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 →
Tips for driving in France
Guess what?! I didn't write this article! My husband did :-) He had been wanting to write a post about driving in France since we last went in summer 2014 and he had to learn how to drive...not only on the right-hand side of the road but some rules may be confusing to you (at least if you are Australian). Driving in France started as a scary experience! The first time my husband tried driving (= conduire) in France, we decided to borrow my mum's car and just drive around the block for him to get a first feel of the car. I was in the back seat (le siège arrière), my brother was in the … Read More →
FYW 058 : How to Conjugate French Verbs in –IR Without Losing Your Mind
French verbs are often the nightmare of students of French! Listen to these simple tips on How to Conjugate French Verbs in –IR such as “partir”, “finir”, “dormir”. We’ll cover all you need to know about them, the present and past participle forms. I’m sure these tips will help make French conjugation much easier (and less daunting) for you! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode La FIN = the end FINIR (FIN + IR) is to become the end, to get to the end, therefore to finish. Gros, grosse = big GROSSIR = to become big, to put on … Read More →
« C’est » vs « il est » / « elle est »
When to use « C’est » vs « il est » (or « elle est ») ? Angela is still in high school but she’s a promising student of French (Angela wrote me several long emails in a very good French!). She told me she was confused about when to use "c'est" vs "il est / elle est". Indeed, this is a typical struggle among French students - thanks a lot Angela for your question and here are my explanations for you all to enjoy! « C’est » vs « il est » / « elle est » I’ve decided to list the main differences between “c’est” vs “il est / elle est” in a table so that the contrast between the structures … Read More →
FYW 050 : 10 Tips to Make the Most of your Private Language Lessons
Here are some tips to help you get the most of your private lessons with a teacher or a tutor. This is not limited to French private lessons but applies to language learning in general. Do you have other tips to share? Feel free to comment (https://frenchyourway.com.au/10-tips-for-private-language-lessons). You could be helping other students! And of course, to improve your French even more I’d recommend you subscribe to my newsletter (www.frenchyourway.com.au/newsletter) for a unique monthly recording in French, with a little story about me or growing up in France! Vocabulary and … 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 Type of Teacher Do You Have ?
Do you Have a Killing Teacher or a Killer Teacher ? I’ve heard it today again: “I had French lessons before but the teacher was very aggressive. She would lose patience if I was not understanding or pronouncing a word well. So I didn’t really want to go to the lessons anymore.” (No wonder you didn’t!). Kristy had met what I call a “Killing Teacher”. “Killing Teachers” Killing Teachers kill the student’s desire/motivation to learn. This thirst of knowledge or interest for the subject may die by itself as students move on with their lives and discover new centres of … Read More →
“Aller”, “venir”, “revenir”, “retourner”: Don’t Mix them Anymore!
The following video (which I had much fun making for you !) will run you through the differences between “aller”, “venir”, “revenir” and “retourner”. I noticed students of French especially struggle with the last two, often using these French verbs incorrectly. I hope this helps! … Read More →
Toujours and Encore in French
Friendly reader Isabel emailed me with an interesting question about the use of toujours and encore: Can they be used interchangeably, for example when I say: « Je suis toujours à la recherche d'un appartement » ou « Je suis encore à la recherche d'un appartement » Is it the same thing? When will they mean something different? I actually found the question quite tricky and had to do a bit of research myself! Indeed, the use of one word can result in a neutral statement whereas choosing the other word may imply a judgement. Sometimes, both words can be completely … Read More →