clarifications

[fossil wasp]

Please be patient

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clarifications

[amber geyser]

Negative questions are usually tricky to handle, because affirming it could be confusing between affirming the negation or refuting the negation.
Take English for instance: "Don't you like French?" "Yes, I do."
"I do" is often added for clarity, to make sure the answer isn't confusing.

In French, it is done by using another word: "Si"
This word is used whenever you want to refute the negation of a negative question.

You can only answer "Si" or "Non" in yes/no negative questions.

[minor inlet]

1. Oui, non, si
   This relates to answering questions. Okay, so 'Yes' agrees to the question whereas 'No' rejects it. If I were to say 'Did you go to the market yesterday?', I would have two possible answers:
   [a] Yes => I did go to the market yesterday
   [b] No => I did not go to the market yesterday
   So far, so good. However, we have an issue when the question is in the negative: 'Didn't you go to the market yesterday?'
   Since 'No' rejects the question, we would still have:
   [c] No => I did not go to the market
   With 'Yes' however, since it agrees to the question, we have an ambiguity: Is it agreeing that I did not go to the market or that I did go to the market? Both answers are possible.
   French solves this by using « Si » to affirm a negative question. By using « Si » to an equivalent question, I am saying that I did go to the market yesterday.

Recap:
« Est-ce que tu es allé au marché hier ? »
Oui = Je suis allé au marché hier
Non = Je ne suis pas allé au marché hier

« Est-ce que tu n'es pas allé au marché hier ? »
Si = Je suis allé au marché hier
Non = Je ne suis pas allé au marché hier

[amber geyser]

2. (prog present)
   Progressive present isn't a thing in French. You use simple present instead.
   I speak => je parle
   I am speaking => je parle
   No difference

2. recent past
   Recent past is used to indicate things that just happened.
   It is done using the following construction: [venir in present tense] + de + infinitive
   It usually translates by "just" + past tense in English
   I just ate => Je viens de manger

2. near future
   Near future is the opposite, used to indicate things that are going to happen.
   It is done using the following construction: [aller in present tense] + infinitive
   It usually translates to "to be going to" in English
   I am going to eat => je vais manger

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/cest-vs-il-est/

No, kinda, yes, kinda

[minor inlet]

I assume Flynn is answering 3) so I'll go with 4) instead.
4a) Tricks to remembering gender
No, there aren't any tricks. You just have to memorise the gender of each words. Some patterns exist, mostly based off of complex words and their suffix endings, but for the most part, it's memorisation.
4b) Les prépositions de lieu
In general, prepositions are not translatable from language to language so this too is a memorisation game. It also depends on what kinds of places you're asking about: Countries and cities operate on a slightly different set of rules than regular places. Try reading this:
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/prepositions-of-place/
4c) Adjectives
The majority of French adjectives are placed after their nouns. Some are placed before. You can read this: https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjective-position/
4d) Adjective agreement
If you're asking about how each adjective takes its form, yes, there are patterns. The general principle is that adjectives agree in number and gender of the word it is modifying. For example, « maisons (houses) » is a feminine plural object, so the adjective « cher (expensive) » becomes « chères » to agree with it. If you speak English, there exists number agreement with a few words. An example is 'this/these' where I have 'this car' but 'these cars'. The word 'this' changes from singular to plural 'these' in order to agree with the noun it's modifying, 'cars'.

[amber geyser]

I kinda ran out at the end

[minor inlet]

real

[modern wigeon]

thank you both so much! i’ll review your responses, and further clarify my doubts if i have any.

[modern wigeon]

So to summarize, Si is used when there is a negative statement given, but in a way you want to respond in the positive form of that statement?

[minor inlet]

Exactly

Since « oui » would be ambiguous