French Grammar Hub

Understand French Grammar Faster

Browse the grammar system by level and category, then open clear explanations with practical examples.

512 Total Rules
102 Chapters
6 CEFR level
Start Here Open Vocabulary Open Idioms & Phrases
Understand French Grammar Faster

New to French Grammar?

Start with the basics and build your foundation step by step.

Start Here
Active filters: CEFR level: B1
B1 Future & Conditional Verified

Polite Wishes & 'What Ifs' (Conditionnel Présent)

The Conditional Present is the 'would' of French, used for politeness, dreams, and hypothetical situations.

  • • Used for polite requests like `je voudrais` (I wou...
  • • Formed using the Future stem plus Imperfect ending...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Sentence Structure Verified

French Passive Voice: How to say 'is done' (La voix passive)

The passive voice highlights the action's recipient by combining `être` with a past participle that matches the subject.

  • • Focus shifts from the doer to the receiver of the...
  • • Formed using `être` + the past participle of the m...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Sentence Structure Verified

Avoiding the Passive Voice (on, se, se faire)

To sound like a local, replace passive structures with `on`, reflexive verbs, or direct active subjects.

  • • French prefers active sentences over passive ones...
  • • Use `on` to replace 'someone' or 'they' as the sub...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Advanced Syntax Verified

French Gerund: Doing Two Things at Once (en + -ant)

Use `en` + present participle to link two simultaneous actions performed by the same subject effortlessly.

  • • Formed with `en` + verb stem + `-ant` ending.
  • • Used for actions happening at the same time.
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Sentence Structure Verified

French Causative: Having Things Done (Faire + Infinitive)

Delegate actions using `faire` + infinitive, keeping pronouns before `faire` and `fait` always invariable.

  • • Use `faire` + infinitive to say you're having some...
  • • The conjugated verb `faire` is followed directly b...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Questions & Negation Verified

Never Again (ne...plus jamais)

Use `ne...plus jamais` to dramatically announce that a past action will never be repeated in the future.

  • • Used to express 'never again' or 'nevermore' in a...
  • • Combines 'ne...plus' (no more) and 'ne...jamais' (...
10 examples 1 exercises 1 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Questions & Negation Verified

French "Only": Using Ne...Que

Use `ne...que` to highlight a single exclusive element in your sentence, sounding more native than using `seulement`.

  • • Used to mean 'only' or 'nothing but' in a sentence...
  • • Formed by placing 'ne' before the verb and 'que' b...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Questions & Negation Verified

Negative Infinitives (ne pas + infinitive)

For infinitives, keep negative pairs like `ne pas` together before the verb, unlike conjugated 'sandwich' negation.

  • • Place `ne pas` together before the infinitive verb...
  • • Applies to `ne jamais`, `ne plus`, and `ne rien` t...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Pronouns Verified

French Pronoun Order: Before the Infinitive

When using two verbs together, place the object pronoun directly before the second verb (the infinitive).

  • • Pronouns go immediately before the infinitive in t...
  • • Works with auxiliary-like verbs like `vouloir`, `p...
11 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Pronouns Verified

Pronoun Position in the Past (Passé Composé)

Slide the pronoun before the helping verb and match the participle's ending to the direct object.

  • • Place object pronouns before the auxiliary verb in...
  • • Direct object pronouns trigger gender and number a...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Past Tense Verified

French Past Agreement with 'Avoir' (Preceding Objects)

When a direct object comes before `avoir`, the past participle must match that object's gender and number.

  • • Agreement only happens with the direct object (COD...
  • • Do not agree with the subject when using the auxil...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Prepositions & Connectors Verified

Duration Prepositions: During vs. For (Pendant vs. Pour)

Use `pendant` for the actual duration of any event; reserve `pour` only for future-intended plans and trips.

  • • Pendant covers completed or habitual blocks of tim...
  • • Pour is strictly for planned, future-oriented dura...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Advanced Syntax Verified

French -ing words: Participle vs Gerund (en -ant)

Use the gérondif for simultaneous actions and the participe présent to describe or show cause.

