French Lessons and Articles - 2005

Previous French lessons, quizzes, and articles, from your About guide to the French language

by date | by topic
 

12-30-05 - 2006 French Calendars and Date Books
It's not too late to get a new calendar or datebook - why not incorporate just that little bit more French into your life by using a calendar that's either in French or about France? Choose between my favorite French-related calendars and date books and a printable French calendar à la LKL. :-)

12-29-05 - Expressions with Chercher
The French verb chercher literally means to look for or to search for. It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized. Learn how to look for a fight, look everywhere for something, look for words, and more.

12-27-05 - Top French Tools
If you have lots of Christmas money to spend and/or gifts to exchange, you might want to consider treating yourself to one of these tools for French speakers of all levels and ages. These lists include tools for beginning, intermediate, and advanced speakers, as well as kids and translators.

12-26-05 - Quantities, Weights, + Measures in French
Learn how to talk about quantities so that you can go shopping and follow recipes in French.

12-25-05 - 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.

12-23-05 - 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.

12-22-05 - Christmas Word Search
Have some Christmas fun with a word search puzzle featuring French Christmas and New Year's words and phrases.

12-20-05 - French Christmas Vocabulary
Whether writing a letter to Santa or just celebrating Christmas, this French Christmas vocabulary will come in handy.

12-19-05 - Create a French Village Project
Whether you're a teacher or an independent-study student, projects are a great way to spice up your language classes. This is a fairly short-term project - one week to one month - will put vocabulary related to shopping to the test.

12-16-05 - Christmas Crossword
This crossword puzzle provides fill-in-the-blank clues related to French Christmas words.

12-15-05 - Agreement with French Compound Verbs
If you've already studied le passé composé, you know that certain French verbs have to agree with their subjects. In addition, you may know that this is true for all compound verb tenses and moods. What you may not be aware of is that some verbs require agreement not with the subject of the sentence, but with the direct object. This issue of agreement can be rather tricky; this lesson is a thorough but (hopefully) accessible explanation.

12-14-05 - French Christmas Carols ~ Chants de Noël
Spread some Christmas cheer à la française! Lyrics and translations of many French Christmas carols, including Douce Nuit, Les Anges dans nos campagnes, Vive le vent, Il est né le divin enfant, and Mon beau sapin.

12-13-05 - All about Faillir
Faillir is a very interesting and useful French verb. It is irregular in conjugation and does not have an English equivalent; the simplest translation is "to almost do something.

12-12-05 - 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.

12-11-05 - 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....

12-11-05 - 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.

12-9-05 - Subjunctive
Students of French tend to agree that the subjunctive is the most difficult French verb form, which is why I have over a dozen pages of lessons and info on the French subjunctive to help you learn all about it. While this is good for your French learning, it can make it more difficult for you to find the lesson you need - here is a simple index that can help.

12-8-05 - Verbs with Prepositions
Many French verbs require a certain preposition in order for their meaning to be complete. Here is an alphabetical list of French verbs and the prepositions they need (if any).

12-6-05 - 2006 French Calendars and Date Books
It's just about time to get a new calendar or date book, so why not incorporate just that little bit more French into your life by using a calendar that's either in French or about France? Choose between my favorite French-related calendars and date books and a printable French calendar à la LKL. :-)

12-5-05 - Baby Talk ~ Langage enfantin
French has quite a bit of "baby talk" or "kiddie speak" - words and expressions which are usually used by children or when talking to children. Even if you don't talk to kids in French, this informal language is important to recognize, as baby talk can also be found in jokes and in conversations with good friends. Lesson includes sound files.

12-4-05 - 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.

12-2-05 - Au restaurant ~ At the Restaurant
Beginning-level French dialogue between a waiter and customer.

12-1-05 - Passive Impersonal ~ Impersonnel passif
The passive impersonal is commonly used in place of the passive voice. In this construction, a non-reflexive verb is used reflexively in order to demonstrate the passive nature of the action, as in Ça se voit - That's obvious.

11-29-05 - French Advent Calendar
Celebrate the run up to Christmas with this online French Advent calendar. Each day has a different seasonal term, Christmas carol, game, and gift idea.

