french essay with english translation

Published on October 6th, 2023 | by Adrian Lomezzo

How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-quote-on-a-paper-5425603/

Bienvenue! Do you dream of unleashing your inner French literary genius, but worry that your writing might inadvertently reveal your foreign roots? Fret not, mes amis, as we have the ultimate guide to help you master the art of essay writing en Français!

Within these pages, we’ll navigate the intricate waters of linguistic nuances, cultural subtleties, and grammatical finesse, allowing you to exude the aura of a native French speaker effortlessly. Many students like you have embarked on this journey, seeking academic assistance from platforms like  https://paperwritten.com/  to conquer their writing pursuits.

From crafting a compelling introduction to fashioning impeccable conclusions, we’ll unveil the secrets that will leave your professors applauding your newfound linguistic prowess. So, bid adieu to those awkward linguistic giveaways and embrace the sheer elegance of French expression – all while keeping your foreign identity beautifully concealed! Let’s embark on this adventure together and unlock the true essence of writing like a native French virtuoso.

1.   Mastering French Grammar and Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation

To create a compelling French essay, it’s essential to lay a solid groundwork. Ensure that your French grammar is accurate and that you possess a rich vocabulary. Avoid relying on online translators, as they may yield awkward or incorrect sentences. Instead, embrace reputable dictionaries and language resources to enhance your language skills effectively.

2.   Mimic Sentence Structures: The Art of Authentic Expression

To truly immerse yourself in the French language, observe and mimic the sentence structures used by native speakers. Analyzing essays written by experienced writers can prove invaluable in grasping the authentic style required to compose a captivating essay.

3.   Use Transition Words: Crafting a Smooth Flow of Ideas

In French essays, the use of transition words and phrases plays a pivotal role in connecting ideas seamlessly. Incorporate expressions like “de plus,” “en outre,” “en conclusion,” “tout d’abord,” and “par conséquent” to add coherence and elegance to your writing.

4.   Embrace French Idioms and Expressions: Unveiling Cultural Fluency

Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the French language and culture by incorporating idioms and expressions where appropriate. However, remember to use them sparingly to avoid overwhelming your essay.

5.   Pay Attention to Formality: Striking the Right Tone

Tailor the formality of your writing to suit the context of your essay. Whether you are crafting an academic piece or a more personal creation, be mindful of your choice of vocabulary and sentence structures to match the required tone.

6.   Research Cultural References: The Power of In-depth Knowledge

If your essay touches upon French culture, history, or literature, extensive research is key. Delve into your subjects to avoid mistakes and showcase your genuine interest in the matter at hand.

7.   Avoid Direct Translations: Let French Be French

To avoid awkward phrasing, strive to think in French rather than translating directly from your native language. This will lead to a more natural and eloquent essay.

8.   Practice Writing Regularly: The Path to Proficiency

Mastering the art of French writing requires regular practice. Embrace writing in French frequently to grow more comfortable with the language and refine your unique writing style.

9.   Read French Literature: A Gateway to Inspiration

Explore the world of French literature to expose yourself to diverse writing styles. This practice will deepen your understanding of the language and immerse you further in French culture and history.

10.   Connect with French Culture: Bridges of Cultural Resonance

Incorporate cultural references that resonate with French readers, such as art, cuisine, festivals, historical figures, or social customs. Authenticity is key, so avoid relying on stereotypes.

11.   Use a French Thesaurus: Expanding Your Linguistic Palette

Discovering new contextually appropriate words can elevate your writing. Embrace a French thesaurus to find synonyms that may not be apparent through direct translations.

12.   Master French Punctuation: The Finishing Touch

Take care to use correct French punctuation marks, such as guillemets (« ») for quotes and proper accent marks. These subtle details add a professional touch to your essay.

13.   Practice French Rhetorical Devices: Crafting Eloquent Prose

Experiment with rhetorical devices like parallelism, repetition, and antithesis to lend depth and sophistication to your writing.

14.   Pay Attention to Word Order: Unlocking French Sentence Structure

French boasts a unique sentence structure distinct from English. Dive into the intricacies of subject-verb-object order and grasp the art of organizing sentences to sidestep common foreign mistakes. Embracing this essential aspect will elevate your writing to a truly native level.

15.   Use French Idiomatic Expressions: Infuse Cultural Flair

Enrich your prose with the colorful tapestry of French idioms, reflecting the vibrant essence of the culture. Yet, a word of caution – wield them with finesse, for the strategic placement of an idiom can imbue your essay with unparalleled flair and authenticity.

16.   Master Pronouns and Agreement: The Dance of Language

The dance of pronouns, nouns, and adjectives requires your keen attention. Like a skilled performer, ensure their seamless alignment to avoid inadvertently revealing your non-native status. Mastering this harmony is key to writing like a true Francophone.

