Grammar Terms

Question 1

Adjective

Answer 1

un adjectif

Agree in gender and number with the noun they modify

Question 2

Descriptive adjectives

• Attributive descriptive
• Predicate descriptive

Answer 2

adjectifs qualificatifs
Attributive - connected to the noun
E.g. une chemise légère

Predicate - connected by a linking verb
E.g. Elle est grande

Question 3

Demonstrative adjectives

Answer 3

adjectifs démonstratifs

E.g. ce stylo

Question 4

Interrogative adjectives

Answer 4

adjectifs interrogatifs

E.g. Quel stylo?

Question 5

Possessive adjectives

Answer 5

adjectifs possessifs
E.g. vos amis
Agrees with the noun it modifies

Question 6

Adverb

Answer 6

un adverbe
E.g. Il mange peu
Never changes its form

Question 7

Article

Answer 7

un article

• indicates whether a specific or non-specific item
• also for a general category of items or an indeterminate quantity

Question 8

Definite article

Answer 8

article défini
E.g. Le professeur regarde les étudiants

Also to refer to a general category, and for abstract nouns.
E.g. Les livres sont chers.
E.g. La charité est admirable

Question 9

Indefinite article

Answer 9

article indéfini
To refer to unspecified items.
“Des” must be used before plural nouns.
E.g. un garçon, une fille, des garçons, des filles

Question 10

Partitive article

Answer 10

article partitif
Used before singular mass nouns (not countable items e.g. de la musique) and nouns that are always plural (e.g. des gens).
In the plural, is identical to the plural form of the indefinite article, and has the same function.
Corresponds to “some” or “any”. Cannot be omitted.

Question 11

Auxiliary verb

Answer 11

un verbe auxiliaire
Helps another verb form compound tenses.
avoir and être plus the past participle of the main verb

Question 12

Clause

Answer 12

une proposition
Main clause can by itself (or with the addition of a pronoun such as “that”) be a complete sentence, while the subordinate clause can’t.
E.g. We eat…when we are hungry.
E.g. She believes that….she will succeed.

Question 13

Comparison of adjectives and adverbs

Answer 13

la comparaison
Two things, persons, or two events, or processes possess a particular quality to the same degree, or that one possesses it to a greater or lesser degree than the other one.

Question 14

Comparative form

Answer 14

comparatif
E.g. aussi….que
E.g. plus….que
E.g. moins….que

Question 15

Superlative form

Answer 15

superlatif
E.g. le, la, les plus
E.g. le, la, les moins

Question 16

Conditional sentence

Answer 16

Expresses a hypothetical statement and is made up of two clauses. An if clause stating the condition and a main clause stating the result.
E.g. Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais cette voiture.

Question 17

Conjunction

Answer 17

une conjonction
Coordinating (et, mais, ou) link words or groups of words of equal grammatical value.
Subordinating conjunctions link a subordinate clause to a main clause.
Include: comme, quand, si, que, and all the expressions which include que, such as bien que, parce que, pour que.

Question 18

Contractions

Answer 18

une contraction
Compulsory combinations of two words.
E.g. au (à + le), auxquels (à + lesquels), des (de + les), etc

Question 19

Indirect speech
E.g. Il m’a dit: “Je suis très occupé aujourd’hui.”
Becomes…
Il m’a dit qu’il était très occupé ce jour-là.

Answer 19

Several modifications when switch from direct to indirect:

a) the quote becomes a subordinate clause;
b) the subject of the quote may change;
c) the tense of the verb may change under certain conditions;
d) some words and expressions of time and space may change.

Question 20

Inversion of word order

Answer 20

Normally the subject precedes the verb.
Inversion consists in placing the verb before the subject. Used mainly (but not exclusively) to phrase a question.
E.g. Voulez-vous une tasse de thé?

Question 21

Inversion - if the subject is a noun

Answer 21

The noun remains before the verb, but a subject pronoun of the same gender and number as the noun is added after the verb (or the auxiliary verb in compound tenses).
E.g. Tes parents regardent-ils la télé?
E.g. Les enfants ont-ils mangé tout le gâteau?

Question 22

Object

Answer 22

un complément d’objet

A noun or pronoun that is related to the action of the verb or to a preposition.

Question 23

Direct object

Answer 23

Receives the action of the verb directly, i.e., without a preposition (it answers the question what? or whom?)
E.g. Les enfants regardent…un film

Question 24

Indirect object

Answer 24

Related to the verb by the preposition à (it answers the question to what? or to whom?)
E.g. Elle a prêté sa voiture à son amie.

