Archive for 'Vocabulary'
The 14th of July: French Fireworks Posted by John Bauer on Jul 15, 2015
Cette semaine on fête le 14 juillet ou la fête nationale or Bastille Day as it’s known in English speaking countries. Le 14 juillet is something like la version française (the French version) of the fourth of July. Pendant le 14 juillet there are a few big celebrations: le défilé militaire (the military parade) during…
French Songs: Partons Vite Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jul 13, 2015
In my mind, learning French will always be linked with several songs, although one song stands out in particular. That song is Kaolin’s “Partons vite,” which translates as “let’s leave fast.” The reason? It’s catchy, there is just enough repetition to remember the lyrics easily, and the song uses simple words. Kaolin is a band…
I’m blue da ba dee da ba die… Shades of Blue in French! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jul 9, 2015
Yo listen up here’s a story About a little guy that lives in a blue world And all day and all night and everything he sees Is just blue like him inside and outside Blue his house with a blue little window And a blue corvette And everything is blue for him and himself And…
The Computer Magasin: Getting Technical Posted by John Bauer on Jul 8, 2015
Last week mon ordinateur était en panne (my computer was broken) and I had to go to le magasin d’informatique (the computer store). I was worried that mon vocabulaire d’informatique (my computer vocabulary) wasn’t good enough and that I wouldn’t be able to explain the problem. On top of that, with la canicule, it was…
Heat-Related Vocabulary in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jul 2, 2015
For the past couple of days, anyone in France who’s stepped foot outside or even opened a window has certainly noticed that Mother Nature a allumé le chauffage à fond (has turned the heat up on high)! It’s actually the result of hot winds making their way up from Africa. France isn’t the only one experiencing…
Reader Request: French Expressions Using “Tomber” Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 22, 2015
One of our readers wrote in and mentioned hearing the following phrase: son embauche était tombée à pic. Many French learners might find this expression confusing without more context. If son embauche refers to someone’s job, would using the verb “to fall” (tomber) necessarily mean something bad happened at that person’s place of employment? Idioms can be tricky in general…
Cat Got Your Tongue? Cat-Related Expressions in French! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 18, 2015
Ah, June. The latin name is Junius. Roman déesse (goddess) Juno, the protector of and special counselor of the state, says the month was named after her. It’s also the month that starts summer. Warm temperatures and White Nights in the northern countries. At the beginning of the month, the sun rises in la constellation…