If you are learning French, we are sure that you listen to some songs in French. And if you don’t, you definitely should! Why? Well, because throughout French songs and listening to French music in general, you will be able to read the lyrics and to hear the right vocabulary’s pronunciation! We all know how much people struggle with French pronunciation; that’s why we think that French songs can be so useful.

In addition, we think that by listening to French songs you’ll be able to also learn some French expressions, some French idioms and French argots. French pop songs always use some kind of French expressions. Through this blog article, you will learn some French expressions, French idioms and French argots and also you will discover some French songs that you can listen to to practice your French!

Sapés comme jamais

Sapés comme jamais (jamais)

This French song by Maître Gims was really popular in 2015. You can already find a French argot in its title. The French expression used here is ”se saper”, that means “s’habiller, mettre ses habits”, so “to dress up”. The title of this song means to be dressed in its best dresses.

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It’s well known that Mexican people speak Spanish. But why Spanish? Is it the official language? It’s not! Moreover, Mexico doesn’t even have an official language! But indeed, one of the most spoken languages in Mexico is the Spanish one, followed by Náhuatl. And what is the Náhuatl language? It’s the most spoken Indigenous language being in front of more than 60 other Indigenous languages spoken today in this country.

You’re already lost? Okay, let’s make a review of Mexican history, you’ll understand better what languages are spoken in Mexico today and why.

Once upon a time in Mexico…

Let’s go through Mexican history from the Maya period to the 21st century.

Maya, Toltec, Aztec

The Maya were people who lived in actual Mexico and Central America between 1200 BC and 400 AC. They reached the peak of their civilization between 600 and 800 AC when they were living in Palenque, Mexico.

Toltec people, another Indigenous civilisation, decided to become sedentary and to live near Tuta, the Mexican capital in 900 AC. In 980, both civilizations were unified in Yucatan and changed the capital of Mexico, in 1200, for Mayapan, located in the same area.

Aztec people set up in the Texcoco lake, this place became their capital: Tenochtitlan (the actual Mexico city) in 1325. Those three civilizations formed the triple alliance in 1428 when the Aztec empire reign began. In fact, in 1441 the old capital Mapayan collapsed.

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Have you ever wished – in the middle of a conversation – that there was a word that could describe that one specific concept you have in mind, instead of having to explain it with a full articulate sentence? Yes, we know about that frustrating feeling. But don’t be desperate, because chances are high that that specific word you think of does exist in another language.

Every language develops by itself and creates new words according to the speakers’ needs. It is known that these days a new word is coined every 98 minutes: can you believe it? Every two episodes of the TV show you’re currently watching, or at the end of every football match, a new word is created!!! Mind-blowing, huh?

Now that we have hopefully triggered your interest in words and neologisms, we wanted to talk about a specific topic that fascinates us immensely. That is untranslatable words.

You might wonder what they are, and how on earth it is possible for a word not to have a natural correspondence in any other language. You see, as translators, we constantly seek for the chance to find the most accurate and effective way to translate one term, concept or sentence from one language to another. We’re willing to change the subject, register, and use different synonyms to provide the most effective translation taking into consideration not only the words per se but even the cultural background that lies behind the words themselves. But we also know that no translation can be 100% perfect, and that in some cases it is rather impossible to convey the same exact meaning from one source language to a target language. This is most definitely the case when we speak of untranslatable words.

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Just like English and Spanish, the French language can be very different from one country to the other. This article is here to help you understand how French can be different in other French-speaking countries such as Canada, Belgium or Switzerland. Get acquainted with the most used words or idioms and understand some funny bickering between France and other French-speaking countries!

Why is French different…

In Quebec?

If you know your geography well, you have probably noticed that Quebec is quite far from France (compared to Belgium or Switzerland), and that just as the United States it was colonised. Quebec is not a country, it’s a province that belongs to Canada. Canada has English and French as its official languages. In 1534, the explorer Jacques Cartier claimed the land in the name of King Francis I of France, and thus New France (the former name of Quebec) was born. In 1763, after losing a battle, the French empire was forced to cease its land to the British empire, and from then on the language evolved differently. Something funny about the Canadian language is that it seems to be closer to the French language of the 17th century. Indeed, before that, the French from France and all the settlers that came to New France spoke exactly the same French. That is to say, they did not pronounce every syllable of the words. After the 17th century, France decided that the French had to pronounce every syllable and Quebeckers continued to speak French as they used to!

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