Stop Shaming Victims

“France’s gender equality minister has announced the government’s new plans against domestic abuse”: it would allow the authorities to deal with “the most insidious situations, which don’t leave a mark to the naked eye but can mutilate the victim’s inner self.” Those found guilty face up to three years in jail and a fine of 75,000 euros, or about $90,000. (NY Times)

‘Friends often think he’s the nicest man in the world’ – Abusers can have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality; Dr. Jekyll is often charming and hides behind a public persona. Usually, abuse takes place behind closed doors. Abusers deny their actions & blame the victim, are hypersensitive and may react with rage.

Let’s all (#metoo) campaign against worldwide domestic abuse & help stop the violence !

The Queen Mother’s Favourite Fruit Cake

For the cake:

• 225g dried dates chopped
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g dried walnuts, roughly chopped
• 275g plain flour
• 225g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 75g butter

For the icing:

• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 2 tablespoons butter

Grease and line a 23cm x 30cm tin.  Heat oven to 180ºF.

To make the cake:

Put the chopped dates in a bowl and pour over a breakfast cup of boiling water. Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir in. Set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar in another bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter, sugar and egg mix, then the dates and incorporate well. Scrape the batter into the baking pan and spread it right to the edges. Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. To make the topping: In a small heavy saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and cream over a low heat. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil gently for 3 minutes, stirring all the time. Pour over warm cake. When cool, store in an airtight tin.

Credit/Source:  Julia Watson, The Bugle

 

Festive traditions in France & Christmas Vocab List

• L’Avent – Advent
• Un ange – angel
• Une chandelle – candle
• Une carte de Noël – Christmas card
• Un chant de Noël – Christmas carol
• Le jour de Noël – Christmas Day
• Le réveillon de Noël – Christmas Eve dinner
• La veille de Noël – Christmas Eve
• La fête de Noël – Christmas party
• Un cadeau de Noël – Christmas present
• L’arbre/Le sapin de Noël – Christmas tree
• Le père Noël – Father Christmas
• Un santon – figurine in a Nativity
• Un jeu – game
• Un jouet – toy
• La crèche – manger
• Joyeux Noël! Merry Christmas!
• La Messe de minuit – midnight Mass
• Le gui – mistletoe
• Le jour de l’An – New Year’s Day
• La Saint-Sylvestre – New Year’s Eve
• Le réveillon du Nouvel An – New Year’s Eve dinner
• Un cadeau – present
• Un renne – reindeer
• Un ruban – ribbon
• Un traîneau – sleigh
• La neige – snow
• Une boule de neige – snowball
• Un bonhomme de neige – snowman
• Une peluche – stuffed animal
• Noël sous la neige – white Christmas

French children traditionally leave their shoes in front of the fireplace on la veille de Noël (Christmas Eve) before they go to bed. Père Noël (Father Christmas) visits them while they sleep and if they have been good leaves presents in and around the shoes. In northern and eastern France, there is a parallel tradition which celebrates Saint Nicolas on December 6th. Adults traditionally wait until le jour de l’ An (New Year’s Day) to exchange gifts, although, increasingly, families are exchanging gifts on Christmas Day.

Festive traditions An important aspect of Christmas in France is the Nativité (Nativity) with its crèche (manger) and santons (figurines). The latter are often hand-made and passed down through the generations. Mistletoe is hung above the door and is considered to bring for good fortune. Note that it does not have the ‘kissing’ connotations of other countries! The sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) is not as important in France as, for example, in the UK, but it does still form part of the Christmas celebrations. Christmas trees are decorated a few days before Christmas and Père Noël will often leave sweets and treats on its branches in addition to the present in the children’s shoes. Unique to Lyon is the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights), where every house in the city will place a candle in their windows, producing a spectacular effect. The celebration usually lasts four days, culminating on 8th December.

