Adjectives

French adjectivesOne of the eight parts of speech, adjectives are a type of modifier; that is, they modify or describe nouns in a certain way, letting you know the size, shape, weight, color, nationality, or any of a myriad other possible qualities of nouns.

   

Auxiliary Verbs – Avoir vs Être

French auxiliary verbsAuxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs, because they help form compound conjugations. The key thing to remember about compound conjugations is that it's the auxiliary verb which conjugates for the required tense or mood; the main verb is always a past participle.

   

Bastille Day

Bastille DayYou probably know that 14 July is Bastille Day, but do you know what it's called in French? (Hint, it's not "jour de Bastille.") Do you know the history behind Bastille Day, or how it's celebrated in France? This page has links to everything you could possibly want to know.

   

Calendar

French calendar
Knowing the days of the week, months of the year, and seasons will come in handy when traveling, making plans with friends, talking about history, and lots more.

   

Colors

French colors
What do buying clothes, talking about art, and shopping for fruits and vegetables have in common? Color! If you want to make sure to buy red tomatoes and critique an artist's use of green, you'll need to know the French colors.

   

Dates

French datesIf you ever write letters, make plans, or request appointments, this lesson will be invaluable. There are a few little formulas to memorize in French, but otherwise, dates are very easy to talk about.

   

Descriptions

Descriptions in French
Setting up an online dating profile, talking to friends about someone you met, bragging about a new baby, and telling the police about a suspect have one thing in common: physical descriptions. Learn all the French vocabulary you need to describe the most common physical characteristics.

   

Family

French family vocabulary
Learn how to talk about your entire family in French, including step-family, family-in-law, adoptive family, and more.

   

Food

Food
Food is a necessity, and can also be a source of great pleasure. Being able to talk about French food will come in handy while shopping, dining, traveling, and entertaining friends, so check out this lesson about French food, including the basic food groups and related vocabulary. Bon appétit !

   

Future Tense

French future tenseIn English, we use the modal "will" plus a verb to talk about actions that will take place in the future, but in French there's a future tense with a full set of conjugations for every verb. The uses of these two constructions are very similar.

   

Games, Sports, Hobbies

French hobbies, sports, and games
Even if you love working on your French, sometimes you just need to play! Learn the French equivalents of your favorite games, sports, and hobbies and the verbs to use with them.

   

   

Halloween

French Halloween vocabulary
Halloween is not a French holiday, though each passing year sees a few more bits and pieces of it imported to France. Nevertheless, learning the French translations for Halloween vocabulary can be fun, especially for younger students. 'Appy 'Alloween! :-)

   

Holidays

Jours fériés - French holidaysFrance has 11 public holidays (bank holidays), known as jours fériés, jours chômés, fêtes chômées, or fêtes légales.

   

Home and Furniture

French home and furniture vocabulary
Home is where the heart is - not to mention the refrigerator, computer, and bed. Learn French vocabulary related to your home and furniture.