french term for creative writing

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French Writing Practice

French writing exercises by level.

Practise your French writing skills with our ever-growing collection of interactive French writing exercises for every  CEFR level from A0 to C1! If you're unsure about your current proficiency, try our test to get your French level  before diving into the exercises.

All writing exercises are made by our qualified native French teachers to help you improve your writing skills and confidence.

Kwizbot  will give you a series of prompts to translate to French. He’ll show you where you make mistakes as you go along and will suggest related lessons for you.

Boost your French writing skills by adding the lessons you find most interesting to your  Notebook and practising them later.

Click on any exercise to get started.

A1: Beginner French writing exercises

• A Christmas feast Celebrations & Important Dates Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year.
• A French lunch menu Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Here's the typical lunch menu of a French coffee shop.
• A French woman Employment Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Élodie tells us about her everyday life as a lawyer specialising in women's rights.
• A day in my cat Max's life Family & Relationships Adjectif possessif Article Article contracté Juliette tells about her cat's daily routine.
• A day in the city of Le Mans Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Audrey had a nice time visiting Le Mans, in northwestern France.
• A dream Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Geoffrey tells us about one of his dreams.
• A love story Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Cécile and Andrew meet in a bar.
• A rainy afternoon Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Soizic and Armelle meet up on a rainy day in Brest.
• A romantic Valentine Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Henri tells us about his special plans for Valentine's Day.
• A winter meal Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Bernard has his perfect comfort meal for cold nights.
• Actress Anne Dorval Famous People Film & TV Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Claire tells us about her favourite actress, French-Canadian Anne Dorval.
• Anne's Easter loot Celebrations & Important Dates Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Anne lists all the treats she found during her Easter egg hunt.
• Annoying Things Family & Relationships Adjectif Adverbe Article Philippe and Julien share some of the things that really annoy them.
• Arnaud and Ophélie describe themselves Family & Relationships Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Arnaud and Ophélie describe themselves physically.
• At midnight Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Food & Drink Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Sébastien's family celebrates Christmas on the evening of the 24th.
• At the beach Free Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Adjectif Article Article défini Conversation at the beach between an ice cream vendor and a customer.
• At the beach Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Tom is telling us about his day at the beach.
• At the bookshop Employment Literature, Poetry, Theatre Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe François needs help choosing a book.
• At the gift shop Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Mike and Linda pick some souvenirs in a Montmartre gift shop.
• At the newsagent's Employment Family & Relationships Adjectif Adverbe Article Sophie is buying a few items at a French newsagent's.
• At the sporting goods store Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Alain is buying tennis equipment for his son.
• Baby at the beach Family & Relationships Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Baby enjoys being at the beach with his family.
• Back to School Family & Relationships Language & Education Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Mathieu tells us about going back to school tomorrow.
• Ball Sports Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Vincent and Leila discuss their favourite ball sports.
• Beyoncé Family & Relationships Famous People Music Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe The famous singer introduces herself.
• Board games Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Jonathan is playing board games with his family.
• Booking a hotel room Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Pierre wants to book a room in a hotel.
• Can I come? Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Marie chats with her roommate's friend Damien.
• Cleaning with my family Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Jonathan and his family are cleaning the house today!
• Corsica is beautiful! Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Julien explains why he thinks Corsica is so beautiful.
• Do you like the French language? Language & Education Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Noémie and Léo have opposite opinions on the French language!
• Do you like theme parks? Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adverbe Louis and Zoé give their opposite opinions on theme parks.
• Driving in the city Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adverbe Forme négative Sophie and Christophe talk about driving in city centres [US: downtown].
• Easter decorations Free Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Alice and her sister Zoé are decorating their house for Easter.
• Easter preparations Celebrations & Important Dates Language & Education Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Today, Daniel and his pupils are getting ready for Easter.
• Exchanging a scarf Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Article Christine is returning a scarf to the shop
• Father of two Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Léon talks about his two beloved children.
• Filling in a form Employment Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Olivier answers questions from a form.
• Food shopping for a picnic Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Daniel and Aline are buying food for a picnic.
• Gardening with Jacqueline Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Julia always loves to take care of her aunt's garden with her.
• Going on a diet Family & Relationships Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Marie has a plan to lose weight this year.
• Going shopping Family & Relationships Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Annie and Nicolas discuss her upcoming trip to the shop.
• Hanukkah with my family Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Rachelle celebrates Hanukkah with her family every year.
• Hello! I'm Mario! Famous People Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif The famous plumber introduces himself.
• Hello, my name is France! Politics, History & Economics Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif The country France introduces itself.
• Helping my neighbourhood Family & Relationships Adjectif possessif Adverbe Article Noémie likes helping her neighbours after school.
• Helping the planet Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe François does his best to help the planet in his everyday life.
• How to stay healthy Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Matthieu tells us about his healthy habits.
• How to vote at a polling station in France? Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Learn how to vote in a French election.
• I hate the rain! Sports & Leisure Adverbe Article défini Article indéfini Annie stays in on rainy days
• Load more …

A2: Lower Intermediate French writing exercises

• A Creole picnic Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif During a visit to La Réunion, Julie and Léo went for a typical Creole meal.
• A family of dog lovers Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Anthony had many dogs growing up, but Pip was special.
• A few days in Dordogne Free Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Monique tells Patrick about her coming holiday [US: vacation].
• A football accident Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Anthony had his friend Bruno over to play...
• A great party for Mum [US:Mom]! Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Manon and her sister Aline treated their mother for Mother's Day.
• A nice train journey Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Lucie and her boyfriend Marc went to the countryside by train this weekend.
• A noisy hotel room Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Bertrand complains to the hotel reception about noises during the night.
• A romantic trip to Paris Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Anna took her boyfriend on a romantic trip to Paris.
• A romantic weekend away Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Aline and her boyfriend went away for a relaxing weekend.
• Afternoon ice cream Free Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Lucie and Greg feel like an ice cream this afternoon.
• An Easter egg hunt Celebrations & Important Dates Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Discover where Julien and his siblings found their Easter eggs!
• Arriving at the hotel Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Aline checks into her Parisian hotel.
• At my best friend's wedding Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Patrick gives a toast at Stéphane's wedding.
• At rapper Soprano's concert Music Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Romain was thrilled to finally see his idol Soprano live!
• At the Chinese restaurant Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article James is ordering food in a Chinese restaurant.
• At the New Year's Eve House Party Celebrations & Important Dates Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Mathieu welcomes his guest at his New Year's Eve house party.
• At the allergist's Employment Technology & Science Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Pierre went to the allergist to get a diagnosis.
• At the bar Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adverbe Au bar Patricia and Samuel discuss what drinks they want to order.
• At the bureau de change Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Patrick needs to change some dollars upon arriving in Paris.
• At the dermatologist's Employment Technology & Science Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Manon needs help with her eczema.
• At the farmers' market Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Stéphane enjoys a visit to his local farmers' market.
• At the grocery store Employment Family & Relationships Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Julie and Frank need some things from the grocery store.
• At the medieval market in Orléans Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adverbe Flora and Sami enjoy Orléans's medieval market.
• At the mountain restaurant Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Gérard and Sylvie stop for lunch after their mountain hike.
• At the post office Family & Relationships Adjectif possessif Adverbe Article Christophe has a few errands to run at the post office.
• At the shoe store Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Christine is looking for a pair of shoes with the help of a nice sales assistant.
• Bastille Day in the South of France Celebrations & Important Dates Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adverbe Bernard tells us about celebrating Bastille Day last summer.
• Bedtime stories Family & Relationships Literature, Poetry, Theatre Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Florian remembers the bedtime ritual he had with his daughter.
• Breakfast in the sun Family & Relationships Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Sabrina surprised Thomas with a nice breakfast on the balcony.
• Calling the hotel's room service Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Valérie calls room service from her hotel room.
• Chocolate mousse cooking tips! Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe André gives us some tips to make the perfect chocolate mousse.
• Conversation on the plane Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Pascal and Julie get acquainted on a flight to Montpellier.
• Cooking as a family Family & Relationships Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Yesterday, Antoine and his family made tartiflette together.
• Dividing the restaurant bill Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Adjectif possessif Adverbe Article Isabelle and her friends are splitting the bill at the restaurant.
• Do you have a favourite male singer? Famous People Music Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Simone and Amélie are talking about their favourite French-speaking male singers.
• Do you have any dirty clothes? Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Bastien and his mother debate the need for a dirty laundry basket.
• Driving in France Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Here are a few things to be aware of when driving in France!
• Fireworks Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Juliette went to watch New Year's fireworks yesterday.
• Fishing with Dad Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Benjamin went fishing with his father last Sunday.
• Getting to know each other Employment Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe New colleagues Julien and Olivier get to know each other over a coffee.
• Giving up tobacco Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Amélie has stopped smoking and she's so happy about it!
• Holiday [US: Vacation] by the sea Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Édouard remembers his childhood seaside holidays [US: vacations] in the south of France.
• I love autumn! Family & Relationships Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Jacqueline tells us what she loves to do in the fall.
• I love my grandmother! Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Lucas tells us about his lovely grandmother.
• I prefer going skiing Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Pierre tells us why he prefers going skiing rather than beach holidays.
• In a taxi Family & Relationships Article Article contracté Article partitif Magalie needs her taxi to take her for a few errands.
• In the changing rooms Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Mélanie is trying on a dress... and testing Pierre's patience!
• Instagram love Family & Relationships Technology & Science Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Julien and Sandra became famous thanks to their Instagram account.
• Instructions for a test Language & Education Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Teacher Marc read out the instructions for today's French test.
• Jojo is such a joker! Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Thomas talks about his school friend Jojo, who loves a joke.

