Archive for 'Culture'
How’s It Waxing? – Silly French Slang Posted by John Bauer on Jun 13, 2019
Words can unintentional sound funny when switching between le français et l’anglais (French and English). Les faux amis (false friends) like raisin juice are fun on their own, but when a perfectly normal word in one language sounds like a more cheeky word in the other, the effect is greatly amplified. I recently learned un…
What’s new in Old Quebec Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 11, 2019
As I’ve shared before, I’m a big fan of la ville de Québec. Most of my experiences though have revolved around the Old City. And while I still adore (adore … it’s a cognate!) the Chateau Frontenac, le Petit Champlain, and la Place Royale, on a recent trip to the city for a family event…
Singing Along To A Familiar Song – Beyoncé’s Halo In French Posted by John Bauer on Jun 6, 2019
La musique (music) is always a great way to keep studying when you’re tired of looking at les conjugaisons (conjugations) and le vocabulaire (vocabulary). Finding a fun chanson (song) that you sing along to outside of the classroom turns boring practice into a new hobby. Les chanteurs français (French singers) are incredibly famous with songs…
French vocabulary – Food shopping Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 4, 2019
While it is true that there are more and more épiceries (grocery stores) in France and that more people font leurs emplettes dans des grands-surfaces (do their shopping in big stores) or in des supermarchés (super markets), most Français (French people) still do a fair amount of their food shopping in small, often-family-owned shops that…
Claude François Singing About A New Car – Famous French Singers Posted by John Bauer on May 23, 2019
Une chanson rigolote (a funny song) can be a nice way to relax after a long day au bureau (at work) or à l’école (at school). When la chanson comes with an even sillier video, all the stress of the day just disappears for at least a few minutes. Claude François is one of the…
Softly Singing About Snails – French Nursery Rhymes Posted by John Bauer on May 16, 2019
This past weekend was la fête des Mères (Mother’s Day), or at least it was aux États-Unis (in the United States). If you’re French, ne vous inquiétez pas (don’t worry), it’s not Mother’s Day until next week! This year was a particularly special fête des Mères for ma famille (my family). It was the first…
When Pigs Fly And Chicken Have Teeth – Impossible French Expressions Posted by John Bauer on May 9, 2019
When facing the impossible it can be useful to have something fun to say to help make a joke of the situation. Whether it’s au second degré (sarcastic) or an honestly difficult task doesn’t matter as much as far as the language is concerned. Growing up I often heard a fun expression to diffuse anything…