Archive by Author
Zazie dans le métro . . . et ailleurs !* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 26, 2016
I finished a new livre (book) on vacation last week à la plage (at the beach).** Ok, it wasn’t new-new, but it was new to me. Zazie dans le métro (Zazie in the subway) is a 1959 novel by French author Raymond Queneau that was revolutionary in its use of language. Zazie (a name created by…
A Bastille Day Tribute Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 19, 2016
Last week’s Bastille Day celebrations ended in tragedy. Any day is the wrong day for such a terrible act, but on that day – a celebration of the French ideals of liberté, égalité, et fraternité (liberty, equality, and brotherhood) – it felt especially awful. July 14 may be changed forever by the events in Nice…
Pour ceux et celles qui aiment le vin * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 12, 2016
Ma tante Rose au Québec envoie souvent des courriels** avec des devinettes, des chansons, des images ou autre qu’elle trouve amusants. / My aunt Rose in Quebec often sends e-mail with riddles, songs, images, or other things she finds amusing. This week she sent one that, given last week’s discussion of meals and table settings…
A table! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 5, 2016
Les français aiment bien manger . . . moi aussi, d’ailleurs. / The French love to eat . . . and so do I. You can probably tell from some of my earlier posts, that food features prominently in my love of France and all things French. That wasn’t always the case though and still…
Potpourri * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 28, 2016
La semaine dernière (last week)**, we talked about changes in the French school week. Most notably about the change in the status of le mercredi. Once upone a time, Wednesday’s for younger children were filled with organized activities outside of school. For many older kids, Wednesday afternoons were filled with a trip to the movies…
École le samedi ?!! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 21, 2016
C’est la fin de l’année scolaire (en France comme aux Etats-Unis). / It’s the end of the school year (in France and in the United States). In many ways school in France isn’t all that different from school in America, but in other ways, it’s quite different. School in France is highly centralized, and as…
A vous de choisir! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 14, 2016
Vous: Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça ? Une chanson ? Encore ? Moi : Et oui, encore une chanson ! J’aime la musique, pas vous ? Et je voudrais partager celle-là avec vous.** The verb vouloir means « to want » or « to want to ». It’s very useful for expressing what your wishes and desires are when communicating with your French friends. When…