In this episode I'll explain the difference between the demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns and will help you choose wisely among all these little words! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Ce soir, cet homme Cette fille Ces enfants C'est un chien. C'est qui? Qui est-ce? Ce (Ça, ceci, cela) doit être difficile! Ça va bien? Ça (ceci / cela) me fait plaisir. Je ne veux pas entendre ça (cela) J'ai vu l'homme; celui que la police recherche depuis 3 mois! Ma femme, c'est celle avec la robe bleue. Le contrôleur sanctionne tous ceux qui … Read More →
FYW 089 : How to Proofread Your French Essay
To help you with thorough proofreading of your French essays, I have created a proofreading checklist so you can correct most of your mistakes yourself. If you prepare for a French exam (DELF, DALF) or for any written French assignment, I strongly recommend you get into the habit of using the following proofreading checklist so that you are familiar with it when you need it most: on exam day! You can download my free proofreading checklist from my website: https://frenchyourway.com.au/proofreading-checklist-french-essay-writing Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this … Read More →
FYW 078 : How to Use Your French Dictionary Efficiently
A dictionary is an indispensable tool that everyone should have on a shelf...on in their pockets. But you need to use it well: you wouldn't believe how many times I've seen students say (or write) things that were not understandable - or worse: very, very embarrassing !- because of an improper choice of word! Understand when and how to use you French dictionary to help you with French language! This episode is an adaptation of my article "How to use your French dictionary efficiently", which comes with a free practice worksheet. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this … Read More →
FYW 072 : Position of Adjectives (PART 2): un homme pauvre, un pauvre homme
This is the second and last part of my tips to help you with the order/position of adjectives in a sentence. Remember that French language is full of exceptions and subtleties, which is what makes it so fascinating! In this episode I’ll show you how some adjectives can change meaning depending on whether they’re placed before or after the noun they describe. As usual, I'll give you examples to make these rules clear and easily memorable. Make sure you’ve listened to episode 71 of this podcast before listening to this episode. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this … Read More →
FYW 071 : Position of adjectives (PART 1): “voiture rouge” or “rouge voiture”?
In this episode I’ll be answering John's question regarding the position of adjectives in a sentence: In "J'ai une voiture rouge.", the adjective (rouge/red) is after the object (voiture/car). But in a sentence like " C'est une grande fille.", the adjective (grande/tall ) is before the object ( fille/girl )." Is there a simple rule or tool you can use to be certain your placement is correct? Listen to my podcast and find out! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Un ballon, un ballon rouge (= a ball, a red ball) Une étudiante, une étudiante américaine (a … Read More →
FYW 070 : Introduction to French Grammar (Part 2): adjectives, adverbs, pronouns
This second episode about French grammar will explain what adjectives, adverbs and pronouns are in order to make learning French easier for you ...and you may find that you’re starting to reflect on how English language works too! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Check out my article (and get the free worksheet) LINKS and RESOURCES My article + free worksheet - “Introduction to French grammar: what type of word is this?” Introduction to French Grammar (Part 1): articles, nouns and verbs: frenchyourway.com.au/podcast69 My article - “Challenge: Can I … Read More →
FYW 069 : Introduction to French Grammar (Part 1): articles, nouns and verbs
This episode about French grammar will be divided into 2 parts. It's an audio version of an article I wrote and published on my website (www.frenchyourway.com.au ) which has helped many students cover the basics of French grammar, that is to say: what's an article, a noun, a verb. (some of you haven’t learnt it at school). Believe me, this will help you with your French…and you may find that you’re starting to reflect on how English language works too! If you are a grammar-phobic person, I suggest you start by listening to episode 61 of this podcast, where I explain why it is important to … Read More →
Why you can’t say “very delicious” in French – and other examples
What’s wrong with saying “Yum, this is very delicious!” or “Wow, this is very beautiful!” ? Nothing…in English. However, a literal translation of these expressions -along with a few others- doesn’t work in French. Here’s why. "Very delicious": the basic explanation Some words such as “délicieux”, “magnifique” already include the idea of a superlative/of “something very high degree”, therefore using “très” with these words is really redundant and sounds very awkward. The more detailed explanation Here’s what the online dictionary of the CNRTL says about “très” (it’s a bit grammatical, but … Read More →
Meilleur and mieux in French
What's the difference between meilleur and mieux ? In a previous article, I explained the difference between bon and bien in French. You’ll need to understand it in order to make the difference between meilleur and mieux as well. Indeed, meilleur and mieux are no other than irregular comparative forms of bon and bien. Note: comparatives are used to compare things (makes sense!), in terms of: less (= comparative of inferiority) examples: late → later ; expensive → less expensive; quickly → less quickly equal/same/as… (= comparative of equality) examples: late → as late ; expensive → as … Read More →
How to know when to use bon / bien in French?
Stuart, a listener of my French Your Way Podcast, emailed me with a question: “I did have one idea for a future podcast or blog post. The difference between bien and bon(ne). I'm never quite sure. In English we would say 'very good' for a good piece of work, but in French you would say 'très bien' (I think), which would directly translate to 'very well'. Bien seems to pop up quite a lot in other places too. For example “J'aime bien”... As you can see I'm a bit confused.” (It’s really nice when the articles and podcast ideas come from you, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a … Read More →