Today's 3 expressions

• Expression 1

  the letter a — one sound only, a clean 'ah'

  a

  a: the letter, and its name in French: 'ah', like the a in father

  mouth shape: jaw dropped, tongue flat and low, lips relaxed and unrounded

  a (stressed): open and clear

  📖 Breakdown
• Expression 2

  how's it going? — and also: I'm okay

  ça va

  ç: a c wearing a little hook, the cédille

  ça: that / it

  va: goes, from the verb aller

  📖 Breakdown
• Expression 3

  ma'am — the word French attaches to almost every polite sentence

  madame

  ma: my

  dame: lady

  madame: 'mah-DAM'

  📖 Breakdown