Confusing French Pairs
Confusing French Pairs Quiz
Quiz on a variety of confusing French pairs.
À vs De
These little words cause big problems! Learn all about these common prepositions.
Amener, Emmener, Apporter, Emporter
Learn how to say "to take" and "to bring" in French.
An/Année, Jour/Journée, Matin/Matinée, Soir/Soirée
There are two French words for year (an, année), day (jour, journée), morning (matin, matinée), and evening (soir, soirée). This lesson will help you learn to tell these confusing pairs apart.
Apprendre, Enseigner, Instruire, Éduquer
These four verbs mean "to teach," but there are subtle differences in meaning and usage. Learn to recognize and use these four verbs correctly.
Après, Ensuite, Puis - "Then" in French
Après, ensuite and puis are used to indicate the order of events. This lesson should help you to understand the difference between these terms and thus use them correctly.
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.
Dans vs En
The prepositions en and dans can both be used to express time and location in French, but their uses are completely different.
Depuis vs Pendant, En vs Dans
Je vais dans or en une heure? Je vais pendant or pour deux semaines? 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.
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.
Habiter vs Vivre - To Live
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.
Number Expressions
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....
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.
Parce que, Car, Puisque, Comme
The French conjunctions parce que, car, puisque, and comme are commonly used to draw conclusions or otherwise relate a cause or explanation with a result or conclusion. These conjunctions have similar but not identical meanings and uses - this lesson explains the difference.
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.
Temporal prepositions
Learn the difference between pendant, depuis, dans, en, and à.
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.
To Take
Learn the difference between prendre, amener, and the other French equivalents of "to take."
Tu vs Vous
It is essential to understand the difference between the two words for "you."
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 explained and dissected in this lesson.