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Speaking french

Do Britons have a right to a translator in a French court?

We look at whether the state has provisions for non-French speakers

How to use ‘alors’ like a French native speaker

Using this word can help boost your proficiency in the language and make you sound like a true Francophone

Five tips for learning to speak French in later life

Bilingual columnist Cynthia Spillman’s husband failed O-level French twice - these are her tips from watching him become more fluent

magazine

Why translating French word-for-word can help - or confuse

Sometimes even French people cannot explain a familiar phrase because that is ‘just the way it is’

Seven words you will often hear in spoken French

Many have multiple uses and you will frequently hear them in everyday conversations

Why do the French say Pékin, not Beijing?

There are several examples in French of place names which have long since been replaced by alternative versions in the English language

Provençal pronunciation: How does it differ from standard French?

Provençal is enjoying a revival: Marseille has announced plans to record metro announcements in the dialect

Common mistakes French learners make and how to fix them

Whether it be definite articles or the difference between romantic and platonic love, French is full of nuance

10 common French sayings to improve your language skills

From ‘telling salads’ to ‘giving his tongue to the cat’, here are some great sayings to embellish your sentences with

Widen your vocabulary with 10 alternatives to common French phrases

If you find yourself using the same old phrases you learned at school, here is how to elevate your language

12 phrases to show why ‘cul’ is a pillar of the French language

The word pops up frequently in commonly used French expressions

Six phrases to describe being drunk in French

From cul sec to boire comme un trou, we take a look inside France’s drink-related lexicon

Try these newsletters to keep you on track with your French learning

Having one regularly drop into your inbox should help improve your French reading skills

How to stay motivated with your French language learning

Hitting a motivation wall is part of the process. Language teacher Sophie Parsons gives some tips for when this happens

How to keep up with French news and improve your language skills

From podcasts to social media, there is a wealth of resources available

How to stay in touch with French culture when living in UK or US

There are plenty of links to France all over the world - it is just knowing where to find them

Eight funny anecdotes from French language faux pas

Cringeworthy, mortifying, rude - brave readers share the embarrassing mistakes they can now laugh at

‘Jourbon!’: What is France’s backwards slang Verlan?

Verlan is fun to learn and understanding it will make you feel more at home in France

Tips on how to practise your French conversation skills in France

From language exchanges to speed dating, there are several ways of improving your spoken French

Understand French better with these 14 slang phrases

From tu me gonfles to démerdes-toi, these familiar French phrases should help get you in tune with what you hear on the streets

Try these 17 French expressions to help improve your language skills

From être dans la dèche to c’est pas Versailles ici we look at some of the best French expressions

How to pronounce the French words Connexion readers find hardest

From bouilloire to déshumidificateur, we explain how to say some of the trickiest words in French

Seven beginner mistakes in French to avoid

From false friends to memorising vocabulary, we look at the common errors you can make when you begin to learn the language

What is the French word for ‘woke’?

‘Woke’ has entered French vocabulary in its English form. There is a French equivalent, but it has not reached mainstream use, yet

‘Paris est belle ou beau’? Are French cities masculine or feminine?

Many French learners struggle with the gender of words. When it comes to proper nouns, the rules are unclear even to native speakers

A dozen French idioms to improve your language skills

Put your verb tables to one side and enrich your French with some idiomatic expressions

How to gain confidence in speaking French

French learners often find speaking the language harder than reading or writing, but there are ways to improve your confidence

Try these eight daily life hacks to improve your French

Quick and easy changes to incorporate French into your everyday routine can help you build your language skills

How to avoid an unholy linguistic pitfall when speaking French

The French you don’t learn at school

Comedian Paul Taylor begins French and European tour

Paris, Caen, Marseille and Nice host his shows in April, with dates in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes later this year

Books to help improve your French

Reading is one of the easiest ways to extend your vocabulary in French

‘Malgré que’ and other language mistakes even French people make

Native French speakers do make errors. Malgré que vous soyez Américains ou Britanniques , do not make them too

Buffing up your French pronunciation

The French you don’t learn at school - ‘chamois’

Really speak like a local… use these French filler words

The Connexion selects five of these words that do not mean much but are used to fill empty spaces in sentences - how many do you know?

French MPs to vote on idea of a language test for some residency cards

The measure features in the immigration bill which will go before parliament in the new year

Is your French good enough to pass nationality language test?

Try sample questions

What is the correct abbreviation of ‘Monsieur’?

Although many native French speakers abbreviate to Monsieur to Mr, it is not grammatically correct

Measure your French fluency against these five language milestones

Nick Inman explains why progress should be judged according to key stages rather than by native standards

Learning French is easier when you don’t sweat the small stuff

Jump right in rather than striving for perfection first, advises a language-learning expert

What it is like to take TCF French test when applying for nationality

Our writer describes his experience at a test centre and how he ‘burst with pride’ when told ‘vous parlez très bien’

Stuttering competition grand finale to take place in Nantes

The contest aims to help people who stutter to speak confidently and clearly, and is the culmination of five weeks of coaching

Ubériser, Adulescence: The new must-know French words

Two weeks before the release of the 2020 edition of classic French dictionary Le Petit Larousse, 150 new words and expressions have been leaked, revealing a host of recent societal trends.

Make life easy on yourself when learning a language

One of the first things we say in our Moving to and Living in France guide is “learn to speak French” but many readers do not. Nick Inman reveals how he beat his block

Make a call and chat to a random French person

Have you ever wondered what the French think of the Eiffel Tower, what their favourite restaurant is or where they like to go to the beach?