French Language Resources

Topics

Articles
Imparfait Conjugation
Imparfait vs. Passé Composé
Passé Composé Overview
Passé Composé Conjugation

Downloadable French Language Resource Packet

French Resource Packet: Articles

Forms:

In French, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or 'determined' by an article. As in English, an article is characterized as either definite ('the') or indefinite ('a', 'an'). In addition, French articles are also masculine or feminine, singular or plural, according to the gender and number of the noun they determine. Here are the definite articles in French:

le (l’) - le café, le livre, l'étudiant
la (l’) - la bibliothèque, la maison, l'école
les - les cafés, les bibliothèques

Uses:

When you do need an article

To identify a specific noun:

The definite article is used to identify a specific noun or to refer to a noun that has already been specified.

For general truths and concepts

French uses the definite article to express general truths or concepts. English, in contrast, uses no article at all. Compare the following sentences:

L’argent ne rend pas l’homme heureux! = Money does not make man happy!
Tu as raison. L’amour et la santé sont plus importance! = You are right. Love and health are more important!

To express likes and dislikes

The French also use the definite article with verbs of preference, such as aimer, préférer, détester. Once again, English omits the article in such general statements. For example:

Il adore les croissants = He loves croissants
Nous préférons les tartes = We prefer doughnuts
Elle n’aime pas le café = She does not like coffee

To indicate habitual recurrence

The definite article is used in French with moments of the day, days of the week, and seasons to indicate habitual recurrence. For example:

Le matin, nous allons en cours = Every morning, we go to class
L’après-midi, elle va à la bibliothèque = Every afternoon, she goes to the library

In a series

The article is usually repeated in a series, in contrast to English. For example:

Aide-moi à mettre la table! Apporte les assiettes, les couteaux, les verres, les serviettes et le vin. = Help me set the table! Bring the plates, knives, glasses, napkins, and wine.

When you don't need an article

Cities usually do not require an article in French. For example:

Il habite à Portland. = He lives in Portland.
Mais il préfère Paris = But he prefers Paris

Continents, countries, states, regions, and oceans usually require an article (l'Afrique, la France, le Texas, la Bourgogne, l'Atlantique etc.), but there are a few exceptions, usually islands: Haïti, Israël, Madagascar.

Months never require an article: janvier, février, mars, etc.

Cependant, il adore mars à Portland = Nevertheless, he adores March in Portland.

Days of the week do not require an article in instances where they do not indicate habitual recurrence. For example:

Lundi, il a rendez-vous avec sa copine. = Monday, he has a date with his girlfriend.

But,

Le lundi, il a rendez-vous avec sa copine. = Every Monday, he has a date with his girlfriend.

Indefinite Articles

Forms

In French, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or 'determined' by an article. As in English, an article is characterized as either definite ('the') or indefinite ('a', 'an'). In French, articles are also masculine or feminine, and singular or plural, according to the gender and number of the noun they determine. Here are the indefinite articles in French:

un - un café, un livre, un étudiant
une - une bibliothèque, une maison, une école
des cafés, des bibliothèques

Uses

As the English 'a' 'an' or 'some', the indefinite articles un, une, des refer to nouns which are non-specific. Un or une may also indicate quantity, 'a' or 'an' in the sense of 'one.' Contrast the use of the indefinite and definite articles in the first two sentences below. The indefinite plural des is always expressed in French, but its English equivalent 'some' is often omitted.

Ces filles ont une chambre dans une résidence universitaire à Portland. = These girls have a (one) room in a residence hall in Portland.
Elles ont la chambre numéro 1664 dans la résidence Ondine. = They have the room #1664 in the Ondine residence hall.
Elles sont des camarades de chambre. = They are roommates.

‘De’ after the negative

In a negative sentence, the indefinite articles un, une, des are replaced by de or d':

Tu as un chien? = Do you have a dog?
Non, je n’ai pas de chien. = No, I don’t have a dog.
Tu as des amis? = Do you have any friends?
Non, je n’ai pas d’amis. = No, I don’t have any friends.

However, following the verb être, the indefinite articles un, une, des remain unchanged in the negative:

Victor Hugo? C’est un écrivain. Ce n’est pas un médecin. = Victor Hugo? He’s a writer. He is not a doctor.

