Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Joyeux Ramadan and Joyeux National Holiday of La Suisse Posted by Hichem on Aug 1, 2011
Today is a double celebration: The French Blog wishes you a Joyeux Ramadan and a joyeuse fête nationale Suisse ! We hope that this coïncidence de calendrier (calendar coincidence) will be especially significant, and serves to bring Swiss Muslims and all other Swiss people, de toutes les confessions (of all the faiths), closer together! The *very special* couteau suisse (Swiss knife) that you…
French Grammar: Back to the Future! Posted by Hichem on Jul 31, 2011
Mes chers amis (my dear friends), il est grand temps (it’s high time) that we get back to the future—And by that I mean the French grammatical futur ! Notice that unlike the English word “future“, its French equivalent is written without an “e.“ The French future is un temps grammatical (a grammatical tense) that comes in four forms: Le présent…
Some French Rappers Like It Hot Posted by Hichem on Jul 30, 2011
Yo! All the boyz in the hoods of “New Yaawk“—And everywhere else: As you already know, cet été, c’est CHAUD (this Summer, it’s HOT)! For la fin de semaine (the weekend), The Transparent French Blog presents the music video of *HOT*, by the French group “ENHANCER” (Featuring Kool Shen.) All Rappers of New York City—East Side and West Side—will for once agree on this…
A Touching French Song For All Exilés and Expats of the World Posted by Hichem on Jul 25, 2011
Alain Souchon, a major figure on the French song scene, dedicated this song to all les exilés of the world who, for a reason or another, had to leave their own countries behind… Despite the political changes occurring in France, past and present, la France still remains une terre d’accueil (a welcoming country). Alain Souchon: “C’est…
French Names for Young Animals Posted by Hichem on Jul 23, 2011
When l’abeille (the bee) was young, it was une larve When l’aigle (the eagle) was young, it was un aiglon When l’âne (the donkey) was young, it was un ânon When l’antilope was young, it was an antilopin When l’autruche (the ostrich) was young, it was an autruchon When la baleine (the whale) was young, it was a baleineau…
Paris-Plages: When The Beach Comes to Paris! Posted by Hichem on Jul 21, 2011
If you spent the past two weeks or so in Paris, you’ll know that le temps (the weather) did not exactly “spoil” the Parisians—Together with the millions of tourists who flocked into France to visit the French capital! But actually, since yesterday, the Paris weather has decided to take it easy for a bit. Much…
Dude, Don’t be Subdued by The French Subjonctif! Posted by Hichem on Jul 20, 2011
Yes, nearly everyone agrees: Le subjonctif, or the French subjunctive mood, is not exactly “easy” to handle. Here’s something brief to clear up your mind about le subjonctif, to understand in general what it is (and what it is not): The first thing to know is that le subjonctif is un mode (a mood), not un…