In Paris, there are about 16 500 taxis so you think you should be able to get one easily, no? Nope! Paris' cabs usually don't stop when hailed. Why? Because of the whole taxi organization in Paris.

As in any language, French has a large and rich slang vocabulary that never stops from evolving.

This is the second part of the blog series that showcases some of the current d'jeunes French slang...

Lots of students seem to believe that watching French movies is a great way to improve their French. It can be so, but only if you have the appropriate level of French, and you are ready to "work" with the movie, not just casually watch it with the English subtitles on.

Many beginner and intermediate students are looking for French movies easy enough to understand. It's quite a challenge, so I asked my students and ex-students to help me put together me a list of French films they found easier to understand, and these were the most popular results.

As in any language, French has a large and rich slang vocabulary that never stops from evolving.

You all have heard of " le Verlan" which consists of inverting syllables in a word (the word "Verlan" itself is an inversion of the word "l'envers" ('reverse').  This slang form is now very prevalent throughout the French language and some verlan words are even now found in French dictionaries.

Many of you have studied common French slang: "un bouquin" for 'a book', "un mec" for 'a guy'... All these are still used, but lately, a new form of slang emerged: "le parler d'jeunes".

Unfortunately, this probably already happened to you: you're listening to some French, and then someone says something you don't understand, and your brain simply freezes. Full stop. And you miss the rest of the sentence.

(Before we start just a reminder that the French don't call it Bastille day but "le quatorze juillet" or, less often, "la fête nationale". If you say "Jour de la Bastille" while in France, you will get some strange looks!)

Since Camille and I just returned from a week in Paris, I wanted to share some of my observations with you. Now of course, if you want to experience Bastille day in Paris, then, that will obviously be the best time for you to go. For all others, avoid that time of year if you can...

Many people would say that French women have a "je ne sais quoi" that makes them... irresistible. I am not sure I measure up to this reputation, but today, I'm going to share with you some tricks that may help you unravel the mysteries of French women’s sex appeal.

Most students – no matter their level – tell me “I listen to the French radio, or watch movies in French” and this statement is usually followed by “it’s so frustrating”...

Understanding French people speaking full speed is your goal: by no means is it the right path to get there. It’s as if you gave Shakespeare to read to a first grader. It’s only going to lead to failure, loss of confidence and frustration.

A lot of people want to enjoy a trip to France, with the idea of having a nice vacation AND practicing their French. Unfortunately, they often come back saying "as soon as I started to speak, the French would answer to me in English". Here is my advice on how to pick the right place to practice your French.