French Lessons and Articles - 2003

PreviousFrench lessons, quizzes, and articles, from your Guide to Learn French at About

by date | by topic

12-31-03 - French Calendar 2004
If you'd like to get that extra little bit of French practice by using a French calendar, here's one for you to print out. The months and days of the week are in French; the week begins on Monday, rather than Sunday; and there's a French quote given for each month, with its English translation.

12-30-03 - Capitalization of French Titles
The rules for the capitalization of French titles are quite complicated; so complicated, in fact, that I have been unable to find a definitive system. This lesson looks at the three different schools of thought.

12-29-03 - French Nouns with Two Genders ~ Noms avec deux genres
The gender of nouns tends to be a sticky grammar point for French students, and there are a number of French nouns which are identical in pronunciation (and often spelling as well) but which have different meanings depending on whether they are masculine or feminine.

12-27-03 - Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns - Ce, Ceci, Cela, Ça
Indefinite (aka neuter or invariable) demonstrative pronouns do not have a specific antecedent and thus do not have different forms for gender and number.

12-26-03 - Top French Tools
Trying to decide what to spend your Christmas bonus on? Take a look at these suggestions.

12-25-03 - Christmas in France
In France, Christmas is a time for family and for generosity, marked by family reunions, gifts and candy for children, gifts for the poor, Midnight Mass, and le Réveillon. The celebration of Christmas varies in France by region.

12-24-03 - Expressing Gratitude
Right now is probably a good time to review the many different ways to express gratitude in French. Take a look at this lesson to learn the formulas.

12-23-03 - French Screensavers
Choose from five French-themed screensavers.

12-19-03 - French Impersonal Expressions ~ Expressions impersonnelles 
Impersonal expressions are those which do not have a specific subject, as in "Il est difficile à dire." In grammatical terms, "impersonal" does not mean cold, but rather invariable by grammatical person.

12-17-03 - Christmas Word Search
Have some Christmas fun with a word search puzzle featuring French Christmas and New Year's words and phrases.

12-16-03 - The Rude French - Are the French really rude?
Do you know about the rude French? This stereotype is so widespread that even people who have never set foot in France take it upon themselves to warn potential visitors about French rudeness. Is there any truth to it, or is it just a myth? Find out here.

12-15-03 - Expressions with Perdre
The verb perdre literally means "to lose." It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized. Learn how to talk about losing consciousness, losing interest, losing one's mind, and much more.

12-12-03 - Twelve Days of French
Hopefully both useful and fun, "12 Days of French" is (rather loosely) based on the song "12 Days of Christmas" and includes practical gift suggestions for French lovers on any gift-giving occasion: Christmas, Chanukah, birthdays....

12-11-03 - La Tour Eiffel and Les Deux Magots
New intermediate/advanced listening comprehension exercises based on discussions about two famous places in Paris. Each exercise includes a French sound file (from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine), study guide, and short quiz. There is also a full transcript and translation of the audio, which you can use to better understand the sound file.

12-10-03 - Tant qu'elle chante, elle vit
Tant qu'elle chante, elle vit : apprendre le français grâce à l'héritage de Carole Fredericks is a unique resource for French speakers of all levels and ages, as well as anyone interested in music. Teachers in particular will find this product useful, as it offers interesting possibilities for French classes.

12/9/03 - French Christmas Vocabulary
Whether writing a letter to Santa or just celebrating Christmas, this French Christmas vocabulary will come in handy.

12/8/03 - French Christmas Carols ~ Chants de Noël
Spread some Christmas cheer à la française! Lyrics and translations of five French Christmas carols: Douce Nuit, Les Anges dans nos campagnes, Vive le vent, Il est né le divin enfant, and Mon beau sapin.

12/7/03 - Expressions with Dire
The French verb dire literally means "to say" or "to tell" and is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about telling someone off, putting words in someone's mouth, and much more with this list of expressions.

12/5/03 - Letters to Santa in French
In the run-up to Christmas, it can be difficult to keep students interested in French. Instead of fighting it, why not incorporate Christmas into the classroom? One fun and easy way to do this is to write a letter to Santa.

12/4/03 - French Acronyms and Abbreviations ~ Acronymes et sigles français
VTT, TGV, DEUG... Feel like you're lost in alphabet soup? Acronyms abound in the French language, especially in newspapers, on the news, and in political discussions. You might not be able to learn every French acronym and abbreviation, but you can get a good head start by memorizing this list of the most common ones.

12/2/03 - French Listening Comprehension
New French listening comprehension exercises from Les portes tordues, a bilingual audiobook for beginning to intermediate French students. As the book proceeds, the French becomes progressively more difficult, so here is one exercise for beginners and another for intermediates.

12/1/03 - Special Uses of the Subjunctive
Although the French subjunctive is most often used in subordinate clauses, it can also be used in main or independent clauses, with or without que. Take a look at these special uses of the subjunctive mood.

11/30/03 - French Language Holiday Gift Guide
Yes, it's that time of year again - time to start shopping for the perfect gifts for parents, kids, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, grandparents... the list goes on and on, and I haven't even gotten to the hierarchy of friends yet! But before you decide to spend the next month living in a cave, take a look at this Holiday Gift Guide I've just put together. It includes suggested French gifts for kids; beginning, intermediate, and advanced students; translators; and teachers.

11/29/03 - French Calendars and Date Books for 2004
The end of the year is nigh - time to start thinking about a new calendar or date book. To help you out with this difficult decision, here are my favorite "keepers of the date" in and about French and France. :-)

11/28/03 - Learn French Fast
There is no magic formula for learning a new language - it requires time, energy, and patience. There are, however, some techniques which will make your language study more efficient and thus help you to learn French more quickly.