11-28-05 - To Take
The English verb to take has several French equivalents. Learn the difference between prendre, amener, and all the rest.

11-25-05 - Top French Gifts
To help you out on the first official day of Christmas shopping in the US, here are the best French gifts for French speakers of all levels and ages - including yourself. These lists include tools for beginning, intermediate, and advanced speakers, as well as kids and translators.

11-24-05 - 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.

11-24-05 - French Thanksgiving Vocabulary
Thanksgiving is not celebrated in France, so here is some French vocabulary related to the American holiday.

11-22-05 - All about Mettre
Mettre, which means "to put," is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.

11-21-05 - French Nouns with Two Genders
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.

11-18-05 - French News Vocabulary
The French you learn in classes and grammar books is not always enough when dealing with the real world. This list of French vocabulary related to current events will help you understand news in French.

11-17-05 - 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.

11-16-05 - Expressions with Perdre
The verb perdre literally means "to lose," and it's also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about losing consciousness, losing interest, losing one's mind, and much more.

11-14-05 - 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.

11-13-05 - Vol de nuit, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Vol de nuit, one of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's most famous novels, is now available as an audiobook so that you can work on your French listening comprehension while enjoying a classic French novel.

11-11-05 - Pronouncing French Wines
If you love French wine but hate ordering it, here's a page that can help. This list of French wines and related vocabulary includes sound files to help you pronounce the names of French wines.

11-10-05 - 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.

11-8-05 - Les portes tordues
Test your listening comprehension with another chapter from this beginning- to intermediate-level bilingual audio mystery.

11-7-05 - 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.

11-3-05 - 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.

11-1-05 - All about Dire
Dire is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation, means "to say" or "to tell," and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.

10-31-05 - 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!
French Halloween vocabulary | Halloween games

10-30-05 - 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.

10-28-05 - French Numbers
One final French number exercise: practice your comprehension with this list of random numbers. This sound file includes numbers from all of the previous number exercises, including times, prices, decimals, and more.

10-27-05 - 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.

10-25-05 - Le Petit Larousse ~ French Listening Exercise
Le Petit Larousse celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. Learn about the beginnings and evolution of this famous French dictionary.

10-24-05 - 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.

10-21-05 - Faux amis
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more faux amis, I manage to come up with five more. :-)  Learn about the following faux amis: biais/bias, bigot, éligible/eligible, gardien/guardian, and inconvénient/inconvenient.

10-20-05 - Expressions with Sans
The French preposition sans literally means without and is also used in a number of expressions.

10-18-05 - Advanced Past Tenses
The difference between the two main French past tenses, the passé composé and the imparfait, is a constant struggle for many French students. In the basic lesson on le passé, you learned about the fundamental differences between these two tenses. In this more advanced lesson, you will learn about the particularities of certain verbs, including those that are usually in the imperfect and those that have different meanings depending on which tense is used.

10-17-05 - 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!)

10-15-05 - Password - French Classroom Game
Some days students just aren't in the mood to learn, which can make French classes frustrating for them as well as for the teacher. Playing games in French is one technique that can help recapture students' interest while helping them learn or review French. This game, called Password, is a fun way to practice descriptions.

10-14-05 - Institut de français
Most of the visitors to this site are learning French, and many would like to learn French in France. Readers often ask me to recommend a great French language program, but since I have never studied in France, I'm unable to offer any recommendations. However, visitors to the forum often discuss their French learning, including various schools that they have studied at. One French language school that many learners have tried and liked is the Institut de français, located in Villefrance-sur-mer, 3 miles east of Nice.

10-13-05  - 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.

10-11-05 - All about Voir
Voir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation, means "to see" in most senses of the word, and is found in a number of idiomatic expressions.

10-10-05 - French Symbols + Punctuation Marks
A quick reference guide to the names of French symbols and punctuation marks, including ! ? « » * & dozens more.

10-6-05 - 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.

10-4-05 - Synonyms for Très
If you want to make your French sound more, well, French, one place to start is with your vocabulary. In French classes, you tend to learn the most common, basic terms. The adverb très is one example of a very common word that can be replaced by any of a number of synonyms, in both normal and informal registers. Take a look at this lesson to learn some different ways to say "very," and be sure to note the differences in intensity.

