Do French accent marks really matter or are they merely decorative? We learned from previous lessons that, yes, accents do matter. They are essential for clarity, grammar, and pronunciation in French. This is especially true for pairs of words that look and sound nearly identical. A single, tiny accent mark—easily overlooked—is all that distinguishes their meanings. To help you avoid some common mistakes, we will walk you through some of the most frequently used "accentonyms", such as ou (or) and où (where).

Two of these “accentonyms” are the shortest words in the French language: a and à. Without an accent, a is the third-person singular of avoir (to have) in the present tense, as in il/elle a (he /she has):

Elle a des répliques cultes

She has some famous lines

Caption 20, Français avec Nelly How to Speak Like Marie Antoinette - Part 1

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With an accent grave, à is a preposition meaning "at," "in," or "to":

Alors qu'est-ce qu'il s'est passé à Paris le quinze avril deux mille dix-neuf ?

So what happened in Paris on April fifteenth, two thousand nineteen?

Caption 14, Français avec Nelly L'histoire de Notre-Dame de Paris - Part 1

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On a similar note, do not confuse the feminine definite article la (the) and the adverb of location là (there). They might even appear within a single sentence as shown in the example below, so be sure to spell them correctly: 

Et... là où en fait tu vois la perspective de la Dame de fer, la tour Eiffel.

And... where you actually see the perspective of the Iron Lady, the Eiffel Tower.

Captions 31-32, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 26

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Speaking of location, note the difference in meaning between ou (or) and où (where). Don’t forget to add an accent grave on the u to indicate “where” you are or are going:

Et où est-ce qu'on va ?

And where are we going?

Caption 11, Extr@ Ep. 11 - Les vacances - Part 8

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And use the unaccented ou (or) when discussing alternatives: 

Ce virus ou cette pandémie, pour être plus précis, a une envergure mondiale aujourd'hui.

This virus, or this pandemic, to be more precise, now has a worldwide scope.

Captions 19-20, Lionel L La pandémie

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Let’s move on to a different accent, the accent circonflexe (circumflex accent), which can modify all five vowels (â, ê, î, ô, û). For example, the words du (some) and dû (due/must have) have different meanings. The French indefinite article du means “some” in English:

D'abord, prenez du chocolat et faites-le fondre.

First, take some chocolate and let it melt.

Captions 3-4, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 7

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With an accent circonflexe, dû becomes a past participle (of devoir, "to have to/must") expressing causation or probability:

Ça a dû lui prendre un peu la tête.

It must have given her a bit of a headache.

Caption 33, Français avec Nelly How to Speak Like Marie Antoinette - Part 1

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Likewise, be sure to know the difference between these two very common words: the preposition sur (on) and the adjective sûr (sure).

Cette pluie sage et heureuse / Sur ton visage heureux

That wise and happy rain / On your happy face

Captions 32-33, Le saviez-vous? "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert

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Déjà d'une, on n'est pas sûr de vieillir, hein.

First of all, already, we aren't sure we'll reach old age, you know.

Caption 15, Télésonne Micro Trottoir : Bien vieillir ?

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Circumflex accents don’t affect pronunciation when modifying the vowels u or i. However, in addition to a change of meaning, there is a change in pronunciation with accented ê, â, and ô, providing an additional clue as to their spelling. For example, the unaccented o in notre (our) has a more open, shorter sound than the accented ô in le nôtre (ours). Listen carefully to the two examples below, as the difference is subtle:

Pour notre dernière étape, il faut suivre ce câble.

For our last stop, we have to follow this cable.

Captions 77-78, TF1 Info Week-end à Angers et son trésor médiéval - Part 2

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Ce frère, c'est le nôtre.

This brother, he is ours.

Caption 4, Le saviez-vous? Les pronoms possessifs - Part 2

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The accented ô in le nôtre (ours) has a deeper, longer sound. When in doubt, remember that the adjective notre precedes the noun it modifies, whereas the possessive pronoun le nôtre stands alone.

Likewise, listen for the subtle difference between the more open and shorter-sounding unaccented a, as in tache (stain), and the longer, deeper accented â in tâche (task):

Le plafond du cabinet était couvert d'une tache d'environ soixante-dix centimètres de diamètre.

The ceiling of the office was covered with a stain about seventy centimeters in diameter.

Captions 83-85, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Mise en danger par un médecin ? - Part 4

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Pour vous faciliter la tâche

To make the task easier for yourself

Caption 145, Whoogy's Poulet au vin jaune & aux morilles - Part 1

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Finally, here is an example featuring an accent aigu (acute accent) that will change both pronunciation and meaning. Notice how such a tiny accent can make all the difference in the words sale (dirty) versus salé (salty). 

L'eau était s'... sale.

The water was d'... dirty.

Caption 42, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 18

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C'est un peu salé. 

It's a bit salty. 

Caption 24, Mère & Fille Cuisine Monster

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We hope this lesson vous a facilité la tâche (made your task easier) and will help you avoid common mistakes in the future. For a more comprehensive list of “accentonyms,” check out this site. Thank you for reading!

In a previous lesson, we explored how the accent grave (è) and accent aigu (é) interact within a single word. But how do these accents function when conjugating certain -er verbs? Specifically, why do verbs like acheter (to buy) take an accent grave (achète), while appeler (to call) has a double l (appelle) in the present tense? Let's find out!

When verbs like these lose their -r infinitive ending during conjugation, a silent e remains in the last syllable, leaving us with two consecutive silent e's separated by a single consonant: "achete," "appele." Since French phonology typically avoids having two consecutive silent e's, the spelling must be altered—via an accent or a doubled consonant—to maintain correct pronunciation. Verbs that do this are known as stem-changing verbs.

One group of French -er verbs, including appeler (to call) and jeter (to throw), have a double consonant in certain conjugated forms. Basically, for the je, tu, il/elle and ils/elles conjugations, you take the verb stem (what’s left after you take out the -er of the infinitive), and double the final consonant: appell-, jett-. Then it's just a matter of adding the usual appropriate endings. But note that the stem only changes in the je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles forms, not nous or vous. So you have j'appelle and tu jettes, but nous appelons and vous jetez.

The change occurs in the present and future tenses, and the conditional mood:

Je m'appelle Nelly.

My name is Nelly.

Caption 31, Français avec Nelly Coco Chanel - Part 1

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Vous verrez que Nico, le voisin, a toutes les qualités d'une star et que Spielberg appellera.

You'll see that Nico, the neighbor, has all the qualities of a star and that Spielberg will call.

Captions 31-33, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 6

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Et d'ailleurs, il est prévu dans "x" siècles que la Moselle ne se jetterait plus dans le Rhin.

And incidentally, it has been predicted in "x" number of centuries that the Moselle supposedly won't flow into the Rhine anymore.

Captions 75-76, Lionel L'Office de tourisme de Liverdun

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In addition, there is a second group of verbs that don’t double consonants, but require an accent grave on the penultimate e instead. Common verbs in this group include acheter (to buy) and se lever (to get up):

Tu achètes une douzaine d'œufs.

You buy a dozen eggs.

Caption 50, Extr@ Ep. 2 - Sam fait du shopping - Part 5

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Elle se lève à neuf heures.

She gets up at nine.

As with the first group, the verb stem doesn't change in the first- and second-person plural (nous and vous), as the final syllable is now stressed:

Donc c'est un objet en terre cuite, bien sûr, ce que nous achetons

So this is a terra cotta object, of course, which we are buying

Caption 23, Canal 32 Mesnil-Saint-Loup : moines artisans

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Vous vous levez très tôt.

You get up very early. 

Likewise, this rule also applies to the conditional mood and future tense:

Tu achèteras une douzaine d'œufs.

You will buy a dozen eggs.

Elle se lèverait à neuf heures tous les jours si elle avait un réveil.

She would wake up at nine every day if she had an alarm clock.

What happens when an -er verb has an accent aigu in it, as in céder (to cede)? The é changes to an è! 

Les Autrichiens cèdent une partie de leur territoire

The Austrians cede part of their territory,

Caption 58, Le Monde Comment Napoléon a conquis (et perdu) l’Europe - Part 2

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As mentioned in a previous lesson, the 1990 spelling reform changed some accent rules, but these are not universally applied. So, for instance, you will see both je cèderai (per the spelling reform) or je céderai:

Idem pour je céderai.

Likewise for "I will give in."

Caption 31, Lionel L La réforme du français

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Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule to determine whether a stem-changing verb takes a double consonant or an è. But to familiarize yourself with the full list of them, click here. Just remember that in all of these cases, the stem only changes in certain persons (je, tu, il/elle, ils/elles) and in certain tenses/moods (present, future, conditional). Thanks for reading! 

Now that we’ve learned about the accent aigu (acute accent), which modifies sound and differentiates meaning, it's time to introduce its counterpart, the accent grave (è, which sounds like the “e” in English “met"). We will explore the differences between both accents and discuss how é, è, and e interact within a single word. 

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Before we embark on this lesson, note that while both accents can modify the sound of the letter e, the accent grave is also used over the letter a as in là (here, there) and the letter u (only in où, "where"), but without affecting pronunciation:

Et voilà, je vais me réfugier, euh... là où je peux

And that's it, I go to take refuge, uh... where I can

Caption 62, Français avec Nelly L'histoire de Notre-Dame de Paris - Part 2

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Going back to the letter e, there is a definite difference in pronunciation between the grave è and the acute é, though this distinction is sometimes missed by French learners. For example, in the word élève (student), the é pronounced like the "ay" in "day," and the è like the "e" in "met." Can you hear the difference between the closed é and open è sound in this example?

C'est une très bonne élève.

She's a very good student.

Caption 68, Français avec Nelly A Simple Technique to Increase Your Vocab - Part 1

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Now that we’ve established pronunciation, let’s focus on the difference in accent placement. Unlike the accent aigu é, which frequently ends a word as in parlé (spoken), the accent grave è never does. But è often appears before a final silent s, as in procès (trial):

Le procès commence par l'audition de la prévenue.

The trial begins with the hearing of the accused.

Caption 57, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Volé par sa belle-mère ? - Part 1

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Interestingly, these two accents also share some common characteristics. Neither é nor è can be placed before a word ending in a double consonant, as in poubelle (trash/trashcan):

Or, une bonne partie des journaux finit à la poubelle.

