French is the second most learned language in the world. Of all the stereotypes it has inherited one of the best, as a language associated with beautiful things, elegance and haute cuisine. French words sound elegant and lilting, and also require a certain ability to pronounce different sounds.
Next, you will learn about the history of this language and terms that are useful to begin to understand French a little more.
Features of the French language
As we said before, French is beautiful, and can have some challenges to its pronunciation. It is worth knowing them because it is also used at a professional and international level. It has some peculiarities that are worth taking into account.
Ça va
The expression ça va It is characteristic of the language and can mean many things. It is one of the first things you learn when it comes to French words. It is estimated that the French use it about 10,000 times a day.
It translates as ¿how are you?either ¿how’s it going? It is used in oral or written language, generally informally. It is not usually used with someone with whom you do not have any trust.
It can be a question and an answer. Reply ça va means I’m fine.
In general, it gives consensus or agreement about something, for example: If someone invites you to go to the movies, respond ça va is to give an affirmative answer. Added to this is also the It’s enough! either stop!among some of its possible uses.
Verlan
All languages have informalisms and expressions spoken by the youngest. In French this is called verlan and it is a way of talking about teenagers. There is no need to worry about this when talking to an adult.
It is a word game in French that consists of inverting the syllables or sounds of a term, resulting in something different that means the same thing. For example when changing future (future) by turfu.
It is not something that applies to all words but it appears in some other words. If there is a term that is not understood, it could be verlan. Let’s look at other examples:
Louche (strange): chelou.
Femme (women): meuf.
Lourd (heavy): relou.
You have to be careful when using this slang because it is very informal and even rude. It also doesn’t work with all French words.
Difference between written and oral French
There is a notable difference between spoken French and written French. What is said may be different from what is written.
If someone studies the language in an institute, they will learn the neutral version of the language. Listening to how it’s spoken, this is going to be different. They may even sound like two diametrically different things. Let’s look at an example:
Je suis vraiment fatigue.- means I’m very tired. It consists of an expression in neutral French. But in practice it is said differently. Typically you will hear:
J’suis carrément crevé.- this means exactly the same. It is an informal record and is not easy to deduce by an outsider.
Peux-tu me a café s’il te plait?– It is also neuter French and means by Please, can you make me a coffee?– However, the most common way is:
You m’fais un p’tit kawa s’te plait?– which means exactly the same thing, but in an informal way.
French Abbreviations
Abbreviations abound in French. They are used a lot even when speaking. In fact you can have complete practices using them. Even they themselves say that they use so many that they even forget what they mean, but they continue using them.
For example:
CV for resume (similar to Spanish). So they’re going to say If you like, please email your CV. (Please send your CV by email)
SMIC are the acronyms for minimum croissance salary. It is what the minimum wage is called in France. So they are going to use Work for a SMIC. (He works for minimum wage)
PME are the acronyms for petites et moyennes entreprises (small and medium businesses)
TPE-PME add the expression TPE either three petits to PME. This results in three petit and moyennes entreprises. That is understood as very small and medium-sized companies.
PDG of a company is the President Director General o President Director General. This is what in English is the executive called CEO, something that is also used in Spanish.
I empowered (the college or university) becomes the fac.
Philosophy or philosophy is reduced to philo.
A demonstration or riot becomes une manif.
breakfast or jauner It is reduced to I left him. The economy or l’economie is replaced by l’eco.
French words to start
Learning a language takes time and dedication. In the case of this speech this includes practicing its particular pronunciation. However, it is useful to start with a vocabulary of French words, as a first step in learning this beautiful language.
Actuel/actuelle:
Est-ce que vous êtes au courant des évènements currents? (Are you wrong about both current events?).
Âgé/âgée: old.
C’est un home âgé. (He is an old man).
Bas/base: low/low.
The book is on the ground floor. (The book is on a low shelf.)
Beau/belle: good good.
Today is a beautiful day. (Today is a good day).
Bon/bonne: good good.
Today is a good day. (Today is a good day).
Capable: able/being able.
I am capable of being a helper. (I can help).
Complete/complete: complete/complete.
The bus is complete. (The bus is full).
Courant/courante: common.
Chats are from live domestic animals. (Cats are a common pet.)
Dégagé/dégagée: clear/clear.
The sky is broken. (The sky is clear).
