The English phrase “of course” can be translated into French in several ways, depending on the context. Here are the most common expressions with usage examples and literal translations. Bien sûr Literal meaning: “Well sure” Évidemment Literal meaning: “Evidently” Naturellement Literal meaning: “Naturally” Bien entendu Literal meaning: “Well understood” Mais oui Literal meaning: “But yes”…
The past participle (participe passé) is a key component of many French verb tenses. While most French verbs form their past participles regularly (-é, -i, or -u endings), some of the most common verbs have irregular past participles. Here are the 30 most frequently used irregular past participles, along with pronunciation guides and examples in…
The French verb franchir means “to cross,” “to overcome,” or “to break through.” It is often used in both literal and figurative contexts and appears frequently in formal and journalistic French. It is a regular verb of the second group, conjugated like finir, choisir or réussir. Etymology Franchir comes from the Old French franchir (12th…
French learners often encounter the particle ne used in contexts where it does not indicate negation. This usage can be confusing, as it diverges from the more familiar negation structure ne…pas. Two forms of this non-negative ne are worth distinguishing: the ne explétif and the ne littéraire. Though both are considered stylistic or optional in…
French learners often come across two verbs related to dressing: vêtir and s’habiller. At first glance, they may seem interchangeable, but they have distinct meanings, uses, and levels of formality. This article explains the difference between the two and provides clear examples to help you use them correctly. Vêtir: to dress someone The verb vêtir…
French words with an h aspiré often come from foreign languages where the initial h was truly pronounced. Foreign languages mean non-Latin languages. They include: 1. Germanic languages Many h aspiré nouns and adjectives entered French from Frankish, Old High German, or Dutch during the early medieval period. Examples: 2. Ancient Greek While most French…
In English, “let’s go” is usually an informal way to suggest beginning an action, especially leaving or starting a journey. It is an exhortation, a call to act together. On the other hand, “let us go” can be a request or demand to be allowed to leave, and it has a more literal or formal…
In French, most verbs in the present tense conjugate with -ez in the vous form, such as vous parlez or vous finissez. However, there is a small group of irregular verbs where the vous form ends in -tes instead. These verbs do not follow regular patterns and must be memorised individually. Here are the main…
In French, the structure en followed by the present participle (le participe présent) is used to express actions happening simultaneously, means of doing something, or cause and effect. The English equivalents are often “while,” “by,” or “in.” The present participle is formed by taking the nous form of the verb in the present tense, removing…
The French verbs asseoir and s’asseoir both mean “to seat” or “to sit.” The verb asseoir is mostly used in the reflexive form s’asseoir, which means “to sit down.” It is an irregular verb with more than one accepted conjugation pattern. In modern French, the most commonly used form is based on the root assié-…