AQA GCSE French Grammar and Exam Skills: A Complete Revision Guide

Grammar is the engine of your GCSE French. You can memorise thousands of vocabulary words, but if you cannot put them together accurately -- using the right tenses, the right agreements, the right pronouns -- you will not access the highest marks. AQA's mark scheme for the writing and speaking papers is explicit about this: candidates who use a range of grammatical structures with accuracy are rewarded with the top bands. Candidates who stick to simple present-tense sentences, no matter how fluent they sound, are capped.

This guide covers every major grammar area that appears in the AQA GCSE French exam, with clear explanations, French examples and translations, and practical advice on how to deploy each structure in the exam itself. If you are aiming for a grade 7, 8 or 9, the grammar in this guide is not optional -- it is essential.

The Present Tense (Le Present)

The present tense is the foundation. You will use it more than any other tense, and getting it right is non-negotiable. In French, present tense verbs change their endings depending on the subject (who is doing the action) and the verb group.

Regular Verbs

French has three groups of regular verbs, classified by their infinitive endings:

-er verbs (the largest group, e.g. jouer -- to play):

• je joue, tu joues, il/elle joue, nous jouons, vous jouez, ils/elles jouent

-ir verbs (e.g. finir -- to finish):

• je finis, tu finis, il/elle finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent

-re verbs (e.g. vendre -- to sell):

• je vends, tu vends, il/elle vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils/elles vendent

The key exam tip here is accuracy with the endings. Many students lose marks not because they choose the wrong tense but because they write "je joues" instead of "je joue" or "ils finit" instead of "ils finissent." Check your verb endings every time.

Key Irregular Verbs

Several of the most commonly used French verbs are irregular, meaning they do not follow the standard patterns. You must learn these by heart because they appear constantly in both comprehension and production tasks.

• avoir (to have): j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont
• etre (to be): je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous etes, ils/elles sont
• aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont
• faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font
• pouvoir (to be able to/can): je peux, tu peux, il/elle peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils/elles peuvent
• vouloir (to want): je veux, tu veux, il/elle veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils/elles veulent
• devoir (to have to/must): je dois, tu dois, il/elle doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils/elles doivent

These seven verbs appear in virtually every exam paper. Pouvoir, vouloir and devoir are especially useful because they are followed by an infinitive, allowing you to create complex sentences with minimal effort: "je dois travailler dur" (I must work hard), "je veux voyager en France" (I want to travel to France).

The Perfect Tense (Le Passe Compose)

The perfect tense is used to describe completed actions in the past -- things that happened once or at a specific time. It is formed with a present tense auxiliary verb (avoir or etre) plus a past participle.

With Avoir

Most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary:

• J'ai mange une pizza. (I ate a pizza.)
• Elle a fini ses devoirs. (She finished her homework.)
• Nous avons regarde un film. (We watched a film.)

Past participles follow regular patterns: -er verbs become -e (manger becomes mange), -ir verbs become -i (finir becomes fini), -re verbs become -u (vendre becomes vendu).

Watch out for irregular past participles that come up frequently: fait (from faire), eu (from avoir), ete (from etre), vu (from voir -- to see), lu (from lire -- to read), pris (from prendre -- to take), bu (from boire -- to drink), ecrit (from ecrire -- to write).

With Etre -- The DR MRS VANDERTRAMP Verbs

A specific group of verbs use etre instead of avoir as their auxiliary. The well-known mnemonic DR MRS VANDERTRAMP helps you remember them:

• Devenir (to become) -- devenu
• Revenir (to come back) -- revenu
• Monter (to go up) -- monte
• Rester (to stay) -- reste
• Sortir (to go out) -- sorti
• Venir (to come) -- venu
• Aller (to go) -- alle
• Naitre (to be born) -- ne
• Descendre (to go down) -- descendu
• Entrer (to enter) -- entre
• Retourner (to return) -- retourne
• Tomber (to fall) -- tombe
• Rentrer (to go home) -- rentre
• Arriver (to arrive) -- arrive
• Mourir (to die) -- mort
• Partir (to leave) -- parti

The crucial rule with etre verbs is that the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number. This means you add -e for feminine, -s for plural, or -es for feminine plural:

• Il est alle au cinema. (He went to the cinema.)
• Elle est allee au cinema. (She went to the cinema.)
• Ils sont alles au cinema. (They went to the cinema.)
• Elles sont allees au cinema. (They [feminine] went to the cinema.)

