Hello! I've just started learning French and I'd like to try reading something. A whole novel sounds quite intimidating, so do you know of any short stories with simple language?
Hello,
My mind goes to:
Les lettres de mon moulin by Alphonse Daudet
Trois contes by Gustave Flaubert
ArsĂšne Lupin contre Herlock SholmĂšs by Maurice Leblanc (ha!)
Les diaboliques by Jules Barbey dâAurevilly (pretty)
Le sommeil de la raison by Gabrielle Wittkop
Contes de lâAbsurde + Histoires perfides by Pierre Boulle (emo)
Je voudrais que quelquâun mâattende quelque part by Anna Gavalda
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Masculine words that end in A (and other oddities in Spanish)
This one I didn't quite know how to title because this is specifically in reference to the words of Greek origin that show up in Spanish that end in -a but are masculine nouns and then it devolved into "words that don't adhere to the general linguistic grammar rules"
To be clear, this is NOT the words like (el) agua, (el) hada, (el) hambre etc. which are technically feminine but have a masculine article in singular
...These following words that defy your normal expectations about gendered nouns are the main ones to know; and primarily these are words from Greek, and that's why they come out this way
el planeta = planet
el clima = weather / climate
el problema = problem
el drama = drama [in every sense of the word] / theater [as in the subject, not the building]
el tema = theme / subject
el poema = poem
el sistema = system
el esquema = diagram, outline / blueprint, schematic
el idioma = language
[la lengua is literally "tongue" and can be used - el lenguaje refers to a specific "lexicon" or subset of communication, not the word you usually mean]
el enigma = puzzle, riddle / enigma
[the other word is la rompecabezas which is literally "breaks-heads"; but enigma is the general word for a riddle]
el fantasma = ghost, phantom
el diploma = diploma
[the other term is el tĂtulo which is "title" but they're synonymous for "diploma"]
el carisma = charisma
el trauma = trauma
el programa = program
el crucigrama = crossword puzzle
el lema = slogan, motto
el dilema = dilemma, problem
el anatema = anathema, "the complete opposite"
[in specific settings, anatema means "excommunication from the Church" or is used as almost like "the worst kind of blasphemy" or "abomination"; in general you see it used like "opposite" or "contrary to everything someone believes in" or in some cases "a kind of curse", but it has very specific religious meanings in the proper context - in other very specific contexts, an anatema was a special offering to a god/spirit the way people now use la ofrenda "offering" (religious/to the dead), and Christianity turned the meaning of anatema "something placed (in offering)" into something darker and linked to paganism or devil worship or heresy "an abomination" or "something to be abhorred"]
el aroma = aroma, fragrance
el dogma = dogma, creed
el axioma = "common saying", "tenet", axiom
el cometa = comet
la cometa = kite
el coma = coma [as in comatose]
la coma = comma [the , symbol]
Note: The vast majority of words ending in -grama are masculine in Spanish; el programa is the most common word but things like el telegrama, el anagrama, el holograma, el crucigrama, and others
It's tempting to think that it's every word ending in -ma, but that's not right; la goma "rubber", la crema "cream", la mama "breast" / la mamĂĄ "mom", la llama "flame" etc. all end in -ma but are feminine
The linguistics of this are that these words came to Spanish via Greek; not that you'd know that just by seeing them, but if you come across a word that seems feminine but is actually masculine it generally tends to be Greek or a loanword from a different language
A few other words you'll see here and there are also of Greek origin particularly in the fields of medicine, astronomy, linguistics, poetry, and botany
-
Additionally, be aware that the suffix -ista is unisex
This is used as "a practitioner of" or "belonging to" and does come from Greek; but since these are normally adjectives (or oficios which is "professions", or things that can apply to people as "jobs")
Most -isms [which includes literary or political movements] can be turned into this suffix, though -ismo is masculine, -ista is unisex
el/la machista = "Chauvinist", sexist
[from machismo which tends to place more emphasis on the man and his role in society, generally used as a synonym of "sexist" since it's patriarchal by definition]
el/la modista = fashion designer / dressmaker
[lit. "fashion-ist"; a modista is generally a specific type of sastre "tailor" and used to mean "dressmaker" for women specifically; today it's usually a designer or someone that makes garments, while sastre can imply just alterations on clothes]
el/la guionista = scriptwriter
el/la socorrista = rescuer, first responder
[el socorro is "help", so this is a catch-all term for someone who comes to help other people and may include "lifeguard", "EMT", and other general "first responder" jobs as well]
