Sentence Structure in French

Simple declarative sentences

We use a simple declarative sentence (une phrase affirmative simple) to state something – to recount an event, give information, share a thought and more – all in a positive form. It’s the opposite of a negative sentence.

In French, word order is very important – you can only change it in certain cases. In a simple declarative sentence, the usual order is: subject – verb – object(s). This differs from a complex sentence, which contains two or more conjugated verbs.

Example:

Martin a offert un cadeau à Léa.Martin gave Léa a present.

Martin = subject, a offert = verb, un cadeau = direct object, à Léa = indirect object

We distinguish between the direct object and the indirect object.

• The direct object is directly affected by the action of the verb. To find it, ask “who?” or “what?” after the conjugated verb.
  

  Example:

  Martin a offert quoi ? → un cadeauMartin gave what? → a present

  un cadeau is the direct object

• The indirect object is linked to the verb by a preposition (often à or de). To find it, ask “to whom?”, “to what?”, “from whom?” or “from what?” after the conjugated verb. The indirect object usually comes after the direct object.
  

  Example:

  Martin a offert le cadeau à qui ? → à LéaMartin gave the present to whom? → to Léa

  à Léa is the indirect object

Go to our dedicated page on simple declarative sentences to learn more, then put your knowledge to the test with our online exercises.

Simple negative sentences

We use a simple negative sentence (une phrase négative simple) to deny something, say that something doesn’t happen or express disagreement. It’s the opposite of a simple declarative sentence.

To form a simple negative sentence, we use two negative elements: ne and pas. There are also variations such as ne…plus, ne…jamais, etc. These two parts of the negation surround the verb in a simple tense (présent, imparfait, etc.) or surround the auxiliary in a compound tense (passé composé, futur antérieur, etc.).

Examples:

Je ne parle pas l’allemand. (présent)I don’t speak German.

Nous ne nous sommes jamais perdus en randonnée. (passé composé, pronominal verb)We’ve never got lost while hiking.

In some structures the negation doesn’t go around a conjugated verb, so we need to pay attention to word order (for example, with an infinitive or with the recent past).

Examples:

Ce serait une erreur de ne pas essayer. (infinitive)It would be a mistake not to try.

Ils ne viennent pas de se rencontrer. (passé récent, pronominal verb)They haven’t just met.

Learn everything you need to know about simple negative sentences on our dedicated page.

Complex negation

A complex negation (une phrase négative complexe) is different from a simple negative sentence because it uses a different negation pattern. For example, ne…ni…ni… lets you link several items in the same sentence, and corresponds to “neither…nor” in English. Other patterns include some fixed expressions with ne, or the expletive ne, which doesn’t always express real negation.

Examples:

Je n’ai ni œufs ni farine à la maison. (ne…ni…ni…)I have neither eggs nor flour at home.

Viens donc nous rejoindre, ne serait-ce que pour une heure. (fixed expression with ne)Come join us, even if it’s just for an hour.

Il craint qu’il ne soit trop tard. (expletive ne)He fears that it may be too late.

Don’t confuse complex negation with a complex sentence. A complex sentence has more than one conjugated verb.

Examples:

Je n’aime ni le rock ni la musique classique.I like neither rock nor classical music.

One conjugated verb (aimer) → simple sentence

Le moine ne mange ni ne boit pendant le jeûne.The monk neither eats nor drinks during the fast.

Two conjugated verbs (manger and boire) → complex sentence

Go to our dedicated page on complex negation to learn more, then put your knowledge to the test with our online exercises.

Interrogative sentences (questions)

We use the interrogative (la phrase interrogative) to ask questions. In French, there are three forms and two types of questions.

The three forms of questions are:

• rising intonation: the voice rises at the end of the sentence, but the word order stays the same

  Example:

  Tu vas venir au mariage ?Are you coming to the wedding?

• est-ce que + affirmative word order: the word order stays the same after est-ce que

  Example:

  Est-ce que tu vas venir au mariage ?Are you coming to the wedding?

• subject–verb inversion: the subject and verb switch places

  Example:

  Vas-tu venir au mariage ?Are you coming to the wedding?

The two types of questions are:

• total (yes/no) questions: they ask about the whole sentence and are answered with oui or non

  Example:

  – Tu vas venir au mariage ? – Non.Are you going to come to the wedding? – No.

• partial questions: they ask for one piece of information and use use a question word (quiwho, quewhat, quoiwhat, oùwhere, quandwhen, etc.)

  Example:

  – Qui va se marier ? – Claire et Benoît.– Who’s getting married? – Claire and Benoît.

Learn more about the interrogative sentences on our dedicated page, then practise with our online exercises.

