FrenchPod101.com Blog

Are you planning on visiting France soon? Or even on settling down? Maybe you’re just curious about the country in general. Whatever the reason, you’ve come to the perfect place to learn about what makes France so special.

France is considered one of the most culturally influential countries in the world, and this is not surprising. This country has a lot to offer: a wealth of history and art, fine food, booming entertainment industries, a chic fashion scene, and strong values.

On this page, you’ll learn the most important French culture facts, from core values to general lifestyle.

Table of Contents

1. French Values
2. Religions and Cults
3. Relationships
4. Lifestyle
5. Art and Entertainment
6. Food and Wine
7. French Holidays
8. Le Mot De La Fin

1. French Values

Understanding French culture begins with a working knowledge of the values and mindset of the French. 

A- Why is it Difficult to Define a “French Culture”?

While the concept of a “melting pot” is an integral part of the American culture, it has always been a bit more contentious in France. What is the French culture exactly? Should it be viewed as the culture from the mainland? But then what about Corsica and our five overseas regions?

Today, France is not the patchwork of local customs nor the disparate collection of communities it was only two centuries ago. However, it’s still home to numerous indigenous and foreign languages as well as multiple ethnicities and religions—and all of this on top of the regional diversity of the metropolitan territories.

Somehow, France managed to develop a certain shared “cultural identity.” It came not only from the education system, military service, and local politics, but also from profoundly influential historical events such as the French Revolution in 1789, the two World Wars, and the social revolution in 1968.

Despite some recent efforts to promote multiculturalism and communitarianism (through the preservation of regional languages and the decentralization of power), a number of events have put this fragile culture under a lot of pressure: 

• the depopulation of the countryside
• large waves of non-Christian immigrant communities
• centralization
• market forces
• the globalization of the world economy

However, there is still a sense of pride in our national identity and in the achievements of France. The interracial blending also makes for a vibrant pool of talents, from popular music to literature, music, art, and more.

B- Core Values of the French Republic 

Liberty, equality, and fraternity have defined the French people since the eighteenth century (often called the Age of Enlightenment). The motto “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” first appeared during the French Revolution and was later written into the Constitution in 1958, officially becoming part of the French national heritage.

Do these values still hold true in France today? While French citizens are mainly concerned about social inequalities, loss of liberties, and abuses of power, this is a very delicate question. Nevertheless, it remains an ideal we want to hold on to.

C- The French Mindset

There are a few defining French culture characteristics concerning specific values and the French mindset. Of course, this varies a lot depending on one’s social circle and level of education, but there are some general trends.

Freedom is greatly valued and people are often defiant toward authorities: government and police alike. Suspicions of corruption or abuse of power easily arise and can have a huge impact on people’s perception of the current elected officials.

Freedom of speech is usually seen as essential. Nowadays, it is arguably impaired by a certain obsession with political correctness. Public expressions that are deemed inappropriate are even punishable by law as they can potentially foster hatred.

However, we still value critical thinking and education, and the French often try to appear knowledgeable about culture, literature, world events, science, or…well, basically everything. In France, you don’t need to look tough, have perfect hair, or possess amazing dance skills. If you want to stand out, you need to be educated and assertive.

Having an open mind is generally regarded as an important quality. Even though there is still a lot of work ahead of us, the French are rather progressive in their mentalities regarding different religions and are more willing to dive into new cultures. Gender inequalities are on the decline and LGBT rights have come a long way in recent years.

Social classes are still a thing, with the upper class rarely mingling with the ‘commoners,’ a general disconnect from the rural world, and increasing social inequality. On an encouraging note, the public opinion is showing more and more awareness of those issues. For example, when Presidents Sarkozy or Macron were displaying too much wealth or scorning the working class, their popularity quickly went down.

La Révolution Française (“The French Revolution”) – 1789

2. Religions and Cults

In French culture, religion is a hot topic—making it an essential factor to mention in our overview.

A- Freedom of Religion

France is a secular country. This means that, by law, the French government remains neutral concerning religion; as such, it should neither enforce nor prohibit citizens’ free exercise of religion. French citizens are free to choose any religion (or none), and it’s a private matter that shall never interfere with official affairs.

No “God saves the President” or swearing on the Bible in France. When the loi sur la séparation de l’Église et de l’État (“Law on the Separation of the Church and State”) came into effect in 1905, so did the “freedom to practice religion.”

It’s important to understand that this set of laws is by no means a weapon against religion. It is only returning all religions to the private sector and guaranteeing state secularism in the public sphere. The French state does not favor any particular religion and should aim at maintaining their peaceful co-existence.

In the same spirit, the law of March 15, 2004, prohibits all religious clothing and accessories from being worn in schools (as children are considered more vulnerable to indoctrination). This specific law caused some outrage among part of the Muslim community and is still a hot topic.

B- Dominant Religions in France

According to a recent official poll by the French government:

• 37% of French people identify with some religion
• 31% are atheists and 15% agnostics
• 10% are indifferent to religion

14% of French people take part in some religious practice at least once a month (religious office or events, group prayers, etc.).

Catholicism is by far the most dominant religion in the country, way ahead of Protestantism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. It’s interesting to note how heavily Islam has weighed on the public debate, despite there being a very small number of Muslim believers in France.

Even though France boasts a glorious Catholic legacy, with numerous architectural masterpieces such as Notre-Dame and the Cathédrale de Reims, Christianity is on the decline and few people attend Mass anymore. This decline is especially prominent among the younger generations.

Le Mont Saint Michel

3. Relationships

Every culture has its own ways of perceiving and handling different relationships. Let’s take a look at French cultural norms when it comes to family, couples, and friends.

A- Family

The family is an important cohesive component of French society and each member has certain responsibilities. Gender equality hasn’t been fully achieved yet, but both parents are usually working and making important household decisions together.

Family members are generally close. They take meals together during the week and it’s common to gather with extended family on weekends. When they’re not living under the same roof anymore, they regularly keep in touch.

With 1.87 children per woman (a number that has been slowly but steadily going down since 2010), France remains the most fertile country in the European Union.

→ To expand your vocabulary, stop by our free vocabulary list of the Must-Know Terms for Family Members and our French Family Guide article on FrenchPod101.com.

B- Couples

Since the 1960s, marriage has been on the decline and France has seen an increasing number of divorces. Getting married is not as popular as it used to be, and a lot of French couples now have a practical approach to it. 

Created in 1999, the pacs or PACS (Pacte Civil de Solidarité, for “Civil Solidarity Pact”) is, along with the classic civil marriage, one of the two forms of civil union in France.

It was originally created to give same-sex couples the same rights and legal protection as straight couples. However, the PACS is getting increasingly popular, especially for straight couples who find it more flexible and less bureaucratically heavy than getting married. They represent more than 95% of the total number of couples getting Pacsed. Numbers are also showing that the PACS is slowly taking over traditional marriage.

As of 2013, France legally recognizes same-sex marriage, thanks to a new law called Mariage pour tous (“Marriage for all”), passed by President François Hollande. The first French same-sex marriage took place on May 29, 2013, in Montpellier.

→ Feeling romantic? Then check out our list of the cheesiest French Quotes About Love.

C- Friendship

When compared to Americans, the French can seem cold or distant at first glance, but it’s just a misunderstanding of their behavior. We show a bit more formality and reserve with strangers and it takes some time for us to open up.

Inviting someone to our home doesn’t come as fast and naturally as it does in other cultures, but once we’re good friends with someone, our door will always be open. Friends are expected to be loyal, help each other, and stay in touch on a regular basis. Loin des yeux, loin du coeur. (“Far from the eyes, far from the heart.”)

La famille (“Family”)

4. Lifestyle

French traditions and culture make for a unique lifestyle in terms of work and leisure time. Take a look.

A- Work 

The business culture in France varies greatly depending on the industry and the company you’re dealing with. It ranges from very casual to uptight and formal. In any case, we strictly adhere to the hierarchy, and the chain of command matters even in small organizations.

The French value their free time most of all, and work is usually considered a means rather than an end. As a result, we have a reputation for working hard and efficiently, without overcommitting. We try to preserve a satisfying work-life balance at all times.

French workers tend to keep their work environment as friendly and casual as possible. You’re likely to develop strong connections with your colleagues and hang out outside of working hours (but this is by no means mandatory).

→ Let’s get down to business with our free vocabulary list for Talking About the Workplace in French.

B- Hobbies

97% of the French believe that hobbies, sports, and social or cultural activities contribute to their quality of life. On average, active French workers can dedicate around nine hours per week to their hobbies.

Le foot (“Football”) is the most-watched sport in France, followed by Rugby, cycling, and tennis. But however popular they are on TV or at school, few people actually practice these sports in their free time. Hiking (in France or abroad), jogging, and dancing are much more common physical activities.

Other popular hobbies among French people include:

• listening to music
• watching TV
• browsing online
• going out with friends
• watching movies or series
• playing video games
• reading newspapers
• messaging 

Creative hobbies are also on the rise. 71% of the French take part in at least one creative activity, such as cooking, bricolage (do-it-yourself crafts), painting, and more.

→ Do you want to talk about your hobbies with your French friends? We’ve got you covered with our list of French Vocabulary for Hobbies.

C- Tobacco and Drugs

The legal drinking age is 18, and alcohol can be bought in any supermarket or convenience store and it’s sold in most restaurants. Alcohol plays an important role in social gatherings, be it in bars, clubs, or at home. It’s also common to conduct business over a glass of wine during a déjeuner d’affaires (“business lunch”).

The cigarette smoking age is also 18 years. Contrary to the widespread cliché, France is pretty far down the list of the heaviest cigarette consumers (ranking 60 out of 181). 

Following a series of laws in 2007 and 2008, smoking in all public places (stations, museums, restaurants) is now banned. While it’s possible to have a smoking room in your bar, smoking is so restricted that it usually only happens in the streets or terraces.

Cannabis is still illegal but widely used in France. Around 45% of the French have tried it and 30% smoke it somewhat regularly. It makes France one of the top consumers in the world, even before countries where the substance is legal, such as the Netherlands. Other recreational drugs are often very expensive and are thus marginally used.

Le Tour de France (Most famous French cycling race)

5. Art and Entertainment

Few things are as defining as a culture’s collective art and entertainment industries. Here’s what you should know about art and entertainment in France.

A- Centuries of Art

France has a long tradition of flourishing art, especially since the twelfth century. This was when Gothic art and architecture originated around Paris before spreading all over Europe. Shortly after, French craftsmen developed the stained glass painting techniques that you can see in so many European Christian buildings.

From Gothic to Baroque, then to Classicism, French art evolved over the centuries to reach a peak around the seventeenth century. This was when famous classical painters, such as Peter Paul Ruben and Nicolas Poussin, emerged—and when impressive works of architecture, such as the Château de Versailles (“Versailles Castle”), were created.

To think that such legendary artists as Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Van Gogh were all alive during the same period in the second half of the nineteenth century is mind-blowing. It’s no surprise that the Louvre museum is host to such an impressive collection.

B- Music, Cinema, and Literature

The music of France reflects the diversity of the country’s ethnicities and cultures, with a wide array of styles. We have the fifth largest music market in the world and have produced many internationally famous artists, especially in electronic music (such as Daft Punk or David Guetta).

France is the birthplace of cinema and home to some of its most important contributions. Today, most French movies don’t go anywhere beyond our borders. Is it deserved? Yeah, pretty much. Except for a vibrant scene in the horror genre, we’re stuck with the same rehashed family dramas and dumb comedies.

French literature is an important part of our cultural lives and is introduced early on in our educational system. This is reinforced by the French media’s focus on book fairs and prizes, such as the Prix Goncourt, Prix Renaudot, and Prix Femina. Reading is a popular pastime for many French people, but it’s losing ground to streaming and other online activities.

All around the world, video games are now bigger than movies, and France is no exception. Thanks to tax cuts from the French government and a fair number of talented studios (such as Arkane, Asobo, and Dontnod), the French gaming industry has recently produced internationally acclaimed titles.

6. Food and Wine

The French culture and cuisine go hand in hand. Food is one of the great passions of French people, who place great emphasis on refined cooking methods that involve careful preparation of fresh ingredients. The cuisine can be really different from one region to the next and relies heavily on what is locally grown.

In 2010, the French gastronomy was awarded the most prestigious award by UNESCO when it was added to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A- The Top 5 French Dishes

It would be impossible to list all of the delicious dishes France is famous for, but here are a few samples:

1. Tartiflette
   This consists of potatoes, fried onions, and sliced bacon oven-cooked with wine, garlic, and a massive amount of reblochon (arguably the best mountain cheese France has to offer).


2. Steak Tartare
   This is raw beef ground or sliced into tiny pieces and served with a mix of herbs, condiments, a fresh egg yolk, capers, and minced shallot.


3. Cassoulet
   This is a casserole of white beans and slow-cooked meat, often served with duck leg confit cooked in duck fat for the most decadent and amazing results.


4. Crêpes
   Unlike American-style pancakes, crêpes are thin and delicate, but they share the same list of ingredients. They can be eaten with sweet or savory fillings.


5. Endives au jambon
   This northern recipe is based on steam-cooked endives (“chicory”) wrapped in cooked ham, bathed in béchamel sauce, and topped with grated cheese.

B- Unique French Products

French wine is one of our biggest national prides. It’s produced across the whole country in large quantities and exported all over the world. It has many styles, terroirs, and labels, and it’s mostly made to accompany the food. No meal is complete without a good bottle of wine.

Short for apéritif, the apéro is a set of pre-dinner drinks and finger food. It’s similar to a cocktail party that we can have before lunch at around 11 a.m. or in the evening from 6 p.m. The French take their apéro quite seriously and it’s an important part of meetings with friends and family.

Cheese is one of the apéro’s best friends, and with around 1600 different French cheeses, there is a lot to be excited about. They all have their unique shape, texture, aroma, and flavor, but as a general rule: the smellier the better. Some cheeses are better suited for cooking and others are eaten in slices, on fresh bread, or melted in sauces.

Another classic apéro item is the charcuterie. It can consist of a wide range of cold cuts, from ham to saucisson, mortadella, smoked ham, cured ham, and much more. It comes mostly from pork and is often smoked or dry-cured.

L’apéro

→ Did this section stimulate your appetite? Make sure to stop by our full guide to French Cuisine for more details on the meals and local delicacies!

7. French Holidays 

Many of the French holidays are of Christian origin. For the most part, their religious implications have been lost, but we still commemorate Ascension Day, Christmas, and Easter Monday. We also have a few French-specific and secular holidays:

1. National Day (July 14)
   This is the most important national holiday. It commemorates the French Revolution, and more precisely, the fall of the Bastille as a symbol of the French Revolution victory.


2. Labor Day (May 1)
   The premier mai (“first of May”) or fête du travail (“work holiday”) is Labor Day in France. Almost all companies and stores are closed on that day.


3. New Year’s Day (January 1)
   Le jour de l’an (Literally, “The day of the year”) or Le premier de l’an (“First of the year”) is the first day of the year. Like many countries, France celebrates the New Year. 

→ Make sure you come prepared when attending a French holiday celebration. Here are a few useful words for the National Holiday with audio recordings on FrenchPod101.com.

8. Le Mot De La Fin

In this French culture overview, you’ve learned everything about the culture of France, from its core values to religion, relationships, lifestyle, art, cuisine, and more. Did we forget any important French culture topics or facts you’ve heard about?

I hope this will inspire you to dive even deeper—and what better way to do so than by learning the language? Learning a foreign language is a window wide open to a new culture if you’re bold enough to take the leap!

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you study key grammar points and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review words and learn their pronunciation.

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher will help you with any topic you’re curious about or struggling with. Along with giving you assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples, your teacher will review your work and help you improve your pronunciation. 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!

If you were asked about the most delicious cuisine in the world, what countries would come to mind? According to most of the rankings I’ve read, France is often placed second, with Italy as the solid winner. 

In 2010, UNESCO paid a gracious tribute to French gastronomy by inscribing it on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Let’s try to understand why French cuisine is held in such high regard around the world, and what makes it special.

In this article, I will present you with a list of eight French foods you must try, a French cuisine overview, the top words and expressions for talking about food and cooking in French, and much more.

Table of Contents

1. Must-Try French Dishes
2. Unique French Products
3. Food Vocabulary
4. Frogs and Other Misconceptions
5. Le Mot De La Fin

1. Must-Try French Dishes

To begin with, here are the top eight dishes you should definitely try in France or in an authentic French restaurant. Some of these can be cooked just about anywhere with local ingredients but, especially for the cheesy meals, you often need the original imported product to make it taste and feel right.

1 – Tartiflette

Tartiflette is one of the classic French dishes (and a personal favorite of yours truly), originating from mountainous regions such as the northern Alps. It has everything you could dream of: potatoes, fried onions, lardons (sliced bacon), a hint of white wine and garlic, and an unhealthy amount of reblochon, one of the tastiest cheeses ever conceived.

As long as you get the right ingredients, you cannot fail at cooking a Tartiflette. Just put everything but the cheese in a tray, slice a big reblochon in half along the width, and place each part on top of everything else. Put it in the oven until it looks glorious and golden.

★ Tartiflette recipe

Une tartiflette (Photo by David Harris under CC BY 2.0)

2 – Steak Tartare

Do you trust your butcher? Are you convinced their meat is fresh, high-quality, and kept refrigerated at all times? If that’s the case, then it’s time to experience the very best way to enjoy beef: raw.

The meat can either be prepared with a grinder (the lazy and lesser option) or minced with a knife (the flavorful yet tedious option—but good things come at a price, right?). Then, mix it with a bunch of herbs and condiments, a fresh egg yolk, capers, minced shallots, and I promise you the time of your life.

★ Steak Tartare recipe

Un steak tartare (Photo by insatiablemunch under CC BY 2.0)

3 – Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a specialty from the Languedoc region based on white beans and slow-cooked meat. The name comes from the traditional cooking pot called cassole where the cassoulet simmers for over seven hours, through a very specific and controlled process.

It’s something that I’d recommend you try in a good French restaurant before you try it at home, because of the wide variety of ingredients and difficult cooking methods involved.