el/la transformista = "drag queen"
[in general terms it's "quick change artist", someone who can transform aspects of their clothes/face very quickly but is commonly used as "drag artist" - in biology it can be someone who believes in a certain type of evolution, as the theory of evolution may be called el transformismo]
...Also note that many instruments use this term; el/la pianista "pianist", el/la saxofonista "saxophone player", and so on; generally any instrument uses -ista
deportista = sporty
el/la deportista = sports player
perfeccionista = perfectionist / perfectionistic
el/la perfeccionista = a perfectionist
derechista = "right-wing"
el/la derechista = someone who votes/believes in right-wing politics
izquierdista = "leftist"
el/la izquierdista = a leftist, "a liberal", someone who believes in left-wing politics
progresista = progressive [in the political sense]
el/la progresista = a progressive
[this will also apply to adjectives related to a particular movement or genre; surrealista is "surrealist", humanista "humanist", modernista is "modernist"... or you may see monarquista "Monarchist", imperialista "imperialist", anarquista "anarchist"..... you can also see this attached to famous, infamous, or influential people; leninista "Leninist", maoĂsta "Maoist", franquista "of/relating to Francisco Franco"]
The other suffix like this to know is -crata related to "ruling"
el/la burĂłcrata = bureaucrat
el/la autĂłcrata = autocrat
el/la aristĂłcrata = aristocrat
Note: Another one from Greek to know is el/la atleta "athlete" which is also unisex; it didn't have the normal suffix so I wasn't sure where to put it, but it's also a unisex one
-
I also have to mention these particular words that aren't really Greek but they will show up if you see a "words that look feminine but are actually masculine" kind of list in Spanish
el dĂa = day
el mapa = map
[I have no idea why; it's only masculine like this in Spanish]
el pijama, los pijamas = pajamas/pyjamas
[comes from India by way of Persia; but sometimes el pijama is a set of "pajamas" so it could be interpreted as plural in English]
el sofĂĄ = sofa, couch
[from Arabic and Turkish]
el Papa = Pope
el papĂĄ = dad
[though it's a shortened form of padre "father"]
el cura = priest [usually in the Catholic sense; the other term for some denominations is el sacerdote / la sacerdotisa but in the Catholic tradition only men are priests so you'll see el cura or el sacerdote sometimes]
la cura = cure
la curita = "bandage", "band aid", "plaster" [UK]
el tranvĂa = cable car, streetcar, tram / tramway
[a transliteration from English; "tram" + the Spanish word for "way"]
Some words are distinctly loanwords like el/la samurĂĄi [from Japanese] or el/la chef [from French], and as professions can be masculine or feminine since they don't follow general gender rules
Note: Gender neutral Latin suffixes do exist (usually) like -ente; adolescente "teenager/adolescent", agente "agent", delincuente "criminal/delinquent", or prudente "prudent"
...But a few have -enta as a newer adaptation of the language; in other words el gerente "manager" used to be la gerente for female but you may see la gerenta now
The most common example of -ente/-enta is el presidente "president" which can be la presidenta "(female/madame) president"; though in some older works it may be la presidente. The usage of -enta is relatively recent
...
Also important note; la mano "hand" is feminine but ends in -O. It's not common for this to happen but la mano is the big exception that you'll definitely need to know. In its diminutive forms it's usually ending in -A... la manito can be "little hand", but manitas is "handy" or "handyman" in some countries. And la manilla refers to "the hands of a clock"
-
Additional Note: There are occasional words that stay in their original form no matter who they apply to. Some of these are unisex, and some are only one gender regardless of who they apply to
el/la modelo = model
[a female model would be la modelo or la supermodelo "supermodel" for example]
el/la testigo = witness
el/la idiota = idiot
el/la pirata = pirate
el/la acrĂłbata = acrobat
el/la profeta = prophet
[a bit unusual in that el profeta "prophet" is masculine, and while you can see la profeta you also do quite often see la profetisa "prophetess" especially in the context of Greek myth]
la vĂctima = victim
[always feminine, even if the victim is a man]
Sometimes these are loanwords [like marrĂłn "brown" is a loanword from French "chestnut", so it is always marrĂłn / marrones], others are not; they're just weird and you need to know them
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Casually responding pena de muerte "death penalty" to anyone facing even the most minor inconveniences to let them know I support them... and realizing that may come off as aggressive
When you ask a french person something like "Hey! Long time no see! How are you?' they might answer "On fait aller" which basically means "We keep things going/moving" which is a kinda polite way to say no this is shit but let's have small talk.
