Learn about Modern French in part five of our series of bilingual articles on the development of French over the centuries.* Click any phrase for the English translation and related grammar lessons.
Note: Some of the tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical events like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.
