Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Learning French With A Wolf Posted by John Bauer on Aug 1, 2018
A catchy song is a good way to make learning a language feel more like a fun time and less like les devoirs (homework). There are many great chansons françaises (French songs) that get stuck in my head and have helped me learn le vocabulaire and la grammaire. Et si on chantait (and if we…
On a wing and a prayer Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 31, 2018
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about contemporary musicals in France. One of the songs featured got me thinking about the word ailes (wings) and all the things that fly – or don’t! – with wings. Aile (wing) Before we get to the song, a few examples of the different ways the word aile can be…
Un Cafard D’Eau – Accidentally Ordering Cockroach Water In French Posted by John Bauer on Jul 25, 2018
Making mistakes is a big part of learning une nouvelle langue (a new language). Even after years of practice it can still be very easy to mix up two words that sound similar. I went to une crêperie (a restaurant that sells crêpes) to have a nice dinner with some friends, il y a quelques…
French Vocabulary – Time to Take Off Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 10, 2018
In just under a month, my son and I are going to décoller vers la France (take off for France) for a sort of father-son pilgrimage. We had such a great time last year that we’re going back! Décoller is the French verb for un avion (an airplane) that is taking off. The actual moment of lift off is…
Time to wake up Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 26, 2018
Summer has arrived and for most kids getting up early, getting ready for school, and homework are all in the past (for now at least until that oh-so-distant mythical future that is la rentrée de septembre / September’s return to school!) As a result, this week’s song might seem a bit better suited to the fall, but I’ve…
Early Mornings And Tired Eyes – Sleepy French Expression Posted by John Bauer on Jun 20, 2018
The last couple of weeks have been exhausting for me. The long days stretching into even longer nights have left me looking pretty groggy when I arrive au bureau (at the office) in the morning. After a stressful week of work, travel, and being on the verge of catching a cold, the bags under my…
Where and When – useful expressions in French Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 20, 2018
Relativity isn’t just a concept in physics. Knowing the relative order of events in time, or the relative location of objects in space, is as useful here on la Terre (Earth) as it is in l’éspace (space). Fortunately French has some handy vocabulary that we can use to differentiate both. Ça se passe où? /…