10-3-05 - 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. Learn how to catch a cold, to gain weight, to take something literally, and more with this lesson.

9-30-05 - Concordance des temps
When speaking French, it is important to use the correct sequence of tenses. In complex sentences, there is a relationship between the verb in the main clause and the verb in the subordinate clause. Using the correct sequence of tenses is just as important as conjugating the verbs correctly and using the appropriate mood.

9-29-05 - 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.

9-27-05 - All About Aimer
Aimer is one of the most common French verbs. It is a regular -ER verb, requires avoir in the compound tenses, and can mean "to like" or "to love." There is a little bit of a trick to using aimer correctly with people and direct object pronouns which you will learn about in this lesson.

9-26-05 - Soi ~ Indefinite Stressed Pronoun
Soi is an oft-confused French pronoun, used only for unspecified persons. Need more info? See the lesson!

9-25-05 - French Geography
Index of all the geography lessons on this site, including vocabulary (countries, French regions, US states, and Canadian provinces in French) and grammar (geographical prepositions).

9-23-05 - Telling Time in French
Learn how to tell time along with some useful phrases related to telling time, and then test your comprehension with this audio file of random times.

9-22-05 - 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.

9-20-05 - Faux Adjectives ~ Les adjectifs occasionnels
In French, there are a number of words which are not actually adjectives but may be used as adjectives. These "occasional adjectives" or "faux adjectives" are always invariable - they do not agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. There are three different types of words that may be used as adjectives.

9-19-05 - 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.

9-16-05 - La Joconde ~ The Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is sick. Learn more about the past, present, and future of this famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci in this French listening comprehension exercise.

9-13-05 - All about Partir
Partir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation, requires être in the compound tenses, and has different meanings depending on the preposition that follows.

9-12-05 - 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.

9-9-05 - To Make
To make is a very general, very useful verb in English. Its French translations vary wildly, so take a look at this lesson to learn how to translate various meanings of "make" into French.

9-8-05 - 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.

9-6-05 - La Guinguette
La Guinguette is an online source of French news. Features range from politics to culture and include a sound file, French transcript, and English translation.

9-5-05 - 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."  :-)

9-2-05 - Katrina dans la presse francophone
Hurricane Katrina is one of the worst natural disasters in American history. I personally find it very interesting to read perspectives from other countries, so here are some articles from the francophone press.

9-1-05 - 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.

8-30-05 - Expressions with Tomber
The French verb tomber means "to fall" and is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions. Tomber usually needs être as the auxiliary verb, but there are a few meanings for which it needs avoir.

8-29-05 - 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.

8-26-05 - Passive Infinitive
Even though the French infinitive translates as "to + verb," the French sometimes needs to be preceded by a preposition. This is the case with the passive infinitive, which is commonly used with indefinite and negative words.

8-25-05 - 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.

8-23-05 - Prices
Practice your comprehension of French prices by listening to this random series of numbers.

8-22-05 - Subjunctivator
An interactive tool that helps to improve your knowledge of which French verbs and expressions take the subjunctive.

8-19-05 - Are you a French fanatic?
Do you adore French and France, almost to (or perhaps well beyond) the point of fanaticism? This quiz will tell you whether you qualify as a French fanatic (but remember, it's just for fun).

8-18-05 - 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.

8-16-05 - La gauche en France
The French political left is going through some hard times. Learn more about the past, present, and future of the French Socialist party in this listening comprehension exercise.

8-15-05 - Driving Terms
Useful vocabulary for anyone planning to drive in France, with sound files.

8-12-05 - French Dictionary Software
If you spend a lot of time reading/writing French, especially on the computer, having a good French dictionary program (or two) can make life a lot easier. I recently purchased several French dictionary programs and already can't remember what life was like without them. Based on my own preferences as well as extensive research, here are the best French dictionary programs you can buy.

8-11-05 - 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....

8-8-05 - 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.

8-7-05 - Are you a Francophile?
Take this little quiz to find out how much or little of a Francophile you are.

8-6-05 - LKL's life story
If you missed my life story when I told it over the course of several months in my newsletter, or if you just loved it so much that you want to read it again, here it is, in French and English.