Before a plural adjective

Before a plural adjective which precedes a noun, des usually becomes de. If the adjective comes after the noun,des does not change to de:

Je veux acheter de nouvelles bottes. = I want to buy (some) new boots.
Il a de bons amis = He has (some) good friends

With adjectives of profession, nationality, and religion

Professions, nationalities and religions are considered adjectives in French and need no article after the verbs être and devenir.

Mon frère devient professeur; il est américain; il n’est pas catholique
My brother is becoming a professor. He is American. He is not Catholic.

Partitive Articles

Forms

There are three partitive articles in French.

du - du café, du pain (some coffee, some bread)
de la - de la viande (some meat)
de l’ (masc or fem before a vowel) - de l’ail, de l’eau (some garlic, some water)

Uses

Partitive articles are used both in English and in French to express quantities that cannot be counted. While the indefinite article (un, une, des) is used with countable quantities (un œuf, deux œufs ...), the partitive article is used before mass nouns, nouns that are indivisible or uncountable. In English the article 'some' is often omitted.

Comme dessert, nous avons de la mousse au chocolat, de la glace parfumée à la vanille et du sorbet à l’ananas.
For dessert, we have (some) chocolate mousse, vanilla ice cream, and pineapple sorbet.

While the definite article designates something in its totality, or as a whole, the partitive article designates a part of the whole. Note that depending on what you want to say, the same noun may be introduced by a definite, indefinite, or a partitive article. Compare these examples:

Vous prenez du vin, n’est-ce pas? -
- partitive article -
- You are having (some) wine, aren’t you? (a quantity that is not specified)
Le vin rouge est bon pour la santé! -
- definite article -
- Red wine is healthy! (wine in general)
En fait, nous avons un Beaujolais nouveau ou un Chambertin, un Châteauneuf-du-Pape, ou j'ai un excellent Médoc pour vous, ou un tout petit vin gris de Savoie. -
- indefinite article -
- In fact, we have a Beaujolais nouveau, or a Chambertin, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or I have an excellent Médoc for you, or a little grey wine from Savoy. (These are items on the wine list, a countable quantity)

After the negative

In negative sentences, du, de la, des, de l' change to de:

Il mange de la viande. Elle ne mange pas de viande.
- He eats meat. She does not eat meat.
Il boit du café. Elle ne boit jamais du café
- He drinks coffee. She never drinks coffee.
Il y a encore du vin. Il n’y a plus de vin.
- There is some wine left. There is not any wine left.

Practice

Fill in the blank with the correct article: le/la/l’/les (article défini), un/une/des (article indéfini), or du/de la/de l’ (article partitif)

Je voudrais _______ vin rouge.
Ma grand-mère __________ chats!
Ils sont __________ amis.
_______ livres d’histoire sont très intéressants.
Elle déteste _________ Texas.
Joe Biden est _________ ami de Barack Obama.
Elle prend _________ porc le matin.
J’ai ___________ amis loyaux.
Ils regardent _________ télévision.
Mon frère est ___________ étudiant à San Diego.
Le matin, je mange _________ banane et __________ céréales.
________ étudiants dans mon cours de sociologie sont intelligents.
Je vais boire __________ eau.
Nous détestons ___________ professeur de maths.
Tu fais ______ sport aujourd'hui?
Elle a _______ chance ('luck', fem.).
Ils sont __________ étudiants typiques.
Mon mari est prof à __________ université.
Ma soeur est ___________ étudiante à Eugene.
Les zèbres sont ___________ animaux ridicules.
C’est __________ prof. intelligent.
Je voudrais ___________ café.
Tu vas acheter ___________ pain pour le dîner ce soir?
Est-ce que vous pensez que __________ femmes sont plus sensibles?
Il boit souvent _________ bière.

Developed for the Learning Center by Rachel Hunter. Portland State University. Last updated Spring 2020.

Back to Top

French Resource Packet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Conjugating the Imparfait

1. First, find the stem of the verb. This is also called the radical.

For ER verbs, just chop off the ER.

PARLER = PARL
MANGER = MANG
ARRÊTER = ARRÊT

For IR verbs, just chop off the IR.

DORMIR = DORM
SOUFFRIR = SOUFFR

For RE verbs, just chop off the...you guessed it!...RE.

RENDRE = REND
VENDRE = VEND

For irregular verbs, you’ll have to memorize the stems. Here are a few commonly used ones.

