Joyeux Anniversaire To You – French Birthdays Posted by John Bauer on Jun 17, 2015
Many people in ma famille celebrate their anniversaire (birthday) in juin (June), including me! Aujourd’hui (today) we’re going to take a look at how to wish someone a Happy Birthday. There are a two ways to say Happy Birthday in French: Joyeux anniversaire ! Bon anniversaire ! Très souvent (very often) a short phrase is…
Chez le caviste Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 15, 2015
My French husband sells wine for a living. Whenever we talk about moving to his hometown of Paris, he reminds me that he would have to find a new job or move to a city like Bordeaux. This is because wine sales work very differently in France as opposed to the United States, where fine…
Love Locks on the Pont des Arts Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jun 11, 2015
Have you ever seen padlocks with initials on them attached to a bridge? It’s become a common practice for tourists and locals alike, but these locks are the source of headaches for city workers! Un « cadena d’amour » est un cadena qu’un couple accroche sur un pont pour symboliser publiquement leur amour (A “love…
Where Does The French Muffin Man Live? Posted by John Bauer on Jun 10, 2015
Il habite Chemin de Drury. I incorrectly said where I lived many times when I was learning French. The most important thing to remember is that it is not habiter à. En fait (in fact), the most common way to say where you live, when talking about a particular street, is to not use a…
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…
Confusing French Stories Posted by John Bauer on Jun 3, 2015
There are some differences between the US and France that I took for granted. The first time I ordered a coffee, I was surprised by the size of the drink, and the first time I had a meeting in France I showed up at the right address, but on the wrong floor of the building!…
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…