Bien and Beyond: How to Say “Well” in French

Well, well, well…you want to learn how to say “well” in French?  You’re in luck! Whether you’re talking about a general sense of wellbeing, something being done in a good way, or a degree of completeness or quality – among many other things – there’s one word for it all in French: bien. Want to …

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The Local’s Guide to Enjoying and Talking About the Summer in French

France has four seasons: spring (le printemps), summer (l’été), autumn (l’automne), and winter (l’hiver), and each one has its own significance in French culture and everyday life.   While we mostly associate summer with the south of France, the location of the famous Côte d’Azur, the summer weather and mood does reach the whole country …

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How to say “beautiful” in French? Here’s the bizarre answer!

19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire once wrote Le beau est toujours bizarre. (The beautiful is always bizarre). Although he wasn’t talking about the word beau itself, he might as well have been. Beau and its feminine form, belle are the French words for “beautiful” or, depending on the context, “handsome”.  That seems pretty straightforward. But …

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10 Strange Habits and Customs You Might Learn Living in France

Whether you’ve stayed in France for a long vacation, as part of a study abroad program, internship, or short-term job, or whether you’re making your life here, there are some parts of the culture that end up becoming a part of you. Some of these, like appreciating five weeks of paid vacation a year (plus …

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4 common meanings of c’est bon

When you’re learning a language, some phrases seem like a dream come true, easy to understand and translate. C’est bon is one of those, as its name coincidentally implies. Or, rather, it can be.  Let’s take a closer look at this phrase that’s often confused with its cousin, c’est bien, and whose meaning ranges from …

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Where do people speak French – and what do they sound like?

“Regarde cette vidéo!” (Watch this video!) a friend from Quebec told me, holding up her phone. “Tu vas rire!” (You’re going to laugh!) But I didn’t laugh. I didn’t understand a word of what was being said, even though the people on the screen were speaking French. The problem was, they weren’t speaking the French …

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