People keep telling me that watching TV is a good way to improve your language skills so I’ve tried on and off to get in the habit of watching. But I don’t know, I guess I just haven’t been willing to make the commitment. Until recently that is, when I noticed that one of the [...]
Doing a little Métro reading this morning (over someone else’s shoulder), I spied this headline: Sea, Foot and Sun: Miami est la paradise des footballeurs. Now, I know the French love using, not only English words in all things hip, but also full-on English sentences. The trouble I’m having, however, is this word “foot”. “Foot” [...]
Faux amis (false friends) are those French words that you think you know because they seem so much like a word you know in English only it turns out you haven’t got a clue. (Seriously, even after 20 months in Paris, this is still my default state of mind.) Like actuellement which seems like it [...]
Today I took Small Fry to our 19th century apothecary-styled pharmacy around the corner from our apartment. She woke up from her nap with a fire-engine red front and bottom. She needed diaper rash cream fast. As we walked into the pharmacy, she shouted, “Moi have coochie boo boo, Monsieur!” Pharmacist: Ah bon? Tu as un bo-bo? Ma [...]
Even with my inexplicable love for vegetables and health food, I can appreciate that “grass” is just not an appetizing ingredient most people look for in food. That’s why when I picked up this tofu from my local Naturalia, I had to laugh that someone would actually print “with grass” on the label. Enticing, I know. [...]
On the radio station France Inter there was a segment on a new tendency amongst politicians to “parler cash.” I had to ask my husband (who is French), what that could possibly mean. Were they speaking about money? No, apparently this is the new slang for straight talk, plain speaking. This tendency will be welcomed with [...]
My first French review of my album came out this week. I couldn’t understand the whole thing so I typed the text into freetranslation.com and what followed is now officially my favorite review of my music of all time. EVER. (Note: I am now officially changing my name from Dana Boulé to Rolled Dana, The American One.) Landed to Paris by love [...]
When will the French stop using “bling-bling” in their everyday vocabulary? They think eet ees so cool! Bling-bling made it’s way into the language 18 months ago in reference to Daddy Sarkozy’s flashy lifestyle. Once I heard my mother-in-law use it (she’s 75) I almost choked on my croissant! It’s so 2004! >more
The fact that French people are not as fitness-obsessed as Americans is evident when you look at a schedule of classes for a gym: all the names are English or adaptations. A French friend of mine told me she takes “gym tonic,” “le fitness” and “le stretching” classes. Maybe the French avoid gyms because [...]
