Any language has two components: grammar and vocabulary. In order to express oneself clearly, it is necessary to construct sentences correctly. Everyone knows that French grammar is difficult and requires studying and understanding the "logic of the language". The main grammatical features of the French language are listed below:
Gender of nouns: masculine, feminine.
Articles: the French language has the definite article "la" (for feminine) and "le" (for masculine). There are indefinite articles un (for masculine) and une (for feminine).
Conjugation: Verbs in French are conjugated depending on the gender and number of the subject. There are both general conjugation rules (you will need to study groups of verbs depending on their endings -ir, -er, etc.) and exceptions (for irregular verbs).
Verb tenses: In French, 11 tenses are used more often, but for the simple communication in everyday situations, 5 basic tenses should be enough.
For a better understanding, let's list the main tenses in the French language:
There are 2 present tenses:
présent – ordinary present;
présent progressif – present continuous.
6 past tenses:
passé simple – past complete;
imparfait – past not complete;
passé compose – complex past;
plus-que-parfait – pre-past (used to express a past action that happened before another past action);
passé anterieur – a completed past that precedes another past;
passé immediat - the immediate past.
3 future ones:
futur simple - simple future.
futur antérieur – complex future.
futur immediat (futur proche) - the nearest future.
And a few more tips for learning French grammar and vocabulary:
Of course, the most effective way to learn the French language is in the French language speaking environment. So, in order to learn French as quickly as possible, we recommend you to communicate as much as possible with French-speaking people, read books in French, watch movies, etc. For example, start with small books ("The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "My father is a cleaning lady" by Safia Azzeddine, "Little Nicolas" by René Goscinny). There are many web-sites with databases of French blogs, video and audio recordings, podcasts, etc. We recommend listening French songs or podcasts even during sports or in transport. If you love music, try listening to French songs and read the wording for better understanding. For beginners, we would recommend watching movies with French subtitles. Do not forget to make pauses, do not be shy to repeat phrases aloud, which will help you learn most useful French words and expressions faster.
The best way to learn to swim is to swim, and the best way to learn French is to speak French. Speak, speak and speak again in French, do not be shy of doing mistakes and soon you will get rid of them and your French speaking skills will improve.
