formalities

Formal French

French formalities

Français formel

This index includes a variety of French words, expressions, pronunciations, and grammatical and structures required in formal communciation.

For an explanation of the difference between formal and literary, see What is register?

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Mistakes and Difficulties

Optional Liaisons

French optional liaisonsSome liaisons in front of a vowel or h muet are optional, which means it up to you to decide whether to pronounce them. However, that decision matters: more liaisons means more formal speech, so obviously fewer liaisons means more informal, possibly even familiar speech.

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Grammar Lessons

Passé simple

Passé simpleThe passé simple is a single-word past tense, equivalent to English's simple past. However, the passé simple is a literary tense and is thus limited to formal writing, such as literature (including children's books), journalism, and historical accounts.

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Grammar Lessons

Past Anterior

French past anteriorThe past anterior is the literary equivalent of the past perfect and is usually preceded by a conjunction such as après que or quand.

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Travel and Culture

Politeness

French politeness
After bonjour, polite phrases like "please" and "thank you" are the most important French vocabulary you'll ever learn. When you visit France, knowing just these few phrases will go a long way, even if the very next thing you say is Parlez-vous anglais ?

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Grammar Lessons

Questions

French questionsKnowing how to ask questions in French is essential for making plans, shopping, traveling, getting to know people, and any other activity that requires obtaining information. There are two different types of questions, and different ways to ask each type.

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Linguistics

Register

French registerThe linguistic term "register" is used to categorize some aspect of language, such as a word, expression, or grammatical construction, by how formal or informal it is. Whether you realize it or not, you use a variety of registers every day, so knowing your registers is vital for communication.

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