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Table of Contents Introduction 3 Chapter I Le Verbe Qu’est-ce que C’est? 4 Chapter II Le Présent de l’Indicatif Qu’est-ce que C’est? 10 Chapter III Le Passé-Composé Qu’est-ce que C’est? 21 Chapter IV L’Imparfait Qu’est-ce que C’est? 31 Chapter V Le Futur Qu’est-ce que C’est? 38 Chapter VI Le Conditionnel Qu’est-ce que C’est? 48 Chapter VII Le Nom Qu’est-ce que C’est? 57 Chapter IX L’Adjectif Qu’est-ce que C’est? 62 Chapter X L’Adverbe Qu’est-ce que C’est? 69 Chapter XI La Préposition Qu’est-ce que C’est? 73 Appendix : Solutions aux Activités 78 Introduction: A Word about Grammar Grammar. Just saying or reading the word makes most of the learners panic! People have a negative feeling about French grammar. They have heard about irregular verbs, weird tenses, nouns and gender… That’s why this e-book is compiled with only very simplified grammatical points. You will be guided step by step and all the points are defined and explained. At the end of each mini lesson, you will be able to test your knowledge and learn new vocabulary by working with specific activities. You will find the answers to the activities in the appendix, at the end of the book. Grammar, which knows how to control even kings.” Molière The verb / Le verbe QUESTION: What is a verb? In French, a verb is called un verbe. 1. Un verbe could be the most important part of a sentence. Je pleure = I cry 2. The verb asserts, tells something about the subject of the sentence. 3. A verb expresses feelings, state of beings, actions or events. 4. The verb represents the chronology and the temporality of the action. 5. A verb has to be conjugated to do its work properly. It indicates if the action was in the past, if the action is finished or starting, if the action is ongoing, if the action is repeated and if the action will take place in the future. QUESTION: What is an infinitive verb/un verbe à l’infinitif? We could say that l’infinitif is the surname of the verb, its identity. In English, the infinitive of a verb start with to + the verb: to eat. It’s also called a full verb. In French, l’infinitif is a single word with one of the following endings: -ER manger (to eat) -IR finir (to finish) -RE rendre (to give back) 1. After a conjugated verb: This one is very important to remember: In French, the second, third, etc… verb that comes after the first conjugated verb is always an infinitive. Je veux danser. -ER ending because veux is the conjugated verb vouloir You will find an infinitive verb after a conjugated verb but not after an auxiliary / un auxiliaire (avoir or être). J’ai aimé ce film. NO -ER ending because ai is the auxilaire avoir. 2. After a preposition : à, de, pour C’est difficile de se concentrer avec tout ce bruit! It’s hard to concentrate with all this noise! Il y aura à boire et à manger. There will be food and drinks. 3. As a noun: Le rire. The laugh QUESTION: What is an auxiliary verb? 2 Auxiliary Verbs in French: ETRE and AVOIR 1. ETRE Je suis I am Tu es You are Il/Elle est He/She/It is Nous sommes We are Vous êtes Ye are Ils/Elles sont They are It can be used to conjugate compound tenses / les temps composés of all the pronominal verbs (s’habiller = to get dressed). Je me suis habillé(e). I got dressed. It is used to conjugate all the compound tenses ( like le passé-composé) of some intransitive verbs. Il est rentré de France samedi soir. He came back from France Saturday night. 2. AVOIR J’ai Tu as Il/Elle a Nous avons Vous avez Ils/Elles ont I have You have He/She/It has We have Ye have They have The verbe avoir as an auxiliary is used to conjugate all the compound tenses of the transitive verbs. Nous avons marché toute la journée. We walked all day. It is also used to conjugate all the compound tenses of the most of the intransitive verbs. J’ai couru vers elle. I ran towards her. It is used to form the compound forms of the verbs être and avoir. J’ai eu de bons résultats à mes examens. I got great results at my exams. J’ai été très content de mon séjour à Nantes. I was very happy with my trip to Nantes. Attention! Etre and avoir are also verbs not only auxiliaries. Etre means to be, to exist. Avoir means to possess, to own. QUESTION: What is a pronominal verb / un verbe pronominal? Un verbe pronominal is a verb that is built with a reflexive pronoun (me, te ,se, nous, vous) : se laver, s’endormir Se lever To get up Nous nous levons Vous vous levez Je me lève Tu te lèves Il/ Elle se lève Ils/ Elles se lèvent List of the Most Common Pronominal Verbs Les verbes réciproques Les verbes réflexifs Les verbes idiomatiques se regarder to look at each other se réveiller to wake up se souvenir de to remember s’embrasser to kiss se lever to get up se tromper to make a mistake s’aimer to love each other se laver to wash se trouver to be situated se quitter to leave each other se brosser to brush se passer to happen se retrouver to meet each other s’habiller to get dressed s’amuser to have fun s’appeler to be called se marier to get married se parler to talk to each other se promener to go for a walk se reposer to rest se disputer to argue s’arrêter to stop s’endormir to fall asleep se détester to hate each other s’asseoir to sit down se taire to be silent se coucher to go to bed se fâcher to get angry se téléphoner to phone each other s’entendre to get along En Résumé: 5 Things You Need to Know about French Verbs 1. A verb expresses feelings, state of beings, actions or events. 2. The verb represents the chronology and the temporality of the action. 3. A verb has to be conjugated to do its work properly. 4.The verb identity is its infinitive. 5. There are different types of verb (pronominal, transitive, intransitive, auxiliary). Au travail! : Let’s Practice This is now the time for you to practice and check your understanding of the lesson. ACTIVITE 1 Here are 10 sentences. 1. Find the verbs for each sentence. 2. For each verb, write its identity card: its group (-ER, -IR,-RE verb), its temporality (present, future…), its meaning. EXEMPLE 1. Je voudrais que tu me dises la vérité. voudrais : irregular verb vouloir, conditionnel, to want dises : verb dire, subjonctif, to tell, to say 2. Il y a de plus en plus de criminalité à Lyon. 3. La drogue a été le plus grand fléau des années 80. 4. Il est parti sans laisser d’adresse. 5. Si j’étais à Paris, je visiterais le Château de Versailles. 6. Je prends l’avion demain pour Milan. 7. Je t’enverrai une lettre dès mon arrivée ! 8. Elle marchait dans la forêt. Elle cria. 9. Quand il sera grand, il veut être avocat. 10. Ils sont allés faire les vendanges.