Chapter 1

1.1 Spelling-Change Verbs:

• for verbs that end in -ger, add an e before the -ons ending of the nous form

• other verbs like voyager are déménager (to move), déranger (to bother), manger (to eat), partager (to share), plonger (to dive), and ranger (to tidy up)

Voyager (to travel):

je voyage

tu voyages

il/elle voyage

nous voyageons

vous voyagez

ils/elles voyagent

• in verbs that end in -cer, the c becomes ç before the -ons ending of the nous form

• other verbs like commencer are avancer (to advance, to move forward), effacer (to erase), forcer (to force), lancer (to throw), menacer (to threaten), placer (to place) and remplacer (to replace)

Commencer (to begin):

je commence

tu commences

il/elle commence

nous commençons

vous commencez

ils/elles commencent

• the y in verbs that end in -yer changes to I in all forms except for the nous and vous forms

• other verbs like envoyer are balayer (to sweep), essayer (to try), ennuyer (to annoy; to bore), nettoyer (to clean), and payer (to pay)

Envoyer (to send):

je envoie

tu envoies

il/elle envoie

nous envoyons

vous envoyez

ils/elles envoient

• often the spelling change is simply the addition of an accent

• the nous and vous forms of verbs like acheter have no accent added

• other verbs like acheter are amener (to bring someone), élever (to raise), emmener (to take someone), lever (to lift), mener (to lead), and peser (to weigh)

Acheter (to buy):

j’achète

tu achètes

il/elle achète

nous achetons

vous achetez

ils/elles achètent

• in verbs like préférer, the é in the last syllable of the verb stem changes to è in all forms except for the nous and vous forms

• some verbs like préférer are considérer (to consider), espérer (to hope), posséder (to possess), and répéter (to repeat; to rehearse)

Préférer (to prefer):

je préfère

tu préfères

il/elle préfère

nous préférons

vous préférez

ils/elles préfèrent

• in certain verbs that end in -eter or -eler, the last consonant in the stem is doubled in all forms except for the nous and vous forms

• other verbs like appeler and jeter are épeler (to spell), projeter (to plan), rappeler (to recall; to call back), rejeter (to reject), and renouveler (to renew)

Appeler (to call):

j’appelle

tu appelles

il/elle appelle

nous appelons

vous appelez

ils/elles appellent

Jeter (to throw):

je jette

tu jettes

il/elle jette

nous jetons

vous jetez

ils/elles jettent

1.2 The Irregular Verbs Être, Avoir, Faire, and Aller

Être (to be):

je suis

tu es

il/elle est

nous sommes

vous êtes

ils/elles sont

Avoir (to have):

j’ai

tu as

il/elle a

nous avons

vous avez

ils/elles ont

Faire (to do; to make):

je fais

tu fais

il/elle fait

nous faisons

vous faites

ils/elles font

Aller (to go):

je vais

tu vas

il/elle va

nous allons

vous allez

ils/elles vont

Idiomatic expressions with avoir:

• avoir… ans (to be … years old)

• avoir besoin de (to need)

• avoir de la chance (to be lucky)

• avoir chaud (to be hot)

• avoir du courage (to be brave)

• avoir envie de (to feel like)

• avoir faim (to be hungry)

• avoir froid (to be cold)

• avoir honte de (to be ashamed)

• avoir mal à (to ache, to hurt)

• avoir de la patience (to be patient)

• avoir peur de (to be afraid)

• avoir raison (to be right)

• avoir soif (to be thirsty)

• avoir sommeil (to be sleepy)

• avoir tort (to be wrong)

Idiomatic expressions with faire:

• faire de l’aérobic (to do aerobics)

• faire du camping (to go camping)

• faire du cheval (to ride a horse)

• faire de l’exercise (to exercise)

• faire la fête (to party)

• faire de la gym (to work out)

• faire du jogging (to go jogging)

• faire de la planche à voile (to go windsurfing)

• faire une promenade (to go for a walk)

• faire une randonnée (to go for a hike)

• faire un séjour (to spend time [somewhere])

• faire du shopping (to go shopping)

• faire du ski (to go skiing)

• faire du sport (to play sports)

• faire un tour (en voiture) (to go for a walk [for a drive])

• faire les valises (to pack one’s bags)

• faire du vélo (to go cycling)

• Il fait beau (the weather’s nice)

