When learning French, it’s important to be able to describe where people and objects are located. These useful prepositions help you talk about position and are especially helpful in speaking and writing exams. Here are some of the most common ones: à droite de = to the right of à gauche de = to the left of à côté de = next to en face … Continue reading French Prepositions of Position: Describing Where Things Are
One of the biggest challenges in GCSE French is remembering whether a noun is masculine or feminine. Even native speakers do not always know the gender. Watch the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, get it wrong! https://www.tiktok.com/@loicsuberville/video/7423373524074597665?lang=en-GB Warning: mild swearing. But here’s the good news: you don’t always have to guess or memorise everything. In many cases, the spelling (especially the ending) of a French … Continue reading Mastering French Noun Gender: Easy Patterns to Remember
For many learners of French, the letter h is confusing. It’s never pronounced like the English h, yet it still affects how French sounds and flows. To make things trickier, there are two types of h in French: h muet and h aspiré. Understanding the difference is essential for accurate pronunciation and grammar. Let’s break it down. First things first: the French h is always … Continue reading The H aspiré in French: What It Is and Why It Matters
Boost Your GCSE French Writing Go Beyond “très” with These Intensifiers! When writing in French, many students rely on basic intensifiers like très (very) or trop (too). While these words are useful, using a wider range of intensifiers will make your writing sound more advanced and help you stand out in your GCSE exams. Let’s explore some effective alternatives and how to use them confidently. … Continue reading Turn Good French into Great French
I lived in south-west France for two decades. When you imagine the south of France, you probably picture fields of sunflowers, ripening grapevines and sitting outside a little village café sipping a cold drink. Right? When I first moved to the Lot region, just south of the better-known Dordogne, I had no idea how cold the winters would be! Looking at the weather forecast today, … Continue reading 🥶 French Expressions for Cold Weather (and What They Really Mean!)
French learners often wonder when to pronounce the s in plus. The answer depends on meaning and context — and it’s actually quite logical once you see the patterns! ✅ When You Do Pronounce the “S” 🚫 When You Don’t Pronounce the “S” In these cases, the s stays silent. 🎧 Pronunciation Summary Meaning or Context Pronunciation Example Translation “More” (positive) /plys/ or /plyz/ Je … Continue reading When to Pronounce the “S” in Plus
Part 3 – Try these activities to create good habits for learning French over the year. Improve French whilst having fun. Suitable for KS3 French, Common Entrance exams, GCSE amd IGCSE students and beyond. To get the full list to your inbox, pop your email below. 🗼Culture 🚲Watch a video about the Tour de France on the 1jour1actu website. The transcript appears below the video … Continue reading 🎉 Fun Summer French Activities Pt 3
This week’s blog continues with the mnemonic CROISSANT, a simple tool to remember what to include in your answers to the longer writing questions: C: Connectives R: Reasons O: Opinions I: Intensifiers S S: Sophisticated structures/subordinate clauses A: Adverbs N: Negative phrases T: Tenses This post is going to concentrate on reasons, which are relevant for the 80-90 and 130-150 question (Edexcel and IGCSE) and … Continue reading Strengthen Your French Writing: How to Back Up Your Opinions
I have blogged before about the mnemonic CROISSANT. It is a simple tool to remember what to include in your answers to the longer writing questions: C: Connectives R: Reasons O: Opinions I: Intensifiers S S: Sophisticated structures/subordinate clauses A: Adverbs N: Negative phrases T: Tenses This post is going to concentrate on opinions, which are relevant for the 80-90 and 130-150 question (Edexcel and … Continue reading Ace your GCSE or IGCSE writing exam