When cooked properly, the duck leg confit is slow-cooked in duck fat which tenderizes the meat until it just melts in your mouth. It’s nothing like chicken—it’s just on a whole different level.

★ Cassoulet recipe

Un cassoulet

4 – Crêpes

Let’s start off with an important disclaimer: Crêpes are NOT pancakes (and vice-versa). The list of ingredients is very similar, but American-style pancakes are thick and fluffy while French crêpes are thin and delicate.

You can eat crêpes with sweet ingredients (jam, chocolate, brown sugar) or savory ingredients (bacon, spinach, mushrooms). We even have a special holiday for crêpes called La chandeleur (originally a Christian celebration that lost its religious meaning for most French people over the years).

★ Crêpes recipe

Des crêpes

5 – Endives au jambon

Being a specialty from my home region, this recipe has always been close to my heart. It’s based on steam-cooked endives (“endives” or “chicory”) wrapped in cooked ham, bathed in béchamel sauce, and topped with grated cheese.

★ Endives au jambon recipe

Des endives au jambon (Photo by Jeremy Keith under CC BY 2.0)

6 – Coq au vin

Are you looking for French cuisine classics with sophisticated ingredients to impress your friends? Look no further.

Coq au vin is a timeless classic: a casserole of chicken legs slowly stewed in red wine with herbs, spices, olive oil, and tons of fancy stuff that make for a rich and deep flavor.

★ Coq au vin recipe

Du coq au vin (Photo by Steven Depolo under CC BY 2.0)

7 – Moule marinières

Often found in the northern regions of France and in Belgium, moules marinières are usually served with fries and simply called moules frites (“mussels and fries”).

The eponymous marinière sauce is made with white wine and shallots (add some cream for a rich and delicious twist). This is a classic dish often found in inexpensive brasseries (simple French restaurants with a cheap lunch menu) in the Hauts-de-France region.

★ Moules frites recipe

8 – Fondue savoyarde

Take a ton of mountain cheese (typically Comté, Beaufort, or Emmental) and melt it with white wine, garlic, and a bit of kirch. Serve it with bread, charcuterie (cold meat cuts) and more white wine, and there you have it: the most decadent of French specialties!

But how do you eat that? It’s simple enough: stick a piece of bread on a spike and dip it into the cheese right in the cooking bowl. Try not to lose your bread!

★ Fondue savoyarde recipe

La fondue savoyarde (Photo by Camille Gévaudan under CC BY-SA 3.0)

→ Learn more about French dishes with our free vocabulary list on FrenchPod101.com.

2. Unique French Products

Now that I’ve teased you with French recipes, let’s talk about another important aspect of French cuisine that doesn’t involve spending two hours in the kitchen or juggling five pans and long lists of bizarre ingredients.

France is famous for a lot of unique products, many of which feature various region-specific twists: le vin (“wine”), le fromage (“cheese”), le pain (“bread”), and la charcuterie (“cold cuts”).

They all play a big role in the so-called Art de Vivre (“Art of Living”) that we pride ourselves on cultivating. The French sure love their wine, cheese, bread, and charcuterie, especially when all four are combined to make for the happiest apéro (“happy hour”).

1 – “Wine is bottled poetry.”

(Robert Louis Stevenson)

French wine is produced across the entire country in large quantities (around sixty million hectoliters per year, or about eight billion bottles), making France one of the biggest wine producers in the world. 

Most wines are made to accompany food and this is where it gets tricky. Even though there are some general rules, such as “red wine is for red meat, white is for white meat and fish,” it’s more complex than that.

With thousands of different bottles of all shapes and colors, the wine department in a French supermarket is intimidating. Truth be told, it takes lots of research or serious oenology classes before you can choose the right bottle at the right moment. But don’t sweat it too much; unless you’re dining with experts, nobody will notice if the pairing isn’t perfect.

With so many styles, grape types, terroirs, and labels, it’s a whole world of rich and interesting flavors begging to be explored. You can sip it, drink it, share it, gift it, or even cook with it. Wine is a pillar of French culture.

Du vin (“Wine”) (Photo by PRA under CC BY-SA 3.0)

2 – “Life is great. Cheese makes it better.”

(Avery Aames)

I’ll do my best not to get too emotional in this section, as cheese is my personal weakness and I could praise it for hours.

There are around 1600 distinct French cheeses, each with a unique shape, texture, aroma, flavor, and other properties. They can be made from various kinds of milk and all have different levels of humidity, fat, and calcium.

French President Charles de Gaulle once said: “How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?” Fair enough, but we can simplify it by placing them into only eight categories.

French cheese is not for the faint of heart. They range from the easy-going and fairly mainstream Brie to the robust and divisive Roquefort. But the most intense experience lies with the smelliest and most repulsive-looking pieces of the Plateau de fromages (“Cheese platter”).

Cheeses with a lot of character may not be for everyone but once you fall in love, you’re in for a treat. Nothing can compare to the hypnotizing scent of a Munster, and the rich texture of melted Reblochon will make you reach new heights of foodgasm.

Un plateau de fromages (“A cheese platter”)

3 – “Tout est bon dans le cochon.“

(“Everything is good in a pig.” – French proverb)

Another classic French apéro, often served alongside wine and cheese, is charcuterie.

It covers a wide range of cold cuts, from ham to saucisson (dry-cured sausage), mortadella, smoked ham, cured ham, and much more.

The word charcuterie originally comes from chair cuite (“cooked flesh”). It can be cooked or raw and comes mostly (but not exclusively) from pork, with salt used as a preservation agent. It’s especially popular in southern France and in the mountains, but still widely enjoyed in the rest of the country.

An all-time classic of charcuterie is the saucisson sec: a thick dry-cured sausage eaten cold in thin slices, and best enjoyed with bread, wine, and friends.

4 – Happiness is a Fresh Baguette

We’ve all heard of the iconic French baguette, and as you walk through the streets of any city in France, you’ll realize that there’s truth in the cliché. The French do stroll around with bread under their arm.

Here are the golden rules of baguetiquette:

• You can wipe your plate with it.
  Yeah, you can hold it with your fingers and dip it in sauce. It’s fine. (And it makes washing dishes easier. Everybody wins.)
  


• Don’t put it on the plate.
  In restaurants, bread is usually served in a basket. In general, you might notice that French people never place bread on their plate but rather next to it on the table.
  


• Cover it with cheese…
  …or whatever you like, really. Paté is a prime choice; chocolate spread or crème de marrons (“chestnut paste”) are also highly recommended. Oh, yeah, don’t forget to try sticking squares of chocolate bars into a baguette, especially when it’s still warm.


• Bite the end of the baguette.
  It is scientifically proven that resisting the urge to bite the crunchy end of a freshly cooked baguette is impossible. It usually happens right in the street, seconds after you’ve left the bakery.

Des baguettes (“Baguettes”)

→ Make sure to stop by our free vocabulary list on Famous French Food, with recordings to perfect your pronunciation!

3. Food Vocabulary

Now that your taste buds are all fired up, let’s go over some French food vocabulary you’ll need for your everyday food-related encounters.

1 – Talking About Food

• J’ai faim. (“I’m hungry.”)
• Je n’ai plus faim. (“I’m full.” – Literally: “I’m not hungry anymore.”)
• Je suis affamé(e) ! (“I’m starving!”)
• J’ai la dalle ! (“I’m really hungry!”) [Casual slang]
  
• J’aime le fromage. (“I like cheese.”)
• Je n’aime pas les champignons. (“I don’t like mushrooms.”)

• Je ne mange pas de viande. (“I don’t eat meat.”)
• Je suis allergique au soja. (“I’m allergic to soy.”)

• Mon plat préféré est la tartiflette. (“My favorite dish is tartiflette.”)

2 – All About Cooking

Ingredients

• Du sel (“Salt”)
• Du poivre (“Pepper”)
• Du sucre (“Sugar”)
• De l’eau (“Water”)
• Du lait (“Milk”)
• De l’huile (“Oil”)
• Des œufs (“Eggs”)
• De la farine (“Flour”)
• Des fruits (“Fruits”)
• Des légumes (“Veggies”)
• De la viande (“Meat”)

When reading recipes, knowing the basic fruit and veggie vocabulary will come in handy!

Utensils

• Une casserole (“A sauce pan”)
• Une poêle (“A frying pan”)
• Un four (“An oven”)
• Un couteau (“A knife”)
• Une planche à découper (“A cutting board”)

You can find much more vocabulary on utensils and tableware on our free word list at FrenchPod101.com.

Cooking verbs

• Faire cuire (“To cook”)
• Mijoter (“To stew”)
• Faire frire (“To fry”)
• Faire revenir (briefly fry in a really hot pan with oil or butter)
• Couper (“To cut”)
• Éplucher (“To peel”)
• Râper (“To grate”)
• Trancher (“To slice”)

3 – Ordering in a Restaurant

• Le menu (“The menu”)
• Une table pour deux (“A table for two”)
• Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. (“A jug of water, please.”)
  
• Une entrée (“A starter”)
• Un plat (“A main course”)
• Un dessert (“A dessert”)

• L’addition (“The bill”)
• Un pourboire (“A tip”)

For more vocabulary, tips, and phrases for dealing with restaurants in France, be sure to check out our guide on Travel Phrases on FrenchPod101.com.

Un restaurant français (“A French restaurant”)

4. Frogs and Other Misconceptions

The worldwide popularity of French cuisine comes with a fair share of mistakes and misconceptions. Here are a few you might have heard about:

1 – The Frog Fallacy

There’s a common belief, especially among the British, that the French are avid frog eaters. Some people even refer to French people as “Frogs.”

Frog legs are indeed eaten in France but they’re not nearly as popular as you might think. I have lived in various regions of France for most of my life and not once have I encountered frog legs. Sure, I could have gone out of my way to find them and give it a try, but I’ve never seen it as a plat du jour (“dish of the day”) in a restaurant.

It seems to be more popular in the eastern regions where they are usually ordered as a delicacy in restaurants, or for special occasions. The legs are often grilled or deep-fried, but are occasionally boiled, baked, or stir-fried.

Interestingly, they’re also eaten in Southeast Asia, parts of Europe, and the southern U.S. Archeologists found proof of frog-eating in the UK, dating back to 8000 years ago, which makes them the historical first frog eaters in Europe. Just sayin’.

It is true, however, that we eat escargots (“snails”). Then again, it’s a delicacy and absolutely not a common meal, but they’re still rather affordable and presumably delicious. Personally, I never got beyond the psychological barrier and I intend to keep on living a snail-free life.

2 – The Croissant Conspiracy

There is a common belief that the French are eating a lot of croissants and usually having them for breakfast.

Heck, just type “French breakfast” into your usual search engine and you shall find a sneaky croissant in almost every single photo! By the way, you’ll also see a LOT of food on the table, which is another fallacy.

First of all, croissants are not that popular. Sure, it’s a classic viennoiserie (“pastry”) and I wouldn’t mind waking up with one of these buttery babies on the table. However, at best, we’d buy them on a Sunday to celebrate the day off and make breakfast special. Or maybe bring some to work in order to buy our coworkers’ good graces.

Oh, and by the way: Why would anyone buy croissants when you can have pains au chocolat (chocolate croissants) for roughly the same price?

Second of all, in France, breakfast is the least important meal of the day and you’ll rarely see tables full of cereals, bread, fruits, pastries, juices, and whatnot. Why is that? Because we put much more emphasis on lunch, so we wouldn’t want to be full when the time comes for the apéro.

Des croissants (“Croissants”)

3 – French Toast, French Bread, French Whatever

French kiss? French lover? Yeah, we invented that, I’m fine with it.

But French fries? No. I have to give credit where it’s due and celebrate Belgium for their love of greasy food, amazing chocolate, and a mindblowing number of different beers! 

If you want to have a good time with deep-fried chunks of potatoes dipped in a thick homemade Dallas sauce, Belgium is the place to be.

We simply call them frites (Literally: “fried”) and every educated French person knows they’re from Belgium.

What about French toast? Nope. That’s actually Italian, dating back from ancient Rome. All credit goes to Apicus, a Roman from the fifth century, for this delightful recipe. 

In France, we call it pain perdu (Literally: “lost bread” or “wasted bread”). How “wasted” became “French” is a mystery I’m not sure I want to solve.

5. Le Mot De La Fin

In this French cuisine guide, you’ve learned everything about French food, from the top must-try recipes to the unique French specialties such as wine and cheese. 

Did we forget any important recipe that you know? Make sure to share your favorite French dishes in the comments below; I might learn a thing or two!

FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings as well as a free resources page to boost your studies and keep your French learning fresh and entertaining!

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher will use assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples to help you excel in your studies. He or she will also review your work and help you improve your pronunciation. 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!

Are you starting out in French and wondering what to study first? Or maybe you’re already learning French and getting a bit lost in French grammar? 

Regardless of your experience or background, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll always need a concise summary of French grammar at hand as you explore the language’s ins and outs, and that’s exactly what this guide is about.

In this article, you’ll find a general overview of French grammar, from basic sentence structure to conjugation, agreement rules, and negation.

Table of Contents

1. Vocabulary
2. Sentence Structure
3. Verbs & Tenses
4. Nouns & Articles
5. Adjectives
6. Negation
7. Le mot de la fin

1. Vocabulary

Let’s start with some good news: French has a lot in common with English. It has similar types of words, as well as a fair amount of common vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Although eighty percent of French vocabulary comes directly from Latin and Greek, we also use many words from other languages, including English. 

You’d be surprised how many common French words have been taken straight from English, such as Boss, Remake, Jet, Weekend, Babysitter, Manager, Pullover, and countless more.

Similarly to most Latin languages, French has the following types of words:

1 – Nouns

• French nouns almost always need an article in front of them.
  You can say le chat (“the cat”) or un chat (“a cat”), but just chat is incorrect.
  


• French nouns have a gender.
  Le soleil (“the sun”) is masculine; la lune (“the moon”) is feminine.
  


• French nouns have a number.
  Le chat (“the cat”) is singular; les chats (“the cats”) is plural.
  


• There are common nouns and proper nouns.
  Un chat (“a cat”) is a common noun. Jupiter, Miyazaki, and Nietzsche are proper nouns.

Don’t forget to stop by our article on the 100+ Must-Know Nouns in French to learn much more about nouns and expand your vocabulary!

2 – Articles

• Articles are mandatory in French.
  


• They agree with the noun in gender and number.
  
  
  
  • Un arbre (“A tree”)
  • Une fleur (“A flower”)
  • Des fleurs (“Flowers”)
    


• There are three types of articles:
  
  
  
  • Indefinite articles (Not specific): Un, Une, Des
    Un oiseau (“A bird”), Une loutre (“An otter”), Des papillons (“Butterflies”)
    
    
  • Definite articles (Specific): Le, L’, La, Les
    We use them when talking about a specific, previously mentioned noun: Le parc (“The park”)
    When there is only one: Le soleil (“The sun”)
  Or for a general notion: La vie (“Life”), L’art (“Art”), Le sport (“Sport”)
  
  
  • Partitive articles (Some / A certain amount): Du, De La, Des
    Du fromage (“Cheese”), De la farine (“Flour”), Des fruits (“Fruits”)

Des fleurs (“Flowers”)

3 – Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe a noun. In French grammar, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun.

For example:

• Un petit chemin (“A small path”)
• Une petite route (“A small road”)
• Deux petites routes (“Two small roads”)

Here’s our list of the 100 Must-Know French Adjectives, as well as the few grammar rules you need to know!

4 – Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives define whom the noun belongs to. Of course, like everything related to nouns, they agree in gender and number.

For example:

• Mon jardin (“My garden”)
• Ma maison (“My house”)
• Mes affaires (“My belongings”)
• Ton adresse (“Your address”)
• Sa faute (“His / Her fault”)
• Ses fleurs (“His / Her flowers”)
• Leur voiture (“Their car”)

5 – Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point at something or emphasize its importance (this / that / these / those). In French, we have: ce / cet, cette, ces.

For example:

• Ce jardin (“This / That garden”)
• Cet arbre (“This / That tree”)
• Cette maison (“This / That house”)
• Ces villes (“These / Those cities”)

6 – Adverbs

Adverbs don’t agree in gender or number; they’re invariable. They describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. They define how something is done (slowly / violently), how much (a bit / a lot), or more information about when and where (often / yesterday).

For example:

• Je mange lentement. (“I eat slowly.”)
• Elle a beaucoup de fromages. (“She has a lot of cheese.”)
• Je ne dors jamais l’après-midi. (“I never sleep in the afternoon.”)
• Nous partirons demain. (“We will leave tomorrow.”)

In our 100 Must-Know French Adverbs, you’ll find everything you need to know about adverbs, as well as a massive list of the 100 most useful ones.

Elle ne dort jamais. (“She never sleeps.”)

7 – Verbs

• French verbs are split between three groups, depending on the spelling of their infinitive form and their behavior. The three types of verbs are:
  
  
  • ER (manger, parler, toucher)
  • IR (dormir, partir, venir)
  • RE (répondre, prendre)
    


• In French grammar, conjugation takes place for a variety of tenses (past, future, etc.).
  More on French conjugation later in this article!
  


• Some verbs are reflexive and start with se, as in: se réveiller (“to wake up”), se lever (“to stand up”), and s’arrêter (“to stop”).
  They are often used to describe things you do regularly or changes of state (such as “to wake up,” “to fall asleep,” “to sit down”) that have an effect on oneself.

The best way to start learning verbs? Our article on the 100 Must-Know French Verbs, with valuable insight on conjugation and an exhaustive guide on tenses.

8 – Pronouns

French pronouns come in many shapes and sizes:

• Personal pronouns
  • Personal subjects: Elle a faim. (“She’s hungry.”)
  • Stressed pronouns: C’est moi ! (“It’s me!”)
  • Direct pronouns: Nous le donnons. (“We give it.”)
  • Indirect pronouns: Ils vous parlent. (“They talk to you.”)
  • Reflexive pronouns: Je me lève. (“I stand up.”)
    


• Impersonal pronouns
  • Impersonal subjects: Ça commence maintenant. (“It starts now.”)
  • Adverbial pronouns: Je veux y aller. (“I want to go there.”)
  • Relative pronouns: Je sais que tu es là. (“I know that you are here.”)
  • Demonstrative pronouns: Celles de gauche. (“These on the left.”)
  • Interrogative pronouns: Qui es-tu ? (“Who are you?”)
  • Indefinite pronouns: Tout est possible. (“Anything is possible.”)

