Tag Archives: French culture
French Culture – The latest news from France Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 17, 2019
One of the ways that I keep my French up is by watching the news from France. It’s a good way for me to practice my language skills, to keep up with what’s happening, and to feel closer to the people and places that still occupy a big place in my heart. A few stories…
French Culture – Back to School Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 3, 2019
Et oui, c’est encore la rentrée (des classes). (And yes, it’s back to school time!). This year, les élèves français (French students) across the country returned to leurs études (their studies) le lundi, 2 septembre (Monday, September 2). Mais avant / But first (before) Back to school (la rentrée) means back to school shopping. Chaque année, les parents reçoivent…
French Culture – Fort Boyard Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 20, 2019
One of my favorite TV shows when I lived in France was Fort Boyard. Part Survivor and part Fear Factor (but better!), Fort Boyard is a French reality program / game show that features a team of contestants (since the early ’90’s mostly made up of famous people from sports, pop culture, etc.) competing to…
French Music – Michel Delpech Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 13, 2019
We’ve just had our first few cool nights here in the Northeastern United States and while still weeks away, it got me thinking about a fall state of mind. En France, la fin de l’été et le début de l’automne signale l’ouverture de la chasse (In France, the end of summer and the beginning of…
French Culture Retro Pubs 4 Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 30, 2019
This week we’ll rap up our exploration of classic ’80’s commercials with a look at a commercial for the lessive Gama (Gama laundry detergent). After our earlier discussion about shops and shopping in France, this pub (commercial) introduces us to some of the commerçants (shopkeepers, business people) who work in France. Français English Rue Gama Gama Street Y…
French Culture – Retro Pub 3 Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 23, 2019
This week, another commercial from the 80’s. I like commercials because they are short, often have lots of great vocabulary, and can often be like litte stories. This commercial from Volkswagen plays with our expectations with a series of retournements (reversals) and a surprising ending. Français English Il a misé un million sur le noir ……
French Culture – Retro Pubs 2 Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 16, 2019
This week we enjoy another vintage commercial from the 1980’s. This one features (amazingly) the chanteur français (French singer) Patrick Bruel (même un très jeune Patrick Bruel / and a very young Patric Bruel, at that). Français English Moi j’ai le plan pour les vacances* I’ve got the plan for vacation Je prends le train…