French Grammar Guides
Focused guides to the trickiest corners of French grammar, with clear rules, examples, and practice.
Adjective Agreement
Petit, petite, petits, petites: how French adjectives match their noun’s gender and number, the irregular endings (heureuse, nationaux), and the beau / bel / belle trio.
Read the guide →À + Definite Articles
À + le becomes au, à + les becomes aux, and à la and à l’ never change. The two required French contractions, with examples and the aux liaison.
Read the guide →De + Definite Articles
De + le becomes du, de + les becomes des, and de la and de l’ never change. The two required contractions, how to pronounce them, and how to tell them from “some.”
Read the guide →Cities and Countries
À Paris, en France, au Canada, aux États-Unis: how French picks the preposition for cities and countries, plus the exceptions (en Iran, au Mexique) and islands.
Read the guide →Ou vs Où
One accent, two jobs. Ou means “or” (du thé ou du café); où means “where” (où habites-tu?), and after time words like jour, it means “when.”
Read the guide →Meilleur vs Mieux
Meilleur is the better version of bon (a better restaurant); mieux is the better version of bien (she sings better, I feel better). Plus the agreement forms and le meilleur vs le mieux.
Read the guide →Object Pronouns
Direct objects, indirect objects, me/te/nous/vous, the double-pronoun order (je le lui donne), and commands (donne-le-moi) — the whole object-pronoun system in one read, then drilled to mastery.
Read the guide →Y vs Là
Y and là both mean “there,” but they do different jobs. Y replaces a place you’ve already mentioned (j’y vais); là points one out (il est là). Plus where y goes in the sentence and the ici / là / là-bas trap.
Read the guide →Y vs En
Both can mean “it.” Y replaces à-phrases (j’y pense), en replaces de-phrases and quantities (j’en parle, j’en ai deux). Plus the people exception and en the preposition.
Read the guide →Passé Composé vs Imparfait
When to use the passé composé vs the imparfait — completed events vs ongoing background, single events vs habits, and changes in state vs ongoing states.
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