Curious about pronouns? You can learn much more about them by reading our article on the 10 Types of French Pronouns to Keep Things Sleek and Smooth. 

9 – Conjunctions

Conjunctions are these convenient little words that we use to connect things:

• Listing things: Des fruits et des légumes (“Fruits and vegetables”)
• Setting conditions: Je ne bois pas, sinon je m’endors. (“I don’t drink, otherwise I fall asleep.”)
• Expressing causality: Je mange car j’ai faim. (“I’m eating because I’m hungry.”)
• Objecting: Je mange du fromage mais pas de camembert. (“I eat cheese but not camembert.”)
• Expressing purpose: Je médite pour me relaxer. (“I meditate to relax.”)

To learn more on conjunctions, I recommend that you stop by our extensive Guide to French Conjunctions on FrenchPod101.com.

10 – Prepositions

In French grammar, prepositions can be followed by…

• …a noun:
  Le chat est dans le jardin. (“The cat is in the garden.”)
  Elle t’attendra devant la maison. (“She will wait for you in front of the house.”)
  Avec ou sans patates ? (“With or without potatoes?”)
  

• …an infinitive verb:
  Je me prépare à partir. (“I’m getting ready to leave.”)
  Il essaye de partir. (“He’s trying to leave.”)
  J’étudie sur FrenchPod101 pour parler Français. (“I study on FrenchPod101 to speak French.”)

• …or a stress pronoun:
  On va chez moi ? (“Are we going to my place?”)
  Elle vient avec moi. (“She’s coming with me.”)

Une pomme et une banane (“An apple and a banana”)

2. Sentence Structure

The first thing you need to learn to build sentences in French is the word order. Otherwise, even if you learn a lot of vocabulary, it will always be difficult to identify the keywords and the general meaning of what you hear or read.

French follows the SVO pattern (Subject Verb Object). It means that the default word order is: Subject – Verb – Object.

• Je bois du vin. (“I drink wine.”)

Unlike other Latin languages, such as Spanish or Italian, where the subject pronouns can be omitted, we almost never skip the subject of a sentence.

→ Of course, this is only the most basic structure and it gets more complex when you start throwing adjectives, conjunctions, or negation into the mix. Make sure to visit our article French Word Order: From Basic Sentences to Writing Laws on FrenchPod101.com for more detailed information.

One piece at a time, they all fit nicely.

3. Verbs & Tenses

Conjugation in French has a lot in common with English conjugation, but it adds a hairy layer of complexity; the verb ending changes depending on the person, mood, voice, and tense.

At first, it may seem overwhelming. But luckily, most verbs follow a set of rules and patterns that you can learn rather quickly.

1 – Conjugation Basics

Singular pronouns: je / j’ (“I”) tu / vous (Casual “you” / Formal “you”) il / elle (“he” / “she”)

Plural pronouns: nous (“we”) vous (“you”) ils / elles (Male “they” / Female “they”)

The ending of the verb depends on the person (or pronoun):

• Je marche (“I walk”)
• Nous marchons (“We walk”)
• Elles marchent (“They walk”)

Just like English, French has simple tenses and compound tenses.

Simple tenses are conjugated by changing the verb ending, while compound tenses also add an auxiliary together with the verb.

• Nous marchons (“We walk”) – Simple tense: Présent.
• Nous avons marché (“We have walked”) – Compound tense: Passé composé.

At first glance, the list of all seventeen French tenses seems intimidating, but most of them are only ever used in literature. On a daily basis, you won’t need more than five or six to deal with any kind of situation.

2 – Regular & Irregular Verbs

Like in most languages, including English, the most useful and common French verbs are the most irregular. Verbs like être (“to be”), avoir (“to have”), or faire (“to do”) are highly irregular.

However, it’s important to quickly learn how to conjugate the regular verbs, as their conjugation rules will help you deal with the majority of verbs that you’ll encounter. So, let’s start with that.

Regular verb: Marcher (“To walk”) ← This is the infinitive form of a 1st group verb.

March ← This is the “stem.”

Here’s how it looks in present tense:

1st sg (I)	2nd sg (you)	3rd sg (she)	1st pl (we)	2nd pl (you)	3rd pl (they)
Stem + e	Stem + es	Stem + e	Stem + ons	Stem + ez	Stem + ent
Je marche	Tu marches	Elle marche	Nous marchons	Vous marchez	Ils marchent

Now, if you follow this simple pattern, you can conjugate countless similar French verbs:

• Parler (“To talk”)
  Je parle, Tu parles, Elle parle, Nous parlons, Vous parlez, Elles parlent
  


• Penser (“To think”)
  Je pense, Tu penses, Elle pense, Nous pensons, Vous pensez, Elles pensent
  


• Aimer (“To love”)
  J’aime, Tu aimes, Elle aime, Nous aimons, Vous aimez, Elles aiment
  


• Demander (“To ask”)
  Je demande, Tu demandes, Elle demande, Nous demandons, Vous demandez, Elles demandent
  


• Utiliser (“To use”)
  J’utilise, Tu utilises, Elle utilise, Nous utilisons, Vous utilisez, Elles utilisent

3 – The Two Most Important Verbs

Now that you know the basics of French conjugation, let’s have a look at two crucial verbs that don’t follow the rules: 

• Être (“To be”)
  Je suis, Tu es, Elle est, Nous sommes, Vous êtes, Elles sont
  For example: Je suis heureux. (“I’m happy.”)


• Avoir (“To have”)
  J’ai, Tu as, Elle a, Nous avons, Vous avez, Elles ont
  For example: Nous avons un chat. (“We have a cat.”)

These two verbs are not only useful in themselves, but also as auxiliaries to form the compound tenses we mentioned earlier.

• Elle est revenue de vacances. (“She has returned from vacation.”)
• Tu es allé au cinéma. (“You have gone to the movie theater.”)
• J’ai rencontré Julien. (“I have met Julien.”)
• Nous avons fini de manger. (“We have finished eating.”)

We’re just scratching the surface, but you can learn much more about this in our extensive guide on
French Conjugation and on our free French Verbs resource page.

Elles sont au cinéma. (“They are at the movie theater.”)

4. Nouns & Articles

★ Rule #1: Nouns have a gender.

In French grammar, gender is applied to each and every noun. French nouns are either masculine or feminine.

For example, un mois (“a month”) is masculine, while une semaine (“a week”) is feminine.

★ Rule #2: Nouns have an article.

Unlike those in English, French nouns always have an article and cannot be used without one.

You can say un chien (“a dog”) or le chien (“the dog”), but never chien.

★ Rule #3: Nouns and articles agree in gender.

How they change when put in the feminine form depends on their initial spelling.

• Un boulanger / Une boulangère (“A baker”)
• Un fermier / Une fermière (“A farmer”)
• Un chanteur / Une chanteuse (“A singer”)
• Un acteur / Une actrice (“An actor” / “An actress”)
• Un chien / Une chienne (“A dog”)

★ Rule #4: Nouns and articles agree in number.

Like with gender, there are certain changes an article goes through to agree with the noun in number.

• Un chat (“A cat”) / Des chats (“Cats”)
• Le chat (“The cat”) / Les chats (“The cats”)

But there are also a bunch of special cases:

• Un cheval (“A horse”) / Des chevaux (“Horses”)
• Un hibou (“An owl”) / Des hiboux (“Owls”)
• Un bateau (“A boat”) / Des bateaux (“Boats”)
• Une souris (“A mouse”) / Des souris (“Mice”)

Des chats (“Cats”)

5. Adjectives

★ Rule #1: Adjective placement may vary.

The majority of French adjectives are placed AFTER the noun they’re describing.

• Un mur épais (“A thick wall”)
• Une voix douce (“A soft voice”)
• Des assiettes sales (“Dirty plates”)

However, some of the most common adjectives come BEFORE the noun.

• Un bon film (“A good movie”)
• Une petite fille (“A little girl”)
• Un nouveau livre (“A new book”)

★ Rule #2: Adjectives agree with the noun in gender. 

Adjectives must also agree in gender with the noun they’re describing.

Most French adjectives have different feminine and masculine forms.

• Un garçon intelligent (“A smart boy”)
• Une fille intelligente (“A smart girl”)

But some adjectives are invariable:

• Un train rapide (“A fast train”) 
• Une voiture rapide (“A fast car”)

★ Rule #3: Adjectives agree with the noun in number. 

Finally, adjectives must agree in number with the noun they’re describing.

Most of them simply take a final -s:

• Un petit chien (“A small dog”)
• Des petits chiens (“Small dogs”)
• Des petites chiennes (“Small dogs” – Feminine)

Adjectives ending with -s or -x are invariable.

Une fille intelligente (“A smart girl”)

6. Negation

French negative sentences are built using the particle Ne + one or more negative words.

In French grammar, negation is achieved by placing these two parts around the verb, as follows: 

[Subject] ne [verb] pas.

• Je mange. (“I eat.”)
• Je ne mange pas. (“I don’t eat.”)

There’s a collection of negative words you can use:

• Je ne mange jamais. (“I never eat.”)
• Je ne mange rien. (“I don’t eat anything.”)
• Je ne mange personne. (“I don’t eat anyone.”)
• Je ne mange plus. (“I don’t eat anymore.”)
• Je ne mange nulle part. (“I’m not eating anywhere.”)
• Je ne mange aucune viande. (“I don’t eat any meat.”)
• Je ne mange que de la viande. (“I eat nothing but meat.”)

Negation follows the exact same pattern with any verb…

• Je ne vais nulle part. (“I’m not going anywhere.”)
• Nous ne parlons jamais. (“We never talk.”)
• Elle ne fume plus. (“She’s not smoking anymore.”)
• Tu ne sais rien, Jon Snow. (“You know nothing, Jon Snow.”)

…except when the verb starts with the vowel and Ne is shortened to N’:

• Je n’ai rien à dire. (“I have nothing to say.”)
• Tu n’aimes pas. (“You don’t like.”)
• Nous n’essayons pas. (“We are not trying.”)

You can also build sentences using several negative words:

• Je ne dirai jamais rien à personne. (“I will never tell anything to anyone.”)
• Elle n’est plus allée nulle part après cela. (“She didn’t go anywhere anymore after this.”)

It’s also possible to start a sentence with a negative word:

• Rien n’arrive sans raison. (“Nothing happens without a reason.”)
• Personne ne bouge. (“Nobody moves.”)

Ne le dis à personne ! (“Don’t tell anyone!”)

7. Le mot de la fin

In this guide, you’ve learned all of the essential French grammar guidelines, from basic structures to conjugation, agreement rules, and negation.

Whether you’re just getting started in your French studies or consolidating your knowledge, you can use this overview as a small grammar pocket book whenever you need quick access to the basic French grammar rules. Did we forget any important rule you’d like to learn about?

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101.com, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review words and learn their pronunciation.

Feel like you need more French grammar help? Remember that you can use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice these grammar basics with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice.

About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

Do you know why people love inspirational quotes so much? A quick look at any Instagram feed is enough to be convinced that there’s something universally compelling about them. We print them on T-shirts, display them on our walls or fridges, and even tattoo them on our skin.

I love to learn interesting quotes about a language I’m studying. Not just to memorize them and impress locals (although it can be a neat trick!), but to learn what they tell me about their culture and values. 

This article on famous French quotes aims to give you the same immersive learning experience…”Tell me who you quote, I will tell you who you are.” We’ve gathered for you the best and most famous French quotes about life, love, and much more. Consider it a concentrate of French wisdom. 

P.S.: Be sure to stick with us until the end for a bonus list of some timeless classic quotes from French cinema.

Table of Contents

1. Quotes About Wisdom
2. Quotes About Love
3. Quotes About Time
4. Quotes About Relationships
5. Quotes From French Movies
6. Le Mot De La Fin

1. Quotes About Wisdom

If you’re looking for some French quotes to live by, you may discover something valuable in the wise words of these notorious people from France’s past.

#1

French	La difficulté de réussir ne fait qu’ajouter à la nécessité d’entreprendre.
Literally	“It is so hard to succeed that it makes it even more necessary to take action.”
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the author of this quote, is quite the character. Born in Paris in 1732, he was a writer, playwright, musician, and businessman. He created the Société des Auteurs, the first official organization for the protection of authors and copyright. When he wasn’t busy managing four careers, he was also working for the King as both a spy and arms dealer. He was instrumental in the American and French revolutions. This man’s life was so full of action and adventures that it probably served as an inspiration for the dramatic stories he’s famous for.

#2

French	La vérité vaut bien qu’on passe quelques années sans la trouver.
Literally	“Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.”
This is a quote from Jules Renard, a French writer from the eighteenth century.

#3

French	Il faut bonne mémoire après qu’on a menti.
Literally	“A liar should have a good memory.”
This is a quote from the play Le menteur (1644) by Pierre Corneille, one of the most famous playwrights and poets of his generation. His five-act tragicomedy, Le Cid, is considered his finest work. It’s written entirely in rhyming couplets with alternating masculine and feminine rhymes, as was typical of French dramas at the time.

#4

French	Qui craint de souffrir, il souffre déjà de ce qu’il craint.
Literally	“He who fears suffering is already suffering that which he fears.”
One of the most influential thinkers of his time, the very quotable French writer Jean de la Fontaine was a widely famous poet and fabulist in the seventeenth century. His most notorious work is Les Fables, a collection of short tales that features animals as characters and illustrates various moral lessons.

#5

French	Science sans conscience n’est que ruine de l’âme.
Literally	“Science without conscience is nothing but the ruin of the soul.”
This quote by Rabelais from the novel Pantagruel could be considered the beginnings of bioethics, a discipline that tries to reconcile scientific capabilities and their moral acceptability.

→ Not sufficiently inspired yet? Make sure you visit our list of the Top 11 Quotes About Success.

Science sans conscience n’est que ruine de l’âme.

2. Quotes About Love

Are you in love? A hopeless romantic? A poet at heart? Then you’ll certainly appreciate the beauty of these French quotes about love.

#6

French	Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.
Literally	“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”
This is a quote from the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, moralist, and theologist Blaise Pascal. Yes, that’s quite an impressive resume. The man has left such a wealth of insightful research and writings in all of these fields that it’s only fair to give him all due credit.

#7

French	Un seul être vous manque et tout est dépeuplé.
Literally	“Only one person is missing, and the whole world seems empty.”
This is a quote from Alphonse de Lamartine, a French poet, writer, and politician. Lamartine is considered to be the first Romantic poet.

#8

French	La vie est une fleur dont l’amour est le miel.
Literally	“Life is a flower of which love is the honey.”
Here’s a quote from Victor Hugo, a French poet and novelist of the aforementioned Romantic movement.

#9

French	Aimer sans être aimé, c’est comme allumer une cigarette avec une allumette déjà éteinte.
Literally	“To love without being loved is like lighting a cigarette with a matchstick that has gone out.”
This is a quote from George Sand, one of the most prominent writers of the Romantic movement in the nineteenth century. Don’t be fooled by her pen name, “George”: Aurore Dupin was a woman, and what we would call a feminist in today’s day and age. She was primarily known for the exceptional quality of her writing, but also made a name for herself by wearing male clothes (in a time where it was not exactly socially acceptable) and smoking in public. You’ve heard this quote a few times if you ever had the chance to watch the excellent Moulin Rouge from Australian director Baz Luhrmann.

#10

French	Aimer, ce n’est pas se regarder l’un l’autre, c’est regarder ensemble dans la même direction.
Literally	“Love doesn’t mean gazing at each other, but looking, together, in the same direction.”
This is a quote from Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, but you may just say Saint-Exupéry. Internationally, he’s mainly remembered for his novel Le Petit Prince (“The Little Prince”).

→ Find more bittersweet inspiration in our free vocabulary lists featuring a wide collection of French Quotes About Love and French Break-Up Quotes.

Le seul vrai langage au monde est un baiser. (Alfred de Musset)
(“The only true language in the world is a kiss.”)

3. Quotes About Time

Time is what binds us to our own mortality. The following French quotes about life express the significance of time, how we use it, and how it affects us. 

#11

French	Le temps est un grand maître, dit-on. Le malheur est qu’il tue ses élèves.
Literally	“We say that time is a great teacher. It’s too bad that it kills all its students.”
This is a quote from Hector Berlioz, a composer and conductor of the nineteenth century.

#12

French	Il y a des gens qui ne savent pas perdre leur temps tout seul. Ils sont le fléau des gens occupés.
Literally	“Some people can’t waste time on their own. They’re the bane of the busy ones.”
Louis de Bonald, the author of this quote, was a philosopher and political figure of the nineteenth century. He’s remembered as one of the founders of sociology.

#13

French	Il ne faut avoir aucun regret pour le passé, aucun remords pour le présent, et une confiance inébranlable pour l’avenir.
Literally	“You should have no regrets about the past, no remorse about the present, and unwavering confidence in the future.”
This quote is from Jean-Jaurès, a major political figure from the late nineteenth century. Among other accomplishments, he’s one of the main contributors to the 1905 law on the separation of the churches and the state. This law would then become the backbone of the French concept of laïcité (“secularism”), which is today a crucial part of our national identity.

#14

French	Ceux qui font mauvais usage de leur temps sont les premiers à se plaindre de sa brièveté.
Literally	“Those who make bad use of their time are the first to complain about its brevity.”
This is from Jean de La Bruyère, a French moralist from the seventeenth century. His most notorious work, Les Caractères, is an essay on the mental traits of individuals and how they interact with each other.

#15

French	C’est un malheur qu’il y a trop peu d’intervalles entre le temps où l’on est trop jeune, et le temps où l’on est trop vieux.
Literally	“It’s a shame that there is too little time between when we’re too young and when we’re too old.”
Montesquieu was a political thinker and philosopher born in the late seventeenth century. He’s known for his thoughts on the separation of powers that would later influence the development of Western democracies.

→ Whether you want to complain or philosophize about it, you’ll be glad you stopped by our free vocabulary list on Time, with examples and audio recordings.

