Are you travelling through France by train this summer? Lucky you! Taking the TGV (“Train à Grande Vitesse”, i.e fast train) in France is simple but here are my 10 tips on how to take the train in France to make your trip even easier. And I took the photos for you on my last trips to France ;-) 1. Unlike slow trains, TGVs have numbered seats so it is advisable to book your ticket before departure. This can be done on the SNCF (national French rail network) website – check www.voyages-sncf.fr , and practise your French reading! 2. To buy your ticket at the station or for any enquiry, … Read More →
How to Pronounce Plus in French
Philipp, a listener of French Your Way Podcast, recently emailed me with the following suggestion : « J'ai écouté l’épisode sur la question quand on prononce le « s » de tous. Peut-être que ce serait aussi intéressant quand on fait la même chose avec 'plus'. Merci ! (= I listened to the episode about when to pronounce the “s” at the end of tous. It may be interesting to do the same about “plus”. Thanks!”) I thought it would be interesting to clarify this notion – so here’s the article! I’ve also designed and included a free worksheet for you! In addition, I made a podcast episode with … Read More →
How to Use Qui and Que in French
Many students of French are confused with the difference between qui and que. That’s the case of Endre, who wrote to me all the way from Norway to ask for a bit of help! I’ve included a worksheet for you to practice in this article. You can also listen to episode 19 of French Your Way Podcast to listen to my explanations. Grammatical difference between qui and que In the context that we’re studying today, qui and que are what’s called relative pronouns. We use pronouns to avoid a repetition. In fact, the word “pronoun” originally means “for a noun” : a pronoun stands for, … Read More →
How to Type French Accents on Word
Many students who need to write French assignments have asked me how to type French accents on Word. I have already written an article about How to Type French accents on an Apple iPhone / iPad, which you can read here. I've asked my husband to write a post about it as he is the one who helps me out with all the tech parts! (For myself, I use a French keyboard.) Here's the easiest way to type French accents on Word With the following method, you won't need to memorise a heap of random numbers to use ALT key "shortcuts", and you won't need to change your keyboard to a French AZERTY … Read More →
“How long does it take to learn French?”
I’m sometimes asked the million dollar question: ”How long does it take to learn French ?” (or any other language, for that matter.) Another variation to this question is : “How long does it take to become fluent in French ?” Before I go any further, put yourself in my shoes : what would YOU answer ? The Six Levels of Proficiency A common reference point is the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) which has defined six levels of proficiency: You can read more about the description for each level here. This classification is a useful way to assess the … Read More →
Tu or vous ?
“When can we switch from using vous to using tu with a French person ?” is a very interesting question that I have just recently been asked twice…on the same day! So, I figured that you may also need some light on the matter. ;-) Let’s first recap in which situations people use tu or vous in the French spoken in France (other French-speaking countries/areas can have different rules and use the tu form more easily). 1. Tu or Vous : When to use them in French (France) To help you decide between tu or vous, you can check out a very informative flowchart designed by William Alexander and … Read More →
How to Conjugate French Verbs in –IR Without Losing Your Mind
Ah, French verbs! They’re the nightmare of most students of French! By popular demand, here are some of my best tips if you’re feeling lost with how to conjugate French verbs in –IR. Learn how to Conjugate _IR Verbs Easily Good news: you only need to learn the indicative present tense and the past participle forms! All other tenses can easily be made from them ; refer to my article “The 7 Most Common French Tenses Made Easy” (it includes a downloadable worksheet with exercises). 1. Learn the verb endings for the indicative present tense Verbs in –IR have their endings as follows: _s, … Read More →
How to Count in French from 70 ?
How to count in French from 70 is often tricky for French learners. Craig wrote to me : "To me it seemed more like calculation when trying to learn these numbers as their literal translation is more like a maths equation. For example, 72 translates as sixty-twelve, 86 as four-twenty-six, 98 as four-twenty-ten-eight. If you have grown up learning French, it probably doesn’t seem strange, but the numbers 70 to 100 have never felt natural to me in French." Dear reader and student of French, rejoice! I believe I can help you count from 70 to 100 in French easily! ;-) First, I will … Read More →
Schtroumpfez-vous français?
Have you ever read an album of “Les Schtroumpfs” (The Smurfs) in French by Belgian cartoonist Peyo? If not, you are really missing the opportunity to both entertain yourself (after all, there’s a reason why Les Schtroumpfs have been so popular since 1958) AND to work on your French skills! (keep reading, I've designed some worksheets for you.) By the way, my favourite album has to be "La Soupe Aux Schtroumpfs" (you can read through the first pages) : it's fun from page one and it's very representative of the series: the album shows the dangers the Smurfs have to face as well as the smart, … 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 →