TABLE  DES MATIÈRES
 

LE PRÉSENT

L'IMPÉRATIF

LE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ

L'IMPARFAIT

L'EMPLOI DU PASSÉ COMPOSÉ ET DE L'IMPARFAIT

LE PASSÉ SIMPLE

LES VERBES RÉFLÉCHIS

LE PARTICIPE PRÉSENT

LE FUTUR

LE CONDITIONNEL

LE SUBJONCTIF

L'EMPLOI DU SUBJONCTIF

LES ARTICLES

LES NOMS

LES DÉMONSTRATIFS

LES PRONOMS

LES ADJECTIFS

LES ADVERBES

LE COMPARATIF

LE SUPERLATIF

LES INTERROGATIFS

LES NÉGATIONS

FAIRE CAUSATIF

LES PRONOMS RELATIFS

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LE PRÉSENT DE  L’INDICATIF
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The verb tense that is used in French to indicate that an action is taking place at the present time is le présent de l’indicatif.
 

FORMING THE PRESENT

Regular verbs

Verbs that are conjugated following regular patterns are called regular verbs.  They can be placed into three major groups according to the ending of the infinitive.

Première conjugaison: Infinitives ending in ER

Verbs with irregular present tenses must be learned individually.
 
 

1.  Verbs ending in CER and GER:  c changes to ç (c cédille) and g changes to ge before the ending ons.
 

WHEN TO USE THE PRESENT

You can use the present to express
 

• an action occurring at the time you are speaking

•   a habitual action

•  a general truth

L’IMPÉRATIF
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The imperative is a mood rather than a tense.  It is used to express a command or a request.

In French, it has only three forms:
 
 

For most verbs, the imperatives have the same form as the present indicative but without the subject pronouns.
 
 

The following verbs are irregular in the imperative:
 
 

LE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
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The verb tense most often used in everyday written and spoken discourse to tell what happened in the past is the passé composé.

The passé composé comprises two parts:

•  the present indicative of the auxiliary verb AVOIR or ÊTRE

•  the past participle of the main verb

Most verbs are conjugated with AVOIR.
 
 

• Seventeen verbs of motion or change of state usually use ÊTRE as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé.

• Reflexive or pronominal verbs use the auxiliary ÊTRE in the passé composé.

The past participle of regular verbs ending in –ER is formed by dropping the ER and adding É.
 
 

The past participle of regular verbs ending in –IR is formed by dropping the R.
 
 

L’IMPARFAIT
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The verb tense used to describe the past is the imparfait. It is used to talk or write about habitual actions or occurrences.  It is also used to describe conditions that were taking place when another action occurred.
 
 

Le passé composé

The passé composé is used to express something that was completed in the past. That something can be an action, a fact or an event. It can have lasted a short or a long time. It can have occurred once or a specified number of tines.

             Alors, je me suis retourné dans mon lit et j’ai dormi jusqu’à dix heures. (Camus)
             Après le déjeuner, je me suis ennuyé un peu et j’ai erré dans l’appartement. (Camus)
 

L’imparfait

The imperfect describes incomplete actions or states. It is used to express or describe
 

•  an action that continued in the past. The English equivalent is was + verb + -ing.

       If another action interrupts this continuous action, that interrupting action is in the passé
       composé.

         Ils vivaient dans leurs petits appartements encombrés au moment que la guerre a éclaté.
         Ils étaient assis l’un en face de l’autre quand le serveur est arrivé. (Perec)
 

• a habitual or customary action in the past. The English equivalent is often used to + verb.

• a past condition or state of mind that has no clear beginning or end

                     Ils leur semblait que tout était parfait. (Perec)
                     Une lune parfaitement ronde brillait haut dans le ciel.
 

LE PASSÉ SIMPLE
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The passé simple is a past tense used only in writing.  It is usually found in literary texts, though sometimes it is used in journalism.  The passé simple indicates that an action, completed in the past, has no relation with the present.

It is helpful to be able to recognize the forms of the passé simple.

Regular ER verbs drop the ER from the infinitive and add the endings
 
 

The passé simple of many irregular verbs is built on their past participle.

 If the past participle ends in IS, the passé simple stem will include an –I-.
 
 

In reflexive verbs, the action of the verb is reflected back upon the subject. This reflexive action is indicated by the use of a reflexive pronoun.

Here are some common reflexive verbs:
 
 

s’amuser	to have a good time  (to amuse oneself)	se marier	to get married
se coucher	to go to bed  (to put oneself to bed)	se méfier de	to distrust
se détendre	to relax  (to unwind oneself)	se mettre à	to start, to begin  (to put oneself to a task)
s’en aller	to go away, to leave	se moquer de	to make fun of, to mock
s’endormir	to fall asleep	se promener	to take a walk
s’énerver	to become irritable	se reposer	to rest (oneself)
se fier à	to trust	se réveiller	to wake (oneself) up
s’habiller	to get dressed  (to dress oneself)	se sauver	to run away  (to save oneself)
s’habiter à to	to get used	se suicider	to kill oneself
se laver	to wash (oneself)	se taire	to shut (oneself) up,  to be quiet
se lever	to get (oneself) up	se tromper	to be mistaken

 Ils se promenaient en bavardant. (Perec)
 Ils se sentaient les maîtres du monde. (Perec)
 Ils se mettaient à courir. (Perec)
 Ils se laissaient pénétrer dans la chaleur ambiante. (Perec)
 Tout s’écroule. (Perec)
 

Les pronoms réfléchis

The reflexive pronouns are me, te, se, nous, vous.  They agree in number and person with the subject.

Here is the present tense of a typical reflexive verb.

Here is the passé composé of the same reflexive verb.

The pronouns me, te, and se become m’, t’, s’ before a verb beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

In infinitive constructions, the reflexive pronouns agree with the subject.

In the affirmative imperative, place the reflexive pronouns after the verb and connect them to the verb with a hyphen.

Reflexive pronouns are either direct or indirect, depending on whether the verb takes a direct or indirect object.

•  Most often, the reflexive pronoun is a direct object.  In these cases, the past participle agrees with the direct object reflexive pronoun.

•  When the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object, there is no past participle agreement.

•  When the reflexive verb is used with a part of the body, the part of the body is the direct object and the reflexive pronoun is the indirect object. Consequently, there is no past participle agreement. Some examples are se brosser les cheveux, se laver la figure, se casser le bras.

When the subjects act on each other, that action is reciprocal. Reciprocal verbs are formed in the same manner as reflexive verbs. Reciprocal verbs are always in the plural.

                Ils se regardaienet en souriant dans les glaces des devantures.(Perec)

Since reflexive and reciprocal verbs are identical in form, confusion sometimes arises. In order to clarify the meaning of the sentence, the expressions l’un(e) l’autre and les un(e)s les autres are added after reciprocal verbs.

When a reciprocal verb requires a preposition, the preposition is placed between the two parts of l’un(e) l’autre or les un(e)s les autres, for example, l’un avec l’autre, les uns derrière les autres.
 

