French Lessons and Articles - 2006

Previous French lessons, quizzes, and articles, from Learn French at About

by date | by topic
 

12-31-06 - New Year's in France
As in most countries, New Year's calls for a big celebration in France. Learn about some French New Year's traditions and customs.

12-30-06 - New Year's Resolutions
Another new year is upon us - take advantage of this annual fresh start to make a New Year's resolution (une bonne résolution de nouvel an) regarding your French learning.

12-29-06 - "What" in French
French learners often have trouble deciding how to translate "what" into French. Should it be que or quoi, or maybe that pesky quel? Understanding the difference between these terms is critical to knowing how to use them correctly.

12-27-06 - 2007 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. :-)

12-26-06 - 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.

12-25-06 - 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.

12-22-06 - Most popular vocabulary lessons
Vocabulary is one of the keys to language. When people talk about fluency, they usually include some reference to the minimum number of words that one must know. I must have at least 200 vocabulary lessons on my site, but some are much more popular than others. To make it easier for you to find these essential French vocabulary pages, I've put them together into a handy top 15 list that you can bookmark for future reference.

12-21-06 - 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.

12-21-06 - Christmas Word Search
Have some Christmas fun with a word search puzzle featuring French Christmas and New Year's words and phrases.

12-20-06 - French Christmas Vocabulary
Whether writing a letter to Santa or just celebrating Christmas, this French Christmas vocabulary will come in handy.

12-19-06 - Aphereses / Abbreviations
An apheresis, or aphaeresis, is a word which is shortened by dropping one or more syllables at the beginning of the word, and sometimes adding an extra sound at the end. Aphereses are often informal and are less common in French than apocopes.

12-18-06 - 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.

12-17-06 - 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....

12-16-06 - 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.

12-15-06 - Spelling-change verbs
There are two groups of French -ER verbs that have spelling changes in certain conjugations due to the hard/soft vowel phenomenon. I call these spelling-change verbs, and you can learn about their changes in all tenses with this lesson.

12-14-06 - All about Être
Être is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to be." Être is also used in some idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses and the passive voice.

12-13-06 - 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.

12-12-06 - Gifts for Francophiles
Wondering what to buy for the French lover on your list? Someone who really loves French probably already has a good dictionary and grammar book, so here are some gifts that will thrill your favorite Francophile.

12-11-06 - 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.

12-8-06 - Expressions with Temps
The French word le temps literally means "time" or "weather," and is used in many idiomatic French expressions. Find out how to say in the meantime, in due time, to pause, my mistake, and much more in this list of French expressions.

12-7-06 - 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.

12-5-06 - The Story of French
The Story of French is a definitive analysis of French as it is spoken around the world. An in-depth, compelling, and above all affectionate look at the language of love, The Story of French is required reading for all Francophiles.

12-4-06 - AI / AIS - French Pronunciation
The letters AI in French can be pronounced in one of three ways: like the E in "bed," more or less like the A in "gave," and like the A in "father." Learn more with this detailed lesson and sound files.

12-1-06 - French Listening: Accents and variations
French varies from country to country and from region to region. Learn about and listen to some of the accents you might encounter in France.

11-30-06 - 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.

11-29-06 - All About Faire
Faire is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to do" or "to make." It is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions and in the causative construction.

11-28-06 - Faux amis
Learn 5 new words that look alike but mean different things: libéral/liberal, pipe, préservatif/preservative, string, and vilain/villain.

11-27-06 - French Advent Calendar
Celebrate the Christmas and New Year's holiday season with this online French Advent calendar.

11-23-06 - 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.

11-21-06 - French Thanksgiving Vocabulary
Thanksgiving is not celebrated in France, so here is some French vocabulary related to the American holiday.

11-20-06 - French 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.

11-16-06 - 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.

11-14-06 - The Importance of Accents
Think accents don't matter when writing or typing in French? Think again! There are dozens of French word pairs which are spelled (though not always pronounced) the same other than accents. To avoid confusion, you should always distinguish between these "accent homographs" by using the correct accents.

11-13-06 - Modal Verbs in French
Modal verbs, also called modal auxiliaries or simply modals, are unconjugated English verbs which express the mood of a verb, such as ability, possibility, condition, and necessity. French does not have modal verbs, which can make it difficult to translate them. There are ten common English modal verbs: can, must, should....

11-9-06 - 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.

11-7-06 - Le Guide Michelin
Le Guide Michelin is a French institution, but after more than 100 years, is it still feasible? Learn about Le guide Michelin and contemporary French cuisine in this 2-part listening comprehension exercise from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine (read my review).

11-6-06 - 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.

11-3-06 - Le Petit Prince - Audiobook
Le Petit Prince is a French classic in children's literature, as well as an excellent book for beginning-to-intermediate French students and for anyone who is tired of acting like une grande personne. This is a new, unabridged version of the audio book.

11-2-06 - 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.

2-8 November - National French Week
2006 marks the eighth 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.

