French Questions (interrogative sentences) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Mar 7, 2016
In English, we often speak about the five Ws when teaching English language learners: who, what, where, when, and why. These words are added on to the beginning of a sentence in English to ask questions (in English, you can also change word order to ask a question). In French, asking a question is different…
Learning Through Music – “Rien qu’une fois” by Keen’V Posted by Josh Dougherty on Mar 3, 2016
Elizabeth, John, and I have all written about the benefits of music as a language learning resource. They’re a great source of current vocabulary, expressions, and even pronunciation. The fact that they’re catchy only makes it easier for you to remember words you may otherwise not learn in class or even in most conversations. Regardless…
Voici Jean Guromarc’h – Real French Series Posted by John Bauer on Mar 2, 2016
Living in a language can sometimes be hard to understand. It’s difficult to imagine des personnes réelles qui vivent une vraie vie, travaillent, font les courses, etc (real people living real lives, working, grocery shopping, etc), when you’re staring at des tableaux de conjugaison (conjugation tables) for hours on end. I recently thought about making…
Le Prénom Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Feb 29, 2016
I rarely am awake to watch movies from beginning to end…except if they are spectacular. Well, yesterday, my husband and I stumbled upon a French film on Netflix called Le Prénom–and it was so good I watched the whole thing! The English version is titled “What’s in a Name?,” which differs, of course, from the…
French Music – Jazz Manouche Posted by John Bauer on Feb 24, 2016
When people think of French music, they often think of one of the more famous chanteurs (singers) like Edith Piaf or Jacques Brel. But what else is there? Le jazz is one of the most famous styles de musique (styles of music) in the world. It made its way from New Orleans all the way…
Reform to French Labor Laws? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Feb 22, 2016
This week, Myriam El Khomri, France’s labor ministry, has been the focus of many headlines in France. This week, she presented a bill that would reform current French labor laws, which is seen by many as the final push for large-scale reforms during President François Hollande’s five-year term. The law would allow employees to work more…
Slow Cooker French Recipe: Fricassée de Poulet à l’Ancienne Posted by Josh Dougherty on Feb 18, 2016
Last year, I moved from the east coast to the west coast of the US, and one of the biggest shocks I had when I arrived was the weather. Why is it 80° in February? Don’t get me wrong – j’adore ce temps (I love this weather), but growing up on the other side of…