Archive for 'Vocabulary'
A Refreshing Zest of R&B/Hip-Hop in French Posted by Hichem on Apr 19, 2011
Our mot-clé (keyword) over here has always been *VARIÉTÉ* (VARIETY)! Comme vous l’avez déjà mentionné dans vos commentaires (as you’ve already mentioned it in your comments), The Transparent French Blog is all about la variété du contenu (variety of content): From le rap français (French Rap), with pioneering groups such as IAM and Benny-B., to cutting-edge French…
“Garçon!” How to (Politely) Complain in French Restaurants Posted by Hichem on Apr 16, 2011
Quoi qu’il arrive (whatever happens), try at all costs not to antagonize the French chef! * * * How to (Politely) Complain in French Restaurants—Or Congratulate the Chef Although the stereotypical image of the viciously rude French waiter is no doubt often exaggerated around the world, here at The French Blog we want to make…
The First Hit of French Rap Posted by Hichem on Apr 15, 2011
Ever wondered what the first French Rap song was like? Well, in case you didn’t know it yet, the first super hit of le rap français (French Rap) came out, not from France, but from “le Plat Pays” (“the Flat Country”), designating either a specific region of la Belgique (Belgium), the one to which Jacques Brel…
Who DIDN’T Know that Daft Punk is French? Posted by Hichem on Apr 13, 2011
Almost à mi-chemin (halfway)between la place Charles-de-Gaulle and Place de Clichy, the Lycée Carnot (Carnot High school) saw many young and ambitious students graduate to become influential men and woman in the world: Some, as Jacques Chirac and Dominique Strauss-Kahn (a contender in the upcoming French Présidentielles) became de fins politiciens (shrewd politicians); others, like Louis Aragon were…
Conjugaison du verbe: Choisir (To Choose) Posted by Hichem on Apr 11, 2011
Can you make up a French sentence with the verb *CHOISIR*? Here’s an example: Ce n’est pas toujours facile de *choisir* dans la vie (It’s not always easy to choose in life) * * * “À toi de choisir“, means “It’s up to you to choose“, as in Richard Anthony‘s French interpretation of Bing Crosby’s song…
J’veux du SOLEIL – I Wanna Have Me Some SUN! Posted by Hichem on Apr 9, 2011
Wherever you happen to live on this planet, n’est-il pas toujours bon d’avoir un peu de soleil? (Isn’t it always good to have some Sun)? * * * AU P’TIT BONHEUR – “J’veux du Soleil” (“I Wanna Have Me Some Sun”) * * * Je suis resté qu’un enfant I remained nothing but a child Qu’aurait…
Window-shopping with Voltaire: A Dangerous Addiction Posted by Hichem on Apr 7, 2011
“Tous les jours, je lave mon cerveau avec la pub” (“Everyday I wash my brain with advertisings”) * * * While it is not as widely renowned as “Candide“, the novel “Zadig ou la Destinée” (“Zadig, or The Book of Fate”) stands today as one of the major works of Voltaire, although, we are told…