Archive for 'Culture'
French Hard? Hakuna Matata! Learn French Through Disney Songs! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Oct 15, 2015
Have you ever been speaking a foreign language and you suddenly forget a simple word? It’s happened more times than I’d like to admit, but that’s part of foreign language experience. (Who am I kidding? Happens to me in English sometimes, too :-p ). Maybe I should start taking ginkgo biloba? Anyway, I’ll be speaking…
French Weird Al – Oldelaf et Monsieur D Posted by John Bauer on Oct 14, 2015
Music parody champion Weird Al is celebrated for his wit and ability to imitate songs in both a funny and clever way. The only problem is il ne chante pas en français (he doesn’t sing in French)! Heureusement (luckily), there is un groupe français (a French group) that nicely fills the music comedy niche! Oldelaf…
Chasing The Sun – L’Heure D’Hiver Posted by John Bauer on Sep 30, 2015
Last week was l’équinoxe d’automne (the autumnal equinox) marking shorter days and colder weather. It also marks la saison des moissons (the harvest season) and many holidays across the world. However, there’s one tradition d’automne (autumn tradition) that is annoying for everyone involved. L’heure d’hiver Standard time En automne on gagne une heure (you gain…
Only 24 Hours in a Day – French Time Posted by John Bauer on Sep 23, 2015
Before moving to France I had never said seventeen o’clock. In France, that’s the normal way to say five o’clock PM. France uses a 24 hour clock rather than an AM/PM system. This extends into the spoken language, and while you can say huit heures du soir (eight o’clock in the evening) or huit heures…
Keyboard Clash! Typing in French – AZERTY Posted by John Bauer on Sep 2, 2015
After all my hardware problems in the summer heat, I finally had to go out and buy a new computer. Qfter thqt; there zqs q proble, – After that, there was a problem. Le clavier (the keyboard) was in French, and Le clavier français is a bit different from le clavier anglais. Le clavier has…
Who Ya Gonna Call? Not Nine One One! Posted by John Bauer on Aug 19, 2015
After figuring out how les numéros de téléphones français (French phone numbers) work and when things are open (even on Sundays!), there is a big thing some people don’t release when they’re going abroad. Qui est-ce qu’on appelle en cas d’urgence ? Who do you call in an emergency? The American number, 911, does not…
En Garde! Pharmacies Are Always Open! Posted by John Bauer on Aug 12, 2015
Getting used to French working hours is pretty easy. You just need to plan ahead a little bit, and you can always find small things that are still ouvert (open) to hold you over if you’re caught in a long holiday. I was fine with all of that and working with the French schedule, until…