Culture Spark: When England spoke French

Tiny quiz. Big curiosity.

Cartoon how long was French the official language in England

💡Did you know? After the Norman Conquest in 1066, French wasn’t just fashionable — it was official. For a while, England’s kings, courts, and nobles spoke French while English simmered quietly in the background. But how long did this linguistic twist last?

How long was French the official language in England?

Select one correct answer:

🎉 Très bien! 300 years is the correct answer! 🇫🇷
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Answer: French was the official language in England for just under 300 years — specifically from 1066 to 1362. So while French was never the only language in use, it was the dominant language of power for nearly three centuries. By 'official' it meant that French was used by the monarchy, nobility and the legal system. Latin remained dominant for church and scholarship writing and English was spoken by the common people.

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French Beginner: French Jobs & Traits

The table below, with both masculine and feminine forms will help you to boost your French vocabulary and the mini quiz will test your memory in just a few clicks!

FrenchEnglish
l'avocatlawyer (m)
l'avocatelawyer (f)
le bureaudesk, office
le directeurheadteacher (m)
la directriceheadteacher (f)
le facteurpostman (m)
la factricepostwoman (f)
le secrétairesecretary (m)
la secrétairesecretary (f)
l'emploijob
assezquite
ambitieuxambitious (m)
ambitieuseambitious (f)
prudentcareful (m)
prudentecareful (f)
travailleurhard-working (m)
travailleusehard-working (f)

🧪 Mini Quiz: Test your French Jobs Vocabulary

0/5
How do you say 'male lawyer' in French?
l'avocat
le facteur
le bureau
What is 'postwoman' in French?
la factrice
la secrétaire
l'avocate
What's the word for a 'female lawyer' in French?
la factrice
la secrétaire
l'avocate
What's the word for an 'office' in French?
l'emploi
le bureau
le facteur
which one of these jobs related words is feminine?
l'avocate
l'emploi
l'avocat

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Culture Spark: Where does Mona Lisa smile?

Tiny quiz. Big curiosity.

Cartoon Mona Lisa

She’s tiny, mysterious, and world-famous. Painted over 500 years ago, her smile still draws millions each year. But where does she live now? One museum in France holds the key to her quiet charm — and it’s not just any museum.

Which famous museum in France is home to the famous Mona Lisa painting?

Select one correct answer:

🎉 Très bien! the Louvre Museum is the correct answer! 🇫🇷
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Answer: The Mona Lisa has been at the Louvre Museum since 1797.

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French Beginner: Family

Fancy having to speak with a French speaker about your family and not having a clue how to start? Quel cauchemar! Let's avoid that at all costs, shall we?

Solution? Start by learning the vocabulary below—why not?

FrenchEnglish
J’habite avec…I live with...
ma mèremy mother
mon pèremy father
mes parentsmy parents
ma sœurmy sister
mon frèremy brother

📝 Action for Further Learning

  • Write 3 sentences about who you live with using the vocab above.
  • Ask a friend or classmate: "Tu habites avec qui?" and reply in French.
  • Draw or label your family and describe them in French.

🎯 When completing the quiz below, aim for full marks after several error-free attempts. You'll remember this vocab when it counts!

🧪Quiz: Test your French family vocabulary!

French Beginner: House and Location

📚 Essential Vocabulary

Explore how to talk about where you live in French! This vocabulary table introduces common words and phrases for describing homes and locations — from cozy bedrooms to countryside villages. Practice with the table, read the sample sentences, and finish with a quick quiz to test your knowledge. Perfect for beginners.

FrenchEnglish
une chambrea bedroom
j'habiteI live
une maison individuellea detached house
une maison jumeléea semi-detached house
une maison de plain-pieda bungalow
en banlieuein the suburbs
à la campagnein the countryside
à la montagnein the mountains
dans un villagein a village
en villein town

📘 Sample Sentences

  • J’habite en ville. – I live in town.
  • Ma maison est à la campagne. – My house is in the countryside.
  • Il habite dans un village. – He lives in a village.
  • Nous avons une chambre confortable. – We have a comfortable bedroom.
  • Elle habite dans une maison jumelée. – She lives in a semi-detached house.
  • Tu habites en banlieue ? – Do you live in the suburbs?

🎯 Action for Further Learning

  • Write 3 sentences about where you live using words from the table.
  • Ask a friend or classmate: “Tu habites où ?” and reply in French.
  • Draw or label your ideal home and describe it in French.

🧪 Mini Quiz: Test your French Location Vocabulary!

1. j'habite dans un village.

