The simplest form of a French sentence follows the subject + verb pattern. The subject tells who does the action or who is in the state, then the verb gives the action or the state. With a clear subject, a sentence like I sleep, She arrives or The children play is enough. The verb agrees with the subject in person and number, as in Verbes and Structure de la phrase.

With a direct transitive verb, the complement follows the verb without a preposition. The normal order is subject + verb + direct object. In I see Marie, Marie directly receives the action of see. In We take the train, the train completes the verb without an intervening word. The complement can be a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase, but it remains attached to the verb by sense, not by a preposition.

Direct complement without a preposition

Idea
A direct transitive verb takes a direct object complement without a preposition.
The complement follows immediately after the verb in a simple sentence.
We can replace this complement with the pronoun le or la.

Some verbs require a fixed preposition before their complement. The pattern becomes subject + verb + preposition + complement. We say talk to someone, think about something, obey someone, answer a question. The preposition is not chosen freely; it is part of the verb. Without it, the construction loses its meaning or becomes incorrect. For verb groups, see Groups of Verbs.

Fixed prepositions with indirect complement

Idea
Some verbs require a fixed preposition before their complement.
With these verbs, the complement is never attached to the verb.
The preposition is part of the structure of the verb.

In a pronominal construction, the reflexive pronoun is placed just before the verb in the present: subject + reflexive pronoun + verb. We say I wash myself, You get up, She rests, We meet. The pronoun changes with the subject: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. This position is fixed, even when the sentence contains another complement. To go further, see Pronominal Verbs.

Placement of the reflexive pronoun in the present

Idea
In a pronominal form, the reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb.
The pronoun changes according to the subject to agree with the person.
In the present, the verb remains conjugated normally after the pronoun.

Some verbs are followed directly by an infinitive. The structure is subject + main verb + infinitive. The infinitive depends on the first verb and expresses the action to do, to see, to let, to want or to have to do. We say I want to leave, She can come, We are going to eat, They let the dog in. The second verb keeps its infinitive form and is not conjugated. The verbal infinitive often appears in this type of sequence.

Direct chaining with infinitive

Idea
Some verbs are followed directly by an infinitive.
The infinitive expresses the action dependent on the first verb.
The main verb keeps its sense of starting or plan.

When a verb calls for a complete idea, the subordinate clause begins with that. The pattern is subject + verb + that + subject + verb. We say I think that he is coming, We know that she works, She hopes that they will succeed. The clause after that provides the content of the message, the thought, the certainty or the feeling. The verb of the subordinate clause is conjugated as in an autonomous sentence, but it depends on the main verb.

Clause introduced by that

Idea
We use that to introduce a complement clause.
The clause completes the meaning of the main verb.
After that, you keep a sentence with a subject and a verb.

Other verbs require a preposition before the infinitive. The structure becomes subject + verb + preposition + infinitive. We say to begin to work, to end up understanding, to hesitate to answer, to manage to enter, to come to leave. The preposition is part of the verb construction and does not disappear. This organization is common with verbs of start, end, movement or effort. It is very useful for recognizing sequences of Verb + preposition + infinitive and the meanings given by the Gerund.

Uses of verbs with preposition

Usage	Explanation
Project or intention	We use this structure to express an intention or a project before an infinitive.
Start of action	We use it to mark the beginning of an action with an infinitive.
Help or invitation	We use it to offer help or invite to act with an infinitive.

Negation frames the verb with ne ... pas: subject + ne + verb + pas. In speech, ne often disappears, but in writing it remains in the careful form. To ask a question, three structures often recur. With intonation, we keep the order of the sentence and the voice rises at the end: Are you coming? With est-ce que, we place this expression in front of the sentence: Are you coming? With inversion, the verb comes before the subject: Coming you? The choice depends on the register, the type of sentence and the place given to the verb, as in Word Order.