Archive for February, 2019
Take A Voyage To The 80s – French Retro Music Posted by John Bauer on Feb 27, 2019
Having a wide variety of music en français to chose from is important for any French learner. Not only does it get you prepared for any impromptu karaoke nights with les Français (French people), but it also makes it easier to find une chanson (a song) that you genuinely enjoy and want to listen to…
French Culture – Saving History Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 26, 2019
One of the things I always loved about living in France was just how much history was … everywhere! On my very first visit to la Bretagne my host brother took me to see le Mont Saint-Michel and to the ruins of an ancient château fort in the middle of the woods. For a kid…
C’est Du Peu Au Jus – French Expression For Counting Down Posted by John Bauer on Feb 21, 2019
Les expressions françaises (French expressions) have a funny way of sneaking into conversations and making what should be a simple sentence suddenly impossible to understand. It can feel strange to have no problem recognizing every word, but struggle to find any meaning in how they are put together! I was surprised when mon collègue (my…
French language and culture – the past as prologue Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 19, 2019
I’ve talked about nostalgia before. I’ve also shared mid-century songs from French yé-yé singers like Katty Line and Jacqueline Taïeb . But as the movement known as les gilets jaunes enters its third month, I had to share this new oldie I came across. Plus ça change… / The more things change… While les gilets jaunes don’t have…
Don’t Forget The Attachment – Sending Documents In French Posted by John Bauer on Feb 13, 2019
Sending emails en français is an inescapable part of office life en France. Nothing makes this more real than coming back after a few days off and having to get through a mountain of email before normal work can pick up again. Sending emails en français can be confusing for un anglophone (an English speaker)…
Here and Now – More useful French expressions Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 12, 2019
Last June I wrote a post with common terms for describing où et quand (where and when) things happen. This week we’ll explore some more useful time and place terms (and enjoy a new song from the French musician/group Yelle). Ici ou ailleurs Français English ici here là there (or here, depending on the context)…
Lost In The Deep Blue French – Translating Le Bleu Lumière Posted by John Bauer on Feb 6, 2019
After spending the last week singing les paroles (the lyrics) of my favorite song from Vaiana (Moana), I needed to bring it up again. In general, les paroles are often about creatively mixing sounds and words to evoke specific emotions from the audience and that’s no different in the case of How Far I’ll Go…