10-31-06 - 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!

10-30-06 - 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.

10-26-06 - 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.

10-24-06 - French Semi-Auxiliary Verbs
In addition to the auxiliary verbs avoir and être, French has a number of semi-auxiliary verbs; that is, verbs which are conjugated in order to express various nuances of time, mood, or aspect and are followed by an infinitive.

10-23-06 - 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.

10-22-06 - 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.

10-19-06 - Le passé composé
The passé composé is the most common French past tense, often used in conjunction with the imparfait and used to express actions completed in the past.

10-17-06 - Faux amis
Learn five more French words that look similar to English words but have different meanings: brave, formel/formal, grade, injure/injury, and menu.

10-16-06 - Asking Questions in French - Les Questions
Did you know that there are four different structures you can use to ask questions in French?

10-13-06 - The Senses
Learn French words and verbs related to the five senses, as well as some French vocabulary related to the sixth sense.

10-12-06 - 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.

10-10-06 - French Exclamations
Exclamations are words or phrases that express a desire, an order, or a strong emotion. There are several different French grammatical structures that can be used as exclamations.

10-9-06 - Past Participle ~ Le participe passé
The participe passé is the French equivalent of the -ed form of English verbs. It is used in compound tenses, in the passive voice, and as an adjective.

10-6-06 - Top 20 French Words
What are the most common French words? Here are the top 20, with links to lessons.

10-5-06 - All About Avoir
Avoir is one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to have." However, it is also used in numerous idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb.

10-3-06 - French Homophones: O and P
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones.

10-2-06 - Pour
The definitive lesson on the French preposition pour: learn what it means, which verbs require it, and how to use it.

9-29-06 - Le viaduc de Millau
Le viaduc de Millau was completed in 2004. Learn about the construction and safety mechanisms of the Millau viaduct in this listening comprehension exercise from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine (read my review).

9-28-06 - Demonstrative Pronouns - Pronoms démonstratifs
Demonstrative pronouns (this one, that one, these, those) refer to a previously-mentioned noun in a sentence. In French, they must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify.

9-26-06 - Que - French Conjunction
When the French word que is used as a conjunction, it is usually equivalent to "that," but can also have other meanings such as "whether" and "when."

9-25-06 - Gender in French
What is gender? How is it used? This index of French gender lessons covers everything related to grammatical gender.

9-22-06 - What Is the Best Way to Learn French?
Students always ask, "what's the best way to learn French?" Unfortunately, the best way to learn French may not be the affordable way to learn French or the practical way to learn French. Read this article to learn about the best way to learn French as well as the runners-up.

9-21-06 - 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.

9-19-06 - Basic French Listening
Even if you've just started learning French, you need to listen to as much as possible. The problem is that most French listening is at least intermediate level, which are far too difficult for beginners. Here are some simple French sound files dealing with basic topics like numbers and traveling.

9-18-06 - Expressions with Monter
Monter literally means to go up. It also has various additional meanings and is used in a number of idiomatic expressions relating to transportation and all kinds of literal and figurative upward movement.

9-15-06 - All about Paraître
Paraître is a very common and useful French verb. It is irregular in conjugation, can be impersonal, and means "to appear" or "to seem."

9-14-06 - Mnemonic être verbs
There are certain French verbs which require être as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé, and students sometimes have a hard time remembering them. You will eventually know instinctively which verbs take être, but in the meantime, you might want to try one of these mnemonic devices.

9-12-06 - All about Que
The French word que, which contracts to qu' in front of a vowel or mute h, has numerous uses and meanings. This lesson includes links to detailed information on each use of que.

9-11-06 - 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.

9-8-06 - French Crossword Puzzles - Mots fléchés
Mots fléchés are French crossword puzzles which provide clues within the puzzle itself, rather than in a list on the side. You can print out free mots fléchés to get a bit of challenging - and fun! - French practice every day.

9-7-06 - 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.

9-5-06 - Top 10 French Words
What are the most common French words? Here are the top 10, with links to lessons.

9-4-06 - Regular -RE Verbs
-RE verbs are the smallest category of regular French verbs. Study these conjugations in order to conjugate all regular -RE verbs.

9-1-06 - Review: Tell Me More French
Tell Me More is an all-in-one, award-winning software program. Divided into four levels (complete beginner, beginner, intermediate, and advanced), Tell Me More offers speech recognition and individual progress evaluation with 850 hours of French learning in more than 4,000 exercises.

8-31-06 - Expressions with Raconter
The French verb raconter, to tell, is used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about telling lies, telling one's life story, talking on and on, and more with this lesson.

8-30-06 - Imperative - l'Impératif
The imperative is a French mood which is used to  give an order, express a desire, offer advice, recommend something, and make a polite request. Learn the conjugations and uses of the French imperative.

8-29-06 - La Légion d'honneur
La Légion d'honneur is a prestigious French order that decorates both soldiers and civilians for outstanding achievements. Learn about the history and evolution of the Legion of Honor in this listening comprehension exercise from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine.

