Tag Archives: French culture
French Culture – Oh what a year! Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 31, 2019
It is once again New Year’s Eve, and around the world people are greeting un nouvel an even as they look back at the year (et toute une décennie ! / and a whole decade) that is coming to an end. And what a year it was! Les Français dans les rues As far back as La Révolution…
French Culture – Songs, songs, songs Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 10, 2019
Le nouvel an (New years) is just a few short weeks away, but it’s not just a new year, it’s a whole new décenie (decade). The perfect time for a look back … and for un cadeau (a gift). In the new year, Transparent Language will be sponsoring a “greatest hits” Spotify list of songs…
French Commercial – Sharing the work Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 26, 2019
Ariel is not just famously the Petite Sirène (Little Mermaid), in France, it is also the name of a well-known laundry detergent. On my recent trip to France, I saw the following commercial that resonated with me. Commercials are not only a great way to learn vocabulary, since they are often very concrete and the…
From Paris With Love Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 12, 2019
I recently spent the weekend in Paris. Two very important people in my life were celebrating leur 25e anniversaire de mariage (25th wedding anniversary) and since I had been at their wedding 25 years ago, it seemed only fitting to go back for the party! While I (happily!) spent most of my time visiting with loved…
French Language – Of numbers and letters Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 22, 2019
Des chiffres et des lettres is a long running television program in France that challenges contestants’ spelling and computation skills. The two different parts of l’émission (the program) can help you build your spelling and counting skills in French. Le mot le plus long / The longest word In the first part of le jeu (the…
French Language – Gender Neutrality Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 15, 2019
One of the trickier aspects of learning to speak French, for the average English speaker at least, is dealing with the rules of gender. Not just remembering which nouns are masculin and which féminin, but also l’accord des adjectifs, keeping professions straight, and understanding why one man in a group of 99 women takes precedence…
French Music – Michel Polnareff Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 1, 2019
As one season (l’été) turns into another (l’automne), I find it’s time for another song that evokes memory, loss, and the oncoming of fall. Je me souviens, moi, Me, I remember, De ce musicien That musician C’était l’automne à It was fall at La maison The house Je me souviens, moi, I remember, I do…