Present tense
Use the present for routines and current states. Regular -er verbs change their endings with the subject; common verbs such as être, avoir and aller are irregular.
Je joue au basket et nous regardons les matchs.
GCSE · French · grammar
For Years 9–11 · Learn, try, checkGCSE French Grammar: Tenses and Sentence Building
Build accurate sentences with concise tense notes, examples and short answer-reveal practice.
Build a sentence you can change
Begin with a subject, a verb and one clear detail. For writing and speaking, present-tense routines, completed past events and future plans are useful starting points. For reading and listening, recognising a form matters even before you can produce it quickly.
Use your board and tier’s grammar list to choose priorities. Get frequent verbs secure before adding longer structures.
- Say a sentence, change its subject, then check the new ending.
- Move it to a different time frame and change the time marker too.
- Add a negative or reason without changing the intended meaning.
- Keep a small correction log: wrong form → correct form → new example.
French grammar: the useful building blocks
These are concise starting notes, not the entire specification. Each example shows the form doing a job in a sentence.
Perfect tense
For a completed past action, combine an auxiliary (avoir or être) with a past participle. Most verbs use avoir. With être, the participle agrees with the subject.
J’ai fini mes devoirs. Léa est allée au parc.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for past habits or background. Take the nous present stem, remove -ons, and add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Être uses ét-.
Quand j’étais petit, je jouais dehors.
Future
Near future: present aller + infinitive. Simple future: future stem + -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Some stems are irregular, such as ir- for aller.
Je vais étudier ce soir. Demain, j’irai au collège.
Conditional
Use the conditional for a wish or hypothetical outcome. Add imperfect endings to the future stem. Je voudrais is useful for a polite request or wish.
Je voudrais habiter près de la mer.
Modal verbs
Pouvoir, devoir and vouloir are commonly followed by an infinitive. Keep the second verb in that form; do not conjugate both.
Je dois réviser, mais je veux sortir.
Negatives
In careful written French, surround the conjugated verb with ne…pas, ne…jamais or ne…plus. In a compound tense, the negative surrounds the auxiliary.
Je ne mange jamais de viande. Je n’ai pas joué.
Adjective agreement
Adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number. Many take -e in the feminine and -s in the plural; some are irregular.
Un petit jardin ; des petites maisons.
Pronouns
Direct object pronouns such as le, la and les usually come before the conjugated verb, or before an infinitive they belong to. Y can replace a place introduced by à.
J’aime ce livre. Je le lis souvent. Je vais le finir.
Comparisons
Use plus…que, moins…que and aussi…que. Bon becomes meilleur when comparing quality; bien becomes mieux when comparing how something is done.
Le train est plus rapide que le bus.
Connectives
Et adds, mais contrasts, parce que explains and donc gives a consequence. Choose the link that matches the ideas, not just a longer word.
J’aime le français parce que c’est utile.
Choose the form from the meaning
Original practice · not an exam paper
Four short grammar checks
Write the missing form or correction. Say why it fits before you reveal the answers.
- Complete: Hier, nous ___ (jouer) au tennis.
- Complete: Quand j’étais petit, je ___ (aller) au parc.
- Make negative: Je regarde la télévision.
- Choose: les (petit / petites) maisons.
Reveal answers and explanations
- Nous avons joué: completed past, avoir + joué.
- J’allais: a past habit needs the imperfect.
- Je ne regarde pas la télévision: ne…pas surrounds regarde.
- Les petites maisons: petites agrees with feminine plural maisons.
Use grammar in a real answer
D’habitude, je joue au tennis. Hier, j’ai joué avec ma sœur. Demain, je vais jouer au parc.
Underline the verbs, then label each time frame. Write a version about your own life, keeping the grammatical pattern but changing the detail. Finally say it aloud without reading.
Original practice · not an exam paper
Change one detail, keep the structure
Change the final sentence to a new plan or wish. Then check the subject, verb and any agreement. For example, change je vais jouer to je vais lire, not je vais lis.
Reveal answers and explanations
A model adaptation is Demain, je vais lire à la bibliothèque.. Your own accurate alternative may be different.
Grammar helps writing when it conveys a precise meaning, and speaking when it makes an answer easy to follow. A memorised complex sentence that does not fit the question is not an improvement.
Check the assessment for your board
Confirm your board and tier with your teacher. These are original learning resources, not official papers or a grade prediction.
AQA
AQA specifies grammar by tier. Grammar supports all four skills, and Foundation writing includes short grammar tasks. Use your tier’s official list to prioritise forms rather than assuming every example here is required.
Official AQA French specification (PDF)Pearson Edexcel GCSE
Pearson Edexcel GCSE publishes tier-specific grammar and sound–symbol correspondences. Use these to connect verb accuracy in writing with recognising forms in reading and dictation; do not substitute an old-specification checklist.
Pearson Edexcel GCSE French speaking guide
Official Pearson Edexcel GCSE French specification (PDF)GCSE guidance uses the specifications first taught in September 2024, first examined in 2026. Older GCSE task formats are not interchangeable with these.
Carry the skill into your next answer
Move between understanding language and using it. Pick a related resource rather than starting another long checklist.
Ready to say it aloud?
The website supports broad revision. The ScoreMySpeech app stays specialist: French and Spanish speaking practice with feedback, not full reading, listening or writing assessment.