Now, a large proportion of newspapers end up in the trash.

Caption 38, Il était une fois: Notre Terre 25. Technologies - Part 6

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Likewise, no accents are necessary for adjectives that take a double consonant in the feminine, as in muet/muette (mute):

Et bien qu'elle fût muette, le prince donna à la jeune femme mystérieuse une grande place dans son cœur.

And even though she was mute, the prince gave the mysterious young woman a big place in his heart.

Captions 20-21, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 2

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However, you guessed it, there are exceptions! Instead of taking on a double consonant in the feminine, a handful of masculine adjectives ending in -et, as in secret, take an accent grave followed by a single consonant in the feminine: secrète. 

Et qu'elle a... une technique secrète qui lui est propre.

And that they have... a secret technique of their own.

Captions 22-23, Lionel L Le truc

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Here is the complete list: complet/complète (complete), incomplet/incomplète (incomplete), concret/concrète (concrete), discret/indiscrète (discreet), indiscret/indiscrète (indiscreet), replet/replète (plump), désuet/désuète (outdated), inquiet/inquiète (worried), and secret/secrète (secret).

The adjectives mentioned above follow this general rule: when a word ends in e + consonant + unstressed e, the first e takes an accent grave. For example, père (father):

Mon père, ben, il était... grand

My father, well, he was... tall

Caption 84, TF1 Info Fontainebleau : l'appel de la forêt - Part 2

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Another rule is that when an e appears before two consonants, an accent grave is required if the second consonant is an l or an r, as in trèfle (clover), règlement (regulation), or lèvre (lip):

Et je remplis ma bouche avec mon rouge à lèvres.

And I fill in my lips with my lipstick.

Captions 44-45, Acelya Maquillage

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Voilà le règlement intérieur du zoo.

Here are the zoo's rules and regulations.

Caption 37, Les zooriginaux 3 Qui suis-je? - Part 3

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The 1990 French spelling reform made some changes to the rules for é and è, as Lionel explains:

Des accents graves vont remplacer des accents aigus.

Some grave accents are going to replace some acute accents.

Caption 27, Lionel L La réforme du français

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For example, événement (event) becomes évènement:

Le plus bel exemple, c'est événement qui avant s'écrivait avec deux accents aigus, et qui maintenant va avoir un accent aigu et ensuite un accent grave.

The nicest example is "event," which was previously written with two acute accents, and which now will have one acute accent and then a grave accent.

Captions 28-30, Lionel L La réforme du français

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The 1990 reform also simplified the conjugation of some first-group verbs. For example, the accent aigu é in the verb je céderai (I will give in) becomes an accent grave è, je cèderai:

Idem pour je céderai.

Likewise for "I will give in."

Caption 31, Lionel L La réforme du français

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That said, the 1990 reform remains controversial, and many writers, educators, and major media outlets choose not to follow it. So both événement and évènement are perfectly acceptable, as are céderai/cèderai. 

Here's a summary to help you remember where an è is necessary:

Before a final silent -s: 

procès (trial), après (after)

Before a final consonant + unstressed e:

père (father), mère (mother)

Before a consonant + le or re:

règlement (regulation), lèvre (lip), trèfle (clover)

Per the 1990 spelling reform, before a syllable containing an unstressed e, although an accent aigu is still acceptable:

évènement/événement (event), je cèderai/céderai (I will give in)

No accent needed before double consonants:

poubelle (trash), muette (mute)

In conclusion, despite the 1990 reform intended to simplify things, accent rules remain complex! So, until the next reform, our Yabla videos are here to help you come to grips with accents. Thank you for reading!

Unlike English, French makes liberal use of accent marks to modify pronunciation and differentiate meanings. They are an essential part of the language. However, since accents are rare in English, they can present a challenge for French learners. They may find the subtle differences in pronunciation challenging, not to mention that accent marks add another layer of difficulty with spelling. In this lesson, we will focus on the most common one, the accute accent (accent aigu), which exclusively modifies the letter e, as in café. 

The primary function of the accent aigu is to signal a change of pronunciation of the letter e (which is either silent or pronounced like the "a" in "a dog"), into a closed é (the same as a Spanish e). Unfortunately, such a sound does not exist in English, but it's roughly equivalent to a shortened, denser “ay” as in “day," pronounced with tighter lips. In English, you may be familiar with the loanword café, but can you say it the French way? Listen to the way a native pronounces it:

Enzo retrouve Brice au café.

Enzo meets up with Brice at the café.

Caption 2, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 8

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In addition to altering pronunciation, the accent aigu can signal a change in meaning. For instance, the difference between the present tense and past tense of some verbs is only an accent away, as in parle (speak) versus parlé (spoken). In the present tense, parle (speak), like all regular -er verbs, ends in a silent e, pronounced "parl." 

Bon, je parle, je parle.

OK, I'm talking, I'm talking.

Caption 106, Whoogy's Poulet au vin jaune & aux morilles - Part 1

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Conversely, parlé (spoke/spoken) is the past participle, with the final é clearly pronounced, sounding roughly like “parlay” in English. So be sure to pronounce the endings correctly, as all -er verbs have a past participle ending in é:

Il a parlé de haine. Il a parlé d'humiliation.

He spoke of hatred. He spoke of humiliation.

Captions 78-79, France 24 Nicolas Sarkozy condamné à 5 ans de prison

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While parle and parlé are pronounced differently, parler (to speak) and its past participle parlé (spoke/spoken) sound the same but have a different ending, as is the case for all -er verbs. They can be hard to distinguish in speech, so it's best to rely on context and grammar to guide you. Generally, a verb following a conjugated verb will be in the infinitive form, as shown below:

Elle ne veut plus me parler

She doesn't want to talk to me anymore

Caption 54, Français avec Nelly Comment remplacer "mais"

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Moving away from verbs, accent aigu marks are usually less problematic when placed on other parts of speech, as they don’t involve grammar shifts:

Je viens de donner un cours avec un étudiant américain.

I just gave a class with an American student.

Caption 13, Français avec Nelly Les États américains

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Ils marchèrent un moment à travers le marécage

They walked for a while through the marsh

Caption 7, Piggeldy et Frédéric La pluie

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You may encounter words with multiple é’s, such as réédité (reprinted). Ré- here acts as a prefix ("re-" in English), which is followed by the past participle édité (printed):

La ville de Soissons a réédité des affiches de l'époque

The city of Soissons has reprinted posters from the era

Caption 22, Voyage en France Soissons - Part 1

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The record for the number of é’s found in a single word is five, as in hétérogénéité (heterogeneity):

Une riche et fructueuse hétérogénéité culturelle reflète cette variété naturelle.

A rich and fruitful cultural heterogeneity reflects this natural variety.

Here is another succession of vowels that may seem strange to an English speaker: three e’s in a row, as in créée (created)! The first é comes from the stem of the infinitive, créer (to create). The second is the past participle ending (créé, created). And the final (silent) e is the feminine ending:

Alors l'Assemblée générale de l'ONU a été créée après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en mille neuf cent quarante-cinq.

So the UN General Assembly was created after the end of World War Two, in nineteen forty-five.

Captions 8-10, France 24 On vous explique... l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU

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You'll notice that most of the words with é in the example above are cognates with English: assemblée/assembly, générale/general, créée/created. Cognate nouns ending in é in French often end in y in English, as in assemblée/assembly. 

Although accents aigus seem to pop up just about anywhere within a word, as seen in the example above, there are some restrictions. For instance, they cannot be placed before a double consonant, as in embelli (embellished):

Il fut bâti au treizième siècle et embelli jusqu'au seizième.

It was built in the thirteenth century and embellished until the sixteenth.

Caption 9, Voyage en France Vexin Normand - Gisors - Part 2

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In this word, the second e is pronounced é, but because it precedes a double l, it doesn't take an accent aigu.

When an e appears before a single consonant followed by a silent e, as in collège (middle school), the first e takes an accent grave (è), not an accent aigu:

J'ai douze ans et je pars au collège, en cinquième.

I'm twelve years old, and I go to middle school, in fifth grade [seventh grade].

Captions 2-3, Leïa L'école

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We'll focus on the accent grave in our next lesson. In the meantime, keep taking note of accent marks in our Yabla videos to familiarize yourself. Thank you for reading!

In Part 1, we discussed how textbook French, which is less flexible with grammar rules, is different from conversational French, which often takes shortcuts. For example, small words such as tu es (you are) are shortened to t’es (you’re), and some words, such as the ne in ne...pas, are dropped entirely. This lesson focuses on how some shortcuts can affect sentence meaning and clarity.

As we just mentioned, the ne in the negative construction ne...pas (not) usually disappears in conversational French. Like the two friends in the video below, most people typically drop ne, yet their message remains perfectly clear with pas:

En fait, je peux pas me réveiller si j'ai pas mon café.

In fact, I can't wake up if I don't have my coffee.

Captions 15-16, Sophie et Edmée Le petit-déjeuner

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Here is the textbook version with ne...pas:  

En fait, je ne peux pas me réveiller si je n’ai pas mon café.

In fact, I cannot wake up if I do not have my coffee.

While dropping the ne in ne...pas rarely affects clarity, dropping the ne in ne...plus (no more/no longer) can sometimes cause confusion. Plus on its own might be misinterpreted as a positive statement to mean "more." In the example below, j’ai plus faim could be misconstrued as "I’m hungrier." Fortunately, we can tell from the context that the person doesn’t want any more food:

Tu veux quelque chose ? Un fruit ? Non ? D'accord. -Non, merci. J'ai plus faim.

Do you want anything? A fruit? No? OK. -No thanks. I'm full [I'm not hungry anymore].

Captions 16-17, Le Jour où tout a basculé Notre appartement est hanté - Part 5

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In any case, using the complete expression ne...plus (no more/no longer) would remove any doubt:

Tu veux quelque chose ? Un fruit ? Non ? D'accord. -Non, merci. Je n’ai plus faim.

Do you want anything? A fruit? No? OK. -No thanks. I am full.

