Intermediate French

Learn French for free with these free French lessons for intermediate learners! Often with audio recorded by native speakers.

40 Essential French Christmas Words to Put You in a Festive Mood

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A close-up of a Christmas tree decorated with bright green and yellow, silver, and red Christmas balls, as well as large snowflake ornaments that look like they light up at night, some white and some red.

As Christmastime comes near, you may find yourself wondering how to talk about this holiday in French. So, here’s a little gift from us to you: French Christmas vocabulary! French Christmas ambiance and traditions Noël – Christmas Joyeux Noël – Merry Christmas/Happy Christmas le réveillon (de Noël) – Christmas Eve. Note that réveillon means ‘Eve’ …

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What You Really Need to Know About Writing French Letters and Emails

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A red envelope sits on top of a blank white, unlined page in a spiral notebook.

When I was learning French in school, writing letters was one of the most intimidating things we covered. There were so many formules de politesse (polite phrases and salutations) and all of them seemed absolutely required to be included in any formal or professional correspondence. Then, I came to France and found that letter (and …

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15 Proven Tips to Help You Learn French Fast

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A woman studies in a library. There is a tablet and pile of open books in the foreground. She's taking notes in a notebook.

Learning another language isn’t easy. I’ve been a fluent French speaker for a long time, but I’ve never forgotten how challenging it was to get here. Along the way, I learned some lessons and discovered some strategies that helped me with everything from studying, to self-esteem (a crucial part of learning just about anything). If …

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How to Use (And Not to Use) Au Contraire

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Two men sitting on a rooftop lounge look at a laptop computer screen. They seem to be debating something, either having a conversation with a third person via the computer, or maybe arguing about something they're reading or looking at. We see them from mid-face, down.

Au contraire means “On the contrary”. But if you’re an English-speaker, the phrase’s translation isn’t contrary at all; it turns out we use it the same way the French do. Still, it’s not quite so simple. Let’s take a closer look at au contraire. The meaning of au contraire Important: There is only one way …

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Everything You Need to Know About the French Verb “Savoir”

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A stack of books on a table. We see the bottom part, not their bindings.

Savoir means “to know” in French. Let’s explore all things savoir, starting with its conjugation. Savoir conjugation Savoir is an irregular verb, which means you’ll have to memorize its conjugations. A small consolation is that it’s conjugated with avoir in compound tenses, so you don’t have to agree the participle and the subject in a …

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