In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your public transportation vocabulary to become a subway master in France.  Here is the recap of last week’s phrases for your reference:   Because you don't want to ride the subway without a ticket, "Un ticket, s'il vous plait", "One ticket please".   When you stopped paying attention: "Quel est cet arret?", "What is this station?"   One thing you want to avoid in the subway is "l'heure de pointe", rush hour. If someone tells you "Prenez le 58" when you're asking your way, understand "Take the 58 bus".   If you couldn't avoid rush hour, stepped on someone's foot and want to stay out of trouble: "Excusez-moi", "I am sorry."   Stay tuned daily for our tweets, and... Show more

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: When you don't want to stain your fingers with newspaper's ink: "Je lis l'actualité en ligne.", "I read the news online." An easy one: "un magazine" is "a magazine"...but it's always good to know. You probably know that French people hate to find a typo, "une coquille", in their newspaper. To talk about all newspapers in general: "la presse écrite". "La presse écrite attire moins de lecteurs." "Newspapers are attracting less readers." Do you follow the news, "l'actualité"? "L'actualité de la semaine est... Show more

It is always useful to know the slang for "money" in a foreign language, if only not to get ripped off and to understand when people talk about what is in your wallet...  So many different ways to say "money" in French! Those greedy French.  Before we get to those words I would like to mention a French argot specialist. His name is Michel Audiard and even if you probably never heard this name before, you need to know that he is one of France's pride. Michel Audiard (Born in 1920, died in 1985) was a famous screenwriter who is known for his acid, humorous, and "argotique" writing. And, if you happened to watch movies written by Michel Audiard, you surely came across  a multitude of French money-related slang. If you would like to... Show more

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: "Un éditorial" gives you the paper's opinion."L'éditorial est sévère avec le président.", "The editorial is tough on the president." Just so you know, the French for "buzz" is also "un buzz". "Le discours de Barack Obama a fait un buzz en France." Subscribe to "un hebdomadaire" to get news every week. "Time" est un hebdomadaire", "Time" is a weekly." Today's word "un rédacteur en chef", "an editor-in-chief". "Le rédacteur en chef a le dernier mot sur le contenu.", "The editor-in-chief" has the last word on the... Show more

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: If you're reading a trashy French magazine, then you're reading "un torchon", which is also the word for "a dish cloth".  You want to say you know what is going on throughout the world? Then say "Je suis au courant", "I am current with the news". When TV disappoints us, "Mon émission préférée ne passe plus.", "My favorite TV show is not on anymore." An easy one : "un site internet" is "a website"..."Ce site internet est incontournable.", "This website is a must see." Hey couch potatoes! A word for... Show more

Have you ever heard of the word l'argot? You might have heard of it as being the French slang. Well, it is true to some extent. But there is more to l'argot than just being slang.  Today we'll introduce you to one argot French word. But before we do, let's talk about what l'argot really is. The initial meaning appeared in the XVIIth century in France to generally designate professional thieves, beggars and  bohemians.  This group of people was literally called l'argot. The word evolved to later designate the language used by this group of people. Just like any social group, they would use a vocabulary that would only exist among themselves. Now, having their own language not only identified each other as a group, it also allowed... Show more

Our idiom today is: "Il n’y a pas le feu au lac" "No need to rush"   Growing up in Southern France I would hear that idiom a lot. Why Southern France? Because that’s where things go slowly. That’s where the turtle is considered one of the fastest animals…that’s where you take the time to enjoy every minute of your free time while doing pretty much nothing. That’s where impatient Parisians are driven crazy.   See? I am from Southern France and it takes me forever to get to the point here!   But wait…What does “Il n’y pas le feu au lac” mean exactly?   It literally means “The lake is not on fire”, which I find to be a very clever way to say “No need to rush”. Don’t you think it’s clever? I wonder who came up with that one.... Show more

How to Really Learn French in Just Minutes a Day and Stick with it Get an Instant 10% OFF with coupon code FF2009 for a limited time. The Myth What if I told you mastering French wasn't that hard. That actually learning the language itself is not nearly as difficult as you may have heard. And that the problem to progressing is an age old one...failure to execute. The Real Issue Said another way, "People don't progress 'cause they don't do! If you don't do the work, you won't reach your goals." It's a bold statement, but think about it. How many things have you tried, only to give up at some later point in time. Exercising daily, diets, hobbies, etc. Language learning is no exception. We tend to start out strong,... Show more

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at FrenchPod101.com! We're grateful to have listeners just like you, and we're eagerly waiting for the upcoming year to learn French together! And when the New Year comes around, be sure to make a resolution to study French with FrenchPod101.com! Have a healthy and happy holiday season. From Celine, Sam, Angele and the whole FrenchPod101.com Team!