17.   Understand Subtle Connotations: Unveiling Linguistic Shades

Delve into the labyrinth of French words, where subtle connotations diverge from their English counterparts. Familiarize yourself with these delicate nuances, for it is in their mastery that your writing shall find refinement.

18.   Study Formal and Informal Registers: Tailoring Language to Purpose

Akin to selecting the perfect outfit for each occasion, comprehend the art of using formal and informal language. Consider your essay’s purpose and audience, and with this knowledge, enhance your authenticity, seamlessly aligning with the appropriate linguistic register.

19.   Practice Dialogue Writing: Conversing with Eloquence

Embark on the journey of dialogue writing to enrich your linguistic repertoire. As you hone your conversational skills, watch as authenticity gracefully weaves itself into your written work, enchanting readers with its charm.

20.   Seek Feedback: A Second Set of Eyes

To refine your essay further, seek the guidance of a native French speaker or language tutor from the  best cheap essay writing services . Their valuable feedback can uncover any language or cultural mistakes you may have made, allowing you to make necessary improvements.

Equip yourself with these priceless tips and set forth on your quest to master the art of French writing. Embrace the language’s allure, immerse in its rich culture, and watch your words flow with grace and poise. À la plume! Let the pen become your ally in crafting captivating prose that echoes with authenticity and charm. 

Header Photo Credit by George Milton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-woman-in-eyeglasses-with-books-7034478/

About the Author

Adrian Lomezzo is a content writer and likes to write about technology and education. He understands the concern of parents due to the evolving technology and researches deeply in that area. When he is not researching, he buries himself in books along with his favorite cup of hot chocolate.

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How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

Have something to say?

When it comes to expressing your thoughts in French , there’s nothing better than the essay.

It is, after all, the favorite form of such famed French thinkers as Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Houellebecq and Simone de Beauvoir.

In this post, I’ve outlined the four most common types of essays in French, ranked from easiest to most difficult, to help you get to know this concept better. 

Why Are French Essays Different?

Must-have french phrases for writing essays, 4 types of french essays and how to write them, 1. text summary (synthèse de texte).

• 2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

3. Dialectic Dissertation (Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse)

• 4. Progressive Dissertation (Plan progressif)

And one more thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing an essay in French is not the same as those typical 5-paragraph essays you’ve probably written in English.

In fact, there’s a whole other logic that has to be used to ensure that your essay meets French format standards and structure. It’s not merely writing your ideas in another language .

And that’s because the French use Cartesian logic (also known as Cartesian doubt) , developed by René Descartes , which requires a writer to begin with what is known and then lead the reader through to the logical conclusion: a paragraph that contains the thesis. Through the essay, the writer will reject all that is not certain or all that is subjective in his or her quest to find the objective truth.

Sound intriguing? Read on for more!

Before we get to the four main types of essays, here are a few French phrases that will be especially helpful as you delve into essay-writing in French:

Introductory phrases , which help you present new ideas.

Connecting phrases , which help you connect ideas and sections.

Contrasting phrases , which help you juxtapose two ideas.

Concluding phrases , which help you to introduce your conclusion.

The text summary or synthèse de texte  is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text. No analysis is called for.

A  synthèse de texte  should follow the same format as the text that is being synthesized. The arguments should be presented in the same way, and no major element of the original text should be left out of the  synthèse.

Here is an informative post about writing a synthèse de texte , written for French speakers. 

The text summary is a great exercise for exploring the following French language elements:

• Synonyms , as you will need to find other words to describe what is said in the original text.
• Nominalization , which involves turning verbs into nouns and generally cuts down on word count.
• Vocabulary , as the knowledge of more exact terms will allow you to avoid periphrases and cut down on word count.

While beginners may wish to work with only one text, advanced learners can synthesize as many as three texts in one text summary. 

Since a text summary is simple in its essence, it’s a great writing exercise that can accompany you through your entire learning process.

2. Text Commentary  (Commentaire de texte)

A text commentary or commentaire de texte   is the first writing exercise where the student is asked to present an analysis of the materials at hand, not just a summary.

That said, a  commentaire  de texte  is not a reaction piece. It involves a very delicate balance of summary and opinion, the latter of which must be presented as impersonally as possible. This can be done either by using the third person (on) or the general first person plural (nous) . The singular first person (je) should never be used in a  commentaire de texte.

A commentaire de texte  should be written in three parts:

• An introduction , where the text is presented.
• An argument , where the text is analyzed.
• A conclusion , where the analysis is summarized and elevated.

Here is a handy in-depth guide to writing a successful commentaire de texte,  written for French speakers.

Unlike with the synthesis, you will not be able to address all elements of a text in a commentary. You should not summarize the text in a commentary, at least not for the sake of summarizing. Every element of the text that you speak about in your commentary must be analyzed.