B1: Intermediate French writing exercises

• A French April Fool's Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Cécile and her sons are making the traditional French fish for April Fool's day.
• A Horror Story Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe On a dark October night, Emma received a disturbing call...
• A childhood passion Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Vincent and his brother loved video games growing up.
• A clichéd break-up Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif François uses all the clichéd breakup lines to leave his girlfriend Sophie.
• A family day at the park Family & Relationships Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Benoît will spend this Saturday at the park with his daughter Mia.
• A game of hide and seek Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Article Linda and Christian are watching from afar a game of hide and seek between the children.
• A good work routine Employment Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Marc plans to improve his work routine.
• A greener future Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Julien is seeing a future where people are more eco-conscious.
• A special Monday Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Anna is looking forward to a lazy Easter Monday!
• A strange encounter Family & Relationships Literature, Poetry, Theatre Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Yoann had the strangest encounter in the Broceliande forest!
• A trip to the cinema Film & TV Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Antoine and his daughter Emma are planning a trip to the movies.
• A weather forecast Technology & Science Adjectif Adverbe Article Find out what tomorrow's weather will be like.
• A weekend in Montpellier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Élise and Lucas plan their weekend in the southern French city.
• An amazing New Year's Eve meal Celebrations & Important Dates Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Henriette is planning a dazzling meal for New Year!
• An annoying cat allergy Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Éloïse suffers from an annoying cat allergy.
• An incredibly caring boy Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Lydia's son, Olivier, is such a caring person.
• An old scary tradition Celebrations & Important Dates Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Yoann recalls celebrating the old Celtic tradition of Samhain with his Gran.
• Animal emergency Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Julien's cat is stuck in the tree!
• Around the world by motorcycle Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Joël would love to travel the world on his motorcycle.
• Artist Chéri Chérin Art & Design Famous People Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Learn about the amazing Congolese artist Chéri Chérin.
• Asking about a hotel room Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Catherine has a few questions about the hotel room she's booked.
• At the amusement park Sports & Leisure Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Thomas will go to the amusement park with his friend Samia for their birthday this year.
• At the doctor's Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Robert goes to the doctor for a consultation.
• At the till Employment Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Peter is at the till [US: cash register] of a French supermarket.
• Becoming a model Art & Design Employment Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Enjoy some useful tips on becoming a model.
• Birthday makeover Family & Relationships Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini "New year, new me" Julia thought on her 20th birthday.
• Busy Schedule Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Isabelle recaps what everyone will have to do on Saturday!
• Camping at home Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Gabriel and Rose are making plans for the weekend.
• Cathy's future holiday [US: vacation] in Montpellier Free Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Learn about Cathy's plan to spend her holiday [US: vacation] in Montpellier.
• Christmas in the mountains Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Antoine will spend Christmas at his dad's house in the Alps, if he can get there!
• Christmas specialities Celebrations & Important Dates Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Paul tells us about some traditional French Christmas dishes.
• Conversation between the election's two rounds Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Marc explains the French presidential election process to his friend Alice.
• Corsican polyphonic singing Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Music Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Do you know about this bewitchingly melodic tradition from Corsica?
• Cycling in Nantes Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Isabelle agrees with Nantes's status as France's "cycling capital".
• Dalida Famous People Music Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Learn about Dalida, an iconic French-speaking singer.
• Dealing with your emotions Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Here's a guide to keeping calm.
• Discussing a ski weekend Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Laurent and his friend Matt are planning their ski weekend.
• Dreaming of Paris Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Grégory imagines his ideal Valentine's Day's proposal.
• Easter baking class Celebrations & Important Dates Food & Drink Accord Adjectif Adjectif possessif Flora and Yvan enjoy decorating their Easter chocolate bunnies.
• Family holiday car trip Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif possessif Adverbe Concordance des Temps Let the squabbles begin!
• Flying anxiety Family & Relationships Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Jean-Luc has a plan to deal with his fear of flying.
• Following the GPS Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Follow this GPS's instructions to reach your destination.
• Getting ready for autumn Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Article Rosalie won't get caught out by the arrival of autumn this year.
• Giving up smoking Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe François tells us how he managed to stop smoking.
• Going back in time Family & Relationships Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adverbe Marine asks Amanda, Bruno and Sébastien what they would do if they could go back in time.
• Going to the bank Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Flora and her father need to go to the bank.
• How to share household chores equally Family & Relationships Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Follow Céline's tips to share household chores more equally.
• I love swimming! Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Thomas tells us about his love for swimming and his hope to one day dive from up high!
• I miss French food! Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adverbe Hélène tells Betty how she's coping with missing French food abroad.
• I want to help! Family & Relationships Adjectif possessif Adverbe Article Suzanne wishes she had more time to help others.

