How to Learn French - all at C no longer

It is often said that learning a second language improves your mastery over your mother tongue. A few years ago, and very late in my French-learning, I learned a French pronunciation rule that helped me understand why I pronounced certain English words in the way I did. Ça a fait tilt*, I can tell you!

So here it is. In French, when the letter C is followed by the vowels A, O or U, a hard sound is produced. For example:

café
collège
cumin

However, when a C is followed by the vowels E, I (or Y for that matter), a soft sound results. Like this:

cent
merci
cymbales

The bit that blew me away? It’s exactly the same in English. Think about it:

cat
cotton
cut

but

century
city
mercy

Tell me I’m not the only person who didn’t know this! I suspect I’m not alone.

This also made the function of the c cédille (or c cedilla in English) so much clearer. That is, when the French have a word that has a soft C sound where the C is followed a vowel that usually produces a hard C, they add a ç to soften it. For example:

ça va
garçon
reçu

Ça a du sens*? I hope so.

I think that even if it’s not crystal clear right away, it will become so as you start to notice more and more examples in your workbooks. I hope, too, that as this idea firms up in your head, it will help you to feel more confident in pronouncing French words you’ve not previously seen.

Believe it or not, the rules of French pronunciation are rarely broken (I promise!) so go ahead safe in the knowledge that if you apply the rules above, you’ll almost always be right.

*It clicked | *Does that make sense?

How to Learn French - Tchao for now!

Bonjour* !

In the last How to Learn French post we looked at the sonorous French sound, ‘ch’. A joy to pronounce, we’re lucky that it’s a common sound so you’ll have plenty of practice in perfecting it.

A less common sound in French, though, is a hard ‘ch’ as in the English word ‘cheese’. So rare, in fact, that it doesn’t really exist. It wasn’t until the French started borrwing words from other languages that they even saw the need for such a sound. Since it didn’t exist, they set about inventing it, by popping a ‘t’ in front of the ‘ch’ to mimic the pronunciation of those foreign words.

Though it can look a little strange, don’t be afraid of it. Just ignore the ‘t’ and proceed with a ‘cheese’ sound and you’ll be on your way!

The following words have all been borrowed from other languages. See if you can work out which ones.

tchao
tchèque
tchécoslovaque
tchador
tchadien(ne)
tchat

*Hello

Avoir un coeur d'artichaut

With *la Saint-Valentin upon us, love is in the air, and we have the perfect term to tease that friend who is always head over heels with a new *amour. *Avoir un coeur d'artichaut is the charming French expression for a hopeless romantic – someone who gives their favour away freely, with a tender heart.

The metaphor takes its roots from a 19th-century proverb, cœur d’artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde (artichoke heart, one leaf for everyone).

*C’est mignon, non?

*Valentine’s Day | *love | *to be a hopeless romantic | *It’s cute, isn’t it?

Word Power: Tirer

Meaning ‘to pull’, the French verb tirer is a handy one to have up your sleeve. From piggybank to handkerchief, many fun words and expressions take tire as their logical (and literal) *racine. Commit them to memory, then pull them out whenever you want to impress your French friends with your vocab.

 
(Larigot refers to a small flute played – often endlessly – in the Middle Ages)

*stem

10 Popular Resolutions

It’s that time of year again, when we set the best intentions for the 12 months ahead. Whether you make them and break them or avoid them altogether, here are ten of the most common *bonnes résolutions across the globe.

*New year’s resolutions

How to Learn French - Champagne?

Bonjour* !

Il y a longtemps*, here at Lingua Franca, we ran a workshop which examined the most beautiful words in French. The research we did for that was an unmitigated pleasure I’ll never forget.

What we found along the way is that while everyone has their own favourite French words, (papillon* sticks in my mind as a bit of a chart-topper), there are particular sounds that seem to have almost universal appeal.

The soft French sound ‘ch’ was high on the list. Many of you would have learned the French word for ‘cow’ (vache) early on in your learning and are likely confident as to its pronunciation, so take that as your anchor word if it appeals.

