Category Archives for Beginner Grammar

French Verb VOIR: How to Conjugate

The verb VOIR usually means to see (although it can also mean to understand) and has irregular forms in just about every tense and mood.  It is also classified as a verb of perception which means it uses sight, sound or touch to perceive something, and that thing can be an action or an object.In […]

French Verb DIRE: How to Conjugate

The verb DIRE means to say or to tell and should not be confused with parler, to speak. It’s an irregular verb and follows a similar pattern to the verbs lire (to read) and  écrire (to write).  It is one of only three verbs in French where the second person plural ending is not ’ez’. […]

French Verb ALLER: How to Conjugate

ALLER is one of the three most commonly used French verbs. Its meaning is simple – to go – but its value is that you can use it in the present tense to create a sense of something you are going to do in the future, so it’s invaluable to you. It is far more […]

French Verb FAIRE: How to Conjugate

Faire is the fourth most commonly used verb in French, so it’s a must-learn verb for you. It mainly means ‘to do’ or ‘to make’ but it has different meanings too at different times.Faire is used in many phrases you might like to use when talking about your leisure activities or what you do in […]

French Past Tense: Everything You Need to Know

French Past Tense could be a mind-numbing learning task. But when approached with an open mind and willingness to learn, you should be able to grasp it quite easily. It helps a lot though if you have brushed up on your English grammar. Knowing the tenses in your own language is the key to easily grasping […]

French Verb Être: Conjugation and Usage (+ FREE MP3)

The French verb être is one of the most important verbs you could learn in French. Être means “to be” and this highly irregular French verb can be found everywhere–in simple daily conversations, idiomatic expressions, written language, and elsewhere–making it a must-learn for anyone who is starting to learn French. Here in this article, you’ll learn everything […]

Learning the French Imperative (Imperatif)

Imagine a world where there are no commands or orders being issued. Well yeah, that’s right, you can’t. Whether you’re the one giving the orders or being given the orders, these things are all inexplicably intertwined with human nature and everyday living. To issue commands or give instructions, we use the imperative form of the verb. […]

French Verb Conjugation Quiz: How Many Can You Answer Correctly?

Tips on using the correct tense in French? (Q&A)

Bonjour ! If you are subscribed to the Talk in French newsletter, you probably know that I answer a lot of questions sent to me by subscribers. The questions range from language, travel, culture, and basically anything related to France that the readers can think of. Here, I’m sharing with you some of the questions sent […]

When to Use Tu vs. Vous in French: The Ultimate Guide

In a perfect world, using tu and vous when speaking French is a simple walk in the park. But no, we’re not as lucky as that. The sad reality is, the rules can be complicated and French learners who find themselves interacting socially with French people often struggle on which “you” to use. But wait—tu is for […]

Basic French Greetings (Complete Lesson with MP3!)

One of the very first things you need to know when learning French is the basic French greetings. How do you say hello and introduce yourself in French? In this article which originally appeared as the first lesson in the new book My French Routine Volume 1, we will learn all about the basic French greetings. This lesson will […]

Introduce Yourself in French With These 10 Examples (+MP3)

 [symple_highlight color=”green”]Reading time:  6 minutes[/symple_highlight] [symple_highlight color=”green”]Difficulty:  Beginner[/symple_highlight] If you want to introduce yourself, take a look at the 10 examples below. I asked some French learners on google plus and facebook to introduce themselves and I just corrected it. You will find the original version, the corrected version and I recorded it on audio so you […]