How to Learn French - Plus ça change...

Today we’re going to inch across a few columns, filling out variations on some sounds you already know well. It is my hope that with each horizontal move, you’ll be reassured that you’re more unconsciously competent at French pronunciation than you may think.

Soyez tranquille*, we’ll be making some more vertical moves in future posts, adding brand new sounds, but for now, let’s just consolidate some of the vowel sounds you already know.

You’ll notice that the additions we make today involve accents, which is to say that in many instances, they make no difference to the pronunciation of vowels at all.

On y va* !

Remember, the aim of the game is to have an anchor word for each principal sound (those in the far left-hand column below). Once you’re confident that you know how to pronounce that sound, you can start to add other sounds, which, though spelled slightly differently, have the same pronunciation.

voilà
là
à la carte
château
gâteau
pâtes

SOUNDS LIKE: A

Lyon
pays
Yves
gîte
île
dîner
maïs
naïve
aïoli

SOUNDS LIKE: I

tôt
hôpital
hôtel

SOUNDS LIKE: O

dû
brûlé(e)
flûte

SOUNDS LIKE: U

So, where does that land us? You’ll see we’ve filled in the vowel sounds quite a lot horizontally. You’re really starting to build up a very good pronunciation cheat sheet, except it’s not cheating at all, since you’re (hopefully) confident with your anchor words, and, by extension, those that follow.

Félicitations* ! You’ve just made further headway in mastering French pronunciation.

*Rest assured | *Let’s go | *Congratulations

Messy Nessy

If you’re a fan of fashion, art, curios and all things offbeat, don’t miss a visit to Messy Nessy’s Cabinet in the Latin Quarter when à Paris. Opened last year, *la petite boutique is a treasure trove of delights, from bottles of Eau de Seine (yes, it is what you think) to *les casquettes de baseball, logo sweaters, card games, books and antiques.

It’s the brainchild of Vanessa Grall, *la femme behind the cult blog Messy Nessy Chic and the Don’t Be a Tourist series of city guides. Pop by and say hi if in town—you’ll find Vanessa is often manning the till.

And if a Paris trip is not in your immediate future, you can also shop the collection online.

Messy Nessy’s Cabinet
19 rue de Bievre, 75005 Paris
Instagram: @messynessychic

*in Paris | *the little store | *baseball caps | *the woman

5 Famous Poisson d’Avril Pranks

*Attention, tout le monde! Today marks the French equivalent of April Fool’s Day, Poisson d’Avril. Or, April Fish. Celebrated with the sneaky application of a paper fish to the back of unsuspecting victims (here's the background), April 1st is understandably popular with *enfants. But the media embrace it as well.

From announcing the sale of the Eiffel Tower to changing métro names, here are five famous Poisson d’Avril pranks played on the French public over the years.

*Careful, everyone! | *children

Bobo is Back

If you needed convincing that the early noughties obsession with boho-chic (or, as the French say, bobo) style *est de retour, iconic fashion house Chloé’s most recent AW2025 collection has *la preuve.

Creative director Chemena Kamali sent models down her Paris runway bedecked in faux fur, romantic ruffles, heart pendants and ballet flats, toting soft, charm-laden *sacs. And it has us collectively swooning.

Read about the Chloé show here. Or view Chloé’s Instagram account for detailed shots of the collection.

* is back | *the proof | *bags

Dicton du mois d'avril

Familiar with the English proverb, “April showers bring May flowers”? *Alors, the French have one of their own.

Referring to the fickle April weather, the saying goes, “En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil." This is often followed by the second line, "En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît."

The literal translation is, “In April, don't remove a thread” and "In May, do what pleases you." Or, in other words, don’t risk swapping *tes pulls for summer dresses just yet, as the hints of warmer weather can't be trusted.

In the milder month of May, on the other hand, you’re free to do (and dress) as you like.  

*C’est mignon, non?

* Well | *your jumpers | *It’s cute, right?

Recette: Pâté de Pâques Berrichon

Looking for something to serve up this Easter instead of a classic lamb roast? This recipe for Pâté de Pâques Berrichon is well worth a try.

Originating in the Berry region in central France, the seasonal dish, signifying the end of Lent, is a *pâté en croûte with a filling of pork and veal mince and hard-boiled *œufs encased in a golden puff pastry shell. 

