La Grammaire: Cheat Sheet (Leaving Cert French): Revision Notes
La Grammaire: Cheat Sheet
Articles and Adjectives
Articles define whether a noun is specific, unspecific, or partial quantity.
Adjectives describe nouns and must match the noun in gender and number.
What does this mean? Articles in French are little words that tell us about the noun (like a person, place, or thing):
- Definite articles ("the") say we're talking about a specific thing everyone knows.
- Indefinite articles ("a" or "an") are for talking about any one of those things, not specific.
- Partitive articles are for talking about a bit of something, like some cake or some juice. These words help us know if we mean a special one, any one, or just a piece of something!
Definite Articles
- le, la (the - masculine, feminine)
- l' (the - before vowel or mute 'h')
- les (the - plural)
Indefinite Articles
- un, une (a, an - masculine, feminine)
- des (some - plural)
Partitive Articles
- du, de la, de l' (some - masculine, feminine, before vowel or mute 'h')
- des (some - plural)
Demonstrative Adjectives (pointing out specific things)
- ce, cet (this - masculine, masc. before vowel)
- cette (this - feminine)
- ces (these - plural)
Possessive Adjectives (showing ownership)
- mon, ma, mes (my - masc., fem., plural)
- ton, ta, tes (your - masc., fem., plural)
- son, sa, ses (his/her - masc., fem., plural)
- notre, vos, leur (our, your, their - plural for all)
Pronouns
Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition and simplify sentences.
Personal Pronouns
- Subject: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles
- Direct Object: me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les
- Indirect Object: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur
Demonstrative Pronouns (referring to specific things)
- Singular: celui (masc.), celle (fem.), cela/ça (neutral)
- Plural: ceux (masc.), celles (fem.)
Possessive Pronouns (ownership)
- Mine: le mien, la mienne, les miens, les miennes
- Yours: le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes
- Ours/Theirs: le nôtre, la nôtre, les nôtres, le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres, le leur, la leur, les leurs
Interrogative Pronouns (asking about things)
- Which? (masc.): lequel
- Which? (fem.): laquelle
Reflexive Pronouns
- Myself, yourself, themselves: me, te, se, nous, vous
Verbs and Tenses
Understanding verb tenses and moods is fundamental for communicating events and actions accurately.
| Mood | Tenses/Uses |
|---|---|
| Indicative | Actions/States (Present, Past, Future) |
| Conditional | Possible/Imaginary Situations (Present, Past) |
| Subjunctive | Wishes/Doubts (Present, Past) |
| Imperative | Commands (Present) |
| Infinitive | Verb base form (Present, Past) |
| Participle | Used in verb tenses and as adjectives (Present, Past) |
What does this mean?
1. Indicative Mood
This is the most common mood. We use it to talk about things that actually happen or are true. It can talk about things happening now (present), happened before (past), or will happen later (future).
2. Conditional Mood
We use this when we're talking about things that could happen but haven't yet, or when we're imagining things. For example, 'If I was the president, I would…'
3. Subjunctive Mood
This one's a bit tricky! It's used when we're not sure about something, or when we want something to happen, or when we have feelings about something. Don't stress too much about this for Leaving Cert.
4. Imperative Mood
This is used for giving commands or telling someone to do something. Like saying, "Sit down!" or "Please be quiet."
5. Infinitive
This is the basic form of the verb, without any changes. It's like "to run," "to eat." It's just the verb without saying who is doing it and when.
6. Participle
This form of the verb is used with other verbs to make different tenses, and it can also describe things like an adjective. It's like saying "running" in "I was running" or "baked" in "baked cookies."
Prepositions
Prepositions connect nouns/pronouns to other words, indicating relationships.
| Prepositions | English Equivalent |
|---|---|
| à | to, at |
| de | of, from |
| pour | for |
| avec | with |
| sans | without |
| sous | under |
| entre | between |
| contre | against |
| depuis | since |
| par | by, through |
| en | in, into |
Conjunctions
Conjunctions link phrases or clauses.
| Conjunctions | English Equivalent |
|---|---|
| mais | but |
| ou | or |
| et | and |
| donc | therefore |
| car | because |
| ni | neither |
| puis | then |
Don't worry if this feels overwhelming or confusing. We have notes on each topic that will guide you through everything clearly and help you succeed in your Leaving Cert French exam!