To successfully analyze a text, you will need to brush up on your figurative language. Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Here’s an introduction to figurative language in French.
• This guide to figurative language  presents the different elements in useful categories.
• This guide , intended for high school students preparing for the BAC—the exam all French high school students take, which they’re required to pass to go to university—is great for seeing examples of how to integrate figurative language into your commentaries.
• Speaking of which, here’s an example of a corrected commentary from the BAC, which will help you not only include figurative language but get a head start on writing your own commentaries.

The French answer to the 5-paragraph essay is known as the  dissertation .  Like the American 5-paragraph essay, it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. The stream of logic, however, is distinct.

There are actually two kinds of  dissertation,  each of which has its own rules.

The first form of  dissertation  is the dialectic dissertation , better known as  thèse, antithèse, synthèse . In this form, there are actually only two body paragraphs. After the introduction, a thesis is posited. Following the thesis, its opposite, the antithesis, is explored (and hopefully, debunked). The final paragraph, what we know as the conclusion, is the  synthesis , which addresses the strengths of the thesis, the strengths and weaknesses of the antithesis, and concludes with the reasons why the original thesis is correct.

For example, imagine that the question was, “Are computers useful to the development of the human brain?” You could begin with a section showing the ways in which computers are useful for the progression of our common intelligence—doing long calculations, creating in-depth models, etc.

Then you would delve into the problems that computers pose to human intelligence, citing examples of the ways in which spelling proficiency has decreased since the invention of spell check, for example. Finally, you would synthesize this information and conclude that the “pro” outweighs the “con.”

The key to success with this format is developing an outline before writing. The thesis must be established, with examples, and the antithesis must be supported as well. When all of the information has been organized in the outline, the writing can begin, supported by the tools you have learned from your mastery of the synthesis and commentary.

Here are a few tools to help you get writing:

• Here’s a great guide to writing a dialectic dissertation .
• Here’s an example of a plan for a dialectic dissertation , showing you the three parts of the essay as well as things to consider when writing a dialectic dissertation.

4. Progressive Dissertation ( Plan progressif)

The progressive dissertation is slightly less common, but no less useful, than the first form.

The progressive form basically consists of examining an idea via multiple points of view—a sort of deepening of the understanding of the notion, starting with a superficial perspective and ending with a deep and profound analysis.

If the dialectic dissertation is like a scale, weighing pros and cons of an idea, the progressive dissertation is like peeling an onion, uncovering more and more layers as you get to the deeper crux of the idea.

Concretely, this means that you will generally follow this layout:

• A first, elementary exploration of the idea.
• A second, more philosophical exploration of the idea.
• A third, more transcendent exploration of the idea.

This format for the dissertation is more commonly used for essays that are written in response to a philosophical question, for example, “What is a person?” or “What is justice?”

Let’s say the question was, “What is war?” In the first part, you would explore dictionary definitions—a basic idea of war, i.e. an armed conflict between two parties, usually nations. You could give examples that back up this definition, and you could narrow down the definition of the subject as much as needed. For example, you might want to make mention that not all conflicts are wars, or you might want to explore whether the “War on Terror” is a war.

In the second part, you would explore a more philosophical look at the topic, using a definition that you provide. You first explain how you plan to analyze the subject, and then you do so. In French, this is known as  poser une problématique  (establishing a thesis question), and it usually is done by first writing out a question and then exploring it using examples: “Is war a reflection of the base predilection of humans for violence?”

In the third part, you will take a step back and explore this question from a distance, taking the time to construct a natural conclusion and answer for the question.

This form may not be as useful in as many cases as the first type of essay, but it’s a good form to learn, particularly for those interested in philosophy. Here’s an in-depth guide  to writing a progressive dissertation.

As you progress in French and become more and more comfortable with writing, try your hand at each of these types of writing exercises, and even with other forms of the dissertation . You’ll soon be a pro at everything from a synthèse de texte to a dissertation!

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▾ dictionary english-french, essays noun, plural ( singular: essay ) —, essais pl m ( singular: essai m ), essay noun —, essai m ( plural: essais m ), étude f ( plural: études f ), dissertation f, composition f ( plural: compositions f ), rédaction f ( plural: rédactions f ), photo essay n —, essay writing n —, essay contest n —, essay competition n —, short essay n —, research essay n —, argumentative essay n —, photographic essay n —, critical essay n —, written essay n —, essay topic n —, long essay n —, literary essay n —, brief essay n —, philosophical essay n —, political essay n —, first essay n —, second essay n —, ▸ wikipedia, ▾ external sources (not reviewed).

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Essay in the oxford-hachette french dictionary, essay in the pons dictionary, essay examples from the pons dictionary (editorially verified), monolingual examples (not verified by pons editors), translations for essay in the english » french dictionary (go to french » english ), i. essay [ brit ˈɛseɪ, am ˈɛseɪ] n.