8-27-06 - French Astronomy Vocabulary
Learn French vocabulary related to astronomy to talk about planets, stars, and other celestial objects.

8-25-06 - Faux amis
Don't let similar words in French and English trick you - they don't always mean the same thing in both languages. Learn 5 new French false cognates: abus/abuse, disposer/dispose, humeur/humor, original/originel, and recette/receipt.

8-24-06 - Top 10 Pages
Week after week, there are certain pages on my site - mostly indexes to particular types of lessons - that consistently get high traffic. To make it easier for my readers to find these popular pages, I've put them together into a handy top 10 list that you can bookmark for future reference.

8-22-06 - Invariable Adjectives ~ Adjectifs invariables
In French, adjectives normally have to agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number. However, there are numerous adjectives which don't agree - they have a single form that does not change to reflect the gender or number of the noun. Many colors are invariable in French.

8-21-06 - Conditional - Le Conditionnel
The conditional is a verb mood used for events that are not guaranteed to occur; often they are dependent on certain conditions, usually translated as "would" in English.

8-18-06 - How to Read a French Menu
Reading the menu in a French restaurant can be a little tricky, and not just due to language difficulties. There may be important differences between restaurants in France and in your own country, including what food is offered and how it is prepared. Here are some terms and tips to help you find your way around a French menu.

8-17-06 - Meilleur vs Mieux
Meilleur and mieux can be confusing to French students. Meilleur is the comparative and superlative form of bon (good), while mieux is the comparative and superlative form of bien (well). When translating into English, there is no difference between meilleur and mieux, hence the confusion.

8-15-06 - French Homonyms: M and N
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones beginning with M and N.

8-14-06 - Informal Negation - Pas without Ne
If you've ever watched French movies or television, or chatted with native speakers, you have almost certainly heard pas (or another negative adverb) without ne, as this is a typical characteristic of informal and familiar French. Although it is nearly always written, ne is often dropped in spoken French.

8-11-06 - Number/Plurals
What is grammatical number? When does it matter?

8-10-06 - French Preterite ~ Le Passé simple
The passé simple is the literary equivalent of the passé composé, used only in formal writing and speech. Although you will probably never need to actually use the passé simple, it is important and easy to recognize it. Take a look at this lesson for passé simple conjugations of regular and irregular verbs.

8-8-06 - French Audio Magazines
French audio magazines are excellent learning tools, providing authentic French listening practice on a variety of topics. Of the five that I am familiar with, two are online and one is free.

8-7-06 - French Math Vocabulary
Whether you're teaching math operations in French class, planning to study math in a French school, or just interested in knowing French vocabulary from a new domain, this list of French math vocabulary will help you on your way.

8-4-06 - Les Galeries Lafayette
Les Galeries Lafayette is one of the most famous department stores in France. Learn about the history of the store and the people behind it in this listening comprehension exercise from Champs-Élysées audiomagazine (read my review).

8-3-06 - Nouveau vs Neuf
English speakers sometimes find it difficult to translate "new" into French, due to confusion over the French words nouveau and neuf. In fact, the French adjectives have distinctly different meanings; the problem is actually caused by the fact that the English "new" has more than one meaning. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to remedy. Read over this lesson, learn the difference between nouveau and neuf, and you won't have any more trouble saying new in French.

8-2-06 - Variable French Capitalization
In French, capitalization is sometimes variable. Direction words, nationalities, titles, and proper nouns may or may not be capitalized depending on how they are used.

8-1-06 - Today in Francophone History
Learn about today's famous francophone birthdays, holidays and celebrations, and other milestones.

7-31-06 - French Present Tense - Le Présent
The French present tense, called le présent or le présent de l'indicatif, is quite similar in usage to the English present tense. Learn how to use it with this lesson.

7-28-06 - Future Tense - Le Futur
The future is one of the simplest French tenses. There is only one set of endings, and most verbs - even those which are irregular in the present tense - use their infinitive as the root for the future tense. After studying this lesson, you will be able to talk about future events.

7-27-06 - Special Occasions
Learn how to say (and sing) happy birthday in French, and other French vocabulary for special occasions.

7-25-06 - All about Comment
The French adverb comment can be interrogative or exclamative and is one of the most common French words. Learn how to use comment to mean "how" and "what" as well as which uses of "how" in English are not translated by comment in French.

7-24-06 - Regular -IR Verbs
-IR verbs are the second most common category of regular French verbs. Once you've learned the rules of conjugation for them, you'll have no problem conjugating dozens of common verbs.

7-21-06 - Stressed/Disjunctive Pronouns - Pronoms disjoints
Stressed pronouns are used to emphasize a noun or pronoun that refers to a person. There are 9 forms in French, one of which (soi) sometimes confuses French learners. Study this lesson and then take the quiz.

7-18-06 - Introduction to French Sentences
A sentence (une phrase) is a group of words including at minimum a subject (which may be stated or implied) and a verb. Learn about French sentences, including sentence parts and the four different types of sentences.