8-4-05 - 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.

8-1-05 - 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! :-)

7-29-05 - French Learning Software
Software can be an interesting addition to your language study. While not a replacement for a teacher or conversation partner, software can help you improve your listening and reading comprehension as well as learn vocabulary, grammar, and even, thanks to speech recognition technology, pronunciation. If you're looking for an interesting way to get more French practice and improve your skills, check out my recommendations for French learning software.

7-28-05 - 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.

7-26-05 - French Numbers with Decimals
Learn how to say French numbers with decimals and then practice your comprehension with a series of random numbers.

7-25-05 - 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.

7-21-05 - 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.

7-19-05 - All about Sortir
Sortir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and may require either être or avoir in the compound tenses, depending on whether it means "to go out" or "to take out."

7-18-05 - 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.

7-15-05 - 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.

7-14-05 - Bastille Day
The French national holiday commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Do you know what this event represents? When the French observe this holiday in mid-July, what ideals are they celebrating? Learn all about Bastille - in French or English - and listen to the Marseillaise.

7-11-05 - 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.

7-8-05 - Before You Know It
If you are looking for an interesting new way to learn French vocabulary, there's a free program that can help. The educational software company Transparent Language has developed a program called [i]Before You Know It[/i], the "Lite" version of which is freeware.

7-7-05 - 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.

7-5-05 - Bastille Day Games
Bastille Day is just around the corner, so I've put together a couple of new games to celebrate using terms related to Bastille Day. Enjoy!

7-4-05 - 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.

7-1-05 - All about Vouloir
The verb vouloir has several different meanings, depending mainly on the tense and mood it is conjugated into. This lesson explains the various uses and meanings of this common French verb.

6-30-05 - 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.

6-28-05 - Millions + billions
Improve your comprehension of French numbers with these random numbers in the millions and billions.

6-27-05 - 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.

6-24-05 - Faux amis ~ False cognates
Learn five new false cognates: abuser/abuse, black, dérogatoire/derogatory, imposition, littérature/literature.

6-23-05 - 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.

6-21-05 - Le petit déjeuner ~ Breakfast
Beginning-level dialogue between a customer and waiter at breakfast.

6-20-05 - Negation ~ Négation
A summary of all the different negative structures and their uses in French, with links to detailed explanations and quizzes.

6-17-05 - 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.

6-16-05 - 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.

6-13-05 - 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.

6-10-05 - Introduction to Register
Register refers to the level of formality of a given word, expression, grammatical structure, gesture, or means of pronunciation. In French, there are six registers.

6-9-05 - 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.

6-7-05 - Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is the most visited site in Europe. Learn more about this grand château and the restoration it's undergoing.

6-6-05 - Prepositions - Les Prépositions
This lesson includes detailed information about the most common French prepositions, including meanings, usage, comparisons between prepositions, and related expressions and verbs.

6-3-05 - All About Pouvoir
Pouvoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "can" or "to be able to." Pouvoir has different meanings in certain tenses and is found in numerous expressions.

6-2-05 - Conjunctions
Explanation of the different kinds of French conjunctions and how to use them, plus a list of the most common ones.

5-30-05 - 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.

5-27-05 - Formal Negation
There are three negative structures particular to formal French. While they are not unheard of in spoken French, they are most commonly found in writing, especially literature.

5-26-05 - 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.

5-24-05 - Number Exercises
Develop your number comprehension with these sound files of numbers in the thousands.

5-23-05 - 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.

5-20-05 - 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.

5-19-05 - 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.

5-18-05 - À l'écoute de la langue française
If you want to learn French in the comfort of your own home, this program might be just what you need. This self-study French class, available on CD-ROM, is divided into beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. The explanation and examples for each lesson are available on audio, and each lesson also includes practice exercises with corrections.

5-16-05 - 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.

5-13-05 - Tips for adults learning French
Learning French as an adult is not the same thing as learning it as a child. Adults tend to learn by comparing it to their native language and often want to know why something is said a certain way in the language. However, adults have an advantage in that they choose to learn a language for some reason and being interested in learning something is very helpful in one's ability to actually learn it. It is not impossible for anyone to learn French, no matter what their age. It's never too late!

