French pronunciation basics part 1 Posted by Tim Hildreth on Mar 7, 2017
In a recent reader survey, one of the top requests you, chers lecteurs, (dear readers) of the Transparent Language French blog made, was for more help with pronunciation. Providing a comprehensive overview of French pronunciation would take une éternité (an eternity / forever), but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a go at it! A…
French Film: Un Peu, Beaucoup, Aveuglément Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Mar 7, 2017
A great way to avail yourself to French movies (and learning more French, particularly if you listen to the original French while reading the English subtitles) is through Netflix. Many of Netflix’s foreign films are French, and they get many of these films typically within a year after they are released in their native country…
Going To L’Epicerie – Groceries In French Posted by John Bauer on Mar 1, 2017
I learn new things everyday by making mistakes. Whether I need to buy un chargeur or find un dentiste, there seems to be an endless vocabulary list of words I didn’t realize I didn’t know! Finding out you don’t know un mot (a word) can be quite the learning experience. Many mundane experiences hide the…
Mind your manners Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 28, 2017
The French are very big on manners and following the rules of étiquette. You can read here about the rules for gift giving, here for proper greetings, and here for the rules for kissing (yes, they even have rules for that!). But do you know where the rules come from? The rules of French etiquette…
What Are the French Parts of Speech? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Feb 27, 2017
Most native English speakers are familiar with the eight or nine English parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and articles). All English words fall into one of these general parts of speech. Luckily, French follows the same basic organization of parts of speech that English does. Called les classes de mots, French parts…
Funny French Expressions Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Feb 23, 2017
Recently, we’ve gone over French idioms and other common French expressions. But now let’s go over some funny French expressions that will have you laughing out loud (check out this post on the French equivalent of LOL–MDR). Avoir le cafard One of the most common French idiomatic expressions is a funny … if not odd… one…
French Country Music: Baptiste W. Hamon Posted by John Bauer on Feb 22, 2017
When I’m walking around France the entire world is my textbook. The sounds of everyday life teach me new things like what exactly un tournevis is or how to buy batteries. I also get to hear de la musique française (French music) just by walking around, but sometimes I hear a song I really like…