Lawless French News

Daily Practice Ideas

lkl — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:41 +0000

Idées d’exercice quotidien


	Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Practice is the key to improving your French. One class or club meeting a week is simply not enough to make any significant progress; you have to study and practice regularly, preferably every day, even—especially—during school breaks.

Just 15 minutes a day on some kind of French activity can make a huge difference, so here are some ideas for quick practice that you can pick and choose from every day. Of course, you can change this schedule around to suit your own needs and preferences.

Lundi – Vocabulaire

Study a vocabulary lesson
Support Lawless French for an intermediate/advanced mot du jour
Create and work with flashcards
Do today’s Fluency Club exercises
Check out MiVoca – add your words then request a dialog or story to practice in context
Label everything in your home with post-its or stickers
Write your shopping lists in French
Whenever you need to count something, do it in French
Keep a notebook to jot down new words you learn or words you want to look up
Look up new terms in a French-only dictionary to see if you can guess the English equivalent before using a bilingual one
Write a paragraph featuring 10 new words

Mardi – Prononciation

Study a pronunciation lesson
Work with pronunciation CDs
Practice the sounds and words you find most difficult
Sing a song
Read something out loud with an exaggerated accent (think Inspector Clouseau)
Record yourself, then listen carefully to pinpoint problem areas
Check out my tips and tools to improve your French accent

Mercredi – Grammaire

Study a grammar lesson
Review a topic you find difficult
Work on your Progress with Lawless French suggestions
Take a quiz
Select a random expression in the Subjunctivisor
Try a writing challenge
Write 5 sentences featuring a specific grammar point

Jeudi – Lecture

Try a reading comprehension exercise
Or a bilingual reader article
Read a newspaper or magazine
Start reading a book – some tips
Test a new recipe in French
Cross-practice tip: add new terms to your vocabulary notebook

Vendredi – Expressions

Study an expression lesson
Follow me on Instagram for a weekly expression
Use an expression you’ve learned
Make a list of 5 expressions that all include the same verb
Look up a word to see whether it’s found in any expressions
Write a paragraph featuring 3 seemingly unrelated expressions

Samedi – Verbes

Study a verb lesson
Review a lesson you find difficult
Work on your Progress with Lawless French suggestions
Using a single verb, write 3 sentences: in the present, past, and future
Select a random expression in the Subjunctivisor
Conjugate 5 verbs into a tense or mood you have trouble with
Write a paragraph featuring a certain tense or mood

Dimanche – Écoute

Try a listening comprehension exercise
Do a dictée
Do today’s Fluency Club exercises
Listen to music
Listen to the news
Listen to the radio
Watch a movie
Watch TV
Subscribe to Yabla French for videos and dictées
Or try a FluentU video
Try an AI chatbot
Cross-practice tip: add new terms to your vocabulary notebook

More French Tools and Practice Ideas

Subscribe to my newsletter for twice-weekly French reminders and new features
Follow me on social media for daily French reminders, tiny tests, and new features
Find French speakers and improve your speaking skills
Ask questions on social media
Make LawlessFrench.com your browser’s homepage
Set your devices and software to use French as the system language
Play a game
Keep a French journal
Do the Weekend Workout at Progress with Lawless French (emailed every Friday to Premium subscribers)
Designate one day a week as "French day" and speak only French with your spouse, kids, or roommate – assuming they’re also learning French
Sign up at Frantastique for humorous lessons and corrections
Join the Alliance française, a French Meetup, or your nearest college’s French club, or just gather some friends and classmates to create your own
Check out my tips on learning French online, studying independently, and relearning French
Even more ideas: Don’t lose your French!

En español

Ideas para la práctica diaria

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Speaking Tips

lkl — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:36 +0000


	Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Astuces pour parler français

Of the four language skills, many people find that speaking is the most difficult, partly because it requires more knowledge than the passive exercises (reading, listening) and partly because it’s "live," in contrast to writing which gives you time to consider what you want to say and what you’ve said. But not to worry, I have tips and resources to help you overcome these obstacles in order to practice French as much as you like.

Don’t be shy

The number one mistake that French students make when speaking French is … not speaking. While it can be easier said than done (and believe me, I know – I’m shy too), the best thing you can do for your French speaking skills is just get over it. Push your shyness to the side and don’t worry about making mistakes or looking foolish: just speak.

Plan ahead

Read about current events and your favorite sports/hobbies so that you have the vocabulary you need to talk about them in social situations. And think ahead to shopping and errands you need to do – study food vocabulary and travel phrases to make those tasks easier.

Don’t worry about mistakes

Unless you happen upon some real jerks, no one is going to make fun of you for misconjugating a verb or using the wrong gender. They might correct you (though probably not), and if your French is really garbled they’ll ask you to repeat yourself, but so what? If you worry so much about mistakes that you spend ages trying to formulate the perfect sentence before you say anything, you’ll not only miss your chance to speak but also lose track of where the conversation goes next. Whereas if you just say your piece, warts and all, you’ll contribute to the conversation and get vital practice. Eventually you’ll learn from your mistakes and you will get better, I promise.

