Seven useful informal French expressions you don’t learn at school These words will add colour to your spoken French
More French words and phrases with no real equivalent in English Do you know anyone who is insortable or un bon vivant ?
10 common French expressions involving ‘coup’ From sunburns to parties, we ‘donne un coup de main’ to help you with these common expressions
magazine How to use ‘alors’ like a French native speaker Using this word can help boost your proficiency in the language and make you sound like a true Francophone
The French are not negative - it is just a (body) language thing Interpreting the Gallic shrug and negative-as-positive phrases will make communicating a pleasure
Ways to say ‘sticking your nose into others’ business’ in French If you are a busybody in France you may end up being compared to a certain woodland creature
Broaden your Christmas vocabulary with these festive French phrases If you are ready to move on from the basic ‘Joyeux Noël!’ take a look at these yuletide expressions
French phrases that feature dogs (and some cats) We take a look at expressions featuring our four-legged friends
Watch out for the many French verbs ‘to walk’ - they can trip you up Walking, hiking and strolling in France can stretch your vocabulary and your legs, explains columnist Annaliza Davis
Seven of the most annoying Anglicisms used ‘in French’ Anglicisms - words that the French language borrows from English - are more widespread than many 鶹ýӳ might think… some may say ‘ c’est insane ’
Seven words you will often hear in spoken French Many have multiple uses and you will frequently hear them in everyday conversations
C'est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille Marseille - a ship, a very big sardine - and a stereotype
Six idioms to spice up your French conversations And why learning common French sayings can save embarrassment according to language expert
There is no irony in the French language - apart from the word ‘bref’ In our writer's experience those who say they will be brief are anything but
French language tip - making things sound mini, dinky or cute Listen out for how French speakers change words and names to give an air of daintiness or affection
The word ‘commode’ has many uses in the French language Here are three ways to use this ‘accommodating’ word to describe furniture and, more surprisingly, people. Justin Postlethwaite explains
Expressions you may hear in the lead up to final French election vote ‘Vote utile’ and ’faire barrage’ are often used by politicians and commentators
‘Arrête tes bêtises!’ - Nine ways to scold someone in French From the silly to the vulgar, how to call someone stupid (or know when you are being insulted)
Five historical French quotes (or mis-quotes) and their origins From Marie-Antoinette to Emile Zola, English speakers love to quote French figures from history, but have we been getting them wrong all these years?
The history and uses of the fun French phrase ‘à gogo’ We go back to 15th century France, the first disco venue and then wartime Scotland to find stories ‘à gogo’
Ça me gonfle!: How to express your irritation (or love) in French It is no secret that the French love using slang in everyday conversations. We look at one multi-purpose verb that helps them to express irritation, exaggeration and even love
Seven ways to say ‘I’m tired’ in French and their unusual origins Show off your French language skills with some interesting phrases, from past and present, to express how tired you are
Courir sur le haricot and more French sport expressions Getting back into sport is the top New Year’s resolution for many as a survey in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region confirms. We look at three expressions related to sport
Envoyer quelqu'un sur les roses and more French flower expressions Two luminous water lily decorations have been stolen from a village in the south west. We look at five French expressions related to flowers
Mise à pied: French expressions using ‘pied’ you may hear The Grenoble football coach has been ‘put on foot’. We explain what it means and look at four other expressions with the word pied
La chair de poule and more French hen expressions An association in Brittany is offering 20,000 hens for adoption. We look at French expressions related to the animal
Aux petits oignons and more French phrases with the word ‘petit’ With the manuscript of Le Petit Prince coming to France next year, we look at three French expressions with the word petit
La nuit des temps and more French expressions about the night With new coronavirus restrictions restricting nightlife in France, we look at three French expressions with the word ‘night’
Se fendre la poire and more French fruit and vegetable phrases Three in four 鶹ýӳ are ready to eat less meat and fish, a recent report states. We look at French phrases inspired by fruit and vegetables
Avoir un poil dans la main and more French hand phrases With the French women’s handball team beating Angola and Slovenia this weekend at the World Championships games, we look at three French expressions related to hands
Faire la danseuse and more French dance expressions On International Samba Day, we look at three French expressions inspired by dance
Entre la poire et le fromage and more French cheese phrases A French cheese factory won nine medals at this year’s World Cheese Awards. We look at expressions related to cheese
Enfant de la balle and more French expressions about children With gynaecologists recommending pregnant women have a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, we look at three French expression relating to children
Verser un pot-de-vin and more French wine phrases On Beaujolais Nouveau Day, we look explore three common expressions related to wine
Mettre sa main au feu and more French fire phrases A man who accidentally started a huge fire when he threw a cigarette butt into shrubland in 2016 has just received a prison sentence. We look at three French expressions related to fire
Faire le pont and more French ‘bridge’ phrases Many people in France today are ‘making the bridge’. We look at what this means and three other French ‘bridge’ expressions
Être fleur bleue and more French ‘blue’ phrases The French are wearing blue cornflower pins today in remembrance of the soldiers of World War I. We look at three expressions with the colour blue
Des yeux de merlan frit and other French fish phrases Fish are in the news following difficult talks between France and the UK regarding fishing licences. We look at three fish-related French expressions
Sous une chape de plomb and other lead-related French expressions President Macron’s newly-announced €30billion investment plan includes the exploration of seabeds and the potential of accessing certain rare materials, including lead. We explore three expressions related to the metal...