But if you're still in doubt, the pronunciation of plus provides an additional clue. Not pronouncing the s at the end of plus implies the negative ne...plus (no more), as in j’ai plus de batterie (I have no more battery, I’m out of battery). Conversely, if the s were pronounced, it would indicate the opposite, "more battery," which would not make sense in this specific context:

Non non non. J'ai plus de batterie, j'ai plus de batterie !

No no no. I'm out of battery, I'm out of battery!

Caption 102, Mère & Fille Soirée interdite

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Again, the use of the full negative phrase ne...plus makes everything clear:

Non non non. Je n'ai plus de batterie, je n'ai plus de batterie !

No no no. I'm out of battery, I'm out of battery!

Here is another common phrase that tends to baffle learners of French when they hear it spoken: je sais pas, often pronounced very fast as one word, "chaipa." It’s roughly equivalent to "dunno" in English:

Je sais pas, ouais, t'as changé les rideaux du salon ?

I don't know, yeah, did you change the living room curtains?

Caption 5, Mère & Fille Le dentiste

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Another potentially confusing trend in spoken French is the use of the very versatile personal pronoun on (one). Traditionally used to mean "one" or “people” when making a general statement, its usage has expanded in informal contexts to replace just about anyone: nous (we), il/elle (he/she), ils/elles (they), and even je (I)!  Essentially, it’s a favorite shortcut for natives who want to keep verb conjugations simple and take advantage of the fact that on remains in the third-person singular no matter who on is referring to. Typically, though, on is an alternative to the more formal nous (we):

T'imagines! -On serait capables.

Can you imagine! -We could do that.

Caption 69, Elisa et Mashal CV

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In the textbook version, the verb would change to the third-person plural nous:

T'imagines ! -Nous serions capables.

Can you imagine! -We could do that.

Here is another expression with on as an alternative to nous (we): the idiomatic expression on y va, which people use when they want to get going: 

On y va ! 

Here we go!

Caption 12, Il était une fois: Les découvreurs 13. Stephenson - Part 5

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Interestingly, as an idiomatic expression, on y va has almost exclusively replaced its formal equivalent nous y allons, which tends to be used in a more literal sense:

Nous y allons !

We're going there!

In conclusion, the use of shortcuts in spoken French is very common and convenient, adding fluidity and simplicity to the language. On the flip side, straying too far from grammatical French can affect meaning and clarity, which can be especially challenging to French learners. But don't worry: tuning in to Yabla videos will greatly improve your comprehension of real-world French. Thank you for reading!

Learners of French strive for grammatically correct speech, only to discover that native speakers usually don't speak "textbook" French. Some rules taught in the classroom don't always apply in real life, as spoken French abandons some conventions in favor of a more fluid and authentic way of communicating. While this fluidity feels natural to natives, these discrepancies can be confusing for students. In this lesson, we will explore how to navigate some of the main differences between “textbook” and spoken French.

Elision is a phenomenon in which certain short words, such as que (what/that) and je (I), lose their final vowel when they come before a word starting with a vowel or mute h. For example, you'd say j'ai (I have) as opposed to je ai, and quelqu'un (someone) instead of quelque un. This is a standard, obligatory aspect of both textbook and conversational French. But conversational French also does this with another word: tu (you). For example, French speakers like to condense tu as (you have) into what now sounds like one word: t’as (you’ve).

T'as encore faim ?

Are you still hungry?

Caption 26, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde - Part 3

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In textbook French, we would say the following:

Tu as encore faim ?

Are you still hungry?

Likewise, the expression tu n’as qu’à (you just have to) often gets shortened to t’as qu’à, which might sound like a strange new word to a French learner: “taka” instead  of “tunaka." This involves a double shortcut: the omission of ne (not) and the compression of tu as (you have) into t’as (you’ve). Omitting ne is also very common in conversational French:

Ben, t'as qu'à l'appeler. -Ben, t'as qu'à l'appeler.

Well, you just have to call her. -Well, you just have to call her.

Caption 84, Mère & Fille Mère ou sœur

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Fast-speaking Barbara could have slowed down and said to her mother:

Ben, tu n'as qu'à l'appeler. -Ben, tu n'as qu'à l'appeler. 

Well, you just have to call her. -Well, you just have to call her.

You'll also often hear t'es (you're) as opposed to tu es (you are):

T'es tranquille, quoi.

You're tranquil, you know.

Caption 13, Sophie et Patrice Dépendance des jeux vidéo

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Here is the textbook French version:

Tu es tranquille, quoi.

You are tranquil, you know.

French speakers frequently shorten common expressions made up of a succession of very short words. The phrase il y a (there is), for example, becomes y a (there’s), dropping the pronoun il entirely. Sophie uses the casual y a (there’s) in her friendly conversation with Patrice:

Y a beaucoup de poésie.

There's a lot of poetry.

Caption 11, Sophie et Patrice Dépendance des jeux vidéo

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She could have used il y a (there is), which sounds just as natural in a conversation but is a bit more formal:

Il y a beaucoup de poésie. 

There is a lot of poetry.

The negative form of il y a involves a striking string of short words: il n’y a pas (there is not). As you might expect, French speakers have found a way to simplify this! In casual speech, it becomes y a pas, which sounds almost like a single word: "yapa." 

Y a pas que ça.

It's not just that.

Caption 55, Mère & Fille Un vent de liberté

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The more formal version is seldom used in casual spoken French. Note here the use of cela, a more formal alternative to ça (that):

Il n’y a pas que cela.

It is not just that.

Here is another il y a expression: the impersonal phrase il n’y a qu’à (we just have to), which can be shortened to y a qu’à (“yaka”):

Y a qu'à lui en trouver un autre.

We just have to find him another one.

Caption 66, Les zooriginaux 6. Tiger Minor - Part 2

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Il n’y a qu'à lui en trouver un autre.

We just have to find him another one.

To sum up, here's a list of the shortcuts mentioned in this lesson:

tu as –> t'as (you've)

tu n’as qu’à –> t’as qu’à (you just have to)

tu es –> t’es (you're)

il y a –> y a (there's)

il n’y a pas –> y a pas (there's not)

il n’y a qu’à –> y a qu’à (you/we just have to)

We hope you will be able to use those shortcuts yourself and be on your way to sounding like a native! Refine your comprehension skills by listening to the way French speakers manipulate the language in casual conversation in our Yabla videos. And stay tuned for another round of textbook vs. spoken French!

In the first part of this lesson, we learned how to avoid the subjunctive by using an infinitive. In this part, we will explore how to use the infinitive in impersonal expressions. We will also focus on other creative ways to get around the subjunctive in negative sentences and other phrases, and discuss some of the pitfalls to avoid while making changes.

Some impersonal expressions that trigger the subjunctive such as il faut que (it's necessary that) and il est important que (it’s important that) can change to il faut + infinitive (it's necessary to) and il est important de + infinitive (it's important to). However, bear in mind that using the infinitive changes the meaning slightly, as we switch from a command addressed to a specific person to a general statement.

In the example below, Sophie uses il faut que tu + subjunctive (you have to) to tell Olivier to be patient when growing avocadoes from seeds:

Et puis là, il faut que tu sois patient.

And then there, you have to be patient.

Caption 25, Sophie et Olivier Les avocatiers de Sophie

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Sophie could have used the infinitive instead, but as mentioned earlier, it would change the meaning slightly. In this case, il faut + infinitive would no longer be a personal recommendation addressed specifically to Olivier, but general advice for avocado growers:

Et puis là, il faut être patient.

And then there, one has to be patient.

Likewise, c’est important que (it’s important that), which calls for the subjunctive, can be reworked with an infinitive without altering the meaning. The problem is that it would require making some major changes that might seem tricky:

C'est important que le sucre soit bien dissout et que la vanille infuse correctement.

It's important that the sugar be well dissolved and that the vanilla infuse properly.

Captions 52-53, Whoogy's Crème brûlée facile & ultra-onctueuse

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C'est important de bien dissoudre le sucre et d’infuser la vanille correctement.

It's important to dissolve the sugar well and infuse the vanilla properly.

Indeed, this required us to overhaul the whole sentence structure. In the end, it may be simpler to learn how to use the subjunctive! 

Other times, switching to the infinitive may look deceptively easy, but under close scrutiny, we realize that it is not grammatically possible:

Il faut que j'y aille. J'ai un métro à prendre, moi.

I have to go. I have a metro to catch.

Captions 73-74, Sophie et Patrice Les transports publics

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Since this is a first-person sentence, it wouldn't make sense as a general statement, which involves more than one person. It would only work if the recommendation was made by someone else, for example by changing je to tu:

Il faut y aller. Tu as un métro à prendre.

You have to go. You have a metro to catch.

Il faut + infinitive is really a euphemism for “you should" here. It would also work if we used nous/on:

Il faut y aller. On a/Nous avons un métro à prendre.

We should go. We have a metro to catch.

If that sounds far too complicated, there's a simpler way to avoid all this: find a synonym instead! Instead of il faut que j’y aille, you can say je dois y aller (I must/have to go).

Je dois y aller. J'ai un métro à prendre.

I have to go. I have a metro to catch.

There are other creative ways to avoid some subjunctives. One of them is to split a main clause and dependent clause into two independent clauses:  

Mais je suis content que ce soit toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad it's you who's buying it.

Caption 42, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Détournement d'argent dans le couple ? - Part 2

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Instead of saying je suis content que tu + subjunctive, we could split the sentence in two after content:

Mais je suis content. C’est toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad. It's you who's buying it.

Or we could keep it all one sentence and link the two clauses with parce que (because) or puisque (since):

Mais je suis content parce que/puisque c’est toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad because/since it's you who's buying it.

There is yet another way to avoid the subjunctive: replacing an impersonal expression with an adverb. For instance, il est heureux que (it’s fortunate that) can change to heureusement (fortunately):

Il est heureux que la Confédération ne connaisse pas de problèmes pour l'heure.

It's fortunate that the Confederation isn't experiencing any problems for the time being.

Caption 17, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 2

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Rephrasing the sentence with an adverb makes it less formal and more concise:

Heureusement, la Confédération ne connaît pas de problèmes pour l'heure.

Fortunately, the Confederation isn't experiencing any problems for the time being.