• Il fait chaud (It’s hot)

• Il fait froid (It’s cold)

• Il fait mauvaise (the weather’s bad)

• Il fait (du) soleil (It’s sunny)

• Il fait du vent (it’s windy)

• faire la cuisine (to cook)

• faire la lessive (to do laundry)

• faire le lit (to make the bed)

• faire le ménage (to do the cleaning)

• faire la poussière (to dust)

• faire la vaisselle (to do the dishes)

• faire attention (à) (to pay attention [to])

• faire la connaissance de (to meet [someone])

• faire mal (to hurt)

• faire peur (to scare)

• faire des projets (to make plans)

• faire la queue (to wait in line)

Futur Proche (immediate future):

• you can use aller with another verb to tell what’s going to happen in the near future. The second verb is in the infinitive.

1.3 Forming Questions

Ways to ask questions:

1. rising intonation (just raise your voice at the end)

   1. example: Tu connais mon ami Pascal?

2. using est-ce que? (or est-ce qu’ when the next word begins with a vowel sound)

   1. example: Est-ce que vous prenez des risques?

3. placing a tag question at the end of a statement

   1. example: Tu es canadien, n’est-ce pas?

4. Inverting the order

   1. example: Aimes-tu les maths?

   2. If the verb ends in a vowel and the subject is il, elle, or on, add -t- between the verb and the pronoun

5. Using the interrogative adjective quel or interogative pronoun lequel

   1. Quel hôtel?

   2. Laquelle?

Interrogative words:

• combien (de) how much/many)

• comment? (how)

• où? (where)

• pourquoi? (why)

• quand? (when)

• que/qu’ (what?)

• (à/avec/pour) qui? ([to/with/for] whom)

• (avec/de) quoi? ([with/about] what)

You can use various methods of question formation with interrogative words

example: Quand est-ce qu’ils mangent?

The interrogative pronoun quel (which or what) agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies:

• masculine singular: quel

• masculine plural: quels

• feminine singular: quelle

• feminine plural: quelles

Lequel also agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies:

• masculine singular: lequel

• masculine plural: lesquels

• feminine singular: laquelle

• feminine plural: lesquelles

Lequel + à and de

• à + lequel= auquel BUT à + laquelle= à laquelle

• de + lequel= duquel BUT de + laquelle= de laquelle

• plural forms: auxquels, auxquelles, desquels, desquelles

Examples using quel and lequel:

• Je suis à l’hôtel.

  • Quel hôtel?

• Laure adore ces bonbons.

  • Lesquels?

Chapter 2

2.1 Reflexive and Reciprocal Verbs

Reflexive Verbs (using se réveiller as an example):

je me réveille

tu te réveilles

il/elle se réveille

nous nous réveillons

vous vous réveillez

ils/elles se réveillent

Note: some verbs can be used reflexively or non-reflexively. Use the non-reflexive form if the verb acts upon something other than the subject

example (reflexive): La passagère se fâche.

example (non-reflexive): Tu fâches la passagère.

Many verbs used to describe routines are reflexive:

s’arrêter (to stop [oneself])

se brosser (to brush)

se coucher (to go to bed)

se couper (to cut oneself)

se déshabiller (to undress)

se dépêcher (to hurry)

de détendre (to relax)

se fâcher (contre) (to get angry [with])

s’habiller (to get dressed)

s’habituer à (to get used to)

s’inquiéter (to worry)

s’interesser (à) (to be interested [in])

se laver (to wash oneself)

se lever (to get up)

se maquiller (to put on makeup)

se peigner (to comb)

se raser (to shave)

se rendre compte de (to realize)

se reposer (to rest)

To form negatives, begin with ne and place the reflexive pronoun immediately before the verb

example: Ne vous inquiétez pas.

To form affirmative imperatives, add the reflexive pronoun at the end of the verb with a hyphen in between. Reminder: te becomes toi in affirmative commands.

example: Habillons-nous.

