Hello! I've just started learning French and I'd like to try reading something. A whole novel sounds quite intimidating, so do you know of any short stories with simple language?
Hello,
My mind goes to:
Les lettres de mon moulin by Alphonse Daudet
Trois contes by Gustave Flaubert
Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès by Maurice Leblanc (ha!)
Les diaboliques by Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly (pretty)
Le sommeil de la raison by Gabrielle Wittkop
Contes de l’Absurde + Histoires perfides by Pierre Boulle (emo)
Je voudrais que quelqu’un m’attende quelque part by Anna Gavalda
Les filles du Feu by Gérard de Nerval (v pretty)
Le mur by Jean-Paul Sartre (classic)
La Fontaine aux Fées by Chantal Robillard
L’Exil et Le Royaume + L’Étranger by Albert Camus (classic)
Solitude de la Pitié by jean Giono
Des Filles bien élevées by Anne Wiazemski
La Rêveuse d’Ostende by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
La Chapelle Sextine by Hervé Le Tellier (naughty)
Le Ratichon Baigneur by Boris Vian
Poussières d’anges by Ann Scott
Contes cruels by Octave Mirbeau (weirdo)
L’arbre des Possibles by Bernard Werber
Mordre au travers by Virginie Despentes (feminist, weird)
Clair de Lune + L’Inutile Beauté + Boule de Suif + Le Horla (has a slight Dorian Gray vibe, classic) by Guy de Maupassant
Les Plaisirs et les Jours by Marcel Proust,
L’Heptaméron by Marguerite de Navarre,
Cantatrix sopranica by George Pérec,
Deux et deux font cinq by Alphone Allais
Religere + Déchirures by Sir Cédric (goth)
Gloire à nos Illustres Pionniers by Romain Gary
Les Vrilles de la Ligne by Colette (badass lady)
Nouvelles sous Extasy by Frédéric Beigbeder (v weird/edgy)
Masculine words that end in A (and other oddities in Spanish)
This one I didn't quite know how to title because this is specifically in reference to the words of Greek origin that show up in Spanish that end in -a but are masculine nouns and then it devolved into "words that don't adhere to the general linguistic grammar rules"
To be clear, this is NOT the words like (el) agua, (el) hada, (el) hambre etc. which are technically feminine but have a masculine article in singular
...These following words that defy your normal expectations about gendered nouns are the main ones to know; and primarily these are words from Greek, and that's why they come out this way
el planeta = planet
el clima = weather / climate
el problema = problem
el drama = drama [in every sense of the word] / theater [as in the subject, not the building]
el tema = theme / subject
el poema = poem
el sistema = system
el esquema = diagram, outline / blueprint, schematic
el idioma = language
[la lengua is literally "tongue" and can be used - el lenguaje refers to a specific "lexicon" or subset of communication, not the word you usually mean]
el enigma = puzzle, riddle / enigma
[the other word is la rompecabezas which is literally "breaks-heads"; but enigma is the general word for a riddle]
el fantasma = ghost, phantom
el diploma = diploma
[the other term is el título which is "title" but they're synonymous for "diploma"]
el carisma = charisma
el trauma = trauma
el programa = program
el crucigrama = crossword puzzle
el lema = slogan, motto
el dilema = dilemma, problem
el anatema = anathema, "the complete opposite"
[in specific settings, anatema means "excommunication from the Church" or is used as almost like "the worst kind of blasphemy" or "abomination"; in general you see it used like "opposite" or "contrary to everything someone believes in" or in some cases "a kind of curse", but it has very specific religious meanings in the proper context - in other very specific contexts, an anatema was a special offering to a god/spirit the way people now use la ofrenda "offering" (religious/to the dead), and Christianity turned the meaning of anatema "something placed (in offering)" into something darker and linked to paganism or devil worship or heresy "an abomination" or "something to be abhorred"]
el aroma = aroma, fragrance
el dogma = dogma, creed
el axioma = "common saying", "tenet", axiom
el cometa = comet
la cometa = kite
el coma = coma [as in comatose]
la coma = comma [the , symbol]
Note: The vast majority of words ending in -grama are masculine in Spanish; el programa is the most common word but things like el telegrama, el anagrama, el holograma, el crucigrama, and others
It's tempting to think that it's every word ending in -ma, but that's not right; la goma "rubber", la crema "cream", la mama "breast" / la mamá "mom", la llama "flame" etc. all end in -ma but are feminine
The linguistics of this are that these words came to Spanish via Greek; not that you'd know that just by seeing them, but if you come across a word that seems feminine but is actually masculine it generally tends to be Greek or a loanword from a different language
A few other words you'll see here and there are also of Greek origin particularly in the fields of medicine, astronomy, linguistics, poetry, and botany
-