Le réveillon de Noël The most important Christmas event in France is la Messe de minuit (midnight Mass) followed by the eating of a meal known as the réveillon de Noël (from the verb réveiller, to ‘wake up’ or ‘revive’). Although fewer and fewer French attend midnight Mass, it is still an important part of Christmas for many families. The ré- veillon represents a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ’s birth and is one of the most important meals of the year. Traditionally the réveillon is a family affair and the meal is eaten immediately after midnight Mass at home or in a restaurant. The meal varies from region to region, but typically will involve seafood, followed by a cooked bird and the traditional bûche de Noël (Yule log). This cake is made from chocolate and chestnuts and represents the log burned from Christmas Eve until Epiphany in parts of France. The log-burning is itself based on an ancient pagan Gaul tradition of burning a log for the duration of the winter solstice. La Saint-Sylvestre – 1st January French New Year is celebrated with a feast called the réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre.

On New Year’s Day friends and family exchange good wishes and sometimes gifts. The president also uses Saint-Sylvestre to make his annual address to the nation. L’Épiphanie – 6th January The final celebration of the festive season in France is Épiphanie (Epiphany) on 6th January. The tradition on this day revolves around the eating of a special cake known as the galette des Rois (literally ‘cake of the kings’). A small figurine or fève is placed inside the cake. The cake is cut into pieces and distributed by a child, known as le petit roi, or l’enfant soleil. Whoever receives the piece of the cake with the gift inside is declared King or Queen for the day and gets to choose a partner.

en Français

Ala veille de Noël, les petits enfants français laissent traditionnellement leurs chaussures devant la cheminée avant d’aller au lit. Le Père Noël leur rend visite pendant qu’ils dorment et s’ils ont été sages, il laisse des cadeaux dans leurs chaussures. Dans le nord et l’est de la France, il existe une tradition similaire : c’est la célébration de Saint-Nicolas le 6 décembre. Traditionnellement les adultes attendent le jour de l’An pour échanger les cadeaux, bien que les familles le fassent de plus en plus le jour de Noël.

Traditions festives En France, la Nativité est un moment important de Noël avec sa crèche et ses santons souvent faits main et transmis d’une génération à l’autre. Le gui est suspendu au-dessus de la porte afin de porter chance mais sans la tradition du baiser des autres pays! Décoré quelques jours avant Noël, le sapin tient une part importante dans les célébrations mais moins cependant que dans d’autres pays tels que le Royaume Uni. Le Père Noël laisse souvent des friandises sur les branches lorsqu’il dépose les cadeaux dans les chaussures. Célébrée uniquement à Lyon, la Fête des Lumières se tient sur 4 jours, le moment phare prenant place le 8 décembre. Les habitants dé- posent une bougie sur le rebord de leurs fenê- tres, ce qui produit un effet spectaculaire.

Le réveillon de Noël Pour les Français, la messe de minuit suivie d’un dîner appelé «le réveillon de Noël» (du verbe «réveiller») est le moment le plus important de la célébration de Noël. Bien qu’en nombre décroissant, de nombreuses familles se rendent toujours à la messe. Le réveillon permet de revivre symboliquement la naissance de Jésus et c’est l’un des repas primordiaux de l’année. Le réveillon se passe généralement en famille et le repas est consommé juste après la messe de minuit, à la maison ou au restaurant. S’il varie d’une région à l’autre, le menu typique se compose de fruits de mer, d’une volaille rôtie et de la traditionnelle bûche de Noël. A base de chocolat et de noix, le gâteau symbolise une bûche qui se consume de Noël à l’Épiphanie dans certaines régions de France. C’est l’héritage de rites païens qui consistaient à faire brûler une bûche pendant le solstice d’hiver pour garantir une bonne récole. La Saint-Sylvestre – 1er janvier La nouvelle année est fêtée lors du réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.

Le jour de l’An, familles et amis s’échangent leurs meilleurs vœux et s’offrent parfois des cadeaux. Le président choisit ce jour pour adresser son discours annuel à la nation. L’ Épiphanie – 6 janvier La saison festive se conclut le 6 janvier, lors de la célébration de l’Épiphanie. Les familles et amis se partagent alors une galette des rois. Une fève y est dissimulée et un enfant désigné comme «le petit roi» ou «l’enfant soleil» distribue les parts. Celui qui trouve la fève devient le roi ou la reine d’un jour et doit choisir un partenaire de sexe opposé.