2. Elle habite dans une maison individuelle.

3. J'ai une maison à la campagne.

4. Il a une maison de plain-pied à la montagne.

5. Tu habites en ville?

Culture Spark: What's on a French breakfast table?

Tiny quiz. Big curiosity.

Ever wondered what the French eat with their morning coffee or hot chocolate? This one-question quiz explores a classic breakfast habit—quick, curious, and delicious!

Usually, a simple French breakfast includes hot chocolate or coffee and...?

Select one correct answer:

🎉 Très bien! a tartine is the correct answer! 🇫🇷
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Answer: tartines (slices of baguette with butter and jam) is a French breakfast staple. If you thought of croissants, you are not far off. Croissants are also very popular.

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Spanish Beginner: Days and Months

📅 Días de la semana y meses del año

🔍 Did you know that Monday to Friday were named after visible celestial bodies such as the moon and planets visible to the naked eye? When learning, see if you can guess which ones!

Días de la semanaDays of the week
lunesMonday
martesTuesday
miércolesWednesday
juevesThursday
viernesFriday
sábadoSaturday
domingoSunday
Meses del añoMonths of the year
eneroJanuary
febreroFebruary
marzoMarch
abrilApril
mayoMay
junioJune
julioJuly
agostoAugust
septiembreSeptember
octubreOctober
noviembreNovember
diciembreDecember

🧪 Quiz: Ready to test your Spanish calendar vocab?

Click below to match the Spanish days and months with their English meanings. Can you get full marks without peeking?

French Beginner: Opinions and reasons

💬 French Opinions Vocabulary

Who doesn't love giving their opinion about anything and everything? Most of us, sure. The French are no exception. The ones below are the most common ones.

FrenchEnglish
J’aime ça.I like it. / I like that.
J’adore ça.I love it. / I love that.
Ça va.It’s OK.
Je n’aime pas ça.I don’t like it. / I don’t like that.
Je déteste ça.I hate it. / I hate that.
C’est créatif.It’s creative.
C’est ennuyeux.It’s boring.
C’est inutile.It’s useless. / It’s pointless.
C’est nul.It’s rubbish.
C’est passionnant.It’s exciting.
📌 Top Tip: Repetition is important. Repeat the quiz until you get full marks without having to rely on the vocabulary given. It does not have to be now. You can always come back and try another time.

Spanish Beginner: Shops and Stores

🛍️ Spanish Vocabulary: Shops & Stores

If you cannot remember how to name most shops in Spanish, here's a quick refresher before you dive into the quiz!

🧠 Fun fact: Most of these shop names are feminine nouns in Spanish.

Spanish shops vocabulary illustration
Spanish English
carniceríabutcher’s
chocolateríachocolate shop
joyeríajewellery shop
panaderíabaker’s
papeleríastationery shop
perfumeríaperfume shop
pescaderíafishmonger’s
tienda de disfracesfancy dress shop
tienda de ropaclothes shop
zapateríashoe shop

🧪 Quiz: Test your Spanish shops Vocabulary

Click below to match the Spanish shops and/or stores names with their English meanings. ¡Buena suerte!

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Spanish Beginner: Hair Colour

✨ Physical Descriptions in Spanish: Hair Color

🧠 What will you practice?

This interactive quiz will help you learn how to describe hair colour in Spanish. Each question features a cartoon-style image and asks learners to choose the correct description. It’s a fun way to reinforce vocabulary like pelo castaño, pelo rubio, pelo negro, and pelo rojo.

🎯 Learning Goals

  • Recognize Spanish vocabulary for hair colour
  • Match images with accurate descriptions
  • Build confidence using descriptive phrases

📸 Activity: ¿Cómo es la chica?

Click through each image and choose the correct hair description. Great for beginners and you, if you like using visuals to support your learning.

💡 Action for Further Learning

  • 💬 Speaking practice: Describe classmates or celebrities using the new vocabulary.
  • 🎨 Creative task: Draw your own character and write a short physical description in Spanish.
  • 🔁 Repetition: Repeat the quiz to reinforce vocabulary and improve recall.

🧩 Key Vocabulary

Spanish Sentence English Translation
Tiene el pelo castaño. She has brown hair.
Tiene el pelo rubio. She has blonde hair.
Tiene el pelo negro. She has black hair.
Tiene el pelo rojo. She has red hair.

🔍 Why this activity works

It boosts retention and makes learning more engaging. Not sure where I got that information from but I live by it. It’s ideal for beginner Spanish learners who are starting to build descriptive sentences.

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