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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This recording is in French, here’s the outline of what I talk about to help you follow: A comeback video in a new environment: we’re in France! We’ve been settling down, enjoying family time after two years of separation, finally meeting my little (and very cute nephew), creating memories (e.g we took the kids to the snow!) The children have started attending French school...on and off really, due to the absurd C*vid protocols in place here. Still, I’m hoping this will give me some time to...

By popular demand, I'll record some 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 ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find my short eBook "How to improve your French conversation skills" useful! It includes a section featuring common differences between French as you know it and as it is actually spoken in real...

A simple French grammar tip can help you go a long way to efficiently translate common expressions from English to French! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Rien/quelque chose / quelqu’un / personne + DE + adj SING MASC rien de spécial / de grave / d'important / d'urgent quelqu’un d’important / de généreux / d'honnête… BUT de BIEN vs BON quelque chose de bizarre / d'étonnant / d'incroyable / secret

I received an email from Abhijit's, Tasmania, who is struggling to translate some sentences from English to French. He says he prefers to learn phrases as opposed to grammar and asks for my opinion and any potential book recommendation. This is a good opportunity for me to share MY thoughts about the best way to learn French language. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Take this conversation: Hey! I haven't heard from you for a while. How are you? and...

By popular demand, I'll record some 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 ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find my short eBook "How to improve your French conversation skills" useful! It includes a section featuring common differences between French as you know is and as it is actually spoken in real...

What's the difference between SUR and DESSUS, or SOUS and DESSOUS? Can they be used interchangeably? In this episode we'll see how to use these words in sentences, along with more examples and a vocabulary booster! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le livre est sur la table. Il est dessus. Sur, dessus Sous, dessous (underneath, below, on the bottom / back side) Dans, dedans. J'ai oublié les clés dans la voiture. J'ai oublié les clés dedans ! Hors...

This is yet another question from Artur, who was featured in the previous episode! 😉 "I recently stumbled upon one hitch in one exercise in a course, namely: "Si quelque chose tente Robert, il l'achète" becomes "Il achète ce qui le tente." According to you, it should be: "Il achète ce que le tente"? I am confused here. Could you clarify this?" The difference between QUI and QUE is by far my most popular post and as such, is well worth a brush-up! See the links to my article, audio...

Here's a question from Artur: "I wonder if the last letter "t" is pronounced in the phrase "Il part en chantant", because of the liaison? Same question for "c'est une bonne idée." I've heard some folks pronounce "t" and some not." What do you think? How would you pronounce the above sentences? Give it a try then listen to find out! LINKS and RESOURCES My online course "How to sound like a native French speaker - Everything you need to know about French pronunciation, intonation and...

I received the following question from Jane: Hi Jessica, I am new to your podcasts but hoping to work my way through them slowly as I study French. I am very much enjoying them. I have just listened to episode 6 (FYW 006 : "To demand” vs “Demander": ) and have a question about agreement in the following sentence : "Mon mari m’a demandée en mariage à Uluru." Why do you use the -ée on "demandée"? Doesn't this verb agree with your husband ("mon mari")? Here's a great opportunity for...

An end-of-the year message for you in both English and French, with the French text below :-) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Bonjour à tous, J'espère que vous allez bien. Je voulais dire avec vous "au revoir" à cette année 2020 et vous adresser mes meilleurs vœux pour 2021 ! En français, on dit "Meilleurs vœux", ou "Bonne année, bonne santé". Et le "bonne santé" n'a jamais été aussi sincère que cette année, que le Covid-19 a rendu si spéciale. Donc,...

What's the difference between TROUVER and RETROUVER in French? Listen in! And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast ;-) Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode J'ai trouvé des clés dans la rue. J'ai retrouvé mes clés dans la poche de mon pantalon. Après des mois de confinement, nous retrouvons la liberté. Mes anciens camarades de classe se sont retrouvés après 20 ans. J'ai rencontré ma meilleure amie à l'université. J'ai retrouvé ma meilleure amie à...

Martha from Cape Cod in the USA is confused about when to use the verb FALLOIR and when to use DEVOIR in French. As a result, she says she exclusively uses DEVOIR. The two verbs actually have the same meaning but the structure of the sentence will be different. Let's see how they work, with concrete examples. I'll also give you additional meanings for DEVOIR 😉 Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Devoir = je dois, tu dois, il/elle/on doit, nous devons, vous...

Lacking a sense of direction is the surest way to ending up nowhere, feeling all over the place, overwhelmed and eventually discouraged. Find out how you can define your French learning goals and stay focused using the SMART goals tool. Links and Resources "How long does it take to learn French?" (article) "How long does it take to learn French?" (episode 182 of French Your Way Podcast) "How to stay motivated learning French?" (episode 24 of French Your Way Podcast)

Listener Rebecca is confused about the different forms of the French word "nouveau" and how it is different from the word "neuf". Let's clarify the difference and learn new expressions along the way! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Nouveau(x), nouvel(le) un nouveau jour, une nouvelle nuit un nouvel ordinateur un nouvel iPhone Avez-vous lu le nouveau Werber ? / vu le nouveau Besson ? / écouté le nouveau CD de Cabrel ? Le nouvel élève est intimidé. /...