S’emmêler les pinceaux and other French art phrases you may hear To mark the start of the FIAC annual modern art fair in Paris today, we look at three expressions related to art
Entre chien et loup and other French animal expressions French animal protection association SPA is advocating for the appointment of an Animal Rights’ Defender. We look at three French expressions related to dogs…
Manger de la vache enragée and more French cow phrases Cows are in the news after the Minister for Agriculture ordered an investigation into the practices of a slaughterhouse in central-eastern France. We look at four well-known French expressions related to cows…
‘Être marqué au fer rouge’ and other French ‘red’ expressions The SNCF is in the red (dans le rouge) again this year, having lost €780million in the first half of 2021. We look at three other French expressions related to the colour red
Les carottes sont cuites and other French culinary expressions To mark International Chefs Day, we look at three expressions inspired by the profession
En vrac: a French phrase you will be seeing more of A law change means that certain fruits and vegetables will only be sold ‘en vrac’ (loose) from next year. We look at the origin of the term which was imported from the Netherlands
‘La grève’: The origins of a word often associated with France With recent protests by rubbish collectors, midwives – and a national strike having taken place on Tuesday this week – we look at the historical origins of the word
‘Une volée de bois vert’ and three other French phrases about trees Trees are in the news due to plans to ‘greenify’ Paris. We explore French expressions related to trees and wood…
‘Nuit blanche’, and other expressions with the word ‘white’ in French Paris’ famous Nuit Blanche festival takes place this Saturday. We explain the origins of the name and three other French expressions related to the colour white
‘Train de sénateur’ and other French expressions you may hear To celebrate 40 years of the TGV, we explain some French idioms related to trains
Schéma, rétablissement: 30 Covid-related terms you may hear in France From getting a test to showing your health pass, there are a whole host of words that have entered our vocabulary since the start of the pandemic
Faire feu de tout bois: A French expression you may hear today Health Minister Olivier Véran set out to ‘faire feu de tout bois’ against French anti-vaxers in a press conference yesterday. What does the expression mean?
Tous azimuts: A French expression you may hear today To find a path out of the Covid health crisis President Emmanuel Macron is – uncharacteristically – consulting ‘tous azimuts’. What does the expression mean?
Aller bon train: A French expression you may hear today Covid booster vaccines are likely to be made available to most people in France, a senior doctor who leads a group advising the government on the virus said today. It comes as French media report that Israel’s third dose campaign continues to ‘aller bon train’ - but what does vaccination have to do with trains?
Saperlipopette: A French expression of surprise to swear by Try exclaiming 'Saperlipopette! ' - an underused French swear word - next time you feel annoyed in polite company
'Réa’ and 'mocktail': Covid and English rule 2022 French dictionary Le Petit Larousse has included a record-breaking 170 new words in its latest edition, plus a debate on whether it should be le Covid or la Covid
Improve your French: The mixed meaning of 'quarantine' A word we now know all too well thanks to the coronavirus pandemic has a couple of different translations in French
French linguist Alain Rey dies aged 92 Mr Rey loved language and was best-known as one of the original creators of the Le Robert dictionary
How to learn French online: Five YouTube videos to watch Watching free online videos can be an enjoyable way to improve your French. Here is our selection of YouTube channels to help you master la langue de Molière .
French language: what does it mean to be called 'Arthur'? In this month's French Language Notes feature, we explore what it means to be called 'Arthur'.
Bacon, money, proud...9 words English took from French Any English speaker who has tried to learn French will know that it is not always easy to master, but a new book has shown that some surprising words are more similar than you might think.
Nonbinary pronoun ‘they’ sparks French language debate A debate has been sparked in France over the lack of an official gender-neutral French word for “they” and “them”, after the pronoun “they” was voted Word of the Year 2019 in the United States.
French dictionary in 50 year ‘life-changing word' game What era-defining, “life-changing” words appeared the year you were born? French dictionary le Petit Robert has created an online game revealing exactly that, in celebration of 50 years of the publication.
Ubériser, Adulescence: The new must-know French words Two weeks before the release of the 2020 edition of classic French dictionary Le Petit Larousse, 150 new words and expressions have been leaked, revealing a host of recent societal trends.
French blague humour: you’ve gotta laugh Hairdressers can make your hair curl with the names of their salons – even in France. But 鶹ýӳ love terrible jokes, Samantha David says
Why do English people say ‘Excuse my French’? Have you ever wondered where the English expression, “Excuse my French” comes from, to describe someone swearing, or saying something indelicate?
Chic! The 10 most-loved French words used in English The French words that Brits and other English-speakers love to use was the subject of an online article in newspaper Le Figaro yesterday, with “ chic ”, “ déjà-vu ” and “ je ne sais quoi ”, hitting the top spots.
On: a little word with a big role in French One might, at first glance, think the French on is a straight translation of “one” in English. But on is much more widely used, generally less formal and much more versatile.
France is distinctive – but that is part of the appeal Be prepared to embrace some idiosyncrasies... We newcomers often consider ourselves experts in French culture.
