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From these 46 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list Twentieth on the list is le radical , and it is the entry here that an English reader will misread with the most confidence. In English « radical » belongs to politics, to chemistry and to the square-root sign: it describes a person who wants the whole thing changed, a molecule with an unpaired electron, or a symbol on a page. None of those is meant. Le radical is the part of a word that does not move — parl- in parler , parlons , parlait — and what English calls it is « the stem » or « the root ». Underneath, the two are the same word: Latin radix is a root, and a radical in politics is somebody who goes to the root of the matter. French simply kept the grammatical sense as the everyday one, and it carries the political sense in the same noun, which the context sorts out. So the rule when reading a French grammar is worth fixing early: le radical is never an opinion, only a syllable or two at the front of a verb.
The words
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Verb (1)
paraphraser to paraphrase Verb B2 Il paraphrase la phrase pour se faire comprendre. He paraphrases the sentence to make himself understood.
Adjective (4)
Grammar for these: Adjective agreement · Where the adjective goes
bilingue bilingual Adjective B2 Le quartier est bilingue depuis longtemps. The quarter has been bilingual for a long time.
plurilingue multilingual Adjective B2 L’équipe du matin est plurilingue. The morning team is multilingual.
familier colloquial Adjective B2 Ce verbe est familier et ne convient pas à une lettre. This verb is colloquial and does not belong in a letter.
phonétique phonetic Adjective B2 La transcription phonétique aide à lire le mot. The phonetic transcription helps you read the word.
Adverb (1)
Grammar for these: Adverbs in -ment
couramment fluently Adverb B2 Elle parle couramment la langue du pays. She speaks the language of the country fluently.
Phrase (2)
alterner les langues to switch between languages Phrase B2 Dans cette famille, on alterne les langues à table. In this family they switch between languages at the table.
mal prononcer to mispronounce Phrase B2 Il a mal prononcé le nom de la rue. He mispronounced the name of the street.
Noun (f) (19)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
la langue maternelle the mother tongue Noun (f) B2 Sa langue maternelle n’est pas celle de l’école. His mother tongue is not the one the school uses.
la fluidité the fluency Noun (f) B2 La fluidité vient avec la pratique. Fluency comes with practice.
la syntaxe the syntax Noun (f) B2 La syntaxe change quand la phrase devient longue. The syntax changes once the sentence gets long.
la règle de grammaire the grammar rule Noun (f) B2 Cette règle de grammaire a peu d’exceptions. This grammar rule has few exceptions.
la collocation the collocation Noun (f) B2 Cette collocation se dit ainsi et pas autrement. This collocation is said this way and no other.
la locution the set phrase Noun (f) B2 Cette locution ne se traduit pas mot à mot. This set phrase is not translated word for word.
la figure de style the figure of speech Noun (f) B2 Le texte est plein de figures de style. The text is full of figures of speech.
la connotation the connotation Noun (f) B2 Ce mot a une connotation négative. This word has a negative connotation.
la classe grammaticale the part of speech Noun (f) B2 Le dictionnaire indique la classe grammaticale. The dictionary gives the part of speech.
la paraphrase the paraphrase Noun (f) B2 Une paraphrase aide quand le mot manque. A paraphrase helps when the word will not come.
la traduction the translation Noun (f) B2 La traduction perd toujours un peu. A translation always loses a little.
l’acquisition du langage language acquisition Noun (f) B2 L’acquisition du langage commence très tôt. Language acquisition begins very early.
l’immersion the immersion Noun (f) B2 Elle a passé l’été en immersion. She spent the summer in immersion.
l’exposition à la langue the exposure to the language Noun (f) B2 Son exposition à la langue se limite aux vacances. Her exposure to the language is limited to the holidays.
la barrière de la langue the language barrier Noun (f) B2 La barrière de la langue tombe après quelques semaines. The language barrier comes down after a few weeks.
la littératie the literacy Noun (f) B2 La littératie s’apprend à l’école. Literacy is learnt at school.
la réforme de l’orthographe the spelling reform Noun (f) B2 La réforme de l’orthographe divise encore. The spelling reform still divides opinion.
l’intonation the intonation Noun (f) B2 L’intonation transforme la phrase en question. Intonation turns the sentence into a question.
la lettre muette the silent letter Noun (f) B2 La lettre muette reste à l’écrit. The silent letter stays in the written form.
Noun (m) (19)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
le locuteur natif the native speaker Noun (m) B2 Un locuteur natif entend la différence tout de suite. A native speaker hears the difference at once.
l’accent the accent Noun (m) B2 Il a gardé un léger accent. He has kept a slight accent.
le dialecte the dialect Noun (m) B2 Le dialecte se perd chez les jeunes. The dialect is dying out among the young.
l’argot the slang Noun (m) B2 Ce mot appartient à l’argot. This word belongs to slang.
le registre soutenu the formal register Noun (m) B2 Le registre soutenu se rencontre surtout à l’écrit. The formal register is met mostly in writing.
le mot emprunté the loanword Noun (m) B2 Ce mot emprunté vient de l’italien. This loanword comes from Italian.
le faux ami the false friend Noun (m) B2 Ce faux ami piège tous les débutants. This false friend catches out every beginner.
le mot apparenté the cognate Noun (m) B2 Les mots apparentés aident à deviner le sens. Cognates help you guess the meaning.
l’ordre des mots the word order Noun (m) B2 L’ordre des mots décide du sens. Word order decides the meaning.
le préfixe the prefix Noun (m) B2 Le préfixe donne le contraire du verbe. The prefix gives the opposite of the verb.
le suffixe the suffix Noun (m) B2 Ce suffixe fabrique des noms. This suffix makes nouns.
le radical the stem (of a word) Noun (m) B2 Le radical reste, la terminaison change. The stem stays, the ending changes.
le nom composé the compound noun Noun (m) B2 Un nom composé s’écrit parfois avec un trait d’union. A compound noun is sometimes written with a hyphen.
le sens propre the literal sense Noun (m) B2 Au sens propre, le mot désigne un outil. In its literal sense the word means a tool.
l’interprète the interpreter Noun (m) B2 L’interprète travaille en cabine. The interpreter works in a booth.
le sous-titrage the subtitling Noun (m) B2 Le sous-titrage arrive plus tard. The subtitling arrives later.
l’apport langagier the language input Noun (m) B2 L’apport langagier vient d’abord de la famille. The language input comes first of all from the family.
le schéma d’accentuation the stress pattern Noun (m) B2 Le schéma d’accentuation change avec la longueur du mot. The stress pattern changes with the length of the word.
le virelangue the tongue-twister Noun (m) B2 Ce virelangue fait rire toute la classe. This tongue-twister makes the whole class laugh.
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