Archive for 'Culture'
Les comptines Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jul 4, 2016
In my house, we sing lots of comptines, or French nursery rhymes. I’m partial myself to Au clair de la lune, which coincidentally, is the song featured on one of the earliest recordings ever made in 1860. (You can listen to it here, although it is somewhat difficult to hear.) However, there is a simpler (and newer)…
Pucker Up! Bises vs. Bisous Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 30, 2016
The other day, I was asked to explain the difference between two words, so I decided it would make a nice little post and clear up any confusion our readers may also be having with some same confusing pair. Now that you’ve mastered c’est vs. il est, dans vs. en, and encore vs. toujours, let’s explore…
Is The Future Of The EU French? Posted by John Bauer on Jun 29, 2016
The recent Brexit vote in the UK has left many people wondering about the future of the EU. One aspect in particular has been questioned: the role of l’anglais (English) now that the UK is no longer a member, and the role of the other langues de travail (working languages), French and German. The role…
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…
Instrument Names in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 23, 2016
In my last post, I wrote about one of my biggest passions: l’opéra. I briefly mentioned some orchestra terms but focused more on what happens at an opera house. That being said, an opera can’t happen without an orchestra*, so I’d like to write more on the actual instruments. À mon avis, la voix est…
Is That Covered By Your Insurance In France? Posted by John Bauer on Jun 22, 2016
France is famous for l’amour et le vin (love and wine), and its culture that extends throughout the la francophonie. Cependant (however), France is also known for la bureaucratie et la paperasse (bureaucracy and paperwork). All countries have an element of la bureaucratie that can be extra difficult when you’re un étranger (a foreigner) and…
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…