À tes souhaits and à vos souhaits are fixed French phrases said after someone sneezes. They are the usual polite response, like bless you in English. The choice between tes and vos depends on whether you address one person informally or one or more people formally. The noun souhait means wish. The phrase literally means…
Pousser un cri is a common French phrase. It means to let out a cry, or to utter a cry. The cry may be loud or soft. It may show fear, pain, shock, joy, anger, or surprise. The verb pousser normally means to push. In this phrase, it means to produce or utter a sound….
In French, the letter e in the middle of a word is not always sounded. Sometimes you say it, sometimes you don’t. This depends on how the word is built and how fast the speaker is talking. The same rules apply to everyday words and to verbs in different tenses, including the future. The basic…
To talk about the date in French, you need to know numbers, the days of the week, the months of the year, plus a few other terms. Days of the week The french week starts on Monday. Days are not capitalised unless they start a sentence. To say “every Monday” or “on Mondays,” use le….
The french tell time in two ways. The common way for everyday speech. And the official way for timetables, tv guides, and train schedules. the 12-hour clock For ordinary life, the french use the 12-hour clock like english speakers do. But they say things a little differently. To ask the time, you say: To answer,…
The choice between c’est (and its plural ce sont) and il est (and its feminine elle est, plural ils sont and elles sont) is a basic but important part of french grammar. They both translate as “it is,” “he is,” or “she is,” but they are not used in the same way. The general rule…
French uses reflexive pronouns such as me, te, se, nous, vous, se not only for reflexive meaning, but also for reciprocal meaning. In a reciprocal construction, two or more people act on each other. In a reflexive construction, the subject acts on itself. The French word for “reciprocal” is réciproque. The form is the same…
Mot and parole can both be translated as word in English, but they refer to different things. Mot is a single word as a unit of language. Parole is speech, what someone says, or a promise. Mot is masculine: un mot.Parole is feminine: une parole. Etymology Mot comes from Latin mutum, first meaning a sound…
French does not have one single word that covers every use of please. Instead, it uses several fixed phrases. The choice depends on formality, tone, and context. Some forms are polite and neutral. Others are formal, written, urgent, or even old fashioned. S’il vous plaît and s’il te plaît S’il vous plaît and s’il te…
Faire le beau is a fixed French expression with two main uses. Its original, literal use applies to dogs and means to beg or sit up obediently to please someone. By extension, when applied to people, it means to show off, seek approval, flatter, or behave in an ingratiating way. The expression is common in…