Core French 6

A diphthong is two vowel sounds gliding together into one sound — French has several: au and eu (as in beau and bleu), oi (as in moi), ou (as in vous), and ui (as in lui).

A nasal vowel pushes air out through the nose instead of the mouth — French has several written with n or m after a vowel: an/en (as in dans, in), ain (as in pain, bread), on (as in bon, good), and un (as in un, one/a).

French 'u' (as in tu, you) is a round-lipped sound with no English equivalent, while 'ou' (as in vous, you-formal) sounds like the English 'oo' — mixing them up changes the word.

'e' versus 'eu', and 's' versus 'z', are also easy to confuse — 's' between vowels usually sounds like an English z (as in maison), while a doubled 's' stays a hard s sound (as in poisson).

Several different letter groupings make the exact same sound — au, aux, eau, ô, and os can all sound like 'oh' (as in château, eau, and gros).

Some letter patterns have a pronunciation that stays consistent across many words — ai (as in mais), -ille (as in fille), -ment (as in lentement), and -tion (as in attention) each reliably sound one way once you learn the pattern.

Il est, Elle est, and On est (he is, she is, we/people are) plus a describing word introduce a person: 'Il est grand' (he is tall), 'Elle est gentille' (she is kind).

Il a and Elle a (he has, she has) describe what someone has: 'Elle a un chien' (she has a dog); Il/Elle aime (he/she likes) describes what they enjoy: 'Il aime le hockey'.

The same Il/Elle est and Il/Elle a patterns describe objects, not just people: 'Il est grand' can describe a backpack (le sac) just as easily as a person.

French nouns are masculine or feminine, so the word for 'it' changes: il for a masculine object (le sac → il), elle for a feminine one (la trousse, the pencil case → elle).

J'aime + activity says what you like to do: 'J'aime dessiner' (I like to draw); to name a sport or game you play, use jouer au/à la: 'Je joue au hockey' (I play hockey), 'Je joue à la guitare' (I play guitar).

Different question words open different kinds of information questions: Est-ce que…? (turns any sentence into a yes/no question), Où…? (where), Quand…? (when), Quel…? (which/what), Qu'est-ce que…? (what), and Qui…? (who).

A conversation goes back and forth — after asking a question, you listen for the answer and can ask a follow-up, keeping the exchange reciprocal instead of one-sided.

Event information — like on a poster or invitation — usually answers three questions: what is the event, where does it happen, and when does it happen.

Everyday event vocabulary includes une fête (a party), un anniversaire (a birthday), and phrases like 'La fête est samedi, à l'école' (the party is Saturday, at school).

Cultural appropriation means using a cultural motif, theme, "voice," image, knowledge, story, song, or drama that belongs to someone else's culture — shared without their permission, without the right context, or in a way that misrepresents their real experience.

Stories can be oral, written, or visual (indigenous oral histories, personal stories, skits, songs) and are used to share knowledge, entertain, and strengthen identity — which is exactly why using them without permission or context can cause real harm to the people they belong to.

Francophone communities share cultural aspects like activities, celebrations, clothing, festivals, food, land connections, music, practices, protocol, and traditions.

First Peoples regalia — the traditional clothing and adornments worn for ceremonies and celebrations — can be part of the cultural life of Francophone Métis and First Peoples communities.

Every Canadian province and territory has communities where French is spoken — for example les Acadiens, les Franco-Albertains, les Franco-Colombiens, les Fransaskois, and les Québécois.

Some French-speaking communities are Francophone Métis communities, such as those in Baie St. Paul, Manitoba; Fort Nelson, BC; and Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan.

A Francophone cultural festival or celebration can include activities, clothing, dance, decorations, First Peoples regalia, food, music, parades, and sports.