learn French Archives - French Your Way

FYW 211 : Connotations in words

February 27, 2019 by Jessica Leave a Comment

How does one know if one has been insulting people without knowing? This is an excellent question I received from Tom, a listener who raised the issue with the French words "paysan" vs "fermier". Listen to my input and definition of these terms as well as more examples! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Paysan Fermier Agriculteur The farmer wants a wife Un métier ingrat = a thankless job Femme de ménage = technicienne de surface Caissière = hôtesse de caisse Parisien LINKS and RESOURCES! Wikipedia: "Discussion:Paysan" : … Read More →

FYW 203 : Bonnes fêtes!

December 26, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

"Bonne fêtes!" or " Joyeuses fêtes!" is what we traditionally say in French at this time of the year to encompass both Christmas and New Year festivities. And do you know what we say (or write on cards) for each of these two occasions? Talking about resolutions for 2018 and 2019, achievements and plans for the new year. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Joyeux Noël = Merry Christmas Bonne année, bonne santé / Meilleurs vœux = Happy New Year / Best wishes Bonnes fêtes de fin d'année! Beaucoup de bonheur, une bonne santé, et plus de progrès en … Read More →

FYW 202 : My thoughts, comments and experiences about language learning (and how our daughter speaks three languages)

December 19, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Note: this episode was supposed to have the answers to the quiz from episode 200 but due to technical issues, the deadline to submit your answers has been postponed to 23rd December and the answers will be featured in episode 204. In episode 100 of French Voices (my other podcast), I promised to make an episode to share my observations and thoughts about language learning, based on questions submitted my listeners: in which language do I dream? How is our 2 1/2 year old daughter doing with learning French (and two other languages)? Do I think it's a good idea for a couple to communicate in … Read More →

FYW 193 : French dictation: Comments on the previous episode

October 17, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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 190 : About “puis-je” in French

September 26, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Podcast listener Megan wanted to know more about the origin of "puis-je", a French form related to the verb "pouvoir". I always love it when students are curious about what they learn, question, investigate the meaning and origin of words. So I'm more than happy to share these random facts about "puis-je" and hope that it will help you see the French language with a fresh perspective! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je peux m'asseoir ici ? Est-ce que je peux m'asseoir ici ? Peux-je -> puis-je m'asseoir ici ? Pouvoir -> power Devoir … Read More →

FYW 189 : French pronunciation: What’s the difference between a “mute H” and an “aspirate H”?

September 19, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This episode is an exclusive peep into one of the lessons from my online French pronunciation and intonation course “How to sound like a native French speaker”. If you yet need to find out the influence of the latter “H” in the French liaison, or simply if you need a French phonetics brush-up, this episode is for you! I’ll also read and comment on a testimonial for my French pronunciation course...and have a bit of a rant against some language “teaching” methods! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Testimonial for my online course “How to sound like a … Read More →

FYW 188 : The position of adverbs in French

September 12, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Where are adverbs positioned in a French sentence? Before or after the verb? What about in compound tenses? In negative sentences? Listen to this episode to find out! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le bébé dort bien / dort paisiblement Vous étudiez régulièrement, vous travaillez beaucoup Le bébé a bien dormi Le bébé a dormi paisiblement Vous avez étudié régulièrement (vous avez régulièrement étudié) Le bébé dort bien -> le bébé dort très bien / vraiment bien. Vous avez étudié régulièrement -> Vous avez étudié très/assez … Read More →

FYW 187 : PART 5 – 5 common false friends (= faux amis) in French and English

September 5, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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, … Read More →

FYW 186 : “savoir” or “pouvoir”? How to translate “can” into French

August 29, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

The English modal "can" has a couple of different translations in French depending on its meaning. Let's clarify how to translate "can" into French. You’ll see, it's easy! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode "I don't have time to do it" = "Je n'ai pas le temps de le faire" Can I open the window? = (Est-ce que) je peux ouvrir la fenêtre ? Can you take a photo of me please? = Est-ce que vous pouvez (tu peux) me prendre en photo ? I can swim: I learnt when I was 6. = Je sais nager I can swim 2km in one hour. = Je peux nager 2km en une heure. Je … Read More →

FYW 185 : French dictation: Comments on the previous episode

August 22, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

In episode 184 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 184 to do the dictation: www.frenchyourway.com.au/podcast184 Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode “Il vous cherche, il a fouillé, posé des questions, on n'a rien dit, bien sûr. Un homme seul. Oui, en taxi. Edouard avait caressé la joue de Louise et suivi de … Read More →