Work on your French

Lack of confidence is usually due to lack of skill, so work on your French. The links below offer tons of ideas and resources to help you improve every aspect of your French.

Related features

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Jouer

lkl — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:54 +0000


	Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French Verb Play

Jouer is a regular -er French verb that can be a bit confusing when it comes time to decide which preposition should follow. Here’s everything you need to know.

Jouer = to play

Generally speaking, jouer is equivalent to "to play" or "to have fun."

Par exemple…

Nous jouons souvent ensemble.		We often play together.
Tu peux jouer après le dîner.		You can have fun after dinner.

With regard to the arts – TV, movies, music, etc. – jouer means "to play" or "to perform."

Par exemple…

Je n’aime pas l’actrice qui joue Karine.		I don’t like the actress who plays Karine.
Le groupe qui a joué hier était excellent.		The band that played yesterday was excellent.

Jouer also has some negative meanings. It can mean

1) "To fool around" or "to play around"

Par exemple…

Il ne faut pas jouer en classe.		You shouldn’t fool around in class.
Ne joue pas avec ses sentiments.		Don’t play around with her feelings.

2) "To bet, gamble"

Par exemple…

Je joue toujours impair.		I always bet on odd numbers.
Il va jouer un cheval.		He’s going to bet on a horse.

3) "To deceive, dupe" – though tromper and duper are more common.

Jouer à

Jouer à means to play a game or sport.

Par exemple…

Ils jouent aux football.		They’re playing soccer.
Je veux jouer au Scrabble.		I want to play Scrabble.

Jouer de

In comparison, jouer de means to play music or a musical instrument.

Par exemple…

Je joue de la musique celtique.		I play Celtic music.
Elle joue du violon.		She plays the violin.

Jouer avec

Jouer avec means "to play (around) with."

Par exemple…

J’aime bien jouer avec les mots.		I love playing with words.
Il ne faut jamais jouer avec le feu.		You should never play with fire.

Jouer sur

Jouer sur means "to use, exploit."

Par exemple…

Il joue sur la fibre nationaliste.		He’s exploiting nationalist sentiment.
Dans Exercices de style, Raymond Queneau joue sur tous les registres.		In Exercices de style, Raymond Queneau uses (writes with) all styles / registers (of language).

Jouer in expressions

Jouer is found in some idiomatic expressions:

faire jouer – to invoke, bring into play
jouer franc jeu – to play fair
jouer le jeu – to play the game (literally and figuratively)
jouer sur velours – to be sitting pretty
jouer un mauvais/vilain tour à qqun – to play a dirty trick on someone
se la jouer (informal) – to show off

Related lessons

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Bourrer le crâne

lkl — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:26 +0000


	Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Informal French Expression

Meaning	to fill someone’s head with nonsense; to brainwash
Literally	to stuff the skull
Register	informal
Pronunciation		[boo ray leu krahn]
IPA		[bu ʁe lə kran]

Usage notes: The literal meaning of the informal French expression bourrer le crâne isn’t so far from the figurative ones.

1) “To fill someone’s head with nonsense” – to say a lot of untrue or nonsensical things.

Par exemple…

Arrête de bourrer le crâne à ta petite sœur !		Stop filling your little sister’s head with nonsense!
Je déteste cette émission, il bourre le crâne aux enfants.		I hate this show, it fills kids’ heads with silly ideas.

Synonyms

dire des bêtises
dire des idioties
dire n’importe quoi
raconter des histoires
raconter des salades

2) "To brainwash" – to deliberately convince someone of something untrue (and often malicious).

Par exemple…

Tu crois ça ? Mais c’est pas possible ! Qui t’a bourré le crâne ?		You believe that? Impossible! Who brainwashed you?
Non, non, un culte est une religion, comme le luthéranisme. Ce sont les sectes qui bourrent le crâne à leurs membres.		No, no, a sect is a religion, like Lutheranism. Cults are the ones that brainwash their members.

Faux amis

un culte = sect
une secte = cult

Synonyms

conditionner
décerveler
endoctriner
faire de l’intox(e) à
faire un lavage de cerveau à
intoxiquer
laver le cerveau de

Related lessons

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Mon job d’été – Near Future Quiz

lkl — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:55 +0000

Test yourself on aller and the near future in this fill-in-the-blanks exercise:

Mon job d'été

Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to take this test. If you don't have one, sign up - it's free!

Published on Lawless French

Lessons by Level

lkl — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:19 +0000

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Terroir

lkl — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:00:39 +0000

French listening practice with side-by-side translation

Écouter ~ Listen

Listening comprehension: See the links at the bottom for lessons related to the phrases in italics.

