Now that we’ve explored the money-related verbs gagner (to earn) and dépenser (to spend) in an earlier lesson, it's time to discuss other useful terms such as économiser/faire des économies (to save). Even though these verbs are cognates with “economize/economy,” they have additional meanings that you may not be aware of.

Let’s start with the cognate économie, which has similar meanings to English but is much more versatile. For example, you are likely to come across the common phrase faire des économies (to save money):

Conséquence : le changement d'heure est réinstauré pour faire des économies.

As a consequence, daylight savings is reinstated to save money.

Captions 53-54, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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By itself, faire des économies refers to saving money specifically, but you can also use it to talk about saving other things. Just use the structure faire des économies + de + noun, as in faire des économies de charbon (to economize or save up coal):

L'Allemagne, le Royaume-Uni et la France décident alors de faire des économies de charbon et de pétrole dissipés en éclairage inutile.

Germany, the United Kingdom, and France then decide to economize coal and oil squandered on unnecessary lighting.

Captions 31-33, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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Alternatively, you can use the direct cognate économiser (to economize), which applies to any context just as in English:

Pourtant tout part d'une bonne intention : faire économiser de l'énergie.

Yet it all stems from a good intention: saving energy.

Captions 9-10, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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In any case, économiser or faire des économies is the best way to accumulate des économies (savings):

Ils fuient le domicile familial avec pour seul bagage quelques vêtements et leurs maigres économies.

They flee the family home with, as their only luggage, a few clothes and their meager savings.

Captions 108-109, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos enfants s'aiment - Part 4

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It is no surprise that this versatile noun, l’économie, is also used to refer to the very quality required to save money, frugality, a virtue that the famous fabulist La Fontaine exalts in his fable La Cigale et la fourmi (The Cicada and the Ant). He contrasts the behavior of the spendthrift cicada with its frugal counterpart, the ant:

tandis que la fourmi représente le travail, le mérite, la mesure et l'économie.

whereas the ant represents labor, merit, moderation, and frugality.

Captions 14-15, Le saviez-vous? La Cigale et la fourmi - Part 2

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L’économie (frugality) also involves making choices that are économiques (economical):

Cette machine n'est pas économique, je vous l'assure. Elle gaspille du charbon.

This machine is not economical, I assure you. It wastes coal.

Caption 15, Il était une fois: Les découvreurs 13. Stephenson - Part 2

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Économique also means “economic,” as in la crise économique (the economic crisis):

La crise économique nous guette, les licenciements aussi.

An economic crisis is in store for us, as well as layoffs.

Captions 36-37, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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Likewise, l’économie also refers to the economy of a country: 

En effet, l'économie s'est retrouvée à genoux pendant deux mois

Indeed, the economy has been brought to its knees for two months

Captions 38-39, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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But note that in French, l’économie also refers to the science of economics:

Euh, j'ai fait des études de... d'économie. 

Uh, I studied, uh... economics.

Caption 29, Niko de La Faye "Visages" - Part 2

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Finally, to save you from making this mistake, don’t use the cognate sauver (to save) to mean “economize." For example, you cannot say sauver de l’argent (except in Canadian French). Use the terms mentioned earlier instead.

But do use sauver (to save) in a rescue situation, as in sauver la vie (to save a life):

Puis vint le jour où le prince annonça qu'il était tombé amoureux, mais malheureusement, pas de la petite sirène mais de la jeune fille dont il croyait qu'elle lui avait sauvé la vie.

Then came the day when the prince announced that he had fallen in love, but unfortunately not with the little mermaid, but with the young girl whom he thought had saved his life.

Captions 29-31, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 2

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In conclusion, remember that économie is a very versatile noun with meanings ranging from "savings" to "economics," "economy," and even "frugality." And don’t forget that you can’t “save” money with sauver!

Now that we’ve learned about the accent aigu (acute accent), which modifies sound and differentiates meaning, it's time to introduce its counterpart, the accent grave (è, which sounds like the “e” in English “met"). We will explore the differences between both accents and discuss how é, è, and e interact within a single word. 

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Before we embark on this lesson, note that while both accents can modify the sound of the letter e, the accent grave is also used over the letter a as in là (here, there) and the letter u (only in où, "where"), but without affecting pronunciation:

Et voilà, je vais me réfugier, euh... là où je peux

And that's it, I go to take refuge, uh... where I can

Caption 62, Français avec Nelly L'histoire de Notre-Dame de Paris - Part 2

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Going back to the letter e, there is a definite difference in pronunciation between the grave è and the acute é, though this distinction is sometimes missed by French learners. For example, in the word élève (student), the é pronounced like the "ay" in "day," and the è like the "e" in "met." Can you hear the difference between the closed é and open è sound in this example?

C'est une très bonne élève.

She's a very good student.

Caption 68, Français avec Nelly A Simple Technique to Increase Your Vocab - Part 1

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Now that we’ve established pronunciation, let’s focus on the difference in accent placement. Unlike the accent aigu é, which frequently ends a word as in parlé (spoken), the accent grave è never does. But è often appears before a final silent s, as in procès (trial):

Le procès commence par l'audition de la prévenue.

