Everyone knows that our beautiful language, French, is difficult to learn.
Our language is recognized as the 10th most difficult language to learn internationally.
French is made up of many rules, sometimes unusual, it’s true, and which can confuse many of you.
This blog post is not intended to remedy all of your writing skills difficulties. But, for me, it is a question of helping anyone wishing to quickly improve their written expression from the few tips given here.
Why is French difficult to learn?
First of all, we don’t pronounce what we write.
Hence a real difficulty in knowing how to spell words. How to create a Wikipedia page for an artist is not possible to make a connection with writing skills. This poses a real problem for many people, more or less young.
If I had introduced a tax on every mistake my students have committed since the start of my career, I would have been a billionaire!
Many letters do not speak but are written.
For example, in the name of a famous avenue in Paris, “Les Champs Ely sees”, we do not pronounce half the letters.
These silent letters are very confusing! We don’t pronounce all the consonants; it’s confusing, isn’t it?
Not to mention the consonants, doubled or not, which leave more than one hesitant!
The plural is not heard either, unlike other languages, such as English or Spanish where the plural is heard.
Conjugation in French is also difficult, very similar to other languages of Latin origin, such as Italian or Spanish.
The other complicated point concerns accents, which are very complicated for foreigners and the French themselves. It can hinder understanding. Because grave or acute accents can modify the meaning of words.
The agreements in our language are always very difficult, even for native speakers.
But, to defend our language despite everything, we can add that it is a melodious language. She has a lot of charm when listening.
No language is easy to learn; it would be known!
Also, French has various origins which can complicate the assimilation of the language.
All languages have their rules with their difficulties.
To improve your writing skills, you will need:
- master the vocabulary
- enrich your vocabulary
- Improve your style.
It takes time, patience, and investment on your part.
Avoid using spoken language
I reassure you right away: on television, radio, or the Internet, errors of all kinds in French are frequent.
The links are almost non-existent, badly used, or dangerous…
Negations invariably jump; we forget that the negation in French is made up of two words:”
The negative adverbs “null, none, nothing, never” take the “one” of the negation.
Neologisms (invented words) are commonplace.
All this to make you understand that you have to think before writing. You must first formulate your thoughts in your head.
In writing skills, avoid using abbreviations and numbers. This is the ease of oral language.
For example, the word “cinema” is already the abbreviation of the full word “cinematographer” (it is apocopate). We agree that the last name is obsolete, but let’s not abuse the abbreviations, which are exclusive to texting and social networks.
In writing skills, you need to show your best.
Avoid at all costs the buzzwords heard all the time: “too cool, great, I manage, it does”.
English words should be avoided as much as possible too.
All familiar words should be banned in writing.
You have to force yourself to use correct, more sustained language.
For example, the familiar expression “I’m fed up” can be replaced by “I can’t stand anymore”.
Avoid using imprecise terms
The imprecise terms you may use reflect certain negligence.
As much as possible, it is better to avoid using the indefinite pronoun “one”.
It is preferable to directly designate the person. By definition, “we” do not define anyone since it is undefined. Wikipedia page creators it is best used in proverbs or maxims where it refers to everyone at the same time without being precise.
The construction with the relative pronoun “that” weighs down your sentence.
Here is an example: “They say that the number thirteen brings bad luck”. Start the sentence directly by putting the number in the subject: “The number thirteen brings bad luck “.
I often read the personal subject pronoun “they” used over and over again, without knowing what it means.
Don’t be afraid to always clarify. The subject pronoun “they” must necessarily refer to an antecedent – the word placed before to which it refers.
For example, here is what can be heard: “They announced a strike on television”.
Who are “they”? The journalists? We don’t know precisely; it remains confused.
Likewise, it is better to avoid using the expression “people”. It is too vague, not precise enough. You will necessarily have another word of your choice available to be more precise.
The boilerplate verbs like “do, have, there is, put, say” are to be avoided.
Likewise, pay attention to the real meaning of verbs.
“Exporting” is not the same as “importing”.
“Immigrating” (settling in an adopted country) is not the same as “emigrating.” (Permanently leaving one’s country of origin).
“To submerge” (to fully immerse in water) is not the same as “to emerge” (partially to come out of water).
These are just a few examples chosen to convey the value of choosing words carefully when writing.
Avoid using repeats, redundancies, and snapshots
The example above is concrete and meaningful. It is better to use synonyms rather than repeating the words.
French does not support repetitions in writing, as well as orally.
French is full of synonymous words, do not deprive yourself of them!
Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect synonym.
Too many commonly heard phrases are incorrect.
Pleonasms are frequent; there is one tirelessly repeated, particularly horrifying: “today”.
This expression does not mean anything and can be easily replaced by “in this day or the present day, now or in the present day”.
“Coming soon” is another unpleasant pleonasm to hear or read.
You use one of the two adverbs, but not both at the same time. Or you can say “shortly” instead.
In the media, the word “problematic” is often used instead of the word “problem”. Wrongly and through. Is it a pretension or a tic of language? These two words are not synonymous.
A problem is a question or a reflection on a complex subject. Where does that relate to a problem?
The expression “a plus” is also used too frequently. Used in the sense of “advantage”. But, the meaning remains vague. You can replace it with “asset, advantage, privilege”.
Enrich your vocabulary
To make yourself understood in writing skills, there is no need to use extended periphrases or play the poet.
The goal: to be simple, efficient, and understanding.
The French language is riddled with subtleties and pitfalls. The vocabulary can sometimes be ambiguous.
You have to find the right meaning in words and try to be logical.
Any bombastic vocabulary you might use, other than satisfying your ego, will be of no use if the other person does not understand the purpose of your writing skills.
Beware of anonymous words – that is, words that sound close or that may have similar or identical spelling.
“Skeptic” (who doubts) and “septic (for the pit)”.
The famous patronyms with the sound ‘sea’ are the perfect illustration of this: “sea, mayor, and mother”. O only the background can understand the meaning of each word.
