Bien entendu
formalities
Words and structures needed for formal situations
Conditional Perfect, Second Form
The second form of the conditional perfect is the literary equivalent of the conditional perfect. conjugation lessons • formalities • tenses moods voices
Croire Expressions
Greetings
A1 • formalities • informalities • lesson plans • travel French
Inversion
The normal word order in French and English is subject + verb, as in vous êtes - you are. Both languages also have what is known as inversion, where the verb and subject pronoun switch places, resulting in êtes-vous - are you. In English, inversion is used only to ask questions, but in French it has several different purposes. A2 • formalities • word order
Inversion with Nouns
Inversion is not limited to pronouns - it can also be done with nouns and proper names, though this is a bit more complicated. B1 • formalities • word order
N’est-ce pas
A1 • formalities • questions
Ne explétif
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. B2 • formalities • negation
Ne littéraire
In formal, usually written French, there are certain verbs and constructions that can be made negative with just ne - the inclusion of pas or some other negative word is not required. C1 • formalities • negation
Neuter Object Pronoun
The object pronoun le can be used impersonally to replace intangibles like adjectives, verbs, and clauses. Optional Liaisons
Some liaisons in front of a vowel or h muet are optional, which means it up to you to decide whether to pronounce them. However, that decision matters: more liaisons means more formal speech, so obviously fewer liaisons means more informal, possibly even familiar speech. Passé simple
The passé simple is a single-word past tense, equivalent to English's simple past. However, the passé simple is a literary tense and is thus limited to formal writing, such as literature, journalism, and historical accounts. B1 • formalities • tenses moods voices
Past Anterior
The past anterior is the literary equivalent of the past perfect and is usually preceded by a conjunction such as après que or quand. conjugation lessons • formalities • tenses moods voices
Politeness
A1 • formalities • politeness • travel French
Questions
Knowing how to ask questions is essential for making plans, shopping, traveling, getting to know people, and any other activity that requires obtaining information. There are two different types of questions, and different ways to ask each type. A1 • formalities • informalities • questions