All reflexive verbs also use etre: "je me suis leve(e)" (I got up), "elle s'est couchee" (she went to bed). This agreement rule is a common source of lost marks in translation and writing tasks -- make sure you apply it consistently.

The Imperfect Tense (L'Imparfait)

The imperfect tense describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past -- things you used to do or were doing. It is formed by taking the "nous" form of the present tense, removing the -ons ending, and adding the imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

For example, with jouer (nous jouons, stem: jou-):

• je jouais, tu jouais, il/elle jouait, nous jouions, vous jouiez, ils/elles jouaient

The only verb that does not follow this pattern is etre, which uses the stem et-: j'etais, tu etais, il/elle etait, nous etions, vous etiez, ils/elles etaient.

When to Use the Imperfect vs the Perfect Tense

This is one of the most important distinctions in GCSE French, and the exam tests it regularly, especially in translation tasks.

Use the passe compose for:

• Single, completed actions: "J'ai visite Paris." (I visited Paris.)
• Events that happened at a specific time: "Hier, j'ai joue au foot." (Yesterday, I played football.)

Use the imparfait for:

• Descriptions and background in the past: "Il faisait beau." (The weather was nice.)
• Habitual actions: "Quand j'etais jeune, je jouais au foot tous les jours." (When I was young, I used to play football every day.)
• Ongoing states: "J'avais faim." (I was hungry.)

A useful exam shortcut: if the English says "was doing" or "used to do," use the imperfect. If it says "did" or "have done," use the perfect tense. In the translation paper, AQA deliberately tests whether you can distinguish between the two.

The Future Tense (Le Futur)

You need to demonstrate the future tense in your writing and speaking to access the higher mark bands. AQA accepts two forms.

The Near Future (Le Futur Proche)

This is the easier form and perfectly acceptable for the exam. It uses the present tense of aller + an infinitive:

• Je vais jouer au tennis demain. (I am going to play tennis tomorrow.)
• Nous allons visiter la France cet ete. (We are going to visit France this summer.)
• Il va etudier a l'universite. (He is going to study at university.)

The Simple Future (Le Futur Simple)

This is more impressive and demonstrates greater grammatical range. It is formed by adding the future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) to the infinitive of the verb (for -re verbs, drop the final -e first):

• Je jouerai au tennis. (I will play tennis.)
• Elle finira ses etudes. (She will finish her studies.)
• Nous vendrons la maison. (We will sell the house.)

Key irregular future stems that appear frequently: avoir becomes aur- (j'aurai), etre becomes ser- (je serai), aller becomes ir- (j'irai), faire becomes fer- (je ferai), pouvoir becomes pourr- (je pourrai), vouloir becomes voudr- (je voudrai), devoir becomes devr- (je devrai).

Using the simple future instead of the near future in your writing shows the examiner a higher level of grammatical control. Even switching between the two in a single piece demonstrates range.

The Conditional Tense (Le Conditionnel)

The conditional is used to say what you "would" do. It is formed exactly like the simple future -- same stems, including the same irregular stems -- but with the imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient):

• Je jouerais au tennis s'il faisait beau. (I would play tennis if the weather were nice.)
• J'aimerais voyager partout dans le monde. (I would like to travel all over the world.)
• Ce serait fantastique. (It would be fantastic.)
• Je voudrais etre medecin. (I would like to be a doctor.)

The conditional is especially powerful in the exam because it naturally introduces hypothetical and opinion-based language. Phrases like "si j'avais le choix, je choisirais..." (if I had the choice, I would choose...) and "a mon avis, il faudrait..." (in my opinion, it would be necessary to...) are exactly the kind of complex structures that the mark scheme rewards.

Note the "si" (if) clause pattern for higher-level writing: si + imperfect, conditional. "Si j'avais plus de temps libre, je ferais du sport tous les jours." (If I had more free time, I would do sport every day.) This single construction demonstrates two different tenses in one sentence.

