Did you know that August in France is … vacation for everyone!!! Maybe not literally, but a lot of businesses close, and it’s time for a little break before « la rentrée »… back to school. Sometimes August can be really hot, especially in Paris, so August is a great time to get away to […]
Did you know that frequently English words ending in -ance or -ence are true cognates for the same or similar word in French? Most of these words are feminine nouns. Some examples: (this is not a comprehensive list) -ance ambiance – l’ambiance (nf) ambulance – l’ambulance (nf) appearance – l’apparence (nf) brilliance – la brillance […]
Did you know that most English words ending in -able or -ible are often true cognates for the same or similar word in French? Most of these words are adjectives, but a few are nouns. Some examples: (this is not a comprehensive list) -able adorable – adorable (adj) applicable – applicable (adj) durable – durable […]
Now that you know that French words ending in -ion are often true cognates for the same or similar word in English (see Saviez-vous que … from 07.01.2025), lets spend the next few weeks looking at more true cognates that will immediately boost your French vocabulary. Remember, the pronounciation will be a bit different… c’est […]
Did you know that France will celebrate La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) on Monday, June 14? France’s fête nationale commemorates the storming of La Bastille on 14 July 1789, which was the beginning of the French Revolution. Only English speakers call it Bastille Day. In France, it is more commonly known as Quatorze Juillet (referring […]
Did you know that words that end in -ion are often the same in French and English? And typically, if a word ends in -ion, it is a feminine noun in French. How convenient for those of us who enjoy speaking French! Most of these true cognates, where the spelling and meaning are the same, […]
Now that you know that L’Académie Française was formally established in 1635 by King Louis XIII, here is a bit more information about how it started and where it is today. The Académie had its origins in an informal literary group deriving from the salons held at the Hôtel de Rambouillet during the late 1620s […]
Did you know that France has a governing body for the French language? The Académie Française is the principal French council for matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution, it was restored […]
Did you know that the little dots that appear above certain vowels (generally, ë, ï, and ü) actually serve a purpose? In most situations, the accent tréma (ë, ï, and ü) is indicating that the accented letter must be pronounced distinctly from the preceding vowel. Examples: Noël (Christmas) héroïne (heroine) ambigüe (ambiguous) As with all […]
Did you know that France will celebrate Pentecôte (Pentecost) this week on Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9? Pentecost is a public holiday in France that takes place 50 days after Easter, commemorating the day the holy spirit descended upon the apostles and caused them to speak in tongues. During Pentecost weekend (celebrated on […]
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