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Ii. essay [ brit ˈɛseɪ, am ˈɛseɪ] vb trans liter, 1. essay (attempt) :, 2. essay (test) :, translations for essay in the french » english dictionary (go to english » french ), essay 1 [ˈeseɪ] n, 1. essay school :, 2. essay univ :, 3. essay lit :, essay 2 [eˈseɪ] vb trans lit.

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Translation of essay – English-French dictionary

(Translation of essay from the GLOBAL English-French Dictionary © 2016 K Dictionaries Ltd)

Translation of essay | PASSWORD English-French Dictionary

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the nuts and bolts

the practical facts about a particular thing, rather than theories or ideas about it

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54 French inspirational quotes: Proverbs to motivate & enjoy (with translation)

• Post category: French Language
• Post author: Nassie Angadi

There are days when you just need a bit of motivation. Whether you are working on the project of a lifetime, or the dog just ate your homework, it never hurts to have a little pick me up. With France boasting many great novelists and philosophers like Victor Hugo, Molière, and George Sand, there are a lot of fabulous French inspirational quotes that have been written and parsed over the centuries.

I’ve lived in France for more than 10 years and I have to note that some of these sayings and proverbs are so famous, it is difficult to identify who said them first. (Everybody likes to claim credit, you know!) So instead of concentrating attribution, I’ve tried to go deeper into the meaning.

Because sometimes you just need a little something to pep up and change your outlook. So allons-y !

Power Quotes for the Soul

1. le bonheur n’est pas quelque chose de prêt à l’emploi. il vient de vos propres actions..

Translation: Happiness is not something that comes out of a box (ready to use). It comes from your own actions.

Ahh, if only happiness came in a box with instructions! But until some ingenious entrepreneur comes up with that, it is time to come up with our own solutions.

2. On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne.

Translation:  You don’t change a team that is winning.

If your team is winning, do you change strategies?  The general consensus would be no, unless there is quite a good reason, of course.

☞ READ MORE: 21 French Quotes about Life (and what comes after)

3. Vouloir, c’est pouvoir.

Translation: To want is to be able.

This quote actually is much more inspiring in French, because “ pouvoir ” means “to be able”, but it also means “having power”.

Yes, you can do anything you put your mind to. Where there is a will, there is a way. The expression comes from a book by author Monique Sélim called Pouvoirs et marché au Vietnam: Les morts et l’État , about the war in Vietnam.

4. Je pense, donc je suis.

Translation:  I think therefore I am.

Cogito, ergo sum   was what French philosopher Rene Descartes originally declared in Latin in the 17th century. Bringing together philosophy, rationalism, and thought, the phrase has been translated into many languages and lives on to this day.

5. Fais toujours de ton mieux même si personne ne regarde.

Translation: Always do your best, even if no one is watching.

In other words, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it still make a sound?” Ultimately, you are doing things for yourself, so keep at it.

6. Il n’y a pas de raccourci pour aller là où ça vaut la peine d’aller.

Translation: There is no shortcut going anywhere that is worth going.

In other words, you’re not going to find an easy way to do something that is worth doing. Life has no shortcuts. Unless you are in Ikea, in which case a few shortcuts will definitely get you to the checkout a lot faster.

7. Cent percent (100%) des choses qu’on ne tente pas échouent.

Translation: You will fail at 100% of the things you don’t try.

Basically, you are never going to win the lottery, if you don’t play. Words to live by.

8. À vaillant coeur rien d’impossible.

Translation: For a brave heart, nothing is impossible.

I suppose the English equivalent is “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, although I think it sounds a bit more noble in French. And no, this French inspirational quote has nothing to do with Mel Gibson.

9. À vaincre sans peril, on triomphe sans gloire.

Translation:  To conquer without peril, is to win without glory.

If it is too easy, we would not savor the victory.  In other words, to win big, a little blood must be shed.

10. Il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir.

Translation:  It is better to prevent than to try to cure. 

Originally written in medieval latin, this expression has entered into the general lexicon in many countries. The English version would be “prevention is better than a cure.”

11. En face de la mort, on comprend mieux la vie.

Translation:  In the face of death, we understand life better.

The declarations made on the deathbed, where it all becomes too clear. This French quote asks to look for clarity and the true essence of self beforehand.

12. La vie est un beau rêve, mais ne vous réveillez pas.

Translation:  Life is a beautiful dream, but don’t wake up.

The beauty of life is celebrated in this French quote, with all the awe and wonder of every day lived well.

13. L’eau fait pleurer, le vin fait chanter.

Translation:  Water makes one cry, wine makes one sing.