PÂTÉ DE PÂQUES BERRICHON (POUR 6)

1 cuillère à café de muscade
1 teaspoon of nutmeg

2 pincées de sel
2 pinches of salt

2 tours de moulin de poivre
2 turns of the pepper mill

3 brins de persil
3 sprigs of parsley

1 pâte feuilletée
1 sheet of puff pastry

150 g de viande hachée porc et veau
150g of minced pork and veal

3 oeufs
3 eggs

ÉTAPE 1

Faire cuire les oeufs pour qu'ils soient durs.
Cook the eggs until they are hard-boiled.

ÉTAPE 2

Etaler la pâte feuilletée.
Roll out the puff pastry.

ÉTAPE 3

Mélanger la viande, le persil et les épices.
Mix the meat, parsley and spices.

ÉTAPE 4

Faire un boudin de viande au milieu de la pâte.
Make a meat sausage in the middle of the dough.

ÉTAPE 5

Une fois que les oeufs sont froids, les couper en deux et les disposer sur la viande.
Once the eggs are cold, cut them in half and place them on the meat.

ÉTAPE 6

Refermer la pâte feuilletée sur le côté, pour que ce soit bien hermétique.
Close the puff pastry on the side so that it is airtight.

ÉTAPE 7

Vous pouvez badigeonner le pâté avec du jaune d'oeuf.|
You can brush the pie with egg yolk.

ÉTAPE 8

Percer quelques trous sur le dessus et faire cuire 30 minutes à 200°C (thermostat 6-7).
Make a few holes on top and bake for 30 minutes at 200°C (thermostat 6-7). 

Bon appétit*!

Merci au Marmiton pour la recette*.

*meat pâté baked in a pastry crust | *eggs | *Enjoy! | *Thank you to Marmiton for the recipe.

How to Learn French - Getting square

I think one of the biggest breakthroughs I had with my French pronunciation was when I realised how many different spellings there were for the same sound.

This realisation helped me to start to synthesise all the different information I had swirling around my head from things I’d heard, been told and read.

As much as I I like to think of myself as a creative soul, I do love a good spreadsheet, so being able to give order to the sounds I was trying to pronounce was a great help.

In the last two posts of How To Learn French, I’ve effectively been opening a new file and working out how many columns and rows I’ll need. In this post, we’re going to take our first look at that grid, so hopefully for the more visual among you it will be very helpful.

Here’s where we were after the first post.

After the second, you could see we were starting to fill in a couple of the rows, demonstrating that there is some order, in fact, to French pronunciation.

Today we’re going to add another couple of very important rows and fill out a column or two, so let’s get to it. On y va* !

Remember, our aim is to set you up with an anchor word that you are confident about pronouncing. This accent produces a sound doesn’t really have an exact equivalent in English. It’s sort of a mix between ay as in hay, and e as in bed. Here are some other options.

étudiant
risqué
étage
préférer
école

This sound is similar to the e sound in egg, or bed. As an anchor word, you may prefer one of the below, or may already have a favourite.

père
après
frère
grève
très

So now, we can fill out our table a little more and hopefully it’s becoming clearer to you just how much crossover there is in the French spelling of sounds (and there’s even more to come).

Have fun playing around with these sounds. I remember it took me ages to get my head around this. Even now, someone will correct my pronunciation or I’ll come across a new word and I really enjoy seeing if I can find a place for it in the grid. I hope you’re finding this helpful.

Bon courage* !

*Let’s go | *Good luck

Sneak Peek into Le Nid: Quel est ton acteur français préféré?

With the Alliance Française French Film Festival fast approaching, we thought it was the perfect time to reveal our favourite French actors (male and female). From icons to up-and-comers, here are the stars our team adores.

Quel(le) est ton acteur ou actrice préféré(e)?

