Tag Archives: French vocabulary
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…
French Culture – Retro Pubs Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 9, 2019
When I lived in France in the 1980’s, I found popular culture, including commercials, to be a powerful way to connect with and to learn French. J’étais donc enchanté (I was therefore charmed) to stumble across this great YouTube clip (video) that features de biens bons (some great ones). Over the next few weeks, I’ll…
French Vocabulary – Internet Policies Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 2, 2019
Last week I shared a link to an article about the new gite (guest house) that my stepdaughter and husband opened at their nursery. If you happened to click through to see the details, then you might have encountered un message pop-up (a pop-up message) explaining the sites use of les cookies. When is a…
French Culture – Current(ish) Events Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 25, 2019
As you know, I had the great privilege of studying in France au lycée (in high school). I also enjoyed returning during my junior year (3rd year) à l’université (in college*). Reading a recent New York Times article, I learned that that was just one thing I shared with the late Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Une…
French Music – Christophe Willem Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 18, 2019
Christophe Willem exploded onto the French pop scene in 2006 when he won the French singing competition Nouvelle Star (the French version of American Idol / Pop Idol). Since then he’s become one of my favorite singers, though his songs (and particularly his videos) aren’t always well suited for a blog. I recently came across…