Learn French In 7 Days!: The Ultimate Crash Course to Learning The Basics of the French Language In No Time (2015)

Chapter 1. Introducing French

What you're about to learn:

· How to use French words you already know

· How to be at ease with French pronounciation

French/English similarities

The Normans brought French into the English language which resulted in more than 30% of French words currently being used by English natives. You may not be aware of it but everyday... you speak French!

Many of the words of French origin used in English find their roots in Latin and/or Greek. As an example, “beef” from French “boeuf” is meat from a cow (from old English “cu”) which is a type of “bovine” from Latin “bovinus” via French “bovin”.

For a clearer comprehension of the similarities, we have divided this paragraph into four different aspects related to the French influence in English language. There are original French words and expressions to be found in English, true cognates (“vrais amis”), false cognates (“faux amis”) and spelling equivalents.

This will make it easier to understand how to use French words you already know and use in English!

French words & expressions in English

Over the years, an important number of French words and expressions have been absorbed by the English language and are still intact. Many English speakers might not even realize that they are using these French words in everyday conversations.

Some other words and expressions have been kept to add a certain touch of French – “un certain je ne sais quoi”. English speakers seem to be aware of this French influence and intentionally using those words with a somewhat accurate pronunciation!

Below is a list of some common examples of French words and expressions used in English.

“adieu” : farewell

“à la carte” : on the menu

“à la mode” : in fashion/style (in English “with ice-cream”)

“art déco” : decorative art

“au pair” : a person who works for a family in exchange for room and board

“avant-garde” : innovative (arts)

“brunette” : small, dark-haired female

“cordon bleu” : master chef

“coup d'état” : government overthrow

“cuisine” : type of food/cooking

“débutante” : beginner (In French, “débutante” is the feminine form of “débutant” which means in English beginner (noun) or beginning (adj). In both languages, it refers to a young girl making her formal début into society. Interestingly this usage is not original in French. It was adopted back from English.)

“déjà-vu” : feeling like you've already seen or done something

“haute couture” : high-class clothing style

“Mardi Gras” : Shrove Tuesday

“pot-pourri” : cented mixture of dried flowers and spices

“prêt-à-porter” : clothing

“savoir-faire” : know-how

“savoir-vivre” : manners, etiquette

“souvenir” : memento

“Bon appétit!” : Enjoy your meal!

“Bon voyage!” : Have a good trip!

“C'est la vie!” : That's life!

“Oh là là!” : Ooh la la!

“RSVP” (“Répondez s'il vous plaît”) : Please RSVP

“Touché!” : You got me!

“Voilà!” : There it is!

True cognates (“vrais amis”)

True cognates (true friends) are words with identical spelling and meaning in both French and English. Given the great use of these words in English, you already have a considerable asset to start using French vocabulary!

True cognates are pronounced differently most of the time. However the exact spelling makes it a great advantage to learn French as an English speaker. You can easily learn some French phrases that have several true cognates.

For instance, “je vais voir un film au cinéma ce week-end avec mon cousin” can be understood with the words “film”, “cinema”, “weekend” and “cousin”. You can easily come up with a translation thanks to the French cognates: “I will go to the movies this weekend with my cousin”.

Note: “cousin” is used in both French and English to refer to the son (or daughter in English) of one of your sibling. While it remains the same for male and female in English, the feminine form has a different spelling in French: “cousine”.

Did you really think that it was so hard to speak French? Just start using the hundreds of words you already use everyday!

The list of French cognates is incredibly long – they are estimated to be some 1,700 words! The following list is just a sample of some of the most common true cognates used in English.