KATRINA
Sandrine Kiberlain
Film célèbre* : Les patriotes (The Patriots)

Source : Mireille Ampilhac via Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

JUSTINE
Adèle Exarchopoulos
Film célèbre: La vie d'Adèle (Blue Is The Warmest Colour)

ALICIA
Agnès Jaoui
Film célèbre: Le goût des autres (The Taste of Others)

Source : Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

ANGÉLINE
Guillaume Canet
Film célèbre: Les petits mouchoirs (Little White Lies)

Source : Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

ALEXIA
Jean Dujardin
Film célèbre: The Artist

Source : Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

MARION
Jean Rochefort
Film célèbre: Le Crabe-tambour (Drummer Crab)

Source : Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

* Famous film

SWOON: Èze

Clinging dramatically to a hilltop on the Côte d'Azur, Èze is a picturesque medieval village between Nice and Monaco, also dubbed “the eagle’s nest”. Renowned for its breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, the village charms with narrow, winding cobblestone streets lined with quaint stone houses, artisan shops and bougainvillea.

Dating back to the Middle Ages, Èze is home to l’Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, an 18th-century church with a striking neoclassical facade. History lovers can also explore the ruins of a 12th-century *château, destroyed by Louis XIV's troops in the 1700s.

*Mais, ne t'inquiète pas, there’s also plenty to enjoy in this French Riviera gem if *les églises and medieval architecture are not *ton truc. Perched 429 metres above the sea lies the le Jardin Exotique d'Eze (the Exotic Garden of Èze), a beautiful garden filled with cacti and exotic plants that has inspired countless creatives throughout history, including Nietzsche.

Èze is also celebrated for its perfumeries, such as Fragonard, where you can soak up the exquisite fragrance and learn about the art of traditional French perfume-making.

*castle | *But, don’t worry | *churches | *your thing

Paul Taylor: F*** Me I’m French

We’ve written about the Paris-based comic Paul Taylor before. *Et maintenant, you can hear his tales of life as a British expat *en France when he visits Brisbane *en mai.

A master of “le French bashing”, Taylor typically performs his shows using a mix of French and English. But for his Brisbane Comedy Festival outing, F*** Me I’m French, he’s keeping it 100% English. And judging by the title, you can expect a solid smattering of his signature fruity language. Book *vos sièges now!

Paul Taylor, F*** Me I’m French
Thursday 8 May, 8:30pm
Brisbane Powerhouse
Tickets: $59.50
BOOK NOW

**and now | *in May |*in France |*in English |* your seats (tickets)

French Series: Drops of God

Streaming on Apple TV+ alongside another recent discovery, La Maison, Drops of God (Les Gouttes de Dieu) is a thrilling and delectable French series. Or, rather, French-American-Japanese series.

Premiering in 2023 with *une deuxième série confirmed, the Emmy-award-winning show takes you on a journey through beautiful *vignobles in France and Japan, as Camille competes against her deceased father’s protégé, Issei, to inherit her father’s private wine collection. Which happens to be the finest in the world.

Based on a 44-volume manga series of the same name (that doubled wine sales in Japan when first published in 2004), Drops of God is a must for lovers of stylish drama. And the perfect way to swot up on your wine vocab.

Stream it here.

* a second series | *vineyards

Camille Cottin

Born in Boulogne-Billancourt on the outskirts of Paris in 1978, actress and comedian Camille Cottin is one of France’s most popular film, stage and TV stars. And, *bien sûr, a firm favourite of many of our chouchous for her breakout role in the comedy-drama series, Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent!).

Living in London as a teenager and working as a high school English teacher on her return home, Cottin trained at a drama school in Paris before joining the theatre company Troupe à Palmade in 2009. Her first on-screen role came the same year in the film Nos 18 ans, but her big break was in 2013 with Connasse.

In the hidden-camera sketch show, Cottin played a snobby Parisienne known simply as "La Connasse” (The Bitch). Her character was so popular that it led to the film The Parisian Bitch, Princess of Hearts (2015), which earned her a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress.  

*Cependant, it was in 2015 that her star hit its ascension with a stellar performance as the impossibly cool talent agent Andréa Martel in the critically acclaimed series Call My Agent! Cottin has since had starring roles in films including Telle mère, telle fille (Baby Bumps, 2017) and Toni, en famille (2023). Her formidable talent has also won her English-language roles in the films Allied, House of Gucci and alongside Matt Damon in 2021’s Stillwater.

This month, you can catch Cottin at the 2025 Alliance Française French Film Festival in Trois amies (Three Friends) and Ni chaînes, ni maîtres (No Chains No Masters)—a rom-com and a historical drama that showcase her comedic and *plus sérieux acting chops.

