How many young children have you seen walking around with a dictionary or a grammar book to look up words or sentence structures in their native language? How many people have told you they learned their native language with flashcards or vocabulary lists? Here’s my guess: zero. If you’re anything like me, you learned your […]
MOREThe French Alphabet: Why it’s Easier than You Think
In 1066, William (or Guillaume in French), the Duke of Normandy, invaded England and took possession of the crown of England. As a result of the Norman invasion, the French language began its own invasion of the English language (called Anglo-Saxon or Old English). That’s one of the reasons why English and French have so […]
MORE25 Essential French Phrases for Travelers and Tourists
So you’re travelling to France, or another French-speaking country (or province). Is it true that English is all you need? Regular readers of this site will know my answer: of course not! Even if you’ll only be spending a short time in the country, learning a few basic French phrases can be very rewarding and […]
MORE86 French Slang Words and Phrases so You’ll Fit Right in With the Locals
Let’s take a look at French slang. First, a quick caveat: Slang is hard to teach in any language. It varies a lot by region and age group. Consider the following English slang words. Depending where you live and how old you are, you may have never heard many of these before: hella (“extremely”) gobshite […]
MOREFrench YouTube Channels: 10 Youtube Channels to Take Your French to the Next Level
Watching French YouTube Channels is a fantastic way to learn French, and to immerse yourself in the French language. French YouTubers with English subtitles are especially good for beginner and intermediate French learners. Here’s how I think of it: The key to create a successful immersion environment at home is to use native content. That […]
MOREFrench Accent Marks: The Ultimate Guide
The words café and résumé are originally French, and in English we often write those words without the accents. In French, however, the accent marks are not optional. French has several different accent marks, also known as “diacritics”. They serve several different purposes in the language. Sometimes they affect pronunciation, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they […]
MOREWhy I’m Teaching My Kids to Speak French Badly (and Why I Think You Should, Too)
Teaching kids French… what’s the “right” way to do it? I’m teaching my kids French, and here’s a fairly typical French conversation between me and my 3 year old: My 3 year old: It’s Grandad’s birthday! Me: ‘Oui, on va lancer une fete!’ (we’re going to throw a party) My 3 year old: Lancer fete! […]
MORE“Hello” in French – Plus 10 More Useful French Greetings
Bonjour! There are many ways to say “hello” in French – French greetings can be much more than a simple “hello”. In this article I’ll teach you the French for “hello” and its variations, and give you a brief tour of the most common ways to greet a French person. 1. Bonjour – “Good day” […]
MOREFrench Exercises Online: 12+ Exercises to Improve Your French Language Skills
French is one of the most popular languages to learn. So there are plenty of French exercises online. In fact, the Internet is practically bursting with courses, lessons and exercises for improving your French. There are so many, that it can be difficult to know where to start. How can you tell the wheat from […]
MORE25 Perfect French Idioms that Sound Weird in English
Like all languages, French is rich in idioms – expressions that mean something other than their literal meaning. Spend enough time in France and you may hear people talking about having mustard up their nose, a hair in the hand, a wooden mouth, or a hand in the bag. What does this all mean? Below […]
MOREConversational French: 25 Ways to Start a French Conversation
When you’re learning French, what are some good ways to start a French conversation? Whether you’ve just been introduced to someone new, find yourself sitting next to a French-speaker on the bus, or end up walking beside a French tourist while visiting an attraction, I’ve got a French conversation starter for you. Before we dig […]
MOREFrench Idioms Crash Course: How to Sound Like a Native French Speaker
So you want to speak French like a local. Perhaps not exactly like a native speaker, but like someone who lives there. You can sound like a French speaker even though you’re a complete beginner in the language. It’s possible. I’ve done it in Portuguese. My knowledge of Portuguese is extremely limited. I only know […]
MORE16 Must-Know Words and Phrases For Any Language
You can achieve incredible results by learning just a few basic phrases when travelling to another country. Often, native English speakers believe that everyone speaks English. So when they travel, they don’t bother learning the language of the place they’re visiting. After all, it’s fine to get by in English, right? Well, maybe. But there’s […]
MOREHow to Speak French: The Faster Way to Learn French
So you want to learn how to speak French? Très bien !! Millions of language learners around the world are already learning French, so you’re in great company. And you can learn to speak French fluently faster than you think. In fact, my speak from day one method is the best way to learn French […]
MOREHow to use Social Media for Instant French Immersion
Can you get French immersion through French social media? Of course you can! In fact, using social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in French. Think about it this way: Cost of a round-trip ticket between New York and Paris by plane? $500-$2000. Cost to open your […]
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