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6 Easy French Recipes to Bring France to Your Home

There is more to French cuisine than cuisses de grenouilles (frog legs) and escargots (snails).

In fact, many French people never ate these two dishes.

In this article, Akita from Buffet Français shows you how to make some of his favorite French recipes from the comfort of your home and offers interesting cultural insights about each dish.

I encourage you to adapt the following recipes to your kitchen ustensils and the ingredients you can find in your country.

Make it your own and enjoy! [Read more…] about 6 Easy French Recipes to Bring France to Your Home

The 29 Best French Children’s Books for Beginner and Intermediate Learners

By Benjamin Houy 5 Comments

If you’ve ever opened Le Petit Prince, you know that French children’s books aren’t necessarily easy to understand as a French learner.

Many use the passé simple, a tense even educated French people struggle with.

Others use old-fashioned vocabulary you clearly don’t need as a beginner.

After thinking about all the children’s books I loved as a kid, I selected a few you can read and enjoy whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate French learner! [Read more…] about The 29 Best French Children’s Books for Beginner and Intermediate Learners

The Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the French Present Tense

By Benjamin Houy 4 Comments

The French present tense is the only tense you truly need to know to get by on a trip to France.

You can use it to talk about the present of course but the French sometimes use it to talk about future events as well.

And while it has the reputation of being illogical and hard to master, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, you can master the present tense conjugation of most French verbs in a matter of weeks if you focus on learning the most common conjugation patterns first.

After reading this article, you’ll know exactly when to use the French present tense and how to quickly master it (oh and the free bonus at the end will help you make sure it doesn’t take forever).

9 Polite and Not So Polite Ways to Say “You’re Welcome” in French

By Benjamin Houy 5 Comments

When someone thanks you, you only have a few seconds to answer with the appropriate “you’re welcome”.

This can be very stressful if you don’t know the differences between “de rien”, “je vous en prie” and “ya pas de quoi”.

Is your answer polite enough? Is it too formal? Do French people actually use that phrase?

After reading this article, you’ll know which French equivalent of “you’re welcome” to use in every situation! [Read more…] about 9 Polite and Not So Polite Ways to Say “You’re Welcome” in French

How to Quickly Improve Your Writing Skills with French Grammar Checkers

By Benjamin Houy 4 Comments

There are lots of tools you can use to check your French for grammar, spelling and conjugation mistakes.

But how well do they perform?

That’s what I wanted to find out so I selected 5 sentences a French learner submitted online and corrected them with a few French grammar checkers.

In this article, you’ll discover how reliable grammar checkers are and learn about a few alternatives.

[Read more…] about How to Quickly Improve Your Writing Skills with French Grammar Checkers

20 Authentic Ways to Say Goodbye in French

By Benjamin Houy 2 Comments

You just ate in a lovely restaurant in the centre of Bordeaux. You paid, left a tip to the friendly waiter and are about to leave.

And you wonder…Should you say “au revoir”? Or is it “salut”? You want to sound friendly, but not too informal.

Oh and you’d love to communicate your desire to come back to try that fondant au chocolat the couple sitting at the next table is eating.

If only you knew how to say “see you soon” in French!

You’ll after reading this article!
[Read more…] about 20 Authentic Ways to Say Goodbye in French

18 French Newspapers to Improve Your Reading Skills

By Benjamin Houy 6 Comments

As a kid, I was fascinated by adults reading newspapers. They looked so smart! So serious!

I wanted to be like them!

So, when I grew up, I started reading Le Monde, then Mediapart, Le Monde Diplomatique, Le Canard Enchainé…

If these names don’t sound familiar to you, this article is for you.

After reading it, you’ll know most French newspapers and the key differences between them.

How to Say “How Are You” in French Like a Local

By Benjamin Houy 2 Comments

You walk to your friend, ask him “comment allez-vous ?” (how are you) and expect a passionate answer about what’s he’s been up to lately.

Instead, your friend simply answers “good, and you?”.

What did you do wrong?

Not much.

In fact, the only mistake you made was to use the wrong “how are you”.

In French, there are at least 15 ways to say “how are you”.

Use the right “how are you” and French people will open up to you and gladly tell you about their day, thoughts and feelings.

Use the wrong form and they’ll tell you “bien merci” while you’re left wondering what to say next.

Today, I’d like to show you 10 common ways to say “how are you” in French and explain when and how to use each variation so you can easily connect with people, start conversations and show how much you care.