EXERCISE YOUR FRENCH

The foreign visitor walked quickly across the university campus, wondering if he was already late. Seeing a passing physics professor wearing a watch, he asked, "Excuse me, please. What is time?" He got a 15-minute lecture.

 

If you want to produce or understand sentences in any language, good vocabulary is not enough: you need to understand grammar. Once you have learned the rules of a language (conjugating verbs, choosing appropriate pronouns and prepositions, forming questions, specifying past/present/future tense, and so on), you can say exactly what you mean, but learning requires clear explanations and, most importantly, lots of practice. 

Exercise Your French is a grammar workbook for students of French at all levels, based on fifteen years of experience helping students to improve their abilities and grades. The workbook includes simple explanations, helpful examples, and 140 sets of written exercises (over 1800 exercises total). For instant feedback, complete solutions are included. 

Whether you are taking a high school class or a college course, studying for the AP French examination, or just working on your own, Exercise Your French can help you improve your skills and be confident about your French!

Exercise Your French (PDF) is available for $9.99 USD. Pay by Paypal with the Buy Now button below. Shortly after you pay, you will receive an email with the download links.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




CONTENTS

NOUNS 7                                                                                                                                       
THE GENDER OF NOUNS     7
THE PLURAL OF NOUNS     9

ADJECTIVES      10
THE FEMININE FORM OF ADJECTIVES     10
THE PLURAL OF ADJECTIVES     11
ADJECTIVES NEW, BEAUTIFUL, AND OLD     12
POSITION IN THE SENTENCE     13
COLORS     14
COMPARISON     16
THE SUPERLATIVE     17
IRREGULAR COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS     18
EXERCISES     20
ANSWERS     24

ARTICLES     26
INDEFINITE ARTICLES     26
DEFINITE ARTICLES     27
CONTRACTION OF DEFINITE ARTICLES WITH THE PREPOSITION À     29
CONTRACTION OF DEFINITE ARTICLES WITH THE PREPOSITION DE     30
PARTITIVE ARTICLES     31
EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY     32
OMITTING ARTICLES     33
EXERCISES     34
ANSWERS     36

POSSESSIVES     37
POSSESIVE ADJECTIVES (MON, MA, MES, ETC.)     37
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS (LE MIEN, LA MIENNE, ETC.)     44
EXERCISES     51
ANSWERS     55

DEMONSTRATIVES      57
DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES (CE, CET, CETTE, CES)     57
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS (CELUI, CELLE, CEUX, CELLES)    59
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS CE, CECI, CELA, AND ÇA     61
EXERCISES     62
ANSWERS     64

ADVERBS     65
TYPES OF ADVERBS     65
FORMING ADVERBS OF MANNER ENDING IN –MENT     67
POSITION IN THE SENTENCE     69
EXERCISES     71
ANSWERS     74

PRESENT TENSE    75
INFINITIVES     75
THREE GROUPS OF FRENCH VERBS     76
THE AUXILIARY VERBS AVOIR AND ÊTRE     79
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     80
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     81
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     83
QUESTION WORDS     84
EXERCISES     86
ANSWERS     91

REFLEXIVE VERBS     93
FORMATION     95
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     96
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     97
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     98
QUESTION WORDS     99
REFLEXIVE VERBS – THE INFINITIVE FORM     101
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     102
EXERCISES     103
ANSWERS     105

OBJECT PRONOUNS     106
DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS (LE, LA, L’, LES, ME, TE, NOUS, VOUS)     106
INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS (LUI, LEUR, ME, TE, NOUS, VOUS)     110
POSITION IN THE SENTENCE     113
EXERCISES     115
ANSWERS     121
THE PRONOUN EN     124
THE PRONOUN Y     126
POSITION IN THE SENTENCE     128
EXERCISES     130
ANSWERS     134
DOUBLE OBJECT PRONOUNS     136
POSITION IN THE SENTENCE     138
EXERCISES     140
ANSWERS     142

