In our last post, we discussed books for adults learning French. But what about kids? Unlike adults, kids are visual learners. They like to watch photos or videos when they study. A book without pictures is boring. That’s why it’s important to come up with creative ways to teach kids something, in this case, French.

One of the best ways to teach kids French is through storybooks. But which ones should you try? There must be a plethora of them, right? Don’t worry! Here we will show you a list of the best French storybooks for kids. Let’s get started!

10 Bilingual Fairy Tales in French and English

Average Amazon rating: 4.4/5

Fairy tales are a favorite classic. Kids love hearing about magic, elves, fairies, and the like. Who would have thought kids can learn a language by just reading some fairy tales?

Not only will kids be able to read about fantastical characters, but they will also learn vocabulary and basic grammar structures. It all comes naturally as they turn page after page.

The book includes access to audio so kids can listen to native French speakers and learn the correct pronunciation and develop their listening skills.

Each story comes in French and English. I highly recommend this book for parents raising bilingual kids and adult beginners looking for something easy.

The Fabulous Lost and Found and the little French mouse

Average Amazon rating: 4.7/5

Can you imagine going to another country and not being able to speak the local language? Well, that’s what happens to the main character of this book. A French mouse goes to the Lost & Found, but the problem is, he doesn’t speak English!

Kids will love this book and I can assure you they will have a good laugh as well. Although the book is short and simple, it is entertaining and is a great learning tool. Kids will learn over forty words and phrases to build their vocabulary.

It is recommended for kids ages 2-7. Although the author claims the book is bilingual, some people argue it is not for non-French speakers as they have to guess the meaning of some words. Still, it’s worth a try.

Children’s Stories in Dual Language French & English

Average Amazon rating: 4.4./5

This book was designed with kids ages 7-12 in mind and is the first part of a series of three bilingual books. It has ten fantasy stories in total. Each paragraph is written first in French, and it’s immediately followed by the English translation.

Kids will engagingly learn vocabulary, but the best of all is, they will have access to the audio version as well. This way they can listen to a native speaker at the same time they look at the text.

Most reviews are positive, except for a couple where they think the topics are inappropriate for kids. Other than that, I think you should give it a try and decide for yourself.

10 Bed-time Stories

Average Amazon rating: 4.3/5

How about a book with bedtime stories in French and English for kids? This book is great for kids ages 8-12. They will learn vocabulary and develop their imagination and a passion for reading. A great way to form a bond with your kids.

Unlike the books above, this one is written in parallel text. That means there are two columns so kids can choose whether they want to read just in French or in English as well.

Kids also have access to the audio version so they can listen to native speakers.

The major con has to do with the lack of images. Yes, unbelievably, this book does not have any images. Other than that, it’s a good learning tool for kids and adult beginners.

100 First Words for Toddlers

Average Amazon rating: 4.7/5

Although this is not a storybook per se, kids will love this book. It is beautifully illustrated and will capture their attention. They will learn lots of vocabulary that are commonly used in French.

Adults will find some useful tips from teaching experts to teach their kids properly. Both kids and adults will love it!

This book is recommended for kids ages 0-3. If you want to expose your toddlers to another language besides English, this is the book you should get.

Cool Kids Speak French

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

Kids of all ages will love this book. It is beautifully illustrated and is divided into shorter sections like greetings, numbers, colors, animals, etc. Each section starts with vocabulary learning and then some games to reinforce the concept taught therein.

Kids will be gradually exposed to new words and grammar structures. The book comes with many activities like coloring pages, filling in the blanks, word searches, counting, etc. A great way to learn and brush up what they learned in previous sections.

This book is also a great learning tool for beginners. Highly recommended.

French for Kids

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

This book is great for kids ages 3-8. Well, it’s not just one book but rather ten short books. Each book is 16 pages long and focuses on one story. The author believes that kids learn more effectively when the words are in context rather than just showing them flashcards.

Kids will have access to a French-English chart, English translations at the back, downloadable activity sheets, and audio recordings.

Repetition is key, and it shows here. The concepts are repeated over and over in different ways so they stick in kids’ heads.

The books are simple enough for the youngest ones, yet challenging for older kids. A must have.

Fly, Little Bird – Vole, petit oiseau

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

Kids are like little birds that need to learn how to fly. It’s scary, but we have to overcome our fears to succeed in life.

This book is a powerful tool for bilingual kids (French-English). It comes with cute illustrations and short sentences telling a story. Each line is both in French and English.

The book also includes extra pages with coloring and drawing activities. Kids will love it!

Not only will kids learn vocabulary and phrases, but they will also learn important principles like teamwork and problem-solving.

As with most kids’ books, this can also be used by adult beginners. Of course, they can skip some activities, but it’s a good starting point nonetheless.

Conclusion

Kids learn fast, but they tend to get bored. We as adults have to look for creative ways to help them learn. French storybooks for kids are great at that.

There are way more books we could include here, but the post would be endless. Feel free to leave your recommendations in the section below.

I hope you found this useful. If you did, please don’t forget to share it with others. Au revoir, les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

Are you looking to learn French, but you don’t know where to start? There are so many resources out there that it becomes an overwhelming task…more overwhelming than it should be. Online courses, French lessons, books… What should you choose? If you’re old school like me, then you might be thinking of buying some French learning books.

If you would like to learn more about this, then keep on reading. Please note that the books in this post are meant for learning French. If you’re looking for French novels and other forms of literature, I recommend you check out this post instead. Otherwise, let’s continue.

Pronounce it Perfectly in French

Average Amazon rating: 4.1/5

We all know that mastering pronunciation is the key to speaking any language. This book will help you achieve that.

Pronounce it Perfectly in French comes with three CDs for your convenience. You will learn how to tell sounds apart and how to use the correct intonation when speaking. The book includes lots of exercises based on French proverbs, jokes, tongue twisters, and quotes.

It is perfect for beginners and all those looking to improve their pronunciation. The few complaints I’ve seen are regarding the quality of the CDs (not readable), the fast pace of the speaker, and the simplicity of the book.

2000 Most Common French Words in Context

Average Amazon rating: 4.5/5

Besides pronunciation, you need to build a lot of vocabulary to express your ideas. As the name implies, it contains a list of the 2,000 most common French words. You will expand your vocabulary in no time.

This book is recommended for beginners and/or intermediate learners. Words are listed by frequency instead of topics or parts of speech. Some people claim they have to get a dictionary or look something up online to understand. The format might not suit everyone, but it’s a good supplementary learning tool nonetheless.

Among the negative reviews, some people say translations are wrong/minimal, the list order doesn’t make sense, and the book can’t be used by itself.

Easy French Step-by-Step

Average Amazon rating: 4.5/5

This is one of the first books I used to learn French, and I highly recommend it. Once you master pronunciation and have expanded your vocabulary, the next step is understanding French grammar, which is not easy by any means.

Here you will learn how to conjugate over 300 verbs and learn the basic grammar rules and concepts of the French language. You will also be presented with many exercises to practice what you learned.

The book is concise, straight to the point, and easy to follow. I highly recommend it for absolute beginners. Some people say it’s not beginner-friendly because it doesn’t have any illustrations or come with an audio CD. I beg to differ, but I guess that depends on your learning style more than anything else.

Learn French: 6 Books in 1: The Complete French Language Books Collection to Learn Starting from Zero, Have Fun and Become Fluent like a Native Speaker

Average Amazon rating: 4.4/5

If you were to buy just one book, I’d recommend this one without hesitation. I don’t know how they fit so much information into just one book. As the name implies, they crammed the content of six books into this book.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an absolute beginner, an intermediate learner, or an advanced learner. You will learn something by reading this book.

Here you will learn French basics like the alphabet, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. It also comes with lots of examples and quizzes. The material progresses gradually from easy to advanced.

By buying this book, you also get a free Audible trial and a credit to download a 33-hour audio guide. Isn’t this great?

