French reading
French resources
Opinion-led pieces on learning French as an adult: methodology, vocabulary deep dives, regional notes.
Methodology
AQA GCSE French (8652): The Vocabulary, the Topics, and What It Takes to Cover It
What the AQA GCSE French 8652 specification actually asks for: 1,500+ vocabulary items across nine topics, foundation and higher tier breakdown, and how the spec maps onto a frequency-based learning approach.
14 Jun 2026
Methodology
Colors in French: The 11 Basics, the Invariable Ones, and Agreement Rules
Colors in French for adult learners. The 11 basic colours, gender and number agreement, the invariable trio (orange, marron, rose), the compound-colour trap (bleu clair stays singular), the marron/brun split, and the colour idioms worth knowing.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Days of the Week in French: Lundi to Dimanche and the Lowercase Trap
Days of the week in French: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. The Roman-planet etymology, the lowercase rule that catches every English speaker, the lundi-first calendar, and the le lundi vs bare lundi distinction that marks a habitual Monday from a specific one.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Numbers in French: 1 to 100 and the 70/80/90 Problem That Throws Every Learner
Numbers in French from 0 to 1000. The standard count, the notorious 70/80/90 system (soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix), the Belgian and Swiss alternatives (septante, huitante, nonante), plural agreement on cent and quatre-vingts, and the pronunciation traps on six, dix and vingt.
11 Jun 2026
Resources
Essential French Words for Travel: Water, Food, Help and the 30 Words That Actually Matter
The 30 essential French words for travel, starting with eau (water) and the 'une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît' move that gets you free tap water. With pronunciation, regional variation, and the phrase patterns to slot them into.
10 Jun 2026
Methodology
How to Say Beautiful in French: Beau, Belle, Joli and the Word the Gender Trap Catches Out
How to say beautiful in French across registers. Beau, belle, joli, jolie, mignon, magnifique, sublime, ravissant - which one applies to a person, a building, a meal, and why the gender agreement and the BEL-before-vowel rule trip up English speakers.
10 Jun 2026
Methodology
Cheers in French: Santé, À la Tienne, Tchin-Tchin and the Eye-Contact Rule
How to say cheers in French. Santé is the universal default; à la tienne and à votre santé are the warmer variants; tchin-tchin is the onomatopoeic casual version. The eye-contact rule, the seven years' bad sex superstition, and the cultural etiquette of clinking glasses in France.
10 Jun 2026
Methodology
How to Say Good Morning in French: Why It Is Bonjour, Not Bon Matin
How to say good morning in French. The honest answer: bonjour covers it. Bon matin is a Québec usage. Plus bonsoir, bonne nuit, bonne journée, bonne soirée and when each one is the right move.
10 Jun 2026
Methodology
How to Say My Name Is in French: Je M'appelle and the Tu/Vous Trap
How to say my name is in French across registers. Je m'appelle, je suis, mon nom est, the formal comment vous appelez-vous vs the informal comment tu t'appelles, and the introduction etiquette that marks a learner who has actually been in France.
10 Jun 2026
Resources
Top 100 French Verbs: The Ones That Carry Adult Conversation
The 100 most-frequent French verbs, ranked, with translations and links to full conjugations. The être / avoir auxiliary split, the modal cluster, the irregulars you cannot skip, and why pronominal verbs matter more than learners think.
10 Jun 2026
Culture
French Curse Phrases: Putain, Merde, and Everything In Between
An adult learner's guide to French swearing: the metropolitan putain register, Quebec's religious sacres, the classic learner traps with baiser and con, and the Belgian, Swiss and Maghrebi variations.
8 Jun 2026
French
French Conversational Connectors: 30 Phrases to Sound Natural
30 French conversational connectors that buy you thinking time and make your French sound natural, not textbook. With IPA, register notes, and example uses.
7 Jun 2026