Nature and function of French words
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The words (French: les mots) are classified into different categories. Every word in a sentence has a very specific role. This role is called "function".
Example: → Mon amie travaille en France (my friend works in France)
In this example, "amie" and "France" are nouns and "travaille" is the verb.
- "Mon amie" is undergoing the action with the verb "travailler", Its function is "subject of the verb" (sujet du verbe)
- "En France" indicates where the action is happening. Its function is "complement of the verb" (complément du verbe)
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Grammatical category of French words
- 2.French determinants
- 2.1.Examples
- 3.French adjectives
- 3.1.Examples
- 4.French nouns
- 4.1.Types of nouns
- 5.French verbs
- 5.1.Examples
- 6.French pronouns
- 6.1.Examples
- 7.French conjunctions
- 7.1.Examples
- 8.French prepositions
- 8.1.Example
- 9.French adverbs
- 9.1.Examples
- 10.Grammatical function of French words
- 11.Exercises
- 11.1.Multiple choice exercise about the nature of French words
- 11.2.Multiple choice questions about the function of French words
Grammatical category of French words
The grammatical nature (French: la nature grammaticale) of a word is the category to which it belongs. Indeed, all the words can be grouped in the same category according to the characteristics that are similar to them.
Among them you can find
- Determinants
- Adjectives
- Nouns
- Verbs
- Pronouns
- Conjunctions
- Prepositions
- Adverbs
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French determinants
The determinant (French: le déterminant) is part of the nominal group (the subject). It agrees in gender and number with the subject. It usually places in front of the noun, sometimes separed by a qualifying adjective.
Examples
- Ces belles chaussures. (These beautiful shoes)
- Mon enfant. (My child)
- Quel bel homme ! (What a beautiful man !)
There are many types of determinants:
| Determinants | Examples |
|---|---|
| Articles | le, la, les, un, une, des, du, de la, de l' |
| Possesives | mon, ton, son, notre votre, leur |
| Demonstratives | cet, cette, ces,ce |
| Indefinite | tout, aucun, chaque, certains, plusieurs |
| Interrogatives | Quel ? Quelle ? Quelles ? Quels ? |
| Exclamatives | Quel ! Quelle ! Quelles ! Quels ! |
| Cardinal numbers | sept, douze, un, quatre, cinq |
French adjectives
Adjectives (French: les adjectifs) describe the nouns or pronouns to which they refer. They agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun they qualify.
The French has two types of adjectifs: the attribute (l'attribut du sujet) and the epithet (l'épithète du sujet).
- The attribute, which has direct links to the noun through a state verb (verbes d'états).
- The epithet, which has direct links to the noun.
Examples
| Adjectives | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| L'attribut du sujet | Elle reste jolie | (She remains beautiful) |
| L'étpithète du sujet | Une fille jolie | (A beautiful girl) |
The French state verbs are: être (to be), devenir (to become), paraître, passer pour, avoir l'air, sembler (to seem), demeurer, rester (to stay).
French nouns
The noun (French: le nom) is a word that agrees in gender and number usually with a determinant that inform about it. It can also be used with an epithet adjective.
| Gender and number | Noun | translations |
|---|---|---|
| Des | oiseaux | (birds) |
| Un | homme | (a man) |
| Ma | grande soeur | (my big sister) |
Types of nouns
- The common nouns (les noms communs), which use a tiny letter, and correspond to a concept and individuals.
- The proper nouns (les noms propres), which use a capital letter and has no meaning, it applies to a person, a place, an unique or collective things.
- The compound nouns (les noms composés), which are lexical units and operate autonomously. They can be united, a nominal phrase or separated by an hyphen (-) or an apostrophe (').
| Nouns | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Common nouns | un bureau | (a desk) |
| Proper nouns | France | (France) |
| Compound nouns | mademoiselle chemin de fer nord-est | (miss) (railway) (Northeast) |
French verbs
The verb (French: le verbe) expresses the state of a subject or an action performed by the subject (active voice) or reflexive voice if it does the action itself or undergoes by him (passive voice).
It has a stem and many endings. Therefore, it conjugates according to the group, the subject, the mood and the tense.
In grammar, there are
- Defective verbs, which do not conjugate in all personal pronouns and all tenses.
- Transitive verbs, which use a direct object.
- Intransitive verbs, which do not use a direct object.
Examples
- Verifier le résultat (Check the answer)
- Partir à Paris (Go to Paris)
French pronouns
The pronoun (French: le pronom) replace the noun. It can have all the grammatical functions of the noun.