Why drink water when wine is available? An ode to wine. This quote harkens back to the the Middle Ages, when it was safer to drink wine and mead, rather than unpure water. You can read more French wine quotes here.

14. Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné.

Translation:   Better alone than in a bad company.

A French saying that always holds true. Avoid those people in your life who bring you down.

Quotes about Life & Struggles

1. après la pluie, le beau temps..

Translation: After the rain, comes the sunshine.

In the words of Little Orphan Annie: “The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar”. You need a bit of rain to make a rainbow. The quote is based on the title of a book (link in French) written by the Countess of Ségur in 1871. It isn’t the happiest of tales, hence the title.

2. Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.

Translation: Little by little, the bird makes his nest.

With plenty of perseverance, the little bird is working hard to build his nest. All you need is a bit of patience, and you too will make it.

Another French expression with the same sentiment is: “On ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser d’œufs.” meaning, we don’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” The equivalent English version would be: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

3. Qui craint de souffrir, il souffre déjà de ce qu’il craint.

Translation:  He who fears suffering, suffers already of what he fears.

Writer Michel de Montaigne was known as one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. If you are afraid to achieve something, you are already suffering from that which you do not have.

4. Qui court 2 lièvres à la fois, n’en prend aucun.

Translation: The one who chases 2 hares at the same time, will catch neither.

Like the little kid chasing every rabbit he sees, you know he isn’t going to catch either. Concentrate on one goal at a time, and you may have better success.

5. Qui n’avance pas, recule.

Translation: He who doesn’t advance, goes in reverse.

You may think you are standing still, but effectively the world is still going round and you are losing ground. Rather similar to keeping money in a mattress, during a period of inflation.

6. Il n’y a pas de verités moyennes. 

Translation:  There are no half-truths.

For the politicians and would-be politicians out there that would like to wiggle out of giving the best answer.

7. Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a.

Translation: When one doesn’t have the one you love, you have to love what you have.

A lovely proverb to motivate you to love and value yourself, rather than putting yourself down. This quote says as much about the one you love, as it does about yourself.

☞ READ MORE: 24 French love quotes that will make your heart flutter.

8. Nous sommes nos choix.

Translation: We are our choices.

Taking ownership of our own actions, that’s what it is all about. Every decision, big or small, we are the ones that decide our fate.

9. Ècrire, c’est une façon de parler sans être interrompu.

Translation:  To write, it is a way to speak without being interrupted – Jules Renard.

Sometimes you just need to put your thoughts on paper, to be able to say what you intend. To reflect, ponder, and put into words your deepest feelings and desires.

10. Le bonheur est parfois caché dans l’inconnu.

Translation: Happiness is sometimes hidden in the unknown.

You too can find your happiness, but it may depend on looking where you least expect it.

This French proverb combines well with Albert Einstein’s quote which is a bit more blunt: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Sometimes you just have to look/try somewhere else.

☞ READ MORE: 49 Famous Quotes about Paris

11. Chacun voit midi à sa porte. 

Translation: Everyone sees noon at his door – Jacques d’Arribehaude

The English equivalent would be “a broken clock is still right twice a day.”

12. La famille, c’est l’amour. C’est tout ce qui compte.

Translation:  Family, this is love. It’s all that matters.

By French philosopher  Lyne Ménard , this quote says it all. If your family is filled with love, what else do you need?

13. La famille avant tout.

Translation:  Family before everything.

I’m not sure I want a  tattoo in French , but if I did, this one is perfect. Family first.

14. Fromage, poire et vin, repas de vilain.

Translation:  Cheese, pear and wine, a meal for the poor.

Wine and cheese may not sound like a poor man’s meal, but in France where both are plentiful, it is a meal in itself.

☞ READ MORE: Funny and Interesting Quotes about France

15. D’autres choses peuvent nous changer, mais nous commencer et finir comme une famille.

Translation:  Other things can change us, but we start and end like family.

Attributed to Anthony Brandt who originally said it in English, this French quote speaks to the circle of life. Family and those we hold dear, is who we spend the start of our days on this earth and the end (if we are lucky enough.)

16. C’est cela l’amour, tout donner, tout sacrifier sans espoir de retour.

Translation : This is love, giving it one’s all, sacrificing everything without hope of it being returned.

Philosopher Albert Camus dives into the darker side of love with this French saying. He was married a couple of times, had many affairs, and won the Nobel prize for literature, so obviously knew what he was talking about.

(Note: If you are traveling through Provence, stop by the Château de Lourmarin to see where he wrote many of his most famous musings.)

17. Le vin est un lubrifiant social.

Translation:  Wine is a social lubricant.

If you ever feel like a wallflower at a party, a sip of wine can always be counted on to reduce those nerves. As I said above, everything in moderation. (And that includes French wine sayings!) You can read more  French quotes about friendship here.