B2: Upper Intermediate French writing exercises

• "Amélie": my favourite film! Film & TV Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Lisa explains why "Amélie" is her favourite film.
• A History of French TV Film & TV Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Learn some interesting facts about the beginnings of French TV.
• A busy weekend ahead Family & Relationships Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Olivier sums up his busy schedule for the weekend.
• A day in the countryside Free Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Marie spent last weekend in the countryside with her daughters.
• A great Advent calendar Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Find out how to make a unique Advent calendar.
• A great passion for reading Literature, Poetry, Theatre Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Florence talks about her grandmother's passion for books.
• A nice morning surprise Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Lucie will serve a delicious breakfast in bed to her fiancée on their anniversary.
• A nice table "à la française" Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Jacqueline explains the intricacies of setting the table the French way.
• A nightmare journey Free Family & Relationships Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Josiane and Robert explain why they're an hour late to their friends' place.
• A perfect interview Employment Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Léo's just had the best job interview of his life!
• A slippery drive Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Richard struggled to get to work this morning: everything was frozen!
• At the football [US: soccer] game Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Henri took his dad to a football [US:soccer] game for Father's Day.
• At the neighbours' house Family & Relationships Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Véronique and Bruno are at their neighbours' house for an aperitif.
• Bad Movie Review Film & TV Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Bernadette delivers a scathing movie review.
• Barbara Famous People Music Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Laëtitia talks about her passion for fascinating French singer Barbara.
• Bayonne, France's chocolate capital Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Learn why Bayonne is considered the French capital of chocolate.
• Brasserie La Coupole Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Vincent always eats here when he's in Paris.
• British National Museums Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini National museums are free in the UK, as Paul happily found out.
• Building a snowman Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Martine and Bastien enjoyed building a snowman.
• Camping with your dog Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Patrick gives us some advice on taking your dog camping with you.
• Catherine Ségurane: a local heroine Famous People Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Toni, a tourist guide from Nice talks about local legend Catherine Ségurane.
• City vs dog poop Family & Relationships Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Alain and Pauline discuss the city's measures to fight against dog waste.
• Composting is awesome! Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Elsa explains composting to her friend Pierre.
• Congratulations on your degree! Family & Relationships Language & Education Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Thomas's aunt and uncle send him an email to congratulate him on getting his Master degree.
• Conversation between friends Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Friends Simon and Isabelle are catching up.
• Couples' annoying habits Family & Relationships Adjectif indéfini Adverbe Article Olivier gets so annoyed by the way couples behave sometimes!
• Easter, a family celebration Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini François and his family celebrate the religious holiday of Easter.
• Family Reunion Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini At a family reunion, Lea sees her aunt Patricia for the first time in years.
• Finding the perfect anniversary gift Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Jean-Paul is listing his gift ideas for his wife on their anniversary.
• Food shopping in farm shops Food & Drink Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Find out the advantages and disadvantages of food shopping in a farm shop.
• French Easter specialties Celebrations & Important Dates Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Discover some of France's regional Easter specialties.
• French-style lemon tart recipe Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Follow the recipe to make a delicious lemon tart.
• Garip Ay's amazing paintings Art & Design Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Jean-Pierre tells us about the work of this fascinating Turkish artist.
• Getting ready for the holiday [US: vacation] Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Article Article contracté Bastien and Alicia are getting ready for tomorrow's departure.
• Giving back Celebrations & Important Dates Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Especially during the holiday season, it's good to give back to those less fortunate than us...
• Going lily-of-the-valley picking Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Jean-Pierre's family goes to pick lily-of-the-valley every year.
• Heatwave Politics, History & Economics Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini A weather forecast on one of the hottest days of the year.
• High cost of cigarette packaging change Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Learn about the cost of the new policy on cigarette packaging in France.
• I can't find my shirt! Family & Relationships Adjectif possessif Adverbe Article Claire and Julien are almost ready to go out...except for Julien's missing shirt!
• In a clothes store Sports & Leisure Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Patrick complains to the sales assistant about a defective item.
• In the return taxi Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Aline talks about her trip with the taxi driver on her way back to the airport.
• Long time no see! Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Marina and her cousin Tom catch up after quite a while.
• Louise Bourgeois Art & Design Famous People Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Marie-Claire tells us about her favourite French artist.
• Mice invasion Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Lisa and Paul are discussing options to get rid of Lisa's mice.
• Moving house chores Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Sophie had so many chores to do before moving into her new apartment.
• My car is a real beater! Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Yann's car has so many problems!
• My chosen family Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Magalie found her own loving family.
• My dream invention Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Sonia asks Sylvie what invention she'd dream to see becoming a reality.
• My exotic Christmas Celebrations & Important Dates Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Aline is remembering spending last Christmas in Marrakech, Morocco.
• My first Easter memory Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Alexandre remembers the first time he went egg hunting.

C1: Advanced French writing exercises

• 3 Culinary delights from French-speaking countries Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Find out about three dishes from French-speaking countries.
• A bad matchmaker Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Sophie tells us about her failed attempt at matchmaking.
• A couple's ups and downs Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Hélène explains how she and her partner managed to navigate out of a rough patch.
• A difficult sibling relationship Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Yvan has always had a fraught relationship with his sister.
• A dreadful teenager Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Philippe recalls his bad behaviour as a teenage boy.
• A ghost story Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Hugo is visiting his mother on All Saints' Day.
• A hard time at work Employment Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Érica went through a rough time at work.
• A horrible storm! Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Julien remembers spending a horrible night due to a violent storm.
• A last minute request Employment Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Isabelle's colleague keeps making her miserable...
• A long-standing friendship Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Carole tells us about her long-standing relationship with her friend Aline.
• A lovely car Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Find out about Michel's beloved 2CV car.
• A lovely encounter Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif On her daily walk, Audrey met a furry little friend in need of help...
• A special Christmas in Switzerland Celebrations & Important Dates Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Damien recalls a wonderful family Christmas holiday in Switzerland.
• A sudden reappearance Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif After years of disappearance, Olivia's friend is back.
• Advice for new pet owners Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Laurent asks people for their advice on welcoming a new pet at home.
• Alice and the Caterpillar (Alice in Wonderland) Literature, Poetry, Theatre Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Alice meets the mysterious Caterpillar in this adapted excerpt from "Alice in Wonderland"
• An animal tale Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini By a lovely winter morning, Henri the hare meets poorly Lili the rabbit.
• An incredible trip on the Canal du Midi Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Patrice recalls his trip along the Canal du Midi.
• An upcycling tutorial Art & Design Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Find out a few ideas for your upcycling projets.
• Anna's birthday party Family & Relationships Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Clément discusses the organisation of his daughter's birthday party with his friend Charlotte.
• At Uncle Robert's 70th birthday Family & Relationships Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe Laura catches up with her cousin Charlotte at a family event.
• At the psychiatrist's Employment Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Mme Dupont is talking to her psychiatrist.
• At the ski resort Sports & Leisure Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Paul needs to get ski gear for himself and his family.
• Back to School shopping Family & Relationships Language & Education Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Viviane and Christian try and get everything on their children's school supply list.
• Bathroom chat Family & Relationships Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Bruno and Sonia are having a chat in the bathroom.
• Brest during World War II Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Alex is talking about WWII in Brest with his granddad.
• Californian dream Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adverbe Olivia finally followed her dream to move to California.
• Camping in the woods Free Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Nathalie enjoys camping in the middle of the woods.
• Coco Chanel Famous People Politics, History & Economics Adjectif Adjectif possessif Article Learn about this extraordinary woman who became a fashion icon.
• Complaining about a hotel room Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Gérard complains to the receptionist about the state of his hotel room.
• Coping with the heatwave Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif possessif Adverbe Emma asks how Simon and his pregnant girlfriend Christelle coped with the extreme heat.
• Drôme provençale, a little piece of heaven Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Accord Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Vincent tells us about this beautiful region in the South of France.
• Engagement dinner's speech Family & Relationships Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Adverbe The bride's father thanks the guests for attending and announces the evening programme.
• Engagement surprise Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Louise enjoys an unexpected visit at her engagement party.
• Finding love at a yoga retreat Family & Relationships Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Seniors Germaine and Pierrot didn't expect to fall in love at a yoga retreat.
• Fireside memories Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Manuelle has warm memories of family times by the fireside.
• First day back to school Family & Relationships Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Sabrina tells us what she'll do on her children's first day back to school.
• French Mobile Phone Habits Politics, History & Economics Technology & Science Accord Adjectif Adjectif indéfini We're taking a look at the importance of mobile phones in French people's lives.
• Gardening weekend Sports & Leisure Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Jean-Pierre had a busy weekend taking care of his garden.
• Gastronomical review Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Discover a mouthwatering review of a French restaurant.
• Gluten-free living Food & Drink Adjectif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif Alexandre tells us how he dealt with his newly discovered gluten allergy.
• Gustave Moreau Museum Art & Design Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Claire tells us about her fascination for 19th-century symbolist painter Gustave Moreau.
• Holidaying in July Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini July is a hard time to organise holiday [US: vacation] for, as Martine and Sam found out!
• How to show your love? Family & Relationships Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Marianne and her partner Adèle are making some changes to show their appreciation for each other more.
• In the lives of the writers of French romance novels Employment Literature, Poetry, Theatre Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif possessif Discover what the life of a French writer of romance novels looks like.
• Jean-Marc Vallée Famous People Film & TV Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Nathan and Florence discuss the late Quebecois director Jean-Marc Vallée.
• Johnny Hallyday, a French icon Famous People Music Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Paul and his mum talk about her favourite French singer, Johnny Hallyday.
• La Petite France in Strasbourg Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Discover this unique area of Strasbourg, a UNESCO site and tourists' favourite.
• Last-minute hesitations Family & Relationships Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Adjectif possessif François is torn between his love for Marianne and his duty to the Duchess who he's about to marry.
• Letter to Santa Celebrations & Important Dates Adjectif Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif indéfini Timothée writes to Santa, hoping he's been good enough this year...

