Word Order

The basic French sentence follows a Subject – Verb – Object pattern, and modifiers usually come after the noun they describe. This order holds for simple declarative sentences.

Most adjectives in French come after the noun they modify, though some common ones go before, and placement can change the nuance. Learn which adjectives are "BAGS" (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) to place them correctly.

Adverbs typically follow the verb they modify; adverbs of manner, place, or time come after the object if there is one. Sentence adverbs can appear at the beginning for emphasis.

In questions, word order depends on the type: yes/no questions can use est-ce que, inversion, or rising intonation; information questions place the question word first and may invert the subject and verb. Inversion pairs the verb directly with the subject pronoun.

Negation in French usually wraps around the verb with ne ... pas, and in spoken French ne is often dropped. Other negative expressions replace pas and affect placement, and double negatives are standard when required.

Clitic pronouns in French (like me, te, le, la, lui, y, en) precede the verb in a fixed order, and in compound tenses they come before the auxiliary. Object pronouns never separate the verb with an adverb.

French word order favours Subject – Verb – Object, adjectives usually follow the noun except for certain common ones, adverbs come after the verb or sentence, questions use inversion or est-ce que, negation wraps around the verb, and pronouns attach before the verb in a set sequence.