Aujourd\u2019hui<\/strong> (nowadays) it\u2019s almost more important to know how to say I\u2019ll add you on Facebook<\/em> than what\u2019s your phone number<\/em>. Words that have become normal for most people might surprise you with how different they are in French. Taking a moment to learn how to ajouter un ami<\/strong> can be a quick way to up your French level.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One<\/em> doesn\u2019t use the pronoun one<\/em> in English quite like one<\/em> would in French. While the English \u201cone\u201d comes across as a bit dated, in French, on<\/strong> is a normal word used in everyday speech.<\/p>\n Knowing how to tell the difference between:<\/p>\n O\u00f9 est-ce qu\u2019on va ?<\/strong> And<\/p>\n On m\u2019a vol\u00e9 mon sac !<\/strong> is important in French!<\/p>\n With older countries there\u2019s bound to be a few controversies over what belongs to which country. A big one between France and Germany is Alsace-Lorraine<\/em> (or is that Elsass-Lothringen<\/em>?). If you ever bring it up with the French, you\u2019ll quickly see the expression on their face change to show how it\u2019s a complicated topic. Understanding where all the confusion comes from can make it to appreciate the whole of French history and all its unusual turns.<\/p>\n When I was in middle school, I learned that prepositions are words that you can use to describe a mouse and du gruy\u00e8re<\/strong> (a piece of Swiss cheese).<\/p>\n La souris est sur le fromage.<\/strong> The mouse is on the cheese.<\/em> Unfortunately, this doesn\u2019t always help you know when you should use them. Par exemple<\/strong> (for example), do people live in<\/em> or on<\/em> Hawaii?<\/p>\n In French the biggest confusion comes from whether or not the country\u2019s name is masculine or feminine, and that can be a bit hard to know without looking it up!<\/p>\n For more information on which preposition to use with which state or province check out Which State\/Province Are You From? Expressing Location in French<\/a>.<\/p>\n It would be surprising if there were no poetry on this list. Pr\u00e9vert and his poetry made the list with Josh Dougherty<\/a>‘s post that goes into great detail exploring his poem, Le Message<\/em>. More than simply reading a translation, it’s important to understand the interpretation and culture behind everything. Just reading one of Pr\u00e9vert’s poems will get your creative juices flowing and ready to learn more French.<\/p>\n Sometimes when you learn a new language there are words that just can\u2019t be explained. That feeling of d\u00e9paysement<\/strong> can be very strong no matter if you’re a new student or a near native speaker. Add in words that are unique to the language’s culture and you’ll find yourself lost in dictionaries for days.<\/p>\n Just imagine trying to explain to someone from France what exactly on fleek<\/em> means. While it might be possible to translate the meaning, or even explain it, these unique words have a distinct feeling in their native language that is next to impossible to translate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n French is famous for its rich literary history, and one of the most famous French authors is without a doubt La Fontaine. It\u2019s no surprise that he’s on this list!<\/p>\n La Fontaine’s stories are so common that they’ve made their way into most English speakers life, as in the famous story of the tortoise and the hare. Reading the story in its original language is a delight and not only gives good advice in keeping a steady pace, especially in language learning, but also teaches you fun words like le li\u00e8vre<\/strong> and of course la tortue<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When you first approach a new language all the vocabulary can feel monolithic. It\u2019s hard to tell what\u2019s important to know and what\u2019s less important when everything is new. Luckily there are ways to narrow down that list!<\/p>\n Knowing which words to focus on is a good way to make the daunting task of learning vocabulary a bit less dramatic and easier to handle. It also gives you the motivation to start using the language when you can already say the most common of things!<\/p>\n Another similar post at the top of the list was naturally, The Top 100 Most Frequently Used French Verbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Puns might not be the most appreciated humor, but for a language learner it\u2019s a fun way to learn both pronunciation and culture. The French version of the Knock Knock joke<\/a> is the Monsieur et Madame\u2026 ont un fils<\/strong> joke. They’re based in a similar punny<\/em> setup and lead to as much groaning as their English equivalents.<\/p>\n For more French humor, check out French Jokes: “Where Is Brian?”<\/a><\/p>\n The top few articles were all about numbers. Numbers in any new language can be tough. When you\u2019re starting out it can be especially annoying when you see a sentence that looks like<\/p>\n \u00c7a co\u00fbte 80 euros.<\/strong> You can read it and understand it, but you still might not know how to say 80<\/em>. It’s easy to forget that the symbols we use for numbers don’t give us any hints on pronunciation. Add that to how common numbers are, and there’s no way you would be able to call someone<\/a> or count to a billion<\/a>!<\/p>\n On top of that, French numbers have the added difficulty of getting a bit strange once you get to 70<\/em>, and especially up to 99<\/em> with quatre-vingt-dix neuf<\/strong>, literally four twenty nineteen<\/em>, meaning ninety nine<\/em>.<\/p>\n There were several posts about numbers that made top of the list. While 1-100 was solidly in the number 1 position, these articles were nearby:<\/p>\n French Numbers: Learn to Count from 1 to 1000 It’s only appropriate the countdown ends with numbers. This New Year in between fun with your friends and eating snails<\/a>, try to count down to midnight in French!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As 2016 approaches, it\u2019s a good time to think about all the greatest moment of 2015. With that in mind, here’s a look back at the top articles of 2015. It’s an interesting mix of practical and cultural, and there’s sure to be something for everyone who studies French. 10) Must-Know French Words for Facebook…<\/p>\n9) French Grammar: How to Use the Pronoun \u201cOn\u201d<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nWhere are we going<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nSomeone stole my bag!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n8) Alsace-Lorraine: French or German Originally?<\/a><\/h2>\n
7) French Language \u2013 Prepositions + Countries\/Cities<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nLa souris est dans le fromage.<\/strong>
\nLa souris est \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 du fromage.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe mouse is in the cheese.<\/em>
\nThe mouse is by the cheese.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n6) Learning through Poetry: \u201cLe Message\u201d de Jacques Pr\u00e9vert<\/a><\/h2>\n
5) Top 10 \u201cUntranslatable\u201d French Words<\/a><\/h2>\n
4) La Fontaine\u2019s Fable: \u201cLe Li\u00e8vre et la Tortue\u201d (The Hare and the Tortoise)<\/a><\/h2>\n
3) Top 10 Most Frequently Used French Verbs<\/a><\/h2>\n
2) Top 50 Funniest French Names (The Letter A!)<\/a><\/h2>\n
1) French Numbers 1-100<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nThat costs 80 euros.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nFrench Grammar: Ordinal Numbers: 1st \u2013 100th
\nFrench numbers 1 through 20<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/12\/9593217572_a2bc170950_z-350x230.jpg\")