So that’s it. You’ve been seduced by the beauty of French.
You’ve seen amazing films. You’ve appreciated epic literature.
And now, naturally, you want to speak French!
I’m thrilled you’ve made the decision—you won’t regret it!
But …
In Japanese, saying “you” is considered rude, and there are at least seven different ways to say “I.”
Lucky for you, this is the French language blog, where pronouns like “you” and “I” are much simpler to learn and use.…
Bonjour, je veux apprendre le francais. (Hello, I want to learn French.)
See the problem here?
I will give you a sec. Found it?
We write français not francais!
That little appendage on the “c” is an accent, and …
What if I told you that your French could make you money, get you into a great university or even allow you to live and work in another country?
You might think I’m crazy, but your French is valuable…
French is like computer programming.
What?! Am I crazy?
Hear me out on this one.
You start your French studies by making indicative sentences, that is to say, just declaring things that are factual.
In programming, you start by …
“My pet unicorn is named Archibald.”
“I just won a million dollars!”
“My father takes a spaceship to the moon every Tuesday.”
What do these three improbable sentences have in common?
They all use verbs in the indicative mood.
In …
“Hello! How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. And you?”
This seems like a pretty basic conversation, right?
But, could you say those phrases in French?
Knowing how to ask “how are you?” is fundamental for meeting people or …
You’re sitting in a cafe in Paris, pencil in hand.
You came to France to write the next great French novel. The paper’s there facing you, waiting to record your masterpiece.
Now is the time and the place …
Imagine the scenario: You’re in French class. And you need help.
What do you do?
You ask a question, of course!
But wait—learning French should be immersive. In other words, it should be done in French. So …
Beyoncé.
Paris.
Adorable, furry kittens.
What do all of these have in common?
They are all nouns!
You know what nouns are!
You might remember from English class that a noun is a person, place, thing or idea.…
When you started learning French, perhaps you imagined your future self chatting with a waiter at a chic Parisian bistro.
Or maybe you dreamed of traveling through Marrakech, making local friends over cups of mint tea. Or, of finally …
I know it feels like it sometimes, but you can’t do everything online.
You still need to cook food, work out and pet your dog in real life.
You might also think that you can only learn French speaking in …
Welcome to a virtual world of non-stop French learning.
A French Discord server will connect you instantly with French speakers and students.
You might already think of Discord as a place for gamers, but you would be surprised how …
Google Play store making you dizzy?
I get it.
There a ton of French Android apps to choose from.
And who wants to spend time sifting through app reviews when you could actually be learning the French language?
That’s why …
Isn’t YouTube a destination for mindless distractions?
Actually, non!
YouTube is a French learner’s paradise.
On YouTube, French learners can find hundreds of free channels and videos to—you guessed it—learn French.
So when it’s time to learn …
Is a magnet masculine?
Is a farm feminine?
In English, we don’t need to worry about this kind of thing.
So it can be especially difficult to get accustomed to French gender rules, where every single noun is designated …
If only there were some magical way to make job hunting less awful.
Especially for those of us looking for jobs in a foreign language.
Talk about stress!
Unfortunately, we don’t have a stress-reducing potion or a crystal ball …
When I was first learning French, I never thought of it as a potential income.
But one day I read about the requirements to become a French translator, and everything changed.
I was able to harness my French knowledge …
Not everything is for minimalists.
Sparse Ikea room décor? Sure.
Formal French letter writing? Not so much.
These letters are all about turning your flowery French writing skills up to 11. You’ll need the right letter structure and polite expressions…
Picture yourself strolling past historic cathedrals.
Or sitting riverside with a bottle of wine and great friends.
Walking down cobblestone streets and enjoying the lovely warm smell of…
Poutine.
Yep, we’re not in France.
This is Quebec, the fascinating …
There’s an immense well of French video content that’s often overlooked.
Not your standard funny internet videos—luckily, just about everyone knows about those.
Not music videos—while these are great, they’re not on the agenda today.
Not even your …
Think ahead five years.
You’ve been diligently studying French and finally you’ve put your skills to the test.
You’re in France! You hop off the plane at Charles de Gaulle airport and you need to get to Paris.
But …
What if there was a way you could turn your passion for French into cold hard cash?
I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s true!
And not only that, but you’ll also put your French into overdrive by doing …
Come for the free-flowing wine and crunchy baguettes with cheese.
Stay for the captivating classic literature.
If you’re like most French learners, your love of the language is partly due to the enticing French lifestyle and culture.
But …
Do you have a spice in your cabinet that you use all the time?
Or a tool in your toolbox that makes any job easier?
How about a French learning resource you can always count on?
I know I’ve got …
Did you know you already use French words every day?
And we’re not just talking about the obvious ones like cliché and à la carte.