French All-in-One For Dummies

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

You can never go wrong with the Dummies series. Whether you’re looking to improve your math, Excel, music, or languages, you’ll most likely find a book to help you. French is no exception.
This extensive guide is 800 pages long and comes with an audio CD to practice pronunciation and improve your listening skills.

I recommend this book if you’re a beginner or at an intermediate level. If you’re an advanced learner, then this book is not for you.

Another thing I like about this book is that it includes French Canadian content. As we have seen previously, it’s somewhat different from European French. A great bonus indeed.

Living Language French

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

Based upon one of the most thorough language learning methods ever, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in learning French. Your level doesn’t matter as you can progress from beginner to intermediate and finally advanced.

It’s not just one book but rather a complete immersive course that consists of three books, nine audio CDs, and free access to downloadable content. Expand your vocabulary, grasp the concepts of French grammar, improve your listening skills, master French pronunciation, and have fun while learning!

According to many users, it’s excellent value for money, although some claim it’s too repetitive. Give it a try and decide for yourself.

Learn Canadian French

Average Amazon rating: 4.6/5

Most of the material you find in books or online is about Metro (France) French, but what about Canadian French? If you would like to concentrate on the latter, then this book is for you. It’s an excellent resource to learn French Canadian vocabulary and grammar.

Just one word of caution. This book is not for beginners. You need to know some French. Also, please consider this book doesn’t focus on teaching Canadian French but rather helping you understand the differences between Canadian French and France French. It doesn’t hurt to give it a try, though.

Conclusion

Today we discussed some of the best French-learning books on Amazon. The list is endless, so we just focused on some bestsellers for your convenience. All the books mentioned in this post are hard copies, but many of them have digital versions as well. The best of both worlds.

Have you studied any of the books mentioned above? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir, les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

Video learning has become a popular learning tool for just about everything, and language learning is no exception. Many people enjoy the experience of watching videos, and the latter has proven to be an effective method. We are visual creatures by nature, and videos offer what other tools like books can’t.

I have come across many learning platforms since I started studying French. However, this is the first time I’ve found one that focuses solely or mostly on videos. I tried it to see what the hype was about, and I must say I’m impressed. If you would like to learn more, then read my FluentU review below. Allons-y!

What Is FluentU?

FluentU is a Hong Kong-based company that offers video content for those interested in learning languages. They believe that it is the best way to learn a language, and that’s why they focus on that. The premise is simple: use existing YouTube videos and convert them into enjoyable, interactive lessons by adding subtitles, flashcards, pronunciation guides, and quizzes.

FluentU is a members-only service. Unlike other platforms, there is no free version. While they do offer a free trial, you won’t be able to use it anymore if you don’t upgrade. More on that later.

Which Languages Are Offered?

At the time of writing this post, there are currently 10 languages offered, namely:

1. Spanish
2. French
3. Chinese
4. Japanese
5. German
6. English
7. Russian
8. Italian
9. Korean
10. Portuguese

In most cases, you have to know English to learn your target language as most lessons are taught in English. There are a few exceptions, though. We will discuss that later in this post.

What Kind of Videos Can I Find?

Good question! There are many kinds of videos to choose from: movie trailers, music videos, tutorials, vlogs, news, interviews, commercials, and language lessons.

You can sort videos by difficulty, date, popularity, length, or title. You can also choose from a list of topics (Everyday Life, Arts and Entertainment, Kids, Culture, etc.) or video formats (Clips, Commercials, How-to, Interviews, etc.).

The number of videos is significant for languages like English, French, and Chinese.

How Does Learning with FluentU Work?

FluentU is quite easy to use. Once you find a video to your liking, you will have access to several tools. For starters, before playing each video, you will find a list of key vocabulary as well as the transcript of the video along with the corresponding pronunciation guides.

As the video is playing, you will see the captions (this will be in your target language) and the English subtitles below it. You can pause the video as many times as you like. If you hover over a word, you will see a flashcard and hear the pronunciation.

When you finish watching the video, you will be presented with a quiz to test your comprehension. This will be in the form of activities like filling in the blanks, unscrambling words, and multiple-choice questions.

For your convenience, FluentU allows you to download the transcript pdf file. You can also add the videos you liked to your Favorites list for easier access.

So, Is It Just Videos and Nothing Else?

For the most part, yes. I would say 90%, if not more, consists of video content. However, you also have access to the following:

• Audios
• Flashcards
• Playlists

Audios have the same format as videos, except they’re not videos. However, unlike the latter, the focus of audios is grammar. Here you will learn things like genders, verb conjugations, asking questions, etc.

Flashcards are self-explanatory. Here you will learn vocabulary in context along with pronunciation. Once you feel comfortable with the lesson, you can take a quiz.

Finally, playlists are collections of audios about specific topics. Each playlist usually consists of two or more audios about things like giving commands, giving advice, foods, making plans, among other random topics. At the end of each audio lesson, you can take a quiz to test your knowledge.

How Much Does FluentU Cost?

There are currently two types of membership: monthly and yearly. The monthly membership is $29.99, while the yearly membership is $19.99/month ($239.99 billed annually). If you choose the latter, you will end up saving the equivalent of four months.

Accepted methods of payment include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal.

Is There a Free Trial?

Yes, there is! There is a 14-day free trial for those interested. Be advised that you need a credit card to take advantage of this offer. You can cancel your membership at any time during the free trial. Just make sure to cancel your membership if you don’t want to continue. Otherwise, your card will be charged.

How Do I Sign Up?

To start, you need to choose your target language. Don’t worry. You can change this at any time. Next, you have to choose your membership plan. You will then be prompted to create a user and password. Once you do that, you have to enter your credit card information. Finally, you have to confirm your subscription by clicking on the link they email you. It’s that simple!

Setting Up Your Account

Setting up your account is just as easy. All you have to do is pick your level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) and select a daily goal (ranging from 1-50 minutes per day).

If you desire to do so, you can select a few videos at this point to get started. However, you can do this later. There’s no rush.

By default, the site is in English, but you can change it to Spanish, Japanese, or Korean. That’s it! You can now start learning your favorite language!

What I Liked

After trying FluentU for quite some time, I have come to like several things about it:

• It’s one of the most user-friendly sites I’ve ever used. Anyone can use it, no matter their tech skills.
• It’s great for people of all ages, from kids to seniors.
• The featured videos are diverse, not your typical boring lesson.
• New videos are constantly added.
• The clips are short, allowing you to repeat them as many times as you like or to easily find something without wasting a lot of time.
• The hover-over feature is fantastic. You have instant access to vocabulary and pronunciation without having to exit the video.
• The captions/subtitles allow you to better grasp each concept as opposed to just reading subtitles or captions separately. Eventually, you get used to not translating, but it’s impossible at first.
• Like other language learning sites, it relies heavily on repetition. However, it doesn’t feel tedious or monotonous. They spice it up by using different techniques.

What I Didn’t Like

Unfortunately, there is an equal number of things I didn’t like:

• For starters, I didn’t like the price. Compared to other similar options in the market, it’s somewhat expensive considering what you get.
• No free version.
• You need a credit card for the free trial. In all fairness, most companies do this hoping people forget to cancel and thus, their membership renews automatically.
• The selection of videos for some languages is limited and inequitable. For instance, Italian and Portuguese have less than 500 videos available each, while English and French have well over 1,000 videos each.
• There is no option to record your voice and see if you’re pronouncing correctly.
• There is no set structure. Videos are just divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. I prefer a structure that takes you from point A to point B. However, that can be an advantage depending on your learning style.

What Do Others Say About It?

Most online reviews are positive. Teachers praise the innovation of the site and the vast array of videos, while students mention the ease of use, the results obtained by using it, and their preference for it compared to other sites.

On the downside, most people agree it’s pricey and there are better platforms out there.