ÊTRE = ÉT
FAIRE = FAIS
ALLER = ALL
AVOIR = AV

2. Now we have to add the imparfait endings.

Je = ais
Tu = ais
Il/elle/on = ait
Nous = ions
Vous = iez
Ils/elles = aient

3. Put it together…

Je + PARL + ais = Je parlais
Tu + SOUFFR + ais = Tu souffrais
Ils + ALL + aient = Ils allaient

4. Some exceptions...

If the stem ends with a G, you have to add an E before everything except the nous/vous form. Otherwise the pronunciation will be wrong.

Je mangEais
Tu mangEais

But,

Nous mangions
Vous mangiez

Sometimes, you will end up having two “I”s in a row. Example:

Nous étudiions

Yes, this is correct. When you’re pronouncing this, you’ll just want to make the “I” sound a little longer than you usually would.

Prepared by Claire Golden for the Learning Center, Spring 2020

Back to Top

French Resource Packet: Imparfait vs. Passé Composé

Here is a guide on knowing when you should use the imparfait and when you should use the passé composé.

L’Imparfait

Continuing action

Habitual action (anytime you would use the words ‘used to’ in English)

When I was a kid, I only ate bread and butter. = Quand j’étais un enfant, je ne mangeais que le pain et beurre.
I used to go to the park every night. = J’allais au parc chaque soir.

Description

The house was small and old. = La maison était petite et vieille.
I was tired and hungry. = J’étais fatiguée et j’avais faim.

Anytime you would use the word ‘was’ in English (but not “was born”, because this is a completed action)

Anytime you would use an English word ending in ‘ing’

I was walking in the city. = Je marchais en ville.
I was eating a bagel. = Je mangeais un bagel.

Anytime you would use the words ‘used to’ in English

Le Passé Composé

Completed action

I finished my homework. = J’ai fini mes devoirs.
I graduated high school three years ago. = J’ai gagné mon diplôme au lycée il y a trois ans.

Dialogue

“I’m hungry,” he said. = “J’ai faim,” il a dit.

When an action happens suddenly

Suddenly a pigeon flew past me. = Soudainement, un pigeon a volé par moi.

Exemples avec les deux

She said that cheese was good. = Elle a dit que le fromage était bien.
I was walking by Kramer Hall when I saw a pigeon. = Je marchais vers Kramer Hall quand j’ai vu un pigéon.
When I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend. = Quand j’étais un enfant, j’avais un ami imaginaire.
My sister was born when I was 8 years old. = Ma sœur est née quand j’avais 8 ans.
“You were a weird kid,” my sister said. = "Tu étais un enfant bizarre," ma sœur a dit.

Prepared for the Learning Center by Claire Golden, last updated Summer 2020

Back to Top

French Resource Packet: Passé Composé

Usage:

The passé composé is the most common past tense used in French. It has 3 different English translations, depending on the context. J’ai mangé un croissant can mean one of three things: I ate a croissant, I have eaten a croissant, or I did eat a croissant.

Formation:

The passé composé consists of two words: the present tense of an auxiliaire (or “helping verb”) and a past participle. The auxiliaires are être (for reflexive verbs and intransitive verbs) and avoir.

Negation

Negation in the passé composé is formed by placing the ne...pas around the conjugated verb, which, in this case, is the auxiliaire: avoir or être.

Je n’ai pas mangé de viande
Nous n’avons pas fini nos devoirs
Ils n’ont pas vendu leurs livres.

The Passé Composé with Avoir

Conjugation of Regular ER Verbs

For regular -ER verbs, the past participle is formed by replacing the final -ER off the verb in the infinitive (the whole verb before it is conjugated) with é. The past participle (parlé) is pronounced the same as the infinitive (parler).

Parler - to speak/to talk

J’ai parlé
Tu as parlé
Il/elle/on a parlé
Nous avons parlé
Vous avez parlé
Ils/elles ont parlé

Conjugation of Regular IR Verbs

The past participle of regular -IR verbs is formed by removing the final -r from the infinitive. For example, the past participle of choisir is choisi.

Choisir - to choose

J’ai choisi
Tu as choisi
Il/elle/on a choisi
Nous avons choisi
Vous avez choisi
Ils/elles ont choisi

Conjugation of Regular RE Verbs

The past participle of regular -RE verbs is formed by removing the final -re from the infinitive and replacing it with u. For example, the past participle of vendre is vendu.