Ceux qui font mauvais usage de leur temps sont les premiers à se plaindre de sa brièveté.

4. Quotes About Relationships

The following French quotes on friendship and other relationships underline the simple truths and concepts behind one of life’s most crucial elements.

#16

French	Un homme seul est toujours en mauvaise compagnie.
Literally	“A lone man is always in poor company.”
This is a quote from Paul Valéry, a French poet and philosopher who is best known for his glorious mustache.

#17

French	L’enfer, c’est les autres.
Literally	“Hell is other people.”
This is one of the most famous quotes from Jean-Paul Sartre, from his play Huis Clos (1943). Huis Clos tells the story of three damned souls who have just been brought to Hell. As they get acquainted and try to figure out how they ended up there, they realize that there’s no torturer nor medieval devices, and that their punishment is to endure each other for all eternity. Here is the full quote:  Alors, c’est ça l’enfer. Je n’aurais jamais cru… Vous vous rappelez : le soufre, le bûcher, le gril… Ah ! Quelle plaisanterie. Pas besoin de gril : l’enfer c’est les autres. (“So, this is Hell. I would never have thought… Do you remember: the smell of sulfur, the stake, the grill… Ha! What a joke. No need for a grill: Hell is other people.”)

#18

French	Il est bon de traiter l’amitié comme les vins et de se méfier des mélanges.
Literally	“It’s good to handle friendship like wine and to be wary of mixtures.”
This quote is from Colette, a French author, actress, and journalist born in the late nineteenth century.

#19

French	Ce qui rend les amitiés indissolubles et double leur charme est un sentiment qui manque à l’amour : la certitude.
Literally	“What makes friendships unbreakable and doubles their charm is a feeling that is missing from love: certainty.”
This is a quote from Honoré de Balzac, one of the most prominent writers of the nineteenth century with a huge biography of more than ninety novels.

#20

French	L’amitié fait deviner des choses dont on ne parle pas.
Literally	“Friendship makes you guess unspoken truths.”
This is a quote from Les Pays Étrangers (1982) by Jean Ethier-Blais, a Canadian writer and professor of French literature.

→ For more insightful quotes on this topic, be sure to visit our list of quotes on Friendship. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101.com.

L’amitié fait deviner les choses dont on ne parle pas.

5. Quotes From French Movies

To close, let’s look at some famous quotes in French from top movies!

#21

French	Une femme sans amour, c’est comme une fleur sans soleil, ça dépérit.
Literally	“A woman without love is like a flower without the sun, she will wither.”
Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (“The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain”), or Amélie (2001) in the U.S., is a fantastic movie full of memorable quotes, by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. With its unique tone and aesthetic, it’s a must-watch, especially if you’re looking for movies to practice your French.

#22

French	Les cons ça ose tout. C’est même à ça qu’on les reconnait.
Literally	“Fools dare everything. That’s how you recognize them.”
Les tontons flingueurs (“The Gunslingers Uncles”), or Monsieur Gangster in the U.S., is a cult classic crime comedy from 1963 with more witty quotes than I can count. It was written by Michel Audiard, who’s still considered one of the best dialogue writers in French cinema.

#23

French	On ne peut pas faire l’amour du matin au soir. C’est pour ça qu’on a inventé le travail.
Literally	“You cannot make love all day long. That’s why we’ve invented work.”
This is from the movie L’Homme qui aimait les femmes, or The Man Who Loved Women in the U.S. (1977), by François Truffaut. François Truffaut was one of the founders of the French New Wave or Nouvelle Vague, a French film movement that rejected traditional filmmaking convention in favor of a more experimental style.

#24

French	Et dites-vous bien dans la vie, ne pas reconnaître son talent, c’est favoriser la réussite des médiocres.
Literally	“Not acknowledging your talent is to encourage the success of mediocre people.”
This is a quote from Le cave se rebiffe, or The Counterfeiters of Paris in the U.S., by Gilles Grangier, with legendary French actor Jean Gabin.

#25

French	Moi, Monsieur, je suis ancien combattant, patron de bistrot et militant socialiste, c’est vous dire si des conneries dans ma vie j’en ai entendu quelques-unes.
Literally	“I, sir, am a war veteran, bartender, and socialist activist. So you can imagine that in my life, I’ve heard my fair share of nonsense.”
This is from Un idiot à Paris (“An Idiot in Paris”), a 1967 movie from Serge Korber.

→ If my movie quotes made you itch for a big-screen experience in France, check out our Movie-Going vocabulary list to come prepared!

Time for watching some French movies.

6. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned the best quotes from French authors in a variety of categories, from love quotes to quotes about life and time, and even some of the finest lines from classic movies.

Did we forget an amazing French quote you’ve heard about? Don’t hesitate to share it in the comments below!

Going further, FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings and free resources to boost your studies and keep your French learning fresh and entertaining. Quotes are even better when you can translate them yourself.

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching and practice new words and structures with a private teacher. In addition to providing assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples just for you, your teacher will review your work and help improve your pronunciation. 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101!

Can you imagine going to a business meeting in France with no knowledge of business French? With a bit of reckoning and preparation, you can spare yourself a lot of embarrassment. All you need is a small set of business French phrases.

The world of work can be wildly different from one country to another, and when traveling somewhere for business—either permanently or as a visitor—you’ll have to quickly find your mark to make the best of your new business environment. 

In this guide to phrases for doing business in French, you’ll learn everything you need to work in France or conduct your business with French-speaking partners. We’ll cover everything from coworkers and meetings to job interviews, letters, and even professional phone calls. Let’s take care of business!

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Business Words and Phrases
3. Coworkers and Meetings
4. Nail a Job Interview
5. Emails and Letters
6. Business Calls
7. Le Mot De La Fin

1. Getting Started

Before we dive into specific business French phrases, let’s cover the basics and work on your first impressions. 

In this section, you’ll learn how to greet, how formal you should be, and what words and expressions you need to know if you want to work or conduct business in French.

1 – Greetings and Goodbyes

• Bonjour (“Hello”) is the magic greeting that works for everybody at almost any time of day. Literally meaning “Good day,” it’s neither too formal nor too relaxed, so you really can’t go wrong with it.
• Bonsoir (“Good evening”) is basically bonjour for evening and night.

When meeting someone for the first time, you might want to add a polite “Nice to meet you.” Here are a few options:

• Enchanté(e). (“Delighted.”) 
  • This one can be used with anyone in any situation. It takes a final E in the feminine form.
• Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer. (“Happy to meet you.”)
• C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer. (“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”)

→ To learn more about greetings and polite phrases, make sure to read our complete guide on How to Say Hello in French.

Saying goodbye is even more straightforward. In any formal situation, always stick with Au revoir (“Goodbye”), and nothing else. Then, only once you become more casual with coworkers or business partners, you could use the relaxed Salut (“Bye”) or a similar alternative.

→ You’ll find everything on saying “Goodbye” and “See you later” in our blog article on Saying Goodbye in French.

2 – “Tu” or “Vous”?

The French have two distinct pronouns for “you”: vous and tu (formal and casual “you”). Whenever in doubt, you can’t go wrong with vous.

A simple rule: Follow your partners’ or coworkers’ lead. If they use tu when addressing you, answer with tu. Otherwise, just stick to the formal vous.

2. Business Words and Phrases

Now we’ll introduce you to some of the most useful business French vocabulary. These are words and phrases that you’ll hear and use often in the French working world, so we recommend memorizing the ones that are most relevant to your situation. 

1 – The Company

We have two main words for “company” in French:

• Une entreprise
• Une société

There are some legal differences if you explore the working laws, but most people use both indiscriminately.

• Yves Rocher est une entreprise de cosmétique. (“Yves Rocher is a cosmetics company.”)
• Je travaille pour une société de transport. (“I work for a transport company.”)

In a more relaxed context, the casual word for “company” is une boite (literally, “a box”).

• Je bosse pour une boite d’informatique. (“I work for an IT company.”)
  Note that I’m using the verb bosser, which is the casual slang term for travailler (“to work”).

Here are a few technical business French terms you might want to learn:

• Le bureau (“The office”)
• Un open space (“An open space” / “A bullpen”)
• Une société par actions (“A joint-stock company”)
• Une multinationale (“A multinational company”)
• Une PME (Petite et moyenne entreprise) (“SMB – Small and medium-sized business”)
• Une association (à but non lucratif) (“A non-profit organization”)

Une entreprise (“Company”)

2 – To Work

Now, here are some useful words and expressions for talking about work and employment.

• Travailler (“To work”)
• Bosser [Casual] (“To work”)

• Gérer (“To manage”)
• Recruter (“To hire”)
• Chercher un emploi (“To look for a job”)

• Un métier (“Occupation”)
• Le travail (“Work”)
• Un boulot [Casual] (“Job”)
• Un taf [Slang] (“Job”)
• Un poste (“Position”)
• Une carrière (“Career”)
• Un stage (“Internship”)
• Un contrat (“Contract”)

3 – Top Business Words

You’ll notice that some words have a feminine form and some words don’t. I’m only adding the feminine form when it’s relevant and commonly used. This is because, in many cases, it’s still customary to use the masculine form for any gender.

Let’s start with the workforce:

• Le personnel (“The staff”)
• Un employé [Male] / Une employée [Female] (“An employee”)
• Un stagiaire / Une stagiaire (“An intern”)
• Un apprenti / Une apprentie (“An apprentice”)
• Un cadre (“An executive”)

The management:

• Le patron (“The boss”)
• Le PDG – Président-directeur général (“The CEO”) 
• Un directeur / Une directrice (“A director”)
• Un manager (“A manager”)
• Un employeur (“An employer”)
• Le comité de direction (“Top management”)

And now some departments and geographical terms:

• Le siège social (“Head office”)
• Une succursale (“A branch”)
• Une filiale (“A subsidiary”)

• Les ressources humaines or RH (“Human Resources”)
• Le service marketing (“The marketing department”)
• Le service des ventes (“The sales department”)
• Le service technique (“The technical department”)
• La comptabilité (“The accounting department”)

Le PDG (“The CEO”)

4 – Talking About Money

If you’re doing business, chances are you’ll eventually find yourself talking about money.

Let’s start with the basics before we move on to some technical financial vocabulary:

• L’argent (“Money”)
• Un salaire (“Salary”)
• Un bulletin de salaire (“Payslip”)
• Une avance (“An advance payment”)
• Une retenue sur salaire (“A payroll deduction”)
  
  
• Les impôts (“Taxes”)
• Les charges salariales (“Wage costs”)
• Un RIB (“Bank details”)
  • Veuillez joindre votre RIB à ce formulaire. (“Please, attach your bank details to this form.”)

• Les bénéfices (“Revenue” / “Profit”)
  Le bénéfice net (“The net revenue”)
  Le bénéfice brut (“The gross revenue”)
  


• Le chiffre d’affaire (“Turnover”)
  
  
• Les actions (“Stocks”)
  • Mes actions sont en hausse. (“My stocks are rising.”)
  • Mes actions sont en baisse. (“My stocks are declining.”)

3. Coworkers and Meetings

Now that you have a large business vocabulary to talk about companies and money, let’s dive into more specific topics, starting with your coworkers’ meetings. Quite a program, right? No worries, we’ll keep it simple!

• Un collègue (“Colleague” / “Coworker”)
• Un partenaire (“Business partner”)
• Un associé (“Associate” / “Partner”)

Now, onto the most useful French business phrases for interacting with coworkers and speaking up in business meetings.

1 – Asking a Colleague for Help

It’s perfectly fine in France to ask for assistance if you don’t understand something, if you’re lacking some important piece of information, or if you just think your current task should be tackled with outside help.

Below, I’ll write some example sentences using tu (casual “you”), as this is by far the most common way to address your coworkers unless you’re working in an unusually uptight work environment.

• Est-ce que tu peux m’aider ? (“Can you help me?”)
• Tu pourrais m’expliquer ça ? (“Could you explain this to me?”)
• Je ne comprends pas ce document. (“I don’t understand this document.”)
• Est-ce que tu sais utiliser ce logiciel ? (“Do you know how to use this software?”)

Est-ce que tu peux m’aider ? (“Can you help me?”)

2 – Thanking or Congratulating

• Merci pour ton aide. (“Thank you for your help.”)
• Merci pour le coup de main ! [Casual] (“Thanks for the help!”)
• Bon travail. (“Good work.”)
• Excellent travail ! (“Excellent work!”)

3 – Raising Concerns

You can have many reasons to voice your concerns, and in most places, French employees do so rather freely. If something is wrong, good managers will always prefer to know the hard facts than having you sugarcoat it and later find out the truth.

Ideally, you should express your concern in a polite and constructive manner, showing that you’re trying to solve a problem and not just complain for the sake of it.

• Je n’ai pas été formé pour cela. (“I haven’t been trained for this.”)
• Le délai est trop court. (“The deadline is too short.”)
• Nous n’avons pas le budget pour ___. (“We don’t have the budget for ___.”)
• Nous n’avons pas les ressources pour ___. (“We don’t have the resources for ___.”)
• Nous n’aurons pas le temps de terminer. (“We won’t have enough time to finish.”)
• Il faudrait reporter cette réunion. (“We should reschedule this meeting.”)
• Il y a une erreur dans ce document. (“There is a mistake in this document.”)
• Nous n’avons pas de documentation là dessus. (“We don’t have documentation on this.”)

When the French complain about their hectic lifestyle, lack of leisure time, or how they’re having trouble balancing their professional and personal lives, they use the expression: Métro, boulot, dodo. (“Metro, work, sleep.”). This is the equivalent of talking about the rat race.

→ For many more useful resources, don’t miss our free vocabulary list on Phrases for Doing Business Successfully, with recordings to practice your pronunciation.

4 – Making Apologies

We all make mistakes, and as long as you’re not denying them and take accountability, you should be just fine!

• Je suis désolé. (“I’m sorry.”)
• Désolé pour tout à l’heure. (“Sorry about earlier.”)
• Désolé de ne pas avoir pu t’aider. (“Sorry I couldn’t help you.”)

It’s all about working through your differences.

→ There are many ways to say “I’m sorry,” and this is the one situation where you don’t want to mess up. Check out our vocabulary list on Common Ways to Say Sorry, or if you want to know everything about it, head to our Complete Guide on Apologies on the FrenchPod101 blog.

5 – Afterwork Mingling

Getting to know your coworkers or business partners is important, and France has a well-established tradition of handling crucial decisions and agreeing on lucrative contracts over what we call déjeuner d’affaire (“business lunch”).

Among colleagues, it’s also common to have a drink after work or meet in informal settings to get to know each other better.

• Tu travailles dans quel service ? (“In what department do you work?”)
• Tu bosses sur quel projet ? (“On what project are you working?”)
• Tu travailles dans l’équipe de Nicolas ? (“Are you working on Nicolas’s team?”)
• Tu travailles ici depuis longtemps ? (“Have you been working here for a long time?”)
• Tu faisais quoi avant de travailler ici ? (“What did you do before working here?”)

→ If you don’t feel comfortable with small talk and asking questions, make a detour through our Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations.

4. Nail a Job Interview

If there’s one situation where you’ll need a lot of business phrases and vocabulary, it’s certainly a job interview. You may have done well with your letter, and nobody saw you sweat during the phone call, but can you make it through the actual interview? Now is your time to shine.

You’ll need some practice to bring your game to the next level, but once you’ve rehearsed what you want to say and how to answer the most common questions, you’ll do just fine!

→ If you don’t feel comfortable with the introduction part, I recommend that you have a look at our free vocabulary list of 10 Lines You Need for Introducing Yourself on FrenchPod101.

And now, here are a few examples of common questions in a job interview and how to answer them:

❖ Pouvez-vous me parler de vos études ? (“Can you tell me about your studies?”)
Quels sont vos diplômes ? (“What degrees do you have?”)
Quel est votre parcours scolaire ? (“What is your education background?”)


➢ J’ai un master en gestion de projets. (“I have a masters degree in project management.”)
➢ J’ai un diplôme en comptabilité. (“I have a degree in accounting.”)
➢ J’ai étudié le droit à l’université de Toulouse. (“I studied law at the university of Toulouse.”)

❖ Quelle est votre expérience professionnelle ? (“What is your professional experience?”)
Pouvez-vous me parler de votre parcours professionnel ? (“Can you tell me about your job history?”)


➢ J’ai travaillé chez Yves Rocher pendant 4 ans. (“I have worked for Yves Rocher for four years.”)
➢ Je travaille pour Remedy Software depuis 2 ans. (“I have been working for Remedy Software for two years.”)

❖ Quelles langues parlez-vous ? (“Which languages do you speak?”)


➢ Je parle couramment Anglais. (“I speak English fluently.”)
➢ Je parle un peu Français. (“I speak a bit of French.”)
➢ J’ai des notions d’Allemand. (“I have German basics.”)

If you didn’t understand the question, don’t hesitate to ask the other person to repeat:

• Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ? (“Could you repeat, please?”)
• Pardon, je n’ai pas bien entendu. (“Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”)
• Excusez-moi ? (“Excuse me?”)

→ For more details on how the interview is handled and many more question examples, make sure to stop by our full guide on How to Get a Job in France.

Il passe un entretien d’embauche. (“He’s interviewing for a job.”)

5. Emails and Letters

Let’s face it, you’ll probably never send an actual letter for any business purpose in France. Surprisingly, we still use paper for a ridiculously big portion of our administrative procedures, but private companies moved to the digital era a couple of decades ago.

Nonetheless, you may read the word une lettre (“a letter”) in a business context. Just remember that we usually don’t mean a paper letter, and are rather referring to an email. This is the case for une lettre de motivation (“a cover letter”), for example, which nobody’s sending through the post office anymore.

When writing a French business letter, you’ll typically want to include three things before getting to the point:

1. Your personal details (name, address, phone number, email).

2. The other person’s details, to make sure it gets into the right hands. If you don’t know the person’s name, you can mention the name of the department. Another option is to write the name of the company and add à qui de droit (“to whom it may concern”).

3. [Optional] The topic of the letter, such as Candidature pour un poste de professeur d’Anglais (“Application for an English teaching position”) or Récapitulatif de nos conditions de distribution (“A summary of our distribution terms”).

