Category: French grammar tips

‘Quelquefois’ and ‘parfois’ both mean ‘sometimes’ and are interchangeable, though ‘parfois’ is slightly more formal. For example, ‘Je vais quelquefois au cinéma’ (I sometimes go to the cinema) vs. ‘Parfois,…

‘Avant’ refers to time (before), while ‘devant’ refers to space (in front of). For example, ‘Avant de partir, ferme la porte’ (Before leaving, close the door) vs. ‘Il est devant…

‘À peine’ means ‘barely’ or ‘hardly’ and is used for emphasis, often at the beginning of a sentence. For example, ‘À peine arrivé, il a commencé à travailler’ (Barely arrived,…

‘En effet’ means ‘indeed’ or ‘in fact’ and is used to confirm or clarify a statement. For example, ‘Il est très intelligent, en effet, il a toujours de bonnes notes’…

‘Entre’ means ‘between’ and is used when referring to two elements, while ‘parmi’ means ‘among’ and is used for three or more elements. For example, ‘Je suis entre deux choix’…

‘D’un côté… de l’autre côté’ means ‘on one hand… on the other hand’ and is used to present contrasting ideas. For example, ‘D’un côté, il est gentil, de l’autre côté,…

‘Parmi’ means ‘among’ and is used to indicate inclusion within a group. For example, ‘Elle est la meilleure parmi ses amies’ (She is the best among her friends). ‘Parmi’ signifie…

‘Bien’ is an adverb meaning ‘well’, while ‘bon’ is an adjective meaning ‘good’. For example, ‘Il parle bien’ (He speaks well) vs. ‘C’est un bon livre’ (It’s a good book).…

‘À propos de’ means ‘about’ or ‘concerning’ and is used to introduce a topic of conversation. For example, ‘Nous avons parlé à propos de ton projet’ (We talked about your…

‘En’ is a pronoun used to replace nouns preceded by ‘de’ or to express quantities. For example, ‘J’en ai mangé’ (I ate some) or ‘Tu veux du pain ? Oui,…

‘Même si’ means ‘even if’ and is used to introduce a concession or hypothetical situation. For example, ‘Même si tu es fatigué, tu dois venir’ (Even if you are tired,…

‘Pendant’ is used to indicate the duration of an action in the past or future, while ‘pour’ is used for future intentions. For example, ‘J’ai étudié pendant deux heures’ (I…