Category: French grammar tips

‘Lequel’, ‘laquelle’, ‘lesquels’, and ‘lesquelles’ are relative pronouns used to refer to previously mentioned things or people. For example, ‘Le livre sur lequel je travaille’ (The book I am working…

‘Quelque chose’ means ‘something’, while ‘rien’ means ‘nothing’. These are used to indicate presence or absence of things. For example, ‘Je veux quelque chose’ (I want something) vs. ‘Je ne…

‘Ne…personne’ means ‘nobody’ or ‘no one’ and is used for negation involving people. For example, ‘Je ne connais personne ici’ (I don’t know anyone here). ‘Ne…personne’ signifie ‘nobody’ ou ‘no…

‘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…

‘En cas de’ means ‘in case of’ and is used to prepare for possible events. For example, ‘En cas de pluie, la fête sera annulée’ (In case of rain, the…

‘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,…

‘Puisque’ means ‘since’ or ‘because’ and is used to justify a statement or action. For example, ‘Puisque tu es là, aide-moi’ (Since you are here, help me). ‘Puisque’ signifie ‘since’…

‘En tant que’ means ‘as’ and is used to express a role or identity. For example, ‘En tant que professeur, je dois vous expliquer’ (As a teacher, I must explain…

‘Au-delà de’ means ‘beyond’ and is used to describe something that goes past a certain limit. For example, ‘C’est au-delà de mes capacités’ (It’s beyond my abilities). ‘Au-delà de’ signifie…

‘Depuis’ is used to indicate that an action started in the past and is still ongoing. For example, ‘Je vis ici depuis cinq ans’ (I have been living here for…

‘À travers’ means ‘through’ and is used to describe movement across something. For example, ‘Nous avons marché à travers le parc’ (We walked through the park). ‘À travers’ signifie ‘through’…

‘Plutôt’ means ‘rather’ and is used to express a preference between options. For example, ‘Je préfère le thé plutôt que le café’ (I prefer tea rather than coffee). ‘Plutôt’ signifie…