Tu me manques

If you’re very, very lucky, one day you might wish to tell someone in French that you miss them. Encore mieux*, they might tell you that they’re missing you. Romantique, non*?

Romantique, oui*, but it’s not as easy as you might think.

The verb ‘to miss’ is manquer in French. So far so good, you may think, but this is where it starts to get a little tricky.

In English we say “I miss you". In French though, the structure is the equivalent of “You are missing to me”. That is, in French, the object of your affections takes centre stage, whereas in English it’s all about the person doing the missing.

It may help to think of the verb manquer as ‘to lack’. I find this help me come to grips with the fact that we use an indirect pronoun (to me) rather than a direct one (me). Ne prends pas la tête*, though. If you do structure your sentence in the English way, you’ll just be telling the person that they’re lacking to you, which could spark a conversation all of its own.

Of course, you could always turn this phrase into a question if you wanted to ask someone if they were missing you.

C’est clair*? Maybe not right now, but you will wrap your mind around this counterintuitive little gem in time, c’est promis. One of our Chouchous*, Nora, found this song which she swears has helped her to just that. Merci encore*, Nora.

*better still | *Romantic, isn’t it? | *Romantic, yes | *Don’t worry too much | *Is that clear? | *I promise | *Teacher’s Pets | *Thanks again

Maman a dit que je peux

Many people struggle to keep the French modal verbs vouloir*, pouvoir* and devoir* straight in their heads.

At Lingua Franca, we teach that:

This charming French publicité* for condoms gives us a much more interesting way to remember the verb pouvoir, though. The little boy’s constant refrain is “Maman a dit que je peux” (Mum said I can), reminding us that pouvoir is as much about permission as it is possibility, and this boy is seemingly granted permission around the clock!

Tellement mignon.*

*to want/wish | *to be able to/can | *to have to/must | *ad | *So cute

La rentrée

You may have heard some talk about la rentrée* earlier this month, as French children were preparing to head back to school.

While la rentrée definitely describes the return to school after the long summer holidays in France, it is also used more broadly among the rest of the population.

In August, virtually the whole of France slows to a crawl, with not only schools but many businesses, restaurants and even the government shutting up shop for the hottest of the summer weather.

Almost everyone takes a holiday away from their home town. The most privileged may eye off international experiences and those on more modest budgets may faire du camping*. Regardless of the destination, le but* is to leave behind le quotidien* for a chance to changer les idées*. It’s for this reason that la rentrée holds such weight in the French culture. Come the start of September, it’s time to pack away the togs, get ready for school or work and look forward to a new year.

Whether that evokes excitement or apprehension probably rests on the quality of les vacances…*

*start of the school year | *go camping | *the aim | *the everyday | *to take one’s mind off something | *the holidays

La Petite Histoire | Beginner Revision | Épisode 2

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 2 (of 6) of the Beginner Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Jean-Louis ne travaille pas le lundi alors nous avons décidé de faire un pique-nique aujourd’hui avec mon frère, sa femme et nos enfants. Hervé et Yasmine ont un nouveau bébé - un petit garçon qui s’appelle Nasir. Il est petit, avec les cheveux noirs et les yeux marrons. Il est adorable mais il ne dort pas beaucoup. Il est très actif et je vois que Yasmine est très contente mais fatiguée aussi.

Nous sommes allés au Jardin du Luxembourg, qui est un grand parc près de chez nous. Yasmine et moi avons préparé le pique-nique. Je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps, donc j’ai préparé quelque chose de très simple: du poulet rôti avec une salade verte avec des tomates et du fromage de chèvre. Yasmine a passé beaucoup de temps dans la cuisine, je pense. Elle a préparé une assiette avec plusieurs petites salades (du houmous, des carottes épicées, des olives et des poivrons au cumin) et un tagine à l’agneau aussi. Elle cuisine très bien.

Nous nous sommes installés sous un arbre et nous avons parlé et mangé tranquillement.

Hervé, mon frère, a posé des question à propos de mes études. J’ai répondu avec plaisir.

“Ça va très bien, merci,” j’ai dit. “J’adore étudier à la fac. C’est très intéressant et j’aime bien les autres élèves. Le seul petit problème est que mon anglais n’est pas super, mais j’ai trouvé un tuteur et on fait des leçons deux fois par semaine.”

