Tag Archives: free French lesson
French Culture – Current(ish) Events Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 25, 2019
As you know, I had the great privilege of studying in France au lycée (in high school). I also enjoyed returning during my junior year (3rd year) à l’université (in college*). Reading a recent New York Times article, I learned that that was just one thing I shared with the late Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Une…
French Vocabulary – Cars Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 21, 2019
As I’ve shared before, I love to drive in France. The post I shared a few weeks ago and a recent passage in the book I’m reading got me thinking about car-related vocabulary. This week we’ll look at some key words related to cars … and some examples of how to use them in context…
French vocabulary – Making resolutions Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 15, 2019
Le nouvel an (New Year’s) is a perfect time for finding those little ways (comme apprendre une nouvelle langue / like learning a new language!) to make our lives better. As is the case in many countries, les Français (the French) use le jour de l’An* (New Year’s day) to declare leurs bonnes intentions (their good…
French Grammar – Relative Pronouns Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 9, 2018
Relative pronouns help add clarity to language by identifying the who, what, where, or when. This week we’ll look at the three main pronoms relatifs (relative pronouns) in French: qui, que, and où. Qui When it stands alone or comes at the start of a sentence, qui generally means who? Qui ? / Who? Qui…
Time for another nap Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 7, 2018
John recently wrote about mixing up words when speaking French. It’s a common occurrence for those of us using multiple languages to communicate… And a story that reminded me of a funny error from my own past! I was just 16 years old when I went to France the first time. I was fortunate to…
On a wing and a prayer Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 31, 2018
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about contemporary musicals in France. One of the songs featured got me thinking about the word ailes (wings) and all the things that fly – or don’t! – with wings. Aile (wing) Before we get to the song, a few examples of the different ways the word aile can be…
French Vocabulary – Time to Take Off Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 10, 2018
In just under a month, my son and I are going to décoller vers la France (take off for France) for a sort of father-son pilgrimage. We had such a great time last year that we’re going back! Décoller is the French verb for un avion (an airplane) that is taking off. The actual moment of lift off is…