Archive for November, 2010
Sylvain Cloux: French Heavy Mental Genius Posted by Hichem on Nov 27, 2010
You’ve most likely heard the original versions of the following songs and soundtracks, and you probably have already heard des reprises musicales (music covers) of them before. But what’s really great and unique about Sylvain Cloux is that he brings them all to a whole new level, a “Heavy Metal” level, to a point where some…
Outils de Jardin: Garden Tools in French Posted by Hichem on Nov 23, 2010
Pour cultiver votre jardin secret (To cultivate your Secret Garden), you need to open la remise (the shed) and get les outils de jardin (the garden tools.) * Afin de remuer le sol (in order to loosen the soil) you will need: – Une pelle (a shovel), and a smaller coupe-bordures (a lawn edger) – Une bêche (a…
Le jardin secret (The Secret Garden) Posted by Hichem on Nov 22, 2010
Now, take a look around you, and tell us what you see? Walk on les dalles (the pavers) which form l’allée (the path) making your way to la terrasse (the patio) and you will see why people outside don’t know about your jardin secret: It is thoroughly surrounded by une haie (a hedge) and une clôture (a fence.) Along the path, there…
“L’Âme Des Poètes” (“The Soul of Poets”) Posted by Hichem on Nov 20, 2010
Before there was something called le synthétiseur (synthesizer or keyboard), the French had invented an instrument they named l’ondioline. And one of the first musical works ever recorded with this instrument is Charles Trenet‘s hit song called “L’Âme Des Poètes” (The Soul of Poets.) The song has known interpretations by une pléthore d’artistes (a plethora…
French Expressions about Sleep Posted by Hichem on Nov 17, 2010
Don’t sleep on these French sleep expressions. After une longue journée de travail (a long day of work), c’est normal d’avoir sommeil (it’s normal to feel sleepy), but if you can’t fall asleep, then you probably suffer from une insomnie (insomnia.) If you go to bed early, then you are a couche-tôt (early sleeper); if not…
L’ennemi (The Enemy) — Charles Baudelaire, “Les Fleurs du Mal” Posted by Hichem on Nov 12, 2010
Three years before he joined l’autre monde (the Other World), Baudelaire had this to say about his vision of reality, and its levels of existence: – “J’ai quelques convictions, dans un sens plus élevé, et qui ne peut pas être compris par les gens de mon temps.” Meaning: – “I have a few convictions, in a…
À la une Posted by Jennie on Nov 11, 2010
À la une means « on the front page, » or at the head of the news stories. Ce soir, examinons ce qui est à la une en France- ou bien, ce qui est enterré dans les pages au milieu ! Je me suis rendue compte (I realized) que je n’ai pas lu de journal en français (that…