Alternatives to It

Depending on your goals, budget, and learning style, there are several alternate routes you could take:

• If you want something more complete, some of the best methods I highly recommend are Français avec Pierre and Français Authentique. They’re not cheap, but you have access to a plethora of excellent learning resources.
• For simple, fun, interactive (and cheap!) lessons, I recommend Busuu and Mondly.
• Finally, if you’re serious about learning French and want to find a teacher, I recommend italki, Lingoda, and Preply.

A Word of Caution

While doing some research for this post, I came across a Reddit post where the op stated that FluentU charged him $1.32 when he canceled his free trial after only one day. It seems that FluentU doesn’t automatically block access to its content after canceling your free trial. So, if you sign up for the free trial and then decide it’s not for you, cancel it before the 14th day and DON’T try to access the content after that. Better safe than sorry.

Bottom Line

With an extensive library of video content, FluentU is an excellent learning tool for those interested in languages. However, as attractive as the core concept might be, the site lacks diversity. It’s a good complementary tool, but you will still need other tools. If you want a site where you have it all, this is not it.

The price is quite high considering what you get. However, that does not mean it’s not worth it. I recommend you try it out and then decide for yourself.

Will you become fluent by only using this site as the name implies? Certainly not. However, it’s a good starting point.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please leave your questions or comments below, and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Au revoir les amis!

France is, without a doubt, a reference point when it comes to art in all its forms. Be it painting, sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, or some other fine art, France always comes up in the conversation.

In our previous post, we discussed some of the best French books of all time. Many of them have become universal classics along with English, Italian, Russian, and German literature. The same happens with movies. France has been a major movie producer for decades. If you would like to learn more, then you have to read our list of 10 French movies everyone should watch. Let’s get started!

La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928)

This silent film was based on the story of Joan of Arc, a French girl that was arrested and later judged for heresy by the French clergy. In fact, the movie centers around the trial and last days of the French heroine. Even though the movie is silent, you can still feel the emotions and pity Joan for everything she is going through.

Renée Jeanne Falconetti gave us her best performance here. Her facial expressions along with the superb art direction converted this movie into a masterpiece. The movie was a success, but it sparked controversy nonetheless. After all, how was it possible that a Danish director, and not a French one, was given the responsibility of making a movie about a French icon?

La règle du jeu (1939)

Directed by the renowned director Jean Renoir, this movie touches on the callousness of the French upper class and their servants before the beginning of World War II. Europe was on the verge of chaos and destruction, but that didn’t stop Renoir from making this movie. That is probably what makes it so special.

Although this movie was intended as a comedy/satire, it was banned by the government for being too demoralizing. Rich people on a hunting weekend on the brink of war, really? What was the director thinking?

This masterpiece transports us from comedy to tragedy and from realism to fantasy. It is indeed a mixed bag of emotions. There are several metaphors throughout the movie that get us thinking. No one judges others no matter what they do. At the end of the day, there are no rules. Everyone has their reasons for doing things.

Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959)

Reminiscent of Rebel Without a Cause, this movie is part of the French New Wave. It marked the debut of François Truffaut as a director. We could say it is a semi-autobiographical movie.

The story centers around Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent growing up in Paris. Considered a troublemaker, his behavior brings him a lot of problems with his parents and teachers. He lies, skips school, and ends up stealing to run away from home. Is there a place in society for someone like Antoine?

The main character became so popular that it appears in four other movies.

Belle de Jour (1967)

The eccentric Spanish director Luis Buñuel gave us this masterpiece. It is, in fact, considered one of his best movies, if not the best.

Here we get to know Séverine, a wealthy woman that is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She is young, beautiful, rich, wears Yves Saint Laurent, and is married to a doctor, but no matter how much she loves him, she is not sexually pleased. However, that does not mean she doesn’t have any fantasies.

She eventually meets Madame Anaïs, the owner of a high-class brothel. Initially reluctant, she becomes a classy prostitute while her husband is at work. She’s willing to become the object of desire of other men to escape the dullness of her marriage. Will her husband ever find out?

Au revoir les enfants (1987)

Written, produced, and directed by Louis Malle, Au revoir les enfants is based on a true story. When Malle was 11, he attended a Catholic boarding school. That’s where he witnessed the deportation of three Jewish students and a Jewish teacher as well as the arrest of the school’s headmaster, Père Jacques.

Set at the time of the Nazi occupation of France, the story revolves around Julien and Bonnet (a Jewish student in hiding). The two young men start to form a special bond, but their friendship will be put to the test by the Nazis.

This movie shows us the best and worst of mankind. When there’s a war going on, many people will leave their scruples aside to save themselves from danger. Is there any hope for the oppressed?

La double vie de Véronique (1991)

Weronika and Véronique are two identical women that share a mysterious and emotional bond even though they don’t know each other and live in different countries. The former is a Polish choir soprano, while the latter is a French music teacher.

The director doesn’t explain the relationship between these two women. He just limits himself to exploring the themes of identity, love, and human intuition. After all, are we all unique? Maybe not. We’re all connected in different ways and share a lot of things without realizing it.

Amélie (2001)

Amélie is a romantic comedy that depicts contemporary Parisian life in a whimsical way. The main character is a naive waitress that decides to change the lives of those around her for the better.

When she was a child, her father mistakenly believed she had a heart defect and thus decides to homeschool her and isolate her from the outside world in order to protect her. Since she doesn’t have any contact with others, Amélie has to resort to her imagination and learn to enjoy the simple things of life. Helping others is great, but what about her? She will have to make a decision when she leaves home.

It is Audrey Tautou’s most famous role by far. She will always be remembered for it.

Les Choristes (2004)

Inspired by the origin of the boys’ choir The Little Singers of Paris, this musical drama was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards.

The first sequence introduces us to Pierre Morhange, a French conductor that is performing in the U.S. Before the concert starts, he is informed that his mother passed away. He returns to France and that’s where he meets his childhood friend Pépinot.

The two friends reminisce about their time at Fond de l’Étang, a boarding school for troubled boys. They talk about Clément Mathieu, a poor teacher that won them over. They gave him a lot of trouble, but they eventually accept him. Looking back on the past, they realize he was a major influence on both of their lives.

Intouchables (2011)

Starring François Cluzet and Omar Sy, the story revolves around the friendship of Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic, and Driss, a former thief. The latter lives on welfare and needs a signature from a prospective employer to continue receiving benefits. Without expecting it, he is given the job as Philippe’s caregiver. A series of funny situations ensue, and a special bond forms between them.

The movie is based on the story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou. It is one of the most successful movies of the last decades.

Amour (2012)

The story of this drama focuses on an elderly couple, Anne and Georges. They are retired music teachers and have a daughter that lives abroad.

One morning while having breakfast, Anne suffers a stroke. A surgery gone wrong paralyzes the right side of her body and she has to use a wheelchair as a consequence. Georges becomes her caretaker, but she doesn’t want to live anymore. Their daughter wants to place her in a nursing home, but Georges refuses. Even though he is tired and frustrated, he doesn’t want to let Anne go. What will he do? Is love enough?

Conclusion

Today we discussed 10 French movies that everyone should watch. Each one of them explores a different theme and is special in some way. They make us laugh, cry, and reflect.

Have you watched any of the movies mentioned above? Do you agree with the list? Which movies would you add or remove from it? I’d love to know!

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments in the section below. Au revoir les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

If you’re a bookworm, then you must know that the most famous literary works ever come from places like England, Spain, and Russia. France, of course, is no exception. You may have heard names like Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert, Victor Hugo, and Albert Camus. They were all excellent French writers and their works are considered classics.

Today we will talk about the best French books of all time. Even though some of them were written centuries ago, they have stood the test of time due to their brilliance, influence, and relevance. The list includes novels, plays, tales, and novellas that have made us think, laugh, and cry. Would you like to learn more? Then keep on reading. Allons-y!

