How many words to speak French ?
Take heart... here come good news : According to the Dubois-Buyse scale, which lists the words of the French language according to their frequency of use, the “average French“ uses about 5,000 words to make him/herself understood. Obviously, this average hides...
Coaching, Teaching… or Chat Friend
Coaching, teaching or... If it's not lessons, it's not teaching. If it's training talents, it's more coaching. if it's practicing and getting hints and prompts... then it's the “no-name” position I take here : The French Chat Friend ???? Try that one fast......
What came first, oral or written language ?
So... what came first in terms of language ? Oral or written ? Well... oral, of course, be it in the evolution of humanity... but in the natural evolution of the human being, from baby to adult ! How do we learn our mother language ? By hearing it... repeatedly... The...
Language roots… Latin Vs. Anglo-Saxon
It's commonly said that French is a “latin language” and English an “anglo-saxon language.” OK, it's true for the majority of French, along with Greek roots, plus a few other influences. It's true too that English has a lot more than Anglo-Saxon roots... especially a...
The headache of genders in French
In English, you have the beings which have genders and the “things” that are... let's say neutral ! In French everything, being or thing has a gender and we don't have a neutral ! So apart from living beings having an obvious gender... how do you know the gender of a...
Speak without translating first… stop the gearing !
This is a challenge at the beginning... in fact, it's a hindrance to fluently speaking. The chances are pretty good that the structure of the sentence is different in French and English anyway. And it will slow you down enormously ! So, to your best of your abilities,...
French Lover… or French Lover ?
French Lover or French Lover ? That's what I like about language... it can be funny, surprising, tricky, ... So what about this one ? In French, you wouldn't be confused though ! Amant français... ou Amoureux du français ? Well, he/she could be both, don't you think...
Decorticate… That’s What I Do
Last night, the word “decorticate” came to my mind. I wondered a bit : “décortiquer” is the French and I was not so sure that “englishizing” it was good enough to have a real English word. This morning, I checked : yes, it's English but, apparently, it belongs in the...
Make Your Navigation Easier in Videos
TIP Are you watching a video on your computer (laptop or desktop) ? And you missed the very last few seconds : were distracted ? didn't get it right ? didn't understand ? need confirmation ? To avoid stopping the video, moving the cursor on the timeline et relaunching...