Archive for July, 2020
The Regions in France Posted by Bridgette on Jul 31, 2020
Bonjour tout le monde! I thought today we would have a bit of a history lesson and breakdown of the regions in France! La Métropole, or mainland France, comprises of 13 régions. There are an additional 5 regions located in la France d’outre-mer, or overseas France. Together, they are referred to as la France entière, the whole of France…
French Vocabulary – Town and Country Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 28, 2020
It’s easy to think, when you look at a bilingual dictionary, that there is a right word in French for every word in English. Sometimes though picking the right word in another language is complicated by nuances of meaning. Le Rat de la ville et le Rat des champs Ville (n.f; la ville) is one such…
French Language – Right is right Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 21, 2020
It’s not uncommon to forget or to mix up words when you first start learning a new language. I once asked for un orteil sans plume (a toe without feathers) when what I really wanted was un oreiller sans plume (a pillow without feathers)! These sorts of errors usually work themselves out with practice, but…
Carcassonne Posted by Bridgette on Jul 16, 2020
Coucou tout le monde! Hi there everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Fête Nationale! This was the first time in the past 5 years that I was not in France for le 14 juillet, and although I was sad about my canceled travel plans, I have been reflecting on just how lucky I…
French Culture – Fireworks Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 14, 2020
Happy Bastille Day! Or as they say in France Joyeux quatorze juillet. This year because of Covid-19 the annual celebrations of the birth of the French republic will look a little different, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate. Un défilé, des bals, et des feux d’artifices A typical quatorze juillet (July 14th) in France…
French Vocabulary – Open Doors Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 7, 2020
Business promotional materials can provide tons of great practice for language learners. They can help us work on telling time, recognizing the names of days and the months, and even learn a little bit about local culture. Like in this week’s video from my favorite French business … La pépinière Les Hortensias du Haut-Bois. Vous…
French Tongue Twisters Posted by Bridgette on Jul 3, 2020
Les virelangues, tongue twisters, are an excellent way to practice your language skills. They help with pronunciation, clear and quick speech, as well as your confidence. When practicing the following virelangues, remember they are even hard for French native speakers. Don’t feel dismayed, and keep practicing for fun! Je suis ce que je suis, et si…