Question 25

Object of a preposition

Answer 25

A noun or pronoun preceded by any preposition (except à when it links a verb and its indirect object).
E.g. Nous serons devant la gare, à six heures, avec nos enfants.
(la gare, six heures and nos enfants are objects of prepositions devant, à, avec)

Question 26

Participle

Answer 26

le participe
Combined with the auxiliary verb in compound tenses.
E.g. j’ai mangé and nous serions sortis
Many past participles are used as descriptive adjectives.
E.g. un homme fatigué and des tables vernies

Question 27

Passive voice

Answer 27

When the subject of the verb, instead of performing an action upon something or someone else (active voice) is being acted upon (whoever or whatever performs the action is then called the agent).
E.g. Miriam a été félicitée par le professeur.

Question 28

Preposition

Answer 28

une préposition
A functional word that relates a noun, pronoun, or infinitive to another part of the sentence.
E.g. Le livre est…sur…la table. C’est le livre…de…Paul.
J’ai besoin…de…toi. Elle apprend…à…conduire.

Question 29

Pronominal verbs

Answer 29

les verbes pronominaux
Preceded by a reflexive pronoun, which must agree with the subject. Most have non-reflexive constructions also.
Usually indicates a reflexive or reciprocal action.
Some have an idiomatic meaning. E.g. s’en aller - to go away/to leave. Some only exist in the pronominal form. E.g. se souvenir - to remember.
Some verbs have a different meaning in pronominal/non-pronominal forms. E.g. attendre - to wait, s’attendre - to expect.
The pronominal form of certain verbs may be used, instead of the passive voice to indicate a general or habitual fact. E.g. Ces stylos se vendent partout.

Question 30

Pronoun

Answer 30

un pronom
A word used in place of a noun (or another pronoun, an adjective, or a whole clause). What it replaces has usually been mentioned previously, and is called the antecedent.
Must generally agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces.

Question 31

Personal pronoun

Answer 31

personnels

Change form according to their function in the sentence (subject, direct or indirect object, object of preposition).

Question 32

Stress pronouns

Answer 32

Mostly used for emphasis or as objects of prepositions.
E.g. Marie, elle, est dynamique, mais moi, je suis fatiguée.
E.g. Pierre travaille avec moi.

Question 33

Reflexive pronouns

Answer 33

Precede pronominal verbs.

Question 34

Demonstrative pronoun

Answer 34

démonstratif
Points out particular persons or things.
E.g. Je prends cette valise. Toi, prends…..celle-là.

Question 35

Indefinite pronouns

Answer 35

indéfinis
Refer to unidentified persons or things.
E.g. Quelque chose….est arrivé:……..Quelqu’un….me l’a dit.

Question 36

Interrogative pronoun

Answer 36

interrogatif
Used in a question.
E.g. Qui a pris mon stylo?

Question 37

Possessive pronoun

Answer 37

possessif
Replaces a possessive adjective and a noun. It must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces.
E.g. J’ai pris mon vélo et Hélène a pris…..le sien.

Question 38

Relative pronoun

Answer 38

relatif
Introduces a relative subordinate clause
E.g. As-tu vu la voiture…..que…..Sylvie a achetée?

Question 39

Relative clause

Answer 39

la proposition relative
A subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun. Usually placed right after its antecedent, but may be separated by a preposition. Must always be expressed .
E.g. La voiture…qu’il….a achetée coûte cher.

Question 40

Relative clause - when the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition.

Answer 40

Preposition always precedes the relative pronoun, at the beginning of the relative clause. (Unlike English)
E.g. Je n’ai pas encore rencontré la fille avec (proposition) laquelle (relative pronoun) Paul sort.

Question 41

Sentence

Answer 41

une phrase
A group of words, organised around a verb, and expressing a complete thought. It may be:
- declarative (expresses a statement)
- interrogative (asks a question)
- imperative (issues an order or suggestion-characterised by having no subject, can be only the verb)
- exclamative (expresses an emotion-in many cases omits the verb)
May be affirmative or negative.
A simple sentence has a single clause, a complex one has a main clause and at least one subordinate clause.

Question 42

Subject

Answer 42

The noun or pronoun representing who or what performs the action (or is acted upon in a passive sentence).

Question 43

Verb

Answer 43

un verbe
Transitive (transitifs) take an object.
Intransitive verbs do not.

Question 45

Verb - regular

Answer 45

un verbe régulier
Conjugated according to fixed pattern.
Dropping the infinitive ending (terminaison) leaves the stem (radical).
Add endings to the stem for various tenses.

Question 46

Verb - irregular

Answer 46

irréguliers

Do not follow an established pattern, must be learned individually.