Then, you should open the letter with a greeting. If you know the name of your reader, feel free to use it. For instance: 

• Monsieur Morel, (“Mister Morel,”)
  You should always use the last name.
• Cher Monsieur Morel, (“Dear Mister Morel,”) is not formal enough for a cover letter, but it’s fine for most business transactions. 

If you’re not sure, you can’t go wrong with: Madame, Monsieur, (“Madam, Mister,”).

There are tons of options for ending a French business email or letter, but you don’t want to be too submissive or old-fashioned. Here are a few timeless options:

• Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, mes meilleures salutations.
  (“Please accept, Madam / Mister, my best salutations.”)

• Veuillez recevoir, Madame, Monsieur, mes respectueuses salutations.
  (“Please receive, Madam / Mister, my respectful salutations.”)

6. Business Calls

In many big companies, Skype, Teams, or other similar audio conference solutions are already much more popular than phone calls. In the last company I worked for, I don’t believe I saw more than a couple of phones for 200 people.

However, in small businesses and administration, the phone is still alive and kicking. Luckily, the phrases and vocabulary are pretty similar to what we’ve covered already, except for a few added technical terms for online solutions.

Here’s some useful French for business phone calls and other long-distance interactions:

• Allo ? (“Hello?”) is toned as a question, to make sure the other person can hear you. It can be used over the phone or in online calls, but never in person (unless you’re in Quebec). Most phone conversations start with Allo ?

Then, you may want to make sure you’ve dialed the right number or that you’re talking to the right person:

• Bonjour, c’est bien le magasin Darty à Toulouse ? (“Hello, is this the shop ‘Darty’ in Toulouse?”)
• Bonjour, monsieur Morel ? (“Hello, is it monsieur Morel?”)
• Je cherche à joindre monsieur Morel, s’il vous plaît. (“I’m trying to reach mister Morel, please.”)
• Pouvez-vous me mettre en relation avec le service financier, s’il vous plaît ? (“Could you please connect me to the finance department?”)

Should you be on the other side of the phone, here are a few useful sentences to handle calls:

• Ne quittez pas. (“Hold the line.”)
• Je vous le (la) passe. (“I will put you through to him [her].”)
• La ligne est occupée. (“The line is busy.”)
• Est-ce que je peux prendre un message ? (“Could I take a message?”)
• Est-ce que vous voulez patienter ? (“Would you like to hold a moment?”)
• Pourriez-vous rappeler plus tard ? (“Could you call back later?”)

Allo, monsieur Morel ? (“Hello, is it mister Morel?”)

And finally, here are a few expressions for online calls specifically:

• Est-ce que vous m’entendez bien ? (“Can you hear me well?”)
  Oui, on vous entend très bien. (“Yes, we can hear you very well.”)

• La connexion est très mauvaise. (“The connection is very bad.”)
• Je vous entends assez mal. (“I can hear you rather poorly.”)
• La connexion a été coupée. (“The connection was lost.”)

And of course, remember the old trick you’ve learned talking to your mother-in-law:

• Désolé, ça va couper. Je passe dans un tunnel ! (“I’m sorry, you’re breaking up. I’m going through a tunnel!”)

→ You can find more examples with audio recordings in our vocabulary list of Useful Phrases for a Phone Call on FrenchPod101.com.

7. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned everything about business French phrases, from useful French vocabulary to business letters, emails, phone calls, and workplace interactions. Did I forget any important topic you’d like to learn about?

Do you feel ready to jump right in and start handling your French partners in their native languages, or go and apply for a French company?

FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings and free resources to boost your studies and keep your French learning fresh and entertaining!

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher will help you practice your business French and more, using assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples for you (they can review yours, too, to help improve your pronunciation). 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!

Have you noticed how difficult it can be to stop aimlessly scrolling through YouTube videos, from one channel to the next recommendation? Before you know it, it’s three a.m. and tomorrow’s alarm clock will sound like really bad news.

And have you noticed how difficult it can be to learn a language? 

But what if you could combine business with pleasure and turn some of your relaxing YouTube time into French learning? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

In this article, I’ll present the best French YouTubers and channels to practice French in 2020, from the best French learning channels to the most informative and entertaining content by popular French YouTubers. When coupled with the FrenchPod101 channel, you’ll find that the channels on this list have everything you need to immerse yourself in the French language and make quick progress.

Table of Contents

1. Learning French with FrenchPod101 and YouTube
2. FrenchSounds
3. 100% Chanson Française
4. Easy French
5. Golden Moustache
6. Le Monde
7. InnerFrench
8. 750g
9. Dr. Nozman
10. YouLearnFrench
11. Les Shadoks
12. Le Mot De La Fin

Regarder des vidéos (“To watch videos”)

1. Learning French with FrenchPod101 and YouTube

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re already familiar with the FrenchPod101 YouTube channel. As far as French learning goes, this is your number-one destination for a wide variety of free content and resources, ranging from listening and pronunciation exercises, grammar lessons, new vocabulary, cultural insights—you name it.

But at the end of the day, you might feel like you want to expand your YouTube horizons and complement FrenchPod101 with more channels in popular categories: documentaries, comedies, science shows, sitcoms, reaction videos, and cooking how-to’s, to name a few. There are so many channels out there!

As a learner myself, I strongly believe in the power of exposure for language acquisition; immersing yourself in French can help you more than any grammar lesson ever could. You can effortlessly become more fluent by listening to French music and podcasts; watching movies, series, and documentaries; and reading books, articles, or magazines in French.

In 2019, video streaming was king, with eighty percent of the total Internet traffic being related to streaming—and YouTube was by far the biggest player. With a wealth of content in every language, it has countless channels for you to practice your French with. But it can be overwhelming to find the best channels, for sure.

Let me narrow it down for you, with a list of the best YouTube channels to complement your French studies!

2. FrenchSounds

Category: Language
Level: Everyone

This old-school channel may be the best place to learn and practice the sounds of French on YouTube. It features the most thoroughly detailed explanations of how to produce the various sounds of the French language. I recommend this channel to students of all levels, even if you’re already fluent.

How do you move your lips and tongue to produce our set of nasal vowels? How do you channel the air through your throat to make the French guttural R? Everything is explained on FrenchSounds, with lots of carefully articulated examples and practical exercises.

This channel isn’t active anymore, but with sixty tutorials going from the most basic sounds to the most advanced topics (sentence musicality, rhythmic groups, poetic recitation), you’ll have more than enough material to truly master French pronunciation.

3. 100% Chanson Française

Category: Music
Level: Everyone

With a sizable collection of French music hits in various genres, 100% Chanson Française is an entertaining way to immerse yourself in the language and practice your listening skills. It’s worth noting that it doesn’t have many recent tracks, as French record companies are pretty touchy about copyright laws.

For some even older classics, you can check out the massive collection of Chanson Française. But if you want to listen to specific artists, you’ll have to target their individual channels, such as Gims or Angèle.

You may find that older artists, who use less slang and are overall more articulated, are easier to understand at an intermediate level. You can try Francis Cabrel or Johnny.

→ If you like talking about music and your favorite artists, make sure to stop by our free list of vocabulary about Music Day on FrenchPod101.com.

4. Easy French

Category: Listening practice
Level: Everyone

The concept behind Easy French is as easy as it is compelling: going through the streets of French cities to ask locals questions about…anything! And then recording their answers and reactions.

The result is a joyful blend of accents, paces, and manners of speech. These French YouTube videos are a great way to practice your street French by listening to real people. You’ll also get to learn a great deal about the culture and local mindset.

The questions are as varied and incongruous as:

• “How do you flirt in France?“
• “What is the craziest thing you have done?“
• “What is your favorite French food?” 
• “Do French people shower?“

And most importantly, these videos feature excellent subtitles in French and English

→ Inspired by these short interviews? Discover the Top 15 Questions you could ask your French-speaking friends.

5. Golden Moustache

Category: Comedy
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

Golden Moustache is a comedy studio that produces original videos on YouTube, mainly focusing on comedy and parody. They make fun of pop-culture icons such as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, as well as popular music and actors. They produce one-shot sketches, a long-running web series, and they even have a movie!

Backed by the French TV channel M6, they can afford sets and costumes with a production value that goes beyond what home-made amateur YouTubers could ever pull off—and they do so with undeniable panache.

Although comedy is not the easiest genre to follow as a student, these videos come with good subtitles, making them a great way to practice your listening skills while having a fun time.

6. Le Monde

Category: News & Culture
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

Le Monde (“The World”) is a French newspaper created in 1944, and today, it’s one of the most popular and influential in the country. It claims to have no political stance, and it tries to remain as neutral as possible, though it’s often considered to be in line with center-left ideas.

The YouTube channel features lots of videos, covering a wide range of topics: general news, politics, climate, Internet, music, cinema, television, science, sports, and more.

A lot of these videos are very well-articulated, in the typical slow-paced journalistic style. They also feature rather simple vocabulary, which makes this channel a great choice for intermediate or advanced learners who are willing to practice their listening skills and expand their minds.

7. InnerFrench

Category: Language & Culture
Level: Everyone

InnerFrench offers a mix of French learning videos for all levels, as well as interesting playlists such as Learning Strategies and Podcasts.

The Podcasts are perfect for intermediate students looking for interesting content in accessible French on a variety of topics (history, politics, sociology, psychology, media). They speak slowly and won’t burden you with convoluted sentences or weird slang.

Last but not least, you’ll find a sizable collection of TED Talks in French with subtitles in several languages, including English and French.

8. 750g

Category: Cuisine
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

Food and wine are two of the pillars of French culture, and this list couldn’t be complete without at least one French YouTube channel about food and cuisine.

Although arguably not the most exciting or exotic cooking channel on YouTube, 750g is a major player with a thriving online community, lots of informative videos, and countless recipes for every skill level and budget.

For something a bit crazier, head to the fast-food channel FastGoodCuisine, or maybe check out Hervé Cuisine and his mouth-watering collection of cake recipes.

→ Ready for some cooking time? Make sure to visit our vocabulary list on Utensils and Tableware, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101.com.

9. Dr. Nozman

Category: Science
Level: Advanced

Dr. Nozman offers a large collection of well-documented videos on science. From silly experiments to serious videos on biology, physics, epidemiology, and high-tech gadgets, this channel has a lot going on. It’s meant for a wide audience, especially those with no technical background.

However, it features this typical “modern YouTubers” style with a frantic montage, elevator music, and relentless jump cuts. But this is the curse of all the best science channels I’ve found, such as e-penser and Max Bird.

→ Are you getting worried after watching videos on epidemiology? Stop by our vocabulary list of Common Health Problems to make sure you’re ready for anything!

10. YouLearnFrench

Category: Language
Level: Beginner & Intermediate

Although very classic and barren in its presentation, this channel features a spectacular amount of content in the form of dialogues, grammar, conjugation lessons, and a wealth of vocabulary lists like the ones on FrenchPod101.com.

You’ll select a topic, and for each item on the list, you’ll see a picture, read the word and its translation, and hear the recording in French. 

No frills and no fuss here: even the illustrations are super-simple and not distracting. Having the combination of image, sound, and text is super-effective in accommodating all types of learners and creating more connections in your brain. In short, it’s a great option for learning French on YouTube.

11. Les Shadoks

Category: Cartoon
Level: Intermediate

Les Shadoks is a French animated series with 208 very short episodes of two to three minutes. It was created by Jacques Rouxel and first shown on TV in 1968. It quickly became an iconic part of French culture, still fondly remembered to this day.

With a very unique brand of absurd humor, nonsensical science, and a cast of offbeat characters of all shapes and sizes (including stupid alien birds and a very angry gluttonous bug), there was nothing like the Shadoks when they first appeared fifty years ago. And when the series finally concluded in 2000, it was still as weird and unique as ever.

Voiced by legendary French actor Claude Piéplu, the speech is slow, articulated, and accessible for intermediate learners thanks to its simple vocabulary. The cartoons might seem childish, but if you’re onboard with the absurd premises, you’ll find it enjoyable for all audiences.

12. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned about the top ten YouTube channels to practice French. From French YouTubers to classic language podcasts, comedies, science shows, and cartoons, there’s definitely something for your taste and level! 

Did we forget any interesting channel that you’re already watching, or maybe a category you’re interested in? Make sure to let us know in the comments below!

The more you immerse yourself in the French language, the more beneficial it will be in the long run. It will help you practice your listening and reading skills, learn new vocabulary, and get familiar with common grammar structures as you hear them over and over. But most of all, if you watch some of this content on a regular basis, it will keep you connected with the language.

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review new words and learn their pronunciation.

And of course, the FrenchPod101 YouTube channel should be your first stop for language podcasts, grammar lessons, and vocabulary videos. Be sure to explore our playlists so you can easily pick the category and topic you need.

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice your conversation skills with your private teacher, and they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with your pronunciation.

Do you want to leave a dashing and lasting impression after you’ve met someone? It’s time to work on your grand exit and make sure you choose the right words when leaving the room.

Earlier on this blog, you learned the various ways to say hello and how to introduce yourself. Now it’s time to study how to say goodbye in French when it’s time to part ways. Overall, French really isn’t complicated in that regard, and you could get by using only two expressions. But there’s more to learn if you’re willing to expand your horizon and want to impress your friends with typical French expressions.

In this article, you’ll learn how to say goodbye in French, from fun casual words to formal expressions. Together, we’ll go through the twenty-two most useful ways to say goodbye, with explanations and examples. By the end of this guide, you’ll be ready to walk away with style! Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE!(Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. Two Expressions to Rule Them All
2. Various Ways to Say Goodbye
3. French Culture: Goodbye Gestures
4. Le Mot De La Fin

Ce n’est qu’un au revoir. (“This is not really goodbye.”)

1. Two Expressions to Rule Them All

Do you remember how to say “Hello”? There are many ways to say it, but you can get by with only two words without ever having to use any of the others. Luckily, it’s exactly the same with “Goodbye.”

For almost any formal or informal situation, you can use one of these two expressions:

Au revoir.	[Formal]	(“Goodbye”)
Salut !	[Casual]	(“Bye!”)

When you’re among strangers, at a job interview, in a shop, or leaving a restaurant, you can say: Au revoir. If you’re among friends, family, colleagues, or people you’re generally casual with, you can say: Salut.

But of course, you wouldn’t be reading a complete guide on how to say goodbye if you were looking for the easy way! So let’s dive into the various ways to say goodbye so you’ll be prepared for just about any situation.

2. Various Ways to Say Goodbye

1 – Casual Goodbye

In French, casual goodbyes abound. Feel free to use any of the words or phrases listed below with friends and family, or in other informal situations.

Salut !	[Casual]	(“Bye!”)
Interestingly, Salut can be used to mean either “Hello” or “Goodbye.” It’s the Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to goodbyes, and as you interact with French-speakers, you’re bound to hear it often.

Now, let’s have a look at your alternatives when dealing with friends, relatives, colleagues, or other people you know pretty well.

Ciao ! / Tchao !	[Casual]	(“Bye!”)
Both Ciao and Tchao are correct and can be found in French dictionaries, but Ciao is often considered the more correct form. Tchao is only the Frenchified version of the Italian greeting word.

Bye ! or  Bye bye !	[Casual]	(“Bye!”)
Bye has also been integrated into the French dictionary, and is now rather common.

Bisous !	[Very casual]	(“Kisses!”)
This is the most casual form, and it’s equivalent to ending a message with XXX for “Kisses.” We use it with family, partners, and close friends—and it’s gonna sound funny if you use it with people you’re not really intimate with.

Ciao!

2 – Have a Good One

These are the kind of French goodbye expressions you would use to wish someone a good day, evening, or vacation. 

Bonne journée.	[Neutral]	(“Have a good day.”)
We use this phrase like its English equivalent, referring to the rest of the current day.

Bonne soirée.

[Neutral]

(“Have a good evening.”)

Bon week-end.

[Neutral]

(“Have a good weekend.”)

Bon ___. / Bonne ___.	[Neutral]	(“Have a good ___.”)
This is the blueprint for a variety of custom goodbyes. You can adjust it by adding any day or part of the week, keeping in mind that the adjective bon / bonne (“good”) agrees with the object (the thing that is good).  Bon dimanche. (“Have a good Sunday.”) Bon week-end. (“Have a good weekend.”) Bonne fin de semaine. (“Enjoy the end of the week.”) Here, une fin (“end”) is a feminine word, so we would say bonne.

3 – See You!

A tout à l’heure.	[Neutral]	(“See you later.”)
If you translate à tout à l’heure word for word, it would be “to everything at the hour,” which doesn’t make much sense. This is a purely idiomatic expression and the most common way to say “See you later!” in French. Tout à l’heure is a versatile expression that can be used to say “soon,” “later,” or “in a moment”: Je la verrai tout à l’heure. (“I will see her later.”) But it can also mean “earlier” / “a moment ago.” However, once placed in context, it’s never confusing: Je l’ai vue tout à l’heure. (“I saw her a moment ago.”)

A toute !	[Very casual]	(“See you!”)
This is a shortened and very casual version of à tout à l’heure. In the full expression, there’s a liaison between tout and à, making tout sound like toute. To match this sound, we change the spelling to make à toute.

A plus tard.	[Neutral]	(“See you later.”)
Plus tard means “later,” so this basically translates to “until later,” and it’s a mildly casual way to say “See you later.” You could use it in semi-formal interactions (such as leaving a shop), but it may be a bit too relaxed for serious business and job interviews.

A plus !	[Very casual]	(“See you!”)
This is a shortened and very casual version of à plus tard. Note that in the full expression, the S at the end of plus is silent, while in à plus, we pronounce it.

A tout de suite.	[Neutral]	(“See you in a bit.”)
Tout de suite means “right now,” so it’s a bit of an exaggeration, like when Spanish-speakers use ahora (“now”) to mean “very soon.”

A bientôt.

[Neutral]

(“See you soon.”)

A demain.

[Neutral]

(“See you tomorrow.”)

A une autre fois.

[Neutral]

(“See you another time.”)

A la prochaine.	[Casual]	(“See you next time.”)
Originally a short version of à la prochaine fois, this phrase has become much more popular than the extended cut, so I would advise using à la prochaine.

