Many words in French and English are similar or look similar. That's lucky because it helps with learning vocabulary faster. However, these words sometimes means something very different in the two languages! In this case, they are called "faux amis", false friends, or false cognates. Here’s a list of 5 common false friends so you don't make the mistake! False friends, part 1: Episode 85- www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast85 False friends, part 2: Episode 103- www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast103 False friends, part 3: Episode 118 - www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast118 False friends, part … Read More →
FYW 200 : Celebrating Episode #200!! Take the quiz and win a French lesson with me!!
For this special episode, I offer to go back and refresh what you’ve learnt over all the time we’ve spent together, for the last 100 weeks! (if you’ve only started to this podcast recently or if it’s your first time today, don’t worry! Welcome!!) I’ve prepared a quiz of 15 questions for you (you can find them in the shownotes along with the number of the episode I refer to for each question and I’ve even included the link to each podcast episode in the shownotes – they follow the same pattern: www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast(number). I hope you’ll enjoy testing yourself. Most of all, I hope … Read More →
FYW 199 : French words and expression related to cooking
Marie would like help to understand some French words and expressions related to cooking: "I like cooking and as such talk about it quite a lot. I seem to get confused about the different verbs eg faire cuisiner, cuisiner, faire la cuisine, cuire, faire cuire and often do not know quite which expression is commonly used. When I study their meanings, it seems straightforward, but when I go to speak, it is another thing..." Ok, let's do a bit of vocabulary and, as usual, brush-up some grammar notions! Disclaimer: It may not be a good idea to listen to this episode if you're … Read More →
FYW 198 : “J’ai été” or “j’étais”? Passé composé or imparfait?
In today's episode I'm answering a question from Donovan: "Can you please give some examples of when to use j'étais versus j'ai été and when to use j'avais versus j'ai eu? In English, we translate so many things as "was" or "had", that it's hard to understand the difference! I've tried to find material on this, but most of what I have found is not specific to avoir and être." We'll brush up the difference between the passé composé and imparfait tenses in French and I'll illustrate with examples how sometimes the choice is only a difference of perspective. This episode also celebrates … Read More →
FYW 197 : When and why to use the verb AGIR in French?
Gillian’s question, When and why to use the verb AGIR in French, is a great opportunity to boost your French vocabulary and reflect on grammar, as this verb is used in different sentence structures. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Agir = to act, to take action We need to act! Il faut / on doit agir! Une action = an act Des agissements (mplur) = schemes, doings, machinations. Agir = to act, to behave Tu as bien/mal agi en lui disant cela agir sur [qch] = to have an effect on [sth] Les effets de la morphine n'agissent plus sur … Read More →
FYW 196 : Listen to a real French lesson! (French session #3)
In this somewhat different episode you'll get to hear a real French lesson that I recorded with Lothar, a student from Germany! As you will hear, Lothar has very good comprehension and speaking skills, so listening to our conversation will be a great exercise for you! Lothar wanted to tell me about his trips to French island Corsica (la Corse, where Napoléon was from); the session was a spontaneous conversation. I interrupted Lothar here and there to correct or point out a few grammatical points and give him relevant vocabulary. The notes I took down for him during the session are available in … Read More →
FYW 195 : How to say “to make someone…” in French?
Do you know how to translate expressions such as "to make someone happy / proud / apologise / jump" etc. in French? Can you tell that there are actually two different types of structures in the examples just given? Beware of literal translation, as it may well not work! This episode will help you get this very common structure right! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode RENDRE quelqu'un (+adj) = to make someone (adj) She flirts to make him jealous = Elle flirte pour le rendre jaloux Your card made me very happy = Ta carte m'a rendu.e très … Read More →
FYW 193 : French dictation: Comments on the previous episode
In episode 192 you had the opportunity to challenge yourself with a very French and very academic type of exercise: la dictée! (= dictation). In this episode, I'll come back on the few grammar and spelling rules that you needed to pay attention to in order to spell the words properly. Listen to episode 192 to do the dictation: frenchyourway.com.au/podcast192 Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Texte extrait de : Réparer les vivants (Maylis de Kerangal, 2014), Editions Gallimard, page 37 « On a quelqu’un pour vous. Un appel à dix heures douze. Neutres, … Read More →
FYW 192 : A French exercise: dictation! (2)
The "dictée" (dictation) is the French exercise by excellence. It is very academic and has been the nightmare of generations of students. (I did like them, though!). Put yourself to the test! The text of the dictation is in the show notes - don't cheat and read it before you've tried to do it! ? Why this is an interesting exercise: Check that you hear sounds properly Check that you're trying to make sense of what you're hearing (homonyms, cutting the words/the flow, type of words, etc.) Check that you implement the spelling and grammatical rules you know (agreements in … Read More →
FYW 191 : French adverbs in “-ment”
A few episodes ago (episode 188) I talked about the position of adverbs in French sentences. Well, this inspired me to tell you more about French adverbs and in this episode, I'll cover how to adverbs ending in -MENT (a very common type of French adverbs) are formed, spelled and pronounced! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Vrai -> vraiment Poli -> poliment Rare -> rarement Dur -> dure -> durement Nerveux -> nerveuse -> nerveusement Frais -> fraiche -> fraichement A few irregularities : brièvement, énormément, … Read More →
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