Trois amies is our selection for this year’s festival, and we’d be delighted if you joined us at Palace Centro (James St) for the 6pm screening on Sunday, 13 March. Grab your tickets here—and feel free to join us for a pre-film ápero at Sixes and Sevens from 4pm!

*of course | *However |*more serious

Famous French Brands: CABAIA

Wander the streets of any French city, and you’ll spot the wares of hip, eco-conscious brand CABAIA on the backs or heads of all the cool kids. Founded in 2015 by Bastien Valensi and Emilien Foiret, the burgeoning luggage and accessories brand launched with a range of *bonnets topped with interchangeable pompoms – and, alongside sustainability, that idea of customisation is still at the heart of the brand.

cabaia.com

Achieving B Corp certification in 2022, CABAIA has donated 28,8343€ to partner charities, including the SPA (French Society for the Protection of Animals). With a lifetime guarantee, the brand’s products are manufactured in ethical factories, and 67% contain recycled plastic.

With a mission “to turn every trip into a journey, multiplying experiences and living life on our own terms,” CABAIA has quickly grown a loyal following with its modular *sacs à dos – featuring removable front pockets that can be swapped for different colours and styles.

The playful and innovative brand continues to “make mobility more beautiful”, and with over 30 stores in France and Belgium and more than 2,500 stockists, it seems CABAIA’s journey is one to follow.

Visit the CABAIA website for more information.

* beanies | * backpacks

How to Learn French - Another piece of the pronunciation puzzle

In the last How To Learn French post, I introduced the concept of anchor words as a way of improving your pronunciation. Anchor words are words that students absolutely know how to pronounce. They’ll be different for everyone, but the trick is to start gathering a little stock of your own which you can use to refer to in order to at least have a very good stab at pronouncing new words correctly.

French pronunciation has a reputation for being difficult, but I think this stems from a misunderstanding. Yes, French certainly has sounds that do not in any way resemble English, however, the good news is that they do resemble one another in many cases. That is, there are several ways of spelling the very same sounds in French.

So, to get going, let’s take a look at the ones we covered last time, and then we’ll advance from there. Un petit rappel*, if you’d like to be 100% sure of the pronunciation of any of these words, make the most of this great little website, where you can hear a variety of native speakers saying them. It’s a very good resource and one I still use when I’m faced with a word I’m not entirely certain how to pronounce.

A comme* ÇA VA
E comme JE
I/Y comme ICI
O comme TOMATE
U comme TU

We’re going to tackle dipthongs, which are vowel combinations that create a syllable. Ne vous inquiétez pas*, even if you’ve only been learning French for a very short time, you’ll have come across them already, possibly without realising it. A classic example is found in the word bonjour, where the o and the u produce a particular sound.

You’ll notice that some of the sounds below are exactly the same as the anchor words above. Tu vois*? French pronunciation is already becoming easier.

My hope is that learning how certain sounds are grouped will not only take away the guesswork, but will start to arrange French pronunciation into a grid format in your mind, replacing what may currently look more like you’ve upended a cylinder of pick-up sticks from a great height in a strong wind.

où
douze
voudrais
bouteille 

deux
neuf
heure
sœur

SOUNDS LIKE: E comme JE

trois
poisson
chinois
toilettes 

raisins
treize
seize
retraité 

bureau
château
restaurant
gâteau
australien

SOUNDS LIKE: O comme TOMATE

nuit
huit
oui
huile 

As we continue with growing your collection* of anchor words, you’ll see that many of them start to refer back to our original group. I’d really encourage you to start keeping a little list in the back of one of your notebooks to refer to. I think you’ll be happily surprised by how quickly you’ll discover that French pronunciation is not only beautiful, but also rather orderly and comprehensible. In fact, it’s one of the rare elements of French where exceptions are truly exceptional, rather than the rule. Lâche pas*!

 *A little reminder | *as in | *You see | *Don’t worry | *collection | *Don’t give up

SWOON: Place des Vosges

Straddling the 3rd and 4th arrondissements in the heart of le Marais lies *une petite tranche of heaven and an important part of French history. The oldest planned square in Paris, Place des Vosges is a beautiful public space frequented by tourists and locals all year round.