STRESSED PRONOUNS (PRONOMS TONIQUES)     143
EXERCISES     145
ANSWERS     146

THE PAST TENSE     147

THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ: VERBS CONJUGATED WITH AVOIR     148
FORMATION     149
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     152
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     153
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     154
QUESTION WORDS   155
AGREEMENT OF THE PAST PARTICIPLE WITH THE PRECEDING DIRECT OBJECT     157
EXERCISES     159
ANSWERS     162

THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ: VERBS CONJUGATED WITH ÊTRE     163
FORMATION     164
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     166
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     167
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     168
QUESTION WORDS     169
VERBS THAT CAN FORM THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ WITH BOTH AVOIR AND ÊTRE     171
EXERCISES     172
ANSWERS     175

THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ: REFLEXIVE VERBS     177
AGREEMENT OF THE PAST PARTICIPLE     178
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     180
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     181
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     182                                                           
QUESTION WORDS     183
EXERCISES     184
ANSWERS     186

THE IMPERFECT TENSE (L’IMPARFAIT)     187
FORMATION    188
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     189
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     190
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     191
QUESTION WORDS     192
EXERCISES     194
ANSWERS     197

THE IMPERFECT VERSUS THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ     199
EXERCISES     200
ANSWERS     202

THE PAST PERFECT (PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT)     203
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH AVOIR: FORMATION     203
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     204
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH ÊTRE: FORMATION     205
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     206
EXERCISES    207
ANSWERS     210

FUTURE TENSE     212
LE FUTUR PROCHE     212
FORMATION     212
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     213
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     214
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     215
QUESTION WORDS     216
LE FUTUR SIMPLE     218
FORMATION     219
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     221
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     222
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     223
QUESTION WORDS     224
EXERCISES     226
ANSWERS     231

PRESENT CONDITIONAL     234
FORMATION     235
MEANING OF THE VERBS VOULOIR, POUVOIR, AND DEVOIR     237
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     238
FORMING YES/NO QUESTIONS     239
FORMING NEGATIVE YES/NO QUESTIONS     240
QUESTION WORDS     241
EXERCISES     243
ANSWERS     248

PAST CONDITIONAL     251
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH AVOIR: FORMATION     252
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     253
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH ÊTRE: FORMATION     254
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     255
MEANING OF THE VERBS POUVOIR AND DEVOIR     256
EXERCISES     257
ANSWERS     261

HYPOTHETICALS     263
EXERCISES     266
ANSWERS     270

RELATIVE PRONOUNS     271
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN QUI     271
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN QUE     274
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN DONT     277
THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS CE QUI, CE QUE, AND CE DONT     281
EXERCISES     282
ANSWERS     287
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN LEQUEL     289
EXERCISES     291
ANSWERS     292

INTERROGATIVES     293
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN QUI     293
Short version     293
Long version     295
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN QUE     297
Short version     297
Long version     299
EXERCISES     301
ANSWERS     305
THE INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVE QUEL     306
EXERCISES     307
ANSWERS     308
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN LEQUEL     309
EXERCISES     311
ANSWERS     312

THE EXCLAMATION ADJECTIVE QUEL     313
EXERCISES     314
ANSWERS     315

SUBJUNCTIVE     316
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE     316
FORMATION     322
REFLEXIVE VERBS     323
IRREGULAR VERBS      324
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     328
EXERCISES     329
ANSWERS     336

PAST SUBJUNCTIVE     339
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH AVOIR: FORMATION     341
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     342
VERBS CONJUGATED WITH ÊTRE: FORMATION     343
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     344
REFLEXIVE VERBS     345
NEGATIVE SENTENCES     346
EXERCISES     347
ANSWERS     352

REPORTED OR INDIRECT SPEECH     355
INDIRECT ORDERS     359
INDIRECT QUESTIONS     361
EXERCISES     364
ANSWERS     370

REPORTED OR INDIRECT SPEECH – AGREEMENT OF TENSES IN THE PAST     372
INDIRECT ORDERS     376
INDIRECT QUESTIONS     378
ADVERBS OF TIME     381
EXERCISES     383
ANSWERS     390