Somehow (to my ears at least) it feels superior to the English sound ‘sh’ as in shower. They’re very close as far as sounds go, but I’ve just done a very unscientific test as I’m writing this, and I think the French sound does indeed have a touch more panache*, if you’ll forgive me.

When we pronounce the French sound ‘ch’, our lips are more rounded and the jaw moves forward to fully facilitate the sound. Exaggerate your pronunciation of, say, chambre* or mouche* and you’ll see what I mean. Now just rein it in a little, but retain a slight pout, and you’ll be on your way.

The following mots* are an absolute pleasure to pronounce, so enjoy!

Next time, we’ll be focusing on the altogether more Germanic-, English- or even Persian-sounding (as it turns out) sound of tch. Tchao* !

Some of the most beautiful words in French contain the ‘ch’ sound. I’m sure you have your own.

champagne
échantillon
Chantilly
Chouchou
choufleur
chéri(e)
chaleureux
charme

The list goes on. And on…

*Hello | *A long time ago | *butterfly | *flair | *bedroom | *fly | *word | *Bye

How to Learn French - Lamb to the slaughter

Bonjour*!

One of our long-term Chouchous*, Deb, told me of a pronunciation adventure she had while travelling and it has never left me. Granted, she was in Italy at the time, but the lesson she learned that day holds true for le français* as well.

Deb was at a butcher’s and decided she like the look of a cut of lamb. Though her Italian was limited, she did know the word for lamb (agnello) and so, in a communication style known to many of you called the “point-and-utter-the-one-word-you-know” trick, she indicated toward the lamb and said “agnello”. The butcher’s was blindée* with locals jostling to place their orders. The woman behind the counter seemed to not understand Deb’s request, so determinedly, she repeated the word ‘agnello’ pronouncing the word as she’d seen it spelled, with a hard ‘g’ as in ‘golf’.

Still, the butcher wasn’t getting it, so Deb had another go. No luck. Again she tried, this time softer as she was becoming increasingly embarrassed at holding everyone up. Finally, it twigged, and the butcher, loudly and in front of everyone, said “Ah ! Sí ! Agnello ! ” pronouncing the ‘g’ softly, as in the start of the English word ‘nuisance’. Possibly a poor choice of example (sorry, Deb!), but I use it to illustrate that the ‘gn’ sound in Italian, as in French, is pronounced like ‘nye’. Think of how the word champagne is pronounced in French and you’ve got the idea.

Though the butcher could now go about completing the commercial transaction, she wasn’t finished with her linguistic one. “Agnello ! ”, she repeated to Deb, emphasising the soft ‘g’ sound. Deb nodded and smiled, but the Italian woman repeated it again and again, in front of the whole shop, before it dawned on Deb that she wasn’t going to stop until Deb gave it a go herself, which she dutifully did.

The butcher’s face lit up at her refined pronunciation and, as if Deb’s reward was for her to trot out her own broken English, said “Yes! Lamb!”, heartily pronouncing the ‘b’.

Some very useful words contain the ‘gn’ sound. Here is a selection to get you started.

agneau
champagne
champignon
gagner
mignon
Avignon
campagne

So, let’s add our new sound to the table pour voir ce que ça donne*.

Line by line, your French pronunciation is improving. Bravo!

*Hello | *Teacher’s pet | *French | *packed | *Well done

8 Useful Expressions for End-of-Year Parties

Struggle to make small talk at Christmas parties and end-of-year get-togethers? We’re here to help. Here are eight of the most useful French phrases to trot out over the coming weeks – including one classy way to make your escape if you’re cornered by un rabat-joie*.

Ça fait longtemps qu’on ne s’est pas vus!
It’s been a while!

Qu’est-ce que tu deviens?
What have you been up to?

Tu as des plans pour le réveillon?
Any plans for New Year’s Eve?

Tu connais beaucoup de monde ici?
Do you know many people here?

Je te ressers un peu?
Shall I top you up a bit?

Pas pour moi, je dois prendre le volant.
Not for me, I have to drive.

Je te laisse profiter de ta soirée!
I’ll let you enjoy your evening!

Merci pour l’invitation, c’était super.
Thanks for having me – it was great. 