Words that can emphasize an action is reciprocal:

l’un(e) l’autre

l’un(e) à l’autre

les un(e)s les autres

les un(e)s aux autres

Many non-reflexive verbs change meaning when they are used with a reflexive pronoun:

aller (to go) becomes s’en aller (to go away)

amuser (to amuse) becomes s’amuser (to have fun)

apercevoir (to catch sight of) becomes s’apercevoir (to realize)

attendre (to wait [for]) becomes s’attendre à (to expect)

demander (to ask) becomes se demander (to wonder)

douter (to doubt) becomes se douter de (to suspect)

ennuyer (to bother) becomes s’ennuyer (to get bored)

entendre (to hear) becomes s’entendre bien avec (to get along with)

mettre (to put) becomes se mettre à (to begin)

servir (to serve) becomes se servir de (to use)

tromper (to deceive) becomes se tromper (to be mistaken)

2.2 Descriptive Adjectives and Adjective Agreement

Ending Changes from Masculine to Feminine:

-c to -che

-eau to -elle

-el to -elle

-en to -enne

-er to -ère

-et to -ète

-et to -ette

-f to -ve

-on to -onne

-s to -sse

-x to -se

Adjectives whose masculine singular form ends in -eur generally derive one of three feminine forms:

Condition 1: the adjective is directly derived from a verb

Ending 1: -eur to -euse

Condition 2: the adjective is not directly derived from a verb

Ending 2: -eur to -rice

Condition 3: the adjective expresses a comparative or superlative

Ending 3: -eur to -eure

Some adjectives have feminine forms that differ considerably from their masculine singular counterparts:

doux to douce

faux to fausse

favori to favorite

fou to folle

frais to fraîche

gentil to gentille

grec to grecque

long to longue

public to publique

roux to rousse

vieux to vieille

Generally adjectives come after the noun except BRAGS:

B- beauty: examples: beau, joli

R- rank: examples: premier, deuxième, etc

A- age: examples: jeune, vieux, nouveau

G- goodness: examples: bon, mauvais, meilleur, gentil

S- size: examples: petit, grand, gros, long, bref

Before a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel sound, use these alternate forms of beau, fou, nouveau, and vieux:

beau to bel

fou to fol

nouveau to nouvel

vieux to vieil

Meanings of some adjectives change when they appear before or after the noun:

l’ancien château (the former castle)

un château ancien (an ancient castle)

cher ami (dear friend)

un voiture chère (an expensive car)

la dernière semaine (the final week)

la semaine dernière (last week)

une grande femme (a great woman)

une femme grande (a tall woman)

le même musée (the same museum)

le musée même (this very museum)

ces pauvres enfants (those poor [unfortunate] children)

ces enfants pauvres (those poor[penniless] children)

le prochain cours (the following class)

mercredi prochain (next Wednesday)

ma propre chambre (my own room)

une chambre propre (a clean room)

la seule personne (the only person)

la personne seule (the person who is alone)

2.3 Adverbs

To form an adverb from an adjective whose masculine singular form ends in a consonant, add the ending -ment to the adjective’s feminine singular form. If the masculine singular ends in a vowel, simply add the ending -ment to that form:

absolu becomes absolument

doux becomes doucement

franc becomes franchement

naturel becomes naturellement

poli becomes poliment

To form an adverb from an adjective whose masculine singular form ends in -ant or -ent replace the ending with -amment or -emment:

bruyant becomes bruyamment

constant becomes constamment

évident becomes évidemment

patient becomes patiemment

An exception to this rule is lent, whose corresponding adverb is lentement

Some adverbs are formed by adding -ément to the masculine singular form of the adjective. If this form ends in a silent final -e, drop it before adding the suffix:

confus becomes confusément

énorme becomes énormément

précis becomes précisément

profond becomes profondément

A few adverbs, like bien, gentiment, mal, and mieux are entirely irregular

Adverbs of time:

alors, aujourd’hui, bientôt, d’abord, de temps en temps, déjà, demain, encore, enfin ensuite, hier, jamais, maintenant, parfois, quelquefois, rarement, souvent, tard, tôt, toujours

Adverbs of manner:

ainsi, bien, donc, en général, lentement, mal, soudain, surtout, très, vite

Adverbs of opinion:

heureusement, malheureusement, peut-être, probablement, sans doute

Adverbs of place:

dedans, dehors, ici, là, là-bas, nulle part, partout, quelque part

Adverbs of quantity:

assez, autant, beaucoup, peu, trop

In the case of a simple tense (present indicative, imparfait, future, etc) an adverb immediately follows the verb it modifies

example: Il attend patiemment au feu.

In the passé composé, place short or common adverbs before the past participle. Place longer or less common adverbs after the past participle

example: Vous avez vraiment compris ses indications?

example: Il a conduit prudemment.