11/27/03 - Devoir vs Falloir
The French verbs devoir and falloir are used to express obligation and necessity in different ways. Each verb has another meaning when followed by a noun.

11/25/03 - Tant vs Autant
The French words tant and autant are both adverbs of quantity, but their meanings and uses are different. Autant means as much/many and is usually used in comparisons. Tant means so much/many and tends to be used to intensify. Take a look at this summary table for more details.

11/24/03 - French Punctuation ~ La Ponctuation
Although French and English use nearly all of the same punctuation marks, some of their uses in the two languages are considerably different. This lesson is a simple summary of how French punctuation differs from English.

11/21/03 - French Gestures
There are countless facets to language learning, and one of the most interesting and least studied is the use and meaning of gestures. This non-verbal communication is not only important, it's also fun. Here are photos, explanations, and register ratings for 10 new French gestures, including the French pout and variations on shaking hands.

11/20/03 - Expressions with Voir
The French verb voir literally means "to see," and is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about seeing stars, not seeing a thing, and much more with this list of expressions.

11/18/03 - Going to the Dentist ~ Chez le dentiste
Going to the dentist is another situation where you want to make sure that you can communicate effectively. Take a look at this page for essential French vocabulary and verbs for talking to a dentist.

11/17/03 - Inversion - Uses of French Inversion
Inversion is the grammatical structure where the normal French word order subject + verb is inverted to verb + subject. You probably know that inversion is commonly used in asking questions, but there are a number of other uses as well.

11/14/03 - Expressions with Sans
The French preposition sans literally means without and is also used in a number of expressions.

11/13/03 - De vs Du, De la, Des
The preposition de tends to be very difficult for French students, even at advanced levels. Trying to figure out whether to use de, du, de la, or des can be a real challenge! This lesson is a summary of when to use de and when to use the indefinite article, partitive article, or de + definite article (which looks like the partitive - but isn't. Ugh!)

11/11/03  - Emergency and Disaster Vocabulary
Hopefully you'll never be in a situation where you need to use French emergency vocabulary, but if you ever do, you'll be glad you took the time to memorize this list of French vocabulary for both medical and non-medical emergencies.

11/10/03 - French Symbols + Punctuation Marks
A quick reference guide to the names of French symbols and punctuation marks, including ! ? « » * & dozens more.

11/7/93 - Beginning Listening Comprehension
Work on your beginning/low-intermediate listening comprehension with two new exercises (chapters 3 and 4 of the story A Moi Paris).

11/6/03 - Expressions with Prendre 
The French verb prendre normally means "to take," but has several additional meanings, and is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized.

11/5 - 11/11/03 - National French Week
2003 marks the fifth annual National French Week in the United States. Organized by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), National French Week is a celebration of French language and francophone cultures. If you are a French teacher, National French Week is the perfect opportunity to organize in-class and/or extracurricular events for current or potential students. Take a look at this page for some ideas with links to additional information.

11/4/03 - Changing Money and Banking
When traveling (or doing anything else, for that matter), you need access to money, which means you need to know how to talk about it in the local language. Here's a page of useful French vocabulary related to money and banking so that you can change money, talk about your payment method, manage bank accounts, and more.

11/3/03 - Soi ~ Indefinite Stressed Pronoun
Soi is an oft-confused French pronoun, used only for unspecified persons. Need more info? See the lesson!

10/31/03 - Halloween in France
What is Halloween? Where did it come from? Why and how is it celebrated in France? If you've ever puzzled over these questions, take a look at this article - the answers are here!

10/30/03 - Language Scrapbook Project
Language classes are as fun or as boring as the teacher and students make them. Here is one idea for an interesting project for your students or for independent-study students looking to spice up their self-instruction. While this project is best suited for a long-term activity to be turned in at the end of the year, it can also be adapted for less time - whatever fits your schedule.

10/29/03 - Ramadan
There are many French-speaking Muslims, most notably in France (where Islam is the second most common religion) and North Africa. The holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday 27 October, is an especially religious time for Muslims. Learn more about Ramadan, both in general as well as specific to Morocco (in which I spent three Ramadans in a row). 

10/28/03 - Common Ailments ~ French Illness Vocabulary
Getting sick is never fun, but being in a foreign country and not being able to communicate about your illness can definitely ruin your trip. Learn some French illness vocabulary so that you can communicate with French-speaking doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists.

10/27/03 - French Capitalization ~ La capitalisation
French and English capitalization are quite different, as it is much less common in French. Many words that must be capitalized in English cannot be in French, so read through this lesson to make sure that you're not over-capitalizing your French. Also, find an answer to the debate about whether French capital letters can/should/must be accented.

10/24/03 - Essential Faux Amis
French and English have hundreds of cognates (words which look and/or are pronounced alike in the two languages), including true (similar meanings), false (different meanings), and semi-false (some similar and some different meanings). My alphabetized list of hundreds of false cognates can be a bit unwieldy, so here is an abridged version of the most common false cognates in French and English.

10/23/03 - Expressions with Tenir
The verb tenir has several meanings on its own, and is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized.

10/21/03 - Determiners ~ Adjectifs déterminants
The grammatical term determiner refers to a word, either an article or a certain type of adjective, which introduces and simultaneously modifies a noun. Determiners, also known as non-qualifying adjectives, are much more common in French than in English - some sort of determiner is nearly always required in front of each noun used.

10/20/03 - Causative - Faire + Infinitive
The causative construction faire + infinitive is used to describe when someone/something has something done, causes something to happen, or makes someone do something.

