Articles & Tutorials Archives

French presidential election: 12 facts about the election process in France

April 23, 2017 by Jessica 2 Comments

France is in turmoil right now ; the French presidential election is certainly no news to you; however it is a good opportunity to (re)discover the French voting process and enrich your vocabulary. The French presidential election process in 12 facts: 1.The French President is elected for 5 years. This 5-year term is called "le quinquennat". 2. Before the year 2000, the French President was elected for a seven-year term in office. This was called "le septennat" (as in "sept"/7). 3. The French President is elected "à la majorité absolue" (= absolute majority). This means that he needs to … Read More →

My 5 core beliefs about language learning

June 25, 2016 by Jessica Leave a Comment

When I used to teach in various traditional French schools and centres, I noticed some problems and inconsistencies which made me increasingly frustrated (that’s actually how I became independent and created French Your way and my two podcasts!). I observed, listened and tried to address these issues so I could make the whole experience of learning French more relevant and meaningful: What wasn’t being done in bigger schools that should be? What did students complain about? So, here are my 5 core beliefs about language learning (not just French!) 1. Confidence is key I met Robbie … Read More →

Emmener, amener, emporter, apporter ?

May 19, 2016 by Jessica 4 Comments

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 →

Why you can’t say “very delicious” in French – and other examples

April 23, 2016 by Jessica 1 Comment

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

March 25, 2016 by Jessica 2 Comments

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 →

« C’est » vs « il est » / « elle est »

February 22, 2016 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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 →

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)

January 25, 2016 by Jessica 6 Comments

As a movie version of world-famous fiction « Le Petit Prince » (« The Little Prince ») was released not so long ago, I wanted to take the opportunity to write a little bit about what is one of my favourite books. This article is a bit different from the articles I usually publish, as I chose to write in French and in English to give you the opportunity to practice your reading skills in French. After reading, please let me know if you liked this format/this activity: I could do it more regularly in the future! About "Le Petit Prince" - bilingual article Le Petit Prince d’Antoine de … Read More →

Meilleur and mieux in French

January 6, 2016 by Jessica 1 Comment

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 →

Melbourne French Festival “Paris to Provence” 2015: another great edition!

December 2, 2015 by Jessica 2 Comments

The best Festival for lovers of all things French! End of November marks a very exciting time of the year for all French lovers: “Paris to Provence”, Melbourne French Festival is on at Como House and Gardens (South Yarra). This year, I had cancelled my participation as an exhibitor due to my pregnancy (I’ve just entered the third trimester!), which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the festival as a visitor. You may already have seen some of the Melbourne French Festival pictures that I’ve posted on my Facebook and my Instagram. Talking about pictures, I won second place at the photo … Read More →

How to know when to use bon / bien in French?

November 25, 2015 by Jessica 2 Comments

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 →