Credit/Source: Sophie Arsac for The Bugle

The health benefits of a bilingual brain

 

 

There are many good reasons to learn a second language, whatever your age. If you are young, studying more than one language can create job opportunities in an increasingly globalised world; if you are older and move abroad, then speaking the local tongue will enhance your experience on a social and cultural level. But there is also one added benefit that more and more studies are highlighting: speaking more than one language can stave off the effects of dementia. The brain is a complex organ and the causes of dementia are still not fully understood, but there is an increasing body of evidence to suggest that polyglots will develop the disease later in life than those who only speak one language. “Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, especially one of the most important areas known as the executive control system,” explained Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto. “We know that this system deteriorates with age but we have found that at every stage of life it functions better in bilinguals. They perform at a higher level. It won’t stop them getting Alzheimer’s disease, but they can cope with the disease for longer.”

In her research, which was originally published the journal Neurology, Bialystok looked at 211 people with probable Alzheimer’s disease, 102 of whom were bilingual and 109 monolingual. She noted the age at which the patients’ cognitive impairment had started and her results showed that bilingual patients had been diagnosed an average of 4.3 years later and had reported the onset of symptoms 5.1 years later than monolingual patients. Whilst even school level language showed some benefits, the effect was greatest for people who had to use the language every day and continually choose between two sets of words. “It works best for people who speak two languages every day, like immigrants moving to a new country who speak their own language at home… but every little bit helps.” The scientist believes that the act of switching between different languages and inhibiting those that are not needed, stimulates the brain, creating a cognitive reserve. “It is rather like a reserve tank in a car. When you run out of fuel, you can keep going for longer because there is a bit more in the safety tank.” This last analogy is crucial, as repeated studies have shown that keeping your brain active is not a silver bullet against dementia, it will simply allow you to cope with the disease for longer, something that has been highlighted by a subsequent study by Bialystok of the brains of dementia sufferers.

A group of monolingual and bilingual dementia patients, who were the same age and functioned at the same cognitive level, were scanned using a CT machine. The results showed that the physical effects of the disease were more advanced in the bilinguals’ brains, even though their mental ability was approximately the same. “Apparently, the bilinguals’ brains are somehow compensating,” explained Bialystok. “Even though the ‘machine’ is more broken, they can function at the same level as a monolingual with less disease.” It is not just later in life that the benefits of speaking multiple languages manifest themselves. It has long been known that bilingual children will outperform their monolingual peers in certain tasks controlled by the executive control system, such as editing out irrelevant information, focusing on important details and prioritising. “We would probably refer to most of these cognitive advantages as multi-tasking,” explained Judith Kroll, a psychologist at Penn State University in the US. “Bilinguals seem to be better at this type of perspective-taking.” It had previously been assumed that speaking multiple languages “confused” the brain, but the opposite has now been shown to be the case. “The received wisdom was that bilingualism created confusion, especially in children. The belief was that people who could speak two or more languages had difficulty using either. The bottom line is that bilingualism is good for you.”

For those of us who were not lucky enough to have picked up a second language at school, there are still plenty of health benefits to learning another tongue later in life… and it is never too late to try. “Being bilingual is one way to keep your brain active – it’s part of the cognitive-reserve approach to brain fitness. The more the better and every little bit helps!” Bialystok concludes. So next time you set yourself health goals – be they losing weight, getting fit, or cutting down on your alcohol consumption – why not add a few hours of French study into the equation… it’s a lot less tiring than jogging.

Article Source/Credit: The Bugle, Sept 2016

Technology Vocab: 50+ French Words You Need to Know if You Own a Smartphone or Use the Internet

Are you way more into snail mail than email?

Or are you a techie till the end, your heart racing and your palms sweaty when you find yourself without a solid Wi-Fi connection?

Regardless of which camp you’re in, technology is here to stay.

But hey, in many cases it makes life—French-learning life included—simpler.

So can you talk about all of this technology en français?

Whether you love it or hate it, now is the time to update your French vocabulary for life in the 21st century. We live in the ère numérique (digital age), so to express opinions about new technology, you’re definitely going to need some tech-related vocab.

Why Learn Technology-related French Vocabulary?

Even the l’Académie française (The French Academy, a national institution which is the authority on things related to the French language) has been forced to accept the fact that haute technologie (high technology) isn’t going away anytime soon.