LE PARTICIPE PRÉSENT
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The present participle can be used as a verb and an adjective.  For this reason, it is called a verbal adjective. In English, the present participle ends in -ing: studying, working, listening, reading.

How do you form the present participle?

You form the present participle by dropping the -ons ending of verbs in the present tense and adding -ant.
 
 

Là, sur une charrette une poutre branlante vient menacant de loin la foule qu'elle augmente.(Boileau)
Quand un autre [carrosse] à l'instant s'efforçant de passer...(Boileau)

The present participles of avoir, être, and savoir are irregular.
 

How do you use the present participle?

The present participle can be used as an adjective.

When it is used as an adjective, it agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies. It is usually placed after the noun.

Là, sur une charrette une poutre branlante vient menaçant de loin la foule qu'elle augmente.(Boileau)
Six chevaux attelés à ce fardeau pesant ont peine à l'émouvoir sur le pavé glissant (Boileau)

The present participle can be used as a verb.
 

• When it is used as a verb, the present participle is invariable. It may indicate an action or a state of being.

•  The expression en + présent participle is used to indicate that two actions are somewhat simultaneous. When en is used in this way, it can be translated as while, on, or upon. The expression usually refers to the subject of the sentence.

                         D'un carrosse, en tournant, il accroche une roue (Boileau)

• The expression en + présent participle can also be used to indicate a relationship of manner with the verb in the main clause. In this case, en can be translated as by.

• Remember that en is the only preposition used with the present participle. Do not use par.

How do you form the simple future?

The simple future of most regular verbs is formed by adding the future endings to the infinitive.  Remember to drop the final e in the infinitive of -re verbs before adding the endings.
 
 

Regular -er verbs with certain endings undergo spelling changes before adding the future endings.
 

• Verbs ending in e + consonant + er (e.g., mener, lever, peser) change e to è

•  Verbs ending in -eler and -eter (e.g., appeler, jeter) double the l and the t

• Verbs ending in -yer (e.g., employer, essayer, essuyer, payer) change y to i. Verbs ending in -ayer may retain the y.

When do you use the future?
 

• The future tense expresses action in the future. The French simple future is the equivalent of the English future will + verb.

• The immediate future is often expressed in French by aller + infinitive.

• The future tense must be used after quand (when), lorsque (when), dès que (as soon as), and aussitôt que (as soon as) in subordinate clauses if a future idea is implied.  In such sentences the main verb  will be either in the simple future or the imperative. Remember that this is different from the usage in English.

The future perfect is a compound tense composed of the future of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and a past participle.

It corresponds to the English form will have + past participle.
 

LE CONDITIONNEL
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How do you form the conditional?

The conditional of most regular verbs is formed by adding the conditional endings to the infinitive. The stem of the conditional is the same as the stem of the future. Remember to drop the final e in the infinitive of -re verbs before adding the endings. The conditional and imperfect endings are identical.
 
 

• Verbs ending in e + consonant + er (e.g., mener, lever, peser) change e to è

•  Verbs ending in -eler and -eter (e.g., appeler, jeter) double the l and the t

• Verbs ending in -yer (e.g., employer, essayer, essuyer, payer) change y to i. Verbs ending in -ayer may retain the y.

• The conditional is used to soften questions and requests, making them more polite.

• The conditional expresses the future of the past, in other words, an even that was future to a previously mentioned past event, but still in the past in relation to the moment in which you are speaking or writing.  English also uses the conditional in this situation.

• The conditional is used to indicate a possible or hypothetical fact that is the result of a condition. The English equivalent is would + verb.

           The conditional is used in sentences containing si-clauses. The following table contains the most common tense sequences used in conditional sentences.
           The sequences are the same in English. The conditional tenses are only used in the main clause, never in the si-clause.
 
 

LE PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT

How do you form the pluperfect?

The pluperfect is a compound tense composed of the imperfect of the auxiliary verb (être or avoir) and the past participle.

When do you use the pluperfect?

The pluperfect is used to indicate an action that took place before another action in the past. Its French name means more in the past that the past. It can be rendered in English as either the pluperfect had + past participle or the past tense.
 

LE CONDITIONNEL PASSE

How do you form the past conditional?

The past conditional is a compound tense composesd of the conditional of the auxiliary verb (etre or avoir) and the past participle.
 

LE SUBJONCTIF
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Verbs have moods. The mood defines the attitude of a speaker toward a fact or an action. Both French and English have several moods: the indicative; the subjonctive; the conditional; the imperative. The selection of the indicative mood means that the speaker considers the statement to be certain or objective. The selection of the subjunctive mood means that the speaker considers the statement to be uncertain, hypothetical or emotional. The subjunctive is sometimes called the subjective or affective (emotional) mood.

The subjunctive is rarely the main verb in a sentence. It is rather governed by the nature of the main verb. It is therefore almost always found in the subordinate clause and is typically introduced by que.

The English subjunctive has all but disappeared in modern usage. It can still be found in such phrases as "Long live the Queen," "I wish I were rich," "wherever he may be," etc.

The French subjunctive, on the other hand, is quite common in everyday usage. It has four tenses, only two of which are normally used in spoken French: the present and the past.

Comment forme-t-on le présent du subjonctif des verbes réguliers?

The present subjunctive of most verbs is formed by replacing the third person plural -ent ending of the present indicative by the endings -e, -es, -e, ions, iez, ent.

Verbes en -ER
                                                                  parler

                    Il faut bien qu'il s'amuse aussi. (Aymé)
                    J'avais peur que tu ne m'aimes pas...(Pagnol)
                    ...il faut qu'il neige. (Renard)
                    ...pourvu qu'on en use bien...(Arnauld et Nicole)

Verbes en -IR comme finir
 

                       finir

                      partir

Verbes en -RE
 

                  répondre

Comment forme-t-on le subjonctif des verbes irréguliers?

Most of the common verbs have an irregular stem in the subjunctive. They can be grouped under three headings: avoir and être; verbs with one stem; and verbs with two stems. With the exception of avoir and être, the regular present subjunctive endings are added to the stems.

                                                                        avoir
 

Verbs with one stem

                                                faire

Verbs with two stems

Some verbs have one stem for the entire singular and the third person plural and another for the first and second person plural.

                                                    aller

The past subjunctive is composed of the present subjunctive of the helping verb, être or avoir, and the past participle.

                                            rencontrer (conjugated with avoir)
 

Use the present of the subjunctive when the action in both the subordinate clause and the main clause is in the present. Use the past subjunctive if the action in the subordinate clause took place before the action in the main clause.

Remember that there is no future subjunctive form. Use the present subjonctive to express the future.
 
 

EMPLOI DU SUBJONCTIF
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Remember that the selection of the subjunctive mood means that the speaker considers the statement to be uncertain, hypothetical or emotional. The subjunctive is sometimes called the subjective or affective (emotional) mood.

Expressions that by their very nature are uncertain, hypothetical, or emotional are always followed by the sunjunctive.

Use the subjunctive after expressions of will, doubt or emotion
 
 

• Do not use the subjunctive is the subject of the main and subordinate clauses is the same. Use the infinitive instead. In such cases, expressions of will are followed directly by the infinitive. Expressions of emotion require the preposition de before the infinitive.

