Tag Archives: free French lessons
5 French Idioms You Should Know Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 16, 2017
Idioms (les idiotismes, m.) are expressions that don’t necessarily make sense literally, but have a well known meaning to native speakers. In order to be able to understand a language’s idioms, therefore, you can’t just know the exact definition of a word but you must also understand the social and cultural meaning behind that word. It is also…
Music and lyrics Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 10, 2017
If you’ve been following my blog posts this past year, you know that I love a good song. And what’s a good song, other than a story set to music? And who doesn’t love a good story? The 1980’s was the heyday of good story-songs and they are a great tool for learning language and…
Un cadeau* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 20, 2016
12 years ago when I was a French teacher, le mois de décembre (the month of December) presented a special challenge. As the winter break and les fêtes de fin d’année (year end holidays) approached, keeping kids focused on lessons and learning became more and more difficult. Especially in the last week before les vacances**…
Bons baisers d’Amqui!* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 15, 2016
Je vous écris cette semaine de chez ma tante Rose. (I’m writing to you this week from my Aunt Rose’s) After last week, it seemed like a little escape to Canada was in order. Have no fear though, by the time you read this, I’ll actually already be back in the US. Tante Rose est…
French Music: Olivia Ruiz Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 15, 2016
In France in 2006, two songs that were constantly on the airwaves came from the album La Femme chocolat by Olivia Ruiz: “J’traine des pieds” and “La Femme chocolat.” I liked them for their musicality and the unique timbre of Ruiz’s voice. You can listen to both songs below: In 2007, Olivia Ruiz won Female Artist…
A little song and dance . . . Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 8, 2016
Musicals are most commonly associated with Broadway and London’s West End, but France has produced it’s share of musicals too. Some of them like Les Misérables have known long-term success around the world, while others are more obscure. And while in the last 20 years France has seen a growing success at home and abroad…
Vérités Éternelles* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 1, 2016
C’est La Toussaint aujourd’hui. And since the holiday falls on a mardi (Tuesday) this year, it’s a safe bet that a lot of folks in France took yesterday off too to faire le pont from le week-end. And nice long weekends like this are great for catching up on your reading. Since I live and…