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Master The French Nasal Vowels in No Time! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 25, 2017
French pronunciation isn’t the easiest, even for advanced speakers. It requires making new facial expressions to get the perfect sound, awakening barely-used muscles in your vocal tract (French R, anyone?), and rounding your lips more than you thought necessary. It’s a lot of work for learners, but once you have it down, speaking the language…
Can You Pronounce These 10 Difficult French Words? Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 13, 2017
Last week, we shared a photo on Facebook listing the 10 hardest French words to pronounce. “Hardest” can definitely change from speaker to speaker, but I can attest that some of these words have certainly thrown me off in the past. Today, we’re going to look at all 10 of these words one by…
RIP Jeanne Moreau – Come Hear Her Most Famous Song! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 4, 2017
On Monday, director, screenwriter, actress, and singer Jeanne Moreau passed away at the age of 89. Jeanne was best known for her portrayal of Catherine in François Truffaut’s 1962 New Wave masterpiece Jules et Jim. The plot focuses around 2 friends with opposite personalities who share the same passion for art, literature, and women. Unsurprisingly…
Grab Your Kitchen Torch & Let’s Celebrate National Crème Brûlée Day! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jul 27, 2017
July has a lot of important holidays – we have Canada’s Canada Day on the 1st, the USA’s Independence Day on the 4th, and Bastille Day in France on the 14th. These holidays are all meaningful for a number of reasons, but it would be an absolute tragedy if I didn’t mention July’s most sinfully…
Happy Birthday, Canada! Have You Heard Her National Anthem? Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jul 3, 2017
On Saturday, July 1st, Canadians (and the world – many cities lit up their important buildings in red and white) celebrated 150 years of innovation, art, and history. This holiday exists to recognize the passing of the Constitutional Act of 1867 which united the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into one. Much…
How Did France do in the 2017 Eurovision Competition? Come Hear Their Song Choice! Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 18, 2017
Another May, another Eurovision. May is that special time of the year in Europe where countries go to battle for the best song. Each country chooses a singer to represent the them, and both an official jury and the European public decide on the winner via a point system. You can learn more about the…
Joyeuses Pâques ! Easter Vocabulary in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Apr 15, 2017
This week has been a holy one for Christians around the world. It’s called Paschal Triduum (and is sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum), and it contains 3 important days in the life of Jesus Christ. Maundy Thursday (jeudi saint) commemorates the Maundy (the Washing of the Feet) and the Last Supper. Good Friday…