“Fantastique,” a répondu Hervé. “Je suis sûre que tu vas réussir. Tu es très intelligente.’

J’ai rougi et j’ai dit “Merci Hervé, mon frère préféré,” et il a rigolé.

“Je ne suis pas sûr,” Jean-Louis a dit. “Son tuteur n’est pas anglais. Il est français. Ce n’est pas normal”.

Soudain, l’ambiance est devenu un peu sombre et nous avons continué à manger en silence.

Jean-Louis doesn't work on Mondays so we decided to have a picnic today with my brother, his wife and our children. Hervé and Yasmine have a new baby - a little boy called Nasir. He is small, with black hair and brown eyes. He is adorable but he doesn't sleep much. He is very active and I see that Yasmine is very happy but tired as well.

We went to the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is a big park close to our place. Yasmine and I prepared the picnic. I don't have a lot of time, so I prepared something very simple: roasted chicken and a green salad with tomatoes and goat's cheese. Yasmine spent lots of time in the kitchen, I think. She prepared a plate with several little salads (hummous, spiced carrots, olives and capsicum with cumin) and a lamb tagine as well. She cooks very well.

We settled in under a tree and we spoke and ate peacefully.

Hervé, my brother, asked questions about my studies. I responded with pleasure.
"It's going very well, thank you," I said. "I love studying at the uni. It's very interesting and I really like the other students. The only little problem is that my English is not super, but I found a tutor and we do lessons twice a week."

"Fantastic," replied Hervé. "I am sure that you're going to succeed. You are very intelligent."
I blushed and I said "Thanks, Hervé, my favourite brother," and he laughed.

"I'm not sure," Jean-Louis said. "Her tutor isn't English. He's French. It's not normal."

Suddenly, the atmosphere became a bit somber and we continued to eat in silence.

---

French animal noises

Savez-vous que*….

Animal noises around the world are not the same? This is just the cutest little video which will have you rethinking the validity of our ‘oink oinks’ and ‘cock-a-doodle-dos’.

See if you’re able to match up the French noises for the various animals below. The first person to contact us with a perfect score will win a Petit Guide de Pronunciation*. Bon courage*!

Cock-a-doodle-do • quack quack • oink oink • coo coo • ribbit ribbit • cheep cheep

PS If you’re having difficulty even working out the English, the video is where it’s at!

Lingua Franca Petit Guide de Prononciation

*Did you know that | *Little Pronunciation Guide | *Good luck!

La Petite Histoire | Beginner Revision | Épisode 1

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 1 (of 6) of the Beginner Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Quelle expérience! Aujourd'hui j'ai eu mon premier cours avec Roger, qui est mon tuteur d'anglais. Nous sommes allés au café à la fac, nous avons commandé des cafés et nous avons commencé à travailler. Je dois améliorer mon anglais et c'est Roger qui a répondu à la petite annonce que j'ai mis dans le Département d'Anglais il y a deux semaines.

J'ai besoin d'aide avec la grammaire anglaise, qui est très compliquée et pas très logique. Il y a beaucoup, beaucoup d'exceptions et la prononciation est difficile aussi. J'ai demandé à Roger de faire une révision des participes passés, mais il a insisté que nous commençons du début. Il a raison, je suppose. C’est important de réviser les bases.

Donc, nous nous sommes présentés en anglais. J’étais très nerveuse mais il a dit que je parle très bien et que mon accent était ‘mignon’. Il est français, mais il a passé beaucoup de temps en Angleterre, donc il parle très bien et il a beaucoup de confiance quand il parle anglais, ça c’est sûr. Puis, il a posé beaucoup de questions, comme ‘What is your name?’, “How old are you?’, “Are you married?’ et toutes les autres questions classiques. Après ça, il a décidé de faire une dictée, donc il a dit quelques phrases en anglais et j’ai dû les écrire dans mon cahier. Il a raconté une petite histoire à propos de moi et ma vie et il a même ajouté deux ou trois nouvelles phrases. Il est très créatif et un peu coquin. Une des phrases était “She has eyes the colour of crème caramel”. J’ai dit que la crème caramel est jaune et il a rougi et j’ai rigolé. Nous avons passé un bon moment ensemble. J’aime mes leçons d’anglais avec Roger.

