Archive for May, 2009
French Vocabulary – Going to a Café Posted by Transparent Language on May 26, 2009
I have just read in my international edition of Newsweek that the French government is going to lower its tax rate by 72% on food and drinks at restaurants and cafés this summer hoping that people will start frequenting the country’s beloved cafés again as many are closing due to the financial crisis. I wrote…
Cannes Film Festival Posted by Transparent Language on May 21, 2009
Today is the 9th day of the Festival International du Film (Cannes Film Festival), which has been held annually for 62 years on the Cote d’Azur (French Riviera). Back when it began in 1946, it was the first major post-World War international cultural event. It is not exclusive and not just about the many celebrities…
French Grammar – Answering Questions Posted by Transparent Language on May 18, 2009
Questions in French can be expressed in the negative form, which brings up a few issues when answering correctly. If you want to confirm the negative in the question, then you answer with ‘Non‘, but if you want to respond affirmatively to the question, then you answer with ‘Si‘. Here are some examples: Il n’y…
French Time Posted by Transparent Language on May 14, 2009
These days, with all the rushing and schedules to stay on, telling the time and understanding the time is so very important in any language and anywhere you are. So, today, we’ll talk about telling time in French. First of all, the very important question is: Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?) And the…
French Music – The American Woman Who Conquered Paris Posted by Transparent Language on May 11, 2009
I mentioned Carole Fredericks in a recent article on one of my very favorite French singers, Jean-Jacques Goldman, and I am inspired to tell all of you more about her for a few reasons. First of all, because she was a very popular singer throughout the French-speaking world in the 90’s as part of the…
French Cooking – Quiche Lorraine Posted by Transparent Language on May 8, 2009
One of my favorite French dishes is quiche and when I was a student living in France, some of the French girls in my dorm used to make Quiche Lorraine for us to enjoy on the weekends. Here is a recipe I got from one of them: Ingredients: 3 cups flour 10 ½ tblsp butter…
French Spelling Posted by Transparent Language on May 5, 2009
Many times when speaking to others either in person (at a hotel, at the airport, at customs, etc.) or over the telephone, we have to spell out words, especially our names. So, today I’ll try to give you some help in this area. First of all, here is how you pronounce the letters in the…