In this section

• Hanukkah 2023 Menorah
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• Tips and ideas to improve your French writing skills
• French Glossary and Jargon Buster

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Boost your French with creative writing activities: Best for Advanced & Intermediate French learners

Whether you regularly review your conjugaisons or enjoy reading the occasional book in French, it’s important to find practices that you can both maintain and enjoy when you’re learning French. Before you launch yourself into these suggested creative writing activities you may want to find and try the base activities that will give structure to your learning and opportunities to practice, such as:

• language exchange tandems /partners, and/or
• activities to use your language in real-life contexts .

How to make language learning meaningful & personal

As a former French and English teacher, I would argue that it’s also essential to find ways to make the language meaningful and personal . Here are some writing activities you can practice on your own that involve creativity, reflection, and will give a boost to your language-learning toolkit.

The ideas I’ve listed below do require some letting go of traditional ideas around language learning, but the rewards can be great.

• You will create a more personal relationship with the language you’re learning.
• You will capitalize on what you already know and can do in French, as opposed to what you don’t know yet.
• And, language learning will still be happening, but in a different way.
• Even your ‘mistakes’ in this context can be a rich ground for some very interesting language play.  

Boost your French with creative writing activities

There are loads of fun, creative ways to start writing a short text in French that will get your words flowing.

• Choose a simple prompt, like a list of verbs to describe what you did during the day or an inventory of the objects on your desk[1] (see here for more ideas of prompts).
• Once you’ve chosen a prompt, set a timer for five to ten minutes and see what you come up with.
• If it seems intimidating to write in French, why not write in English about French?

Núria Codina for Words Without Borders gives examples of non-native speakers of English who comment on the eccentricities of English.

“I often mistake ‘chicken’ and ‘kitchen’, or ‘restaurant’ and ‘restroom’. I can’t really tell the difference between ‘micro’ and ‘macro’. And I have to slow down when I say ‘usually’ so it doesn’t sound like ‘usury’ ” says Codina .

• What do you think about French? [suggestion: make a note rather than skimming over these questions]
• How does it feel?
• What words resonate with you or bring up strange associations for you?

Poetry in French

Japanese haiku.

An easy form to start with is the Japanese Haiku, traditionally three lines of five, seven, and five syllables. The Francophone Association of Haikus has a website with haikus classed by season if you’re looking for inspiration.  

Blackout Poetry

If staring at a blank page scares you, blackout poetry can be a simpler approach. The principle is to take a page of text, and by blacking out words you create your own text or poem that is new and original. Italian teacher Silvia Perrone applies this method to Italian learners. She highlights the freedom that blackout poetry provides to learners, from consciously paying attention to gender and agreement in your texts, to simply finding words that have something in common.

Journaling in French

Journaling is known to provide many benefits including self-reflection and fostering clear thinking .

Journaling is probably also the most accessible and free-form option of practicing your French writing.

A simple journaling exercise is to write about your day in French as you would in a personal diary. What did you do? How did you feel and what emotions came up? Maybe you could even allow yourself to insert words in English if you don’t find them in French. The importance is getting your mind working and thinking in French, and if at all possible, not translating from English. 

Some language teachers propose guided journaling prompts or subjects. Jessica Tefenkgi Ruelle works with mindfulness and meditation to get you reflecting in French. In her blog, she explains how this benefits your language learning and allows us even to clarify our thoughts. 

Walking Languages Joanna Radomska[3] promotes reflective journaling based on mindful walks in nature and in one’s neighborhood.  The possibilities for reflective journaling are endless… 

Have you tried to Boost your French with any of these creative writing activities in French or English before? Which ones interest you? Let us know in the comments.

About the Contributor

Jessica sarlandie.

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French Vocabulary: Literary Terms

Posted by Barbara Kruger on Friday, May 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment  

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French Vocabulary: Literary Terms le vocabulaire français: la terminologie littéraire

Learning literary terms (la terminologie littéraire) in French will help you discuss works of literature and other types of writing. This vocabulary is especially helpful when analyzing literary works!

l’action  (fem.) : setting

un(e) antagoniste : antagonist

une comédie : comedy

une critique : critique

une drame : drama

un essai : essay

la fiction : fiction

un genre : genre

une intrigue : plot

(la littérature) non-romanesque : nonfiction

le milieu : background

un oeuvre : piece of work / body of work

un personnage : character

la personnification : personification

la poésie : poetry

une pointe de vue : point of view

la prose : prose

un(e) protagoniste : protagonist

un roman : novel

la satire : satire

une strophe : stanza

un thème / un sujet : theme

une tragédie : tragedy

un vers : verse

Vous connaissez l’oeuvre de Baudelaire? Are you all familiar with the work of Baudelaire?

Le haïku est un type de poésie japonaise. Haiku is a type of Japanese poetry.

Il ajuste le rétroviseur avant de mettre le contact. He adjusts the rearview mirror before starting the ignition.

Molière a écrit beaucoup de comédies célèbres. Molière wrote many famous comedies.

L’intrigue de ce roman est très compliquée. The plot of this novel is very complicated.

• quizlet.com: French Literature Vocabulary
• cram.com: French Literary Terms, Pt. 1

Category: French Vocabulary Lessons · Tags: francais , french , Leçon , lesson , Literary , Littéraire , Terminologie , Terms , vocabulaire , vocabulary

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WRITE IN FRENCH

Creative writing at St Andrews

Why write in French?

Et pourquoi pas?

Pourquoi ne pas se laisser guider par les mots, ceux des autres d’abord, ceux des écrivains, des écrivaines, ceux qui sont imprimés dans les livres et dans nos têtes? Et pourquoi ne pas oser à notre tour, écouter leurs rythmes, leurs sonorités? Avec hésitation, peut-être, puis, au contact des autres, dans la dynamique de l’atelier, prendre confiance, expérimenter, essayer, écouter, exprimer.

Oser écrire dans une autre langue.

Writing in another language, an-other’s language, a foreign language.

In 2017 we set up the module ‘Creative writing in French’ at the University of St Andrews, with the belief that writing in a foreign language gives an opportunity to better know and use that language, to discover its literary history and traditions, to explore different genres and voices, to experiment with constraints, to expand one’s own language, to create a space for imagination.

Through weekly workshops, students on this course experiment with different genres – poetry, fiction, non-fiction -, and with various writing techniques – writing from photographs, paintings, from memories, from the observation of daily life, reading and performing their texts, and engaging in collaborative writing. They have been rewriting fairy tales , developing their language skills by crafting sonnets, inventing characters and stories, developing their own projects and creative voices. They have commented on the challenges and benefits of writing in a second language , the dynamics of writing workshops and giving feedback to other participants, and the process of finding inspiration within constraints.

Students speak here about why they took the course ‘Creative writing in French’:

Why creative writing from University of St Andrews on Vimeo .

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Learn How to Write in French Easily

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By OptiLingo • 9 minute read

Improve Your Written French Today

Whether you want to pen a love letter or submit an essay in France, you need to know how to write in French. Luckily, learning how to write in French is fairly straightforward. Since French uses the Latin Alphabet, you’re already ahead of the game. Improve your writing in French fast with these easy steps.

The Basics of French Writing for Beginners

When it comes to French writing, it’s a little different than speaking French. But, if you know how to read French well, you shouldn’t have a lot of problems.

Before you read the 8 easy steps of learning to write in French, there’s one important factor in mastering French writing: practice. The only way you can truly improve your French writing skills is with a lot of practice . Make sure you write a little bit in French every day. Soon, you’ll find that writing in French is like second nature.

