Grammar through input

This hub does not replace a grammar course. It shows four patterns that confuse learners when they move from textbook French to real French: the choice between the passé composé and the imparfait, the many ways to ask a question, the dropped ne of casual speech, and the use of on where a book says nous.

Each entry uses short example sentences with translations. You can read them, then listen for the same pattern in the videos that you watch.

Entries in this hub, in reading order

1. Passé composé and imparfait in French stories → In a story, the imparfait often describes a background or a repeated situation. The passé composé often presents an event as completed, but the choice depends on how the speaker frames it.
2. How French speakers ask questions → French questions can use intonation, est-ce que, or inversion. The choice depends on the situation, the speaker, and the question.
3. Why French speakers sometimes drop ne → In informal spoken French, speakers often omit ne from a negative phrase while keeping pas or another negative word. Formal writing generally retains both parts.
4. French on vs nous in conversation → In conversation, on often means ‘we’, though it can also mean ‘people’ or ‘one’. Nous also means ‘we’ and remains common in many contexts.

Looking for the full list? Open the library. Unfamiliar word? See the glossary.