Article before noun
le / la / un / une always come first.
Like English “the coffee”, the little word goes in front — never after.
le café
(luh kah-fay)
= the coffee
✗ café le
French grammar rules
Basic
Article matches the noun
Masculine: le / un. Feminine: la / une.
Every French noun is masculine or feminine. Learn the article together with the word.
une table
(ewn tahbl)
= a table
✗ un table
l’ before a vowel
le / la shrink to l’ before a vowel or silent h.
French avoids two vowel sounds bumping together, so “la eau” becomes “l’eau”.
l'eau
(loh)
= the water
l'horaire
(loh-rehr)
= the timetable
✗ la eau
Nouns need an article
English drops it; French almost never does.
“I want coffee” is fine in English, but French wants “un café” or “le café”. Names and cities are the exception.
je voudrais un café
(zhuh voo-dreh uhn kah-fay)
= I'd like a coffee
✗ je voudrais café
Start with the I-phrase
je voudrais, je suis, je vais… comes first.
The I-phrase carries the meaning. Greetings may come before it, thanks after it.
bonjour, je voudrais un thé
(bohn-zhoor, zhuh voo-dreh uhn tay)
= hello, I'd like a tea
One I-phrase per idea
Join two with “et”, don't stack them.
“je veux je prends” stacks two verbs. Use one, or join two full ideas with “et”.
je prends un café et je paie
(zhuh prahn uhn kah-fay ay zhuh peh)
= I take a coffee and I pay
✗ je veux je prends
à vs de
à = to / in; de = from.
J’habite à Paris (I live in Paris). Je viens de Chicago (I come from Chicago).
je viens de Chicago
(zhuh vyan duh shee-kah-goh)
= I come from Chicago
✗ je viens à Chicago
à + le = au
à le → au; à la stays.
French merges à and le into one sound: “au”. Feminine words keep “à la”.
je vais à la gare
(zhuh veh ah lah gahr)
= I go to the station
✗ je vais à le café
No article for nationality
je suis américain — no “un”.
After “je suis”, nationalities and jobs stand alone. Women add -e: américaine.
je suis américaine
(zhuh swee ah-may-ree-ken)
= I am American (f.)
✗ je suis un américain
Polite words at the edges
bonjour first, s'il vous plaît / merci last.
Courtesy sits outside the core sentence, set off with commas.
je voudrais l'addition, s'il vous plaît
(zhuh voo-dreh lah-dee-syohn, seel voo pleh)
= the bill, please
Complex
ne … pas wraps the verb
je ne veux pas — two pieces around the verb.
Negation hugs the verb from both sides. In speech the “ne” often disappears.
je ne veux pas
(zhuh nuh vuh pah)
= I don't want
du / de la for “some”
je bois du vin, de l'eau.
For uncountable things French uses “some”: du (m.), de la (f.), de l’ (vowel).
je bois de l'eau
(zhuh bwah duh loh)
= I drink (some) water
Adjectives usually go after
un vin rouge, not un rouge vin.
Colours and most descriptions follow the noun; a few short ones (bon, petit, grand) come before.
un vin rouge
(uhn van roozh)
= a red wine
tu vs vous
vous for strangers, tu for friends.
Use vous with staff and anyone older; switch to tu when invited.
vous parlez anglais ?
(voo par-lay ahn-gleh)
= do you speak English?