Examples
- La femme qui m'a donné l'argent. (the woman that gave me the money)
- Celui-là part en Grèce. (This one goes to Greece)
- La nôtre est en vacances. (Ours is in holidays)
There are many types of pronouns, in the French grammar:
| Pronouns | Examples |
|---|---|
| Personal | je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles |
| Possessives | le mien, le tien, le sien, le nôtre, le vôtre, le leur |
| Interrogatives | lequel, duquel, auquel, laquelle, de laquelle, à laquelle |
| Demonstratives | celui, cela, celle, ceci, ce, ça |
| Relatives | qui, que, quoi, dont, où, lesquels, desquels, auxquels |
To distinguish from the possessive determinant, it is important that you write the circumflex accent in 'nôtre' 'vôtre'.
French conjunctions
The conjunction (French; la conjonction) is an invariable word whose function is to join words, or groups of words.
There are two types of conjunction: the conjunctions of coordination (les conjonctions de coordinations) and the conjunctions of subordination (les conjonctions de subordinations), which function is to link two propositions: the principal sentence and the conjunction
| Conjunctions | Examples |
|---|---|
| Subordinations | que, quand, comme, si, lorsque, puisque, quoique |
| Coordinations | mais, ou, est, donc, or, ni, car |
Examples
- Je souhaite que tu reste ici. (I wish you could stay)
- Je voulais partir à Rome mais il n'y a pas de vol pendant cette période. (I wanted to go in Rome but there is no flight during this period)
French prepositions
The preposition (French: la préposition) is an invariable word without a grammatical function in the sentence, but which makes it possible to join two words.
Some prepositions can also be used as an adverb like devant.
The are many types of prepositions:
- Those used as an complement to define the place, the way, the time, the goal, the state, the reason or the movement.
- Those used as a noun, a pronoun, an infinitive verb, an adverb or a group words.
| Prepositions |
|---|
| à, de, sans, pour, chez, dans, |
| entre, jusque, hors, par, vers, après, en |
| dès, devant |
Example
- La maison à Samantha. (Samantha's house)
- Je pars chez ma mère. (I am going at my mom's)
- Je partirai après toi. (I will leave after you)
French adverbs
The adverb (French: l'adverbe) is an invariable word. Most of them serve to clarify or modify the meaning of a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a whole proposition.
Examples
- Je parle doucement. (I speak slowly)
- Il nettoie avec tant de force. (He cleans with so much strengh)
- Ils sont rentrés très tard, hier. (They came back very late, yesterday)
There are many types of adverbs
| Adverbs | Example |
|---|---|
| Time | tard, alors, après, après-demain, aujourd'hui, auparavant, aussitôt, autrefois, avant, avant-hier, bientôt, déjà, demain, depuis, désormais, dorénavant |
| Way | calmement, doucement, rapidement, ainsi, bien, comme, debout, ensemble, exprès, mal, mieux, plutôt, vite, |
| Place | loin, ailleurs, alentour, arrière, autour, avant, contre, dedans, dehors, derrière, dessous, dessus, devant, ici, là, où, partout, près proche. |
| Quantity | beaucoup, assez, autant, beaucoup, combien, davantage, environ, guère, mais, moins, pas mal, peu, plus, presque, quelque, si, tant, tout, tout à fait, tellement, très, trop |
Grammatical function of French words
Grammatical functions (French: la fonction grammaticale) are the role played by words in a sentence relative to other words. The same word can have different functions according to the sentences.
Among them you can find:
- The subject
- The complement
- The attribute
- The epithete
- The antecedent
- The apposition
- The apostrophe
- The expletive
| Function | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Sujet | Jeanne mange une pizza | (Joanne is eating a pizza) |
| Complement | Je vais à la pharmacie | (I am going to the pharmacy) |
| Attribut | Ils restent positifs | (They remain optimistic) |
| Epithète | Un bel homme | (A beautiful man) |
| Antécédent | Ma mère, elle est partie au marché | (My mom, she went to the market) |
| Apposition | La capitale de l'Italie, Rome accueille des réfugiés | (Italy's capital, Rome welcome refugees) |
| Apostrophe | Toi, dis nous ce que tu en penses ? | (You tell us what you think ?) |
| Explétif | Je crains qu'il ne se perde | (I am afraid he get lost) |
Exercises
- Multiple choice exercise about the nature of French words
- Multiple choice questions about the function of French words
Multiple choice exercise about the nature of French words
Multiple choice questions about the function of French words
Exercises
- Multiple choice exercise about the nature of French words
- Multiple choice questions about the function of French words
Multiple choice exercise about the nature of French words
Multiple choice questions about the function of French words
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Hi,
I m claudie , I m french and i have experience to teach french to foreign people.
