Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast French Your Way Podcast: Learn French with Jessica | French Grammar | French Vocabulary | French Expressions

By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! In this episode we’ll go through some… Read More →

The post FYW 245 : French slang expressions (4) appeared first on French Your Way.

Listener Nancy would like to clarify when “ne” can be dropped in French. When is it possible to deliberately forget this common 2-letter word? Is there any change in the meaning? Listen to find out! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je n’aime pas quand tu fumes = j’aime pas… Read More →

The post FYW 244 : When is “ne” optional in French ? appeared first on French Your Way.

When students write in French, I often see words spelled with an initial uppercase which shouldn’t be: the English language uses capital letters in more situations than the French language does – typically with days of the week or months of the year. Let’s go through a useful checklist of words that require a capital… Read More →

The post FYW 243 : When to capitalise a word in French ? appeared first on French Your Way.

Live workshops are back! More information and bookings open on my events page: https://frenchyourway.com.au/events If you can’t attend, don’t worry: you will receive the replay video as well as the worksheet and answers. Upcoming events: Dictée en français / French dictation Sunday May 22nd at 9pm Paris time. Imparfait vs passé composé Thursday May 26th… Read More →

The post FYW : Live workshops are back! May 2022 appeared first on French Your Way.

As if it were not challenging enough to get to understand French spoken at normal speed, how to understand a French conversation when there is background noise/music, or a piece of French audio that’s not clearly audible? In this episode inspired by a question from Fiona, I will share some tips on how you can… Read More →

The post FYW 242 : Understanding French when sound quality is poor or there’s background noise appeared first on French Your Way.

Fiona from Melbourne Australia asked me to explain the difference between the verbs “sentir” and “ressentir” in French. Let’s go through the differences in their use and in the structure of the sentences. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode L’odorat (nm) sentir des fleurs / un parfum / l’odeur de… Read More →

The post FYW 241: SENTIR vs RESSENTIR appeared first on French Your Way.

Here’s a selection of 5 mistakes commonly made by English students learning French. Some may be a “simple” refresher (but we really need to drill those in, don’t we!), some of them may be new to you depending on your level of French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je… Read More →

The post FYW 240: 5 Common Mistakes in French That English Speakers Make (part 1) appeared first on French Your Way.

This episode was inspired by a question from listener Philip: “Recently, a thunderstorm damaged my internet connection. The router displayed the error message “réseau non détecté”. I was surprised, because I would have said “pas détecté”. When should we use “pas” or “non” to mean “not”?” Let’s see examples and learn about the difference between… Read More →

The post FYW 239: “pas” vs “non” in French appeared first on French Your Way.

By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! Warning : in this episode, I’ve gathered… Read More →

The post FYW 238: French Slang Expressions (3) appeared first on French Your Way.

In my last newsletter and YouTube video, I asked for your input/feedback on what you struggle most with in French and I took note of your difficulties (some of which I still need to think about how to best address them.) One aspect of French grammar which came back several times was how to tell… Read More →

The post FYW 237: Telling the Gender of Nouns appeared first on French Your Way.

This recording is in French, here’s the outline of what I talk about to help you follow: A comeback video in a new environment: we’re in France! We’ve been settling down, enjoying family time after two years of separation, finally meeting my little (and very cute nephew), creating memories (e.g we took the kids to… Read More →

The post FYW – I’m back ! News and what’s next appeared first on French Your Way.

By popular demand, I’ll record some episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find… Read More →

The post FYW 236: French slang expressions (2) appeared first on French Your Way.

A simple French grammar tip can help you go a long way to efficiently translate common expressions from English to French! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Rien/quelque chose / quelqu’un / personne + DE + adj SING MASC rien de spécial / de grave / d’important / d’urgent quelqu’un… Read More →

The post FYW 235: How to translate “Nothing serious, something urgent” and more expressions in French appeared first on French Your Way.

I received an email from Abhijit’s, Tasmania, who is struggling to translate some sentences from English to French. He says he prefers to learn phrases as opposed to grammar and asks for my opinion and any potential book recommendation. This is a good opportunity for me to share MY thoughts about the best way to… Read More →

The post FYW 234: Learning phrases vs learning grammar appeared first on French Your Way.

By popular demand, I’ll record some episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find… Read More →

The post FYW 233: French slang expressions (1) appeared first on French Your Way.

What’s the difference between SUR and DESSUS, or SOUS and DESSOUS? Can they be used interchangeably? In this episode we’ll see how to use these words in sentences, along with more examples and a vocabulary booster! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le livre est sur la table. Il est… Read More →

The post FYW 232: Sur / dessus, sous / dessous, etc. appeared first on French Your Way.

