Archive for December, 2016
In The Kingdom Of The Winter Snowman – French Christmas Carols Posted by John Bauer on Dec 14, 2016
La période de Noël est ici (Christmas time is here) ! Every time I leave mon appartement (my apartment) I can hear les chants de Noël (Christmas carols) as I make my way to le marché de Noël to drink du vin chaud. While listening to la musique, I was surprised that many of les chansons…
Drôles d’invitées* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 13, 2016
Le temps des fêtes (holiday season) is just about my favorite time of year. At my house we love to really get into it and decorate which . . . when you do it the way we do . . . takes some time! While we decorate, we like to watch movies that put us…
Adjective Placement in French (Part 2) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 12, 2016
Last week, we went over an easy acronym to help you determine where to place an adjective in relation to the noun it is modifying. However, as we know, there are exceptions to grammar rules. And with French adjective order, the rules can get tricky … particularly when certain adjectives change meaning depending on where…
Jingling Your Bells in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 8, 2016
It’s December, and before you know it, Santa Claus will be flying son char à travers les cieux (his sleigh across the skies). The tree is up, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with glee, and outside the snow…well, it’s currently raining where I live, but it doesn’t snow here, anyway. I love…
La Cérémonie De Remise Des Diplômes – Graduating In France Posted by John Bauer on Dec 7, 2016
After many months of hard work on mon mémoire and years of studying for mon master, I finally received mon diplôme (my diploma) here in France! La plupart des universités (most universities) in France do not have a special ceremony when it’s time to graduate. Normalement (normally), you receive le diplôme in the mail or…
Trois recettes pour les fêtes* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 6, 2016
![By Nickolas Muray [No restrictions or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://blogs.transparent.com/french/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/12/McCalls_magazine_cover_family_arriving_in_the_kitchen_for_the_holidays-286x350.jpg)
Après novembre, décembre est arrive! (After November, December has arrived!) Et qui dit ‘décembre’ dit ‘fêtes’! (And that means the holidays!) Noël (Christmas) is just three weeks away and since we’re hosting ma belle-famille (my in-laws, sisters, nieces, nephews, and more!) it’s time to start getting ready. An important part of any holiday celebration is the…
Les Petites Noires Chaussures? Ou Les Petites Chaussures Noires? (Adjective Placement in French) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 5, 2016
So, which one is right? Les petites noires chaussures? Or … les petites chaussures noires? Believe it or not, there are rules governing proper adjective placement in English, too, although we are not typically aware of them. Native English speakers typically can “feel out” whether something is correct or not by how it sounds. This is why you…