Additionally, be aware that the suffix -ista is unisex
This is used as "a practitioner of" or "belonging to" and does come from Greek; but since these are normally adjectives (or oficios which is "professions", or things that can apply to people as "jobs")
Most -isms [which includes literary or political movements] can be turned into this suffix, though -ismo is masculine, -ista is unisex
el/la machista = "Chauvinist", sexist
[from machismo which tends to place more emphasis on the man and his role in society, generally used as a synonym of "sexist" since it's patriarchal by definition]
el/la modista = fashion designer / dressmaker
[lit. "fashion-ist"; a modista is generally a specific type of sastre "tailor" and used to mean "dressmaker" for women specifically; today it's usually a designer or someone that makes garments, while sastre can imply just alterations on clothes]
el/la guionista = scriptwriter
el/la socorrista = rescuer, first responder
[el socorro is "help", so this is a catch-all term for someone who comes to help other people and may include "lifeguard", "EMT", and other general "first responder" jobs as well]
el/la ebanista = woodworker, furniture maker, cabinet maker
[a kind of carpintero/a; the word ebanista comes from el ébano "ebony" wood because ebony wood was expensive so ebanista was like high end furniture... but ebanista generally implies specific things made of wood like furniture or cabinets, while carpintero can also include wooden floors etc. ...basically ebanista is a specific kind of carpintero; a particular other word is mueblista "furniture maker" from mueble "piece of furniture"]
el/la transformista = "drag queen"
[in general terms it's "quick change artist", someone who can transform aspects of their clothes/face very quickly but is commonly used as "drag artist" - in biology it can be someone who believes in a certain type of evolution, as the theory of evolution may be called el transformismo]
...Also note that many instruments use this term; el/la pianista "pianist", el/la saxofonista "saxophone player", and so on; generally any instrument uses -ista
deportista = sporty
el/la deportista = sports player
perfeccionista = perfectionist / perfectionistic
el/la perfeccionista = a perfectionist
derechista = "right-wing"
el/la derechista = someone who votes/believes in right-wing politics
izquierdista = "leftist"
el/la izquierdista = a leftist, "a liberal", someone who believes in left-wing politics
progresista = progressive [in the political sense]
el/la progresista = a progressive
[this will also apply to adjectives related to a particular movement or genre; surrealista is "surrealist", humanista "humanist", modernista is "modernist"... or you may see monarquista "Monarchist", imperialista "imperialist", anarquista "anarchist"..... you can also see this attached to famous, infamous, or influential people; leninista "Leninist", maoísta "Maoist", franquista "of/relating to Francisco Franco"]
The other suffix like this to know is -crata related to "ruling"
el/la burócrata = bureaucrat
el/la autócrata = autocrat
el/la aristócrata = aristocrat
Note: Another one from Greek to know is el/la atleta "athlete" which is also unisex; it didn't have the normal suffix so I wasn't sure where to put it, but it's also a unisex one
-
I also have to mention these particular words that aren't really Greek but they will show up if you see a "words that look feminine but are actually masculine" kind of list in Spanish
el día = day
el mapa = map
[I have no idea why; it's only masculine like this in Spanish]
el pijama, los pijamas = pajamas/pyjamas
[comes from India by way of Persia; but sometimes el pijama is a set of "pajamas" so it could be interpreted as plural in English]
el sofá = sofa, couch
[from Arabic and Turkish]
el Papa = Pope
el papá = dad
[though it's a shortened form of padre "father"]
el cura = priest [usually in the Catholic sense; the other term for some denominations is el sacerdote / la sacerdotisa but in the Catholic tradition only men are priests so you'll see el cura or el sacerdote sometimes]
la cura = cure
la curita = "bandage", "band aid", "plaster" [UK]
el tranvía = cable car, streetcar, tram / tramway
[a transliteration from English; "tram" + the Spanish word for "way"]
Some words are distinctly loanwords like el/la samurái [from Japanese] or el/la chef [from French], and as professions can be masculine or feminine since they don't follow general gender rules
Note: Gender neutral Latin suffixes do exist (usually) like -ente; adolescente "teenager/adolescent", agente "agent", delincuente "criminal/delinquent", or prudente "prudent"
...But a few have -enta as a newer adaptation of the language; in other words el gerente "manager" used to be la gerente for female but you may see la gerenta now
The most common example of -ente/-enta is el presidente "president" which can be la presidenta "(female/madame) president"; though in some older works it may be la presidente. The usage of -enta is relatively recent
...
