Archive for July, 2018
On a wing and a prayer Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 31, 2018
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about contemporary musicals in France. One of the songs featured got me thinking about the word ailes (wings) and all the things that fly – or don’t! – with wings. Aile (wing) Before we get to the song, a few examples of the different ways the word aile can be…
Un Cafard D’Eau – Accidentally Ordering Cockroach Water In French Posted by John Bauer on Jul 25, 2018
Making mistakes is a big part of learning une nouvelle langue (a new language). Even after years of practice it can still be very easy to mix up two words that sound similar. I went to une crêperie (a restaurant that sells crêpes) to have a nice dinner with some friends, il y a quelques…
Ticket Chic No More Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 24, 2018
From its rubber tires to its station signs and art deco entrance-ways, the Paris Metro is one of the oldest, one of the busiest, and perhaps one of the most recognized public transportation systems in the world. In a city of so many iconic sights, it might seem strange that one of the most iconic is…
On Est Les Champions ! Renaming Le Métro For The French Team! Posted by John Bauer on Jul 18, 2018
This past month has been intense as countries around the world met en Russie (in Russia) for la Coupe du monde (the World Cup). After the excitement of making it to the finals, la France pushed it to the next level and won le tournoi (the tournament) with a thunderous chant of “Allez les Bleus”…
French Culture – The Modern Musical Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 17, 2018
A few years ago I wrote a post about my favorite comédie* musicale française (French musical), Starmania. At the time I alluded to the fact that, after years of all but ignoring the art form, France had a bit of a resurgence of modern comédies musicales over the past decade. As recently as 2013, there were no less…
On Est En Finale ! France Winning La Coupe Du Monde ! Posted by John Bauer on Jul 11, 2018
La coupe du monde (the World Cup) is raging on and importantly for French learners, ever since la demi-finale (the semi-finals) un pays francophone (a French speaking country) has had an assured spot en finale (in the finals). With la Belgique (Belgium) being left behind, la Francophonie marches on with les Français shouting one thing…
French Vocabulary – Time to Take Off Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 10, 2018
In just under a month, my son and I are going to décoller vers la France (take off for France) for a sort of father-son pilgrimage. We had such a great time last year that we’re going back! Décoller is the French verb for un avion (an airplane) that is taking off. The actual moment of lift off is…