Negatives

Negatives in French wrap around the verb in a "sandwich" structure with ne before the verb and a second negative word after it. You need to know these for both comprehension and production:

• ne...pas (not): Je ne joue pas au rugby. (I do not play rugby.)
• ne...jamais (never): Il ne mange jamais de viande. (He never eats meat.)
• ne...rien (nothing): Elle ne fait rien le weekend. (She does nothing at the weekend.)
• ne...plus (no longer/no more): Nous ne regardons plus la tele. (We no longer watch TV.)
• ne...personne (nobody): Je ne connais personne ici. (I know nobody here.)

In the passe compose, the negative wraps around the auxiliary: "Je n'ai pas mange" (I did not eat), "Elle n'a jamais visite Paris" (She has never visited Paris).

In spoken French and informal writing, the "ne" is often dropped -- you will hear "je sais pas" rather than "je ne sais pas" in listening recordings. Be prepared for this in the listening exam, but always include the full "ne...pas" structure in your own writing.

Using a variety of negatives in your writing demonstrates range. Instead of repeating "ne...pas," try incorporating "ne...jamais" or "ne...plus" to show the examiner that you have command of more than the basics.

Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

These are the basics: je (I), tu (you -- informal), il/elle/on (he/she/one), nous (we), vous (you -- formal or plural), ils/elles (they). The important one for the exam is "on," which is widely used in French to mean "we" in everyday speech. Using "on" alongside "nous" in your writing demonstrates awareness of register.

Direct Object Pronouns

These replace the noun that receives the action of the verb: me (me), te (you), le/la (him/her/it), nous (us), vous (you), les (them). They go before the verb:

• Je le mange. (I eat it.)
• Elle les aime. (She likes them.)
• Je l'ai vu hier. (I saw him/it yesterday.)

Reflexive Pronouns

Used with reflexive verbs -- me, te, se, nous, vous, se:

• Je me leve a sept heures. (I get up at seven o'clock.)
• Ils se couchent tard. (They go to bed late.)

Using object and reflexive pronouns correctly in your writing is a reliable way to demonstrate grammatical accuracy and range.

Adjective Agreement and Position

French adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe:

• un garcon intelligent (an intelligent boy)
• une fille intelligente (an intelligent girl)
• des garcons intelligents (intelligent boys)
• des filles intelligentes (intelligent girls)

Most adjectives follow the noun in French, but there is a common group that goes before: petit, grand, bon, mauvais, nouveau, vieux, jeune, joli, beau, long. The mnemonic BAGS (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) can help you remember which types go first.

Some adjectives have irregular forms that you must learn: beau/bel/belle (beautiful), nouveau/nouvel/nouvelle (new), vieux/vieil/vieille (old). These have a special masculine form used before vowels: un bel homme, un nouvel ami, un vieil arbre.

Adjective agreement is tested directly in translation questions and indirectly in the writing tasks. Examiners notice when you consistently apply agreement rules -- it signals accuracy and control.

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives and superlatives allow you to make comparisons, which is useful for expressing opinions and developing your arguments.

Comparatives:

• plus...que (more...than): Le francais est plus difficile que l'espagnol. (French is more difficult than Spanish.)
• moins...que (less...than): Le sport est moins important que les etudes. (Sport is less important than studies.)
• aussi...que (as...as): Ma soeur est aussi grande que moi. (My sister is as tall as me.)

Superlatives:

• le/la/les plus... (the most): C'est la matiere la plus interessante. (It is the most interesting subject.)
• le/la/les moins... (the least): C'est le sport le moins populaire. (It is the least popular sport.)

The irregular forms are important: bon becomes meilleur (better) and le meilleur (the best), not "plus bon." Similarly, mauvais becomes pire (worse) and le pire (the worst) in formal usage, though "plus mauvais" is also accepted.

Using comparatives and superlatives in your writing adds sophistication and shows you can do more than make simple statements.

Exam Skills: Translation

Translation questions appear on both the reading paper (French to English) and the writing paper (English to French). Together, they carry significant marks and require both comprehension and grammatical accuracy.

French to English Translation

• Read the whole passage first before you start translating. Understand the overall meaning.
• Translate sentence by sentence, not word by word. French word order differs from English, and a word-for-word approach produces awkward, incorrect translations.
• Watch for tenses. Identify which tense each verb is in and translate it accurately. "J'ai mange" is "I ate" (or "I have eaten"), not "I eat." "Je mangeais" is "I was eating" or "I used to eat."
• Beware of faux amis (false friends). "Actuellement" means "currently," not "actually." "Assister a" means "to attend," not "to assist." "Rester" means "to stay," not "to rest."
• Check your English reads naturally. After translating, read your English version aloud. If it sounds odd, revisit the original French.

