French language Q&A Forum

Hello,

My listening is crappy, as I simply cannot understand what is being said even when I know some words.... Pls any tips on how to improve my comprehension in listening? 

What is the difference in meaning and usage between these two phrases?

Qu’est-ce que c’est un stylo?

Qu’est-ce que c’est q’un stylo?

Why do we say "le prochain étape" and not "l'étape prochain"?

Hello,

I don't really understand the title of this lesson. What does the (not -ant) mean at the end?

Thank you very much.

Looking at these two sentences:

--Tu n'as pas bu d'alcool depuis cinq ans.

-Tu n'es pas allé en Australie depuis quelques années.

Why does one sentence use "ans" and the other use "années?"

  I was taught that "Comment vous appelez-vous" was a perfectly proper way to ask "What is your name."  It was in our textbook as the only way to ask this question.  Later, when my daughter took French, she learned to say, "

Bonjour! I saw that interdire was used as follows: "....interdit aux buralistes de..." My question is: why are we using "à" in this phrase? In Spanish, we use a personal "a" in front of people but I don't know if that's the case in French. Would be very grateful for an explanation, thanks!