It’s not always obvious how to start a conversation in French. Well, I guess it’s tough in any language, actually! It comes naturally to some people: they just go with the flow, follow their instincts, and say whatever goes through their heads. But when you’re dealing with a foreign language, it’s a different story. Once you are talking to someone, and you’re both engaged in an interesting topic, it’s easier to keep it going. But just like a slow and cold engine, the difficult part is to get it started and find the right conversation starter suited for the context. It’s hard to be spontaneous when you don’t speak French fluently if you’re nervously looking for your next sentence. If you’re not comfortable with French grammar, you may... Show more

Are you an advanced French learner, or are you trying to become one? If you’ve decided to step up your game and start aiming toward content made for native speakers, such as French books or movies in their original version, I bet you’re getting more than a little confused. This is largely because advanced French phrases, necessary as they are to learn, are often put by the wayside.  Traditionally, when learning a language, we study new words and grammar structures. Then, we learn how to combine it all to make nice and sophisticated sentences. You might still be doing so at an advanced level, but that’s not enough anymore. Advanced French content tends to be full of idioms, slang, expressions, and weird structures that make... Show more

Are you having trouble bridging the gap from beginner to intermediate level? It can feel like a daunting task when you have to leave the comfort of simple structures in the present tense. This is especially true once you start treading the uncharted grounds of expressing complex ideas or subtle feelings. But once you’re confident with the basics and realize the only way is up, you’ll find a lot of satisfaction in honing your skills on something a bit more challenging (like the intermediate French phrases introduced in this article). And I say “a bit” because French has this weird tendency to look way more complicated than it actually is. The tenses, for example, are not nearly as overwhelming as they seem at first glance. With only a... Show more

Do you sometimes feel that learning French is no small feat? Sure, the grammar can be intimidating at first, and the pronunciation a little challenging. But there are various ways to conquer these hurdles. One way is to practice using basic French phrases geared toward beginners right from the start. The traditional academic route has its perks. It has been yielding good results for generations of language learners. But there is only so much to be gained from studying the basic grammar rules, learning lists of elementary vocabulary words, and practicing with written exercises. I believe in a more active approach. With active learning, you develop the ability to think in French as a subconscious process and overcome the habit of... Show more

Why settle for an intermediate level when you can reach the summits of advanced French? It sure takes guts, dedication, and a lot of brainpower, but once you pull it off, there is nothing as rewarding as using your limitless fluency with your French-speaking friends! Improving at an advanced level is no small feat, and few people have gone as far as you have. At this level, you’re getting hit pretty hard with diminishing returns: The more you learn and add to your vocabulary, the more difficult it becomes. It can also be difficult to find educational content advanced enough to challenge your skills, and this is where we come in! In this article, you’ll find a large collection of useful advanced French words and phrases, from... Show more

Do you sometimes get anxious when the phone rings? For some, this anxiety arises due to the fear of being criticized or judged for what they’re gonna say. Telephone phobia can even make one afraid, by association, of the actual ringing. Even though this type of anxiety was not common for me, I noticed that taking phone calls in a foreign language could get me really tense. I would sometimes struggle to find the right words, and I was afraid I’d fail to understand what the other person wanted from me. As a learner, picking up some French phone phrases can relieve you of most of this apprehension. Equipped with the essential phrases and useful phone vocabulary, you’ll be ready to face almost any phone scenario.  In this article,... Show more

Have you ever started a conversation in a foreign language, believing you could handle it, only to end up puzzled and confused with the abundance of mysterious and seemingly unnecessary sounds that no academic learning could have prepared you for? Like all languages, real-life spoken French is quite different from what you learn in grammar books. It’s littered with weird "filler words" that easily get in the way when you’re trying to follow a complicated conversation. French filler words are short and meaningless words or sounds we use to fill the gaps. They can get rather irritating, but on the bright side, mastering these filler words in French will allow you to sound even ‘Frencher’ than locals. In this article, you’ll learn... Show more

Did you know that the French language does not differentiate between "love" and "like"? When you say J’aime le fromage, it means that you like cheese. But if you say Je t’aime, it stands for "I love you" in French and certainly not just "I like you." This might be one of the reasons why the French are known to be rather quick about saying "I love you." Unlike other cultures, they don’t necessarily mean that they want to get married and spend the rest of their days with the person, but more like they really like the person and love spending time together. But I’m getting ahead of myself! In this guide, we’ll talk about love, of course, but also about flirting and seduction—from first contact to sweet talk for lovebirds—staying in touch,... Show more

Have you ever paid attention to all those books about The Gentle Art of Saying No, The Power of a Positive No, How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty, and many more?  Based on these titles, it would seem that there’s something inherently difficult about saying no. In fact, it could even be considered rude, insensitive, or socially disruptive......unless you happen to be in France! Here, you can safely say no to most questions without the need to carefully sugarcoat it.  Negation in French is rather similar to that in English, and once you’ve mastered the most basic structures, it shouldn’t give you any trouble. In this guide, you’ll learn how to do negation in French. We’ll cover everything from the fundamentals to the more advanced... Show more

This is the most frequently asked question about the language, and yet it has no definite answer. It depends on many things, such as your native language, education, experience with languages, exposure, and motivation. Beyond that, how long it takes to learn French depends heavily on the proficiency level you want to achieve. Do you want to...  ...reach a beginner level? ...be able to make and understand very basic phrases related to everyday life? ...achieve an intermediate level that would allow you to get by in simple conversations on familiar topics? ...get to an advanced level, so you could have meaningful interactions and read or listen to virtually anything?  As you can imagine, these are very different goals with different... Show more