We’re talking about essential, everyday vocabulary that you can pick up from English …
Can you understand this sentence?
Then you’ve got a secret weapon for learning French.
English.
These two languages have been intertwined for centuries, creating lots of overlap that language learners can use to their advantage.
But they’re not …
Teachers, language exchange partners, tutors and study partners.
Any one of these French language aficionados can help you learn French better.
Learning French is certainly easier and more fun when you’re surrounded by passionate people.
And being able to have …
You’ve heard all the old sayings.
Practice makes perfect…
You play the way you practice…
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice…
Well, that’s all fine and good if you’re learning to pitch strikes on the ball …
Greetings, future Francophone!
If you’re ready to start learning French, you’ve taken one small—but important!—step on your exciting journey through the universe of French learning.
It’s like you’re about to be beamed up into an alien spacecraft and begin …
Your French skills are pretty good, but there’s more to explore.
You’re feeling pretty confident about your French expertise, and it’s easy to think that there’s nothing left to discover.
But there is!
Make every day an adventure by …
How about a little poutine with your French lessons?
Heading to a country where French is spoken is one of the best ways to learn French.
Not only do you get an immersive learning experience, you also get …
We all know French movies are a great way to learn French.
But sometimes, they’re hard to find, or maybe you just don’t have time to watch a two-hour movie.
Don’t get me wrong, movies are great for practicing …
We can all agree that games are a fun way to learn something, right?
But you don’t have to be a video game lover to enjoy and benefit from online games.
That’s because there are small online games geared specifically …
The floor is open for inquiries.
Today, we’re taking questions from prospective French learners.
Regardless of how they ask, new language learners always want to know one thing: Is this going to be hard?
There are as many answers to …
Feeling restless when it comes to learning French?
Having trouble concentrating on that page in your textbook?
You’re not the only one.
Hey, we’re living in a digital, tech-savvy age, and you don’t want to learn French like your parents.…
Just say “AP” and you’re likely to send shivers down a high school student’s spine.
Next to college admissions, it’s the most important academic challenge for teens in the United States.
Thinking about taking the AP French Exam?
Not …
Do you know the equivalent of “Casablanca” or “The Wizard of Oz” in the French world?
France has impacted world cinema just as much as Hollywood, and their classics are so worth watching.
From the first time the Lumière brothers …
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?
And how about now? What do you spend your days doing?
Wait—sorry, I’m going to have to stop you there.
Before you go any …
Email is a fact of life.
It’s almost an understatement to say that it has replaced handwritten letters.
In fact, email itself has morphed from a cyber version of formal letters into SMS-speak, attachments, memos and basically anything that was …
Warning: This is not your parents’ French!
No, what we’re dealing with today is an altogether different, highly-evolved, complex creature.
Maybe your teachers haven’t told you, but recent French borrows lots of English words.
And this notable phenomenon isn’t just …
Ah, summer.
That magical time of year when some of us may be lucky enough to have a break from our usual routine.
But what to do with that time?
There’s internships, volunteering, lazing around at the beach, you name …
Enjoy writing?
Enjoy learning French?
If so, why not do both?
After all, correct writing is essential to fluency.
Even if creative writing isn’t quite your thing in English, picking it up as a hobby in French will help …
They’re all over the news.
You can’t go shopping without them.
And they’re even in your phone.
What are they?
Numbers!
Even though it can feel strange to learn something that’s so simple in English, you’ve gotta learn your …
Remember starting math in middle school?
You’d spent years learning basic math with numbers, and how did your teachers reward you?
By introducing letters into the process, right? Talk about a buzzkill!
There might come a time when you …
Language learners tend to miscalculate their skill level.
I thought my French was much better than it really was…before I went to France for the first time.
Even after several years of study, I could barely keep up with …
Lacking the necessary motivation to dive into your next flashcard session?
Looking for extra incentive to learn French vocabulary?
It could be that you just need to connect with the culture.
And there may be no better way …
So, you’re planning a Halloween bash.
Decorations are strung, candy corn fills several bowls.
Yet something’s missing. How can you make your celebration more…original?
Then it hits you: You’re learning French! There must be some French Halloween vocab you …
Remember Saturday morning cartoons when you were a kid?
No school, no obligations and best of all, no reason to get dressed!
Ah, those were the days.
What if I told you that you could discover cartoons all …
You’re sitting in the park writing the next great French novel.
Or maybe you’re just practicing writing out some of your first full French sentences—either way, it feels like a big undertaking.
Things are going well. Words seem to …
Thirsty for some satisfying French refreshment?
Took French classes several years ago?
Ending classes now and looking to maintain your new skills?
Read on to find out why it’s important to keep practicing and to get some useful tips for …
