https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Once you've mastered basic French, you move into the word of nuance, jokes, references and - the highest form of wit - sarcasm. Which is where the 'second degree' comes in. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260424/what-do-french-people-mean-by-the-second-degee Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:20:47 +0200 what-do-french-people-mean-by-the-second-degee Both 'se souvenir' and 'se rappeler' are used to talk about remembering in French, but they are not used the same way grammatically - here's which one to use and some of the common mistakes to avoid. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260402/french-grammar-tip-se-souvenir-vs-se-rappeler Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:47:37 +0200 french-grammar-tip-se-souvenir-vs-se-rappeler In the French language, prepositions can be confusing to use - here's how to figure out when to use 'en', as well as looking at the tricky mistakes even French native speakers make. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260326/french-grammar-tip-when-to-use-the-preposition-en Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:56:59 +0100 french-grammar-tip-when-to-use-the-preposition-en Just like a hat, the French word chapeau comes in all shapes and sizes - here's how to use it in everyday conversation. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260318/chapeau-the-french-word-that-can-mean-hat-congratulations-an-introduction-and-more Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:33:39 +0100 chapeau-the-french-word-that-can-mean-hat-congratulations-an-introduction-and-more The French language enjoys its silent letters, but the 's' ending to words is particularly complex - here's when and how to say it. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260316/french-grammar-tip-when-and-how-to-pronounce-the-s Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:51:38 +0100 french-grammar-tip-when-and-how-to-pronounce-the-s The French language is somewhat averse to pronouncing every letter in a word, especially the final one - here's a guide to how silent letters work, and which letters to pronounce. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260312/french-grammar-tip-why-does-french-have-so-many-silent-letters Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:40 +0100 french-grammar-tip-why-does-french-have-so-many-silent-letters This French word has many different meanings, from Champagne to salaries, via a well known media organisation. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260310/brut-the-french-word-that-can-mean-raw-rough-or-champagne Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:24:10 +0100 brut-the-french-word-that-can-mean-raw-rough-or-champagne The letter ç (a cedilla or cédille in French) is a spelling detail with a long history. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260226/the-history-of-the-french-letter-c Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:16:56 +0100 the-history-of-the-french-letter-c The French prepositions 'à' and 'de' are two of the most common (and confusing!) to use - here's how to figure out which one is appropriate when you are speaking French. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260226/french-grammar-tip-when-to-use-the-preposition-a-vs-de Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:03:31 +0100 french-grammar-tip-when-to-use-the-preposition-a-vs-de Differentiation between COD (direct object) and COI (indirect object) can be tedious, but once you've understood the basic rules, things get a lot simpler! https://www.thelocal.fr/20260217/french-grammar-tip-figuring-out-direct-and-indirect-objects Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:41:06 +0100 french-grammar-tip-figuring-out-direct-and-indirect-objects Although these three French words may look similar, they do not mean the same thing. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260209/french-grammar-tip-how-to-decipher-dessous-dessus-and-dehors Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:12:38 +0100 french-grammar-tip-how-to-decipher-dessous-dessus-and-dehors The French verb péter means either to burst or to fart - but it also appears in dozens of idioms covering everything from boasting to being drunk, via a violent temper. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260130/peter-the-french-word-that-can-mean-farting-breaking-being-drunk-and-more Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:12:22 +0100 peter-the-french-word-that-can-mean-farting-breaking-being-drunk-and-more Getting to grips with French grammar is not easy - which is why this series offers tips and tricks for French learners. This week we are looking at how to use the many different French words for 'because'. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260115/french-grammar-tips-car-parce-que-puisque-all-the-ways-to-say-because Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:04:22 +0100 french-grammar-tips-car-parce-que-puisque-all-the-ways-to-say-because From 'bonjour v. salut' to 'désolé v. pardon' the French language has many pairs of phrases that mean basically the same thing, but have important differences in context, tone and formality. Here are 12 of the most common. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240101/12-french-expressions-and-their-commonly-used-counterparts Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:10:12 +0100 12-french-expressions-and-their-commonly-used-counterparts Have you ever wondered why sometimes in the midst of conversation, when talking about certain cities, Le Mans becomes Mans? https://www.thelocal.fr/20251216/french-grammar-tips-how-to-use-contractions-properly Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:34:18 +0100 french-grammar-tips-how-to-use-contractions-properly Of all the rich and varied parts of the French language, it is perhaps swearing that poses the biggest translation problem. Here's a look at some famous examples of translation issues and how best to express popular foul-mouthed phrases. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251209/french-grammar-tips-how-best-to-translate-french-swear-words Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:26:36 +0100 french-grammar-tips-how-best-to-translate-french-swear-words If you've come to a conclusion in French, and you want to express it, then here's how. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251205/french-grammar-tips-when-to-use-realiser-vs-se-rendre-compte Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:32:37 +0100 french-grammar-tips-when-to-use-realiser-vs-se-rendre-compte The two types of informal 'you' can bewilder French language-learners. Here's how to differentiate between 'toi' and 'tu'. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251119/french-grammar-tips-when-to-use-tu-versus-toi Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:04:33 +0100 french-grammar-tips-when-to-use-tu-versus-toi If you are practicing your French on Duolingo, you might be asked to translate a sentence with the word 'soit' used multiple times. No, this is not a typo. Here's how to express 'either, or' and 'neither, nor' in French. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251103/french-grammar-tips-how-to-say-either-and-neither-in-french Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:41:02 +0100 french-grammar-tips-how-to-say-either-and-neither-in-french In French the verbs 'avoir' and 'être' are among the first you learn, but remembering when to use 'to be' vs 'to have' can be challenging - here are a few tips to help you get the hang of it. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251020/french-grammar-tips-avoir-versus-etre Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:34:09 +0200 french-grammar-tips-avoir-versus-etre