Le français moderne

Learn about Modern French in this 5-part series of bilingual articles about the development of French over the centuries.*

After listening to the audio, click any word for the English translation and links to related grammar lessons.

Note: The tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical stories like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.


Part 1:

Part 2:

 

 

*The Development of French

  1. Birth of the French language
  2. Dialects and regional languages
  3. Middle French
  4. Classical French
  5. Modern French

** The French language in figures

Click any word in the text to see its translation and related grammar lessons.

I'll be right with you...