Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Hit The Snooze Button! – Setting Your Alarm In French Posted by John Bauer on Oct 19, 2016
Being busy looking for a job and finishing my thesis has left me with little time to sleep. Le manqué de sommeil (the lack of sleep) over the past few months has left me constantly searching for le bouton snooze (the snooze button). Tous les soirs (every night) before I go to sleep je règle…
N’ayez pas peur!* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 18, 2016
Next week is Halloween. 25 years ago no one in France had any idea what Halloween was other than an obscure American tradition. Today, Halloween and it’s traditions have been exported around the globe including to France and many people observe it . . . Thanks in no small part to me (or so I…
French: Regional Variants Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Oct 17, 2016
It’s easy to forget that French is a living language that is in a constant state of flux. We know this to be true, of course, because of new words that are added to the French dictionary each year, or the development of verlan. But sometimes it is easy to forget that language is very…
“Divide” and Conquer French Math Vocabulary Posted by Josh Dougherty on Oct 13, 2016
You may have heard the saying that there are only 2 universal languages: music and math. While this is very debatable (love, anyone?), I thought it touched on something that we on the Transparent French blogs haven’t. We’ve talked plenty about the benefits of music in learning a foreign language, but today I wanted to…
Different Types Of Work In France – CDI & CDD Posted by John Bauer on Oct 12, 2016
Looking through all les annonces d’emploi (the job offers) in France can be a confusing exercise in vocabulary. The technicalities of the type of job listed are hidden behind abbreviations that have very specific legal meanings. When looking for a job, whether it’s un job à plein temps ou à mi-temps (a full or part…
Salade de mots* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 11, 2016
Savez-vous planter des choux . . . et pourquoi l’on se bat pour des prunes ? (Do you know how to plant cabbages . . . and why one fights for plums?) French is full of interesting expressions about les fruits et les legumes (fruits and vegetables). This week I thought I’d share a few…
Le Temps: Both Time and Weather? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Oct 10, 2016
In French, le temps can mean both “time” and “weather”–which can be a bit confusing for new French learners. In French, le temps when referring specifically to time refers to time in the abstract. That means that you cannot ask the equivalent of “What time is it?” in French (Quel temps est-il, which is not correct). Rather, you would ask…