Le Misanthrope

Le Misanthrope is a play written in verse by Molière in 1666. By the way, did you know that Molière is considered one of the greatest French writers of all time? French is commonly called “la langue de Molière” (Molière’s language).

Le Misanthrope is a satiric comedy that criticizes the hypocrisy and absurdities of society in the 17th-century. In it, we get to know Alceste, a man that has had enough of society, and Célimène, a young, coquettish woman. Even though she represents everything he hates, Alceste falls in love with her. The problem? He wants to withdraw from society and live a peaceful life, but she does not.

This book has been widely criticized since its publication. Nonetheless, it is considered Molière’s best work by many.

Candide

Candide is a novella written in 1759 by Voltaire. He was a fervent opponent of Leibnizian (a German philosopher) optimism. Voltaire’s dark humor is evident throughout the book, where he ridicules religion, governments, and philosophers, among other things.

In this book, we become acquainted with Candide, a young man that lives in a bubble. For some reason, his perfect life ends and he is forced into the real world. It is all too much for him, and he becomes disillusioned with life.

Candide was a scandal back in its time and it was banned for many years. Today, however, it is considered one of the most influential books ever written.

Le Rouge et le Noir

This psychological novel was written by Stendhal in 1830. There are various interpretations regarding the title of the book such as the tension between the secular and clerical interests of the main character or the then-popular card game rouge et noir (red and black).

Speaking of the main character, Julien Sorel is an ambitious young man that decides to try his luck in the church after seeing no future in the army. Eventually, he meets the wealthy Mathilde and sees in her the opportunity to advance in life. He seduces her, and his life changes for the better. However, an unfortunate mistake on his part will cost him dearly.

Stendhal’s novel had such an impact upon society that he’s considered the creator of the psychological novel. Many critics agree that his masterpiece was ahead of its time.

Les Trois Mousquetaires

Who hasn’t heard about the three musketeers? There are numerous movies and even cartoons based on this book. It is a historical adventure novel that was written by Alexandre Dumas in 1844.

Dumas introduces us to d’Artagnan, a young man that leaves his hometown for Paris in hopes of joining the King’s musketeers. He becomes friends with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who happen to be distinguished members of the Musketeers of the Guard.

Even though the book is considered an adventure novel, it also touches on the abuses and injustices committed by the government of that time. The book is filled with hilarious situations and makes us reflect on the importance of friendship, loyalty, and honor. It is easy to read and an all-time favorite.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo

A story of injustice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, this book was written by Alexandre Dumas in a serialized format between 1844 and 1846.

As we turn the pages, we learn about the story of Edmond Dantès, a young sailor that is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned as a consequence. He manages to escape and finds a treasure that will enable him to go back to France as the Count of Monte Cristo. He is ready to take revenge on all those that wronged him.

This book has been adapted to countless plays and movies and numerous references about it have been made in popular culture. It is a must-read.

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary was written in 1856 by Gustave Flaubert. It was his debut novel and became notorious for the scandal that ensued its publication. Public prosecutors considered it obscene.

The story revolves around Emma, a beautiful, provincial girl that is unhappy with her existence. She marries a good-hearted but unambitious doctor, and her only contentment is reading romantic novels. Nothing gives her joy, not even the birth of her daughter. She finally decides to carry out her fantasies and gets involved in extramarital affairs. However, her experiences differ greatly from her novels.

Madame Bovary is one of the finest examples of realism. Its influence can be seen in other writers’ works such as those of Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce.

Les Fleurs du mal

This scandalous masterpiece was written by Charles Baudelaire in 1857. The book is a collection of poems that are related to each other. It touches on taboos at the time such as sex, homosexuality, alcohol, and drugs.

Right at the beginning, the author warns us about the content of the book. Baudelaire was not a romantic poet like those of his time. He was not afraid to explore the highness and baseness of humankind. Even the title ( Flowers of Evil) is an indicator of what we are about to read.

Six poems were censored for being considered immoral. Nowadays, it is considered one of the most influential French books ever.

Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours

This travel adventure novel was written by Jules Verne in 1872. It is probably the most popular of Verne’s voyage adventure novels.

Here the author introduces us to Phileas Fogg, a rich Englishman that is a member of the prestigious Reform Club. After reading about the new railroad in India, he bets his fellow members half of his fortune that he can travel around the world in 80 days or even less than that. To do this, he hires a French guy as his valet. Together, they will undergo a series of perils and adventures as they travel through different countries.

The narrative of the book is so rich and lively that it became an immediate success. It was translated into several languages and adapted to movies and plays.

Bel-Ami

This novel was written by Guy de Maupassant in 1885. He wrote it at the height of his career. His novel is filled with cynicism and frankness, making his characters more human and allowing us to see them in a different light.

George Duroy, better known as Bel-Ami, is a young and ambitious journalist. He becomes corrupted in his quest for power and wealth. He turns into a social climber that seduces, manipulates, and blackmails wealthy women to reach his objectives.

De Maupassant teaches us that love and ambition are inversely related to each other. Love is just a manifestation of ambition, and we shouldn’t be scared of the latter. It is said that he was similar to the main character of this book in the sense that money mattered to him a lot, but that’s a different story.

Cyrano de Bergerac

This play was written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. It is broadly based on the life of a real Cyrano de Bergerac.

This work is set in 17th-century Paris and tells us about the emotional problems of the swashbuckling Cyrano. He has a big nose and feels insecure because of that. He feels that no woman could ever love him. He falls in love with Roxane but doesn’t dare to court her. Instead, he writes poems and love letters for another man to recite to her.

We owe this play the introduction of the word “panache” into English. To have panache means to have a stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes others admire you.

À la recherche du temps perdu

This novel was written by Marcel Proust in 1913. It was initially published in seven volumes. He even had to pay for the publication of the first volume since various editors turned him down.

In it, we follow the narrator’s journey of self-discovery from a happy childhood into miserable adulthood in the late 19th and early 20th-century French high society. The author makes us meditate about love, memory, time, and death. Even though it seems everything is lost, he realizes there is still hope.

The novel is based on his own life. He started writing it after he had an involuntary recall of a childhood memory. It is considered the major work of French fiction of the early 20th century.

Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince is a novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. He was a French aristocrat, writer, and aviator. His work was first published in the U.S. since it was banned in France during World War II.

The story revolves around a child, the little prince, who leaves his planet because he feels lonely and can’t trust anyone. During his travels, he runs into a pilot stranded in the Sahara Desert. While the latter tries to fix his plane, the little prince recounts his life story. We learn that he has visited six other planets besides Earth, and in all of them, he has only met narrow-minded, irrational adults.

The book touches on subjects such as friendship, loneliness, love, and loss. It is unknown whether this book was intended for kids or adults, but it is widely read and enjoyed by people of all ages.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

La Peste

La Peste is considered one of the greatest existentialist novels ever. It was written by Albert Camus in 1947. It stresses the powerlessness of man to change his destiny. The book reminds us of Franz Kafka’s The Trial.

Camus based his novel upon the cholera epidemic that decimated the population of the Algerian city of Oran. The locals did not heed the warning signs of a new “plague” that hit their town until it was too late. The consequences will be tragic and everyone will suffer the consequences of their bad decisions.

The sales of La Peste soared in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality. Many people compare what happened in the book to what’s happening in the world right now.

Le Deuxième Sexe

This book was written by Simone de Beauvoir, another existentialist writer, in 1949. It has been translated into 40 languages and was included on the Vatican’s List of Prohibited Books due to its controversial themes.

De Beauvoir explores the role of women in Western society and criticizes the inequality between women and men. Men represent the subject, while women are just an object. They’re not considered essential and must be submissive. It’s not something new but something that has been going on for ages.

De Beauvoir is considered one of the pillars of feminism ever since, and her work is a must-read for any self-proclaimed feminist.

