How to say “cat” in French – and other essential French vocabulary for cat lovers

The arm of a woman with black-painted fingernails reaches out a finger to touch the outstretched paw of a black cat who is perched on the edge of a wall.

Chat is “cat” in French. But what about “kitty”, “kitten”, “pussy cat”, and other feline monikers? Let’s look at the many ways to say “cat” in French – including one to be careful with! 9 ways to say “cat” in French Since we cat people like to talk about our favorite animal in lots of creative …

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8 ways to use “bien sûr” like a local

A man and women, seen from the waist to the neck, sit at a table. Each is drinking a coffee or cappucino. They are talking and they hold hands with their free hands.

Bien sûr means “of course” or “naturally” in French. It’s a very common expression that you’ll encounter in many different situations. Do you want to speak French like a native speaker? Bien sûr ! That’s why it’s important to know how to use bien sûr. Here are the eight most common ways bien sûr is used in French. …

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More than but: The other common meanings of “mais”

A woman with long dark hair and wearing jeans, a white shirt and a beige-colored shawl or kimono sits on a sofa. she has an open book in her lap and is making a gesture with a hand as if she is discussing what she's reading.

Mais means “but” in French – but it can also have other meanings. Notably, it’s often used for emphasis — usually to show disbelief or annoyance. It’s also a common filler or transition word. Let’s get to know the most common meanings of mais. Mais as “but” Mais is probably most commonly  used to mean “but” in …

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7 ways to say “what” in French

A blue plastic question mark against a light pink background

“What” in French is quoi…or que, or quel(le)(s), or qu’est-ce que/qu’est-ce qui, or ce que/ce qui/ce dont. But these can’t be used interchangeably. What’s going on here is that there is no single word for “what” in French – rather, you could think of it as if the French language has divided up the many …

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9 unique, untranslatable French words

Seen from the back, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and wearing a black leather jacket pauses while strolling in one of Paris's covered passages, taking in the sights and sounds around her.

What are the most unique French words? French has many beautiful, funny, and otherwise memorable words, and some of them have no exact, single-word equivalent in other languages. Let’s discover nine of these unique, untranslatable French words. 9 unique and untranslatable French words Here are 9 unique and untranslatable words that you’ll often come across …

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