Also important note; la mano "hand" is feminine but ends in -O. It's not common for this to happen but la mano is the big exception that you'll definitely need to know. In its diminutive forms it's usually ending in -A... la manito can be "little hand", but manitas is "handy" or "handyman" in some countries. And la manilla refers to "the hands of a clock"
-
Additional Note: There are occasional words that stay in their original form no matter who they apply to. Some of these are unisex, and some are only one gender regardless of who they apply to
el/la modelo = model
[a female model would be la modelo or la supermodelo "supermodel" for example]
el/la testigo = witness
el/la idiota = idiot
el/la pirata = pirate
el/la acróbata = acrobat
el/la profeta = prophet
[a bit unusual in that el profeta "prophet" is masculine, and while you can see la profeta you also do quite often see la profetisa "prophetess" especially in the context of Greek myth]
la víctima = victim
[always feminine, even if the victim is a man]
Sometimes these are loanwords [like marrón "brown" is a loanword from French "chestnut", so it is always marrón / marrones], others are not; they're just weird and you need to know them
Casually responding pena de muerte "death penalty" to anyone facing even the most minor inconveniences to let them know I support them... and realizing that may come off as aggressive
When you ask a french person something like "Hey! Long time no see! How are you?' they might answer "On fait aller" which basically means "We keep things going/moving" which is a kinda polite way to say no this is shit but let's have small talk.
But these days the kids they say "On est là" which means "We're here" like they're not even trying anymore if they woke up today they count it as victory and that's a fucking mood.
refold has a crowdsourced resource list for spanish, curated & with notes | A1 to C2
dreamingspanish on reddit has a crowdsourced spreadsheet with over 90 channels geared towards learners | A1 to C2
learn natively has a huge deck of spanish books sorted by difficulty by learners | A1 to C2
prensa escrita has a list of news websites sorted by country & sometimes city | B1 to C1 probably
the CI wiki has an editable list of CI resources and a couple of native content links | A1 to like B2?
comprehensible hub has tons of spanish podcasts for learners | A1 to B2
letterboxd has a ton of very fun #español lists, e.g. movies mentioned in the wild project podcast, latin american female directors, made in puerto rico | ~B2 to C2
there are also a ton of moocs in spanish for intermediate to advanced learners (moocs are online courses, usually free) | B1 to C2
I just learned (quite literally) that the word "e" exists in Spanish like in Portuguese (meaning "and") and I was a little surprised because I thought Spanish only used "y". But although they are used for the same reasons (as connectives) they have different uses.
You see, you generally really use "y" to connect words. However, there is an exception! When the word that follows starts with an "i" sound, then we use "e", even if the word starts with a "h" (which is silent in Spanish). For example:
Padre e hijo
Español e inglés
Julieta dijo que su hermano es sucio e inmoral.
Él era donante de pulmón e hígado.
But why does this happen? Well, since the conjugation "y" is pronounced like “i”, if we used it with another word that also starts with an "i", then it would sound awkward or unclear, because the sounds would merge like “iinmoral” ou “iígado”. So we use "E".
But! There's an exception to the exception: if the word start with an “hia”, “hie” ou “hio”, we use the conjugation "y". Some examples:
La piedra está limpia y hialina.
Es un tiempo de fuego y hielo.
Atropina y hioscina son alcaloides.