1. Watch Out for French Spelling

One of the biggest obstacles that throws French learners off is spelling. Unfortunately, those silent letters that you don’t pronounce are very much there in writing. Be careful how you spell certain complicated words. You need to master all parts of French grammar to write French correctly.

2. Genders Influence Grammar in French

You may already know that nouns have genders in French. They can either be masculine or feminine. And depending on the gender, different parts of a French sentence need to be conjugated.

• articles : French articles need to be conjugated to reflect the gender and the number of the noun. These can be ‘le’, ‘la’, ‘l”, and ‘les’ for definite articles, and ‘un’ and ‘une’ for indefinite articles.
• pronouns : Pronouns in French are the words that replace the name of the subject in a sentence. ‘He’, ‘she’, and ‘them’ are some examples of pronouns in English. In French, you need to use different forms of pronouns depending on the gender of the subject.
• adjectives : When you’re describing a noun, you use an adjective. And since the noun is the only reason the adjective’s there in the sentence, you need to make the adjective fit the noun in French. There are various ways to conjugate French adjectives depending on the gender and the number of the noun, so make sure you brush up on that knowledge before you write in French.

3. Careful with French Accent Marks

French accent marks also don’t do us any favors. While they’re extremely useful when it comes to French pronunciation, their writing isn’t as straightforward. Try to associate the sound with the written French word. There are only 5 accent marks in French. One is the cedilla (ç), which only works with the letter “c”, and another is the acute accent (é), which only sits on top of the letter “e”. So in practice, there are only 3 different kinds of accents you should look out for in French.

4. Follow the French Sentence Structures

English and French sentence structures are similar in many ways. Both follow the SVO (subject-verb-object) structure, which makes writing in French much easier. And just like in English, the French sentence structure is also flexible. You can switch the words around to emphasize a part of a sentence, but still have the same meaning.

• Tomorrow , I’m going to work.    Demain  je vais travailler. I’m going to work  tomorrow .   Je vais travailler  demain .

The most important part of the first sentence is the time the speaker goes to work. The second sentence focuses on the subject, the speaker instead. Still, both sentences convey the same meaning of going to work.

If you want to ask a question in French, you can do so by putting a question word at the beginning of the sentence. Common question words are:

• How  Comment
• What  Que / Qu’est-ce que queue
• What kind  Quel genre
• When  Quand
• Why   Pourquoi

You can also ask a question by switching the order of the verb and the pronoun around, and connecting them with a hyphen:

• Do you speak English?    Parlez-vous anglais ?

It’s important to remember these basic rules of French sentence structure before you start writing in French. If you want to learn how to write in French effectively, practice these 4 steps a lot.

Psst! Did you know we have a language learning app?

• It teaches you useful words and phrases.
• Presented in a natural, everyday context.
• Spaced out over time, so you absorb your new language organically.
• It’s kind of like learning the words to your new favorite song!

You’re only one click away!

How to Write in French for Intermediate Students

If you’re an intermediate French learner you’re familiar with basic French grammar, and you’re confident in writing in French. But, there’s always room to improve. Once you know the basic steps of how to write in French, it’s time to make your writing even better. You can start paying attention to style, flow, and structure. The tips below will benefit your French writing practice.

5. Try Nominalization

This useful technique will make your sentences better. Nominalization means that you make nouns in the sentence more dominant. While in English, the dominant words are verbs, in French, you can write with the focus of the noun instead, making them more meaningful. Here’s an example to demonstrate.

• Normal sentence: The ice cream is cold. – La glace est froide.
• Nominalized sentence: The ice cream is cold. – La glace, c’est droid.

6. Use French Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the tools to write complex French sentences. Without them, you’re limited to simple and boring sentence structures. As an intermediate student, you can start connecting two equal or unequal sentences to make an even more interesting phrase. Here are the different kinds of French conjunctions you can use to write better in French:

Coordinating Conjunctions:

You use these kinds of conjunctions to connect two equal sentences. The most common coordinating conjunctions in French are:

Subordinating Conjunctions:

If one of the sentences in unequal or dependent on the other, you need to use subordinating conjunctions. These connectors often show causality. The most common conjunctions in French for this category are:

7. Style and Flow

Now that you wield the power of conjunctions, you have to be careful with it. As fun as it is to write long and complicated sentences in French, it doesn’t sound good. Make sure you use appropriate sentence lengths as you’re writing in French.

Aim for shorter sentences. Make them explain your point well. But, feel free to mix the flow up with the occasional longer sentences. That’s how you write in French with a nice and smooth flow. And that’s how you perfect your French writing too. It will be a pleasure to read your work.

Writing in French for Advanced Learners

Once you mastered all of the French writing rules, you’re officially an advanced French learner. But, there may still be room to improve your French writing. If you’re looking to kick your projects up a notch, you can learn how to write essays and dissertations in French. These pointers will be useful if you ever attend school or university in France, or you want to take a language exam.

8. Get Familiar with French Essay Structure

When you’re writing an essay, you have to structure it for readability. If you want to learn how French high schoolers are taught to write their essays, this is the structure they follow: thèse-antithèse-synthèse (thesis-antithesis-synthesis). Learn how to write French essays using a traditional French essay structure.

• Introduction : You begin your essay by having an introduction, which is a context for argument.
• Thesis : In this section, you present and defend the statement of your thesis. You need to write everything that supports the topic of your essay.
• Antithesis : The antithesis follows the thesis. This is where you state conflicting evidence and explain other potential substitutes for your essay. Including an antithesis doesn’t mean that you disagree with your original thesis. You just need to show that you thought of all possibilities before arriving to your conclusion.
• Synthesis : This is your conclusion. This is where you summarize your arguments, and explain why you still stand by your original thesis despite the antithesis.

9. Use Introduction and Conclusion Vocabulary

Certain words can encourage sentence flow by introducing or concluding some parts of your work.

• tout d’abord (firstly)
• premièrement (firstly)
• deuxièmement (secondly)
• ensuite (then)
• enfin (finally)
• finalement (finally)
• pour conclure (to conclude)

You can use these words when introducing a new idea to your dissertation or essay. These words will signal the readers that they are encountering a new part or thought of your writing process.

10. Writing a Dissertation in French

This is the form of writing you encounter in French higher education. It’s a very complex form of French writing, only the most advanced and fluent French learners should attempt it. It’s also a longer piece of academic writing. It may take you weeks to complete research and write your French dissertation.

The French dissertation is similar to essay structure. But, there’s one main difference: your thesis isn’t a statement, but rather a question. It’s your job in the dissertation to take the reader through your thought process and research to answer your question. This logic is known as “ Cartesian logic .” It comes from Descartes , who was a well known French philosopher.

History of Written French

French was used in Strasbourg Oaths, and it first appeared in writing in 842 AD. Before then, Latin was the only language used for literature in Europe. However, in the 10th and 11th centuries, French appeared in some religious writings and documents but was not used up to the late 12th century or early 13th century. The first greatest French Literature work, the Song of Roland (Chanson de Roland), was published around the year 1200.

Writing in French Alone Won’t Make You Fluent

You need to learn how to write in French to be proficient in the language. But, it won’t make you fluent. The only way to become fluent is to practice speaking French. While it’s crucial to develop every area of your French knowledge, if you want to be fluent in French, you need a reliable language learning method like OptiLingo.

OptiLingo is an app that gets you speaking, not typing a language. It gives you the most common French words and phrases, so you’re guaranteed to learn the most useful vocabulary. Don’t waste time trying to learn French you’ll never use. Complement your French writing practice with fun speaking exercises when you download OptiLingo !

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Essential French Academic Vocabulary for Writing and Speaking

Do you want to take your French language skills to the next level? If so, then mastering academic vocabulary is essential. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or academic professional, having a strong academic vocabulary will give you a significant edge.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the fascinating world of French academic expressions and words. We’ll also provide you with some tips on how to master this essential skill. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

The Significance of Academic Vocabulary:

Academic vocabulary plays a vital role in academic pursuits, facilitating comprehension, precision, and effective communication. Here are some reasons why it is essential:

Precision and Clarity: Academic vocabulary offers precise terms that allow for clear expression of complex ideas and concepts.

