Four sections, one screen each: the rule, a table, the trap, two examples. Read it, take the quiz, come back to any section that goes badly.
The shades are a clue: au and du are the darker versions of à and de, because that is exactly what they are — à + le and de + le squeezed together.
Rule: a reflexive verb carries a small pronoun that matches the subject, and that pronoun sits right in front of the verb. Before a vowel or a silent h, me, te and se shorten to m’, t’, s’.
| Subject | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je | me | Je me lève à six heures.I get up at six. |
| tu | te | Tu te reposes le dimanche.You rest on Sundays. |
| il / elle / on | se | Elle se prépare vite.She gets ready quickly. |
| nous | nous | Nous nous couchons tard.We go to bed late. |
| vous | vous | Vous vous reposez un peu.You are resting a little. |
| ils / elles | se | Ils se dépêchent.They are hurrying. |
| je + a verb starting with a vowel | m’ | Je m’habille en dix minutes.I get dressed in ten minutes. |
| tu + a verb starting with a vowel | t’ | Tu t’installes à Laval.You are settling in Laval. |
| il / elle / ils + a verb starting with a vowel | s’ | Elle s’appelle Sophie.Her name is Sophie. |
| se lever — the e takes an accent in four forms | lève | je me lève · tu te lèves · il se lève · nous nous levons · vous vous levez · ils se lèventI get up, you get up, he gets up, we get up, you get up, they get up. |
| s’appeler — the l doubles in the same four forms | appelle | je m’appelle · tu t’appelles · il s’appelle · nous nous appelons · vous vous appelez · ils s’appellentmy name is, your name is, his name is, our names are, your names are, their names are. |
| a negative sentence | ne + pronoun + verb + pas | Il ne se repose pas aujourd’hui.He is not resting today. |
| a question with the subject behind | pronoun + verb + subject | Te lèves-tu tôt ?Do you get up early? |
| The plain sentence | The same idea, reshaped |
|---|---|
| Je me lève tôt.I get up early — the pronoun sits in front of the working verb. | Je vais me lever tôt.I am going to get up early — the pronoun moves in front of the base form. |
| Nous nous levons à sept heures.We get up at seven. | Nous devons nous lever à sept heures.We have to get up at seven — the pronoun still follows nous. |
| Elle se prépare vite.She gets ready quickly. | Elle ne se prépare pas vite.She does not get ready quickly — ne and pas wrap the pronoun and the verb together. |
| Tu te couches tard.You go to bed late. | Te couches-tu tard ?Do you go to bed late? — the pronoun stays in front and the subject moves behind. |
| What comes next | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a town | à | Je travaille à Ottawa.I work in Ottawa. |
| feminine country | en | Elle habite en Belgique.She lives in Belgium. |
| country starting with a vowel (even a masculine one) | en | Il travaille en Iran.He works in Iran. |
| masculine country | au | Nous restons au Maroc.We are staying in Morocco. |
| plural country | aux | Ma cousine vit aux Pays-Bas.My cousin lives in the Netherlands. |
| origin — a town or a feminine country | de | Je viens de Lyon.I come from Lyon. |
| origin — a masculine country | du | Il vient du Portugal.He comes from Portugal. |
| origin — a plural country | des | Elles viennent des Philippines.They come from the Philippines. |
| a person, or their workplace | chez | Je vais chez le dentiste.I am going to the dentist. |
| an institution or a building | à la / à l’ | Elle est à la banque.She is at the bank. |
| à + le, à + les | au / aux | Je vais au marché et aux bureaux.I am going to the market and to the offices. |
| de + le, de + les | du / des | Je reviens du marché et des magasins.I am coming back from the market and from the shops. |
| position, nothing added after | dans · sur · sous · devant · derrière · entre | Le sac est sous la table, entre les deux chaises.The bag is under the table, between the two chairs. |
| position, ends in de | à côté / en face / près / loin + de | J’habite près de la gare, loin du centre.I live near the station, far from the centre. |
| transport you sit inside | en | Je voyage en train.I travel by train. |
| transport on foot or on two wheels | à | Il va à pied, elle va à vélo.He goes on foot, she goes by bike. |
| the inside of one named vehicle | dans | Nous attendons dans le bus.We are waiting inside the bus. |
| Going / being there | Coming from there |
|---|---|
| Je vais au Portugal.I am going to Portugal. | Je viens du Portugal.I come from Portugal. |
| Elle est en Espagne.She is in Spain. | Elle vient d’Espagne.She comes from Spain. |
| On part aux États-Unis.We are leaving for the United States. | On revient des États-Unis.We are coming back from the United States. |
| Nous sommes à Québec.We are in Quebec City. | Nous arrivons de Québec.We are arriving from Quebec City. |
| Il est chez le médecin.He is at the doctor’s. | Il sort de chez le médecin.He is coming out of the doctor’s. |
Rule: negation comes in two pieces that wrap the working verb: ne in front, pas behind. Before a vowel or a silent h, ne shortens to n’. Swap pas for another second piece to change the meaning.
