Journée, nf : day, daytime The French word « journée » looks almost the same as the English word “journey.” The most common meaning of “journey” in English refers to extended travel, or a voyage. In French, « journée » means “day” or “daytime.” Les journées sont chaudes en été. The days are hot in […]
Compassion, nf : compassion, sympathy, mercy, humanity, pity. Ils ont réagi à la catastrophe avec beaucoup de compassion. Their response to the disaster showed great humanity. La compassion est la force. Compassion is strength. Son manque de compassion n’était pas une surprise. His lack of compassion was no surprise.
Did you know that this week has three holidays in France? Friday, April 18th is Good Friday, which is observed as a public holiday in Alsace and Moselle. As a holy day for practicing Catholics, Good Friday is typically honored with a day off work in France. The bells of churches are tied so they […]
Oh my gosh, let’s talk about bread in Paris! The City of Light takes its bread very seriously. There are over 30,000 boulangeries (bakeries) and pâtisseries (pastry shops) in Paris. Although the image of a Frenchman wearing a beret and striped pullover, carrying a baguette under his arm is a total cliché, it is very […]
Bonjour les amis, Something fun! This week, I made Scottish Shortbread! Yes, I know Scottland is not France, but it’s close enough! A dear friend of mine and her husband love Scottland, and her birthday is this week, so I thought what a great way to celebrate both… everyone needs a little Scottish Shortbread… […]
« Casser les pieds à quelqu’un ». Literal translation: To break someone’s feet. Meaning: To get on someone’s nerves, to bore someone stiff. Ça alors, il me casse vraiment les pieds ! Sa présentation n’était pas très intéressante. C’était tellement ennuyeux. Oh my, he is really getting on my nerves! His presentation was not very […]
AFP, 3 Apr 2025, par Marisol Rifai En Gironde, un restaurant fait le pari d’abandonner son étoile Michelin A Langon, au sud de Bordeaux, le restaurant de la Maison Claude Darroze affiche complet. Cette référence de la gastronomie girondine a pris le pari de poursuivre l’aventure sans son étoile Michelin, afin de, paradoxalement, “mieux s’en […]
Embrasser, vtr : to kiss The French word « embrasser » looks almost the same as the English word “embrace.” Be careful with this one. The most common meaning of “embrace” in English is to give a friendly hug to someone. By the way, to give a hug to someone is not as common in […]
Gentillesse, nf : kindness, act of kindness, favor, warmth, friendly or agreeable nature. Pourriez-vous avoir la gentillesse de m’aider ? Would you be kind enough to help me? Je l’ai remerciée de sa gentillesse. I thanked her for her kindness. C’est un homme d’une grande gentillesse. He is a very kind man.
Did you know that, as expected (as usual with la langue française), there is an exception when it comes to typing French quotation marks ( « » )? As indicated a few weeks ago, French quotation marks need a space before and after when typing… except, when followed by a period or a comma… in […]
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