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“Ce n’est pas de la tarte !”

Ok at first glance you can see it mentions it not being pie. 

But did you realise this means a kind of opposite - It’s NOT as easy as pie = it’s not so easy?

If you want to step up your French a little and raise an eyebrow of admiration for your French, or ju...

How many times have you avoided using the word DEMANDER in French? 

You know, just in case it sounds a bit strong. 

I get that.  In fact, it’s not as strong as you think as it’s merely the verb “to ask”.

It’s used so much in French, like “Je lui ai demandé de m’accompagner en ville.” (I asked ...

Do you hear French and immediately want to translate in your head what you heard? 

Similarly, when you want to say something in French, do you work it all out in English first? 

Well, that’s fine if you want to tackle things in your English head and slow all communication down! 

It seems ha...

Ever had someone correct your use of French, only to only hint at what on Earth you might have said? 

It can be embarrassing if it’s something a bit sexual, right? Especially in public. 

The use of ‘introduire’ someone in my Conversation Café groups caused quite a stir one week. 

You see, it c...

Bonjour,

“Mettre de l’eau dans le vin”

Ok at first glance you can see it mentions putting water in the wine. 

But did you realise this means to come to a compromise?

Today you will discover:

• Five great environment idiomatic expressions in French

• Great contextual examples

• How to r...

Bonjour !

Poser un lapin 

Nope, you’re not putting a rabbit down on the ground!  You’re actually standing someone up! 

How about that!!!

Using idiomatic expressions really helps you dive into the French language and have FUN!

So learn a few fun ones here about animals. 

Go on . . . it’s onl...

We often say “Brilliant” in English and then transfer over to French and say the same word.  

But it’s a bit of a false friend and if you’re close to saying “shiny” then it can get a little bit confusing. 

So, I have created you a mini-series of false friends to master. 

This time we cover Bri...

Bonjour,

Do you say “J’ai oublié” more than “Je m’en souviens” in French?

Do you learn loads of vocabulary words only to find they aren’t popping out when you need them most in spontaneous conversations?

In this mini-lesson and discover WHY WE FORGET:

• Why you can’t remember what you study
...

“Minou Minou” Words called to cats in France …

Did you know this means “puss” in French? 

You probably learnt “Un chat” in your early learning of French. 

You know, you can sound far more French when you use more common words and idiomatic expressions in your conversations. We haven’t always l...

False friends - love ‘em or hate ‘em!

Here are a few to digest and get to love so you don’t make this mistake, either again or for the first time. 

As Anglophones, we often say “actually”  but when we translate it, we end up incorrectly saying “Actuellement”, which means “Right now/at this mome...

Pronouncing French well means you get to understand spoken French more easily too.

But you have to build muscle memory to make it easier. 

What if someone showed you how, breaking it down with a few simple tips. 

We won’t cover the whole of the French language - but you can get started a...

Soutenu vs familier ? 

Do you say “Quoi/What?” or “Pardon”

Do you say “TOP !” or “Merveilleux !”

The words we choose in French, if we are understood might not matter at first . . . then we start wanting to sound a little less ‘street’ and edging towards a more formal way of speaking. 

In t...