It is also possible to avoid the subjunctive by finding a close alternative. For example, replace subjunctive-triggering expressions such as je ne suis pas sûr que (I am not sure that) with je ne sais pas (I don’t know). Here, we're removing the degree of uncertainty, so we don’t need the subjunctive anymore:

Je suis pas sûre que ça soit la bonne version, par contre.

I'm not sure that's the right version, though.

Caption 14, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon passé - Part 7

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Je ne sais pas si c’est la bonne version, par contre.

I don't know if that's the right version, though.

However, it is sometimes not possible to make changes without losing the meaning of the sentence. For example, in both French and English you cannot change je ne crois pas qu'ils soient (I don’t believe they are) to je crois qu’ils ne sont pas (I believe they are not) without changing the meaning:

Je ne crois pas que ce soit [qu'ils soient] des amis.

I don't believe they are friends.

Caption 9, Il était une fois: les Explorateurs 10. Amerigo Vespucci - Part 7

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If we were to restructure the sentence to avoid the subjunctive, we'd be switching from a doubt to a categorical statement:

Je crois qu’ils ne sont pas des amis.

I believe they are not friends.

In conclusion, you can avoid the subjunctive for the sake of simplicity, as French speakers often do, using many different techniques. Just be aware that it is not always advisable or possible to avoid it, as it can alter the meaning of a sentence. For some practice rewording subjunctive sentences, click here. Thank you for reading!

Many situations in French call for the use of the subjunctive mood, a tricky concept for English speakers learning the language. Fortunately, there are some ways of avoiding subjunctives by using an infinitive or another turn of phrase instead. Let's focus on one of these ways in this lesson.

Some subordinating conjunctions that trigger the subjunctive, such as afin que (in order to) and avant que (before), can sometimes change to afin de/avant de + infinitive, as long as the main clause and dependent clause share the same subject.

Let's start with some sentences where the subjunctive is unavoidable. In the example below, we have two different subjects, on (an indeterminate third-person pronoun rendered by the passive voice in English) and les voleurs (the thieves). Both subjects perform different actions: on (they, someone) place crocodiles, and les voleurs (the thieves) pull back. Therefore, we have to keep the subjunctive:

Et selon la légende, on y aurait même installé des crocodiles afin que les voleurs fassent définitivement marche arrière.

And according to the legend, crocodiles might even have been placed there so that the thieves would definitely pull back.

Captions 28-29, Voyage dans Paris Le 17ème arrondissement de Paris

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Likewise, in the following example, we can't change avant que + subjunctive to avant de + infinitive, because we're dealing with two conflicting parties (tu and les humains): 

Croqueur, tu dois partir du zoo avant que les humains ne viennent te chercher.

Croqueur, you have to leave the zoo before the humans come looking for you.

Captions 15-16, Les zooriginaux La rage de Croqueur - Part 4

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Certain fixed, idiomatic expressions like avant qu’il ne soit trop tard (before it’s too late) can't be reworded to avoid the subjunctive either: 

Il nous faut absolument démasquer les coupables avant qu'il ne soit trop tard.

We absolutely must uncover the culprits before it's too late.

Caption 45. Il était une fois: L’Espace - 6. La révolte des robots - Part 7

Now here's an example that can be reworded:

Ensuite on va enlever du feu, rajouter la farine d'un bloc et remuer très rapidement afin que ça ne forme pas de grumeaux.

Then we're going to take [it] off the heat, add the flour in one go, and stir very quickly so that it doesn't form lumps.

Captions 7-9, Asma Le roulé mangue, vanille et fruits de la passion - Part 2

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Here, afin que + subjunctive can be changed to afin de + infinitive because the subject is identical in both the main and dependent clauses. The main subject, on (we, i.e. the cook) is taking food off the heat to avoid a chemical reaction, former des grumeaux (forming lumps). (Technically, ça is the subject of the dependent clause, but the sentence as a whole is describing the action of one person, the cook.) So now we can get rid of the subjunctive and say afin de ne pas former de grumeaux (so as not to form lumps): 

Ensuite on va enlever du feu, rajouter la farine d'un bloc et remuer très rapidement afin de ne pas former de grumeaux.

Then we're going to take [it] off the heat, add the flour in one go, and stir very quickly so as not to form lumps.

Likewise, this example with avant que can be reworded since the subject (nous) is the same in both clauses:

Ne pouvons-nous pas nous reposer un peu, avant que nous arrivions au ciel ?

Can't we rest a little before we arrive at the sky?

Captions 21-22, Piggeldy et Frédéric Le ciel

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Ne pouvons-nous pas nous reposer un peu avant d'arriver au ciel ?

Can't we rest a little before arriving at the sky?

Piggeldy also could have avoided the subjunctive in another way, by using avant + noun: 

Ne pouvons-nous pas nous reposer un peu, avant notre arrivée au ciel ?

Can't we rest a little before our arrival at the sky?

On the flip side, there are some instances where afin de/avant de is preferable to afin que/avant que. Take this sentence:

Avant de conclure, j'aimerais quand même te montrer quelques exemples qui se construisent

Before concluding, I'd still like to show you a few examples that are constructed

Captions 63-64, Français avec Nelly À ou De ? - Part 2

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Although the alternative with avant que + subjunctive is technically correct, it would sound stilted in French:

Avant que je conclue, j'aimerais quand même te montrer quelques exemples…

Before I conclude, I'd still like to show you quelques exemples…

In conclusion, keep these constructions in mind afin d'éviter le subjonctif (in order to avoid the subjunctive). Bon courage and thank you for reading!

In a previous lesson, we learned that it is common to start a question with qu'est-ce qui to find out “what is going on" or "what’s happening.” You can use handy phrases such as Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? (What's going on?) or Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? (What's wrong?) to inquire about general situations, or phrases like Qu’est-ce qu’il t’arrive ? (What’s happening to you?) to ask about one person in particular. Let’s explore the various ways these questions can be used.

When asking about a situation that does not involve a specific person, you can use the phrase Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? In this video about rainy weather in Paris, Alexandre asks what happens when someone forgets their umbrella:

Et qu'est-ce qui se passe ?

And what happens?

Caption 85, Sophie et Alexandre Et la pluie ?

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In a different context, though, when asking about a specific situation that's happening right now, qu’est-ce qui se passe translates as “what’s going on” or "what's happening." Note how the English uses the present progressive tense here, a tense that does not exist in French: 

Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?

What's going on?

Caption 18, Extr@ Ep. 6 - Le jour du loto - Part 4

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If the same question is loaded with concern, as when asking about a friend's health, qu’est-ce qui se passe is better translated as “what’s wrong": 

Qu'est-ce qu'il se passe ? Tu n'as pas l'air bien. Explique-moi.

What's wrong? You don't look good. Explain it to me.

Captions 34-35, Français avec Nelly 25 Phrases for Mastering Everyday Conversation - Part 1

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Note that Nelly uses the slightly more formal qu'est-ce qu'il se passe (Qu'est-ce que + il se passe) here. This is also correct, since il se passe is an impersonal expression.

Instead of saying qu’est-ce qui se passe or qu'est-ce qu'il se passe, you can use the equivalent phrase qu’est-ce qu’il y a ("what’s the matter," literally "what is there"):

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a, Annie ?

What's the matter, Annie?

Caption 24, Extr@ Ep. 7 - La jumelle - Part 7

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Just as with qu’est-ce qui se passe, qu’est-ce qu’il y a can also mean “what’s wrong” when expressing worry or concern:

Mais qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?

But what's wrong?

Caption 15, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 7

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The speaker in the above video immediately follows up her question with another one:

Qu'est-ce qu'il t'arrive ?

What's happening to you?

Caption 16, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 7

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This question, with the verb arriver (to happen), can only be used to ask after a specific person. Its structure is: qu’est-ce qui (or qu'est-ce qu'il) + indirect object pronoun + arriver.

Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive ?

What's the matter with you?

Caption 2, Sara et Lionel J'ai mal aux dents

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Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive ?

What's wrong?

Caption 67, Le Jour où tout a basculé Rivalité cachée - Part 5

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There is another question with a similar structure to qu’est-ce qui t’arrive, which is qu’est-ce qui te prend (what’s gotten into you). It works in the same way, requiring the indirect personal pronoun before the verb, but the meaning is slightly different. It’s the question you ask when you are surprised by someone’s behavior:

Mais enfin, qu'est-ce qui te prend?

But what's gotten into you?

Caption 72, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon passé - Part 5

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In conclusion, there are various ways of asking what’s happening in French. However, the same expressions in French can mean different things in English, so the translations can vary greatly. Pay attention to context, tone of voice, and background information when watching our Yabla videos. This will help you understand the different meanings behind the same questions. Thank you for reading!

There are several ways of formulating an open-ended question in English using interrogative pronouns such as “what,” as in “What are you doing?" In French, there are four equivalents to “what”: the interrogative pronouns que, quoi, qu’est-ce que, and qu’est-ce-qui. Which one should you use? That depends on grammar and the desired level of formality. Let's explore how to use these four different versions of “what.”

The most common way to form a “what” question in French is with the somewhat convoluted phrase qu’est-ce que (literally, "what is it that"), as in Qu’est-ce que c’est ? ("what is it" or "what is that," or literally, "what is it that that is?") Here is an example from our Sophie et Patrice video series:

Mais ces gens crient là-bas. Qu'est-ce que c'est ?

But those people are shouting over there. What is that?

Caption 38, Sophie et Patrice Charles III

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In another Sophie et Patrice video, Sophie adds an extra que to qu'est-ce que c'est to make the idiomatic expression qu’est-ce que c’est que. This is a way to ask about something you're not familiar with or are surprised by. In this case, Sophie is expressing surprise at Patrice's new mustache:

Alors qu'est-ce que c'est que cette moustache ?

So what's with this mustache?

Caption 1, Sophie et Patrice Patrice va jouer Proust

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Going back to qu’est-ce que c’est, here is another example for you:

Alors globalement un four banal, qu'est-ce que c'est ?

So what is a communal oven, basically? [So basically a communal oven, what is it?]

Caption 21, Voyage en France Montmorency - Part 3

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You'll notice that the word order is reversed in the translation. Putting what is it at the end may seem back to front to an English speaker, but it is perfectly natural in French and quite common.

