By taking the time to understand how the French language works, you'll be able to speak French naturally, and read and write in French. We know this can be one of the more challenging parts of your course, and we’re here to help! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!
Help with toujours, encore, déjà and jamais
Hi -- I understand the regular sense of these adverbs well enough, but there are so many exceptions to the regular sense, exceptions that don't make sense in English. Also, when the concepts of time continuing or interrupted or never occurring or never ...
1 reply - Last post by toru e - February 26, 2017
Tests not working (no feedback)
Tests in lessons 4.1 and 4.6 of Japanese Level 1 are not working. The audio files play normally and I can record my answers, but there is no feedback. If I click on the "Reveal" button to move forward, the page disappears (does not reload the same page) a...
4 replies - Last post by jason-oxenham-ceo - February 9, 2017
This is just a minor point which I'd appreciate a clarificiation: Just going through unit 2.6 which gives two examples of "c'est l'heure...": C'est l'heure du déjeuner ! = It's lunch time! C'est l'heure de dormir. = It's time t...
2 replies - Last post by Meages - December 31, 2016
How do I get from French level 1 to french level 2 or level 3? (level 1 is too easy)
5 replies - Last post by jason-oxenham-ceo - December 4, 2016
20.2 French Etiquette, questions for the usage of le/en/on
Bonjour tout le monde, j'ai queleques questions. I'm extremely confused in lesson 20.2 with "le / en" and the usage of "on". I've tried to put all the pronouns back. Please check it for me. Et voici-moi quelques conseils. à ce qu'on dit? (so they say?) ...
6 replies - Last post by Sue--114 - October 26, 2016
The lesson didn't mention when to use the auxilliary verb ete or avoir for passe compose
1 reply - Last post by Diana-S1 - September 30, 2016
The lesson didn't mention when to use the auxilliary verb ete or avoir for passe compose
0 replies - Last post by lawchewing - September 30, 2016
Looking for lessons to distinguish plain verbs from verb with prepositions
I need more practice in learning the difference between plain verbs and the same verb that changes meanings when a preposition plus infinitive or only infinitive is added. Some examples: parvenir vs. parvenir à compter vs. compter plus infinitive (i.e. ...
2 replies - Last post by dalemcmillen - September 19, 2016
French level2 lesson 9.1 -- why " Je n'ai pas encore acheté de billet " instead of " le billet " ?
In French Level 2 lesson 9.1 Au concert『Non, en fait je voudrais mais je n'ai pas encore acheté de billet.』 In this sentence, why not le billet but de billet. ?
1 reply - Last post by toru e - September 14, 2016
Pouvoir is translated to can, or to be able to in English. In Lesson 10.6, is the example Tu peux me tutoyer ! in which the translation is given as You can say « tu » to me! The English translation is grammatically incorrect; it should read You may say ...
2 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - August 23, 2016
The this and that , these and those with gender are hard to pronounce and remember. I wonder is there any tips to familiarise them Gary
0 replies - Last post by lawchewing - August 13, 2016
The this and that, cellui are hard to pronounce and remember
0 replies - Last post by lawchewing - August 13, 2016
Paul ask: Oui, mais pouvez-vous parler un peu plus lentement ?
In this sentence: Oui, mais pouvez-vous parler un peu plus lentement ? Why is "parler" written in Infinitive and not in 1. person plural
1 reply - Last post by toru e - July 10, 2016
Bonjour, My name is Tricia, as I went through Lesson 1.4 Are you thirsty, I got it that " Je t'apporte ça" means " I bring it to you" ; and from Lesson 1.3 Learning French, " Est-ce que vous le/la comprenez" mean " do you understand him/her ". I asked m...
2 replies - Last post by tricquynh - July 7, 2016
Hi everyone, I don't understand why "de" is used instead of "des" in this phrase although "livres" is plural: "Il n'y a pas de livres dans le sac" Does this means that only "pas de" is valid for whatever types of noun comes after it and "pas des" is al...
2 replies - Last post by thachphamvu - June 5, 2016
Idiomatic and Non-idiomatic Pronominal Verbs
Lesson 10.5 presents pronominal verbs, and at the end of the lesson are idiomatic and non-idiomatic pronominal verbs. Two examples are included. First example: Idiomatic: Je demande à Céline son adresse . . . . . Non-idiomatic: Nous nous demandons o...
