French Singer-Songwriter Georges Brassens Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 24, 2015
Georges Brassens is a French icon; a singer-songwriter and poet who rebelled against what he saw as upper-class and traditional values. His lyrics are poetry, but they are notoriously difficult to translate because he often used argot, puns, sarcasm and black humor. Oftentimes in translation, the real beauty of his lyrics are lost. The lyrics below…
Who Ya Gonna Call? Not Nine One One! Posted by John Bauer on Aug 19, 2015
After figuring out how les numéros de téléphones français (French phone numbers) work and when things are open (even on Sundays!), there is a big thing some people don’t release when they’re going abroad. Qui est-ce qu’on appelle en cas d’urgence ? Who do you call in an emergency? The American number, 911, does not…
French Actor: Lambert Wilson Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 17, 2015
Have you ever heard of Lambert Wilson? He’s a well known and prolific French actor. While he appears mostly in French films today, you may have caught him in English-language productions as well. He has performed in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (2001), Catwoman (2004), and, most recently, Babylon A.D. (2007) with Vin Diesel and…
French Verbs with No Prepositions Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 14, 2015
Continuing with the verbs and prepositions series (miss the previous posts? here you go!), this week I’m going to be discussing an aspect that is right up the alley of those who translate word for word. Translating word for word can be dangerous, especially if you’re trying to use an idiom, but with verb phrases…
En Garde! Pharmacies Are Always Open! Posted by John Bauer on Aug 12, 2015
Getting used to French working hours is pretty easy. You just need to plan ahead a little bit, and you can always find small things that are still ouvert (open) to hold you over if you’re caught in a long holiday. I was fine with all of that and working with the French schedule, until…
French For Libraries Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 10, 2015
According to Bernard Fixot, the owner and publisher of the small French publishing house XO: “There are two things you don’t throw out in France — bread and books” (see the original article in which Fixot in quoted here). Because of this cultural aspect, and because of French regulation on prices of books and e-books, French…
Using “à” with French Verbs Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 6, 2015
Those mean ol’ prepositions are back! In a previous post, I discussed how prepositions were a problem for me and many others when starting to learn a language. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why certain prepositions are used, and if you use the wrong one, the whole meaning can change. Think about it…