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À l’École!: French and American Grade Levels Compared Posted by mtaulier on Feb 10, 2014
It seems like just yesterday I was beginning my first year of French school in the small town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the Lot-et-Garonne department of southwestern France. Jean Jaurès was l’école élémentaire publique (public elementary school) in my area and was named for the French socialist leader who lived in the early 20th century. The…
Comme Toi… (Like You…) Posted by mtaulier on Jan 31, 2014
Earlier this month, we looked at une chanson d’amour (a love song) written by French singer/songwriter Francis Cabrel called Je l’Aime à Mourir (I Love Her to Death). I hope you took the opportunity to seek out more of Cabrel’s work. There is plenty to choose from since this year will mark the 40th year…
Poetry in Motion: A Translation of La Fontaine’s Most Famous Fable Posted by mtaulier on Jan 29, 2014
Try to recall for a moment your days in grammar school. How many poems did you have to learn? Did you have to recite any devant la classe (before the class)? If you attended an English-speaking school, you may have studied poems by Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, John Keats, Lord Byron and the like. The…
Miette par Miette (Crumb by Crumb): Your Quick Guide to French Bread Posted by mtaulier on Jan 27, 2014
In the last post, I relayed a humorous anecdote about ma petite mésaventure (my little misadventure) with a baguette. Since France is known for its bread, I thought we could take a moment to explore the wonderful world of le pain Français (French bread). This might come in handy should you ever visit France and…
La Tentation de la Baguette (The Baguette Temptation) Posted by mtaulier on Jan 14, 2014
One of my fondest memories of living in France was walking into the boulangerie (bakery) down the street from where we lived. I can vividly remember the sudden burst of hot air I felt every time I stepped inside. The temperature outside the bakery didn’t matter, les fours (the ovens) never stopped working to bring…
Une Véritable Chanson d’Amour (A True Love Song): Je l’Aime à Mourir Posted by mtaulier on Jan 11, 2014
Bonjour une fois de plus et bonne année (Hello once again and happy new year)! This is a post pour ceux qui aiment les chansons d’amour (for those who like love songs) and what better way to sing a love song that to sing it in le langage de l’amour (the language of love)? J’aime…
A Trip to Paris: Visiting the French Capital’s Most Famous Attractions (Part 12) Posted by mtaulier on Dec 23, 2013
We have reached the final installment of our series. I hope you have enjoyed learning about the different tourist sights, but most of all I hope you will be able to benefit from this information if you ever travel to Paris. Remember that these sights represent a small portion of all the attractions in Paris…