18. L’amour est exclusif, on ne peut aimer en plusieurs endroits à la fois.

Translation: Love is exclusive, you cannot make love in several places at the same time.

This proverb de Jules Labbé is a play on words for all those cheaters out there. You can read more about the French view of love-making here.

19. On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur.

Translation:   “We see well only with the heart.”

Can you see beyond what is visible? This beautiful quote by famed French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery of Little Prince fame captures the sentiment of looking with one’s heart.

Quotes for Success

1. c’est toujours le bon moment..

Translation: It is always a good time.

If you are wondering if now is a good time or not, rest assured it is. As the English version goes: “Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today”.

The author of this quote is unknown, but it is inspired by Martin Luther King’s “The time is always right to do what is right” (“C’est toujours le bon moment de faire ce qui est juste.”)

2. Les chefs-d’oeuvre ne sont jamais que des tentatives heureuses. 

Translation:  The masterpieces are nothing but happy tentatives. 

Written by the famous writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, better known as George Sand, she points out that you never know when you will end up with a masterpiece.  A work of art is achieved by trying.

3. Soyez le changement que vous voulez voir dans ce monde.

Translation: Be the change you want to see in the world.

This famous quote was originally said by Gandhi, before being translated into French. The famous line of President John F. Kennedy also comes to mind: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

4. Vous n’êtes pas encore arrivés mais vous êtes plus proche qu’hier.

Translation: You haven’t arrived yet, but you are closer than yesterday – Anonymous.

I suppose the English version of this quote would be “Keep going, you can do it”! Not quite as poetic though.

☞ READ MORE: French Food Quotes: 21 Proverbs too delicious for words

5. Peu importe la lenteur à laquelle vous allez tant que vous n’arrêtez pas.

Translation: It doesn’t matter how slowly you are going, as long as you don’t stop – Anonymous.

The classic Aesop’s tale of the Tortoise and the Hare comes to mind with this motivational quote. You can read more French travel quotes here.

6. Le meilleur moment pour planter un arbre était il y a 20 ans, le deuxième meilleur moment c’est maintenant.

Translation: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the 2nd best time is right now.

Yes a grown tree in that spot would have been nice. But planting that baby tree now is better than nothing! We all grow older and wiser, if we are lucky enough. The quote is based on a similar Chinese proverb that has been translated into French.

☞ READ MORE: 32 French Food Expressions: The Funniest Idioms about French Cuisine

7. Il vaut mieux faire que dire.

Translation: It is better to do, than to talk – Alfred de Musset.

In English, the equivalent saying would be: “You gotta walk the walk, rather than talk the talk.” Enough said.

8. La parfaite valeur est de faire sans témoin ce qu’on serait capable de faire devant tout le monde. 

Translation: The perfect merit is to do without witness, that which you can do before all the world – François de La Rochefoucauld.

If no one can see your accomplishment, would you still do it?  Would the victory still be as sweet.  Questions to ask oneself, when debating pursuing a particular goal. 

9. Il ne faut pas attendre d’être parfait pour commencer quelque chose de bien.

Translation: You don’t have to wait for it to be perfect before starting something good – Abbé Pierre.

As the saying goes, “better is the enemy of good”. You don’t need to be perfect in order to do something well. Sometimes, it pays to just have something that will be “good enough”.

Catholic priest and French resistance fighter Abbé Pierre said this famous saying, so you know he knew what he was talking about. After the war he started an international solidarity movement Emmaus, that still is active today.

10. Les portes de l’avenir sont ouvertes à ceux qui savent les pousser.

Translation: The door to the future is open to those who know how to push through them.

This quote is rather similar to a memorable phrase by Julie Andrews (Maria) in the movie Sound of Music : “where the  Lord closes a door , somewhere He opens a window.” Push through those doors, look for that open window, and take every opportunity that presents itself.

11. Imaginer, c’est choisir.

Translation:  To imagine, it is to choose.

Choose to dream, choose to wish, and choose to make what is in your imagination real.

12. L’esprit s’enrichit de ce qu’il reçoit, le cœur de ce qu’il donne.

Translation: The spirit enriches with what it receives, the heart with what it gives.

Famed novelist Victor Hugo , the writer of Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre-Dame , talks about fulfilling the soul with this beautiful proverb.

13. Pour exécuter de grandes choses, il faut vivre comme si on ne devait jamais mourir.

Translation:   In order to achieve great things, we must live as though we were never going to die. 

This French quote insists that we not be afraid to make a move. That that big leap and risk it all to win big.

14. Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.

Translation:  If youth only knew, if age only could.

As the saying goes in English, youth is wasted on the young! Here is to looking for that eternal fountain of youth to power through.

15. On n’apprend pas à nager à un canard.

Translation: You can’t teach a duck to swim.

