Manquer – to miss
The regular -er French verb manquer means "to miss," which seems straightforward enough, and yet it causes no end of confusion due to a strange turnaround it requires in a certain construction. Don't miss this lesson! Learn how different parts of speech fit together.
The regular -er French verb manquer means "to miss," which seems straightforward enough, and yet it causes no end of confusion due to a strange turnaround it requires in a certain construction. Don't miss this lesson! A2 - Low-Intermediate French • prepositions • verbs • word order
A number of French adjectives change meaning depending on whether they go before or after the noun. adjectives • B1 - Intermediate French • word order
French negative adjectives are used to negate or refuse nouns. Like other negative structures, negative adjectives - also called indefinite negative adjectives - have two parts, e.g., ne ... aucun. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • adjectives • negation • word order
Negative adverbs turn affirmative statements and questions into negative statements and questions. The most common English negative adverb is the word "not," but French is a little more complicated - quelle surprise ! ;-) A1 - Beginning French • adverbs • negation • word order
Telling someone not to do something is called, logically enough, a negative command.
French negative pronouns (ne ... personne, ne ... rien) replace and simultaneously negate nouns. They may be the subject or object of the verb they're used with. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • negation • pronouns • word order

adjectives • agreement • nouns • word order
The placement of object, reflexive, and adverbial pronouns depends on which of the four main verb constructions they're used with. B1 - Intermediate French • pronouns • word order
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. B2 - Upper-Intermediate French • tenses moods voices • word order
In English, we use 's (apostrophe s) to indicate that one noun possesses another. The French equivalent is the preposition de, with the order of the nouns reversed. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • possession • prepositions • word order
It's very common to have two verbs in a row in both English and French, as in J'aime danser. The word order can get very complicated when additional grammatical structures like object pronouns and negation are introduced. negation • pronouns • verbs • word order
Si clauses, also known as conditionals or conditional sentences, are if-then constructions that express a condition to be met in order for a certain result. They are divided into three types, depending on whether the condition is likely, unlikely, or impossible. B1 - Intermediate French • lesson plans • verbs • word order
Word order with French verbs of perception depends on whether the infinitive has a subject and/or direct object, and whether these are nouns or pronouns. Bonjour !
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