• The verb espérer in the affirmative is followed by the indicative and not the subjunctive.

Use the subjonctive after impersonal expressions that indicate an uncertain, hypothetical or emotional point of view. Here are a few:
 

** Probability is considered more certain than possibility and therefore takes the indicative.

Impersonal expressions introducing general statements are followed by de + infinitive. Il faut and il vaut mieux, however, are followed directly by the infinitive.
 
                    Il faut bien qu'il s'amuse aussi. (Aymé)
                    ...il faut qu'il neige. (Renard)
 
Use the subjunctive after certain conjunctions

Use the subjunctive after conjunctions introducing hypothetical or restrictive statements.
 
 

If the subject of the main and subordinate clauses is the same, certain conjunctions are replaced by a correspondening preposition and followed by an infinitive. In these cases, the subjunctive is not used.

The conjunctions bien que, quoique, jusqu'à ce que, and pourvu que de not have corresponding prepositions. Even when there is no change of subject, there conjunctions must be used, repeating the subject of the main clause. They are, as always, followed by a verb in the subjunctive.
 
 

Les femmes, on le dit, some parfaitement libres mais à condition de bien suivre vos lois..(Julien)
...il faut fendre la presse d'un peuple d'importuns. (Boileau)
 
     
 
 

Use the subjunctive after expressions of concession
 
 

    En quelque endroit que j'aille...(Boileau)
 

Use the subjunctive with the following expressions to express the attitude of the speaker

The attitude of the speaker can make some expressions uncertain, hypothetical or emotional. In this case, they take the subjunctive.
 

• Verbs of thinking and believing (e.g., penser, croire, trouver) are always followed by the indicative when they are used in the affirmative. When they are used in the negative or in the interrogative, they are followed by the subjunctive when there is considerable doubt in the mind of the speaker. If the doubt in the mind of the speaker is negligible, or if a future action is expressed, then the indicative is normally used.

• Verbs in relative clauses are normally in the indicative. If the speaker doubts or denies the existence or attainability of the antecedent, then the subjunctive is used. In such cases, the verb in the main clause is often in the negative or in interrogative.

Verbs in relative clauses following superlative expressions and the adjectives premier, dernier, and seul are in the indicative when the speaker states a certain or objective fact. They are normnally followed by the subjunctive, however, when the speaker expresses a subjective feeling, a personal opinion, or a doubtful attitude.

...il n'y a rien qui serve davantage à donner des ouvertures...(Arnauld et Nicole)

An article is a word placed before a noun that indicates its number and its degree of definiteness.

There are three types of articles in French:

• definite

• indefinite

• partitive

L’ARTICLE DÉFINI
 
 

When to use the definite article
 

• To indicate a particular  noun

                     Le bruit de leur pas s’étouffe dans la neige. (Renard)
 

• Before nouns used in a general sense

          In English, no article is used in generalizations and abstractions.

                     Grammar, arithmetic and spelling are taught.

The definite article is almost always used with noun objects that follow the verbs adorer, aimer, détester and préférer.  This is because after these verbs the noun objects are usually understood in a general sense.

          Rose aime le calcul, mais elle préfère l'épellation.
          Elle déteste la science.
 
 

• With expressions of time to indicate habitual recurrence

 

 
 
 

Use the singular definite article with the days of the week and with the nouns matin, après-midi and soir to indicate that an action occurred habitually.

        Le jeudi les élèves ne vont pas en classe.
        Le soir on mange dans la grande cuisine.

                Jeudi prochain ils iront au parc.
 

• With proper nouns

                         Poil de Carotte saute du lit.

          If the proper noun is preceded by a title or an adjective, then the definite article is used.

                        L'inspecteur Dubois est strabique.

          Do not use an definite article before a title is you are speaking to the person directly.

                        Bonjour papa, bonjour maman, je vous souhaite une bonne année. (Renard)
 

• With units of weight and measure

                         Poil de Carotte fait juste un mètre.

• With geographical names

Use the definite article with most geographical names (continents, countries, provinces, states,  mountains, rivers, oceans, etc.)

            Les Lepic habitent à Chitry-les Mines.

•     With cities

                          If the name of the city includes an article, make the normal contraction with à.
 

• With states

• With countries

            Use à + l’article défini before plural names of countries and
            masculine singular countries beginning with a consonant.

         To express from, use de alone before most feminine singular geographical names, and before
          islands and cities.

         Use du before masculine singular names.

         Use des before all plural names.
 

L’ARTICLE INDÉFINI
 
 

 The plural indefinite article in French is the same as the plural of the partitive that can be
  translated as some or any in English. Often it is not translated at all.

                  Il a lancé jusqu’au ciel une énorme bouffée. (Renard)
                  Des gamins secouent le loquet. (Renard)
                  Soeur Ernestine et grand frère Félix y cherchent des fautes d’orthographe. (Renard)

In French, the indefinite article is usually repeated before each noun in a series.
 

THE PARTITIVE ARTICLE
 
 

                        Tu as du style.
                         M. Lepic prend de la viande, de la sauce et ramène son assiette.

After a negative verb other than être, the indefinite and partitive article accompanying a noun that is not modified by an adjective is replaced by de (d’).

                        Poil de Carotte n'a plus de timbale.

In front of a plural adjective, the partitive is traditionally expressed by de alone. Increasingly, however, des + adjective + plural noun is considered correct.

                      Il y a de grosses taches de rousseur sur le visage de Poil de Carotte.

Des is used if the adjective and the plural noun are considered to form a unit:  les petits pois, les jeunes filles, les jeunes gens.
 

OMISSION OF THE ARTICLE

Sometimes nouns in French can be used without any article. In all the following cases, the article is omitted when the noun is understood in an indefinite sense.  If the noun is made specific in any way (for example, with an adjective), an article must be included.
 

After certain expressions ending in DE
 

•  After expressions of quantity

No article is used after expressions of quantity such as beaucoup de, combien de, trop de,  peu de,  plus de, assez de, une douzaine de, une bouteille de, un million de.

         With certain other expressions, de + l’article défini (du, de la, de l’, des) is used:

                    bien de    la plupart de    la majorité de    la plus grande partie de
 

• After ne ... pas de and other general negations such as ne ... plus and ne ... jamais

                          L’enveloppe ne porte pas d’adresse. (Renard)
 

• After verbal and adjectival expressions with de

• After de + noun used to describe another noun

When a noun is used to describe another noun in French, it follows the noun it describes and is connected to it by de.  No article is inserted after de.

• After avec used with abstract nouns. If the noun is not abstract,  use the partitive.

After sans

                              Poil de Carotte, sans hésitation, rayonne de joie. (Renard)
 

With languages after parler and en

Do not use an article if the verb parler or the preposition en are followed directly by the name of the language. Remember that languages are not capitalized in French.

Do not use an article if parler is followed by pas.

When other adverbial expressions come between parler and the name of the language, the article may or may not be used.