In response to an onslaught of neologisms and anglicisms, l’Académie française has adapted, allowing for the French language to keep up with the times. By learning technology vocabulary, you’ll not only come acrossa fair amount of English loan words, you’ll also come across quintessentially French ones as well.

The building blocks of the French language are grammar and vocabulary. This means that even if your grammar game is on point, you’ll need a broad vocabulary to be able to communicate effectively about a wide range of subjects. Once you’ve got the basics down, you should move on to more domain-specific vocabulary.

The tech domain, like the business world, is a subculture with its own lingo. No need to be intimidated, though! Learn the lingo and you’ll find that your reading and listening comprehension will also improve. Besides that, you’ll wow native speakers as you wax poetic on Wi-Fi.

Get Geeky: French Resources for Technology Lovers

Reading blogs and listening to podcasts is a great way to see and hear French technology vocabulary in action. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Begeek. Begeek is the one-stop shop for you gadget lovers out there. Begeek contains a variety of articles pertaining to the tech world, product reviews and promotional codes.

• Presse-Citron. Think of Presse-Citron, founded by Eric Dupin, as an online lifestyle magazine for the startup-launching set. On this site you’ll find posts on subjects ranging from e-books and environmentalism to smartphones and startups.

• Soft Power: Le magazine des Internets. This one-hour France Culture podcast hosted by Frédéric Martel revolves around the creative industry, with a special emphasis on mass media and the Internet. Each week Martel interviews journalists and researchers who discuss the stakes of living in “The Information Age.”

• Ubergizmo. Ubergizmo is a frequently updated website containing no-nonsense reviews of “the electronics you love and the ones that you love to hate.”

50+ French Technology Vocab Words to Navigate Life in the 21st Century

Basic French Technology Vocabulary

Here are some French vocabulary words for computer hardware and some terms that harken back to Web 1.0.

Nouns

Arobase (f, although the gender hasn’t quite been settled yet) — @.

This is the name for the commercial “at” symbol: @.  Since the advent of the Internet, countries have come up with different names for this curious character. According to some, the French term arobase—approved by l’Académie française—is a derivative of a rond bas (a surrounded [letter] “a”). Neat, right? So instead of saying “at” when you’re telling someone your email address, you say arobase (at).

Mon adresse courriel est Frenchy arobase mail point com.[Frenchy@mail.com] (My email is Frenchy at mail dot com.)

Base de données (f) — Database.

La base de données aide la société à trouver les meilleurs clients.
(The database helps the company find the best clients.)

Bureau (m) — [Computer] desktop.

In the non-tech world, bureau refers to either a desk or an office.

Il y a trop de fichiers sur mon bureau.
(There are too many files on my desktop.)

Clavier (m) — Keyboard.

Computers made in the United States have QWERTY keyboards (QWERTY being the first six letters on the top left letter row of the keyboard), but did you know computers made in France have AZERTY ones?

Les ordinateurs fabriqués en France ont des claviers AZERTY.
(Computers made in France have AZERTY keyboards.)

Clé USB (f) — USB stick.

USB stands for “Universal Serial Bus,” which in French translates to Bus universel en série. Because the Anglophone world seems to dictate tech-lingo, we say clé USB (USB stick) instead of the “more French” clé BUS.

J’ai toujours une clé USB sur moi.
(I always have a USB stick with me.)

Courriel (m) — Email.

The word courriel is an abbreviation of courrier éléctronique (literally: electronic mail). (Courrier refers to a piece of mail delivered by post.) The anglicism un e-mail (an email) is often used, but courriel is preferred byl’Académie française. In Quebec, the term courriel is more popular than it is in Europe.

Un mél (an email) is another term for email. Think of it as a Frenchified version of the anglicism. The Académie française accepts Mél. as an abbreviation for message éléctronique (electronic message), much likeTél. is used as an abbreviation for (numéro de) téléphone (telephone [number]).

J’ai envoyé un courriel à Charlotte.
(I sent an email to Charlotte.)

Curseur (m) — Cursor.

Je déplace le curseur avec la souris.
(I move the cursor with the mouse.)

