MBA Programme

Period: 2

French Regular Language Programme

Professor: Pascale TOITOT Assistant: Evelyne FELICIO

Email: pascale.toitot@flc-int.com Email: evelyne.felicio@flc-int.com
Office: Fontainebleau Langues & Communication Office: Fontainebleau Langues & Communication
Reception: +33 1 64 22 48 96 Reception: +33 1 64 22 48 96

Course Purpose
The Regular Language Programme is set up for those MBA Students who have not met the
INSEAD Exit or 3rd language requirement yet.
The complete programme is 72 hours long, divided into three periods of 24 hours each,
spread equally over Period 1, Period 2 and Period 3.
Methods used:
▪ Objective Express 1 – Livre d’élève – ISBN number: 9782011560070
▪ Grammaire progressive du Français – Niveau débutant + Livret de correction ISBN
number: 9782090381146 and 9782090381153

These books are available at Footnote, INSEAD’s bookstore on the Fontainebleau campus.

Learning Goals
The MBA Students must achieve a minimum of basic A2 level to meet the INSEAD Exit
Language Requirement.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course may be taken by the MBA Students who still have not validated their Exit
Language before the MBA programme starts and whose current level in French is complete
beginner or false beginner (a little knowledge).

You can find all the information regarding our language courses and exams in the
INSEAD Language Policy via this link:
https://www.insead.edu/sites/default/files/assets/dept/mp/mba/docs/INSEAD_Language_P
olicy_for_graduating_classes_of_2020.pdf

FL&C is INSEAD’s official language partner on campus

in Fontainebleau and Singapore.
Copyright © 2019-2028 Fontainebleau Langues et Communication All Rights Reserved.
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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

CONTENTS

Grammar
P.3 - Past tense ................................................Le passé composé

P.7 - Personal pronouns ...................................Les pronoms personnels

P.8 - Direct object .............................................Le complément d’objet direct

P.9 - Comparatives and superlatives ................Les comparatifs et les superlatifs

Revision
P.10 - Revision for the beginner 2 test .............Révisions pour le test beginner 2

Page 2 of 10
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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

GRAMMAR

Past tense – Le passé composé

To refer to a past event, the most commonly used tense is the passé composé.
It is formed with the present tense of the verb avoir and the past participle of the verb (like
the present perfect).

e.g. J’ai mangé

Tu as mangé
Il, elle a mangé
Nous avons mangé
Vous avez mangé
Ils, elles ont mangé

The endings of the past participles are:

▪ é for all verbs ending with er
▪ i for most verbs ending with ir
▪ u for most verbs ending in oir and re

But some verbs are irregular:

Verbe à l’infinitif Infinitive Participe passé Past participle

être to be été been
avoir to have eu had
faire to do / to make fait done / made
vouloir to want to voulu wanted
pouvoir to be able to pu Could / was able to
devoir to have to, must dû had to, must
prendre to take pris taken
connaître to know connu known
savoir to know su known

The passé composé corresponds to the English simple past (preterit) as well as to the
English present perfect.

e.g. Il a pris le train à huit heures. He took the train at eight o’clock.
Il n’a jamais pris le train. He has never taken the train.

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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

The two usual ways of asking a question can be used with passé composé:
1. Est-ce que vous avez acheté des cadeaux ?
2. Avez-vous acheté des cadeaux ? Did you buy any presents?

Note that in 2, the auxiliary is inverted, not the main verb.

Also note that you can only invert with a personal pronoun.

In the negative ne pas or ne rien are on either side of the auxiliary.

e.g. Nous n’avons pas acheté de cadeaux. We didn’t buy any presents.
Ils n’ont rien eu. They didn’t get anything.

Page 4 of 10
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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

For 14 verbs, the passé compose is formed with être

e.g. Il est allé à Paris. He went to Paris.

▪ These verbs include movement:

arriver / partir Il est arrivé Il est parti

entrer / sortir Il est entré Il est sorti
monter / descendre / tomber Il est monté Il est descendu Il est tombé
aller / venir Il est allé Il est venu
naître / mourir Il est né Il est mort
passer Il est passé
retourner Il est retourné
rester Il est resté

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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

▪ Rester s’utilise avec être : Il est resté.

In total 14 verbs (+ les composés : rentrer, devenir, revenir, repartir, etc.)

▪ Marcher, courir, sauter, etc., (mouvement simple), to conjugate with avoir.

The past participle agrees with the subject of the verb être.

e.g. Il est arrivé. / Elle est arrivée. He has arrived. / She has arrived.
Il est entré. / Elle est entrée. He … / She

With être in the passé composé, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the
subject.

e.g. Elle est partie. She left.

Elles sont tombées. They fell.
Elles sont arrivées. They arrived.

