{"id":31176,"date":"2019-03-05T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=31176"},"modified":"2019-03-05T02:51:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T01:51:42","slug":"french-language-learning-new-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/french-language-learning-new-words\/","title":{"rendered":"French Language – Learning New Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I read, listen to the latest news from France, and explore new music, I like to jot down ideas for blog posts. Sometimes (like last week<\/a>) those items come together in a cohesive story. Sometimes, like this week, they’re a real\u00a0m\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

M\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo<\/strong><\/p>\n

M\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is a great little expression that means a mish-mash, a mixed bag …\u00a0<\/em>and that’s just what I’m giving you this week. Another way to think of it is as a potpourri<\/a> of different\u00a0id\u00e9es ou choses<\/strong> (ideas or things).<\/em><\/p>\n

S\u00e9cher un cours \/ l’\u00e9cole<\/b><\/p>\n

S\u00e9cher un cours \/ l’\u00e9cole\u00a0<\/b>is an old expression I remembered from my school days, but one that I had forgotten about until I heard it used in a podcast I was listening to this week on my drive to work. It’s origins go further back though to the days when\u00a0les \u00e9l\u00e8ves\u00a0<\/strong>(students)\u00a0<\/em>used de l’encre <\/strong>\u00a0(ink)<\/em> in bottles to write with. If a student missed class, then their ink would sit idle and would\u00a0s\u00e8che<\/strong> (dry out) … <\/em>In American English would we say to play hooky<\/em> or to skip school.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tablette<\/b>\u00a0de chocolat<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who doesn’t like a good chocolate bar? I know I can’t resist one … which is why at\u00a0presque 50 ans, j’ai des poign\u00e9es d’amour!\u00a0<\/strong>(almost 50, I have love handles!) <\/em>But in the same way that one doesn’t associate beer with six-pack abs, this oxymoron of a French phrase refers to a tight, well-toned midriff. The phrase\u00a0tablette de chocolat\u00a0<\/strong>(chocolate\u00a0bar)<\/em> refers to a man’s ab muscles … as opposed to un bar de chocolat<\/strong> which is a simple\u00a0chocolate bar.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Podcasts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Podcasts (or as they are known in French-speaking Canada\u00a0la baladodiffusion<\/strong>) can be a great way to practice your language skills. Two of my current favorites – which I’ll admit are probably best for advanced learners – are listed here.<\/p>\n

Hondelatte raconte<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Available online, du lundi au vendredi <\/strong>(From Monday to Friday)<\/em> you can hear details of crimes, exploits, and adventures historical and contemporary from one of France’s most respected reporters and storytellers.\u00a0Des histoires<\/strong> (stories) <\/em>are reported and then dissected by Christophe et ses invit\u00e9s<\/strong> (and his [invited] guests)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Hotmixradio<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Hotmixradio, I can follow the latest releases from my favorite\u00a0artistes fran\u00e7ais <\/strong>(French artists)<\/em>. In a long-format interview, you can go behind the scenes of your favorite French singers and learn about what lead them to their latest\u00a0titres<\/strong> (titles, released songs).<\/em><\/p>\n

Alain Chamfort, who sang about the lost sailing ship Manureva<\/a>, was a guest recently which led me to download his latest album which is full of great songs. You can listen to \/ watch an\u00a0extrait<\/strong> of his interview here<\/a>. And si vous aimez les chats*<\/strong> (if you like cats)<\/em> and pop, enjoy his latest single here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Image from www.pexels.com [CC0].<\/p>\n

* Si vous aimez vraiment les chats … et si vous aimez bien rire … check out this YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

As I read, listen to the latest news from France, and explore new music, I like to jot down ideas for blog posts. Sometimes (like last week) those items come together in a cohesive story. Sometimes, like this week, they’re a real\u00a0m\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo. M\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo M\u00e9li-m\u00e9lo\u00a0is a great little expression that means a mish-mash, a mixed bag…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":31183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,108,13],"tags":[2149,284,316,367,432,12514],"class_list":["post-31176","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-music","category-vocabulary","tag-france","tag-free-french-lessons","tag-french-culture","tag-french-music","tag-french-vocabulary","tag-vocabulaire-francais"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t