Here is an example where French follows the same sentence structure as in English, with qu’est-ce que (what) at the start of the question:

Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire après? Est-ce que tu vas danser, [chanter]...?

What will you do next? Are you going to dance, sing...?

Caption 25, Actus Quartier Fête de quartier Python-Duvernois - Part 4

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Our speaker could have started his question with que instead, which would mean the same thing. However, grammatically speaking, starting questions with que is trickier as it requires an inversion (when subject and verb switch places). In addition, the tone might have seemed slightly too formal in this very casual conversation with the locals:

Que vas-tu faire après ? 

What will you do next? 

On the other hand, the use of que does not seem out of place in the slightly more formal context of this next example, where a restaurant owner is being interviewed. 

Que vas-tu nous préparer au menu du jour à huit euros soixante-dix ?

What are you going to prepare for us for today's menu for eight euros seventy?

Caption 5, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains

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Still, the difference in formality is so subtle that both qu’est-ce que and que would have been appropriate for the situation:

Qu'est-ce que tu vas nous préparer au menu du jour à huit euros soixante-dix ?

What are you going to prepare for us for today's menu for eight euros seventy?

On the other hand, if our speaker had used quoi instead, he might have sounded too casual:   

Tu vas nous préparer quoi au menu du jour à huit euros soixante-dix ?

What are you going to prepare for us for today's menu for eight euros seventy?

Indeed, quoi is reserved for more casual settings, such as a conversation among friends or addressing young kids, like the interviewer in the following video. There is no need to switch verb and subject with quoi, but note that quoi always comes after the verb, unlike in English:

Tu fais quoi ici? -Tu fais quoi ici, Nougra, toi?

What are you doing here? -What are you doing here, Nougra?

Caption 77, Actus Quartier Fête de quartier Python-Duvernois - Part 3

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Quoi can also act as a standalone interrogative pronoun. Quoi ? is the equivalent of “What?” in English, often used when expressing surprise. In this video, Sacha is shocked to hear about Sam’s impending marriage:

Quoi ?

What?

Caption 3, Extr@ Ep. 13 - Un mariage dans l’air - Part 5

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Note that you cannot use que as a standalone pronoun. 

Finally, here is a trickier equivalent to “what,” qu’est-ce qui, which is often used to ask what is going on or what happened. As this frequently involves using impersonal verbs that have no real subject, qu’est-ce qui becomes the subject. In other words, unlike qu'est-ce que, which precedes a subject + verb, qu'est-ce qui only precedes a verb. Here is an example with the expression Qu’est-ce qui t’arrive ? (What’s the matter with you?)

Tu as mal à la dent ? Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive ?

Do you have a toothache? What's the matter with you?

Captions 1-2, Sara et Lionel J'ai mal aux dents

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Quoi ? This lesson is over? Not quite. Remember that qu’est-ce que and que are pretty much interchangeable but are grammatically different, and qu’est-ce qui is often used to ask what is going on. As for quoi, it's more suited to casual situations. Feel free to browse through our Yabla videos to know what’s what and familiarize yourself with the various ways of asking questions. Thank you for reading!

In a previous Yabla lesson, you learned how to turn adjectives into adverbs. But what about adjectives that act as adverbs without changing at all? For example, did you know that the adjective bon (good) can be used as an adverb and therefore never take agreements? In this lesson, we will look at a few of these instances where adjectives morph into adverbs without warning.

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Let’s take a look at the word bon (good) as an adjective. In the example below, bon modifies the masculine pronoun il (it):

On va le goûter pour savoir s'il est bon.

We're going to taste it to find out if it's good.

Caption 43, Frédéric La fabrication du jus de pomme - Part 2

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Bon also appears in this example, but here it's used as an adverb, not an adjective:

De manger dehors... -Ah ouais. quand il fait bon et tout

Eating outside... -Oh yeah. when it's nice out and everything

Captions 74-75, Sophie et Patrice Terrasse

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You will often come across the adverb bon in the expression il fait bon (it’s nice out). Remember that an adverb modifies a verb, not a noun/pronoun. So in this expression, bon modifies the verb fait, not the pronoun il. 

However, don’t assume that bon always works as an adverb after faire. In the expression faire bon voyage (to have a good trip), bon is an adjective describing the noun voyage (trip):

J'espère que vous avez fait bon voyage.

I hope you had a good trip.

Caption 10, Le Jour où tout a basculé Des hôtes pas comme les autres - Part 2

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If our speaker had been referring to a road trip, the adjective bon would become bonne to go with the feminine noun route:

J'espère que vous avez fait bonne route.

I hope you had a good road trip.

Now let’s move on to another adjective, dur (hard). In the following video, Barbara knows how dur (hard) it is for her mother to give up her dreams of seeing her daughter dance at the opera:

Je savais que c'était dur pour ma mère d'abandonner l'idée de me voir danser à l'Opéra.

I knew that it was hard for my mother to abandon the idea of seeing me dance at the Opera.

Captions 69-70, Mère & Fille Danse pas si classique

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But in the expression travailler dur (to work hard), dur functions as an adverb. Dur doesn’t change since it modifies the verb travailler:

Maintenant c'est à toi de travailler, travailler dur, très dur.

Now it's up to you to work, work hard, very hard.

Captions 17-18, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mon père s'oppose à ma passion - Part 6

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Now let’s talk about the adjective fort (strong), which in the example below modifies il (it):

Ah oui, il t'a eu. Il est très fort.

Ah yes, he got you. He's very strong.

Caption 60, Le Monde Sauver les animaux sauvages ? C'est la mission de cette clinique - Part 2

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In the feminine plural, fort becomes fortes, as in the expression de fortes chances (a good chance):

Si tu cherches le genre d'un pays, il y a de fortes chances pour que le pays soit féminin.

If you're looking for the gender of a country, there's a good chance that the country is feminine.

Interestingly, when used as an adverb, fort also takes on a different meaning: “loudly,” as in parler fort (to speak loudly): 

Et « crier », qui veut dire parler très fort, hurler.

And "crier," which means to talk very loudly, to shout.

Caption 72, Français avec Nelly Les faux amis - Part 1

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Finally, we have the adjective cher/chère. You are probably familiar with the expression cher + noun, as in chère voisine (dear neighbor):

Bonjour, chère voisine.

Hello, dear neighbor.

Caption 27, Le Jour où tout a basculé Notre appartement est hanté - Part 8

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In a different context, cher/chère means "expensive":

La vie à Paris est-elle chère ?

Is life in Paris expensive?

Caption 2, Français avec Nelly Ma vie à Paris - Part 1

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As an adverb, cher most often means "expensive," as in coûter cher (to cost dearly, to be expensive). Again, there is no need to worry about agreements here, since cher modifies the verb couter:

Quand même, ça coûte cher.

That's still expensive.

Caption 81, Sophie et Patrice Le sapin

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There you have it. We have looked at some of the most common instances of adjectives "disguised" as adverbs. Just remember that while adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, they don't require agreement when used as adverbs. And remember that French n’est pas si dur (is not so hard) if vous travaillez dur (you work hard). Soon, you will become très fort en français (very good at French)!

In our previous lesson, we learned that the indefinite pronoun on is quite versatile and easy to use, as it always takes a verb in the third person singular regardless of whether on means “one," "we," "you," "they," or "people." What is not so simple, however, is how we should apply agreements when on refers to more than one person. Grammarians still have conflicting views on the matter. In any case, let's find out what happens with on in everyday speech. 

When on is used as an indefinite pronoun, in the sense of “one” or “people,” it usually does not trigger agreement with adjectives or past participles. In other words, it doesn't trigger agreement when it's being used to make generalizations—for example, when talking about traditions. In her video on the ancient custom of duals for honor, Patricia uses the construction on (one) + past participles vexé (offended) and blessé (hurt), which remain singular:

Quand on était vexé, quand on était blessé dans son honneur, on provoquait le coupable en duel à l'épée.

When one was offended, when one's honor was hurt, one would challenge the culprit to a sword duel.

Captions 3-5, Le saviez-vous? Le dernier duel à l'épée pour l'honneur en France

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The same is true when on is used in a proverb or set expression. Although on translates as “we” in this example, “we” is meant in a general sense:

On n'est pas sorti de l'auberge !

We aren't out of the inn [out of the woods]!

Caption 2, Le saviez-vous? "On est pas sorti de l'auberge!"

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Likewise, when on represents a collective entity, as in “we as a nation," the subject is not readily definable and therefore no agreement is necessary:

On a des racines françaises, mais on était marqué par l'Amérique.

We have French roots, but we were marked by America.

Caption 1, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 5

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So far so good. We have learned that adjectives and past participles do not take agreements in the presence of on as an indefinite pronoun. Now let's find out what happens when on stands for more than one specific person. 

Although purists are still debating the matter, the consensus is that adjectives and past participles can agree in gender and number with the person(s) that on represents, as long as the implied subjects are identifiable. (Read this article to learn more.) In this case, on is synonymous with nous (we), which generally is only used as a definite pronoun, with identifiable subjects.

In fact, in casual speech it's common to combine the two in the same sentence: Nous, on + verb. In this case, there is no doubt that on is synonymous with nous:

Nous, on a bloqué le R.E.R., les moyens de transports, les nationales.

We, we blocked the R.E.R. [regional train], the means of transport, the main roads.

Caption 29, Interviews à Central Park Discussion politique

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Since auxiliary avoir does not trigger agreement, let's see what happens with auxiliary être (to be), which does:

Nous, on était bloqués dans le R.E.R.

We were stuck in the R.E.R.

In this case, the past participle agrees with nous, so we add an s to bloqué to make it plural.

Here is another example where on means nous. In this example, on and nous refer to two singers who are proud to be nominated for the Grammy Awards. Hence, the adjective fières takes the feminine plural as it agrees with the implied subject, the female singers:

Nous vivions tous les deux ensemble... Alors on est quand même très, très fières, en tant que Françaises, très, très fières  d'avoir été nominées au Grammy Awards

We were both living together... So anyway we are very, very proud, as French people, very, very, proud  to have have been nominated for the Grammy Awards

Captions 24-26, Les Nubians Présentation

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Sometimes it is not always easy to identify who on stands for. Here are two similar examples with the phrase on serait capable(s) (we’d be capable) to illustrate the difficulty. In the first video, Elisa and Mashal are talking about what the two of them would be capable of, such as daring to show up in an evening dress at a job interview: 

T'imagines! -On serait capables.