7-17-06 - Intermediate French Mistakes 
After learning French for a while, whether in a class or on your own, you've probably found that there are some things you just can't figure out how to say, or that people are always correcting you on. These may be issues that you haven't been taught yet, or concepts that you've studied but just don't get. As an intermediate French speaker, there is still plenty of time to fix these mistakes before they fossilize in your mind. Here are ten of the most common intermediate-level French mistakes with links to lessons.

7-15-06 - Accented Capitals
You may have heard that capital letters are not supposed to be accented, when in fact whether or not to use accents on capital letters is entirely up to you. Most of the time they are not essential, and thus most French speakers leave them off. However, there are two instances where I recommend always using accents on capital letters.

7-14-06 - 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.

7-13-06 - Expressing Opinions
If you want to have a debate in French or discuss your opinions, you need to know the relevant vocabulary and expressions. This page offers suggestions for offering, supporting, asking for, and avoiding opinions in French.

7-11-06 - Ségolène Royal - présidente ?
Ségolène Royal is a socialist and is working hard to become France's first female president. Learn about her platform and her struggle in this discussion from LaGuinguette audio magazine.

7-10-06 - French Relative Pronouns ~ Pronoms relatifs ~ qui, que, lequel, dont, où
Just as in English, a relative pronoun links a dependent/relative clause to a main clause. There are no standard translations for French relative pronouns; depending on context, the English equivalents are who, whom, that, which, whose, where, or when. In French, relative pronouns are required, whereas in English, they are sometimes optional.

7-6-06 - Assimilation
Assimilation is a pronunciation phenomenon which causes consonant sounds to change according to the sounds that surround them. More specifically, assimilation occurs when voiced and unvoiced sounds are combined. Because it can be difficult to pronounce voiced and unvoiced sounds together, one or the other is assimilated: either a normally voiced consonant becomes unvoiced or a normally unvoiced consonant becomes voiced.

7-4-06 - Vocabulary Related to National Holidays and Patriotism
In honor of the 4th of July (American Independence Day) and the 14th of July (Bastille Day / French Independence Day), here is a list of French vocabulary related to the French and American national holidays.

7-3-06 - Expressions with Bout
The French noun un bout can mean tip, end, or bit, and is used in all kinds of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say fingertips, from one end to the other, through and through, to the limit, and more with this list of French expressions with bout.

6-30-06 - Toulouse Photo Gallery
Toulouse, also known as la Ville rose (Pink Town), is the fourth largest city in France. Located in the southwest of France, within a few hours of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterreanean Sea, and the Spanish border, Toulouse is a beautiful town filled with friendly people and interesting architecture.

6-29-06 - Regular -ER Verbs
-ER verbs are the most common category of regular French verbs.

6-27-06 - Conjunctive Phrases - Locutions conjonctives
A conjunctive phrase is a group of two or more words that functions as a conjunction, such as afin que and parce que. Conjunctive phrases usually end in que and are usually subordinating conjunctions.

6-26-06 - Introduction to Translation and Interpretation
Translation and interpretation are the ultimate jobs for people who love language. However, there are a lot of misunderstandings about these two fields, including the difference between them and what kind of skills and education they require. This article is an introduction to the fields of translation and interpretation.

6-22-06 - Apocopes / Abbreviations
It is very common in French for long words to be abbreviated by dropping one or more syllables at the end, and, in some instances, then adding an -o, such as dico, ordi, and métro. There are some apocopes which are so old that they are normal register, but most are informal or familiar, so use them with caution.

6-20-06 - Parts of Speech
Learning French is hard, and it's even harder if you don't understand the basics of grammar in your own language. If your mind boggles when people start talking about nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech, this lesson is for you.

6-19-06 - Expressions with Claquer
The verb claquer literally means to slap or to bang. It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions, including snapping one's heels or fingers, slamming the door, pulling a muscle, and more.

6-15-06 - Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are the words which replace nouns modified by possessive adjectives. In French there are different forms depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

6-12-06 - Top French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties
Many students find that pronunciation is the hardest part of learning French. The new sounds, the silent letters, the liaisons... they all combine to make speaking French very tricky. By listening to French as much as possible, and by studying and practicing the pronunciation aspects that you find most difficult, you can do a lot to improve your pronunciation. Here is a list of the top French pronunciation difficulties and mistakes, with links to detailed lessons and sound files.

6-9-06 - All about Chercher
Chercher is a regular -ER verb and means "to look for." Chercher is commonly used like its English counterpart, but there are a few aspects that make it a little tricky. This lesson explains which verb mood to use with chercher, the meaning of chercher followed by an infinitive, and a few essential expressions with chercher.

6-8-06 - Y and En ~ French Adverbial Pronouns
The adverbial pronouns y and en are so tiny that one might think their role in a sentence is not very important, but in fact they are both extremely important in French.

