// French grammar structure, A1 to C2 (CEFR) // For English speakers learning French. // Explanations are in English; the French is the target language to learn. const GRAMMAIRE = [ { niveau: "A1", titre: "Beginner", description: "The basics: present tense, articles, gender & number, simple questions.", chapitres: [ { titre: "Subject pronouns (les pronoms personnels sujets)", points: [ "The people doing the action: je (I), tu (you, informal), il / elle / on (he / she / one), nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils / elles (they).", "« on » very often replaces « nous » (we) in everyday speech.", "« vous » is also the polite way to say 'you' to one person." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je parle français.", en: "I speak French." }, { fr: "On va au cinéma.", en: "We're going to the cinema." }, { fr: "Vous êtes prêt ?", en: "Are you ready? (polite)" } ] }, { titre: "The verbs « être » (to be) and « avoir » (to have)", points: [ "être (to be): je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont.", "avoir (to have): j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont.", "These two are the most important verbs, used everywhere, including to build past tenses." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je suis étudiant.", en: "I am a student." }, { fr: "Elle a vingt ans.", en: "She is twenty (lit. 'has twenty years')." }, { fr: "Nous avons faim.", en: "We are hungry (lit. 'have hunger')." } ] }, { titre: "Definite & indefinite articles (les articles)", points: [ "Definite ('the'): le (masc.), la (fem.), l' (before a vowel), les (plural).", "Indefinite ('a / some'): un (masc.), une (fem.), des (plural).", "The noun's gender decides which article you use, learn the article with the noun." ], exemples: [ { fr: "le livre / la table", en: "the book / the table" }, { fr: "un homme / une femme", en: "a man / a woman" }, { fr: "des enfants", en: "some children" } ] }, { titre: "Present tense of -er verbs (le présent)", points: [ "The biggest, most regular verb group. Drop -er and add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.", "Example: parler (to speak) → je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent.", "Most new verbs you meet follow this pattern." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je travaille à Paris.", en: "I work in Paris." }, { fr: "Ils habitent ici.", en: "They live here." }, { fr: "Nous mangeons.", en: "We are eating." } ] }, { titre: "Gender & number of nouns (le genre et le nombre)", points: [ "Every noun is masculine or feminine; the feminine often (not always) ends in -e.", "Plural is usually formed by adding -s (sometimes -x); the -s is silent.", "Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number." ], exemples: [ { fr: "un ami / une amie", en: "a (male) friend / a (female) friend" }, { fr: "un chat / des chats", en: "a cat / some cats" }, { fr: "un journal / des journaux", en: "a newspaper / some newspapers" } ] }, { titre: "Negation (« ne... pas »)", points: [ "Wrap the verb: ne + verb + pas.", "In casual speech the « ne » is often dropped: « Je sais pas ».", "Before a vowel, ne becomes n'." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je ne comprends pas.", en: "I don't understand." }, { fr: "Il n'aime pas le café.", en: "He doesn't like coffee." }, { fr: "(spoken) Je sais pas.", en: "I dunno." } ] }, { titre: "Simple questions (les questions)", points: [ "Intonation: just raise your voice, « Tu viens ? » (Are you coming?).", "Est-ce que: put it in front of a statement, « Est-ce que tu viens ? ».", "Question words: qui (who), quoi (what), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), combien (how much/many)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Où habites-tu ?", en: "Where do you live?" }, { fr: "Est-ce que c'est loin ?", en: "Is it far?" }, { fr: "Comment ça va ?", en: "How are you?" } ] } ] }, { niveau: "A2", titre: "Elementary", description: "Talking about the past and near future, adjectives, object pronouns.", chapitres: [ { titre: "The passé composé (completed past actions)", points: [ "Built with an auxiliary (avoir or être) in the present + a past participle.", "Most verbs use avoir: « J'ai mangé » (I ate / I have eaten).", "Movement verbs and reflexive verbs use être, and the participle then agrees with the subject." ], exemples: [ { fr: "J'ai mangé.", en: "I ate / I have eaten." }, { fr: "Elle est partie.", en: "She left (fem. agreement: parti+e)." }, { fr: "Nous sommes arrivés tard.", en: "We arrived late." } ] }, { titre: "The imparfait (ongoing / habitual past)", points: [ "Used for descriptions, habits, and actions in progress in the past.", "Take the 'nous' present-tense stem and add: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.", "Contrast with passé composé: imparfait = background, passé composé = single completed event." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Quand j'étais petit...", en: "When I was little..." }, { fr: "Il pleuvait.", en: "It was raining." }, { fr: "Nous allions souvent à la mer.", en: "We used to go to the sea often." } ] }, { titre: "The near future (le futur proche)", points: [ "aller (to go) in the present + an infinitive, just like English 'going to'.", "Used for plans and things about to happen.", "Very common in speech, easier than the simple future." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je vais partir.", en: "I'm going to leave." }, { fr: "On va manger.", en: "We're going to eat." }, { fr: "Ils vont arriver bientôt.", en: "They're going to arrive soon." } ] }, { titre: "Adjectives (placement & agreement)", points: [ "Adjectives agree in gender and number with their noun.", "Most adjectives go after the noun (unlike English).", "A few common ones go before: grand, petit, beau, bon, jeune, vieux, nouveau." ], exemples: [ { fr: "une voiture rouge", en: "a red car" }, { fr: "un grand jardin", en: "a big garden" }, { fr: "de belles fleurs", en: "beautiful flowers" } ] }, { titre: "Direct & indirect object pronouns", points: [ "Direct (COD): me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les, replace 'the thing/person'.", "Indirect (COI): me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur, replace 'to someone'.", "They go before the verb, unlike in English." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je le vois.", en: "I see him/it." }, { fr: "Elle nous parle.", en: "She is talking to us." }, { fr: "Tu lui donnes le livre ?", en: "Are you giving him/her the book?" } ] }, { titre: "Possessive & demonstrative adjectives", points: [ "Possessives ('my, your...'): mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, son, sa, ses, notre, votre, leur.", "Demonstratives ('this/that'): ce, cet (before vowel), cette, ces.", "They agree with the thing owned/pointed at, NOT the owner." ], exemples: [ { fr: "mon frère, ma sœur", en: "my brother, my sister" }, { fr: "ce livre, cette idée", en: "this book, this idea" }, { fr: "leurs enfants", en: "their children" } ] } ] }, { niveau: "B1", titre: "Intermediate", description: "Simple future, conditional, relative pronouns, introducing the subjunctive.", chapitres: [ { titre: "The simple future (le futur simple)", points: [ "Add endings to the infinitive: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.", "Some stems are irregular: être → ser-, avoir → aur-, aller → ir-, faire → fer-.", "Used for certain or planned future events." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je partirai demain.", en: "I will leave tomorrow." }, { fr: "Nous serons là.", en: "We will be there." }, { fr: "Il fera beau.", en: "The weather will be nice." } ] }, { titre: "The present conditional (le conditionnel)", points: [ "Future stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).", "Used for politeness, wishes, and hypotheticals, like English 'would'.", "Key polite forms: je voudrais (I would like), j'aimerais (I'd love)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je voudrais un café.", en: "I would like a coffee." }, { fr: "On pourrait sortir.", en: "We could go out." }, { fr: "Ce serait bien.", en: "That would be nice." } ] }, { titre: "Relative pronouns (qui, que, où, dont)", points: [ "qui = subject ('who/which'), que = object ('whom/that'), où = place/time ('where/when').", "dont replaces a 'de' phrase ('whose / of which / about which').", "They join two clauses into one sentence." ], exemples: [ { fr: "L'homme qui parle.", en: "The man who is speaking." }, { fr: "Le livre que je lis.", en: "The book (that) I'm reading." }, { fr: "Le film dont je parle.", en: "The film I'm talking about." } ] }, { titre: "Conditionals with « si » (if)", points: [ "si + present → future: « Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai » (If I have time, I'll come).", "si + imparfait → conditional: « Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais » (If I had time, I would come).", "Never use the future or conditional directly after « si »." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Si tu veux, on y va.", en: "If you want, we'll go." }, { fr: "Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais.", en: "If I were rich, I would travel." } ] }, { titre: "The present subjunctive (introduction)", points: [ "Used after expressions of necessity, will, or emotion: « il faut que », « je veux que », « pour que ».", "Form: take the 'ils' stem and add -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.", "It expresses something wished-for or uncertain, not a plain fact." