By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! In this episode we’ll go through some expressions meaning “to understand” (and a few more!) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Piger = comprendre On lui a montré une fois comment utiliser le logiciel et il a tout de suite pigé le truc. Je pige que dalle à cet exo de maths ! Un exo = un … Read More →

Listener Nancy would like to clarify when “ne” can be dropped in French. When is it possible to deliberately forget this common 2-letter word? Is there any change in the meaning? Listen to find out! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je n’aime pas quand tu fumes = j’aime pas quand tu fumes. La famille n’a plus d’argent à la fin du mois. = La famille a plus d’argent à la fin du mois. Je n’ai rien compris ! = J’ai rien compris ! Vous n’êtes jamais allé en France ? = Vous êtes jamais allé en France ? La voisine est une mégère, elle n’aime personne = La voisine … Read More →

When students write in French, I often see words spelled with an initial uppercase which shouldn’t be: the English language uses capital letters in more situations than the French language does - typically with days of the week or months of the year. Let’s go through a useful checklist of words that require a capital letter in French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode les Français, les Européens, les Vikings une Française, une femme française la langue française, le français la Joconde La Nuit des temps (de Barjavel) La Bête humaine (de Zola) Le Petit Prince … Read More →

As if it were not challenging enough to get to understand French spoken at normal speed, how to understand a French conversation when there is background noise/music, or a piece of French audio that’s not clearly audible? In this episode inspired by a question from Fiona, I will share some tips on how you can work on this and improve and I will also stress the importance to accept that you ARE always going to miss some words (and how to work on that, too). Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode “C’est une idée très schtroumpfante ! » « Tu as bien … Read More →

Fiona from Melbourne Australia asked me to explain the difference between the verbs “sentir” and “ressentir” in French. Let’s go through the differences in their use and in the structure of the sentences. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode L’odorat (nm) sentir des fleurs / un parfum / l’odeur de l’herbe coupée. Tu ne sens pas comme une odeur de fumée ? Le toucher Touche ! Sens comme c’est doux / rugueux. Je sens le soleil / le vent / le froid sur ma peau. Ça sent le printemps ! Je sens que je vais réussir cet examen. Calmez-vous … Read More →

Here’s a selection of 5 mistakes commonly made by English students learning French. Some may be a “simple” refresher (but we really need to drill those in, don’t we!), some of them may be new to you depending on your level of French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je vais bien. Je suis bien. Comment allez-vous ? Comment êtes-vous ? Je compte aller en France (pour) 6 mois en 2023. LINKS and RESOURCES FYW 002 : "For" (+ duration): Avoid Saying “Pour” if Possible! FYW 090 : How to say “I miss you” in French? … Read More →

This episode was inspired by a question from listener Philip: “Recently, a thunderstorm damaged my internet connection. The router displayed the error message "réseau non détecté". I was surprised, because I would have said "pas détecté". When should we use "pas" or "non" to mean "not"?" Let’s see examples and learn about the difference between spoken and written French, what the official rules are and how everyday French bends these rules. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode N’entre(z) pas. (Merci de / prière de) Ne pas entrer. Ne fume(z) pas dans le … Read More →