6-6-06 - Faux amis
Learn five new French-English word pairs that look similar but have different meanings: allure, comédien/comedian, messe/mess, prétendant/pretender, and puce.

6-5-06 - 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.

6-2-06 - Expressions with Paraître
The French verb paraître literally means to appear or to seem, and is used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say apparently, to die, to publish, and more with this list of expressions with paraître.

6-1-06 - Euphony
In French, there are rules about maintaining euphony; that is, agreeable or harmonious sound. French is a very musical language because it tends to flow from one word to the next with no hiatus (pause). In situations where euphony doesn't happen naturally, French requires that sounds be added or words changed.

5-30-06 - Le Centre Pompidou à Metz
Le Centre Pompidou will soon be found not just in Paris, but also in Metz. Learn about the idea behind this project, the architects who designed it, and some of the museums characteristics.

5-29-06 - Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives are the words used in place of articles to indicate to whom or to what something belongs. Their usage is similar to English, but there are some differences in form.

5-25-06 - Pronominal voice and reflexive verbs
Pronominal verbs are conjugated with a reflexive pronoun in addition to the subject. This lesson explains the types, usage, and word orderof pronominal verbs (including the placement of the reflexive pronoun in a sentence with two verbs), and the correct reflexive pronoun to use with the infinitive.

5-23-06 - 120 dictées de français
The publisher of the online French audio magazine La Guinguette has a new product to help you work on your French listening and writing skills at the same time. Dictation is a technique used in many language classes, and now 120 dictées de français offers hours of practice for independent learners.

5-22-06 - Auxiliary Verbs - Avoir and Être
An auxiliary verb is a conjugated verb used in front of another verb in compound tenses in order to help form the mood and tense of the verb. French verbs are classified by which auxiliary verb they take. Most French verbs use avoir, so you need to memorize this list of verbs that require être.

5-19-06 - All About Si
The French word si can be an adverb or a conjunction. Either way, si has several meanings and is used in numerous French constructions.

5-18-06 - Adjectives with special forms
Since French adjectives usually have to agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number, most of them have up to four forms. But there are several French adjectives that have an additional variation: a special form that is used when the adjective precedes a word that begins with a vowel or mute H.

5-16-06 - French Verb Conjugation
Conjugation refers to the five possible inflections of a verb. Once you've made a choice from each of these five, you have a conjugation or inflection. Some factors make it difficult to figure out the subject to conjugate for.

5-15-06 - French Vocabulary in English
Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of words and expressions from French. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their "Frenchness" - a certain je ne sais quoi which speakers tend to be much more aware of. Here, then, is a list of French terms commonly used in English.

5-12-06 - Narbonne
Narbonne is a little-known town with with a lot of history in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. Learn about the past and present of this beautiful town with this listening comprehension exercise.

5-11-06 - Qui vs Que
What's the difference between qui, que, and quoi? They all mean "what," so how do you know which one to use? This lesson has the answers.

5-8-06 - Expressions with Sonner
The verb sonner literally means to ring and is used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized. Learn how to talk about ringing bells, ringing ears, ringing hollow, and more with this lesson.

5-5-06 - Living Sentences
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 Living Sentences, is a fun way to practice vocabulary and verbs.

5-4-06 - True Cognates
Even if you're just starting to learn French, you already know 1,700 words. True cognates are words that are spelled (although not pronounced) identically in French and English and have the same meaning. Take a look at this list to discover just how much vocabulary is shared between French and English.

5-2-06 - Easy French Poetry Podcast
Easy French Poetry Podcast is a French conversation podcast about poetry. This unique project combines listening practice with an analysis of French poetry and is ideal for high-intermediate French students, though any level student from low-intermediate to advanced can benefit from listening to French poetry read by a native French speaker.

5-1-06 - Negative Adverbs
Making sentences negative in French is a bit different than in English, due to the two-part negative adverb and the sometimes difficult issue of placement. Normally, ne...pas is the first negative adverb that we learn. But there are actually many negative adverbs used just like it, so once you understand ne...pas, you can make just about any sentence negative.

4-28-06 - French Polls
The About French site is now seven years old, and I'd love to know more about the people who use it. I've created a series of 10 polls with questions about your French learning and your use of this site - you can respond to any number of them and then see the results for each individual poll.

4-27-06 - À vs De ~ French Prepositions
The French prepositions à and de cause constant problems for French students. Generally speaking, à means to, at, or in, while de means of or from. Both prepositions have numerous uses - this summary table compares them.

4-25-06 - La loi Evin
La loi Evin regulates the advertising of alcohol in France. Learn about this law and the reasoning behind it in this listening comprehension exercise.

4-24-06 - Partir, S'en aller, Sortir, Quitter, Laisser
There are five French verbs that mean to leave: partir, s'en aller, sortir, quitter, and laisser. These all have different meanings, so how do you know which one to use? Study this lesson to find out.

4-21-06 - French Homophones: G to L
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones beginning with G, I, J, and L.

