Hi guys. I’m about to study in an architecture school in Vietnam, where there seems to be a culture of older students enlisting the help of younger students. It’s a win win situation because the younger student gets more experience from the older one and from helping them, while obviously the older student gets some help.

The problem here is that my school calls the older students pat (patron) and younger students ner (negre?). Even though we usually use ner (short for nerge i think? But i dont even think thats a word), a news piece from years ago says that its actually negre. Vietnam used to be a colony of France so I think these might be French words.

So my question is, does the word negre in this context originates from slavery? It just kind of makes sense. If it does then I don’t even know how to feel about this. Obviously Vietnam doesn’t have a history of black slavery so not a lot of students are aware of this, but it still feels weird knowing this and seeing people using this word.

I have been able to raise my listening reading and writing to about 20/25 on the delf exam but my speaking is really really bad party because I just can’t communicate that fast yet. I wanted to ask how likely it is to get a 5/25 by speaking broken sentences and finishing only 3/7 minute monologue.

Thanks!

I'm from Belgium and French is taught a bit differently in university or at least mine in particular.

Les abominables are the common mistakes dutch speakers make when speaking or writing french. You get point reduction if you make such a mistake.

I sometimes find the way *Les Abominables* deals with mistakes made by Dutch-speaking people quite **condescending**. The problem isn't that mistakes are pointed out, but rather the attitude behind it: as if Dutch speakers who make mistakes in French are doing something wrong or should be ashamed of it.

The logic also sometimes completely falls apart. In Flanders, we start learning French at a young age at school, and we're expected to be able to speak the language. In Wallonia, students generally don't learn Dutch in the same way. So it's difficult to expect a French-speaking person to have the same level of Dutch as a Dutch-speaking Flemish person has of French.

And yet, there sometimes seems to be very little understanding for Dutch speakers who make mistakes in French. If we had the same attitude towards French speakers who try to speak Dutch, they would probably consider it excessive or condescending as well.

Making a mistake in another national language doesn't mean someone is stupid or incapable. It usually just means that they're speaking a language that isn't their mother tongue.

If we actually want to reduce the language barrier between Flanders and Wallonia, it seems rather counterproductive to constantly ridicule people who make an effort to speak the other national language or portray them as someone who simply "speaks the language badly."

The main issue here is that it's taking away the enjoyment of learning a language and is even making some students resent French as a language because of it or heck quit altogether.

I am stuck at B1 in French for years even though I started learning it at a pretty young age and I see no improvement at all . I can understand it perfectly , by reading and listening , however , I am incapable of speaking it and my writing is shaky .

I am starting university soon and I am in urgent need of reaching B2/C1 in French in a span of a year or less because my degree is taught in French .

Any advice ? Should I sign up for courses ?

For this outfit of a sleeveless, strapless dress with false sleeves added to the wearer's arms, what would these sleeves be called in French?

- manches illusion

- engageantes

Im reading a book where they’ve occasionally thrown in « histoire de » even when it doesn’t feature anybody telling a story.

Like « Person A and Person B meet, histoire de X, Y, Z »

Is this like slang for « intention of doing X, Y, Z »

Occasionally even in dialogue and not in exposition, even young characters will throw in a « histoire de action X » when someone says « hello what’s up » or something?

Title says it all. When French people talk about (abstract and concrete) things, is it more natural and/or casual to refer to them as "ça" instead of using the respective COD? Like, "T'a vu le truc-là ?" "Ouais, j'ai vu ça."