Even if you know all the French prepositions, it can still be quite difficult to use them correctly. Here, we will help you on your way. In front of, behind, between, in, through… When a preposition only indicates a place, it is straightforward in French. However, prepositions are also used to indicate direction or origin, […]
Je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils… You know those words. But when a personal pronoun is used as a direct object, or indirect object, the matter changes. Here you can read when to use which word. In Dutch you probably do it right automatically, and you don’t have to parse a sentence. In French it […]
In Dutch you don’t hear the difference between an adverb and an adjective. In French it does matter. But that’s no reason to get gray hairs. An adjective is an adjectif, an adverb is an adverbe. The difference is grammatical, and once you figure that out, you can work with it in French as well. […]
In French you have several ways to indicate that something is too expensive. Useful to know when shopping! Ça vaut la peau des fesses.> That costs an arm. Ça coûte un bras.> That’s worth the skin of the buttocks. C’est pas donné.> That is not given. You hear this expression a lot in France. Ça […]
The further south you go, the more free time is used. At least, that’s what many people think. But how punctual are the French really? “L’heure, c’est l’heure, avant l’heure, c’est pas l’heure ; après l’heure, c’est plus l’heure,” says writer Jules Jouy. In other words, when it’s time, it’s time, after the hour it’s […]
How do you indicate in French if you do not know something? No idea? Here are 5 ways to tell you’ve lost track. Je n’en sais rien.> I do not know. Literally: I know nothing about it. Va savoir!> Tell me (because I don’t know). Tu me poses un colle.> That is a difficult question. […]
When you learn French words, it makes a difference if the French word already exists in Dutch. But beware, the meaning can sometimes differ considerably. Faux amis , or French words that are (almost) the same in our language, but really mean something different can be real instincts. Below you will find a few: Amateur […]
It can just happen: want to go to Paris. Instead of hopping into the Thalys, you can simply go home to the French capital. What a day in Paris à la maison looks like? You can read that here. Bonjour! You slept in, of course; it is a holiday after all. Put on French music […]
For example, an onomatopoeia, or onomatopoeia, is kukeleku for the sound a rooster makes. That rooster sounds the same in French, but you write the sound very differently. Below are some examples of French onomatopoeia. boom! – boum! (or: badaboum! ) hatsjie! – achoum! clap! – clac! clock-clock (sound of drinking, and the sound of […]
We may all be longing for the sunny southern French landscape in the summer right now. Antoinette dans les Cévennes is a good film to dream away with. You’ll just be a teacher and having an affair with the father of one of your students. Antoinette (played by Laure Calamy, known from Dix Pour Cent, […]
