Word Order in FrenchA1

The basic sentence follows the order subject + verb + direct object. The subject says who acts, the verb says the action, and the direct object receives the action. In Marie reads a book, Marie is the subject, reads is the verb, and a book is the direct object. When the sentence remains simple, each element keeps its place in this order.

When a prepositional phrase is added, it is placed after the direct object. The sentence first keeps subject + verb + object, then the complement is added with a preposition. In Marie reads a book in the living room, in the living room specifies where the action takes place. The prepositional phrase is attached to the sentence as a whole, but it comes after the object.

Add a complement after the direct object

Idea
We place the prepositional phrase after the direct object to clarify where the thing is located or what it is connected to.

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The adverb modifies the verb and is placed near it. With a simple verb, it often comes after the verb in a sentence like Marie often reads. The order remains subject + verb + adverb when the adverb gives information about the manner, frequency or time of the action. The verb and the adverb remain linked in the same part of the sentence.

Place the adverb near the verb

Idea
We put the adverb near the verb it modifies to show how the action takes place.

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The adjective is placed in the noun phrase, before or after the noun depending on the adjective. In a small book, small comes before the noun. In a red dress, red comes after the noun. The noun remains at the center of the noun phrase, and the adjective stays attached to that noun without changing the order of the subject and the verb.

Place the adjective in the noun phrase

Idea
We place the adjective before or after the noun according to the usage of the word, while keeping the noun at the center of the group.

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To negate a sentence, ne and pas generally surround the conjugated verb. One says Marie does not read a book. The subject remains at the beginning, then comes the negation around the verb, then the object. In careful writing, ne appears before the verb and pas after it.

A question can keep the same words as a declarative sentence, but the intonation rises at the end: Marie reads a book ? One can also add est-ce que before the sentence: Est-ce que Marie reads a book ? With inversion, the verb and the subject change places: Marie reads-she a book ? The choice depends on the level of formality and the type of question.

A main clause can function alone as a complete sentence. It contains at least a subject and a verb, and it can also take an object or other complements. In Paul prepares dinner, the sentence is complete because the idea is finished. A main clause can serve as the basis for a longer sentence, but it remains autonomous.

The relative clause comes after a noun and specifies it with a relative pronoun such as qui, que or où. In the book that Marie reads, the relative clause that Marie reads gives information about the book. The noun comes first, then the relative clause is added just after it. The relative clause keeps the meaning attached to the noun it describes.