The French word même is versatile and appears in several useful expressions. Here are some key phrases, their meanings, and examples of how to use them. Même (even, same) Used alone, même can mean “even” or “same.” Stress pronouns with même (myself, yourself, etc.) The construction [stress pronoun] + même means “myself,” “yourself,” etc., and…
French culture places great importance on proper greetings and farewells, with different expressions used depending on the time of day, formality level, and relationship between speakers. Here is a comprehensive guide to common French salutations. Standard daytime greetings These greetings are appropriate for most daytime situations: Time-specific greetings French has distinct greetings for different times…
In French, every noun (naming word) has a grammatical gender: it is either masculine or feminine. This gender does not necessarily relate to biological gender. One of the most reliable ways to predict the gender of a noun is by looking at its ending. While there are exceptions, many nouns follow predictable patterns based on…
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…
Some French nouns have both a masculine and a feminine form, but each form means something different. This can confuse learners, so it helps to see clear examples. Here is a list of common nouns that change meaning with gender, in alphabetical order. Critique Le critique means the critic. La critique means the critique or…
Adjectives are describing words that modify nouns. French adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Most adjectives are placed after the noun, though some common ones go before. Adjectives have regular and irregular forms, and many can be used in comparisons. Basic adjective agreement A typical masculine adjective adds -e for…
In English, the phrase “on time” can refer to something happening at the expected or scheduled time, without delay. In French, there are two main ways to translate “on time”: à temps and à l’heure. They are not interchangeable. The correct choice depends on the context. À l’heure The phrase à l’heure is used when…
The English words somewhere, elsewhere, anywhere, nowhere and everywhere all refer to places in a vague or general way. In French, each has its own equivalent. Sometimes more than one translation is possible, depending on context. Somewhere The most common French word for somewhere is quelque part. example:Il doit être quelque part ici.He must be…
In French, there are two ways to say “you”: tu and vous. Choosing between them is not just a matter of grammar, but also of culture, etiquette, and social context. The distinction can feel unfamiliar to English speakers, where “you” is used in nearly every situation, but in French, the choice between tu and vous…
In French, a common construction is avoir followed by a noun or pronoun, then à, and finally a verb in the infinitive. This structure is used when the verb in the infinitive serves to explain or describe the noun or pronoun that comes after avoir. In this case, the à functions like a relative connector,…