Archive for May, 2011
French Homophones: “Ça”, “çà”, and “sa” Posted by Hichem on May 30, 2011
Whether or not you’ve been fully or partially diagnosed with a desperately incurable case of “coulrophobie” (that -please don’t laugh- is the serious term that applies to the “phobia of clowns”), using “ça” in French grammar should not be as terrifying of an experience as, say, watching all alone in the grim darkness of…
CROIS-tu pouvoir conjuguer ce verbe? (Do You BELIEVE You Can Conjugate This Verb)? Posted by Hichem on May 29, 2011
Attention! “Crois en moi” and “crois-moi” don’t mean the same thing: The former means “believe in me”, while the latter, a bit less demanding, simply means “believe me”… Now, crois-moi (believe me), la conjugaison of the verb CROIRE is not that complicated! * * * But before putting your conjugaison skills to the test, here are…
French Folklore: “Cortège de noce” (“Wedding Procession”) Posted by Hichem on May 28, 2011
Imagine for a moment the swirling cauldron of emotions lying within the soul of a potential “runaway bride”, one living in the times of medieval France, who is suddenly forced to leave everything behind, family and friends, walking in a long “cortège de noce” (“wedding procession”), which ultimately leads her to settle with a husband…
Top 100 French Verbs Posted by Hichem on May 26, 2011
C’est vrai, on n’a pas trop le choix (it’s true, one doesn’t have much choice): Memorizing de nouveaux verbes (new verbs) is absolutely essential to learn, and ultimately master, la langue française. But the one question that often challenges the new students is always the same: “Par où doit-on commencer?” (“Where should one start from?”) One way to…
Viens, on va jouer dehors—Come, We’re Gonna Play Outside… K, Mademoiselle? Posted by Hichem on May 25, 2011
Today’s post features a recent music video of Mademoiselle K, filmed somewhat dans un “style renversé” (in a “reversed style”) that is in a way reminiscent of the American thriller “Memento.” And although la mise en scène (the staging) involves des vampires, the whole thing somehow manages “not to suck“… – À vous d’en juger maintenant (You…
François Feldman’s “Joue pas” (“Don’t Play”) Posted by Hichem on May 24, 2011
French people remember François Feldman as a distinguished chanteur (singer) who left an indelible mark on the French song scene of the 1980‘s. But in addition to an early successful carrière (career), they tend to remember his later “gaffe“, or to use nowadays popular “mème internet“(“Internet meme”), his “EPIC FAIL“, so to speak, performed en direct (live) on French Television, in…
Crêpes à l’ananas (Pineapple crepes) Posted by Hichem on May 23, 2011
L’ananas (pineapple) is a tropical fruit pas comme les autres (unlike the others)! Yes, just ask the Dominican botanist Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre, the Frenchman who joined les hollandais (the Dutch) against les espagnols (the Spaniards) during the siege of Maastricht, almost 400 years before the two would meet again in a World Cup final, and about 40 years…