3 replies - Last post by toru e - June 1, 2016
Is the usage of a capital letter after a comma standard in French? As in: 'Oui, Je parle français'. I've had a quick search online but couldn't find any reference to it. Is it specific to being after oui or non?
4 replies - Last post by jason-oxenham-ceo - May 10, 2016
Can someone help me understand the grammar behind this sentence? "Et pour ce qui est du dîner ?" In the lesson, the English translation is "and with regards to dinner?" - -but I can't get my head around this. It looks like, "and for what is some din...
3 replies - Last post by Jake1 - May 3, 2016
My example in the lesson today is: "Nous sommes desoles que la soiree ne se soit pas bien passe" I can see that the subjunctive turns etre into SOIT here.... but why the "se" before the soit? I understand when people are doing things together, "se" can ...
3 replies - Last post by Jake1 - May 3, 2016
The example I have today is: "Je suis triste que nous n'ayons pas pu venir" and I'm wondering how or why "avoir" comes into it. The translation is: " I'm sad that we couldn't come" - but the subjunctive for "pouvoir" is "nous puissions" so can it b...
3 replies - Last post by Jake1 - May 3, 2016
One of the examples in my lesson today is focusing on the subjonctif. The example is: "Il est important que l'on se connaisse mieux" So why is the L in front of the "on"? Usually le or la represents another subject or another person, something being r...
2 replies - Last post by booksoutloudhfx - April 10, 2016
how do you know to use or to translate "la sienne or le sien"? His or Her and for that matter the same question about "son"? For example "Ce n'est pas son jouet. C'est le sien" a boy and a girl fighting over a toy - how do you know if "son" is her or hi...
5 replies - Last post by Bud-C1 - March 18, 2016
Ce n'est pas ce que je pensais
Please explain the 2 "ce"s. The 1st one was self explanatory but what was the purpose or meaning of the 2nd ce, i.e. what was it's place grammatically speaking to make the proper sentence to mean what it meant. My instinct was to skip the 2nd one but I'm...
18 replies - Last post by Robert-C7 - February 11, 2016
FlashCards: I will bring you a hot drink (polite form)
I will bring you a hot drink (polite form) ANSWER: Je vous apporte une boisson chaude This to me is present tense: I bring or I am bring you a hot drink. what happened to the "will"? I venture to use the future tense: Je vous apporterai une boisson c...
5 replies - Last post by M-L - February 10, 2016
So when you say "we also have vegetarian dishes", why are there two "nous"? "Nous aussi nous avons des plats vegetariens" (in my lesson today) Thanks!
2 replies - Last post by floribon - February 10, 2016
An example in Lesson 7 has "Et combien de personnes voyagent-elles" "And how many people are travelling?" I'm wondering why it doesn't say, "Et combien de personnes sont voyager?" or if this is an alternate in any way? Thanks!
4 replies - Last post by booksoutloudhfx - January 23, 2016
Je suis à Paris depuis hier I’ve been in Paris since yesterday
6.3 Flirting Lesson: Extra vocabulary Je suis à Paris depuis hier => the lesson translation was: I’ve been in Paris since yesterday If the lesson was meant to be "je suis..." then the translation should have been "I am" but it didn't agree with "sinc...
2 replies - Last post by M-L - January 21, 2016
So in lesson 5.2, he asks "where he can find them" (the slippers). If it was just one thing, I would think he would ask: "Savez vous ou je peux le trouver?" So here why doesn't he say, "Savez vous ou je peux les trouver?" Thanks!
1 reply - Last post by toru e - January 6, 2016
Elle se prépare le petit déjeuner. 4.8
Elle se prépare le petit déjeuner. (from 4.8 lesson and test) The English translation given was: She makes herself SOME breakfast. My understanding of le is the definite article which corresponds to the English "the"; du is the partitive article which c...
5 replies - Last post by M-L - January 2, 2016
This lesson does does not include "Where am I?". Is it simply "Où suis je?"
3 replies - Last post by M-L - December 27, 2015
Can you say "combien de personnes y a til dans la restaurant?" as an alternate to "Il y a combien de personnes dans la restaurant?"
2 replies - Last post by M-L - December 13, 2015
Conjugation of "trouver" in lesson 12.7
In this lesson on formal negation, there is a sentence that reads "tu ne le trouve nulle part." (you don't find it anywhere). But should it not be "tu ne le trouves nulle part"? In other words, would not the conjugation of the verb "trouver" b...
