Archive for June, 2016
Pucker Up! Bises vs. Bisous Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 30, 2016
The other day, I was asked to explain the difference between two words, so I decided it would make a nice little post and clear up any confusion our readers may also be having with some same confusing pair. Now that you’ve mastered c’est vs. il est, dans vs. en, and encore vs. toujours, let’s explore…
Is The Future Of The EU French? Posted by John Bauer on Jun 29, 2016
The recent Brexit vote in the UK has left many people wondering about the future of the EU. One aspect in particular has been questioned: the role of l’anglais (English) now that the UK is no longer a member, and the role of the other langues de travail (working languages), French and German. The role…
Potpourri * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 28, 2016
La semaine dernière (last week)**, we talked about changes in the French school week. Most notably about the change in the status of le mercredi. Once upone a time, Wednesday’s for younger children were filled with organized activities outside of school. For many older kids, Wednesday afternoons were filled with a trip to the movies…
L’argent: Expressions and Slang Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 27, 2016
Money has been in the news a lot lately, especially with the recent historical Brexit referendum. Since the British voted to exit the EU, stocks around the world have plummeted…and are still plummeting. And other large European countries, like France and Germany, are determining how this possible exit will leave their own economies. Given this interest…
Instrument Names in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 23, 2016
In my last post, I wrote about one of my biggest passions: l’opéra. I briefly mentioned some orchestra terms but focused more on what happens at an opera house. That being said, an opera can’t happen without an orchestra*, so I’d like to write more on the actual instruments. À mon avis, la voix est…
Is That Covered By Your Insurance In France? Posted by John Bauer on Jun 22, 2016
France is famous for l’amour et le vin (love and wine), and its culture that extends throughout the la francophonie. Cependant (however), France is also known for la bureaucratie et la paperasse (bureaucracy and paperwork). All countries have an element of la bureaucratie that can be extra difficult when you’re un étranger (a foreigner) and…
École le samedi ?!! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 21, 2016
C’est la fin de l’année scolaire (en France comme aux Etats-Unis). / It’s the end of the school year (in France and in the United States). In many ways school in France isn’t all that different from school in America, but in other ways, it’s quite different. School in France is highly centralized, and as…