I create in a school of langage in Spain a little faculty for my french lessons with a group from 15 years olds until 25.
The pupils were all the levels A1 until C2!
I was teaching as well with lillte children and adults in Spain and Rumania.
I m a very dynamic teacher with a lot of patient and empathy.
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Claudie is a wonderful, dedicated and very patient teacher. My goal was to speak French, because before, during lessons in my own country, I didn't feel comfortable speaking French and I couldn't manage to speak French without blocking. With Claudie, it's totally different. For over eight months, I took lessons with Claudie almost every week. Claudie gives me self-confidence and I learned a lot. We are talking about everyday life, but also about cultural subjects. She always manages to find interesting topics to discuss. We laugh a lot and I hope we will continue the lessons for a long time.
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Lowella V.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
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J. J.
Natalia is a great teacher. She uses a variety of teaching methods and always considers my wishes and learning goals. The atmosphere is very pleasant, we speak a lot about random topics but also about situations from my work, which really helps to improve my conversation skills.
Natalia L.
We work with Janeke on improving her skills using situations from her work environment. Also, we discuss different topics, using a variety of materials. I have seen her French improve very quickly. Congratulations Janeke!
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My name is Ilaria, I am 30 years old, I have a post-graduate Master in Linguistic Education at the Ca'Foscari University of Venice. I currently teach Italian to foreigners online.
I gained numerous experiences abroad, I volunteered for one year in Romania, then I worked for two years in Bucharest and two in Ireland in the field of customer service for international companies.
I am a native speaker of Italian but I speak fluent English, Romanian and French.
I currently live in Bologna.
I also love fitness, sitcoms, social media (memes are my passion) and, when the crown allows it, travel.
Can't wait to hear from you! Do not hesitate to send me a message if you would like to be guided in your process of learning my beautiful language.
I have a CEDILS certification.
In the first lesson I try to get an impression of the students, their attitude, cognitive style, needs, level of exposure to the language, motivation etc. I try an inductive - conversational approach first, I plan every lesson and I provide the student with a Google Drive file, anticipating contents and activities.Mostly I tend to work on what it's best for the students (ex. some of them prefer learning tables with grammar rules, verbs etc by heart, I make them understand that this is not considered the fastest nor most efficient way generally, but if it works for them I encourage it). I always try to make them capable of learn by their own and I want them to see me as a facilitator, a guide, not "the person who owns the knowledge". I keep my students focused by constantly stimulating them, asking questions, asking them to share thoughts and formulate hypotheses. Also I always provide explanations for what I do, why I do it in a certain way and at a certain time. I also use a manual.
I often propose topics related to intercultural themes, news, environment, LGBT+ but also tv series, movies and so on, I discuss with students what they'd like to work on and I find or create from scratch activities for them.
G. P.
Ilaria is a young and motivated teacher. He personally writes the exercises to be done and uses a very innovative method for learning. It uses Google to share documents to use during the lesson, making it more fluid and effective, with the aim of facilitating the learning of its students. Learning with her is a great choice.
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Thanks Giacomo!
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
I. G.
I really enjoy my lessons with Natalia! She is a very talented teacher. So far she has helped me to improve a lot my vocabulory, grammaire and my conversational skills, in general. I like that all the time we talk in French, which is very useful if you already start from a certain language level (like my case). But also, she can explain in English , if I need. She chooses a lot of different topics for conversations, and for grammaire she uses the best learning materials which exist on the market! Thank you Natalia!
Hi Irina. Thank you very much for your comment. It has been a real pleasure to work with you these months and to see how you have improved your grammar as well as your oral and written expression. You have a very good level of French and I will help you to improve it in the way you need. See you soon!
I am a tutor in French as a foreign language. I specialize in conversation and communication from B1 level upwards, but I also have A2 students with whom I follow a more traditional method.
With me, you can express yourself freely and make mistakes without fear, I'll take note of them without interrupting. Essential is that the conversation flows and that we understand each other.
I am Belgian and my mother tongue is French. I have always loved literature, culture, and languages. I studied in Flanders for 10 years, lived in France and Switzerland for 4 years, and I currently live in Valencia, Spain.
I followed the DAEFLE training (teaching French as a foreign language) in 2017.
