357 pages
Grammar & usage
Build sentences that make sense: articles, negation, pronouns, word order and agreement.
Cheat sheetC1
Ainsi procède-t-elle: a cheat sheet for French statement inversion
Read ainsi as “in this way” or “thus”, recognise three inversion patterns and identify the subject in sentences such as ainsi nous aide-t-elle.
ArticleB2
Ne serait-ce que: "if only", "even just" in French
Ne serait-ce que means even if only, even just: ne serait-ce que cinq minutes. It looks negative but isn't. Learn its meaning, register and use with examples.
Verb drillA1
Build your first French sentences: subject, verb, complement
Put scrambled beginner sentences in order, then build your own about where you live, what you do and what you like. Typed answers with instant checking.
Cheat sheetC1
French statement inversion: peut-être, sans doute, ainsi and aussi
Proofread formal French statements without turning them into questions: check meaning, finite verbs, subject pronouns, hyphens and negation.
Verb drillB2
De peur que and de crainte que: subjunctive practice
Explain a precaution with de peur que or de crainte que. Practise eight verb forms, compare the infinitive and decode optional ne with a quiz.
Cheat sheetB1
Sans in French: without a thing or without doing it
Use sans sucre, sans attendre and sans le lire. A compact reference, picture cards and questions show nouns, infinitives and pronoun placement.
Verb drillA2
French pronoun drill: le, la, les with shopping
Replace shopping items with le, la, les in short exchanges: Tu as acheté le pain ? Oui, je l'ai acheté. Present, near future and passé composé, with checking.
Cheat sheetA2
Parce que, puisque and car: a French cause cheat sheet
Choose parce que, puisque or car with six compact rules, everyday examples and a four-question check. Includes clause and noun patterns.
Verb drillB1
Active to passive in French: a transformation drill
Keep the tense, agent and negative meaning as you turn French active sentences into passive ones. Study three models, then complete eight transformations.
Cheat sheetA1
French noun plurals: add s and change the whole phrase
Make French nouns plural with s, keep nouns ending in s, x or z unchanged, and practise articles, adjectives and verbs with illustrated home vocabulary.
Verb drillA2
À quelle heure or combien de temps? French question-building drill
Build a French question from a supplied answer. Choose à quelle heure for a clock time and combien de temps for a duration in twelve guided transformations.
Verb drillA2
French obligation drill: change il faut into tu dois or vous devez
Rewrite positive rules and prohibitions with tu dois or vous devez. Twelve French transformations keep the instruction, person and negative meaning clear.
Verb drillB2
Ce qui… c’est: eight ways to put the main point last
Build French focus sentences with ce qui… c’est and ce que… c’est. Compare plain and focused wording, then rewrite eight first halves with guided gaps.
Verb drillB2
À force de: turn repeated actions into a result
Practise à force de with an infinitive or a noun, compare it with pour, and build sentences about persistence and unwanted results.
Verb drillB1
French passive agreement: ten endings to practise
Practise passive participle agreement in ten sentences. Match gender and number to the subject, keep été unchanged and check irregular forms.
Verb drillB1
French question inversion: proofread verbs, pronouns and hyphens
Practise eight inverted French questions: find the finite verb, keep object pronouns in place and check arrive-t-elle, vient-elle and prend-elle.
Verb drillA1
French description drill: describe a person with two adjectives
Combine two adjectives with être and et, and make them agree: il est grand et brun, elles sont petites et sportives. Typed answers with checking.
Verb drillA2
En, au or aux? French country prepositions and origin forms
Practise en France, au Canada and aux Pays-Bas, then switch from destination to origin with de, d’, du and des. Includes country and city contrasts.
Verb drillB2
La plupart and un grand nombre: French agreement drill
Complete survey summaries with plural verbs and adjective endings after la plupart and un grand nombre, keeping the people or responses in view.
Verb drillB2
French subjunctive after le seul, le premier and superlatives: a drill
Practise evaluative relative clauses after le seul, le premier and le meilleur. Contrast a judgement or search criterion with an established fact.
Verb drillB1
Nora vient-elle ? French questions with noun subjects
Keep the noun subject and add its matching pronoun: Nora vient-elle ? Practise formal yes/no questions, -t- hyphens and auxiliary inversion.
Verb drillB2
C’est…qui or c’est…que? Check the role and practise the rewrite
Rebuild the plain statement behind a French cleft, keep its prepositions and practise eight focused sentences with correct subject agreement.
Verb drillA2
French en drill: keep numbers in short shopping replies
Shorten shopping replies with en while keeping exact quantities: j’en prends deux, j’en veux une and j’en achète une douzaine. Twelve transformations with answers.
Verb drillB2
Non pas… mais: practise correcting one detail in French
Correct a number, a time, a purpose or an intention with non pas… mais. Study parallel examples, then complete eight focused French corrections.
Verb drillB2
Sauf à, à moins de, sous réserve de: French restriction drill
Rewrite nine conditions with sauf à, à moins de and sous réserve de. Distinguish an exception, a necessary way out and a pending reservation.
Verb drillB1
Quelqu’un de, quelque chose de, rien de: French adjective drill
Describe an unnamed person or thing with de plus an adjective. Practise quelqu’un de gentil, quelque chose d’utile and rien de spécial in 14 rewrites.
Verb drillA2
French service-request drill: demander à quelqu’un de
Turn blunt service instructions into indirect requests with demander à quelqu’un de. Keep who is asking, who must act and what they are asked to do.
Verb drillB1
French double-pronoun drill: me le, le lui, les y and lui en
Put two French object pronouns in order with twelve sentence gaps. Practise recipients, places and quantities, then keep both pronouns with their verb.
Verb drillC1
French nominalisation drill: rapidement becomes rapide
Change adverbs into agreeing adjectives in French noun phrases. Practise rapide, progressive, massif and vive, and preserve the meaning of the original.
Verb drillA1
French pronoun drill: replace repeated names with il or elle
Stop repeating names: Marie habite à Lyon. Elle travaille… Choose il, elle, ils or elles for people and things, with typed answers and checking.
Verb drillB2
Sans que + subjunctive: say who did not take part
Practise sans que with a named subject and the subjunctive. Compare sans partir, sans que tu partes and a completed action with ait reçu.
Verb drillB1
Avant que + subjunctive: eight forms to practise
Use avant que with its own subject and a subjunctive verb. Study soit, ait, vienne and puisse, then complete eight sentences and check the timeline.
Verb drillB2
Causative faire pronoun drill: je la fais réparer, je le lui fais lire
Replace objects and people in faire + infinitive sentences. Practise la, les, lui and leur, pronoun order, compound tenses and invariable fait.
