How to Structure French Sentences: Subject, Verb, and Object

In this grammar lesson you will learn how to structure French sentences.

In this lesson you will learn about:

• what the common French prepositions are
• how to use common French prepositions
• how common French in French sentences
• how you can quiz yourself on how to use common French prepositions
• how to practice with flashcards for how to use common French prepositions
• how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French

Please refer to the French A2 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about how prepositions fit in A2 grammar.

By the end of the lesson you will know all about how to use common French prepositions!

How to Structure French Sentences

Before I show you how to structure French sentences, I would first like to show you how it’s done in English.

English is an SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) language.

Please have a look at the sentences in the table.

The first part of the sentence is the subject. A subject is a person or thing that is doing the verb.

The second part of the sentence is the verb. These are action words, they cause something to happen in a sentence.

The third part of the sentence is the object. The object is the thing that the verb works/acts on. These are generally nouns.

So, we can say the English is an SVO language.

French is also an SVO language.

Please take a look at the table below.

The sentences are exactly the same as before, and also in the same order.

How to Replace Objects in French Sentences

It is also possible to replace the object in French sentences.

You can replace object nouns in French with object pronouns (le, la, l’, and les).

Essentially this is what happend:

• le repas -> le
• le livre -> le
• les balles -> les
• la philosphie-> l’
• la chambre -> la

When you do this, the French sentence structure becomes SOV (Subject-Object-Verb).

This is useful if you don’t want to actually say the noun, but you just want to refer to it.

You can avoid repetition this way.

In the following lesson this is discussed in more detail.

For now it suffices to know that you can replace object nouns with object pronouns.

Sentences Overview of How to Structure French Sentences

The final section of this lesson on how to structure French sentences is about seeing the SVO and SOV sentences in action.

This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on how to structure French sentences through examples.

Paul mange le repas. – Paul le mange.

Paul eats the meal. – Paul eats it.

Alexandra lit le livre. – Alexandra le lit.

Alexandra reads the book. – Alexandra reads it.

Il attrape les balles. – Il les attrape.

He catches the balls. – He catches them.

Ma soeur étudie la philosphie. – Ma sœur l’étudie.

My sister studies philosophy. – My sister studies it.

Ils nettoient la chambre. – Ils la nettoient.

They clean the room. – They clean it.

Quiz Yourself on How to Use French Sentences

At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.

You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.

You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.

It is up to you to give the correct answer.

Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.

You can redo the quiz as many times as you want!

Time's up

How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson

Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!

It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.

Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.

There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.

1. Anki
2. The Flashcards in our Courses

Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.

After you have downloaded Anki, you can get our French A2 Anki Deck.

This Anki Deck contains 3,816 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A2.

All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.

You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!

However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?

The Courses of Language Atlas

Have you ever wondered what the best way is to learn a new language?

I have been learning languages for over 20+ years and I was always frustrated with books, courses, and classes that I had tried.

It never really seemed to work for me.

I wanted to learn a language in the most effective and efficient way, and there was nothing out there for me.

So I thought, “why not make something myself?“.

Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.

I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be a easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.

However, I also created courses that are much more comprehensive and in-depth.

These courses are easy to follow, clear, and allow you to become fluent in the most effective and efficient way.

The courses of Language Atlas have:

• 800+ Lessons with audio
• 800+ Quizzes
• 10,000 Flashcards with explanations, images, and audio
• A gamified way of learning a new language
• A vibrant community (including support from me)

You can register for free and try the French A0/A1 and Spanish A0/A1 Courses for free!

This includes over 60 lessons and quizzes, 500 flashcards that adapt to how you learn, and access to the community (including support from me).

All you have to do is study 30 minutes a day and you will be fluent in no time!

Don’t miss out – register for free and start learning!