Originally known as Place Royale (Royal Square) but renamed after the French Revolution, the square was built by King Henry IV in the early 1600s. With a perfectly symmetrical design structured around the taller King's and Queen's Pavilions, Place Royale was, in fact, home to nobility but no royals – barring the future Queen of France, Anna of Austria who lived there briefly. You can read more about the square's rich history here.

Today, visitors stroll the arched walkways or drink in the atmosphere and red-brick architecture while lounging by the fountains, *une glace in hand. You’ll find lovers kissing on benches under linden trees, *les enfants playing in the sandpits, culture vultures visiting the galleries or Victor Hugo Museum (the literary icon once called No. 6 home), and others dining in the numerous cafés dotting the perimeter.

* a little slice | *the square | *an ice cream | *children  

French Tongue Twisters

Repeat after me, “Si ton tonton tond ton tonton, ton tonton sera tondu.” Trip over your tongue? *C’est normal! Translating as “If your uncle shaves your uncle, your uncle will be shaven”, this is just one of many French tongue twisters confounding beginner and advanced learners alike.

Want more? This article lists 32 of the most challenging *virelangues in the French language – complete with audio so you can practise to your heart’s content.

*It’s normal! | *tongue twisters

La Maison Entre Les Rochers

Planning a trip to Brittany? Make sure you add la maison entre les rochers (“the house between the rocks”) to your itinerary. Located in Ploughrescant, the northernmost commune in Brittany, Castel Meur is *une petite maison en Pierre nestled between two giant granite boulders on a ruggedly beautiful coastline.

Also known as la maison du gouffre (the house of the abyss), the charming home was built in 1861, with its unusual location serving as protection from buffeting Atlantic winds and storms. Made famous by a postcard and drawing visitors since the 19th century, the “Big Castle” is privately owned and inhabited by a descendant of the original owner.

Unfortunately, this means the home is *fermée to guests – but you can still ooh and ahh from afar and fill your camera roll. You’ll want to.

*a little stone house | *closed

La Petite Boutique : Back from India

Looking to add some Eastern flair to your interiors – or your wardrobe? Then *jetez un œil at the gorgeous pieces Katrina handpicked (or cherry-picked?) on her recent trip to Pondicherry, India.

Handcrafted and affordable, all items are available to purchase in La Petite Boutique*. Or you’re welcome to drop us a line here if you’d like us to set anything aside.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, why not treat yourself to something special and unique.

PURE INDIAN PASHMINA SCARF

These authentic Indian pashminas were snapped up at a tiny boutique in Villa Helena, owned by an impossibly chic French woman.

Premium pashmina with ombre feature. Luxuriously soft, lightweight and generous size for versatile styling.
5 colours available - $110 AUD

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HANDCRAFTED INDIAN CUSHION COVERS

Add a pop of colour to your interiors with these stunning cushions featuring Rajasthani embroidery.

Handcrafted 40 x 40 cm cushion covers in traditional patterns with Rajasthani hand stitching.
5 colours available - $35 AUD

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HANDCRAFTED INDIAN NOTEBOOK SET

A fancy touch for your French class or gratitude journal, these artisanal *carnets were crafted at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and come in convenient sets of three.

7 x 10 cm notebooks made with traditional handcrafted paper from Sri Aurobindo Ashram’s paper mill.
Set of 3 notebooks. Assorted prints - $15 AUD

*take a look |*The Little Shop |*notebooks

Festive French Vocab

‘Tis the season to perfect your French vocab with this handy list of festive terms. From holiday greetings to the baubles decorating your sapin de Noël*, pop these up your sleeve to spread the holiday cheer like a pro.

*Christmas tree

Recette: Vin Chaud

If you’re not lucky enough to be visiting the French Christmas markets this year, don’t despair. You can still enjoy the perfect verre de vin chaud* – in the (air-conditioned) comfort of your home.

Ideal for serving at any festive season soirée*, this traditional mulled wine will be a hit with family and friends. Filling your home with the delectable sweet, spiced scent of orange, cinnamon and star anise.

Santé*! 

Merci à Marmiton pour la recette*.

*A glass of mulled wine | *Cheers! *Thank you to Marmiton for the recipe.