Differences Between French and English
Introduction to some of the key differences between French and English
French and English are related languages in a sense, because French is a Latin language with German and English influence, while English is a Germanic language with Latin and French influence. Thus there are some similarities between them, most notably the same alphabet and a number of true cognates. Perhaps more importantly, however, there are a number of differences, both major and minor, between French and English. Here are some brief explanations with links to further information.
Comparison of characteristics
.....................French ...........................English
accents......... in many words ........rare; only in foreign words
agreement..... many types.................. none
articles ........more common............ less common
capitalization ......less common ........more common
conjugations ......different for each grammatical person .....different only for third person singular
contractions......... required........... optional
gender....... for all nouns and most pronouns .........only for personal pronouns
liaisons ......... common.......... none
negation .......... two words ........one word
prepositions .......certain verbs require prepositions phrasal verbs
rhythm stress ........at end of each rhythmic group ............stress on important word
subjunctive ..............common ...........extremely rare
Other differences between French and English
false cognates - Words that look alike don't necessarily mean the same thing.
pronunciation - Many differences; most notable are vowels and the letter R.
punctuation + numbers - Different uses and spacing.
silent letters - Many in both, but not the same letters.
spelling equivalents - Patterns in spelling differ in the two languages.
word order - Adjectives, adverbs, negation, + pronouns may cause problems.
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Introduction to some of the key differences between French and English
French and English are related languages in a sense, because French is a Latin language with German and English influence, while English is a Germanic language with Latin and French influence. Thus there are some similarities between them, most notably the same alphabet and a number of true cognates. Perhaps more importantly, however, there are a number of differences, both major and minor, between French and English. Here are some brief explanations with links to further information.
Comparison of characteristics
.....................French ...........................English
accents......... in many words ........rare; only in foreign words
agreement..... many types.................. none
articles ........more common............ less common
capitalization ......less common ........more common
conjugations ......different for each grammatical person .....different only for third person singular
contractions......... required........... optional
gender....... for all nouns and most pronouns .........only for personal pronouns
liaisons ......... common.......... none
negation .......... two words ........one word
prepositions .......certain verbs require prepositions phrasal verbs
rhythm stress ........at end of each rhythmic group ............stress on important word
subjunctive ..............common ...........extremely rare
Other differences between French and English
false cognates - Words that look alike don't necessarily mean the same thing.
pronunciation - Many differences; most notable are vowels and the letter R.
punctuation + numbers - Different uses and spacing.
silent letters - Many in both, but not the same letters.
spelling equivalents - Patterns in spelling differ in the two languages.
word order - Adjectives, adverbs, negation, + pronouns may cause problems.
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