Tag Archives: French language
A word to the weather wise Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 4, 2021
While my musings tend to turn to France (with occasional detours north of the border!), French is a global language and la Francophonie has a global footprint. This week we’ll look at two examples that remind us of the richness of French in all its global grooviness. A world of language Spoken in une trentaine…
De la Rochefoucauld’s Maxims Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 20, 2021
17th century nobleman and militaire François de la Rochefoucauld upset the powerful (including Cardinal Richelieu), spent time in the Bastille prison, and had famous friendships with the likes of la marquise de Sévigné, but is most famous today for his maxims. De la Rochefoucauld’s Maxims A maxim is a short, impactful statement that highlights a fundamental…
Goals for sustainable development Posted by Tim Hildreth on Feb 23, 2021
There are an estimated 7.8 billion people in the world today, almost double what it was just 50 years ago. Ensuring that the world is ready for even more growth requires goals for sustainable development. 17 objectifs pour sauver le monde In order to help focus the global response to population growth, climate change, and…
Find it all at la Samaritaine Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 26, 2021
Since 2005, one of Paris’s iconic grand magasin has been closed. But come the end of the pandemic, la Samaritaine will takes its place again and Parisians and tourists alike will be able to find it all at la Samaritaine. More than just a store For over a century (1870 – 2005) la Samaritaine was…
Snow covers France Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 19, 2021
Unusually cold temperatures brought challenges for some and treats for others as snow covered much of France this past weekend. La France sous un manteau de blanc Le week-end dernier brought de la neige to much of the northern half of the country, covering the country in a blanket of white. From Alsace dans l’est…
French Culture – Oh what a year bis Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 29, 2020
This time last year I shared a post called “Oh what a year!” … after les gilet jaunes and l’incendie de Notre-Dame it seemed surely 2020 would be a better year. And like 2019, 2020 has had des hauts et des bas, but « Oh quelle année ! » once again seems like a fitting…
French Culture – I’m hungry … and I’m in a hurry! Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 17, 2020
A friend of mine was recently asking me about fast food in France. France – one of the world’s undeniable gastronomic powerhouses – has a complicated and conflicted history with la restauration rapide. La malbouffe France is, after all, the country that coined the term bad eating and where, in 1999, the future candidat à…