By the time the leaves turn gold in Lyon, we'll be meeting up with part of my American family. Read about our virtual meetup in today's story, and pick up a host of new French words. TODAY’S WORD: UNE FAUTE DE FRAPPE : typing error, : error made when hitting the wrong button A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi … Continue reading Faute de Frappe: Funny Surprise After My Dad Hits the Wrong Button
Jean-Marc, tending to his tomato plants as Mama the Dove looks on. la surdité (suhr-dee-tay) : hearing loss, deafness, infirmité auditive VIEW FULL POSTThis newsletter has experienced technical problems recently, as I am trying to set the format back to “show full post.” Hopefully, you are seeing this now. If not, my apologies. Click here to view the entire post. A DAY IN … Continue reading La Surdité: I Can’t Hear What You Are Saying! + Tinnitus in French
Twilight in Agadir, Morocco, in Northwest Africa. Jean-Marc snaps a photo of le coucher du soleil. Do you want to continue receiving these emails? Each week my overzealous, automated listserver sweeps several subscribers into the "inactive" bin, eventually deleting them! Here are two ways to ensure you receive this journal in your inbox from here on out: 1. Regularly click on the links in my … Continue reading Bonjour from North Africa + A Gift from Strangers!
Colorful, vintage "quad" roller skates. Je les adore! How about you? And do you rollerskate? Also, if today's word doesn't interest you, there are a dozen more useful terms to discover in the story below. FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY: les patins à roulettes : roller skates FRENCH AUDIO: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the French words in today's post. Then … Continue reading What are “les patins à roulettes”? + Embarrassment is the Thief of Joy
The little stone cabanon at our vineyard. Do you remember the heart door? Today's Word: la cour de récréation : playground, schoolyard Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension. Click here to begin listening A (Birth)DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse … Continue reading A Special Request + Playground in French (and wild and free learning!)
Today's Word: une éclosion : blossoming, burgeoning Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension. Sound File here A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse There were a handful of letters I meant to include in our vineyard memoir, colorful cartes postales from … Continue reading “Eclosion”: Old love letters, a lifetime commitment, and “rien n’est acquis”…
If you were to visit Jean-Marc's wine shop, what would you buy? Tell us your favorite wine, drink, or boisson in the comments section. It could make for a lively thread! Today's Word: bredouille : empty-handed, unsuccessful Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear today's word + a dozen more vocabulary words. Next, scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your comprehension. Sound File, … Continue reading Name your favorite drink + What does the French “bredouille” mean in English? (Hint: it doesn’t mean ‘tipsy’)
Jean-Marc and I begin Part Two of our memoir, The Lost Gardens. This project would not be possible without the support of readers. Mille mercis to those who have purchased the online edition and are reading our story and cheering us on. Without you we would be at Chapter Zero! The blog post below, written in 2013, takes us back to Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, where we … Continue reading La flemme! La grasse matinée… + Lackadaisy is not a flower
For this last post of the year, my mind is a scramble–une bousculade. As with the beginning of any essay, there are so many possible directions in which to set out. This is when a writer must hone in on a subject or, at the very least, un thème. Because everything is bubbling up inside of me in a good and sunny way, it can't … Continue reading Bon bout d’an! + What is an adult? (Surprising answer by one of France’s most famous philosophers)
Mailboxes in Marseilles. Today, read about a letter I received from the IRS….Today's word: le fisc américain : the IRS 365 Days of French Expressions: Learn one new French Expression per Day Example Sentence : Depuis 2014, les Français nés aux Etats-Unis sont tenus de déclarer leurs revenus au fisc américain, voire de payer des impôts aux Etats-Unis alors qu'ils n'y ont jamais vécu.-ladepeche.fr Since … Continue reading A funny IRS story from France
