French Language – Demonstrative Pronouns Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 14, 2020
Pronouns are handy – they can save us from repeating the same nouns over and over again – and important – as you get deeper into language learning, knowing your pronouns will help you understand more … and sound more like a native! But pronouns can also be tricky. An especially tricky category of pronouns is…
French Language – Time and Temperature Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 7, 2020
What better time than the beginning of a new year (and the beginning of l’hiver / winter) to talk about the time and the weather. My colleagues here at Transparent Language have covered some of this before, so think of this week as a review … with some helpful tips and new vocabulary. C’est l’heure…
French Culture – Oh what a year! Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 31, 2019
It is once again New Year’s Eve, and around the world people are greeting un nouvel an even as they look back at the year (et toute une décennie ! / and a whole decade) that is coming to an end. And what a year it was! Les Français dans les rues As far back as La Révolution…
French Music – A Christmas Song Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 24, 2019
Today is le réveillon de Noël (Christmas eve) … et demain c’est Noël (tomorrow is Christmas). And while it is a time of joy and celebrations for many, it is also a time to remember those who cannot fully enjoy the saison des fêtes (holiday season) for whatever reason. In 2015, the French singer Michel Polnareff released…
French Language – Pom, pom, pom Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 17, 2019
I’ve heard it said that if you don’t encounter a language before a certain age, there are sounds in that language that will not only be difficult (if not impossible) for you to pronounce properly, but even hard for you to hear! I say it’s never too late as long as you apply yourself. This…
French Culture – Songs, songs, songs Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 10, 2019
Le nouvel an (New years) is just a few short weeks away, but it’s not just a new year, it’s a whole new décenie (decade). The perfect time for a look back … and for un cadeau (a gift). In the new year, Transparent Language will be sponsoring a “greatest hits” Spotify list of songs…
French Current Events Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 3, 2019
December isn’t typically la saison des grèves (strike season) in France, but this year the month that usually kicks off the holiday season will being with la grande grève du 5 décembre (the great strike of December 5). What’s the problem? In what could be the largest social movement in years, “plusieurs millions de salariés du public…