Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar, Premium Fourth Edition
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Build your confidence in communicating through mastery of French grammar
Effective communication in another language comes from practice, practice, practice. And this comprehensive guide and workbook covers all of the aspects of French grammar that you need to master, followed by numerous exercises that allow you to put your language skills into use.
Focused on the practical aspects of French as it’s really spoken, each chapter of Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar features clear explanations and numerous realistic examples. Dozens of varied exercises will build your understanding of the French language, while new vocabulary is introduced within the exercises and in convenient Vocabulaire panels. This premium fourth edition is accompanied by audio recordings and flashcards, available online and via app, that will provide a new dimension and flexibility to your study.
Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar provides:
• Clear explanations that make even the most complex principles easy to understand
• More than 350 varied exercises with detailed answer key
• Example sentences that illustrate and clarify each grammatical point
• Practical, high-frequency vocabulary throughout
• Streaming audio of the answers to more than 200 exercises, via app and online
• NEW to this edition: native-speaker recordings of hundreds of model sentences and key verb conjugations
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Practice Makes Perfect - Annie Heminway
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Contents
Introduction
1 The present tense of regular -er verbs
Regular -er verbs in the present
-er verbs with spelling and stem changes
When is the present tense used in French?
2 The present tense of -ir and -re verbs
-ir verbs in the present
-re verbs in the present
The interrogative form
The negative form
3 To be and to have
The verb être (to be)
The verb avoir (to have)
The -oir verbs
4 More irregular verbs
The verb aller (to go)
The immediate future tense
The verb venir (to come)
The immediate past
The verb faire (to do, to make)
The causative form
5 Devoir and its many facets
The verb devoir (to have to, must)
Il y a (there is, there are)
Il s’agit de (it is a matter of, it’s about)
Verbs ending in -eindre and -aindre
6 Pronominal verbs
Reflexive verbs
Reciprocal verbs
Passive pronominals
Subjective pronominals
Pronominals in the imperative and the infinitive
7 The passé composé
The past participle of regular verbs
The passé composé with avoir
Irregular past participles
The passé composé with être
Pronominal verbs in the passé composé
Verbs conjugated with avoir and être
8 The imparfait
The imparfait
The imparfait versus the passé composé
The imparfait with special constructions
9 The futur simple and the futur antérieur
The futur simple
The futur antérieur
Conjunctions used with the indicative mood
10 The plus-que-parfait
Formation of the plus-que-parfait
Use of the plus-que-parfait
11 The present conditional and the past conditional
The present conditional
The past conditional
12 Could, should, would?
Could
Should
Would
13 The present subjunctive and the past subjunctive
The present subjunctive
Uses of the subjunctive
The past subjunctive
14 The infinitive mood
The infinitif présent
The infinitif passé
Verbs with their prepositions
15 The present participle and the gerund
The present participle
The gerund
16 The passé simple
Formation of the passé simple
The passé simple of irregular verbs
17 The passive voice
Formation of the passive voice
Uses of the passive voice
Avoiding the passive voice in French
18 Indirect speech
Direct speech versus indirect speech
Balancing tenses: la concordance des temps
19 The imperative mood
Formation of the imperative
The imperative of pronominal verbs
20 Articles and nouns
The definite article with nouns
The indefinite and partitive articles with nouns
The gender of nouns
The plural of nouns
The gender of countries
Geographical names with prepositions
21 All the pronouns
Subject pronouns
Direct object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns
The order of object pronouns
Disjunctive pronouns
22 Adjectives and comparisons
Agreement of adjectives
The placement of adjectives
Adjectives of color
Comparatives and superlatives
23 Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
Demonstrative adjectives
Possessive adjectives
Possessive pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
24 Relative pronouns
Qui
Que
Lequel
Où
Dont
Ce que, ce qui, ce dont, ce à quoi
25 Adverbs and expressions of time, frequency, and location
Adverbs and expressions of time
Interrogative forms; question words
Adverbs and expressions of location
26 Numbers
The numbers 0 to 50
Ordinal numbers
The numbers 50 to 99
The numbers 100 to 999
The numbers 1,000 and greater
27 Pot pourri
Verbs that use different prepositions
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever
Avoir beau and quitte à
Subordinate clauses
28 Review exercises
Verb tables
Regular verbs
Verbs with spelling changes
Verbs with stem changes
Irregular verbs
French-English glossary
English-French glossary
Answer key
Introduction
Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar is designed as a review and study tool for the advanced beginner and intermediate student of French. The grammar explanations given in each unit include comparisons that provide ample practice of the material along with appropriate, useful vocabulary. Instructions for each exercise are given in French, enabling the student to anticipate the task that follows while, at the same time, practicing vocabulary in context. The variety of exercises makes them suitable for a range of different learning styles; open-ended exercises are included to encourage creative answers and to increase confidence in using French for normal everyday communication.