Useful to learn French:

“accent” (masculine noun)

“alphabet” (masculine)

Useful words at work:

“absence” (feminine noun)

“accident” (masculine)

“client” (masculine)

“collaboration” (feminine)

“communication” (feminine)

“contact” (masculine)

“document” (masculine)

“fax” (masculine)

“message” (masculine)

“mission” (feminine)

“obligation” (feminine)

“payable” (adjective)

“profession” (feminine)

“solution” (feminine)

“test” (masculine)

Planning your weekend get-away:

“barbecue” (masculine)

“bikini” (masculine)

“bistro” (masculine)

“bungalow” (masculine)

“camp” (masculine)

“casino” (masculine)

“concert” (masculine)

“kayak” (masculine noun)

“parachute” (masculine)

“parasol” (masculine)

“promenade” (feminine)

“ski” (masculine)

“sport” (masculine)

“taxi” (masculine)

“tennis” (masculine)

“valise” (feminine)

“zoo” (masculine)

At the restaurant:

“addition” (feminine)

“apéritif” (masculine)

“chef” (masculine)

“dessert” (masculine)

“entrée” (feminine)

“fruit” (masculine)

“gourmet” (masculine)

“hors-d'oeuvre” (masculine)

“menu” (masculine)

“pizza” (feminine)

“quiche” (feminine)

“sorbet” (masculine)

“steak” (masculine)

“vodka” (feminine)

False cognates (“faux-amis”)

In French, there are numerous “faux-amis” (false cognates or false friends). These words can cause communication problems as they look alike in French and English but have a totally different meaning.

A wrong use of a false friend can end up by a funny joke or a lack of respect. As an example, it can be funny to hear that someone never buys food containing “préservatifs”, which in French means “condoms”! However it would not be clever to mistake “pain”, which means “bread” in French, with the actual English word (the correct French word being “douleur”). You never know what you will end up getting at the drugstore!

Here is a list of the most common “faux-amis” to avoid stupid mistakes that will haunt you forever!

The use of “Franglais”

“Franglais” refers to the massive invasion of French by English words and expressions thanks to the globalization, bringing a worldwide popular culture, and the access to the internet. It has become trendy to use English words in French language. Despite many efforts, the French have failed into translating these English words in their own language, unlike the Canadian French who remarkably succeed in finding equivalents for every English word!

Below is a short list of the most common English words used by French speakers:

Pronunciation

The French alphabet has the same number of letters as the English one. There are 6 vowels (“une voyelle”) and 20 consonants (“une consonne”).

A vowel is a sound that is pronounced through the mouth (or the nose for nasal vowels) with no obstruction of the lips, tongue, or throat.

There are a few general guidelines to keep in mind when pronouncing French vowels:

·    Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English counterparts.

·    The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.

As for the consonants, many of them are similar in French and English so they should be quite easy to learn.

As an approach to French pronunciation (“la prononciation”), we propose you to use the following guide throughout the chapters.

Always refer to this pronunciation guide whenever you try to say a French word from our book. You can also complement your studies with vocal guides to be easily found on the Internet.

Simple letters (“les lettres simples”):

Complex sounds (“les sons complexes”):

Accents (“les accents”)

“Test your French!”

Let's review what you've learnt in that chapter with a few exercises.

Mark the correct answers:

In French, “people” is used to mean:

□ a young person

□ an old person

□ a celebrity

In English, “brilliant” is the translation of the following French word:

□ brilliant

□ épatant

□ génial

In French, “brunette” refers to :

□ a type of food

□ a small, dark-haired female

□ a painting color

Which of the following words is a true cognate (true friend)?”

□ actually

□ car

□ pot-pourri

Which of the following is a false cognate (false friend)?

□ préservatif

□ débutante

□ gourmet

Which of the following English term uses the French sound “eau” like in “chapeau” (hat)?

□ face

□ throw

□ shampoo

Which of the following English term uses the French sound “ai” like in “aimer” (to love)?

□ well

□ parade

□ three

Answers:

In French, “people” is used to mean:

□ a celebrity

In English, “brilliant” is the translation of the following French word:

□ génial

In French, “brunette” refers to :

□ a small, dark-haired female

Which of the following words is a true cognate (true friend)?”

□ pot-pourri

Which of the following is a false cognate (false friend)?

□ préservatif

Which of the following English term uses the French sound “eau” like in “chapeau” (hat)?

□ throw

Which of the following English term uses the French sound “ai” like in “aimer” (to love)?

□ well