Month: August 2010

Harvest, Recette / Recipe, Smokey

affolement & Recipe for Zucchini and Potato Gratin

I heart lonely chairs. More pictures of Nyons in an upcoming Cinéma Vérité. affolement (ah-fol-maohn) noun, masculine : panic, perturbation, unsteadiness verb: affoler: to cause panic and s’affoler: to panic.. Sound file & Example Sentence Download MP3 or Download WAV Pour l'instant, l'heure n'est pas à l'affolement.Now's not the time to worry.     A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse Affolement, it is … Continue reading affolement & Recipe for Zucchini and Potato Gratin

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antiques

clandestin

Two things I love about Italy (see the second in today’s story…) . clandestin(e) [klhon deh sten (steen)] noun : stowaway (adjective: underground, secret, illicit) Example Sentence & Audio File:  Download WAV or MP3 Au retour de Sicile, les enfants ont découvert quelques clandestins dans la voiture! On the way back from Sicily, the kids discovered a few stowaways in the car! * . A Day … Continue reading clandestin

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Writing

avant-propos

Pull up a chaise and let me tell you a little about this newsletter's beginnings… (photo taken in Nyons.) avant-propos (ahvahn pro poh) noun, masculine : foreword (to a book or a story)   Correct Your French Blunders: How to Avoid 99% of the Common Mistakes Made by Learners of French. Speak and write French as if it were your native tongue! Order here.   Sound file … Continue reading avant-propos

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Uncategorized

Sample Ads

PREMIUM ADS(appear above the fold, include image file) Rent Robin’s Paris apartment! Click here for details. . Yabla French Video Immersion. The fun way to learn French * France and Monaco Rentals. Exclusive Vacation Rental Properties throughout France.     TEXT ADSup to 70 characters/line, appear at the end of newsletter Les portes tordues (The Twisted Doors): The Scariest Way in the World to Learn and Listen to French! … Continue reading Sample Ads

Mischief, Smokey

enflure

Shade in Sicily. More photos of Italy in this weekend's Cinema Vérité..  enflure (on-fler) noun, feminine : swelling (of cheek, etc) also enfler (to swell) and enflé = (swollen) Sound File and Example Sentence: Download Wav or MP3 Notre chien a été piqué par une abeille. Sa "bosse," c'est l'enflure d'une piqûre. Our dog was stung by a bee. His "bump," it is the swelling of a sting. … Continue reading enflure

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mother-in-law, Vaucluse Villages & Towns

troisième age

Stair-painting in Provence = creativity in the Midi. Share some arm-chair travel with a friend or a family member: send someone a free subscription to French Word-A-Day. Click here.  troisième age (twa zee em ahze) : senior citizen   Sound File:(a little behind the scenes clip today in which I demonstrate to Jean-Marc how I want him to pronounce today’s phrase. Can you hear him … Continue reading troisième age

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mother-in-law

chut!

Sicilian photos coming soon. For now, here's our twelve-headed tournesol (around twelve flowertêtes per plant)! And never miss a photo or French word: Sign up for FREE email delivery and receive this edition in your email box. chut (shoot) : shhh! Sound file and Example Sentence: Listen to my mother-in-law pronounce today's word: Download MP3 or Wav   Chut! Elle dort. Il ne faut pas la réveiller. … Continue reading chut!

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Le Ruisseau / Brooke, Sunflowers, Writing

illico

"La Réunion": Daughter Jackie and Smokey "R" Dokey. So sweet to "re-meet". illico presto (ee lee ko press toh) right away French synonyms: immédiatement, aussitôt, sur-le-champ (immediately), tout de suite = all at once Example Sentence: Il faut partir illico presto! We need to leave right away! . A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse To the tune of  a spinning machine à … Continue reading illico

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Uncategorized

le repos

Dog Days down South. Photo taken in Presa while the car-chaser was off-duty… le repos (reuh poh) noun, masculine : rest   Siesta in Sicily Bonjour from the lava looming foothills of Etna. This « thrice-weekly » journal is on sabbatical for the next two weeks while its ink-pushing editor lets vacation get the best of her. As I type this dispatch, leaves rustle on eucalyptus trees, … Continue reading le repos

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