Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Gee Or Jay – Why I Struggle To Spell My Name In French Posted by John Bauer on May 16, 2018
One of the first things covered in most French classes is, reasonably, the alphabet. L’alphabet français (the French alphabet) is almost the same as l’alphabet anglais (the English alphabet), but that similarity hides some easy mistakes, especially when you need to spell something out loud. After learning l’alphabet français, I didn’t pay much attention to…
French Music – What happened to the shop girl? Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 15, 2018
Last week I introduced you to the French singer Bénabar, and through him, to la petite vendeuse. As I mentioned, Bénabar’s songs tell stories. And fortunately for us, sometimes those stories se retrouvent et se rejoignent (find each other and connect) in other songs. Un jeune vigile A young security guard embauche en civil au grand magasin Begins his…
12 Points for France! How Did France do in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest? Posted by Josh Dougherty on May 13, 2018
It’s May! If you grew up in Europe (or Australia?), you know the best time of year has finally arrived. It has nothing to do with the warm weather or holidays and everything to do with a little friendly competition between countries. More glitzy than “American Idol” and less heartbreaking stories than “The Voice” is…
Le Trajet And Rising Water Levels – Commuting Vocabulary In French Posted by John Bauer on May 9, 2018
Anyone who has ever commuted, whether it’s à l’école ou au bureau (to school or to the office) knows just how annoying anything that slows the the daily trip can be. En France, there is a stereotypical reason for commutes to be delayed that most students and workers have had to use at least once…
French Music – Bénabar Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 8, 2018
I discovered a new French singer this week who I’m excited to share with you. I had never heard of Bénabar despite the fact that his career spans more than 20 years! Le début de la suite (The beginning of the next phase)* is his eighth studio album and features songs that are almost little short…
French Verbs – To Take, To Learn, To Understand Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 1, 2018
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m hoping – despite the challenges – to one day teach French full time. In order to be ready for that eventuality, I have gone back to school myself to get a Master’s degree in Education. A recent assignment on learning and understanding got me thinking about those verbs in French… and…
Allumer The Light – Forgetting A Useful Word In French Posted by John Bauer on Apr 25, 2018
It can be surprising how ordinary useful words take a long time to learn. Something as useful as un tournevis (a screwdriver) is often skipped over in textbooks, but when you need one, it’s an important word to know how to say! Whether it’s un nouveau lit (a new bed) or une nouvelle expression (a…