13 hilarious French translation

Translation seems like such an easy thing. For instance, gâteau becomes “cake” — et voilà!  ….Or maybe I meant to say “cookie” because gâteau could mean that, too….   Yep, translation can get complicated, even when it involves a single, common word. Still, I’m not sure that excuses the people (or machines) behind these thirteen French translation fails. …

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12 terrific facts about the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower –  la Tour Eiffel in French — is one of the world’s most famous, recognizable landmarks. But despite its fame, there are a few things you may not know about la dame de fer.  In honor of its reopening, here are twelve fascinating facts about the Eiffel Tower: 1. The Tower was an …

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How do you say “French” in French? With audio

“French person”,  “Frenchman” or “Frenchwoman”, “Frenchie”, or even “frog” – there are a number of ways to refer to French people in English. But what terms do French people use to refer to themselves? It turns out there are several fairly common ways French people refer to themselves and their language. Let’s look at how …

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How long does it really take to learn French?

As a teacher, French culture and language writer, and non-native French speaker, “How long does it take to learn French?” is a question I get a lot. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single, concrete answer. That’s because there are a few questions you have to ask yourself first. Let’s look at five questions that will help …

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The surprising meaning of bougie in French

What do a bougie person and a candle have in common? You might guess I’m talking about decor options or something along those lines. But if you’ve ever tried doing an online search for something like “bougie in French”, or asked a French friend how to translate “bougie”, what I’ve just said might ring a …

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How to use and conjugate ouvrir | With audio

The French verb ouvrir means “to open”. Like its English equivalent, it’s open to many different possibilities when it comes to meanings and uses. Let’s open our minds and learn more about the verb ouvrir! What does ouvrir mean? The verb ouvrir  usually means “to open”. As in English, this can be used literally or …

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