*a party pooper/ killjoy

10 Popular Christmas Gifts

With just over two weeks until Christmas, the clock is ticking to get those cadeaux de Noël* wrapped and under the tree. To boost your festive French vocab, here are the ten of the most common gifts given each year around the globe.

Original? Non* Appreciated? On verra*.

*Christmas gifts | *No | *We shall see

Fun French Phrase: ‘Découvrir le pot aux roses’

If you’re a fan of *les ragots, this charming French phrase will come in handy. Literally translating as ‘to discover the pot of roses’, *découvrir le pot aux roses means to discover a secret.

Why the flowery reference? The expression is believed to stem from a 13th-century tradition, where lovers would stash gifts and letters in flowerpots on the windowsills of their intended.

*gossip

How to Learn French - mind your p's and q's.

Bonjour!

I thought I’d include the sound ‘qu’ in this very short post, as it’s a sound that can be overlooked at times, so bears clarifying.

Where in English we tend to make a ‘kw’ sound for this two letter combination (think ‘quiet’ and ‘equine’), for the French it is a very straightforward ‘k’ sound. Sometimes we hear beginners saying quand as though it’s spelled ‘kwand’, but this is an error that is usually rectified fairly quickly. What you might like to know, though, is that ‘qu’ as a ‘k’ sound in French is one you can count on.

Now for some examples. Remember, be confident in just making a ‘k’ sound. You won’t go wrong, except if you run across an English word the French have borrowed (eg le quiz where they tend to stick to the original pronunciation).

époque
que
inquiet
quartier
qu’est-ce que

What about quoi and pourquoi I am sure I can hear you exclaiming? Although these words make us feel as though we’re using an English ‘kw’ pronunciation, it’s actually the oi that is making a ‘wa’ sound. Tricky, non*?

*Hello | *era | *that | *worried | *suburb | *what | *no

Légumes d'automne

While we swelter through the arrival of spring, in France it’s time to tuck into comforting autumnal dishes like *les soupes et les gratins.

From root veggies to leafy greens, here’s what’s in season in the Northern hemisphere – *les légumes d'automne our French friends are enjoying.

*soups and gratins | *autumn vegetables

English Enjoyed

If you need some light relief as you wrangle a second language, this Instagram account will help you get a firmer grip on your first. English Enjoyed is an utter delight, best savoured over tea and scones.

Affrèrement

We love it when we stumble across an unfamiliar French word, and this month we found a fascinating one: affrèrement. Sometimes translated as “brotherment”, un affrèrement refers to a legally binding same-sex (but not necessarily sexual) union of two men that existed in France in late medieval times.

According to this article in The Atlantic (available to subscribers):

“In the contract, the ‘brothers’ pledged to live together sharing ‘un pain, un vin, et une bourse,’ (that's French for one bread, one wine and one purse). The ‘one purse’ referred to the idea that all of the couple's goods became joint property.” 

Learn French with Macron

When learning a language, sometimes you just have to laugh. And it seems the French president himself has *un sens de l'humour about some of the absurdities of his own.

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A post shared by AT Frenchies (@atfrenchies)

*a sense of humour

Pourquoi le ‘pas’?

If you’re as nerdy about the evolution of language as we are (and we know many chouchous are), this fascinating video about French negation is the perfect little treat. *Profitez-en!

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A post shared by Oliver Oxford (@oliversoxford)

*Enjoy!

How to Learn French - what the 'ell?

Bonjour!

We’re only going to add one tiny square in this instalment, but once again, it’s an important one.

The pronunciation of words like fille* and famille* is confusing to many, myself included in the earlier years. I remember never being 100% confident even though they’re relatively basic words, and ones that come up a lot.

I can now see why I was so confused. At around the same time, I was learning some other very useful words, such as ville*, mille* and tranquille*, which, as you may know, are not pronounced in the same way as those to which I’ve referred above.

Mais pourquoi pas*? It may surprise you to know that there is a method in this apparent madness. That is, the pronunciation of each of these words can be predicted to a large degree, so it’s best to learn the rule rather than faire à l’arrache*.

