🧩 Grammar basics
Grammar notes
Short rules with examples you can hear
1le · la · les — boy and girl words
Every French noun is masculine (le, un) or feminine (la, une). Before a vowel, le/la become l'. For more than one, use les (or des).
2être — to be
être means “to be”: je suis, tu es, il / elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils / elles sont.
3avoir — to have
avoir means “to have”: j'ai, tu as, il / elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils / elles ont. French uses it for age too: J'ai huit ans.
4tu or vous?
Use tu with friends and family. Use vous with teachers and adults you don't know, or when talking to more than one person.
5ne … pas — saying no
To make a sentence negative, put the verb between ne and pas. Before a vowel, ne becomes n'.
6Matching describing words
Describing words change for feminine nouns — most add an -e: petit → petite, grand → grande.