10/17/03 - Même
The French word même can be an indefinite adjective, indefinite pronoun, or adverb, and is also used in a number of expressions, making it an extremely versatile and useful French word.

10/16/03 - Se ~ French Reflexive Pronoun
Se is one of the most often misused French pronouns. It can only be used in two kinds of constructions, so check out this lesson to get "unconfused."  :-)

10/14/03 - Renting a Car ~ Louer une voiture
Take a look at this page for some French vocabulary and phrases that will come in useful when renting a car.

10/13/03 - French Impersonal Verbs ~ Verbes impersonnels
Impersonal verbs have only one conjugation: the third person singular indefinite, or il. Some of these verbs also have personal versions with different meanings, so it's important to learn to recognize impersonal verbs.

10/10/03 - French Hotel Vocabulary
If you're going to France, this page of French hotel vocabulary will help you to make your reservation, ask about services, and pay your bill.

10/9/03 - French Definite Article ~ Article défini
The French definite article is used much more often than its English counterpart. In addition to indicating a specific noun or talking about a noun in a generic sense, there are many other uses, which this lesson will discuss in detail.

10/7/03 - Create a French Magazine ~ French Class Project
Give your students an assignment to create a French magazine, with articles and ads. While this project is best suited for a final project and can be used as the basis for an end-of-term presentation, it can also be adapted for less time - whatever fits your schedule.

10/6/03 - Expressions with Rendre
The verb rendre usually means to return in the sense of giving back, and also has a number of additional meanings both on its own and in idiomatic expressions.

10/3/03 - Pas ~ French Negative Adverb
The French negative adverb pas is often used in conjunction with ne, but pas can also be used all on its own. The main difference is that ne... pas is used to negate a verb, while pas without ne is used to negate an adjective, adverb, noun, or some other non-verbal construction. Pas can also be used to confirm a statement.

10/2/03 - French/English Spelling Tricks
A table of common spelling equivalents between French and English that will help your vocabulary to grow by leaps and bounds by teaching you to recognize and spell French cognates.

9/30/03 - French Wine ~ Le vin français
French wine is considered by many (notably the French) to be the best wine there is. Whether you agree or not, French wine is certainly *among* the best, so check out this page for information and links.

9/29/03 - Past Imperative ~ Impératif passé
A rare French verb mood, used to give a command for something that must be done before a certain time. 

9/26/03 - Depuis vs Il y a
The French temporal expressions depuis and il y a have distinctly different meanings and uses, yet they commonly present difficulties for French students. Here is a detailed explanation and comparison of depuis and il y a to help you clearly understand the difference once and for all.

9/25/03 - Verbs with Prepositions
Many French verbs require a certain preposition in order for the meaning of the verb to be complete, and unfortunately the prepositions required for French verbs are often not the same as the ones required by their English counterparts. In addition, some verbs that do require a preposition in English don't take one in French, and vice versa. Learn all about French verbs with prepositions and then take the test.

9/23/03 - Tel, Telle, Tels, Telles
The French word tel can be a qualifying adjective, an indefinite adjective, or an indefinite pronoun, and is also used in a number of expressions and conjunctions, making it an extremely versatile and useful French word.

9/22/03 - Voice - La Voix
Voice is one of the five inflections involved in conjugating French verbs. It indicates the relationship between the subject and verb.

9/19/03 - French for Beginners Course
Sign up for my new French for Beginners Course weekly newsletter - 20 weeks of lessons on beginning French grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, along with study tips and related information.

9/18/03 - Indefinite Expressions - N'importe...
The indefinite expression n'importe can be followed by an interrogative in order to designate an unspecified person, thing, or characteristic: n'importe qui, n'importe quel, n'importe où.... Learn these expressions and more with this lesson.

9/16/03 - Faux amis
Learn five new French-English false cognates: conducteur/ conductor, courageux/courageous, urne/urn, user/use(r), and voyage.

9/15/03 - Word Order - Imperative ~ Ordre des mots - Impératif
The word order of imperatives is a typical pitfall: the order changes depending on whether the command is affirmative or negative. Get your commands in order by studying this lesson.

9/12/03 - At the Airport ~ À l'aéroport
Planning to fly to France or another French-speaking country? Study this airport vocabulary to help you get your ticket and on the plane.

9/11/03 - Tonic Accent ~ Accent tonique
In French, each syllable of a word and each word is pronounced with the same emphasis, except for the final syllable of each rhythmic group. In order to emphasize a specific word in French, you can use the accent tonique.

9/9/03 - Parce que, Car, Puisque, Comme - Conjunctions of Conclusion
The French conjunctions parce que, car, puisque, and comme are commonly used to draw conclusions or otherwise relate a cause or explanation with a result or conclusion. These conjunctions have similar but not identical meanings and uses - this lesson explains the difference.

9/8/03 - Mettre and Mise - French Expressions
Idiomatic expressions must be memorized, since their meanings are often impossible to decipher by translating the individual words. Learn dozens of French expressions that contain mettre, se mettre, or mise.

9/5/03 - Beginning French Pronunciation
French, like English, can be very difficult in terms of pronunciation, due to intricacies like silent letters, multiple sounds for a single letter, and endless exceptions to whatever rules you find. This simplified pronunciation chart can help you get a good idea about how to pronounce new words.

9/4/03 - Affective Accent ~ Accent affectif
In English, speakers emphasize words simply by saying them louder, but this is not the case in French. French speakers use the affective accent to provide emphasis, usually to express an emotion.

