Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Roland-Garros Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 8, 2015
For those of you who follow tennis, the French Open (known in French as Roland-Garros), just concluded with a pretty major upset in the men’s final: the Swiss Stan Wawrinka beat out No.1 player Novak Djokovic. In the women’s finals, the amazing Serena Williams won for her 20th Grand Slam singles title. Roland-Garros is often…
Hâllo? Using French on the Phone Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 2, 2015
One of my biggest fears when living in France was speaking on the phone. I was worried about getting phone calls at the office where I worked, scared to call my landlord if anything wasn’t working properly, and even petrified of receiving a call from someone who had dialed the wrong number. For some…
Vocabulaire de la plage Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on May 26, 2015
Aujourd’hui, je suis allée à la plage avec ma famille. Mon fils, qui a 2 ans, adore jouer dans le sable. Alors je lui ai apporté un seau et une pelle. Il s’est amusé pendant des heures à cacher des petits objets dans le sable et à chercher des coquillages. Mais il faut toujours rester prudent à…
Quels sont vos livres préférés? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on May 18, 2015
Aimez-vous lire, chers lecteurs/chères lectrices? Si vous répondez “oui,” quels sont vos livres préférés? I love to read. Some books have changed my life and some have saved my life. They’ve transformed the way I view the world and the people around me, have taught me how to empathize, and have helped guide me through rough…
Le Jardinage Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on May 11, 2015
I can’t resist: This week blossoms bloomed where I am in New York as the weather finally began to warm up. So I’m dedicating this post to the lovely flowers I see outside of my window, the dogwoods, tulips, daffodils, magnolias, and pansies that make me want to step outside of my dark office and enjoy…
10 Nouveaux Mots Pour 2015 Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 27, 2015
Every year, the editors of the French dictionnaires Le Petit Robert and Le Petit Larousse announce the new words that will be added to the next year’s edition. There are normally two rules the linguists employed by these dictionaries use in order to determine whether a new word should be incorporated: 1. the frequency of the…
Hillary pour PrésidentE ?? Feminizing Job Titles in French Posted by Josh Dougherty on Apr 16, 2015
This post has no political agenda, but Hillary’s announcement got me thinking. You may have learned that certain job titles are always masculine in French, regardless of whether a woman holds the position. The example I always think of is le professeur (professor/teacher). Women certainly have a history in education instruction, so why is there…