Archive for May, 2015
Using “de” with French Verbs Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 29, 2015
One of my biggest problems when I started learning French was prepositions (quoi?? a preposition is a word showing relation to another word in the clause. Par exemple: I always color outside the lines.). They can be very tricky because new learners will always want to translate their native language into French, and it just…
More Mistakes: Thinking in English Posted by John Bauer on May 27, 2015
Learning from des fautes (mistakes) is always useful. Les Français make many fautes when using French that can make learning the language faster and easier! En même temps (at the same time), there are many fautes that language learners make when their langue maternelle (native language) interferes. I wrote about des fautes French speakers make…
Vocabulaire de la plage Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on May 26, 2015
Aujourd’hui, je suis allée à la plage avec ma famille. Mon fils, qui a 2 ans, adore jouer dans le sable. Alors je lui ai apporté un seau et une pelle. Il s’est amusé pendant des heures à cacher des petits objets dans le sable et à chercher des coquillages. Mais il faut toujours rester prudent à…
France’s 2015 Eurovision Submission! Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 21, 2015
On Saturday night, most of Europe will be tuning in to the finale of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. If you’re not familiar with this contest, it’s an annual song competition with countries in the European Broadcasting Union participating. This year, for its 60th anniversary, the contest is taking place in Vienna, Austria, because last year’s…
Sorry For Le Temps: Lessons From Mistakes Posted by John Bauer on May 20, 2015
There are many fautes (mistakes) that francophones make in French that are useful. The complicated conjugations also hide how easy things are. Cependant (however), there’s another easy French lesson that is often overlooked! When francophones speak English, they make fautes that show how they are thinking in French and directly translating their thoughts into English…
Quels sont vos livres préférés? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on May 18, 2015
Aimez-vous lire, chers lecteurs/chères lectrices? Si vous répondez “oui,” quels sont vos livres préférés? I love to read. Some books have changed my life and some have saved my life. They’ve transformed the way I view the world and the people around me, have taught me how to empathize, and have helped guide me through rough…
Faire le Pont! – May Holidays in France Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 14, 2015
France, just like every other country, has many holidays throughout the year. With the creation of new holidays every year (such as National Doughnut Day — faites une croix dans vos calendriers [mark your calendars]! It’s June 5 this year!), it seems that there’s something to celebrate every day. Whether you believe in celebrating doughnuts…