Archive for 'Vocabulary'
How Counting In French Helped Me Remember Les Nombres Posted by John Bauer on Apr 12, 2017
Les nombres (numbers) are difficult for me to remember in French. If I’m not forgetting the words for chaque nombre (each number), I’m trying to figure out if we’re talking about four twenties or eighty! I have a hard time remembering les nombres in any language other than ma langue maternelle (my native language). I…
More Faux Amis Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 10, 2017
We’ve gone over faux amis, or false cognates, on the Transparent Language blog before (here and here). But faux amis are one of the most likely vocabulary issues to trip up new French learners…so it is always worth going over again! For a quick recap, les faux amis are words that seem to be the same in…
Analyzing French Expressions: De Souche Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 6, 2017
There’s an expression that you might come across in your French studies: français de souche. What does this mean? Let’s take a look at the term souche and all the different expressions in which it can be used. In French, souche literally means “stump,” as in the stump of a tree. But it also means “origins,” as in one’s…
A Couple Of Clics – Online Shopping In French Posted by John Bauer on Apr 5, 2017
After learning about beds au magasin, I didn’t buy one right away. Instead, I ordered mon nouveau lit (my new bed) and other furniture I needed for le nouvel apartment (the new aparment) online. A trip to l’épicérie (the grocery store) or le magasin de bricolage (the hardware store) always ends in a good vocabulary…
A shopping and a geography lesson about France Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 4, 2017
One of my favorite adventures of Asterix and Obelix is Le Tour de Gaule (Around France)* In an attempt to show up the local Roman soldiers, our intrepid heroes attempt to complete a trip around France bringing back the regional specialties from the different cities they visit. If they were to undertake the task today…
Sleeping Better On A French Bed Posted by John Bauer on Mar 29, 2017
After le déménagement (moving) and changing mon adresse, it became clearer what new things I needed to buy for mon nouvel appartement (my new apartment). Getting through les cartons (the boxes) and arranging all mes affaires (my things) let me see how much space I have in mon nouveau logement (my new place). After seeing…
A real star Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 28, 2017
Céline Dion is surely one of the world’s most successful and well-known French-language singers. Born in the Canadian province of Québec and singing originally exclusively in French, Céline has gone on to international stardom in English and in French, selling over 200 million albums worldwide (making her the best-selling Canadian artist of all time). Céline’s…