Marriage in France combines civil law requirements with long-standing social traditions. A legally valid marriage must be performed by a civil authority, while religious or symbolic ceremonies have no legal effect on their own. Vocabulary around marriage is stable and widely used, and many traditions have specific, well-established terms. Legal framework of marriage in France…
Autant dire is a fixed French expression used to present a conclusion as obvious, inevitable, or practically equivalent to what has just been stated. It signals that the speaker considers the inference self-evident and not worth elaborating further. In English, it is often rendered as “which is to say,” “so basically,” “that’s pretty much the…
In conversational French, quoi is often placed at the end of a statement that is not a question. It does not carry its literal meaning of “what.” Instead, it softens statements, signals resignation, emphasises a point, or adds an informal tone. It appears frequently in speech but rarely in formal writing. Core functions of final…
Avoir besoin de can be followed by either a noun (its most typical pattern) or an infinitive verb. Both are fully correct and standard French. 1. With a noun (most common) This is the pattern learners know first. Examples: 2. With an infinitive verb (equally correct) French allows avoir besoin de + infinitive to express…
Avoir l’intention de is a common French verb phrase meaning “to intend to” or “to plan to.” It directly expresses a person’s plan or purpose regarding a future action. The construction is avoir l’intention de + infinitive verb. It is used in all registers of speech, from formal to casual. The phrase places a clear…
Pourquoi and pour ça both translate to “why,” but serve distinct grammatical functions. Pourquoi asks questions about reasons, while c’est pour ça provides explanations or emphasizes consequences. Pourquoi: the interrogative adverb Pourquoi means “why” and introduces questions seeking reasons or causes. It can appear in direct questions, indirect questions, and occasionally as a noun. Direct…
The English word “should” expresses obligation, advice, expectation, probability, moral judgement, and hypothetical reasoning. French does not use a single equivalent. Translation depends on function, register, and time reference, most commonly using devoir, the conditional mood, the indicative, or impersonal constructions. Obligation and strong recommendation When “should” indicates obligation or a strong recommendation, French most…
The English word “could” expresses several distinct ideas, including past ability, successful past opportunity, present or future possibility, polite suggestion, permission, hypothesis, and unreal past events. French does not have a single equivalent. Translation depends on function and context, most commonly using forms of pouvoir, the conditional mood, or other structures. Past ability in general…
French verb endings often mark the difference between singular and plural in writing, but not always in speech. In many cases, the spelling changes while the pronunciation remains identical. In other cases, the plural form produces a clearly audible difference. Understanding when plural forms can be heard, and when they cannot, is essential for listening…
Many French sports and leisure activities are expressed with the structure faire du, faire de la or faire de l’ followed by the activity noun. English often uses a verb such as ski, cycle, sail or swim, whereas French frequently uses faire plus a noun phrase. This construction covers a wide range of activities, including…