The Two French Languages (learn the right one)
Bonjour!
There are two kinds of French. I call them "Library French" and "Living French."
Library French is used by:
- Book writers (when they write, not when they speak)
- TV newscasters (on air, not off-camera)
- Politicians (in public, not in private)
- Some French people, some of the time (when they feel self-conscious in interviews and want to appear more "TV-like" — but not the rest of the time)
- Some of the so-called "Immortals" of the Académie Française (probably all of the time, though I've never met any Immortal)
- Unsuspicious learners of French (until a French friend finally tells them)
- And most French teachers (with students, not with friends)
Living French is used by:
- Your French neighbours, including the tradespeople and shop owners down the road.
- Even when they don't know each other.
- Even when they're on "vous" terms.
Library French and Living French are so different they're almost two different languages.
It makes more sense to learn the right one first.
The one that enables you to thrive in everyday conversations.
How?
Since traditional classes and online resources rarely teach Living French, I recommend you take your lessons with a pinch of salt.
Those resources still beat pure immersion because figuring out French grammar on your own is painfully slow. But if you want to understand your neighbours, it helps to separate the wheat from the chaff (or, dare I say, the wheat from the weeds).
Here's a good starting point - listen to French people speak when they're not stiffened by the circumstances (in person, in films and on YouTube) and pay attention to:
- Word Choice differences
- Word Order differences
- Pronunciation differences
I'll give you a few examples.
Word Choice differences
When you've been taught Library French, one of the things that makes it really hard to understand Living French is that they don't use the same words:
Library French: Nous irons promptement à la boulangerie afin de nous procurer du pain frais, cependant nous ne savons pas si elle est ouverte aujourd'hui.
Living French: On va vite aller à la boulangerie pour avoir du pain frais, mais on sait pas si elle est ouverte aujourd'hui.
Translation: We'll quickly go to the bakery to get some fresh bread, but we don't know if it's open today.
Yes, both sentences mean exactly the same thing. I chose a particularly striking example to illustrate the point, but even subtler differences can catch you off guard if you’re expecting the first version.
What can you do:
Watch French films or videos with the subtitles on and pay attention to how people speak in everyday situations. When you find new words that mean the same thing as ones you know, ask French people which version sounds more natural.
If you don’t know any French speakers personally, pick the newer word—unless, of course, it’s coming from a foul-mouthed character 😉
Now let’s look at how word order can further complicate things…
Word Order differences
On top of the same words not using, we also the order of words change!
Sorry, let me go again. On top of not using the same words, we also change the order of words (in Living French vs Library French).
See how weird the first version felt? And that was in your language, so imagine what it does to your brain when it also has to juggle unfamiliar vocabulary, grammar rules, conjugation, pronunciation...
Here's an example:
Library French: Que fait ton frère aujourd’hui ?
Living French: Ton frère, il fait quoi aujourd’hui ?
Translation: What's your brother doing today?
Here, because it's written, you can go back and forth and take time to think. Now imagine hearing this unexpectedly in a fast-moving conversation...
What you can do about it:
You can learn a great deal by focusing on one isolated aspect of the language and ignoring everything else. So, again, watch French films or videos with the subtitles on and pay attention to the word order people use in everyday situations.
Comic books are a goldmine for Living French written down - and no, our comic books aren't about superheroes. In France, we have a rich culture of comic books — known as "BD" (short for "bandes dessinées", or "drawn strips"). These span a wide variety of themes, sophistication and ages. In many BDs, the speech bubbles mirror how people actually talk, both in word choice and word order.
For example, you can check out Astérix et Obélix - while that one is originally geared towards kids, many adults still love it and it's a staple of French culture. If you're looking for something specifically for adults, with cutting humour, have a look at Les Vieux Fourneaux.
Beware though, some BDs still use Library French in speech bubbles — a good rule of thumb to spot those is that they use "nous" instead of "on". In Living French, we almost never say "nous" with the meaning of "we" (we only say it with the meaning of "us").
If you're in France, just go to your local library to find a BD you like. Browsing is free. Borrowing is free. And you may end up having a chat with French people in a relaxed environment where people take their time.
Pronunciation differences
The importance of learning real pronunciation can’t be overstated: humans primarily communicate with sounds, not letters—and in French, those sounds often stray far from the spelling.
Especially in Living French.
A few examples:
Letters: Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?
Sounds: kèsya?
(what's going on/what's the matter?)
Letters: ... et puis, ...
Sounds: é-pi
(...and then...)
Letters: Oui, parce que je te l'ai déjà dit
Sounds: wi-pa-ske-shte-lé-dja-di
(yes, because I already told you)
Note: These are all standard Living French, not slang.
What you can do about it:
Watch French films or videos with the subtitles OFF and write down the sounds you hear. Replay the same five-second segment thirty times if needed. Then, try to map those sounds to words you may know. Finally, turn the subtitles on to check you were correct.
Over time, doing this will improve your listening skills in general (not just for the phrases that you are transcribing).
The only issue with that method is that it can be hard to figure out whether you misheard a phrase or if it's simply Living French pronunciation. That's exactly why I'm building my own programme to help you understand real spoken French, and making a large portion of it free.
I'll show you how to decode useful everyday phrases by ear, starting from the basics and building up to more complex sentences.
I'm designing it for any level - from complete beginners to advanced learners who still struggle with spoken French.
So if you'd like a more guided approach to mastering these aspects of Living French, I'm creating a program that combines carefully chosen real-world examples with step-by-step ear training techniques. You'll learn to recognise and understand common Living French patterns through targeted listening practice and detailed breakdowns of how written French transforms into spoken sounds.
That's all for this week. As always, merci for your interest in my language.
Psst! Know someone who's tired of nodding and smiling through French conversations? Do a good deed, send them this video: Why Spoken French Is So Hard To Understand.
And if you haven't already answered them, here are two short questions for you. They'll help me tailor the content of the programme to you:
Merci et à bientôt,
Valentin