendre" for il/elle

il/elle vend

Conjugate "vendre" for nous

nous vendons

Conjugate "vendre" for vous

vous vendez

Conjugate "vendre" for ils/elles

ils/elles vendent

What is special about the il/elle form of "vendre"?

There is no 's' at the end — il vend (not vends)

What are the four demonstrative adjectives in French?

ce (masc. sing.), cette (fem. sing.), cet (masc. sing. before a vowel), ces (plural)

When do you use "cet" instead of "ce"?

Before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel or silent h (e.g. cet arbre, cet homme)

Give an example of "ce" used correctly.

ce chien

Give an example of "cette" used correctly.

cette souris

Give an example of "cet" used correctly.

cet arbre

Give an example of "ces" used correctly (masculine plural).

ces ordinateurs

Give an example of "ces" used correctly (feminine plural).

ces fleurs

How do you say "this table" (emphasising nearness) in French?

Cette table-ci

How do you say "that computer" (emphasising distance) in French?

Cet ordinateur-là

What do the suffixes -ci and -là add to demonstrative adjectives?

-ci means "this" (near), -là means "that" (further away)

What are the four French adverbs of intensity, in order from least to most?

assez (quite), très (very), trop (too)

Translate: "It is quite beautiful."

C'est assez beau.

Translate: "It is very beautiful."

C'est très beau.

Translate: "It is too beautiful."

C'est trop beau.

What is "je voudrais" and how is it used with another verb?

je voudrais = I would like; it is followed by an infinitive (e.g. Je voudrais prendre ce train.)

Translate: "I would like to take this train to Paris."

Je voudrais prendre ce train pour Paris.

Translate: "She would like to find a beautiful gift."

Elle voudrait trouver un beau cadeau.

Translate: "He would like to have a dog."

Il voudrait avoir un chien.

What is the rule when using two verbs together in French?

The second verb must be in the infinitive form.

What are the two irregular -ir verbs covered in Unit 11, and what do they mean?

partir (to leave) and sortir (to go out)

Conjugate "partir" for je

je pars

Conjugate "partir" for tu

tu pars

Conjugate "partir" for il/elle

il/elle part

Conjugate "partir" for nous

nous partons

Conjugate "partir" for ils/elles

ils/elles partent

Conjugate "sortir" for je

je sors

Conjugate "sortir" for tu

tu sors

Conjugate "sortir" for il/elle

il/elle sort

Conjugate "sortir" for nous

nous sortons

Conjugate "sortir" for ils/elles

ils/elles sortent

What endings do regular -ir verbs (like choisir, finir, grandir, réussir) take?

-is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent

Conjugate "choisir" for je

je choisis

Conjugate "choisir" for tu

tu choisis

Conjugate "choisir" for il/elle

il/elle choisit

Conjugate "choisir" for nous

nous choisissons

Conjugate "choisir" for vous

vous choisissez

Conjugate "choisir" for ils/elles

ils/elles choisissent

What are four examples of regular -ir verbs?

choisir (to choose), finir (to finish), grandir (to grow), réussir (to succeed)

What is the key difference between regular -ir verbs and irregular -ir verbs like partir/sortir?

Regular -ir verbs add -iss- in the nous, vous, and ils/elles forms (e.g. choisissons); irregular ones do not

What is the futur proche and how is it formed?

The near future tense; formed with the conjugated verb aller + infinitive of the main verb

Translate: "I am going to invite her." (futur proche)

Je vais l'inviter.

Translate: "You are going to see him." (futur proche, tu)

Tu vas le voir.

Translate: "He is going to sleep." (futur proche)

Il va dormir.

Translate: "She is going to swim." (futur proche)

Elle va nager.

Translate: "We are going to laugh." (futur proche)

Nous allons rire.

Translate: "You are going to work." (futur proche, vous)

Vous allez travailler.

Translate: "They (masc.) are going to play." (futur proche)

Ils vont jouer.