What an experience! Today I had my first lesson with Roger, who is my English tutor. We went to the café at uni, we ordered coffees and we started to work. I have to improve my English and it’s Roger who responded to the notice I put up in the English Department two weeks ago.

I need help with English grammar, which is very complicated and not very logical. There are many, many exceptions and the pronunciation is difficult as well. I asked Roger to do a revision of the past participles, but he insisted that we start at the start. He’s right, I suppose. It’s important to revise the basics.

So, we introduced ourselves in English. I was very nervous but he said that I speak very well and that my accent was ‘cute’. He is French, but he has spent lots of time in England, so he speaks very well and he has a lots of confidence when he speaks English, that’s for sure. Then, he asked lots of questions like ‘What is your name?’, “How old are you?’, “Are you married?’ and all the other classic questions.

After that, he decided to do a dictation, so he said a few sentences and I had to write them in my workbook. He told a little story about me and my life and he even added two or three new sentences. He is very creative and a little bit naughty. One of the sentences was “She has eyes the colour of crème caramel”. I said that crème caramel is yellow and he blushed and I laughed. It was fun. I like my English lessons with Roger.

---

Presque amis*

You may have heard of faux amis* in French. These are words that look so similar to English words that they lull you into a false sense of security, having you believe you understand them without even opening your dictionary app. In the past, we’ve told you about blessé (not blessed but hurt), le bras (not a bra but the arm) and les préservatifs (not preservatives but condoms).

But there’s another group of words that may cause you even more trouble because they’re just a bit off. It’s difficult to explain and probably easier to just experience for yourself, so here is a little list for you right below.

*Almost friends

Tirer la Tronche

Je tire la tronche.

Recently, while (re)watching Episode 1 of The Parisian Agency, I was reminded of a great little phrase I’d heard the first time around. Tirer la tronche means to be unhappy, to pout or to brood. If you’ve seen the series, Valentin says it to his mère* just after he gets off the phone with Lisa, the lingerie designer, having just broken the news that someone else has put an offer in on the property she’d had her eye on.

“Elle tire la tronche*,” he says.

Even without understanding exactly what he says, you can tell from their short conversation and Valentin’s body language that his client is not happy. This is yet another benefit of watching series in French - you’ll pick up so much from the many visual and auditory clues on offer. Tirer la tronche is just one of the new expressions I learned from this series and there are dozens more to be had. Croisons les doigts* for a second series!

*mother | *She’s pouting | *Let’s cross our fingers

Dénouement

This word is the possibly the embodiment of my love of the French language.

We use the word ‘denouement’ (without the acute accent) in English to describe the final resolution of a plot in a film or novel. The very best books and films have denouements that leave us gasping, surprised by a turn of events we fail to see coming.

To get to the beating heart of this word, we need to first remove both the prefix (dé-) and the suffix (-ment), which leaves us with noue. Nouer is the French verb ‘to knot’ which comes from the Latin verb nōdāre (also ‘to knot’). Incidentally, a very closely-related Latin verb is nectere which means ‘to tie’ or ‘to bind’. For those of you who have done the passé composé, the past participle of this verb is nexus, which we use in English and which is also where we gets words like ‘connection’ and ‘annex’. But I digress…

Back to noeur (to knot) and the prefix and suffix I dispensed with earlier. Dé- is the equivalent of ‘un’ in English. That is, is gives us the opposite sense of the word. Think of ‘stable’ and ‘unstable’, for example. It works the same in French. A verb you very likely know, faire (to do or to make) has its opposite in the verb défaire which means ‘to undo’.

[ Side note: the French often talk about hair being défaits: think of that tousled, disheveled look typical of Brigitte Bardot in her heyday. ]

UN NŒUD PAPILLON

LES CONNECTIONS

LES CHEVEUX DÉFAITS

Many of you will have seen the suffix -ment in your travels. Words like lentement, vraiment and exactement come to mind. They’re all adverbs as you may know (‘slowly’, ‘truly’ and ‘exactly’) so the -ment ending represents the equivalent of the English suffix ‘-ly’.

When it’s used to form nouns from verbs, though, it indicates a resulting action or state. For example, the verb bâtir is to build, and a bâtiment is the resulting action or state of the act of building.