In negative sentences, the adverbs peut-être, sans doute, and probablement usually precede pas.

Common adverbs of time and place typically follow the past participle

example: Elle a commencé tôt ses devoirs.

In a few expressions, an adjective functions as an adverb

coûter cher (to cost a lot)

parler bas/fort (to speak softly/loudly)

sentir bon/mauvais (to smell good/bad)

travailler dur (to work hard)

Chapter 3

3.1 The passé composé with avoir

Endings for past participles:

-er verbs have the -é ending

-ir verbs have the -I ending

-re verbs have the -u ending

Irregular past participles:

avoir becomes eu

boire becomes bu

conduire becomes conduit

connaître becomes connu

courir becomes couru

croire becomes cru

devoir becomes dû

dire becomes dit

écrire becomes écrit

être becomes été

faire becomes fait

lire becomes lu

mettre becomes mis

ouvrir becomes ouvert

pleuvoir becomes plu

pouvoir becomes pu

prendre becomes pris

recevoir becomes reçu

rire becomes ri

savoir becomes su

suivre becomes suivi

vivre becomes vécu

voir becomes vu

vouloir becomes voulu

Use the passé composé to talk about completed events in the past or to describe a reaction or change in state of mind or condition

example: Soudain, on a eu peur.

Sentences in the passé composé often include a reference to a specific moment in time or duration. Example of common expression:

à ce moment-là (at that moment)

enfin (at last)

finalement (finally)

hier (matin, soir, etc) (yesterday [morning, evening, etc])

immédiatement (immediately)

longtemps (for a long time)

lundi (mardi, etc) dernier (last Monday [Tuesday, etc])

pendant une heure (un mois, etc) (for an hour [a month, etc])

récemment (recently)

soudain (suddenly)

tout à coup (all of a sudden)

tout de suite (right away)

une fois (deux fois, etc) (once [twice, etc])

In the passé composé the placement of adverbs varies. These adverbs go between the helping verb and the past participle:

assez

beaucoup

bien

bientôt

déjà

encore

enfin

longtemps

mal

peut-être

presque

seulement

souvent

sûrement

toujours

trop

vite

vraiment

Some common longer adverbs like probablement and certainement are also placed between the helping verb and past participle

Longer adverbs can also follow the past participle, especially if they express the manner in which something’s done.

3.2 The passé composé with être

Verbs that use être in the passé composé:

aller past participle: allé

arriver past participle: arrivé

descendre past participle: descendu

devenir past participle: devenu

entrer past participle: entré

monter past participle: monté

mourir past participle: mort

naître past participle: né

partir past participle: parti

passer past participle: passé

rentrer past participle: rentré

rester past participle: resté

retourner past participle: retourné

revenir past participle: revenu

sortir past participle: sorti

tomber past participle: tombé

venir past participle: venu

When the helping verb is être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:

example: Mélanie est rentrée tôt.

Reflexive and reciprocal verbs also use the helping verb être in the passé composé. The reflexive or reciprocal pronoun is placed before the form of être:

example: Vous vous êtes blessé?

To negate a reflexive or reciprocal verb in the passé composé, place the ne… pas (or other negative words) around the pronoun and the helping verb

example: Je ne me suis pas rappelé son nom.

Like other verbs that that être in the passé composé, the pst participle usually agrees in gender and number with the subject

If the verb is followed by a direct object, the past participle does not agree with the subject.

Some reciprocal verbs take indirect rather than direct objects. In this case, the past participle does not agree. List of some reciprocal verbs that take indirect objects:

s’écrire

se dire

se téléphoner

se parler

se demander

se sourire

3.3 the passé composé vs. the imparfait

In general, the passé composé is used to describe events that were completed in the past, where the imparfait refers to continuous states of being or repetitive actions.

Uses of the passé composé:

• use the passé composé to express actions viewed by the speaker as completed

• use it to express the beginning or end of a past action

  • example: J’ai fini mes devoirs.

• use it to tell the duration of an event or the number of times it occurred in the past

  • example: J’ai habité en Europe pendant six mois.

• use it to describe a series of past actions

• use it to indicate a reaction or change in condition or state of mind

  • example: Il s’est fâché.

Uses of the imparfait:

• use the imparfait to describe ongoing past actions without reference to beginning or end

  • example: Tu faisais la cuisine.

