Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Le Second Degré – Sarcasm In French Posted by John Bauer on Mar 13, 2019
L’humour (humor) is one of those things that goes beyond le vocabulaire (vocabulary) and steps into the realm of la culture, making it one of the hardest aspects of le français to really understand. Sometimes les blagues françaises (French jokes) are easy to understand or are simply a matter of understanding a specific reference. Once…
Burning Out Like A Candle – Recently Deceased In French Posted by John Bauer on Mar 7, 2019
There’s some vocabulary that can be hard to talk about. Not because it’s difficult or different, but because it’s tied to emotions, memories, or history. One of the hardest things to talk about, regardless of the language, is someone close passing. It can be hard to think of anything when les emotions are fresh and…
French Language – Learning New Words Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 5, 2019
As I read, listen to the latest news from France, and explore new music, I like to jot down ideas for blog posts. Sometimes (like last week) those items come together in a cohesive story. Sometimes, like this week, they’re a real méli-mélo. Méli-mélo Méli-mélo is a great little expression that means a mish-mash, a mixed bag…
French Culture – Saving History Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 26, 2019
One of the things I always loved about living in France was just how much history was … everywhere! On my very first visit to la Bretagne my host brother took me to see le Mont Saint-Michel and to the ruins of an ancient château fort in the middle of the woods. For a kid…
C’est Du Peu Au Jus – French Expression For Counting Down Posted by John Bauer on Feb 21, 2019
Les expressions françaises (French expressions) have a funny way of sneaking into conversations and making what should be a simple sentence suddenly impossible to understand. It can feel strange to have no problem recognizing every word, but struggle to find any meaning in how they are put together! I was surprised when mon collègue (my…
French language and culture – the past as prologue Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 19, 2019
I’ve talked about nostalgia before. I’ve also shared mid-century songs from French yé-yé singers like Katty Line and Jacqueline Taïeb . But as the movement known as les gilets jaunes enters its third month, I had to share this new oldie I came across. Plus ça change… / The more things change… While les gilets jaunes don’t have…
Don’t Forget The Attachment – Sending Documents In French Posted by John Bauer on Feb 13, 2019
Sending emails en français is an inescapable part of office life en France. Nothing makes this more real than coming back after a few days off and having to get through a mountain of email before normal work can pick up again. Sending emails en français can be confusing for un anglophone (an English speaker)…