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Examples of complex French sentence structures visualisation

Examples of complex French sentence structures

Demystifying French Sentence Structure: A Pathway to Mastery: Examples of complex French sentence structures
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Here are examples of complex French sentence structures with explanations:

  1. Complex sentences consist of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, with at least two conjugated verbs. The subordinate clauses depend on the main clause and are introduced by link words or conjunctions. For example:
  • Le chien de la voisine aboie quand il voit des étrangers. (The neighbor’s dog barks when he sees strangers.)
  • J’ai acheté le nouveau livre de J.K. Rowling qui est l’auteure des Harry Potter. (I bought JK Rowling’s new book who is the author of Harry Potter.)
  • Marie a mangé sa part puisqu’elle ne voulait pas. (Marie ate her portion since she didn’t want it.) 1
  1. Subordinating conjunctions like quand (when), si (if), parce que (because), bien que (although), and pour que (so that) help link clauses in complex sentences:
  • Quand je serai grand, je serai médecin. (When I grow up, I will be a doctor.)
  • Elle ne sort pas parce qu’elle est malade. (She is not going out because she is sick.)
  • Bien que je sois fatigué, je vais continuer à travailler. (Although I am tired, I will continue working.) 3
  1. Relative pronouns such as qui, que, dont, and où connect dependent clauses to main clauses by replacing nouns or pronouns:
  • L’homme qui parle est mon professeur. (The man who is speaking is my teacher.)
  • Voici le livre que j’ai lu. (Here is the book that I read.)
  • La maison dont je t’ai parlé est à vendre. (The house I told you about is for sale.) 3
  1. Infinitive clauses express purpose, result, cause, or manner and often follow verbs of perception or causation:
  • Elle travaille dur pour réussir. (She works hard to succeed.)
  • Je l’ai vu sortir de la maison. (I saw him leave the house.)
  • Ils sont partis sans dire au revoir. (They left without saying goodbye.) 3
  1. Participial clauses express simultaneous actions or provide additional information about the subject:
  • Ayant terminé ses devoirs, il est allé se coucher. (Having finished his homework, he went to bed.)
  • La porte étant fermée, nous avons dû attendre dehors. (The door being closed, we had to wait outside.) 3
  1. Complex sentences can have multiple clauses connected by conjunctions or relative pronouns, featuring different verb tenses and moods like subjunctive for expressing doubt, desire, or necessity:
  • Il faut que tu partes. (You must leave.)
  • Si tu étudies, tu réussiras. (If you study, you will succeed.)
  • Si j’avais le temps, je voyagerais plus. (If I had time, I would travel more.) 5

These examples illustrate the richness and variety of complex sentence constructions in French grammar, combining clauses with different connectors and verb forms for sophisticated expression. 1, 5, 3

References

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