La Renaissance Française, a century-old institution, honored Kristin Espinasse with La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones. After delays due to a pandemic, a heartfelt ceremony in Paris celebrated her contributions to French culture. The event underscored the importance of language and cultural exchange, and Espinasse’s journey was warmly acknowledged. Continue reading La Renaissance Française: A Legacy of Cultural Exchange
BY CHATJPT Learn French with a Daily Dose of Vocabulary from French Word-A-Day Aix-en-Provence, France – French Word-A-Day, a popular blog that delivers a weekly French vocabulary word, is inviting language learners of all levels to join its community and receive a weekly dose of French language and culture. Founded in 2002 by language enthusiast and author Kristi Espinasse, French Word-A-Day provides readers with a … Continue reading Press Release
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
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
You don't have to drink wine to benefit from today's incredible tip! (I use the opened bottles for ice tea.) Don't miss today's lively, one minute demonstration on how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. le tire-bouchon (teer-boo-shohn) : corkscrew Un tire-bouchon est un ustensile utilisé pour tirer le bouchon en liège naturel ou reconstitué d'une bouteille. A corkscrew is … Continue reading No “tire-bouchon”? + How to open a bottle of wine with a BOOK! (video)
Socks on stage, taking a bow in front of the curtains. I have always been a sucker for whimsy. I love French architecture and adore the building blocks of language… manger ses mots (mahn-zhay-say-moh) : to speak inarticulately, to mumble Aha! and you thought manger ses mots (to eat one's words) meant to admit you were wrong. Relax! You're thinking of the English idiom. … Continue reading manger ses mots
A "crique" or little sea inlet along the littoral, or Mediterranean coast. crapahuter (krah-pah-ew-tay) : to clamber, crawl, trek, or yomp Also: to plough along, to trudge, to schlepp Audio file: listen to Jean-Marc: Download MP3 or Wave file Pour accèder à la petite crique, on doit crapahuter sur les rochers.To access the little sea inlet, we have to scamper over the rocks. A DAY … Continue reading crapahuter
In case you ever wondered just who gets stuck cleaning the catacombs of Paris… (Photograph taken by Michael Reeve) Very sorry for the hasty letter today (the sound file and "word of the day" will return–along with the regular edition–on Wednesday). I'm in a hurry as I need to be in Paris by 9 a.m. for three days of community service. The local authorities contacted … Continue reading French word for catacombs + photos of French locks
One of the dumbest things about moving to France is leaving your sister behind. Today, mine celebrates a birthday and I won't be there to take her picture as she blows out her candles. But with any luck she'll have received the funny postcard I sent which brings me to the theme of today's missive: mailboxes! la boîte à lettres (bwat-ah-letr) : mailbox, … Continue reading mailbox in French + mailbox photos!
"This one's for you!" (pictured: that's me with the cake, my husband, right, gets all the wine around here–even when we lived on a vineyard, where wine all but flowed from the garden hose.) A (Very Special) DAY IN A FRENCH …by Kristi EspinasseYesterday a delicate and meaningful milestone quietly passed. Waking up, I searched for a way to respectfully acknowledge the date, lest it … Continue reading So much for anonymity