Les Misérables

No French literature list can be ever complete without this book. This masterpiece was written by Victor Hugo in 1862 and is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.

Les Misérables is a story of injustice, love, and heroism. Here we get to know Jean Valjean, a former convict that seeks to redeem himself and leave his past behind. He becomes a successful businessman and politician. Regardless of that, he is constantly pursued by the police inspector Javert, who wants to send him back to prison. Eventually, he gives himself up for the sake of this adopted daughter and her husband.

Les Misérables is a representation of Parisian society and the underworld during the 19th century. It became an instant success, although it was widely criticized by other writers of that time, who considered it to be too sentimental or superficial.

Conclusion

There you have it. Today we saw a list with some of the best French books of all time. We tried to cover different genres to ensure everyone finds something interesting. Even though some books were written many years ago, their themes remain as present as ever.

I don’t recommend these books if you’re an absolute beginner. You need to be at least at an intermediate level.

Have you read any of the books mentioned above? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

Many people struggle with French, while others say it’s one of the easiest languages to learn. Why is that? Who is right and who is wrong? Realistically and objectively speaking, is French hard to learn? Which factors come into play?

French is one of the most popular languages worldwide, but despite that, some people are in a love-hate relationship with it. If this is your case or if you’d simply like to know what learning French is like before diving in, then you’ve come to the right place! The truth might surprise you. Allons-y!

Is French Hard to Learn?

You can ask people all over the world the same question, and you will get different answers depending on whom you ask. Spanish speakers will tell you it’s easy, while Chinese speakers will probably tell you otherwise. But why is that? Well, the key factor here is their native language.

It’s true that those who speak Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) natively have an advantage over, let’s say, Chinese or Russian speakers when it comes to learning French. Romance languages share similar vocabulary and grammar rules making French easier to learn.

It’s a different story when non-Romance language speakers try to learn French. Their languages don’t resemble French, so it’s logical that it’s harder for them to learn it.

In the case of English speakers, French is classified by linguists as a Category I language to learn, meaning it’s easy, even though some people don’t agree with that.

How Long Does It Take to Learn French?

Again, the answer here will vary, but for the sake of simplicity, we will focus on English speakers learning French. According to the U.S. FSI (Foreign Service Institute), it takes English speakers between 24 and 30 weeks to learn French, provided they study between 600 and 750 hours. That means the minimum time is around 25 hours per week. Does that sound like a lot?

The difficulty level of French is the same as that of Danish, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Swedish. If you would like to see the full FSI list, you can check out this link.

As you can see, it largely depends on how much time you dedicate to studying French. Realistically speaking, it takes the average English speaker between six months and one year.

What Is Hard About French?

There’s this joke about French that says it’s hard because half of the letters of every word are not pronounced. Even though French is classified as an easy language for English speakers, there are several things they struggle with when learning it. Some of them include:

• Pronunciation.
• Spelling.
• Gender and number agreement.
• False friends.
• COD/COI.
• Verb conjugations.
• Passé composé.

Let’s explain each one of them in more detail.

Pronunciation

For starters, French, unlike English, is a nasal language. Those an/en/in/un sounds don’t exist in English. I would say these sounds are probably the hardest to master.

But that’s not all. H is silent. English speakers tend to pronounce it, but in French, we don’t pronounce it.

The sound of French U doesn’t exist in English. English speakers sometimes forget this and try to pronounce it the way they do in English.

Probably, the most peculiar French sound is that of R. To make this sound, you have to gargle. The problem comes when you want to speak at a faster speed.

Last but not least, pronunciation varies between European French and Canadian French. European French is more standardized, but Canadian French is a different story. Sounds complicated?

Spelling

French has several accent marks that you have to memorize. They are listed below:

• ç, la cédille
• é, l’accent aigu
• â/ê/î/ô/û, l’accent circonflexe
• à/è/ì/ò/ù, l’accent grave
• ë/ï/ü, l’accent tréma

Do they matter? Yes, they do! Not only do they matter in writing but in spoken French, too. They will determine the way you have to pronounce a word.

Gender and Number Agreement

In French, everything is either masculine or feminine. For example, a man is heureux (happy), but a woman is heureuse (happy). Countries, days of the week, and even things have genders. You have to understand this because spelling varies depending on the gender of the word.

English has the article the, but French has le, la, l’, and les. You have to know the gender of a noun to decide which article you will use before it.

Nouns also have to agree in number. For example, in English, we say the green car/the green cars, but in French, we say la voiture verte/les voitures vertes. Unlike English, French adjectives can be singular or plural.

Gender/number agreement also applies to verbs. Thus, a man would write Je suis allé (I went), but a woman would write Je suis allée. The pronunciation is the same, but the spelling is not.

False Friends

It is estimated that about 45% of all English words have a French origin. Even though they share a lot of vocabulary, some words can mean different things in each language. These are known as false friends or false cognates.

For example, assister means “to attend”, not “to assist/help”; attendre means “to wait”, not to attend; blesser means “to hurt”, not to bless. The list of false friends goes on and on. You have to be careful with those.

COD and COI

Direct and indirect objects, simply known as COD and COI, are some of the hardest things to learn in French. You have to consider genders, numbers, and tenses when using them. Not only that, but their position in a sentence also varies.

For example, I showed it to him would translate as Je le lui ai montré or Je la lui ai montré depending on whether the thing you showed is masculine or feminine.

Mastering COD and COI takes a lot of practice.

Verb Conjugations

Each grammatical person (I, you, he, etc.) has a different verb conjugation. You have to memorize the endings for each one of them. For example, in English, the conjugations of to eat in the present tense are eat and eats. However, in French, we conjugate manger as je mange (I eat), tu manges (you eat, singular), vous mangez (you eat, plural), il/elle mange (he/she eats), nous mangeons (we eat), and ils/elles mangent (they eat).

The same concept applies to conjugations for past, future, and other tenses. You have to memorize the endings for each grammatical person.

To further complicate things, there are approximately 350 irregular French verbs. These verbs don’t follow the same conjugation patterns that regular verbs do.

Passé Composé

Talking about the past in French is not easy. For some verbs, we use the auxiliary verb avoir, while for others we use être. And don’t forget (again!) about the gender/number agreement!

Generally speaking, we use the auxiliary être with verbs of movement. However, some verbs can use either one depending on the context. For example, sortir can either mean “to go out” or “to take out”. Thus you can say Je suis sorti ( I went out), but you can’t say Je suis sorti la poubelle (I took out the trash). In this case, the correct form is J’ai sorti la poubelle.

Overcome the Difficulties

Now that we discussed some of the most common things English speakers struggle with, you must be asking yourself what you can do to overcome the difficulties of learning French. Here are a few tips that will help you:

• Expose yourself to the language as much as possible. Watch videos, listen to podcasts, read books. Make French part of your everyday life. In no time, it will become second nature.
• Practice is key. If you are serious about learning French, you have to practice as much as possible. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make. There is no turnaround to that.
• Find a motivation. Why do you want to learn French? Would you like to date a French guy/girl? Would you like to visit France or even move there? If you aren’t motivated, you won’t go far.
• Make a plan. You will be more successful if you have a goal and a plan to reach that goal. A teacher can help you do that.
• Don’t give up. Learning is a journey. Enjoy every single part of it.

Final Thoughts

So, is French hard to learn? The answer to this question is subjective and will depend on each person’s background.

Even though English and French share a lot of things, some things about French are hard for English speakers. However, through practice and a detailed plan, you can make it happen.

French may not be as hard as Chinese or Russian, but it can be challenging for English speakers. Don’t let others tell you it’s not hard. We all speak from experience.

If you struggle with French, there are several things you can do. It may be hard but not impossible to learn.

What do you think? Is French hard for you? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir, les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

As we have seen in previous posts, French is one of the most widely spoken languages around the world. It is spoken not only in France, but also in other parts of Europe, Africa, Canada, and other countries. Something that has always been up for debate is the fact that French varies among French-speaking countries.