Disque dur (m) — Hard drive.

If you want to be more specific you can refer to either un disque dur interne (internal hard drive) or un disque dur externe (external hard drive).

Mon disque dur externe a beaucoup de stockage.
(My external hard drive has a lot of space.)

Donnée (f) — [A point of] data.

You will most often see this in its plural form, données.

Les données sont sur le serveur.
(The data is on the server.)

Dossier (m) — Folder.

J’ai créé un dossier pour chaque matière sur mon ordinateur.
(I made a folder for each subject on my computer.)

Écran (m) — Screen.

L’écran est sale.
(The screen is dirty.)

Fichier (m) — File or document.

Toutes les informations sont dans ce fichier.
(All of the information is in this file.)

Internet (m) — The Internet. (You guessed it!)

The definite article le (the) is rarely used before the word Internet in French. It’s treated like a proper noun, hence its capitalization. La toile (the web) and le net (the ‘Net) are two other French terms for the Internet.

Elle passe beaucoup de temps sur Internet.
(She spends a lot of time on the Internet.)

Logiciel (m) — Computer program.

J’utilise trois logiciels au quotidien.
(I use three programs on a daily basis.)

Mémoire (f) — Memory.

Combien de mémoire a ton ordinateur ?
(How much memory does your computer have?)

Mot de passe (m) — Password.

J’ai oublié mon mot de passe.
(I forgot my password.)

Moteur de recherche (m) — Search engine.

Le moteur de recherche a remplacé l’encyclopédie.
(The search engine has replaced the encyclopedia.)

Ordinateur (m) — Computer.

In colloquial spoken French you’ll often hear the shortened ordi. Cute, right? The French for “laptop” is ordinateur portable, which translates literally to “carry-able computer.” You’re more likely to hear a person refer to their portable (laptop), which, incidentally, is also the word for cell phone. Context usually clues you in regarding the item in question.

L’ordinateur de Sarah a un grand écran.
(Sarah’s computer has a big screen.)

Site web (m) — Web site.

Easy peasy! It’s common for French speakers to refer to un site (a site), tout simplement (quite simply).

La société a un nouveau site web.
(The company has a new website.)

Souris (f) — Mouse.

Je navigue sur le site à l’aide de la souris.
(I explore the site with help of the mouse.)

Traitement de texte (m) — Word processing.

J’utilise un logiciel de traitement de texte pour prendre des notes.
(I use a word processing program to take notes.)

Verbs

Enregistrer — To save.

In other contexts, enregistrer can also mean “to record.”

J’enregistre le fichier tout de suite.
(I am saving the file right away.)

Saisir — To enter or to input.

In other contexts, the verb saisir can also mean “to grasp,” both literally and figuratively, as in “to understand (a concept or idea).”

Je saisis les informations dans la base de données.
(I’m entering the information into the database.)

Sauvegarder — To backup.

Je sauvegarde mon travail toutes les deux heures.
(I backup my work every two hours.)

Supprimer — To delete.

J’ai supprimé quelques fichiers.
(I deleted some files.)

Web 2.0 and Beyond: French Vocabulary for the Digital Age

Although definitions may vary, the Web 2.0 generally is characterized by user-generated content and social media. Gone are the days where we passively consume information on websites. As modern-day internautes (Internet users—the noun can be either masculine or feminine depending on who it refers to), we actively engage with it, going so far as to create it.

Like I said earlier, with new technology comes new vocabulary. You’ll notice that many terms are loan words borrowed from the English. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Nouns

Abonné(e) (m or f) — Subscriber.

Le bulletin éléctronique a 2 000 abonnés.
(The newsletter has 2,000 subscribers.)

Application (f) — Application.

It’s not uncommon to hear appli (appl) for short.

L’application dictionnaire me facilite la vie.
(The dictionary application makes my life easier.)

Blog (or blogue) (m) — Blog.

Michel tient un blog de musique.
(Michel runs a music blog.)

Commentaire (m) — Comment.

J’ai laissé un commentaire sur le blog de Michel.
(I left a comment on Michel’s blog.)

Compte (m) — Account.

J’ai un compte Facebook.
(I have a Facebook account.)

