French Word of the Day

French Fanatic

Learn French vocabulary with one new French word a day
Friday, July 19, 2013

attraper du soleil

to catch some sun

Jean-Marc se couche sur le sable et attrape du soleil.
Jean-Marc lies down on the sand and catches some sun.

TODAY
Our word is about the summer seaside. Click here to discover more words about outdoor pursuits.

READY FOR THE BEACH?
Take our Beach Quiz to find out if you’re ready to say you want to catch some sun in French.



Thursday, February 25, 2010

faire du ski

to ski, to go skiing

Nous voulons faire du ski ce weekend.
We want to go skiing this weekend.

THIS WEEK
We’re continuing our look at vocabulary about the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — and wintertime sports.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

l’abri

n.m. shelter

être à l’abri de: to be sheltered from

Thursday, June 10, 2010

l’étang

n.m., the pond

Est-ce qu’il y a des poissons dans l’étang?
Are there any fish in the pond?

THIS WEEK
Our vocabulary topic is au parc (at the park).

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TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

la campagne

the countryside

Monday, February 15, 2010

la cérémonie d’ouverture

the opening ceremony

La flamme était allumée pendant la cérémonie d’ouverture.
The flame was lit during the opening ceremony.

THIS WEEK
In honor of the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — we’ll be exploring some of the vocabulary of these exciting days in Vancouver.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our NEW Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Friday, August 10, 2012

la cérémonie de clôture

the closing ceremony

La cérémonie de clôture sera tenue tôt.
The closing ceremony will be held soon.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by the Summer Olympics.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

la foule

the crowd

Saturday, February 27, 2010

la ligne d’arrivée

the finish line

Le skieur a franchi la ligne d’arrivée.
The skier crossed the finish line.

THIS WEEK
We’re continuing our look at vocabulary about the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — and wintertime sports.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

la luminosité

light, brightness

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

la piscine

swimming pool

C’est un jour parfait pour aller dans la piscine.
It’s a perfect day for going in the pool.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

la plage

the beach

Thursday, October 29, 2009

la planche à roulettes

skateboarding

Il aime faire la planche à roulettes à Paris.
He loves to skateboard in Paris.

We couldn’t resist featuring a second word inspired by yesterday’s video about skateboarding and snacking in Paris.
In case you missed it, check it out:

If you have difficulty seeing the video, please visit our site at www.frenchfanatic.com.

Friday, November 23, 2012

le bord de la mer

the seaside, by the sea

Nous allons passer nos vacances au bord de la mer.
We’re going to spend our vacation at the seaside.

Le bord also means the edge of something.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

le jardin

the garden

faire du jardinage: to garden

Also check out this related word.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

le patinage artistique

figure skating

La danse sur glace fait partie du patinage artistique.
Ice dancing is part of figure skating.

THIS WEEK
In honor of the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — we’ll be exploring some of the vocabulary of these exciting days in Vancouver.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

le patinage de vitesse

speed skating

Le patinage de vitesse se déroule sur une piste de glace.
Speed skating takes place on a track of ice.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

le relais de flamme olympique

Olympic torch relay

Regardez le passage du relais de flamme olympique au Québec.
Watch the passage of the Olympic torch relay in Quebec.

Vidéo. The Olympic torch is currently making its way through Canada in preparation for the 2010 Winter Games. Join in the celebration and test your French listening skills with this video.

If you received this video by e-mail and have difficulty viewing it, please visit our site at www.frenchfanatic.com.

This week we are exploring words in the news. We will return to vocabulary related to the holidays soon.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

le sable

the sand

Sunday, August 5, 2012

le sport

sports

Les Français aiment beaucoup le sport.
The French like sports very much.

TODAY
Note how the French use the singular le sport instead of the plural  form of the word sports as we do in English. It’s one example of singular and plural differences between the two languages.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

le surf des neiges

snowboarding

Le surf des neiges comprend des sauts acrobatiques et devient très populaire.
Snowboarding includes acrobatic jumps and is becoming very popular.

THIS WEEK
In honor of the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — we’ll be exploring some of the vocabulary of these exciting days in Vancouver.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our NEW Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Saturday, March 23, 2013

le trottoir

the sidewalk

Henri a laissé tomber son mobile sur le trottoir en marchant à Paris.
Henri dropped his mobile phone on the sidewalk while walking in Paris.

TODAY
We’re going for a walk. Our word is just one of many things you might encounter à pied (on foot).

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it here.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

le vainqueur

the winner

Le vainqueur est le champion en titre.
The winner is the defending champion.