Now we know that dénouer is ‘to unknot’, if you think about the final sequence of a film or books, it is like the author is unknotting the conflict they’ve created. And that’s where we get dénouement from. C’est dingue, non*?

So there we are, a full breakdown of a word you’ve possibly never heard before. If you’ve got a passion for words and their origins, I hope it was enough to titiller la curiosité*.

By the way, here are another couple of things I stumbled across when looking into dénouement.

You may already know that a nœud papillon (or nœud pap’ for short) is a bow tie, since it is a knot that resembles a butterfly (papillon).

But did you know that un nœud is also a slang term for a penis? And that tête de nœud is what you call someone you think is a bit of a d***head? Vulgar, oui,* but drôle*, tout à fait*.

Lastly, neuneu (variously spelled neu-neu, nœud-nœud) refers to someone who is a bit simple, sappy or just a bit of an idiot and apparently comes from tête de nœud as discussed above.

LE DÉNOUEMENT

*It’s crazy, isn’t it? | *to pique your curiosity | *yes | *funny | *absolutely

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 6

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 6 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Je suis entrée dans le café à la fac. J’étais un peux nerveuse, je dois admettre. Avant de quitter la maison, mon mari a dit, pour la dixième fois, que c’était stupide d’aller rencontrer Roger, l’homme qui a répondu à la petite annonce. Et pour la dixième fois, j’ai dit à Jean-Louis que j’étais sérieuse: j’ai besoin de l’aide avec mon anglais. Ce n’est pas une blague!

“Comment je vais trouver ce Roger?” je me suis demandée.

Deux secondes plus tard, j’ai entendu:

”Hello! Leïla. Over here!”

À une table pour deux, j’ai vu un homme: grand, brun et très beau, je dois dire.

“Hello, are you Roger?” j’ai demandé.

”Yes, I am”, il a répondu avec un grand sourire. J’ai remarqué ses yeux bleus et ses dents parfaites. Il était très bronzé et il avait l’air sportif.

J’ai commencé à parler en français parce que c’était trop difficile de trouver mes mots en anglais devant cet homme.

”Mais vous ne voulez pas de l’aide avec votre anglais?” Roger a demandé.

“Oui, bien sûr”, j’ai dit “mais je suis trop nerveuse de parler devant vous”. J’ai rougi.

Roger a souri de nouveau et il a dit “Mais, Nicole, ça va. Nous pouvons prendre notre temps. C’est normal d’être nerveux, mais ne vous inquiétez pas, nous allons pouvoir travailler ensemble. Je suis confiant. Voulez-vous un café?”

J’ai dit “avec plaisir”, il est parti pour prendre des cafés, et j’ai essayé de respirer normalement. “Oh là, là!” je me suis dit.

I entered the café at uni. I was a bit nervous, I must admit. Before leaving the house, my husband said, for the tenth time, that is was stupid to go and meet Roger, the man who responded to my ad. And for the tenth time, I said to Jean-Louis that I was serious: I need help with my English. It’s not a joke.

”How am I going to find this Roger?” I wondered.

Two seconds later, I heard:

”Hello! Leïla. Over here!”

At a table for two, I saw a man: tall, with brown hair and very handsome, I must say.

“Hello, are you Roger?” I asked.

”Yes, I am”, he responded with a big smile. I noticed his blue eyes and his perfect teeth. He was very brown and seemed sporty.

I started to speak in French because it was too difficult to find my words in English in front of this man.

”But don’t you want some help with your English?” Roger asked.

”Yes, of course” I said, “but I’m too nervous to speak in front of you.” I blushed.

Roger smiled again and he said “But Nicole, it’s okay. We can take our time. It’s normal to be nervous, but don’t worry, we are going to be able to work together. I am confident. Do you want a coffee?”

I said '“with pleasure”, he left to get the coffees, and I tried to breathe normally. “Oh, dear!”, I thought.

---

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 5

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 5 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Quand je suis rentrée de la fac hier soir, mon mari n’était pas content. Il était dans la cuisine, fatigué après une longue journée à l’hôtel.

“Un homme a appelé pour toi, Leïla”, il a dit.

“Ah, bon?”, j’ai répondu. “Qu’est-ce qu’il a dit?”

“Il veut t’aider avec ton anglais”, a dit Jean-Louis.

