Category Archives: Language Tips

Has Wrong become Right?

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Susan

This is the Teachers’ Dilemma that’s been bothering me for years now: which form do I teach my students? Our grammar books give the definitions of to remember as: se rappeler and se souvenir de.  Current language has merged the … Continue reading →

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Word of the Month, August

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Susan

I love French verbs that have no direct English translations. We can tell what they mean, but they are so concise, we have no one-word equivalents: fragiliser, relativiser, positiver, responsabiliser. A weird one that’s not even in the dictionary: dérembourser! … Continue reading →

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Perils of Mixing up “Tu” with “Vous”

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Susan

Carolyn V. sent the following wink at the perils of confusing Tu and Vous: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-og-bastile-vous-tu-20140711-htmlstory.html The dangers are serious! Already at 21, I made a peer feel that I was presumptuous when I said “tu” to a good friend of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Perspectives, French culture, French versus English, Language Tips, Only in France ! | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Words of the month, July 3

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Susan

I love French verbs that have no direct English translations. We can tell what they mean, but they are so concise, we have no one-word equivalents: fragiliser, relativiser, positiver, responsabiliser. A weird one that’s not even in the dictionary: dérembourser! … Continue reading →

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New word: Europhobes

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Susan

Ta Da! New Feature of Back Bay Français: Language Tip of the Month! Two new French words have sprung from the recent victory of the Front National (far right) in the election for the European Parlement: “europhobes” et “eurosceptiques.” It … Continue reading →

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New French Words Bring French Alive

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Susan

La Semaine de la langue française et de la francophonie s’est passé en mars mais son action continue jusqu’en juin. So you can still check out the new vocabulary, play with the words, and add them to your own conversation. … Continue reading →

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Part 1 of this series was: Cute stories Part 1 Stephanie writes: It’s fun to think about language, as well!!… Sometimes I don’t know what my son is saying. For example both my kids called “musique” :  zique-mou (not sure … Continue reading →

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Susan | Leave a comment

Cute Stories of an American Mommy Bringing up Two French Kids

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Susan

Stéphanie C. is writing us again. She now has two French kids, a French husband, and a French job. Fully immersed in Parisian life for several years now, she writes: “It’s fun to think about language!!… Sometimes I don’t know … Continue reading →

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What are the subtleties of KIFFER ?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Susan

Could a kind and well-informed French-speaking person explain the subtleties of the verb “kiffer” ?  I’ve heard it a lot and gathered it meant ‘to like,’ ‘to love’ or ‘to appreciate.’ But then I read in the daily Libération that … Continue reading →

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New French Words Reflect Society Influences

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Susan

French words now reflect changes in its society. When I started spending time there, rules were strict. Words used were those found in dictionaries. As time went on, usage seemed to relax. I don’t even know when it happened. Before … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Perspectives, French culture, Language Tips, News from France | Tagged , , | 3 Comments