The subject in French
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The subject (French: le sujet) is a word or a group of words (le groupe nominal) which makes it possible to identify what someone is talking about and which agrees with the verb that completes it.
It depends on the verb of which it determines the gender and the number.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.How to find the subject in French ?
- 1.1.The nominal group in French
- 2.The subject verb agreement in French
- 3.The nature of the subject in French
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Fill in the blank exercise about questions to find the subject in French
- 4.2.Fill in the blank exercise about the subject pronouns in French
- 4.3.Multiple choice questions about the nominal group in French
How to find the subject in French ?
To find the subject, you have to ask these questions:
- Qu'est-ce qui ? (what ?) to find the object
- Qui est-ce qui ? (who ?) to find the person
It often precedes the verb, but not always
| Examples | Question | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| papa répare la voiture | Qui est-ce qui répare la voiture ? | (Dad is repairing the car) |
| la carte montre une nouvelle maison | Qu'est-ce qui montre une nouvelle maison ? | (The map shows a new house) |
In these examples, 'papa' is the subject of the verb "réparer" and 'la carte' is the subject of the verb "montrer"
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The nominal group in French
The nominal group (French: le groupe nominal) is a set of words that is part of the subject and characterizes the action of the verb. It is placed in general before the verb.
There are many ways to form the nominal group
| Nominal groups | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Determinant + noun | Le monsieur parle anglais | (The mister can speak english) |
| Determinant + adjective + noun | Une jolie fille m'a salué | (A beautiful girl greeted me) |
| Determinant + noun + adjectif | une femme italienne est tombée dans le métro | (An italian woman fell in the metro) |
| Proper noun | la France est le pays du fromage | (France is know for its cheese) |
The subject verb agreement in French
The subject agrees in gender and in number with the verb it completes.
Example:
- Sa mère conduit une belle voiture.
- Ses parents conduisent une belle voiture.
Here, the subjects are "sa mère" and "ses parents", the verb is "conduire" conjugated with the gender and number of the subject.
There are however some particularities to take into account:
- A subject may have several verbs. In this case, the verbs still conjugate with the gender and number of the subject.
- A verb can have several subjects, it is then given in the plural.
- The subject may be inverted: situated after the verb in an interrogative sentence and separated by a hyphen.
| Subject | Examples | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| several verbs | Cette personne crie, s'exprime et agit impoliment | (This person screams, exclaims and acts impolitely) |
| several subjects | Sa mère et son père ont un nouvel enfant | (Her mom and her dad have a new child) |
| Interrogative sentence | Où allons-nous ? | (Where are we going ?) |
The incidental proposition indicate that someone's words are being reported, in this case the subject is after the verb. Not like in English.
- "Je ne veux pas te perdre" disait-il. ("I don't want to lose you" he said")
Even if it follows the verb, you will need to agree the verb with the subject.
The nature of the subject in French
The subject can have many grammatical category and function:
| Subject | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Paul aime le chocolat | (Paul loves chocolate) |
| Personal pronoun | Nous allons faire une surprise à ta mère | (We are going to make a surprise for your mom) |
| Infinitive verb | Cuisiner est un art | (Cooking is art) |
| Proposition | Qu'il soit menteur ne m'étonne pas | (The fact he is a liar does not surprise me) |
With impersonal turnings, the grammatical subject is always "il" and the verb agrees with the third person singular.
- Il pleuvait beaucoup. (It was raining a lot)
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about questions to find the subject in French
- Fill in the blank exercise about the subject pronouns in French
- Multiple choice questions about the nominal group in French
Fill in the blank exercise about questions to find the subject in French
Fill in the blank exercise about the subject pronouns in French
Multiple choice questions about the nominal group in French
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about questions to find the subject in French
- Fill in the blank exercise about the subject pronouns in French
- Multiple choice questions about the nominal group in French
Fill in the blank exercise about questions to find the subject in French
Fill in the blank exercise about the subject pronouns in French
Multiple choice questions about the nominal group in French
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My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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I am very happy with Tiska's lessons, they are well-structured and interesting. She gives some homework, so I can continue my practice after the lesson. I strongly recommend her as a teacher.
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Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
F. D.
Tiska is a very good teacher: her lessons are well structured and she follows your French level perfectly. The method she uses is modern and leaves room for conversation. Homework is a real party with the videos, listening to music videos and grammar which is well explained in the book. I can highly recommend Tiska for your French lesson.
Tiska G.
Hello,
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.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Katia
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she have books and she knows how the delf / dalf works, she gives me some advises that i didn't find in youtube video
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Florence F.
1 - If you are looking for a well-structured French program to take you from a beginner level to advanced level to be able to travel to France, i have developed with success my own program which includes 70 worksheets from basic to advance level.
2 - If you are thinking taking any DELF exam, I can help you as I have experience in this field (3 years with Ensemble en Francais - online school).
3 - If you are a VCE French student, I definitively will be able to boost your skills to do well at the exam due to my experience as VCE French teacher and also as a VCE assessor.
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Francois D.
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.
You will make a lot of progress!
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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.
Claudie S.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
J. V.
I highly recommend Tiska because she quickly and efficiently types up my mistakes in chat without interfering the flow of the conversation. She adapts to the situation and helped me to express myself on higher-level issues. She also has very organized lesson plans but uses humorous and engaging material to help make the learning process fun. Also, she spent a year in the States so she can draw from that experience to help teach you if you are an English speaker.
Tiska G.
Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
M. .
She is kind. She listen to me and tries to adapt the course to my expectations. She has all the books to prepare The DELF and DALF Exam which she offers for free to the student.
Hella K.
Degree in Teaching and in Geography and History, with certificate of French C1 by the Institut Français and by the Official School of Languages, I teach French and Spanish online since 2020.
I adapt to your level and your time needs, with maximum availability. I use my own materials and resources available on the internet, making the classes enjoyable and fun. I offer a free first class, do not hesitate to book it to meet us.
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Blanca is an excellent teacher and very friendly. She adapts the lessons to my wishes. We laugh a lot and I hope that we will continue the lessons for a long time.
Blanca N.
Thank you Jolanda, you are very nice!
Hello,
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.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Katia
Great teacher who makes learning language fun. Also good at making you comfortable to speak the language already in the very beginning.
Katia H.
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Beatrice is specialized in teaching Italian for all levels. She has language certificates from DITALS for Italian and CELTA for English. Other than her knowledge of the Italian language, she can also speak English, and Spanish. Her multilingual skills allow her to offer the students a chance for better communication during her classes. Beatrice’s teaching method depends on what fits your level. In her, you will find a well-prepared, expert, and friendly teacher. She relies on several books for teaching the Italian languagen, like: Dieci, Nuovo Contatto, Domani, Progetto Italiano, and Nuovo Magari. With Beatrice, you'll learn faster than you can imagine!
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Beatrice B.