Comprehension and Critical Reading: Familiarity with academic words enhances understanding and facilitates in-depth analysis of scholarly texts.

Effective Writing: Using appropriate academic vocabulary demonstrates subject knowledge, adds credibility to your writing, and enables concise and persuasive articulation of ideas.

Presentations and Discussions: Employing academic vocabulary enriches participation in academic conversations, seminars, and conferences, fostering meaningful engagement and intellectual discourse.

Essential French Academic Vocabulary:

Below is a list of commonly used academic expressions and words, along with their English translations:

Analyser (Analyze) : Examine in detail to uncover patterns or insights.

French: “Analyser les données recueillies dans l’étude.”

English: “Analyze the data collected in the study.”

Critiquer (Critique) : Evaluate or assess by offering a detailed analysis or opinion.

French: “Critiquer les arguments présentés dans cet article.”

English: “Critique the arguments presented in this article.”

Évaluer (Evaluate) : Assess or judge the value, significance, or quality of something.

French: “Évaluer les performances des étudiants dans l’expérience.”

English: “Evaluate the students’ performance in the experiment.”

Hypothétiser (Hypothesize) : Formulate a tentative explanation or assumption based on limited evidence.

French: “Hypothétiser une relation entre ces deux variables.”

English: “Hypothesize a relationship between these two variables.”

Synthétiser (Synthesize) : Combine separate elements or information to form a coherent whole.

French: “Synthétiser les résultats de différentes études pour parvenir à une conclusion générale.”

English: “Synthesize the findings from different studies to arrive at a general conclusion.”

Méthodologie (Methodology) : The systematic approach used in a research study or investigation.

French: “Décrire en détail la méthodologie utilisée dans cette recherche.”

English: “Describe in detail the methodology used in this research.”

Empirique (Empirical) : Based on observation, experience, or experimental evidence.

French: “Appuyer les conclusions avec des preuves empiriques solides.”

English: “Support the conclusions with strong empirical evidence.”

Revue de la littérature (Literature Review) : A critical analysis and summary of existing research and literature on a specific topic.

French: “Réaliser une revue de la littérature pour identifier les lacunes dans les recherches précédentes.”

English: “Conduct a literature review to identify gaps in previous research.”

Paradigme (Paradigm) : A framework or model that serves as the basis for a particular theory or approach.

French: “Comprendre les différents paradigmes utilisés en psychologie.”

English: “Understand the different paradigms used in psychology.”

Concluant (Conclusive) : Providing a definitive result or settlement.

French: “Présenter des preuves concluantes pour étayer l’hypothèse.”

English: “Present conclusive evidence to support the hypothesis.”

Concept (Concept) : An abstract idea or fundamental principle.

French: “Comprendre le concept de développement durable.”

English: “Understand the concept of sustainable development.”

Déduire (Deduce) : Draw a logical conclusion from given information.

French: “Déduire les implications de cette théorie.”

English: “Deduce the implications of this theory.”

Étude de cas (Case study) : A detailed analysis of a specific subject, often used to illustrate theoretical concepts.

French: “Analyser une étude de cas en psychologie cognitive.”

English: “Analyze a case study in cognitive psychology.”

Expérience (Experiment) : A scientific activity conducted to test a hypothesis or verify a theory.

French: “Concevoir et mener une expérience sur la gravité.”

English: “Design and conduct an experiment on gravity.”

Thèse (Thesis) : An original research work presented to obtain an academic degree.

French: “Rédiger une thèse sur la littérature française du 19e siècle.”

English: “Write a thesis on 19th-century French literature.”

Source primaire (Primary source) : A document or testimony directly related to the event or subject being studied.

French: “Analyser des sources primaires pour comprendre la Révolution française.”

English: “Analyze primary sources to understand the French Revolution.”

Analyse de données (Data analysis) : The systematic examination of data to draw conclusions or identify patterns.

French: “Effectuer une analyse de données statistiques pour tester l’hypothèse.”

English: “Perform statistical data analysis to test the hypothesis.”

Variable indépendante (Independent variable) : A variable manipulated or controlled by the researcher to study its effect on another variable.

French: “Identifier la variable indépendante dans cette étude expérimentale.”

English: “Identify the independent variable in this experimental study.”

Référence bibliographique (Bibliographic reference) : A complete citation of a source used in an academic work.

French: “Citer les références bibliographiques selon les normes de l’APA.”

English: “Cite bibliographic references following APA guidelines.”

Méthode qualitative (Qualitative method) : A research approach focused on in-depth understanding of social phenomena through observations and interviews.

French: “Appliquer une méthode qualitative pour explorer les motivations des participants.”

English: “Apply a qualitative method to explore participants’ motivations.”

Remember, this list of essential French academic vocabulary is a selection, and there are many more terms specific to different fields of study. Regular exposure to academic texts and engagement in academic discussions will contribute to the expansion and refinement of your academic vocabulary.

How to Master Academic Vocabulary in French

Once exposed to these words and expressions and a lot more thanks to your research, you need to practise using academic vocabulary in your own writing and speaking. This will help you to solidify your knowledge and make sure that you can use the vocabulary correctly.

Mastering academic vocabulary in French opens doors to effective communication and comprehension within academic domains. By incorporating these essential expressions and words into your repertoire, you can engage in intellectual discussions confidently. 

To accelerate your learning journey, Albert-Learning offers a valuable online teaching platform. You can book a free session with their experienced teachers. By learning these French expressions in context, you can thrive in academic environments. Start your journey today and unlock the power of academic vocabulary in French.

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25 French Writing Activities, French Writing Projects

In this series on teaching French writing activities, we’ve already discussed using templates to model good writing , as well as the importance of French transition words to decrease choppiness .  This post will continue the writing discussion with 25 ideas for great French writing projects and French writing activities to use all year long for your middle school and high school students.

Without further ado, here are some ideas:

French Writing Activities (Level 1)

For level 1, I focus primarily on speaking and communication skills for at least the first half of the year before adding in a whole lot of writing.  Sentences or short paragraphs are fine, but avoid long compositions until they are more confident and competent with their communication skills.

That said, here are a few shorter projects:

Postcard project (Level 1) 

Students pretend they are on vacation in a Francophone country.  Pass out an index card and have students draw/print and paste photos of the scenery on one side and describe their vacation on the other.

Teach them a little bit of passé composé to help them talk about where they went and what they saw.  (Je suis allé . . ., Nous sommes allés, J’ai vu, Nous avons vu, C’était amusant, intéressant, un voyage fantastique).  Don’t teach them the whole verb conjugation – only teach that “Je suis allé/e” means “I went”, “Nous sommes allés” means we went, “J’ai vu” means “I saw”, “Nous avons vu” means “We saw” and “C’était” means “It was “.  Ex.  I’m in Switzerland.  There are so many beautiful mountains hers.  The weather is cold and today it’s snowing.  Yesterday we went to the Alps to go skiing.  Etc.

Social Media Profile

Have students write their own Facebook profile or other social media profile.  They can answer questions such as:  Where do you live, what do you like to do, what is your profession, etc.

Secret Valentines

Select another student’s name for each student (boys to boys, girls to boys, girls to girls) and have them write super cheesy valentines to their secret valentine.  Tell them that the whole point is to write the cheesiest valentine.  Students give you the valentines when they are done and you pass them out.  They try to guess who their secret valentine is.

Grab your free list of Valentine’s vocab in the Free Resource Library .

All about Me Writing Project

This one is great for an end-of-year project.  Students describe themselves, their families, their likes and dislikes, etc.  Get this free template in the Free Resource Library .

All about Me French Writing Project

French Writing Activities (Level 2)  

Instagram posts.