Each unit can be studied independently to suit individual needs in a specific area. For the student seeking additional practice at the high school or college level, these units, taken individually or as a whole, provide an opportunity to learn and review French grammar using contemporary language and examples.
New vocabulary is incorporated within the exercises or is highlighted in boxes. The glossaries include words appropriate to this level and make it easy to quickly review or learn new vocabulary. Finally, the verb charts serve as a quick grammar reference.
Learning another language requires dedication, time, and ultimately, frequent practice. By using what the students already know, by making connections with their first language, and by building on that base, the foundation for their future learning is strengthened. By including a number of cognates of English words in the vocabulary, both advanced beginners and intermediate students are given numerous opportunities to reinforce what they already know as they continue to advance their knowledge of French. Finally, the verb charts serve as a quick grammar reference. And this Premium Fourth Edition is enhanced with digital resources via app and online: audio recordings of hundreds of exercise answers and sample sentences; flashcards of all vocabulary lists throughout the book; and an auto-fill glossary for quick reference.
The present tense of regular -er verbs
Before studying the present tense in French, you need to be familiar with the grammatical terms in chapters presenting verbs. To conjugate a verb in the present tense, you’ll need to find the root (or stem) of a verb to which you’ll add the ending corresponding to the desired tense. The root of the verb is found in its infinitive form. In English, the infinitive is preceded by the preposition to: to say, to wear. Infinitives in French are not preceded by an equivalent of the preposition to. They are identified according to groups by their endings: -er, -ir, -re, -oir.
Regular -er verbs in the present
Let’s start with the infinitives of verbs of the first group, ending in -er, such as regarder (to look at) and chanter (to sing). Most verbs that end in -er in the infinitive follow the same conjugation. The pattern is easy. You remove the -er ending of the verb to get the root: parler (to speak) → parl-. Then, you add the endings corresponding to the subject pronoun.
The endings for the -er regular verbs are: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. The -e, -es, and -ent endings of the verbs are all silent. The final -s of nous, vous, ils, elles links with verbs beginning with a vowel sound, making a z sound. This is called a liaison.
Let’s conjugate the verb parler (to speak). Note that, as in English, conjugated forms are preceded by a subject pronoun:
Here are some questions using parler:
Chanter (to sing) follows the same pattern:
To recapitulate, here are the subject pronouns with their English equivalents:
There are two ways of saying you in French. Use tu to talk to friends, family members, children, and animals. Use vous when you are addressing a stranger, someone you don’t know well, or to maintain a certain degree of distance or respect.
The pronoun on takes on different meanings. It may mean one, we, or they depending on how it is used. See the examples below.
Here are some common regular -er verbs:
Mettre les verbes entre parenthèses au présent.
1. Lucie ________________ (travailler) à Lyon.
2. Mon frère et moi, nous ________________ (accepter) votre invitation.
3. M. et Mme Benoît ________________ (chercher) un appartement.
4. Tu ________________ (apporter) toujours des fleurs.
5. Vous ________________ (bavarder) sur la terrasse.
6. Je ________________ (commander) une soupe de légumes.
7. Ils ________________ (habiter) en Normandie.
8. Elle ________________ (déjeuner) avec sa belle-sœur.
9. Vous ________________ (dessiner) très bien.
10. Nous ________________ (visiter) le château de Fontainebleau.
Traduire en français.
1. We refuse the invitation.
__________________________________________________
2. She cancels the trip.
__________________________________________________
3. He speaks French.
__________________________________________________
4. You bring some flowers. (formal)
__________________________________________________
5. I cut the bread.
__________________________________________________
6. They are having lunch with Julie.
__________________________________________________
7. He borrows ten euros.
__________________________________________________
8. I order a dessert.
__________________________________________________
9. You study Russian. (informal)
__________________________________________________
10. They are looking for a good restaurant.
__________________________________________________
-er verbs with spelling and stem changes
Some -er verbs, otherwise regular, show spelling or stem changes in the present tense, largely to maintain pronunciation. These can be learned according to their groups.