| What you mean | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| plain no | ne … pas | Je ne travaille pas aujourd’hui.I am not working today. |
| the verb starts with a vowel | n’ … pas | Il n’aime pas le froid.He does not like the cold. |
| never | ne … jamais | Elle ne fume jamais.She never smokes. |
| not any more | ne … plus | Nous n’habitons plus à Laval.We do not live in Laval any more. |
| nothing at all | ne … rien | Je ne comprends rien.I understand nothing. |
| nobody | ne … personne | Il ne connaît personne ici.He knows nobody here. |
| not yet | ne … pas encore | Elle n’est pas encore prête.She is not ready yet. |
| nothing does it — the subject itself | rien ne | Rien ne change ici.Nothing changes here. |
| nobody does it — the subject itself | personne ne | Personne ne répond au téléphone.Nobody answers the phone. |
| two verbs together | ne + working verb + pas + base form | Je ne veux pas partir.I do not want to leave. |
| the thing counted disappears | un · une · du · des → de | Je n’ai pas de voiture.I do not have a car. |
| the verb is être | the article stays | Ce n’est pas un problème.It is not a problem. |
| yes, against a negative question | si | — Tu ne viens pas ? — Si, je viens.— You are not coming? — Yes, I am coming. |
| Spoken — ne falls away | Written — ne is always there |
|---|---|
| Je sais pas.I do not know. | Je ne sais pas.I do not know. |
| Il vient jamais.He never comes. | Il ne vient jamais.He never comes. |
| C’est pas grave.It does not matter. | Ce n’est pas grave.It does not matter. |
| Elle veut pas attendre.She does not want to wait. | Elle ne veut pas attendre.She does not want to wait. |
| Family | Endings | The full row |
|---|---|---|
| finir, choisir, réussir, remplir | -is · -is · -it · -issons · -issez · -issent | je finis · tu finis · il finit · nous finissons · vous finissez · ils finissentI finish, you finish, he finishes, we finish, you finish, they finish. |
| choisir, in a sentence | -iss- in the plural | Nous choisissons la date et ils remplissent le formulaire.We choose the date and they fill in the form. |
| vendre, attendre, répondre, entendre, perdre | -s · -s · nothing · -ons · -ez · -ent | je vends · tu vends · il vend · nous vendons · vous vendez · ils vendentI sell, you sell, he sells, we sell, you sell, they sell. |
| attendre, in a sentence | no letter after il | Il attend le bus et elle répond au message.He is waiting for the bus and she answers the message. |
| partir, sortir, dormir, servir | -s · -s · -t · -ons · -ez · -ent, no -iss- | je pars · tu pars · il part · nous partons · vous partez · ils partentI leave, you leave, he leaves, we leave, you leave, they leave. |
| dormir, in a sentence | the singular loses the m | Je dors huit heures et nous sortons le samedi.I sleep eight hours and we go out on Saturdays. |
| aller | its own row | je vais · tu vas · il va · nous allons · vous allez · ils vontI go, you go, he goes, we go, you go, they go. |
| faire | its own row | je fais · tu fais · il fait · nous faisons · vous faites · ils fontI do, you do, he does, we do, you do, they do. |
| venir | its own row | je viens · tu viens · il vient · nous venons · vous venez · ils viennentI come, you come, he comes, we come, you come, they come. |
| prendre | its own row | je prends · tu prends · il prend · nous prenons · vous prenez · ils prennentI take, you take, he takes, we take, you take, they take. |
| finir — -iss- in the plural | partir — no -iss- anywhere |
|---|---|
| je finisI finish | je parsI leave |
| il finithe finishes | il parthe leaves |
| nous finissonswe finish | nous partonswe leave |
| ils finissentthey finish | ils partentthey leave |
| Nous finissons le rapport à cinq heures.We finish the report at five. | Nous partons du bureau à cinq heures.We leave the office at five. |
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