It doesn’t matter who, where, how

There are many different ways of saying "it doesn't matter," such as by: n'import qui : anyone n'import quoi : anything n'import où: anywhere n'import comment : anyhow n'import quand : at any time n'import combien : any amount, no matter how much For example : N'importe qui peut le faire. / Anyone can do it. Vous pouvez m'appeler n'importe quand. / You can … [Read more...]

When you don’t need to say “pas”

You can made a simple present tense sentence negative by writing ne before the verb and pas after it (when ne is before a vowel, it becomes n'). For example: Je ne veux pas y aller. / I don't want to go there. If you are writing a sentence using one of the following verbs + an infinitive, you don't need to write pas: savoir, pouvoir, oser, and cesser. For example: Je … [Read more...]

Comma instead of a decimal point

In France, the comma and decimal point places are reversed when used in numbers (as contrasted from how they are used in the US). For example, two thousand euros and fifty centièmes is written as 2.000,50. This was difficult for me to get used to after moving to France. When I purchased my first laptop and tried using the French version of MS Excel, I wanted to throw the … [Read more...]

Rules for spelling numbers

When writing numbers, there are some considerations you must make. 1. 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71 : the conjunction et is used in place of a hyphen. For example: vingt et un, trente et un, quarante et un 2. 81, 91, 101: a hyphen is used instead of the conjunction et. For example: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze 3. 101: is written without the conjunction et or a … [Read more...]

Un beau garçon et un bel homme

I still have trouble telling my husband he's a bel homme - it sounds too feminine! The rule is when the masculine adjective beau comes before a vowel (including the silent h), the spelling changes to bel. Tu est un beau garçon. Tu est un bel homme. Ah oui, cet homme est beau. PS. If you tell a man he's a bel homme, make sure you say un and not une! … [Read more...]