Larissa from Brasil would like me to clarify the difference between tout, toute, toutes, tous, toux. I’ve already tackled some of these aspects as well as how to pronounce "tous" in episode 14 of French Your Way Podcast, but a little reminder would not hurt! ;-) Listen to episode 14 : Oops I ate all the lollies – how to pronounce "Tous": www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast14 LINKS and RESOURCES FYW 014 : Oops I ate all the lollies – how to pronounce "Tous": frenchyourway.com.au/podcast14 The Definitive Guide About the Word "tous" (French Grammar, French Pronunciation): … Read More →
FYW 115 : Questions in French (Part 2): The different translations of “what…?”
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 084 : A few French punctuation rules… and why I’ve been inconsistent! (sorry)
Have you ever noticed that there is a space in French before the question mark sign? One of my listeners did and asked about it so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to go over a few major differences between the French and English punctuation rules. Also, if you’ve read some of my articles (www.frenchyourway.com.au), you may have noticed some inconsistencies, with my use of the quotation marks for instance. I’m going to tell you everything about them and why I’ve been making mistakes! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Point = period, full … Read More →
FYW 082 : The Difference Between Deuxième and Second in French
As I caught myself thinking about World War II (yes, I really have the most relaxing thoughts during my breaks sometimes…), a doubt suddenly crept in: do we actually call it "la deuxième guerre mondiale", or "la seconde guerre mondiale" in French ? The more I was thinking, the less I could remember! So, after a little refresher about the difference between deuxième and second in French, I decided to share it with you ;-) Please let me know if you get confused with other French words! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Please see my article – "What is the … Read More →
FYW 076 : What’s the Difference Between Jour and Journée in French?
Find out the rules behind when to use jour and journée in French, as well as the difference between soir and soirée, an and année, matin and matinée. This is especially important as they are translated with one same word in English, so learn the subtleties of French language. As usual you’ll also get to learn a few common French expressions to top it all up! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le jour, la journée = the day Le matin, la matinée = the morning Le soir, la soirée = the evening Un an, une année = a year Une soirée = a party, soirée, … Read More →
Emmener, amener, emporter, apporter ?
Emmener, amener, emporter, apporter ? Emmener, amener, emporter, apporter are four French verbs which trigger nightmares for some of my students…but also for some French people! In this article, I hope to clarify things enough for you to feel confident about using them properly :-) So, keep reading then test yourself with my free practice exercises! “Porter” vs “-mener” “Porter” means “to carry” (and, when referring to clothes, “to wear”). Example: un porte-clé (= a keyring, literally “a key-carrier/holder”) It’s used with things, because things can’t walk or move themselves and need to … 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 →
What is the difference between “deuxième” and “second” in French?
As I caught myself thinking about World War II this week (yes, I really have the most relaxing thoughts during my breaks sometimes…), a doubt suddenly crept in: do we more often call it “la deuxième guerre mondiale”, or “la seconde guerre mondiale”? The more I was thinking, the less I could remember! I knew that both forms were actually used, but which one was the most common? Or was there a BEST option? (Keep reading and you will see that there is, indeed.) I decided to survey my French friends on Facebook, asking them which expression came to their mind first. Before sharing the … Read More →