AUJOURD’HUI Today
In honor of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Éte in French — today’s word helps us get ready for the events in London.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

les feux d’artifice

fireworks

Aux États-Unis, aujourd’hui c’est un jour pour regarder les feux d’artifice.
In the United States, today is a day for watching fireworks.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

les fientes d’oiseaux

n.f.pl., bird droppings

Ne vous asseyez pas là! Le banc est couvert de fientes d’oiseaux.
Don’t sit there! The bench is covered in bird droppings.

A WORD FOR EVERYTHING
Today’s word might serve as a reminder that, for all the beauty of the French language, there are plenty of vocabulary words for some of the less-than-beautiful things we might encounter in everyday life. Click here to discover more words about recreation and life outdoors.

READY TO TALK THE WALK?
Take our Walk in the Park Quiz to find out how much outdoor vocabulary you’ve learned.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

les ondes

the waves

Monday, August 26, 2013

marcher

to walk

Nous avons marché tout autour du quartier.
We walked all around the neighborhood.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

marquer un but

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.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

profonde

deep

Tu t’inquiètes que l’eau soit trop profonde pour les enfants?
Are you worried that the water is too deep for the children?

THIS WEEK
As classes wind down and thoughts begin turning to summer vacations, many families will no doubt head for the beaches soon. This week, we’ll explore the vocabulary of the summer seaside.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET MORE FROM THE WORD OF THE DAY!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

remporter

to take, to win

Ces athlètes ont remporté le plus de médailles.
These athletes won the most medals.

THIS WEEK
In honor of the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — we’ll be exploring some of the vocabulary of these exciting days in Vancouver.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more thoughts on all things French.

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Thursday, October 10, 2013

s’écraser

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.

Friday, March 1, 2013

un château de sable

a sandcastle

Les enfants bâtissent des châteaux de sable à la plage.
Children build sandcastles at the beach.

GRAMMAIRE
Nouns like chateau that end in -eau form their plurals by adding an x.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by the seaside.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and more like it here.

Friday, May 20, 2011

un coquillage

a seashell

Louise cueille toujours des coquillages et les transforme en colliers.
Louise always gathers seashells and turns them into necklaces.

THIS WEEK
As classes wind down and thoughts begin turning to summer vacations, many families will no doubt head for the beaches soon. This week, we’ll explore the vocabulary of the summer seaside.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET MORE FROM THE WORD OF THE DAY!

Monday, May 18, 2009

un coup de soleil

a sunburn

Sunday, June 28, 2009

un défi

a challenge

L’équipe a relevé le défi.
The team accepted the challenge.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

une carte routière

road map

Sunday, December 2, 2012

une douce brise

a gentle breeze

Il semble qu’on trouve toujours une douce brise à la plage.
It seems that we always find a gentle breeze at the beach.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

une équipe

a team

L’équipe canadienne a gagné le match.
The Canadian team won the game.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

une feuille

a leaf

Les feuilles tombent des arbres en automne.
The leaves fall from the trees in the fall.

Monday, May 13, 2013

une fissure

a crack

Sophie compte les fissures du trottoir en marchant avec sa mère.
Sophie is counting the cracks in the pavement while walking with her mother.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by what you might see while taking a walk. To see more words about recreation and the great outdoors, click here.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it here.

Monday, January 28, 2013

une jetée

a pier

Elise s’est promenée sur le long de la jetée pour regarder la mer.
She walked the length of the pier to look at the sea.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

une médaille

a medal

Il y a une médaille d’or, une médaille d’argent et une médaille de bronze.
There’s a gold medal, a silver medal and a bronze medal.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

une mouche

a fly

Une mouche a atterri sur le sandwich de Georges pendant son pique-nique.
A fly landed on George’s sandwich during his picnic.

THIS WEEK
With the school year over or winding down for many of us and thoughts turning to summer vacations, we thought this would be a great week to look at some words for life in the sun — or
la vie dans le soleil.

TRACK YOUR LEARNING WITH OUR QUIZ!
How well did you learn last week’s words? Take our Weekly Quiz to find out!

TODAY’S WORD BROUGHT TO YOU BY YABLA.
Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

une patinoire

an ice rink

Le hockey sur glace se déroule sur une patinoire.
Ice hockey is played on an ice rink.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and others like it here.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

une rondelle

a hockey puck

Georges a frappé la rondelle et marqué le but gagnant.
George hit the puck and scored the winning goal.

RELATED WORDS
Today’s word is inspired by the Winter Olympic Games — les Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver in French — and wintertime sports. Take time today to discover more French vocabulary words about recreational and outdoor activities.

QUIZ YOURSELF
Take our Winter Olympics Quiz to see if you can say hockey puck in French and more.