Probably, the most well-known version of French outside of France is Québécois. But what is it? Where do they speak it? And most importantly, what are the main differences between French and Québécois? Well, if you’d like to find out, then keep on reading. Allons-y!

What Is Québécois?

For starters, let’s explain this. Québécois is, in simple terms, Canadian French. Sure, there is Acadian French, but when people speak about Canadian French, in most cases, they refer to Québécois. Québécois is the kind of French spoken in the province of Québec. It is NOT another language, contrary to what some people might believe.

To understand the importance of Québécois, we need to look at some numbers. French is one of the two official languages in Canada. It is the native language of over 7 million Canadians or 20% of Canada’s population. Furthermore, one of Québec’s cities is among the top 5 cities with the most French speakers worldwide: Montreal. That’s why we can’t just ignore this French version.

Both French and Québécois have evolved over the centuries, but their evolution processes were different. Québécois is closer to 17th-18th-century French than the French currently spoken in France. Probably due to Canada’s isolation from Europe, Québécois did not evolve the way continental French did.

So, Aren’t French and Québécois the Same?

Yes and no. French varies widely, even in France itself. When linguists refer to French, they mean Metropolitan French or the French spoken in Paris. It is the most popular version of French. Some people go as far as saying that it’s the standard or neutral French language, although that’s a controversial topic. If French differs among the different regions in France, what makes us think it would not differ from Canadian French on the other side of the world?

For the sake of comparison, we could say that the differences between French and Québécois are similar to those between British and American English. Although they’re the same language, they differ in pronunciation/accent, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions. However, it’s not as simple as that. I believe the differences are deeper than those between BR/AM English. More on that later.

How Are They Similar?

Before looking at the differences, let’s see how they are similar. The major similarity between them is grammar. Although it may differ in some cases, when standard grammar is used, both French and Québécois are the same. The same French rules about gender, articles, prepositions, verbs, adjectives, etc. apply to Québécois. There is no turnaround.

That does not mean there aren’t any grammatical differences, but, in my opinion, they’re minimal or not as marked as the ones in other areas (vocabulary, pronunciation). Generally speaking, the grammar in both French and Québécois is the same. So, we’re good up to this point, right? Let’s take a look at the differences now.

Differences in Pronunciation

Oh, Québécois pronunciation. It is so much different from French. The latter has around 13 vowel sounds, while Québécois has more than 15. A couple of extra sounds can make a big difference.

Nasal sounds play a big role, too. Even though French is a nasal language by nature, Québécois is much more nasal. For example, in French, we pronounce in/un the same way. However, in Québec, that’s not the case. They pronounce in like an, which is something that doesn’t happen in France.

Consonant sounds differ, too, as is the case of T and D. Québécois speakers tend to add an S to T and a Z to D. For example, Canadians pronounce “tu dis” like “tsu dzi”. The French would never do that.

Québécois speakers also tend to omit the final sounds of words ending in R or NTE. For instance, they wouldn’t pronounce the final sounds of words like choisir or soixante.

There are many more differences in pronunciation we could discuss, but it would be a super long post. If you would like to learn more about Québécois pronunciation, I recommend you read this post.

Differences in Vocabulary

This is another important difference between French and Québécois. Québécois speakers still use words that have fallen out of use in France. For example, the French say “voiture” (meaning car), while Québécois speakers continue using the archaic word “char“, which comes from an old word for chariot. That is the case with many other words that were once used in France but now are only used in Canada.

Québécois also borrowed Amerindian words like caribou (reindeer) and maringouin (mosquito). In fact, the name of the province of Québec comes from an Algonquin word meaning “narrow passage” or “strait”.

Due to its geographical location, Québécois is heavily influenced by English. It’s not uncommon to adopt English words and use them in everyday speech. Think of words like “gomme” (bubblegum), “moppe” (mop), or “domper” (dump).

Québécois: More Than Just a Language

Québécois is a matter of cultural identity. For many years, the descendants of the French in Canada called themselves French Canadians. However, they started to identify themselves as Québécois in the 1960s. They are proud of their French heritage and embrace it dearly. That, of course, includes the language.

Even though Québécois has strong English influences, at the same time, there is a struggle to avoid anglicisms and use French words instead. That’s why French Canadians prefer the terms courriel, arrêt, fin de semaine, and stationnement over email, stop, weekend, and parking, respectively. The French have adopted a lot of English words, but the Québécois are more reluctant to use them.

The Québécois try to keep their Frenchness as much as possible to differentiate themselves from Anglos. Their cultural differences are so big, that they tried unsuccessfully to secede from Canada in 1995.

Can the French and Québécois Understand Each Other?

For the most part, yes, they can understand each other. The Québécois can easily understand European French and, in most cases, the French can understand Québécois. Unless a Québécois person has a strong accent and/or uses a lot of Québécois words/idioms, a French person shouldn’t have major trouble understanding him.

Some Québécois people try to change their accent when they travel to Europe and stick to standard French to avoid misunderstandings with their interlocutors. Even though they can be understood if they spoke with their original accent, some people still prefer to use a French accent.

In the video below, the international Canadian singer Céline Dion speaks with both French and Québécois accents. Even though she tries to hide her real accent, her Québécois accent is evident during most of the interview. Can you notice the differences between her accent and that of the interviewer?

Which One Should You Learn?

At this point, you may be asking yourself which version of French you should learn. Should you learn European French or Québécois? Well, it really is a matter of preference.

Most French material is in European French. Think movies, music, etc. It is easier to learn it because there are way more resources available compared to Québécois. However, that does not mean you should stay away from Québécois. In fact, many people move to Canada to learn French/Québécois. Europe is not the only option.

I remember when I first started studying French. All my teachers and tandem partners were European. My ear became used to European French. However, when I visited Canada and spoke to locals, I had a hard time understanding them. Their accent was so different! That’s why I recommend starting with European French and then switching to Québécois. But that’s just me. You can do the opposite. Nothing is set in stone.

Conclusion

French and Québécois are so similar and different at the same time. They have the same origin, but their evolutions have been different. Although they are mutually intelligible, it’s more common for a French person to not understand Québécois than the other way around.

Today we saw some key differences between French and Québécois like vocabulary and pronunciation. Not just that, we also learned that Québécois is a matter of cultural identity. It’s more than just a language.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you which version you should learn. None is better or worse than the other.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Please leave your questions and comments below, and I will do my best to answer them all. Salut, les amis!

Let's Learn French!

Are you ready to take your French to the next level? I'm glad you are! Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate/advanced learner, I can recommend a few options for you.
For starters, if you're someone who likes to study on his own, I recommend the following programs:
Busuu
Mondly
Rocket Languages

However, if you would like to hire a teacher/tutor, I recommend you try the following:
italki
Lingoda
Preply

Feel free to check my site to learn about more resources. Don't forget to check back often to learn more about the French language and culture. Salut!

When learning a new language, it’s a common practice to rely too much on our native languages. We feel more confident when something is familiar. It has happened to me many times. I see a familiar word in a foreign language and then try to use it the way I would in my language.

English and French share a lot of vocabulary. Sometimes it’s only the pronunciation that changes, but at other times, it’s more complicated than that. We have to be careful with these words if we want to master the French language. That’s why today we will talk about some of the most common French false friends in English. Allons-y!

What Are False Friends?

For starters, we need to understand this concept. What are false friends? To answer this question, let me ask you something first. Have you ever seen familiar words in other languages that turned out to mean something different from your native language? Well, those are false friends.

False friends are words in different languages that have identical or similar spellings but different meanings. For example, let’s take a look at the word bras. Bras means arm in French, but it’s the plural form of bra (female underwear) in English.

False friends are known as faux amis in French. You might also have heard about cognates. That’s another term commonly used. All false friends are false cognates, but not all cognates are false friends. There are true cognates as well.