Vendre - to sell

J’ai vendu
Tu as vendu
Il/elle/on a vendu
Nous avons vendu
Vous avez vendu
Ils/elles ont vendu

Conjugation of Irregular Verbs

Many irregular verbs have irregular part participles. Here is a short list of some common irregular verbs and their past participles:

Avoir (to have) = eu
Boire (to drink) = bu
Connaître (to know as in to be familiar/acquainted with) = connu
Croire (to believe) = cru
Devoir (to have to/to must) = dû
Dire (to say) = dit
Faire (to do, to make) = fait
Écrire (to write) = écrit
Être (to be) = été
Lire (to read) = lu
Mettre (to put) = mis
Ouvrir (to open) = ouvert
Pouvoir (to be able to, to can) = pu
Prendre (to take) = pris
Recevoir (to receive) = reçu
Savoir (to know, as in facts) = su
Suivre (to follow) = suivi
Tenir (to hold) = tenu
Voir (to see) = vu
Vouloir (to want) = voulu

The Passé Composé with Être

Several verbs, like aller (to go), require être as the auxiliaire. For verbs that require être, the past participle agrees with the subject in number and gender.

Je suis allé(e)
Tu es allé(e)
Il/on est allé
Elle est allée
Nous sommes allé(e)s
Vous êtes allé(e)(s)
Ils sont allés
Elles sont allées

Below is a list of verbs that use être in the passé composé. They are frequently thought of as verbs of movement (though not all verbs expressing movement are translated with être). They are also sometimes referred to by the acronym DR MRS VANDERTRAMP. Another way to remember these verbs is by using the visual device “La Maison d’Être.” Picture a house with people coming and going, representing each of the verbs. There are lots of illustrations available if you Google “La maison d’être” and pick the one you like best.

Aller (to go) = allé
Arriver (to arrive) = arrivé
Rester (to stay) = resté
Passer (to pass time, to pass by) = passé
Tomber (to fall) = tombé
Entrer (to enter) = entré
Rentrer (to go back, to go home) = rentré
Retourner (to return) = retourné
Venir (to come) = venu
Revenir (to come back) = revenu
Devenir (to become) = devenu
Descendre (to go down, to descend) = descendu
Monter (to go up, to mount) = monté
Sortir (to go out) = sorti
Partir (to leave) = parti
Naître (to be born) = né
Mourir (to die) = mort

Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs

Many of the verbs that use être in the passé composé are known as intransitive verbs: that is, they are not followed by a direct object. However, some of the verbs may sometimes take a direct object, becoming transitive. When this happens, the auxiliaire that is used is avoir, and not être. Look at the following examples:

Paul est sorti BUT Paul a sorti le chien
Nous sommes descendus BUT Nous avons descendu nos valises
Elles sont passées BUT Elles ont passé un bon week-end

Passé Composé of Pronominal Verbs

Pronominal verbs (also called reflexive verbs) include a reflexive pronoun in their conjugation (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) and typically denote actions that are done to oneself. Some examples are:

se reveiller - to wake up
se laver - to wash oneself
s’habiller - to get dressed
se coucher - to go to bed

In the passé composé, pronominal verbs use être as the auxiliaire. The auxiliaire is placed between the reflexive pronoun and the past participle:

Se réveiller - to wake up

Je me suis réveillé(e)
Tu t’es réveillé(e)
Il/elle/on s’est réveillé(e)
Nous nous sommes réveillé(e)s
Vous vous êtes réveillé(e)(s)
Ils se sont réveillés
Elles se sont réveillées

Exceptions: When a pronominal verb in the passé composé is followed by a direct object, there is no agreement between the subject and the past participle.

For example:

Je me suis coupé(e). - Je me suis coupé la doigt.
Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s. - Nous nous sommes lavé les mains.