4-20-06 - French Adjectives ~ Les Adjectifs
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun - it can describe shape, color, size, and many other aspects of a noun. French adjectives are very different from English adjectives, for two main reasons.

4-19-06 - Meetup: French Language Conversation Groups
So you're learning French, but are you using it? An excellent way to practice and remember the French you're learning is to join a French language conversation group. Not only will your French improve, but you'll probably meet some interesting people along the way.

4-18-06 - Temporal words and phrases 
Talking about time requires a fair amount of vocabulary. Here are dozens of French words and expressions related to time, including periods of time, points in time, relative time, and frequency.

4-17-06 - Largonji / Loucherbem / Louchébème - French Slang
Largonji, also called loucherbem or louchébème, is a form of French slang that consists of playing around with syllables, much like pig Latin. It is a secret language that was invented by the butchers of la Villette in Paris.

4-13-06 - Expressions with Rouler
Rouler literally means to roll, to wheel along, or to con, and is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about rolling on the ground laughing, rolling out dough, getting swindled, going 80 km per hour, and more useful expressions with this lesson.

4-12-06 - Le CPE
In January 2006, the French government passed a labor reform law that sparked off protests around the country. Learn about the CPE and why it was so distasteful to French students and workers in this audio report from LaGuinguette audio magazine (read my review).

4-11-06 - All About Tenir
Tenir is an irregular -IR verb and usually means "to hold" or "to keep." Tenir has a number of other meanings, including some which depend on the preposition that follows.

4-10-06 - Top 10 Beginning French Mistakes
When you start learning French, there's a lot to remember - new vocabulary, all kinds of verb conjugations, strange spelling... just about everything is different. It's normal to make mistakes, but it's in your best interest to try to fix them as soon as possible. The longer you make the same mistake, the harder it will be for you to get it right later on. With this in mind, this article discusses ten of the most common French mistakes made by beginners, so that you can fix these problems right from the beginning.

4-6-06 - Position of French Adjectives
The use of French adjectives can be difficult, because they may be placed before or after the noun, depending on their type and meaning. This lesson can help you understand where to put French adjectives.

4-4-06 - All about Any
The English word "any" has numerous French translations, depending on what it means and whether it is used as an adjective, pronoun, or adverb.

4-3-06 - Expressions with Demander
The verb demander literally means to ask and is used in a number of idiomatic expressions which must be memorized. Learn how to ask for assistance, to ask for a favor, to ask to speak to someone, and more with this lesson.

3-31-06 - Faux amis
Learn five new faux amis: ado, crâne/crane, confortable/comfortable, mandat/mandate, and pan.

3-30-06 - French Past Tenses ~ Le Passé
One of the most striking differences between French and English is in verb tenses. Learning how to use the various past tenses can be very tricky, because English has several tenses which either do not exist in or do not translate literally into French - and vice versa. Learn the difference between the passé composé and the imparfait with this lesson.

3-29-06 - Introduction to French
If you've ever wondered where French came from and how it fits in with other languages, or what exactly a Romance language is, here is some basic information.

3-28-06 - Agreement with verbs of perception
The rules of agreement for verbs of perception in the compound tenses are a bit different than for other verbs. Rather than agreeing with the direct object, as for most verbs conjugated with avoir in the compound tenses, verbs of perception only require agreement when the subject precedes the verb.

3-27-06 - Adverbial French Adjectives
By now you know that French adjectives normally agree with the nouns they modify, but you've probably seen a few cases where they don't. There are a number of French adjectives which are often used as adverbs (that is, they modify verbs rather than nouns), and when used in this way, these "adverbial adjectives" are invariable.

3-26-06 - French Club Tips and Ideas
Are you thinking about creating your own French club or looking to spice up one you already attend? This isn't as daunting as it sounds - all you need to do is find a meeting place and some members, decide on meeting frequency, and plan a few interesting activities. This article can help you find the way.

3-24-06 - Mémoires de François Mitterrand
January 2006 marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of François Mitterrand, the first and so far only socialist president of France. Learn about Mitterrand and some of the people who loved him in this listening comprehension exercise.

3-23-06 - Dessus and Dessous
The adverbs dessus and dessous are used alone as well as in a number of adverbial phrases, such as au-dessus/dessous, là-dessus/dessous, par-dessus/dessous, and more. Despite their similar spelling, dessus and dessous are exact opposites.

3-22-06 - Top 15 Expressions Lessons
Idiomatic expressions are key to language learning. When you learn French, it can seem like there is always more grammar to learn, but in fact grammar lessons are finite. Expressions, on other hand, are virtually endless. No matter how much you study, it sometimes feels like there are always a couple of new expressions in whatever you read. To help you learn some of the most common French expressions, I've put together a list of the top 15 lists of French expressions on my site.

3-21-06 - Photo Gallery: Carcassonne, France
Carcassonne, located about 60 miles southeast of Toulouse, is a beautiful medieval city with two sites on Unesco's World Heritage list (the Canal du Midi and la Cité de Carcassonne). Even in the winter, there can be quite a few tourists around, because this charming town is well worth a visit at any time of year.

