Tips and guides to help you learn French
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French Noun Gender: How to Guess Masculine or Feminine
A practical guide to guessing whether a French noun is masculine or feminine from its ending, covering the endings that…
OtherBlogGrammar -
How French Intonation Works
French has no word stress, only a rising and falling melody across each sentence. Learn to ride that wave and…
OtherBlogSpeaking -
Where to Start with French Novels
Your first French novel doesn’t have to be a slog. Here’s how to pick a short, readable book you can…
OtherBlogReading -
French Liaison Rules: When to Link Words and When Not To
A clear guide to French liaison, the silent consonant that links words in spoken French. Learn when you must link,…
OtherBlogListening -
Tu vs Vous: When to Use the Formal and Informal You in French
Confused about when to say tu or vous in French? This guide explains the formal and informal you, with clear…
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French False Friends: Words That Don’t Mean What You Think
A guide to French false friends like actuellement and rester that look like English words but mean something else. Learn…
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Graded Readers: A Simple Way to Start Reading French
Graded readers are short books written for language learners at a fixed level. They build reading confidence faster than native…
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When You Actually Need the French Subjunctive
The French subjunctive only appears in a handful of predictable situations. Learn the trigger phrases and you can spot it…
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Understanding French Numbers and Prices When They’re Spoken Fast
You know your French numbers, but spoken prices still slip past you. Here is why numbers blur together in real…
OtherBlogListening -
French Nasal Vowels: How to Hear and Say On, An, In, and Un
Nasal vowels are the sounds that make bon, blanc, and vin trip up learners. Here’s how to hear them, produce…
OtherBlogSpeaking -
The French Filler Words You Actually Hear: Du Coup, Genre, and Voila
Textbooks skip them, but native French speakers use filler words like du coup, genre, and voila constantly. Here’s what they…
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How to Pronounce the French R Without Overthinking It
The French R is made at the back of the mouth, not the front, and the tongue tip stays still.…
OtherBlogSpeaking -
Passé Composé vs Imparfait: When to Use Each Tense
Struggling to choose between the passé composé and the imparfait? Learn the simple completed versus background rule, with real French…
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How to Read French News Without Reaching for the Dictionary
Practical habits that let French learners follow real French news stories without stopping to translate every word.
OtherBlogReading -
Why French Sounds So Fast (and How to Keep Up)
French and English are spoken at nearly the same speed. The real reason French sounds so fast is liaison, syllable…
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French Words in English
English speakers already know thousands of French words without realising it. Here is where they hide, the spelling patterns to…
OtherBlogVocabulary