Note: In “tú y yo,” we use “y” because “yo” starts with a “y” sound, not an “i” sound.
Hey i’m a fashion design student so i have tons and tons of pdfs and docs with basic sewing techniques, pattern how-tos, and resources for fabric and trims. I’ve compiled it all into a shareable folder for anyone who wants to look into sewing and making their own clothing. I’ll be adding to this folder whenever i come across new resources
Updated just now with new hand sewing resources (mainly buttonholes) and textbook pdfs on fashion history, fashion illustration, and thinking through designs!
Salut! How would you recommend someone to improve their pronunciation in French if they don’t have access to a class/live in the country where French is spoken? I’m trying so hard but I struggle a lot with pronunciation but it’s so so important to me to be able to pronounce words properly and speak well because I love this language so much and it’s very important to me but I’m struggling a lot
You don’t have to live somewhere in particular or go to school to get any kind of skill. Practice and hard work will always be enough. Now :
Study this post about phonetics
Study this post about pronunciation
Listen to audiobooks while reading the written version (see below)
Watch subtitled stuff (Netflix, TED talks, hacked content, TV5 Monde’s Sept jours sur la planète, Public sénat)
Speak to yourself, pretend to be a Youtuber, debate out loud (…) and record it so you can listen to it later
Some resources :
Youtube’s pronunciation channels
The website Forbo (natives pronouncing words)
The website Reverso (translation, pronunciation, context)
The website Linguo.tv (french videos + subtitles)
Phonetic transcription
Audiobook/ebook combo :
Le Petit Prince - Saint Exupéry AU / EB
1984 - George Orwell AU / EB
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo AU / EB
The Art of War - Sun Tzu AU / EB
The Call of Cthulhu - Lovecraft AU / EB
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Caroll AU / EB
L’Île mystérieuse - Jules Verne AU / EB
The Bible AU / EB
The Fellowship of the ring - J.R.R. Tolkien AU / EB
OM or ON+consonant > "ON" (nasal): Bonjour - Hello (\bɔ̃.ʒuʁ\), Accomplir - To achieve (\a.kɔ̃.pliʁ\); +vowel or -N+vowel > "ONN": Personne - Nobody (\pɛʁ.sɔn\)
OO > "O-O": Zoo - Zoo (\zo.o\)
OU > "OO": Couper - To cut (\ku.pe\)
-P(S):
Mute unless it's borrowed from English or anatomical. (-)Corps - Body, (-)Temps - Time/Weather, Draps - Sheets, Sirop - Syrup... as opposed to Clip, Triceps, Stop, etc.
Trop (Too much/Way too), when followed by a vowel, is not mute: Trop_aimable.
-R:
Pronounced in: masculine adjectives: Fier - Proud; verbs of the second/third groups ending in -(o)ir : Dormir - To sleep; names in -a/o/ir : César; nouns after -i/er: Désir - Desire; nouns after -our/eur: Labeur - Hard work/labor; prepositions: Pour - For; nouns borrowed from other languages: Boxer - Dog breed+job.
Not pronounced in: infinitive first-group verbs ending in -er: Manger - To eat; Monsieur/messieurs - Sir-s; masculine names in -er : Roger; (masculine) job nouns in -(i)er: Infirmier - Nurse; masculine adjectives in -ier except if followed by a noun starting with a vowel: Premier - First, Dernier - Last…
S:
S- > SS: Sucre - Sugar
SC+LS > SS: Fils (\fis\) - Son, Scie (\si\) - Saw
S > SS: Poisson - Fish
-S (N.B.: For a not-verb/not-noun): SS or mute. Tous as an indefinite adjective, a comparative, a superlative or a negative: mute. Ex: Il n’y a plu(s) de pain - There’s no more bread, C’est la plu(s) gentille - She’s the nicest; as an indefinite pronoun: SS. Ex: Tous ces hommes - All these men.