                    Les Lepic sont catholiques.
                    Ils sont aussi bourgeois et probablement conservateurs.
                    M. Lepec est homme d'affaires.

           Use the indefinite article when the sentence begins with c’est or ce sont.

                     C'est un père affectueux mais négligeant.

           Use the indefinite article when the sentence begins with ce n’est pas or ce ne sont pas.

                    Ce n'est pas un père authoritaire.

            Use the indefinite article when the noun is modified by an adjective.

                    M. Lepic est un père affectueux mais négligeant.
                    Mme Lepic est une mère authoritaire et sévère.
 

LES NOMS
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A noun is a word used to name a person, place, or thing.
All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine.

How can you recognize whether a noun is masculine or feminine?

The gender of most nouns is arbitrary and should be learned at the same time as the spelling of the noun.

Certain indications, however, can help you figure out the gender of some nouns.

• Sex

                                  un père                    un chat

        Nouns that refer to female persons and animals are usually feminine.

                                  une mère                 une chatte

         Exceptions:
 
 

The following feminine forms have recently been created and are gaining popularity throughout the francophone world.

•  Nouns ending in –ail, -eau, -ent, -ier, -isme are usually masculine.

•  The following groups of nouns are usually masculine:

                 Exceptions:         le génie          le parapluie
 

The names of natural and social sciences are usually feminine.
 

The names of continents, countries, provinces, and states ending in unaccented e are usually feminine.

                 Exceptions:      le Mexique         le Maine
 

How do you form the feminine singular?
 

• Feminine nouns derived from the masculine

The feminine singular of nouns is usually formed by adding a silent e to the masculine singular.

• Feminine nouns not built from the masculine

•  Some nouns form the feminine by simply using the feminine article la or une. These nouns usually refer to people. Many of these nouns end in a silent e.

• In most cases, add an s to the singular.

• If the singular ends in s, x, or z, do not add an s.

• Words with certain endings form their plurals in different ways.

•  Some common nouns have unusual plurals.

• Some nouns are always plural.

• The plural of compound nouns should always be checked in a dictionary

You can use demonstrative adjectives and pronouns to point something out.

LES ADJECTIFS DÉMONSTRATIFS

Demonstrative adjectives, like all other adjectives, agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify.  Use ce before masculin nouns or adjectives beginning with a consonant.  Use cet before masculin nouns or adjectives beginning with a vowel or a silent h. Use cette before feminin nouns or adjectives.
 
 
 

            Elle couve cette idée pendant six ans...(Michelet)
            ...elle résiste à tout en ce dernier combat...(Michelet)
            ...ce corps délicat et tendre...(Michelet)
            Nul idéal...n'a approché de cette très certaine réalité. (Michelet)
            ...comme une revanche de ces âmes que les fatigues et le froid avaient rendues inertes.
                (Savard)
            ...et changer en fureur la hargne de cet homme violent. (Aymé)

            Et c'est ce jour-là que ça m'a pris. (Pagnol)
            Je vais vous dire comment on épelle ce mot-là. (Cousture)

LES PRONOMS DÉMONSTRATIFS

The definite demonstrative pronouns agree in number and gender with the nouns to which they refer. They are never used alone. They must be followed by either -ci or -là, a relative pronoun and a preposition.

Followed by -ci or -là
 
 

Celui-là can also mean, the former, and celui-ci, the latter.

Followed by a relative pronoun
 
 

The Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns
 
 

            Tout cela semblait remonter de la profondeur du sang. (Savard)
            Est-ce qie cela peut nous empêcher de nous marier...(Pagnol)

            Écoute, Fanny, nous parlerons de tout ça demain...(Pagnol)

THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN CE

Ce is most frequently used with the verb être: c'est, ce sont. It can mean he, she, it, they, that.

CE or Subject Pronoun with ÊTRE?

It is often difficult to decide whether ce or the subject pronoun il, elle, ils, elles should be used as the subject of être. In general, if what follows être makes sense gramatically as its subject, you should use ce.  If what follows être could not be its subject, you should use a subject pronoun.
 

• Use ce when être is followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a superlative. C'est is used for all persons except the third person plural. Use ce sont for the third person plural.

• Use the subject pronouns il, elle, ils, elles when être is followed by an adjective, an adverb, a preposition, or a phrase.  None of these could serve as the subject of être.

C'EST or IL EST + adjective referring to an idea
 

• Use c'est + adjective when referring to a previously mentioned idea.

Use il est + adjective when introducing a new idea not previously mentioned; the il is impersonal. C'est may replace il est in informal conversational French. In sentences beginning with il est (c'est) + adjective, the preposition de precedes the infinitive.

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun.
In French, a pronoun has the same gender and number as the noun it replaces.
 

Direct object pronouns

A direct object receives the action of the verb directly.
 
 

An indirect object receives the action of the verb indirectly through the preposition a.
The à (to in English) usually appears in the sentence, but it may not..

Some common French verbs are followed by a and therefore require an indirect object. Some examples are téléphoner à, plaire à, offrir à, demander à and dire à.  In English, these verbs often  do not seem to be followed by indirect objects.
 
 

Y can be either an adverb or a pronoun.

1.  As a pronoun, Y refers to things or ideas, singular or plural. It does not refer to people.
     It is used as the object of verbs and expressions ending in à.

2.  As an adverb, Y means there. It refers to a noun preceded by a preposition of place such as à, dans, chez, sous, sur, devant, derrière, but only if the noun has already been mentioned. If the place has not already been mentioned, then là is used instead of y.

     Although y is almost always expressed in French, it often is not translated into English.

     The adverb y is not used with the verb aller in the future and conditional tenses.
 
 

En can be either an adverb or a pronoun.

1.   As a pronoun, en usually refers to things or ideas, singular or plural.
      In some cases it may also replace persons.

       En replaces nouns in expressions formed with de:
 

•  the partitive

•  objects of expressions of quantity

•  objects of verbs and expressions ending in de

        En also replaces nouns modified by numbers and indefinite plural nouns.

2.  As an adverb, en means from there.
 

Positions of Pronouns

1. The object pronouns, y and en directly precede the verbs in all tenses and moods except the affirmative imperative.

When there is more than one pronoun with a verb, the pronouns are arranged in the
 following order:
 
 

me
te		le		lui
nous	before	la	before	leur	before	y	before	en	before	verb
vous		les
se

 
 

2. In the affirmative imperative, the pronouns follow the verb.
The pronouns are connected to the verb by hyphens.

When there is more than one pronoun with an affirmative imperative, the pronouns are arranged in the following order:
 
 

•  To answer a question without using a verb.

•  After a preposition.

     In most cases, à + a person is replaced by an indirect object pronoun.

     Use a disjunctive pronoun when replacing definite nouns referring to persons after verbs or
     verbal expressions ending in de, such as avoir besoin de, parler de, avoir peur de,
     être content de
 
 

•  To emphasize the subject.

•  In compound subjects.

• With comparisons.

• With the expression ne ... que (only)

• After ni.

• After c’est and ce sont.