Écran tactile (m) — Touch screen.

Mon téléphone portable a un écran tactile.
(My cell phone has a touch screen.)

Fil d’actualité (m) — Newsfeed.

Mon fil d’actualité contient des articles intéressants.
(My newsfeed contains interesting articles.)

Lecteur (m) — Reader.

Lectrice (reader) is the feminine form.

Le blog de Michel a beaucoup de lecteurs.
(Michel’s blog has a lot of readers.)

Like (m) — A (Facebook) like.

Alternatively (and more French-ly), you can say une mention j’aime (literally translates to an “I like” distinction).

La photo de Caroline a reçu beaucoup de likes.
(Caroline’s picture got a lot of likes.)

Mise à jour (f) — Update.

J’ai effectué une mise à jour de logiciel sur mon ordinateur.
(I did a program update on my computer.)

Mot-dièse (m) — Hashtag.

Dièse refers to what (American) English speakers know as the pound sign (#). It’s worth noting that un hashtag is much more commonly used than mot-dièse (hashtag).

Sur Twitter, les sujets de discussion sont classés grâce à des mots-dièse.
(On Twitter, discussion topics are organized by hashtags.)

Nom d’utilisateur (m) — Username.

J’ai choisi un nom d’utilisateur très simple.
(I chose a very simple username.)

Page d’accueil (f) — Home page.

La page d’accueil est très simple.
(The home page is very simple.)

Photo de profil (f) — Profile picture.

Marie change souvent sa photo de profil.
(Marie changes her profile picture often.)

Piratage (m) — (Illegal) downloading or hacking.

Le piratage des films est interdit.
([Illegally] downloading movies is forbidden.)

Profil (m) — Profile.

Le profil de Sarah est très détaillé.
(Sarah’s profile is very detailed.)

Réseau social (m) — Social network.

Les adolescents passent beaucoup de temps sur les réseaux sociaux.
(Teenagers spend a lot of time on social networks.)

Selfie (m, although the gender hasn’t been entirely settled yet) — Selfie.

Selfie is short for self-portrait, which is autoportrait (self-portrait) in non-virtual French.

Carole prend beaucoup de selfies.
(Carole takes a lot of selfies.)

Tweet (m) — A tweet.

Les tweets de Rémy sont drôles.
(Rémy’s tweets are funny.)

Utilisateur (m) — User.

Ce réseau social a beaucoup d’utilisateurs.
(This social network has a lot of users.)

Verbs

Bloquer — To block.

Sandrine a bloqué son ex sur Facebook.
(Sandrine blocked her ex on Facebook.)

Mettre à jour — To update.

J’ai mis à jour mon profil.
(I updated my profile.)

Partager — To share.

Carine a partagé un article intéressant sur Facebook.
(Carine shared an interesting article on Facebook.)

Publier — To publish.

Michel a publié un article intéressant sur son blog.
(Michel published an interesting article on his blog.)

S’abonner — To subscribe.

Je m’abonne au blog de Michel.
(I subscribe to Michel’s blog.)

Se connecter — To log in.

Je me connecte sur Facebook tous les jours.
(I log on to Facebook every day.)

S’inscrire — To register or to sign up.

Alexandre ne veut pas s’inscrire sur Facebook.
(Alexandre does not want to sign up for Facebook.)

Signaler — To report.

J’ai signalé le contenu offensant du site.
(I reported the site’s offensive content.)

Suivre — To follow.

Je suis Leonardo DiCaprio sur Tweeter.
(I follow Leonardo DiCaprio on Twitter.)

Surfer — To surf (the Internet).

Antoine surfe sur Internet pendant son cours d’anglais.
(Antoine surfs the Internet during his English class.)

Taguer — To tag, as in to identify someone in a picture.

Marc m’a tagué(e) dans une photo.
(Marc tagged me in a picture.)

Télécharger — To download/upload.

J’ai téléchargé le nouvel album de Christine and the Queens.
(I downloaded Christine and the Queens’ new album.)

Tweeter — To tweet.

Caroline tweete souvent.
(Caroline tweets often.)

Whew! I hope your memory’s not full! Once you pick a method that fits your fancy (I recommend the memory palace) and you learn these words, your journey through French cyberspace will be smooth sailing.