3-20-06 - International Day of Francophonie
Join the celebration around the world.

3-16-06 - Warm-Up Activities + Fillers
Most language teachers find that there is a bit of dead time during class. This may occur at the beginning of class, as the students are arriving; at the end of class, as they are thinking about leaving; and right in the middle of class, when transitioning from one lesson to another. During this dead time, the best option is to spend five or ten minutes on a short, interesting activity.

3-14-06 - Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame is one of the largest and most visited cathedrals in France. Learn about the history and maintenance of this famous Parisian monument.

3-13-06 - Money + Banking Vocabulary
A basic introduction to French vocabulary related to money and banking, with links to more detailed sources.

3-10-06 - Faux amis
Don't let similar-looking words fool you - learn about five new false cognates: crispé/crisp, devise, dot, impair, and trafiquer/traffic.

3-9-06 - Accord - French Agreement
Agreement is arguably one of the most difficult aspects of the French language. This summary of the different types of agreement includes links to detailed lessons on each grammatical point.

3-7-06 - Photo Gallery: Albi, France
Albi is a medieval city located about 50 miles north-east of Toulouse. Known for its Toulouse-Lautrec museum and spectacular Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile and located on the banks of the Tarn River, Albi is a pleasant place to spend the day.

3-6-06 - French Tongue Twisters - Les Virelangues
Tongue twisters, known as virelangues in French, are words or phrases which are repeated as quickly as possible as a test of the speaker's ability to correctly pronounce the succession of similar sounds. For French students, les virelangues provide an interesting insight into the French language as well as a way to practice phrases which are difficult even for native speakers.

3-2-06 - L'On or On?
On is the French impersonal subject pronoun, and normally shouldn't be preceded by l' - neither the direct object nor the definite article. However, if you've been studying French for a while, particularly written French, you've probably seen l'on where you expected to find on and wondered what that l' was doing there. Here's everything you need to know.

2-27-06 - Make a Mardi Gras Mask
Mardi Gras, which means "fat Tuesday" in French, is celebrated inmany francophone regions. Mardi Gras masks are a traditional part of thisannual celebration, and making them is a fun and very creative project.

2-24-06 - Word order with verbs of perception
Word order with French verbs of perception depends on whether the infinitive has a subject and/or object and whether these are nouns or pronouns.

2-22-06 - Verlan - French Slang
Verlan is a form of French slang that consists of playing around with syllables, kind of along the same lines as pig Latin. Verlan is actively spoken in France - many words have become so commonplace that they are used in everyday French.

2-21-06 - All about Sembler
Sembler is a very common and useful French verb. It is a regular -ER verb, can be personal or impersonal, and may be followed by the subjunctive.

2-20-06 - Expressions related to invitations
There are a number of different ways to extend, accept, and refuse invitations in French, both formally and informally.

2-19-06 - Restaurants in Paris
In February 2006, some friends and I spent four days eating our way around Paris. Here are the restaurants we liked.

2-18-06 - Expressions with Tirer
The French verb tirer usually means to pull, but it has numerous other meanings and is also used in many different idiomatic expressions. Learn how to juice, to criticize, to sell at rock-bottom prices and more with this list of expressions.

2-18-06 - Daily French Newsletter
Practicing French every day is key to becoming fluent. This 14-day newsletter course offers dozens of ideas and links for daily French practice.

2-17-06 - French Homophones: C
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones.

2-16-06 - Languages and Nationalities in French
Learn to talk about languages and nationalities in French - vocabulary and sound files.

2-14-06 - C'est de l'amour véritable !
Old age does not have to mean the end of living, or even loving. In this listening comprehension exercise, a 90-year-old man shares his thoughts on how to get the most out of life and love, at any age.

2-13-06 - French Love Language
French is the language of love, so what better language is there to express your love? Here are some key French words and phrases related to love, friendship, and special occasions.

2-9-06 - Fickle French Adjectives
There are a number of French adjectives which have different meanings depending on where they are placed. Generally speaking, when the adjective precedes the noun, it has a figurative or subjective meaning, whereas the adjective which follows the noun has a literal or objective meaning.

2-8-06 - Le Petit Prince - Audiobook
Le Petit Prince is the wonderfully touching and creative story of a man who meets an extraordinary boy and relearns what it means to be a child. It is a French classic in children's literature, as well as an excellent book for beginning-to-intermediate French students and for anyone who is tired of acting like « une grande personne ».

2-7-06 - French Passive Constructions
Passive constructions are those in which a verb's action is performed on the subject, rather than the subject performing the action as in active (normal) constructions. The passive voice is the most common French passive construction, but there are a couple of others to watch out for as well.

2-6-04 - LL - French Pronunciation
In French, the double L is sometimes pronounced like an L, and other times like a Y. How do you know when to pronounce it each way? This lesson explains the general rules and the inevitable exceptions.

