To learn a new language, you need a fire inside you. My identity as a language learner was forged by a spark that left me in tears. I made a little girl cry. Now, I actually started “learning” languages when I took French my sophomore year of high school. I thought it would be fun […]
MOREHow Pretending I Understood Italian Got Me Into a Whole Lot of Trouble in Italy
Finally, it was here. Our long-awaited holiday, a whole two weeks touring our favourite country – Italy! I was excited not just because of the amazing landscapes, food and culture, but because it was also home to my target language! On top of this, touring Italy had been a high priority on my partner’s bucket […]
MORE121 French Words & Phrases to Talk About Your Job
When you talk to someone for the first time, one of the questions you’ll most likely get asked is, “so tell me, what do you do for a living?” Or in French, “Dis-moi, qu’est ce que tu fais dans la vie?” I work in the music industry, and I find myself running into French speakers […]
MOREFrenchPod101 Review: 30 Days with FrenchPod101
It has been years since I abandoned French. French was my first love when it came to language learning (then I fell for Spanish). But something was calling me back… For several months I had been toying with the idea of reigniting the flames with French. I began to check out some of the many […]
MORE35 Free Online French Language Classes and Resources
Learning how to speak French? There are so many French courses and resources out there, it can be tricky to know where to start. How do you know which French courses are good quality, without wasting hours testing them all out? The good news is that there are tons of affordable and even free ways […]
MOREHow to Make French Grammar Simple with French Songs
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 […]
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