Révision de grammaire - continued

Contractions with à

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The image is a teaching aid for French language learners, focusing on how to use the verb "jouer" (to play) with sports. At the top, the title reads "JOUER À + sport" in bold black letters. Below the title, there are four sports icons displayed from left to right: a soccer ball labeled "le foot," a tennis ball labeled "le tennis," a basketball labeled "le basket," and a baseball labeled "le baseball." Underneath these icons, there are explanatory sentences in French and grammar rules. On the left side, examples of usage with "le foot" and "le tennis" are provided. In the center, a brief explanation of the prepositional contractions "à + le = au," "à + la = à la," and "à + les = aux" is given. On the right side, examples with "le basket" and "le baseball" are shown.

Contractions with de

Infographic on how to use faire de + activity, full description below

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The image is an educational graphic titled "Faire DE + Activity," explaining the use of the French prepositions "de + le," "de + la," and "de + les" before activities. The central text describes the grammatical rules for masculine, feminine, and plural forms, including notes on changes before vowels and in negative sentences. Three sections provide examples with small illustrations:

On the left, "de + le = du" with an illustration of a person skiing, labeled "le ski." Example sentences describe skiing.
In the center, "de + la = de la" with an illustration of hikers, labeled "la randonnée." Example sentences describe hiking.
On the right, "de + la + vowel = de l’" with an illustration of a person riding a horse, labeled "l'équitation." Example sentences describe horseback riding.

Infographic on how to use jouer de + instrument, full description below

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The image is an instructional graphic explaining the French grammar rule "Jouer de + instrument" and how different prepositions combine with the article to form contractions. The image is divided into sections with text and illustrations to elaborate on the usage. In the top center, the title "JOUER DE + INSTRUMENT" is bolded. To the left, an illustration of cymbals accompanies an explanation: "de + les = des." Below it, text reads, "Mon frère joue des cymbales." At the center, a list details specific contractions: "de + le = du," "de + la = de la," "de + les = des," and notes "*before a vowel de + le = de l’, de + la = de l’". On the right, an illustration of a harmonica has text below: "Est-ce que tu joues de l’harmonica ?" At the bottom left, a trumpet illustration corresponds to "de + la = de la" with the sentence, "Ma sœur veut jouer de la trompette." At the bottom right, a violin illustration is paired with "de + le = du" and "Il joue du violon."

*de l' before a silent h, too (like before a vowel)!

Going to (aller) and Coming from (venir)

The contractions with à and de are also used when saying going to or coming from.

going and coming verbs
Going to (aller) and Coming from (venir)
aller - to go
je vais	nous allons
tu vas	vous allez
il va	ils/elles vont
venir - to come
je viens	nous venons
tu viens	vous venez
il vient	ils viennent

Practice Activity

The immediate future and the recent past

Do you also remember that aller + infinitif can be used to express the immediate future? And that venir + infinitif can be used to express the recent past?

Je vais dîner au restaurant vendredi.
- I am going to eat at a restaurant Friday.
- In its negated form: Je ne vais pas dîner au restaurant vendredi.

Je viens de manger au restaurant.
- I just ate at a restaurant.
- In its negated form: Je ne viens pas de manger au restaurant.

Complete the following embedded activity to practice the immediate future and recent past forms.

Adjectives

Finally, remember that adjectives must always agree with the noun that they describe.

In general, if the noun is feminine, add an -e and if the noun is plural add an -s.

Example 1:
- Masculine: Il est intelligent.
- Feminine: Elle est intelligente.
Example 2:
- Masculine: Ils sont intelligents.
- Feminine: Elles sont intelligentes.

Practice Activity

Answer Key