Book for learning grammar (DELF B2) [duplicate]

Question

I am a Spanish student who wants to prepare a exam to get the B2.2 title of French (DELF). Currently I just have the DELF A2 title that I got the last time that I studied French in a school, around four years ago.

Since then I've been studying French in my own, reading books, using some websites like Babbel, listening to some podcasts, ...

I feel now that I can comprehend most of the texts that I will encounter in the real exam (I've been able to read some French books both modern and "classical" without having much trouble) and I also feel that my vocabulary and oral comprehension are good enough to pass the test.

Where I really feel the difference is when it comes to grammar. Studying on my own I have dedicated very little time to grammar and I really need to improve my knowledge of it.

I own Bescherelle's La conjugaison and I want to buy a book that allows me to learn at least enough grammar to pass the test.

So my question is, what book should I use? I know that this depends a lot on every person and I don't mind getting a book with lots of vocabulary as long as I could learn what I need from it.

Answer 1

A very classical choice for native as well as for foreign French grammar learners is the following.

• Reference book: Bescherelle, La Grammaire
• Exercise book: Bled Grammaire

There is plenty of good books out there, but those are nice to begin with. Grammar requires practice. The best solution for you is the do a maximum of exercises and read/write/listen/speak as often as possible to put the "rules" into application until they actually make sense for you.

Answer 2

As a complement to the selected answer, I also suggest:

Le Bon usage, Grevisse et Goosse, 2011, De Boeck Supérieur, 1640 p.
Nouvelle grammaire française, Grevisse et Goosse, 3e, 1995..., De Boeck Supérieur, 400 p.

The former work is challenging even for a native speaker. In terms of format it is as if you presented the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language with the examples from the Oxford English Dictionary; yet with effort it should provide some thoughts and insight about the French language for the rest of one's natural life. The latter is a strong contender, in my opinion, alongside such works as those mentioned in the answer (I've had to use Bled, Bescherelle and Grevisse grammars in high school), and material on specific topics etc.¹

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_{1. Reference material CIEP.fr. You did not ask for online content so I would just provide a few links to grammar material I found useful: topic based Banque de depannage linguistique (BDL), Français facile, Allo Prof, Bonjour de France (note DELF section). Generally, for some reference material see also this answer. None of this is specifically geared at the Spanish speaker or French learner; one should challenge themself imho.}

Answer 3

Bien que francophone, je ne maîtrise absolument pas la grammaire, mais un peu mieux la sémantique : les différents sens et usages des mots ainsi que leur racine.

Les règles et les accords sont repérés à "l'oreille", un peu comme vous le pratiquez en ayant beaucoup lu.

Cela est un vieille pratique due au latin que l'on apprenait par les exemples et dont on justifiait ensuite les accords, déclinaisons et autres pièges. Cela faisait parfois de bonnes versions, (ah ! ces contre-sens) mais de piètres thèmes :) .

Je suis complètement dépassé par le vocabulaire et les nouvelles formules utilisées par les différents réformes de l'orthographe.

Pour retrouver une règle de grammaire, j'utilise parfois ce site qui me semble clair, bien pensé, pratique et surtout très compréhensible.

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Vous pouvez aussi charger gratuitement LibreOffice ou OpenOffice et le paquetage de la langue en français. Ensuite si vous ajoutez l'extension Grammalecte, vous pourrez avoir la correction grammaticale automatique (ou une suggestion de correction motivée) et immédiate du texte en cours de frappe.

Answer 4

It's not a book, but this site will guide you through the grammar you need. You start by taking a proficiency test, which the software will analyze in order to suggest lessons that you should review as well as what it makes sense to work on next.