Archive for 'Culture'
Joyeuses Pâques ! Easter Vocabulary in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Apr 15, 2017
This week has been a holy one for Christians around the world. It’s called Paschal Triduum (and is sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum), and it contains 3 important days in the life of Jesus Christ. Maundy Thursday (jeudi saint) commemorates the Maundy (the Washing of the Feet) and the Last Supper. Good Friday…
A real star Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 28, 2017
Céline Dion is surely one of the world’s most successful and well-known French-language singers. Born in the Canadian province of Québec and singing originally exclusively in French, Céline has gone on to international stardom in English and in French, selling over 200 million albums worldwide (making her the best-selling Canadian artist of all time). Céline’s…
There Must Be More Than This Provincial Life! Beauty and the Beast’s Opening Number in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Mar 23, 2017
For the past few years, Disney has been remaking their animated classics into live action films. I was never a big fan of “Sleeping Beauty,” but I really enjoyed “Maleficent.” “Jungle Book” and “Cinderella” were great. “Mulan” is on the way soon, but it’s already been announced that this version will have no musical numbers…
French pronunciation basics part 2 Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 21, 2017
A few weeks ago, I shared a fun song that highlights proper pronunciation for the common ‘oo’ sound in French, based on requests for more help with pronunciation. This week in our continuing journey of sound, I thought it would be a good time to talk about final consonants. As many of you probably know…
A few of my favorite things Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 14, 2017
This week marks my cinquante-deuxième (52nd) entry to the Transparent Language French blog! Bon anniversaire à moi! (Happy anniversary to me!) Cinquante-deux semaine (52 weeks) means it’s been just un an (one year) since I first introduced myself to you! I hope it’s been une bonne année (a good year) for all of you and…
And the César Goes To… Best French Films of 2016 Posted by Josh Dougherty on Mar 10, 2017
Oscar season may be over, but there’s still some (understood) hype about the nominated movies and also the ceremony itself. Viola Davis gave an impassioned acceptance speech, Meryl Streep received a standing ovation for her “overrated” career, the Jimmy Kimmel/Matt Damon feud continued, political talk was able to sneak its way in, and we…
French Film: Un Peu, Beaucoup, Aveuglément Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Mar 7, 2017
A great way to avail yourself to French movies (and learning more French, particularly if you listen to the original French while reading the English subtitles) is through Netflix. Many of Netflix’s foreign films are French, and they get many of these films typically within a year after they are released in their native country…