Archive for May, 2012
Energy and Power Politics: The French vs. The German Model Posted by Hichem on May 25, 2012
Don’t bury Nicolas Sarkozy just yet! Now that François Hollande is French President, he will have to answer, sur le terrain (on the ground), to some of the tougher questions raised by his ex-rival Sarkozy during their Presidential debate. Let’s pick up from the portion of the debate where we left it last time. Hollande and…
Indicative or subjunctive? Posted by Adir on May 25, 2012
Last Friday we took a look at how some irregular verbs are conjugated in the Present Subjunctive in French. It is not always easy to know when to use verbs in the Indicative or Subjunctive mode in French so I gathered some key expressions to help you when to use the indicative or subjunctive in…
Le subjonctif présent – irregular verbs Posted by Adir on May 18, 2012
Salut! Comment ça va? The subjunctive is a pretty hard verb tense for English speakers who are learning French so today we are going to review the regular verb form and also some irregular verbs. On commence? The subjonctif présent is formed with the root of the third person plural of the verb in the…
Talking about love, en français Posted by Adir on May 11, 2012
Ah! Love is a many splendored thing, isn’t it? So today let’s learn some vocabulary related to love, dating and (yes!) breaking up! T’est prêt? (Are you ready?) Sortir (avec quelqu’un) = to be seeing someone, to date someone Patrcia semble être beaucoup plus heureuse depuis qu’elle a commencé à sortir avec Michel. [Patricia look…
How to talk about the weather in French Posted by Adir on May 7, 2012
Have you ever been in that awkward situation when you need to break the ice, rompre la glace, and don’t know what to say? Well, talk about the weather! Exactly, the weather is a great conversation opener and here some sentences for you to show off your French when you find yourself in this type…
French Tribute Song to Sarkozy’s Memorable “Casse-toi, Pauv’Con” Posted by Hichem on May 5, 2012
French singer Tum Sally insisted upon paying a vibrant tribute to Nicolas Sarkozy by immortalizing his now (in-)famous slur aimed at an old farmer who had the impudence of refusing to shake his hand: “Casse-toi, Pauv’Con” (“Get Lost, You Jerk”)! Tum Sally’s “Casse-toi, Pov’Con” (“Get Lost, You Jerk”) A bit of a strange name, “Tum…
Hollande Vs. Sarkozy: Comics, Economics, and Freakonomics! (Part II) Posted by Hichem on May 4, 2012
Nicolas Sarkozy is a man of contradictions: When a handful of delinquents welcomed him with rotten eggs at one of the Parisian banlieues, he didn’t hesitate to call them racailles (scum.) Yet he never shied away from using un langage de voyou (thuggish language) himself: To an old man who refused to shake his hand, he said “Casse-toi, pauv’ con” (“F***…