La signification de la notion de « terroir » en France	The meaning of the notion of "terroir"
Pour les Français, le mot « terroir » possède une connotation presque magique. Ils en font abondamment mention : son importance indéniable pour la qualité d’un vin ou d’un fromage, les raisons qui permettent de déterminer si une recette est issue du terroir, etc. Mais quelles sont les implications exactes de ce mot ?	Translation To the French, the word terroir (literally, "soil" or "land") has an almost magical connotation. They mention it often: its undeniable importance for the quality of a wine or cheese, the reasoning that allows one to determine if a recipe is born of a particular place, etc. But what are the exact implications of this word? [collapse]
En dehors de son lien évident avec les particularités géographiques d’une région, la notion de terroir possède de fortes racines culturelles. Il constitue le reflet des sociétés humaines qui exploitent les terres. Un même territoire « travaillé » différemment peut donner lieu à des terroirs distincts parfaitement identifiables.	Translation Beyond its obvious link with the geographical particularities of a region, the notion of terroir has strong cultural roots. It’s a reflection of the human societies that farm land. A single territory "worked" differently can lead to distinct, clearly identifiable terroirs. [collapse]
Lié en grande partie à la production agricole, le terroir reproduit tout autant les caractéristiques des conditions naturelles que le travail spécifique des hommes. L’idée qu’il faut tirer le meilleur parti possible de sa terre constitue donc l’objectif commun de tous les agriculteurs et le cœur même de la notion de terroir.	Translation Largely linked to agricultural production, terroir reproduces the characteristics of natural conditions as much as the distinctive work of men. The idea that one needs to get the very most possible from one’s land is thus the common goal of all farmers and is the very heart of the notion of terroir. [collapse]
À titre d’exemple, considérons un fromage français comme le roquefort AOC. Il ne peut être produit que dans une zone limitée, parce que les conditions naturelles influent sur l’herbe et la flore que les moutons broutent et donc sur le lait qu’ils produisent. Mais, c’est sans compter sur le « savoir-faire » des producteurs de la région de Roquefort-sur-Soulzon et leur manière inimitable de concevoir un fromage. C’est donc la combinaison de ces deux facteurs, géophysiques et humains, qui fait que le véritable roquefort ne peut être produit que dans ce « terroir ».	Translation As an example, let’s consider a French cheese like AOC [appelation d’origine contrôlée, "guarantee of origin"] Roquefort. It can only be produced in a limited zone, because the natural conditions influence the grass and the flora that the sheep graze on and thus on the milk they produce. But that doesn’t take into account the "know-how" of farmers in the Roquefort-sur-Soulzon region and their inimitable way of making cheese. So it’s a combination of these two factors, geophysical and human, that make it so that real Roquefort can only be produced in this terroir. [collapse]
L’exemple le plus frappant demeure cependant les vins de terroir. En France, on ne se réfère pas seulement aux vins selon le type de raisin ayant servi à les produire, mais essentiellement en fonction de leur terroir d’origine. En effet, certaines conditions naturelles telles que le type de sol ou l’exposition au soleil ou ce qu’on nomme le « microclimat » ont une incidence prépondérante sur la qualité du vin. Selon ce principe, chaque vin bénéficie d’une unicité qui mérite d’être reconnue à sa juste valeur.	Translation But the most prominent example is still local wines. In France, you don’t talk about wines only according to the type of grape used to produce them, but mainly according to their terroir. Indeed, certain natural conditions like the type of soil or sun exposure or what is referred to as the "microclimate" have a dominant effect on the quality of the wine. According to this principle, each wine has a uniqueness that deserves to be recognized for its true value. [collapse]
French text and sound file courtesy of Think French audiomagazine (décembre 2013).	Translation by LKL

Listening comprehension

Expressions

Vocabulary

food
wine

Grammar

Ils en font mention – adverbial pronoun en
abondamment, différemment – adverbs
son importance, leur manière – possessive adjectives
une recette est issue – passive voice
quelles sont les implications – interrogative adjective
Lié – past participle
il faut
tirer, concevoir – infinitives
considérons – imperative
être produit, être reconnue – passive voice in the infinitive
ces deux facteurs, ce terroir – demonstrative adjectives
on se réfère – pronominal verb
les produire – direct objects

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French

Liaisons

lkl — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:00:38 +0000

Connecting Sounds

In French, when a word ending in a normally silent consonant is followed by a vowel or h muet, that consonant might be transferred onto the next word. This euphonic technique is called a liaison and it’s one of the aspects of French pronunciation that can make it difficult to determine where one word ends and the next begins.

Par exemple…

ont	[o(n)]		ont-ils	[o(n) teel]	~~[o(n) eel]~~
un	[uh(n)]		un homme	[uh(n) nuhm]	~~[uh(n) uhm]~~

Letter	Sound
D	[t]
F	[v]
G	[g]
N	[n]
P	[p]
R	[r]
S	[z]
T	[t]
X	[z]
Z	[z]

Certain consonants offer a further complication: they change sound. The normally silent s at the end of vous is not pronounced [s] in a liaison, but rather like [z]. Other consonants have similar changes – see chart.

Par exemple…

vous	[voo]		vous avez	[voo zah vay]	~~[voo ah vay]~~
deux	[deu]		deux enfants	[deu za(n) fa(n)]	~~[deu a(n) fa(n)]~~

As if that’s not enough, some liaisons are required, others are optional, and still others are forbidden. Just because a normally silent consonant is followed by a vowel or mute h does not automatically mean that a liaison must or even can occur.

Liaison lessons

Liaisons are not the same thing as enchaînement – see the comparison at the end of that lesson.

Related lessons

Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French proficiency test by

Published on Lawless French