Archive for 'Grammar'
L’imparfait… rhymes with DMCV! Posted by Jennie on Nov 6, 2010
Dieu merci, c’est vendredi! “Thank God it’s Friday” Let’s start with l’imparfait, and see what we can do about DMCV. II. L’imparfait L’imparfait is used for an ongoing state of being (e.g., being young: “When I was young…”) or a repeated or incomplete action. It’s used for actions that did not end at a specific point…
Le passé composé Posted by Jennie on Oct 28, 2010
I started studying French in middle school, and by 8th grade, I thought had learned everything. All I needed was a little more vocabulary, and I’d be fluent. Then I came into class one day, and my teacher said, Alors la classe, aujourd’hui on va commencer le passé composé, a form of past tense. Past…
Beginner French Post: Être Posted by Jennie on Aug 20, 2010
Bonjour beginners! In the last, inaugural Beginner’s Post, we explored the verb avoir (to have). Aujourd’hui (today), another crucial French verb: Être : to be. Conjugaison : Je suis : I am Tu es : You are (informal) Il/ elle/ on est : He/ she/ “they” are* Nous sommes : We are Vous êtes…
Beginner French: Conjugating Avoir Posted by Jennie on Jul 27, 2010
Bonjour mes amis débutants! (Hello, my beginner friends!) Hichem and I have so much fun exploring French slang, literature and culture, that we sometimes forget that not everyone is ready for tout ça (all that). Starting ce soir (tonight), we’ll begin Beginner Posts, especially aimed at les débutants who are just starting to learn French…
Quiz: Masculine or feminine? Posted by Jennie on Jun 18, 2010
Le ou la? (Le or la ?) ___ poème ___ Mexique (too soon ? Désolée, les Bleus !) ___ Cambodge (Cambodia) ___ problème ___ programme ___ thème ___ lycée (secondary school, high school) ___ cimetière (cemetery) ___ musée (museum) ___ stade (stadium) Ready ? I’m betting (je parie) that a lot of you got 10 out of 10……
Confusing French Pair: La Langue vs. Le Langage Posted by Jennie on Apr 7, 2010
It’s hard to grasp as a débutant (beginner), but great French writing is elegantly structured without losing its clarté. More than croissants or fashion, I think la culture française se défine (French culture defines itself) by its language—both la langue and le langage. These two words fascinated me when I first learned them. They have…
How To Write A Résumé in French Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 25, 2010
Are you thinking about trying to get a job in a French-speaking country? It would be a great language learning-experience, that’s for sure! If you are, then you will need to know a few important things about writing a résumé for your prospective employer(s). 1. The first order of business? Résumé literally means “summary”, so…