Our totally off-topic photo-du-jour: "Italian Wine Cooler". Picture taken in Alba, if I remember correctly. Note: no need to edit the photo captions. Photos will not appear with the chapters. Songe (sohnzh) noun, masculine dream A Restless Writer DreamsWhen William Faulkner, famous American novelist, poet and Nobel Laureate, came to stay with us here at the farm, I offered him … Continue reading songe
The handpainted sign reads: "To live well: love well and let others say what they will". ("Pour bien vivre, bien aimer et laisser dire."). attentionné,e (ah-tohn-syon-ay) adjective. : thoughtful, considerate. In books: A *bilingual* classic that fits kids' language-learning needs. When my father returned home to Idaho, from France, he had a few foreign banknotes left over from his trip. Thoughtfully, he tucked the paper … Continue reading attentionné
Medieval (and very-nearly-melts-the-heart): Les Arcs-sur-Argens, Var. fondre (fon-dr) verb to melt, smelt, merge to slim down Le même soleil fait fondre la cire et sécher l’argile. The same sun melts wax and hardens clay. –Clement of Alexandria In books: The Discovery of France: a narrative of exploration–full of … Continue reading fondre
When French skies pout. la moue (mooh) noun, feminine a pout, grimace; a pulled face …quelquefois…mon esprit joue, et quelquefois je ris et fais la moue… …sometimes…my mind plays, and sometimes I laugh and pull a face… –from "Oeuvres de Scarron," by Paul Scarron. Long lines at the autoroute* toll booth make for great people watching! … Continue reading moue
Random photo-du-jour taken in Saint–Rémy-de-Provence The Ultimate French Review and Practice: Mastering French Grammar for Confident Communication écume (ay-koom) noun, feminine foam, scum Bavardage est écume sur l’eau, action est goutte d’or. Chat is foam on water; action is a drop of gold. –Tibetan … Continue reading écume
Chrysanthemums in Camaret-sur-Aigues, France (Vaucluse) French Demystified: simple enough for a beginner, challenging enough for a more advanced student la bévue (bay-vew) noun, feminine blunder, mistake La mort, c’est ce qui nous échappe. L’ultime bévue.Death, it is that which escapes us. The ultimate blunder. –Francine Noël. Autumn leaves in the valley of the Rhone make for a pumpkin-colored countryside. Driving toward Nyons this morning, admiring … Continue reading bévue
Not far from the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo: reserve your room with a view here. Say It Right In French (Say farewell to language faux pas forever!). un égout (ay-goo) noun, masculine sewer Le rêve est un tunnel qui passe sous la réalité. C’est un égout d’eau claire, mais c’est un égout. The dream is a tunnel that passes under reality. It is a … Continue reading égout
Italian cats are the best skirt, I mean–"souris"–chasers. (la souris = mouse) The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry(A delightful true story of food, Paris, and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream) rongeur (ron-zhay) noun, masculine rodent, gnawer O temps rongeur, et toi, envieuse vieillesse, vous détruisez tout! O Time, thou great devourer, and thou, envious Age, together you destroy all things. –Ovide. My brother-in-law, … Continue reading rongeur
The original Rouge-Bleu (a.k.a. "Susan") in Orange, France. boyaux (bwa-yo) masculine noun (plural) guts, entrails La voix de la conscience et de l'honneur est bien faible quand les boyaux crient. The voice of conscience and honor are really feeble when one's guts are crying out. –Denis Diderot. When one's heart is stuffed with dusty parcels, packages that should have been untied and emptied long ago, … Continue reading To Spill Your Guts in French
Fall colors in the town of Seguret. Learn to speak French with Rosetta Stone French. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers and millions of students worldwide une emplette (om-plet) noun, feminine : purchase, shopping, acquisition Un turfiste n'est jamais aussi anxieux de connaître le résultat des courses qu'en l'attente de sa femme partie faire des emplettes. A racegoer is never so anxious to … Continue reading emplette