“Ah, super! Tu as son numéro?”, j’ai demandé.

“Leïla, il est français. Il ne peut pas t’aider avec ton anglais.”

“Ah, bon? Mais peut-être qu’il a passé beaucoup de temps en Angleterre ou il a de la famille anglaise.”

“Je ne pense pas, Leïla.” Mon mari est difficile parfois.

“Je vais appeler pour voir”, j’ai dit. “J’ai besoin d’aide. J’ai un examen le mois prochain et j’ai peur.”

Jean-Louis est sorti de la cuisine. Deux minutes plus tard, il est retourné et il a dit, “J’ai faim, Leïla. Qu’est-ce que tu vas préparer pour le dîner? J’ai travaillé dur aujourd’hui. Je suis fatigué, j’ai faim et je veux me coucher.”

Moi aussi, j’ai pensé, mais je n’ai rien dit. J’ai ouvert le frigo, j’ai pris des œufs, du fromage, du lait et des lardons et j’ai commencé à préparer le dîner pour notre famille.

---

When I cam home from uni last night, my husband was not happy. He was in the kitchen, tired after a long day at the hotel.

“A man called for you, Leïla”, he said.

“Oh, really?”, I replied. “What did he say?”

“He wants to help you with your English”, said Jean-Louis.

“Oh, great! Do you have his number?”, I asked.

“Leïla, he is French. He cannot help you with your English.”

“Oh, really? But maybe he has spent lots of time in England or he has English family.”

“I don’t think so, Leïla.” My husband can be difficult sometimes.

“I am going to call to see”, I said. “I need help. I have an exam next month and I’m scared.”

Jean-Louis left the kitchen. Two minutes later, he returned and said, “I’m hungry, Leïla. What are you going to make for dinner? I worked a hard today. I’m tired, I’m hungry and I want to go to bed.”

Me too, I thought, but I didn’t say anything. I opened the fridge, I took some eggs, cheese, milk and bacon and I started to prepare the dinner for our family.

Mika: Elle me dit

Here at Lingua Franca, our students have a variety of learning styles. We try to cater to all styles as much as we possibly can, but there is no replacement for the ideas our students bring to us about their preferred ways of learning.

Recently, one of our students, Nora, was telling her class that she’d found a song that helped her learn the placement of direct and indirect object pronouns. This is an intermediate-level subject, so for you débutants* out there just know that these pronouns are a future pleasure (!) laying in wait for you.

Before I get to Nora’s song, though, which involves a double object pronoun nightmare…pardon* “challenge”, here’s a song that shows the placement of a single object pronoun, in this case, the indirect pronoun me, meaning ‘to me’.



The song is called Elle me dit and translates as ‘She says to me’. Literally, it’s ‘She to me says’, as object pronouns are placed between the subject (elle) and the verb (dit) as you’ll hear over and over in this song.

By the way, for les curieux*, here’s a link to the lyrics in both French and English.

Also, look out for a star turn by celebrated French actress Fanny Ardant, who appeared in a blog post last month and whom many of you will know from 2019’s Belle Époque*.

Now here’s Nora’s chanson préférée*, which contains not one, but two, object pronouns. Called Je te le donne, it translates as ‘I give it to you’, or literally ‘I to you it give’. Clair*?

Though the placement and order of double object pronouns can be very complicated, this song gives you an idea of a rule that works for the most part (if you’ve been learning French for even the briefest times, you’ll know it’s not afraid of an exception, like all languages). That rule is this:

Indirect before direct and placed between the subject pronoun and the verb.



PS For those of you who are très, très enthousiastes*, here is the exception:

If both of your object pronouns refer to third person objects, the order is reversed. That is, direct before indirect. For example: Je le lui dis. I say it to him/her. Or literally, I it to him/her say.

*beginners | *sorry | *curious people | *Beautiful Era | *favourite song | *Clear? | *very, very keen

Expressions françaises

Some French expressions can be translated directly into English and retain their exact meaning. For example, the saying “better late than never” is mieux vaut tard que jamais in French.

Others, however, are more difficult to reconcile with their French counterparts, and therefore much more fun, too.

Allons-y*! See if you’re able to make le lien* between the following French and English sayings.