2-4-06 - Daily French Practice
Daily French practice is a must, as it is only by practicing and using your French that you will be able to retain what you've learned and, eventually, develop fluency. Aside from the obvious ways to practice, like speaking up in class and reading books, there are a number of ways you can incorporate French into your daily life.

2-3-06 - Faux amis
Don't let similar-looking words fool you - learn about five new false cognates: futile, ingrat/ingrate, label, rat, and restauration/restoration.

2-2-06 - Expressions with Casser / Se Casser
The French verbs casser and se casser literally mean to break, and are also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to talk about breaking someone, boring someone stiff, warning someone, making an omelette by breaking eggs, and more.

2-1-06 - 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.

1-31-06 - All about Passer
Passer is a very common and useful French verb. It is a regular -ER verb but may be conjugated with avoir or être in the compound tenses, depending on whether it is transitive or intransitive.

1-30-06 - Impersonal French - Le français impersonnel
Grammatically speaking, impersonal refers to words or structures which are invariable; that is, they do not specify a grammatical person. This index to impersonal French includes impersonal expressions, pronouns, verbs, and passive structures.

1-26-06 - Expressions with Coup
The French noun un coup literally refers to a shock or blow. It is also used in dozens of idiomatic expressions, noun clauses, and prepositional phrases. Learn how to talk about luck, glances, surges of anger, love at first sight, and much more with this list of expressions with coup.

1-24-06 - French verbs of perception
Verbs of perception are verbs which, logically enough, indicate a perception or sensation. There are six common French verbs of perception, and they may be followed by a noun or an infinitive.

1-23-06 - Gender Patterns
French gender is a constant headache for many students of French. There's no simple way to know the gender of every noun other than just learning the gender with each word. There are, however, some patterns in suffixes and word endings - certain endings tend to indicate masculine nouns, while other endings favor feminine nouns. These gender patterns are not fool-proof, but they can help you to figure out the gender of many French nouns.

1-20-06 - More Graffiti ~ French Listening Comprehension
If you enjoyed parts 1 and 2 of the graffiti listening exercise a few weeks ago, you're in luck: here are parts 3 and 4 with more information about graffiti, including how graffiti artists earn money and a brief history of the art, plus a photo of the finished design from part 1.

1-19-06 - Expressions with Payer
The French verb payer literally means "to pay (for)." It is also used in a number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to pay in kind, pay for the damages, pay out of one's own pocket, and more.

1-18-06 - Keep a French Journal - French Project
There are any number of ways to practice French every day, and one easy and interesting one is to keep a French journal. This project, which can be done in class or independently, is fully adaptable for any level and duration.

1-17-06 - French Homophones
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones.

1-15-06 - Mot du jour Tips
If you visit the Mot du jour page every weekday, you're well on your way to increasing your French vocabulary, but what can you do to retain all of those new words? Here is a collection of tips and tricks from other Mot du jour lovers.

1-13-06 - French Listening Tips
This site includes dozens of French listening exercises for all levels, but sometimes it's difficult to figure out the best way to use them. Should you listen first, and then read the transcript, or is it ok to listen and read at the same time? This article offers ideas on how to make the most of the listening exercises on this site as well as your own audio tools.

1-12-06 - Only / Not Only - Ne... que, Seulement, and their negatives
There are two common French equivalents for the restrictive only in English: ne... que and seulement. These two terms mean essentially the same thing, but their negative forms are a bit more complicated.

1-10-06 - Expressions with Passer
The French verb passer usually means to pass, and is also used in many idiomatic expressions.

1-9-06 - French Presentatives ~ Les Présentatifs
French presentatives are terms which introduce something at the same time that they emphasize it. They are not a single part of speech, but rather a category of terms which includes various prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and expressions used in this particular way.

1-8-06 - Learn French
Learning French is an ongoing and involved process. You can't learn French overnight, and you probably can't learn it entirely on your own, no matter how many books and tapes you buy. What you can do is use resources like this site to supplement your classes.

1-6-06 - Graffiti ~ Listening comprehension
Graffiti does not necessarily equal vandalism. It's a means of personal and even artistic expression. Learn about some of the people and techniques behind graffiti.

1-5-06 - Comparatives and Superlatives
This lesson has been around for a long time, but I've just made it better, with clearer explanations, more detailed descriptions, and additional examples. I now consider it one of the best explanations of French comparatives and superlatives that exist. :-)

1-4-06 - Back to School - French Class
With the holidays out of the way, it's time to think about school again. 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 you need 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.

1-3-06 - Faux amis
Don't let similar-looking words fool you - learn about the following false cognates: basque, décade/decade, forfait/forfeit, manger, and retard.

1-2-06 - Travel French newsletter
Taking a trip to France or another francophone country? My six-week Travel French newsletter is just the thing - learn the essential French vocabulary and phrases you may need during your trip, from making reservations and eating at restaurants to getting around and dealing with emergencies.
 

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