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Hello everyone, and welcome to my classroom. I hope you are all doing well. My name is Kimberley, and I live in South Africa. I have an honors degree in Environmental health. My hobbies include hiking, cooking, singing, participating in outdoor activities as well as 0reading books. I enjoy engaging in conversations with people whether old or young and have excellent interpersonal skills. In my classroom, I can help you with pronunciation of words, grammar and reading comprehension. My classes are never dull as I make it as interesting and practical as it can be. Lastly the motto of this classroom is practice makes perfect. I hope to see you in my lessons very soon.
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Scermino S.
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I am a multilingual teacher with experience in teaching French to German, Japanese, English, Bulgarian and Italian-speaking students, etc. (levels A1 to C1).
I have been teaching French for 8 years in Luxemburg and now in Bulgaria for 4 years, to teenagers, housewives, businessmen, employees, doctors, etc. I can also help you with DELF and DALF preparation. I give lessons via Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams in several countries.
My teaching method for each class : a grammar point together with listening, a lot of speaking with conversation questions or games. While you speak, I write all the new words you need to express yourself, illustrated by pictures or translated in your language.
I do my best to make you feel comfortable to speak and for you to have a pleasant time. According to me, using humour will help you learn more easily.
Whether you need to learn French for business, integration in a French-speaking country or studying, I will be happy to help you. Do not hesitate to contact me for a free trial lesson.
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Katia
Great teacher who makes learning language fun. Also good at making you comfortable to speak the language already in the very beginning.
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I am Diane a language tutor that has been helping students of any age and race and I am also a TEFL certified instructor.
Since I am a native Filipino Speaker, I can teach my students conversational Tagalog which includes 1 grammar rule per lesson and pronunciation as well as vocabulary to enable them to communicate with people when they travel to other places or simply with people not from their country. Aside from conversations, we will talk about our culture, cuisine and tourist spots. When I teach I use role play, dialogue, games, Audio/video files and the like which will engage my students well.
G. P.
Very nice and experienced teacher. She has a very good teaching method with slides and exercises created by her. Highly recommended for those who are new to Filipino, but also for those who would like to improve and move up to a higher level.
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Diane G.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
L. T.
Very modern. At the same time, we process texts via a file. The lessons were adapted to my needs and are very effective and recommendable!
We worked with Lida to perfect her French. She is at a very advanced level and we study specific vocabulary for her work. She is a very dedicated student and I see her speaking French better and better. Lida, keep up the good work!
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I am Manon, French by birth, currently living in Costa Rica.
I love meeting new people and I am curious to discover your life path and discuss what you are passionate about.
During a class, I take the time to take an interest in my students and help them to speak naturally.
The conversation can be about a topic you’d like to talk about, or we can use a video, an audio, or an image and discuss around this support.
I want you to feel comfortable so, no pressure, we’re here to have fun and learn.
I look forward to meeting you, so feel free to try a free trial course ;)
See you soon!
G. .
Manon is a lovely teacher. I really enjoyed the lessons with her and learned a lot of things. Thanks again!!!
Manon R.
Thank you very much Julia!! It was a real pleasure to know you, I too had a great time! Good continuation to you!
**Other time slots can be made available upon request. Don't hesitate to get in touch**
Native speaker from Paris with about 15 years of teaching experience. I’m well-travelled, and I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world (Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia and a little bit in Asia).
I have a postgraduate degree (France) in Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies and I’m currently a freelance translator. I’ve previously worked at universities in France and abroad (South Africa/Australia) and have a solid experience in teaching (French Language, Literature, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Creative Writing, etc.), designing courses, evaluating and guiding students, preparing students for exams/job interviews/professional presentations, managing a Language and Literature department at the university, presenting papers at academic conferences worldwide, publishing, translating and journalism. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach people with different profiles and from various backgrounds: international professionals, university students, beginner translators and teachers, high school students, retirees, travellers, francophiles, children (help with homework), etc.
Being an open-minded, flexible and patient teacher, I enjoy helping others to discover their potential and to explore it. Adapting myself to my students' needs, pace and objectives is essential for me, and designing the best way to work with each student is very stimulating and rewarding.
After the initial introductory lesson, I will design customised lesson plans that will evolve as you progress. We can also, at any time during the programme, change our working method if you wish to do so. I remain very flexible in that regard.
The learning materials will be varied, and we will choose together the themes and aspects of French language to be covered, in line with your objectives. In any case, I am very attentive in general, so please don't hesitate to make any suggestions.
Regardless of your level and objectives, I'm sure that we can find the best way possible to share and enjoy this French language adventure together.
C. E.
I have been taking classes with Priscilla for several weeks now. She makes talking really easy and I am learning a lot of expressions and vocabulary. Plus, she is friendly and welcoming, which makes the class enjoyable and fun. I highly recommend her as a French instructor.
Priscilla R.