A proverb by Arnauld Oihenart, a politician from the Basque region, who isn’t sure you can teach a duck to swim like a fish. The English version would be “teach an old dog new tricks.”

16. Petit rusé, petit malin.

Translation: Quite cunning, quite clever.

An old French proverb, pointing out that to be a little cunning, you first have to be a bit clever.

17. En été comme en hiver, qui quitte sa place la perd.

Translation: In summer as in winter, whoever leaves his place loses it.

If you step out of the queue, you will lose your spot. A proverb by Marc-Antoine Désaugiers in his book Le dîner de Madelon (1813).

18. Une petite cause peut avoir de grands effets.

Translation: A small cause can have a big effect.

A lovely French quote about how little things can lead to something big. From Le recueil d’apophtegmes et axiomes (1855). The English version would be a “if a butterfly flaps its wings at just the right time in just the right place, it can cause a hurricane thousands of miles away.”

19. Les gens qui ne font rien manquent de temps pour tout.

Translation: People who do nothing, run out of time for everything.

From Le recueil d’apophtegmes et axiomes (1855), this proverb correctly assesses those do-nothings who then complain they have run out of time.

20. Les confidences ne sont pas toujours des vérités.

Translation: Confidences are not always truths.

This French proverb probably applies to a few politicians out there. Don’t always believe everything you hear.

21. En dépit du médecin, nous vivrons tous jusqu’à la mort.

Translation: With the lack of a doctor, we will all live to death.

For a bit of sarcasm, from the Petite encyclopédie des proverbes (1852), we have the undeniable truth, of living until death.

So have you found your inspiration in the quotes above? Comment below and let me know. You can find more interesting French quotes about food , wine , and love here. Because what is more inspiring than that!? A bientôt!

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I love these French proverbs! Now I just have to find an occasion to use them

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The End of Foreign-Language Education

Thanks to AI, people may no longer feel the need to learn a second language.

Listen to this article

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

A few days ago, I watched a video of myself talking in perfect Chinese. I’ve been studying the language on and off for only a few years, and I’m far from fluent. But there I was, pronouncing each character flawlessly in the correct tone, just as a native speaker would. Gone were my grammar mistakes and awkward pauses, replaced by a smooth and slightly alien-sounding voice. “My favorite food is sushi,” I said— wo zui xihuan de shiwu shi shousi —with no hint of excitement or joy.

I’d created the video using software from a Los Angeles–based artificial-intelligence start-up called HeyGen. It allows users to generate deepfake videos of real people “saying” almost anything based on a single picture of their face and a script, which is paired with a synthetic voice and can be translated into more than 40 languages. By merely uploading a selfie taken on my iPhone, I was able to glimpse a level of Mandarin fluency that may elude me for the rest of my life.

HeyGen’s visuals are flawed—the way it animates selfies almost reminded me of the animatronics in Disney’s It’s a Small World ride—but its language technology is good enough to make me question whether learning Mandarin is a wasted effort. Neural networks, the machine-learning systems that power generative-AI programs such as ChatGPT, have rapidly improved the quality of automatic translation over the past several years, making even older tools like Google Translate far more accurate.

At the same time, the number of students studying foreign languages in the U.S. and other countries is shrinking. Total enrollment in language courses other than English at American colleges decreased 29.3 percent from 2009 to 2021, according to the latest data from the Modern Language Association, better known as the MLA. In Australia, only 8.6 percent of high-school seniors were studying a foreign language in 2021—a historic low. In South Korea and New Zealand , universities are closing their French, German, and Italian departments. One recent study from the education company EF Education First found that English proficiency is decreasing among young people in some places.

Many factors could help explain the downward trend, including pandemic-related school disruptions, growing isolationism, and funding cuts to humanities programs. But whether the cause of the shift is political, cultural, or some mix of things, it’s clear that people are turning away from language learning just as automatic translation becomes ubiquitous across the internet.

Read: High-school English needed a makeover before ChatGPT

Within a few years, AI translation may become so commonplace and frictionless that billions of people take for granted the fact that the emails they receive, videos they watch, and albums they listen to were originally produced in a language other than their native one. Something enormous will be lost in exchange for that convenience. Studies have suggested that language shapes the way people interpret reality. Learning a different way to speak, read, and write helps people discover new ways to see the world—experts I spoke with likened it to discovering a new way to think. No machine can replace such a profoundly human experience. Yet tech companies are weaving automatic translation into more and more products. As the technology becomes normalized, we may find that we’ve allowed deep human connections to be replaced by communication that’s technically proficient but ultimately hollow.

