It’s sometimes the words that are closest to our own language that are the hardest to adopt.
Joseph Conrad, Henry Kissinger, Spanish cows
Joseph Conrad is known as one of the finest ever writers of the English language. He was the author of classic novels such as Under Western Eyes and Heart of Darkness (which was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola into the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now.
A free and easy way to type French accents without changing your keyboard
You can set up any computer to type with French accents, no matter what keyboard you have. It takes just a couple of minutes using the instructions below. This method works with Chrome browser, you’ll find other solutions below. 1. Download and install Google Chrome 2. Create a Chrome account and sign in with it. […]
Ne confondez pas la Chambre des représentants avec la chambre d’amis
Articles don’t always behave the same way in English and French. Because we don’t have the same distinction, getting it right is not something that comes spontaneously. Here’s the explanation.
Des tire-bouchons noirs, des abat-jour orange
When we start out learning French, we’re usually taught making nouns and adjectives plural involves adding an -s, or an -x to words that end in -eau or -eu. This is broadly speaking true. But only broadly speaking. Take a look at the following examples: les aides-comptables efficaces les abat-jour orange les tire-bouchons noirs les […]
Build your own French thesaurus with these apps
Keeping a decent vocabulary list is key to making progress in a foreign language. It’s the marker in the sand that ensures knowledge sticks. Only you can do it: a good list needs to be composed of words or phrases that you find helpful, interesting or difficult – and only you can know which ones […]
Expanding your range in French
Here’s a technique for learning how to express yourself as a native might do.
Soyez les bienvenus à Singapour-sur-Tamise
By Richard Good For a new era, a new vocabulary. As Britain prepares for its Brexit election, a new chapter in the often awkward relationship between Britain and France begins. If you’re English and travel to France, you’ll find Brexit is a frequent topic of conversation, so brushing up your vocab is good preparation. Le […]
Une méthode astucieuse
Richard Good Knowing the gender of nouns – masculine or feminine – is important if you want to become fluent in French. When you have difficulty remembering whether to say le or la un or une de la or du à la or au before a noun, it can undermine your confidence and make it […]
L’adresse du Président Macron
By Richard Good Honed in the techniques of rhetoric at the École nationale d’administration, French President Emmanuel Macron delivers speeches that are models of ordered thought. And as learners of French, the texts are a rich source of syntax and vocabulary to absorb. So for this month’s competition, you are to imagine you are une […]