Archive for 'Culture'
Calendrier de l’Avent – Waiting For Christmas In French Posted by John Bauer on Dec 13, 2017
When I was growing up I loved waking up every morning and being able to open a new door on le calandrier de l’Avent (the Advent Calendar). The gifts inside was never anything special, but they definitely added to l’esprit des fêtes (the holiday spirit). C’est bientôt Noël (it’s Christmas soon), and that means that…
French Language and Culture – At school Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 12, 2017
As I’ve mentioned before, ma tante Rose (my Aunt Rose) likes to send funny jokes and pictures from the internet. Her latest courriel (email) contained an attachment that sent me off on a little bit of an internet adventure. Unfortunately it meant a lot of extra digging. Fortunately it led to some fun discoveries that I’ll…
A Little French Breakfast Vocabulary To Start The Day Posted by John Bauer on Dec 6, 2017
Le petit déjeuner (breakfast) is the first meal of the day and while la cuisine (the food) and the time may vary from place to place, everywhere in the world has some kind of breakfast. It may take a while for some people to wake up, but everyone has une routine du matin (a morning…
French Musician: Vianney Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 4, 2017
Over the past few years, a new musical sensation has emerged in France. His name is Vianney and, at the age of twenty-four, he was one of the youngest French artists to ever be awarded artiste interprète of the year at the 2016 Victoires de la Musique. Vianney’s first single was “Je te déteste,” which…
Handfuls Of Hands – Common Gestures In French Posted by John Bauer on Nov 29, 2017
There are often small things that can be hard to learn in French because they aren’t things that are often said. Talking about specific hardware or buying a bed can lead to learning some interesting vocabulary. A similar difficult part of learning the language is learning the words for les gestes (gestures). When I first…
French Vocabulary – Nap Time Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 28, 2017
Last Thursday we celebrated the very American holiday of Thanksgiving* here in the United States. And while Thanksgiving is not typically celebrated in France, some of my best memories from my times in France happened on or around Thanksgiving time. First some vocabulary After dinner Thursday, I entered a state lovingly referred to in the…
Like Wine? You Gotta Try the Beaujolais Nouveau! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Nov 26, 2017
It’s November, and for those of us in the States, the 4th Thursday of the month means expressing our gratitude by stuffing ourselves senseless with turkey and lining up to go shopping at 4am the next morning. In France, though, it is the 3rd Thursday that’s a big deal. Unlike the US’s special November Thursday…