• In the emphatic expressions with -self:

• With indefinite subjects

          --after prepositions in sentences with indefinite subjects like on, chacun, tout le monde

         --after impersonal verbs

         --in fixed indefinite expressions such as chacun pour soi, en soi and de soi
 

The Neuter Pronoun LE

Although pronouns usually replace nouns, the neuter pronoun, le, can replace an adjective or an entire phrase or clause. It is invariable, that is, it does change in number or gender.
 
 

DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES
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Words that modifie nouns or pronouns are called adjectives. If these adjectives describe the nouns they modify, they are called descriptive or qualitative adjectives. In French, descriptive adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. This is not the case in English.

How do you change an adjective from the masculine singular to the feminine singular?
 

• Most adjectives form the feminine singular by adding an e to the masculine singular. This e is not pronounced. If the masculine singular already ends in such an e, then the masculine and the feminine singular forms are identical.

...une poutre branlante vient menaçant de loin la foule (Boileau)
Cette petite citadine en vacances...n'était-ce pas moi? (Favreau)
Ai-je vécu ces soirées paisibles sur la galerie camouflée de vigne sauvage...? (Favreau)
Notre vraie vie était ici. (Favreau)

• Some feminine singular endings are irregular.

On en fera...des maisons basses (Favreau)
Elle restait songeuse...(Hémon)
...pleine d'étoiles grosses comme des lunes...(Hémon)
...dès la première fonte des neiges...(Savard)
Ils se promenaient des heures entières. (Perec)
Ils entraient dans un restaurant avec une joie rituelle. (Perec)

• Certain common adjectives have irregular feminine singular forms.

Voici la vieille maison normande, blanche à volets verts. (Favreau)
Les rues étaient longues. (Perec)

• Five of these irregular adjectives have a second masculine form that is used before nouns beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

How do you change a singular adjective into a plural adjective?
 

• Most adjectives form the plural by adding s to the masculine or the feminine adjective.
 

...cent chevaux appelés dans la foule...ferment les défilés (Boileau)
...dans ces granges vastes comme des cathédrales (Favreau)
 

•  Some masculine adjectives have irregular plurals.

 Il avait encore sa figure imberbe d'enfant...à traits indécis...(Hémon)
...leurs projets merveilleux. (Perec)

After the noun

In English, descriptive adjectives are placed in front of the noun they modify.  In French, they are usually placed after the noun they modify.
 

Six chevaux attelés à ce fardeau pesant ont peine à l'émouvoir sur le pavé glissant...(Boileau)

Before the noun
 

• Some short, common adjectives are normally placed in front of the noun.

Cette petite citadine en vacances...n'était-ce pas moi? (Favreau)
...je cherchais un joli passé à la vieille dame que je suis devenue (Favreau)
La grande maison...la haie de cèdres...l'éolienne (Favreau)
Parce qu'une autoroute en construction oblige le chaufeur à effectuer un long détour...(Favreau)
Je vois d'un autre coup mon chapeau renversé. (Boileau)

• Certain adjectives have one meaning when they are found in front of the noun and another meaning when they are after the noun.

• Some descriptive adjectives can be placed in front of the noun they modify in order to give them special emphasis. In this case the adjective is pronounced in a more emphatic tone of voice in order to stress it.

• If one adjective usually precedes the noun and the other usually follows it, place them in their normal position.

...dans le mince ruisseau glaiseux... (Favreau)
Voici la vieille maison normande... (Favreau)
...un Jésus aux immenses yeux bleus...(Hémon)
une autre image représentant quelque sainte femme inconnue...(Hémon)

•   If both adjectives normally precede the noun, place both of them either before or after the noun and join them with the conjunction et.

•  If both adjectives normally follow the noun, place both of them after it and join them with et.

...à propos d'une autre petite fille (Favreau)

French adjectives generally agree in number (singular, plural) and gender (masculine, feminine) with the noun or pronoun they describe.

EXCEPTION: The adjective demi is invariable and joined to the noun by a hyphen when it precedes the noun. it agrees, however, in gender with the noun when it comes after.

An adjective that describes more than one noun is plural.  If the gender of the nouns is different, the masculine plural form of the adjective is used.  If both nouns are of the same gender, the adjective is, of course, in that gender.
 
 

ADVERBS
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A word that describes a verb or an adjective is an adverb.  Adverbs can also describe other adverbs.

How do you form an adverb?

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ment to an adjective. If the masculine form of the adjective ends in a vowel, then form the adverb simply by adding -ment. If the adjective ends in a consonant, form the adverb by adding -ment to the feminine form. The suffix -ment frequently corresponds to the English suffix -ly.
 
 

...l'éolienne qui geint doucement sous la brise (Favreau)
Quelques troupeaux égarés...achèvent paresseusement leur vieillesse (Favreau)
Ils marchaient librement. (Perec)
Il leur suffisait d'être là...chaudement vêtu...(Perec)
Ils marchaient longuement.. (Perec)
Une lune parfaitement ronde brillait...(Perec)

• In French, adverbs usually follow the verb if it is in simple tense. In English, however, adverbs are often placed in front of the verb.

 
...nous métamorphosons volontiers en ce qui ne fut jamais...(Favreau)
 Il faisait maintenant nuit. (Savard)
Télesphore écoutait aussi...(Hémon)

• In compound tenses, most common adverbs are placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle.  These common adverbs include:

Le progrès, l'électricité, la machinerie sont peut-être allés plus loin...(Favreau)
Ne m'a-t-on pas plutôt raconté des choses plus tard...(Favreau)

• Where a verb is followed by an infinitive, common adverbs are usually placed between the two verbs

• In French, adverbs precede the adjectives or adverbs they modify. This is also the case in English.

...un long détour dans un rang peu fréquenté...(Favreau)
Alma-Rose n'a pas été trop haïssable...(Hémon)
Ne m'a-t-on pas plutôt raconté des choses plus tard, beaucoup plus tard...(Favreau)
...une joie presque rituelle...(Perec)
 
• For emphasis, you may sometimes place certain adverbs at the beginning of the sentence. The most comon adverbs are généralement, heureusement, malheureusement, and adverbs of time and place such as hier and aujourd'hui.
 

Fréquemment elle s'interrompait pour interroger Maria...(Hémon)

TOUT

Tout can be an adjective, an adverb or a pronoun.
 

• The adjective tout agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies. It usually means all or every.
          When it modifies a singular noun without an article, it means every, any, or all.
 
Mais tout cela a-t-il tant d'importance? (Favreau)
Tout cela semblait remonter de la profondeur du sang. (Savard)
...et même dans tous les périls...(Savard)
...et toutes les autres nouvelles qu'elle avait pu recueillir...(Hémon)
• The adverb tout means all or completely. It is invariable except when it is in front of a feminine adjective beginning with a consonant or aspirated h. Then the feminine singular or plural forms (toute and toutes) must be used.
Tout autour, les montagnes déjà noires encerclaient...(Savard)
 Sous les branches toutes fleuries d'étincelles...(Savard)
 
• The invariable pronoun tout means everything.
Je voulais tout retenir de ce qu'ils disaient. (Favreau)
         The masculine and feminine plural pronouns tous and toutes mean all
 
...tous...ils avaient chanté une chanson d'amour et un hymne de liberté (Savard)
C'est de toutes, la corvée la plus dure et la plus hasardeuse. (Savard)
         The final s of tous is pronounced when tous is used as a pronoun.
         It is silent, however, when tous is used as an adjective.
 
