Category: French grammar tips

‘Ne…que’ is a construction in French that means ‘only’. It is used to restrict the scope of the verb. For instance, ‘Je ne mange que des fruits’ means ‘I only…

‘Plutôt’ is used in French to express a preference, similar to ‘rather’ or ‘instead’. For example, ‘Je préfère le thé plutôt que le café’ means ‘I prefer tea rather than…

‘D’ailleurs’ means ‘besides’ or ‘by the way’ and is used to add additional information. For example, ‘Il n’aime pas le chocolat; d’ailleurs, il est allergique au cacao’ (He doesn’t like…

‘Vers’ means ‘towards’ in a physical sense, while ‘envers’ is used more abstractly to mean ‘towards’ in the sense of attitude or behavior. For example, ‘Je marche vers la porte’…

‘Pendant que’ means ‘while’ and is used to describe two actions occurring simultaneously. For example, ‘Je lis pendant que tu écris’ (I read while you write). ‘Pendant que’ signifie ‘while’…

‘Encore’ means ‘still’ or ‘yet’ and is used to express that something is continuing. For example, ‘Il est encore là’ (He is still there). ‘Encore’ signifie ‘still’ ou ‘yet’ et…

‘Aussi’ and ‘également’ both mean ‘also’ or ‘too’, but ‘également’ is more formal and often used in writing. For example, ‘Je veux aussi y aller’ (I also want to go)…

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

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

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

‘Sous’ means ‘under’ and ‘sur’ means ‘on’ or ‘above’. These prepositions are used to describe the location of objects. For example, ‘Le chat est sous la table’ (The cat is…

‘Parmi’ means ‘among’ and is used to indicate that something or someone is part of a group. For example, ‘Elle est la meilleure parmi ses amies’ (She is the best…

‘Afin que’ means ‘so that’ and is used to express purpose. It is followed by the subjunctive mood. For example, ‘Je te donne ces informations afin que tu comprennes mieux’…

‘Ne…que’ means ‘only’ and is used to limit the scope of a statement. For example, ‘Je ne mange que des légumes’ (I only eat vegetables). ‘Ne…que’ signifie ‘only’ et est…

‘Quelconque’ means ‘any’ or ‘ordinary’ and is used to describe something that is not special. For example, ‘C’était un jour quelconque’ (It was an ordinary day). ‘Quelconque’ signifie ‘any’ ou…

‘Tandis que’ and ‘alors que’ both mean ‘while’ or ‘whereas’, but ‘tandis que’ is more often used to express contrast, while ‘alors que’ can indicate simultaneity. For example, ‘Il travaille,…

‘Aussi bien que’ means ‘as well as’ and is used to make comparisons of equality. For example, ‘Elle chante aussi bien que sa sœur’ (She sings as well as her…

‘Dès que’ means ‘as soon as’ and is used to indicate that something will happen immediately after another event. For example, ‘Je partirai dès que tu seras prêt’ (I will…

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

‘À la fois’ means ‘at the same time’ or ‘both’ and is used to indicate simultaneity. For example, ‘Il est à la fois étudiant et travailleur’ (He is both a…