Can you imagine! -We could do that.

Caption 69, Elisa et Mashal CV

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Capable takes an s here because it's referring to the two speakers—and only them. In the second example, however, the person is speaking on behalf of all Spanish speakers, including herself. This on is a collective plural in a general statement, so no agreement is necessary:

On serait tout à fait capable de le parler très correctement.

We would be totally able to speak it very correctly.

Caption 19, Les Nubians Les langues

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Now let's discuss on combined with a possessive adjective. How do you decide which pronoun you should use? First you will need to see if on is acting as an indefinite pronoun or whether it stands for more than one specific person. You need to rely on context to help you. In the following video, the speaker does not include himself in the statement. He is talking about what other “people” (winemakers) are doing, so he uses the singular possessive adjective son. 

À Paris, on fait son vin et on a ses propres productions.

In Paris, people make their wine and they have their own productions.

Caption 25, Lea & Lionel L Le parc de Bercy - Part 2

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But sometimes you'll even see on used with the possessive form of nous, notre:

On force ainsi notre cerveau à être plus attentif et plus actif.

Thus we force our brains to be more attentive and more active.

Caption 41, Le saviez-vous? Les bénéfices de la dictée

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Though Patricia is making a general statement, thus using on instead of nous, she may have chosen notre over son to sound more informal (just as "we force our brains" sounds more informal than "one forces ones brain").

Here is an example with on + nos (the plural of notre) in which on refers to a group of specific people. Victoria, the proud owner of one of the last herbalist’s shops in France, talks about what she and her staff have on offer: 

Ensuite on a tous nos bonbons.

Then we have all our sweets.

Caption 80, Victoria dirigeante de Millymenthe

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On a fini notre leçon sur « on ». On espère que vous avez tout compris ! (We've finished our lesson on on. We hope you understood everything!) If you need more help, fear not. Des « on », on en trouve partout dans nos videos sur Yabla. (You'll find lots of ons in our Yabla videos.)

In your Yabla wanderings and French learning, you may have come across the ubiquitous indefinite personal pronoun on (one). While “one” is rather formal in English (as in “one is inclined to forget things"), on is more conversational in French. It is also much more versatile, as it doesn’t just mean “one.” So, let’s explore the many ways of using on. 

As we mentioned, the primary meaning of on is “one,” just as in English when making a general statement. In the following video, on refers to what “one” can eat at this Alsatian restaurant:

Qu'est-ce qu'on peut manger, chez vous, ici, pour huit euros?

What can one eat at your place here for eight euros?

Caption 25, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim

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In practice though, on can refer to anyone. Besides "one," it can translate to any number of things in English: “you," "we," "people," "they." It's up to the listener or reader to figure out from context who on is referring to. For example, in the same video, the chef also uses on to answer the reporter’s question, but this time, on translates as “we” since the chef is talking about himself and his team. 

Donc écoute, aujourd'hui pour huit euros, en menu du jour, on a fait un tartare de hareng fumé et pomme de terre à l'huile d'olive

So listen, today for eight euros, on the menu of the day, we made a smoked herring and potato tartare with olive oil

Captions 26-27, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim

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The chef could just as easily have used nous (we) in this situation (nous avons fait un tartare de hareng fumé...), but on is more conversational than nous. In fact, some even advise against using nous as a subject pronoun in casual conversation in favor of on, since nous will sound too formal. By the same token, avoid using on for "we" in formal situations and in writing—in those instances, stick with nous.

However, in a different situation, on can mean "you" when referring to the person being spoken to. In the video below, the speaker addresses “you,” the potential ticket buyer:   

Voilà, on peut acheter un ticket à la journée, à la semaine...

There we are. You can buy a ticket for the day, for the week...

Captions 55-56, Amal Vélib

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Other times, when it is unclear or not important to know who the subject is, on is a very convenient pronoun to use, equivalent to the generalized “they” or “people” in English. In his video on Nemours, Daniel Benchimol doesn’t know or doesn’t wish to mention who gave the town its nickname, la Venise du Gâtinais:

Nemours c'est aussi celle qu'on surnomme la Venise du Gâtinais.

Nemours is also the one they nickname "La Venise du Gâtinais" [The Venice of the Gâtinais].

Caption 5, Voyage en France Nemours - Part 4

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On also comes in handy when there is no way of knowing who you're referring to—for example, when the perpetrator of an action, often a negative one such as a theft, is unknown. In cases like these, on is best rendered by the passive voice in English, as the emphasis is on the “victim” or the recipient of the action. In the video below, on refers to the unknown person who stole Sophie’s phone:

C'est pas parce que... on t'a volé ton téléphone que tu vas plus avoir de boulot.

Just because... you had your phone stolen doesn't mean that you're not going to have a job anymore.

Captions 48-49, Sophie et Patrice On m'a volé mon téléphone

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You can also use on in another interesting way, to make a suggestion or prompt people into action, as in “let's sing":

Alors on chante! Allez, tu viens? Tu viens chanter avec moi? On y est? Alors c'est parti!

So let's sing! Come on, are you coming? Are you coming to sing with me? Are we ready? Then off we go!

Caption 48, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier

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A more unusual way of using on is instead of tu or vous (you) to avoid addressing the person directly and soften the tone. It’s a gentle way of initiating contact. When someone is tired, for example, you could say:

On est fatigué ce soir ?

We’re tired tonight? [You're tired tonight?]

You can even use on as an oblique way of referring to yourself out of modesty. For instance, to avoid bragging about yourself, you might say:

On a gagné le premier prix.

We won first prize. [I won first prize.]

As you can see, on is a very versatile and easy-to-use pronoun that is suitable for all kinds of conversational situations. (For even more, click on this link.) Just keep in mind that on is often open to interpretation, which can come at the expense of clarity. So let our Yabla videos guide you. 

On y va ! (Let’s go!)

In our last lesson, we learned that penser à means “to think about” or "have in mind" and that penser de means "to think of" in the sense of giving an opinion.  We also learned that penser à + infinitive means “to consider doing,” while penser + infinitive emphasizes planning an action. In this lesson, we will discuss which pronouns replace the de and à in penser de/à and what happens when penser is followed by a relative clause (penser que).

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As you may know, à + a noun can be replaced by the pronoun y, and de + a noun by the pronoun en. (You can learn more about that here and here.) So, penser à + noun becomes y penser (to think about it), and penser de + noun becomes en penser (to think of it, to feel about it). Remember that the pronouns y and en are placed before the verb. 

Elisa is interested in what her mother pense de la techonologie (thinks of technology). She asks her:

Qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?

What do you think of that?

Caption 12, Elisa et sa maman La technologie

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In the video below, en refers to what people thought about the confinement protocols during the pandemic:  

Globalement, malgré ce que les gens peuvent en penser, les mesures de restriction sont plutôt respectées.

Overall, despite what some people may think of them, the restriction measures are rather well respected.

Captions 33-34, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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Now let's see some examples with y penser (to think about it). In the video below, the speaker asks her friend to consider hiring help, as she will no longer be available:

Ben essaye d'y penser.

Well, try to think about it.

Caption 73, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2

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The speaker could have said the same thing in a more succinct way:

Penses-y.

Think about it.

(Notice that in the imperative mood, prepositions are tacked onto the end of the verb with a hyphen.) 

Or, the speaker could have been even more succinct:

Réfléchis.

Think about it.

(Réfléchis-y is more correct, but the pronoun y is often dropped from it in casual conversation.)

Sometimes we're reluctant to think about certain situations. In his song "Pocahontas," Grand Corps Malade mentions how some parents don’t dare think about the prospect of their children flying the nest for the first time: 

Ils reviendront vider leur chambre, ça j'ose même pas y penser

They'll come back to empty their room, I don't even dare think about that

Caption 32, Grand Corps Malade Pocahontas

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Speaking of thinking about people, y and en are NOT the right pronouns to use when thinking about a person. Y and en can replace an object, a thought, an idea, an action, a place, a situation, etc., but never a person or living being. In the latter case, we simply keep the prepositions à and de and use the construction penser à/penser de + disjunctive pronoun, as in penser à eux (to think about them), just as we do in English. For example, we say:

Je pense à mes parents. Je pense à eux.

I think about my parents. I think about them.

The same rule applies with penser de, when giving an opinion about people:

Alors, qu'est-ce que les Québécois pensent de nous ?

So, what do the Québécois think of us?

Caption 42, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 11

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We’re not quite done with penser! There's one more important thing to know that has to do not with pronouns, but with tenses. When you use the negative relative clause ne pas penser que (to not think that), you must conjugate the following verb in the subjunctive, since you're expressing doubt or skepticism. The speaker in this video doubts that the common quail is endangered:

Personnellement, je ne pense pas qu'elles soient menacées.

Personally, I do not think they are endangered.

Caption 31, Canal 32 Les secrets des cailles des blés

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However, in the affirmative (penser que), the verb is conjugated in the indicative. If the speaker did think they were endangered, he would have said:

Personnellement, je pense qu'elles sont menacées.

Personally, I think they are endangered.

The subjunctive mood is also required when you use penser que in a question:

Pensez-vous qu’il soit trop tard ?

Do you think it’s too late?

As you can see, there are many rules to consider when it comes to penser! We hope this lesson will help you y penser (think about them). Thank you for reading!

Penser (to think) is a handy verb to know when it comes to sharing your thoughts or opinions. It’s also a regular -er verb, which makes it easy to use. However, the tricky part is that it requires different prepositions depending on what type of thinking is involved. So when should you use penser à versus penser de, as both translate as “to think of” in English? And what happens when penser is followed by another infinitive?

Let’s start with the most common construction: penser à + noun (to think of/about), as in penser à quelque chose/à quelqu’un (to think of something/someone). Use this construction to describe what's on your mind, what your thoughts are turning to. The singer in the video below has only one thing on his mind: his beloved. Note the use of the disjunctive pronoun after the preposition à (of): 

Toutes les nuits je pense à toi

Every night I think of you

Caption 31, Alsace 20 Colonel Reyel en session live acoustique!

