Tag Archives: French language
French Vocabulary – Talking about family Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 10, 2019
I just finished a book called Mon frère (My bother) in which the French écrivain (writer) Daniel Pennac interweaves his memories of a dear older brother with excerpts from a Herman Melville short story. The short text, which I picked up last summer on my trip to France avec mon fils (with my son), touched…
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 Music – Juliette Greco Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 27, 2019
Juliette Gréco, whose career spanned more than 70 years, is an emblematic star of French cinema and song. She interpreted songs by artists from Jacques Brel to Serge Gainsbourg … and even had a romantic relationship with the American Jazz legend Miles Davis. Little French Songs As France’s former first lady Carla Bruni reminded us…
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 Architecture – The Louvre Pyramid Posted by Tim Hildreth on Aug 6, 2019
In previous posts, I’ve alluded to the fact that not everyone was originally happy about plans to build a giant glass-and-steel pyramid in the heart of one of Paris’s most treasured buildings. This week we look at a historical document that illustrates the different opinions of the time. Des Racines et des Ailes / Of roots…
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 ……