The French phrase “il faut” translates to “it is necessary.” It is an impersonal expression, meaning that the “il” does not translate as “he,” but rather as “it.” So it means “it is necessary,” not “he is necessary.” In fact, the French verb “falloir,” which is the infinitive that “il faut” comes from, can only…
The French verb “pousser” means “to push,” “to move,” “to push aside,” “to let out,” or “to grow,” among a variety of different meanings. The green sign in the photo means “Push to open.” To push: “Pousser” mainly means to push or shove. To grow: Expressions and Idiomatic Usage: Etymology: The French verb “pousser” traces…
The French verb “se passer” means “to happen” or “to take place.” Conjugation in the Present Tense: “Se passer” is a reflexive verb, used impersonally with “il,” “ça” or “ils.” It is not used with other subjects such as je, tu, elle, etc. Conjugation in the Passé Composé: “Se passer” is a reflexive verb, used…
What are the differences between the three French homonyms (words that sound the same, in this case) la fois, la foi and le foie? These three words are pronounced identically, but have quite different meanings. La fois La fois means “the time.” It always ends in the letter “s,” even when it is singular. Despite…
What is “jambon cru” in French? What is “jambon cuit?” Both are types of meat made from the same cut of pork. But what is the difference? “Jambon cru” means “raw ham” or “uncooked ham.” Raw ham sounds dangerous to eat, but jambon cru is fine. It is a ham that has been cured over…
The French saying “toucher le pactole” translates literally as “to earn the gold mine.” It means to earn or win a very large sum of money, or anything with a high value. It can also mean to win, or to become rich. The origin of this saying dates back to the ancient King Croesus, who…
The French verb “charger” has a variety of different meanings. It can mean to load, to charge, to make responsible for, to bring evidence against, or to launch an attack. To load To charge To give someone the responsibility for To load (a weapon) To bring/give evidence against To launch an attack Etymology “Charger” comes…
The French expression “ne pas envoyer dire” (also written as “ne pas l’envoyer dire”), means “to say something to someone, very directly, bluntly, or unceremoniously.” Example of usage
The French verb “toucher” has a few different meanings. Not all of them are obvious. It can mean “to touch,” “to hit,” “to affect,” “to be next to,” “to get,” “to receive,” or “to win.” “Le toucher” is also a masculine noun meaning “the touch” or “the sense of touch.” to touch to hit to…
The French word “comme” can function either as an adverb or as a conjunction. Adverb As an adverb, “comme” means “how.” Another word that is used similarly is “que.” Conjunction Comme as a conjunction can mean “as” or “like.” Idiomatic expressions Etymology: The word “comme” comes from the Latin word “quam.” In Old French, it…