*Let’s go! | *the link

MAI : La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 4

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 4 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Aujourd’hui je suis allée à la fac pour mettre une petite annonce sur le panneau d’affichage dans le café près du Département d’Anglais. J’ai écrit:

Bonjour, j’ai besoin d’aide! Je cherche un tuteur/une tutrice d’anglais. Je suis francophone mais je suis étudiante en littérature anglaise et je veux parler (et écrire) mieux.
Deux heures par semaine, ici à la fac. Préférence pour un(e) anglophone natif/native. 20F/heure. Contactez-moi au 01 33 57 98 22. Merci.

J’attends avec impatience les réponses. Je dois améliorer mon anglais. Mon professeur, Simon, est très gentil avec moi. Après notre classe hier après-midi, il a demandé que je reste deux minutes. Il a dit qu’il a réfléchi après notre conversation dans le café, et il a offert de m’aider avec mon anglais. Il comprend que je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps avec toutes mes responsabilités. Il a dit que c’est dommage parce que je suis très douée en anglais et que je fais des petites erreurs qui sont simples à corriger. Simon a dit qu’il a beaucoup de temps libre parce que sa famille habite en Angleterre. J’ai dit non mais j’étais tentée, je dois dire.

---

*Today I went to uni to put an ad on the noticeboard in the café near the English Department. I wrote:

Hello, I need some help! I am looking for an English tutor. I am a French speaker but I am a student of English literature and I want to speak (and write) better. Two hours per week, here at the uni. Preference for a native English speaker. 20 francs/hour. Contact me on 01 33 57 98. Thank you.

I’m impatiently waiting for replies. I have to improve my French. My professor, Simon, is very kind to me. After our class yesterday afternoon, he asked that I stay back for two minutes. He said that he reflected after our conversation in the café, and he offered to help me with my English. He understands that I don’t have much time with all my responsibilities. He said it’s a shame because I am very gifted and that I make simple errors that are simple to correct. Simon said that he has a lot of free time because his family lives in England. I said no but I was tempted, I must say.

A real name changer

You may know that Snow White is called Blanche Neige in French, but could you name her sept petits amis*?

As a reminder, in English they are: Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy and Sleepy.

Can you match the images to the French versions of their names? Bon courage*!

*seven little friends | Good luck

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 3

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 3 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Je suis très contente aujourd’hui. Ce matin je suis allée voir mon professeur d’anglais, Simon. J’ai demandé des conseils parce que j’ai reçu une mauvaise note pour mon essai cette semaine et j’étais vraiment déçue.

Simon a préparé un café pour nous, et puis on a parlé un petit peu de nos vies. Simon est anglais, de Londres, mais il habite à Paris depuis quelques mois. Ses enfants habitent en Angleterre avec leur mère, j’imagine. J’ai parlé de ma situation et Simon était très gentil avec moi. Il comprend que je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps mais que j’adore mes études et que je veux avoir de bonnes notes. Il a dit que mon anglais était super, mais que je fais de petites erreurs, qui est normal. Il a proposé que je trouve un tuteur et je pense que c’est une excellente idée.

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I am very happy today. This morning, I went to see my English professor, Simon. I asked for some advice because I received a bad mark for my essay this week and I was really disappointed.

Simon made a coffee for us, and then we spoke a bit about our lives. Simon is English, from London, but he’s been living in Paris for a few months. His children live in England with their mother, I suppose. I spoke about my situation and Simon was very kind to me. He understands that I don’t have a lot of time but that I love my studies and that I want to have good marks. He said that my English was great, but that I make little errors, which is normal. He suggested that I find a tutor and I think that’s an excellent idea.

What is a cognate?

A cognate is a word that comes from the same origin as a word from a different language. Below, three of our favourites.

MIRAGE

Both French and English use the word ‘mirage’ to describe the bending of light which produces an optical illusion, but do you know where the word originally comes from? It’s most likely via the Latin word ‘mirare’ (to admire/gaze) which is where we get the word ‘mirror’. In French we have the reflexive verb ‘se mirer’ which means ‘to gaze at oneself/to be reflected’, hence mirage. There is, though, a chance it comes from the Latin word ‘mirus’ (wonderful) which is where we get the word miracle. Cool, non*?