  • • Participe présent ends in -ant and describes or re...
  • • Gérondif uses 'en' + -ant to mean 'while' or 'by'.
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Pronouns Verified

French Pronoun 'En': Replacing 'De' Phrases

Use `en` to replace any `de` phrase, meaning 'some', 'of it', or 'from there'—but only for things!

  • • Replaces `de` + noun to avoid repetition.
  • • Used for quantities (some, any, numbers).
11 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule
B1 Pronouns Verified

French Double Object Pronouns (me le, le lui)

Always place 'me/te/nous/vous' before 'le/la/les', and 'le/la/les' before 'lui/leur', right before the verb.

  • • Pronouns follow a strict 'train' order before the...
  • • First/second person (me, te, nous, vous) always co...
12 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
Read rule

Why Learn French Grammar?

Grammar is the foundation of language fluency. Without understanding grammar patterns, you can memorize vocabulary but struggle to form correct sentences. Here's why structured grammar study matters:

Build Accurate Sentences

Move beyond memorized phrases. Understand the rules so you can create original, correct sentences in any situation.

Pass Language Exams

Grammar is tested in every major language exam — IELTS, DELE, DELF, JLPT, HSK, TOPIK, and more. Our CEFR-aligned curriculum maps directly to exam requirements.

Understand Native Speakers

Knowing grammar helps you parse complex sentences, understand nuance, and follow conversations even when speakers use advanced constructions.

Progress Faster

Students who study grammar systematically reach fluency faster than those who rely on immersion alone. Structure accelerates learning.

How Our French Grammar Course Works

1

Choose Your Level

Start with your CEFR level — from A0 Zero Point to C2 Mastery. Not sure? Begin at A0 and progress at your own pace.

2

Study Structured Chapters

Each chapter covers a grammar topic with clear explanations, pattern tables, and real-world example sentences.

3

Practice with Exercises

Test your understanding with interactive exercises — fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, sentence building, and translation practice.

4

Track & Progress

Your progress is saved automatically. Complete chapters, unlock new levels, and watch your grammar mastery grow.

Frequently Asked Questions About French Grammar

SubLearn covers 512 French grammar rules organized across 6 CEFR proficiency levels (from A1 to C2), spanning 102 structured chapters. Each rule includes clear explanations, real-world examples, and interactive practice exercises.

Our French grammar curriculum covers CEFR levels from A1 to C2. Each level is designed to match your current proficiency — beginners start with basic sentence patterns at A1, while advanced learners tackle nuanced structures at C1-C2.

Yes! All French grammar rules, explanations, and examples are completely free to access. You can browse the full curriculum, read detailed explanations, and practice with exercises at no cost.

Grammar is organized into 102 thematic chapters following the CEFR framework. Each chapter groups related rules together — for example, verb tenses, sentence structure, or particles — so you can learn related concepts in a logical sequence.

Yes! Create a free account to track which grammar rules you've studied, see your progress across all CEFR levels, and pick up exactly where you left off. Your learning progress syncs across devices.

Explore Grammar in Other Languages

Learning multiple languages? Check out our grammar guides for other languages:

Amharic Amharic Arabic Arabic Armenian Armenian Azerbaijani Azerbaijani Bengali Bengali Bulgarian Bulgarian Burmese Burmese Chinese Chinese Croatian Croatian Czech Czech Danish Danish Dutch Dutch English English Estonian Estonian Filipino Filipino Finnish Finnish Georgian Georgian German German Greek Greek Gujarati Gujarati Hindi Hindi Hungarian Hungarian Indonesian Indonesian Italian Italian Japanese Japanese Kannada Kannada Kazakh Kazakh Khmer Khmer Korean Korean Lao Lao Latvian Latvian Lithuanian Lithuanian Malay Malay Malayalam Malayalam Marathi Marathi Mongolian Mongolian Nepali Nepali Norwegian Norwegian Persian Persian Polish Polish Portuguese Portuguese Punjabi Punjabi Romanian Romanian Russian Russian Serbian Serbian Slovak Slovak Slovenian Slovenian Spanish Spanish Swahili Swahili Swedish Swedish Tamil Tamil Telugu Telugu Thai Thai Turkish Turkish Ukrainian Ukrainian Urdu Urdu Uzbek Uzbek Vietnamese Vietnamese