to crash
Les vagues s’écrasent sur les rochers.
The waves crash on the rocks.
TODAY
Our vocabulary word is inspired by the seaside. After you’ve learned how to say to crash in French, follow the links below to learn more French vocabulary words about la mer, the sea.
flour
La farine est l’ingrédient essentiel dans tous les pains de France.
Flour is the essential ingredient in all the breads of France.
TODAY
Our word is inspired by the breads of France — les pains de France. Bread plays such an important role in French cuisine and indeed the life of the French that it’s essential to learn to ask for the loaf you want. Follow the links below to discover the words for many types of bread and other related French vocabulary words:
DON’T JUST LOAF AROUND!
Take our French Bread Vocabulary Quiz to find out if you’re ready to visit the boulangerie (bread bakery).
to score a goal
Qui a marqué le premier but?
Who scored the first goal?
REFRESH YOUR MEMORY ON -er VERBS
Visit our Quick Verb Guide’s page on -er verbs to learn how to conjugate verbs like marquer.
dead broke
(literal translation: cut down like the wheat)
Après la fête, nous serons fauchés comme les blés.
After the holiday, we’ll be dead broke.
A NOTE ABOUT THIS EXPRESSION
You can also say, more simply, Je suis fauché (I’m broke).
TODAY
Our phrase is a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiomatic expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.
We’ve assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms on our site. Add the idiomatic expressions below to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.
n.m.pl., twins
Les jumeaux parlent de quoi?
What are the twins talking about?
ALSO
un jumeau = a twin boy
une jumelle = a twin girl
les jumelles = twin girls
FRENCH FAMILY VOCABULARY WORDS
After you’ve learned how to say twins in French, click the links below to discover the French words for these family members:
to get out the sweaters
Elle a sorti les pulls qu’elle a rangés au printemps.
She got out the sweaters that she put away in the spring.
TODAY
Our word is inspired by activities around the house.
MORE FRENCH HOUSEHOLD VOCABULARY WORDS
Follow the links below to discover the French words for these other household activities:
QUIZ YOURSELF
Take our French Household Activities Vocabulary Quiz to find out how well you’ve learned to say to get out the sweaters in French and more.
a piece of advice
Il m’a donné un conseil très important.
He gave me a very important piece of advice.
BY THE NUMBERS
Note how the French would say un conseil to denote a specific piece of advice but des conseils to express advice in a more indefinite sense. For example, Avez-vous des conseils? (Do you have any advice?) The difference between French and English in the latter example is that the French use a plural word for advice, while, in English, we have a singular word that denotes an indefinite quantity. These are examples of singular and plural differences between the two languages.
a shower or downpour
Les averses d’avril apportent les fleurs de mai.
April showers bring May flowers.
TODAY
Our word is about everyone’s favorite conversation topic – the weather.
MORE WEATHER WORDS
After you’ve learned to say rain shower in French, follow the links below to discover more French weather vocabulary words:
n.f.pl., rush hour
Tout le monde est en route au travail aux heures de pointe.
Everybody’s on their way to work during rush hour.
TODAY
Our word is about life in the city, la vie en ville.
MORE BIG CITY FRENCH VOCABULARY
Follow the links below to discover more French vocabulary words about city life:
ARE YOU STREET SMART IN FRENCH?
Take our French City Life Vocabulary Quiz to find out if you can say rush hour in French and more.
un livre = a book
une livre = a pound
Voici un livre qui pèse une livre.
Here’s a book that weighs a pound.
TODAY
We’re having fun with words that have more than one definition that varies according to gender. When the gender changes, so does the meaning!
DISCOVER HOW GENDER MATTERS IN THESE WORDS
Learn how the difference between le and la creates the paired meanings below:
QUIZ YOURSELF
Take our Gender Matters French Vocabulary Quiz to find out how you fare with words whose meanings change according to gender.