Why Are They Important?

You may be wondering why it is important to know about the existence of false friends. Well, for starters, you might be saving yourself from embarrassing situations. For example, French President Macron called the Australian Prime Minister’s wife “delicious” during a public speech. In French, a woman who is good, charming, or delightful can be described as délicieuse. While this word can also mean delicious in English, you have to use it carefully. Context is crucial.

Below is the video of that embarrassing moment.

The Australian Prime Minister seemed to ignore it, but imagine what would’ve happened at a different place with no cameras or other people present.

While some people will understand what you’re trying to say and even correct you, not everyone will understand. Your luck might be different. To be on the safe side, it’s better to be sure about the meaning of the words you use when speaking.

False Friends Examples

Okay, without much further ado, here are some of the most common French false friends in English:

Attendre/Attend

Now, imagine you have a date with a French girl, but you’re running late. On your way to the restaurant, you receive a text message that reads, “Je t’attends“. You’re confused. What does she mean? Well, it means she is waiting for you! You’d better hurry!

attendre ≠ attend

attendre = wait

Blessé/Blessed

You run toward the door, but someone opens it at that very moment and hits your face. Then you head to the table while covering your nose, and your date asks, “Tu es blessé?” Is she blessing you or what? No, she’s simply asking if you’re hurt.

blessé ≠ blessed

blessé = hurt/wounded

Pain/Pain

You sit down and then the waiter comes to your table. You’d like a glass of wine and some bread, but the waiter doesn’t seem to understand the last part of your order. “Oh, he’d like some pain,” chimes in your date. You then realized you had been pronouncing it wrong! Oh, well…

pain ≠ pain

pain = bread

Envie/Envy

You start talking about your jobs, and it turns out your date has a fantastic job with a good salary and lots of vacation time. You’d like to say you envy her (in a good way, of course) and say “J’ai envie de toi“. The girl blushes. After an uncomfortable silence, she explains to you that you just told her you desired her. Oops!

envie ≠ envy

envie = usually avoir envie de, which means feel like (doing)

Préservatif/Preservative

It’s time to order the main course. You’ve been looking after your health, so you try to avoid preservatives. It’s just natural to ask if the dish you want has any preservatives in it, right? So you ask the waiter, “Y-a-t-il des préservatifs?” Your date bursts out laughing and corrects conservateurs. You were asking if there were any condoms in the food. Yikes!

préservatif ≠ preservative

préservatif = condom

Sale/Sale

You excuse yourself to go to the restroom. There is only one booth with a sign that reads SALE on the door. Hmm, is it on sale? You ignore it and open the door. What do you find inside? A dirty toilet. Gross!

sale ≠ sale

sale = dirty

Excité/Excited

You go back to your table and try to retake the conversation. You then find out that both of you like the same band, which by the way, will perform in town next weekend. “Je suis très excité!” you say. The girl looks puzzled for a moment and then says, “Oh, you mean you’re excited!” Why is French so complicated!?

excité ≠ excited

excité = sexually aroused

Introduire/Introduce

You don’t know what else to say. Think fast! Oh, right, tell her you would like to introduce some friends to her. Then you say, “J’aimerais t’introduire des amis“. The girl holds a laugh and says “Présenter pas introduire!” You start thinking your French is not that good after all.

introduire ≠ introduce

introduire = penetrate, insert

Déception/Disappointment

After a long night, you finally get to your apartment. Your roomie asks you how the date went and you say it was a deception. But how did she deceive you?” he asks. You then explain that she didn’t deceive you. You meant it was a disappointment. Enough French for today.

déception ≠ deception

déception = disappointment

Conclusion

There are many more French false friends we could talk about, but the post would never end. What about you? Have you ever been a victim of false friends?

False friends are tricky and easy to confuse with words in English and other languages. You will have to memorize them to avoid embarrassing situations like the one we saw above. Poor guy, right?

Which false friends would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments section below. Au revoir, les amis!

There are so many language learning sites online that choosing just one becomes an impossible task. They all seem to offer the same things at similar prices. But just how good is their quality? How good are their teachers? How do their systems work? What should you look for when choosing a language teacher?

In my eternal quest for learning, I came across a site named Preply. If you need to find a language tutor/teacher, this is a really good site to do just that. Would you like to learn more about this platform? Then keep on reading my full Preply review. Let’s get started!

What Is Preply?

Okay, but what exactly is Preply? What does it do or what does it offer? Well, simply put, Preply is a Ukraine-based online marketplace for teachers all over the world. It is similar to italki.

On Preply, you can find teachers from all walks of life that will do their best to adjust to your schedule and learning preferences. It’s quite easy to book a lesson and start learning online on this platform.

Although the site focuses on languages, you can find tutors for other subjects such as math, computer science, SEO, app development, graphic design, among others, making it a very useful e-learning platform.

Courses Offered

As I mentioned above, you can learn a lot of skills by using this platform, even acting and Pokemon Go. However, for the sake of this review, we will solely focus on languages.

Speaking of languages, you can choose from around 50 of them:

The most popular languages on the site are English, Spanish, and French, but if you’re looking to learn another language, you will probably find a teacher that’s willing to work with you.

Finding a Tutor

For starters, you have to sign up either through Facebook, Google, or email. Once you do that, you will be presented with several filters to start your search. The more specific you make your search, the better.

You can filter tutors by:

• Desired language
• Price range
• Tutor’s country of origin
• Availability
• Tutor’s specialties (Business courses, Beginners, Kids, etc.)
• Tutor’s spoken languages
• Native speakers
• Certified tutors

You can watch a short introduction by the tutor and take a look at his résumé. If you have additional questions, you can send him a private message. Don’t forget to check out other students’ reviews as well.

What Are Lessons Like?

This will depend on what you and your teacher agreed. Your lessons can be as informal or as formal as you want. If you want something more structured and target-oriented, then I recommend choosing a certified teacher.

However, if you just want to speak French (or any other language) with someone, then you can either choose a native speaker or an advanced speaker of your target language.

There is no set curriculum by Preply. Each teacher will provide his materials for each lesson. This can be in the form of videos, flashcards, text, or audio. In the end, he can assign homework so you can practice what you learned that day.

All lessons are one hour long. You can take lessons directly on Preply Classroom (Preply’s built-in video chat) or some other video-chat platform like Skype.

What About Teachers?

There are two broad categories in this regard: certified and non-certified teachers. Many teachers are certified and have ample teaching experience, while others are just native/advanced speakers starting.

As you can imagine, it’s cheaper to study with a non-certified tutor, but before doing so, you have to consider your objectives.

The good thing is, you can use Preply’s filters to find exactly what you need. Take advantage of those tools to find the right teacher. It’s quite easy.

Pricing

Each teacher sets his rates. This can vary widely from $5 to $40 per hour depending on the teacher’s credentials. Unlike italki, its pricing structure is straightforward.

All the lessons are capped at $40. That’s the maximum you’ll pay for a one-hour lesson for any language. On average, I would say most teachers charge between $15 and $30 per hour, which is the average price in the market.

For your convenience, Preply allows you to take a trial lesson with any teacher and get a 100% refund if not satisfied. After that, you can book lessons one by one or in groups of 5, 10, 15, and 20. Of course, you will get discounts which scale as the number of hours goes up.

Payment options accepted include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal.

Other Resources

Preply has a blog with lots of articles on different subjects. You can read about vocabulary, idioms, learning tips, and random things like why you should study a new language, the future of languages, etc. The content is updated regularly and is of great assistance.

If you’re a teacher, you will also find this useful. You can find tips from other teachers and education professionals to improve your classes and interaction with your students.

There is also an active community where students and teachers interact with each other. Students can leave questions about languages and teachers will do their best to answer them in as much detail as possible.