9/2/03 - Les portes tordues - Teacher's Guide
Les portes tordues is an upper-beginning-to-intermediate-level, bilingual audio/grammar book (read my review). Author Kathie Dior has kindly shared some ideas for using it in the classroom - please feel free to print this out and use it in your French class.

9/1/03 - Personal Correspondence ~ Correspondance personnelle
Writing letters in French can be somewhat tricky, because it requires special formulas. This lesson on personal correpondence will help you find the correct formulas when writing to family, friends, or non-commercial acquaintances.

8/29/03 - Subjunctivator
An interactive tool that helps to improve your knowledge of which French verbs and expressions take the subjunctive.

8/28/03 - Lettres muettes - Silent Letters in French
Part of the difficulty with French pronunciation is that French is not a phonetic language - it has letters that can be pronounced in different ways or sometimes not at all. This lesson will teach you all about silent letters.

8/25/03 - Number Expressions - Confusing Pairs
There are quite a few confusing pairs and difficult expressions related to numbers in French: second/deuxième, en premier/au premier/de premier, tiers/troisième....

8/22/03 - Hangman ~ Le Pendu ~ French Classroom Game
Play Hangman in French class - it's easy to set up, a fun way to review vocabulary and grammar in any language class, and adaptable for all levels.

8/21/03 - Contractions
Although contractions in English are optional, in French they are required, so it is important to learn when and how to make contractions. Fortunately, the rules for French contractions are quite simple.

8/19/03 - Expressions with Entrer
The French verb entrer literally means to enter. It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions, noun clauses, and prepositional phrases. Learn how to join, to drop in, to turn forty, to get in touch, to be taken into consideration, and other common French expressions with entrer.

8/18/03 - Back to School - French Class ~ La Rentrée
Ready to start dusting off last year's French notes and figuring out whatever happened to that beat-up old dictionary? To help you get back into the French mood - pun intended - here are some links to general information about French, lessons, online resources, and recommended tools and supplies. Whether it's time to start thinking about a formal evaluation of your French level, figuring out what kind of job you can use your French in, or upgrading to a bigger dictionary, this page has everything you need to get back into French.

8/17/03 - Mood ~ Le Mode
Mood refers to the verb forms that express the attitude of the speaker toward the action/state of the verb - how likely or factual the statement is. The French language has six moods - learn 'em all! :-)

8/15/03 - Faux amis ~ False Cognates
Yes, there are still more French-English false cognates - read my explanation of five new faux amis: inscription, particulier/particular, professeur/professor, sort, and us.

8/14/03 - Word Order - Inversion ~ Ordre des mots
The order of words in a French sentence can be very confusing, due to dual-verb constructions, object and adverbial pronouns, and negative structures. Inversion further complicates matters, so check out this lesson to straighten out your questions.

8/12/03 - Attributive Adjectives ~ Adjectifs épithètes
Attributive adjectives describe or emphasize some characteristic of the noun they modify. The defining characteristic of attributive adjectives is that they are joined to the noun they modify - immediately preceding or following it with no verb in between.

8/11/03 - E muet ~ Élision
There are no stressed syllables in French, but the unaccented E is sometimes "unstressed." That is, it disappears in spoken French. Learn how to recognize the E muet and when (not) to pronounce it.

8/8/03 - Indefinite Structures and Parts of Speech
I find that one of the hardest things to translate into another language is indefiniteness: anyone did something everywhere all the time. This index includes links to lessons on every kind of indefiniteness, from indefinite adjectives to the indefinite subject pronoun.

8/7/03 - Word Order - Dual-Verb Constructions ~ Ordre des mots
The order of words in a French sentence can be very confusing, due to dual-verb constructions, object and adverbial pronouns, and negative structures. Learn how to string them all together.

8/5/03 - Académie française 
The Académie française is an organization which regulates the French language by determining standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary, as well as adapting to linguistic change by adding new words and updating the meanings of existing ones. Read this introduction to the purpose, statutes, history, evolution, and membership of l'Académie française.

8/4/03 - Habiter vs Vivre
The French verbs habiter and vivre both mean to live, but are used in different circumstances. You won't be able to live with yourself if you don't learn how to use them both.

8/3/03 - French Accents
There are four different meanings of "accent" which are relevant to anyone studying French: the accent marks on letters, non-native accents, regional accents, and the accentuation of French words. This page on French accents includes links to resources pertaining to all of these meanings.

7/31/03 - Indefinite Relative Pronouns ~ Pronoms relatifs indéfinis
Indefinite relative pronouns (ce qui, ce que, ce dont, and quoi) link relative clauses to main clauses when there is no specific antecedent.

7/29/03 - Compound Nouns ~ Noms composés
French compound nouns are made up of two or more words and are often connected by hyphens. Making them plural can be a little tricky, but there are some guidelines that can help.

7/28/03 - Rhythm ~ Le Rythme
The musicality of the French language is due to its rhythm, particularly the lack of stressed syllables. Learn about the prosody of French, how it differs from English, and more about French pronunciation.

7/25/03 - Quiconque
Quiconque is a formal French word, found mainly in formal registers such as law and other administrative jargons. It can be an indefinite relative pronoun or an indefinite pronoun.

7/24/03 - Negation ~ Négation
A summary of all the different negative structures and their uses in French, with links to detailed explanations and quizzes.

7/23/03 - Anti-Frenchism is Alive and Well
Lately I've felt that the spate of anti-French sentiment in the US had died down a bit, or maybe I've just become immune to it. Then I read a blatantly francophobic article and felt compelled to respond.

7/22/03 - Regional French Dialects - Listening Comprehension
Take a listen to this 15-minute sound file about regional French dialects (Le français des régions) broken into four parts and developed into listening comprehension exercises.