A la ___ prochaine.	[Neutral]	(“See you next ___.”)
This template can be used for a variety of “see you” phrases, such as: A la semaine prochaine. (“See you next week.”) A l’année prochaine. (“See you next year.”)

A plus ! (“See you!”)

4 – Farewell

Adieu	[Vintage & Formal]	(“Farewell”)
This old-school expression is mainly seen in works of historical fiction or is used sarcastically. Created around the thirteenth century, the French goodbye adieu comes from à Dieu (“to God”) and is meant to express the idea that you’ll only see each other again when meeting God. In the professional world, it can also be used in the context of un pot d’adieu or une soirée d’adieu (“a farewell toast” or “a farewell party”) when someone is retiring.

→ Make sure to stop by our list of vocabulary on The Most Common Ways to Say Goodbye in French, with recorded examples to practice your pronunciation. It’s free on FrenchPod101.com.

5 – Good Luck

Bonne continuation.	[Formal]	(“All the best.”)
This one doesn’t have a direct translation, but in English, it would look like “Good continuation.” Whatever you’re doing, may you continue it well. It’s mainly used professionally, at the end of a working collaboration, for instance. The persons parting ways would wish each other bonne continuation for the next steps of their careers. However, you could use it in other situations after you’ve met someone that you’re not expecting to see anytime soon (a fellow tourist on a trip, for example).

Bonne chance.	[Neutral]	(“Good luck.”)
Bon courage.	[Neutral]	(“Best of luck.”)
In English, we use the translation “Good luck” for bonne chance and bon courage, but they’re different. Bonne chance is literally “Good luck” and implies that there’s an element of chance involved, such as external factors you can’t control. Bonne chance pour ton examen ! (“Good luck for your exam!”) When taking an exam, you don’t know what the exact topic will be and you’re not equally prepared for any potential topic that might come up. You’ll need some luck to achieve the best outcome. Bon courage is based on the word “courage,” so you’re wishing someone strength and bravery. Maybe they’re working on something difficult or tedious, or they’re about to experience pain and discomfort. In any case, it’s more about them being strong than lucky. Bon courage pour ton opération. (“Best of luck for your surgery.”) In practice, they tend to be pretty interchangeable, so you could use either one in a given situation.

Bonne chance pour ton entretien ! (“Good luck with your interview!”)

3. French Culture: Goodbye Gestures

Like in many other countries, the most common gesture in France for saying goodbye is to wave. Raise your hand, tilt it left and right, and you’re good to go! But what if you want to get more personal?

1 – “La Bise” : The French Can Also Kiss Goodbye

Have you heard about la bise? The typical air-kissing technique the French are famous for can also be used when saying goodbye.

❖ HOW?
To do la bise (faire la bise), lean forward and touch cheeks with the other person while mimicking a kiss. There’s no actual lips-to-cheek contact during the typical bise, just a slight brush of the cheeks. Then, change cheeks and repeat on the other side.

❖ WHO?
If you’re a woman, you can do the bise with friends, family, or peers, no matter their gender, and vice-versa. It doesn’t mean that you have to, though.

As a man, you can do the bise with female friends, family, peers, or female strangers met in informal contexts. You can also do the bise with your male friends and family, but it usually takes a higher level of intimacy and some people just don’t do it.

Doing la bise when saying goodbye is not as common as it is when saying hello, and if you’re not comfortable, feel free to skip it!

→ If you want to know all about la bise, be sure to check our blog article on How to Say Hello in French. In the last chapter, “The Secret Art of French Kissing,” you’ll find all the details on why, when, and how to do la bise.

2 – A Handshake or a Hug?

The French don’t usually hug to say hello or goodbye. The fact that we don’t even have a word for it speaks volumes about our inclination toward hugging. It’s usually reserved for close family and romantic partners, but some friends might initiate it. Just follow their lead.

Shaking hands, however, is perfectly fine. When you’re not sure whether you should kiss or shake hands, you can’t go wrong with a firm and crisp handshake. Women on the giving or receiving end could be met with a bit of awkwardness, as this is still mainly a masculine habit, but there’s nothing wrong with it.

When you can’t decide whether you should kiss, hug, or shake hands.

4. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned everything about how to say goodbye in French in both casual and formal situations. You’ve also seen several variations of how to say “See you later” and “Have a good one.”

Did I forget any important goodbye words that you know? Do you feel ready to make a grand exit using what you’ve learned today?

FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings, and free resources to boost your studies and keep your French learning fresh and entertaining!

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher will help you practice your French goodbye phrases and more, using assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples for you—they’ll even review your own recordings to help you improve your pronunciation. 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!

Is French hard to learn, or is it easy? Which parts are harder for foreign learners, and which are easier?  

Whether you’re just contemplating the idea of learning French, or are struggling with something and looking for comfort, you’ve come to the right place.

With 230 million speakers, French is the official language of twenty-eight countries. It’s also a very prominent language in the international business and cultural scenes, making it a must-learn language for anybody interested in foreign cultures.

Overall, French is generally considered to be mildly challenging, but to be honest, it greatly depends on your native language. Students from English-speaking countries will enjoy a big headstart for many reasons that we’ll explain shortly. And if you’re a native speaker of a Romance language (Spanish, Italian, etc.), it’s not even a head start—it’s an unfair advantage!

In this article, I’ll do my best to give the language a fair trial and examine what makes French difficult and what things are easy about it. This knowledge will allow you to assess how hard it truly is to learn French!

Table of Contents

1. The Easy Parts of Learning French
2. Challenging Parts of Learning French
3. What are the Best Ways to Get Started?
4. Why is FrenchPod101 Great for Learning French?
5. Le Mot De La Fin

1. The Easy Parts of Learning French

It’s easier to learn when you’re having fun!

Is French really that hard to learn? Not according to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute) or the ELC (European Language Center). French consistently scores as “Easy” in these two rankings of the most accessible languages for native English-speakers.

In their language difficulty ranking, the Foreign Service Institute puts French in the top ten easiest languages to learn for English-speakers, alongside notoriously easy languages such as Spanish and Italian. The FSI determines that it should take around twenty-four weeks (~600 hours) for an average student to reach a general professional proficiency (speaking and reading).

Why is that? Let’s go through the main reasons why French is much easier than you might think.

1 – French is a Romance Language

If you’re reading this article, chances are your understanding of English is quite solid already. Good news: this gives you a huge headstart on many things that are typically difficult to learn, such as the Latin alphabet or the core grammatical structures.

And if you’re a native speaker of another Romance language such as Spanish, Portuguese, or Romanian (the list goes on), your luck keeps on coming! For example, the French language is so similar to Spanish that before I ever learned any of it, I was able to read some simple Spanish text and understand a good half of it.

Knowing a Romance language before beginning your French studies also allows you to show off your understanding of complicated technical terms you’d normally have no business knowing—just because these terms are almost identical across Romance languages.

As an English-speaker, if you try to learn an Asian language, such as Mandarin, you’ll be thrown into uncharted waters with nothing to hold on to. Believe me, I tried. The alphabet is different, there are no familiar words or sounds, and the grammar seems completely alien. Sentences can sometimes omit a verb or subject, and it takes a lot of persistence to assimilate the grammar logic. But when learning French, you’ll be on familiar ground.

2 – Lots of Words are Identical in English and French

Many linguists are still arguing about the exact origins of the English language, but you may have noticed how many French words can be found there. It’s all over the place! It’s believed that nearly thirty percent of English words have a French origin.

Any of these words look familiar?

• Un lion
• Un dragon
• Un capitaine
• La justice
• Le commerce
• La musique
• Une terrasse
• Une carotte

As you learn French, you’ll truly appreciate this wealth of free vocabulary that you don’t really have to learn. And believe me, there’s a hefty list. English vocabulary has more in common with French than with any other Romance language.

A bit of history?

To be honest, many of these words are technical terms that you’re not likely to use every day. This is because English began as a Germanic language, and as a result, many of English’s core elements are of German roots. These elements include its grammatical structures and the most crucial words (prepositions, auxiliaries, pronouns, and more).

Then, later on, during the reign of William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, French began being spoken in court and quickly became fashionable for the upper class to learn. It was spoken in schools and universities, which explains why many of the borrowed French words are scientific and technical terms.

Inexplicable vintage French fashion

3 – Grammar Structures are Similar

At first, you might find French grammar confusing, and this is mainly because the word order can differ. However, the basic structures are very similar in English and French!

The French language has subjects, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, and all that good stuff. I used to take it for granted before I started studying languages from different roots (Asian, Slavic, etc.), and now, I really appreciate little things like having a subject and a verb in my sentences!

Just look at simple sentences like:

• Je marche doucement.
  “I walk slowly.”
• Elle a une grande maison.
  “She has a big house.”
• Nous avons perdu un peu de poids.
  “We have lost a bit of weight.”

It’s no coincidence if you can translate these sentences word-for-word.

And as you can see, whether we’re looking at adjectives or adverbs, they behave in very similar ways. Only the word order will differ in some cases.

4 – Conjugation is Much Easier Than it Seems

Has your first contact with French conjugation been a shock? Did you get anxious looking at all the specific endings, as well as the plethora of convoluted tenses? I get it, it’s intimidating. But don’t let it scare you away!

Sure, the verb endings will be challenging at first, until you realize that a vast majority of them behave in the exact same way. 

Like in any other language, the most common verbs are also the most irregular (just think about “to be” or “to go” in English…it’s quite a mess). You’ll have to learn these irregular conjugations before you get to the easy ones, but at least you know there’s a nice and cozy plateau at the top of this hill. 🙂

And what about all the tenses? What if I told you that out of the seventeen French tenses, you only need five to deal with any situation on a daily basis (and even less in spoken French)! Almost all of the complicated stuff is for literary purposes.

So, what do you think? Is French hard for English-speakers to learn, after all?

2. Challenging Parts of Learning French

Now, let’s have an honest look at the more complex aspects of the French language and how you can soften the blow with some quick and dirty tricks.

1 – False Friends are Worse than Open Enemies

Remember those thirty percent of English words with a French origin? Well, it turns out that it’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great to have this free vocabulary. But on the other hand, many similar—or even identical—words have different meanings! 

We call them faux-amis (“false friends”).

For example: J’aime le pain et le poisson. 

This doesn’t mean: “I love pain and poison.” It means: “I love bread and fish.”

Similarly, you should not confuse “Preservative” (Conservateur) with Préservatif (“Condom”) or you might make embarrassing mistakes at a fancy Sunday dinner.

Here are some of the worst offenders:

You should not confuse…	With…
Une librairie (“A bookshop”)	“A library” (Une bibliothèque)
Une fabrique (“A factory”)	“Fabric” (Le tissu)
Sensible (“Sensitive”)	“Sensible” (Raisonnable; Sensé)
Actuellement (“Currently”)	“Actually” (En fait; Effectivement)
Attendre (“To wait”)	“To attend” (Assister à)
Prétendre (“To claim”)	“To pretend” (Faire semblant)

→ Do you want to know more? Here’s an extensive list of the French-English false friends.

“Hi, I’d like three pounds of poison, please!”

2 – Everything Has a Gender

If your native language has gendered nouns, like the majority of European languages, this aspect of French should not particularly frustrate you. However, this is something English-speakers often find confusing.

I mean, why is le soleil (“the sun”) masculine and la lune (“the moon”) feminine? What about une voiture (“a car”) being feminine while un vélo (“a bicycle”) is masculine? 

If you were to take a deep linguistic dive into the language’s history and its roots, you’d probably find a lot of good reasons for all of this. But for now, let’s just say it’s arbitrary.

Oh, and that’s not it. Gender has an influence on many parts of the language, such as the ending of verbs and adjectives, pronouns, or articles. For example:

• Ma voiture est verte. (“My car is green.”)
• Mon vélo est vert. (“My bicycle is green.”)

Look how the possessive pronouns ma and mon agree in gender with the noun. For the same reason, the adjective verte ends with an extra “e” in its feminine form.

3 – Pronunciation is Tough

Now, things are getting officially hairy. French pronunciation is tough, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it. One thing that might make you feel better about it is that it’s much easier than English pronunciation.

Yes, things like silent letters, the infamous guttural R, and there being around twelve ways to spell any given sound can make words in French hard to pronounce—but at least it’s consistent. For example, there are specific letter combinations that almost always create the same sound. Once you get used to the rules, you can start to rely on them.

• Un chateau / Un bateau / Un blaireau / De l’eau
  All of these words end with the same letters AND the same [o] sound.

Sure, if you dig deep enough, you’ll always find some exceptions here and there, but nothing remotely close to the level of inconsistency found in English pronunciation. Just think about how many different sounds are produced using the letter combination “ough.” The answer is eleven.

• “Cough” / “Though” / “Through” / “Plough”
  And the list goes on.

Check out this video if you’re not convinced yet.

Back to French, there are a few common pronunciation mistakes and pitfalls to avoid. It will take some practice and getting used to, but nothing you can’t handle. 🙂

• The French guttural [R]
• Our three infamous nasal sounds
• The two “ay” sounds, each with countless possible spellings
• The many traps and snares of silent letters

→ Don’t miss our complete French Pronunciation Guide to learn about these common mistakes, the thirty-six sounds of the French language, and how to produce them all, with lots of examples and study material.

Careful not to hurt your tongue speaking French!

4 – Weird Spelling and Twisted Accents

As I mentioned earlier, the French way of spelling words is not exactly straightforward. Each sound can be spelled in several different ways, and we use a set of special characters that don’t exist in English, such as ç, é, ê, and à, just to name a few.

Here’s a list of all the special French characters:

• Accent aigu: é
• Accent grave: à, è, ù
• Accent circonflexe: â, ê, î, ô, û
• Tréma: ë, ï, ü
• Cédille: ç

The good news is that out of the twelve possible combinations of accentuated characters (and this is already not an overwhelming number), only a few are commonly used, while the rest are rather marginal. 

On a regular basis, you’ll deal mostly with é, è, ê, and à, and that’s it!

→ If you’re not afraid of the more complex aspects of the language, jump right into our list of the most common mistakes you make while learning French!

3. What are the Best Ways to Get Started?

Have you decided it may not be that hard to learn French, after all? Are you ready to start your language-learning journey, but don’t know where to begin? 

Here’s a brief overview of where you can start and how to make your learning endeavors successful! 

1 – Where to Start?

When learning a new language, your priority should be to learn a tight package of useful words and structures that you can use in as many sentences and situations as possible. 

Quickly learning the core features of the language—such as pronouns, auxiliary verbs, and the most common adjectives—will help you get started with practical tools you can use in almost every sentence. Learning these things early on will also allow you to recognize some important keywords while listening.

For starters, you could check our Top 100 articles and make yourself some flashcards with your personal top twenty verbs, nouns, and adjectives. This will provide you with a solid foundation to play with.

• Top 100 French Verbs
• Top 100 French Nouns
• Top 100 French Adjectives

2 – Practice Makes Perfect

There’s no need to stuff yourself with vocabulary if you don’t create the opportunities to use it. I would recommend that you start making sentences from day one, using whatever basic words you’ve learned.

You can start small, with a modest Subject + Verb + Object structure, and then keep building upon it. Simple sentences will serve as a base for countless more complex statements.

For example:

• Elle aime. (“She loves.”)
• Elle aime les chats. (“She loves cats.”)
• Elle aime beaucoup les chats. (“She loves cats a lot.”)
• Elle aime beaucoup les gros chats. (“She loves fat cats a lot.”)

Every new word is an opportunity to practice your sentence-building skills! Not only will building sentences this way help you remember the word by putting it into context, but you’ll also be practicing French grammar and conjugation at the same time.

Learning is a journey, not a destination.

3 – Speak From Day 1

You should take every single opportunity to practice, whether you’re living or traveling in France, or learning from home. In case of the latter, we recommend that you find a teacher or tutor whom you can practice with (perhaps using our MyTeacher program!).

You don’t need many words or a thorough understanding of French grammar to communicate. It’s fine to speak dirty French for a few months, as long as you get to talk. You can always refine your French by learning the grammar later on, but you don’t need any of it to get started.

No native speaker ever learned their language using grammar books. First, we learn by imitation, trials, and errors. Only later can we truly learn about the rules and how they apply to what we already empirically know.

4 – Exposure is Key

Last but not least, I believe exposure is the most important aspect of learning French (or any language, really). Immerse yourself in the language by listening to music or podcasts, watching movies and series, and reading articles or books.

This will help you practice your reading and listening skills, and will also teach you loads of vocabulary. At first, most of this will be passive vocabulary: words you can understand but not use. But as you keep bumping into these words, structures, or expressions, you’ll get to the point where you internalize them and can use them yourself.

If you only learn the language academically, it will always seem cold and abstract. But if you expose yourself to it through thought-provoking articles or entertaining material, it will create emotional connections and help you solidify your knowledge much more effectively than by just repeating exercises.

→ Have a look at our list of the best French series on Netflix, and you’ll find many suggestions for a fun immersion experience into the French culture!

4. Why is FrenchPod101 Great for Learning French?

To summarize, I would say that French is rather easy to learn but hard to master, which makes it fun and interesting in the long run, yet not too frustrating for students. And whether you want to learn the basics or refine your advanced knowledge of the language, FrenchPod101 has a lot to offer.

1 – An Integrated Approach

First of all, we offer an integrated approach. Instead of artificially splitting lessons between reading practice and listening practice, and so on, we blend several skills into every lesson. 

This makes learning French more natural and more effective. You’ll practice your listening skills with podcasts and recordings while reading text materials and completing writing exercises—all in one conveniently tight package.

2 – A Massive Offering of Free Content

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced learner, FrenchPod101 offers a huge depth and breadth of content for all levels. From vocabulary lists to customizable flashcards, you’ll find a variety of free tools that can be tailored to your needs. Some of these resources can even be downloaded and used offline.

After you complete the assessment test, you’ll be directed to the level that matches your needs. From there, you’ll find a wide variety of pathways to follow, depending on the type of French you’re interested in (for casual encounters, professional interactions, romance, etc.).

3 – Premium Personal Coaching

As you go through the lessons on FrenchPod101.com, you’ll practice your reading, listening, and writing skills. Now, if you spice it up with the Premium MyTeacher service, you can also practice speaking and improve your pronunciation thanks to the feedback from your private tutor.

