download the FluentU app from the iTunes store, 10 Unbelievably Good Books for French Learners, 10 Awesome French Podcasts For French Learners, 9 Great Channels to Learn French on YouTube, 10 Tasty Tips for Teaching Yourself French, 7 Awesome Songs to Help You Learn French Through Music, 15 French Idioms You Should Know But Don’t, 15 French Slang Words Every French Learner Should Know. What are some famous battles of Ohio? Take a look at the chart below and notice the four times that a pronoun ends in the letter ’s’. One thing to keep in mind: if you’re in France, I suggest you don’t ask for a tour of the home you’re visiting. Business French: Conversation Starters. Use FluentU’s learn mode to actively practice all the vocabulary in any video with vocabulary lists, flashcards, quizzes and fun activities like “fill in the blank.”. is polite and plural. A tart is an ideal recipe to start with as it feeds the whole group and you only have to slice it to serve. Maybe you both want to travel the world! When this happens, use one of these phrases to keep the conversation rolling: Whether you are just beginning to learn French or perhaps you simply needed a refresher, these sentences will set you up for successful conversations with French speaking partners. Sometimes, you’ll meet someone in a more formal setting, perhaps being introduced by a mutual acquaintance at a business event or dinner party. Anything. The other form ‘vous’ is polite and plural. All four times the letter ’s’ is silent. It is pronounced something like the English word, ‘oh’. Whether you plan on getting a number or you just want to see what dating culture is like in a French-speaking country, most people will be happy to tell you about their significant others—or the reason they don’t have one. J’habite aux États-Unis. It may look complicated to make, but with no cooking involved, you will be able to whip up this classic French appetizer in a snap. Or perhaps you're trying to impress your date when you take them to a French …, Who says learning French needs to be complicated? The use of a starter is a traditional leavening method requiring only a mixture of flour, water, and yeast, which are allowed to ferment for varying periods of time depending on the types of bread being prepared. We have a couple of pointers to go over first. With services like Netflix and Hulu, there is a big chance that you will have watched some of the same shows as your conversational pal has. Coquilles St Jacques (scallops in English) is named after the pilgrims of Saint Jacques de Compostela who crisscrossed France and Spain with the seashells around their neck. This phrase translates to “Do you enjoy it?,” and gives the speaker a chance to go into more depth about his/her job. Ordering something new in a restaurant is always a gamble, so people are usually grateful to get a recommendation about what’s good. In English, the first person singular, ‘I’ is upper case, but in French, it is lower case unless placed at the start of a sentence. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign up for our Free Monthly Newsletter to keep up with the fun. The battle of fallen timbers and the battle of lake Erie for starters. How can I continue the conversation? The indefinite article in English is ‘a’. Also, asking about food says a lot about a culture and what is important to a society. These details can say a lot about a person—even if he or she is not fully willing to let you know that this is the superpower he or she has chosen. You might also want to let your acquaintance know that you are facing your weakness and that there are things you want to share about yourself, as well. The French onion soup should perhaps be called the Royal French onion soup, since it became famous after being served to French King Louis XV (by ex-Polish King Stanislas Leszczynski). Article by: Nadia Hassani. Pets are members of the family, and people love to talk about pets much as they love to talk about children. FluentU brings authentic French videos within reach of any learner. Translation: Avez-vous des animaux domestiques? You might hear of some bands that you know and others might be new to you, but it is a topic almost everyone can contribute to—and you’ll get some … Ah, the weather. If you wanted to ask a question such as ‘what is it?’ then you would ask. How can I continue the conversation? Each time you enter a shop or a café in France, it is important to greet the owners and staff by saying hello. Please check your email for further instructions. Translation: As-tu des freres ou des soeurs? Some people say that there is a cheese for each day of the year (365). Finding out someone’s goals, hopes, and dreams can help you discover new information about the society he or she lives in. You skip the boring small-talk and hit the ground running, so the conversation never has a chance to fizzle out. Cervelle de canut. The delicate taste of fresh wild salmon accompanied with a light touch of lemon and that little something extra to push it over the top. You will see below that some of these words start with the letters qu in French. In French the masculine is un and the feminine is une. If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn French with real-world videos. But other times it can feel like all the vocabulary and nouns and verbs are for nothing. Pourquoi ?” (“What’s your favourite place you’ve ever visited? Or that the Christmas festivities in Catalan largely revolve around [...], During my first year at my Italian university, I dropped my language degree course in English and Spanish after just three months. The ’s’ is silent. 