How do you do an inversion in French?
To form inverted questions in French, you simply place the subject pronoun (je, tu, nous, vous, ils, elles) after the verb, and insert an hyphen in-between. Here are some more examples: Allez-vous à Paris?
Do French reflexive verbs agree?
All pronominal verbs are être verbs in compound tenses and moods like the passé composé, which means that the past participles must agree with their subjects – at least in theory. Here’s the tricky part: agreement is only required when the reflexive pronoun is a direct object; when it’s indirect, there’s no agreement.
Are all reflexive verbs etre?
Reflexive verbs use être as the auxiliary verb to form the passé composé, not avoir. If the reflexive pronoun is the direct object the past participle agrees in gender and number with it. The reflexive pronoun preceeds the auxiliary verb directly.
What is a French reflexive verb?
Reflexive verbs in French are verbs which mean an action done to oneself, for example, laver means ‘to wash’, but se laver means ‘to get washed’ or literally ‘to wash oneself’.
What are French pronominal verbs?
A pronominal verb is a verb that is accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. Pronominal verbs fall into three major classes based on their meaning: reflexive, idiomatic, and reciprocal. The verb is conjugated normally (here an -er verb) with addition of the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
Why do you say nous nous in French?
“Nous nous” translates literally into English as “we we” as in the sentence “We are home”. However, “we we” is phonetically the same as “oui oui” which translates literally into English as “yes yes”.
Why do the French use on instead of nous?
In spoken French, we often say “on” instead of “nous”, in this context, it means “we”. The word “nous” is always used as the object of a sentence (“us”), and as a formal subject. The word “on” is most often used as an informal “we”, a vague person (“they”, “one”, “somebody”), and never the object of a sentence.
Do French use nous?
In French, there are TWO subject pronouns (i.e. I, you, he, etc.) to express we : nous and on. Look at these sentences using these pronouns: Nous sommes gentils. We are kind.
What goes after vous in French?
1 Using subject pronouns
| Singular | Meaning | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| je (j’) | I | nous |
| tu or vous | you | vous |
| il | he it | ils |
| elle | she it | elles |
Why are there two words for you in French?
The words tu and vous both mean you. In French, which word for you is used depends on the person being addressed (spoken/written to). A common misconception is that “tu is used for talking to children and vous for talking to adults” or “tu is for friends and vous is for strangers”.
Is mes amis vous or nous?
Common French Possessives
| Owner | Gender and Number of Object Owned | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il and elle (he and she) | masculine singular | son sac (his/her bag) |
| feminine singular | sa voiture (his/her car) | |
| masculine and feminine plural | ses amis (his/her friends) | |
| nous (we) | masculine and feminine singular | notre sac (our bag) notre voiture (our car) |
What is the conjugation of etre in French?
French Verb Conjugations
| Present | Future | |
|---|---|---|
| je / j’ | suis | serai |
| tu | es | seras |
| il | est | sera |
| nous | sommes | serons |
What are the 17 etre verbs in French?
The following is a list of verbs (and their derivatives) that require être:
- aller > to go.
- arriver > to arrive.
- descendre > to descend / go downstairs. redescendre > to descend again.
- entrer > to enter. rentrer > to re-enter.
- monter > to climb. remonter > to climb again.
- mourir > to die.
- naître > to be born.
- partir > to leave.
Is Travailler avoir or etre?
Simple Conjugations for the French Verb Travailler
| Present | Present participle | |
|---|---|---|
| tu | travailles | |
| il | travaille | Passé composé |
| nous | travaillons | Auxiliary verb avoir |
| vous | travaillez | Past participle travaillé |
What are the Imparfait endings in French?
L’imparfait is used to tell stories and report on past actions, mostly in written contexts. We conjugate the imperfect by adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez and -aient to the root of the present tense nous form of the verb.
What is L Imparfait in French?
The imperfect ( l’imparfait) expresses or describes continued, repeated, habitual actions or incomplete actions, situations, or events in the past. The imperfect describes what was going on at an indefinite time in the past or what used to happen.
What is Imparfait in French examples?
How to Use the French Imperfect Tense (Imparfait) Perfectly
- J’aimais [imperfect] les parfaits, maintenant je préfère le yaourt nature.
- Je prenais des cours de trompette.
- Je passais par le parc tous les jours en rentrant chez moi.
- J’étais très heureux à l’école primaire.
What is Imperatif?
The imperative, (l’impératif in French) is used to give commands, orders, or express wishes, like ‘Stop!’ , ‘Listen!’ You may recognize the imperative from commands such as ‘Ecoutez’ or ‘Répétez’. There are three forms of the imperative: tu, nous and vous.
What is the indicative in French?
The indicative is a personal mood and is the most commonly used mood in French. French has 10 indicative tenses, but not all of them are used in everyday language. To learn how to conjugate verbs in other moods in French such as the conditional, the imperative and the subjunctive, go to the section on verbs.
How do you conjugate Imperatif?
The three forms for the imperative are: tu, nous, and vous. The conjugation is same as the present tense except that for -er verbs, the last -s is dropped in the tu form. Object pronouns are used in the imperative. For affirmative commands, the object pronoun comes after the verb and both are joined by a hyphen.
What is the subjunctive in French?
The French subjunctive is a special verb form, called a mood, that is used in dependent clauses to indicate some sort of subjectivity, uncertainty, or unreality in the mind of the speaker. In French, feelings like doubt and desire require the subjunctive, as do expressions of necessity, possibility, and judgment.
What is an example of a subjunctive?
Examples of subjunctive in a Sentence Adjective In “I wish it were Friday,” the verb “were” is in the subjunctive mood. Noun “I wish it were not so” is in the subjunctive. Subjunctives can be used to express doubt.
How do you avoid the subjunctive in French?
Here are five tips on how to avoid using the subjunctive:
- Rather than using impersonal verbs with que + the subjunctive, replace it with the infinitive.
- Replace que with si.
- You can also express doubt or possibility through the use of an adverb, rather than the subjunctive structure.
What is Subjonctif présent?
This is a very hard tense because the subjunctive mood is almost non-existant in English. It is used in French to express doubt or emotion. Here are the most common uses: Informal commands, requests, or recommendations.
Is J espere que subjunctive?
Espérer may require the subjunctive, depending on whether it is used affirmatively, negatively, or interrogatively. Espérer in the affirmative = no subjunctive. J’espère que sa mère viendra. Espérer in the negative or interrogative = subjunctive.
How do I get Subjonctif?
All regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs as well as many irregular verbs* are conjugated according to this pattern:
- Start with the present tense ils conjugation of the verb.
- Drop –ent to find the subjunctive stem.
- Add the appropriate subjunctive ending: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
What is the difference between indicative and subjunctive in French?
The subjunctive is used after verbs and expressions of doubt, denial, and disbelief. The indicative tenses, which state facts (present, passé composé, imperfect, and future) are used after verbs and expressions of certainty and probability.