This is yet another question from Artur, who was featured in the previous episode! 😉 “I recently stumbled upon one hitch in one exercise in a course, namely: “Si quelque chose tente Robert, il l’achète” becomes “Il achète ce qui le tente.” According to you, it should be: “Il achète ce que le tente”? I… Read More →

The post FYW 231: “qui” vs “que”, a brush-up appeared first on French Your Way.

Here’s a question from Artur: “I wonder if the last letter “t” is pronounced in the phrase “Il part en chantant”, because of the liaison? Same question for “c’est une bonne idée.” I’ve heard some folks pronounce “t” and some not.” What do you think? How would you pronounce the above sentences? Give it a… Read More →

The post FYW 230: Liaison or not liaison? A rough guide to help you decide. appeared first on French Your Way.

I received the following question from Jane: Hi Jessica, I am new to your podcasts but hoping to work my way through them slowly as I study French. I am very much enjoying them. I have just listened to episode 6 (FYW 006 : “To demand” vs “Demander”: ) and have a question about agreement… Read More →

The post FYW 229: Brush-up of the past participle agreement rule – Why is there a feminine agreement in the sentence “Mon mari m’a demandée en mariage à Uluru”? appeared first on French Your Way.

An end-of-the year message for you in both English and French, with the French text below 🙂 Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Bonjour à tous, J’espère que vous allez bien. Je voulais dire avec vous “au revoir” à cette année 2020 et vous adresser mes meilleurs vœux pour 2021… Read More →

The post FYW 228: Meilleurs voeux appeared first on French Your Way.

What’s the difference between TROUVER and RETROUVER in French? Listen in! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast 😉 Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode J’ai trouvé des clés dans la rue. J’ai retrouvé mes clés dans la poche de mon pantalon. Après des mois de confinement, nous retrouvons… Read More →

The post FYW 227: Trouver, retrouver (and more vocabulary) appeared first on French Your Way.

Martha from Cape Cod in the USA is confused about when to use the verb FALLOIR and when to use DEVOIR in French. As a result, she says she exclusively uses DEVOIR. The two verbs actually have the same meaning but the structure of the sentence will be different. Let’s see how they work, with… Read More →

The post FYW 226: DEVOIR vs FALLOIR appeared first on French Your Way.

Lacking a sense of direction is the surest way to ending up nowhere, feeling all over the place, overwhelmed and eventually discouraged. Find out how you can define your French learning goals and stay focused using the SMART goals tool. Links and Resources “How long does it take to learn French?” (article) “How long does… Read More →

The post FYW 225: How to define your French goals and learning plan appeared first on French Your Way.

Listener Rebecca is confused about the different forms of the French word “nouveau” and how it is different from the word “neuf”. Let’s clarify the difference and learn new expressions along the way! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Nouveau(x), nouvel(le) un nouveau jour, une nouvelle nuit un nouvel ordinateur… Read More →

The post FYW 224: Nouveau vs Neuf appeared first on French Your Way.

This episode complements episode 222: “What are these strange ” LE ” and “NE” words with no actual meaning in French ??”. We’ll see examples of letters being added with the only purpose of making French pronunciation easier. There will also be examples of common spelling alterations to achieve that same purpose. So, if you want… Read More →

The post FYW 223: When letters are added to help with French pronunciation appeared first on French Your Way.

Joanna asked me : Why is the ” l’ ” neccesary in “Tu verras ce que l’on gagne à vouloir vivre libre”? What is it a pronoun referring to? it is direct or indirect? Merci! Good question! It may be very surprising but this “l’ ” doesn’t mean anything and is not compulsory! Ok, I think you need… Read More →

The post FYW 222: What are these strange “LE” and “NE” words with no actual meaning in French ?? appeared first on French Your Way.

Thanks to Tina for suggesting to talk about French expressions on the podcast. Idiomatic expressions can be so difficult for language learners because they often don’t make sense when they are translated literally. However, they’re rather fun and also commonly used, therefore it is always useful to know them. Of course, I also find it… Read More →

The post FYW 221: Idiomatic French expressions: “Donner sa langue au chat” (and more !) appeared first on French Your Way.

Pronunciation rules around the verb “acheter” (and more!) Listener Nuvia is in doubt on how to pronounce the verb “acheter” in the present tense. There are indeed a few opportunities for you to learn or brush up various aspects of the French language in this seemingly short and simple question. Let’s dive in! Vocabulary and… Read More →

The post FYW 220: Pronunciation rules around the verb “acheter” (and more!) appeared first on French Your Way.

