Clarity spelled out with wood letter cubes

Three examples of how French use less superlative words compared to English

c’est pas con (that’s not stupid) – it’s fabulous You know that loud exclamation when someone “loves” and idea? Well in French we just take things with slightly less enthusiasm. You still show that you approve, but let us say that there is less of the zeal (real or not so much) often heard in…

Butter and sandwich
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Vouloir le beurre et l’argent du beurre? Et en anglais?

The French expression we choose this time is “vouloir le beurre et l’argent du beurre”. This literally means to want the butter and the butter money. In English the equivalent expression is “to want the cake and eat it.” How funny that to express this situation both the French and English languages use food as…

A cup of coffee in a French café.

10 French phrases that will make your vacation in France so much more enjoyable

Or, “dix phrases françaises qui rendront vos vacances en France encore plus agréables”. 🙂 Summer is almost here and France is beckoning with it all its charm. Whether you are planning a weekend in Bordeaux, Paris or Nice, or elsewhere, you probably already thought about what French you do know. Maybe you are even contemplating…

Office with sun and shadows.

J’ai un rendez-vous, mais ce n’est pas romantique

This word, rendez-vous, has an exciting history and it was borrowed into the English language centuries ago. In fact, as early as 1556, we can find this word in the History & Antiquities of Hengrave, Suffolk (1). Even then, the English (le anglais) enjoyed throwing French words around. Go figure that many who want to…