• Use it to express habitual actions in the past

  • Example: On se promenait dans le parc.

• Use it to describe mental, physical, and emotional states

• use it to describe conditions or to tell what things were like in the past

  • example:Il faisait froid

When narrating in the past, the imparfait describes what was happening, while the passé composé describes the actions that occurred or interrupted the ongoing activity. Use the imparfait to provide background information and the passé composé to tell what happened.

Chapter 4

4.1 the plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait is used to talk about what someone had done or what had occurred before another past action, event, or state.

The plus-que-parfait uses avoir or être in the imparfait plus a past participle

Example: voter

j’avais voté

tu avais voté

il/elle avait voté

nous avions voté

vous aviez voté

ils/elles avaient voté

Note on imparfait endings:

the endings are for verbs in the imparfait:

je -ais

tu -ais

il/elle -ait

nous -ions

vous -iez

ils/elles -aient

Use the imparfait of être to form the plus-que-parfait of such verbs and make the past participle agree with the subject.

Use the imparfait of être as the auxiliary for reflexive and reciprocal verbs. Make agreement whenever you would do so for the passé composé

Use the plus-que-parfait to emphasize that something happened in the past before something else happened. Use the passé composé to describe completed events in the more recent past and the imparfait to describe conditions or habitual actions in the more recent past.

The plus-que-parfait is also used after the word si to mean if only … (something else had taken place). It expresses regret.

To say that something had just happened in the past, use a form on venir in the imparfait + de + the infinitive of the verb that describes the action.

4.2 Negative and indefinite adjectives and pronouns

To negate a phrase, you typically place ne … pas around the conjugated verb. If you are negating a phrase with a compound tense such as the passé composé or the plus-que-parfait place ne … pas around the auxiliary verb.

To be more specific, use variations of ne … pas such as ne… pas du tout and ne … pas encore.

Use non plus to mean neither or not either. Use si, instead of oui, to contradict a negative statement or question.

To say neither… nor, use ne…. ni… ni. Place ne before the conjugated verb or auxiliary and ni before the words it modifies. Omit the indefinite and partitive articles after ni but use the definite articles when appropriate

example: Il n’y a ni justice ni liberté dans une dictature.

It is also possible to combine several negative elements in one sentence.

example: On ne fait plus jamais rien.

More negative expressions:

ne …. aucun(e) (none [not any])

ne …. jamais (never [not ever])

ne …. nulle part (nowhere [not anywhere])

ne … personne (no one [not anyone])

ne… plus (no more [not anymore])

ne …. que (only)
ne ….. rien (nothing [not anything])

Many indefinite adjectives and pronouns can also be used in affirmative phrases:

Indefinite adjectives:

autre(s) (other)

un(e) autre (another)

certain(e)(s) (certain)

chaque (each, every single)

plusieurs (several)

quelques (some)

tel(le)(s) (such [a])

tout(e)/tous/toutes (les) (every, all)

Indefinite pronouns:

chacun(e) (each one)

la plupart (most [of them])

plusieurs (several [of them])

quelque chose (something)

quelques-un(e)s (some, a few [of them])

quelqu’un (someone)

tous/toutes (all [of them])

tout (everything)

The adjectives chaque, plusieurs, and quelques are invariable.

The pronouns la plupart, plusieurs, quelque chose, quelqu’un, and tout are invariable

4.3 Irregular -ir verbs

Courir (past participle: couru)

je cours

tu cours

il/elle court

nous courons

vous courez

ils/elles courent

Dormir (past participle: dormi)

je dors

tu dors

il/elle dort

nous dormons

vous dormez

ils/elles dorment

Partir (past participle: parti) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je pars

tu pars

il/elle part

nous partons

vous partez

ils/elles partent

Sentir (past participle: senti)

je sens

tu sens

il/elle sent

nous sentons

vous sentez

ils/elles sentent

Sortir (past participle: sorti) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je sors

tu sors

il/elle sort

nous sortons

vous sortez

ils/elles sortent

Use sortir to say that someone is leaving as in exiting a building. Use partir to say that someone is leaving, as in departing. The preposition de often accompanies sortir and the preposition pour often accompanies partir

