Delving into the French Subjunctive Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Feb 2, 2015
Last week, I spent some time introducing what the subjunctive mood expresses and how it is used in other languages, such as English. You can visit that post here. This week, I would like to go into more concrete examples of how to form the present subjunctive and, just as importantly, how you can recognize when…
Sur le pont d’Avignon Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jan 29, 2015
♪ Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse, sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse tous en rond. ♪ Even before I started learning French in high school, I’d heard this song when I was younger because my mom would sing it to me and my sister. Just like Frère Jacques and Alouette, it’s…
French Television: Le Petit Journal Posted by John Bauer on Jan 28, 2015
When learning a new language, finding entertainment that’s similar to what you like in your native language can be a big motivation booster. I am a big fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, so when I found Le Petit Journal, I was happy to have found what is more or less une version…
An Introduction to the Subjunctive Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 26, 2015
Just the mention of the subjonctif can make French learners tremble in their boots. However, this grammatical mood is very common and exists in many languages, including in English. In French, the subjonctif is used very often and serious French learners need to be familiar with it (although there are grammatical ways of getting around using the subjunctive…
Adventures in French Education: CM and TD Posted by John Bauer on Jan 21, 2015
Before the shock of not being able to get un vingt (a twenty), there was another big surprise that was waiting for me dans une université française (in a French university). Most classes in France tend to be broken down into “CM”s and “TD”s. That is lecture classes and “supervised” classes. Now, the same idea…
Windy Weather with Le Mistral Posted by Josh Dougherty on Jan 20, 2015
Snow and low temperatures aren’t so bad. Winter sports can be fun. Icy roads aren’t appealing, but they’re doable. But when there’s a strong wind in the winter? Non merci. I’d prefer to stay indoors pour boire mon chocolat chaud (to drink my hot chocolate). The south of France is known for its Mediterranean climate…
What are French Conjunctive Phrases? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 19, 2015
Two weeks ago, we went over les conjonctions de la langue française, including les conjonctions de coordination (car, donc, ensuite, et, mais, or, ni, ou, puis) and les conjonctions de subordination (comme, lorsque, puisque, quand, que, si, quioque). You can go back and look over that lesson here. Today, we will focus on les locutions…