7/21/03 - Liaisons
A liaison is the phenomenon whereby a normally silent consonant at the end of a word is pronounced at the beginning of the word that follows it, and it is part of the reason that French pronunciation and aural comprehension are so difficult. This lesson includes plenty of sound files to help you master French liaisons.

7/20/03 - Expressions with Vivre
Vivre usually means to live or to be alive, but in idiomatic expressions it has such wide-ranging meanings as to move with the times, to go through a crisis, to know how to behave, and to straighten someone out. Study this list of expressions for more uses of the verb vivre.

7/19/03 - Encore vs Toujours
The French adverbs encore and toujours can be confusing, because they each have several meanings that partially overlap. After studying this lesson, you'll remember the differences toujours.

7/18/03 - Spanish is Easier than French... Not!
There is a common myth among English speakers that Spanish is much easier to learn than French. When asked for more information, perpetrators of this urban legend invariably mention how difficult French pronunciation and spelling are, in comparison to Spanish. While there is some truth to this, there are also things in Spanish that are more difficult than French. This article is a detailed comparison of the two languages so that you can decide for yourself if one of them is more difficult.

7/17/03 - Teaching Combined-Level French Classes
Budget cuts and low interest in language are always bad news for French teachers, and one common solution is to combine different levels of French classes, particularly levels 3 and 4. While this is fine for the school budget, it can be very tricky for French teachers to meet the needs of both levels. Here are some ideas to keep your sanity while making the class interesting for your students.

7/16/03 - Literary Tenses ~ Temps littéraires
You've heard of them, maybe even learned to recognize some of them, but just what are literary tenses? This lesson explores where they are used, why to avoid them, and what is lost when you do.

7/14/03 - Bastille Day!
Learn all about the French national holiday.

7/11/03 - Prepositions - Les Prépositions
This newly-updated lesson includes detailed information about the most common French prepositions, including meanings, usage, comparisons between prepositions, and related expressions and verbs.

7/8/03 - Conjunctions
Explanation of the different kinds of French conjunctions and how to use them, plus has a list of the most common ones.

7/4/03 - All About Savoir
The verb savoir has several different meanings, depending mainly on the tense it is conjugated into. This lesson explains the various uses and meanings of this common French verb.

7/3/03 - Ne littéraire
What I call the ne littéraire is the phenomenon in literary writing (and, to a much lesser extent, spoken French) whereby certain verbs and constructions need ne but not pas in order to be negative. 

7/1/03 - Indefinite Adverbs ~ Adverbes indéfinis
I find that one of the hardest things to translate into French is indefiniteness. I've never seen this covered in French grammar books, but I think French indefinite adverbs, or at least the French equivalents for English indefinite adverbs, is an interesting grammatical category that should not be overlooked.

6/30/03 - Visit, To Visit, Visitor
All of this visiting vocabulary has several French equivalents. Une visite vs un séjour, rendre visite vs visiter vs aller voir - these and more are thoroughly dissected and explained in this lesson.

6/27/03 - Ne explétif
The ne explétif is used after certain verbs and conjunctions but has no negative value in and of itself. It is used in situations where the main clause has a negative (either negative-bad or negative-negated) meaning, such as expressions of fear, warning, doubt, and negation.

6/24/03 - Expressions with Champ
The French noun un champ literally refers to a field. It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions, noun clauses, and prepositional phrases. Learn how to say "the coast is clear," "at every opportunity," "to run away," and more with this lesson. 

6/23/03 - On
On is the indefinite French subject pronoun, used mainly in colloquial French. Read this lesson to learn how to use on and discover the grammatical debate surrounding it.

6/20/03 - Differences between French and English
French and English are related languages, so there are some similarities. Perhaps more importantly, however, there are a number of differences, both major and minor, between French and English. Here are some brief explanations with links to further information.

6/19/03 - To Teach - Apprendre, Enseigner, Instruire, Éduquer
These four verbs mean "to teach," but there are subtle differences in meaning and usage. Learn how to recognize and use these four verbs correctly.

6/17/03 - Intermediate/Advanced Listening Comprehension Exercises
Work on your French listening comprehension with these exercises. Each includes a sound file excerpted from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine, study guide, and short quiz. There is also a full transcript and translation of the audio, which you can use if you need help understanding the sound file.

6/16/03 - Pluperfect Subjunctive - Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif
The last literary verb form - learn to recognize it and then you never have to think about it again.

6/12/03 - Les Portes Tordues - Bilingual Audio Book
A unique book aimed at upper beginning and intermediate students: bilingual story, grammar review, and audio book all rolled into one. This is a newly-revised version - read my updated review to find out about new features.

6/10/03 - False Cognates ~ Faux amis
Don't let similarly-spelled/pronounced words fool you - they don't always mean the same thing in French and English. Take a look at this page to learn about some new false cognates: flemme/phlegm, moral(e), pacifique/pacific, tube, and vérifier/verify.

6/9/03 - Compound Tenses ~ Temps composés
French verb conjugations can be divided into two categories: simple tenses and compound tenses. Simple tenses have only one part (je vais) whereas compound tenses have two (je suis allé). Compound tenses are obviously more complicated, so this lesson will explain what you need to know about them and includes links to detailed lessons on each tense.

6/6/03 - French Articles - Articles français
French articles are sometimes confusing for French students, because they have to agree with the noun they modify and because they don't always correspond to articles in other languages. Take a look at this lesson for detailed explanations, tips, and comparisons of French definite, indefinite, and partitive articles.