Students take photos and write Instagram posts describing what they did over the summer, winter break, spring break, etc.

Personal Narrative

All about Me Project (with or without the template).  See above.

Describe a Typical Day  

Students describe their daily routine (great for reflexive verbs and time).  If you want to add an extra fun element to this, offer extra credit if they act their days out in front of the class as funny people.  Student A is behind Student B and is the arms and does all the actions while Student A talks.  This is really funny as they try to brush teeth, hair, etc.  Students love this activity.

Collage People

Students cut out pictures of different activities and paste them (or they can draw them) onto an outline of a person.  They then write about the person that they have created, describing their likes and dislikes.

French Photo Collage

Commands Projects

How to project .

Write instructions explaining how to make or do something (could be a recipe or a simple craft).

Create a Pamphlet 

Make a pamphlet or brochure for a gym/weight loss program.

Passé Composé Projects

One crazy family.

Write about a crazy family and all the crazy things that they did all week long.  Have them act out the actions in front of the class with props.

Ex.  The Cartier family is really crazy.  On Tuesday, Marta ate worms and crickets for dinner.  On Friday night, Louise and Rose rode elephants and parked them in the supermarket parking lot.  What a mess!

Postcard project  (Level 2)

Students pretend they are on vacation in a Francophone country.  Pass out an index card and have students draw/print and paste photos of the scenery on one side and describe their vacation on the other.  Can be used with just passé composé or passé composé and imparfait.

25 French Writing Activities

Imperfect Projects

Your life as a kid.

Write about what your life was like when you were a kid.  Students leave the name off and attach a photo from when they were little.  Post them around the class with a number next to each essay.  Students try to guess who each person is.

Famous Person’s Life 

Write about the life of a famous person.

Penpal Letters

Connect with another class in a Francophone country and have your students correspond with other students throughout the year.  Collect the letter and mail them in one big envelope to save on postage (or even better, correspond via email).

Letter for Next Year

Write a letter to next year’s students telling them about your teacher and what they should expect from French class.

French 3, 4, 5 Writing Activities

Passé composé vs. imparfait projects, class story.

Write a class story.  Begin with a starter sentence like:  It was a dark and stormy night.  Students in class take turns adding on sentences.  To get more touches with the language, divide the class into groups and let them brainstorm their own stories and then write on the board as they go.  Share and correct the stories as a class afterward.

Life in the Past

Compare and contrast life today with life 50 years ago.

Photo Prompt

Use a funny photo as a writing prompt.  Ex. What happened to cause this event?

Photo Writing

Show a picture with lots of things happening in it.  Have students write as much as they can about the picture for 2-5 minutes.

Describe the Scene in French

Retell a Fairy Tale

Students write out a traditional fairy tale but change some of the details to give it a funny twist.

Change the Ending

Write the ending to a story that the class is reading before you read it.

Famous People 

Students research a famous Francophone and write a resume based on that person’s life.  I like to have them add an audio-visual element to the presentation (showcasing their art, music, etc.).

Movie/Book Review

Students write a review critiquing a movie or book.

Students write a blog post about a topic of their choosing:  exercise, sports, fashion, healthy eating, etc.  Have them use info. that you are studying (specific verb tenses or grammar points, transition words ) in their posts.

Journal Writing

Have students write once a week in Spanish journals (either in class or at home).  Be sure to tell them not to write stuff that is super personal because you will be reading it.

Journal Writing with Prompts 

Give students a new prompt for each writing session.  Base the prompts on the season or specific grammar points that you’re studying.  Ex.  (For Halloween)  Describe the best Halloween costume that you ever wore.  Ex. (For imperfect subjunctive)  If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?

Controversial Opinion Piece

Students present one side of a debate for a controversial topic.  As the teacher, you may wish to select certain topics to choose from or you may decide to give students permission to choose (just have them check with you first before they start to write).

Future Plans 

Describe what your life will be like in 10, 20, or 30 years.

Conditional

Have students answer any of the following writing prompts:  1.  What would you do if you won $1,000,000?  2.  What changes would you make if you were the principal of your school?  3.  If you could have any special power, what would it be and why?

End of Year Projects for Upper-Level Students

French Fairy Tales :  Students write and illustrate fairy tales using complex verb tenses and transition words.  Give them a specific amount of transition words to use (10-15), and specific verbs (must use at least 3 conditional, 5 preterite, 5 imperfect, 3 subjunctive, etc.).  Get the instructions, rubrics, and samples to show your students here .

Write a Chapter:   Write an additional chapter from a book that you’ve read this year.  Include elements in the style of that particular author.  My favorite book is “Le Petit Nico” .  In each chapter, Nico gets into some sort of problem but manages to find a way out of it.  This also works well for “Le Petit Prince”.

Le Petit Nicolas

Hope you found these ideas helpful and inspiring!  Have a great writing project that we should all know about – let me know in the comments so I can add it to this post.

Want more?  Check out the other posts in this series about writing:    Teaching French Writing Using Templates and How to Use French Transition Words to Improve Student Writing .

Happy Teaching! ~Sherry

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French translation of 'creative writing'

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40+ French Descriptive Words and Adjectives

Language learning is just like cooking.

Think of nouns and verbs as the “meat” or primary parts of a sentence.

But without descriptive French adjectives , your sentences will come out dry and flavorless .

Read on to learn a variety of French descriptive words spanning various contexts.

We’ll talk about describing appearance, personality, emotions and more in French.

How to Use French Adjectives

French physical description, french personality adjectives, french adjectives describing feelings, functional descriptive words, french words to describe order, where to practice french descriptive words, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Adjectives in French have the same use as adjectives in English. They function, in essence, as descriptive words. They modify a noun and provide extra information we wouldn’t otherwise have.

Here are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind about using French adjectives:

• Adjectives usually come after the noun. For instance: le vase rond   (the round vase).
• The acronym BAGS can help you remember which adjectives go before the noun. These are adjectives related to b eauty, a ge, g oodness and s ize.
• Adjectives must agree in gender and plurality with the nouns they modify. 
• There are irregular adjectives . These simply need to be memorized. We’ll point out below when an adjective’s feminine or masculine form deviates from the norm.

Physical descriptive words characterize what a person, place or thing is literally like. These French adjectives describe what we can determine via our five senses .

Doux  (m)/ douce  (f) — soft, sweet

Son animal en peluche est si doux !  (His stuffed animal is so cute!)

Dur  — hard

Laid  — ugly

Joli  — pretty

Ma femme est la plus jolie dans le monde !  (My wife is the prettiest in the world!)

Mince   — skinny

Gros  (m)/ grosse  (f) — fat

On doit faire de l’exercice pour ne pas devenir gros .   (One must exercise in order to not become fat.)

Sec  (m)/ sèche  (f) — dry

Mouillé  — wet

Après une heure au soleil, mes vêtements sont encore mouillés !  (After an hour in the sun, my clothes are still wet!)

Droit  — straight

Les enfants en maternelle apprennent à dessiner une ligne droite .   (Children in kindergarten learn how to draw a straight line.)

Courbe  — curved

Raidés   — straight (describing hair)

Bouclés  — curly (describing hair)

Nous avons tous les cheveux bouclés .   (We all have curly hair.)

Note that we’re presenting raidés and bouclés in the plural because you normally won’t talk about a single strand of hair.

Foncé  — dark

Clair  — light

Leur nouvelle maison est bleue c laire .  (Their new house is light blue).

Add some color to your conversation! Don’t forget that colors are important descriptive words , too.

I’m sure you have a dazzling personality, but what good is it when you can’t brag a bit about it? Or how will you talk about that friend with a dynamite sense of humor? These words will help you communicate what someone is like .

Amical   — friendly

Gentil   (m)/ gentille  (f) — nice, kind

Méchant   — mean

Elle est si méchante . Elle refuse absolument de me parler.  (She is so mean. She absolutely refuses to talk to me.)

