French Etymology: Gaulish Edition Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 23, 2018
Last week, we went over the interesting history of the Battle of Alésia and the downfall of Vercingétorix and the Gauls. (Interesting fact: Did you know that the Gauls kept their birth names secret? They believed that if someone knew their real name, it diminished their power. Vercingétorix is an honoary title that most likely…
Visiting Ancient France: The Battle of Alesia Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 21, 2018
One of the most important ancient battles that occurred during the Gallic Wars took place in Alésia, France. Known in French as le siège d’Alésia, this battle pitted Roman forces, led by Julius Caesar, against the Gauls (the Celtic tribe that inhabited the region from 5th century BCE to the 5th century CE), led by the…
Staying In The Juice – Useful French Expressions Posted by John Bauer on Apr 18, 2018
Learning new expressions is a fun but difficult part of learning une langue (a language). It gets even harder when des expressions start building on top of each other by adding in les jeux de mots (puns). There is a very useful expression française (French expression) that is nice and short and doesn’t involve having…
French Music – Calogero Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 17, 2018
Before becoming a writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had a very different professional life. A new song from the French chanteur (singer) Calogero, celebrates that previous career as well as some of Saint-Exupéry’s most famous works. While he may be best known outside France for his charming novella Le petit prince (The little prince), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote…
His Or Her Cup? – Confusing Possessive Adjectives In French Posted by John Bauer on Apr 11, 2018
Continuing from la semaine dernière (last week), understanding how le genre d’un mot (the gender of a word) affects la grammaire française (French grammar) can be hard to grasp for non-native speakers. Any tips that can help with internalizing why les genres are so important and just how they work makes learning la langue (the…
French Grammar – What happened? Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 10, 2018
To wrap up this latest series of grammar posts, here is a little story for you to practice your reading comprehension and to test your ability to recognize the different verb tenses. Mon fils vient de partir. Nous avons diné ensemble. On était censé diner chez mon frère, mais il a décommandé au dernier moment…
La Couronne: The Oldest Restaurant in France? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Apr 9, 2018
France is known for having many of the oldest restaurants in the world. Why is this? Because the first modern restaurant was established in Paris in 1765. Run by Monsieur Boulanger (which literally translates to Mr. Baker), this restaurant served just one dish: sheep’s feet in a white wine sauce. On the eve of the…