Grammatical agreement in French is a fundamental concept that every French learner must understand. It refers to the matching of different elements in a sentence such as nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and articles in terms of their gender, number, and tense. In this article, we will explore some essential rules of grammatical agreement in French to help improve your writing skills.
Gender Agreement
Unlike English, French nouns have a gender either masculine or feminine, which determines the gender of the articles, adjectives, and pronouns used with them.
For example, the word “chair” in French (la chaise) is feminine, and all the elements accompanying it must also be feminine. It is incorrect to say “le chaise” or “un chaise.”
Similarly, the word “table” is masculine (le table), and all accompanying elements must also be masculine, such as “un table” or “le grand table.”
Number Agreement
In French, nouns and their accompanying elements must agree in number, either singular or plural. For example, the singular word “un livre” (a book) is always accompanied by a singular article, such as “le livre” or “la livre,” but when referring to multiple books, we use the plural, such as “les livres.”
Similarly, adjectives must also agree in number with the noun they modify. For example, the adjective “grand” changes to “grands” or “grandes” when referring to a noun in the plural form, such as “les grands livres” or “les grandes tables.”
Verb Agreement
Verbs in French must also agree with the subject in terms of gender and number in the present tense. For example, “Je suis heureuse” (I am happy) is correct in agreement with the feminine subject “je” (I), whereas “Je suis heureux” (I am happy) is correct in agreement with the masculine subject “je” (I).
Similarly, verbs must also agree in the past tense, such as “j`ai fini” (I finished) or “j`ai finie” (I finished) depending on the gender of the subject.
Conclusion
In conclusion, grammatical agreement is essential in French as it not only affects the coherence and clarity of the sentence but also reflects the writer`s understanding of the language. Therefore, understanding the basic rules of agreement can go a long way in improving your writing skills and making you more proficient in the language.