French Grammar Beginners Guide

This app has been designed and developed in order to facilitate the study of French grammar. The book is divided into nine chapters. Each one concentrates on the basic problem areas of the language: nouns and articles; adjectives and adverbs; prepositions; numbers, dates, and time; verbs; interrogatives; negatives; pronouns; and special meanings of certain verbs.

Each grammatical or structural point is introduced by a simple explanation in English. The explanation is further clarified by many concrete examples. It is recommended that you first read the explanation and then study the illustrative examples. You should then write out the answers to the exercises that follow. You should rewrite the entire sentence in fill-in-the-blank exercises even though only one or two words are required. It is recommended that you correct yourself immediately before proceeding to the next exercise. An answer key appears at the end of the book.

Many of the exercises involve authentic, meaningful contexts and practical, real-life situations to which students can relate. Some of the exercises will require you to understand meaning as well as form in order to successfully complete them. Other exercises provide for openended and personalized answers. These exercises will help you develop proficiency in French and prepare for communicative activities in your classroom.

One of the most difficult and tedious tasks in acquiring a second language is learning the many forms that exist in the language, whether they are noun, adjective, or verb forms. In Schaum’s Outline of French Grammar, all forms have been logically grouped in order to make their acquisition as simple as possible and also to minimize what at first appear to be irregularities. In many texts, the verbs courir, rire, rompre, and conclure are treated as separate irregular verbs in the present tense. You will note, however, that these verbs have a lot in common. The same endings as those for regular -re verbs are added to the infinitive stem except in the third person singular:

courir—il court, je cours, tu cours, nous courons, vous courez, ils courent

rire—il rit, je ris, tu ris, nous rions, vous riez, ils rient

rompre—il rompt, je romps, tu romps, nous rompons, vous rompez, ils rompent

conclure—il conclut, je conclus, tu conclus, nous concluons, vous concluez, ils concluent

This can be done with many verbs in all tenses. Making such groupings will greatly facilitate your task of mastering the many forms.

This app can be used as a review text, as a companion to any basic text, or as a reference book. In order to reinforce each point you are learning in your basic text, you may wish to get additional practice by doing the clear, logically organized exercises provided throughout this book. Each chapter contains review exercises. These sections are indicated by the gray bar in the outer margin.