Tag Archives: musique francaise
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…
Who Wants a Last Dance in Paris? Posted by Hichem on May 17, 2014
Care to improve your French comprehension skills by joining Indila for une dernière danse (a last dance) in the streets of the French capital? * * * Indila’s new song “Dernière danse” (“Last Dance”) Oh, ma douce souffrance Oh, my sweet suffering Pourquoi s’acharner, tu recommences Why try so hard, you start again Je ne suis…
Do You Want a French Mustache—Or an Austrian Beard?! Posted by Hichem on May 9, 2014
In less than 24 hours, the 2014 Eurovision grande finale will be taking place. Six pays (six countries) are en lice (battling it out) for la première place. What does France has to offer this time, you may reluctantly wonder? A group whose chanson (song) seems to hint at the general zeitgeist reigning a bit everywhere in the world: the “I-got-many-things-but-I-still-want-more” kind of syndrome. Of course, without reading…
Le Paradis blanc (White Paradise) Posted by Hichem on Nov 21, 2013
When it comes to traveling, the expression of paradis terrestre (earthly paradise) evokes for most people a warm, exotic, and quite far destination on the planet. Think along the lines of Hawai, the Caribbeans, or even Bora Bora in French Polynesia! Not everyone would agree on that, however. For the late French singer Michel Berger, for example, a…
Are You Sometimes “Fainéant” (Lazy)? Posted by Hichem on Oct 29, 2013
Bonjour there! Tell me, how was waking up for you this morning? Rather facile (easy), difficile (difficult), or complètement pénible (completely rough)? Whether you are the type of person who springs up from bed at the first beep of your réveil (alarm clock), or on the contrary one who has to be forcibly dragged away from under l’oréiller (the pillow)…
Stromae’s “Papaoutai” (Read: “Where Are You, Dad?”) Posted by Hichem on Oct 19, 2013
A very good friend of mine just told me that he enjoyed a lot listening to this French song by Stromae. Its titre (title)? “Papaoutai” What? You’re not sure if it sounds French? Well, true, it at least sounds like une onomatopée (an onomatopoeia), like a French frog (a real one, please) that would go “coac coac” (Americans…
À chacun son rêve (To Each Their Own Dream) Posted by Hichem on Aug 31, 2013
Vous souvenez-vous des amis que vous avez eus ? (Do you remember the friends you had?) Question: Vous souvenez-vous de ceux que vous avez perdus ? (Question: Do you remember the ones you lost?) Dites-leur que: Chacun sa route (Tell them that: To each their own road), chacun son chemin (to each their own path), chacun son rêve (to each…