Archive by Author
A Brazilian Sings “La Nuit de mon Amour” (“The Night of My Love”) Posted by Hichem on Jul 9, 2011
Do you think that learning and mastering French from scratch is next to impossible? Well, think again mes amis ! Here’s a shinning example of une fille Brésilienne (a Brazilian girl), who -it’s hard in this case not to think of Linda de Souza and her “Valise en carton“ (“Cardboard Suitcase”)- was forced to travel a lot during her childhood, mainly because of the political situation that dominated her…
A Very Catchy “Bric-À-Brac” (Mish-Mash) of French Vocabulary! Posted by Hichem on Jul 4, 2011
A Very Catchy “Bric-À-Brac” (Mish-Mash) of French Vocabulary! Priscilla – “Bric-À-Brac” (“Mish-Mash”) J’ai décidé I decided Mes désirs, mes idées, My desires, my ideas De les garder To keep them Comme barricadés Like barricaded Car les aider Because helping them À s’évader, à minauder, To escape, to simper M’avait désaccordée Made me out of…
Let Le Tour de France Begin! Posted by Hichem on Jul 2, 2011
Le Tour de France a commencé ! If you’re not a serious cycliste, it can be hard to get excited about watching a monthlong bike race, and it’s also sometimes hard to find the Tour on TV. Voici une solution au premier problème: Suivez le Tour de France en direct. That lien (link) should show the Tour “en…
All For One, And One For Al…exandre Dumas! Posted by Hichem on Jul 1, 2011
If you take the Paris metro these days, you’ll notice a mini-story of Alexandre Dumas, who lent his name to a station de métro ! Born in 1802, a year before the outburst of the Napoleonic Wars, the same year as Victor Hugo was born, he was the son, just like Hugo, of a Général d’Empire…
From Panamá To “Paname”: L’Histoire d’un Amour (A Love Story) Posted by Hichem on Jun 28, 2011
It’s just l’histoire d’un amour (a love story), banal yet eternal, that was first born in Panamá, then traveled the world through an Egyptian-born French Diva of Italian origins, to finally become a widely known French song From Panamá to “Paname” (as Paris is still nicknamed to this day, after the famous “Panama hat” in…
Attention Tourists! “Voler” in French Can Mean “To Fly”—Or “To Steal”! Posted by Hichem on Jun 28, 2011
Already in October 2008, there was mention of a baggage theft ring that “was caught at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport with approximately 450,000 euros worth of stolen goods. The baggage handlers’ finds included computers, iPods, iPhones, cell phones, jewelry, perfume, luxury shoes and travelers checks. Many items were later sold on eBay. In 2007, there were 621…
French Books to Read in the Summer Posted by Hichem on Jun 24, 2011
C’est l’été, enfin! (It’s the Summer, finally!) Many friends of mine have been telling me as of late how they’re excited to seize the opportunity of the sudden extra free time in their hands to catch up with la lecture de loisir (leisure reading)—As opposed to the force-fed textbook “reading assignments” of the school year- and they especially asked…