5-12-05 - 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.

5-10-05 - At the store - Beginning French Dialogue
Listen to this beginning-level dialogue between a customer and storekeeper. You have the option to read the transcript and/or translation as you listen.

5-9-05 - 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.

5-5-05 - All about Laisser
Laisser is a regular -er verb that means "to leave." It is also found in numerous expressions and is commonly used as a semi-auxiliary as well as a pronominal verb.

5-4-05 - 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.

5-2-05 - Pluperfect Subjunctive - Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif
The rarest literary verb form - learn to recognize it and then you never have to think about it again.

4-29-05 - Informal Questions
French questions asked informally can sound a lot different from the grammatically correct questions that you learn to ask in French class. Read over this lesson to learn about how questions are used informally.

4-28-05 - Bon vs Bien, Mauvais vs Mal
The French words bon and bien, mauvais and mal are often mixed up, because the two pairs have similar meanings: bon and bien are positive while mauvais and mal are negative. In addition all four of these words can be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. Learn more about these confusing French pairs.

4-26-05 - Les égouts de Paris
An interesting report on something that most people give little thought to, and the unusual museum where you can learn more about it: the Parisian sewer network.

4-25-05 - 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.

4-22-05 - Jeopardy - French Classroom Game
It can be hard for teachers to keep their students interested and motivated. Games can be an excellent way to learn, practice, and review French in interesting and creative ways. Jeopardy, based on the American game show, is an easy game because you don't need a lot of props.

4-21-05 - 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.

4-18-05 - 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.

4-15-05 - Informal pronunciation and grammar
If you've ever listened to native French speakers talk to friends or family, you've almost certainly noticed that they don't sound like your French teacher or audio tapes. You might notice missing or different words, funny contractions, and strange grammar - because French, like any other language, has different levels of formality. This series of lessons will summarize the various informal and familiar sounds and structures of French. In this lesson, you will learn about how pronouns are used informally.

4-14-05 - 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.

4-12-05 - French Numbers 100 to 999
Take a listen to these online number exercises to improve your listening comprehension. Three new number exercises to help you with the numbers 100 to 999, plus a bonus exercise with numbers 1 to 999.

4-11-05 - 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.

4-7-05 - 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.

4-6-05 - Tips to avoid poorly written translations
Reliable translators are hard to find. The more specialized your work, the more difficult it will be for you to find a qualified translator. Here are some useful tips to help you avoid poorly written translations.

4-4-05 - 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.

4-2-05 - French Audio Books and Audio Magazines
Listen to French audio books and audio magazines to work on your listening skills and practice pronunciation.

4-1-05 - French-Canadians petition for recognition of their language - April Fool's!
Standard French is considered to be Parisian French as spoken by the middle classes - but not for long, if French-Canadians have anything to say about it.

3-31-05 - 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.

3-28-05 - 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.

3-25-05 - Expressions with Tour
The French word tour has different meanings depending on whether it's masculine or feminine, and is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions.

3-24-05 - "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.

3-23-05 - 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).

3-21-05 - French 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.

3-20-05 - International Day of Francophonie
Join the celebration around the world.

3-18-05 - Sur le vif Audio Books
The publisher of the online audio magazine La Guinguette has launched a new series of intermediate/advanced French audiobooks about contemporary France called Sur le vif (Real Life). The first three are reviewed here.

3-17-05 - 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.

3-15-05 - Beginning French Dialogue
Practice your French listening ability with this beginning-level French dialogue featuring greetings and introductions and your choice of speeds: regular and slow.

3-14-05 - 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.

3-11-05 - Top 10 verb lessons
French verbs can be difficult, and certain verb lessons on my site get visited over and over. For some people, certain verb concepts just don't sink in the first (or second or third) time they are learned, or continue to cause confusion even after years of study. To make it easier for you to find the French verb lessons you need, here are the most commonly visited French pages on my site. If you need to review any of these, know that you are not alone!

3-10-05 - 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."

3-7-05 - 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.

