Provencale produce waiting to "pleurer" or cry out their hearts via a swift sweat. "FRENCH in 10 minutes a day" is a fun, dynamic and engaging way to begin your love affair with French." Check it out here. dégorger (day-gor-zhay) verb  to disgorge, to clear out  to discharge; pour out, to surge (crowd of people)  to clean, to scour Eh bien, pleurez ! soyez triste … Continue reading dégorger

Enjoy life, piane-piane, as often as you can. (photo taken in Biot, France). piane-piane (peeyan-peeyan) adverb  gently, softly, slowly –From the Norman dialect "pianopian". Perhaps from the Italian phrase "piano-piano". **Update: the word "plan-plan" ("laid-back"), though an adjective, may be the correct equivalent of "piano-piano"…Les maçons désoeuvrés venaient par habitude tourner chaque jour autour des chantiers. Les mains dans les poches, chaussés de lourds sabots, … Continue reading piane-piane

Freshly turned earth feels so good under the hoofs. "Tune Up Your French" by Natalie Schorr. "If you are among the many people who studied French in high school, college, or even beyond but still get stuck when it comes to actually speaking the language, this book is for you." (Publisher’s note). le sol (sol) noun, masculine  ground; floor; flooring; soil, land On ne peut … Continue reading sol

The Aosta Valley (Italian Alps). See three adorable Italian brutes (brouters?) here. brouter (broo-tay) verb  1. to graze, browse (on grass)  2. to chatter, jump, judder (brake, tool); to grab (brake) Le buffle attaché n'aime pas le buffle qui broute.The buffalo that is tied up doesn't like the buffalo that grazes.                                            … Continue reading brouter

Our summer camp director (seated in chair, far left) sassy in the role of Dalida Suggested reading: Mots d’Heures: Gousses, Rames.  "A rollicking entertainment for words lovers, Mots d’Heures: Gousses, Rames will delight readers with its Frenchified, phonetic high jinks." (text from the back cover) esprit (es-pree) noun, masculine  mind;  wit; spirit Il y a une  dimension spirituelle dans chaque relation. Lorsque deux personnes se … Continue reading esprit

How to spread out, or "étaler" a bulldozed building…with grace and artistry in today’s story. étaler (ay-tal-ay) verb  to spread, to spread out, to display, to lay out  to put on, smooth on  to spread out (payments)  to parade, to flaunt, to show off Ne ronge pas ton frein, ce que tu as sur le coeur, dis-le. Tu verras qu’un secret étalé au soleil rétrécit … Continue reading étaler

If you are ever in Sainte Cécile, please drop by Feuilles des Vignes and pick up a book. Rock on, en français, with Mademoiselle K. Her album, "Ça Me Vexe," is available here. The next word will go out on Monday (due to the pouring of cement floors around here…).allonger (alon-zhay) verb  1. to lengthen, make longer; to extend  2. to stretch (out)  3. to … Continue reading allonger

There are artistic oeuvres around every French corner at this former flower farm. "Chasing Matisse: A Year in France Living My Dream," by James Morgan. "A lovely memoir, travelogue and art history…Morgan's passion…might even inspire some readers to follow dreams of their own." –Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. More about the book, here. oeuvre (uh-vruh) noun, feminine  1. work  2. task  3. deed  4. ("oeuvre" is also a … Continue reading oeuvre

Random photo of my friend Tess's chickens. They love to sunbathe & shoot the feather-light breeze in French or English (they are bilingual, after all). la gueule-de-loup (gul-duh-loo) noun, feminine  1. wolf's mouth  2. snapdragon …les gueules-de-loup roses baîllaient dans les fentes des pierres……the rosy snapdragons gaped in the cracks between the stones…                   –from "Les Misérables" by Victor HugoRead … Continue reading gueule-de-loup