Adeline talks

6 French Phrases to Use When You Don’t Understand French 🇫🇷

French speakers talking too fast?

These six simple, polite phrases will help you ask them to repeat themselves, slow down or say something in a different way.

Save this reel for your next French conversation, and follow for more practical, everyday French!

Phrases featured in the video:
😕 Désolé(e), je ne comprends pas. = Sorry, I don’t understand.
🔁 Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ? = Could you repeat that, please?
🐢 Vous pouvez parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît ? = Could you speak more slowly, please?
💬 Vous pouvez reformuler, s’il vous plaît ? = Could you rephrase that, please?
❓ Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? = What does that mean?
✍️ Vous pouvez l’écrire ? = Could you write it down?

Don’t be afraid to use these phrases.
Asking someone to repeat themselves is a completely normal part of learning a language.

Thank you for watching! 😉
— Adeline

Stop memorizing random French words. 🚫🇫🇷

Start seeing patterns instead.

It’s one of the best ways to improve your French vocabulary faster. 🧠

In French, the prefix dé- / dés- often gives the idea of undoing, reversing, or removing something:
🔧 faire → défaire = to undo
🔌 brancher → débrancher = to unplug
👕 habiller → déshabiller = to undress
🧲 coller → décoller = to unstick / to peel off

It doesn’t work every single time, but it works a lot.

And once you notice this pattern, French words become much easier to understand.

Thank you for watching! 😉
— Adeline

Slow French – A Morning in Annecy 🇫🇷☀️ (Beginner)

Can you understand this slow French? Listen and follow along!

French vocabulary:
🚶‍♀️ se promener = to go for a walk
🌊 un canal = a canal
☀️ il fait beau = the weather is lovely
🐶 promener son chien = to walk one’s dog
🌿 tranquillement = quietly / peacefully

Thanks for watching! 😉
— Adeline

3 Books to Learn French 🇫🇷📚

Looking to improve your French? Here are 15 book recommendations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners!

I hope this helps — let me know what you think!

BEGINNER
✈️ Le Petit Prince – A. de Saint-Exupéry (1943) | the very first book my dad read to me — poetic and universal.
💬 Les Aventures de Tintin – Hergé | classic comics, great for visual learners!
👦 Le Petit Nicolas – Sempé & Goscinny (1959) | funny, short stories about childhood and school life.

INTERMEDIATE
👧🏻 La Petite Fille de Monsieur Linh – P. Claudel (2005) | subtle and deeply moving.
🫒 La Gloire de mon père – M. Pagnol (1957) | nostalgic childhood memories in Provence.
🧐 L’Étranger – A. Camus (1942) | a short novel that makes you question life.
🐚 Le Silence de la mer – Vercors (1942) | left me devastated.
💋 Chéri – Colette (1920) | sharp and sensual.
🌹 Roses à crédit – E. Triolet (1959) | a woman’s dream and disillusion after WWII.

ADVANCED
🖋️ Bel-Ami – G. de Maupassant (1885) | ambition and power in Parisian society.
❤️‍🔥 L’Amant – M. Duras (1984) | the awakening of desire.
✊ Germinal – E. Zola (1885) | a story about a miners’ strike — it makes you want to protest.
🪞 Belle du Seigneur – A. Cohen (1968) | an absolute favorite.
♥️ Madame Bovary – G. Flaubert (1856) | 🫶
🙏 Les Misérables – V. Hugo (1862) | a must-read at least once in your life.

Thank you for watching!
— Adeline

Stop saying “ça va” all the time! 🇫🇷

7 natural ways to say you’re feeling good in French 👇

👍 Pas mal ! = Not bad! (casual)
👍 Impeccable ! = Perfect! / Spot on! (casual)
👍 Nickel ! = All good! (informal)
👍 Ça roule ! = Yeah, all good! (very informal)
👍 Tranquille ! = Easy! (very informal)
👍 Au top ! = Great! / Brilliant! (casual)
👍 Très bien ! = Very good! (neutral)

3 ways to say you’re not feeling great 👇

👎 Ça va bof. = Meh / Not great (casual)
👎 Moyen. = So-so / Average (neutral)
👎 Ça peut aller ! = Could be worse! (casual)

Thanks for watching 😉
— Adeline

Slow French vlog – A morning in Aix-en-Provence 🇫🇷☕🌿 (Beginner)

Can you understand this slow French?
Listen and follow along!

French vocabulary:
☕ un café en terrasse = a coffee on a terrace
🚶‍♀️ se balader = to go for a walk / to stroll
🛍️ le marché = the market
📚 un livre d’occasion = a second-hand book
🎨 un tableau = a painting
🌳 le parc = the park

Thanks for watching!
— Adeline

Slow French – A Morning in Provence 🇫🇷🥖 (Beginner)

Can you understand this slow French? Listen and follow along!

French vocabulary:

🛒 faire des courses = to go shopping
🍎 une pomme = an apple
🍊 une orange = an orange
⛲️ une fontaine = a fountain
🥖 la boulangerie = the bakery

Thanks for watching! 😊
— Adeline

Stop memorizing random French words. 🚫🇫🇷

Start seeing patterns instead — it’s a game changer for learning French. 🧠

In French, the prefix re- often means “again” or “back”:
🔨 faire → refaire (do again)
📖 lire → relire (read again)
👀 voir → revoir (see again)
🚶 venir → revenir (come back)

It doesn’t work every single time, but it works a lot.

And once you see it, you start recognizing French words instantly.

Thank you for watching! 😉
— Adeline

12 Everyday French Phrases 🇫🇷

These are informal, real-life phrases you’ll hear (and use!) all the time in France.

Hope this helps — let me know which ones you already knew!

Phrases featured in the video:
🤷‍♀️ Ça arrive. = It happens.
✅ Exactement ! = Exactly!
🙂 Pourquoi pas ? = Why not?
🤔 Bonne question ! = Good question!
❌ Ça ne marche pas. = It’s not working.
👀 On verra. = We’ll see.
⚖️ Ça dépend. = It depends.
😅 J’avoue ! = Fair enough! / I admit it!
⏳ Attends une seconde ! = Wait a second!
💡 Je vois ce que tu veux dire. = I see what you mean.
🙃 Pas vraiment. = Not really.
❓ Ça te dit ? = Fancy it? / Are you up for it?

Bonus phrases:
👂 Tu m’écoutes ? = Are you listening?
😲 Ça m’étonne ! = That surprises me!

Thanks for watching! 😉
— Adeline

Slow French – Sunday Morning in France 🇫🇷☕️ (Beginner)

Can you understand this slow French? Listen and follow along!

French Vocab:
🚶🏻‍♂️ marcher = to walk
☕️ un café en terrasse = to sit outside at a café
💰 acheter = to buy
🐈 un chat = a cat
👀 croiser = to see / to come across

Thanks for watching! 😉
— Adeline