Exclamative sentences

We use an exclamative sentence (une phrase exclamative) to express strong feelings and emotions (surprise, joy, anger, fear, admiration, etc.) or to convey a judgement (admiration, disappointment, etc.).

Examples:

Fais attention !Be careful!
Comme c’est triste !How sad that is!

Here are three common features of exclamative sentences:

• they end with an exclamation mark (!)
• the intonation is strong: the voice starts higher and falls at the end
• they often (but not always) begin with an exclamatory adverb (que, comme) or an exclamatory determiner (quelle, quel, quelles, quels)

Deepen your understanding of exclamative sentences with our page dedicated to this sentence type.

Complex sentences

A complex sentence (une phrase complexe) contains two or more conjugated verbs. In comparison, a simple sentence only contains one conjugated verb. A group of words built around a conjugated verb is called a clause (proposition).

Examples:

Lucie joue de la guitare.Lucie plays the guitar.

one verb, one clause → simple sentence

Lucie joue de la guitare et peint des tableaux.Lucie plays the guitar and paints pictures.

two verbs, two clauses → complex sentence

Lucie joue de la guitare et peint des tableaux quand elle trouve le temps.Lucie plays the guitar and paints pictures when she finds the time.

three verbs, three clauses → complex sentence

There are different types of clauses, classified by their role in the sentence:

• an independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence. It doesn’t need another clause to make sense, and it isn’t completed by another clause.
  

  Example:

  Lucie joue de la guitare.Lucie plays the guitar.

• a subordinate clause can’t stand on its own. It depends on another clause to be complete, and it adds extra information (time, reason, condition, etc.).
  

  Example:

  Lucie peint des tableaux quand elle a le temps.Lucie paints pictures when she finds the time.

  “quand elle a le temps” has no meaning on its own without “Lucie peint des tableaux”

• a main clause is the part of the sentence that makes a complete statement. We can attach a subordinate clauses to a main clause to add extra information.
  

  Example:

  Lucie peint des tableaux quand elle a le temps.Lucie plays the guitar and paints pictures when she finds the time.

  “Lucie peint des tableaux” is the main clause, “quand elle a le temps” is the subordinate clause that adds extra information

Below, we’ll see that there are also different subcategories of subordinate clauses. Clauses can also be linked together in different ways, known as juxtaposition, coordination and subordination.

Learn everything you need to know about complex sentences in our dedicated article, then practise with the online exercises.

Relative subordinate clauses

A relative subordinate clause (une proposition subordonnée relative) provides additional information about a noun or a pronoun without the need to start a new sentence. It usually begins with a relative pronoun such as quiwho, quewhich, that, dontwhose, oùwhere, etc.

Example:

Julie, qui a étudié trois heures par jour, se sent prête pour l’examen.Julie, who studied three hours a day, feels ready for the exam.

the clause qui a étudié trois heures par jour gives us information about Julie

A relative subordinate clause can be restrictive or non-restrictive.

• restrictive: no comma; it can’t be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence
  

  Example:

  Voici les livres qu’elle a étudiés.Here are the books that she studied.

• non-restrictive: separated by one or more commas; it can be removed without changing the overall meaning of the sentence
  

  Example:

  Les livres, que son professeur lui avait recommandés, lui ont permis de bien se préparer.The books, which her teacher had recommended to her, helped her prepare well.

Complement subordinate clauses

A complement subordinate clause (also called a noun clause) (une proposition subordonnée complétive) gives the “what?”, “that…” or “if/whether…” information after a verb or an adjective. It doesn’t describe a noun (that would be a relative clause) – instead, it completes the meaning of the verb or adjective.

There are three types of noun clauses:

• a clause introduced by the conjunction que
  

  Example:

  Il faut que tu m’appelles tout de suite.You need to call me right away.

  be careful not to confuse the indicative and the subjunctive

• an infinitive clause
  

  Example:

  Nous voyons le soleil se coucher à l’horizon.We can see the sun setting on the horizon.

  the subject of the main clause and the subject of the infinitive clause are not the same

• indirect questions
  

  Example:

  Tu as demandé au professeur s’il pouvait répéter.You asked the teacher if he could repeat.

  this structure lets you to ask a question using indirect speech

Adverbial subordinate clauses

An adverbial subordinate clause (une proposition subordonnée circonstancielle) are subordinate clauses that act as adverbs. They’re introduced by a conjunction and are usually conjugated in either the indicative or the subjunctive, depending on the structure.

These clauses can express a:

• purpose
  

  Example:

  Les enfants chuchotent afin que personne ne les entende.The children are whispering so that no one can hear them.

