Search Results for: masculine feminine
French Animal Names : What to Call Your Dog if it’s a Female
I recently received a very interesting and unusual question that I had never been asked before. As the answer covers a few different areas, I was immediately inspired to write an article and share it with you. Thanks a lot Tish for your question! “I understand that animals are generally masculine and feminine (eg. une girafe) but if I am talking about a male girafe, can I say 'un girafe'? Imagine that I am writing a story with my children about 'une coccinelle' but the 'coccinelle' is a male whose name is Bruce. Do I refer to this 'coccinelle' throughout the story as 'il' or 'elle'? I even … Read More →
How to Use Your French Dictionary Efficiently
A dictionary is a great tool and even a great bedside book. I love exploring it, flipping through to discover complicated or funny words, in English or in French. However, you should not cling to your dictionary as you would cling to a lifebuoy. Dictionaries can be so big and heavy that they would make you drown – quite the opposite of what you would expect from them. When I teach, I want my students to take the habit of not using a dictionary during our lessons (unless specifically asked to do so for a given task or activity). I must have said it over so many times that I once found out … Read More →
Challenge: Can I Make You Love French Grammar?
I am begging you for a chance to explain why learning grammar is SO useful... Please read on!! “I don’t want to learn grammar” - WHY? I often ask students what they find most difficult about learning French. The following feedback from Jillian inspired me to write this article: “It is difficult for me to structure sentences and therefore oral communication. […] I don't want to know about grammar because it just makes me more confused, I would just like to know sentences, then play with the sentences I know to create new sentences.” It's not uncommon to hear: “I want to learn French but I don’t … Read More →
Introduction to French Grammar : What Type of Word is This ?
How to Learn French Grammar Easily ? The following has helped many of my students to get their first grip on French grammar and gain much confidence by understanding the relation between the different words and their order in a sentence. That’s why I would like you to be able to benefit from it too. In this article, you will see how basic grammar notions in French are important in learning to write French essays or to speak French with consistently good results. If you’d like to read more about the power of grammar (or need more convincing!), I wrote an article about it here. By … Read More →
Proofreading Checklist (French Essay Writing)
This checklist that I have created helps my students and will help you with thorough proofreading of your essays to give yourself the best chances of success. Recommended for VCE French, DELF or any written exam preparation or French assignment! Note: this checklist is part of the resources I've included in my French VCE exam revision guide, "How to Prepare for the French VCE & Reach your Maximum Score". Exam Tips: Practice well before an exam so that you know what you should pay particular attention to on for the big day. Download the free PDF version of my Proofreading … Read More →
Start Here
Have you learnt French in high school and are now looking to pick it up again? Do you have an advanced level of French and seek to maintain your level ? Do you need help to achieve a high score in your French exam? (VCE French, DELF/DALF, etc) Bonjour! I'm Jessica, a native French teacher from the Champagne region now based in Melbourne, Australia. This page is to help you get around my site. Click here to find out more about me! I've created a lot of free content to guide you with your French learning. There are multiple ways to learn French and I invite you to dive deeper into the … Read More →