English to French Translation

• Identify the tense of each verb in the English before you start writing French. Underline them if it helps.
• Apply your grammar rules systematically. For each verb, determine: what tense is it? What is the subject? What is the correct conjugation? For the passe compose, do I need avoir or etre? Does the past participle need to agree?
• Check adjective agreements. Every adjective must match the gender and number of its noun.
• Do not panic about words you do not know. If you cannot remember a specific word, use a simpler synonym. The mark scheme rewards communication -- getting the meaning across is more important than using the exact word you had in mind.

Exam Skills: The Writing Tasks

The AQA GCSE French writing paper includes a 90-word task and a 150-word task at Higher tier. Both are marked on content, range of language, and accuracy.

The 90-Word Task

This task gives you four bullet points to address. You must cover all four to access full content marks. The key strategy is:

• Plan before you write. Spend two to three minutes deciding what you will say for each bullet point.
• Use at least two different tenses. Even in the shorter task, using past, present and future tenses shows range. You might describe what you did last weekend (passe compose), what you normally do (present), and what you plan to do next time (future).
• Give and justify opinions. Do not just state facts -- say what you think and why. "J'ai adore le film parce que les acteurs etaient formidables" (I loved the film because the actors were fantastic) is far stronger than "J'ai regarde un film" (I watched a film).
• Aim for 90-100 words. Going significantly over the word count does not earn extra marks and increases the chance of errors.

The 150-Word Task

This is where the highest-achieving candidates really shine. The expectations are greater: you need a wider range of tenses, more complex structures, and sustained accuracy.

• Use at least three tenses. AQA's mark scheme states that candidates must use three or more time frames to access the top bands. A strong response might include the present tense for general opinions, the passe compose and imperfect for past events, and the conditional or future for hypothetical or planned situations.
• Include complex structures. Subordinate clauses with "parce que" (because), "bien que" (although -- followed by the subjunctive), "si" + imperfect + conditional, and relative clauses with "qui" and "que" all demonstrate grammatical range.
• Vary your sentence openers. Starting every sentence with "Je" is repetitive. Use time phrases ("L'annee derniere" -- last year), adverbs ("Malheureusement" -- unfortunately), and impersonal constructions ("Il est important de" -- it is important to).
• Leave time to check your work. Spend the last three to four minutes checking verb endings, adjective agreements, and accents. Systematic checking can recover several marks.

Why Three Tenses Matter

This point deserves emphasis because it is the single most common reason capable students miss out on top grades. The AQA mark scheme for writing explicitly requires candidates to use "a variety of grammatical structures, including three time frames" for the highest marks. If you write a beautifully accurate piece in only the present tense, you cannot access the top band. The same applies to speaking.

The easiest way to guarantee three tenses is to build them into your plan. Before you write a single word, decide: where will I use the present? Where will I use a past tense? Where will I use a future or conditional? Then you know your response will meet the mark scheme requirement before you even start writing.

Putting It All Together

Grammar is not something separate from the rest of your French -- it is the structure that holds everything together. Every listening question that tests whether you can distinguish "il va" from "il est alle" is testing grammar. Every translation question that asks you to render "she used to live" into French is testing whether you know the imperfect. Every writing task that requires three time frames is testing whether you can move between tenses accurately.

The most effective way to revise grammar is to use it actively. Do not just read tables of verb conjugations -- write sentences, translate passages, and speak aloud using each structure until it becomes automatic. When you practise writing tasks, consciously plan which tenses and structures you will include. When you review your work, check for the specific grammar points covered in this guide.

Prepare with LearningBro

LearningBro's GCSE French Grammar and Exam Skills course is built around the AQA specification and covers every grammar topic in this guide -- from present tense conjugation through to complex conditional structures. The course includes practice questions that mirror real AQA exam formats, so you can develop both your grammatical knowledge and your exam technique at the same time. Whether you are building your confidence with the basics or refining your accuracy for a grade 9, the structured practice will help you identify and close the gaps in your grammar.

Good luck with your revision.