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Bear in mind that the preposition à takes on many forms—à, à la, aux, au—as it agrees with the noun it modifies. With feminine singular nouns, it’s quite straightforward; we simply say à la. In the example below, Caroline can’t stop penser à la cigarette (thinking about the cigarette) that she can’t have: 

Puis, c'est vrai que parfois je suis irritable, parce que justement je suis en train de penser à la cigarette que je ne peux pas prendre

Then, it's true that sometimes I'm irritable, because, precisely, I'm thinking about the cigarette that I can't have

Captions 85-87, Amal et Caroline La cigarette

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Remember to make the necessary changes to à before masculine nouns, plural and singular: à + le becomes au, and à + les becomes aux.

Je pense aux Québécois... ils doivent en avoir ras le bol et ras la casquette

I think of the Quebecois... they must have a bowlful, and up to the hat [be fed up and have had it up to here]

Caption 12, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1

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Now that we have explored penser à, which is reserved for expressing what’s on your mind, what you're thinking about, let’s focus on penser de. Why switch to de? Because penser requires the preposition de to express an opinion. This construction usually comes in the form of a question, as it involves asking someone’s view of things. In the video below, a French person wonders what French Canadians think of his fellow countrymen:

Et puis, j'étais un petit peu stressé à l'idée de... savoir: qu'est-ce qu'ils pensent de nous ?

And then, I was a little bit stressed at the idea of... finding out, what do they think of us?

Caption 11, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1

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You seldom come across penser de in a declarative sentence, but it’s possible. An answer to the question mentioned in the example above might look something like this:

Vous me demandez ce que je pense des Québécois. Je ne sais pas ce que je pense de ces gens.

You’re asking what I think of Quebecois. I don’t know what I think of these people.

So far, we’ve focused on the construction penser + preposition + noun and learned that penser is followed by à to describe what you're thinking about and by de to express an opinion. Similar rules apply with infinitive verbs. Penser à + infinitive means to “consider,” “to have in mind,” or “to remember." In this trailer for La Belle et la Bête, the Beast is hoping to escape, and is warned about entertaining such a thought:

Ne pense même pas à t'échapper.

Don't even think of escaping.

Caption 27, Bande-annonce La Belle et la Bête

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Penser à + infinitive is also good to use when toying with ideas and considering possibilities. The cartoonists in this video explain how they first thought of drawing Gauls:

Nous devions faire une histoire pour le journal que nous venions de créer, et nous avons pensé à faire des Gaulois, très simplement.

We had to make a story for the publication that we had just created, and we thought of doing Gauls, very simply.

Captions 8-10, Uderzo et Goscinny 1968

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In addition, you can use penser à as an alternative to se rappeler de, “to remember” to do something or "to remind" someone to do something:

Tu devrais penser à le faire chaque fois que tu manges des choses sucrées.

You should remember to do it every time you eat something sweet.

Caption 7, Il était une fois: la vie 14. La bouche et les dents - Part 6

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Penser de + infinitive is used in the same way as with a noun: to express an opinion, or more frequently, to ask someone their opinion about doing something.

Qu'est-ce que tu penses d'aller au ciné ce soir ?

What do you think/How do you feel about going to the movies tonight?

On the other hand, the construction penser + infinitive, with no preposition in between the verbs, expresses what you’re thinking of doing, your intentions, plans, or hopes. It usually indicates a firmer course of action rather than a passing thought. In the following video, penser is translated as “hope to,” as the sense of hope is strongly implied:

...et pour lesquelles nous pensons pouvoir réaliser des offres intéressantes et compétitives.

...and to whom we hope to offer interesting and competitive prices.

Caption 16, Le Journal Opérateurs virtuels de portables

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Penser + indicative indicates an intention, however uncertain it might be. Discussing the presidential elections, Edmée and Fanny mention who they might vote for, although they have not quite decided yet:

Je pense potentiellement voter Macron, mais c'est pas sûr.

I'm thinking of potentially voting for Macron, but it's not certain.

Captions 17-18, Edmée et Fanny Les présidentielles à 20 ans

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In this example, penser + indicative conveys a stronger intention, as the speaker had actually planned to come earlier but was held up at work:

Je suis désolé. Là, je pensais venir plus tôt, mais c'était de la folie au boulot aujourd'hui.

I'm sorry. I was thinking of coming here earlier, but it was crazy at work today.

Captions 42-43, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2

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You can also use penser + infinitive to reflect on and evaluate past actions, as in penser avoir fait (thinking that [I] have done) This construction is equivalent to penser que (to think that), which is the way it usually translates in English anyway:

Je pense toujours les avoir bien éduqués.

I still think I've raised them well.

Caption 19, Alain Etoundi Allez tous vous faire enfilmer! - Part 2

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Alternatively, the speaker could have said:

Je pense que je les ai toujours bien éduqués.

I still think I've raised them well.

In conclusion, there is a lot to think about in this lesson, so here is a summary for you:

Penser à + noun: to have in mind, to think about

Penser de + noun: to think of (expressing an opinion)

Penser à + infinitive: to consider, to have in mind, to remember doing something

Penser de + infinitive: to think of/feel about doing something (expressing an opinion)

Penser + infinitive: to hope to, to plan, to intend

But there's even more à penser (to think about) than that, so stay tuned for the second part of this lesson. In the meantime, pensez à regarder beaucoup de vidéos sur Yabla (remember to watch many Yabla videos)!

In our last lesson, we discussed the word tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun, and we learned that tout, like all adjectives, agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. In this lesson, we'll explore tout as an adverb. And in the process, we'll discover how this strange adverb sometimes goes rogue and starts behaving like an adjective! So, buckle up!

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Before we examine the quirks and tricks of adverbial tout, let's look at tout as a regular adverb, a word that is typically invariable (never changes form). Indeed, tout always stays the same in front of another adverb. The construction tout + adverb is equivalent to très (very) + adverb:

Et voilà. Allez, mélange tout doucement.

And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.

Caption 40, Delphine et Automne Le gâteau au yaourt - Part 1

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Delphine could have said this instead:

Voilà. Allez, mélange très doucement. 

And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.

Tout also combines well with adverbs like simplement: tout simplement (quite simply). 

Alors tout simplement parce que ça fait maintenant dix ans qu'on travaille à notre compte.

So quite simply because it has now been ten years since we've been self-employed.

Caption 22, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le titre de Maître Restaurateur, c'est quoi?

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The adverb tout can also modify an adjective to mean "all" or "very," as in "to the full extent." Again, tout behaves like a typical adverb and does not change. In his song "Cha Cha du Marin," singer Cré Tonnerre describes a sailor in a happy mood, using the construction tout + singular masculine adjectives:

Tout heureux, tout amoureux, tout bleu comme le ciel bleu

All happy, all in love, all blue as the blue sky

Caption 26, Cré Tonnerre Cha Cha du Marin

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Did you notice that all the t’s are sounded except the last one? That's because it's necessary to employ liaison in constructions like tout heureux (all happy) and tout amoureux (all/totally in love).

But when the adverb tout appears before a feminine adjective, the liaison becomes a bit more dangerous (or at least trickier). If the feminine adjective (singular or plural) starts with a vowel, as in excitée (excited), tout does not change:

J'étais tout excitée d'avoir ce privilège.

I was all excited to have that privilege.

Caption 16, Melissa Mars From Paris with Love

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Tout also stays the same before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h (since a word beginning with a mute h behaves like a word beginning with a vowel, in the sense that it allows a liaison to occur):

Elle est tout heureuse.

She is very happy.

 

Elles sont tout heureuses.

They are very happy.

But wait, there is another type of h in French! Unlike the mute h, the aspirated h acts like a consonant. Therefore, no liaison is possible, which would make the second t in tout silent. Tout agrees in number and gender before a feminine adjective beginning with an aspirated h. In the example below, toute agrees with the feminine adjective honteuse (ashamed):

Elle est toute honteuse.

She is very ashamed.

In the same sentence in the plural form, toutes takes -es just like the feminine plural adjective it modifies:

Elles sont toutes honteuses.

They are very ashamed.

Just as adverbial tout agrees with a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h, tout also agrees with a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:

Et puis après, je me retrouve toute seule... 

and then after, I find myself all alone...

Caption 29, Amal et Caroline Pourquoi tu n'es pas venue à mon anniversaire ?

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Elles peuvent fonctionner toutes seules.

They can operate on their own.

Caption 66, Lionel & Lahlou La grève

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However, there is sometimes ambiguity in the feminine plural form. In some cases, you will need context to determine whether toutes is acting as an adverb (meaning "very," modifying the adjective) or as an adjective (meaning "all," modifying the subject):

Elles sont toutes tristes.

They are very sad./All of them are sad.

Elles sont toutes honteuses.

They are very ashamed./All of them are ashamed.

On the other hand, there is no ambiguity with the construction tout + plural feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (e.g. tout heureuses). This tout can only act as an adverb, meaning "very":

Elles sont tout heureuses.

They are very happy.

Likewise, toutes heureuses can only mean "(they are) all happy." Rather than an adverb, toutes in this case is an adjective of quantity that modifies the subject elles:

Elles sont toutes heureuses.

All of them are happy.

Now let's recap the rules of the construction tout + feminine adjective (singular and plural):

                                                       Agreement

When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:

• toute seule ("all alone," feminine singular)
• toutes seules ("all alone," feminine plural)

When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h:

• toute honteuse ("very ashamed," feminine singular)
• toutes honteuses ("very ashamed," feminine plural)

No Agreement

When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a vowel:

• tout excitée ("very excited," feminine singular)
• tout excitées ("very excited," feminine plural)

When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h:

• tout heureuse ("very happy," feminine singular)
• tout heureuses ("very happy, feminine plural)

(And don’t forget that adverbial tout does not take agreement before ANY masculine adjective.)

Toute la leçon est terminée! (The whole lesson is over!) This may be a lot to take in, but keep in mind that exceptions are few. Tout only changes before feminine adjectives and only in limited situations. And don’t forget: L’équipe de Yabla est tout heureuse de vous aider! (The Yabla team is very happy to help you!)

In addition to le passé composé (perfect or compound past tense), you can also use l'imparfait (imperfect tense) to talk about things that occurred in the past. So, when should you choose l'imparfait over le passé composé? Let's explore both tenses.

