Tag Archives: French language
Salade de mots* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 11, 2016
Savez-vous planter des choux . . . et pourquoi l’on se bat pour des prunes ? (Do you know how to plant cabbages . . . and why one fights for plums?) French is full of interesting expressions about les fruits et les legumes (fruits and vegetables). This week I thought I’d share a few…
Une semaine bien française* Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 13, 2016
Given my love for France and all things French, it’s not unusual for my weeks to be filled with a variety of French things. But this week I had the added bonus of being surprised in delightful ways by more French than usual. Ma semaine surprise a commencé mardi (My week of surprises started Tuesday)…
Pour ceux et celles qui aiment le vin * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 12, 2016
Ma tante Rose au Québec envoie souvent des courriels** avec des devinettes, des chansons, des images ou autre qu’elle trouve amusants. / My aunt Rose in Quebec often sends e-mail with riddles, songs, images, or other things she finds amusing. This week she sent one that, given last week’s discussion of meals and table settings…
A table! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 5, 2016
Les français aiment bien manger . . . moi aussi, d’ailleurs. / The French love to eat . . . and so do I. You can probably tell from some of my earlier posts, that food features prominently in my love of France and all things French. That wasn’t always the case though and still…
Potpourri * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 28, 2016
La semaine dernière (last week)**, we talked about changes in the French school week. Most notably about the change in the status of le mercredi. Once upone a time, Wednesday’s for younger children were filled with organized activities outside of school. For many older kids, Wednesday afternoons were filled with a trip to the movies…
École le samedi ?!! * Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 21, 2016
C’est la fin de l’année scolaire (en France comme aux Etats-Unis). / It’s the end of the school year (in France and in the United States). In many ways school in France isn’t all that different from school in America, but in other ways, it’s quite different. School in France is highly centralized, and as…
L’heure de la sortie / Quitting Time Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 17, 2016
Listening to one of my old favorites in the car the other day, I got to thinking about French expressions for time and in particular the difference between some very common expressions that, while not exactly confusing, can trip up the novice and experienced language learner alike. You see, the French have two words for…