What I Liked About It

Okay, by now you have a better idea about Preply. After using it for some time, these are some things I liked about it:

• One-on-one lessons.
• Ample variety of teachers to choose from in most cases.
• Reasonable prices.
• Its interface is simple to use.
• Integrated website and mobile app.
• Ability to filter potential teachers.
• Written summaries provided at the end of each lesson.
• Excellent customer service/support.
• 100% satisfaction guarantee.
• College students can get up to 15% off. Also, if you refer a friend and he signs up, you get a $30 credit.

What I Didn’t Like About It

To be honest, I like Preply except for two things:

• Although most teachers are either native speakers or certified in the language(s) they teach, that’s not always the case. For example, I came across a native Spanish teacher that taught French, but he was an intermediate speaker. While I don’t think you have to be a native speaker to teach a language, you have to be at an advanced level or be certified.
• Preply doesn’t allow you to just buy credits and then choose a teacher. First, you have to take a trial lesson with a teacher and then buy more lessons if you want to continue. This means you can only buy lessons for one teacher at a time.

What Do Others Say About It?

With 1 million+ students and 15,000+ tutors, Preply has an average score of 4.3/5 stars on Trustpilot. Most users point out the ease of use, the quality of the teachers, the flexibility of the courses, and the reliability of the company.

A few negative comments mention problems with recurring billing and teachers not showing up. However, most people seem to have enjoyed the overall experience.

Alternatives to Preply

Preply’s main competitors are italki and Verbling. Overall, they offer the same thing: one-on-one language lessons at affordable prices.

Some teachers teach on more than one platform. In that case, the deciding factor would be the platform’s features and reputation. Although being honest, all three companies are at a similar level.

italki has more teachers, but its pricing structure is complicated. On the other hand, Preply’s pricing is straightforward. Verbling is somewhere in between.

You can try them all and choose the one you feel most at ease with. They all offer trial lessons, so you don’t have anything to lose.

Final Thoughts

Studying a language with a tutor/teacher is one of the most effective ways to learn a language. A teacher provides guidance and motivates you when needed. While some people can learn on their own, studying with a teacher is an invaluable tool

Preply is one of the best sites to find an online teacher. It is simple to use and provides several filters to find the perfect teacher for you.

Most online reviews about it are positive, so that should tell us something. In any case, you can take trial lessons and then decide. However, make sure to make some thorough research first to avoid losing your time.

Have you tried Preply? How did it go? If not, are you willing to give it a try? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir, les amis!

Learning a new language may be boring, but it doesn’t have to be. Educators and language companies have become aware of that, and that’s why they are changing their approaches. One of them is Mondly. Have you ever heard of them?

Well, if you haven’t, don’t worry. In this Mondly review, I will tell you more about them. You will understand how their system works, how much it costs, the pros and cons…everything!!! By the end of this post, you will be able to determine if this course is for you or not. Allons-y!

What Is Mondly?

Mondly is an interactive language-learning site where you will learn vocabulary, pronunciation, some grammar, and useful phrases for different situations in life like traveling, eating out, applying for a job, etc.

One thing that stands out about Mondly is its gamification. It’s not the typical boring language course but rather a fun game for young and old. The lessons are short, and you get to compete against other users around the world.

There is also an integrated app with the same content should you choose to use a tablet or smartphone instead of a computer.

Languages

Mondly currently offers 41 languages. Besides French, you can also study the following:

Interface

Mondly’s interface is simple and easy to use. It looks like a map of any board game. In fact, it reminds me of Monopoly and similar games where you roll the dice and advance x number of spaces.

However, unlike those games, there are no dice here and you don’t have to follow any specific order. The map is divided into modules or topics like travel, restaurants, family, colors, etc. Each topic is further divided into 6-8 short lessons for your convenience.

What Are Lessons Like?

Each lesson is about 5 minutes long and covers a specific topic. They all come with audio and different exercises like filling in the blanks, unscrambling words, multiple-choice questions, translating sentences, and spelling tasks.

You’re also given the option to record your voice to compare your pronunciation with that of the chatbot. By the way, some exercises are simulated conversations where you record your voice and change roles with the chatbot. At the end of the conversation, you can play the whole thing to check for any mistakes in your pronunciation.

At the end of each lesson, you can take a quick vocabulary review to reinforce what you just learned. If you complete all the daily lessons, you will have access to the weekly quiz, and if you complete all the weekly quizzes, you will have access to a monthly challenge.

Chatbot

Mondly is automated and interactive. You can interact with it via its chatbot as we mentioned above. Imagine you’re talking to someone. This is exactly what the chatbot does. You can engage in role plays about different topics.

You can either type or record your answer. Just make sure your mic works and you’re good to go!

Signup

Signing up is an easy, straightforward process. You can do so via email or through your Facebook, Google, or Apple accounts. It doesn’t take you more than a couple of minutes and you can start taking lessons right away!

Free vs Premium Member

When you sign up, you’re automatically a free member. You will have access to the first 8 lessons plus 1 free daily lesson. However, keep in mind you will have to wait for 12 hours before being able to take the next free lesson.

On the other hand, if you’re a premium member, all the lessons will be unlocked for you to take them whenever you feel like it. You will also receive have access to exclusive content and the other 41 languages offered on the platform.

Pricing

Now, you would think that a platform where you can learn so many languages would cost a fortune, right? Well, not necessarily. At the time of writing this post, these were the current prices:

1 language monthly – $9.99

1 language yearly – $47.99

All languages yearly – $47.99 (90%!)

The yearly membership is the one I recommend. It comes out to just $4 a month. That’s way less than buying a burger or a movie ticket.

What’s even best is that you can study all the languages offered on the platform for the price of one language. We don’t know how long this will last so you’d better hurry!

They accept all major credit cards as well as ACH, wire transfers, PayPal, checks, and even cash at 7-Eleven locations.

What I Liked About It

After using Mondly for some time, these are the things that I liked about it:

• An impressive selection of languages, including unusual ones like Latin.
• The lessons are short and fun.
• Integrated website and app for interchangeable use.
• Free 7-day trial.
• Premium membership is affordable and good value for money.
• Easy signup.

What I Didn’t Like About It

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. These are some things that I didn’t like about it:

• The lessons get too repetitive at times.
• The platform relies too much on translation.
• The lessons are somewhat disorganized and don’t follow a pattern progressing from easy to difficult.
• Each lesson is about a specific topic, but it doesn’t specify which concepts (verbs, adjectives, etc.) will be covered.
• Grammar is not a priority.
• The chatbot only understands preset answers, thus limiting the interaction.
• No interaction with other learners other than the leaderboard.

Who Is It For?

Mondly is a good learning option for most ages. I especially recommend it if you:

• Like games.
• Are looking for an affordable language course.
• Get bored easily with other courses.
• Need short lessons.
• Like to compete against others.
• Like flexibility.

Who Isn’t It For?

On the contrary, I don’t recommend it if you:

• Prefer a structured program.
• Need an intensive course.
• Are at an advanced level.
• Need constant supervision.
• Are not good at learning by yourself.

What Do Others Say About It?

If you do some search online, you will find that most people like Mondly. They like the gamification and overall content.

However, the recurring complaint from users has to do with billing and some app features not working correctly. I haven’t had any of those problems, but it’s something you might want to consider.

Final Verdict

Mondly is a good language-learning program for those who need something simple, fun, and affordable. The lessons are short and easy to follow on a daily basis. All things considered, we rate it 8/10.

However, as a free member, you will be severely limited. Most features are unlocked, so to make the most out of it, you’ll have to upgrade to premium.

You will not become fluent by using Mondly alone, although it is a good starting point. The good thing is, you can use it in conjunction with other learning tools like private classes.

Although the paid membership is not that expensive, you may still have doubts about it. If you’re still not sure, your best bet is to get the free trial. You don’t have anything to lose after all.

I hope you liked this review. Please leave any questions and comments you have in the section below. Au revoir, les amis!