Did you know that the conjunction “tant que” expresses a relationship to time, a conditional duration: an action continues as long as a condition is true. “Tant que” can be replaced by “du moment que” or “aussi longtemps que.” It should not be confused with “tant que,” which expresses intensity: “Il pleuvait tant que nous […]
Did you know that the structures “for fear that + subjunctive” or “for fear of + infinitive” indicate a notion of purpose, in the sense of preventing a negative event? It is a synonym for “in the fear that” or “in the fear of” or “so that it may not” or “in order not to”. […]
Did you know that according to the French Academy, the word “maire” (mayor) is strictly masculine. If a woman is elected mayor, the correct form is “madame le maire” (madam mayor), not “madame la maire” (madam mayor). Despite this, the gender-neutral form is becoming more common in French municipal circles, and “madame la maire” is […]
Did you know that “cousinade” is a term used to describe a family reunion to which all cousins are invited, regardless of their degree of kinship? It can therefore bring together several hundred people. In France, these cousin reunions involve more than a million people each year. En français : Saviez-vous que « cousinade » […]
Did you know that university hospitals (CHU) are public hospitals linked by agreement with a university and tasked with a triple mission of care, training and research? There are about thirty of them in France. En français Saviez-vous que les centres hospitaliers universitaires (CHU) sont des hôpitaux publics liés par convention avec une université et […]
Did you know that « se faire + infinitif » (= “to do oneself + infinitive”) is used to indicate that one does not perform the action oneself? If I had my hair cut, it wasn’t me who cut my hair. If I have a house built, it’s not me who builds it, etc. En […]
Did you know that young French people use a lot of English words when it comes to love? They no longer talk about “rendez-vous galant” (romantic rendezvous), but rather a “date.” A “crush” is someone you’re attracted to and have “feelings” for; a “redflag” is a toxic person to avoid in a relationship and whom […]
Did you know that since 2012, the term « mademoiselle » should no longer be used in official forms, but it’s not “forbidden” to use it in everyday life? However, it’s used less and less for adult women. It’s still used for little girls. En français: Saviez-vous que depuis 2012, le terme « mademoiselle » […]
Did you know that the euphonic “l’” has no grammatical function and is not obligatory? It is used before “on” to facilitate pronunciation in speech, but it is also found in writing with “et”, “si”, “que”, “où”, “lorsque” + “on”. Okay, I’ll admit it, I did not know the meaning of “euphonic.” Just in case […]
Did you know that in French, months do not take a capital letter when talking about a date, but they do take one when talking about a holiday or a commemoration: May 1st, July 14th, November 11th? Ahhh … le français a beaucoup de nuance. En français: Saviez-vous que en français, les mois ne prennent […]
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