Veronique Mazet - French Grammar For Dummies

French Grammar For Dummies

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013933935

ISBN 978-1-118-50251-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-50248-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-50250-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-50324-9 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Vronique Mazet, PhD, is a professor of French, adjunct, at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. Shes the author of two other French grammar books: Correct Your French Blunders and Advanced French Grammar (both published by McGraw-Hill).

Dedication

To my students of all ages: Thanks for believing in the beauty of the French language, and thanks for trusting me.

Authors Acknowledgments

Thanks to my agent, Grace Freedson, for calling me, and to my husband, for his super support.

Publishers Acknowledgments

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Introduction

I deas, needs, and feelings are expressed with words. If you want to express yourself in any language, you need to know the right words, but words alone are not enough. If I say dehors ( outside ) to you, you cant guess if I want you to go outside , look outside , or something else. I need to add a verb like allez ( go ) and use it in the correct way to make my meaning clear.

In order to put words together in a coherent way, you need grammar. Unlike the English language, in which you can often string words together with minimum linking, French requires more formal structure. In this book I show you how the parts of French grammar work together so you can express what you need, how you feel, and even what you think, in French.

About This Book

French Grammar For Dummies tackles specific French grammar topics in detail, with plenty of examples and practice problems. An answer key at the end of each chapter allows you to check your work.

I start you off with basic French grammar on nouns, articles, adjectives, numbers, dates, and times. Then you move to verbs so you can build simple sentences in the present tense. From that point, you find out how to embellish simple French sentences with more detailed phrasing that makes you sound like a native speaker, thanks to adverbs, prepositional phrases, and pronouns. Then youre ready to move in time with different verb tenses, like the past and the future.

You dont have to read this book from cover to cover; you can simply read the sections or chapters that interest you. Put the book away until you need it again itll be ready and waiting for you!

Conventions Used in This Book

I use the following conventions to make this book easier for you to navigate:

French words and sentences appear in boldface .

English equivalents in italics follow French words and sentences.