Archive for 'Vocabulary'
French Vocabulary – Cars Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 21, 2019
As I’ve shared before, I love to drive in France. The post I shared a few weeks ago and a recent passage in the book I’m reading got me thinking about car-related vocabulary. This week we’ll look at some key words related to cars … and some examples of how to use them in context…
French Vocabulary – Cleaning Up Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 14, 2019
Spring is the perfect time for cleaning … that’s why we call it “spring cleaning!” So ouvrez les fenêtres (open the windows), sortez les balais et les serpillères (get out the brooms and the rags*), et commençons (and let’s begin)! Le nettoyage de printemps Spring cleaning (also known in French as le ménage de printemps…
When Pigs Fly And Chicken Have Teeth – Impossible French Expressions Posted by John Bauer on May 9, 2019
When facing the impossible it can be useful to have something fun to say to help make a joke of the situation. Whether it’s au second degré (sarcastic) or an honestly difficult task doesn’t matter as much as far as the language is concerned. Growing up I often heard a fun expression to diffuse anything…
French Commercial – Renault Robbers Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 7, 2019
When I was 14, the French car company, Renault, made their entrée sur le marché américaine (entrance to the American market). My parents even bought two … matching red and blue Renault Alliances. Sadly, they weren’t great … and Renault didn’t last long in the US. Imagine my surprise then, when I got to France…
Drumming Up New Vocabulary – Talking About La Batterie In French Posted by John Bauer on May 2, 2019
En étant un Américain en France (as an American in France), learning the language means having normal converations hide surprise French lessons almost every day. It’s hard not to stumble through a few interactions every week as I realize I don’t know how to talk about something as simple as le shampooing or les mails…
French Music – Nach Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 30, 2019
The global music scene is so diverse these days. Musical styles and personal styles mix to give us fun and inspiring songs that reflect a broader sense of the human condition. I really like this song from the French singer Nach and its message. Nach (Anne Chedid) is another scion of the well known Chedid…
French Wit Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 23, 2019
When I was first living in France and learning French, understanding humour was one of things that took me the longest. As John discussed recently, a lot of this is due to the fact that so much humour depends on more than simply understanding the words. It’s also because, for the French, humour is an…