 

LE COMPARATIF
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Use the comparative to compare two things.

How do you compare adjectives or adverbs?
 

• There are three comparative expressions that can be used with both adjectives and adverbs.
 

comparison of superiority	plus...que	more...than
comparison of inferiority	moins...que	less...than
comparison of equality	aussi...que	as...as

            Dans les pays chauds, les animaux terrestres sont plus grands et plus forts que
                dans les pays froids et tempérés. (Buffon)
            Le cri [du lion] est plus terrible que le rugissement. (Buffon)
            ... des ongles qui sont, après les dents, ses armes les plus cruelles. (Buffon)
 
 
• To emphasize the comparatives plus...que and moins...que, use the adverbs bien and beaucoup. In this case, they are the equivalent of much or a lot.
• Certain forms of the adjectives bon and mauvais are irregular in the comparative.
 

	meilleur...que		plus mauvais...que  pire...que
bon	moins bon...que	mauvais	moins mauvais...que
	aussi...que		aussi mauvais...que

 
 
• Certain forms of the adverbs bien and mal are irregular in the comparative.
 

	mieux...que		plus mal...que
bien	moins bien...que	mal	moins mal...que
	aussi bien...que		aussi mal...que

 
Peut-être savaient-ils, un peu mieux que les autres, déchiffrer...ces signes...(Perec)
How do you compare nouns?

There are three comparative expressions that can be used with nouns.
 

comparison of superiority	plus de...que	more...than
comparison of inferiority	moins de...que	less...than
comparison of equality	autant de...que	as many...as

  LE SUPERLATIF
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The superlative is usesd to compare three or more things.
 

• To form the superlative of an adjective, place the article le, la or les (depending on the gender of the noun) in front of the comparative. If the adjective follows the noun, the article must be used twice, once before the noun and once before the superlative.
 C'est de toutes, la corvée la plus dure et la plus hasardeuse. (Savard)
...les pères avaient été...les plus gais des hommes...(Savard)
...perdant en son automne ses feuilles les plus colorées. (Favreau)
...la moindre fausse note...(Perec)
Le lion...est le plus fort, le plus fier, le plus terrible de tous... (Buffon)
Et vous êtes la meilleure [élève]? (Cousture)
LES INTERROGATIFS
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COMMENT FORMER LES QUESTIONS

Inversion du sujet et du verbe

1. Simple tenses

a.    If the subject is a pronoun, it is inverted with the verb and connected to the verb by a hyphen.

            Mangez-vous bien, Monsieur? (Molière)
            Dormez-vous fort? (Molière)
            Faites-vous des songes? (Molière)
            Rosée Pronovost, pouvez-vous m'épeler imbécillité? (Cousture)
 

      Verbs ending in a vowel in the third person singular invert -t- between the verb and the
      inverted subject pronoun.

            A-t-il un bon médecin?
 

b.   If the subject is a noun, the order is noun subject + verb + pronoun subject.

        Monsieur de Pourceaugnac a-t-il un bon médecin?
 
 

2. Compound tenses

In compound tenses, only the auxiliary verb is inverted.  Follow the same rules when inverting the auxiliary verb as you would for simple verbs.

        Avez-vous bien mangé, Monsieur?
        Avez-vous fort dormi?
        Avez-vous fait des songes?
        A-t-elle eu un bon médecin?
        As-tu été sage pendant que je n'étais pas là, Alma-Rose? (Hémon)

Est-ce que

Place est-ce que before any sentence to transform it into a question.

        Est-ce que nous jouons ici une comédie? (Molière)
        Est-ce que ton père te rend malheureux? (Pagnol)

When asking a question in the first person singular, use est-ce que. There are, however, some cases in which the inversion is used: ai-je, dois-je, puis-je, suis-je.

N'est-ce pas

Add n'est-ce pas at the end of a sentence when you want your interlocutor to confirm or deny what you have said. It is the equivalent of the English expressions aren't you, didn't you, isn't he, isn't it, etc.

        Nous jouons ici une comédie, n'est-ce pas?
        Vous mangez bien, n'est-ce pas?
        Tu m'aimes, Marius, n'est-ce pas? (Pagnol)

Intonation ascendante

You can change any sentence into a question by raising the tone of your voice at its end. This way of asking a question can, of course, only be used in conversation, not in writing.

        Me guérir? (Molière)
        Comme ça, tu as été dehors toute la journée? (Aymé)
        Et vous êtes la meilleure? (Cousture)
 

ADVERBES INTERROGATIFS

Combien? Comment? Où?  Quand?

With these adverbs you can always use the order adverb + inverted verb.

        Si nous n'avions pas Esdras et Da'Bé dans le bois, comment ferions-nous? (Hémon)

In short questions composed only of these adverbs with a noun subject and a verb,
the order adverb + verb + noun can be used.

        Quand reviennent les fils Chapdelaine?
        Combien gagne Esdras?
        Ou est Da'Be?

Remember that Comment + être asks for a description.
It is the equivalent of What is (are) ... like?

        Comment est Tit'Be?  Il est fort mais imberbe.

Pourquoi?

With this adverb you can only use the order adverb + inverted verb.

        Pourquoi n'as-tu pas fait ton devoir de français?
        Pourquoi ne peux-tu pas te marier?
 

LES PRONOMS INTERROGATIFS INVARIABLE
 

Function	Persons	Things
Subject	qui or  qui est-ce qui (who)	qu'est-ce qui (what)
Direct object	qui (whom)	que (what)
Object of preposition	qui (whom)	quoi (what)

            Que veut dire cela? (Molière)
            Que voulez-vous dire avec votre galimatias? (Molière)
          Qui peut me réciter les commandements de Dieu? (Cousture)
            Qu'est-ce que tu lui as demandé? (Pagnol)
            Mais que va-t-elle penser de toi? (Pagnol)
            Qui en veut? (Renard)
 

Remember that que becomes qu'in front of a vowel or mute h. Qui, however, does not.

1.  If the sentence begins with a subject pronoun, use the order pronoun + uninverted verb.

             Qui peut épeler le mot: imbécillité? (Cousture)

2.  If the sentence begins with an object pronoun (direct object and object of preposition),
     use with est-ce que ou inversion.

            Avec qui m'a-t-on mis ici? (Molière)
              Avec qui est-ce qu'on m'a mis ici?
            Que me voulez-vous? (Molière)
              Qu'est-ce que vous me voulez?

3.  If the sentence begins with que and has a noun subject, you cannot use inversion.
    You must use the order que + verb + noun subject.

              Que fait Telesfore?
              Qu'est-ce que Telesfore fait?

LE PRONOM INTERROGATIF VARIABLE LEQUEL (which one, which)
 
 

	masculine	feminine
singular	lequel	laquelle
plural	lesquels	lesquelles

Lequel agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers.

