Archive for the year 2009
French Language – Gender of Inanimate Nouns Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 25, 2009
We’ve talked about gender before and today we’ll discuss it some more as it can be difficult for English speakers when learning French because we don’t really have these issues in our language. Many nouns have a fixed gender. The suffixes can indicate the gender of these nouns, but there are many, many exceptions. Some…
French Phrases – Expressions and Idioms to Use at Work Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 20, 2009
You may hear and see expressions all the time and sometimes they can be puzzling, other times they are crucial to understanding or feeling that you are a part of a conversation. Today, I’ll provide some French expressions that you can use anytime, but especially when working. TIME EXPRESSIONS de temps en temps from time…
French Vocabulary – Body and Health Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 19, 2009
I just finished helping a family friend prepare for a French test and I thought I would share some of the vocabulary he was learning with all of you. And besides, given that it is still winter and illnesses avail, some of these expressions could help if you are going to a French doctor. PARTS…
Like Quizzes?? Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 18, 2009
I love to complete quizzes and surveys of all kinds – especially those you find in magazines. Hmmm…yes, I do have plenty of other things to do (work, study, take care of kids), but don’t we all need a bit of distraction in our lives? Well, I was just reading the French magazine Elle…
French Music – Garou Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 17, 2009
Another of my favorite French-language singers is Garou. As did many French people, I first fell in love with this Quebec-born singer listening to the Notre Dame de Paris CDs. He played Quasimodo in the musical drama that toured Paris, Montreal, Lyon, Brussels and London. The winner of many international music awards, he got his…
French Language – Subject/Verb Agreement Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 16, 2009
One of the things that makes the French language so trying at times is l’accord. Agreement in gender, number and person between subjects and verbs, adjectives, nouns, articles, pronouns, etc. Today, we’ll talk about the first kind. 1. Mes filles aiment leurs poupées Disney. (My daughters love their Disney dolls.) 2. C’est nous qui sommes…
L’Auberge Espagnole …un film à voir Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 28, 2009
I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my very favorite films of all time is a French film that was released in 2002 and I would recommend it to everyone, especially anyone who has ever studied abroad or even just anyone who wishes to remember their college years. Nominated for several French César…