1 reply - Last post by Michael-W - October 8, 2015
So....when speaking or writing informally we use 'on' in place of 'nous', but then what word does one use for 'our'? Should I write: On cherche nos livres or On cherche ses livres as an informal alternative to Nous cherchons nos livres ????
1 reply - Last post by toru e - September 29, 2015
Comment vous appelez-vous Is the s in vous sounded out when spoken in this sentence? I can't distinguish this when listening.
3 replies - Last post by toru e - September 23, 2015
Why the pronoun "en" in "tu n'en as pas dormi?"
2 replies - Last post by Simon-H20 - September 10, 2015
In Lesson 7.3 is the sentence, “Un cadeau acheté par un ami,” translated to, “A gift was bought by a friend.” Why was the present tense used; shouldn’t it have been the passé composé and read, “Un cadeau a acheté par un ami”? The action in t...
6 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - August 14, 2015
Hello, I'm in section 2.8 "where am I" and am wondering about these 2 phrases. Its hard to tell them apart La-Bas is "over there" but Au bas is "at the bottom". I looked up bas in the phrase finder but it only came back with these. Except it ...
2 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - July 31, 2015
Hello, I suppose I should be getting used to this as I asked about Est-ce que a while ago. So, I've been all content using J'ai besoin de for I need but now am finding Il me faut for I need, but also see Je dois me for I need. So, why are there 3 v...
2 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - July 31, 2015
In Lesson 6.4 is the following example: The French "Ça lui ferait plaisir d’entendre ça" translates to "She would be very pleased to hear that." I think I've seen this type of construction before: English uses the active tense,...
3 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - July 31, 2015
Tres - how is the e pronounced
In the first lesson, the instructor says that an e with an accent grave is pronounced ay, whereas an e with an accent aigu is pronounced eh. In the words, tres, pres, a cote, etc., all of those words use an accent grave but sound like "ay" to me. Have I...
3 replies - Last post by Ana-R23 - June 16, 2015
We have some charming pictures over here. Nous avons de charmants tableaux par ici. why is it not "des charmants tableaux" since its plural.
1 reply - Last post by toru e - April 8, 2015
Nous avons de charmants tableaux par ici. For this sentence, when we we use "du" and when do we use "de" ? Please help.
1 reply - Last post by toru e - March 26, 2015
Qu’est-ce que tu fais aujourd’hui for this sentence could I just say "que tu fais aujourd'hui?
1 reply - Last post by toru e - March 26, 2015
Lesson 1.2 Why does de appear in '' D'ou venez vous? '' when there is no '' of '' in the meaning '' Where do you come from '' Does the '' de ''in that sentence mean '' from ''?
10 replies - Last post by Marie-Claire-Riviere - March 23, 2015
Que-est-ce que vous voulez dire par "Note that when the verb is at the infinitive, « de » should be added in front of « avant ». Vous pouvez dire "avant l'infinitive," n'est-ce pas?
2 replies - Last post by jason☺ - March 14, 2015
Why is it "les oiseaux chantent" instead of "les oiseaux sont chantent?"
1 reply - Last post by toru e - March 12, 2015
Bonjour à tous, Je travail page 199 - Chapitre 41 Le Temps (3) sur Grammaire progressive du Français par CLE International. Dans exercice 4 - Complétez avec « depuis », « il y a », « pendant », « en », « dans » ou « pour ». 3. Je te rendrai l'agent que je...
4 replies - Last post by jason☺ - February 26, 2015
Is there no easy way to know which one to use.....:(
2 replies - Last post by toru e - February 26, 2015
argot and articles in lesson 2.2
Hello, When I saw both phrases together, I wondered if I really understood why I would use one over the other. Link: http://members.rocketlanguages.com/lessons/182 There's a little typo in the English. A little quote slipped in there. &nbs...
0 replies - Last post by jason☺ - February 24, 2015
Bonjour tout le monde, Je viens de finir un exercice de passé composé. Ceci a deux erreurs, je crois. Très bizarre de ne pas utiliser le pronom "je" dans deux phrases, n'est-ce pas? C'est normal à vos avis? Je suis parti de Paris le samedi à on...
5 replies - Last post by jason☺ - February 19, 2015