The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Oct 9, 2017
You’ve probably heard of Aesop’s fables before, but have you heard of La Fountain’s? These fables are famous to many French schoolchildren and are still enjoyed to this day. La Fontaine’s fables (given the title Les Fables choisies, mises en vers par M. de La Fontaine; “The Chosen Fables, Put Into Verse by Mr. de La…
Hungry? You Need a Raclette. Posted by Josh Dougherty on Oct 8, 2017
As I write this, my body is slowly recovering from the abuse I just put it through this evening. Don’t worry – I didn’t run a marathon or do anything crazy like that, but I did eat way more than I should have in the form of a traditional and delicious Swiss meal that’s perfect…
French Raisin Juice – Dried Grapes And False Friends Posted by John Bauer on Oct 4, 2017
Misunderstandings can be the best way to learn un nouveau mot (a new word), as long as you eventually figure out what you didn’t understand. I have learned many nouveaux mots from not understanding something, par exemple, les piles et la lessive (for example, batteries and laundry detergent). Grapes and wine bring up thoughts of…
French singer – Anais Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 3, 2017
It’s octobre (October) and that means l’automne (fall), but it also means all the kids are (for the most part) settled back in school. School is where we learn some of life’s most important lessons comme le français (like French) and, for some, it’s where they first learn about l’amour (love). This week’s song pour les filles…
Jacquetta de Luxembourg Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Oct 2, 2017
Recently, I’ve been enjoying the historical novels of Phillipa Gregory. While she might be best known for her series on the Tudors, Gregory has also written a series on the Wars of the Roses. The Wars of the Roses were fought in the fifteenth century between two rival branches in the Plantagenet family: the House…
Pick Une Carte Any Carte – A Deck Of Cards In French Posted by John Bauer on Sep 27, 2017
I like to use les jeux vidéo to practice french, but the idea of learning with games is not limited to consoles and computers. Les jeux de cartes (card games) exist à travers le monde (all over the world) and the standard deck of cards that I grew up with aux États-Unis (in the United…
The monarchy is dead Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 26, 2017
Long live the nobility! One thing I’ve always found funny about France is that a country that so dramatically tried to eliminate all traces of the monarchy* (and ultimately did) would still have a fascination for – and many examples of – a noble class of landed aristocracy lying around. I came across two more…