Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Buses and Cars – Travelling in France Posted by John Bauer on Jan 20, 2016
Europe is famous for how easy it is to travel en train. However, les trains are often more expensive than you would think! Thankfully there are alternatives like le covoiturage (carpooling), and l’autocar (intercity bus). Until recently it was difficult to take un bus over a long distance in France. However, private transportation companies have…
C’est quoi un calembour? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 18, 2016
What is a calembour? Calembour is the French word for “pun.” Puns are jokes that rely on the double meaning of words or the use of homophones and, thus, they are very dependent on a deep knowledge of a language and linguistic culture. In French, the definition is “un jeu de mot fondé sur la polysémie ou…
Travelling in French – Le Nouvel An en Belgique ! Posted by John Bauer on Jan 13, 2016
Over New Year’s I visited Belgium with some friends. Along the way we used nearly every moyen de transport (transportation method) à part un avion et un bateau (besides a boat and a plane). The trip started early and when the day was over we had used un train, un métro, un autocar, et une…
The Ultimate Transparent French Blog 2015 Year in Review Quiz Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 31, 2015
Well, 2015 is all over. Tonight people all over the world will be bringing in the new year and celebrating another completed year. It’s been a busy and productive year for all of us at Transparent, and we’re looking forward to more fun and interesting articles in 2016. A few weeks ago, John presented the…
5 Things I Found Out In France Posted by Sten on Dec 29, 2015
Hi! I am Sten, a blogger from the Dutch and German blogs here at Transparent Language. During my university studies, I had the opportunity to go to another country in or outside the EU and study there for one semester within the ERASMUS program. I chose to study in France, both to learn more about…
You Know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer… The Dark Side of French Rudolph Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 18, 2015
Ah, it’s December, and baby, it’s cold outside! Don’t be a grinch about the weather, though. Even if Jack Frost is nipping at your nose, tis the season to be jolly! Whether you’re in church listening to yuletide carols being sung by a choir or at home decking your halls with boughs of holly, this…
Take Your Pills! – Finding Batteries in France Posted by John Bauer on Dec 9, 2015
I’ve been having trouble with electronics and hardware these past few months. It seems that when one thing goes wrong it creates un effet domino (a domino effect). I recently bought une souris sans fil (a cordless mouse), but forgot that it needs batteries to function. So I was surprised when ma souris stopped working…