Our 22-year-old, Max, had a wonderful send-off party at the beach in Les Lecques (that's him centered beneath the sombrero). His closest friends gathered to wish him well in Mexico, where he will be on an exchange program through May 14th, 2018. un pot de départ : farewell drink Bonne lecture – Happy Reading!If you missed a post this month, no worries you can … Continue reading Un Pot de Départ for Max & July Vocabulary Roundup
The French eat quail eggs (les oeufs de caille)… but do they eat fried eggs? Read on… TODAY'S WORD: un oeuf au plat : a fried egg, egg "sunny side up" ECOUTEZ – Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce today's French word: Download MP3 for "Oeuf-au-plat" Un œuf au plat, œuf sur le plat, œuf à la poêle ou œuf miroir est un œuf… cuit à … Continue reading Fried Eggs in French, a Maman Poule, and a visit from Max
Big changes are unfolding in our family: Max is off to Montpellier, Jackie is settling in Aix-en-Provence, and my mom is preparing for a bold move. While there’s concern over her rustic new setup, we’re leaning on humor and love as we each navigate these new chapters—together, even from afar. Continue reading Moving to Mexico : voler de ses propres ailes
The following is a curious choice for word-of-the-day on the eve of our son's 21st birthday, but the term mère indigne popped up in today's story. I then found an old word-a-day soundfile from when Max was 11 years old. So there you have it. An almost ready-made post! Here we go: UNE MERE INDIGNE : an unfit mother ECOUTEZ: Listen to a … Continue reading “Unfit mother” in French + A Celebration
Learn even more French via our instagram page, where new photos will include le français! voler de ses propres ailes(vo-lay deuh say pro-prz zaylz) : to fly with one's own wings (to stand on one's own two feet) Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc (cicadas chattering in the background): Download MP3 or Wav file Souvenez-vous quand vous ou vos enfants ont volé de leurs propres ailes?Do you … Continue reading voler de ses propres ailes
Name this photo! Click here to add a picture title or a thought bubble. (Photo taken near St Cyr-sur-Mer). céder le passage à quelqu’un : to yield (when driving) A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse I woke up this morning with the nagging doubt that the kids might not make it to school today—worse, that we might be stranded on the side … Continue reading ceder le passage
A child care center in Flayosc. Seems like yesterday that my son went to the crèche… read on in today’s story column. une apocope (ah-poh-cowp) : the dropping of one or more syllables (or letters) at the end of a word Ado, MacDo, frigo, véto, resto… the French seem to love abbreviation. This is not to say that others of us are not guilty of truncating terms: in English, for … Continue reading apocope + favorite blogs on France
Share today's "photo du coeur" with a friend… l'ici et maintenant : the here and now, or le moment or l'instant présent Audio File: (I'm afraid our super French word pronouncer (Chief Grape) is away… that means you're stuck with me and my recording. Listen at your own péril…): Download MP3 or Wav file L'ici et maintenant. Dans l'ici-maintenant je ressents de la paix. In the here and now … Continue reading l’ici et maintenant
foutu(e) (foo-tew) adjective 1. damned, ruined, done for 2. kaput, worn out, shot (exhausted) 3. capable (elle est foutue de le faire = she's very capable of doing it) Warning! today's word is slang and not appropriate for all social situations (!!!) Expressions: être mal foutu(e) = to be unattractiveêtre bien foutu(e) = to have a good body Have … Continue reading foutu
The little cabanon, the one that makes a cameo in today's story… .habitude (ah-bee-tood) noun, feminine : habit Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these words: Download MP3 or Wave file prendre de mauvaises habitudes = to pick up bad habitsj'ai l'habitude = I'm used to itd'habitude = as a rulecomme d'habitude = as usual French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Sainte Nuit", "La Marche … Continue reading Motherhood & Max goes to driver’s school