For all reflexive verbs, the passé composé is formed with être, and the past participle
agrees with the subject.

e.g. Je me suis lavé(e)

Tu t’es lavé(e)
Il, elle s’est lavé(e)
Nous nous sommes lavé(e) s
Vous vous êtes lavé(es)
Ils, elles se sont lavé(e) s

Page 6 of 10
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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

Personal pronouns - Les pronoms personnels toniques

Strong personal pronouns

moi toi lui elle nous vous eux, elles

me you him her us you them

They can be used to emphasize the subject

e.g. Moi, j’aime ce film, toi, tu ne l’aimes pas. Me, I like this film, you, you don’t like it.

Or with a preposition
e.g. Il est avec moi. He is with me.
Elle parle de moi. She is talking about me.

‘A moi’ or ‘à toi’ are commonly used to express the idea that something belongs to
someone: ‘to me’, ‘to you’

e.g. C’est à moi. It’s mine.

La voiture est à lui. The car is his.
Ces livres sont à nous. These books are ours.

The same pronouns are used when standing alone without a verb
e.g. Qui est le patron ici ? C’est lui. Who is the boss here? It’s him.

In the first and second person, even without a preposition, strong pronouns must
be used after an imperative

e.g. Donne-moi / Donnez-moi Give me

Dis-moi / Dites-moi. Tell me

Strong personal pronouns are also used to express agreement or disagreement

with what has been said
agreement affirmative: moi aussi Me too
negative: moi non plus Neither do I
disagreement affirmative: pas moi, moi non Not me
negative: moi si I do

Of course, the pronoun changes according to the person who agrees or disagrees.

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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

Direct object - Le complément d’objet direct

Singular / Plural Subject Object direct

Singular Je I Me (m’) Me
Tu You Te (t’) You
Il He Le (l’) Him, it
She Her La (l’) Her, it
Plural Nous We Nous Us
Vous You Vous You
Ils They Les Them
Elles They Les Them

me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les (objet) always immediately precedes the verb (or auxiliary).

e.g. Tu ne m’écoutes pas. You aren’t listening to me.

In the 3rd person, the object pronouns are:

Singular / Plural Direct

Singular le (l’)
to replace a masculine noun or person
= him, it
la (l’)
to replace a feminine noun or person
= her, it

Plural les
to replace any noun or group of nouns
= them

e.g. Je mange le gâteau. Je le mange. I eat the cake. I eat it.

Il regarde la télévision. Il la regarde. He watches television. He watches it.
Elle aime les pommes. Elle les aime. She likes the apples. She likes them.

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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

Comparatives and superlatives - Le comparatif et le superlatif

The comparative is formed by adding:

+ plus…que -er than, more…than

= aussi…que as…as
- moins…que less…than

On either side of the adjective (whatever the length of the adjective) or adverbs.

e.g. Pierre est plus jeune que Louis. Pierre is younger than Louis.
Louis est plus sympathique que Pierre. Louis is nicer than Pierre.

On either side of the noun or the verb.

+ plus de…que more than

= autant(de)…que as much, as many
- moins de…que less…than

e.g. Il a plus de voitures que son frère. He’s got more cars than his brother.
Il a autant de voitures que son frère. He’s got as many cars as his brother.
Il travaille plus que moi. He works more than me.
Il travaille autant que moi He works as much as me.

NB: the noun is always preceded by ‘de’.

The superlative is formed by placing: le, la, les, before the adjective

Le, la, les plus important(es) The most important

Le, la, les moins important(es) The least important

e.g. Ce sont les maisons les plus chères. These are the most expensive houses.
Ce restaurant est le moins cher. This restaurant is the least expensive.
Il travaille le plus. He works the most.

The articles agree in gender and number with the noun:

e.g. Ces voitures sont les moins chères. These cars are the least expensive.

Page 9 of 10
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 MBA Programme
Period: 2

REVISION

Textbook: La grammaire progressive du Français, Niveau débutant

Les verbes ▪ Le passé composé des verbes :

- réguliers : finissant par ‘er’, exemple ‘parler’
- Irréguliers : être, avoir, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir,
prendre, savoir, connaître, voir, mettre
La grammaire progressive, p. 154 à 157

▪ Le passé composé des verbes composés avec ‘avoir’,

La grammaire progressive, p. 110 et 112

▪ Le passé composé des verbes composés avec ‘être’

+ leur accord,
La grammaire progressive, p. 114 et 116

Le pronom
complément d’objet ▪ La grammaire progressive, p. 142
direct

La comparaison ▪ La grammaire progressive, p. 84 à 86

Les partitifs
▪ La grammaire progressive, p. 80 à 82
et les quantités

Les prépositions
■ La grammaire progressive, p. 60
de lieu

La localisation ▪ La grammaire progressive, p. 56

Page 10 of 10
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