In our private French lessons, we primarily focus on learning to speak like a native, and most of our lessons are spent in conversation. But reading in French is fundamental to improving your speaking ability. Keep reading to learn 3 tips that will help you to read more fluidly in French.
Watching a movie in French allows your brain to memorize words, expressions and turns of phrase much more easily. Just watch your movie in it’s original version with subtitles allows you to work on your comprehension of French language. Listening to native speakers is one of the best ways to improve your listening comprehension and …
Opening of cinema in Paris : which theater will you pick ? Read More »
How to improve your French ? No more confinement, no more curfew, no more masks outside … The return to normal life is well underway. Let’s keep our hopes up for good weather and wonder what to do in Paris this summer ? Actually many Parisians are going on vacation and because of the Covid …
What to do this summer in Paris to improve your French ? Read More »
If you want your French to sound more advanced, one of the best ways is to understand how to use the French pronoun “en.”
In our private French lessons, we primarily focus on learning to speak like a native, and most of our lessons are spent in conversation. But reading in French is fundamental to improving your speaking ability. Keep reading to learn 3 tips that will help you to read more fluidly in French.
Pop quiz! How much did you absorb from our post on the French “bring / take” verbs: amener, apporter, emmener and emporter? Test yourself!
The gastronomic delights of Paris can make even the most health conscious people want to fling caution to the wind and indulge in the many temptations available. But if you want to eat healthy in Paris, there’s little excuse for not doing so. Paris’s legendary markets offer wondrously fresh and healthy fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. And every year, it gets easier and easier to find quality bio (organic) foods, whether at restaurants, market stalls or in supermarkets.
Last week, we wrote about the importance of learning French noun gender and presented multiple categories of words that tend to be either masculine or feminine. This week, we want to give you 3 more important clues to use to assess whether a French noun is masculine or feminine
Assigning genders to French nouns is often one of the most daunting aspects of learning French. This is particularly true for Anglophones. Since nouns have no gender in English, it can be difficult for an English speaker to take seriously the idea of referring to a dining room table (la table) as a “she” or thinking of lipstick (le rouge à levres) as in any way masculine. (Keep reading to learn an easy way to remember French noun gender.)
When you imagine a word that has no direct translation into another language, it’s easy to imagine the existence of some exotic, complex word. For example, take the French verb “entarter.” This means, “to hit someone in the face with a pie”. Somehow that seems like exactly the kind of word that would have no direct translation in to English (or possibly any other language). But how about the verb “to kick?”… “To hug”? Seemingly basic English verbs such as these have no direct counterpart in French.
ave you hit a plateau with your French language learning? You know… that maddening period when– despite your best efforts – it seems that you’re not retaining anything new, not speaking a jot better, still making the same mistakes, and will never, ever become fluent. Don’t worry. This happens to almost everyone who learns a new language. Keep reading to learn how to push forward and see progress in your French.
The French – Parisians, in particular – have a reputation for being rude. But the behavior that foreigners perceive as rudeness is often the result of cultural misunderstandings. To avoid any such misunderstandings, learn the following 7 French phrases before visiting Paris. With these phrases at the ready, we think you’ll see that Parisians are much more friendly than they’re reputed to be!
Some French verbs are more complicated than others for Anglophones, most especially those that don’t have an exact counterpart in English. Such is the case with the verbs retourner, revenir and rentrer. While each of these verbs do generally indicate someone going back to a place, they must each be used in a specific – and different – set of circumstances. Keep reading to learn more!
Looking for a job in France? If so, it’s never too early to start preparing for the job interview. In this blog post, we discuss the cultural quirks of the French job interview and the 12 French phrases you’re most likely to hear.
Ah, il fait si beau! This spring Paris is flirting with all of us by offering days of golden sun, bright blue skies and breezes as gentle as a caress. This is perfect weather to sit at a café terrace with a glass of rosé and watch the world go by. If you plan on spending time in a Parisian café, here are some handy words, phrases and other tips to make this classic Parisian pastime even more enjoyable!
The verb “faire” is one of the handiest verbs in the French language, but it can be one of the most confusing for beginners. Not only is faire an irregular verb, but it has multiple uses and appears in numerous French expressions and idioms. Even trickier…
Joyeuse Pâques! Bonnes Pâques! Bonnes fêtes des Pâques! You will hear these phrases everywhere in France starting from Easter Sunday (or sometimes a day or so before), and lasting the whole week. Of course, these phrases are different ways of wishing someone a Happy Easter.
When learning French, it’s natural to try to translate phrases word-for-word from English. Sometimes it works. But sometimes the words that form an innocent phrase in English may become something awkward, naughty or incomprehensible in French. Since we don’t want you wandering around France asking about condoms or saying that you’re horny when you intend …
Does Not Translate: 7 Common Mistakes Anglophones Make In French Read More »
Sometimes one of the hardest aspects of learning French isn’t remembering the right words to use – it’s remembering how to pronounce those words correctly.
As we discussed last month, it’s understandable that non-native speakers have difficulties with pronunciation. The French language is full of silent endings, liaisons, and unfamiliar accents. Your lips, mouth and tongue have to move differently to pronounce these words as French natives do. And you have to learn to hear it when you’re not pronouncing a word properly.
Last week, the Guardian published an interesting essay about the benefits of learning a foreign language through song. The author claimed that that no one could understand him whenever he tried to speak Spanish or Portuguese – until he learned to sing in those languages. This makes complete sense to us, as French teachers. Most …
French as You Like it