6/5/03 - Recess! French Games
Whether you're already on summer vacation or you still have a few days to go, you're probably tired of studying. So have some fun instead - practice your French with vocabulary games.

6/3/03 - Giving Orders in French - Les Ordres
You probably know that the imperative is commonly used to give orders, but what about other constructions? Have you ever seen another verb form used and figured it was a mistake? It probably wasn't - in fact there are four different ways to give orders in French.

6/2/03 - Tout, Tous, Toute, Toutes
The French word tout can be a noun, pronoun, adjective, or adverb, and can take four different forms. Learn all you need to know about tout, one of the most flexible words in the French language.

5/30/03 - Numerical Adjectives - Adjectifs numéraux
Numerical adjectives aren't as complicated as they might sound - numerical adjective is simply the grammatical term for numbers. There are three types of numerical adjectives, each of which is used for a different purpose. Learn about the types, placement, and agreement of numerical adjectives.

5/29/03 - To meet - Rejoindre - Se Réunir - Rencontrer - Retrouver - Faire la connaissance
The English verb to meet, when referring to meeting people, is very vague. Its five literal French equivalents are much more specific, so you need to know in which circumstances to use each of them. This lesson will meet your expectations.

5/28/03 - Hyphens and Dashes - Le Tiret et le trait d'union
Hyphens and m-dashes are important in both English and French, but they are considerably more common in the latter. This lesson explains when, why, and how to use hyphens and m-dashes in French.

5/27/03 - Imperfect Subjunctive - Imparfait du subjonctif
The French imperfect subjunctive is the literary equivalent of the present subjunctive and the infinitive. Although you'll probably never need to use it, you should be able to recognize it. 

5/25/03 - Collins English-French / French-English Dictionary
Collins English-French online dictionary includes 80,000 references and 120,000 translations.

5/24/03 - "French" Expressions
There are dozens of expressions in English which contain the word French... but are these things actually French? Take a look at this list with the French equivalents and their literal translations - you might be surprised.

5/23/03 - Possession
There are four different ways to express possession in French. This lesson provides a summary of each construction and has links to more detailed information.

5/22/03 - French-English / English-French Dictionary
This French-English dictionary is somewhat limited, with only 75,000 terms, but it's a good place to start.

5/21/03 - Online Translation
Use this online translator to get the gist of a French message, or to get an idea about how to translate something into French (but remember that automatic translation is not an exact science).

5/20/03 - Online Translators - Machine Translation
While machine translation is an interesting concept and considerably cheaper and faster than professional translators, the results are less exciting. This article put the top four online translators to the test - see how they hold up against one another and against a real person.

5/19/03 - Perfect Participle - Passé composé du participe présent
The French perfect participle is used to describe a condition existing in the past or an action that took place right before another action. It means the same thing as après + l'infinitif passé, with one difference: the perfect participle can have a different subject than the main clause. Having studied this lesson, you'll have no trouble with the French perfect participle.

5/16/03 - Conditional Perfect, 2nd Form - Seconde forme du conditionnel passé
The second form of the French conditional perfect is a rather strange verb tense/mood. It is the literary equivalent of the conditional perfect and is identical in conjugation to another verb form. As with all literary tenses, you should learn to recognize the conditional perfect, 2nd form, but chances are that you will never need to conjugate it.

5/15/03 - Quand, Lorsque, Lors de, Pendant
What's the difference between the conjunctions quand and lorsque, the similar-looking expressions lorsque and lors de, and the temporal terms lors de and pendant? That's what this lesson is all about.

5/13/03 - Manquer
Manquer means to miss, but can cause confusion because it is sometimes used in an unusual construction. Does "Tu me manques" mean I miss you or You miss me? The answer and explanation is here - don't miss this lesson on the confusing French verb "to miss."

5/12/03 - What is Fluency?
One of the questions that I get asked all the time is "How long will it take me to speak French fluently?" Unfortunately, the answer to this question is difficult for several reasons. Read this article to learn the "what, where, when, and why" of fluency.

5/9/03 - Past Anterior - Passé antérieur
The French past anterior is the literary equivalent of the plus-que-parfait, used in literature and historical accounts to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. Because it is a literary tense, you don't need to learn to conjugate it, but it is important to be able to recognize it.

5/6/03 - Exclamative Adjectives - Adjectifs exclamatifs
Exclamative adjectives are placed in front of nouns to express admiration, astonishment, indignation, or another strong sentiment, and take the same form as French interrogative adjectives: quel, quels, quelle, quelles. Learn how to exclaim in French with this lesson.

5/5/03 - Plus
The French word plus can be used as an adverb or in a number of different expressions. Plus, it can be pronounced in three different ways. Learn everything you need to know about the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of plus right here.

5/2/03 - Past Infinitive - Infinitif passé
The French past infinitive indicates an action that occurred before the action of the main verb. In order to use the past infinitive, the subject of both verbs has to be the same.

4/28/03 - Expressions with Laisser
The French verb laisser can mean "to leave," or it can mean one of dozens of other things, depending on the idiomatic expression it's used in. Learn to talk about leaving someone in the lurch, letting oneself go, living for the day, making a good impression, allowing oneself to be persuaded, and more with this lesson.

4/27/03 - French Business Letters - Correspondance commerciale
Writing a good French business letter depends on just one thing: knowing the correct formulas. This lesson consists of categorized lists of the various formulas needed for commercial correspondence and job letters. Study the topics that apply to the kind of letter you are writing, then take a look at the sample letter to get an idea of how to put it all together.

4/25/03 - Amener, Emmener, Apporter, Emporter
The two English verbs to bring and to take have four French equivalents: amener, emmener, apporter, and emporter. This causes all kinds of confusion, but it really is very simple once you understand the differences.