                Lequel des medecins de Monsieur de Pourceaugnac est le meilleur?
                Laquelle des filles Chapdelaine est-allee a Saint-Prime?

Lequel and lesquel(le)s contract with the prepositions a and de:
 
 

a + lequel	auquel	de + lequel	duquel
a + lesquels	auxquels	de + lesquels	desquels
a + lesquelles	auxquelles	de + lesquelles	desquelles

                Le diagnostic duquel est le meilleur?
                Auquel Monsieur de Pourceaugnac est-il alle d'abord?
 

L'ADJECTIF INTERROGATIF QUEL (which, what)
 
 
 

	masculine	feminine
singular	quel	quelle
plural	quels	quelles

               Quelle diable de conversation est-ce là? (Molière)
               Quel grand raisonnement faut-il...? (Molière)
               Quel est votre meilleur élève en épellation? (Cousture)
 
 

The adjectif quel agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies.

Quel is also used to express the English exclamations What a ...! or What ... !

                Quelle comedie!

If the answer to the question What is ...? is a date, a name, a fact, or anything other than a definition, quel is usually used, agreeing with the noun in question.

                Quel est le prenom de la mere Chapdelaine?
                Quelle est la date de la piece de Moliere?

When the adjective quel modifies a plural noun, the English equivalent is What are?

                Quels sont les noms des enfants Chapdelaine?

QU'EST-CE QUE; QU'EST-CE QUE C'EST QUE

The expressions qu'est-ce que or qu'est-ce que c'est que are used when the answer to the question What is...? is a definition.  These expressions do not agree in number or gender.

                Qu'est-ce que que toute cette affaire?(Molière)
                Fanny, qu'est-ce que tu as? (Pagnol)
 

LES NEGATIONS
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ne...pas

Where do you place ne ... pas?

1. In sentences with simple verbs

    a. Place ne before the verb and pasafter the verb.

                La grammaire ne posa pas de problème non plus.(Cousture)
                Fanny, ne dis pas ça! (Pagnol)
                Tu n'es pas mon frère. (Pagnol)

        Object pronouns are placed between ne and the verb.

                Je ne te demande pas si tu as travaillé hier soir. (Aymé)
                Fanny ne me quitte pas fâchée. (Pagnol)
                Je ne m'en vais pas. (Pagnol)

        Remember that ne changes to n' before a verb beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

    b. In questions, place ne before the verb and inverted subject pronoun and pas after them.
       Object pronouns are placed between neand the verb and inverted subject pronoun.

       In questions using est-ce que, place ne before the verb and pas after the verb.

    c. In sentences containing a verb followed by an infinitive, place ne before the conjugated verb
        and pas after it.

2.  In sentences with compount verbs

    Place ne in front of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and pas after the auxiliary verb.

            Je n'ai pas fait mon devoir de français. (Aymé)
            Alma-Rose n'a pas été trop haïssable. (Hémon)

3. To negate an infinitive, place both ne and pas in front of the infinitive. This applies to both the present and the past infinitive.

        Le mère, préférant ne pas assister de trop près à une scène pénible, fuyait vers un placard.
        (Aymé)
        Je vous prierai de ne pas entraver mes efforts dans l'éducation de mon fils. (Aymé)
        Télésphore prétendait de ne pas entendre. (Hémon)

When ne ...pas is followed by the indefinite particle or the partitive

Remember that after ne...pas, as well as after other negatives, the indefinitive article (un, une, des) and the partitive article (du, de la, de l', des) usually change to de. They can be translated as not any or no. Sometimes they are not translated at all.

When pas de is used without ne or a verb it can be translated as no before a noun.
 

ne ... jamais, ne ... plus, ne ... point

These negatives follow the same rules as ne... pas.

            Le père Moisan se n'éveillait jamais à 7 heures.
            Les jours suivants ses malaises ne revinrent plus.
            Ephrem ne peut point remettre ses bottes.
            Ne me pose plus de questions. (Pagnol)
            Elles ne pleurent plus, ne veulent plus attendre. (Julien)

ne ... pas encore

     Maria n'avait pas encore fini de répondre aux questions.

ne ... rien

Ne ... rien is  negative pronoun that follows the same rules as ne ... pas,except that when used with verbs that take a preposition, rien directly follows the preposition.

            Mélie n'a rien fait pour le convaincre de consulter un médecin.
            Il n'avait rien dit qui justifiât un tel départ. (Aymé)
            Lucien comprit qu'il ne gagnerait rien à faire traîner les choses. (Aymé)
            Il n'y a rien d'autre. (Pagnol)
            Elle ne sert plus à rien, son effet entièrement produit. (Renard)

Rien ne can be used a a subject.

Remember that pas is never used with the negative expression ne ... rien.
 

ne ... personne

In  simple tenses, ne ... personne follows the same rules as the other negatives.

            Je n'attends personne. (Pagnol)
            Ce n'est personne. (Pagnol)

In the following situations, however, it behaves differently:

In compound tenses, personne follows the auxiliary verb.
As the object of an infinitive, personne follows the infinitive.

Personne ne can be used a a subject.

            Personne n'osa lever la main. (Cousture)
            Personne ne le saura. (Pagnol)

Remember that pas is never used with the negative expression ne ... personne.
 

ne ... que

Ne ... que is a restrictive expression meaning only. (It can be replaced by the adverb seulement.) Que should be placed directly in front of the word it modifies.

            Mélie ne se fiait qu'aux plantes médicinales.
            Mélie se fiait seulement aux plantes médicinales.

            Toute intervention ne pouvait que gâter les choses. (Aymé)
            Comme on le trouve toujours sale, il n'ôte que le plus gros. (Renard)
 

The indefinite and partitive articles (un, une, du, de la, de l', des) do not change to de after ne ... que.

ne ... aucun(e), aucun(e) ... ne

The adjective aucun(e) is stronger than ne ... pas. It means no, not any, not a single. Place it in front of the noun it modifies.  Since it is an adjective, it agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies. Aucun(e) is usually used in the singular.

Aucun(e) ... ne can be used to modify a subject. Then it precedes the noun it modifies and ne precedes the verb.

Aucun(e) (not a single one, none) can also be used as a singular pronoun.

        Aucun ne réussit à épeler correctement le mot. (Cousture)

ne ... ni ... ni

In the expression ne ... ni ... ni the negative adverb ne is placed in front of the verb and the conjunctions ni .. ni (neither ... nor) are placed in front of the words they modify.

The indefinite article and the partitive are omitted after ni ... ni, but the definite article is retained.

            Ni les jambes ni les pieds d'Ephrem n'étaient enflés.
            Ni ses filles ni sa femme ne purent se résoudre à l'approuver. (Aymé)

Remember that ni may be used more than twice.

oui, non, si

The adverbs oui and non are ordinarily used to mean yes and no. The more emphatic form, si, however, is used for yes in response to a negative statement or question.

je crois que oui, je crois que non

Je crois que oui, je crois que non can be translated as I think so, I don't think so (I think not).
personne + de +adjective

In order to express no one + adjective in English, use personne followed by the masculine singular of the adjective. An adverb like si, très, plus, etc. is sometimes placed in front of the adjective for emphasis.