Before we embark on the specific uses of l'imparfait, let's find out how to form this past tense. Just take the nous (we) form of the present tense, as in nous faisons (we do/are doing), remove the -ons, and add the ending -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, or -aient. So, nous faisons (we do/are doing) becomes nous faisions (we were doing/used to do). Margaux and Manon will show you how to conjugate the rest of the verb faire in the imparfait:

Je faisais... Tu faisais. Il ou elle faisait.

I was doing... You were doing. He or she was doing.

Nous faisions. Vous faisiez.

We were doing. You [pl. or formal] were doing.

Ils ou elles faisaient.

They [masc.] or they [fem.] were doing.

Captions 31-33, Margaux et Manon - Conjugaison du verbe faire

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Now that you know how to form the imperfect tense, let's discuss how to use it. Usually, l'imparfait indicates ongoing actions in the past that have a stronger connection to the present than le passé composé, which describes a completed action. In his conversation with Lea in the video below, Lionel uses the imperfect form tu me parlais (you were telling me) as a subtle cue that he wants to hear more about the animals in the park. It's an invitation to Lea to elaborate:

Tu me parlais aussi tout à l'heure de la

You were also telling me earlier about the

présence d'animaux dans ces parcs.

presence of animals in these parks.

Caption 43, Lea & Lionel L - Le parc de Bercy - Part 2

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If Lionel wanted to say something like “you already told me earlier” and then changed the subject, he would have used passé composé:

Ah oui, tu m’en as déjà parlé tout à l’heure.

Oh yes, you already told me about that earlier.

But l'imparfait is not only used to evoke an ongoing action drifting into the present. It's also the ideal tense for talking about things you used to do or describing repeated actions. In the following video, Claire remembers how elle allait (she used to go) to the park with her daughter:

Oh,  j'y allais beaucoup avec ma fille, il y a quelques années.

Oh, I used to go there a lot with my daughter a few years ago.

Caption 47, Claire et Philippe - La campagne

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L'imparfait is very helpful for setting a background and creating a mood. In his poem "Barbara," Jacques Prévert sets the scene by describing the incessant rain in the city of Brest, which was destroyed during the Second World War:

Il pleuvait sans cesse sur Brest ce jour-là

It was raining nonstop in Brest that day

Caption 2, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert

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Later on, the poet uses the imparfait again to describe the romantic encounter that follows:

Tu souriais

You were smiling

Et moi je souriais de même

And I smiled back

Captions 9-10, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert

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(Note that we used the perfect tense in English for je souriais [I smiled]. The French imparfait does not always correspond to the English imperfect, as we'll discuss further below.)

Prévert then adds more to the background: a man who s’abritait (was taking shelter) under a porch and interrupted the scene with a shout. Whereas the imparfait is used for background or habitual actions, single actions interrupting an ongoing action are usually expressed in passé composé:

Un homme sous un porche s'abritait

A man was taking shelter under a porch

Et il a crié ton nom

And he shouted your name

Captions 17-18, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert

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While all verbs can be conjugated in both the passé composé and the imparfait, certain verbs by their very nature express a state of mind, an attitude, a condition, or a desire, thus lending themselves better to the use of the imparfait. These verbs include avoir (to have), croire (to believe), désirer (to desire), espérer (to hope), être (to be), penser (to think), pouvoir (to be able to), savoir (to know), vouloir (to want). Note that some of these verbs don’t usually take the imperfect in English. For example, we can say on savait, but we don’t really say “we were knowing” in English. In the video below, on ne savait pas translates as "we didn't know":

On ne savait pas que le marché de Noël ouvrait aujourd'hui

We didn't know that the Christmas market was opening today

Caption 8, Alsace 20 - Ouverture du marché de Noël de Colmar

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In another example using the verb penser (to think), the imperfect form is necessary for expressing repetition in French, but not in English:

Je pensais souvent à toi.

I often thought of you.

Caption 38, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ?

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However, just like in English, when referring to a completed action, we switch to passé composé in French. In the example below, the action was completed hier (yesterday), hence the use of the perfect tense (j’ai pensé). So, paying attention to adverbs in French can help you choose the correct tense:

J’ai pensé à toi hier.

I thought of you yesterday.

In some rare cases, a verb's meaning can change depending on what tense it's in. For example, the verb connaître (to know) usually means “to know” in the imparfait but "to meet" in the passé composé:

Je l'avais fréquenté pendant plusieurs années et je le connaissais.

I had socialized with him for several years, and I knew him.

Caption 63, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde

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J'ai connu Gérard y a une dizaine d'années.

I met Gérard about ten years ago.

Caption 39, Le Jour où tout a basculé - J'ai escroqué mon assurance !

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In the first example, the speaker uses the imparfait to describe an old acquaintance she has known for a long time—something in the past that has an effect on the present. In the second example, we're dealing with a singular event that can't be repeated, when the speaker first met Gérard. So the passé composé is in order here. 

Sometimes certain grammatical structures dictate which tense you should use. For example, to describe hypothetical situations, we use the construction si + imparfait. Zaz uses this construction throughout her song "Si" (If):

Si j'étais l'amie du bon Dieu

If I were the good Lord's friend

Caption 1, Zaz - Si

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Now that you’re familiar with the imparfait and passé composé, why not write your own story in the past tense using both forms? Yabla videos are at your disposal for inspiration.

French verbs take on many endings, which can be a challenge to a new learner. Not to mention that some irregular verbs bear little resemblance to their original infinitive forms when conjugated. And a small group of verbs have unique characteristics that may surprise you. So let’s take a tour of these weird and wonderful things called verbs.

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Did you know that the shortest conjugated verb in French is only one letter long, a, as in il/elle a (he/she has)?

Et il a des révélations à lui faire.

And he has some revelations to make to him.

Caption 2, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 9

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Speaking of short verbs, a few irregular past participles ending in -u are extremely short and depart from their infinitive forms. And to make matters worse, they look very similar. The past participles of savoir, croire, pouvoir, boire, voir, and devoir are su, cru, pu, bu, vu, and dû (known, believed, was able to, drank, must have):

Ce que j'ai pu constater...

What I was able to observe...

Caption 23, Alphabétisation des filles au Sénégal

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Just a quick reminder that past participles sometimes have to agree in gender and number with their objects, which means they take on additional endings. In the following example, vu becomes vus to agree with the masculine plural object, les gens​:

...et les gens qu'elles avaient vus là-bas.

...and the people they had seen there.

Caption 21, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 1

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Verbs ending in -ut or -it, as in fut (was) and fit (did), are often the mark of the passé simple or past historic, which is a tense used in fairy tales and other literary or historical works:

La première chose qu'elle vit fut un grand bateau.

The first thing she saw was a large boat.

Caption 25, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 1

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Although the past historic is little used, you may come across it from time to time, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with its endings at least. Be aware, though, that some verbs in the past historic look the same as other verbs in the present tense. For example, elle vit (she saw) is a past historic form of voir, but elle vit (she lives) is also a present tense form of vivre:

Mais heureusement ton frère, bon, qui vit à Montréal...

But luckily your brother, well, who lives in Montreal...

Caption 36, Elisa et sa maman La technologie

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And sometimes, a verb conjugated in the same tense can have two different meanings, as in je suis (I am/I follow), which is the first-person singular present of both être (to be) and suivre (to follow). Usually, context is enough to guide you, but it could also be a trick question in an exam! In the video below, the poor koala is having an identity crisis:

Quoi? Je ne suis pas un koala? Mais alors, qui suis-je?

What? I'm not a koala? But then, who am I?

Caption 8, Les zooriginaux 3 Qui suis-je? - Part 1

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And here, you have both meanings of suis within the same caption:

Je suis bien d'accord, ils ne servent à rien. Allez, suis-moi.

I totally agree, they are of no use. Come on, follow me.

Caption 14, Les zooriginaux 2 Tel père tel fils - Part 4

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Speaking of present-tense tricks, the verbs vaincre (to defeat, vanquish) and convaincre (to convince) are the only verbs in the French language that have endings in -c and -cs: je convaincs (I convince), tu convaincs (you convince), il convainc (he convinces). This little nugget of knowledge might come in handy while playing Scrabble, but not so much in conversation.

The past participles of vaincre and convaincre are more straightforward: vaincu, convaincu:

Alors, te voici convaincu? Ne cherche pas ailleurs!

So, are you convinced? Don't look elsewhere!

Caption 10, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 4

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One verb that draws attention to itself not for its unique present-tense ending but for its unusual infinitive form is the verb se fiche (to not give a damn). Normally it should come with an -r at the end, like all infinitives, but many grammarians, including those at Larousse, make a case for se fiche as the infinitive. In any event, it makes for a vigorous debate among scholars and grammarians. As for most people, ils s’en fichent (they could care less) and use the more regular infinitive version, se ficher. 

Se fiche is most often a conjugated form of the present tense. In the following example, it takes on a different meaning: "kid" or "get a rise out of":

On se fiche de nous ou quoi?

Are you kidding us or what?

Caption 5, Actus Quartier Devant la SNCF

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Finally, some verb tenses have very exotic endings, even to the average French speaker! Endings such as -inssent, -assent, and -ussent, as in qu’ils vinssent/fassent/fussent (that they came/did/were) belong to the imperfect subjunctive, a tense that's hardly ever used. Most French speakers use the present subjunctive even when referring to the past: 

Je voulais que tu viennes.

I wanted you to come.

Very few would use the imperfect subjunctive, unless perhaps for a humorous effect: 

Je voulais que tu vinsses.

I wanted you to come.

While the imperfect subjunctive is a literary verb form, the present subjunctive is not, and is often used in casual conversation. For example, you will need the present subjunctive to say something as simple as “I’ve got to go":

Merci de m'avoir regardée sur Yabla. Maintenant faut que j'y aille.

Thanks for watching me on Yabla. I gotta go now.

Caption 39, B-Girl Frak Limoges

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Vaille que vaille (come what may), don’t hesitate to explore more wondrous verb oddities in your Yabla wanderings by taking full advantage of our videos and lessons. Thank you for reading. Maintenant il faut que nous y allions! Au revoir!