HORS D’ŒUVRE

Un œuvre in French is ‘a work’, so to say 'a work of art' we say un œuvre d’art. Even in English we can use the word ‘œuvre’ to describe the body of work of an artist. As we know, the French take la cuisine* very, very seriously and if you’ve ever had a sublime French meal you’d probably be happy to consider the chef un or une artiste*. So, since hors means ‘outside of’, it makes sense that both languages call a small savoury dish, typically served as an appetizer, un hors d’œuvre, since it arrives at your table outside the main œuvre d’art which is of course le plat principal*.

POT POURRI

If you’re a person of un certain âge* you’ll remember the pot pourri craze that swept the nation in the eighties. No domestic surface was safe from the little terracotta pots of dried petals we used to add a touch of country style to our homes.

I wonder if we would have been quite so keen had we known the verb pourrir at the time which means ‘to rot’. Yes, that’s right, pot pourri translates to rotten pot which somewhat takes away the appeal, non*?

*Cool, isn’t it? | *cooking | *an artist | *the main course | *a certain age | *doesn’t it?

Tips for learning a language

Finalement*! An article on language that tells the truth.

There’s a whole swathe of companies in the language learning cadre* who claim you can learn a language ‘easily!’, ‘in five minutes a day!’ or in ‘only three months!” (and yes, they usually are followed by des points d’exclamation* to drive home the idea that it’s ‘easy!’ to learn a language and that you’re a bit of a fool if you find it harder than that).

Learning a language is an undertaking and depending on what you want to achieve, it can take a few hours (phrases for an upcoming trip) or a whole lifetime (if you love French, this is a thrilling idea, not a depressing one).

C’est un long article*, but if you have the time, I recommend you read the whole article because it’s quite inspiring. Most of our keenest students already complement their learning with other methods such as apps, language exchanges and TV shows. This article has a host of great ideas for embedding more French in your life, and that is always a great thing.

*Finally! | *arena | *exclamation marks | *It’s a long article

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 2

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 2 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Aujourd’hui était un peu difficile. Cet après-midi à l’université, notre professeur, Simon, a rendu nos essais et j’ai reçu une mauvaise note! J’étais déçue car j’ai fait beaucoup de travail et j’étais contente de mes efforts. C’est difficile quand on est plus âgé que les autres étudiants. J’ai mes responsabilités: j’ai un mari qui travaille beaucoup, trois petits enfants, je dois cuisiner, faire le ménage et faire mes devoirs, aussi.

Quand je suis rentrée, mon mari, Jean-Louis, a vu ma tête et il a demandé s’il y avait un problème. J’ai parlé avec lui et il a dit que peut-être ce n’est pas le bon moment pour moi de faire mes études. Est-ce qu’il a raison? Je ne sais pas mais je sais que ce soir je suis un peu triste. J’adore faire mes études, j’adore lire et apprendre l’anglais et il y a des gens très intéressants dans mes classes. Je vais aller parler à mon professeur, Simon, demain. J’ai besoin des conseils.

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Today was a bit difficult. This afternoon at university, our professor, Simon, gave back our essays and I received a bad mark! I was disappointed because I did a lot of work and I was happy with my efforts. It’s hard when you’re older than the other students. I have my responsibilities: I have a husband who works a lot, three little children, I have to cook, do the housework and do my homework, as well.

When I went back home, my husband, Jean-Louis, saw my face and he asked if there was a problem. I spoke to him and he said that maybe it’s not the right time for me to do my studies. Is he right? I don’t know but I do know that tonight I am a bit sad. I love doing my studies, I love to read and learn English and there are very interesting people in my classes. I am going to go and speak to my professor, Simon, tomorrow. I need some advice.

Funny expressions with avoir

If you’ve studied French for a while, you’ll know that the verb avoir* ranks just behind être* as the language’s most useful verb.

When we’re just starting out, we tend to use avoir to talk about our friends, family and age.

J’ai deux sœurs et un frère.
I have two sisters and a brother.

Je n’ai pas d’enfants
I don’t have any children

J’ai 34 ans.
I am 34 years of age.

So as you can see, though avoir is worth its weight in gold, its application can sometimes seem a little…banal*. With that in mind, we’ve rustled up the following expressions, all of which contain avoir, as well as just a touch more personnalité*. 

*to have | *to be | *pedestrian | *personality