Different/different:
Ils sont différents. (They are different).
Available:
The room is not available. (The room is not available).
Dur/hard: difficult.
The English grammar is hard. (English grammar is difficult).
Economic: economic/economic.
The economic problems are serious. (The economic problems are serious).
In medicine: of medicine/doctor.
Ils sont étudiants en médicine. (They are medical students).
Entier/entière: All all.
Je suis resté ici la journée entière. (I was here all day).
Etránger/étrangère: foreigner/foreigner.
Est-ce que tu ace de l’argent étranger? (Do you have foreign money?).
Easy: easy.
Maths are easy. (The math is easy).
Fort/fort:
It is strong. (He is strong).
Grand:
Elle vit dans une grande ville. (She lives in a big city).
Free/free: free/free.
C’est gratuit. (It’s free).
Haut/haute: high high.
The mountain is high. (The mountain is high).
Humain/humaine: human/human.
Humans live on the earth. (Humans live on earth).
Important/important:
These are important informations. (This information is important).
International/internacionale:
J’etudie le commerce international. (I study international business).
Jeune:
She is young. (She is young).
Free:
Is it that you are free now? (You have free time?).
local:
I do not consider the local information chains. (I only watch local news).
Long/long: Long long.
This is a long route. (It’s a long route).
Mauvais/mauvaise: bad bad.
This is a mauvaise idée. (That’s a bad idea.)
Meilleur/meilleure:
Ma mére est la meilleure. (My mom is the best).
Meme:
Ils ne pas les mêmes. (They are not the same).
National/nationale:
This is a national urgency. (It’s a national emergency).
Naturel/naturelle:
Cela n’est pas naturel. (That’s not natural).
New/nouvelle: new new.
J’ai une nouvelle voiture. (I have a new car).
Ouvert/ouverte: open/open
The boutique is ouverte. (The store is open).
Passé/passée: past/past
The week passed a difficult time. (Last week was difficult).
Poverty:
Est-ce que tu es riche au pauvre? (Are you rich or poor?).
Personnel/personnelle:
This is a personal question. (That’s a personal question).
Petit/petite: small/small
Je vis dan un petit pays. (I live in a small country).
Politics: politician/politics.
The political situation is not pas bonne. (The political situation is not good).
Possible:
Ce n’est pas possible. (It’s not possible).
Privé/privée: private/private.
This is a private school. (This is a private school).
Likely:
Il est peu probable qu’il pleuve. (Rain is not likely.)
I posted: public.
These are public toilets. (This is a public bathroom).
Rouge: red/red.
I love the red flowers. (I like red flowers).
Seoul/seule: unique/unique.
Il est la seule personne que je connais. (He is the only person I know).
Social/sociale:
Social networks are useful. (Social media is helpful.)
Special/special:
Aujord’hui is a special day. (Today is a special day).
Super:
This is a super idea. (It’s a great idea).
Sûr/sûre: safe/safe.
Je ne suis pas sûr. (I’m not sure).
Tort: wrong/mistaken.
Your ace tort. (You’re wrong).
Old/old: old/old
The house is old. (The house is old).
Vrai/vraie: true/true or real.
J’ai une vraie montre. (I have a real watch).
History of the French language
In the 1st century BC what we know as France was Gaul, and the language spoken there was Gaulish. The invasion of the Romans influenced and changed this language with other words and sounds.
Then came the Franks who also made another important contribution to the formation of the French language that is known today. By the 9th century, the language spoken in the region no longer resembled Gaulish and was far removed from Latin. It had become a different language called Roman, which was spoken in different ways depending on the region. As it evolved, several dialects developed.
In the late 10th century, a particular dialect spoken in the Paris region becomes popular and is learned by educated people. It was him old french or ancient french.
During the Renaissance the language borrowed words from other languages such as Greek and Latin, as a result of the birth of new terms. This happened especially in the scientific field.
In 1539 François Premier imposed French as the administrative language. This takes away place from Latin. It is what is known as moyen françaisor Middle French.
In the 11th century it continued to receive contributions from the Flemings, the Vikings and Arabs, among others, who influenced the evolution of the language.
In the 18th century, classical French was born, which began to be standardized with grammar treatises, dictionaries and with the birth of the French Academy.. During this time it began to spread to the countries colonized by France, which gave rise to creole languages.
Today…