Master The French Nasal Vowels in No Time! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Aug 25, 2017
French pronunciation isn’t the easiest, even for advanced speakers. It requires making new facial expressions to get the perfect sound, awakening barely-used muscles in your vocal tract (French R, anyone?), and rounding your lips more than you thought necessary. It’s a lot of work for learners, but once you have it down, speaking the language…
Buying Billets Or Taking Tickets? – Confusing Words In French Posted by John Bauer on Aug 23, 2017
There are some words in French that I have a hard time understanding when to use. These are the kind of words that lead to les fautes (mistakes) from thinking in English. Learning how to use les mots (words) that don’t exist in English is one of the hardest parts about learning le vocabulaire (vocabulary)…
Food and drink in Brittany Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 22, 2017
I am in Brittany this week getting ready for a very special wedding. As promised last week, this week I’ll share a snap shot of some of the things I’m most looking forward to eating not just here in Bretagne, but also in my few days in Paris. And in a few weeks*, more stories…
L’Éclipse Solaire Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 22, 2017
For many people living in across a certain path in the United States, today was a historic day. It was the first time a full solar eclipse was viewable from the US since 1919. (The solar eclipse of 1919 was also a particularly historic one, as Einstein’s theory of relativity was shown to be correct…
En Voiture Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 17, 2017
Summer can mean lots of wonderful things, including spending time at the beach, barbecuing with friends and family, and trips to new and exciting locales. This means traveling, which means…you might be spending a lot more time in your car. In French, the word for car is voiture. The word voiture is feminine, so it is la voiture. The verb “to…
French Music From Colombia: Monsieur Periné Posted by John Bauer on Aug 16, 2017
La langue française can be heard around the world with la Francophonie extending to les quartes coins du monde (the four corners of the world). This allows for some unique music that comes from les pays francophones (French speaking countries) outside of France: Jacques Brel, Stromae, Bernard Adamus, and Chantal Archambault to name a few…
A modern family Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 15, 2017
In just a few days, I’ll be leaving for a family vacation in France. We’re going to visit Paris then head to la Bretagne (the Brittany region) where we will celebrate le mariage (the wedding) of my . . . well, it’s complicated! Un peu d’histoire* / A little background When I was 16, I…