French Grammar Lab
French grammar practice built around your answers.
Write in French, get a correction in English and practise the pattern again. Your answers guide your next session.
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Practice previewA1 · Say your age
Say your current age in French. Choose the start of the sentence.
___ 29 ans.
Choose from: Je suis / J’ai / J’avais
See the answer and why
The sentence
J’ai 29 ans.
French uses avoir for age: j’ai 29 ans. Je suis means “I am”; j’avais would describe your age in the past.
Use the same pattern with a new person: elle a 30 ans.
Try again with a clue
Choose the verb for Paul’s age.
Paul ___ 46 ans.
Use avoir to give an age. With Paul, the verb is a.
See membership optionsTry it from memory
Give Léa’s age in the present. Enter the missing verb.
Léa ___ trente ans.
With Léa, avoir becomes a.
See membership optionsA2–B1 · Tell a past event
Describe one completed visit yesterday. Complete the sentence in the passé composé.
Hier, nous ___ le musée.
Choose from: visitions / avons visité / allons visiter
See the answer and why
The sentence
Hier, nous avons visité le musée.
For this completed visit in the passé composé, use avons + visité. Visitions is the imparfait, which can describe a habit or an event in progress. Allons visiter describes a future visit.
Change the person and place: elle a visité le château.
Try again with a clue
Use the passé composé of visiter for a completed visit.
Mardi, elle ___ le château.
Use a, the present form of avoir for elle, and the past participle visité.
See membership optionsTry it from memory
Use the passé composé of visiter. Enter the two missing words.
Hier, vous ___ Lyon.
With vous, use avez before the past participle visité.
See membership optionsB2 · Express a necessity
After il faut que, choose the present subjunctive form of être.
Il faut que nous ___ prêts.
Choose from: sommes / serons / soyons
See the answer and why
The sentence
Il faut que nous soyons prêts.
Il faut que introduces a necessity and is followed by the subjunctive. With nous, the present subjunctive of être is soyons. Sommes is present indicative; serons is future indicative.
Keep the structure and change the verb: il faut que nous partions.
Try again with a clue
After il faut que, choose the present subjunctive of faire.
Il faut que tu ___ attention.
Il faut que takes the subjunctive. With tu, faire becomes fasses.
See membership optionsTry it from memory
Use venir in the present subjunctive. Enter the missing verb.
Il faut qu’elle ___ demain.
After il faut que, the form of venir for elle is vienne.
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- The correction. Read the useful French sentence and why the pattern works.
- The listening. Hear grammar in recorded scenes, with transcripts available.
- Your progress. See points to practise, recall and refresh.
The account, answers and progress in the recording are illustrative.
Hear the grammar in conversation.
Solène meets her new colleague Antoine. Listen for je suis when Solène introduces herself and j’ai when Antoine gives his age.
Solène & Antoine15 secondsRead the French transcript
- SolèneBonjour, je suis Solène. Je suis la nouvelle comptable.
- AntoineBienvenue ! Moi, c’est Antoine. J’ai trente-huit ans et je suis responsable du service.
- SolèneTu as un bureau à cet étage ?
- AntoineOui, et nous avons une salle de pause juste à côté.
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One story. Three ways into the French.
Start with a version that feels comfortable. Press play to hear it, then try the next version. This excerpt explores a French word you will hear every September: la rentrée.
A1–A2 · Start simply
Le mot sert à beaucoup de choses. Il y a la rentrée littéraire (beaucoup de livres), la rentrée politique (les partis reviennent), la rentrée sociale (les syndicats). Pour les Français, la vraie année commence en septembre, pas en janvier.
B1–B2 · Add detail
Le mot travaille encore plus que ça. Il y a la rentrée littéraire, quand des centaines de romans paraissent d’un coup, la rentrée politique, quand les partis tiennent leurs universités d’été, et même la rentrée sociale, quand les syndicats décident si l’automne sera calme ou bruyant. Ajoutez « de la rentrée » à presque tout : un Français comprend qu’il s’agit du vrai début de l’année. Pas janvier. Septembre.
C1–C2 · Explore the style
Le mot en fait bien davantage. Il existe une rentrée littéraire, où des centaines de romans paraissent simultanément, une rentrée politique, où les partis tiennent leurs universités d’été et choisissent leurs batailles de l’année, et jusqu’à une rentrée sociale, où les syndicats jaugent si l’automne sera paisible ou tapageur. Accolez « de la rentrée » à presque n’importe quoi : un francophone saisit aussitôt qu’il s’agit de la version de septembre, du vrai commencement de l’année. Non pas janvier. Septembre.
Understand the key phrase
La rentrée littéraire means the autumn literary season, when new books arrive. Here, rentrée is about a fresh start, not just going back to school. Listen again and notice the other uses of the word.
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Three small choices. How would you answer?
Choose an answer in your head, then open the correction. These are questions 2, 3 and 10 from Round 1, “Arrival in Nice”, page 52. The explanations below are added for this preview.
1. Translate: “a suitcase”
- un valise
- le valise
- une valise
- la valise
Show answer & explanation
Valise is feminine. Une means “a”; la means “the”. Learn the noun with its article.
2. Translate: “She is 29 years old.”
- Elle est 29 années.
- Elle est 29 ans.
- Elle a 29 ans.
- Elle a 29 année.
Show answer & explanation
French uses avoir for age: elle a + a number + ans. English uses “is”, which makes this an easy habit to carry over.
3. Server: Bonjour. Vous désirez ? You want one coffee politely.
- Donne-moi un café.
- Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
- Je veux un café maintenant.
- Je voudrais une café, s’il vous plaît.
Show answer & explanation
Je voudrais makes a polite request, and café is masculine: un café. The other choices are too direct here or use the wrong article.
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Questions about the Lab and our free resources
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The Briefing, 117 Learning Center guides, Playground and level quiz remain free. French Grammar Lab is our paid personal grammar programme: USD $19/month or $149/year. No free trial. Our digital guides are separate, one-time purchases.
What does French Grammar Lab include?
Your grammar profile, a personal starting programme, mini-lessons, written exercises, explanations, prepared listening and spaced reviews, with progress saved in your account. It is for adult learners working on foundations through B2 grammar. Watch the app tour to see the programme before joining.
I don’t know my level. Where do I start?
Take the free 20-question level quiz — it gives you a starting-level estimate in about 5 minutes. Then pick up reading practice at your level or head into the Learning Center and read the one guide that targets what’s blocking you. If you join French Grammar Lab, its own saved grammar check helps shape your personal programme after membership.
How is this different from Duolingo or Babbel?
French Grammar Lab focuses on grammar: a saved starting profile, targeted written practice, clear corrections and spaced review. Our free articles add reading, listening and context. For a wider comparison of learning formats, read the 2026 guide to French courses and our Babbel vs Duolingo comparison.
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