How to Improve My French Grammar

Daily Reading Practice

Small, consistent exposure helps your brain recognize correct patterns naturally.

Recommended Materials:

1. "Le Petit Prince" (The Little Prince)

• Perfect for beginners and intermediate learners
• Uses simple yet proper grammar structures

2. French news websites

• Read one short article daily
• Focus on sentence structures, not just words

Active Writing Exercises

Journal Writing

1. "Mon journal quotidien" (My daily journal)

• Write 3-5 sentences about your day
• Use different tenses intentionally

2. "Description d'une photo" (Photo description)

• Choose one photo weekly
• Describe everything you see using varied structures

Grammar Pattern Recognition

Present Tense Focus

1. "Je mange une pomme" (I eat/am eating an apple)

• Regular -er verb pattern
• Shows current action

2. "Il fait du vélo" (He rides/is riding a bike)

• Irregular verb in context
• Daily activity description

Past Tense Practice

1. "J'ai visité Paris" (I visited Paris)

• Passé composé for completed actions
• Focus on auxiliary verb choice

2. "Il neigeait hier" (It was snowing yesterday)

• Imparfait for ongoing past actions
• Weather and background descriptions

Learning Through Errors

Common Mistake Analysis

1. Article agreement

• "La table" not "le table"
• Check gender with each new noun

2. Adjective placement

• "Une voiture rouge" not "une rouge voiture"
• Most adjectives follow the noun

Audio-Visual Support

Listening Activities

1. French podcasts

• 10 minutes daily
• Focus on sentence endings

2. YouTube French teachers

• Watch grammar explanations
• Repeat example sentences aloud

Practice Techniques

Sentence Building

1. Start simple: "Je mange" → "Je mange une pomme" → "Je mange une pomme rouge" (I eat → I eat an apple → I eat a red apple)

2. Add complexity: "Il dort" → "Il dort bien" → "Il dort bien dans son lit" (He sleeps → He sleeps well → He sleeps well in his bed)

Regular Review Methods

Weekly Focus

1. Choose one grammar point weekly Example: Possessive adjectives

• mon, ma, mes (my)
• Practice in daily sentences

2. Create example sets "Mon livre, ma table, mes stylos" (My book, my table, my pens)

Practical Application

Real Conversation Practice

1. Language exchange partners

• 30-minute sessions
• Ask for grammar corrections

2. Self-recording

• Record short descriptions
• Listen and note grammar points

Progress Tracking

Grammar Journal

1. Keep notes of:

• New patterns learned
• Common mistakes
• Corrections received

2. Review weekly:

• Pattern recognition
• Error reduction
• Improvement areas

Grammar improves through regular, mindful practice rather than memorization alone. Focus on using correct structures in context rather than studying rules in isolation.