N.B: When -s is followed by a vowel, make the liaison: Vous avez (Vou-z-avé) - You have, Les éléphants(lé-z-éléfan) - The elephants
X:
[ks]:
when inside a word: Texte (\tɛkst\)
when it follows E and is followed by a consonant: Excellent
when a word ends in -ax, -ex, -inx, -ox, -ynx, and sometimes -ix or -yx: Thorax, Lynx
[gz]:
when the first letter of a word: Xylophone (\ɡzi.lɔ.fɔn\)
when it follows E and is followed by either a vowel or H: Exactement - Exactly, Exhumer
[s]:
in SIX (6) and DIX (10), when used without an object: J’en ai six (\sis\)
in DIX-SEPT (17) and numbers from 60 to 69: Soixante (\swa.sɑ̃t\)
in the name of certain cities: Bruxelles (\bʁy.sɛl\), Auxerre
[z]:
in numbers derived from DEUX (2), SIX (6), DIX (10): Sixième, Dix-huit, Deuxième (\dø.zjɛm\)
[/]:
when a word ends in -eux: Heureux - Happy (\œ.ʁø\), -aux, -eaux, oux, aux: Chevaux - Horses
when an invariant word ends in -x: Choix - Choice, Voix - Voice
Y:
-y- > /i/: Cycle
Y- > /j/: Yeux - Eyes
N.B.: When Yeux follows a plural determiner or adjective, don't forget to pronounce the Z (S+X). Les yeux: Lé-z-ieu.
Z:
Mute when final: Nez, Chez; turns the -E- into "É" (\ne\)
Anywhere else, regular pronunciation: Zéro, Nazi
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[a] open front unrounded vowel - cinéma (cinema, m); hat
[ɑ] open back unrounded vowel - château (castle, m); hot
[e] close-mid front unrounded vowel - clé (key, f); may
[ɛ] open-mid front unrounded vowel - père (father, m), chêne (oak, m); bed
[ə] mid central vowel/schwa - jeu (game, m); bird
[i] close front unrounded vowel - souris (mouse, f); free
[o] close-mid back rounded vowel - rose (rose, f); UK yawn
[ɔ] open-mid back rounded vowel - océan (ocean, m); thought
[ø] close-mid front rounded vowel - jeudi (thursday)
[œ] open-mid front rounded vowel - peur (fear, f)
[u] close back rounded vowel - chou (cabbage, m); boot
[y] close front rounded vowel - tu (you); UK few
This vowel diagram shows the inside of the throat from the left side (pronounce /i/ “eee” and /ɑ/ “aaa” to feel the difference). Antérieur: front, postérieur: back, aperture: opening of the lips.
Les voyelles nasales (followed by a consonant except -h- or ending a word)
[ɑ̃] > am, an, (é)en, em, aon - temps (time, m)
[ɛ̃] > aim, ain, eim, ein, em, (i)en, im, in, um, un, ym, yn - pain (bread, m)
[ɔ̃] > om, on - ombre (shadow, f), bonjour (hello)
[œ̃] > um, un - humble, un (one, m); dying, turning into [ɛ̃]
N.B. When a nasal sound is produced, despite being made of two letters, they are to be pronounced as their own sound: in Bonjour, the /o/ and the /n/ shouldn’t be heard at all since they are followed by the consonant /j/, as opposed to the usual dragging of /o/ then /n/ like in Bonne journée.
Les semi-voyelles
[j] voiced palatal approximant - lieu (place, m); you
[v] voiced labiodental fricative - violon (violin, m)
[z] voiced alveolar fricative - maison (house, f)
[ʃ] voiceless postalveolar fricative - chocolat (chocolate, m)
Les consonnes nasales
[m] voiced bilabial nasal - miel (honey, m)
[n] voiced denti-alveolar nasal - nez (nose, m)
[ɲ] voiced palatal nasal - montagne (mountain, f)
[ŋ] voiced velar nasal - connexion (connection, f); sing
Voiced sounds are those that make our vocal chords vibrate when they are produced; voiceless sounds are produced from air passing through the mouth at different points. Fricatives are consonants with the characteristic that when they are produced, air escaped through a small passage and make a hissing sound; plosives are a type of consonant produced by forming a complete obstruction to the flow air out of the mouth.
Movie: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain - Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001
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Stative verbs (les verbes d’état) describe a state of being (situations that are static or unchanged throughout their entire duration), in contrast to dynamic verbs (les verbes d’action), which describe an action. They don’t express any action or duration but only describe a particular condition and cannot be part of a gerund construct.