The trial begins with the hearing of the accused.

Caption 57, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Volé par sa belle-mère ? - Part 1

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Interestingly, these two accents also share some common characteristics. Neither é nor è can be placed before a word ending in a double consonant, as in poubelle (trash/trashcan):

Or, une bonne partie des journaux finit à la poubelle.

Now, a large proportion of newspapers end up in the trash.

Caption 38, Il était une fois: Notre Terre 25. Technologies - Part 6

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Likewise, no accents are necessary for adjectives that take a double consonant in the feminine, as in muet/muette (mute):

Et bien qu'elle fût muette, le prince donna à la jeune femme mystérieuse une grande place dans son cœur.

And even though she was mute, the prince gave the mysterious young woman a big place in his heart.

Captions 20-21, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 2

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However, you guessed it, there are exceptions! Instead of taking on a double consonant in the feminine, a handful of masculine adjectives ending in -et, as in secret, take an accent grave followed by a single consonant in the feminine: secrète. 

Et qu'elle a... une technique secrète qui lui est propre.

And that they have... a secret technique of their own.

Captions 22-23, Lionel L Le truc

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Here is the complete list: complet/complète (complete), incomplet/incomplète (incomplete), concret/concrète (concrete), discret/indiscrète (discreet), indiscret/indiscrète (indiscreet), replet/replète (plump), désuet/désuète (outdated), inquiet/inquiète (worried), and secret/secrète (secret).

The adjectives mentioned above follow this general rule: when a word ends in e + consonant + unstressed e, the first e takes an accent grave. For example, père (father):

Mon père, ben, il était... grand

My father, well, he was... tall

Caption 84, TF1 Info Fontainebleau : l'appel de la forêt - Part 2

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Another rule is that when an e appears before two consonants, an accent grave is required if the second consonant is an l or an r, as in trèfle (clover), règlement (regulation), or lèvre (lip):

Et je remplis ma bouche avec mon rouge à lèvres.

And I fill in my lips with my lipstick.

Captions 44-45, Acelya Maquillage

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Voilà le règlement intérieur du zoo.

Here are the zoo's rules and regulations.

Caption 37, Les zooriginaux 3 Qui suis-je? - Part 3

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The 1990 French spelling reform made some changes to the rules for é and è, as Lionel explains:

Des accents graves vont remplacer des accents aigus.

Some grave accents are going to replace some acute accents.

Caption 27, Lionel L La réforme du français

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For example, événement (event) becomes évènement:

Le plus bel exemple, c'est événement qui avant s'écrivait avec deux accents aigus, et qui maintenant va avoir un accent aigu et ensuite un accent grave.

The nicest example is "event," which was previously written with two acute accents, and which now will have one acute accent and then a grave accent.

Captions 28-30, Lionel L La réforme du français

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The 1990 reform also simplified the conjugation of some first-group verbs. For example, the accent aigu é in the verb je céderai (I will give in) becomes an accent grave è, je cèderai:

Idem pour je céderai.

Likewise for "I will give in."

Caption 31, Lionel L La réforme du français

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That said, the 1990 reform remains controversial, and many writers, educators, and major media outlets choose not to follow it. So both événement and évènement are perfectly acceptable, as are céderai/cèderai. 

Here's a summary to help you remember where an è is necessary:

Before a final silent -s: 

procès (trial), après (after)

Before a final consonant + unstressed e:

père (father), mère (mother)

Before a consonant + le or re:

règlement (regulation), lèvre (lip), trèfle (clover)

Per the 1990 spelling reform, before a syllable containing an unstressed e, although an accent aigu is still acceptable:

évènement/événement (event), je cèderai/céderai (I will give in)

No accent needed before double consonants:

poubelle (trash), muette (mute)

In conclusion, despite the 1990 reform intended to simplify things, accent rules remain complex! So, until the next reform, our Yabla videos are here to help you come to grips with accents. Thank you for reading!

The ubiquitous verb faire is a very versatile word. Not only can you use faire to talk about what you “do” or “make," but you can also use it in a myriad of situations, including when talking about the weather, feelings, and past events. Let’s explore some of the most common idiomatic expressions involving faire beyond doing and making.

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Before we start focusing on faire as a verb, note that its past participle, fait (done/made), also works as a noun: le fait (the fact, the event).

Et le fait historique que l'on retient principalement ici à Bitche, c'est le siège de dix-huit cent soixante-dix

And the historical event that we mainly remember here in Bitche is the eighteen seventy siege

Captions 33-35, Lionel à la Citadelle de Bitche - Part 1

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You can read more about le fait in our lesson Getting the Facts Straight. But let's get back to faire as a verb. Early on in your French learning, you may have come across the construction il fait + noun/adjective to describe the weather. In this context, faire is equivalent to “to be." In the following video, Sophie and Edmée are enjoying a nice day out. Sophie says:

Il fait super beau aujourd'hui.

