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 From AI instructions to flirting, via influencers, slackers and chocolate - here are some of the new words that have been included in French dictionaries for the first time this year. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260512/the-new-words-added-to-the-french-dictionary-for-2027 Tue, 12 May 2026 16:29:46 +0200 the-new-words-added-to-the-french-dictionary-for-2027 Foreigners tend to be taught that 'désolé' means sorry in French, but in fact the French language has a variety of different ways to apologise, ranging from the casual to the phrases used for a more serious or formal affair. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260512/beyond-desole-7-ways-to-say-im-sorry-in-french Tue, 12 May 2026 11:47:43 +0200 beyond-desole-7-ways-to-say-im-sorry-in-french French endings like -tion, -sion, -ssion or -xion all sound the same but when do you actually know which one to use? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260507/french-grammar-tip-when-to-write-tion-sion-ssion-or-xion Thu, 07 May 2026 08:20:36 +0200 french-grammar-tip-when-to-write-tion-sion-ssion-or-xion Language classes will likely teach you 'de rien', but depending on the context and who you’re speaking to, there are several alternative expressions to say 'you're welcome' in French. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260429/5-things-to-say-instead-of-de-rien-when-someone-thanks-you-in-french Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:39:43 +0200 5-things-to-say-instead-of-de-rien-when-someone-thanks-you-in-french They might sound easy, but casual chats with French neighbours, colleagues or the local boulanger can be the hardest to master - French language coach Llyane Stanfield offers some tips for easier conversations. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260429/5-tips-for-having-a-casual-conversation-in-french Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:23:35 +0200 5-tips-for-having-a-casual-conversation-in-french 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 There are almost as many ways to say you’ve had one too many in French as there are wine producers in France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210806/i-broke-my-face-how-to-say-youve-had-too-much-to-drink-in-french Fri, 06 Aug 2021 11:36:19 +0200 i-broke-my-face-how-to-say-youve-had-too-much-to-drink-in-french When getting a haircut in France as a foreigner, there is always the fear of using one or two phrases incorrectly, and accidentally asking the hairdresser to shave your head. https://www.thelocal.fr/20220601/the-need-to-know-vocab-for-getting-a-haircut-in-france Wed, 01 Jun 2022 12:38:12 +0200 the-need-to-know-vocab-for-getting-a-haircut-in-france The French language is famous for its expressions... and hair is used in a lot of them. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260416/10-everyday-french-expressions-inspired-by-hair Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:31:49 +0200 10-everyday-french-expressions-inspired-by-hair Have you ever tried to make a phone call and panicked when the other person's voicemail came on? Here's a guide on how to master leaving voicemails in French. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260409/how-to-leave-phone-voice-messages-in-france Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:34:02 +0200 how-to-leave-phone-voice-messages-in-france 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 The Local France's Emma Pearson insists she get no pleasure from other people's misfortune, but here she confesses to a secret enjoyment at watching her bilingual colleague Emma Albright struggle with the more technical aspects of French grammar. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260403/opinion-why-i-enjoy-my-french-colleagues-grammar-pain Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:39:04 +0200 opinion-why-i-enjoy-my-french-colleagues-grammar-pain Finding the words to express condolences to someone who has just suffered a loss can be difficult in any language. Here's how to do so in French. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260402/je-suis-de-tout-coeur-avec-vous-how-to-express-condolences-in-french Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:19:56 +0200 je-suis-de-tout-coeur-avec-vous-how-to-express-condolences-in-french 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 A Romy Schneider must-see, a belated Easter celebration, a biopic set in occupied France, and a Jean-Luc Godard classic all feature on Lost in Frenchlation’s April listings of French films with English subtitles. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260325/french-films-with-english-subtitles-to-watch-in-april-2026 Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:14:15 +0100 french-films-with-english-subtitles-to-watch-in-april-2026 Have you ever wondered why French people say 'allô' on the phone? It sounds like 'hello' but is spelt differently... so where does it come from? Find out how it's used by native speakers in everyday conversations. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260324/explained-when-the-french-use-allo-versus-bonjour Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:38:40 +0100 explained-when-the-french-use-allo-versus-bonjour 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