Grade 10 French Notes

1. Verb Tenses

Present (Présent de l’indicatif)

• Used to talk about current or habitual actions.

• Example: Je mange une pomme. → I am eating an apple.

Regular verb conjugation:

• -ER verbs: Je parle (I speak), Tu parles (You speak), Il/Elle parle (He/She speaks)...

• -IR verbs: Je finis (I finish), Tu finis (You finish), Il/Elle finit (He/She finishes)...

• -RE verbs: Je vends (I sell), Tu vends (You sell), Il/Elle vend (He/She sells)...

Past Tense (Passé Composé)

• Used for completed actions.

• Formed with avoir or être + past participle.

• Example: J’ai fini mes devoirs. → I finished my homework.

Imperfect (Imparfait)

• Used for descriptions, habits, or repeated actions in the past.

• Example: Quand j’étais petit, je jouais au foot. → When I was little, I used to play soccer.

Future Tense (Futur Simple)

• Used for future actions.

• Example: Demain, je partirai en voyage. → Tomorrow, I will go on a trip.

2. Pronouns

• Subject pronouns: Je (I), Tu (You), Il/Elle (He/She), Nous (We), Vous (You - formal/plural), Ils/Elles (They - masculine/feminine)

• Object pronouns: Me (Me), Te (You), Le/La (Him/Her), Nous (Us), Vous (You), Les (Them)

• Relative pronouns: Qui (Who), Que (That/Which), Dont (Whose/Of which), Où (Where)

  • Example: Le livre que j’ai lu est intéressant. → The book that I read is interesting.

3. Past Participle Agreement (Accord du Participe Passé)

• With avoir: The past participle agrees with the direct object if it comes before the verb.

  • Example: Les pommes que j’ai mangées → The apples that I ate (mangées agrees with les pommes).

• With être: The past participle always agrees with the subject.

  • Example: Elle est partie. → She left. (Participle partie agrees with elle).

4. Negation (La Négation)

• Ne... pas → I do not eat. (Je ne mange pas.)

• Ne... plus → He no longer plays. (Il ne joue plus.)

• Ne... jamais → She never travels. (Elle ne voyage jamais.)

• Ne... rien → We are doing nothing. (Nous ne faisons rien.)

5. Logical Connectors (Les Connecteurs Logiques)

These words help link ideas in writing and speech.

• Addition: Et (And), De plus (Moreover), En outre (Furthermore)

• Opposition: Mais (But), Cependant (However), Toutefois (Nevertheless)

• Cause: Parce que (Because), Puisque (Since), Car (For)

• Consequence: Donc (Therefore), Alors (So), Ainsi (Thus)