Most French verbs are conjugated with avoir as their auxiliary verb in compound tenses and moods, and therefore do not require agreement with their subjects. But avoir verbs do need agreement in a very specific construction: the past participle must agree with the direct object when it precedes the verb. All pronominal verbs are être verbs in compound tenses and moods like the passé composé, which means that the past participles must agree with their subjects - at least in theory. In fact, it's not quite so straightforward. 
Verbs of perception are subject to grammatical agreement in the compound tenses, but the rules are somewhat tricky - they only agree with their subjects when they precede the verb. 
Although the subjunctive is commonly used in French, there are numerous ways to avoid it, with varying meaning changes. (This doesn't mean you don't need to know how to use the subjunctive, just that there are times when an alternative is acceptable.) 
Certain aspects of French grammar are a bit different with the causative than with other two-verb constructions. 
Connectives are links: they combine words, phrases, or sentences. Connectives do not constitute a single part of speech, but rather a category of terms including all conjunctions and prepositions as well as certain types of adverbs and pronouns used in this way. 
Direct objects and indirect objects can be tricky to understand and use, but it's essential to know the difference in order to speak and write French correctly. Here are some tips to help you figure out which type of object you're dealing with. 
It consists of just two letters, yet the French word en has three distinct areas of meaning/usage and four different pronunciations. Here's everything you need to know about en. 
French has three negative constructions that are reserved for formal (usually written) French like literature and historical accounts. 
Indefinite relative pronouns (ce dont, ce que, ce qui, ce à quoi) are connectors: they link relative clauses to main clauses and, unlike normal relative pronouns, do not not have a specific antecedent. 
Relative adjectives are rare in both French and English, as they are found primarily in legal, administrative, and other very formal language. The French relative pronoun lequel creates a link between a preceding antecedent and a following noun.
Don't worry, it's not a swear word. In French, explétif is a grammatical term that serves only to draw attention to what precedes it. 
By definition, compound tenses and moods require an auxiliary verb plus past participle. However, when using two or more compound conjugations with the same subject, you don't always need to include the auxiliary verb for each one. 
What's the difference between on and l'on? In a nutshell, on is sometimes preceded by l' for reasons of euphony. 
Knowing whether to use passé composé or imparfait sometimes depends on the meaning of the verb itself: some French verbs have different meanings in the passé composé and imparfait.
When one thing happens before another, you can use the French past infinitive to talk about the earlier action. In English, the past infinitive is very stilted, so it's usually loosely translated into more idiomatic phrasing. 
The past subjunctive is the past tense of the subjunctive mood. The exact same verbs, expressions, and conjunctions that call for the subjunctive in the present require the past subjunctive in reference to subjectivity about something that happened in the past. 
Generally speaking, articles are much more common in French than in English, but there are exceptions, such as when certain prepositions are followed by nouns. 
Progress with Lawless French is an adaptive, test-driven French learning system made possible through a partnership with Kwiziq. 
Take your Progress with Lawless French account to the next level with these super study lists that bring together all the lessons on a particular grammar topic. 
A large part of communicating has to do with reporting what other people have said. This grammatical grapevine comes in two varieties: direct speech and indirect speech. 
The reflexive causative uses a reflexive pronoun to indicate that the subject is acted upon, whether this action is by his choice or not. It's equivalent to "get/have something done to/for oneself." 
The third conditional is an if-then proposition that expresses an impossible situation: if something had happened (the condition), then something else would have happened (the result). The condition is expressed with the past perfect, and the impossible result is indicated with the conditional perfect. 
Learn how each simple conjugation of avoir serves as the auxiliary verb for a corresponding compound verb form. Learn how each simple conjugation of être serves as the auxiliary verb for a corresponding compound tense or mood. Learn how each simple conjugation of être serves as the auxiliary for a corresponding pronominal verb tense or mood. 
The French subjunctive is most often found in subordinate clauses, but it can also be used in main or independent clauses. In general, this latter usage tends to be formal. The subjunctive is required after any type of construction that indicates negativity or doubt, including negative pronouns and indefinite pronouns. 
Do you know the difference between un and l'un? If you answered, "Huh? Why would you ever put l' in front of un?" then this is the lesson for you. 
French and English have a number of important differences in verb tenses and moods, which can make translating all the different conjugations from one language to the other a bit tricky. Here's what to keep in mind when translating French verb conjugations into English. 
Get help on the forum.
Subscribe to my twice-weekly newsletter:
