236 pages
Culture & register
Tu or vous, toasts and small talk: what fits where, and with whom.
DialogueB1
Franchement or honnêtement: give a candid opinion in French
Practise frankly and honestly in a French conversation about a presentation. Compare opinions, direct speech and honest behaviour with examples.
Word scaleB1
Eating in French: from grignoter and manger to déguster and se goinfrer
Grignoter, manger, se régaler, déguster, dévorer, se goinfrer, bouffer: a scale of French eating verbs by how much and how politely you eat.
Matching gameB2
À cet égard, à ce titre, en ce sens: three French formal links
Match à cet égard, à ce titre and en ce sens to an aspect, a role or an interpretation. Keep each French formal link’s antecedent clear.
Cheat sheetB1
Pas mal: “not bad” or “quite a lot”? A French meaning cheat sheet
Tell pas mal from pas mal de: praise, quantity and time. Use a compact rule sheet, four food picture cards and a quiz to check the difference.
TimelineA2
A French dinner party: from apéro to digestif
The order of a French dinner at friends' home: apéritif, starter, main, cheese, dessert, coffee and digestif, with what to say and do at each stage.
Common mistakesC1
Une apologie is not an apology: praise, defence and excuses
Distinguish apologie from an apology in French criticism and public statements. Read the author’s stance, repair translations and answer six context questions.
QuizB1
Ça vaut le coup: meaning, sentence patterns and an eight-question quiz
Say “it’s worth it” in French with ça vaut le coup. Practise de plus an infinitive, the negative, past and future forms, and coup versus coût.
Gap-fillB1
Tant pis or tant mieux: fill the gaps in a change of plans
Practise tant pis and tant mieux in a short French exchange about changing plans, with six gaps, translations and a check on tant pis pour toi.
Text conversationB1
Inviting colleagues to your leaving drinks, in French
Le pot de départ is a French office ritual. Write the invitation on the team chat, answer replies and thank your colleagues, with the right tone.
Verb drillB1
Se grouiller or se dépêcher: hurry-up forms to practise
Practise se grouiller and se dépêcher in the present and imperative. Learn grouille-toi, dépêchez-vous and negative commands with a short form drill.
PhrasebookA1
I only speak a little French: phrases to keep a conversation going
Say your level, ask people to slow down, repeat or write a word down, and check you understood. Survival phrases that keep a basic French exchange alive.
ArticleB1
Rire, rigoler or se marrer: laughing and joking in French
Choose between rire, rigoler and se marrer with a register comparison, a joking exchange, useful verb forms and four quick practice questions.
DialogueB2
Ask a French presenter whether a price comparison includes tax
Practise a French price-comparison conversation checking tax, setup charges, dates and recurring fees before calculating a twelve-month total.
Word scaleB1
How annoyed are you? French from agacé to furieux
A French anger scale: agacé, énervé, fâché, en colère, furieux, hors de moi. Learn the shades of irritation and how to calm things down.
Matching gameB1
French colour idioms: rire jaune, voir rouge, être blanc comme un linge
Rire jaune, voir la vie en rose, avoir une peur bleue, être vert de rage: match ten French colour idioms to their meanings and see them in use.
Cheat sheetA1
Bonsoir, bonne soirée or bonne nuit? An evening French cheat sheet
Use bonsoir to greet, bonne soirée to wish a good evening and bonne nuit before sleep. Compare three short scenes and test the difference.
TimelineA2
The Paris métro, from 1900 to today
From line 1 opening for the 1900 World's Fair to automatic trains and the Grand Paris Express: the history of the Paris métro as a French timeline.
Common mistakesB1
Étiquette or savoir-vivre? Labels and manners in French
Une étiquette is mostly a label or price tag; good manners are le savoir-vivre or la politesse. Learn when étiquette means etiquette, with examples.
QuizB1
French adverb false friends: 10 questions on meaning in context
Test actuellement, éventuellement, en fait and finalement in ten French translation questions. Keep time, possibility, outcomes and degree clear.
Gap-fillB1
French B1 gap-fill: politely refuse an extra volunteer shift
Complete 12 tactful refusal expressions when an extra shift clashes with an existing commitment. Give a firm answer and a specific alternative, with translation.
Text conversationB1
Moving a date by text, in French
Something came up and you need to move Saturday's date. Text in French so it sounds like 'I really want to see you', not 'I'm not interested'.
PhrasebookA2
Pas de souci or pas de problème: three ways to use “no problem”
Use pas de souci and pas de problème after requests, apologies and thanks. Practise six short exchanges and add a clear time condition when needed.
ArticleC2
A fortiori, a contrario, mutatis mutandis: read French academic Latinisms
Recognise a fortiori, a contrario and mutatis mutandis in French academic arguments, with clear paraphrases and scope checks that keep distinct inference types apart.
DialogueA2
French greetings in context: one café visit from hello to goodbye
Follow a café conversation from bonjour to bonne journée. Practise your part, explore the café scene and match each greeting to its moment.
Word scaleB1
When exactly? French time words from tout de suite to un de ces jours
Tout de suite, dans un instant, tout à l'heure, bientôt, plus tard, un de ces jours: a French urgency scale, including the ones that are vaguer than they sound.
Matching gameB1
Québec French vs France French: match the everyday words
Un char or une voiture? Magasiner or faire du shopping? Match ten everyday words from Québec French to their equivalents in France.
Cheat sheetB2
Formal French word meanings: a sheet for accurate simpler wording
Check requérir, solliciter, préconiser and fustiger in full French sentences. Compare simpler wording, verb patterns and four short summary questions.
TimelineB1
A short history of the French language, from 842 to today
From the Strasbourg Oaths in 842 to the 1539 ordinance, the Académie française and today's feminised job titles: a timeline of how French became French.
Common mistakesB1
Nana or femme: casual labels, women and partners in French
Understand une nana, une femme, ma nana and ma femme through short scenes. Check the register, the relationship and the feminine agreements.
QuizB2
French collocation quiz: natural adjective and noun combinations
Choose twelve established French adjective–noun pairings for formal writing, from une étroite collaboration to une preuve irréfutable.
Gap-fillB1
Maintenant, désormais, bientôt: French time words in a cloze story
Place French time words around a reference point. Complete an event-planning story, then distinguish a current state, a new rule and a later event.
PhrasebookB1
Fric or argent: talk about money in casual and neutral French
Learn du fric and de l’argent through everyday money conversations. Practise saving, being short of money, paying in cash and recognising silver.
ArticleB1
Mon œil ! in French: “yeah, right!” and when to use it
Understand mon œil ! as a familiar reaction of disbelief. Compare a teasing exchange, a literal eye sentence and calmer ways to question an explanation.
DialogueB1
Tu m’étonnes !: why it often means “no wonder”
Read a French dialogue where tu m’étonnes means no wonder, then contrast genuine surprise. Practise the replies and check what the speaker means.
Word scaleB1
Money in French: from argent to fric, thune and blé
L'argent is neutral, le fric and la thune are slang, les fonds are formal. A register scale for talking about money in French, with when each word fits.
Matching gameB1
French food idioms: match the expression to its meaning
C'est la fin des haricots, raconter des salades, avoir la pêche: match ten French food idioms to their meanings, then see how they're used.