• cause
  

  Example:

  Manon reste chez elle parce qu’il pleut.Manon is staying home because it’s raining.

• condition
  

  Example:

  Nous pouvons commencer maintenant, si tu veux.We can start now, if you want.

• concession or opposition
  

  Example:

  Bien qu’il fasse froid, Martin sort courir.Although it’s cold, Martin is going out for a run.

Conditional subordinate clauses

A conditional subordinate clause (une proposition subordonnée conditionnelle) indicates that an action can only be carried out under certain conditions. It’s most often introduced by the conjunction si (“if”).

Example:

Je n’arriverai pas à l’heure si je ne pars pas tout de suite.I won’t arrive on time if I don’t leave right away.

We also distinguish between real conditions and unreal conditions:

• real condition: the condition seems possible or realistic, the subordinate clause uses the present tense and the main clause uses the present or the simple future
  

  Example:

  Si je trouve le temps, je t’aiderai.If I find the time, I’ll help you.

• unreal condition (present or past): the condition seems unlikely or impossible, we use the imparfait + present conditional for a present unreal condition, or plus-que-parfait + past conditional for a past unreal condition
  

  Examples:

  Si j’avais le temps, je partirais en voyage. (present)If I had the time, I would go on a trip.

  Si j’avais eu le temps, je serais parti en voyage. (past)If I’d had the time, I would have gone on a trip.

Participle subordinate clauses

A participle subordinate clause (uns proposition subordonnée participiale) is a clause whose verb is in the present participle, past participle or compound participle form. These kind of subordinate clauses are mainly used in writing and in a formal register.

Examples:

Le temps étant ensoleillé, nous sommes allés à la piscine. (present participle)The weather being sunny, we went to the pool.

Le travail fini, les étudiants sont partis. (past participle)The work finished, the students left.

Ayant terminé ses devoirs, Marie est sortie se promener. (compound participle)Having finished her homework, Marie went out for a walk.

the participial clause is often placed at the beginning of the sentence and separated from the main clause by a comma

Indirect speech

Indirect speech (le discours indirect) is used to report what someone else said.

When we change direct speech into indirect speech, we need to make a few changes:

• use a subordinate clause with que (for affirmative sentences)
  

  Example:

  « Je pars demain. » → Il a dit qu’il partait demain.“I’m leaving tomorrow.” → He said that he was leaving tomorrow.

• remove direct-speech punctuation (quotation marks, question marks, exclamation marks)
  

  Example:

  « Nous avons réussi l’examen ! » → Ils ont annoncé qu’ils avaient réussi l’examen.“We passed the exam!” → They announced that they had passed the exam.

• change pronouns and possessive determiners
  

  Example:

  « Mon frère est malade. » → Elle a dit que son frère était malade.“My brother is sick.” → She said that her brother was sick.

• change the verb tenses
  

  Example:

  « Je mange une pomme. » → Il a dit qu’il mangeait une pomme.“I am eating an apple.” → He said that he was eating an apple.

Learn more about the indirect speech on our dedicated page and practise with the exercises at the bottom of the page.

Indirect questions

An indirect question (une interrogation indirecte) is used to report a question inside a sentence. They’re often introduced by siif for yes/no questions or by a question word (quiwho, quewhat, oùwhere, quandwhen…) for partial questions.

The main rules are:

• no subject–verb inversion: use normal affirmative sentence (subject + verb + object)
  

  Example:

  – Quand viens-tu ce soir ? → Elle voudrait savoir quand tu viens ce soir.“When are you coming tonight?” → She would like to know when you are coming tonight.

• personal pronouns change depending on who is speaking
  

  Example:

  – Êtes-vous d’accord ? → Il a demandé si nous étions d’accord.“Are you okay with that?” → He asked if we were okay with that.

• verb tenses must be adapted
  

  Example:

  – As-tu vu le film ? → Elle a demandé si j’avais vu le film.“Have you seen the movie?”→ She asked if I had seen the movie.

• yes/no questions are introduced by si (“if”)
  

  Example:

  – Vendez-vous des livres ? → Il veut savoir si vous vendez des livres.“Do you sell books?” → He wants to know if you sell books.

Learn more about sentence structures in French

Here are the links to each dedicated page on sentence structures in French, along with a variety of practice exercises:

• Simple Declarative Sentences
• Simple Negative Sentences
  • Complex Negation
• Interrogative Sentences
• Exclamative Sentences
• Complex Sentences
  • Relative Clauses
  • Noun Clauses
  • Adverbial Clauses
  • Conditional Clauses
  • Participle Clauses
• Indirect Speech
  • Indirect Questions