Mourir (past participle: mort) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je meurs

tu meurs

il/elle meurt

nous mourons

vous mourez

ils/elles meurent

Couvrir (past participle: couvert)

je couvre

tu couvres

il/elle couvre

nous couvrons

vous couvrez

ils/elles couvrent

Découvrir (past participle: découvert)

je découvre

tu découvres

ils/elles découvre

nous découvrons

vous découvrez

ils/elles découvrent

Offrir (past participle: offert)

j’offre

tu offres

il/elle offre

nous offrons

vous offrez

ils/elles offrent

Ouvrir (past participle: ouvert)

j’ouvre

tu ouvres

il/elle ouvre

nous ouvrons

vous ouvrez

ils/elles ouvrent

Souffrir (past participle: souffert)

je souffre

tu souffres

il/elle souffre

nous souffrons

vous souffrez

ils/elles souffrent]

Devenir (past participle: devenu) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je deviens

tu deviens

il/elle devient

nous devenons

vous devenez

ils/elles deviennent

Maintenir (past participle: maintenu)

je maintiens

tu maintiens

il/elle maintient

nous maintenons

vous maintenez

ils/elles maintiennent

Revenir (past participle: revenu) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je reviens

tu reviens

il/elle revient

nous revenons

vous revenez

ils/elles reviennent

Tenir (past participle: tenu)

je tiens

tu tiens

il/elle tient

nous tenons

vous tenez

ils/elles tiennent

Venir (past participle: venu) (conjugated with être in PC and PQP)

je viens

tu viens

il/elle vient

nous venons

vous venez

ils/elles viennent

The construction venir + de + infinitive means to have just done something. Use it in the present or imparfait to say that something happened in the very recent past.

Chapter 5

5.1 Partitives

Partitives means some or any in English and are used by combining de with indefinite articles (le, la, l’, and les)

• de+le= du

• de +la= de la

• de +l’= de l’

• de +les= des

In negative sentences, all partitives become de/d’

example: Les émigrés n’ont plus de travail.

Use de with most expressions of quantity.

Common expression of quantity:

assez de (enough)

beaucoup de (a lot of)

une boîte de (a can/box of)

une bouteille de (a bottle of)

un kilo de (a kilogram of)

un litre de (a liter of)

un paquet de (a package of)

(un) peu de (few/(a) little of

un tas de (a lot of)

une tasse de (a cup of)

trop de (too much of)

une verre de (a glass of)

In a few exceptions, des is used with expressions of quantity:

bien des (many)

la moitié des (half of)

la plupart des (most of)

No article is used with quelques (a few) or plusieurs (several)

example: On utilise plusieurs langues officielles.

5.2 The pronouns y and en

The pronoun y often represents a location. In this case, it usually means there.

y can stand for these common prepositions of location and their objects:

à (in or at)

chez (at the place or home of)

dans (in or inside)

derrière (behind)

devant (in front of)

en (in or at)

sur (on)

y can stand for non-human objects of the preposition à and it’s contractions

The pronoun en stands for the preposition de and its object.

En can replace a partitive article and its object.

En can replace a noun that follows an expression of quantity. In this case, omit the noun and the preposition de/d’ but retain the expression of quantity

example: Les jeunes ont beaucoup d’idéaux. becomes Ils en ont beaucoup.

En can replace a noun that follows a number. In this case, omit the noun, but retain the number.

example: Ils veulent trois tomates? becomes Non, ils en veulent cinq.

In a negative sentence, the number is not retained

En can represent de plus a location. In this case, it usually means from there.

En can also stand for a verbal expression with de

example: Avez-vous la force de supporter ce chaos? becomes Non, je n’en ai pas la force.

5.3 order of pronouns

When there is more than one object pronoun, they are placed in this order:

me, te, se, nous, vous before le, la, les, l’ before lui leur before y before en

In simple tenses, such as the present, the imparfait, and the future, pronouns are placed in front of the verb.

In compound sentences, such as the passé composé and the plus-que-parfait, pronouns are placed in front of the helping verb.

When negating sentences with pronouns in simple tenses, place ne in front of the pronouns and pas after the verb. In compound tenses, place ne… pas around the pronouns and the helping verb. When there is more than one verb, ne… pas is usually placed around the first one.

example (last one): Je ne voudrais pas la lui poser.

The order of object pronouns is different in affirmative commands:

le, la, les before moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, leur before y before en

The order of pronouns in negative commands is the same as in affirmative statements.