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Writer on French language and life in France
Alysa Salzberg is an American writer and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France for over a decade. She's the author of Hearts at Dawn, a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice book that retells Beauty and the Beast during the 1870 Siege of Paris. She brings a unique perspective to French language and culture from her years living in France.
“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 h…
The mascots of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France are the Phryges (les Phryges). Based on the Phrygian cap (le bonnet phrygien), an iconic symbol of freedom and t…
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…
There are a number of ways to greet people in French, including saying Bonjour and exchanging la bise (cheek kisses). Let’s look at the ones you’ll come across most of…
A reflexive verb is a verb that’s preceded by a reflexive pronoun. These verbs show that someone or something is doing something to/by themself. For instance, Je me ré…
The French word terrible means something is bad - but it can also mean something is really good! Let’s take a look at the tricky French usage of terrible. Does terribl…
Bonsoir is the most common way to say “Good evening” in French. Although Bonjour is a French greeting you can use at any time, the French have a fondness for being spe…
Ordinal numbers are numbers used to show the order of something - for instance, first, second, two hundredth, etc. To make a regular, or cardinal, French number an or…
A cedilla (cédille in French) is a small hook that goes beneath a letter. In some languages, a cedilla can be used with several letters, but in French, the cedilla is…
Merde means “shit” or “crap” in French. It can also mean “Break a leg” (the traditional way theater actors wish each other luck before a performance). If you’re not a…