4/22/03 - Beginning French Listening Comprehension
Work on your French listening comprehension with these exercises. Each exercise includes a sound file of one chapter of an upper-beginning-level story, plus a study guide and short quiz. There is also a transcript and a full translation of the audio, which you can use to better understand the sound file.

4/21/03 - Irregular -RE Verbs
Irregular verbs don't have to drive French students insane - there are some patterns in the irregularities - once you learn the conjugations for one verb in a group, you shouldn't have any trouble with the other verbs in that group. The bad news is that the majority of irregular verbs end in -RE, so there are a lot of patterns to learn. Here's a lesson to help you get started.

4/18/03 - Pronouns - Pronoms
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. There are a lot of different kinds of pronouns, which can make it very confusing to try to figure out what's what. This summary table will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.

4/15/03 - Future Perfect - Futur antérieur
The French future perfect is normally used to describe an action that will have happened by a specific point in the future, but can also be used to make simple assumptions about things in the past.

4/11/03 - To Return
The English verb to return has seven (7!) French equivalents: retourner, revenir, rentrer, rendre, rembourser, rapporter, and renvoyer. This is because the English verb to return is very general and can mean different things. The French verbs are much more precise, so in order to use the correct one, you need to figure out exactly what you want to say. Study this lesson to learn the difference.

4/9/03 - French Texting - Les Textos français
Learning French is one thing, but French on the internet - in chatrooms and forums - or via text messaging or email can seem like a completely different language. Fortunately, help is at hand. Here are some common French abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols to help you communicate via text.

4/8/03 - Present Participle - Participe présent
The English present participle is very simple: it is the -ing form of a verb. The formation of the French present participle is also simple, and it can be used as an adjective, noun, verb, or gerund. Learn all about the French present participle and then test your skills.

4/4/03 - An vs Année, Jour vs Journée...
The French words an and année both mean year, but they indicate different ways of looking at the year. There are three other French pairs that work the same way: jour/ journée = day, matin/ matinée = morning, and soir/ soirée = evening. Learn the difference between these confusing pairs.

4/1/03 - France Fights Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast
In an impressive show of vitriol against the recent American renaming of "freedom fries" and "freedom toast," French president Jacques Chirac fights back. At a press conference moments ago, Chirac presented President George Bush with a severe list of demands.

3/31/03 - Negative Adjectives - Adjectifs négatifs
French negative adjectives, sometimes called indefinite negative adjectives, are made up of two parts which surround the verb. Negative adjectives negate, refuse, or cast doubt on a quality of the noun they modify.

3/28/03 - Irregular -IR Verbs
Irregular verbs are the bane of every French student's existence, but there is some good news. There are some patterns in the irregularities - once you learn the conjugations for one verb in a group, you shouldn't have any trouble with the other verbs in that group.

3/25/03 - Geographical Prepositions - Prépositions et noms géographiques
Deciding which French preposition to use with countries, cities, and other geographical names can be somewhat confusing, at least until now! This lesson will explain which prepositions to use and why.

3/21/03 - Infinitive - Infinitif
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb, sometimes called the name of the verb. In English the infinitive is to + verb. The French infinitive is a single word with one of three endings. We usually learn French verbs in the infinitive, since that is what you start with in order to conjugate them, but in fact the French infinitive can also be used several different ways without any conjugation.

3/20/03 - International Day of Francophonie
Half a billion Francophones around the world will celebrate International Day of Francophonie on 20 March. Join the celebration.

3/18/03 - Negative Pronouns - Pronoms négatifs
French negative pronouns, sometimes called indefinite negative pronouns, are made up of two parts which surround the verb, and are used to negate, refuse, or cast doubt on the existence of the noun that they replace.

3/14/03 - Past Subjunctive - Subjonctif passé
The past subjunctive is used for the same reasons as the present subjunctive - to express emotion, doubts, etc. The past subjunctive is used when the verb in the subordinate clause - the verb that follows que - happened before the verb in the main clause. Learn the conjugation and uses of the past tense of the French subjunctive mood.

3/11/03 - Alliance française
Anyone who is interested in French has almost certainly seen references to the Alliance française throughout my site and the internet in general, or heard about it in French class. But what is the Alliance française and why is it such a big deal? Here's everything you need to know.

3/10/03 - Adverbs - Les Adverbes
Need help with those invariable words that modify verb, adjectives, or other adverbs? Learn all about the types, placement, formation, and usage of French adverbs.

3/7/03 - Vouloir, Pouvoir, Devoir
To want, to be able to, to have to. It is absolutely essential to understand and be able to use these three irregular verbs - they are very common (not to mention useful!) They are often taught together because of the similarities in the conjugations of vouloir and pouvoir and the uses of pouvoir and devoir.

3/4/03 - Dictionary of French Expressions
Another way to learn French expressions: I've taken all of the French expressions found in various lessons on my site, including idiomatic expressions, proverbs, phrasal verbs, and formulas, and arranged them alphabetically by the first word in the French expression.

3/3/03 - Indefinite Adjectives - Adjectifs indéfinis
Affirmative indefinite adjectives are used to modify nouns in a unspecific sense. Certain adjectives will help some people talk about several new things.

2/28/03 - About French Commercial
The closest I'll ever get to fame... my site, About French Language, has been featured in a Channel One commercial for About.com. For those of you who missed it or loved it and can't wait to see it again, here it is, in two formats, followed by a couple of trivia questions.

2/21/03 - Conditional Perfect - Conditionnel passé
The French conditional perfect (also called the past conditional) is used just like the English conditional perfect. It is used to express actions that would have occurred in the past if circumstances had been different. 