The indefinite pronoun quelqu'un is also used with de + masculine adjective.

rien + de +adjective

In order to express nothing + adjective in English, use rien followed by the masculine singular of the adjective. An adverb like si, très, plus, etc. is sometimes placed in front of the adjective for emphasis.

If rien is the direct object of a compound verb, it is separted from de and the adjective by the past participle.

The indefinite pronoun quelque chose is also used with de + masculine adjective.

ne ... pas du tout

The expression ne ... pas du tout means not at all.

(ni) ... non plus

The expression (ni)... non plus is the equivalent of neither in phrases like neither do I, neither will he, etc. It is used only with stress pronouns. In spoken French, ni is frequently dropped.

de rien, il n'y a pas de quoi

Both of these expressions are the equivalent of you're welcome.
 

 FAIRE CAUSATIF (The Causative Construction)
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The causative constuction is used to express the idea of having someone do something or having something done.  It is composed of two parts: a tense of the verb faire and the infinitive. When faire is used in the past tense, its past participle is invariable.

The causative construction may have one or two objects. Both direct and indirect objects are placed before the verb faire.

• When the causative has only one object, that object is a direct object. The object follows the infinitive in French. In English, however, it comes between the two verbs.
                       des laquais ... font aboyer les chiens et jurer les passants (Boileau)
                     some footmen make the dogs bark and the passer-bys swear

                     des couvreurs...font pleuvoir l'ardoise et la tuile [du toit d'une maison] (Boileau)
                     some roofers...make slate and tile rain down from the roof of a house

                     Dieu pour s'y faire ouir tonnerait vainement (Boileau)
                     God in order to make himself heard would thunder in vain

                     je me mets au hasard de me faire rouer (Boileau)
                     I run the risk of having myself beaten (of being beaten)
 

When the causative has two objects, one object is usualy a person and the other a thing. The person is the indirect object and the thing is the direct object.
LES PRONOMS RELATIFS
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A relative pronoun joins or relates a subordinate clause to a noun or pronoun in the main clause. A subordinate clause that begins with a relative pronoun is called a relative clause.
In English, the relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, that, which, what.

The antecedent is the noun or pronoun that precedes the relative pronoun and to which the relative pronoun refers. Relative pronouns may be used as the subject of a relative clause, as the object of a relative clause or as the object of a preposition.
 
 

antécédent	sujet	objet direct
personne	qui           who	que           whom
chose	qui           that, which	que           that, which
indéterminé	ce qui       what	ce que       what

Remember that que changes to qu' before a vowel or silent h.

Relative Pronouns used as Subject or Direct Object of a Relative Clause

How do you determine whether a relative pronoun is the subject or the direct object of a relative clause? First, you must find the verb of the relative clause, as distinguished from the verb of the main clause. Then, you must determine whether the relative pronoun is used as the subject or the direct object of this verb.

QUI and QUE

When the antecedent is a person or a specified thing, qui is the subject and que is the direct object.

Remember that the direct object relative pronoun is often omitted in English; the French direct object pronoun, on the other hand, is always used.

        Le chemin qui était glacé longeait la rivière. [Le chemin était glacé.]
        Les maisons qui étaient entourées d'une étendue de terrain défriché s'espaçaient.
           [Les maisons étaient entourées d'une étendue de terrain défriché.]
        Le père Chapdelaine qui s'était réveillé étendait la main.
           [Le père Chapdelaine s'était réveillé.]
        Les maisons et les granges nouvelles qui s'élevaient d'une saison à l'autre pouvaient aussi
           vite tomber en ruines.
           [Les maisons et les granges nouvelles s'élevaient d'une saison à l'autre.]

        La végétation nouvelle poignait entre les troncs et les souches que les grands incendies
           avaient calcinés.
           [Les grands incendies avaient calciné les troncs et les souches.]
        Le traîneau que le cheval tirait glissait sur la neige dure.
           [Le cheval tirait le traîneau.]
        Charles-Eugène que personne ne guidait suivait exactement tous les détours.
           [Personne ne guidait Charles-Eugène.]
 

CE QUI and CE QUE

When the antecedent is an idea or an unspecified thing (i.e., when it is indeterminate), ce qui is the subject and ce que is the diret object. Ce qui and ce que are usually rendered by what in English.

Tout ce qui and tout ce que are used to express all that or everything that.
 

Relative Pronouns used with Prepositions

Relative pronouns used with Prepositions Other than DE
 
 

antécédent	pronom relatif
personne	qui                 whom
chose	lequel             which
indéterminé	quoi               what, which
expressions de temps ou de lieu	où                  where, when

 
• Qui ordinarily refers to persons.
             Le père Chapdelaine à qui Maria avait donné les cordeaux surveillait la surface
                 de la rivière gelée.
                 [Maria avait donné les cordeaux au père Chapdelaine.]
• Lequel is generally used for specified things. Depending on the number and gender of the antecedent, one of the following forms is used: lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles.
          The forms contract normally with the prepositions à and de: auquel, auxquels, auxquelles,
          duquel, desquels, desquelles, but à laquelle.

             Les champs derrière lesquels la lisière apparaissait étaient nus.
                 [La lisière apparaissait derrière la lisière.]
             D'innombrables squelettes d'arbres parmi lesquels se perdaient quelques jeunes arbres
                étaient recouverts de neige.
                [Quelques jeunes arbres se perdaient parmis d'innombrables squelettes d'arbres.]
             La maison de Charles Lindsay vers laquelle Charles-Eugène trottait était visible.
                [Charles-Eugène trottait vers la maison de Charles Lindsay.]

• Quoi refers to ideas or unspecified things.
• Où is used with expressions of time and place.(Quand is not a relative pronoun and therefore cannot be used after expressions of time.)
            Le cheval s'aventura sur la glace où il y avait un peu d'eau.
                 [Il y avait un peu d'eau sur la glace.]

Relative Pronouns DONT and CE DONT
 
 

antécédent	pronom relatif
personne	dont            of whom, whom, whose
chose	dont            of which, which, that, whose
indéterminé	ce dont          of which, what

The relative pronouns dont and ce dont are used with verbs and verbal expressions ending in de and with the possessive construction.

Dont has an immediate antecedent to which it refers.
 

• Here are some verbs and expressions ending with de:
 

parler de	avoir envie de	se souvenir de
se méfier de	avoir peur de
rêver de	avoir besoin de
il s'agit de	être content de

 
• Used with the possessive construction, dont is the equivalent of whose.
              Le père Chapdelaine portait des mitaines de cuir dont les paumes étaient luisantes.
                  [Les paumes des mitaines du cuir étaient luisantes.]
              Le père Chapdelaine dont les yeux étaient vifs...s'était mis debout.
                  [Les yeux du père Chapdelaine étaient vifs.]
 

 Ce dont does not have an immediate antecedent and refers to ideas or unspecified things.