Quick recap from last week: What would we do without French vowel sounds?  Well, the obvious answer is that we'd say a lot of consonants!  We'd end up sounding like a lot of other Eastern European languages rather than the mellifluous French language.This lesson takes a look at the nineteen vowel sounds in detail with some examples and practice exercises.  French vowel sounds are divided into three groups; Voyelles orales ("oral vowels"), Voyelles nasales ("nasal vowels"), Semi-voyelles ("half vowels").  Part 2 of this lesson summary will focus on the last two groups of French vowels; Voyelles nasales ("nasal vowels"), Semi-voyelles ("half vowels"). Voyelles nasales ("nasal vowels"):These vowels are specific to French as the passage... Show more

What would we do without French vowel sounds?  Well, the obvious answer is that we'd say a lot of consonants!  We'd end up sounding like a lot of other Eastern European languages rather than the mellifluous French language.  This lesson takes a look at the nineteen vowel sounds in detail with some examples and practice exercises. French vowel sounds are divided into three groups; Voyelles orales ("oral vowels"), Voyelles nasales ("nasal vowels"), Semi-voyelles ("half vowels").  Part 1 of this lesson summary will focus on the first group mentioned, voelles orales, and its subgroups. Voyelles orales ("oral vowels") are vowels we pronounce by air going through the mouth area and where the tongue, uvula, and lips will have a certain... Show more

You have been studying French for quite some time now...and you are doing such a fabulous job! However, if you are seated at the fancy French restaurant you have always wanted to try, the waiter hands you a menu - completely in French - and quite confusing! The French alphabet is pretty peculiar and a bit different from the English writing system. It includes some unfamiliar markings you may not recognize: 1) Diacritics, or accent marks that help denote the characteric French pronunciation and intonation of words. They include: The acute accent (l'accent aigu)         ‹´› The grave accent (l'accent grave)       ‹`› The cedilla (la cédille)                        ‹¸› The circumflex (l'accent circonflexe)     ‹ˆ› The... Show more

You are learning French, but aside from grammar and vocabulary, you feel challenged by the pronunciation. What is the key to making all those uniquely French sounds? There are different categories of French sounds, and these the most unique ones to the language, and therefore, challenging. They are the following: Voyelles orales ("oral vowels") Voyelles antérieures ("front vowels") You produce them by placing your tongue to the front of your mouth, as in the English word "feet" and "stylo" (pen) in French. Voyelles centrales ("central vowels")Place the tongue in the middle of your mouth, as in "pure" and "lune"(moon) in French. Voyelles postérieures ("back vowels")  Place your tongue in the back of your mouth, as in... Show more

It is widely known that France has a beautiful culture and language, but did you know the historical reason why French is a 'Romance Language' is a result of wars and invasion? French language primarily descends from Latin, the language of the ancient Romans, and thus belongs to the 'Romance' Language Group. The Romans were a strong empire that once invaded the actual French territory, which was known as La Gaule; where numerous tribes speaking le Gaulois ('Gaulish') composed of Celtic dialects inhabited La Gaule. Some traces of Gaulish influence are still present in the French spoken today; for example, these traces include the Gauls' ancient and unique way of counting people by twenty. (In modern French, we still have quatre-vingt... Show more

Just as an engine helps a car move, mastering basic grammar helps you express yourself and communicate your ideas clearly. The more you know about the engine parts, the more you can improve your engine's capacity. Similarly, the more you know grammar, the better your French will be! French grammar has the reputation of being boring and complicated, but it's not so terrible. The main difficulties are the word genders and the conjugation system (shared by all Romance languages). It is just a matter of remembering some basic rules that will reduce your chances of making the most common French grammar mistakes. The most common one is gender. In French, all nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine. A basic rule for nouns and... Show more

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your house-related vocabulary to become a master in knowing French homes. Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: If you are lucky and have a backyard, "un jardin", you can sunbathe in the summer. And if you don't have a backyard, you can still open "la fenêtre", "the window", for some fresh air. Take a look at your neighbor's life by getting up "le toit", 'the roof". What do you do with your "garage", "garage"? Park your car? Store your things? You are "casanier" (male) or "casanière" (female) if you are a homebody "Je suis casanière en hiver." In the winter I am being a homebody. Enjoy!

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your house-related vocabulary to become a master in knowing French homes. Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: Where you hang out with family and friends : "le salon", "the living-room". Where the magic happens (or not) : "la cuisine", "the kitchen". Where the magic also happens (or not) : "la chambre", "the bedroom". Have you ever waited for someone to get out of the bahtroom, "la salle de bain"? Usually in France the bathroom is separated from "les toilettes", "the restrooms". It's always nicer to work from home, in your  "bureau", "office". Hope you enjoyed!  

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: When you don't want to stain your fingers with newspaper's ink: "Je lis l'actualité en ligne.", "I read the news online." An easy one: "un magazine" is "a magazine"...but it's always good to know. You probably know that French people hate to find a typo, "une coquille", in their newspaper. To talk about all newspapers in general: "la presse écrite". "La presse écrite attire moins de lecteurs." "Newspapers are attracting less readers." Do you follow the news, "l'actualité"? "L'actualité de la semaine est... Show more

It is always useful to know the slang for "money" in a foreign language, if only not to get ripped off and to understand when people talk about what is in your wallet...  So many different ways to say "money" in French! Those greedy French.  Before we get to those words I would like to mention a French argot specialist. His name is Michel Audiard and even if you probably never heard this name before, you need to know that he is one of France's pride. Michel Audiard (Born in 1920, died in 1985) was a famous screenwriter who is known for his acid, humorous, and "argotique" writing. And, if you happened to watch movies written by Michel Audiard, you surely came across  a multitude of French money-related slang. If you would like to... Show more