Helena Chadderton: French & English Lessons and Translation

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Helena Chadderton: French & English Lessons and Translation Former university lecturer in UK, now living and teaching in France. For lessons at your home, the rate depends on where you are.

I offer French and English lessons at my home, at your home, within a 20km radius, or online. I also offer translation, interpreting and cultural assistance and would be happy to discuss your needs. For lessons at my home, the hourly rate is 27 euros, whether that's an individual one-on-one lesson or if you want to come with friends (maximum 4 people). I have 22 years' experience of teaching langu

age and culture. I have taught all levels of French and English language, from absolute beginners to near native in universities in the UK and in France. I also have extensive experience of private tuition with both individuals and groups, of various levels and all ages. I understand what language and cultural skills and knowledge people need to be able to survive and thrive in a French country village or on a trip to the big city and can tailor the learning experience to your needs and your expectations. I have always been genuinely passionate about bringing French and English-speaking people together. I have written and published books and articles on French culture and literature, and I am an experienced editor, translator and proof-reader. I served on the executive boards of several UK-French professional bodies, most recently as Treasurer for the Society for French Studies, the foremost learned association for French Studies in the UK and Ireland. One of the things I loved most about my work in UK higher education was the opportunity to explore my passion for intercultural exchange with high-profile guests such as the novelist Jonathan Coe, and the film director Ken Loach. Nowadays, I continue to bring the French and English-speaking communities together locally, both through my business, and by offering my linguistic and cultural skills to the local Association franco-anglophone de bonne entente - AFABE - which I recommend you join!

06/08/2024

Hello everyone,

This is a short post to let you know that from September I will be taking a step back from teaching French to take up a salaried position for 1 year. Thank you to you all for your support, appreciation and motivation. I am hoping to do some collective apéro et conversation sessions for students old and new later in the year – so please watch this space!

Merci à vous tous et bonne continuation!

16/07/2024

Le depart / partir

One of the most common mistakes I hear in my classes is students who want to say ‘to leave’ in English using a verb in French which begins with ‘départ’, eg: ‘départir’… unfortunately this doesn’t work in French.

The verb ‘to leave’ is ‘partir’; ‘départ’ is only used as a noun, to mean ‘departure’, eg: ‘le départ est à 11h’, or, in other words, ‘nous partons à 11h’.

I hope this helps!

08/07/2024

tac, tac

The French use this a lot to indicate that something is done easily and quickly.

For example, when I am complaining about being overwhelmed by weeds in the potager, my neighbours say ‘Ah non, un coup de binette, et tac tac, c’est fait!’ Rough translation = ‘A quick touch with the hoe and, there you go, it’s done!’ It turns out that’s not entirely true, but that’s a different story…

Anyone heard this before?

‘A la bonne franquette’Have you ever been invited for lunch at a French home and been told ‘c’est à la bonne franquette’...
21/05/2024

‘A la bonne franquette’

Have you ever been invited for lunch at a French home and been told ‘c’est à la bonne franquette’? What on earth does this mean?

Perhaps the lunch is spontaneous, the food is more basic than usual, the wine is inexpensive. With this expression, your hosts are letting you know that this is simple country fare, no airs and graces.

Have a look at the origins of the term here:
https://www.lefigaro.fr/langue-francaise/expressions-francaises/2017/10/14/37003-20171014ARTFIG00014-d-o-vient-l-expression-a-la-bonne-franquette.php

Bon appétit!

EXPRESSION POPULAIRE - La formule est très souvent entendue lorsqu'un hôte vous propose de manger sans façons, en toute simplicité. Mais d'où vient-elle ? Le Figaro revient sur son histoire.

06/05/2024

‘Ça a été?’

Do you know how to respond to this question which is almost always posed by the waiter or waitress after a meal as they clear away the plates.

‘Ça a été?’

The question translates as ‘How was it? / Was it ok?’ and, if everything was fine, you can either respond with ‘Oui, merci’, or ‘Très bon / très bien, merci’.

If everything was not ok, this is where you let them know, if you dare!

Bon appétit !

24/04/2024

‘correct’

Yes, ‘correct’ means ‘correct’ as in ‘right’ in English, BUT it is much more often used in conversation to mean = ‘proper’, ‘decent’, ‘as it should be’.

It is often a value judgment on quality, eg: hotels / meals out, such as: ‘Le prix est correct’, ‘Le repas était correct’. Listen out for it and start to use it!

17/04/2024

Easily confusable words

I am sure you have your own examples of these – please comment below if you do. This is one that comes up a lot with my students as we talk a lot about food!

le pâté (pâté)

Les pâtes (pasta - notice it is plural and no accent on the final ‘e’, so don’t pronounce it)

la pâte (dough, pastry – feminine and singular, don't pronounce the final 'e')

la patte (paw, or slang for foot, pronounced exactly the same way as ‘pâte’ (pastry) above)

I recommend you practise making sentences with these words so that you can use them fluently in your everyday life.

10/04/2024

…n’est-ce pas ?

This is a super easy addition to your French repertoire.

‘n’est-ce pas?’ can be placed at the end of practically any question in French when you are seeking agreement. Here are a couple of examples:

- Elle vient ce soir, n’est-ce pas ? (She’s coming tonight, isn’t she ?)
- Tu aimes le fromage, n’est-ce pas? (You like cheese, don’t you?)
- Il pleut encore, n’est-ce pas? (It’s raining again, isn’t it ?)

As you will have noticed, the wonderful thing here is that ‘n’est-ce pas’ is the single translation in French for all those variations in English – ‘isn’t she?’ / ‘don’t you?’ / ‘isn’t it?’ etc, etc….

Hooray, don’t you love it when French is easy?!

27/03/2024

A little pronunciation story

This week I have a story which demonstrates the importance of pronunciation. On a recent trip, with a train departing from Ruffec at 9am, Gareth was the first customer into a local shop to buy a new charging lead for his phone the moment the doors opened at 8:30am. Seeing he was in a hurry, the friendly shop assistant asked him whether he had ‘une panne’. Gareth confusedly wondered why the man was asking him about bread (!!) Later, I was able to teach him the phrase ‘avoir une panne’ (to have a breakdown / malfunction). I imagine the shop assistant asked him something like: 'Vous avez une panne?' However, pronunciation is key here:

‘le pain’ = bread: note that the ‘n’ is not pronounced; listen here: https://www.wordreference.com/fren/pain

‘une panne’ = breakdown / malfunction: note that the ‘n’ is pronounced because of the final ‘e; listen here: https://www.wordreference.com/fren/panne

Et voilà, don’t be like Gareth !!🥰

20/03/2024

C’est normal

Following on from my last post, ‘c’est normal’ is an equally useful phrase in French. When you thank your neighbour for something, they may respond with ‘c’est normal’ – what do they mean? In this context, it translates roughly as ‘you are welcome’ / ‘it’s not a big deal’ / ‘it’s what anyone would have done’. Listen out for it and start to use it.

06/03/2024

Normalement

Yes, this means ‘normally’ in English, eg: ‘Normalement je fais les courses le lundi’ = ‘I normally do the shopping on Mondays’.

However, we also use this a lot in French to mean ‘all things being normal’ or ‘what should happen’, eg: ‘normalement je vais le voir ce matin’ / ‘I should be seeing him this morning’; ‘normalement, elle vient ce week-end’ / ‘She should be coming this weekend.’

It’s useful.

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