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 054 : “Attendre” vs “to attend”
What are the different meanings of "attendre" in French? Don’t confuse "attendre" and the English "to attend", they are totally different! How to talk about where you attended school? I’ll explain what you need to know about these seemingly similar words, and teach you some French expressions with "attendre" along the way! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Attendre= to wait, to wait for Nous attendons le train = We’re waiting for the train Ce problème ne peut pas attendre = This problem can’t wait. Attendre =to expect Qu’est-ce que vous attendez de moi … Read More →
FYW 044 : Because vs Because Of (and the reason why)
Students of French often mistranslate "because of" in French. This is because of two reasons: translating literally without thinking in advance of the structure of the sentence, and not taking into account the positive or negative connotation implied in the sentence. So let’s explain the difference between "because" ("parce que" and "because of” ("à cause de") to help you make the appropriate choice in the future! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Parce que = because (due to the fact that) Pourquoi = why La raison pour laquelle = the reason … Read More →