If you haven”t taken the challenge yet, grab your pen and paper and test yourself with the free French dictation I ran live in August! This is a great opportunity for you to brush-up your French listening, grammar and phonetic skills. As always, I”ll also comment on and explain a few tricky points 😉 The… Read More →

The post FYW 219: French dictation (replay from 22/08/2020 live session) appeared first on French Your Way.

This episode complements episode 217 (“How to convert a verb into a noun or adjective in French?”) and sheds light on some special spelling rules that may happen inside a same family of words. You’ll get a grammar brush-up and become a French spelling Jedi if you can remember these rules! Vocabulary and Spelling of… Read More →

The post FYW 218: Special spelling rules: words ending in “_guer”, “_quer” appeared first on French Your Way.

This weekend, challenge your mind and join me on the live sessions that I’ll be running for you! I’m always delighted to see you, the familiar faces, as well as the new ones! There will be: A free Games in French session and A French Grammar Clinic with a dictation and practice around tricky verb… Read More →

The post Join the French Games and French dictation this weekend! appeared first on French Your Way.

I have to thank Abdulelah from Saudi Arabia for inspiring me to make this episode because what follows is just what I l LOVE to explain: you’re both going to work on your grammar AND increase your vocabulary in a blink of the eye (or so I hope!) In English, you may convert a verb… Read More →

The post FYW 217: How to convert a verb into a noun or adjective in French? appeared first on French Your Way.

While the topic of the previous episode was light and rather fun (How to talk to your pet in French), today’s episode is more serious and I hope will be very useful to you. Listener Kate emailed me the following question: “I am a relatively new French learner and there is something important that I… Read More →

The post FYW 216: Allergies and medical issues: saying them in French appeared first on French Your Way.

This episode inspired by a question from Philip was a particularly fun one to prepare. Philip lives in Saint-Tropez, a beautiful and town on the Mediterranean coast in the South of France which attracts many visitors and celebrities in the summer. He did pet sitting for French friends and had many questions around how to… Read More →

The post FYW 215: How to talk to your pet in French! appeared first on French Your Way.

Many episodes ago, I recorded a series of lessons about the use of the various French pronouns. I think it’s time for a quick brush-up! Here’s the question I received from a Joanna, a listener of French Your Way podcast: “Why would the pronoun for the Louvre not be “y” in the following example: Tu… Read More →

The post FYW 214: Brushing up pronouns in French: which pronoun would you use to replace “Le Louvre” in “Tu visiteras Le Louvre”? (listener’s question) appeared first on French Your Way.

Listen to a real French lesson that I recorded with John, a student from the USA! John wanted to focus on a general conversation. I interrupted him here and there to correct or point out a few grammatical or pronunciation points and give him relevant vocabulary. If you’ve enjoyed learning from a real French lesson… Read More →

The post FYW 213: Listen to a real French lesson! (French session #4) appeared first on French Your Way.

What is the difference between “Bonne chance” and “Bon courage” in French? Can they be used interchangeably? Find out in this episode and learn a few more common French expressions to wish someone well! This episode was inspired by a question from Joan. If you also have a question about the French language or French… Read More →

The post FYW 212: “Bonne chance” vs “Bon courage” (and a few more expressions) appeared first on French Your Way.

Live French Grammar Clinic workshops : Launching on July 18th and 19th 2020!! You know how curious I am about how the language works. In my French Your Way Podcast, I not only investigate about the origin of French words and expressions; I also always strive to explain grammar in the simplest, most memorable way… Read More →

The post Launching French Grammar Clinic Workshops Live with Jessica appeared first on French Your Way.

Join other students from around the world and let’s play in French together! This recording is an excerpt from the latest Games in French session I ran on Zoom last weekend. You’ll hear us play “Le Petit Bac” (I explain the rules and point system) in the recording. For these two rounds, we played with… Read More →

The post Games in French (Replay from 27 June 2020) appeared first on French Your Way.

While trying my hand at new baking techniques, I have come to learn a few valuable lessons which can also apply to learning a language… French for instance! 😉 In this episode I’m sharing a personal baking experience and talking about fear, analysis-paralysis, trial and error and even failure! All of them are part of… Read More →

The post Lessons about language learning which I learnt… in my kitchen!! appeared first on French Your Way.

This is the last episode about my reading of “Le Petit Prince” to you! Contact me if you think you can help me grow my collection of Petit Prince books in a foreign language 🙂 Full text available online: “E-books libres et gratuits“ I’m reading: “Le Petit Prince”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le grand livre pop-up,… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 26-27) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 23-25) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 21-22) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 19-20) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 17-18) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 15-16) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 13-14) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 11-12) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 9-10) appeared first on French Your Way.

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! 🏠😉Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available… Read More →

The post Le Petit Prince read by Jessica (chapters 7-8) appeared first on French Your Way.