Did you know that when a French word is composed of two verbs, whether conjugated or not, neither takes the plural form. They therefore remain invariable: des « savoir-faire » (= know-how), des « laissez-passer » (= let pass / entry pass), des « va-et-vient » (= coming and going). En français : Saviez-vous que […]
Le subjonctif est, well let’s just admit it, it’s special. What is le subjonctif? Le subjonctif (the subjunctive) is one of the French grammatical moods along with the indicative, passive, conditional and imperative moods, and it is essential for expressing nuanced emotions and subjective statements. It is mostly used in dependent clauses that start with […]
Ahhh… the future… only three tenses: Simple future: The simple future (le futur simple) in French expresses actions that will happen in the future, often corresponding to the English “will” or “shall. It is used to describe future events, intentions, plans, promises, or predictions. It is typically applied for actions that are more distant in […]
If you thought there were a lot of tenses/modes that express the present in French, just wait until you see the past! Seven past tenses/moods: Passé composé: The passé composé, as the most commonly used past tense in French, is used to describe completed actions, formed with the present tense of avoir or être plus […]
Now that we are back from La Chandeleur and the Winter Olympics, let’s take a look at the more commonly used French verb tenses/modes. Here’s the good news, even though there are approximately 20 different tenses/modes for French verbs (of which, approximately 10 used in spoken language), each one can be be placed in the […]
Did you know that French was chosen as the first official language of the Olympic Games in the 1890s? Fast forward to today, French is always the first language to be heard at the Olympics, followed by English, and then the host country’s language. A little history… When French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin revived the […]
Did you know that the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, from January 25 to February 5, 1924? This inaugural event featured 258 athletes from 16 countries, competing in various sports such as figure skating, speed skating, hockey, and curling. The event was officially named the Chamonix 1924 Olympic Winter Games and marked […]
For a little history, did you know that La Chandeleur means Candlemas? For some, going to church is part of the tradition. Lighting a candle and carrying it home without it going out is thought to ensure another year of life. Dating back to ancient Rome, this French tradition is always celebrated on February 2nd, […]
Did you know that France has a very special national holiday each year on 2 February that will appeal to breakfast-lovers everywhere? It’s called “Pancake Day!” In French the day is known as Fête de la Chandeleur. In 2026, Pancake Day falls on Monday, February 2nd. French crepes are extraordinary. They aren’t just fluffy pancakes. […]
Now that we have given appropriate respect to the infinitive form of verbs, we need to give enormous consideration to the different tenses. Although without the infinitive, there would be no verb, without the different tenses to take on the heavy lifting to help communicate, we would not know where we are in time. Whether […]
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