AI language tools are now in social-media apps, messaging platforms, and streaming sites. Spotify is experimenting with using a voice-generation tool from the ChatGPT maker OpenAI to translate podcasts in the host’s own voice, while Samsung is touting that its new Galaxy S24 smartphone can translate phone calls as they’re occurring . Roblox, meanwhile, claimed last month that its AI translation tool is so fast and accurate , its English-speaking users might not realize that their conversation partner “is actually in Korea.” The technology—which works especially well for “ high-resource languages ” such as English and Chinese, and less so for languages such as Swahili and Urdu—is being used in much more high-stakes situations as well, such as translating the testimony of asylum seekers and firsthand accounts from conflict zones. Musicians are already using it to translate songs , and at least one couple credited it with helping them to fall in love.

One of the most telling use cases comes from a start-up called Jumpspeak, which makes a language-learning app similar to Duolingo and Babbel. Instead of hiring actual bilingual actors, Jumpspeak appears to have used AI-generated “people” reading AI-translated scripts in at least four ads on Instagram and Facebook. At least some of the personas shown in the ads appear to be default characters available on HeyGen’s platform. “I struggled to learn languages my whole life. Then I learned Spanish in six months, I got a job opportunity in France, and I learned French. I learned Mandarin before visiting China,” a synthetic avatar says in one of the ads, while switching between all three languages. Even a language-learning app is surrendering to the allure of AI, at least in its marketing.

Alexandru Voica, a communications professional who works for another video-generating AI service, told me he came across Jumpspeak’s ads while looking for a program to teach his children Romanian, the language spoken by their grandparents. He argued that the ads demonstrated how deepfakes and automated-translation software could be used to mislead or deceive people. “I'm worried that some in the industry are currently in a race to the bottom on AI safety,” he told me in an email. (The ads were taken down after I started reporting this story, but it’s not clear if Meta or Jumpspeak removed them; neither company returned requests for comment. HeyGen also did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its product being used in Jumpspeak’s marketing.)

The world is already seeing how all of this can go wrong. Earlier this month, a far-right conspiracy theorist shared several AI-generated clips on X of Adolf Hitler giving a 1939 speech in English instead of the original German. The videos, which were purportedly produced using software from a company called ElevenLabs, featured a re-creation of Hitler’s own voice. It was a strange experience, hearing Hitler speak in English, and some people left comments suggesting that they found him easy to empathize with: “It sounds like these people cared about their country above all else,” one X user reportedly wrote in response to the videos. ElevenLabs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ( The Atlantic uses ElevenLabs’ AI voice generator to narrate some articles.)

Read: The last frontier of machine translation

Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, told me that part of the problem with machine-translation programs is that they’re often falsely perceived as being neutral, rather than “bringing their own perspective upon how to move text from one language to another.” The truth is that there is no single right or correct way to transpose a sentence from French to Russian or any other language—it’s an art rather than a science. “Students will ask, ‘How do you say this in Spanish?’ and I’ll say, ‘You just don’t say it the same way in Spanish; the way you would approach it is different,’” Deborah Cohn, a Spanish- and Portuguese-language professor at Indiana University Bloomington who has written about the importance of language learning for bolstering U.S. national security , told me.

I recently came across a beautiful and particularly illustrative example of this fact in an article written by a translator in China named Anne. “Building a ladder between widely different languages, such as Chinese and English, is sometimes as difficult as a doctor building a bridge in a patient's heart,” she wrote. The metaphor initially struck me as slightly odd, but thankfully I wasn’t relying on ChatGPT to translate Anne’s words from their original Mandarin. I was reading a human translation by a professor named Jeffrey Ding, who helpfully noted that Anne may have been referring to a type of heart surgery that has recently become common in China. It's a small detail, but understanding that context brought me much closer to the true meaning of what Anne was trying to say.

Read: The college essay is dead

But most students will likely never achieve anything close to the fluency required to tell whether a translation rings close enough to the original or not. If professors accept that automated technology will far outpace the technical skills of the average Russian or Arabic major, their focus would ideally shift from grammar drills to developing cultural competency , or understanding the beliefs and practices of people from different backgrounds. Instead of cutting language courses in response to AI, schools should “stress more than ever the intercultural components of language learning that tremendously benefit the students taking these classes,” Jen William, the head of the School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University and a member of the executive committee of the Association of Language Departments, told me.

Paula Krebs, the executive director of the MLA, referenced a beloved 1991 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to make a similar point. In “Darmok,” the crew aboard the starship Enterprise struggles to communicate with aliens living on a planet called El-Adrel IV. They have access to a “universal translator” that allows them to understand the basic syntax and semantics of what the Tamarians are saying, but the greater meaning of their utterances remains a mystery.

It later becomes clear that their language revolves around allegories rooted in the Tamarians’ unique history and practices. Even though Captain Picard was translating all the words they were saying, he “couldn’t understand the metaphors of their culture,” Krebs told me. More than 30 years later, something like a universal translator is now being developed on Earth. But it similarly doesn’t have the power to bridge cultural divides the way that humans can.