Se tenir is one of the most flexible reflexive verbs in French. It comes from tenir (“to hold”), and adding the reflexive pronoun opens up a wide range of meanings, from physical posture to behaviour, to whether an argument makes sense. Because it covers so much ground, it is worth learning through its main categories…
The French prefix é- sometimes comes from Latin ex-, meaning “out of”, “away from” or “from”. In these words, é- can express separation, removal, extraction or movement away from something. It can also have related meanings such as completion or intensification. However, not every French word beginning with é- contains this prefix. Some words simply…
The French adjective dernier means “last.” Its place in the noun phrase often tells you whether it means a past time period or the final item in a group. It changes form to match the noun: dernier (masculine singular), dernière (feminine singular), derniers (masculine plural), and dernières (feminine plural). In the masculine singular and masculine…
French has a small set of verb forms that are spelled the same, or come extremely close to it, and are also pronounced identically, even though they come from completely unrelated infinitives. Sometimes an accent is the only thing keeping the spelling apart, and sometimes there is no difference on the page at all. Working…
Huit jours and quinze jours are French time phrases meaning “a week” and “a fortnight” respectively. Literally they translate as “eight days” and “fifteen days,” but in practice they refer to seven and fourteen days. The mismatch is a long-standing feature of the language, with roots in Roman methods of counting and in legal and…
The French expression l’air de rien literally means “the air of nothing” or “the look of nothing.” In practice, it describes doing something in a casual, offhand, or seemingly indifferent way, while often achieving a real effect underneath. It carries a sense of quiet purpose hidden behind a relaxed exterior. A close cousin is mine…
The French forms quoique and quoi que sound alike, but they do not mean the same thing. The first is usually a conjunction meaning “although” or “though.” The second means “whatever” or “no matter what.” The spelling depends on the meaning and on the role of the phrase in the sentence. Quoique: “although” or “though”…
Ça a été is a common French phrase that can mean “it was,” “it went,” or “it was okay.” Its exact meaning comes from the context and tone of voice. It is often used to ask about a past event, give a short report, or say that something was acceptable. The basic meaning The phrase…
The safest everyday ways to say “I’m full” in French are J’ai bien mangé, Je suis rassasié(e), and Je n’ai plus faim. You can also say Je suis repu(e), but it sounds stronger and more literary. Do not use Je suis plein(e), which can sound odd or suggest something other than being full after a…
French has two common verbs for “to mean”: vouloir dire and signifier. Both get used every day, but they don’t always work the same way. Vouloir dire is the everyday choice, used in speech and in writing alike. Signifier leans more formal and shows up more in writing, in academic talk, and when discussing signs,…
