Tag Archives: French

Fête de Noël 2014

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Susan

Fête de Noël chez Susan We had our annual Fête de Noël last week. Present, former, and potential students and friends gathered together to chat in French, eat, drink, and sing French carols.  The rich, beautiful voices of our two … Continue reading →

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Puzzling out Quebecois from TV5

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Susan

TV5 is such a fun way to learn French! A complete novice can get the melody from listening to the language in the background. Intermediate students can follow talk-shows, cartoons, films, soap operas and cultural shows with or without subtitles. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Perspectives, French culture, French versus English, Language Tips, Reasons to learn French, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Middle-agers: Study a Language !

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Susan

You must read the July 15, 2014 Opinion by William Alexander in the New York Times: “The benefits of failing at French” ” Last year researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University in Illinois hypothesized that … 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

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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Synonyms for basics and for sex terms

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Susan

That would be a good study: comparing the number of synonyms in various languages. Which synonyms were you thinking of? I would imagine that most synonyms would be express basic phenomena like “I’m hungry,” “I want…,” “I need,” and “I … 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 →

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Marilyn M de la région bostonienne : “L’Amour et les Français !

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Susan

Marilyn M écrit de Needham : J’ai beaucoup réfléchi sur l’affaire Hollande.  Il a le droit à une vie privée, droit très important en France.  Il est vrai que ses actions n’étaient pas prudentes pour les raisons de sécurité.  Mais, … Continue reading →

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Our self-proclaimed Frenchie, Doris, is scandalized by those of us who are scandalized

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Susan

Je n’implique pas plus les Anglos que quiconque s’identifie à des bornés de puritains et de débiles: il faut vraiment avoir un QI de taré pour être attiré par ce TRASH. Même le Pape François ne se considère pas ” … Continue reading →

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Bernard, an observer of French culture writes with savvy eye and a golden pen : Décidément, l’année a commencé avec une actualité française bien chargée : une version présidentielle de Romeo et Juliette, le mélodrame de l’épouse abandonnée, ou plutôt … Continue reading →

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Susan | Leave a comment