MyTeacher grants you the services of a French teacher to guide you through your journey of mastering the language of Love. You can send your teacher text or audio, get personalized exercises and assignments, and much more. Together, you’ll focus on the areas you need to work on the most and give your studies a serious boost.

Flex these brain muscles with your personal coach on MyTeacher!

5. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned about the easiest and most challenging aspects of the French language and why it’s easier than you might think—from a common alphabet to a wealth of shared vocabulary, similar grammar structures, and only a few truly useful tenses.

Did we forget an important aspect of the language you’d like to know about? Do you feel ready to dive right in and start speaking right from the start using whatever few words you know?

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as we have plenty of free resources for you to practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review new words and learn their pronunciation.

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice speaking French with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with pronunciation.

About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

Did you know that even native French speakers make lots of mistakes when using their own language? Some grammatical mistakes are so common that they become the new normal.

Idiomatic expressions such as au temps pour moi have been incorrectly spelled autant pour moi for so many decades that most people don’t even know they’re doing it wrong. And don’t get me started on speakers improperly using the conditional case instead of the indicative. 

My point is that it’s no big deal to make French mistakes, as long as you can express yourself. As you come closer to fluency, you’ll have time to figure out what mistakes you’re still making and how to address them. And this is exactly what this guide is about.

In this article, we’ll list the most common mistakes people make when learning French, as well as some more advanced French mistakes for experienced students. We’ll cover a wide range of categories, from false friends to gender agreement, pronunciation, and word order. By the end of this guide, you should be better able to spot and correct French mistakes, some of which are very easy to fix.

Table of Contents

1. Gender and Agreement
2. Faux-amis
3. Conjugation
4. Word Order
5. Word Choice
6. Pronunciation
7. The Most Embarrassing French Mistakes
8. Le Mot De La Fin

1. Gender and Agreement

What’s the most common mistake non-native speakers make? Gender agreement, without a doubt!

This is one of those typical French mistakes that allow us to pick out foreign learners, because these are mistakes that natives don’t usually make.

As you probably already know, French nouns—including inanimate objects, ideas, and abstract concepts—are either masculine or feminine.

For example, une chaise (“a chair”) is feminine, while un banc (“a bench”) is masculine.

Why is la route (“the road”) feminine but le trottoir (“the sidewalk”) masculine? It’s just plain arbitrary, but what really matters is: How do you know which gender a noun is?

Feminine endings: Most words ending in -e or -ion Une mine, une journée, une centaine Une fusion, une addition Except words ending in -age, -ege, -é, -isme

Masculine endings: Words ending in -age, -ege, -é, -isme + Everything else Un bandage, un thé, un séisme Un soleil, un porc, un bain

How can you avoid making gender mistakes? I recommend that you always learn new nouns with their article.

• Soleil Un soleil, Le soleil (“A sun”)
• Lune Une lune, La lune (“A moon”)

2. Faux-amis

The origin of the English language is still fiercely debated among linguists, but you’ve probably noticed that there are many French words in English. If you start digging, you’d be surprised how many you can find! Nearly thirty percent of English words could be of French origin.

In a way, this is really convenient when you learn the language, because you can understand lots of words before you even study them:

• Un prince (“a prince”)
• Une giraffe (“a giraffe”)
• Un régime (“a regime”)
• Une salade (“a salad”)

And the list goes on!

On the other hand, you should be extra careful about “false friends”: Similar words with wildly different meanings. These words might make you really confused when you see the French shopping for pain and poison! 

• Un pain (“a loaf of bread”)
• Un poisson (“a fish”)

Want to avoid making inconvenient French word mistakes? Here are some of the trickiest false friends you should keep in mind:

You should not confuse…	With…
Actuellement – Currently	Actually – En fait / Effectivement
Effectivement – Actually / Indeed	Effectively – Efficacement
Eventuellement – Possibly	Eventually – Finalement
Sensible – Sensitive	Sensible – Raisonnable / Sensé
Compréhensif – Understanding	Comprehensive – Complet
Grave – Severe	A grave – Une tombe

There are also false friends among verbs!

You should not confuse…	With…
Attendre – To wait	To attend – Assister à
Demander – To ask	To demand – Exiger
Achever – To complete / To finish	To achieve – Atteindre
Décevoir – To disappoint	To deceive – Tromper
Injurier – To insult	To injure – Blesser
Prétendre – To claim	To pretend – Faire semblant
Supplier – To beg	To supply – Fournir
Retirer – To withdraw	To retire – Prendre sa retraite
Résumer – To summarize	To resume – Reprendre
Rester – To stay	To rest – Se reposer

And of course, beware of faux-amis among nouns!

You should not confuse…	With…
Le pain – Bread	Pain – La douleur
Une librairie – A bookshop	A library – Une bibliothèque
Un store – A blind / A window shade	A store – Un magasin
Un habit – Clothes	A habit – Une habitude
Le hasard – Chance	Hazard – Danger
Une fabrique – A factory	Fabric – Le tissu
Une issue – An exit	An issue – Un problème
Le pétrole – Oil	Petrol – L’essence
Une cave – A cellar	A cave – Une grotte

Do you want more? Here’s a massive list of the French-English faux-amis.

Nobody likes false friends!

3. Conjugation

This is another set of mistakes French learners make regularly. Conjugation is not the easiest part of French, and has its fair share of traps. Let’s shed some light on the most common offenders.

1 – Reflexive Verbs

Are you familiar with reflexive verbs? They’re the verbs starting with se:

• Se lever (“To stand up”)
• Se souvenir (“To remember”)

For example, to use the verb se dépêcher (“to hurry”), you’d say: Je me dépêche. (“I hurry.”) Literally, this means “I hurry myself.”

Here are some more conjugation examples:

• Elle s’habille. (“She dresses.” – Literally: “She dresses herself.”)
• Nous nous asseyons. (“We sit.” – Literally: “We sit ourselves.”)

A common mistake among students of French is to skip the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) and directly attach the subject to the verb:

• Ils dépêchent Ils se dépêchent. (“They hurry.”)
• Vous habillez Vous vous habillez. (“You dress.”)

Most of the time, it just sounds incorrect. But in some cases, it can mean something different and lead to misunderstandings:

• Je me lave. (“I wash.”)
• Je lave. (“I clean.”)

2 – Passé Composé: Être or Avoir?

The passé composé is one of the most useful tenses in spoken French. It’s used to express things that happened in the past and are over now. It’s formed using an auxiliary + a conjugated verb.

Présent	Passé composé
Je pars. (“I leave.”)	Je suis parti. (“I have left.”)
Je dors. (“I sleep.”)	J’ai dormi. (“I have slept.”)

But wait… In the first example, we formed it using the auxiliary verb être, while in the second example, we used avoir. How do you know which one to choose?

We generally use avoir, except in these two cases:

1) We use être for all reflexive verbs (those starting with se).

For example: se calmer (“to calm down”)

• Présent: Je me calme. (“I calm down.”)
• Passé composé: Je me suis calmé. (“I have calmed down.”)

2) We also use être for a few other verbs, mostly those that reflect a change of direction, state, or movement.

Some examples: 

• venir
• aller
• entrer
• sortir
• arriver
• partir
• tomber
• monter
• rester
• retourner
• descendre
• passer

→ Do you wish there was more information to quench your insatiable thirst for tenses? Then you’re in luck. Head to FrenchPod101.com and check out our Complete Guide on French Conjugation!

4. Word Order

Many common French language mistakes have to do with using the incorrect word order. Here are a few of the errors you should watch out for: 

1 – Misplacing Adjectives

French adjectives can be placed before or after the noun they describe, and a common mistake is to place them on the wrong side of the noun. 

The majority of French adjectives are placed AFTER the noun:

• Une maison bleue (“A blue house”)
• Un objet bizarre (“A strange object”)

However, some of the most common French adjectives are placed BEFORE the noun:

• Une grande maison (“A big house”)
• Un bel object (“A beautiful object”)

In most cases, if you misplace an adjective, the sentence will simply sound “off.” But it can also create confusion in situations where an adjective’s position changes its meaning: 

• Un ancien hôpital (“A former hospital”)
• Un hôpital ancien (“An ancient hospital”)

→ For more information, you may want to check out our article on The 100 Most Useful French Adjectives with examples of where to place them.

2 – Inverting the Verb and Subject When Speaking

Do you know how academic teaching and old-school grammar books keep promoting a weird vintage style that makes you sound like a dusty vinyl? The kind of teaching program that makes you say “Excuse me sir, would you please be so kind so as to fetch me the check, please?” when locals just say “Check please.”

In French, we have various ways to ask questions. One for oral interactions, one for writing only, and one for both. The written form consists of inverting the verb and pronoun, as in:

• Voulez-vous du café ? (“Do you want coffee?”)
• As-tu bien dormi ? (“Did you sleep well?”)

Sadly, many French teachers keep promoting this form without warning their students that they’ll often sound awkward if they use it in oral conversations. The following lines sound much more natural:

• Vous voulez du café ? (This is just as polite, as it also uses the formal vous.)
• Tu as bien dormi ?

→ Do you want to know more about questions? Check out our complete guide on the most useful French questions and how to answer them!

Only if you dress like this guy, should you invert verbs and subjects.

3 – Misplacing Pronouns

To keep it simple, let’s just say that French pronouns have the unpleasant habit of moving around the sentence instead of sticking to the position of what they’re replacing.

• David mange cette pomme. (“David is eating this apple.”)
• David la mange. (“David is eating it.”)

• David parle aux voisins. (“David is talking with the neighbors.”)
• David leur parle. (“David is talking to them.”)

It gets pretty rough when you have multiple pronouns in one sentence. They all need to be in the right place, otherwise the sentence will make no sense.

• Sophie donne une pomme à David. (“Sophie gives an apple to David.”)
• Elle la lui donne. (“She gives it to him.”)
• Elle lui donne la.
• Elle lui la donne.

→ The placement of pronouns is a very complicated topic, so I won’t go too far into the specifics. But feel free to dive into our comprehensive guide on French pronouns on FrenchPod101.com.

5. Word Choice

As you get more and more comfortable with the language, picking the right word for any situation is what will get you from mastery to fluency.

1 – Jour vs. Journée

Here, it’s a matter of time unit versus duration.

In a nutshell, we use jour when we’re talking about a specific moment or counting the days:

• C’est le jour de Noël. (“It is Christmas day.”)
• Je t’appellerai dans deux jours. (“I’ll call you in two days.”)

And we use journée when we’re talking about a duration of time:

• J’ai dormi toute la journée. (“I’ve slept all day.”)
• C’est une très belle journée. (“It’s a very beautiful day.”)

This same rule of thumb applies to An / Année, Matin / Matinée, and Soir / Soirée.

2 – Pour vs. Par

Many learners confuse pour and par, and for good reasons! It’s not always easy to pick the right one, so let’s summarize what each one is used for:

► POUR

• Intention: C’est pour toi. (“It is for you.”)
• Destination: Nous partons pour le Canada. (“We’re leaving for Canada.”)
• Duration: Nous partons pour deux semaines. (“We’re leaving for two weeks.”)
  Here, we could also say: Nous partons pendant deux semaines.
• Instead of: Je paye pour toi. (“I’m paying for you.”)
• Percent: Dix pour cent. (“Ten percent.”)

In most cases, if you’re translating a sentence using “for,” you should probably use pour:

• Merci pour ton aide. (“Thank you for your help.”)
• Merci de m’aider. (“Thank you for helping me.”)

► PAR

• During: Ne sortez pas par ce temps. (“Don’t go out with that weather.”)
• To start/end with: Je commence par toi. (“I’m starting with you.”)
• Frequency: Trois fois par mois. (“Three times a year.”)
• Distribution: Deux cookies par personne. (“Two cookies per person.”)

In many cases, you’d translate “by” as par:

• Je le prend par la main. (“I take him by the hand.”)
• Par hasard (“By change”)

Nothing like an awkward party on New Year’s Day! (Le jour de l’an)

3 – Y vs. EN

Ready for more pronouns? There are two that just keep confusing students!

► Y

Y is used to replace: 

• à [quelque chose] (“to [something]” / “about [something]”) 
• en [quelque chose] (“in [something]”)

This [something] is often a place, but not always, as long as it’s inanimate.

• Je veux aller à Paris. (“I want to go to Paris.”)
  = Je veux y aller. (“I want to go there.”)

• Je pense à mon avenir. (“I’m thinking about my future.”)
  = J’y pense. (“I’m thinking about it.”)

• Je crois en la science. (“I believe in science.”)
  = J’y crois. (“I believe in it.”)

► EN

En is used to replace de(s) ____ (“some ____” / “of ____”)

You’ll see it a lot when talking about quantities.

• J’ai une pomme. (“I have an apple.”)
  = J’en ai une. (“I have one.”)

• J’ai deux frères. (“I have two brothers.”)
  = J’en ai deux. (“I have two of them.”)

• J’ai beaucoup de cheveux. (“I have lots of hair.”)
  = J’en ai beaucoup. (“I have a lot of it.”)

• Il a du temps. (“He has time.”)
  = Il en a. (“He has some.”)

4 – C’est vs. Il est

► C’EST

To identify a thing or a person, we use c’est (or the plural ce sont) + noun.

• C’est un livre. (“That’s a book.”)
• Ce sont des amis. (“These are friends.”)
• C’est un cousin. (“He’s a cousin.”)
• C’est Sophie, ma voisine. (“This is Sophie, my neighbor.”)

► IL EST

To describe a thing or a person, we use il est / elle est (ils sont / elles sont in plural) + adjective or profession.

• C’est un livre. Il est cher. (“This is a book. It’s expensive.”)
• Ce sont des livres. Ils sont chers. (“These are books. They are expensive.”)
• C’est un bon ami. Il est très gentil. (“This is a good friend. He’s really nice.”)
• C’est Sophie. Elle est belge. Elle est professeur. (“This is Sophie. She’s from Belgium. She’s a teacher.”)

5 – Connaître vs. Savoir

► Connaître is about knowledge, and it refers to being acquainted with a place or a person:

• Je connais cet endroit. (“I know this place.”)
• Je connais cette personne. (“I know this person.”)
• Je connais cette théorie. (“I know this theory.”)

► Savoir is more like “to know (a fact),” such as things you know by heart or abilities:

• Je sais que tu es là. (“I know that you’re here.”)
• Je ne sais pas ce que je fais. (“I don’t know what I’m doing.”)
• Je sais danser. (“I know how to dance.”)

Je connais le Kung Fu. (“I know Kung Fu.”)

6. Pronunciation

French is full of challenging sounds for foreign students, such as the French guttural [R], the [U], and a collection of difficult nasal sounds. However, these are not what I would call the trickiest aspects of French. They just take time and practice to master.

For now, I’ll focus on three seemingly trivial things that I’ve seen many students struggle with: the final silent letters, the liaisons, and the French words for “more” and “not anymore.” These are some of the most common French pronunciation mistakes, so you should definitely pay attention here.

1 – Final Letters

French words often end with consonants. Some are silent, others are not, and it’s hard to predict whether you should pronounce them or not.

Let’s talk about the CaReFuL letters.

If a French word ends with C, R, F, or L (consonants from the word CaReFuL), the final letter is usually pronounced. Otherwise, the final letter is silent. This rule is not without exceptions, but when in doubt, you can rely on this trick.

Here are some examples of words where the final letter is pronounced:

• Un truc (“A thing”)
• Un dortoir (“A dormitory”)
• Le chef (“The boss”)
• Avril (“April”)

There’s one big exception to the CaReFuL rule: verbs ending with the letters “ER” have a silent R:

• Aimer (“To love”)
• Manger (“To eat”)
• Tuer (“To kill”)

All other consonant letters are usually not pronounced:

• Froid (“Cold”)
• Le poing (“The fist”)
• Un coup (“A hit”)
• Le marais (“The swamp”)

2 – The Art of Liaison

When one word ends with a consonant and the next starts with a vowel sound (but not necessarily a vowel), we sometimes do what we call a liaison (linking). This link between two words is what makes the sentence “flow.”

• Vous avez (“You have”) is pronounced [vou zavé]
• Ils ont (“They have”) is pronounced [il zon]
• Les enfants (From the letter S to the sound [en], we do the liaison)
• Les hommes (Hommes starts with a consonant but with a vowel sound, so we do the liaison)

And sometimes, you don’t make the liaison, as in:

• Les chiens ont aboyé. (“The dogs have barked.”)
  We don’t make the first liaison between chiens and ont. However, you link ont and aboyé. It’s pronounced : [Lé chien on taboyé].

• David et Alain (“David and Alain”)
  There is never a liaison with et.

→ Everything you need to know about silent letters, liaison, and more, is explained in all its detailed glory in our Full Guide on French Pronunciation!

Il a une liaison. (“He’s having an affair.”)

3 – Plus vs. Plus

Depending on the context, plus means either “more” or “not anymore.”

You generally pronounce the S when it has a positive meaning (more):

• J’ai besoin de plus de temps. (“I need more time.”)
• J’en veux toujours plus. (“I always want more.”)
• Servez-nous plus de vin. (“Serve us more wine.”)

And you don’t pronounce the S when it has a negative meaning (not anymore):

• Je n’en peux plus. (“I can’t take it anymore.”)
• Je ne veux plus dormir. (“I don’t want to sleep anymore.”)
• Il n’est plus là. (“He’s not here anymore.”)

With some exceptions! (It wouldn’t be French, otherwise.)

1) When positive plus is directly followed by an adjective that starts with a consonant sound, the S is not pronounced:

• C’est plus drôle. (“It’s more fun.”)
• C’est plus fort. (“It’s stronger.”)

2) When positive plus is directly followed by an adjective that starts with a vowel sound, the S is pronounced like a [Z]:

• Elle est plus intelligente. (“She’s more intelligent.”)
• C’est plus intéressant. (“It’s more interesting.”)

7. The Most Embarrassing French Mistakes

To finish on a lighter note, here are some of the worst cases of mistranslation that could put you in a shameful situation. Save yourself the embarrassment and try to remember them!

