Resources & guides
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Clear, original French grammar guides and the current TEF/TCF speaking & writing exam topics — the same content our learners study, free to read. Each guide ends with a way to practise it for real.
Grammar guides
Bite-size French grammar explained in plain English, with real example sentences — organised by CEFR level from A1 to B2.
Definite & indefinite articles
French nouns almost always travel with an article, and the article changes with the noun's gender (masculine/feminine) and number…
Read guide GreetingsBonjour: Saying Hello
In French, "Bonjour" is the most common way to say "hello" or "good day." It can be used throughout the day, from morning until early evening, to…
Read guide GreetingsSalut: An Informal Hello
"Salut" is an informal way to say "hello" in French. It is typically used with friends, family, or people you know well. It can also mean "bye" in…
Read guide GreetingsBonsoir: Saying Good Evening
"Bonsoir" means "good evening" in French. You use it to greet people when it's evening or nighttime. It is similar to "Bonjour" but specific to the…
Read guide GreetingsComment allez-vous?: Asking How Are You (Formal)
"Comment allez-vous?" is a formal way to ask "How are you?" in French. You use it when speaking to people you don't know well, elders, or in…
Read guide GreetingsÇa va?: Asking How Are You (Informal)
"Ça va?" is an informal and very common way to ask "How are you?" or "How's it going?" in French. It can be used with friends, family, and people you…
Read guide GreetingsAu revoir: Saying Goodbye
"Au revoir" is the standard way to say "goodbye" in French. It can be used in almost any situation, both formal and informal. It literally means…
Read guide GreetingsMerci: Saying Thank You
"Merci" means "thank you" in French. It is a simple and essential word for showing politeness. You can use it alone or with other words like…
Read guide GreetingsDe rien: Saying You're Welcome
"De rien" is a common way to say "you're welcome" in French. It literally means "of nothing" or "it's nothing." It's a polite response when someone…
Read guide Sentence structureNegation with ne… pas
To make a sentence negative, French wraps the verb in two parts: ne before the verb and pas after it.\n\nJe parle → Je ne parle pas.\n\nBefore a…
Read guide Verb tensesLe présent — regular -ER verbs
Most French verbs end in -er (like parler, to speak), and they all follow the same pattern in the present tense. Drop the -er to get the stem, then…
Read guide Verb tensesÊtre and avoir in the present
Être (to be) and avoir (to have) are the two most important verbs in French — they're irregular, used everywhere, and later form compound tenses like…
Read guideAdjective agreement
French adjectives change form to match the noun they describe in gender and number.\n\nGeneral rule: add -e for feminine, -s for plural (and -es for…
Read guide PronounsDirect object pronouns (le, la, les)
To avoid repeating a noun, French replaces the direct object with a pronoun: le (m.), la (f.), l' (before a vowel), les (plural). The pronoun goes…
Read guide Verb tensesLe passé composé with avoir
The passé composé is the everyday past tense ("I did / I have done"). For most verbs it is built with two pieces: the present tense of avoir + the…
Read guide Verb tensesLe passé composé with être
A small group of verbs — mostly about movement and change of state — form the passé composé with être instead of avoir (think of the "house of être":…
Read guideComparatives & superlatives
To compare, put plus (more), moins (less), or aussi (as) around the adjective, with que for "than/as":\n\nIl est plus grand que moi. · Elle est aussi…
Read guide PronounsThe pronouns y and en
Y replaces a place or a phrase introduced by à (à Paris, à cela): Tu vas à Paris ? — Oui, j'y vais.\n\nEn replaces a quantity or a phrase introduced…
Read guide Verb tensesImparfait vs passé composé
Both are past tenses, but they do different jobs. The imparfait describes the background: ongoing situations, habits, descriptions, and states ("used…
Read guide Verb tensesLe futur simple
The futur simple says what will happen. For most verbs, take the infinitive as the stem (drop the final -e of -re verbs) and add one set of endings…
Read guideLe subjonctif présent
The subjunctive is a mood used after expressions of will, emotion, doubt, necessity, and certain conjunctions — typically in a subordinate clause…
Read guide MoodsLe conditionnel présent
The conditional expresses hypotheticals, politeness, and "would". Build it from the same stem as the futur simple (the infinitive, with the irregular…
Read guide PronounsRelative pronouns (qui, que, dont, où)
Relative pronouns join two clauses by standing in for a noun already mentioned.\n\n- qui = subject of the relative clause: l'homme qui parle (the man…
Read guide Verb tensesPast participle agreement with a preceding object
With avoir, the past participle normally does not agree with the subject. But it does agree in gender and number with a direct object that comes…
Read guideThis month's exam topics
The TEF and TCF speaking & writing prompts learners are preparing for right now, refreshed each month.
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