My daughter, Jackie, just turned 5 when this word journal began. Here she is at eleven… helping Braise (brez) get dressed for the party! Today marks the 6th anniversary of this French word journal. Party time! *Note: the next word goes out on November 5th. (…not because we will need time to recover from the fête… but because we will be spending time with the kids, … Continue reading joyeux
Sunflowers for Soeur Emmanuelle Please excuse today's non-conformist (… that is: not conforming to the usual blog) format but this is a special edition, devoted to a special, non-conformist French nun. To hear today's word, check out the first and last video (a music video with Calogero Maurici) at the end of this post. ::::::::::::::::::::::::: Y A L L A ! ::::::::::::::::::::::::: True, today's word … Continue reading yalla
A cautionary word to our dog, Braise (right): That's no way to treat a (potential) lover. Learn the whole story in the column, below. * * * My sister, Heidi, will be participating in a march for breast cancer. She is walking on behalf of our mother, Jules, our Aunt Charmly, and Tante Marie-Françoise who are breast cancer survivors. Please check out Heidi's progress (at … Continue reading veinard
Thank you! (A jug of thanks, and more, in today's story column.) Note: the book section (in the left and right columns) changes "thrice-weekly" along with each new post. Look for French-themed novels, short stories, grammar books and more! pot (poh) noun, masculine : pot, jug, can, tin, jar [from low Latin "potus" (a pot), from the classical Latin "potus" (drink)] "Un pot" can refer … Continue reading pot
My mom, Jules (her hands pictured here) was busy harvesting cosmos seeds up until her departure. She's gone home now, but the seeds are drying on my kitchen table–and they make me smile each time I walk past them. baba cool (baba-kool) noun, masculine/feminine : hippy, flower child The plural of baba cool is "babas cool". Il est baba- cool, respecte son gourou, … Continue reading baba cool
A shop dog in Grignan — a town in the Drôme made famous by Madame de Sévigné. (Re today’s photo: You can just see my mom’s reflection in the shop window. She’s wearing a bright-colored poncho. See her? And see another picture of our tech savvy chien at the end of this post). Thank you for all the French words and expressions! Please keep sending … Continue reading mouchoir-pouchoir
Today's unrelated Photo du Jour: a fire hydrant in the hilltop town of Seguret. A fun (and easy!) word game for you today & an invitation for UK readers, here. fendre (fon-dr) verb : to split; to slit, to slash : to cleave [from the Latin, "findere"] fendre la foule = to push one's way through the crowdse fendre = to crackfendre l'air = "to cut … Continue reading fendre
Meet "Dotty" (here, with painted "nails" — desperate not to look like a plouc). Wouldn't you just love to paint her? Find out how to add your watercolor, oil, pencil, pastel (or other) portait of Dotty to our online gallery. Read the story column here. You can use either photo for inspiration. Message to UK readers: find out how to get free tickets to our … Continue reading plouc
Meet "Dot" the exotic caterpillar we met last Saturday morning while picking grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. S(he) has lovely painted "fingernails". Maybe I'll show you those another time? Today: Your French Vernissage. Read today's story column and find out how you, or a friend, might participate in our second vernissage, or "art showing", here at French Word-A-Day. Message to UK readers: find out how to get … Continue reading chenille
Some people like to head to the flea market on Sundays, whilst others are just itching to pick grapes! More in today's story column. (Photo: antique metal sign at a brocante in Piolenc. The owner says this one is not for sale.) Sure, you know the French word "dimanche", but do you know some of the interesting expressions that go with it? Hint: there's one … Continue reading dimanche
