Archive for the year 2012
French Grammar vs. English Grammar: Passive Voice Exceptions Posted by Hichem on Oct 4, 2012
It is an undeniable fact: English grammar is way more flexible (and in a way more “relaxed”) than its French counterpart. But that, of course, is not necessarily a French disadvantage: It is no pure coincidence that French has always been celebrated as “the language of clarity and precision”, and was for many centuries the…
La Semaine Prochaine (Next Week) Posted by Hichem on Oct 1, 2012
There is something that you need to know about setting up appointments in French: When for example someone tells you “on se voit jeudi prochain“, although it may translate literally as the English “we meet up *next* Thursday”, i.e. not this upcoming Thursday but the Thursday of the following week, in reality it means the…
Demander la Lune (To Ask for the Moon) Posted by Hichem on Sep 30, 2012
Just as it’s the case in English, the French expression demander la lune means “to ask for the moon“, “to ask for too much”; “to ask for something impossible or nearly impossible to get.” Now imagine if people demandaient la lune à la lune elle-même (asked the moon itself for the moon), how often can they get…
Delicious French Dessert: Tarte Tatin Posted by Hichem on Sep 29, 2012
Named after a chef by the name of Stephanie Tatin who lived more than a hundred years ago, this elegant French dessert was invented almost as a result of an accident—and what a deliciously happy accident it was! The Cooking Channel rates this recipe “Difficult“, but it’s no reason for us to baisser les bras…
How to Understand French Pronominal Verbs Posted by Hichem on Sep 27, 2012
Les verbes pronominaux are usually easily recognizable: They are accompanied by a pronoun which agrees with the subject. These pronouns can be: me te se nous vous For example, take the verb se nourrir, which is another way to say manger (to eat), similar to the English verb to nourish, to feed (oneself.) You would say…
Comme Toi (Like You) Posted by Hichem on Sep 23, 2012
This is the story of a little girl who was barely eight years old. She lived in Warsaw, Poland. It was the eve of the Second World War. The horrible Holocaust was about to be unleashed by the Nazis. All she wanted was to play and enjoy a happy life. All she wanted was to…
Powerful French Movie: “Hors-la-loi” (Outside the Law) Posted by Hichem on Sep 22, 2012
If you were looking to discover a new powerful French movie, then here is one strongly recommended for you to watch: It’s called “Hors-la-loi” (“Outside the Law.“) One film reviewer had this to say about it: “A tense, energetic historical drama on a grand scale — somewhere between Bertolucci and Michael Mann.” In the previous post…