SOURCE/CREDIT:  Fluent U blog

 

Cheese Police

cheese plate

 

Of course, there’s no cheese police monitoring how one cuts cheese in France, but there IS a proper way to cut the various shapes of cheese – are you in the etiquette know?!

Cheese is usually served on a platter with knives designated for each type. Choices (3 or 5 types) should include hard, soft, and blue varieties ranging from mild to strong flavors.

• Round cheese, like a small, whole Camembert should be already started with a small wedge cut and removed from the circle, so it’s cut like a pie.
• A square or rectangular brick of cheese, such as blue, should have a rectangle cut off the end.
• With a wedge/triangular-shaped cheese, such as Brie, simply slice a sliver off along the side of the wedge – NEVER cut the tip off a wedge of triangular cheese.

Remove the cheese from the platter to your plate by gently stabbing with the knife to pick up your piece.

If in doubt, just remember – the original shape of the cheese should be maintained.  Voila & bon appetit!

The 10 Best French Movies on Netflix for French Learners

Source:  fluentU.com / written by Elizabeth Cook

In the mood for a cinematic treat?

Many French learners already know that watching movies is one of the best and most pleasurable ways to learn through immersion.

Some are even aware of techniques for using movies to accelerate their learning.

Finding the movies themselves, though?

That can be a hassle!

You have a limited amount of time and don’t want to waste it watching something boring. Even worse, imagine starting a movie only to find that it involves absolutely no French conversation!

FluentU offers fun, authentic French videos specially selected for learners. You can watch these videos instantly and enjoy several features that give you control and flexibility, such as optional subtitles and active learning tools.

But when it comes to feature films, you’re sorta left to fend for yourself. Which can be tough.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best films for French learners that are currently on Netflix.

We’ve considered not only the quality of the movies but also the features included—all in order to give you the best possible learning experience.

All you have to do is sit back and enjoy!

In the mood for a cinematic treat?

Many French learners already know that watching movies is one of the best and most pleasurable ways to learn through immersion.

Some are even aware of techniques for using movies to accelerate their learning.

Finding the movies themselves, though?

That can be a hassle!

You have a limited amount of time and don’t want to waste it watching something boring. Even worse, imagine starting a movie only to find that it involves absolutely no French conversation!

FluentU offers fun, authentic French videos specially selected for learners. You can watch these videos instantly and enjoy several features that give you control and flexibility, such as optional subtitles and active learning tools.

But when it comes to feature films, you’re sorta left to fend for yourself. Which can be tough.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best films for French learners that are currently on Netflix.

We’ve considered not only the quality of the movies but also the features included—all in order to give you the best possible learning experience.

All you have to do is sit back and enjoy!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

What Makes a French Movie Ideal For Learning1

Before we get into the movies themselves, here’s a look at factors that went into their selection.

Read more of this article HERE

 

What French Kids Eat For School Lunch Puts American Lunches To Shame

“It’s a shocking statistic that everyone should be talking about, 1 in every 3 kids in the United States is overweight or obese. What on earth could American children be eating to substantiate this scary statistic?

This was the question which fueled author Rebeca Plantier’s inquiry into the school lunch programs of the French in her article, What French Kids Eat For School Lunch (It Puts Americans To Shame!). She wanted to know why French kids weren’t fat, and discovered some interesting truths when she compared their school lunches…..”

What Are French Kids Eating?

What American Children Are Eating?

Read more of this article (with photos) HERE

Credit:  EatLocalGrown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cafés, Bistrots, Bars and Brasseries – 18 Useful Tips

The newly-landed Anglophone expat might find the following tips of help when it comes to having a drink or a bite to eat in a café, a bistrot, a brasserie or a bar:

Read more of this article HERE

 

Reblogged from:

François Théodore Thistlethwaite’s FRENGLISH THOUGHTS

5 Course Meal for 3 Year Olds!

There has been a big movement to stress to children the importance of food with regards to French culture, to battle the increasing influence of fast foods. This video really highlights the efforts being taken to teach 3-year olds about food – a major French cultural icon!

France’s Gourmet School Lunches featured on CBS Sunday Morning