By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! In this episode we’ll go through some expressions meaning “to understand” (and a few more!) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Piger = comprendre On lui a montré une fois comment utiliser le logiciel et il a tout de suite pigé le truc. Je pige que dalle à cet exo de maths ! Un exo = un exercice Ca ..read more

Listener Nancy would like to clarify when “ne” can be dropped in French. When is it possible to deliberately forget this common 2-letter word? Is there any change in the meaning? Listen to find out! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je n’aime pas quand tu fumes = j’aime pas quand tu fumes. La famille n’a plus d’argent à la fin du mois. = La famille a plus d’argent à la fin du mois. Je n’ai rien compris ! = J’ai rien compris ! Vous n’êtes jamais allé en France ? = Vous êtes jamais allé en France ? La voisine est une mégère, elle n’aime personne = La voisine e ..read more

When students write in French, I often see words spelled with an initial uppercase which shouldn’t be: the English language uses capital letters in more situations than the French language does – typically with days of the week or months of the year. Let’s go through a useful checklist of words that require a capital letter in French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode les Français, les Européens, les Vikings une Française, une femme française la langue française, le français la Joconde La Nuit des temps (de Barjavel) La Bête humaine (de Zola) Le Petit Prince ..read more

Live workshops are back! More information and bookings open on my events page: https://frenchyourway.com.au/events If you can’t attend, don’t worry: you will receive the replay video as well as the worksheet and answers. Upcoming events: Dictée en français / French dictation Sunday May 22nd at 9pm Paris time. Imparfait vs passé composé Thursday May 26th at 10pm Paris time. Check out my events page Subscribe to my newsletter to receive special discount codes for the workshops. Looking forward to working with you! Jessica The post FYW : Live workshops are back! May 2022 appeared first on Fre ..read more

As if it were not challenging enough to get to understand French spoken at normal speed, how to understand a French conversation when there is background noise/music, or a piece of French audio that’s not clearly audible? In this episode inspired by a question from Fiona, I will share some tips on how you can work on this and improve and I will also stress the importance to accept that you ARE always going to miss some words (and how to work on that, too). Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode “C’est une idée très schtroumpfante ! » « Tu as bien d ..read more

Fiona from Melbourne Australia asked me to explain the difference between the verbs “sentir” and “ressentir” in French. Let’s go through the differences in their use and in the structure of the sentences. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode L’odorat (nm) sentir des fleurs / un parfum / l’odeur de l’herbe coupée. Tu ne sens pas comme une odeur de fumée ? Le toucher Touche ! Sens comme c’est doux / rugueux. Je sens le soleil / le vent / le froid sur ma peau. Ça sent le printemps ! Je sens que je vais réussir cet examen. Calmez-vous les enfant ..read more

Here’s a selection of 5 mistakes commonly made by English students learning French. Some may be a “simple” refresher (but we really need to drill those in, don’t we!), some of them may be new to you depending on your level of French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je vais bien. Je suis bien. Comment allez-vous ? Comment êtes-vous ? Je compte aller en France (pour) 6 mois en 2023. LINKS and RESOURCES FYW 002 : “For” (+ duration): Avoid Saying “Pour” if Possible! FYW 090 : How to say “I miss you” in French? The post FYW 240: 5 Common Mistakes in French Th ..read more

This episode was inspired by a question from listener Philip: “Recently, a thunderstorm damaged my internet connection. The router displayed the error message “réseau non détecté”. I was surprised, because I would have said “pas détecté”. When should we use “pas” or “non” to mean “not”?” Let’s see examples and learn about the difference between spoken and written French, what the official rules are and how everyday French bends these rules. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode N’entre(z) pas. (Merci de / prière de) Ne pas entrer. Ne fume(z) pas dans le train Ne ..read more

By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! Warning : in this episode, I’ve gathered some very familiar, common French expressions around pee, poo and fart. Not appropriate for children’s ears (or if you’re easily shocked). Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Emmerder “Les non-vaccinés, j’ai très envie de les emmerder” (E. Macron) « Arrêtez ..read more

In my last newsletter and YouTube video, I asked for your input/feedback on what you struggle most with in French and I took note of your difficulties (some of which I still need to think about how to best address them.) One aspect of French grammar which came back several times was how to tell whether a noun is masculine or feminine. Listen for my best tips and use the link below for my detailed article AND free downloadable worksheet to test yourself! LINKS and RESOURCES Masculine or Feminine? Telling the Gender of French Nouns (includes free downloadable worksheet to test yourself) FYW 032 ..read more