2/18/03 - Expressions with Donner
The French verb donner literally means to give, and is also used in nearly a hundred idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about the TV being on full-blast, making someone believe something, hitting one's head, sounding the alarm, giving in, devoting oneself to something, and much more.

2/17/03 - Indefinite Pronouns - Pronoms indéfinis
Indefinite pronouns, such as certain, chacun, quelqu'un, on, and tout, are unspecific and are used in place of nouns. They can be the subject of a sentence, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.

2/14/03 - Love Language - La Langue d'amour
If French is the language of love, Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to use it. This page includes a list of essential vocabulary related to love and friendship, and includes a link to step-by-step instructions on saying I love you in French.

2/13/03 - Pluperfect - Le Plus-que-parfait
The pluperfect (aka past perfect) is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. The latter can either be mentioned in the same sentence or implied. Learn how to conjugate and use this compound tense.

2/11/03 - All About Devoir
The French verb devoir has a number of different meanings related to concepts like obligation and probability. Learn about the different uses and meanings of this common French verb.

2/10/03 - Il y a
Il y a - there is or there are - is one of the most important expressions in the French language. Learn about the meanings, uses, negation, and interrogative powers of il y a.

2/7/03 - Relative Adjectives - Adjectifs relatifs
Relative adjectives are placed in front of nouns to indicate a link between that noun and an antecedent. In both English and French, relative adjectives are used mainly in legal, administrative, or other highly-formal language.

2/6/03 - Stem-Changing Verbs - Verbes qui changent d'orthographe
French -ER verbs that take regular endings but have two different radicals are called stem-changing verbs. There are seven categories of French stem-changing verbs - learn all about them here.

2/4/03 - Negritude - La Négritude
La Négritude was a literary and ideological movement led by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politicians. The founders of la Négritude, originally from three different French colonies, each had different ideas about the purpose and styles of la Négritude.

2/3/03 - Temporal Prepositions - Prépositions de temps
Many French students are confused by the French prepositions for time. The problem is that there are so many different French temporal prepositions with different uses. Study this lesson to learn the difference between pendant, depuis, à, en, dans, and pour.

1/31/03 - Pronominal Voice - Voix pronominal
The pronominal voice refers to a verb conjugation wherein the subject performs the action of the verb upon itself. Pronominal verbs (including reflexive verbs) must be conjugated with a reflexive pronoun in addition to the subject pronoun or subject. Learn about the conjugation, types, and usage of French pronominal verbs.

1/30/03 - Fillers and Warm-Up Activities
Here are some new fillers and warm-up activities for French class: use up dead time at the beginning or end of class by building sentences, having short conversations, or doing repetitions.

1/28/03 - C'est vs Il est
The French expressions c'est and il est are very similar in meaning. They are both used in impersonal expressions as well as for general comments, but they are not interchangeable. Learn the difference between c'est and il est and then take the test.

1/24/03 - Passive Voice - La Voix passive
The passive voice is used to focus on the person or thing performing the action, or to focus on an action without identifying the performer. Learn how to conjugate, use, and avoid the passive voice with this lesson.

1/23/03 - Toiletries - Articles de toilette
Do you know the French vocabulary related to washing, putting on make-up, and shaving? Learn how to talk about toiletries in French.

1/21/03 - French IPA Symbols
French pronunciation is represented by a relatively small number of IPA characters, so in order to transcribe French phonetically, you just need to memorize those.

1/20/03 - Direct and Indirect Speech - Discours direct et indirect
There are two different ways to express the words of another person: direct speech (or style) and indirect speech. Learn how report what another person said in French.

1/17/03 - Expressions with Bouche
La bouche - the mouth - is used in dozens of French expressions. Learn how to say mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, my mouth is watering, food bills, burdens on society, top secret, to simper, and more with this lesson. 

1/16/03 - Savoir vs Connaître - French Verbs "To Know"
French has two verbs which can be translated by the English verb to know: savoir and connaître. This might seem confusing to English speakers, but in fact there are distinct differences in meaning and usage for the two verbs.

1/14/03 - IPA - International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a standardized alphabet for phonetic notation: a comprehensive set of symbols and diacritical marks used to transcribe the speech sounds of all languages in a uniform fashion. The most common uses of the International Phonetic Alphabet are in linguistics and dictionaries.

1/13/03 - Asking Questions in French - Les Questions
Did you know that there are four different structures to use when asking questions in French?

1/11/03 - French Imperfect - l'Imparfait
The French imperfect is a descriptive past tense which indicates an ongoing state of being or a repeated or incomplete action, with no indication of the beginning and end of the state of being or action.

1/10/03 - Neuter Object Pronoun - Optional Le
The French pronoun le can be a neuter object pronoun in certain constructions. The neuter object pronoun is optional; its usage is formal and is most common in written French.

1/7/03 - Writing a French Résumé - Le CV français
When applying for a job in a French-speaking country, your résumé needs to be in French, which is more than a matter of translation. Aside from the obvious language difference, certain information that may not be required on résumés in your country is required in France. This article explains the basic requirements and formats of French résumés, and includes several samples to help you get started.

1/6/03 - Lequel - French Pronoun
Lequel is arguably the most difficult French pronoun. In addition to the fact that it belongs to two different categories of pronouns, lequel has to agree with its antecedent and contract with certain prepositions. Learn everything you need to know about this troublesome pronoun with this lesson.

1/3/03 - Regular -RE Verbs
-RE verbs are the third, smallest, and final category of regular French verbs. Study these conjugations in order to conjugate all regular -RE verbs.

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