This is the default rule for the pronunciation of words containing I-L-L-E. If you’re ever not sure, go with the pronunciation below. I can’t promise you you’ll be right, but you’ll at least have backed the horse with the shortest odds:

the combination of the letters I-L-L-E produces a sound I don’t believe we have in English, but which is a combination of the English letters ‘e’ and ‘y’.

To really nail the sound in French, you’ll need to go back to your anchor word for the letter i, whether that be lit*, ici*, voici* or even something else - maybe merci*?). The tricky bit is that the L-L-E letters that follow it together make a sound akin to an English ‘y’, such as the ‘y’ sound in the word ‘yellow’. So now we have a French i combined with an English ‘y’ sound. If you’re finding that hard to imagine, trying pronouncing the English word ‘key’ and emphasising the ‘y’ sound a little bit. This will get you quite close to the sound we’re after. Imagine then, that instead of saying the word ‘key’, you’re now saying the word ‘fee’ in English. Now pretend there’s a ‘y’ on the end of it. Bravo*! You’ve just made a very good pass at pronouncing the French word for girl, fille.

Now for des précisions*. Be sure to make the i sound of fille very short and tight. Remember, it should rhyme with lit, ici or voici, not the more elongated double ‘e’s of the English words ‘keep’, ‘sleep’ and ‘tree’.

famille
cheville*
Bastille

(*ankle)

Alors voilà*! This is the rule for how the I-L-L-E sound is pronounced. Facile, non*?

Now I know you’d be disappointed if there were no exceptions to this rule, so allow me not to briser ton cœur*. There are. There doesn’t seem to be any rime ou raison*, though, so here are the most common rule-breakers. With these petits rebelles*, remember to sound the ‘l’s (so ville will rhyme with the English word ‘fill’) and you’ll be sur la bonne piste*. 

ville
mille
tranquille
Lille

The rest are better to learn as you go, I think. They’re fairly obscure words and even if someone does correct you, you’ll likely forget by the time you go to use them again, if you ever do (I’m still waiting for my second chance to use bacille*, for example).

By the way, if ever you have any questions about these articles, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll do my very best to help you.

*daughter | *family | *city | *thousand | *calm | *But why not | *take a helter-skelter approach | *bed | *here | *here is | *thank you | *Well done | * some details | *So there you go | *Easy, isn't it? | *break your heart | *rhyme or reason | *little rebels | *on the right track | *bacillus

French Girl Reacts to Celebs Speaking French

If you’re as obsessed as we are with celebs speaking French, this video is for you. From Taylor to Timothée, Bradley Cooper to Jodie Foster, watch the stars sink or swim *en français, with their language skills scored on a scale of 1 to 10. *C’est chouette!

* in French | *It’s great!

Winter Sports

Does your winter sports repertoire begin and end with “*J’aime faire du ski?” Don’t worry, we can help. Read on and expand your horizons with this cheat sheet to *les sports d’hiver.

*I like skiing | *winter sports

How to Learn French - Rule of thumb

Bref et concis* but a really good précision* for many, today we’re talking about one of the most mispronounced words in French: the word for woman (or wife), femme.

Most often, we hear this mispronounced as rhyming with the English word ‘gem’, rather than the word ‘thumb’, which the sound resembles most closely.

I remember being so surprised when I learned that the e in words containing the combination emm in French was pronounced as though it was a French a sound. If you’ve been following these posts, you’ll know that the anchor word I use for a in French is ça va. And if you’ve done your devoirs*, you’ll also know that sound is very close to the u sound in the English word ‘cup’. Read on for some more illuminations* (hopefully)…

By the way, it’s not just femme that has this English u sound. Here are a few others to ponder.

femme
évidemment
fréquemment
différemment
patiemment

If you’ve been trying out your French on native-speakers for a decent period of time, I am confident you would’ve already been (kindly) corrected on your pronunciation of the word évidemment. I certainly was (more than once, until it clicked), but I thought it must have been an exception. In fact, it’s not, it’s just that the combination of emm in the middle of a word makes that ‘u’ sound we’ve been talking about.

Alors, voilà!* Only one square added this time, but an important one, nonetheless.

*Short and sweet | *clarification | *homework | *lightbulb moments | *So there you go