Question tags are tricky in English, aren't they? Some great news: They are dead easy in other languages ¿no? Read on for reassurance

La famille, la ville: two of the first 100 French words we learn. The meanings are easy, but find out how they are pronounced, and why...

It was decreed: Covid is a feminine word, but there are plenty who disagree, ignore the ruling. Gender fluidity in French? Yay, boo or huh?

The Eiffel Tower and the Tour de France. Two of the most iconic aspects of French culture. But what is the gender of 'tour'? Well, it's both

Picture: Hannah Wright/Unsplash If you want to whisper a sweet nothing in the ear of your beloved in French, it’s best to go with “Je...

Bonne année is Happy New Year in French. This highlights the relationship between certain pairs of words. Bonjour/Bonne journée, par exemple

Super-friendly adult classes, currently online, but back in the classroom in Hertford and West Berks again soon.

Studying a language? There are several plates to spin: 1. learn vocab 2. learn grammar points 3. improve comprehension 4. get a good accent

Or should I go with the more scholarly title: How is Romanian related to Portuguese? Continuing the mini-series of European languages and...

In our advanced French class this week we looked at a list of political correct-isms. You know the kind of thing: You can no longer say...

- Merci beaucoup. - De rien. Knowing how to say thank-you-You’re-welcome is surely in the Top 5 of any new language...

Discussion point: “English is the most tonal of all European languages.” The Swede could make a similar claim, but they do it in a...

Believe it or not, December 5th is International Pear Day. I might have let this one go, but we can have some fun with pears in our three...

Il y a quatre âges dans la vie de l’homme : - Celui où il croit au Père Noël - Celui où il ne croit plus au Père Noël.....

"H aspiré" it sounds like the h at the beginning of the word should be pronounced, but it is not. However, it does not allow elision...

"N'importe quoi" is an important, commonly-used expression. First meaning: anything, but it has more playful uses...

Humour: one of the best tools of the linguist, whether to understand the target language/culture or to laugh at ourselves - and with others

Learning birds' names in foreign languages is considered 'next level' vocabulary. Here's a start...

how to type accents on foreign words, special characters, “diacritics”. Here is a range of options for how to do it