You should not confuse…	With…
She’s good. – Elle est douée.	Elle est bonne. – She’s really hot.
Literally, “good” translates to bonne in the feminine form. However, French is full of graphic slang and bonne, in the specific context of describing a woman, actually means “hot,” but in a much more sexual way than its English equivalent. As a result, if you hear your friend’s sister playing the violin and want to say that she’s really skilled, don’t say: Ta soeur est vraiment bonne ! (“Your sister is hot as hell!”)

You should not confuse…	With…
I envy you. – Je t’envie.	J’ai envie de toi. – I want you.
“To envy” simply translates to envier. However, “to want” translates to avoir envie de. The difference is as subtle as it is important! If your friend is showing you his new shirt, describing how nice and cozy it feels, and you comment with J’ai envie de toi, your relationship might take an unexpected turn.

You should not confuse…	With…
Preservative – Conservateur	Préservatif – Condom
This is a prime example of faux-ami, lurking in the dark, waiting to put you in embarrassing situations! When having dinner with your French hosts, you should probably NOT say:  Dans mon pays, on met beaucoup de préservatifs dans la nourriture. (“In my country, we put lots of condoms in the food.”)

Wait, what did you just say?

8. Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned everything about the most frequent mistakes in French, from common word misplacement to pronunciation, conjugation, and more advanced French mistakes. Did I forget any important topic that you’d like to read about?

It’s no use trying to remember it all, but if you read this article once in a while, try to keep as many as you can in a corner of your mind. Try to spot the mistakes you keep making, so you can work on them prioritarily. Just take it at your own pace. =)

FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings and other free resources to boost your studies and keep your French-learning fresh and entertaining!

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Your private teacher can help you correct these common mistakes (and more) using assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples. Your teacher can review your own recordings as well, to help you improve your pronunciation.  

Happy learning on FrenchPod101.com!

Just imagine: You’re going out with a group of native French-speakers. This is the perfect opportunity to make friends and practice your French in a real-life situation! But how do you break the ice? What should you say if you run out of topics, or if your French isn’t solid enough to fuel the conversation?

The universal answer is: ask questions! Among countless benefits, being able to ask questions in French will help you avoid awkward silences by keeping the conversation going. It will also make the other person feel like you want to know more about them or value their opinion, thus making you more likeable. Asking questions you’re genuinely interested in opens a world of new information and cultural insight! 

Another perk is that you don’t have to talk too much; just sit back and listen. Don’t think about your next question or how to steer the conversation back toward yourself. Just enjoy the ride and dive into whatever the other person has to say.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything about asking questions in French, from the question words to a collection of common topics with comprehensive examples. By the end of this article, you’ll not only know how to ask questions in French, but also how to answer them!

Table of Contents

1. Golden Rules of French Questions
2. The 8 Most Common Question Topics
3. Le Mot De La Fin

1. Golden Rules of French Questions

Insightful answers can take you a long way!

In our daily lives, we have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, all day long: “Can I have a coffee?” / “At what time is that meeting, again?” / “What’s up, Sophie?” / “Is that seat taken?” / “How much is that product?”

We don’t even think about it, but a hefty portion of our social interactions is based on questions and answers—and this portion grows out of proportion as a foreigner in a strange land, where you need to learn the rules and make sense of unusual things.

Before we go any further, let’s look at the basic rules of how to formulate questions in French.

1 – The 3 French Question Patterns

We’ll start with this simple declarative sentence:

• Tu parles Français. (“You speak French.”)

Here are the three ways you can turn it into “Do you speak French?”

1. Parles-tu Français ?
This is mostly for written French, and it’s unlikely that you’ll hear it in spoken conversations. We simply invert the verb and the pronoun. This pattern only works with pronouns.

2. Est-ce que tu parles Français ?
This works fine in speaking or writing, making it the most polyvalent of the three forms. Est-ce que literally means “Is it that.” So, our sentence would translate to: “Is it that you speak French?”

3. Tu parles Français ?
This is the casual spoken form that you’ll rarely see in writing, and it’s super-easy to form. This is the exact same sentence as the declaration; we simply change the intonation (the pitch goes up at the end).

→ Learn more about these structures in our Complete Guide on French Sentence Patterns. It’s available for free on FrenchPod101.com.

2 – French Question Words

When? / Where? / How? / Why? / How much? / How many? / What?

Let’s have a look at how these questions look in French!

In this table, I will put all possible question forms, but you can usually use any of the three structures.

Quand (“When”)	Quand mangeons nous ? Quand est-ce qu’on mange ? On mange quand ? (“When are we eating?”)
Où (“Where”)	Tu vas où ? (“Where are you going?”)
Comment (“How”)	Comment ça marche ? (“How does it work?”)
Pourquoi (“Why”)	Pourquoi est-ce qu’il fait ça ? (“Why is he doing this?”)
Combien (“How many,” “How much”)	Combien ça coûte ? (“How much is it?”)
QueQu’Quoi (“What”)	Que fais-tu ? Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? Tu fais quoi ? (“What are you doing?”)

→ For more examples of common French questions, don’t forget to stop by our free list of The Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations on FrenchPod101.com.

Comment ça marche ? (“How does it work?”)

2. The 8 Most Common Question Topics

There’s such a wide range of basic French questions and answers that it would be impossible to list them all. But in this section, we’ll go through the most typical questions that you might be asked or want to ask your French pals. 

For each topic, you’ll find examples of possible answers so that you can start imagining how you would deal with it yourself. A good exercise is to try and come up with answers of your own, using the vocabulary and structures you’ll learn today.

1 – Personal Information

The French usually don’t go too far with intimate questions when meeting someone for the first time. Questions about marital status, for instance, could be deemed a bit too personal for a first encounter. 

That said, here are a few questions you can’t go wrong with:

How old are you?

• Vous avez quel âge ?
• Tu as quel âge ?
  
  ► J’ai 32 ans. (“I’m 32.”)

There’s no strict rule about it, but it’s commonly accepted in French etiquette that it’s a bit rude to ask a woman her age, just like you shouldn’t ask about her weight. It may not apply when the other person has no reason to feel insecure about it, but when in doubt, you’d better not ask.

The difference between the casual tu and formal vous is pretty much straightforward.

What’s your name?

• Comment tu t’appelles ? [Casual]
• Tu t’appelles comment ? [Casual]
• Comment vous appelez-vous ? [Formal]

► Je m’appelle Sophie. (“My name is Sophie.”)

Do you have brothers and sisters?

• Vous avez des frères et soeurs ?
• Tu as des frères et soeurs ?

► J’ai un frère et deux soeurs. (“I have a brother and two sisters.”)
► J’ai une grande soeur et un petit frère. (“I have a big sister and a little brother.”)

J’ai une soeur jumelle. (“I have a twin sister.”)

→ For more vocabulary and sentence structures, make sure to visit our complete guide on How to Introduce Yourself!

2 – Where are You From?

Being a foreigner in France, you’ll often be met with this question. Some people might try to guess, and some will just ask you; it’s bound to spark some interest and follow-up questions.

Asking this question to a French native while in France also works. They’ll answer about their hometown or region, and you may learn about interesting local traditions or exciting dishes!

Where are you from?

• Vous venez d’où ?
• Tu viens d’où ?
• Tu es d’où ?
• Tu es de quelle nationalité ?
  
  Foreign answers
  ► Je suis Japonais. (“I’m Japanese.”) [Male]
  ► Je suis Japonaise. (“I’m Japanese.”) [Female]
  ► Je viens du Japon. (“I’m from Japan.”)
  
  Local answers
  ► Je viens de Paris. (“I’m from Paris.”)
  ► Je suis Parisienne. (“I’m a Parisian.”) [Female]
  ► Je viens d’Alsace. (“I’m from the Alsace region.”)

What country are you from? 

• De quel pays venez-vous ?
• Tu viens de quel pays ?

► Je suis Russe. (“I’m Russian.”)
► Je viens de Russie. (“I’m from Russia.”)

What city are you from? 

• De quelle ville venez-vous ?
• Tu viens de quelle ville ?
• Tu habites dans quelle ville ? (“In what city are you living?”)

► Je suis de Toulouse. (“I’m from Toulouse.”)
► Je suis Toulousain. (“I’m a Toulousian.”)
► Je viens de Tokyo. (“I’m from Tokyo.”)
► J’habite à Niigata. (“I’m living in Niigata.”)

Where is it?

• Où est-ce que ça se trouve ? (“Where is it located?”)
• C’est où ? (“Where is it?”)
• C’est par où ? (“Where about is that?”)
• C’est dans quel coin ? (Literally: “In what corner is that?”)

► C’est sur la côte ouest. (“It’s on the West coast.”)
► C’est à côté de Londres. (“It’s near London.”)
► C’est près de la frontière Canadienne. (“It’s close to the Canadian border.”)

Tu viens d’où ? (“Where are you from?”)

→ For more country names in French, have a look at our free vocabulary list on FrenchPod101.com.

3 – Do You Speak ___?

Another foreigner-friendly topic. You may want to ask if the other person speaks English, just as you might be asked whether you speak French or not. This question can lead to a few potential follow-ups on studies, travels, and levels of proficiency.

Do you speak [Language]? 

• Vous parlez Français ? (“Do you speak French?”)
• Est-ce que tu parles Anglais ? (“Do you speak English?”)

► Je parle un peu Français. (“I speak a bit of French.”)
► Je parle Anglais couramment. (“I speak English fluently.”)
► Comme ci comme ça. (“So-so.”)
► J’ai des rudiments de Japonais. (“I have Japanese basics.”)

How long have you been studying French?

• Vous étudiez le Français depuis combien de temps ?
• Tu étudies le Français depuis combien de temps ?

► J’ai étudié 2 ans à l’université. (“I studied for two years at the university.”)
► J’ai commencé il y a 6 mois. (“I started six months ago.”)

What languages do you speak?

• Quelles langues parlez-vous ?
• Tu parles quelles langues ?
• Tu parles quelles autres langues ? (“What other languages do you speak?”)

► Je parle Espagnol, Polonais et Roumain. (“I speak Spanish, Polish, and Romanian.”)
► Je parle juste Anglais et un peu Français. (“I only speak English and a bit of French.”)

4 – Concerning Hobbies

The French are about working hard but partying harder, and we tend to think that our hobbies define us more than our jobs. As a result, you may be asked about your tastes and favorite artists early in a conversation. 

Asking these kinds of questions is a great way to show your interest in the other person and find common ground through shared interests. Following are some ways to ask and answer this type of question in French.

What are your hobbies? 

• Quels sont vos loisirs ? 
• Tu as quoi comme hobbies ?
• Quel est ton passe-temps préféré ? (“What’s your favorite pastime?”)
• Tu fais quoi pendant ton temps libre ? (“What do you do in your free time?”)

► J’aime aller au cinéma. (“I like going to the cinema.”)
► J’adore les jeux vidéos. (“I love video games.”)
► Je fais de la photo et du montage vidéo. (“I do photography and video editing.”)

Do you do sports? 

• Vous faites du sport ?
• Tu fais du sport ?
• Tu fais quoi comme sport ? (“What sports are you doing?”)

► Je fais de l’escalade et de la plongée. (“I do climbing and diving.”)
► Je joue au Tennis. (“I play tennis.”)

What kind of [entertainment / art] do you like? 

• Quel genre de film aimez-vous ? (“What kind of movies do you like?”)
• Tu écoutes quel genre de musique ? (“What kind of music do you listen to?”)
• Quel est ton acteur préféré ? (“Who’s your favorite actor?”)

► J’aime les films d’horreur. (“I love horror movies.”)
► J’écoute surtout du Blues et de la Deep House. (“I listen mostly to Blues and Deep House.”)
► Mon acteur préféré est Mads Mikkelsen. (“My favorite actor is Mads Mikkelsen.”)

J’aime la peinture. (“I love painting.”)

→ You’ll find many more words to talk about your hobbies on our free vocabulary list, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation.

5 – Let’s Talk Business

Even though we try to find a healthy balance between work and personal life, our professional dealings still take up an important part of our lives (and many hours during the week). As a result, don’t be surprised if it comes up early in a conversation when meeting strangers.

The French love to complain about their jobs: how they’re working too much for an insufficient salary, how their boss is a jerk and their company is a frustrating disarray. Please, don’t hold it against them!

What is your profession?

• Dans quoi travaillez-vous ? (“In what field are you working?”)
• Tu bosses dans quoi ? (“What’s your job?”)
• Tu fais quoi ? (“What do you do?”)
  
• Tu fais quoi dans la vie ? (“What do you do?” but literally “What do you do in life?”)

This last one sounds a bit silly and people use it with a smile, but it’s a great way to make sure your question is understood. 

If you’re in a bar and you just say Tu fais quoi ? the other person could be caught off guard and answer “Nothing, why?” or “Huh…drinking a beer?”

► Je suis programmeur. (“I’m a programmer.”)
► Je bosse dans l’informatique. (“I work in IT.”)
► Je travaille dans l’aviation. (“I work in aviation.”)
► Je travaille à Decathlon. (“I work at Decathlon.”)

What do you study?

• Vous faites des études dans quel domaine ? (“In what field are you studying?”)
• Tu étudies quoi ? (“What are you studying?”)
• Tu étudies où ? (“Where are you studying?”)
• Tu apprends quoi ? (“What are you learning?”)

► Je fais des études en sociologie. (“I study sociology.”)
► J’étudie le droit international. (“I study international law.”)
► J’étudie à l’université de la Sorbonne. (“I study at the Sorbonne University.”)

J’étudie les mathématiques. (“I study mathematics.”)

→ You don’t know how to talk about your profession in French? Stop by our free vocabulary list on Jobs.

6 – Do You Like ___?

What better way to get to know someone than to find out what they like and dislike?

As a visitor, you may get the regular questions on how you appreciate the country or city you’re visiting, but you can use the same structure with any topic, from trivial to intimate!

In France, it’s usually fine to say when you don’t like something. Obviously, out of respect for your hosts, you might want to refrain from throwing mud at what they offer, but overall, compared to other countries, we can be rather blunt when expressing our opinion.

How do you like this place? 

• Comment trouvez-vous Paris ? (“How do you like Paris?”)
• Comment tu trouves Toulouse ? (“How do you like Toulouse?”)
• Tu aimes Paris ? (“Do you like Paris?”)
• Tu te plais en France ? (“Do you enjoy France?”)

► Oui, j’adore Paris. (“Yes, I love Paris.”)
► Oui, mais c’est un peu bruyant. (“Yes, but it’s a bit noisy.”)
► C’est pas mal. (“It’s not bad.”)
► Non, pas trop. (“No, not so much.”)

Do you like that thing? 

• Vous aimez la cuisine Française ? (“Do you like French cuisine?”)
• Est-ce que tu aimes le vin rouge ? (“Do you like red wine?”)
• Tu aimes les films avec des gladiateurs ? (“Do you like Gladiator movies?”)
• Est-ce que tu aimes la musique Française ? (“Do you like French music?”)
  (It’s okay, you don’t have to say yes. I understand!)

► Oui, j’aime beaucoup ! (“Yes, I like it a lot!”)
► Non, je n’aime pas trop. (“No, I don’t really like it.”)
► Non, je déteste ça. (“No, I hate it.”)
► Oui, ça dépend. (“Yes, it depends.”)
(The perfect vague, non-committal answer to get yourself out of trouble!)

7 – Have You Been There?

Other basic French questions to a traveler, visitor, or expat are those about where you’ve been. When people have been to exotic places, they’re usually eager to talk about it and discuss landscapes, climates, and customs. It’s an interesting and safe topic for when you want to know more about someone’s past adventures.

Have you been to this place? 

• Êtes-vous allé à Lyon ? (“Have you been to Lyon?”)
• Tu es déjà allé en Ecosse ? (“Have you ever been to Scotland?”)
• Tu as voyagé en Amérique du sud ? (“Have you traveled to South America?”)

► Oui, je connais bien. (“Yes, I know it well.”)
► J’y suis allé l’année dernière. (“I went there last year.”)
► J’y suis allé il y a longtemps (“I went there a long time ago.”)
► Non, je n’y suis jamais allé. (“No, I’ve never been there.”)

Have you visited this place?

• Tu as visité le musée du Louvre ? (“Did you visit the Louvre museum?”)
• Tu connais le pont de l’Alma ? (“Do you know the Alma Bridge?”)
• Tu es déjà allé sur les quais de Bercy ? (“Have you ever been to the docks of Bercy?”)

► Oui, j’y suis allé une ou deux fois. (“Yes, I have been there a couple of times.”)
► Non, pas encore. (“No, not yet.”)
► Je ne suis pas sûr. (“I’m not sure.”)

8 – How Much? 

The final set of basic questions and answers in French you’ll for-sure need are those about costs and prices.

How much is it?

• Combien ça coûte ? (“How much does it cost?”)
• C’est combien ? (“How much is it?”)
• Je vous dois combien ? (“How much do I owe you?”)

► 12 euros, s’il vous plait. (“12€ please.”)
► 5 euros, s’il te plait. (“5€ please.”)

How much is this? 

• La pinte est à combien ? (“How much is a pint?”)
• Celui-ci coûte combien ? (“How much is this one?”)
• Vous le faites à combien ? (“How much do you ask for this?”)

► Une pour 8€, deux pour 15. (“One is 8€, two for 15.”)
► Ça fait 20€, s’il vous plait. (“It will be 20€, please.”)

→ Check out our list of Money-related French Expressions for more on talking about cash and expenses.

Combien ça coûte ? (“How much is it?”)

Le Mot De La Fin

In this guide, you’ve learned the bread and butter of asking questions in French, from the question words to the most common topics, with plenty of examples.

Did we forget any important topic you’d like to learn about? Do you feel ready to get out there and express yourself, using everything you’ve learned today?

A good way to practice is to take each of the questions we’ve covered today and imagine how you would answer them. Maybe you’ll need to do some research on the sentence structures or key words, but it will be a great way to learn how to talk about yourself. 

Learning how to talk about personal topics is always worth the time, as you can use this knowledge in any occasion, with your friends or people you’ve just met.

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also useful for revisiting new words and practicing their pronunciation.

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice questions and answers in French with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with the pronunciation.

Happy learning!