j'apprends le français
j'apprends le français is the French way to say "I am learning french".
This phrase is used to state that you are currently in the process of studying the French language. If you want to express that you are just beginning or are currently "getting into" the language, you might instead use the informal expression Je me mets au français.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, if you want to specify that you are studying the local dialect, you can say Je suis en train d'apprendre le français québécois to mean "I am learning Quebec French".
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the simple present tense covers both the English "I learn" and "I am learning", so j'apprends serves both purposes. Additionally, when using the name of a language as a noun, it is preceded by a definite article, as seen in le français.
Did you know?
- In French, the word apprendre can mean both 'to learn' and 'to teach'.
- The adjective français is not capitalized when describing the language, but it must be capitalized when referring to a person from France.
- While j'apprends le français is standard, a native speaker might use the verb bosser in a slang context to say they are 'grinding' or working hard at their studies.
Examples in context
- J'apprends le français.I am learning French.This sentence is useful for stating that you are currently studying the language using j'apprends le français.Tatoeba #4592085 by sacredceltic, translation #8386788 by Adelpa
- J'apprends le français à l'école.I am learning French at school.
- Depuis six mois, j'apprends le français.I have been learning French for six months.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are discussing their hobbies at school.
- EmmaQu'est-ce que tu étudies en ce moment, Hugo ?What are you studying right now, Hugo?
- HugoJ'apprends le français avec une application.I am learning French with an app.
- EmmaC'est super ! Est-ce que c'est difficile ?That's great! Is it difficult?
- HugoUn peu, mais j'aime beaucoup ça.A little, but I like it a lot.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
