Core French grammar terms with definitions in Chinese and English.
article / article
article
A word before a noun marking gender, number, definiteness or quantity.
definite article / article défini
article défini
le, la, l’, les.
indefinite article / article indéfini
article indéfini
un, une, des.
partitive article / article partitif
article partitif
du, de la, de l’, indicating an unspecified quantity.
noun / nom
nom
A word naming a person, object, place or concept.
gender / genre
genre
Masculine/feminine category in French nouns and related words.
number / nombre
nombre
Singular or plural.
adjective / adjectif
adjectif
A word describing a noun, usually agreeing in gender and number.
adverb / adverbe
adverbe
A word modifying a verb, adjective, adverb or sentence; usually invariable.
determiner / déterminant
déterminant
A word before a noun specifying its reference.
pronoun / pronom
pronom
A word replacing a noun or noun phrase.
direct object / complément d’objet direct
complément d’objet direct
An object not introduced by a preposition.
indirect object / complément d’objet indirect
complément d’objet indirect
An object often introduced by à.
negation / négation
négation
Expression of not, no, never, etc.
verb / verbe
verbe
A word expressing an action, state or change.
tense / temps
temps
A form expressing time or temporal relation.
mood / mode
mode
A form expressing attitude, such as indicative, conditional or subjunctive.
past participle / participe passé
participe passé
Used in compound tenses, passive voice and more.
subjunctive / subjonctif
subjonctif
Expresses wish, necessity, emotion, doubt and more.
preposition / préposition
préposition
A word expressing relations such as place, time, manner or cause.
conjunction / conjonction
conjonction
A word connecting words, phrases or clauses.
liaison / liaison
liaison
Pronouncing a normally silent final consonant before a vowel.
indefinite determiner / adjectif indéfini
adjectif indéfini
A determiner expressing indefinite quantity, totality or distribution.
imperfect / imparfait
imparfait
A tense used for past background, description, habit or ongoing state.
pluperfect / plus-que-parfait
plus-que-parfait
A tense marking an action or state earlier than another past reference point.
word endings / finales de mots
finales de mots
Letters or letter groups at the end of words and their pronunciation patterns.