How coronavirus is changing the French language - 2 new words.

It’s great that you’re still enjoying corona-themed content, because this one is special.

I will share with you two new French words that have been created for and since the corona-virus outbreak. I’ll also tell you how and why they were formed, and how you can remember them.

If you like this video, click here to subscribe to my channel for all my videos about what it really takes to learn French.

Why is coronavirus changing the French language?

Like every language, the French language is a living thing. New words are created often to adapt to changing times.

French words like hashtag, cisgenre, or smoothie have all entered the dictionary in the last few years.

When times change rapidly, like right now, words appear rapidly too.

So in the last few weeks we’ve seen at least 2 French words created for the coronavirus outbreak:

1. La distanciation sociale

It’s the equivalent of the English phrase “social distancing”.

You can see that it has been formed by adding the suffixe “-iation” to the previously existing word “distance” (la distance)

Our second word is even more impressive:

2. La quatorzaine

To understand this one, you first need to know that the word “quarantine” comes from the French word “quarantaine”. That word “quarantaine” was formed after the “quarante”, meaning forty.

Now if that doesn’t make any sense to you, stay tuned. I’ll explain it all to you in a minute.

Before I do that, I need to tell you that now is the best time to improve your French because

1. You might have extra time on your hands due to the epidemy

2. In honor of the quarantine & its number 40 origin, I’m currently offering a $40 discount if you join my program the French Fluency Accelerator before March 31st. All you need to do is enter the code ‘quarante’ at check-out and you’ll get access right away to all the modules, and the community.
That means you can get a full month of French study, including daily contact with me, for only $29. Just enter the code ‘quarante’ at check-out.

It’s the lowest price I’ve ever offered and I don’t think I’ll be doing it anytime soon. Exceptional times call for exceptional measures.

I look forward to seeing you inside the course.

So, how come a word (quarante) meaning “forty” ends up creating a the word ‘quarantine’?

That’s because, in the past, most diseases could be kept from spreading if you’d only isolate the sick and the potentially sick for 40 days.

As you might know, for coronavirus, people only need to be isolated for 14 days, and 14 is in French quatorze. For this reason, the word “la quatorzaine” has been created.

Now, how can you remember these words - and new French words in general?

This really is a topic for a complete video - and you’re in luck, because I have already created that video for you, along with a playlist on how to learn French from home. It’s right here, and you can read it / watch it now.

Your next steps

If you like this way of learning French, you will love to learn with me as a student or client. Please check out:

My 1-1 coaching program, The French Transformation, if you need to improve your French fast.
My group program, The French Fluency Accelerator, if you’d like to join a community of students from all over the world. We have weekly practice calls together and the best online video library to learn French.

Pro tip: you don’t need to choose!

All my 1-1 clients are invited to join the French Accelerator free of charge.

Feel free to book a call with me now to discuss options.

About the author

Angel Pretot is a French learning coach. He helps English speakers from all over the world learn French fast and become fluent. You can work with him one-on-one (online via skype or a similar software) or join a global community of French learners in his group program the French Fluency Accelerator.

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