Practice

Complétez les phrases au passe compose avec le verbe entre parenthèses:

Ce matin je __________________________ (se réveiller) à 05h du matin.
Hier, nous _________________________ (parler) à notre mère au téléphone pendant deux heures.
Elle _____________________________ (ne jamais finir) ses devoirs hier soir.
Ils ______________________________ (vendre) tous leurs livres à la fin de l'année scolaire.
Est-ce que vous _________________________ (rendre visite) à votre famille pendant l'été?
Quand il _________________ (entrer) dans la salle, il ______________ (voir) la nouvelle télévision.
Elle ___________________ (se casser) la cheville quand elle _______________ (tomber).
Le président et sa femme _______________________ (aller) à Hawaï pour deux semaines.
Toi et tes amis ______________________________ (ne pas venir) à la fête.
Tu _____________________ (se réveiller) à 08h30, mais tu _______________ (selever) à 09h.
Le week-end dernier, nous _______________ (faire le ménage) et puis nous __________ (se reposer).
Hier soir, ma soeur et ses amies _______________________ (devoir) attendre le bus pendant 30 minutes.
Ce matin, j’______________________ (lire) le journal avant d’aller en cours.
La semaine dernière, il __________________ (ne pas aller) à l'école parce qu’il __________ (avoir) une grippe.
Ma copine ___________________ (être) très surprise de me voir.

Transformez les phrases suivantes au passe en mettant les verbes soulignés au passé composé:

Mes amis vont au café.
Nos parents partent en vacances sans nous dire.
Mon copain connaît mes parents, mais ils ne s’entendent pas bien.
Leurs grands-parents écrivent beaucoup de cartes postales quand ils voyagent.
Est-ce que tu veux visiter la Norvège ou la Suède?
Le professeur arrive toujours en retard parce qu’il ne peut pas trouver le bon bâtiment.
Je me coupe souvent les cheveux parce que je ne veux pas dépenser trop.
Franchement, vos amies sortent trop et font trop la fête.
Ma meilleure amie boit beaucoup de café avant son entretien.
Pour le déjeuner les étudiants prennent souvent des sandwiches ou de la pizza.
Je rentre tard et alors je me couche tard.
Toutes les filles de ma classe se maquillent devant le miroir avant d’aller en cours.
Les voleurs ne disent jamais la vérité.
Vous passez souvent par mon bureau juste pour dire bonjour.
Tes parents offrent toujours de bons cadeaux pour ton anniversaire.

Developed for the Learning Center by Rachel Hunter. Portland State University. Last updated Spring 2020.

Back to Top

French Resource Packet: Step-by-step guide to conjugating the passé composé

The passé composé has two parts. We’ll focus on them one at a time. This is how you know it’s the passé composé, because it’s composed of two parts.

1. The Auxiliary Verb (or the Helping Verb)

The auxiliary verb is conjugated for the subject. It’s always going to be either AVOIR or ÊTRE. Let’s review those conjugations...

Avoir (to have)

J’ai
Tu as
Il/elle/on a
Nous avons
Vous avez
Ils/elles ont

Être (to be)

Je suis
Tu es
Il/elle/on est
Nous sommes
Vous êtes
Ils/elles sont

How do you know whether to use AVOIR or ÊTRE?

Well, it depends what verb you’re using. Almost every verb takes AVOIR, except for 16 of them that take ÊTRE. All the verbs that take ÊTRE have to do with motion. There are two ways that most people use to remember these 16 verbs. The first one is DR MRS VANDERTRAMP:

Devenir
Revenir
Monter
Rester
Sortir
Venir
Aller
Naître
Descendre
Entrer
Rentrer
Tomber
Retourner
Arriver
Mourir
Partir

The second one is “La Maison d’Être,” which is basically just a house with all the verbs illustrated throughout.

Note that if you have a reflexive verb, it automatically takes ÊTRE for the auxiliary verb.

So, pick your helping verb, and conjugate it for the subject. Now we move on to...

2. The Past Participle

This part is relatively simple. You just need to memorize the past participle for the verb you’re trying to put in the passé composé. Fortunately, there are patterns.

ER verbs = drop the ER and add é

IR verbs = drop the IR and add -u

RE verbs = drop the RE and add -u

There are many irregular past participles, but they can be found with a quick search in the WordReference verb conjugations. Here are a few.

être = été
avoir = eu
faire = fait
aller = allé
vouloir = voulu
pouvoir = pu

A couple things to watch out for...

Past Participle Agreement

If you are using ÊTRE as your auxiliary verb, the past participle has to agree with the subject. If that sounds overly complicated, don’t worry! All it means it that you have to add an E if the subject is female, and an S if the subject is plural.

For example:

Elles sont allées. - Ils sont allés.
Elle est née. - Il est né.

Prepared by Claire Golden for the Learning Center, Spring 2020

Back to Top

Learning Center