But these days the kids they say "On est lĂ " which means "We're here" like they're not even trying anymore if they woke up today they count it as victory and that's a fucking mood.
refold has a crowdsourced resource list for spanish, curated & with notes | A1 to C2
dreamingspanish on reddit has a crowdsourced spreadsheet with over 90 channels geared towards learners | A1 to C2
learn natively has a huge deck of spanish books sorted by difficulty by learners | A1 to C2
prensa escrita has a list of news websites sorted by country & sometimes city | B1 to C1 probably
the CI wiki has an editable list of CI resources and a couple of native content links | A1 to like B2?
comprehensible hub has tons of spanish podcasts for learners | A1 to B2
letterboxd has a ton of very fun #español lists, e.g. movies mentioned in the wild project podcast, latin american female directors, made in puerto rico | ~B2 to C2
there are also a ton of moocs in spanish for intermediate to advanced learners (moocs are online courses, usually free) | B1 to C2
I just learned (quite literally) that the word "e" exists in Spanish like in Portuguese (meaning "and") and I was a little surprised because I thought Spanish only used "y". But although they are used for the same reasons (as connectives) they have different uses.
You see, you generally really use "y" to connect words. However, there is an exception! When the word that follows starts with an "i" sound, then we use "e", even if the word starts with a "h" (which is silent in Spanish). For example:
But why does this happen? Well, since the conjugation "y" is pronounced like âiâ, if we used it with another word that also starts with an "i", then it would sound awkward or unclear, because the sounds would merge like âiinmoralâ ou âiĂgadoâ. So we use "E".
But! There's an exception to the exception: if the word start with an âhiaâ, âhieâ ou âhioâ, we use the conjugation "y". Some examples:
La piedra estå limpia y hialina.
Es un tiempo de fuego y hielo.
Atropina y hioscina son alcaloides.
Note: In âtĂș y yo,â we use âyâ because âyoâ starts with a âyâ sound, not an âiâ sound.
Hey iâm a fashion design student so i have tons and tons of pdfs and docs with basic sewing techniques, pattern how-tos, and resources for fabric and trims. Iâve compiled it all into a shareable folder for anyone who wants to look into sewing and making their own clothing. Iâll be adding to this folder whenever i come across new resources
Updated just now with new hand sewing resources (mainly buttonholes) and textbook pdfs on fashion history, fashion illustration, and thinking through designs!
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Salut! How would you recommend someone to improve their pronunciation in French if they donât have access to a class/live in the country where French is spoken? Iâm trying so hard but I struggle a lot with pronunciation but itâs so so important to me to be able to pronounce words properly and speak well because I love this language so much and itâs very important to me but Iâm struggling a lot
You donât have to live somewhere in particular or go to school to get any kind of skill. Practice and hard work will always be enough. Now :
Study this post about phonetics
Study this post about pronunciation
Listen to audiobooks while reading the written version (see below)Â
OM or ON+consonant > "ON" (nasal): Bonjour - Hello (\bÉÌ.ÊuÊ\), Accomplir - To achieve (\a.kÉÌ.pliÊ\); +vowel or -N+vowel > "ONN": Personne - Nobody (\pÉÊ.sÉn\)
OO > "O-O": Zoo - Zoo (\zo.o\)
OU > "OO": Couper - To cut (\ku.pe\)
-P(S):
Mute unless it's borrowed from English or anatomical. (-)Corps - Body, (-)Temps - Time/Weather, Draps - Sheets, Sirop - Syrup... as opposed to Clip, Triceps, Stop, etc.
Trop (Too much/Way too), when followed by a vowel, is not mute: Trop_aimable.
Not pronounced in: infinitive first-group verbs ending in -er: Manger - To eat; Monsieur/messieurs - Sir-s; masculine names in -er : Roger; (masculine) job nouns in -(i)er: Infirmier - Nurse; masculine adjectives in -ier except if followed by a noun starting with a vowel: Premier - First, Dernier - LastâŠ
S:
S- >Â SS:Â Sucre - Sugar
SC+LS > SS: Fils (\fis\) - Son, Scie (\si\) - Saw
S > SS: Poisson - Fish
-S (N.B.: For a not-verb/not-noun): SS or mute. Tous as an indefinite adjective, a comparative, a superlative or a negative: mute. Ex: Il nây a plu(s) de pain - Thereâs no more bread, Câest la plu(s) gentille - Sheâs the nicest; as an indefinite pronoun: SS. Ex: Tous ces hommes - All these men.
Voiced sounds are those that make our vocal chords vibrate when they are produced; voiceless sounds are produced from air passing through the mouth at different points. Fricatives are consonants with the characteristic that when they are produced, air escaped through a small passage and make a hissing sound; plosives are a type of consonant produced by forming a complete obstruction to the flow air out of the mouth.
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