French Your Way Podcast Archives - Page 3 of 15

FYW 121 : Tout droit vs à droite: what’s the connection between these two expressions?

May 31, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

David from Sydney asked me :"If gauche is left, and droite is right, what is the connection between droite and tout droit for straight ahead ?" These can be confusing indeed because the two expressions look and sound very much alike. What particularly interested me in David's question is, not surprisingly, whether there was a connection between tout droit et à droite, as in whether they had the same origin (because clearly, they don't indicate the same direction!!) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode A gauche = left / to the left A droite = right / to the … Read More →

FYW 120 : Questions in French (Part 3): When the verb is made of several words

May 24, 2017 by Jessica 2 Comments

This episode is the third part of a series about asking questions in French. If you ever travel to France and engage in any interaction with a native French speaker, you'll definitely need to ask them questions in French! In order to give you the confidence to do so, this episode will focus on getting the order of the sentence right when the verb is made of several words (I'll talk about the compound tenses, the near future and the recent past). We'll reuse what you've learnt in episode 111 of French Your Way Podcast to play around with the different structures to ask questions in French, so … Read More →

FYW 119 : “Là-dessus”, “juste dessus”

May 17, 2017 by Jessica 2 Comments

Ann would like me to explain how to use adverbs such as "là-dessus", "là-devant", etc. She also asked me about expressions like "juste devant". This is a great opportunity for me to clarify the difference between prepositions and adverbs when we refer to a location and to help you with the structure of your sentence and translation. If like Ann, you'd like to submit your question to me by leaving a voice message, head to http://frenchyourway.com.au/contact ! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le livre est sur la table = the book is on the table Le livre … Read More →

FYW 118 : PART 3 – 10 Common False Friends (= Faux Amis) in French and English

May 10, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Many words in French and English are similar or look similar. That’s lucky because it helps with learning vocabulary faster. However, these words sometimes means something very different in the two languages! In this case, they are called “faux amis”, false friends, or false cognates. Here’s a list of 10 common false friends so you don’t make the mistake! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Un bouton = a button ; a pimple, a spot La monnaie = the small change, the spare change Une journée = a day; daytime Une déception = a disppointment, a … Read More →

FYW 117 : Indirect speech (Part 1): put the right words…in the right order

May 3, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Here's a great question from Robert, a Chinese-speaking listener of French Your Way Podcast about "sentences like " I don't know what he will say to me" or " He didn't tell me when he would arrive." While I know that in French we use "ce que" for the "what clauses", I am not sure if there are other words for "how", "when", etc. Do we simply use "comment"," quand" ? Also, for us, as Chinese speakers, this sentence structure would be the hardest to learn in English, since we can't just put the clause in the order of question, for example, "I don't know how is he". I want to know how this kind of … Read More →

FYW 116 : French words that look like English…but are not (pseudo anglicisms)

April 26, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

A pseudo anglicism is a real English word meaning something completely different from its original meaning. Pseudo-anglicisms are related to false friends so if you want to avoid misunderstandings in a conversation with a native French speaker, I recommend you listen to this episode and find out what we, French people, actually mean when we say "un smoking", "un clip", etc.! I'll end up with a couple of French words that English-speakers often mispronounce, sometimes creating hilarious misunderstandings! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Un parking = a … Read More →

FYW 115 : Questions in French (Part 2): The different translations of “what…?”

April 19, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This episode is the second part of a series about asking questions in French. If you ever travel to France and engage in any interaction with a native French speaker, you'll definitely need to ask them questions in French! In order to give you the confidence to do so, this episode will focus on the different possible translations to say "what...?" in French. We'll also reuse what you've learnt in episode 111 of French Your Way Podcast to play around with the different structures to ask questions in French ;-) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode He doesn't … Read More →

FYW 114 : Learning French while sleeping?

April 12, 2017 by Jessica 2 Comments

One of my listeners was curious to get my opinion about the methods claiming to teach you French while sleeping. I will therefore share my point of view in this short episode! And you, have you tried to learn French while sleeping? LINKS and RESOURCES My article "How long does it take to learn French?" Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the side or bottom of this page. Also, kindly consider taking … Read More →

FYW 113 : Some Spelling Rules for French Feminine Words Ending With the /e/ Sound

April 5, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Here are a few tips on how to write French feminine words ending with the /e/ sound: some French feminine words are spelled with "_ée" while others simply end with "é". Learn the spelling rules to get it right every time and improve your French written skills! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode la vallée, la fée, l'allée, une année, une soirée, une bouée l'acné, la clé, la psyché la santé, la méchanceté, l'amitié, la finalité, la liberté, la beauté, la volonté. la dictée, la jetée, la montée, la nuitée, la pâtée, la portée une brouettée, une … Read More →

FYW 112 : French books for babies / toddlers

March 29, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

You may want to speak to your little one in French, either because you're are in a mixed relationship with a French-speaking partner, or simply because you love French language and you want your child to be exposed to it! Here are some great French books for babies that I love reading with my daughter. There are so many talented new authors and beautiful books I haven't read yet, I'm sticking to books from newborn to toddler for now. So here are my personal recommendations for fun, animated, beautiful, sound or touch and feel picture books and for classic heroes that every French child … Read More →