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Il faut que tu partes.", en: "You have to leave." }, { fr: "Je veux que tu viennes.", en: "I want you to come." }, { fr: "Pour que ce soit clair.", en: "So that it's clear." } ] }, { titre: "Comparatives & superlatives", points: [ "Comparative: plus / moins / aussi ... que (more / less / as ... than/as).", "Superlative: le / la / les plus (moins) ... (the most / least).", "Irregular: bon → meilleur (better), bien → mieux (better, adverb), mauvais → pire (worse)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "plus grand que toi", en: "taller than you" }, { fr: "le plus intéressant", en: "the most interesting" }, { fr: "C'est meilleur ici.", en: "It's better here." } ] } ] }, { niveau: "B2", titre: "Upper intermediate", description: "Subjunctive in depth, reported speech, passive voice, finer past tenses.", chapitres: [ { titre: "The subjunctive (extended uses)", points: [ "Also used after doubt, emotion, and negative opinions.", "After certain conjunctions: bien que (although), avant que (before), à condition que (provided that).", "Indicative vs subjunctive depends on certainty: « Je pense que c'est vrai » (sure) vs « Je ne pense pas que ce soit vrai » (doubt)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Bien qu'il pleuve, on sort.", en: "Although it's raining, we're going out." }, { fr: "Je doute qu'il vienne.", en: "I doubt he'll come." }, { fr: "Je ne pense pas que ce soit vrai.", en: "I don't think it's true." } ] }, { titre: "Reported speech (le discours indirect)", points: [ "Reporting what someone said, without quotation marks.", "Tenses shift back (present → imparfait, passé composé → plus-que-parfait, future → conditional).", "Pronouns and time words also change." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Il dit qu'il est fatigué.", en: "He says (that) he's tired." }, { fr: "Elle a dit qu'elle viendrait.", en: "She said she would come." }, { fr: "Il a demandé si j'étais prêt.", en: "He asked if I was ready." } ] }, { titre: "The passive voice (la voix passive)", points: [ "être + past participle (agrees) + par (by).", "Puts the focus on the thing receiving the action.", "The doer (agent) is introduced by « par »." ], exemples: [ { fr: "La lettre est écrite par Marie.", en: "The letter is written by Marie." }, { fr: "Le pont a été construit en 1990.", en: "The bridge was built in 1990." } ] }, { titre: "The pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait)", points: [ "Auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle.", "An action that happened before another past action ('had done').", "Often paired with passé composé or imparfait." ], exemples: [ { fr: "J'avais déjà mangé quand il est arrivé.", en: "I had already eaten when he arrived." }, { fr: "Elle était partie avant midi.", en: "She had left before noon." } ] }, { titre: "Compound relative pronouns", points: [ "lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles, used after a preposition.", "They contract: à + lequel → auquel, de + lequel → duquel.", "Used when the relative pronoun follows a preposition (on which, to whom...)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "La table sur laquelle je travaille.", en: "The table on which I work." }, { fr: "L'ami auquel je pense.", en: "The friend I'm thinking of." } ] }, { titre: "Gerund & present participle", points: [ "Gerund: en + present participle, 'while/by doing' (simultaneous action or means).", "Present participle (-ant) can express cause or a quality, like 'being'.", "Examples: en marchant (while walking), étant fatigué (being tired)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Il chante en travaillant.", en: "He sings while working." }, { fr: "Étant malade, il est resté.", en: "Being sick, he stayed home." } ] } ] }, { niveau: "C1", titre: "Advanced", description: "Stylistic nuance, full tense agreement, structuring sophisticated discourse.", chapitres: [ { titre: "The past conditional (le conditionnel passé)", points: [ "Auxiliary in the conditional + past participle ('would have done').", "Expresses regret, reproach, or an unrealised hypothesis.", "Pairs with « si + plus-que-parfait »." ], exemples: [ { fr: "J'aurais aimé venir.", en: "I would have liked to come." }, { fr: "Si j'avais su, je serais resté.", en: "If I had known, I would have stayed." }, { fr: "Tu aurais dû me prévenir.", en: "You should have warned me." } ] }, { titre: "The past subjunctive (le subjonctif passé)", points: [ "Subjunctive auxiliary + past participle.", "Marks an action completed before the main verb, still inside a subjunctive clause.", "Examples: que j'aie fait, qu'il soit venu." