Archive for November, 2008
On se tutoie? Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 21, 2008
The French language is sometimes thought of as a formal language. Possibly one of the reasons is because of the tutoyer and vouvoyer thing. For those of you who speak French and especially those of you who have visited a French-speaking country, you probably fully understand what I’m talking about. The rules are not very…
The French Love to Strike Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 18, 2008
I remember when I was living in Paris, it seemed like there were always grèves all around the city. We would have to walk every so often in the mornings to class as the metro was not running (the SNCF loves to go on strike). The American Embassy would constantly warn us that we should…
Auxiliaries Être and Avoir Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 17, 2008
In French, the verbs être and avoir are considered auxiliaries when followed by a past participle and, thus, used to form the perfect tenses much like have/has/had are auxiliaries in English. Just as have/has/had, être and avoir are also regular, normal verbs as well. AVOIR is the auxiliary that is used with most verbs. ÊTRE…
C’est quoi ce quand-même? Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 14, 2008
When I was a college student living in Paris in a French student residence , I was hanging out with some friends who were discussing music and singing along with some CDS that were playing…and just to get into the conversation probably, I said to one of my best (French) friends, “Tu chantes bien quand…
French Holidays – Armistice Day Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 11, 2008
As we arrive at the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I, today is Armistice Day in France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is hosting an international ceremony at the Fort of Douaumont in Meuse where the battle of Verdun took place, with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Grand Duke Henri…
French Basketball Player Tony Parker and His American Ties Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 6, 2008
For anyone who follows sports, especially basketball, you hear a lot about Tony Parker, the NBA’s two-time All Star from France who is currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs. Now, although Tony grew up in France after moving there when he was just three weeks old and is a member of the French national basketball…