Verbs ending in -cer
Some spelling changes occur with some -er regular verbs. With verbs ending in -cer, such as prononcer (to pronounce) the -c- becomes -ç- before the letter o. The cedilla (ç) under the c is needed to keep the soft pronunciation of the c in the infinitive form.
Here are a few examples of other -cer verbs:
Mettre au présent les verbes entre parenthèses.
1. Nous ________________ (commencer) à huit heures le matin.
2. Vous ________________ (avancer) rapidement.
3. Je ________________ (déplacer) les meubles du salon.
4. Nous ________________ (devancer) nos concurrents.
5. Nous ________________ (annoncer) une augmentation de salaire au début de l’année.
6. Tu ________________ (effacer) le tableau.
7. Nous ________________ (remplacer) toute l’équipe.
8. Ils ________________ (exercer) une grande influence.
9. Nous ________________ (financer) ce projet.
10. Elle ________________ (menacer) de partir.
Verbs ending in -ger
With verbs ending in -ger, such as voyager (to travel), the -g- becomes -ge- before the letter o.
Here are other common -ger verbs:
Mettre au présent les verbes entre parenthèses.
1. Vous ________________ (mélanger) les ingrédients.
2. Je ________________ (ranger) mes affaires.
3. Nous ________________ (exiger) votre présence à la réunion.
4. Ils ________________ (déménager) demain.
5. Elle ________________ (héberger) ses amis.
6. Vous ________________ (corriger) les exercices.
7. Nous ________________ (manger) sur la terrasse à midi.
8. Tu ________________ (nager) dans la piscine.
9. Nous ________________ (encourager) ces jeunes talents.
10. Souvent, il ________________ (changer) d’avis.
Verbs ending in -e + consonant + -er
With some verbs composed of -e + consonant + -er, such as acheter (to buy), some accent changes occur. An accent grave is added in all but the first- and the second-person plural.
Here are a few other verbs following the same pattern:
With some verbs composed of -é + consonant + -er, such as répéter (to repeat), changes may also occur. The é aigu changes to an è grave in all but the first- and second-person plural.
Here are a few other verbs following the same pattern:
Verbs ending in -e + l + -er
Some verbs composed of -e + l + -er, such as épeler (to spell), sometimes take two ls in all but the first- and second-person plural.
Here are a few other verbs following the same pattern:
Mettre au présent les verbes entre parenthèses.
1. Il ________________ (renouveler) son passeport.
2. Je ________________ (emmener) ma nièce à l’opéra.
3. Vous ________________ (acheter) un kilo de haricots.
4. Le sorcier ________________ (ensorceler) le public.
5. Elle ________________ (espérer) aller à Paris en mai.
6. Vous ________________ (exagérer).
7. Elle ________________ (s’appeler) Juliette.
8. Ces diamants ________________ (étinceler) de mille feux.
9. Il ________________ (répéter) mille fois la même chose.
10. Nous ________________ (célébrer) son anniversaire.
Mettre au présent les verbes entre parenthèses.
1. Aujourd’hui, il ________________ (acheter) du poisson au marché.
2. Ils ________________ (travailler) le samedi.
3. Vous ________________ (emprunter) de l’argent à la banque.
4. Tu ________________ (aimer) voyager en bateau.
5. Nous ________________ (renoncer) à notre projet.
6. Je ________________ (habiter) au dixième étage.
7. L’après-midi, elle ________________ (préférer) aller dans le parc.
8. Comment ________________ (s’appeler) sa sœur?
9. De temps en temps, nous ________________ (bavarder) pendant la pause-café.
10. Il vous ________________ (rappeler) avant midi.
Faire correspondre les deux colonnes.
When is the present tense used in French?
The present indicative is used in a number of ways:
To make a general statement and to describe ongoing actions in the present. It can be translated in three different ways.
To express a close future
To express a habitual action
To describe a past action closely connected to the present
To express a historical fact
To describe past events more dramatically
To express an action in the process, être en train de + the infinitive form of the verb is used.
Reformuler les phrases en utilisant être en train de