Language Learners

French word of the week: bout

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French noun 'bout'. Read More

Expressing surprise

A simple way to show that you are surprised by what someone has said is to use Really? ‘Zareb is leaving?’ ‘Really? Why?’ ‘I don’t think it’s a very good school.’ ‘Really? I was very impressed by it.’ ‘I’m terrible at maths.’ ‘Really? I can’t believe that!’ A stronger way… Read More

French word of the week: besoin

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French noun 'besoin'. Read More

Expressing sympathy

The most common way to show that you are sad for someone when something bad has happened is to use I’m (so) sorry. or I’m sorry to hear … Diana told me about your brother’s accident. I’m so sorry. I heard that Charlie had lost his job, Sara. I’m sorry. Read More

French word of the week: rendre

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French verb 'rendre'. Read More

Talking about your health

After saying hello to someone, especially someone we know, we usually ask about their health, by saying How are you? You can also ask about someone else’s health in the same way. Hello, Jan. How are you? It’s great to see you, Anna. How are you? Hi, Emma, how is… Read More