Some French learners hate grammar, thinking it’s too much drama. Meanwhile, French native speakers often drop ne from the negative form, shamelessly defying the strict rule of using two words for negation (ne and another word such as pas, plus, jamais, etc.).
Beyond this casual disobedience, there have also been voices speaking up against archaic grammar rules, arguing that it’s time to eliminate them. For instance:
- The subjunctive mood: Some believe it’s overly complex and unnecessary for everyday communication. In 2022, an online petition called for its simplification, claiming that it discourages learners and even confuses native speakers.
- The gendered agreement of past participles with direct objects: A debate emerged when a famous author tweeted about how the rule is inconsistent with spoken French and should be abandoned.
- The circumflex accent (ˆ): A reform in 2016 removed it from many words, but some purists resisted the change, leading to a heated public discussion.
If grammar isn’t your cup of tea and you’d rather avoid it entirely, let me introduce an exercise that can help you unlock the mysteries of French grammar—sentence analysis.
What is Sentence Analysis?
While technically part of learning grammar, sentence analysis is different from memorizing rules or doing traditional exercises. It focuses on understanding how sentences are structured. Here’s how it works:
- Identify sentence groups.
Sentences are made up of groups like le groupe nominal (noun phrase), le groupe verbal (verb phrase), and le groupe prépositionnel (prepositional phrase).
For example:
- Le chat noir dort sur le canapé.
- Le groupe nominal: Le chat noir (The black cat)
- Le groupe verbal: dort (is sleeping)
- Le groupe prépositionnel: sur le canapé (on the couch)
- Practice with different sentence types.
Work with various forms:
- Simple: Je mange une pomme. (I am eating an apple.)
- Coordinated: Il pleut, mais je vais courir. (It’s raining, but I will run.)
- Complex: Quand il pleut, je reste à la maison. (When it rains, I stay home.)
Try each type in the affirmative, negative, interrogative, and exclamative forms:
- Affirmative: Elle chante. (She sings.)
- Negative: Elle ne chante pas. (She doesn’t sing.)
- Interrogative: Chante-t-elle ? (Does she sing?)
- Exclamative: Comme elle chante bien ! (How beautifully she sings!)
- Break down and label each word.
For every sentence, categorize words by their nature (noun, verb, preposition, etc.) and function (subject, object, complement, expression of time or space, etc.).
Example:
- Sentence: Pierre écrit une lettre à son ami. (Pierre writes a letter to his friend.)
- Pierre: noun, subject
- écrit: verb, action
- une lettre: noun phrase, direct object
- à son ami: prepositional phrase, indirect object
Why Sentence Analysis?
Sentence analysis provides a hands-on, practical way to approach grammar without getting bogged down by complex rules. By breaking sentences into smaller parts, you’ll:
- Gain a clearer understanding of sentence structure.
- Improve your ability to create grammatically correct sentences.
- Enhance your vocabulary and grasp of French syntax.
Learning French grammar doesn’t have to be intimidating. Through sentence analysis, you’ll develop a strong foundation that makes mastering the language much easier. Ready to give it a try?
And don’t forget to check out Reflets, the first bilingual French-English book of the series, coming soon.