8 Top French Apps to Learn French For Busy People On-The-Go, How to Order Food in French at Restaurants Like a Native Speaker, Top 5 Easiest Ways to Learn French For English Speakers. From there, you can talk about favorite episodes, characters, and who ended up dying at the end of the season. Go behind closed doors for fun anecdotes as well as the unvarnished truth on those intriguing French habits , Sign up for our newsletter and get my handy Bucket List of “Top things to do in Paris”. Notice the words: Memorize whole sentences which use the verb conjugations for different pronouns. (On the other hand, it could just be a way to get everyone to eat small portions of everything and finish their plate, for all those picky eaters out there!). Translation: Quels sont vos aliments préférés? But you can’t wait forever, or you’ll miss your chance; someone has to make the first move. I hope you enjoy it! Who knows? You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Whether your new acquaintance is working the job he or she wants to, this can be a fun way to learn more about him or her. Congratulations! This of course only matters if you are corresponding through writing, since this extra e does not affect pronunciation at all. You can use it to learn more about the French culture, language, and more! Games of Thrones is always a good show to throw out there to start a fun French conversation! You can also use the expression ‘est-ce que’ + ‘the pronoun’. Wondering what life in France is really like? “Je recommande le poisson/repas végétarien/poulet, c’est excellent.” (“I recommend the fish/vegetarian dish/chicken, it’s excellent.”) Use this phrase if you’ve eaten there before. Nouns are also a fundamental foundation to learn any language. I am a big fan of garlic butter and as snails are prepared with loads of it I sometimes eat them. © 2020 Enux Education Limited. Here are 10 great, basic sentences to use during French … Demain, il fait du vent (It’ll be windy tomorrow). “J’adore cette bibliothèque/ce casier à vin/cette peinture, où est-ce que vous l’avez obtenu(e) ?” (“I love this bookshelf/wine rack/painting, where did you get it?”), “Qu’est-ce que vous avez pensé de ce livre (indicating a book on their bookshelf) ?” (“What did you think of that book? Business French: Conversation Starters. Here, we are doing the same with “Je” and “habite.” The “h” in “habite” is treated like a vowel because the pronunciation of the word actually drops the “h.” For this reason, many words beginning with “h” in French are treated like vowels. French also has two forms of ‘you.’ One form is familiar and singular: ‘tu’. (I live in France). Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Dating is a universal topic that can get you talking about the difference between cultures and how finding a partner can be difficult no matter where you are from. To see and hear French being used in an everyday, real-life context as often as you’d like, just check out FluentU. You might want to fly, but your new amie thinks that becoming invisible is the way to go. In French the masculine is un and the feminine is une. When’s the last time you did exercise like this?”) Try this phrase when the walk to an attraction is. You’ll find that Memrise has pre-built cards already set up. But there are also different levels of formality and intensity of the apology, depending on the situation. Save it for later! This question asks, “And your parents? Do some research beforehand to find out what vocabulary you can use to describe what you like to do for fun. Whether your new friend’s favorite spot is his or her hometown or somewhere far away, you can get an idea of who a person is and what is important to him or her. (Where are you from?). When you start learning French, you’ll also want to learn how to ask questions. Before we dig into the conversational French, I’d like to say a little bit about conversations in general. From a coffee shop chat to a quick catch-up on the subway, these quick conversations can happen anytime – and these phrases will help you succeed whenever they occur! French cuisine features many delicious appetizers, from simple to complex. You can make some flash cards to get used to some complete sentences with the vocabulary included in this article. The indefinite article in English is ‘a’. FluentU lets you learn French from real-world content like music videos, commercials, news broadcasts, cartoons and inspiring talks. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. You’ll find that, When something is happening in French, you can use. Bon appétit and à bientôt ! Nevertheless, without further ado, here are a few typical French starters that are will start off your meal with a bang. Learning to speak awesome French isn’t just about learning what to say, it’s about getting exposure to as much authentic French speech as possible. Caramelized onions in a broth, topped with a sumptuous amount of cheese, this dish is truly fit for a (French) king. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. How do I continue the conversation? Let’s get started looking at some French conversation starters you can use in the real world. It’s also likely that as a traveler, you’ll have some places to share, as well. Trays of canapés as a starter. Suggestion for Main dish: Mushroom risotto. An original French recipe my mum used to bake. Asking which places feel the most like home can help you to connect with fellow travelers. In different cultures, you’re bound to get a variety of answers. It uses your viewed videos and mastered language lessons to recommend more useful videos and give you a 100% personalized experience. One quick look will give you an idea of the diverse content found on FluentU: Love the thought of learning French with native materials but afraid you won’t understand what’s being said? The French not only have food that tastes great, it looks wonderful as well. Some of the recipes include Famous Foods that are normally associated with France. It might be a game of Monopoly or going outside and enjoying a round of catch. But don’t worry. French cuisine features many delicious appetizers, from simple to complex. Can … It is always a central part of conversation, even in French. We’ve previously talked about the power of learning the right words, instead of trying to learn as many words as possible.