A Definitive Guide to
French Verbs


Preface
Verbs play a vital role in grammar, in sentences, in language
and understanding them is key to understanding a language.
We learn from a young age that verbs are doing words,
action words or some other naïve and ambiguous definition
that deprives verbs of the credit that they truly deserve -
they are in fact much more important than that and I hope
that, in learning them in great depth, you come to appreciate
their true responsibility.
You may not yet realise how complex verbs can become,
particularly if you have never studied a language in so much
linguistic depth. It may seem strange to have to study in such
detail something you do unconsciously in your mother
tongue but my aim is to simplify the world of verbs by
stripping them back to the very basics and taking you on a
journey that will allow you to eventually structure your own
sentences with ease.
Linguistic terminology can be confusing for some and it may
well be the reason why many people stop learning languages
altogether. But avoiding the technical terms can be even
more confusing than learning them and I believe that
labelling helps us to understand the construction of language
and eventually helps us to think independently when building
sentences. Do not fret. Any such terminology is written in
bold and is explained fully in the glossary at the back of this
book.