Archive for January, 2018
Buckle Up And Learn A New French Expression! Posted by John Bauer on Jan 17, 2018
Learning des nouvelles expressions (new expressions) is always a mix of confusion and fun. It’s fun finding new and creative ways to say something, but it can also be incredibly frustrating when you hear something and have no idea what it means. Even if you know every word in la phrase (the sentence), it’s easy…
French Culture – Afro-Caribbean Edition Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 16, 2018
Last week we looked at some of the influences that France’s former colonies had on French culture. This week we’ll continue that exploration with a song that features influences from Africa and the Caribbean. Performed by Guadeloupe zouk* artist Jocelyne Labille and Congolese singer Cheela with help from French hip hop artist Passi (born in…
French Painting Vocabulary Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 15, 2018
It’s been abnormally cold in the northeast United States over the past few weeks, with temperatures dipping below zero. It’s been so cold, in fact, that I’ve just wanted to hibernate inside. But cold temperatures also provide good opportunities for getting things done inside the house. And, so, my family and I have taken these…
Lead Pipes And Clogged Drains – Plumbing In French Posted by John Bauer on Jan 10, 2018
Le déménagement (moving) is never the end of living somewhere new. There are always small problems that often require specific hardware or un bricoleur (a handyman). I recently had to deal with un tuyau bouché (a clogged pipe) in mon nouvel apartement (my new apartment), and while cleaning up the initial flooding was annoying, learning…
French Culture – Mali Edition Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 9, 2018
France, like a number of European countries, once controlled large areas of land outside of continental Europe. At the height of its colonial power, France had colonies from Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, to the Caribbean and the new world, and into large parts of Africa. Many of those former colonies make up what…
L’Ascension (French Film) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 8, 2018
My husband and I found a cute French comedy on Netflix the other night, called L’Ascension. It tells the story of a man who will do anything for love. L’Ascension (The Climb) tells the story of Samy (played by the comedian Ahmed Sylla), a young man who lives in La Courneuve, a banlieue of Paris. He is…
French Holidays: La fête des rois – Why Is there a Bean in My Cake?? Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jan 7, 2018
We’re now a week into 2018, and that means this past weekend was the official mark to the end of the 2017 holiday season. The Eastern Orthodox in Russia celebrated Christmas on January 7th, and the day before, the French partook in one of my favorite holidays: La fête des rois (Kings Day). January…