Vocabulary Lists

Bon – Informal Synonyms

Informal synonyms for bon - French adjectives
Students often ask "how can I sound more French?" and my first recommendation is always to work on vocabulary. In French classes, you tend to learn the most common, basic terms, like bon, which is a typical and very useful adjective that can be overused. Read this lesson for some informal ways to say "good," including how to pronounce them.

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Pronunciation Guides

Dieresis: ë, ï, ü

French dieresisThe dieresis, le tréma, is a French accent found only on three vowels: ë, ï, and ü. The dieresis usually indicates that the accented vowel must be pronounced distinctly from the vowel that precedes it.

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Grammar Lessons

Regular -er Verbs

Regular -er French verb conjugationsThere are several thousand verbs that end in -er, the largest category of regular French verbs. To conjugate them, remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate -er verb ending.

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Vocabulary Lists

Multiplicative Numbers

French multiplicative numbers
Multiplicative numbers are, unsurprisingly, words used to multiply nouns. The numbers themselves can be adjectives or nouns - either way, their gender agrees with the nouns they modify / replace.

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Vocabulary Lists

Spelling Equivalents

French English spelling equivalents
Thanks to extensive Latin and French influence on English, French and English have many corresponding spelling patterns. These come in handy when learning French, as it means there lots of cognates that you'll easily recognize and understand at first sight.

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Literature

Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince
Read the first chapter of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's delightful children's book, Le Petit Prince.

   

Writing Resources

How to Type Accents in Any OS

Typing French accents
It's just as important to include accents when writing in French as it is to spell words correctly. It drives me kind of crazy when people say, sorry, I can't type accents on my computer / tablet / smartphone. Yes, you can type accents - yes! even on your old computer. Check out these instructions for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

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