✍️ How to Write Sentences in French: Mastering French Sentence Structure

Writing sentences in French may seem tricky at first – but once you understand the basic structure and word order, it becomes much easier.

French follows rules that are similar to English in some ways, but also has unique features you need to master.

This guide will show you how to build correct French sentences step by step.

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1. The Basic French Sentence Structure

Most French sentences follow this simple pattern:

👉 Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

• Je parle français. → I speak French.

• Tu manges une pomme. → You eat an apple.

• Il aime la musique. → He likes music.

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2. Adding Adjectives

In French, adjectives usually come after the noun (unlike English).

• Un livre intéressant → An interesting book

• Une maison blanche → A white house

⚠️ Some adjectives come before the noun (size, beauty, age, goodness, number → often remembered as “BANGS” adjectives).

• Un petit café → A small coffee

• Une belle journée → A beautiful day

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3. Asking Questions

There are 3 common ways to ask questions in French:

1. Rising intonation (informal):

   • Tu aimes le chocolat ? → You like chocolate?

2. Est-ce que + statement (neutral, common):

   • Est-ce que tu aimes le chocolat ? → Do you like chocolate?

3. Inversion (formal):

   • Aimes-tu le chocolat ? → Do you like chocolate?

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4. Making Negatives

To say “not” in French, wrap the verb with ne … pas.

• Je ne parle pas anglais. → I don’t speak English.

• Il n’aime pas le café. → He doesn’t like coffee.

👉 Before a vowel sound, ne becomes n’:

• Je n’ai pas faim. → I’m not hungry.

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5. Word Order with Adverbs

Adverbs usually go after the verb they describe.

• Je parle bien français. → I speak French well.

• Il travaille beaucoup. → He works a lot.

If the verb is compound (with an auxiliary, like avoir or être), the adverb goes between the auxiliary and the past participle:

• J’ai bien compris. → I understood well.

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6. Using Pronouns

French uses many pronouns that come before the verb:

• Je le vois. → I see him/it.

• Tu me parles. → You talk to me.

• Elle nous aide. → She helps us.

This is one of the biggest differences from English!

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7. Sentence Examples to Practice

• Positive: Nous apprenons le français. → We are learning French.

• Negative: Nous n’apprenons pas le français. → We are not learning French.

• Question: Est-ce que nous apprenons le français ? → Are we learning French?

• With adverb: Nous apprenons le français rapidement. → We are learning French quickly.

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Quick Recap

• Basic order: Subject + Verb + Object

• Adjectives usually come after nouns (but some before).

• Questions can be made with intonation, est-ce que, or inversion.

• Negatives: ne … pas around the verb.

• Adverbs: after verb, or between auxiliary + past participle.

• Pronouns: come before the verb.

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Conclusion

Mastering French sentence structure is all about practice. Start with simple Subject + Verb + Object sentences, then gradually add adjectives, adverbs, questions, and negatives.

With regular use, writing sentences in French will feel natural and automatic.

👉 Practice tip: Write 5 simple sentences in French today – one positive, one negative, one question, one with an adjective, and one with an adverb.