3-4-05 - Ainsi, Alors, Donc; Après, Ensuite, Puis - "Then" in French
The English word "then" has two distinct meanings: one related to consequence and the other to time. These two meanings translate differently into French, and the various synonyms further complicate matters. The French words ainsi, alors, and donc are commonly used to explain the consequences or effect of an action. In contrast, après, ensuite and puis are used to indicate the order of events. This lesson should help you to understand the difference between all of these terms and thus use them correctly.

3-3-05 - 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.

March 1-7 2005 - National Foreign Language Week
It's National Foreign Language Week! Don't keep putting off your dreams of learning a new language; this is your chance to get started with free lessons online at About.com. There are also articles on everything from setting up a bilingual home to figuring out if you are fluent.

3-1-05 - L'anniversaire de Tintin
Tintin is a world-renowned Belgian comic strip. This intermediate/advanced listening exercise includes a sound file, transcript, and translation of a discussion of Tintin and its creator. (If the sound file is too fast/difficult for you, open up the transcript or translation page to follow along as you listen.)

2-28-05 - 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.

2-25-05 - Classroom number practice
Do you find teaching numbers boring, figuring that once you've taught your students to count in French, there's not much else you can do? If so, I have good news for you (and your students). Teachers on the Profs de français forum recently shared all kinds of great ideas for practicing numbers, including several games.

2-24-05 - 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.

2-21-05 - 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.

2-18-05 - Avoiding the subjunctive
The subjunctive is a fairly difficult verb mood for many students of French. Between the conjugations and deciding when to use it, the subjunctive can be very tricky. Although the subjunctive is commonly used in French, there are numerous ways to avoid it.

2-17-05 - 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.

2-16-05 - 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.

2-15-05 - Les portes tordues
New listening exercise from the beginning- to intermediate-level bilingual audiobook Les portes tordues (read my review). As the book proceeds, the French becomes progressively more difficult. The sound file featured here is intermediate level.

2-11-05 - Double Negatives
Grammarians insist that two negatives make a positive. While this may be true in English, in French two negatives make a stronger negative. Double negation is very common in French, particularly informal French. However, there are some rules and regulations when using double negatives in French.

2-10-05 - Irregular -RE Verbs
French has a lot of irregular verbs, but fortunately 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.

2-8-05 - French only
In French classes, teachers usually want to encourage students to speak only in French. Practice makes perfect and the more French students speak in class the more they will learn and remember. However, it can be difficult to enforce French only. Here are a variety of creative and effective techniques.

2-7-05 - 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 will give you an idea of the different kinds of French pronouns and includes links to detailed lessons and quizzes.

2-4-05 - French Numbers
At long last, here are several number exercises for the "weird" French numbers: 70 to 99.

2-3-05 - 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.

1-31-05 - 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.

1-28-05 - Gender of compound nouns
French compound nouns are made up of two or more words and are often connected by hyphens. Figuring out their gender can be a little tricky, but there are some rules that can help.

1-27-05 - 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.

1-24-05 - 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.

1-21-05 - US States and Canadian Provinces
Learn how to say each of the US states and Canadian provinces in French.

1-20-05 - Geographical Prepositions - Prépositions et noms géographiques
Deciding which French preposition to use with countries, cities, and other geographical names can be somewhat confusing. This lesson explains which prepositions to use and why.

1-17-05 - 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.

1-14-05 - All about Venir
Venir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to come." It is also used in some idiomatic expressions and to conjugate the recent past.

1-13-05 - 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.

1-11-05 - Expressions with Pouvoir
The French verb pouvoir means "to be able to" and is also used in various idiomatic expressions.

1-10-05 - 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.

1-7-05 - French Numbers
As promised, here are more number exercises: practice and improve your comprehension of French numbers 20 to 69.

1-6-05 - 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, while 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.

1-3-05 - Back to School - French Class ~ La Rentrée
With the holidays out of the way, it's time to think about school again. Here are some links to general information about French, lessons, online resources, and recommended tools and supplies. Whether you need to brush up on the passé composé vs imparfait, learn about what kind of job you can use your French in, or upgrade to a better dictionary, this page has everything you need to get back into French.

1-2-05 - Learn French basics in 7 days
If you are interested in learning French or just finding out a little more about this beautiful language, my Learn French course will teach you the basics in seven days.
 

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