Articles
Holidays – Hanukkah – Fête des Lumières
I've been researching French Hanukkah and Judaïca vocabulary. And I've noticed that l'orthographe (the spelling) of Hanukkah is all over the place in French as it is in English. Additions and corrections appreciated. English to French Chanukah - Hanoukka Hanukah -...
Holidays – Paris Halloween
Halloween may not be as popular in France as it is in the US, but you'd never know it from the crowd in front of these side-by-side costume stores in Montmartre. The line went around the corner for more than the two hours I was in the area.
Holidays – All Saints’ Day – Toussaint
November first is La Toussaint, All Saints Day, a far weightier holiday in France than is Halloween. It's a day for commemoration of the dead, and this is done primarily with chrysanthemums (chrysanthèmes). If you didn't know about Toussaint, you'd think France was...
Bonnie and Clyde
English Lyrics You've heard the story of Jesse JamesOf how he lived and how he diedIf you're still in need of something to readThen fine, here's the story of Bonnie & Clyde Here 'tis, Clyde had a petite amieShe was beautiful and her name was BonnieTogether they...
French Onomatopoeia/Onomatopée
Onamatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sound they describe. You might imagine they would be the same or similar in most languages, but they aren't. Sometimes they sound the same, but are spelled differently. A sampling of French onomatopée: English ...
Paris Shop Dogs
Paris shop dogs that are always on-duty, alert and oh-so-stylish. They manage to catch a little down time to conserve their energy. Boutique Dog Optical Store Dog Clothing Store Dog Marché Vendor Dog Café Dog Coiffure Dog...
Cleaning Up after the Dogs of Paris
There are over 300,000 dogs in Paris. The city used to have a reputation for having dog poop all over the sidewalks. Paris may have Sanisettes all over the city, but the poor Parisian doggies can't push the button to get in and use them. There are signs all over the...
Fractal Food
I noticed this vegetable in a Paris marché a few years ago but didn’t have the French language skills to ask what the heck it was. It's not common in the US, although you can find it Northern California, foodie capital of the West. I especially love its geometry and...
You Don’t Own Me in English and French
"You Don't Own Me" PSA - Upworthy from The Department of Peace on Vimeo. "You Don't Own Me" You don't own meI'm not just one of your many toysYou don't own meDon't say I can't go with other boys And don't tell me what to doDon't tell me what to sayAnd please,...
Green Hands – Gardening in France
Talented French gardeners are said to have 'green hands' (la main verte). In England, accomplished gardeners have 'green fingers'. Apparently the term 'green thumb' is US-based but did not become common usage until about the 1940's. I don't have any green appendages,...
Your Period in Paris
What to do about getting your period in Paris
Speaking French
Learning French as a second language when you're an adult presents unique challenges. Perhaps you've been successful in a field that required memorization of an enormous amount of material. You can memorize long lists of French vocabulary words and verb conjugations....
