I Quite Enjoy French

I quite enjoy speaking, reading, and hearing the French language. It sounds elegant and sophisticated, and very romantic.

The main challenge faced when learning to speak French as an anglophone is the gender of the various objects, such as "the chair" is "la chaise". It can also be difficult to differentiate between the various dialects, such as Parisian, Quebecois, or Acadian. Each dialect has its own words and incorporation of other languages. For example, Parisian French uses the term "popcorn", while in Quebec popcorn is referred to as "mais souffle", literally "popped corn".

There are several excellent Francophone artists from Canada, whose music is soothing and the words just roll across your ears along with the melody. Many French films are very interesting, as the actors emotions are easy understood through their use of language.

French can sound soft and soothing or very harsh, depending on the tone and cadence of the speaker's voice. I find one of the best ways to learn French was through reading entertainment magazines and comics like Tintin, because they use simpler words and the pictures assist in understanding what is being said.

It has always entertained me that many of the most severe curse words in French are related to the Catholic church.