Courageux  (m)/ courageuse  (f) — courageous, brave

Ceux qui ont caché les Juifs des Nazis pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale étaient vraiment courageux .   (Those who hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II were really brave.)

Lâche  — cowardly

Fort   — strong

Faible  — weak

Mon frère a un esprit faible . Il croit tout ce qu’on lui dit.  (My brother has a weak mind. He believes everything one tells him.)

Assuré   — confident

Timide  — shy

Elle parle rarement en classe parce qu’elle est timide.    (She rarely speaks in class because she is timid.)

Drôle  — funny

Mon grand-père me racontait des histoires drôles de sa jeunesse.  (My grandfather used to tell me funny stories about his youth.)

Ennuyeux  (m)/ ennuyeuse  (f) — boring

Whether you like to keep your deepest emotions inside or have everything out in the open, knowing how to discuss what you feel like (both physically and emotionally) will go a long way.

Malade   — sick

Ma mère est malade avec la grippe.  (My mom is sick with the flu.)

Sain   — healthy

Heureux   — happy

Malheureux  — unhappy 

Triste   — sad

La chanson est si triste . Je pleure chaque fois que je l’écoute.  (The song is so sad. I cry every time I listen to it.)

Fâché   — angry

Content  — pleased

J’étudiais toute la semaine, et maintenant je suis complètement contente avec ma note.  (I studied all week long and now I am very pleased with my grade.)

Pressé  — rushed

Nerveux  (m)/ nerveuse  (f) — nervous

Calme   — calm

Vous devez rester calme ! Je suis sûre que tu vas trouver un bon travail.  (You must remain calm! I am sure you will find a good job.)

Fatigué  — tired

À cause de son cancer, mon oncle est souvent fatigué .  (Because of his cancer, my uncle is often tired.)

Épuisé  — exhausted

Vif   (m)/ vive (f) — lively

Functional adjectives are used very often and play a key role in structuring sentences. The reason I call them “functional” is that they’re less concrete and more often serve a grammatical purpose rather than explicitly describing what something’s like.

You’ll get the idea as you look over this list.

Autre   — other, different

Oui, je suis d’accord avec vous sur cette question, mais l’avortement est une autre chose.  (Yes, I agree with you on that question, but abortion is a different matter.)

Certain  — certain, different

Excusez-nous, nous cherchons un certain homme qui habite ici.  (Excuse us, we are looking for a certain man who lives here.)

Tout   — all

Chaque  — each

Demain, chaque étudiant va partager leurs recherches avec la classe !  (Tomorrow, each student will share their research with the class!)

Même  — same

J’ai la même chemise.  (I have the same shirt.)

Pareil  — same

Semblable  — similar

French words that describe order (for instance, if you’re describing in what order a series of events took place) are considered adjectives. The good news is that, in this case, there’s a clear pattern . You don’t need to learn an entirely new word for each number!

These are just some quick guidelines to help you use “order words” in an orderly fashion.

The main irregulars are:

Premier  (m)/ première  (f) — first

Dernier  (m)/ dernière  (f) — last

Ce séjour est ma première fois en France.  (This trip is my first time in France.)

The general rule to make a cardinal number (e.g. “three”) into an ordinal number (e.g. “third”) is to add the ending “-ième.”

Trois    (three) →  troisième  (third)

Ils ont pris le train en troisième classe.  (They rode the train in third class.)

Seconde  (second) →  deuxième  (second)

Quatre   (four) →  quatrième  (fourth)

Cinq   (five) →  cinquième  (fifth)

Neuf  (nine) →  neuvième  (ninth)

The abbreviations also follow predetermined rules:

Premier   → 1er (masculine) and  1ère (feminine)

Seconde  → 2nd (masculine) or  2nde  (second)

No one wants to spell out a long number like 563rd in English, much less in French. When dealing with a large number such as this, simply write the numerals and add “-ème” (Parisian French) or “-e” (Quebec French). Thus, one would write either  563ème  or  563e .

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Reading this article is a great start to boosting your French, but learning must always be put into practice in order to stick. These are some very practical ways you can take the next step:

• Tex’s French Grammar  reviews adjective agreement and has a fill-in-the-blank exercise.
• If you’re ready for a bit more of a challenge, this Sporcle quiz has you type in the correct form of the adjective—and it features several irregulars!
• Whether in English or in French, using the same old adjectives over and over again makes for boring communication. Practice words you learn here and discover many more with Quizlet’s virtual flashcards. A couple of good places to start include this set and that set . Then, expand your repertoire even further with advanced French adjectives .

Whew! So much to keep in mind! And yes, this is only a sampling of the hundreds of rich words (adjectives and beyond) in French.

It truly is a wonderful language, one that only becomes more and more fascinating as you continue to expand your vocabulary and expression. 

I hope that as you use these words you’ll fall more in love with the French language! 

FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:

Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."

All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Translation of creative – English–French dictionary

(Translation of creative from the GLOBAL English-French Dictionary © 2016 K Dictionaries Ltd)

Translation of creative | PASSWORD English-French Dictionary

(Translation of creative from the PASSWORD English-French Dictionary © 2014 K Dictionaries Ltd)

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call centre

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a large office in which a company's employees provide information to its customers, or sell or advertise its goods or services, by phone

Varied and diverse (Talking about differences, Part 1)

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113 unique, cool & beautiful French words to add a little magic in life

Elinor Zucchet

French is often considered one of the most beautiful languages in the world. And some words and sayings are more striking than others.

Would you like to learn some pretty French words and beautiful French sayings to impress your French teacher, or your French speaking friends?

We have compiled some of the most beautiful French words and meanings , whether you’re already amoureux de la langue française , or not convinced — yet — it’s a lovely language.

Bonne lecture !

Beautiful French vocab

Let’s start with some of the most beloved French words. Don’t they sound pretty? And if you’re looking for powerful, beautiful French words to compliment your francophone love interest, check out this article !

Beautiful French words

Poetic, elegant or plain cute, make sure to add these words to your vocab list!

Beautiful French phrases, sayings and quotes

Some of these beautiful French quotes might already sound familiar. Keep reading to learn new ones!

And if you love French expressions, check out these funny sayings explained .

Other cool French words related to nature

French is a very lyrical language, which is perfect to write poetry — or to describe the amazing nature that surrounds us. Nature lovers will also appreciate our articles on animals in French , birds in French and flowers in French .

How to sound cool in French

Cut words in half.

The French language is long-winded, and, admittedly, a little pompous at times. So what can you do to sound cool when you speak French? Well, you can start by learning these 275 slang words and phrases .

Then, you can apply the guillotine technique, which became infamous during the Révolution. Just kidding, today, we’re only going to cut… words! Watch this video to find out how you can cut French words in half and sound like a local. Trop cool !

Adopt the “Je m’en fiche” attitude

If you want to sound and look cool in France, adopt a “blasée” , “nonchalante” attitude. In other words, just act like you don’t care.

In fact, French people have dozens of expressions to say they don’t care! You can learn the most common ones in this video .

Je m'en moque / je m'en fous / Je m'en ...

And even more unique French words… related to love

French is the language of love, right? Or at least, one of them . Therefore, we had to include a special section on l’amour ! You might also want to learn these weird and wonderful ways to say I love you in French .

French can be weird…

We are aware that some of these unique and cool French words and phrases might be a bit challenging to learn. You might also think they don’t make sense. But don’t worry, you’re not the only one struggling! In this hilarious video, Loïc Suberville explains some of the craziest, weirdest, and maybe most frustrating aspects of French. And since we love weird, here is a list of bizarre French words.

If you’ve read the entire article, we hope that you’ve enriched your vocab with some unique, weird and beautiful French words . Words are very powerful in any language. If you’re a word lover like us, don’t miss this ode to words — “Les mots” , by the French singer and songwriter Renaud. C’est si beau !

Keep up your beautiful and FREE French language learning journey via our French blog here.

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