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Parlez-vous Français?: A Study of French Expressions (Part 6) Posted by mtaulier on Oct 27, 2014
Have you had a chance to apply some of the French idioms we saw in previous posts? In parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 we covered a variety of expressions, many of which can be used in everyday language in one way or another. It may take a little time to become familiar with…
Google Earth: Visit France from the Comfort of Your Home Posted by mtaulier on Oct 22, 2014
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” —Saint Augustine Reading and learning about France is one thing. Visiting the country is something entirely different. Exploring distant lands and experiencing cultures firsthand is undoubtedly one of life’s most rewarding experiences. You may have a fear of flying or…
La Dame Blanche (The White Lady): Mont Blanc Posted by mtaulier on Oct 18, 2014
Bonjour mes amis! (Hello my friends!) I thought it might be interesting to study un peu de Géographie (a little Geography). Histoire/Géographie (History/Geography) was a combined course in French schools and part of the standard curriculum in the early 1990s. Students would call it Histoire/Géo for short and I clearly remember the green cahier (notebook)…
Parlez-vous Français?: A Study of French Expressions (Part 5) Posted by mtaulier on Sep 29, 2014
Bored with your everyday use of the French language? Are you looking to add un peu de variété (a little variety) to your daily discourse? Language is often limited by the extent of our vocabulaire (vocabulary), our grasp of proper grammaire (grammar) and, to a lesser extent, our knowledge and application of colloquialisms. People’s ears…
Les Fables de La Fontaine: L’Huître et les Plaideurs Posted by mtaulier on Sep 26, 2014
Famous French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine offers us another poetic gem in L’Huître et les Plaideurs (The Oyster and the Litigants). La Fontaine was not only a master of the French language but had the ability to tell des histoires (stories) that people from all walks of life could relate to. You will notice…
Le Journal: An overview of French Newspapers (Part 5) Posted by mtaulier on Sep 24, 2014
Welcome to our final installment in this series on French newspapers. Click the following links if you’ve missed any of the earlier posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. I hope this has been an enjoyable and informative set of posts for you and I trust you will take advantage of some…
Le Journal: An overview of French Newspapers (Part 4) Posted by mtaulier on Sep 16, 2014
Thank you for joining me once again as we review a selection of the most widely read french newspapers. In part 1, I presented an overview of the different sections found in a typical newspaper that will help you navigate its contents. In part 2, we learned about Le Monde and Le Figaro and in…