Quick fix

We all have things in French we’re not totally clear about and if you’re anything like me, they can sometimes remain unclear for months if not years, as there always seems to be something more pressing to learn.

That’s why it’s sometimes a good idea to do a quick sweep through the most commonly asked questions, to clear them up in one fell swoop. You may already know some and not others, or perhaps the whole list will be a total revelation to you. In any case, we hope you find it utile*.

A very small caveat: since it’s a quick fix, we’ve given preliminary explanations only. As you well know, French is replete with exceptions, so for more detailed information, come along to a lesson, or consult your favourite French grammar site (we recommend Lawless French).

Écouter means ‘to listen (to)’ whereas entendre means ‘to hear’. To me, entendre looks a bit like ‘enter’ so I imagine the sound actually entering my ear canals.

J’écoute la chanson sur Spotify - I am listening to the song on Spotify
J’entends les voisins qui font la fête - I hear the neighbours who are having a party

Parler means both ‘to speak’ and ‘to talk’.

Elle parle russe - She speaks Russian
Elle parle à son copain au téléphone - She talks to her boyfriend on the phone.

Dire means both ‘to say’ and ‘to tell’.

Vincent dit qu’il est de Lille - Vincent says he’s from Lille
Je lui dis la vérité - I tell him/her the truth

Voir is ‘to see’ whereas regarder means ‘to watch’ or ‘to look’

On ne va pas voir Mathieu demain - We’re not going to see Mathieu tomorrow
Elles regardent le film ensemble - They’re watching the film together
Je veux regarder la carte d’abord - I want to look at the menu first

This is a tricky one, since both verbs mean ‘to know’. There are a couple of different ways to approach the difference between the two verbs, but as a quick fix, this is a very solid start:

Savoir is used with verbs
Connaître is used for nouns (I like to translate it as ‘to be familiar with’ rather than ‘to know’)

Martin sait nager - Martin knows how to swim.
Tu connais un peu Paris? - Do you know Paris a little (are you familiar with Paris a little?)

Thinking of se promener as the equivalent of ‘to go for a stroll’ and marcher as more ‘to walk with a purpose’ should help make the right choice.

Je me promène dans le parc en face de chez moi - I go for a walk/stroll in the park opposite my house
Je marche lentement - I walk slowly