French Language Grammar

  1. Past Tenses
    1. Passé Composé
      1. Auxiliary Verb Selection
        1. avoir as Default
          1. être with Movement Verbs
            1. être with Reflexive Verbs
            2. Past Participle Formation
              1. Regular Patterns
                1. -er → -é
                  1. -ir → -i
                    1. -re → -u
                    2. Irregular Past Participles
                    3. Agreement Rules
                      1. No Agreement with avoir
                        1. Agreement with être
                          1. Preceding Direct Object Rule
                          2. Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp Verbs
                            1. Movement Verbs with être
                              1. Memorization Techniques
                              2. Pronominal Verb Agreements
                                1. Direct vs. Indirect Objects
                                  1. Agreement Patterns
                                  2. Usage Contexts
                                    1. Completed Actions
                                      1. Specific Time References
                                    2. Imperfect Tense
                                      1. Formation Rules
                                        1. nous Form Stem
                                          1. Regular Endings
                                          2. Descriptive Usage
                                            1. Background Information
                                              1. Physical Descriptions
                                              2. Habitual Actions
                                                1. Repeated Past Actions
                                                  1. "Used to" Meanings
                                                  2. Ongoing Past Actions
                                                    1. Interrupted Actions
                                                      1. Simultaneous Events
                                                      2. Time Expressions
                                                        1. Signal Words
                                                          1. Context Clues
                                                        2. Passé Composé vs. Imperfect
                                                          1. Narrative Contrast
                                                            1. Foreground vs. Background
                                                              1. Action vs. Description
                                                              2. Time Perspective
                                                                1. Completed vs. Ongoing
                                                                  1. Specific vs. General
                                                                  2. Context Clues
                                                                    1. Time Expressions
                                                                      1. Narrative Structure
                                                                    2. Pluperfect Tense
                                                                      1. Formation Pattern
                                                                        1. Imperfect of avoir/être
                                                                          1. Past Participle
                                                                          2. Temporal Relationships
                                                                            1. Past Before Past
                                                                              1. Sequence of Events
                                                                              2. Usage in Complex Sentences
                                                                                1. Subordinate Clauses
                                                                                  1. Reported Speech
                                                                                2. Literary Past Tense
                                                                                  1. Formation Rules
                                                                                    1. Regular Patterns
                                                                                      1. Irregular Forms
                                                                                      2. Literary Usage
                                                                                        1. Formal Writing
                                                                                          1. Historical Texts
                                                                                          2. Recognition Skills
                                                                                            1. Reading Comprehension
                                                                                              1. Classical Literature

                                                                                          Previous

                                                                                          6. Negation and Questions

                                                                                          Go to top

                                                                                          Next

                                                                                          8. Future and Conditional