It's super nice out today.

Caption 1, Sophie et Edmée Le beau temps

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Here is another instance where faire translates as “to be”: the expression faire partie de (to be part of).

Et il faut savoir que jusqu'en mille huit cent soixante, la Villette ne faisait pas partie de la ville de Paris.

And you should know that until eighteen sixty, La Villette wasn't part of the city of Paris.

Captions 23-24, Adrien Quai de la Seine

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Faire is also used to convey how much time has passed in the construction ça fait + expression of time:

Et ça fait longtemps que tu veux devenir professeur?

And have you been wanting to become a teacher for a long time?

Caption 92, Claire et Philippe Le boulot d'enseignant

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This construction is equivalent to il y a + expression of time (it's been, ago). In Sophie et Edmée - Le beau temps, Sophie might have said:

Ça fait plus d’une semaine qu’il fait super beau. 

It's been super nice out for over a week.

Good weather is a perfect opportunity to faire un tour en vélo (go for a bike ride), as Amal suggests:

On va faire un petit tour

We're going to go for a little ride

Caption 28, Amal Vélib

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Note that you can use faire to talk about all kinds of sporting activities. 

Sophie and Edmée agree that on a sunny day, ça fait du bien (it feels good) to get out and about. Indeed, you can use the construction faire + noun/adverb to express how something feels, either in a positive or negative way:

Ouais, ça fait du bien un peu de pouvoir sortir et se promener.

Yeah, it kind of feels good to be able to go out and take a walk.

Captions 3-4, Sophie et Edmée Le beau temps

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Conversely, something might faire du mal rather than faire du bien:

Mais la petite sirène était incapable de faire du mal à quiconque.

But the little mermaid was incapable of hurting anyone.

Caption 41, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 2

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You can also say faire de la peine instead of faire du mal:

Ça me fait de la peine.

It pains me.

Caption 17, Sophie et Patrice Après Noël

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Speaking of feelings, you can reassure someone with the expression, Ne t’en fais pas! (Don’t worry!) That's what Nico tells Sam, who is worried about getting a job:

Ben, ne t'en fais pas. Je vais t'apprendre.

Well, don't worry about it. I'm going to teach you.

Caption 43, Extr@ Ep. 4 - Sam trouve du travail - Part 2

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In any case, Sam would be wise to act responsibly and avoid faire l’enfant (acting like a child) if he wants a job. As Margaux and Manon explain in their video on this subject, you can use faire to describe many different types of behavior and activities:

Attention, petite subtilité! Faire un enfant, c'est avoir un bébé. Mais faire l'enfant, c'est se comporter comme un enfant.

Careful, a slight subtlety! "Faire un enfant" is to have a baby. But "faire l'enfant" is to behave like a child.

Captions 17-18, Margaux et Manon Emplois du verbe faire

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In conclusion, ne vous en faites pas (don’t worry) if you’re not familiar with all the many uses of faire yet. Help is at hand! Allez faire un tour de nos vidéos sur Yabla (take a tour of our Yabla videos) and explore many more ways of using faire.

The words quelconque (any) and quiconque (anyone) can come in handy when you're talking about something general or non-specific in French. Though they look quite similar, you can easily tell these words apart by focusing on what comes before -conque: qui (who) and quel (what, which). There are a few key differences between these words. While quelconque can refer to both people and things, quiconque only refers to people. And while quiconque functions as a relative or indefinite pronoun, quelconque functions as an adjective: 

Elle fouille la maison

She rifles through the house

de fond en comble à la recherche d'un quelconque indice.

from top to bottom in search of any clue.

Caption 19, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Nos bébés ont été échangés...

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Mais la petite sirène était incapable de faire du mal à quiconque.

But the little mermaid was incapable of hurting anyone.

Caption 41, Contes de fées - La petite sirène

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Quelconque and quiconque are very similar to two other expressions we discussed in a previous lesson, n'importe quel and n'importe qui: 

ls la postent dans n'importe quelle boîte aux lettres

They mail it in any mailbox,

en oubliant pas de mettre leur adresse retour...

not forgetting to put their return address...

Captions 12-13, LCM - "Cher Père Noël..."

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Et qui l'achète? -Ah, n'importe qui.

And who buys it? -Ah, anyone.

Captions 4-5, Le Journal - La bougie du sapeur

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Note that while the quel in n'importe quel changes depending on the gender and number of the noun it modifies (n'importe quelle, n'importe quels, n'importe quelles), the quel in quelconque never changes. However, since quelconque is an adjective, it takes an "s" when modifying a plural noun:

Si vous avez de quelconques questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter. 
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. 

Quiconque can mean "whoever" or "anyone who" in more formal contexts: 

Quiconque arrive en retard ne sera pas autorisé à entrer dans le théâtre. 

Anyone who arrives late will not be allowed to enter the theater.

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And quelconque is sometimes used as a pejorative meaning "ordinary," "second-rate," or "mediocre": 
 

Ce restaurant est très quelconque. 
That restaurant is very mediocre. 

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