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Je suis content que tu sois venu.", en: "I'm glad you came." }, { fr: "Bien qu'il ait fini, il reste.", en: "Although he has finished, he's staying." } ] }, { titre: "Logical connectors (les connecteurs logiques)", points: [ "Cause: car, puisque, étant donné que (since / given that).", "Consequence: si bien que, de sorte que (so that / with the result that).", "Contrast/concession: néanmoins, toutefois, en revanche (nevertheless, however, on the other hand)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Puisque tu insistes...", en: "Since you insist..." }, { fr: "Il pleut, néanmoins nous sortons.", en: "It's raining; nevertheless we're going out." }, { fr: "..., si bien qu'il a réussi.", en: "..., so that he succeeded." } ] }, { titre: "Emphasis & highlighting (la mise en relief)", points: [ "C'est ... qui / que to stress a word: « C'est toi qui décides ».", "Ce qui / ce que ..., c'est ... structure.", "Dislocation (very common in speech): « Moi, je pense que... »." ], exemples: [ { fr: "C'est toi qui décides.", en: "You're the one who decides." }, { fr: "Ce que je veux, c'est partir.", en: "What I want is to leave." }, { fr: "Lui, il ne sait rien.", en: "Him? He knows nothing." } ] }, { titre: "Nominalisation (la nominalisation)", points: [ "Turning a verb or adjective into a noun.", "Typical of formal, written, and journalistic style.", "Example: construire (to build) → la construction (the construction)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "L'augmentation des prix.", en: "The rise in prices." }, { fr: "La fermeture du magasin.", en: "The closing of the shop." }, { fr: "Le développement durable.", en: "Sustainable development." } ] }, { titre: "Registers of language (les registres)", points: [ "Three main levels: familier (casual), courant (standard), soutenu (formal).", "They differ in vocabulary and sentence structure.", "Match the register to your context and listener." ], exemples: [ { fr: "bagnole / voiture / automobile", en: "car (casual / standard / formal)" }, { fr: "bouquin / livre / ouvrage", en: "book (casual / standard / formal)" } ] } ] }, { niveau: "C2", titre: "Mastery", description: "Literary tenses, stylistic subtleties, idiomatic and near-native expression.", chapitres: [ { titre: "The passé simple (literary past)", points: [ "The tense of written narration: novels, history, fairy tales.", "A single completed action, used in writing instead of the passé composé.", "Examples: il fut (he was), il alla (he went), ils firent (they did)." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Il entra et s'assit.", en: "He entered and sat down." }, { fr: "Ils partirent à l'aube.", en: "They left at dawn." }, { fr: "Elle naquit en 1850.", en: "She was born in 1850." } ] }, { titre: "Past anterior & imperfect subjunctive", points: [ "Literary tenses, almost never used in speech.", "Past anterior: action just before a passé simple in a narrative.", "Imperfect subjunctive: tense agreement in very formal writing." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Quand il eut fini, il sortit.", en: "When he had finished, he went out." }, { fr: "Il fallait qu'il vînt.", en: "It was necessary for him to come." } ] }, { titre: "Subtleties of the subjunctive", points: [ "Subjunctive vs indicative can change the meaning of a sentence.", "Used after a superlative or « le seul », « le premier » (the only/first).", "Used in relative clauses expressing a goal or something sought but uncertain." ], exemples: [ { fr: "C'est le seul qui puisse le faire.", en: "He's the only one who can do it." }, { fr: "Je cherche un livre qui soit simple.", en: "I'm looking for a book that is simple (if one exists)." } ] }, { titre: "Idioms & fixed expressions", points: [ "Set phrases, proverbs, and figurative expressions.", "Their meaning is not literal, you must learn them whole.", "Using them naturally is a hallmark of native-level fluency." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Tomber dans les pommes.", en: "To faint (lit. 'fall into the apples')." }, { fr: "Avoir le cafard.", en: "To feel down/blue (lit. 'have the cockroach')." }, { fr: "Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs.", en: "To put the cart before the horse." } ] }, { titre: "Full sequence of tenses", points: [ "Command of every temporal relationship across a long text.", "Reported speech in elevated, literary style.", "Keeping tenses consistent throughout extended writing." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Il affirma qu'il fût venu si on l'eût invité.", en: "He claimed he would have come had he been invited." }, { fr: "Elle craignait qu'il ne fût trop tard.", en: "She feared it was too late." } ] }, { titre: "Style & rhetoric (le style)", points: [ "Figures of speech: metaphor, litotes (understatement), irony.", "Varying rhythm and sentence structure for effect.", "Devices of emphasis and nuance." ], exemples: [ { fr: "Ce n'est pas mauvais.", en: "It's not bad (= it's quite good, litotes)." }, { fr: "Une mer de visages.", en: "A sea of faces (metaphor)." } ] } ] } ];