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12 Points for France! How Did France do in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest? Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 13, 2018
It’s May! If you grew up in Europe (or Australia?), you know the best time of year has finally arrived. It has nothing to do with the warm weather or holidays and everything to do with a little friendly competition between countries. More glitzy than “American Idol” and less heartbreaking stories than “The Voice” is…
Spice up Your Life! Herbs and Spices in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Mar 25, 2018
It’s amazing how a little salt and pepper can enhance the flavor of a dish, but it’s generally a blend of other épices (spices; feminine) that bring a dish’s full flavor profile to the surface. Ces aromates (seasonings; masculine) can transport you to an exotic land, remind you of home-cooked meals from your childhood, or…
Celebrate Tongue Twister Contest Day with These Tricky French Sentences Posted by Josh Dougherty on Feb 25, 2018
Nothing better than having fun while learning, right? It’s been stated many times on this blog that mastering French pronunciation isn’t the most intuitive exercise, but with enough practice, you can sound quite fluid in your speech. Music is a popular language-learning method. It allows you to hear new words and expressions in context by…
French Music – Louane – Si t’étais là Posted by Josh Dougherty on Feb 4, 2018
Ah, February. For many, it means another cold few weeks (Thanks, Punxsutawney Phil), but luckily on the west coast, we’re experiencing some record-breaking highs, and I’m quite ok with that! Whether you’ll be celebrating it bundled up or in shorts, the holiday for lovers is right around the corner, and it’s not always a happy…
What Does a Dog Say in French? Come Learn the Animal Sounds! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jan 21, 2018
Dogs, turkeys, and lions are all over the world, and they all make the same sounds. These sounds, though, are portrayed differently in our spoken languages. Over the new year holiday, I went on a cruise with my friend and her family. At some point, my friend and her brother were teasing their Russian stepmother…
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…
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel – Come Learn about Hanukkah in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 23, 2017
December is a very festive month for people all around the world. We’ve covered French Christmas vocabulary, songs, and traditions quite a few times on the blogs, but we haven’t yet looked at Hanukkah. It’s a wonderful Jewish holiday celebrating the miracle of the long-burning flames. There are roughly 480,000 Jewish people living in France…